Global Innovation - The Paul Merage School of Business
Transcription
Global Innovation - The Paul Merage School of Business
Merage S T R AT E G I C I N N O VAT I O N AT W O R K 2008/2009 Published by UC Irvine The Paul Merage School of Business ISSUE NO 2 Global Innovation India: Opportunities & Challenges Make The Most of Your Virtual Teams Eastern Europe: Expansion Opportunities Executive Education is the continuing education component of UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. The intent is to provide on-going management education to leaders in organizations – those who are faced with complex problems in rapidly changing, multi-cultural, and competitive environments. Executive Education at Merage At the Merage School, we design specialized programs of study that are either industry-specific or that meet the needs of a particular organization. Programs range from those offered to the general public to those specifically designed to meet the unique needs of your organization. Executive Education successfully brings together industry experts, practitioners, and distinguished Merage faculty members to collaboratively launch participants into the forefront of their industries. Our programs feature: Management Training and Education – Our faculty members are experts in a variety of business fields. That means our courses are taught by leading experts in each industry. Experiential Projects – Because we take a custom approach to program design, we are able to be flexible and incorporate a variety of projects into our programs. Flexible Training – Group programs can be designed for as few as eight to ten individuals at a time. Site Visits and Internships – Southern California and Orange County offer a wealth of opportunities for program participants to visit and learn from local companies. Translation – Though programs are generally conducted in English, we have access to interpreters from many world languages. Visit us at merage.uci.edu/ExecutiveEd For more information: [email protected] 949.824.4943 Merage 2008-09 3 Dean’s Letter I N N OVAT I O N 4 Unprecedented Times: Or Are They? 6 Virtual Teams Get Real; Multinational student teams gain experience in international collaboration. No culture clashes here. 8 A Practicum With A Twist; Merage business students offer innovative ideas, perspectives and solutions. Management is listening. 10 Applying Sustained Innovation to Global Issues Cover design by: Raymond Pirouz 6 18 Socially-Responsible Students & Alumni Go the Extra Mile 20 Strategies for Doing Business in India 23 Leadership Styles Mix It Up in Distinguished Speaker Series 23 Policano, Vandell Discuss Global Economy at Annual Business Outlook Conference 24 ACG Cup – Long hours, exhausting work. The rewards add up to a winning experience. 25 Entrepreneurs Choose Merage FAC U LT Y I N S I GH T S 32 Faculty Research 37 Faculty Books 38 Four Merage Professors Win Academic Awards 39 Making an Impact C O L L AB O R AT I O N 40 Centering on the World: Business Leaders and Their Take on the Merage School’s Centers of Excellence 42 Beall Center’s Innovation Knowledgebase Gives Answers to Grow On 43 Center News 28 42 B E YO N D T H E C L AS S RO O M STUDENTS 12 Capitalizing on Investment and Wealth Management in the OC 26 Challenge For Charity – Using Business Skills for a Different Kind of Profit 46 Dean’s Advisory Board and Donor Lists 14 Meeting of Minds – Executive Education’s Custom Programs spark dialogues. 27 Student Involvement – Recent Merage graduates explain why it’s so important. 15 MBA Update: Looking to Stay Ahead M BA P RO GR AM S 16 Alumni Businesses – Putting Innovation into Action 28 Seeing the Global Picture Through an Eastern European Lens 30 MBA Program News 48 Dean’s Leadership Circle – Your Network for Success 52 Family Day: A Whale of a Good Time ALU M N I N E W S 54 Merage Annual Fund 55 Class Notes 60 New Living Building Brings Stories of Success 1 Merage | 2008 – 2009 Merage E D I TO R I AL D I R E C TO R Donna Mumford E D I TO R Orange County’s World-Class MBA Nationally ranked programs: Top-5 in the United States for Marketing, BusinessWeek (2005) 7th in the United States for Information Technology, Wall Street Journal (2007) 11th in the United States, 1st in southern California for Executive MBA Programs, Financial Times (2006 & 2007) Highly recognized faculty: 5th in the United States for Faculty Strength, BusinessWeek (2003) 3rd in the United States for faculty research contribution (when adjusted for faculty size), University of Texas Study (2004) 18th in the world for Faculty Research, Financial Times (2007) Dynamic MBA programs based on: Sustained growth through strategic innovation In-class and on-site experiences with real-world business problems Anne Warde ART D I R E C TO R Maureen Bresse C O N T R I BU T I N G D E S I GN E R S Raymond Pirouz and Michael Ward WRITERS Connie Clark, John Gregory, Shaheen Husain Donna Mumford, Andrew J. Policano, and Anne Warde P H OTO GR AP H E R S Laurel Hungerford, Gary Lindblad, Leb Orloff, Carlos Puma, Jorge Salas and Steve Shea PRINTING The Dot Printer P RO JE C T M ANAGE M E N T C L AS S It’s easy to put together a project timeline following a chart in a text, but quite another to manage that project when writers become ill, executives need to reschedule, and interviewees are a world away. Professor George Meier guided a team of 12 undergraduate students working with Merage staff to learn the trials of Project Management firsthand by overseeing the production of this publication. Six “Centers of Excellence” with first-class connections to the business community: The Center for Investment and Wealth Management The Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship The Center for Real Estate The Center for Leadership and Team Development The Center for Health Care Management and Policy The Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations (CRITO) World-Class Advisory Board of Leading Executives CEOs from more than 50 of southern California’s foremost companies, including: Toyota Materials Handling Experian Ingram Micro Mazda Marriott International Lodging AMO Allergan Increasing support from our community: Over $50 million pledged since August 2004 m era g e. u c i. ed u Pictured above (back row) – Professor Meier, Nick Ingersoll, (middle row) – Vinh Sam, Sen Hirano, Jacob Knobel, Peter Lee, (front row) - Steve Wai, Alton Chisolm, Ran Jaden Cao, Pedro Morais, Keemya Najmi, Jung-Ho Kim P U B L I S H YO U R N E W S : If you are a graduate and would like to publish your news or information go to merage.uci.edu/go/alumni. After logging in, click “Post A News Item” under Calendar & News. To request your Username and Password, contact Alumni Relations at 949.824.7167. T E L L U S W H AT YO U T H I N K: Let us know what you think of Merage Magazine or if you have any interesting story ideas or photos to publish. Contact Anne Warde at [email protected] or 949.824.7922 with any thoughts, comments or ideas you may have. TO S U B S C R I B E to this free publication visit merage.uci.edu/go/subscribe Merage Magazine is published by: The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine Marketing & Communications, MPAA Suite 210 Irvine, CA 92697-3130 DEAN’S MESSAGE What is the role of a business school during economic uncertainty? As the U.S. and global economies sail through rough waters, it is especially important for us to deliver effective management education, teaching our students and our corporate partners how to sustain profitable growth in a down cycle. As the Merage School becomes a globally-recognized source for information on strategic innovation to power sustained business growth, we remain focused on providing an education that prepares MBA graduates for all economic realities. Our acclaimed faculty researches and publishes timely information for both academic and business use on various aspects of the business cycle, and techniques for producing innovations that result in successful business growth. Our evolving curriculum teaches “just in time” strategic innovation by incorporating the newest and most compelling business strategies into coursework. Our competitive intelligence class forces students to grapple with real world business dilemmas and challenges. Our MBA student consulting projects provide solutions to complex business challenges at some of the largest and most influential corporations. Equally as important — whether in good economic times or bad — is the Merage School’s focus on bringing effective, innovative business strategies to bear on today’s most pressing and compelling social issues. No matter the strength of the global economy, the community surrounding our campus and the citizens we touch through our presence remain important priorities. Through our Social Responsibility Initiative, our MBA students are reaching out to the non-profit community, addressing issues such as health care availability, domestic violence, disease prevention and cure, environmental sustainability, low-income housing and homelessness. We are providing management skills and analysis to important community resources such as the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Saddleback Valley School District and other key organizations in our community. These rewarding and vital projects bring our students and faculty in touch with imperatives crucial to a broad-based, socially responsible business education. Our focus on strategic innovation combined with our collaborative, hands-on student experience produces graduates with core business skills intertwined with a formidable social conscience. A powerful combination, indeed. Andy Policano 3 Merage | 2008 – 2009 INNOVATION Unprecedented Times: Or Are They? These are unprecedented times. Or are they? Consider the following description of the overall environment we are experiencing in late 2008: A Republican is in the White House. War is fresh on everyone’s mind. Immigration is fueling dramatic changes in society. New technologies are changing people’s everyday lives. Business consolidators and their Wall Street advisors are creating large new combinations through mergers and acquisitions, while the government is investigating and prosecuting prominent executives. The public’s attitude toward business leaders is largely negative. The government itself is becoming more intrusive. Much of this is stimulated by an expansion that involved borrowers and creditors overreaching in their use of debt lowering the margin of safety in the financial system. Does this portray an accurate description of what we Americans are observing right now? You would probably agree that is does. However this paragraph is actually adapted from a description of the Banking Panic of 1907 (see Robert F. Bruner and Sean D. Carr entitled The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market’s Perfect Storm). In fact, not only did a similar set of circumstances occur in 1907, but between 1814 to today, the U.S. economy has experienced no less than 14 different episodes of banking panics. Our current financial crisis is real- 4 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N ly nothing new but it is different from previous episodes in several important ways. For a number of reasons, primarily due to a decreasing regulatory environment and the rise of new derivatives that were inaccurately priced, the impact of this crisis on the global financial system is significantly greater than in previous panics. But the effect on the macroeconomy, while painful, will be much less than experienced in the past and certainly much less than what occurred during The Great Depression. Thanks to massive global macroeconomic policy reaction as well as a number of normal safeguards in the U.S. economic system, the unemployment rate, rather than peaking at 25% of the labor force, as it did during the Depression, is likely to hit no higher than 8.0 – 8.5% in the U.S. Right now, under current policies the global economy faces two criti- Economic Commentary by Andrew J. Policano Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business November 2008 cal challenges: first, there is a widespread lack of confidence and second, a lack of liquidity. Much analysis has been done of these periods; in fact Ben Bernanke himself has studied financial crises and The Great Depression in great detail. The basic lesson learned is that when people need more liquidity, the Fed should give it to them. Simple enough, but the Fed doesn’t drop cash from the sky, although it is likely that right now Bernanke wishes he could. Rather, the Fed traditionally adds liquidity to the economy through open market operations whereby it buys bonds from banks and provides cash in exchange. Banks then lend this cash to both businesses and consumers who increase spending and boost the economy. The problem currently is that banks are reluctant to lend due to very shaky balance sheets and a bleak economic out- INNOVATION look. Rather, they are building their cash position to restore capital adequacy ratios that deteriorated due to poorly performing assets on their balance sheets. Thus, while the Fed has been willingly providing cash to the banking system, the corresponding boost to lending has not yet occurred. The inappropriately named “Bail Out Program” evolved as an attempt to remove poorly performing assets from bank balance sheets and allow loans to once again flow freely. While $700 billion is certainly a large number, life (and economics) is always a relative game. Estimates of one of the most significant classes of assets in trouble (credit default swaps) are in the range of dozens of trillions of dollars. The intent, rather than to solve the entire liquidity shortfall, is first to restore confidence. Still, many lenders will continue to increase reserves rather than lend. Rather than removing bad assets, the Treasury has recognized it can have a much more significant impact by adding equity, taking an ownership position in banks and increasing capital adequacy ratios directly. In addition to freeing funds for loans, as an owner, the government can encourage additional lending. Over time U.S. Treasury and Fed actions combined with global central bank infusions should increase liquidity and restore well-functioning credit markets. When will the market bottom and what strategy should individual investors follow? Bear markets historically tend to settle at roughly 30% below the market’s previous high. We have already hit the 30% market in both the Dow and the S&P indexes. Now, some math. If you have lost 30% (so every $1 is now worth 70 cents) you will need about a 43% return on that 70 cents to get back to your original $1. How should you allocate your portfolio to do so? In money market funds you might take as long as 12 – 15 years to earn 43%; in bonds maybe 7 – 10 years. With equities that have historically averaged 8% returns, the time to recover your losses would be substantially less. Diversification is a must; how aggressive you are depends on your attitude toward risk. While the U.S. economy will certainly survive the current financial morass, the long-term outlook is not nearly as bright as the prosperity of the 1990s. Rather, long-term growth in the U.S. is likely to be slower and inflation and interest rates are likely to be higher during the next decade than in the past ten to twenty years. One of the major issues challenging President-elect Obama is that the U.S. debt currently exceeds $9 trillion without including the impact of a significant future shortfall in both the Social Security System and Medicare. The consequence is that over the next decade, we must all face the following realities: The growth in government spending must slow (by much more than “earmarks”); Income taxes must rise; Social Security benefits must fall and/or Social Security taxes must rise, and; Medicare benefits must fall and/or taxes rise. So how can President-elect Obama soften the effects of these realities? Tax cuts alone are not the answer. Households are unlikely to spend right now and spending is what the economy needs to rebound from the current recession. In a capitalistic economy, two critical roles that the government must take on are to act as first, the lender of last resort (as the Fed and the Treasury are now doing) and second, the spender of last resort. When consumers are reluctant to spend, the government must spend — but it must spend wisely. Now is the time to enact a “new” New Deal. President-elect Obama’s plan, in fact, includes several facets of such a plan. What is necessary is a significant government investment in infrastructure and research; roads, high speed rail, energy, education, communication, research in new and emerging areas of science and technology and other areas that over time provide opportunities for businesses to flourish, for the creation of higher paying jobs and for the development of innovations that continually support sustainable growth. These investments and the easing of liquidity along with the resulting effects on growth will take time. So, how should individuals best prepare? First, diversify your portfolio based on your attitude toward risk and the time until retirement. Too safe a position will imply that you will miss excellent opportunities that are available right now in stocks that are considerably undervalued. At the same time, be careful not to absorb more risk than you can tolerate. Second, increase your savings as appropriate based on a smaller than expected Social Security benefit, a higher cost of long-term health care and slower income growth. Third, expect a broad market recovery but think carefully about which sectors may be long-term growth candidates. Finally, always be a student of history. The fact that the world economy repeats cycles over and over again provides ample credence to this well known observation by Edmund Burke: “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” 5 Merage | 2008 – 2009 INNOVATION VIRTUAL TEAMS Multinational student teams gain experience YO U ’ R E O N A M U LT I NAT I O NAL T E AM tasked with creating a training module for a client in Brussels — and she needs it tomorrow morning. One of your team members, who has vital project information, has been out of communication for three days. What do you do? You could e-mail a colleague in Helsinki for suggestions, or text a team member in Haifa for back-up ideas. You could even ask your professor for help. Despite your client existing only in cyberspace, your entire team — with members from Madrid to Hong Kong — is still very real. And, the project must be completed if your team wants a passing grade. Global Team Collaboration is an experiential learning course offered at both graduate and undergraduate levels at The Paul Merage School of Business. The brainchild of Merage School Professor Cristina Gibson, an expert in multicultural team collaboration, and Professor Miriam Erez at the Israel Institute of Technology, the course gives students the invaluable experience they will need to succeed in a global team environment. “Increasingly, work occurs across organizational, regional or national boundaries in teams…enabled by 6 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N communication technology,” Gibson says in her course materials. “Working in these collaborations requires skills in cross-cultural communication, technology use, and dynamic planning and design.” Although students are also required to read selected texts and perform team case analysis, the most talkedabout aspect of the course is clearly the chance to be part of a global team. Global Connections Merage ’08 student Alex Rapoport explains, “This project definitely made me work out of my comfort zone, and forced me to put a good deal of trust in team members from other countries. I didn't know much about their work styles and work ethics initially, but over the course of the project we all came together and made sure we turned in a project we were proud of.” Gibson says the students gained a profound sense of global identity, which she describes as “the sense of belonging to groups nested within the global work environment of multinational organizations.” A more immediate benefit is showing up on resumes and in job interviews. Several students say recruiters INNOVATION GET REAL in international collaboration. No culture clashes here. By Connie Clark were impressed by the exposure to the material and the experiences addressed in the course. They also note that the challenges of working on a global team ran the gamut from the complicated to the mundane. like. In a time-sensitive, team-based project like this, every team member needs to come in without an ego and be willing to listen to everyone's ideas. This was an incredibly valuable exercise and I'm certainly better off for having done it.” Collaborating From the Beginning Another reason for the course’s success may be that it was developed in true collaborative fashion. Gibson had been tossing around the idea with colleagues for a while, but it wasn’t until Erez in Israel came on board that things really took off. Gibson notes, “The framework for developing the multinational teams was done in conjunction with Professor Erez, who brought in a dedicated PhD student to handle logistics.” In a true collaborative sense, Gibson is proud of the development team, including TAs Andreas Voigt and Rebekah Dibble. Even the students themselves helped by providing continuous feedback as the quarter unfolded, which Gibson says she used to make adjustments along the way. Global Business Leaders Leading business schools from around the world participate in the Global Team Course: The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Indian Institutes of Technology, India City University of Hong Kong Peking University, Beijing ESADE Business School, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, Finland The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine Stanford University Michigan State University University of Washington Business Themes At Work The course also incorporates the Merage School’s hallmark business principles from the perspective of the global team: Strategic Innovation: Course builds individual skills and examines team level characteristics that serve as “points of leverage for increasing innovation.” Information Technology: Students gain hands-on skills in collaborative technology planning and use. Analytic Decision Making: Sequential activities and exercises build into increasingly complex, strategic decisions that require analysis of political, economic, and cultural factors. A Cultural Experience Like No Other No matter what kind of experience students have, Rapoport advises them to bring an open mind. “I think so many of us have our own stereotypes and preconceived ideas about what people from other cultures are I N N OVAT I O N AW AR D W I N N E R Professor Cristina Gibson received the 2008 Pedagogical Innovation Award at the annual Celebration of Teaching in May. The UC Irvine Academic Senate Council sponsors the award, which was given to Gibson in recognition of the success of the Global Team Collaboration course. 