Mays Impacts

Advances in European integration and the expansion of the European Union (EU) have created new challenges and opportunities for Americans conducting business in that region.

Texas A&M University’s European Union Center has created a program to provide business executives a concise, intensive introduction to the history, institutions, policies and procedures of the EU. The European Union Certificate for Business Professionals offers special attention to the “euro,” the impact on financial services, marketing and contract negotiation.

The program has both domestic and international components, which must be completed to earn the certificate. Participants first attend five consecutive Saturday symposia taught by experts in EU institutions, politics, policies and business. For the Spring 2004 program, the symposia begin on April 17 and will be held at Texas A&M’s Center at the Woodlands.

The second phase of the program consists of an intensive five-day immersion in Brussels, Belgium and Paris, where participants will visit businesses and key EU institutions. The cost of the program is $4,700 and includes six nights of four-star accommodation in Brussels and some meals. Airfare is not included.

For more information on The European Union Certificate for Business Professionals, visit the Office of Continuing Education.

A team of five accounting students recently won the local round of a national competition focusing on high-level tax issues. The event, Extreme Tax (xTax) is a case competition sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mays students winning the round included graduate students Adrienne Hopper and Ben Elkins, junior Jared Hartman, and sophomores Alexis Stock and Ryan Kemp comprised one of eight teams that competed at the local level.

Each university entering the national competition participated in a local case competition. Teams were given two weeks to develop solutions for the case, which they presented to a judging panel of three partners from PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Houston and Dallas offices.

Associate Professor of Accounting and Carroll Phillips Fellow Michael Kinney, who coached all eight teams, says, “critical thinking, teamwork, creativity and polished presentation skills are necessary components of a winning presentation.”

Vying for a spot as one of the five national xTax finalists, the Mays team submitted a videotape of their presentation, which is under review by a distinguished panel of executives from PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Washington, D.C. office. Finalists, which will be announced by mid-December, are awarded $10,000 and invited to Washington on an all-expenses-paid trip to present their cases to the judges.

The October 2003 issue of the Academy of Management Review featured research by Dr. Angelo DeNisi, management department head and Paul M. and Rosalie Robertson Chair in Business Administration.

The article, “Host Country National Reactions to Expatriate Pay Policies: A Model and Implications,” focuses on the conditions under which country national employees are likely to compare their compensation to that of expatriates working alongside them. It also analyzes the results of those comparisons. The article is co-authored by Soo Min Toh, a former Mays management doctoral student, who is a faculty member at the University of Toronto.

The Texas A&M chapter of Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) hosted the Women’s Leadership Forum on Oct. 24. The annual program, for graduate students and faculty, featured business and career management leaders.

“It was designed to provide opportunities for graduate students to develop a strong network through professional, academic, and social activities and career mentoring,” says Holly Inderrieden, vice president of outreach/communication for GWIB, who served as the marketing liaison for the forum.

Speakers at this year’s event, “Transforming Challenge into Opportunity,” included Clarence Cazalot, president and chief executive officer of Marathon Oil Corp.; Melinda Chausee, executive vice president-credit administration for Commerce Bank; and Susan Silvano, president of Career Management International.

“By learning from the experiences of distinguished business leaders,” Inderrieden says, “attendees of the Women’s Leadership Forum also bridge the gap between classroom theory and real life application and experience.”