Vanderbilt Business

Category: In the News

  • Media Mentions

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    The Associated Press

    Feb. 18: Doug Parker, MBA’86, CEO of US Airways, is profiled. Parker will lead the newly merged US Airways and American Airlines.

    April 18: The Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., was raided by FBI and IRS agents due to allegations of rebate fraud. The raid signaled fresh scrutiny of competition issues involving the nation’s top retail seller of diesel fuel. Paul Chaney, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Accounting, is quoted.

    Bloomberg Businessweek

    Jan. 3: Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management ranks ninth among the top business schools in the world in leadership development.

    Jan. 4: Tami Fassinger, chief recruiting officer, is quoted in an article in which business school administrators admit there is a natural inclination for students, especially those who have already found a full-time job, to feel less pressure to ace their classes. However, the administrators urge seniors to keep up the good work through graduation as classmates and school officials may be watching.

    Jan. 10: Business schools that toil in obscurity may soon be able to gain some prominence—for a price. In a new rating system devised by Quacquarelli Symonds, the company behind the QS World University Rankings and a global business school ranking, schools will have to pay for their evaluation. Dean Jim Bradford is quoted.

    Jan. 29: Full-time MBA students head back to business school, aware that—barring access to a healthy trust fund—they’ll have to live as if they’re broke. This can provide great motivation for outside-the-box thinking. Owen second year Walker Matthews Jr. is featured in a story about creative moneymaking ventures that have been tried, with some success, by cash-strapped MBA students.

    Feb. 21: Eight months after the GMAT exam underwent its biggest overhaul in 15 years, the test’s new Integrated Reasoning section is beginning to be used by admissions committees at top business schools to determine which applicants to accept. The Owen School is mentioned.

    March 1: The Owen School is mentioned in a story about how to navigate getting wait-listed at business school.

    March 7: A university in the United Kingdom will officially unveil its “MBA for the Music Industry” program in the United States at a global music event in Hollywood. A similar program offered by the Owen School is referenced.

    March 13: What are the best business school keepsakes? A custom Hatch Show print for the Owen School is one of the more unusual—and affordable—items mentioned.

    Bloomberg Markets

    December 2012: Investors can use derivatives such as VIX futures and options to help shield a portfolio from market disaster. Robert Whaley, the Valere Blair Potter Professor of Finance, is profiled for Bloomberg Markets’ annual 2013 terminal guide, an annual review of investment strategies and trends for institutional investors.

    CNBC Nightly Business Report

    Jan. 25: Research by Nicolas Bollen finds that hedge funds, widely prized for their safety, may contain previously overlooked risks and may be prone to failure of performance for investors.

    Feb. 5: Steve Posavac was interviewed about the impact of shareholder value as it compares to the success of a company’s celebrity endorsements.

    NBC

    Jan. 28: For years, Super Bowl commercials were closely guarded secrets until they aired on the biggest ratings day of the year. These days, companies have discovered that teasing them online in advance of the big day is a more efficient way of getting their brand message in front of the masses. Steve Posavac weighs in.

    Jan. 31: Salacious commercials are as much a part of the Super Bowl experience as instant replays, controversial calls and boring halftime shows. And consumers only have themselves to blame. Or, more accurately, their own conditioned reflex to stimuli. Steve Posavac is quoted.

    March 16: A new ad by Amtrak shows scenes of travelers doing things that are forbidden or frowned upon while traveling on a plane: using electronic devices, moving about and socializing on the train during transit. Steve Posavac is quoted.

    Deseret News

    Jan. 30: With health insurance access being widened under the health care reform law, attention is focused on groups that, presumably, place disproportionate burden on the health care system—mainly smokers and the obese. W. Kip Viscusi, University Distinguished Professor of Law, Economics, and Management, is quoted.

    Environmental Leader

    April 2: Strategic Sustainability Consulting CEO and founder Jennifer Woofter applies to her industry the lessons she has learned from the Coursera course, Leading Strategic Innovation in Organizations, taught by David Owens, professor of the practice of management and innovation at the Owen School.

    Financial Times

    Jan. 30: The Owen School rose three places to No. 53 in the Financial Times’ 2013 roundup of the world’s top business schools.

    Forbes

    March 14: The Owen School invited four financial luminaries to a discussion where they tangled with the country’s current economic issues. One of them was Robert Whaley.

    FOXSports

    Jan. 17: Sports agent Bo McKinnis, MBA’91, worked with Vanderbilt baseball star and now Cy Young Award winner David Price to construct a new $10 million contract with Tampa Bay Devil Rays that smartly saves Price $250,000 in “fiscal cliff” taxes.

    NPR, On Point

    March 31: Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management, was a guest on National Public Radio’s On Point, discussing how states are preparing for the Affordable Care Act, set to roll out in six months.