7 Merage | 2008 – 2009 INNOVATION w i T st A Practicum With A Merage business students offer innovative ideas, perspectives by Connie Clark and solutions. Management is listening. for a business student to take away powerful lessons from a management practicum. It’s quite another when host company executives learn something, too. But increasingly, that’s the result of many Merage student experiences at companies throughout Orange County. During the past six years, Merage full-time MBA student IT’S ONE THING teams have completed 60 projects in a variety of industries and functional areas. Logging a total of nearly 30,000 project hours, teams tackle projects involving business growth, market entry, new product launches, process improvement, and strategy development. “Client satisfaction has been outstanding,” says Shaheen Husain, Merage School’s Executive Director “ This was a unique opportunity for us to work collaboratively with Merage MBAs to examine the challenges of our complex industry and explore how recent innovations in technology may be applied to further improve our manufacturing and operational excellence programs. The Merage School team’s intensive research, thoughtful analysis and sense of purpose provided Watson with valuable insight into critical applications of both process management and process analytical technology. ” Tom Giordano Senior Vice President and CIO, Watson Pharmaceuticals 8 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N of Corporate Relations. “The feedback from executives is that the students brought in perspectives and ideas that they hadn’t thought of. They’re getting real results for real issues.” The list of companies who have had success with the program reads like a Who’s Who of successful businesses, including Mazda North America, Allergan, Advanced Medical Optics, ConAgra, Kingston Technology, and many more. Husain believes part of the difference lies in the nature of the team, which has a full complement of resources to back it up, including faculty technical advisors and consultant coaches from leading management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Clearly, however, the students are in charge. Sample projects and results include: Developing a strategy to leverage engineering resources overseas and coordinate work with the U.S.-based engineering teams. Creating an innovative market forecasting tool to provide product planning direction. INNOVATION “ I want to express my thanks to the UC Irvine MBA team for the thoroughness, diligence and insight they brought to AMO’s Market Research project. The MBA program leaders assembled an outstanding team for us, with relevant experience in the healthcare industry and solid leadership skills. This program represents a true win-win for the local business community. ” Jim Mazzo Chairman & CEO, Advanced Medical Optics Developing an inventory model and recommending supply strategies to increase inventory turns and maintain high levels of customer service. Emile Pilafidis, PhD, lecturer and part of the team that spearheads the program, calls the practicum experience a win-win for everyone involved. “This is true experiential learning,” he says. “We like to call it ‘sticky’ learning because it stays with the students. They come away with significant lessons beyond what they get in the classroom.” Pilafidis says the projects achieve a high level of cooperation from companies, since the sponsors are at the senior management level. The success is apparent in the program’s reputation for excellence. “We’re getting more inquiries from companies, and we’re excited to enter new and emerging business sectors, such as surfwear and new forms of entertainment,” says Husain. INTERNET USE TODAY Teaching a Top Dog New Tricks by John Gregory Five Full-Time MBA students of the Merage School’s course on Internet Marketing presented their findings on social networking to Microsoft’s Corporate Research department in April at Mountain View, California. The presentation was the third annual Microsoft project conducted by student teams of the marketing course taught by Professor Alladi Venkatesh. The students conducted an online survey of more than 1,000 undergrad...high quality and uates from universities across the very professional. It country. Results and analysis were presented to Microsoft officials on communicated the such social networking issues as: “ key findings and insights succinctly and lucidly... [We] are so fortunate to have such a fruitful collaboration. What social networking sites do young consumers use and how often? What devices do they use to access these sites? What activities do they engage in, how frequently, and what activities do they avoid? What are young consumers’ attitudes and concerns about privacy? How is online social networking evolving? What are the contexts of social networking and other online communications use? ” Microsoft officials told Venkatesh that the presentation was “high quality and very professional. It communicated the key findings and insights succinctly and lucidly… [We] are so fortunate to have such a fruitful collaboration.” The student team consisted of Kendra Hammer (group leader), Martina Albers, Laurie Lipsky, Karyn Chen and Sarah Marren. 9 Merage | 2008 – 2009 INNOVATION f APPLYING By John Gregory figure strategic innovation is launching next year’s model with a few more bells and whistles. But at the Merage School students are tackling problems with global implications — like poverty, global warming, school failure, childhood obesity and prison overcrowding. In the Topics in Strategic Innovation class taught by Professors Leonard Lane and MOST PEOPLE “ By solving a problem of this magnitude, I realized that we can solve anything at my company using the same principles. And it will be a lot easier than overcoming poverty. ” Lynda Lawrence, students start with the basics: disruptive and incremental innovation, Blue Ocean Strategy which promotes a system- 10 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N atic approach for “making competition irrelevant,” and a framework for Business Model innovation that involves a culture of ideas, plus the people, practices and partners that can move an idea to a profitable reality. They study cases, including Cirque de Solei, Yellowtail Wine, 3M, Li & Fung, and P&G. They hear from experts in lively in-person interviews: Fritz Reichert, who invented the electronic cash register; Brad Maihack, VP of Finance, Innovation Processes at H-P; and Joel Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Ceradyne. They learn new techniques in hands-on workshops on brainstorming, sacred cow tipping, loosely coupled networks, sixdegree information sourcing, and the power of a story to create change. INNOVATION TO GLOBAL SOCIAL ISSUES Then each team selects a problem: one that has been resistant to old solutions and will take new ideas, approaches and networks to solve. Just to increase the degree of difficulty, each team must start with an existing organization, then apply new strategic approaches and innovative ideas to improve the outcome. Even though the teams choose tough problems, no shortcuts are allowed. Dealing with third-world poverty? Do it without using charity. Reducing greenhouse emissions? Don’t count on volunteers cutting back on their driving or flat screen TVs. The student solutions have to include designing a business enterprise that can make money, be scalable, and sustain them while making a difference in the problem area they select. And, they must demonstrate breakthrough, gamechanging thinking. Recently, two groups used technology to improve underperforming schools and address childhood obesity. They linked existing networks to make them more efficient. By building on hundreds of local nonprofits, these teams leveraged relationships already in place for manpower, improved grant writing, spread best practices, and eliminated redundancies. Another group focused on an aspect of third-world poverty and “ Be the change you want to see in the world. ” — Mahatma Gandhi added micro-sourcing to existing micro-financing programs, so that a woman making 12 garments a month would have a market for her embroidered saris, and Bloomingdales, for example, would have a consistent supply from 100 small entrepreneurs. The prison overcrowding team added specialized facilities, job training, drug rehab and incentives to reduce recidivism, overall crime rates and inmate populations. The auto emissions group built stronger marketing muscle and new networks to sell more Tesla electric sports cars. One team expanded the use of solar power in California using new technology to release energy at night, a bond issue to pay for infrastructure and recommended incentives to encourage utilities to become eager players. So how does this translate to a more traditional business? According to one student, “By solving a problem of this magnitude, I realized that we can solve anything at my company using the same principles. And it will be a lot easier than overcoming poverty.” Another student commented, “I always loved the quotation from Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. Now I know that every single one of us has the power to change the world.” 11 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Capitalizing on Investment and Wealth Management in the OC IN 2005, Dean Andy Policano announced the formation of the Center for Investment and Wealth Management as a vehicle to connect with the thriving investment and wealth management community in southern California and to provide information and activities of interest to this important group of business people. Since then, the Center has become a leading resource for innovative programs that enhance and spotlight the fields of investment and wealth management. Members and guests attend quarterly meetings featuring presentations on such recent topics as the latest research on behavioral finance, mutual fund advisors’ impact upon fund performance, and the impact of the ongoing intergenerational transfer of trillions of dollars of wealth. In addition, specific courses on investment and wealth management are available as part of the Merage MBA program, producing graduates with specific skills and a commitment to investment and wealth management as a career. tion. The complex set of issues surrounding the creation, management and intergenerational transfer of wealth are not adequately studied or taught in most major business schools, leading to a shortage of talented, skilled investment and wealth managers. How does the Center benefit MBA students? An important goal of the Center is to produce highly talented and knowledgeable MBA graduates with specific skills and expertise in the wealth management industry. Why a focus on Wealth Management? The shifting demographics in the United States toward a more heavily-weighted retirement sector have already had a profound effect on numerous industries including housing, health care, consumer goods and travel and leisure. Another important aspect of this demographic shift is that with longer life expectancies, families face difficult challenges to adequately provide for current liquidity needs of retired members while effectively planning for the transfer of wealth to the next genera- 12 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Center donors Mark Moehlman and Lane Ainsworth at a recent Merage School event. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Classes include specialized finance, psychology, marketing, personal financial planning, insurance, taxation, estate planning and other critical courses to the Career Track in Investment and Wealth Management. The curriculum combines case studies with financial and behavioral theory, preparing students for careers related to investment banking, private client services, hedge funds and other financial services careers. The Advisory Board and the Merage School boast alumni in the financial services and wealth management industries who counsel and advise students in the MBA program. Polaris Investment Competition regularly beats the market. In addition, all MBA students in their final year of the program can apply to become a participant in the Polaris Investment Competition program, an optional, extracurricular activity founded and sponsored by philanthropist/ hedge fund manager Chuck Martin. Students form teams of 4-6 members, each of which develop proposals for the purchase of up to $300,000 of stock (maximum: $50,000 per student team member) in one or more companies. The program gives students the opportunity to earn an economic reward determined by the performance of their investment portfolio and their rank in the competition with other participating teams. Students search through, screen and evaluate companies listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ exchange to find companies that exemplify the best qualities in business and are worthy of investment. Students then assess the companies’ strategic position, financial performance, market outlook, management, and the valuation of their publicly traded stock. The Center has also developed a program (Life Skills Retreat) for young adults to provide basic wealth management skills. The Retreat provides a hands-on, interactive experience designed to empower very highnet worth individuals with financial and life skills knowledge on a wide range of topics. For members of the Center, other ways to participate include joining one of the committees of the board: Membership Committee Community Programs for Individuals and Families Programs for Practicing Professionals Networking and Programming for High Net Worth Individuals MBA Program Development Web-site Development Contact Mitch Spann at [email protected] or 949.824.1655 for more information. Calendar of Events October 9, 2008 Fall CIWM Board Meeting & Speaker Event The Merage School Executive Commons 3:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (by invitation only) January 21, 2009 Winter CIWM Board Meeting & Speaker Event The Merage School Executive Commons 3:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (by invitation only) How can wealth managers in Orange County get involved? The Center for Investment and Wealth Management continues to develop a series of short executive programs, workshops and an annual national conference that efficiently addresses topics critical to current practitioners, and which may ultimately be coordinated in the offering of a certificate for those who complete a specified program of study. Potential areas of interest for conferences and presentations could include discussions of investment strategies and objectives as well as clarification of appropriate investment strategies and parameters based on family dynamics and market factors. Additional focus may be on risk management, valuation methods to estimate the worth of a business and psychological aspects of family dynamics. March 11, 2009 Spring CIWM Student Career Event The Merage School Executive Commons 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. March 19 & 21, 2009 CIWM CONFERENCE Exiting Your Business – Options in Today’s Economy 13 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM MEETING OF MINDS Executive Education’s Custom Programs spark dialogues between senior managers and experts in their fields. But, it all begins with listening. By Connie Clark N E W TO N M AR GU L I E S L I S T E N S . While many professors of his experience spend their days lecturing, writing, or otherwise imparting their extensive knowledge, the Professor Emeritus and Associate Dean of Executive Education keeps his silence. And for organizations like Ingram Micro and UCI Medical Center, that silence is far more than golden. By listening, Margulies pinpoints company needs and creates highly customized management training modules to improve business practices. At Ingram Micro, Margulies and his team listened to senior executives who wanted deep training for 14 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N high potential managers around the globe. Margulies organized a team of Merage faculty experts who worked with Ingram Micro executives to design the sequence and content for the training modules. The result is the Ingram Micro Leadership Academy. Now held every January, the Academy brings together 25 senior level managers for intensive dialogues with professors and experts in their respective fields. Custom Programs offer far more than training, Margulies insists. “You can send a couple of your senior managers to a seminar for a week and they’ll listen to lectures, maybe get into a small group or two. We want executives to return with innovative solutions for the real issues they’re facing. When you get an entire management team involved, they come back with real solutions. They also get a chance to meet each other and network. That’s invaluable.” At the Leadership Academy, managers are teamed with faculty who are grounded in research and theory in each particular content area. “Theory — people are afraid of that word,” Margulies says. “But truthfully, when business practice merges with theory, things start to happen. Real issues get solved.” Customization is another key to the success of the program. When the executive management team at UCI Medical Center wanted management training for their top physicians and department leaders, Margulies and his team developed training modules that directly addressed day-to-day issues. “ Success We want executives to return with innovative solutions for the real issues they’re facing. ” Is the program successful? Executives reply with a resounding “yes.” But the best measure of the success, according to Margulies, is that companies return year after year. “Business challenges;” he says, “we never run out of those.” Margulies won’t stop listening — and responding — to those challenges, either. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM MBA Update: Looking to Stay Ahead? F or the general public, the Merage School has put together a unique, forward-thinking Executive Education program called MBA Update. Geared toward managers and administrators seeking to sharpen management skills and enhance their careers, MBA Update is designed for individuals – with or without an MBA degree who are looking to: Gain tools and techniques today and apply them tomorrow Network with peers in a dynamic classroom setting Learn new approaches and perspectives from our world-class faculty. FAL L 2 0 0 8 S E S S I O N S : October 9 – Competitive Intelligence with Professor Leonard Lane – Learn the tools and techniques to get inside the heads of your competitors and develop intelligence-driven strategies, execute on proven strategies and avoid pitfalls of others. October 23 – Project Management that Works with Professor Vish Krishnan – Explore the essential elements of creative and effective project management, including vertical and horizontal project management and the technical and social aspects of project execution. November 6 – Negotiating Your Way Past No with Professor Lisa Barron – Gain an understanding of the difference between interests and positions, the techniques for generating agreements, and the ways to address particularly difficult negotiation situations. November 20 – Corporate Governance: New Issues and Wrinkles to Operating a Public Company with Professor Margarethe Wiersema – Update your knowledge about changes in corporate governance and the pressing challenges facing public companies today. SPRING 2009 SESSIONS: February 26 – Effective Decision Making with Professor Robin Keller – Gain the decision analysis tools you’ll need to approach important, impactful situations with clarity and confidence, and improve your decision making skills. March 12 – Branding with Professor Imran Currim – Learn to create, maintain, enhance, and protect brands. Explore the strategic brand management process from differentiation to managing a brand over its life cycle. March 26 – Managing Influence with Professor Jone Pearce – Examine what recent research can tell us about exercising influence down, laterally and up in organizations, with time spent analyzing the participants’ own organizational influence challenges. April 9 – The Coming China Wars – Meeting the China Challenge with Professor Peter Navarro – Explore the many risks and challenges of competing in and against China. Understand the major sources of China’s competitive advantage and outline several economic and political strategies to meet the China Challenge. Sessions are held on Thursdays at the Merage School on the UC Irvine Campus. Log on to register at merage. uci.edu/go/MBAUpdate, or contact Beverly Bond at 949.824.4943, [email protected] OR Lynette Albovias at 949.824.0523, lalbovias@ merage.uci.edu. 15 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Thomas Antunez, ‘05 A LU M N I BU S I N E S S E S Putting Innovation into Action by John Gregory of Percentix, an Irvine-based company that helps large corporations innovate their finance and accounting functions. Antunez says his MBA at the Merage School has helped him in three ways. "First, it gave me the technical skills, including finance and accounting, to really understand what it takes to run a business. This is critical as an entrepreneur. "Second, the MBA honed my ability to articulate a business idea to any level, whether it be to a CEO or a financial analyst. This gave me the self confidence to drive business ideas and concepts. “Third, my MBA experience really developed my underT H O M AS AN T U N E Z , ‘ 0 5 , I S P R E S I D E N T 16 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N “ Much of our time is spent with the CFO and his or her team discussing how the finance function can become a value-adding entity that proactively works with the business to achieve results, not simply report on them. ” BEYOND THE CLASSROOM standing of what it takes to work within a team — how to know when to demonstrate strong leadership and when to let others pull more of the weight. This is key for any business professional. Merage is in the business of producing leaders, but graduates should understand that leadership is as much about giving others the opportunity to lead as it is about leading on your own.” Antunez says Percentix's business "is all about helping large corporations remove unnecessary steps," particularly on massive spreadsheets, "that result in an inordinate amount of time massaging data to get the desired results. Our enterprise performance management solutions maximize a company's shareholder value by enabling the firm to set strategic goals, plan around those goals, monitor actual performance and repeat the cycle. Much of our time is spent with the CFO and his or her team discussing how the finance function can become a value-adding entity that proactively works with the business to achieve results, not simply report on them." Antunez is one of the lead donors to the Dean’s Leadership Circle (DLC) Endowed Professorship Campaign and joined the DLC executive committee last July. He is also a member of the advisory board at Merage’s Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Please join us for our Distinguished Speaker Series Greg Creed Alexis Livanos Jim Caudill Bob McKnight President & Chief Concept Officer Taco Bell Corporate Vice President & President of Space Technology Northrop Grumman President, Hardware & Home Improvement Black & Decker Chief Executive Officer Quiksilver NOVEMBER 18 FEBRUARY Event Details: All events, 6:00 - 7:00pm Reception to follow RSVP required For more information visit our website at merage.uci.edu/go/dss 10 APRIL 7 MAY 19 Register for all events and receive a significant discount. SERIES OF FOUR EVENTS INDIVIDUAL EVENTS General Public $150 $50 Merage Alumni $75 $25 Free for Dean’s Leadership Circle, Corporate Partners, and students with event registration. We want to thank the sponsors of the 2008-2009 Distinguished Speaker Series: Verizon Wireless, Capital Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wells Fargo. Their generosity has made this series a signature event at the Merage School. 