Mays Impacts

Mays students were among the selected winners in the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship’s (CNVE) second annual Business Idea Competition. More than 160 ideas were submitted this year, with the top 20 ideas each receiving a $1,000 prize.

Undergraduates Philip Blakeman, Derek Franks, Jennie Warthan and Eric Wilson submitted winning entries, as well as MBA students Benjamin Cosby, Steven Dickson, William Nixon, Jay Rege, Lance Smith, Romney Stewart and Bryan Wright.

According to CNVE Director Bert Cannella, the contest allows students from all majors to enter their ideas for new businesses. Entries can be based on anything from hobbies to university research, and students can enter individually or as a group. This year, the contest awarded a $200 bonus for winning ideas that incorporated technologies that could be licensed by the Texas A&M University System. Six entries qualified for the additional prize this year.

“We are really excited by the commitment and dedication put into all of these ideas,” says Cannella, a management professor and Mays Faculty Fellow.

Acknowledging his numerous contributions to the college, Dr. Benito Flores, professor of information and operations management and assistant department head, has been designated the Tenneco Professor in Business. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Flores taught at several institutions, including Indiana University, the University of Monterrey and Stanford University. He has published numerous articles and papers in leading industry journals, as well as served on several editorial review boards.

The college recently launched a new Web site for high school and transfer students interested in attending Texas A&M. But, don’t expect any dull academic jargon here. It’s geared with an 18-year-old in mind.

It provides college and A&M entrance information, the lowdown on financial aid and tips for how to wade through the admissions process. Check it out at: http://business.tamu.edu/bizaggie.

Certainly not every marketing student will end up owning a high-class department store like Neiman-Marcus, but at the Mays College he or she at least has the chance to think like a marketing entrepreneur.

Mays students will have the opportunity this spring to compete in the Stanley Marcus Retailing Communications Competition, which gives them the opportunity to generate solutions to businesses’ real-life problems.

Essentially, students choose a local retail business and try to come up with changes in strategy that would improve the operation, says marketing professor Larry Gresham. Then they will spend time with the business owner, observing how the company runs and conducting primary research.

“The primary objective of the project is to provide students with a first-hand look at the problems and opportunities faced by retailing organizations in a competitive and rapidly changing environment,” Gresham says.

Sponsored by Neiman-Marcus and administered by the Center for Retailing Studies (CRS), the competition is open to students enrolled in Marketing 325, an upper-division retailing course. The teams who are selected as finalists will present their projects to a panel of judges, including representatives from the CRS and its student committee, as well as local merchants and representatives from Neiman-Marcus.

Marketing Professor Dr. Rajan Varadarajan has been named the first Ford Motor Company Chair in Consumerism/E-Commerce/E-Business. Ford established the chair position last year to support a nationally recognized marketing scholar who provides academic and professional program leadership in the areas of e-commerce, e-business and consumerism.

Varadarajan, who also serves as the head of the Department of Marketing, has published a number of journal articles on corporate, business and marketing strategy, marketing management and global competitive strategy, as well as co-authored a textbook. He has been recognized by Texas A&M and the Mays College for his research achievements.

In today’s tight job market, Mays MBA students are keenly aware of the one the thing they must learn how to do. (And, do it well.) Network.

With the help of corporate professionals, more than 100 Mays MBA students got a chance to polish up their social skills at the Business Skills Development Conference. Sponsored by the MBA Association (MBAA), panelists provided tips on topics, such as how to work a room, networking and succeeding in your career.

According to Heath Barber, a first-year MBA student and vice president of the MBAA, having good networking and business etiquette skills are even more critical today.

“I believe more companies are placing higher importance on these skills,” he says. “It may not be that glamorous of a topic, but the conference was very helpful, especially for our international students.”

Mays graduate student Daniel O. Reyes recently received a $5,000 scholarship given by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the Hispanic Scholars Fund (HSF).

The Harlingen native is earning a master’s in management information systems at the Mays College and Graduate School of Business. “It’s really nice to receive an unexpected grant to finance my education, especially since I’m supporting myself in grad school,” he says.

Reyes believes he was chosen to receive the award, funded by NSHMBA and Lockheed Martin, not just because of his academic progress and leadership abilities. But also because of his commitment to community service — something he plans to continue in the future.

“I love children, and I love teaching,” Reyes explains. “For years I’ve volunteered to help in various programs that work with kids, most recently for Helping One Student to Succeed and America Reads.”

Reyes also worked for two years with the Bush office in Houston, an experience, he says, that taught him the importance of public service. “I think NSHMBA gave me this award because they view philanthropy as a cyclical process,” he says. “They’ll help me, and I’ll help future generations.”

Lorraine Eden, associate management professor, was recently named one of the first recipients of the Bush Excellence in International Research Faculty Award.

The award program was established by the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation to recognize excellence in international teaching and research. Recipients of the awards received a $2,500 gift.

An economist, Eden specifically focuses on multinational enterprises, particularly in the areas of transfer pricing and international taxation. Prior to joining the college in 1995, she was a tenured professor in the School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

For the second straight year, the Mays MBA Program was named to the Financial Times‘ 2002 ranking of the top 100 MBA programs worldwide. This is quite an accomplishment, considering the competition. The ranking only includes 56 MBA programs from the United States.

“There are approximately 2,000 MBA programs worldwide so to be included in this ranking is a definite positive for our program,” says Mays MBA Program Director Dan Robertson.

The Mays program was ranked 82nd in the overall list. Robertson admits he wants to see that improve, but is still pleased because once again the program ranks first in value. “We are aware that this year’s ranking represents a change from our ranking of 67th last year,” he says. “However, several additional points come out of this year’s ranking. For example, among U.S. state-supported programs, we rank number 24 and for this group, the Mays MBA Program ranks number one in terms of “value for the money.”

The Financial Times surveyed the class of 1998, specifically looking at their salaries three years after graduation. The ranking also places heavy emphasis on the difference between pre-MBA salaries and current compensation.