    Poets and Quants

    Jan. 8: The MBA bashers are everywhere, especially in the media where uninformed reporters are eager to write stories that often make little sense. The latest example surprisingly comes from The Wall Street Journal, which reported on Jan. 7 that MBA pay is declining. The Owen School is mentioned.

    USA Today

    Jan. 24: The mania for Super Bowl teasers—call them ads for ads—began last year, with Volkswagen posting a teaser online aimed at driving folks to social media to get hints about VW’s Super Bowl game ad. Steven Posavac is quoted.

    April 21: Bruce Barry, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, is quoted in an article regarding professors who use pop culture in their teaching. Academics are reaching beyond dense economic texts and into the world of pop culture to help students and others recognize that business and economic concepts are all around.

    April 28: As the dust settles on the FBI raid of the Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters of Pilot Flying J, the nation’s largest truck stop chain, the long wait for the legal fallout has begun. Mark Cohen is quoted.

    USA Today College

    April 1: The term “bridge program” is often used to refer to crash courses in business or corporate skills that can give liberal arts majors a boost before entering the working world. The Owen School’s Accelerator program is featured, and Greg Harvey, administrative director of Accelerator, is quoted.

    For more media mentions, visit the newsroom page at owen.vanderbilt.edu.

  • Media Mentions

    news-650

    Bloomberg Businessweek

    June 4: Every year around this time, a wave of anxiety ripples through most of the nation’s newly admitted business school students: How to depart a job without burning any bridges, and ideally, leaving a positive, lasting impression? Tami Fassinger, Chief Recruiting Officer, writes in this op-ed about how to resign gracefully.

    July 13: The admissions interview is the business school’s opportunity to meet potential students face to face and go beyond the pages of their applications. For applicants, the interview is a chance to show their true colors. Consuela Knox, Senior Associate Director and Diversity Recruiting Manager of Admissions, offers tips to students about the interviewing process.

    Sept. 25: The number of people taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is on the rise this year, bolstered by a surge of people trying to take the exam before the addition of a new section, as well as by growing interest in the business programs from students outside the United States. Dean Jim Bradford is quoted.

    Christian Science Monitor

    Aug. 13: Could “liking” something on Facebook get you fired? That’s what six sheriff’s deputies say happened to them after they liked the political opponent of their boss. A district judge ruled that Facebook likes aren’t protected speech, but the case is being appealed. Bruce Barry, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, is quoted.

    CNBC

    Aug. 29: Many of Paulson and Co.’s investors stayed with the company last year even though its flagship hedge fund lost 35 percent. But with returns continuing to sag amid a rising equities market, some of those investors are now jumping ship. Nick Bollen, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Finance, is quoted.

    NBC.com

    Aug. 13: As the Olympics wind down, experts are awarding a gold medal in ambush marketing to Nike, which scored with bold commercials, smart PR moves and its distinctive, ubiquitous neon-yellow Volt shoes. Jennifer Escalas, Associate Professor of Marketing, is quoted.

    USA Today

    May 21: Facebook raised about $16 billion through its IPO, which gave the company a market value of $104 billion. But its lackluster public debut deflated the pre-IPO hype that had floated in the business press and on Wall Street for weeks. Bill Christie, the Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Finance, is quoted.

    The Wall Street Journal

    May 21: When the economy tanked four years ago, corporations reduced their presence at business schools. So, universities started reaching out to smaller employers—something they had never really done before. Owen alumna Julie Brink, MBA’11, went to a small consultancy firm in Nashville and is quoted.

    July 12: Consumer-products companies are turning to new technology to overcome the biggest obstacle to learning what shoppers really think: what the shoppers say. To find out what really draws their test shoppers’ attention, companies are combining three-dimensional computer simulations of product designs and store layouts with eye-tracking technology. Steve Posavac, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing, is quoted.

  • Media Mentions

    The Associated Press

    March 7: Michael Burcham, Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, has been chosen as a “champion of change” as part of President Barack Obama’s “Winning the Future” initiative. Burcham was honored at a White House ceremony for his leadership in mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs.

    Bloomberg Businessweek

    Nov. 2: MF Global Holdings Ltd.’s bankruptcy, the eighth-largest in U.S. history, is exposing a lack of internal controls that may have prevented a last-minute rescue of Jon Corzine’s futures broker. Hans Stoll, the Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Finance and Director of the Financial Markets Research Center, is quoted.

    Jan. 11: B-school electives have taken a turn for the creative, tackling everything from New York City’s problems to health care to humanitarian relief. In the Fundamentals of Quality Improvement in Health Care elective, students from the Owen School join nursing and medical students to focus on process improvements at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

    CNNMoney

    Feb. 3: Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, lawmakers from 13 states, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia, are seeking approval from their state governments to either issue their own alternative currency or explore it as an option. David Parsley, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Economics and Finance, is quoted.