17 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Socially-Responsible Students A t the Merage School, social responsibility has always been a cornerstone to the teaching philosophy. More than ever, it is woven into the fabric of the school’s curriculum. With social, political and environmental problems making headlines daily, a strong “change-the-world” culture is emerging as students seek to experience volunteerism first hand. On these pages are stories of the paths taken by two Merage School students, one a graduate and one current, and both from the Health Care Executive MBA program. Elena Medo (‘06) Elena is founder and chief strategic officer of Prolacta Bioscience, which makes products from donated human breast milk to help premature or malnourished babies around the world resist infections and decrease the incidence of serious diseases. Prolacta, based in Monrovia, California, offers the first and only milk fortifier made from 100% human milk for the nutritional needs of these babies. Prolacta was a co-winner of PricewaterhouseCooper’s 2007 Entrepreneurship Award, 18 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N presented to technology-based companies in the Los Angeles region. Last fall, Elena arranged for Prolacta to donate the processing of over 55,000 ounces of milk for the International Breast Milk Project (IBMP) that was delivered to an orphanage in Durban, South Africa. Prolacta’s donation received considerable attention on television and print media. “It is great to witness such a heightened awareness related to the importance of breast milk for infants, which is leading to increased breast milk donors nationwide,” Elena says. All in a “day’s work” for the Merage graduate who holds foreign and domestic patents to improve breast milk production and since 1985 has worked with neonatal intensive care units to help new mothers overcome lactation failure. Her volunteer projects include helping the Professional Women’s Roundtable prepare women to become business leaders and entrepreneurs. “As an entrepreneur, I found that the Merage School MBA was very helpful,” says Elena. “The emphasis on health care in the HCEMBA program made all of the course material amazingly relevant. The excellent faculty’s expertise in health care economics, health care marketing and strategy were the diamonds in the program for me. As time goes on, I revisit some of the business cases and see them from a new perspective. My classmates were very high caliber professionally, so BEYOND THE CLASSROOM & Alumni Go the Extra Mile by John Gregory I also continue to benefit by their career evolution and the network that provides.” Paul Leon (‘09) Paul, a health care nurse with the Orange County Public Health Department, drove to an emergency center in March 2007 to help a 64-year-old diabetic man with his catheter. What Paul saw at the center, housing 150 homeless people, was far more than one man in need of medical attention. He summoned three ambulances and, as he told the Orange County Register, “I could have stayed there all night and day” helping others. Learning that a second county-run emergency center had the same lack of medical assistance, Paul created the Comprehensive Health Assessment Team – Homeless (CHAT-H), a new county department to improve medical services for the county’s 35,000 homeless people. Since the two shelters only serve 1 percent of this population, the scope of CHAT-H is county-wide. During the program’s formation stages, Paul’s work was largely voluntary. Eventually, the county created a position for him as the first full-time nurse to serve the homeless population exclusively. CHAT-H now has a paid psychiatrist and part-time physicians, dentists and nurses. Volunteers help with immunizations and other preventative care. CHAT-H was just the beginning for Paul. When he enrolled in the Merage School’s HCEMBA program in 2007, he worked with fellow students to create the nonprofit Illumination Foundation to raise funds, recruit volunteers and arrange weekly medical clinics to help Orange County’s homeless. Illumination’s eight-member board includes Paul, as president, and Merage students Paul Cho, Aiko Tan and Larry Haynes. Merage professors Imran Currim and Paul Feldstein serve on the advisory committee. “We are also working with several local universities to build a foundation that will be passed down to incoming students to reinforce their community networking,” Paul says. He cites two Merage courses that “really assisted me in honing my business management skills. Marketing helped me see the homeless clients as my customers and helped me understand their needs vs. their wants. This makes me a better advocate for the homeless.” His course in behavior of organizations “enhanced my ability to understand the dynamics of the county. This allowed me to favorably position my newly-created department in an underserved area.” 19 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Strategies for Doing Business in India M E R AGE GLO BAL P E R S P E C T I V E S by Anne Warde C ompanies that will be successful in the future are those well-positioned to not only anticipate change, but to capitalize on it. It’s this idea that was the driver behind the Merage School’s recent conference, Strategic Initiatives in India: Partnering for Innovation. The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Andrew J. Policano, dean of The Paul Merage School of Business; Paul Merage, chairman of Falcon Investment Management and chair of the Merage School Dean’s Advisory Board; and Suren Dutia, chief executive officer of TiE, a global, not-for-profit organization promoting entrepreneurship. Keynote speaker Mohandas Pai, board member and director of Infosys, began the day providing valuable insight to Indian culture. “India is a shining example of how an old country can rise and create a society based upon non-violence, individual freedom and individual choice,” said Pai. Kris Wadia, executive partner of global sourcing for Accenture, addressed what the US might learn from India, the world’s largest democracy and second fastest growing economy in the world. He gave advice for building and managing global teams, and also shared the cultural challenges facing US firms sourcing from India. “The quality skills and talent pool are there…companies originally started doing business (in India) for the cost savings, but stayed for the quality,” Wadia commented. He concluded his presentation with a prediction that companies should expect to hire a COOO — chief outsourcing and offshoring officer — in the near future. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Infosys BPO and Member of the Board/Director, Infosys Kris Wadia, Executive Partner of Global Sourcing at Accenture Vijay Gurbaxani, director of the Merage School’s Center for Research on IT and Organizations, and professor of Information Systems and Computer Science served as moderator for a panel discussion on Sourcing People, Knowledge and Components from India. The second panel, Operating and Selling in India, was led by Shiv Grewal, senior corporate partner, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth. Highlights from the Panel Discussions Venkat Tadanki, founder and chief executive officer of Secova and founding member of Daksh – When considering whether to engage in business in India, companies should not be looking at just cost alone. They should be looking to create centers of excellence. “It’s no longer a case of onshore vs. offshore, but rather best shore!” Ed Fuller, President and CEO of Marriott International Lodging with Dean Andy Policano Dwight Decker, chairman of Conexant Systems, Inc. – Increasing intellectual intensity is the trend. India was initially seen as a source of cheap labor. Today, Indian companies have climbed up the value chain to provide world-class services at highly competitive prices. Tom Kenyon, vice president of Technology Management Group, CSC – Providing opportunity and growth are keys to stability and retention. Competitive wages go without saying, but they are not the top issues. Rather, creating a sense of involvement is more important for retaining quality employees. David Pyott, chairman and chief executive officer, Allergan – Discussing the success factors and hurdles Allergan has faced in India, Pyott pointed out that the “untapped market opportunity is huge.” He also stressed Global Business Strategies Conference Navigating Today’s Economic Challenges Monday, November 17, 2008 Irvine Marriott Hotel | 18000 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine | 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM the importance of establishing harmonious relationships with Indian partners and aligning objectives to better ensure success. Alain Monie, president and chief operating officer, Ingram Micro – “There are definitely very high-growth opportunities, but with specific challenges,” warned Monie. India is a complex environment and while good management is available and a key factor to success, the challenge is keeping it. Ed Fuller, president and managing director, Marriott International Lodging – Community relations is critically important in India. To succeed, companies must give back to Indian communities in very meaningful ways. Fuller concluded that, “In spite of challenges, India’s diverse economy and talent make it an ideal place for going, working and interacting.” A special appearance was made by actress Malaika Arora Khan, who gave a highly entertaining luncheon address on The Business of Bollywood. Closing Comments Andy Policano summarized the day’s discussion reiterating the points: It’s not about offshoring, but rather “best shoring.” Companies should consider planning products here and implementing in India. Many go to India first for cost savings, but they stay for the quality. The Strategic Initiatives in India conference was cosponsored by TiE. Corporate sponsors included: Marriott, Conexant, Ingram Micro, The Allergan Foundation, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Irvine Chamber of Commerce, Ducommun Technologies and HireRight. MASTER ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR FROM 50 FEET IN THE AIR Experience personalized full-time and part-time MBA programs. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT merage.uci.edu/go/compare BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Please join us for our Distinguis hed Speake r Greg Creed Leadership Styles Mix It Up in Distinguished Speaker Series the Distinguished Speakers Series (DSS) is increasingly visible and influential, according to Shaheen Husain, executive director of corporate relations for the Merage School. “Instead of the Merage School seeking out sponsors and speakers, they’re asking to be a part of the event! Top leaders want to participate, which is a clear indication that this program is having the desired impact,” Husain says. Featured speakers from 2007-2008 included: Ed Coleman, former chief executive officer, Gateway, Inc.; Rick W. Rayson, managing partner of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP; Eric Brandt, chief financial officer of Broadcom; and James Mazzo, chairman and CEO of I N I T S T H I R D Y E AR , Save the Dates for the 2008-2009 series: NOVEMBER 18, 2008 Greg Creed, President & Chief Concept Officer, Taco Bell FEBRUARY 10, 2009 Alexis Livanos, President, Northrop Grumman Space Technology APRIL 7, 2009 Jim Caudill, President, Black & Decker Home Division MAY 19, 2009 Bob McKnight, CEO, Quiksilver President & Chief Conce Taco Bell pt Officer NOVEMBE Each of the spe R 18 Alexis Liva nos Corporate Vic President of e President & Space Techno Northrop logy Grumman FE BR U AR Y 10 akers will add ress the imp ortance of strategic inn ovation. Series Jim Caudi ll President, Ha Home Impro rdware & vement Black & De cker AP RI L Bob McKni gh Chief Execut ive Officer Quiksilver 7 M AY t 19 Advanced Medical Optics. Each of these top corporate leaders shared his organization’s approach to creating sustained growth through strategic innovation and provided insight into his company’s particular successes in the global economy. “The Distinguished Speakers Series provides students and business people alike with a snapshot of how companies have succeeded in the past and insight into different leadership styles and how they contribute to success,” said Angela Kim, a student at The Paul Merage School of Business. “I have learned many lessons from this program that I plan to apply in my own future endeavors.” Each year the DSS brings to campus key business leaders who address current business issues, leadership, ethics, and other relevant topics. The series is sponsored by the Merage School’s Center for Leadership and Team Development and supported by corporate sponsors. Sponsors for 2007-2008 included, at the platinum level, Verizon Wireless and Volvo Cars of North America. Deloitte, Jones Day, HireRight, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wells Fargo were silver sponsors for the year. This year’s sponsors are Verizon Wireless, Capital Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wells Fargo. Policano, Vandell Discuss Global Economy at Annual Business Outlook Conference business leaders from Irvine and the surrounding Orange County area, Andy Policano, economist and Dean of The Paul Merage School of Business stated, “There is no such thing as a local economy. We’re in a global economy…companies that are thriving here are global companies.” Dean Policano opened the annual Irvine Chamber of Commerce Business Outlook meeting with a forecast that the next decade would likely bring higher inflation, slower growth and a shift in wealth from the United States to other countries in the world. He also concluded that large numbers of foreign investments would make it harder for the federal government to curb inflation simply by putting more money into the banks. Policano pointed out that a Merage education prepares tomorrow’s business leaders for A D D R E S S I N G N E A R LY 5 0 0 success in this new environment. Kerry Vandell, professor of finance and director of the Merage School’s Center for Real Estate, reported that Orange County was “faring better than many other parts of California.” What happens in the Len Hunt, former president and chief executive OC does not stay in officer of Kia Motors the OC. This is a America summarized the impact the global econoglobal economy. my has had on the automotive industry and — Merage School Dean what to expect moving Andy Policano forward. “ ” 23 Merage | 2008 – 2009 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM ACG Cup Long hours, exhausting work. The rewards add up to a winning experience. By Connie Clark to prepare a course of action for a company facing a difficult business decision. You’ll present your ideas to a board of complete strangers — experts in investment banking and corporate finance who are ready to pounce on any cracks or inconsistencies in your plan. In your spare time, you can study for midterms, pay attention to your full time job, and maybe check in with your family once in a while. That was the challenge faced by the Merage Fully Employed MBA YO U H AV E F I V E DAYS (FEMBA) student team as they competed in the second annual Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Cup competition earlier this spring. Developed to give MBA students real exposure to finance, mergers and acquisitions, the competition pitted Merage students against teams from Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University, USC, and Pepperdine University. Merage again walked away with exceptional honors taking second place and a $5,000 cash prize. But students say the rewards go far beyond the honors and money. First-hand experience in preparing and delivering a complete report to investment bankers is invaluable, says team member Bill Ryan. “After all we went through — the analysis, the sleepless nights, the detailed criticisms of every angle, and the hours of rehearsal for the presentation, we knew we had a final product we believed in, and we were ready to present it, right or wrong.” Secrets of their Success Bill Ryan, ‘08 24 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Merage teams have walked away with top honors in each of the two years of the competition. They say communication is the key to winning. “You need to be convincing, clear, decisive and polished,” says Ryan. “You can be the world’s best financial modeler, but if you cannot communicate your seven days of analysis to the judges in under 15 minutes, you will find it challenging.” For students who want to give it a try next year, Ryan offers some advice. “First, clear your calendar.” Teams are given five days to pre- “ You can be the world’s best financial modeler, but if you cannot communicate your seven days of analysis to the judges in under 15 minutes, you will find it challenging. ” pare their presentation, and Ryan says it’s absolutely essential to be focused on the project during the short timeframe. The competition is sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of ACG, an international association for professionals involved in corporate growth and development, as well as mergers and acquisitions. With 11,000 members in 53 chapters throughout North America and Europe, the organization fosters networking among its executive community. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Merage Rankings Continue to Soar ENTREPRENEURS CHOOSE MERAGE by Shaheen Husain M erage MBA students bested Brigham Young University, University of Santa Clara and the University of Southern California to capture the Entrepreneur’s Choice Award at the 2008 Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) Silicon Valley Regional. Congratulations to Merage team members Vern Briggs, Max Brunner, Mike Meoli, Amarinder Sidhu, and Brad Stoker. Special thanks go to Miramar Ventures and CB Capital for coaching the team and to Charlie Baecker, Administrative Director of the Merage School’s Don Beall Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, for guiding the team through the competition. The Entrepreneurs’ Choice Award is given to the team that best demonstrates the most insight and business savvy in its questions. Founded by the University of North Carolina in 1998, the VCIC is the nation’s premier MBA competition that is complementary to the traditional business plan competition pitting top schools against one another in an all day VC investment environment. Unlike business plan competitions in which students pitch their own ideas to investors, at VCIC the students are the investors, and real entrepreneurs pitch to them. Continuing its steady ascent among top business schools, Merage School again climbed in the US News & World Report rankings this year, jumping to 44 in 2008, from 53 in the 2007 ranking. Dean Andy Policano credits the rise to an excellent faculty and an increasingly higher caliber of students, also noting, “Without the excellence of our faculty and the dedication of our staff members, none of our achievements would be possible.” Looking forward, Policano noted: “We continue to focus our efforts toward a solid upward trajectory over time, based on continuous improvement in our recruiting and placement efforts. The Merage School is truly on the move, with true distinction and quality reflected in our curriculum and research.” 25 Merage | 2008 – 2009 STUDENTS Working – and playing – for a cause, Challenge for Charity members spend time at local and regional events. Left to right: At Stanford University’s C4C Weekend, the Merage Dodgeball team earns second prize honors, while the Men’s Football Team takes home first prize…Volunteers Kendra Hammer (FTMBA 08) and Ashish Gupta (FTMBA 09) pack groceries at Share Our Selves in Costa Mesa…Special Olympics Bowling Tournament volunteers and athletes rack up laughs and lasting memories. Challenge For Charity USING BUSINESS SKILLS FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF PROFIT JO I N A S T U D E N T C LU B and you gain networking opportunities, leadership experience, and a chance to swap ideas with peers. Join Challenge for Charity (C4C) and you’ll likely gain something much more. On any given afternoon, C4C members can be found cheering at the Special Olympics games or putting together food packages for homeless families at Share Our Selves in Costa Mesa. The chance to put their business acumen to use for the greater good, say organizers, is one of the reasons they join. The rewards are why they stay. “It has been a full-time job,” says past chapter copresident Briana Ackerman ‘08. “I’ve invested more time and energy than I could have ever imagined but when I think about how much of a difference these charities make in people’s lives, it makes it very rewarding at the end of the day.” C4C has chapters at several business schools, including Stanford, UCLA, USC and the Merage School. Founded in 1984 by Stanford MBA student Duncan O'Brien to raise money for Special Olympics, the group has since contributed a total of $3.28 million for Special Olympics and other charities, and has donated tens of thousands of hours of community service. According to its website, C4C is the world’s largest MBA non-profit organization. 26 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Mixing Football with Fundraising Like many chapters, the Merage group tirelessly hosts a variety of fundraisers, inviting students, alumni, and the business community. The annual Merage Bowl has become a flag football tradition as alumni compete for the championship. (Former champs FTMBA ‘05 took home the win again this year.) Members put aside their football cleats at the C4C Gala and Auction in spring 2008 at Landmark Steakhouse in Corona Del Mar to sample appetizers and sip wine courtesy of Lionheart Wines and alumnus Leon Glover III ’04. Auctioned items included a private flight for two to Santa Barbara and lunch, courtesy of Dr. Ripu Arora ’09; Lakers tickets in the 15th row, donated by Toshiba; and a one-week timeshare in Mexico donated by Amanda Gast ‘09. “We’ve been working with alumni and members of the business community to join our efforts,” Ackerman says. “We’ve recently been added to Boeing’s list of charities. Not only is it special to have alumni show their support but it is also neat to have them share their new business ventures with the Merage School community and learn about the successful accomplishments of our Merage Alumni.” Newly elected co-presidents for 2008-09 are Rakhee Bhakta ’09 and Marc Cooperstein ’09. STUDENTS Student Involvement Recent Merage graduates explain why it’s so important to get involved with campus clubs and activities. H OW D I D YO U R PART I C I PAT I O N I N S T U D E N T C LU B S AN D AC T I V I T I E S B E N E F I T YO U ? Ryan: Every MBA goes back to school to do bigger and better things. For many the question is which career path to take. Clubs and competitions can help you find a career that strikes a chord for you. S T U D E N T S AR E BU S Y. W H Y I S I T S O I M P O RTAN T F O R T H E M TO GE T I N VO LV E D ? Bill Ryan ’08 ’07-08 President Merage Student Assoc. Ackerman: It gives you an opportunity to become a true leader and take initiative. For those interested in entrepreneurship, taking a leadership role in one of the Merage Clubs exposes you to the challenges you’ll face in the business world. You’ll appreciate the hands-on experience when you’re ready to start your own venture. H OW D O YO U D E C I D E W H AT TO D O W I T H O U T S T R E TC H I N G YO U R S E L F TO O T H I N ? Ryan: The sooner you immerse yourself into clubs and Briana Ackerman ’08 ’07-08 Co-President Challenge for Charity activities, the more meaningful your time at Merage will be. If you are undecided, try it all once. It could make the difference between what you thought you would do and what you actually do once you graduate. H OW D I D YO U GE T I N VO LV E D ? Ackerman: During my first week at the Merage School, I attended the Club Fair and signed up as a volunteer for Challenge for Charity at the 2006 Special Olympics Bowling Games. Not really knowing what to expect, I showed up only to be surrounded by hundreds of students all dressed up in their school jerseys, faces full of excitement and ready to play. It made me feel good to be part of such a positive experience in their lives. After that I was sold, and decided to become an active member of Challenge for Charity. I ran for co-president the following year. I S I T TO U GH TO D I V I D E YO U R T I M E B E T W E E N S C H O O L AN D T H E C LU B ? Ackerman: You definitely become a master of time-management and your ability to delegate improves very quickly. I think you also learn to work well as a team. There is absolutely no way Challenge for Charity could be run by one individual, let alone ten officers. The club has been successful throughout the years thanks to the support of a large following of business members, alumni, students, faculty, and staff. W H AT AB O U T OT H E R ADVAN TAGE S ? Ryan: The competitions, clubs and associations have reinforced my career focus, but there’s another benefit. The memories and experiences I’ve taken from them add immeasurable value to my Merage School experience and degree. You can’t replace that. MREA closes on new logo, website W ith a new logo and a redesigned website, the Merage Real Estate Association (MREA) has updated its image to reflect its thriving membership and educational resources. The logo, designed by MREA member Mark von Leffern, appears on the new site which offers access to several resources for students. Officers say membership in MREA brings tremendous value for students pursuing a career in real estate. Complementing the Merage School’s extensive real estate curriculum as well as the resources offered by the Merage School’s Center for Real Estate, the MREA hosts guest speaker and networking events throughout the year. In addition, career building resources include the quarterly updated Resume Book, which is linked to the Career Center. The website can be accessed at merage.uci.edu/clubpages/ mrea. 27 Merage | 2008 – 2009 MBA PROGRAMS SEEING THE GLOBAL PICTURE A week in Moscow and Prague THROUGH AN EASTERN EUROPEAN LENS By Connie Clark MBA PROGRAMS F U L LY E M P LOY E D M BA ( F E M BA) ’ 0 9 S T U D E N T S prepared for their week-long residential in Russia and the Czech Republic not by cramming on Chekhov or learning the intricacies of Russian politics, but by studying China and India. The point, say their professors, is to gain a truly global viewpoint. “This isn’t a case study on how to do business in Russia,” says FEMBA Director and Assistant Dean Tony Hansford. “It’s about getting a broad perspective on the world we do business in, and the world we live in.” China, fast becoming a stronghold for manufacturing in Asia, as well as Hong Kong, Brazil and Argentina. Eye Opening Course FEMBA student and Johnson & Johnson staff engineer Vishnu Raja refers to the trip as an “eye opener.” It “provided an opportunity to learn business and investment opportunities outside the United States. The Russia trip was ideal because it is one of the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] nations where the economy gives FEMBA students sharp exposure to world issues. Hansford, along with Strategic Management Professor David Blake and International Business Professor John Graham traveled with two teams of Global Business II students. Although all say they gained fascinating economic and political insights into Russia and her former satellite state, they agree that the big picture lessons were the most rewarding. “I would be disturbed if students came back saying they knew how to do business in Russia,” says Blake. Instead, he wants them to be open to more questions. “The students learned that the implications for doing business globally are constantly changing. They need to comprehend those uncertainties — that’s what they learn.” A Relevant View of the World Perhaps nowhere is global change and uncertainty more jarring — and more ironic — than in Moscow, where oil exports and the resulting affluence have transformed Red Square into a thriving center of capitalism, and where students were surrounded by advertising for American and European products as they looked on at Lenin’s tomb. In Prague, where they toured factories importing contract workers from Bulgaria, Mongolia, and Vietnam, students and faculty were struck by the diversity of laborers from formerly communist countries. That global relevance is a strong element. Trip planners painstakingly and thoroughly plan residentials with an eye toward areas keenly affected by global issues, or those newly emerging on the world stage. A decade ago, for example, when NAFTA was just arising as a hot button issue, Professor Graham and his student team journeyed to Tijuana, Mexico, observing a vital example of the developing world and its role in international trade. Upcoming residentials are planned for Guangzhou (formerly Canton), is developing rapidly. We learned about the complex Russian market, the political influence on business, the legal system, economic indicators, obstacles and investment opportunities.” International Experience: Vital For Everyone Many say the real learning started as soon as students began the interminable VISA wait. Coping with jet lag, and paying a hundred dollars to get from the airport to the Moscow hotel are all part of the experience, say the professors. No matter what Nothing can replace the residential experience. In fact, Global you do in Business I and II, which include the residential, are required business, you courses for all FEMBA students. “No matter what you do in busiwill be exposed ness, you will be exposed to to international international issues,” Graham says. “Maybe you won’t be workissues. ing internationally, but you’ll be managing people with international responsibilities. Or you may be buying equipment from someone with jet lag from an eleven-hour flight, and they’re sitting across the table from you, trying to pay attention to your presentation.” Students need to understand that, he says. And empathize. Hansford agrees. “An understanding of cultural nuances is vital to any business person. If you don’t understand that, your success is going to be very limited.” Raja says that company visits to Intel in Russia and Daikin in Prague provided insight on conducting global business from a local perspective, but it also gave him deeper knowledge. “It was a pragmatic illustration of concepts we learned in courses such as Organizational Behavior and Operational Management.” “ ” 29 Merage | 2008 – 2009 MBA PROGRAMS • • Merage Accreditation Renewed as School Continues to Innovate international accreditation organization of business schools has once again renewed accreditation for The Paul Merage School of Business. AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement among business schools. According to the website, “Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review. AACSB T H E TO P “ As we focus on the challenge of achieving sustained growth through strategic innovation, we must practice what we preach. ” International accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management education.” 30 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Dean Andy Policano affirms that the continuing recognition for the Merage School mirrors the school’s key differentiator. “As we focus on the challenge now faced by every business, that of achieving sustained growth through strategic innovation, we understand that we must, in a sense, practice what we preach. The AACSB accreditation recognizes that we are in fact adhering to that strategy for our own business, with innovative programs, exceptional faculty, and an ever-higher caliber of students.” • staff pride themselves on listening to students and responding to them. “We know that our students are extremely busy working professionals with demanding jobs — often with families to care for. This is another indicator of how we continually and creatively respond to their needs.” The confidential survey measured the graduating class of 2007 and is part of an annual study of part-time MBA programs. F E M BA Merage Rated #1 in Responding to Students F E M B A G R A D UAT E S K N OW I T well: an independent survey taken in the final year of their studies, in which they’re asked to rate their MBA experience. The latest survey, sent to graduating Fully Employed MBA students, garnered top rankings for the Merage School, especially in the area of responsiveness to students’ needs. Graduates not only gave Merage high scores, but the School bested all 100 MBA programs in the category, seen as one of the most important differentiators among MBA programs. “The cornerstone of our success is the personal attention we give to students,” says Tony Hansford, FEMBA Director and Assistant Dean. “The survey reflects that.” Hansford adds that faculty and Going Live with a New Look: FEMBA Website Shows Personal Side of School FAC E S , S TO R I E S , A N D information. That’s the focus of the new FEMBA website. “It’s our first point of contact for potential students,” says Jon Masciana, FEMBA’s Director of Admissions. “So it was important that our website highlight our key strengths, one of which is the personalized learning style of the Merage program.” With its focus on students, professors, staff and their experiences, the revamped site gives visitors a chance to experience Merage in MBA PROGRAMS • ways never before possible. A popular feature — unique among MBA websites — is the new student blog and a Facebook group for prospects, where students can post thoughts, experiences and ideas. The blog, which is unedited, gives students and potential students a chance to see what the program is really like, says Masciana. But it also serves their needs. “The Millennial Generation has grown up with this technology, and they want real perspectives and the real story,” he says. “The blog gives them the avenue to do that.” The FEMBA website redesign follows the successful relaunch of the Merage Full-Time MBA website. Other Merage sites are scheduled to be unveiled throughout 2009. Visit the new FEMBA site at merage.uci.edu/FullyEmployedMBA. • Hansford Promoted to Assistant Dean has been promoted to Assistant Dean of the Fully Employed MBA Program (FEMBA) in recognition of the ongoing success of his efforts. The FEMBA Program contributes significantly to the School's mission and is a market leader in the competitive southern California Fully Employed MBA marketplace. In addition to FEMBA’s strong enrollments, in 2007 the FEMBA Program Staff was ranked #1 in responsiveness to Student Concerns in the Educational Benchmarking Survey among other part-time MBA programs. Prior to joining Merage in 2000, Tony worked for several years in real estate consulting. He was hired into Merage as the Associate Director of Admissions, moved up to Director in 2003, and was promoted to Executive Director in 2006. Hansford attributes his success to his outstanding FEMBA team members who collectively have done an exemplary job in overseeing the FEMBA program. • E M BA/H C E M BA Moysychyn Named Executive Director of EMBA and HCEMBA TO N Y H A N S F O R D has been promoted to Executive Director of the Executive MBA (EMBA) and Health Care Executive MBA (HCEMBA) programs at Merage School. Moysychyn joined the school in 2005 as Associate Director for the HCEMBA program and obtained her MBA from Merage a year later. “The Merage School is delighted to have Debbie’s experience and skills,” notes Dean Andy Policano. “Her three years of management responsibilities with us and the MBA she obtained here have given her tremendous knowledge of our programs.” Prior to joining the Merage School, Moysychyn was marketing director for Project Tomorrow, a non-profit organization in Anaheim that enhances science education in Orange County Schools. D E B R A E . M OY S YC H Y N 31 Merage | 2008 – 2009 FACULTY INSIGHTS Faculty Research Faculty research is an important part of the Merage School’s focus on strategic innovation. Following are summaries of 13 recent papers by our faculty members (names in bold) or co-written with colleagues from other UC Irvine departments or other universities. Impact of SOX’s section 404 on corporate valuation Working paper by Joanna Ho, Feng Tian (Merage student) and Agnes Cheng (Louisiana State University) S E C T I O N 4 0 4 O F T H E S AR BAN E S -OXL E Y AC T of 2002, which requires registrants to file a “clean” internal control report or an adverse report that cites “material weaknesses” (MW), has been criticized by the business community due to its alleged high compliance costs. Some companies said they would go private, due to the compliance costs. Congress and the SEC are reexamining SOX to see if a refinement or an overhaul is warranted. We studied the reports and stock market returns of 2,835 firms from 1998 to 2005 and found that those reporting “clean” internal controls realized an average Companies filing of 10% market share gain compared to those compamaterial weaknesses nies reporting material weaknesses. reports still had a Our report also found that: “ 32 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Companies filing MW reports still had a higher market gain than their cost of compliance. higher market gain than their cost of compliance. ” FACULTY INSIGHTS The stock market has an increasing confidence in accounting numbers as a result of Section 404. Based on regression analysis results, we estimate that the changes in market value due to Section 404 may be as high as $1 trillion. The findings of our study will provide policy makers more information about the benefits of Section 404 and also help market participants make investment decisions. iPod and notebook PCs: Capturing value in a global innovation network By Kenneth Kraemer (Professor Emeritus), Jason Dedrick and Greg Linden (All with UC Irvine’s Personal Computing Industry Center) I N N OVAT I O N I S N O LO N GE R carried out within individual countries, but often crosses national borders in the form of global innovation networks. It is not clear how the economic gains from global innovation are distributed among the firms and countries involved. These gains can be measured various ways, including financial, value-added, jobs and wages, and trade flows. Our product-level studies of the iPod and notebook PC models from Lenovo and HP enable us to break out the financial value embedded in innovative products and clarify how they are distributed globally. The iPod represents radical innovation; the notebooks more incremental innovation. Since the electronics industry carefully guards its product-level data, we examined industry analysts’ “teardown reports” to obtain the “value capture” or gross profit of the lead firm and its major suppliers, which measures the value that each company (excluding direct workers) captures from its role in the value chain. Apple’s gross profit on its video iPod introduced in 2005 was $80, or 36% of its $224 wholesale price. The third generation iPod in 2003 had a gross profit of 40% of its wholesale price. For notebooks, Lenovo’s Think Pad T43 in 2005 had a 30% gross profit on its wholesale price of $1,257. HP’s nc6230 notebook realized a 28% profit on the $1,189 wholesale price. Manufacturing firms in Japan, the United States, Korea and Taiwan are the major supply partners for all of these products. For the video iPod, Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean suppliers captured 14.4% of the gross margins, while U.S. suppliers captured only 3%. On the HP notebook, U.S. suppliers grabbed 19% of the margins, of which 18% went to Microsoft and Intel, while Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese suppliers earned 10%. Although the iPods and notebook PCs are all made in China, final assembly accounts for less than 2% of the value of these products. The difference Although the iPods between radical innovation (iPod) and and notebook PCs incremental innovaare all made in tion (notebooks) is seen most clearly at China, final assembly the company level. The greatest value accounts for less for the iPod innovation is captured by than 2% of the value the brand-name sysof these products. tem integrator, Apple, which controls the product architecture and found the right combination of hardware, software and content distribution. For the mature-product notebook PCs, a much larger share is captured by Microsoft and Intel, which control the architecture and trajectory of software and hardware evolution. – Prepared under a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation “ ” Leadership of young entrepreneurial firms By Christine M. Beckman and Diane Burton (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) of a new senior leader in a company influence the turnover rates of successors? We find that the first manager to hold a new job in a company establishes a “position imprint” which can make it difficult for managers to follow. “Position imprints” are expectations around a job that will be passed on to successors. Sometimes, those position imprints do not match the written job requirements or the experiences of successors, and herein lies the challenge. According to our analysis of 1,400 executives in 169 high technology Silicon Valley firms, the initial managers have a longevity advantage. We found that “position creators” (first to hold the job title) have a significantly lower rate of turnover than their successors. This lower turnover is not just the result of position creators being H OW D O T H E E XP E R I E N C E S 33 Merage | 2008 – 2009 FACULTY INSIGHTS highly invested in the blossoming entrepreneurial venture. Instead, it may also be that position creators mold their jobs into a hybrid reflection of their talents, their preferred tasks and organizational needs. Once the original leaders depart, the successors cycle into jobs — titles notwithstanding — that may come with atypical duties and expectations because of the position imprints laid down during the early days of the Position creators firm. Turnover rates increase when successors have different mold their jobs functional experiences and expertise than position creinto a hybrid ators. Rarely are historical trends, such as position reflection of imprints, discussed when their talents, explaining executive turnover, but we demonstrate this is a their preferred significant factor predicting turnover. tasks and Our research demonstrates the long-term consequences of organizational the early decisions new comneeds. panies make when assigning roles and allocating tasks. While it may be convenient at first to have someone fill a functional void in a new organization, even if that person has atypical experience, in the long run it may prove challenging to find successors who can thrive in the face of the unique position imprint that has become so embedded in the minds of those in and around the organization. – American Sociological Review in helping groups manage these tensions. We outline key team leadership functions in helping groups manage these tensions to correct performance problems including (1) promoting awareness