    Feb. 4: For some, Super Bowl Sunday is all about the game. For others, the ads take center stage. Jennifer Escalas, Associate Professor of Marketing, offers three keys to a killer Super Bowl ad: a meaningful narrative, strong linkage to the brand, and “equity,” which occurs when brands that appear perennially build up a positive association in consumers’ minds.

    The Dallas Morning News

    Feb. 14: Life-threatening problems persist at Parkland Memorial Hospital and are more widespread than previously known, enabled by a “business as usual” culture that has kept it from fixing serious breakdowns, according to a new report. Ranga Ramanujam, Associate Professor of Management, is quoted.

    The Economist

    Jan. 3: As Brazil’s economy booms, U.S. business schools are catering to increased interest in the country by seeking new partnerships and programs with local institutions. Vanderbilt’s Americas MBA for Executives program is mentioned.

    Financial Times

    Jan. 30: The Owen School ranks No. 4 nationally and No. 7 internationally in the human resources category of the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2012.

    Jan. 30: Interest in joint J.D. and MBA programs is being driven by changes in the demand for legal services, says Dean Jim Bradford.

    Forbes

    Dec. 2: Insurance is not a wealth redistribution tool in which good risks cover the bad ones to ensure that everyone pays the same rate, writes Larry Van Horn, Associate Professor of Management and Executive Director of Health Affairs.

    Jan. 26: Bruce Barry, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, is quoted about clichés and jargon used all too frequently in the business world.

    Fortune

    Nov. 23: MBA applicants from India and China face significantly higher rates of rejection by many top U.S. business schools than either domestic candidates or those from Europe or Latin America, according to a new study by Poets & Quants. John Roeder, Director of Admissions, is quoted.

    Dec. 9: The Owen School rose three places to 25th this year in a new ranking by Poets & Quants. The list is a composite of the five major MBA rankings published by Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist, Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report.

    The Globe and Mail

    March 13: Diverse in scope, new executive MBA programs often share similar features: an international learning component, a blend of in-class and online study, and curriculum delivered by multiple partners. The Americas MBA for Executives program is mentioned.

    Investor’s Business Daily

    Feb. 14: Companies can teach people to boost their what-if mindsets and can learn how to generate new approaches by working with employees in a number of brain-building drills. For example, David Owens, Professor of the Practice of Management and Innovation, suggests allowing workers to get out from behind their desks and try thinking in a new place. Read more about David Owens.

    Politico

    Nov. 29: Opponents of Dodd-Frank financial regulations have been emboldened by a circuit court ruling that faulted the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to determine the full costs of implementing the law. The SEC responded to the ruling by bulking up its Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation, a sort of in-house think tank created in 2009 to examine the economic impact of the rules. The appointment of Craig Lewis, the Madison S. Wigginton Chair of Management, to lead the division is mentioned.

    SmartMoney

    Dec. 11: There is one way to steady a stock portfolio without unloading shares: an options strategy known as “covered calls.” The idea is to collect extra income now in exchange for giving up potential gains later. Bob Whaley, the Valere Blair Potter Professor of Finance, is quoted.

    U.S. News & World Report

    Feb. 23: Business students seem to be increasingly seeking jobs in the policy, technology and management of education, say education professionals. The Owen School is among the top-ranked business schools that have student-run education clubs.

    Feb. 29: Three-year programs are increasingly being explored by colleges and college-bound students and parents as a more affordable route to a degree. Others, like Vanderbilt alumnus Ted Griffith, BS’08, MSF’09, earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in four years.

    March 13: The Owen School improved to No. 25, three spots better than last year, in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings of business schools. Read more about the rankings.

    March 21: Read McNamara, MA’76, Executive Director of the Career Management Center, discusses sectors that are hiring and offers advice to B-school graduates.

    April 3: Admissions officers at the Owen School discuss what they look for in applicants and what sets the school apart.

    The Wall Street Journal

    March 28: Alumnus Doug Parker, MBA’86, Chairman and CEO of US Airways, is interviewed about consolidation in the airline industry.

    April 5: The Owen School has increased support for job-seeking foreign students by hiring a dedicated career-services staffer for the international contingent; scheduling “how I did it” presentations by international students who successfully secured jobs in the U.S.; organizing job-hunting trips to Asia; and offering webinars to address cultural gaps and identify companies that are more open to sponsorship. Tami Fassinger, BA’85, Chief Recruiting Officer, and alumnus Juan Jose Thorne, MBA’10, are quoted.

    For more media mentions, visit the newsroom page at owen.vanderbilt.edu.