about how to process internal and external sources of feedback relative to team goals, (2) setting and maintaining clear standards when goals are dynamic, and (3) motivating group members to reduce the discrepancy between goals and the current performance of the group. The paper proposes several novel hypotheses. – New Thinking About the Psychology of Leadership, book co-edited by Behfar Psychology of working teams Mary Gilly, Hope Jensen Shau (Univ. of Arizona) and Stephanie Dellande (Chapman Univ.) “ ” Kristin Behfar and Randall Peterson (London Business School) G R O U P S O F T E N FAI L TO S U C C E S S F U L LY the competing tensions they experience, such as efficiency vs. effectiveness, or tasks vs. relationships. Relatively little research has been conducted on how groups manage their natural tensions, and no attention has been paid to the potential role for leaders 34 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N regulate all of “ Relatively little research has been conducted on how groups manage their natural tensions. ” Characteristics and effectiveness of teams Cristina Gibson and Kristi Tyran (Western Washington University) W E E XAM I N E 5 7 BAN K B R AN C H teams to better understand the consequences of two levels of teams that are not homogeneous: surface level (gender, ethnicity) and deep level (collectivism, cultural values and tenure). Prior to the study, it was commonly believed that teams with less tenured members were effective, and those with higher gender and collective values had higher rankings. Our study produced two different results. The relationship between collectivism and group efficiency was positive. The relationship between ethnicity and team reputation was negative. – Group & Organization Management Code switching (shifting between language codes during an interaction) at retail firms BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFIT can suffer when employees and customers deviate from the service “script.” Code switching can involve changing languages, dialects and brand names of products. Such deviations result in encounters that take longer than those “on script.” Employees at Starbucks, for example, encounter brand code switching when customers ask employees for a “large” instead of the “grande” employees are trained to use. As well, small service providers must deal with the script of the industry giant, for example, when a customer comes into In ‘N Out and orders a Big Mac. Our study of a market leader and a smaller firm found code switching 30% of the time at fast-food outlets and 36% at coffee venues. Dialect code-switching (using hip-hop or skater slang instead of FACULTY INSIGHTS standard English) was found to result in the longest service encounters and the most fulfillment errors. Managers, especially those at smaller service firms, should provide employees more training in language and brand codes and take care to use the script in ads that show service encounters. – Journal of Retailing Connecting customers and employees Mary Gilly and Mary Wolfinbarger (Long Beach State) when the communications tools for management research and marketing research are not integrated. Problems can be Advertising, rarely defined too narrowly, terminology can be confusing, used to reach and wheels reinvented. This employees, can be paper examines two communication tools: (1) an effective way to Advertising, rarely used to reach employees, can be reach this target an effective way to reach this target market. (2) market. “Scripts” (training manuals) rarely consider what employees learn from competing firms, such as when they shop at a competitor’s store. Scripts must take these experiences into account. T RO U B L E S AR I S E F O R C O M PAN I E S “ ” Globalization of innovation: the PC industry Kraemer and Dedrick IN THE PERSONAL COM PUTING industry, Asian firms are leaders in components such as displays, memory, batteries, motherboards and optical drives. Innovation in software and systems integration has largely occurred in the United States. However, slow adoption of broadband and advanced mobile technologies has left the U.S. falling behind in some new areas of innovation. The U.S. cannot afford to remain behind in providing high quality, low cost infrastructure to support user-led innovation and drive demand for new technologies. Also, more people must be trained for specialized engineering, software development and management skills needed for innovation. To do so, some of the most innovative U.S. firms are hiring more rookies and developing their skills, instead of relying solely on experienced engineers, a strategy that has potential for other U.S. firms. – For the National Academy of Sciences, STEP Project Increasing public use of government websites Alladi Venkatesh and Michael Jensen (UC Irvine’s Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations) W E E XAM I N E D LO C AL government websites from 12 metropolitan areas across the country and found that 82% of site visitors look for information on government services, 54% download government forms, 35% obtain information on city council meetings, 34% process transactions online and 33.3% email public officials. However, only 10% engage in an online discussion, due in large part to a lack of provision by government of this service. The Internet could foster greater political participation by (1) soliciting opinions on future issues, (2) emphasizing human elements on the front page instead of bricks and landmarks, and (3) adding discussion boards for public input. How changes in compensation plans affect employee performance and recruiting Joanna Ho, Anne Wu (National Chengchi University) and Ling-Chu Lee (National Pingtung Institute of Commerce) A C H AN GE F RO M C O M M I S S I O N -BAS E D programs to base salary-plus commission hurts employee performance. A study of 4,392 employees of a Taiwanese car company shows that high-performance employees are more affected by the new compensation plan The base-salary plus than are lower-performing workers. Even commission program threats of dismissal did not improve productiviretained fewer higher ty of the poorest performers. The baseperforming sales salary plus commission persons and led to program retained fewer higher performing the hiring of more salespersons and led to the hiring of more lower-performing lower-performing sales employees. However, sales employees. “ ” Merage | 35 2008 – 2009 FACULTY INSIGHTS the decrease in individual productivity did not translate into lower overall company performance, perhaps because the company took other steps to mitigate the losses caused by lower individual productivity. – Contemporary Accounting Review Cross-sales policies in telephone service centers Rick So and Reynold Byers (Arizona State University) C RO S S -S E L L I N G I N T E L E P H O N E service centers is seen by industry as a good way to generate profits. But if it is poorly managed, customer service quality can suffer. This paper demonstrates the optimal use of real-time information including current system status (queuing congestion) and customer profile (likelihood of purchase) for maximizing the profitability of cross-sales opportunities in these centers without degrading the service quality. Our results also provide useful insights on the underlying system and customer characteristics under which the use of such real-time information is most beneficial. – Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Unpacking the concept of virtuality: the effects of geographic dispersion, electronic dependence, dynamic structure and national diversity on team innovation Gibson and Gibbs (2006) — although teams are often implemented by organizations to increase W E E XAM I N E D A C U R I O U S PAR AD OX innovation, they often hinder it. Part of the problem may be that there is confusion as to just how to design such teams. This paper unpacks four characteristics often associated with new “virtual” team designs (geographic dispersion, electronic dependence, structural dynamism and national diversity) and argues that they hinder innovation through unique mechanisms, many of which can be overcome by creating a psychologically safe communication climate. Through this work we are able to offer substantial implications for theory, and for the practice of working and managing virtually to increase innovation. What results when firms implement practices: the differential relationship between specific practices, firm financial performance, customer service, and quality Gibson et al. (2008) we examine an age-old debate through fresh eyes and using a comprehensive data set of over 200 Fortune 1000 firms. Previous research on organizational practices is replete with contradictory evidence regarding their effects. Here, we argue that these contradictory findings may have occurred because researchers have often examined complex practice combinations, and have failed to investigate a broad variety of firm-level outcomes. Results indicate that certain practices are positively related to financial performance, firm-level customer service, and firm-level quality. Our findings offer guidance as to how to best target practices to increase specific work-related outcomes. I N T H E ART I C L E Research Fest Launched The first ever PhD Research Fest, held in April 2008, featured 21 Merage School PhD students who enjoyed the occasion to celebrate and share their ideas with the Merage School community. 36 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N FACULTY INSIGHTS Faculty Books Merage faculty members share their knowledge and insights through six recently published books. PAUL J. FELDSTEIN Professor of Health Care Economics and Public Policy Health Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective, 4th edition Professor Feldstein presents more than 100 pages of new and updated information on his comprehensive view of the economic forces that are changing the nation’s healthcare delivery system. The fourth edition has new chapters on: The Internet’s effect on healthcare; Behavioral differences between non-profit and investor-owned hospitals; How to design a Medicare prescription benefit; Availability of cheaper drugs overseas. Global Negotiation: The New Rules Graham and William Hernandez Requejo propose that creative approaches to business negotiations and the diversity of international teams and partnerships are the primary drivers of human progress in the 21st Century. The authors describe 10 rules for the new century: 1. Accept only creative outcomes 2. Understand cultures, especially your own 3. Exploit as well as adjust to cultural differences 4. Gather intelligence and reconnoiter the terrain 5. Design the information flow and process of meetings 6. Invest in personal relationships 7. Persuade with questions 8. Make no concessions until the end 9. Use techniques of creativity 10. Continue creativity after negotiations JOHN GRAHAM Professor of Marketing and International Business Doing Business in the New Japan: Succeeding in America’s Richest International Market, 2nd edition Professor Graham, James Hodgson and Yoshihiro Sano have updated their guide to thriving in Japan’s business market by describing, among other things, Japan’s new corporate strategy, a westernizing of its legal system. The authors provide new case studies, including negotiations among U.S. and Japanese auto manufacturers and the recent lifting of Japan’s ban on American beef. This is the second installment of Graham’s trilogy on succeeding in business abroad. The first installment was China Now, described in the last issue of Merage magazine. The third installment is described next. Graham and Hernandez believe that American firms must overcome long-practiced obstacles to the new rules — a disdain of interdependence and a lack of cross-cultural skills and experience with foreign counterparts. PHILIPPE JORION Professor of Finance Financial Risk Manager Handbook, 4th edition Professor Jorion has updated his handbook that has become the official book for the financial risk manager’s (FRM) examination by the global Association of Risk Professionals. Revisions include the latest FRM exam topics and selected recent FRM questions, with detailed explanations of answers. The handbook provides in-depth coverage of market, credit and operational risk management as well as reporting and regulation. 37 Merage | 2008 – 2009 FACULTY INSIGHTS Four Merage Professors Win Academic Awards RICHARD MCKENZIE Professor of Economics In Defense of Monopoly: How Market Power Fosters Creative Production Professor McKenzie and Dwight R. Lee of the University of Georgia claim that conventional, static models exaggerate the harm done by real-world monopolies, and show why some degree of monopoly presence is needed to improve human welfare over time. An economic system’s failure to efficiently allocate its resources, the authors write, is actually a necessary precondition for maximizing the economy’s long-term performance. McKenzie and Lee demonstrate that creating goods and services requires competition as well as the prospect of gains beyond a normal competitive rate of return. Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies and Other Pricing Puzzles (As featured on ABC-TVs Nightline) Professor McKenzie finds that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1948 antitrust ruling laid the foundation for costly movie popcorn and other snack bar edibles. The ruling prohibited movie studios from owning theaters, which forced theater owners to bid for films. That allowed studios to take a bigger cut of the films’ revenues, leaving theater owners to make most of their profits from concession sales. Beyond popcorn, McKenzie takes a fun, but illuminating look at the hidden truths of marketing and some of the pricing puzzles consumers face — Are we really fooled by prices that end in 9? Why do new cars instantly lose so much value? If holiday clearance sales are about excess inventory, shouldn't retailers hire better buyers? And why do coffee shops offer free WiFi? 38 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N PROFESSOR CRISTINA GIBSON received the 2008 Pedagogical Innovation Award from the UC Irvine Academic Senate Council. Professors Thomas Eppel, Sherri Treasurywala and Shuya Yin were also nominated for excellence in teaching. Gibson’s award was for her course on Global Collaboration that is interactive and involves exercises, case studies, projects and discussions. Students were divided into teams representing universities based both within and outside the United States. SHUYA YIN, assistant professor of operations and decision technologies, was named Merage School honoree for teaching Management Science and Operations Management. THOMAS EPPEL AND SHERRI TREASURYWALA were named UC Irvine Lecturers of the Year. Eppel’s class, Business and Management in the World Today, focused on globalization and current trends. Treasurywala developed two innovative elective courses on the business of science and the business of medicine for Merage’s undergraduate program. FACULTY INSIGHTS MAKING AN IMPACT DAVID BLAKE, professor of strategic management chairs the Ethical Business Leadership Task Force of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for AACSB-accredited business programs. Blake and other task force members are conducting interviews with executives of multinational, mid-sized and small businesses. The task force will develop print and electronic media tools to promote ethical business practices. Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution and Microsoft. The task force held its first meeting January 2008 in Washington, D.C., and will publish two reports by late 2009. DAVID HIRSHLEIFER, professor of finance presented a keynote address on “Psychological Bias as a Driver of Financial Regulation” to the European Financial Management Association’s annual meeting in Vienna, Austria. PHILIP BROMILEY, professor of strategic management co-authored a study and was quoted in a New Yorker magazine article, “Performance-Pay Perplexes.” The study of hundreds of firms found companies that paid most of their compensation in stock options were far more subjected to regulations forcing them to restate their earnings. CRISTINA GIBSON, CONNIE PECHMANN, professor of marketing joined a panel of experts in Bethesda, Maryland, that addressed adolescents’ use and misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The panel, focusing on regulations regarding the marketing of OTC drugs to youths, was part of a workshop at the National Institute of Health, sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. professor of management and organization chaired an April 2008 forum, “The Dark Matter of Dialogue Breakdowns,” featuring a sneak preview of the film, “Dark Matter,” starring Meryl Streep and Aiden Quinn. Experts on trauma, anthropology, minority relations and other subjects discussed communications breakdowns between minority students and college administrators that were partly responsible for the mass murder of four persons at Iowa University in 1991, the topic of the film. JUDY ROSENER, professor emerita of economic and public policy co-authored a cover story, “Wired to Win,” in Pink, a national magazine for professional women. The article described the link between brain and hormone research and male-female differences at work and how they affect organizational policies and practices. Rosener is working with Newton Margulies, associate dean of executive education at the Merage School, to develop an advanced management program for women. VIJAY GURBAXANI, professor of information technology was named to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation, an international panel that will make recommendations on preservation and public access to digital information for future generations. The 17-member group includes representatives from universities in England and Scotland and from the MARGARETHE WIERSEMA, professor of strategy chaired an Academy of Management symposium in Philadelphia on private equity. Panelists discussed problems created by the huge growth of nonequity-based fees by such companies as Blackstone. 39 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Centering on the World: Business Leaders and their Take on the Merage School’s Centers of Excellence Editor’s note: In each issue, we profile business leaders who recognize the Merage School itself as a key business driver for innovation and growth. This edition focuses on members of the Dean’s Advisory Board and champions of the Centers of Excellence, all innovative leaders in their fields. B usiness leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to educational organizations see their participation as a way to give back. But to those who helped charter the Merage School’s Centers of Excellence, there’s something more. With upheaval occurring across the economy, the political landscape and indeed the world, many see the Merage School Centers as catalysts for real change and improvement. They see their roles as advisors, but also as key players who can help solve problems and surmount challenges in industries from health care to real estate, on local levels and across the global stage. And they have pinpointed the Centers of Excellence as the places where it will all get done. But Feldstein, Afable and the others agree that the Center is not just for the pundits. “One of the challenges in health care is that everyone — from consumers to providers — needs to be much better informed about health care issues,” says Jeff Margolis, Chairman and CEO of the TriZetto Group. “We see one of the Center’s roles as a provider of accessible information.” The Center is currently focused on issues such as insurance coverage and third party payers and is examining innovative new approaches to heath care. Its annual Health Care Forecast Conference draws national policymakers and thought leaders to discuss trends and look toward the future of health care. Toward More Effective Health Care Delivery Wealth Management: Building a Strong Portfolio of Resources “We see the Merage Center for Health Care Management and Policy as a key change agent in policy and delivery,” says Dr. Richard Afable, President and CEO of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach. “Its record of innovation and discovery, its esteemed faculty, and its ability to draw top policy experts poise the Center to make a real impact on issues we’re interested in, such as affordable health care delivery.” Election year change notwithstanding, Afable is excited about the Center’s role in the year ahead. “We can and will make a difference to improve quality of care for patients throughout the country.” Under the leadership of noted health care economics scholar Professor Paul J. Feldstein (the Robert Gumbiner Chair in Health Care Management) the Center brings together the Merage School's key health care policy and education areas. While health care reform continues to be a hot button issue, another area identified by the Merage School as a vital concern in the current economy is the wealth manIt’s exciting to be agement industry. And business leaders once again at the ground floor are looking to the Merage School to provide leadership. of an opportunity Jane Buchan, Founder and to do something CEO of Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company positive for the (PAAMCO), recently partnered with the Merage community. School to solidify its position as a research center for the industry. Buchan is the Founding Sponsor of the School’s Center for Investment and Wealth Management. She 40 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N “ ” COLLABORATION describes the Center as a “timely resource for today and for future generations.” The Center is expected to engage the industry with innovative research and student resources. “We’re in the heart of the market in Orange County,” she says. “No matter how many years of experience you have, no matter how many accolades you’ve received, it’s still exciting to be at the ground floor of an opportunity to do something positive for the community. We’re looking forward to the future of the Center and all that it can offer.” Richard Afable of Orange County’s largest independent hospital, Dr. Afable leads a team of more than 4000 employees and 1000 medical staff. Under his leadership, the National Research Corporation has endorsed the 511-bed facility as Orange County's most preferred hospital based on overall quality of health care services and places Hoag in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide. Dr. Afable has also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Catholic Health East, an east coast health system comprising 31 acute care hospitals and 47 long-term care facilities. Early in his career, Dr. Afable spent ten years in private practice in Chicago, specializing in internal medicine and geriatrics. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University in Chicago and an MD from the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. He obtained his MPH degree from the University of Illinois School of Public Health and a certificate in business administration from Villanova University. AS P R E S I D E N T AN D C E O Jane Buchan and one of the four original founders of Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO), a leading independent hedge funds investment firm dedicated to offering strategic alternative investment solutions for sophisticated investors. Clients include large public and private pension plans, foundations, endowments and financial institutions. Headquartered in Irvine, California, with an office in London, the firm currently manages in excess of $7 billion. Ms. Buchan’s 18 years of experience in investment management and portfolio construction includes positions ranging from Director of Quantitative Analysis to CIO of non-directional strategies at Collin Associates. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics from Yale University and her Masters and PhD in Business Economics (Finance) from Harvard University. Ms. Buchan is the author of numerous professional publications. JAN E BU C H AN I S T H E C E O Jeff Margolis W I T H N E AR LY T W O D E C AD E S of experience in health care technology, Jeff Margolis is the founder and CEO of The TriZetto Group, Inc. Recently named an “up and comer” by Modern Healthcare magazine, he is the former chairman of the Managed Care Executive Group. In 2002, he was named Ernst & Young's Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for Orange County, California. The TriZetto Group, Inc. focuses on the business of healthcare and offers a broad portfolio of technology products and services, including Facets®, QicLink™, ClaimFacts® and GroupFacts® systems. TriZetto's customers serve more than 100 million health plan members, or approximately 40 percent of the insured population of the United States. A certified public accountant, Margolis holds certificates in Colorado and Illinois. He received his Bachelor’s Degree with high honors in business administration/management information systems from the University of Illinois. 41 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Beall Center’s Innovation Knowledgebase Gives Answers to Grow On By Anne Warde To get the right answer, it is first necessary to ask the right question. But what if you don’t know what question to ask? The Merage School’s Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has created a new web-based resource called the Innovation Knowledgebase for executives seeking to formulate the right questions, and ultimately find the right answers, as to how their organizations can sustain competitive advantage through continuous business innovation. “ The Innovation Knowledgebase is designed as a convenient tool to assist business leaders gain knowledge, share opinions and develop insight into the challenges of creating an innovation culture and effectively harvesting the results. ” Focused on serving the needs of C-level executives, the Innovation Knowledgebase is a collection of the most influential, “best of breed” articles, opinions and academic research available on the subject of corporate innovation, pre-selected and reviewed by a team of Merage School PhD candidates under the leadership of 42 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Dr. Christine Beckman. The objective of the Innovation Knowledgebase is to create a single location on the web where the best thinking from around the world in the area of corporate innovation can be easily searched and read. “The Innovation Knowledgebase is designed as a convenient tool to assist business leaders gain knowledge, share opinions and develop insight into the challenges of creating an innovation culture and effectively harvesting the results,” noted Andy Policano, Dean of the Merage School. “Through the generosity of the Beall Family, we were given the means to build a resource that will significantly support the School’s thematic approach of sustained growth through strategic innovation. Our vision is to become the world’s first and best source on innovation-related articles and research.” The Innovation Knowledgebase also features a blog component managed by Beall Center Advisory Board member Mike Mata where individuals interested in the subject of corporate innovation are invited to share their perspectives on innovation and related issues. To help build the content of the Innovation Knowledgebase, the Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is recruiting interested volunteers with domain expertise in specific industry or business area disciplines to recommend content on a regular basis to Dr. Beckman’s Innovation Knowledgebase team. Interested parties should contact Lynda Lawrence by clicking on the “Contribute Ideas” link on the Innovation Knowledgebase site. Located on the Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship website at merage.uci.edu/go/innovation, the Innovation Knowledgebase is organized both by topic and by industry and also can be searched by keyword or subject. COLLABORATION Center News the county and the nation — assist all teams that qualify for the semifinals. Beyond the cash prizes, teams compete for visibility to nationwide venture capital groups, and all are featured in the People’s Choice Poll that resulted in 50,000 page views per day last year. UC Irvine’s Business Plan Competition Sets Record Team “Artibody” – Nanoparticles used for protein purification Team “I’m Too Young For This” – Cancer support for young adults Team “Presto Wireless” – Ultra high speed wireless connectivity T H E PAU L M E R AG E S C H O O L O F B U S I N E S S at UC Irvine set a record “Team Element” – Mass customization of pharmaceutical skin creams Team “Greenbuilt Homes” – Construction of environmentally conscious communities with more than 50 entries to its 2008 Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth Business Plan Competition. The annual competition is conducted by the Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with support from one of Orange County’s premier law firms, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, and Masimo, the global medical technology company. Videotaped presentations aired on YouTube as well as the Merage School website and allowed community members and students alike to judge the plans in partnership with The Orange County Register’s People’s Choice Poll. The Merage School is particularly proud of the quality of the business ideas with which students compete. Eighteen semi-finalists covered a broad range of the business spectrum from high tech to consumer goods to health care, including these exciting ventures: The competition is one of the nation's premier business plan competitions, offering all UC Irvine students, staff and researchers the opportunity to form a team, create a business plan and potentially fund their business idea, all within five months. The final presentations and awards ceremony with $30,000 in cash prizes was conducted on May 16th, 2008. The next competition kick-off is scheduled on November 19, 2008. The final presentations and prices will be awarded on April 30, 2009. Workshops are offered covering a broad area of business plan development skills led by practitioners from Orange County. Individual team coaches — leading entrepreneurs in Merage Taps Real Estate Professional as Associate Director of Center S H A RO N N A K A M U R A - B ROW N understands entrepreneurs. As the co-founder of RENTV.COM, an online commercial real estate firm, she also knows the real estate market — a distinct advantage as she leads day-to-day operations at the Merage School’s Center for Real Estate. Nakamura-Brown most recently served as Director of Development and Outreach at UCLA’s Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate. She has also served as Vice President of Business Development for KennedyWilson International, a commercial investments firm. “Merage’s Center for Real Estate is delighted to have someone with Sharon’s experience in the university 43 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Center News and corporate world join us at UC Irvine,” says Kerry Vandell, Academic Director of the Center for Real Estate and a professor of finance at the Merage School. “Her role will be vital as the Center for Real Estate moves forward to build a world-class facility for the study of real estate-related issues and trends, and to reach out to the real estate professional community and the public at large.” 2008 Real Estate Gala & Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award Real Estate Gala and the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award took place on November 10, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. THE 2008 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Nelson Rising President & CEO Maguire Properties LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREES: Phil Belling & Steve Layton Principals & Co-Founders LBA Realty RISING STAR AWARD HONOREES: Derek Chen, Jerome Fink & David Kim Co-Founders The Bascom Group Visit our website for updates: merage.uci.edu/go/CRE 44 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Key Analyst Reviews Healthcare Conference A S L E A D I N G N AT I O N A L health care policy makers descend on the Merage School each year for the annual Health Care Forecast Conference, at least one key analyst praises the conference as “informative and extremely well-organized.” “The views of these health care insiders are typically quite accurate, especially with respect to Congressional action (or lack thereof ) and Medicare regulatory issues as they should be. They are the people who actively participate in making health care reimbursement policy,” notes Sheryl R. Skolnick, PhD, Senior Vice President and Healthcare Services Analyst for CRT Capital Group, LLC. Drawing speakers and panelists from Capitol Hill, federal agencies, lobbying organizations and think tanks, the conference also brings together representatives from several of California’s health care regulatory agencies. Skolnick says the conference focused on health care policy issues with respect to the current presidential and congressional election year, but also offered the Wall Street perspective on the strategic outlook for health care. The 19th annual conference is slated for February 19-20, 2009, and will feature a similarly renowned group of experts. Center Attracts 36 Industry Leaders as Charter Members R E G I O N A L A N D N AT I O N A L leaders in the field of wealth management have signed on as Charter Members of the Merage School’s “ Each of these Charter Members is critical to the success of this unique Center. ” COLLABORATION Center for Investment and Wealth Management, pledging nearly $2 million to help launch the Center’s activities. To date, 36 Charter Members have signed on. “The Center is fortunate to have received an excellent response from the professional community,” says Mitchell Spann, Senior Director of Development for the Merage School. “Each of these Charter Members is critical to the success of this unique Center.” Spann reports that the Center also has the advantage of an innovative, highly skilled faculty comprising a blend of Merage faculty members, affiliated faculty from elsewhere on the UC Irvine and other campuses, and adjunct faculty members from the wealth management professional community. The Center for Investment and Wealth Management is fast becoming known as the hub for research, study, and discussion of current critical issues facing the investment and wealth management industries. The Center for Investment and Wealth Management Charter Members: FOUNDING SPONSOR PAAMCO F O U N D I N G D I R E C TO R S Frank Kavanaugh Schwab Institutional Mont Pelerin Capital Exiting Your Business Options in Today’s Economy Discuss Real World Experiences with Current and Former Business Owners FOUNDING FRIENDS BNY Mellon Wealth Management Metropolitan West Capital FOUNDING MEMBERS Pamela M. Adams, CFP Beacon Pointe Advisors Brown and Streza Professor Nai-Fu Chen Canterbury Consulting Capital Research Company CBIZ City National Bank Comerica Bank Cymric Family Offices D&M Capital Management Falcon Investment Management Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo Fidelity Investments GR Capital Management Hollencrest Capital Management Keller Investments Knightsbridge Asset Management Matters at Hand Merrill Lynch The Waltos Group of Northwestern Mutual Payden & Rygel Select Portfolio Management Sweek Connolly & Company TRC/The Roberson Company Irving R Katz & Assoc Union Bank of CA Wachovia Securities Wealth Management Network Wood Gutmann & Bogart Changes in Business Valuation in Today's Marketplace Taxation, Tactics & Teams Succession Strategies & How to Avoid the Pitfalls Steps You Must Know to Lead Your Business to a Successful Exit D AT E & T I M E Thursday, March 19, 2009 4:00 pm – 7:45 pm Includes reception Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:30 am – 2:15 pm Includes light breakfast and luncheon merage.uci.edu/go/EducationalSeries 45 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Thank you! A hearty “thank you” from the faculty, staff and students of The Paul Merage School of Business to our many supporters and donors! The community and business leaders listed below have helped to launch the School’s Centers of Excellence and other important initiatives, and have devoted energy, talent and wisdom to the Merage School. As always, a special thanks to Paul and Lilly Merage for their tremendous and tireless efforts on our behalf. Dean’s Advisory Board Ed Fuller, Chair – Marriott International Lodging David Murphy, Vice Chair – Barrie D’Rozario Murphy Pam Adams – Wachovia Securities, LLC Richard Afable – Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Mike Aghajanian – PRTM Bob Anderson – Health Savings Technology Craig Barbarosh – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Shankar Basu – Toyota Materials Handling Don Beall – Dartbrook Partners Anne Belec – Ford Motor Company John Belli – Ernst & Young Eric Boden – HireRight Jane Buchan – Pacific Alternative Asset Management Co. Chris Callero – Experian Americas Joel Calvo – Calvo Capital, Inc John Carrington – WEBSENSE, Inc. James Caudill – Black & Decker Bruce Chapman – Experian Americas Victoria Collins – The Keller Group Michael Davis – Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Corporate Partners Accenture Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. Beckman Coulter, Inc. Boeing Company Dartbrook Partners Emulex Corporation 46 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Dwight Decker – Conexant Tommy Dodson – Rockwell Collins Rick Dutta – Nexvisionix Larry Emond – The Gallup Organization John Evans – Wells Fargo – Private Client Services Thomas Gephart – Ventana Rick Gilchrist – The Irvine Company Michael Gottlieb – Ernst & Young Bill Halford – Bixby Land Company Cynthia Harriss Julie Hill (Chair Emeritus) – WellPoint, The Lord Abbett Mutual Funds, Lend Lease Jeanne Jackson – MSP Capital Camille Jayne – Matters at Hand Alan Kaye – Mattel, Inc. Rick Keller – The Keller Group Parker Kennedy – The First American Corporation Darcy Kopcho – Capital Research and Management Knute Kurtz – PricewaterhouseCoopers Greg Lai – Morgan Stanley Marc Levin – Levin Capital Management Robert Lewis – McKinsey & Company Robert Lucenti – Deloitte Stephen Marlow – Toshiba America Electronic Components Chuck Martin (Chair Emeritus) – Mont Pelerin Capital James Mazzo – Advanced Medical Optics James Mellor – USEC, Inc. Paul Merage (Chair Emeritus) – Falcon Investment Management Mark Moehlman – Wealth Management Network Ned Olivier – Oxford Bioscience Partners Jim O'Sullivan – Mazda North American Operations John Palmer – Verizon Wireless John Parker – Parker Properties Sue Parks – WalkStyles, Inc. Bill Pesch – McBride Electric, Inc. Andy Policano – The Paul Merage School of Business David Pyott – Allergan, Inc. John Rehfeld – Local.com Richard Reisman – Orange County Business Journal David Schramm – Maxwell Technologies Alan Sellers – SAIL Venture Partners Ariela Shani – Neiman Marcus Peter Shea – J.F. Shea Co., Inc. Richard Shields – Oakley, Inc. Ron Simon – RSI Holding Corporation Patricia Soldano – Cymric Family Office Services Greg Spierkel – Ingram Micro, Inc. Ariela Tannenbaum – Allianz Global Investors Ed Thomas – Wet Seal, Inc. Gary Toyama – The Boeing Company Peter Ueberroth – The Contrarian Group, Inc. Tom Wagner – Taco Bell - YUM! Brands, Inc. Bob Waltos – The Waltos Group Dean Yoost – PricewaterhouseCoopers Bill Ellermeyer, Emeritus – The Ellermeyer Company Bill Ficker, Emeritus – The Ficker Group Dennis Sweeney, Emeritus – Newport Consulting Partners Gallup Consulting, Inc. IBM Corporation HireRight Jones Day Kingston Technology Company, Inc. Mazda North America Operations Neudesic PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP Rauxa Direct Rohl, LLC Steelhead Brewery Co. Taco Bell Corporation The Precept Group The Wet Seal, Inc. Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. Toyota Materials Handling U.S.A. Union Bank of California Wells Fargo Bank COLLABORATION Center for Real Estate Larry Armstrong – Ware Malcomb Ken Beall – The Beall Family Foundation Eric Bergstrom – Bergstrom Capital Advisors Brandon Birtcher – Birtcher Development & Investments Robert Brunswick – Buchanan Street Partners The Robert M. Campbell Family – CT Realty Larry Casey – Donahue Schriber Realty Group Paul Cate – Mark IV Capital CB Richard Ellis Celina Doka – KPMG Downey Savings Ranney Draper – The Draper Family Foundation Steve Elieff – SunCal Companies Rodney F. Emery – Steadfast Properties & Development Co. Ernst & Young First American Title Company Walter Frome John Garrett – Garrett DeFrenza Stiepel Larry Gates & Warren Williams – Silver Oak Development James Gianulias Stephen Gordon & David DePillo – Commercial Capital Bancorp Green Street Advisors Emile & Dina Haddad John Hagestad – The Hagestad Family Foundation William Halford – Bixby Land Company Robert M. Hamilton & Gary S. McKitterick – Allen Matkins Bobby Hatfield – Fidelity National Title Company Julie Hill – The Hill Company Barry Hoeven – Westport Properties Doug Holte – Hines Mark C. Kehke – Sierra Pacific Enterprises David Kim – The Bascom Group Peter K. & Valerie J. Kompaniez LBA Realty Lennar Homes LNR Property Corporation John Lutzius & Alison Cohen Bill & Romy McFarland McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners Douglas G. Meece – Merrill Lynch Greg Merage – Stoneridge Capital Partners Meritage Homes Michael L. Meyer – AMG Realty Investors Tony & Anne Marie Moiso – Rancho Mission Viejo Jay Moss – KB Home John Murphy – Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps NAIOP SoCal Douglas Dwyer O’Donnell – The O’Donnell Group John Parker & Kevin McKenzie – Parker Properties Gerald Pharris – Pharris Properties Tony Premer – Pacific Life Christine Scheuneman – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Royce Sharf – Studley Peter O. Shea – J.F. Shea John Simonis – Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker Tim Strader – Starpointe Ventures Ray Watson Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Dick Allen – DIMA Ventures Allen Anderson – Experian Mark Averitt – Okapi Venture Capital Chris Baclawski – CB Capital Don Beall – Beall Family Trust Bob Bova – Vangard Voice Systems John Brandt – ThyssenKrupp Elevator Joel Calvo – Calvo Capital Ray Cohen – Cardiac Science, Inc. John Creelman – ID Analytics, Inc. Joe Davis – Triton Pacific Capital Partners Bruce Feuchter – Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth Neel Grover – buy.com Bruce Hallett – Miramar Venture Partners James Houlihan – InnoCal Robert Hovee – RAH Consulting Group Larry Jordan – Tech Coast Angels Michael Kaye – Clearlight Partners Marc Levin – Levin Capital Management Mike Mata – SCORE, Orange County Vince McGuinness – Financial Services Sid Mohasseb – Tech Coast Angels Sue Parks – WalkStyles, Inc. David Pyott – Allergan, Inc. Safi Qureshey – Skyline Capital Partners Ken Rohl – Rohl LLC Stanton Rowe – Advanced Technologies, Edwards Lifesciences Alan Sellers – SAIL Venture Partners Luis Villalobos – Tech Coast Angels Jeffrey H. Margolis – The TriZetto Group Murray N. Ross, PhD – Kaiser Permanente Inst for Health Policy Maribeth Shannon – California HealthCare Foundation David L. Steffy Paul S. Viviano – Alliance Imaging Maureen L. Zehntner – UCI Medical Center Center for Health Care Management and Policy Richard F. Afable, MD, MPH – Hoag Hospital Jay J. Cohen, MD, MBA – Monarch HealthCare Markie Cowley – Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center Chris De Rosa – CIGNA Health Care of California 47 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Dean’s Leadership Circle THE PREMIER MERAGE NETWORK Your Network for Success By John Gregory T he 350 members of the Dean’s Leadership Circle (DLC) reached a milestone in May 2008 with $1 million raised since the DLC was formed three years ago. Of that amount, $450,000 was raised in just the past year. During the first two years, the DLC raised money to renovate a classroom which was dedicated in September 2008 as The Dean’s Leadership Circle Classroom. A plaque mounted inside the classroom honors the 220 DLC members who contributed to the campaign. The DLC is now in the midst of a $1.2 million campaign to endow a professorship at the School. Funds will be instrumental in recruiting and retaining a highlyregarded faculty member. The $450,000 raised last academic year for the professorship campaign “represent a fantastic start,” says Dean Andy Policano. Lead donor gifts for the campaign have been made so far by Greg Lai (‘88), Thomas Antunez (‘05), Jacquie Warren, Lisa and Mark Locklear (both ‘84), Paula Milano (‘80 and past chair of the DLC), Pam Adams (‘98), and David Young (‘91). The DLC enjoyed many successful events last academic year, and many more events are planned for this year: Sneak Peek of Renaissance Sport Club – July 2008 DLC Classroom Dedication – September 2008 Annual “Fall Insider’s View” – October 2008 VIP Receptions in conjunction with the annual Distinguished Speaker Series – November 2008 through May 2009 