  • Media Mentions

    The Wall Street Journal

    May 4: Thirty years after the launch of the HP 12c, it’s still common to find the calculator in heavy use among financial analysts. Alumnus James Granberry, MBA’11, a Partner with Oak Point Properties, runs a Facebook fan page for the beloved calculator and is quoted. Full story

    May 23: Craig Lewis, the Madison S. Wigginton Professor of Management in Finance, has been named the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Chief Economist and its Director of the Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation (Risk Fin). Full story

    June 6: Alumna Susan Strayer, MBA’07, Senior Director, Global Employer Brand and Marketing at Marriott International, is featured prominently in this article about the challenge of attracting newcomers to around 50,000 hotel positions this year. Many of the positions are in emerging markets such as India and China, which don’t have strong traditions in the hospitality industry. Full story

    The New York Times

    May 31: A social enterprise called Lumni has raised $17 million to finance the education of a wide array of students in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and the U.S. in the same way startups are financed. Lumni, co-founded by Miguel Palacios, Assistant Professor of Finance, offers “human capital contracts” to people like Jairo Sneider, who grew up in a low-income, single-parent family in Colombia. Full story

    Bloomberg Businessweek

    May 6: Seeking an edge in the job market, Chinese women are flocking to U.S. B-schools—enough to boost female enrollment overall. John Roeder, Owen’s Director of Admissions, is quoted. Full story

    May 25: Kent Thiry, Chairman and CEO of DaVita, a leading provider of kidney care in the U.S., is pictured speaking to the Owen School’s Class of 2011 during Commencement. Full story

    Aug. 8: Larry Van Horn, Associate Professor of Management and Executive Director of Health Affairs at Owen, says it’s mathematically impossible to keep up with the ever-growing costs of Medicare and Medicaid. He says he would tax the health insurance that companies provide to employees, which he estimates could bring in $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Full story

    Forbes

    July 25: Owen’s Leadership Development Program, which partners with both Hogan Assessments and Korn/Ferry International, is mentioned as having some of the most innovative offerings of any business school. Full story

    Sept. 26: Bruce Cooil, the Dean Samuel B. and Evelyn R. Richmond Professor of Management, is interviewed about an article he co-wrote, “Customer Loyalty Isn’t Enough. Grow Your Share of Wallet,” which appeared in the October 2011 issue of the Harvard Business Review. One of the article’s other co-authors is alumnus Timothy Keiningham, MBA’89, Global Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President at Ipsos Loyalty. Full story

    Fortune

    Sept. 14: Facing a tough job market, underemployed graduates of professional schools have begun to speak up, some even suing their former institutions, claiming they were duped into acquiring massive debt loads based on the promise of a secure, six-figure-salary job. That promise is particularly critical at business schools, where graduates expect a quick financial payoff as well as an education. Read McNamara, MA’76, Executive Director of the Career Management Center, and Emily Anderson, Senior Associate Director of the Career Management Center and Co-chair of the MBA Career Services Council, are quoted. Full story

    NPR

    Aug. 15: If being invested in a wildly unpredictable stock market worries you, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, there’s an index to measure that nervousness, and even trade on it. It’s called the Market Volatility Index, or VIX, but it also goes by another name: the fear gauge. Bob Whaley, the Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management in Finance and creator of the VIX, is quoted. Full story

    CNBC

    June 10: Alumnus Rob Morgan, BS’83, MBA’84, Chief Investment Strategist at Fulcrum Securities, was a guest panelist on The Call, a Wall Street news program co-hosted by Larry Kudlow and Melissa Francis. Watch video

    Reuters

    June 1: Fixed income trading revenue is falling, and some of the best minds on Wall Street disagree on whether this is temporary weakness or slow death. Hans Stoll, the Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Finance, is quoted. Full story

    Associated Press

    June 24: Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, JD’81, wants to capitalize on the city’s recent momentum with the Nashville Music Council, a 60-member group that draws together the music community, city leaders and business interests to find ways to leverage Nashville’s unique position as an all-purpose hub that’s home to more than just country music. The music council recently partnered with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a tech business incubator run by Michael Burcham, Lecturer of Entrepreneurship. Full story

    Entrepreneur

    May 5: To make the best business decisions, your prefrontal cortex—the “executive” part of the brain—must be coaxed into action. Dick Daft, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, who says that the average person spends only about 2 to 10 percent of each day using the prefrontal cortex, offers several suggestions for harnessing the right frame of mind to make money and improve productivity. Full story

    The Dallas Morning News

    Aug. 19: Associate Professor of Management Ranga Ramanujam, whose research focuses on the organizational causes and consequences of operational failures in high-risk work settings, is interviewed about the prevalence of safety problems at Dallas’ Parkland Memorial Hospital. Full story

    GreenBiz.com

    June 9: AT&T wants to shift more than half of its expenditures to suppliers that track their carbon footprints and save $40 million a year by reducing energy use. The telecommunications giant revealed these and other new goals today with the release of its 2010 Sustainability Report, which was prepared using feedback the company received from students at the Owen School. Full story

    Nashville Business Journal

    Aug. 2: Among leadership changes including a new CEO, Cracker Barrel has appointed Jim Bradford, Dean of the Owen School, to the company’s board. Full story

    The Tennessean

    July 13: From January to March of this year, more than 1,800 medical, health and dental offers were published on daily deal sites in the U.S. When the deals are offered, they sell like half-price hotcakes, but some consumer experts and physicians don’t think it’s a good idea. Mark Ratchford, Assistant Professor of Marketing, is quoted.

  • Headlines from Around the World

    newscoffee
    The Wall Street Journal

    Nov.1: NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. is introducing new indexes from Bob Whaley, the Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management and creator of the VIX volatility index, and Jacob Sagi, the Vanderbilt Financial Markets Research Center Associate Professor of Finance. The new indexes will track popular stocks’ performance against the broader market. A Feb. 9 follow-up article mentions the approval of the Alpha Indexes by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Read the Nov. 1 article.

    Read the Feb. 9 article.

    Nov. 4: U.S. business schools, faced with a decline in applications from overseas, are stepping up international recruiting efforts to preserve what they say is an essential component of an institution’s credibility. John Roeder, Director of Admissions, is quoted.

    Read the Nov. 4 article.

    Nov. 8: By assigning a price tag that sums up medical, economic and other burdens, researchers are hoping to influence policymakers who weigh spending on these concerns against other priorities. Mark Cohen, the Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise and Business and Professor of Law, one of the experts studying the issue, is quoted.

    Read the Nov. 8 article.

    Nov. 29: The popularity of the VIX index, which has become a widely watched barometer of investor fear since the financial crisis, is generating a host of spinoffs, copycats and derivatives. It is adding up to big business for VIX’s owner, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, as well as partners and competitors. Bob Whaley is quoted.

    Read the Nov. 29 article.

    Jan. 14: Hedge funds are crowding into more of the same trades these days, amplifying market swings during crises and unnerving investors. The pack behavior undermines the image of hedge fund chiefs as savvy money managers who sniff out investment opportunities that others don’t see—thereby justifying the hefty fees they charge clients. It also suggests that hedge funds are having a harder time coming up with money-making ideas in rocky markets. Nick Bollen, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Finance, is quoted.

    Read the Jan. 14 article.

    Feb. 21: The recession has made many companies leery about hiring specialized employees who may not be able to adapt to volatile market changes. That’s why experts say it’s important to routinely re-evaluate your skill set. Tim Gardner, Associate Professor of Management, is quoted.

    Read the Feb. 21 article.

    March 17: Marketing researchers and psychologists say that using “regular” people to model products, as the online shoe seller Zappos does, can be especially effective in certain cases. Steve Posavac, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing, is quoted.

    Read the March 17 article.

    Financial Times

    Nov. 19: Ponzi schemes and other hedge fund frauds could be more easily identified, suggests recent research by Nick Bollen.

    Read the Nov. 19 article.

    Jan. 31: Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management ranked 25th in the U.S. and 51st worldwide, according to the 2011 Global MBA survey published today by Financial Times. Compared to 2010, Owen moved up five spots in its U.S. ranking and six spots in its global ranking. In addition, Owen ranked high among schools worldwide in two key measures: job placement and faculty research (both No. 31 globally).

    Read the Jan. 31 article.

    Bloomberg Businessweek

    Nov. 5: The job market for 2010 MBA graduates made a slow but steady recovery this year, beginning to rebound from one of the worst MBA hiring seasons in recent history. Read McNamara, MA’76, Executive Director of the Career Management Center, is quoted.

    Read the Nov. 5 article.

    Nov. 8: Should businesses crack down on workers who visit recreational websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, on company time? Bruce Barry, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, authored the “Con” opinion.

    Read the Nov. 8 article.

    Jan. 21: The Graduate Management Admission Council announced a contest in July that would award $50,000 to the best idea for how to improve management education. Dawn Iacobucci, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing, won second place.

    Read the Jan. 21 article.

    Forbes

    Nov. 30: Larry Van Horn, Associate Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Health Care Program, introduces his new blog for Forbes, titled “Second Opinion.” In subsequent entries Van Horn writes about Americans’ unwillingness to cut Medicare, the impact a certain provision in the health care reform bill will have on the insurance industry, why thoughtful people will never agree on health care reform, and prescription drug ads.

    Read Van Horn’s blog.

    U.S. News & World Report

    March 15: Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management climbed eight spots to No. 28 in the latest U.S. News & World Report business school rankings. Owen ranks No. 19 among private U.S. graduate business schools, and is one of seven programs in the top 30 to focus only on full-time graduate management education.

    Read a press release about the rankings.

    OTHER

    The Globe and Mail

    Dec. 13: The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader’s Guide to Building Inner Excellence by Dick Daft, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, has been selected by The Globe and Mail as one of its top 10 business books of 2010.

    Read the Dec. 13 article.

    Motley Fool

    Jan. 4: Companies with dissatisfied customers will eventually fail. Research by Bruce Cooil, the Dean Samuel B. Richmond and Evelyn R. Richmond Professor of Management, into the relationship between customer satisfaction and stock prices is mentioned.