Annual Holiday Celebration hosted by Neiman Marcus – December 2008 Annual reception with the Dean’s Advisory Board – May 2009 Membership can make the difference. The Dean’s Leadership Circle is the premier support group of The Paul Merage School of Business. This high-powered network is made up of successful alumni, business leaders, faculty, staff, and friends of UC Irvine and the Merage School. Members receive many benefits and are kept up-to-date through exclusive events and communications and are also given the opportunity to share their thoughts and recommendations with the Dean, faculty, and administration. Membership Levels Innovator $5,000 Investor $2,500 Member $1,500 Shareholder For further information, contact Director Sandra Findly at 949.824.8865 or visit merage.uci.edu/go/DLC. In Appreciation: 2007-2008 Members LEAD DONORS Greg Lai ‘88, Morgan Stanley – Campaign Leader Pamela Adams ‘98, Wachovia Securities Thomas Antunez ‘05, Percentix Mark Locklear ‘84 & Lisa Locklear ‘84, Ingram Micro Paula Milano ‘80 & Eric Nielsen, Idhasoft Company Jacquie Warren, Irvine Chamber of Commerce David Young ‘91, PIMCO 48 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N INNOVATOR MEMBERS Geoffrey Bremmer ‘05, Hanson’s Beverage Tracy Bremmer ‘05, Experian Professor Nai-Fu Chen, The Paul Merage School of Business Johnson Chuang ‘05, AIPTEK, Inc. Greg Herder ‘05, Herder Advertising Jesus Mantas, IBM Kristen Monson ‘96, PIMCO Dr. Ram Mudiyam, MD, ‘05 (for current graduating class only) Gifts & pledges received 7/1/07 – 6/30/08 Dean Andy & Pamela Z. Policano, The Paul Merage School of Business Rick W. Rayson, Deloitte & Touche Bill Rowland ‘06, Walt Disney Co. Gary Toyama ‘78, Boeing John Waldeck ‘01, Pacific Life Insurance Company INVESTOR MEMBERS Michael Aghajanian, ‘88, Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath Len Ambrosini, ‘02, Rosemount Analytical Dawn Beattie, ‘92, Qualcomm Katie Bianchi, ‘96, Marriott International Edwin D. Fuller, Marriott Lodging International Tiffiny Vandom Karem ‘03, Discus Dental John Karem, ‘02, Phillips Distilling Company Michelle (Milne) Koontz, ‘03, Fluor Corporation COLLABORATION Kristen M. Maher, ‘98, Maher & Associates Johnny Mosham, Lett-uce Cater To You Carl Neisser, The Neisser Company Jeff Pratt, ‘99, SpeedTrack, Inc. Stephen Rodriguez, ‘98, Kingston Technology Co. Scott M. Ryder, Jr., ‘00, RSM EquiCo Capital Markets Kathleen Suler, ‘98, Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ariela Tannenbaum, ‘95, Allianz Global Investors of America Jay Witzling, ‘79, Boeing Kevin C. Yang, ‘06, EADS North America Timothy C. Zevnik, ‘93, Molina Health Care, Inc. MEMBERS Laine Ainsworth, Wealth Management Network, LLC Marco Baltero, ‘07, Medtronic, Inc. Wolfgang Beez, ‘01, George Fischer Signet, Inc. Martin Brown, ‘98, Power Brands Michael A. Cancelleri, ‘05, Mont Pelerin Capital, LLC Christen Chambers, ‘05, PricewaterhouseCoopers Erik Charles, ‘03, MindFire, Inc. Eugene Choi, ‘01, United Exchange Corp. Tosha Clements-Woolforde, ‘04, Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. Leslie Daff, ‘89, Estate Plan, Inc. Sanjay Dalal, Innovation Index Group Pravin Datar, ‘02, SAP America, Inc. Al DeGrassi, ‘79, Alliance Bank Brendan Donohue, ‘03, HealthSource James Elliot, ‘00, City of Carlsbad Steven Fichtelberg, ‘93, DLC, Inc. Judith Gass, ‘00, GE Money-Care Credit Sophie Ghafari, ‘03, UCI Medical Center John Gibson, ‘01, Gibson Law Group Michael Gillman, MD, ‘08 Cynthia Green, ‘05, Smith Hanley Consulting Group Professor Vijay Gurbaxani, The Paul Merage School of Business Sylvia K. Haas, The Paul Merage School of Business David J. Hackett, ‘97, Stillwater Associates Tony Hansford, ‘98, The Paul Merage School of Business Robert Herin, ‘89, Drake Management LLC David Jones ‘93, Select Portfolio Management Timothy J. Kay, Snell & Wilmer, LLP Professor Robin Keller, The Paul Merage School of Business Christopher Kelly, ‘98, RSI Home Products, Inc. James Largent, ‘77, World AM Inc. Debbie Lewis, The Paul Merage School of Business Timothy Leyden, ‘92, Western Digital Mark Lush ‘92, Deloitte & Touche Elizabeth Mahoney, ‘98, Metrolink Michael Massari , ‘07, Harrah’s Entertainment Kristen McAlister, ‘03, Don McKinley, ‘01, Maersk Logistics Benjamin Medvitz, ‘06, IntheAir Net, LLC Richard Milo, ‘96, Deloitte & Touche Mark L. Moehlman, Wealth Management Network, LLC Debra Moysychyn, ‘06, The Paul Merage School of Business Gus Ordonez, ‘05, Plastek, LLC Anthony Padilla, ‘87, IMPAC Financial Services Jim Pavelko, The Paul Merage School of Business Professor Jone Pearce, The Paul Merage School of Business Archana Penukonda, ‘04, BDNA Mark Pero, ‘98, Logicalis David Perrott, ‘03, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare Systems Professor Morton and Mary Pincus, The Paul Merage School of Business Lyman and Meredith Porter, The Paul Merage School of Business Greg Queen, ‘03, Brasstech, Inc. Steve Richards, ‘93, Pinnacle Consulting Services Jessica Riester, ‘01, FlexWork Connection Professor Judy B. Rosener, The Paul Merage School of Business Roston Family Nira Kozak Roston Daniel Roston, ‘89 Stacey Halpern Diane Sagey, ‘99, The Paul Merage School of Business Arnold Savage, MD, ‘03, Western Healthcare Medical Group Eileen Seibert, MD, Kaiser Permanente Kane Shieh, ‘05, Countrywide Securities Craig Shugert, ‘93, GoodSource Solutions Vitas Sipelis, ‘05, Cardiogenesis Corporation Mitchell & Maureen Spann, The Paul Merage School of Business Philip Topham, LNX Research Kyle van Hoften, ‘97, Global CTI Professor Kerry Vandell, The Paul Merage School of Business Thomas Wagner, ‘89, Taco Bell/YUM Corporation Renee West, ‘90, Prudential California Darren Whissen, ‘02, Select Portfolio Management Chris Zumberge, ‘82, US Bank SHAREHOLDER MEMBERS Edward Abad, ‘07, Northrop Grumman Azhar Alavi, ‘07, IMS Health Yuliya Barbasheva, ‘06, Toshiba Eve Barker, ‘06, Barker Consulting Yvonne Bean, ‘08, Helms Briscoe Gretchen Bender, ‘08, Comerica Bank Scott Bennett, ‘06, Rosemount Analytical Adam Bondy, ‘08 Iveta Brigis, ‘07, Google Tim Cannon, ‘07, Avanade Amanthi Chandraratna, ‘08, Verizon Wireless Erik Chantarapan, ‘08, Quantum Darwin Chen, ‘07, Kingston Technology Dennis Chen, ‘06, Kingston Technology Violet (Yan) Chen, ‘07, Falken Tire Corporation Doris Chu, ‘08, Northrop Grumman David Chung, ‘07, New York Life Richard Cimino, ‘08, Boeing Casey Cochran, ‘06 Liana Constantinescu, ‘06, Silverado Senior Living Paulo Correa, ‘08, Thales Marc Crudgington, ‘08, Advantage Sales & Marketing Deborah Cooper, ‘07, Beckman Coulter, Inc. Canaan Crouch, ‘08, AIG Environmental Cuong Dang, ‘08, Boeing Frank de la Bretoniere, ‘07, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center 49 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Jonathan Danao, ‘08, Web Visible Francois Delestre, ‘08, Thales Adam Diep, ‘07, Media One Direct Jivko Donev, ‘06, Hilti Jacqueline Dresow, ‘08, Experian Stephanie Dudley, ‘08, Manatt, Phelps and Philips Brent Eickhoff, ‘06, NeuroComp Systems, Inc. Chris Elgaaen, ‘06, IBM Bernardo Garcia, ‘07, Technical USA, Inc. Sepideh Gazeri, ‘06, PricewaterhouseCoopers Brian A. Gibbs, ‘06, Edwards Lifesciences LLC Jason Green, ‘08, Schools First FCU Rajesh Gupta, ‘09, American Suzuki Huzefa Hakim, ‘08, IBM Alex Hammerschmidt, ‘08, House Ear Institute Rob Henderson, ‘07, Advanced Pacific Tank Eric Henrickson, ‘07, WAMU Investments, Inc. Ken Hsu, ‘07, Kotek America Valentina Huang, ‘08, TeeTop of California Ryan Huff, ‘08, Junction Solutions Helena Hwang, ‘07, EM Syndication Ken Hwang, ‘07, Mobophiles, Inc. Suhail Imtiaz, ‘08, American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc. 50 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Antoine Janicot, ‘06, Vinci Linda Jenkins, ‘08 Brad Johnson, ‘06, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ryan Kaneshiro, ‘07, Oakley Victor Kao, ‘07, Citi Mortgage Lena Kattar, ‘07, Garfield Health Center Medical Group, Inc. Lowell Kessel, ‘08, G.E.O. Inc. Rafay Khalid, ‘07, First Albany Capital Hideyuki (Tasman) Kikuchi, ‘06, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Angela Kim, ‘08 Zsolt Kiraly, ‘08, Boeing Stefan Kokolios, ‘07, GKN Aerospace Ian Koskela, ‘06, IBM Financial Services Dimitri Krikelas, ‘08, Canterbury Consulting Shankar Krishnan, ‘07, Boeing Monica Kristoffersen, ‘08, Boeing Selva Kulasingam, ‘07, ZTNet Solutions Eric Lang, ‘08 Samara Larson, ‘08, UC Irvine Cord Laule, ‘08, Metal Process Engineering David H. Lee, ‘08, Posh Retail Group Eli Lee, ‘08, Entrospect Solutions Corporation Patrick Lee, ‘06, PricewaterhouseCoopers Mark Lenert, ‘07, Longust Distributing Haifeng Li, ‘08, Conexant Jeff Light, ‘08, OC Register George Lin, ‘06 Peter Liu, ‘08, PacRim Engineering, Inc. Aileen Ma, ‘06, City of Riverside Michael Ma, ‘07, PricewaterhouseCoopers Christopher Mackenzie, ‘07, Deloitte & Touche Todd Margrave, ‘08, Department of Defense Jon Masciana, ‘06, The Paul Merage School of Business Paul Mendonca, ‘08, AEC Tek Greg Metzger, ‘07 Chris Meyer, ‘08, OC Register David Mildren, ‘08, Toshiba Heather Miller, ‘06, Mattel, Inc. Hitomi Momose, ‘07, Mission Pathology Medical Association Andrew Monteabaro, ‘08, Mazda North American Operations Neill Mosqueda, ‘07, DaVita, Inc. Vasu Narasimhan, ‘07, Teledyne Analytical Instruments Ken Neeld, ‘07, Delphi Display Systems, Inc. Kurt Nelson, ‘07, GE Real Estate Susie Nishiya, ‘08, American Honda Motor Company Rowell Nueva, ‘07, OrthoNet Francis Obedoza, ‘07, James Hardie Building Products Brendon O’Neill, ‘07, Niagara Water Julia Patino, ‘08, Kaiser Permanente Robert Pereira, ‘08, Trimar Properties John Presser, ‘07, BoehringerIngelheim Pharmaceuticals Michael Pressman, ‘08, Rockwell Collins Manette Quinn ‘06, MediQuin Credentialing Valente Ramos, ‘07, Omnicare Medical Group Alexander Jay Rapoport, ‘08, Pacific Life Joseph Raquel, ‘08, Foothill Transit Bill Rasmussen, ‘08, Urban Science Canaan Reich, ‘07, Niagara Water Steve Rhee, ‘07, N Computing, Inc. Paul Robidoux, ‘07, Boeing Lucy Rosales-Watson, ‘07, Disneyland Resort Gary Rosenfield, ‘06, Kaiser Permanente Bill Ryan, ‘08, UC Irvine Bijan Sadri, MD, ‘08 Laurie Sanderson, ‘07, Classics for Kids Koushik Sasmal, ‘08, Bentley Systems, Inc. Priyanka Saxena, ‘08, Deloitte & Touche Joyce Seak, ‘07, Janssen-Cilag Shibu Sen, ‘08, Green Wave LLC Bill Shadrick, ‘06, Affinity Lending Group COLLABORATION Ali Shah, ‘06, KBS Realty Advisors Bharat Shah, MD, ‘08, Foothill Cardiology Timothy Sheehan, ‘06, Maxim Integrated Products June Shin, ‘06, Netlist Inc. Amarinder Sidhu, ‘08, Deloitte & Touche Simon Singh, ‘08, Deloitte & Touche Joseph Smith, ‘08, Kaiser Permanente Trevor Speirs, ‘08, Experian Amy Stevens, ‘08, OC Register Gopal Subramani, ‘08, Invensys Corp Amy Tan, ‘06, Tannart Consulting Timothy Tang, ‘07, Microsoft Kathryn Taylor, ‘08, Athena Plumbing and Medical James Tea, ‘08, Southern California Edison Jane Terry, ‘09, Ajax Boiler Dinesh Thigale, ‘08, Semiconductors Junction, Inc. Kevin Thiha, ‘08, Huntington Brass Graham Threadgill, ‘08, ºBeckman Coulter, Inc. Margaret Townsend, ‘07, Animal & Insect Pest Management, Inc. Danny Tran, ‘08, Mitsubishi Electronics America Dao Tran, ‘08, Tannart Consulting Jon Tran, ‘08, TRC Financial Cheryl Travaglianti, ‘08, Culligan George Varghese, ‘08, Halliburton Gretchen Verdugo, ‘07, Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. Andre Vovan, MD, ‘07, Newport Critical Care Wakeem Wakeem, ‘08, IBM Amy Wakeham, ‘06, Leap Wireless International, Inc. Bradley Walker, ‘06, Hobbs Herder Advertising Rebecca Warner, ‘08, Amgen Fred Webb, ’08, Boeing Terence Weiner, ‘07, USGI Medical Jeff Williamson, ‘07, Parson North America Tiffany Wilson, ‘07, Motorola Corporation Jennifer C. Wong, ‘08, Boeing Vivian Wong, ‘07, California State Automobile Assoc. Perry Yeh, ‘08, Alcoa Fastening Systems Genevieve Yulo, ‘08, UC Irvine Kaisu Zhuang, ‘08, SmartSoft Software, Inc. Coni Zingarelli, ‘08, Grill Concepts, Inc. Todd Zive, ‘07, ev3 Neurovascular Sandra Findly Named Director of the Dean’s Leadership Circle By Anne Warde SINCE ITS INCEPTION three years ago, the Dean’s Leadership Circle has exceeded all expectations, growing to more than 330 members. That said, the DLC is the fastest growing support group on campus and is still seeking to expand. Merage School Dean Andy Policano is committed to the continued success of the group and has designated a full-time director to manage the program. To tackle the task, Sandra Findly, an eight-year veteran of the Merage School, was appointed as the new Director of the Dean’s Leadership Circle. Findly, who had been managing the group along with her role as Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, will now be solely dedicated to the DLC program. “Everything is in alignment for this program to succeed,” Findly commented. “Andy has a vision for our school and this program that has gained significant momentum and is attracting some very outstanding business leaders and alumni. His commitment and focus on Merage alumni has helped set the stage for this program to really take off.” The Dean’s Leadership Circle is a premier support group aimed at graduates of The Paul Merage School of Business and other business professionals. Currently embarked upon a $1 million campaign to raise funds to create an Endowed Professorship, the DLC’s goal is to enhance the School’s ability to attract and retain the highest caliber of scholars in an effort to maintain the highest quality learning experience for all students and alumni. The DLC is composed of successful alumni, corporate business leaders, faculty, staff and friends of UC Irvine. Membership includes exclusive benefits such as knowledge-sharing, opportunities to exchange thoughts with the Dean and members of the faculty, introductions to high-level business executives, and complimentary and discounted invitations to exclusive events like the Annual Insider’s View held every year at a private member’s home. For more information and to inquire about membership, please contact Director Sandra Findly at 949.824.8865 or visit merage.uci.edu/go/DLC. 51 Merage | 2008 – 2009 COLLABORATION Dean’s Leadership Circle Hosts Annual Merage Family Day A WHALE OF A GOOD TIME! 52 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N COLLABORATION The Festival of the Whales in Dana Point Harbor in March 2008 set the stage for another fun-filled networking event for members of the Dean’s Leadership Circle, their guests and Merage School alumni. The Ocean Institute led exclusive presentations and tours in the morning while families enjoyed carnival activities throughout the afternoon. Active supporters of the Dean’s Leadership Circle, like Kyle (‘07) & Kathe Van Hoften, Sam (‘00) & Stacy King, Tracy & Geoff Bremmer (’05), and Todd (‘07) & Mindy Zive, enjoyed bringing their little ones out for mini workshops and arts and crafts projects. Likewise, alums like Shannon (’99) & Kain Cross and their family, and Steve Acterman (‘99) and his son, Tristan, enjoyed the day’s festivities along with a whale watching trip! 53 Merage | 2008 – 2009 ALUMNI NEWS The Merage Annual Fund M ORE THAN EV ER, the value of a Merage School business degree from UC Irvine continues to climb with our world-class faculty, innovative new programs, and of “ private support for areas not funded by state dollars Provide enhancements and upgrades for our classrooms, transforming them into state-ofthe-art learning centers Enable the School to focus on local, regional and national Today we’re educating nearly 1,000 highlyqualified MBA students at a time. ” course, our ever-growing Merage Alumni Network. Today we’re educating nearly 1,000 highly-qualified MBA students at a time and our latest rankings once again place us among the best in the world. Six specialized Centers of Excellence plus executive education programs offer a unique blend of learning opportunities to students, alumni, and the business community. Employers recognize a Merage School MBA with confidence and trust. To help move our School from excellent to extraordinary, we depend on the generous support of our alumni. Each gift plays an integral part in our Merage Family’s success. Here’s a sample of what Merage School Annual funding can do: Provide the Dean with needed 54 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Fund fellowships to help recruit the best and brightest students alumni programing Fund marketing efforts such as the monthly alumni newsletter Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, we surpassed our 20072008 Merage Annual Fund goal, and we look forward to even greater participation this year. For more information about the Annual Fund, please contact Elizabeth Dahl at 949.824.3066. ALUMNI NEWS Merage Alumni Network Event Calendar O R AN GE C O U N T Y E V E N T S : Central County Luncheon: 1st Fridays Karl Strauss, Costa Mesa South County Luncheon: 4th Fridays El Cholo, Irvine North County Luncheon: November 14, 2008 El Torito Grill, Anaheim Once per quarter in Anaheim area – future dates to be announced QUART E R LY R E GI O NAL P RO GR AM S : Winter 2008 and Spring 2009 events are being planned for the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco areas. Check the website at alumni.merage.uci.edu/ ChaptersAndEvents/EventSched uler.aspx for updates. C H AP T E R E V E N T S : Real Estate Alumni Chapter: Kick-Off Event October 22, 2008 6 pm UC Irvine Campus REUNION: Classes of 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 Summer 2009 If you are a member of one of the classes referenced above and are interested in representing your class by participating on the reunion planning committee, please contact the Alumni Relations Office at 949.824.7167 or [email protected]. Class Notes ’87 D W I GH T H E N N I N GE R , ’ 8 7 , is the ’69 B O B BU N YAN , ’ 6 9 , would like to announce the formation of the Arlington Group LLC- Bob Bunyan, Bill Woollett and Bill Vardoulis. Since graduation, Bunyan served as sales and marketing executive with Mission Viejo Company and its successor, J.F. Shea Company, and contributed to the completion of development of the planned community of Mission Viejo, as well as the planning, development and land sales in Aliso Viejo. In ‘02, Bunyan established Robert Bunyan & Associates, providing development, entitlement and regulatory agency processing services. ’77 S AN D R A ( RO S E N T H AL ) S W AN S O N , ’ 7 7 , retired from University of Hawaii as Asst. Professor of Computer Science and is living on Maui with husband Robert (UCR ‘67). ’81 C H R I S L AW S O N , ’ 8 1 , recently released his new book, “Snappy Interviews: 100 Questions to Ask Oracle DBAs.” Chris is currently a performance consultant at Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco. ’82 P E T E R P. C U L L E N , ’ 8 2 , would like to announce that Core Performance has been selected as an Intuit Solution Provider for the southern California region. Core Performance offers a full range of value-added consulting services for QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions® (www.quickbooksenterprise.com) developed by Intuit Inc., a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, consumers and accounting professionals. ’84 RIC H ARD C ORD OVA, ’ 8 4 , has recently been acquired by Starbucks as Director on Internal Audit after spending the last 24 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers. President of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police and is on the International Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Committee. D I ANA L E AC H , ’ 8 7 , started an inde- pendent management services and consulting practice in January ‘07, with a primary focus on the water, wastewater and utility management industries. She has enjoyed a long-term successful public and private sector career, and has spent this first year consulting on projects in Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. In addition, she provided pro bono consulting services to a nonprofit entity and a private school. ’88 S C OT T A. RO B I N S O N , ’ 8 8 , Captain, United States Navy, Scott has been Captain of the USS ANZIO (CG 68) since July 2007. ANZIO is one of 22 Ticonderoga Class cruisers and is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship has a Wardroom of 35 officers and a crew of 312 Sailors. ’93 M I KE H O LT, ’ 9 3 , is teaching an MBA Class at INSEAD on Private Equity and Venture Capital and is based in Singapore, through the CEO Advisory firm that he started (www.get2-volume.com). The focus is on helping companies do business in and out of Asia with particular focus on building business via fund raising, growth strategy acceleration and angel investing. M AR K U T E N D O R F, ’ 9 3 , has said farewell to corporate America and purchased a lawn care company in suburban Chicago. He and his wife, Janice, have a 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter. A hearty hello to the EMBA class of '93. Long live the Nomads!! ’94 M AS AH I RO KU D O, ’ 9 4 , is the Sr. Finance Manager at Novell Japan Ltd. He dropped in at the Merage School and met with Professor Joanna Ho on a recent visit to California. 