    Read the Jan. 4 article.

    MSNBC

    Feb. 7: Assuming the score is remotely close, expect the losing team to go for it on fourth down as time runs out in the Super Bowl on Sunday. New research conducted by Ranga Ramanujam, Associate Professor of Management, and David Lehman of the University of Singapore is mentioned.

    Read the Feb. 7 article.

    Fortune

    Feb. 17: Assistant Professor of Management Tim Vogus has been named one of the 40 best B-school professors under the age of 40.

    Read the Feb. 17 article.

  • Headlines from Around the World

    newscoffeeExecutive MBA Program in Top 25

    The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management ranks No. 25 among executive MBA programs in The Wall Street Journal’s new survey of national business schools. On management skills and alumni satisfaction—key components of the overall rankings—Owen is No. 17 and No. 18, respectively.

    The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 30

    Putting Investors in a Fix

    In coming weeks the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission are expected to release their report on the “flash crash” of May 6, 2010, when the stock market briefly plummeted. “The market always tries to find its way around the rules,” says Bill Christie, the Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Finance, whose work first exposed the game-playing among Nasdaq dealers in the 1990s. “It’s kind of like a balloon—you squish one side and it pops out the other.”

    The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 24

    Beware of ‘Independent’ Research

    In recent years financial-services firms have found a new tool to help them drum up customers: the academic study. Universities conducting the research say they do not allow sponsors to interfere, but critics say that schools should do more to disclose corporate support. Hans Stoll, the Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Finance, says business schools have been accused of not being close enough to the real world. “The connection to business is desirable. I don’t think we want to sever that on the altar of conflict of interest,” he says.

    The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 16

    Southern-fried Health Care

    Health care now is by far the largest industry in Nashville, commanding a fifth of its economy, with the picture looking ever brighter as the industry stands to gain from constant, unrestrained growth. But as the capital of Tennessee, the second-most obese state in the nation, Nashville’s health care cluster suffers from a public relations blemish. Jim Bradford, Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

    MarketWatch, July 27

    Trimming Payroll without Layoffs

    While layoffs may be necessary at some small businesses, employers should avoid sharpening the ax. Here’s why: Not only do employees contribute to the company’s productivity and bottom line, they’re often well-schooled (at a great cost) on specific business methods. If there isn’t enough work to go around, consider switching up people’s duties, suggests Ray Friedman, the Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management. “I have seen big companies make it through downturns by having factory workers do maintenance work [such as] painting, fixing tools” and the like, he says.

    Entrepreneur, July 20

    Buying Household Staples Online

    SmartMoney’s “Deal of the Day” blog looks at online deals for everyday household items. The regularity with which consumers buy household goods appeals to Web retailers, says Dawn Iacobucci, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing. Even Amazon offers groceries and home products. “They’re all hoping to hook you on the convenience of home delivery for a regular order,” she says.

    SmartMoney, July 20

    To Specialize or Not

    Once accepted to business school, students must decide whether they need or want to specialize or pursue a more general business education. “Don’t stick to one goal or career choice if it’s just not going to bear fruit,” says Nick Bollen, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Finance. Several of his students have looked to other industries for employment and found roles in entirely different areas, such as health care.

    Financial Times, June 22

  • Headlines from Around the World

    newscoffeePrescription for job blues

    Health care is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal job picture for B-school grads, and reform has the potential to make it brighter still. Part of the reason health care attracts MBAs is that it’s such a mess. The impetus for health care reform in the first place was high-cost, ineffective treatments, and millions of uninsured Americans. Jeff Freude, a second-year student in the Health Care MBA program at the Owen School, believes an aging population requiring more care, a financially challenged Medicare system, and ever-rising costs make health care one of the greatest challenges facing the American people.

    BusinessWeek, Feb. 8, 2010

    Corporate antagonism goes public

    Companies facing difficult negotiations are now taking the backroom debates into the public eye, using advertising and other publicity to generate pressure. “Customarily these kinds of decisions are business decisions that we can make rationally,” says David Owens, Clinical Professor of Management. But the narrative businesses are using now “evokes an emotional response,” he says. “It makes business a drama.”

    The New York Times, Jan. 25, 2010

    Custom education bridges gaps

    When Cisco Systems wanted to ramp up its health care sales, the company’s account managers needed a crash course in medicine to explain and answer questions about the new products. The company opted to train its managers through a customized education program from the Owen School. The focus on such customized programs has boosted revenue for Owen: Its custom programs earned the school 20 percent more in 2009 than in 2008. In addition to the sort of training Cisco asked for, clients are also attending the school to learn how to cope with competition or grab market share at a time when many of their competitors are facing challenges, says Dean Jim Bradford.

    The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 21, 2010

    Blemishes on the application

    BusinessWeek’s “Getting In” blog reports that some mistakes and indiscretions do not necessarily ruin an applicant’s chances of getting into a top business school. While the background checks business schools implement usually verify only the accuracy of what you have shared with the school, corporate recruiters might delve deeper. Do a Google search of your name and be aware of any personal information that is on the Internet, suggests John Roeder, Director of MBA Admissions. It takes seconds to search someone’s name online, and anyone from a business school to a potential employer might do it.

    BusinessWeek, Jan. 12, 2010

    Doctors seek B-school aid

    Physicians, nurses, private practice managers and hospital administrators are turning to business education for ways to analyze the slew of data now accessible to them, with the hope of improving the quality of care and lowering costs. The health care program at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is mentioned.

    The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 17, 2009

    Bolts from the blue

    Social entrepreneurs have used the Internet to help artisans from remote regions earn a living wage selling their wares all over the world. Jim Schorr, Clinical Professor of Management, is involved with one such project, called Mekong Blue, which supports silk weavers in Cambodia. His students will help draw up a marketing plan for Mekong Blue next semester as a class project. Schorr says similar online stores like eBay’s World of Good have had success appealing to consumers.

    Nashville Public Radio, Dec. 14, 2009

  • Headlines from Around the World

    coffeepaperFor Rent: Chief Financial Officer

    Some small-business owners in need of accounting help to balance their books and guide them out of a financial black hole are renting CFOs rather than hiring them. The strategy comes at a time when the deep recession has forced small companies to look for money-saving alternatives that can yield good returns yet avoid substantial overhead costs. Germain Böer, Professor of Accounting and Director of the Owen Entrepreneurship Center, says business owners often want such a service when their company’s finances are getting more complex and need someone with more financial expertise.

    The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 22

    How to Manage Your Negotiating Team

    Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management, co-authored an article in the Harvard Business Review that discusses how negotiating teams frequently sabotage their own efforts. Friedman argues that a team must first negotiate internally to align its members’ interests and develop a disciplined bargaining strategy.

    Harvard Business Review, Sept. 9

    Disappearing Foreign MBAs

    International applications were down at business schools across the country this year, challenging admissions officers to meet diversity goals and posing questions for the future. John Roeder, Director of Admissions, says the Owen School plans to do more international outreach this fall than ever before. Owen is unusual in that it had a banner year attracting international students. Roeder expects international enrollment to hit 26 percent this year, up 6 percentage points over last year.

    BusinessWeek, Aug. 5

    Lagging Health Care

    A roundup of notable papers and articles includes a brief review of “Why Does the Quality of Health Care Continue to Lag? Insights from Management Research” co-authored by Rangaraj Ramanujam, Associate Professor of Management, and published in Academy of Management Perspectives.

    The Economist, June 30

    Painful Payments

    Covering the estimated 46 million people nationwide without medical insurance won’t come cheap. One recent analysis puts the cost at $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Larry Van Horn, Associate Professor of Health Care Management, says taxing all health care benefits would save the government about $250 billion a year. “Just as importantly, it will result in changes to the design of health plans and reduction in demand for health care services,” he says. “At the end of the day, we can’t afford what we’re consuming now, so we need to consume less.”

    The Tennessean, June 15

    Antitrust Showdown

    A merger between concert promoters Ticketmaster and Live Nation awaits approval by federal antitrust regulators. Critics say the merger could lead to a monopoly within the entertainment industry; proponents say it would enable greater efficiencies. What’s there to like about this merger? The combined company will effectively cut out middlemen, such as independent concert promoters, business managers, lawyers, agents and venue owners who want a piece of the pie, and allow artists to deliver services “quicker, faster, better and cheaper” to their fans, says Luke Froeb, William C. Oehmig Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise.

    Time, June 10

    An Uncertain Future

    Individual investors are rapidly losing sources of analysis and advice, as money set aside for independent research dries up and Wall Street firms slash budgets. “When [people] have to start paying for equity research, [they] could come to the conclusion it’s not worth all that much to them at the margins,” says Craig Lewis, Madison S. Wigginton Professor of Management in Finance.

    Newsweek, May 5

  • Headlines from Around the World

    newspaperOn the Whole

    Premium organic grocer Whole Foods Market Inc. has settled an antitrust battle with U.S. regulators by agreeing to sell the Wild Oats brand, 13 functioning stores, and the leases and assets for 19 closed stores. Luke Froeb, William C. Oehmig Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise, seems skeptical that it would be easy to find appropriate purchasers for the stores. “It’s high-end retailers that have gotten killed in this downturn,” he says, calling the FTC’s decision to revive the Wild Oats brand “unprecedented.”
    Reuters, March 9

    Dim Outlook

    Economists in the latest forecasting survey from The Wall Street Journal still mostly project growth in U.S. gross domestic product by the third quarter, but they largely agree that a 2009 “second-half recovery”—a widely shared scenario until now—is looking much less likely. Dewey Daane, Frank Houston Professor of Finance, Emeritus, is quoted.
    The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 13