55 Merage | 2008 – 2009 ALUMNI NEWS D O N AR C H E R , ’ 9 4 , started a PQM, Inc., a Quality Management Consulting firm that focuses on reducing project and construction cost overruns for infrastructure projects. They provide consulting services, professional services and training. PQM is based in Huntington Beach, CA. ’96 W AY N E F O S S , ’ 9 6 , completed his doctorate and was awarded the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. He is returning to Taiwan to teach at the International Center for Land Policy Study and Training in Taoyuan. Dr. Foss has been invited to lecture for the past seven years at the center. His teaching has also taken him to China and South Korea, and he continues to run his real estate consulting business, the Foss Consulting Group, and teach at California State University, Fullerton. S U KI M , ’ 9 6 , recently moved from LA to London to work at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting UK as a Senior Manager in their Performance Improvement Consulting Practice. She will be working with Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies improving their business operations within the UK and Europe. ’97 for (Peregrin Systems in 2006 and Bitfone Corp. in 2007) He decided to stay on with HP and help them acquire more software companies. “It’s been a fun ride so far and utilizes a lot of skills I learned at business school.” ART E L E FAN T E , ’ 0 1 , moved to Okinawa, Japan in April, ’08. This project took him to the island of Okinawa to help the III US Marine Expeditionary Force to implement a new readiness reporting system for the Department of Defense. S H ANA ( L E V Y ) M ART I N , ’ 9 8 , teaches at Orange Coast College, Adjunct Faculty, in the Business and Computing Department. JO H N GI B S O N , ’ 0 1 , President/Owner, Premier Financing and Principal, Gibson Law Group, John started two new companies in the past six months. The first is a residential and commercial mortgage brokerage company (Premier Financing – www.premierfinancing.biz). The second is a law firm focusing on business law; contract negotiation, review, and dispute; estate planning; and immigration law (Gibson Law Group – www.gibsonlawgroup.biz). S E N -JAN S AM T S AI , ’ 9 8 , works for Deloitte Consulting in Shanghai. ’99 V E RO N I C A C H E S T N OY TAY LO R , ’ 9 9 , just celebrated her 5th year anniversary since founding OLAPIS, Inc. which specializes in Cognos Enterprise Planning & Business Intelligence consulting services. ’00 P H I L I P AL L E GA, ’ 0 0 , is the VP at Gartner Research. He is a current candidate for the Freedom of the City of London as Freeman with The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a modern livery company. He is also the co-chair for Gartner's European Conference on Enterprise Architecture this September in London. E D W AR D H . H E R NAN D E Z , ’ 9 7 , TO N Y AR M AN D, ’ 0 0 , has been asked to coached a team of undergraduate Human Resource students from California State University, Stanislaus to a victory at the 2008 California Human Resource Management Games academic tournament. This tournament took place on March 1, 2008 and was held at San Jose State University. lead as CEO, a medical device startup company. “It is an exciting opportunity to practice what we learned in the MBA program while helping those challenged with Peripheral Vascular Disease.” KY L E VAN H O F T E N , ’ 9 7 , was recently appointed to the United Way Orange County's Marketing Committee and has received the Irvine Chamber of Commerce's Member of the Month award for March ‘08. KARY N W O M AC H , ’ 9 7 , has accepted the position of Training Manager of Financial Systems for Qualcomm Inc. ’98 KU RT D E P F Y F F E R , ’ 9 8 , After HP acquired two companies Kurt worked 56 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N ’01 AN GI E A. S W ART Z ( AD D I S ) , ’ 0 1 , president and executive business/life coach has created a support network for professional, like-minded mothers called Six Figure Moms Club. Recently celebrating its 2nd anniversary, Six Figure Moms Club provides a supportive environment that encourages women to live a life of leadership in all facets of their lives. Based in San Diego but recently expanding to Orange County, the Club offers workshops and mentoring to encourage women to evolve their lives to a higher level in all aspects of self, career, relationships, family, and spirituality. E R I C A L E GG , ’ 0 1 , is the Purchasing Financial Planner at Nissan North America, Inc. AN GE LO LO M BAR D O, ’ 0 1 , was promoted to Vice President of Business Development for the Coca-Cola Company in early January. Focus will be leading the acquisition of new accounts as well as identifying new business opportunities. C AT H E R I N E C . T U R KE L , ’ 0 1 , is the Sr. Director, Clinical Development, Neurology and Pain and Team Leader BOTOX Headache of Allergan, Inc. Catherine has just recently completed her PhD in Business and Organizational Management. She also writes, “Alternative advanced education served me well as I complete this degree via on-line coursework through Capella University.” She was thrilled that Dr. Marta Elvira, previously associate professor with UCI agreed to serve on her dissertation committee. JO H N W AL D E C K, ’ 0 1 , joined Pacific Life in ‘97 as a Network Support Analyst in the Real Estate division. He was promoted to Director in ‘05, and in ‘06, was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Real Estate Underwriting. As head of Underwriting & Construction Services, he provides direction and support to the underwriting, analysis, and structuring processes for real estate debt investments. He has oversight for the training and development program for investment analysts and coordinators, and is responsible for the Real Estate Division’s documentation, implementation and maintenance of commercial mortgage underwriting guidelines. ALUMNI NEWS E D W AR D YAN G , ’ 0 1 , has left his posi- tion as Senior Manager Strategic Alliances at D-Link to start his own company. Firecracker will offer public relations, traditional marketing and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services specifically for high tech companies. Edward brings his 13 years of marketing experience at Gateway and D-Link to his new company. He can be contacted at [email protected] or visit www.firecrackerpr.com. ’02 JO E L E L AD, ’ 0 2 , Owner of Real Method Consulting, has published his newest book in March 2008. It’s called Web Stores Do-It-Yourself for Dummies, and it can help anyone build their own e-commerce operation. His next book is Linked In for Dummies, which should be out this fall. PAU L JAC KS O N , ’ 0 2 , has launched a media and publishing company and was able to secure venture capital backing. HW Publishing publishes Housing Wire, one of the most-read online financial news destinations in the mortgage banking industry. Housing Wire currently serves more than 4 million page views monthly, and reached more than 2.5 million unique visitors during 2007. JO H N S PAR KS , ’ 0 2 , recently transi- tioned from global Business Intelligence manager to Lean Six Sigma Leader for corporate shared services. In this new role he is responsible for business process reengineering for the global finance, IT, HR, legal, business development, investor relations, and strategy organizations, as well as oversight for the Quote-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay processes across all functions. XAV I E R M I NAKAW A, ’ 0 2 , and wife Julie and had their first child, Alexander Mark Minakawa, on Jan. 28, 2008. He will also be taking a new job as Merger & Acquisitions Program Manager for VMware in April. ’03 T I F F I N Y VAN D O M KAR E M , ’ 0 3 , has been promoted to Director, Global Marketing, of Discus Dental, LLC. JO H N R . KAR E M , JR . , ’ 0 3 , has been promoted to Director, Global Business Development, of Phillips Distilling Company. S H INJI H IGUC H I, ’ 0 3 , after graduating, returned to Japan in 2004. He has stayed with the same parent company Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Utilizing what he learned at UCI, Shinji founded a new company with a U.S. listed company Clear Channel Outdoor with capital from Mitsui and CCO. The new venture company is called Clear Channel Japan, Inc. and he became Chief Operating Officer. CCJ is an out-of-home (OOH) media company and engaged in developing outdoor media throughout Japan. CCO is listed in NYSE and the world's largest OOH company. ’04 very happily landed a Product Marketing role at DATAllegro, an Aliso Viejobased data warehouse appliance vendor. It is one of the best places to work in OC and poised for explosive growth.” ’05 DAV I D C H E N , ’ 0 5 , Promoted from Consultant to Senior Consultant. Currently working on Finance transformation project for Las Vegas Sands (holding company of Venetian and Palazzo). AV I GU R , ’ 0 5 , is working in Sales and Account Management in Carlsbad, CA at Atlium, an EDA Software company that specializes in FPGA design integration, headquarted in Sydney Australia. RU S S BAR LOW, ’ 0 4 , currently works S AR AH H I N E , ’ 0 5 , spent the past year for the Executive branch of the Federal Government at the National Credit Union Administration as a Principal Examiner. He began with the NCUA (which is the insurer for the majority; and the regulator for many credit unions) in August 2005 after working for a sub-prime auto finance company, and was promoted several times to Principal Examiner. He plans to continue to serve the public interest by working for NCUA. He and his wife, Rebecca, and their six children enjoy North Carolina. as an American India Foundation Fellow, working closely with Muse, an Indian Non-Governmental Organization. In this capacity, she marketed their ecotourism services and expanded their conservation efforts while enjoying life in both Delhi and the Indian Himalayas. KE L LY H AGGAR D, ’ 0 4 , has been pro- moted to Product Development Marketing Manager for the Orange County Register. Kelly is managing all B-to-B advertising initiatives and product development for the companies email marketing strategies. She is also President of Team Freedom board of directors that manages all the non-profit and volunteer work of The Orange County Register. C H R I S YO U N T, ’ 0 4 , was recently pro- moted to the position of Executive Vice President/COO of Fortifiber Corporation. This change brings the sales, marketing and manufacturing functions under his control. Chris lives in Reno, NV with his wife Mary and 2 year old daughter Amanda. They are expecting the birth of their son in May. JO E LO N GT I N , ’ 0 4 , writes, “After trying out a start-up in Pasadena – X1 Technologies – and a legacy ERP company in Santa Barbara, QAD – I have B R I AN KR E I T Z E R , ’ 0 5 , received pro- motion to ERP/IT Financial Manager at Southern California Edison. AN U M AT H U R , ’ 0 5 , received a promo- tion within TV Marketing. ’06 AS H E R AD E L M AN , ’ 0 6 , recently joined The Challenge Fund as an Associate. Based in Tel Aviv, The Challenge Fund is a leading venture capital and private equity firm managing over $200 million. The Fund invests in privately-held Israeli technology companies, and over 30 of its portfolio companies have achieved an exit transaction. The Fund's exits include 10 NASDAQ IPO's and more than 20 acquisitions by companies such as Intel, AT&T, Oracle, and Nokia Siemens. P E T E R C L AY TO N , ’ 0 6 , Edwards Lifesciences Marketing Manager, and is relocating to the European HQ in Switzerland with his wife and three children, Alex (6), Ruby (4) and Henry (1). B E N JAM I N M E DV I T Z , ’ 0 6 , has moved to a new job and is now at InTheAirNet LLC as Vice President of Engineering. 57 Merage | 2008 – 2009 ALUMNI NEWS M I KE S C OT T, ’ 0 6 , is currently living in San Jose, CA, working in the Medical Device industry. JAN E T TAI T, ’ 0 6 , wanted to say thank you to the FEMBA 06 Section A for all their help and support after she lost her house in the San Diego wildfires in October. She especially wants to thank Felice Szeto-Wong for her efforts on her family’s behalf. Her classmates’ support is greatly appreciated. D E B B I E M OYS YC H Y N , ‘ 0 6 , was pro- moted to Executive Director, EMBA/ HCEMBA programs. She also states, “additionally we relocated from Irvine to Tustin (behind the District) – not a big deal but becomes a big deal as we watched the housing market tumble and took advantage of low rates, dropped pricing and non contingent sale.” S H AH I N JAH RO M I , ’ 0 7 , is the Program Mgr/Business Analyst at Gemstar/TVGuide. He started his current job during his last quarter as a senior software developer. Nine months later, he has fully transferred the new team and will hopefully never write code again. He is defining roadmaps and building new products now. His level of satisfaction is not even comparable with to life before the Merage School. R AFAY KH AL I D, ’ 0 7 , accepted an offer as a lead analyst in the Equity Research department at Standard & Poor's (S&P) in New York City. This new position builds upon his prior experience as an associate in equity research. Prior to joining S&P, he was an associate in the Equity Research department at First Albany Capital (now called Broadpoint Capital). T R E VO R C O L L I N S , ’ 0 7 , has left LandAmerica and began work as a business strategy consultant for cpSphere in February 2008. C H AD T H AC KE R , ’ 0 7 , is now the Key Account Manager at Rexam Pharma – specializing in the diagnostic and medical device market space. Clientele includes all "Big Pharma" and large diagnostic firms. Chad and his wife, Lori, welcomed their 3rd daughter, Eliza on April 4. B E R NAR D O GAR C I A, ’ 0 7 , was C ARO LY N T S AO, ’ 0 7 , moved to the bay assigned as Construction Mgr. for a CoGeneration plant project in Jurong Island (Singapore) in November 2007. The Generation of steam and electricity is based on bio-diesel produced from coconut oil. The Singaporean government is also launching a 3-year pilot program sponsored by automotive and petrochemical companies to supply and test bio-diesel in normal vehicles. area as Director of HR for Genemed Biotechnologies, Inc. ’07 C O S M I N I BAN E S C U, ’ 0 7 , moved to the east coast at the beginning of the year to start his new position in marketing research. His is working as a consultant for Kraft Foods in East Hanover, NJ. 58 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N L I Z B ROW N I N G , ’ 9 8 , and Joe Niccum had a baby boy, Nathan Browning Niccum, on October 21, 2007. KU RT D E P F Y F F E R , ’ 9 8 , After HP acquired two companies Kurt worked for (Peregrin Systems in 2006 and Bitfone Corp. in 2007), he decided to stay on with HP and help them acquire more software companies. “It’s been a fun ride so far and utilizes a lot of skills I learned at business school.” His wife Sarah and he have also welcomed their third boy, Daniel, to the family on Feb 6 so they now have a 4, 2 and newborn to keep up with. ’01 E R I C A L E GG , ’ 0 1 , is the Purchasing Financial Planner at Nissan North America, Inc., Erica and husband, Tom, welcomed the arrival of their second child and first son, Evan Thomas, on February 21st. C AR M E N BAM E RT M AS O N , ’ 0 1 , and her husband recently welcomed the newest addition to their family, Timothy, born in September ’07– and enjoying every second of motherhood! DAL E B OY L E S , ’ 0 7 , recently sold Monarch Senior Living to Senior Care Management, LLC in Irvine, CA and has assumed the role of President. Senior Care Management has 18 assisted living communities throughout the West. Dale has relocated to San Diego, CA. L E S L I E H AYS , ’ 0 7 , is the Director at Apria Healthcare which provides home respiratory therapy, infusion therapy and medical equipment through approximately 500 locations in the United States. Most recently, Apria Healthcare completed the acquisition of Coram and Leslie was offered the position of Director of Supply Chain Engineering where she will be responsible for defining supply chain strategies, rolling out operational optimization projects, defining distribution work and process standardization, as well as a supporting the company-wide SAP implementation. ’98 ’02 AU D R E NA C H E U N G , ’ 0 2 , Jeff and Audrena Liu FEMBA ’02 welcomed their second child, Ayn, on Feb. 2, 2008. Mother and daughter are both doing well. C H R I S C L AI S S E , ’ 0 2 , & Karin wel- Marriages/ Family News ’96 KR I S T I N C L AR KE BATOY, ’ 9 6 , and Arsenio Batoy welcomed their third child, Camille Grace, on October 26, 2007. TO M M Y N GU Y E N , ’ 9 6 , was married in 2006 and moved to London in 2007. L AU R A R H Y N E W I L L I AM S , ’ 9 6 , and her husband, Dorian, welcomed their baby girl, Kayla Elise, on October 17, 2007. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 2 oz. comed their Leap Year daughter Zoe Marie Claisse into the world on February 29, ‘08. AN D R E W KI M , ’ 0 2 , got married in October ‘07. XAV I E R M I NAKAW A, ’ 0 2 , and wife Julie had their first child, Alexander Mark Minakawa, on Jan 28, 2008. He will also be taking a new job as Merger & Acquisitions Program Manager for VMware in April. LU KE F I T Z S I M O N S , ’ 0 2 , first child, son Owen Henry FitzSimons, was born 10-22-07. DAV I D S U L L I VAN , ’ 0 2 , had his first child born, Ginger Eva Sullivan, 17 ALUMNI NEWS October 2007, in Paris France. Mother Thea is well. Ginger is healthy and happy. Tout va bien. ’04 L I S A M U N RO, ’ 0 4 , Jeremy Collins proposed in December on a trip back to Orange County. The wedding will take place in August to capitalize on the sunshine and we will have many fellow FEMBAs in attendance! TO D D S I GL E R , ’ 0 4 , and Heidi Sigler welcomed their first child, Chloe Suzanne on November 20, 2007. 9lbs, 7 ozs. Todd writes, “Everyone is doing great, if a little sleep deprived.” ’05 GR E G F E R R E L L , ’ 0 5 , and Tanya are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, Jack Travis Ferrell, born at Hoag Hospital on February 18, 2008. JT was 6 lbs, 4 oz, and 20 inches long at birth. He and his mother are both doing great. Dad is elated, and still working to get a transfer to Seattle, WA, where both sets of grandparents and aunts are currently living. AV I GU R , ’ 0 5 , and Kate Reeves got married in Bali in April, 2008. A wedding reception is planned at Doheny Beach in June. The couple plan to continue living in south Orange County. ’06 GR E GG B O E H M , ’ 0 6 , and Sequoia Boehm are excited to announce the arrival of their first child, a baby girl, Taylor Marie Boehm, born on January 12, 2008. AB D U L R AS TAGAR , ’ 0 6 , & Bjorg are celebrating the birth of their second child, Aaron, in May. “3 out of 4 Rastagars are born in May.” ’07 C H AD T H AC KE R , ’ 0 7 , has new job as Key Account Manager at Rexam Pharma – specializing in the diagnostic and medical device market space. Clientele includes all "Big Pharma" and large diagnostic firms. Chad also celebrates a new arrival: his wife, Lori gave birth to their 3rd daughter, Eliza on April 4. M E L I S S A VAR C AK, ’ 0 7 , Dole Food Company, Associate Business Manager, was engaged to Mario Carboni on March 6th, 2008. LU C Y RO S AL E S W AT S O N , ’ 0 7 , and Russell Watson are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Grant Russell Watson. He was born on March 9, 2008 at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach, CA, and weighed 6 lbs, 8 oz. This is their first child. THE MERAGE ANNUAL FUND A New Tradition of Giving In the simplest terms, your contributions to the Merage Annual Fund help to increase the value of your degree and ensure a bright future for incoming students. Your unrestricted gift will help the School to provide distinct scholarship programs, faculty research, and develop new initiatives and educational opportunities. Join your fellow alumni TODAY and ensure the growth in reputation of The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. www.egiving.uci.edu You can make your contribution through our website or by contacting Elizabeth Dahl at [email protected] or 949.824.3066. A return envelope is also included in this magazine for your convenience. New Living Building Brings Stories of Success S trategic innovation is at the core of everything we do at The Paul Merage School of Business. When it comes to our campus, this same principle holds true. As the Merage School continues to expand and as we broaden our reach and influence, our campus must reflect and accommodate this growth. To enhance the delivery of our high quality programs, compete with the world’s best institutions, and continue to attract and retain the highest quality faculty and students, Dean Andy Policano set his sites on the development of a new building — the first since 1989. “Due to our innovative curriculum, executive programs, and research conducted and presented by the School and its highly regarded faculty, we are expanding at an accelerated rate. We have outgrown our existing facility and significant added space is vital,” he said. This new living building reflects the Merage School’s emphasis on innovation and outreach to the business community. Museum-like displays and video screens will tell the success stories of our benefactors and contributors. The building will house a 300-seat auditorium, high tech classrooms, a laptop computer lab, career resource library, conference and group study facilities, colloquia and interview rooms, food service, and a multi-use reception area. With AC Martin as the program architect, the 85,000 square-foot structure’s development is lead by Assistant Dean John Clarke and is now transitioning into the design/build phase. Funded with both state money and a projected $20 million in new gifts, the $55 million building is expected to be complete by 2012. For more information regarding the building campaign and naming opportunities, please contact Donna Mumford at [email protected] or 949.824.6418. 60 e x p e r i e n c e I N N O V AT I O N Looking for top MBA talent? Let the Merage MBA Career Center be your first source in Orange County for qualified MBA Business Professionals. Tapping into the professional talent network of our four MBA programs and alumni has never been easier. ■ POST full-time and internship opportunities ■ REVIEW resumes for your open positions ■ REQUEST a resume referral tailored to your specific needs ■ CONTACT us today at: UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business MBA Career Center MPAA 201 Irvine, CA 92697-3130 949.824.8464 [email protected] recruit.merage.uci.edu Global Business Strategies Conference Navigating Today’s Economic Challenges Monday, November 17, 2008 Irvine Marriott Hotel | 18000 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine | 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Attendees Learn To: Conference Highlights: > Anticipate changes in the global market and stay ahead of your competition > The Seismic Shift in Global Consumerism > Global Footprints Panel Operational challenges, supply chain, risk management and security > Global Public/Private Partnerships Panel Accessing capital and resources through government programs and agencies > Orange County’s Global Influence Leading CEOs discuss Orange County’s key industry clusters making a global impact: surf & skate, medical device, real estate, and arts & entertainment > Sustain business growth in an economic downturn > Access capital through government programs to expand your business > Understand the influence of Orange County in the global economy Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Presented By: Paul McCulley Managing Director of PIMCO, the world’s largest bond manager, Complimentary private consultations available with representatives from the Export Import Bank of the United States and PRTM Global Consultants. discusses “The Paradox of De-leveraging” A Diagnosis of the Current Crisis and a Prescription for Recovery. Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors Bronze Sponsors: MPAA Suite 210 Irvine, California 92697-3130 merage.uci.edu Advanced Medical Optics Experian
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