    Raising the Gates

    Numerous money-losing hedge funds have curtailed investor withdrawals over the past few months as redemption requests piled up. But “raising the gates,” as it is known in the industry, can cost investors dearly, according to a recent study from Vanderbilt and Columbia universities. “Given that most hedge funds require significant investment levels to begin with, the resulting costs of liquidity restrictions—whether existing or newly imposed—can potentially be staggering for investors,” says Nicolas Bollen, E. Bronson Ingram Associate Professor in Finance.
    The New York Times DealBook, Jan. 7

    MBA Pay

    New research commissioned by BusinessWeek suggests that when it comes
    to the post-MBA earnings accrued by graduates of top business schools over the span of their careers, not all schools are created equal. The Owen School ranks 30th, with the 21st overall highest salary average.
    BusinessWeek, Feb. 10

    The Obama Effect

    Research led by Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management, documents a so-called “Obama Effect,” showing that a performance gap between African Americans and whites on a 20-question test administered before Obama’s nomination all but disappeared when the exam was administered after his acceptance speech and again after the presidential election.
    The New York Times, Jan. 23

    Rigged Games

    In the 1990s Bernard Madoff led a group of NASDAQ market makers who wanted a piece of the NYSE’s very profitable game. They argued they could give investors a better deal by bypassing the established exchanges and matching buyers and sellers more rapidly on their own computers. There was only one problem: The market makers were gaming the system, too. Market makers “had a cushy existence in the ’90s,” says Bill Christie, Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Management, who exposed the spread manipulation in an influential 1994 paper.
    Forbes, Jan. 9

    Fear Factor

    The most popular proxy for market fear is the Chicago Board Options Exchange’s Volatility Index, or VIX, developed by Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Finance. It reached nearly 81 about two weeks ago, roughly four times its historical average of about 20.
    The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 1

  • Headlines from Around the World

    Headlines from Around the World

    Headlines from around the WorldThrowing Caution to the Wind

    Yesterday’s stock market tumble is the direct result of the deregulation of the financial system during the ’70s, experts say. “It was another example of an asset bubble that appears periodically. An economy will disregard risk, and when people see another investor making money by investing in an asset, others will throw caution to the wind,” explains Nicolas Bollen, a finance professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen School.

    McClatchy News Service, Sept. 16

    Trade Off

    International trade remains an evergreen fissure running through U.S. politics. While John McCain has been firm in his defense of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Democrats have promised, albeit without specifics, to renegotiate treaties to protect U.S. workers. Luke Froeb, a free enterprise expert at Vanderbilt University, identifies this as a key ideological gap. He argues: “Renegotiating NAFTA would make our economy a lot less flexible. It would reduce income and make us all worse off.”

    The Guardian (U.K.), Aug. 31

    Clinical Trial and Error

    Many institutional review boards do an exemplary job, keeping scientists on the ethical up-and-up, but “hyperprotectionism,” according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, “can have a stifling effect on research productivity.” One measure of that might be the number of new compounds approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It averaged an abysmal 19 last year—the fewest since the early 1980s. Or you can measure it by how long it takes a clinical trial for cancer to get off the ground: 171 days of red tape, finds David Dilts of the Owen School.

    Newsweek, Aug. 11

    Striking Gold

    Olympic advertisers will spend more than $1 billion for U.S. airtime alone, although some say they will not get their money’s worth. In a time when it’s harder to win by simply offering a better product, the goal of a lot of advertising is to arouse positive feelings that forge lasting bonds with consumers, says Jennifer Escalas, a Vanderbilt professor. This year’s Olympic ads fit squarely with that goal. McDonald’s, for example, isn’t trying to sell a specific burger but to “build a relationship,” Escalas says. “If you feel good about the Olympics, that good feeling should spill over to the brand.”

    MSN.com, Aug. 7

    Full Disclosure?

    Researchers have found that the Security Exchange Commission’s Regulation Fair Disclosure rule (Reg FD) has curtailed the amount of information that companies disclose to the public. Baljit Sidhu from the Australian School of Business, Tom Smith from Australian National University, and Robert Whaley and Richard Willis from the Owen School studied the effect of Reg FD by comparing cost components of the bid-ask spreads of Nasdaq-listed stocks in the months before and after Reg FD went into effect. “While Reg FD gave everyone the same info at the same time, what it’s done is it has made firms release less information, and it’s driven up the cost of trading,” says Whaley.

    CFO.com, Aug. 1

    On the Margins

    The collapse of SemGroup LP, which filed for bankruptcy after losing $2.4 billion on energy contracts, has focused attention on margin requirements. Financial-market experts point out that while trading firms may struggle with margin requirements, increased margin doesn’t become an issue unless the trade is a loser to start with. “It’s a standard argument” when traders “get into trouble,” says Hans Stoll, a finance professor at Vanderbilt.

    The Wall Street Journal, July 29