Category Archives: Program News

BHP Students Collaborate With McCombs Faculty on Research

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Throughout their four years at UT, McCombs students are presented with multiple opportunities to enhance their skill sets and expand their knowledge. For students interested in research, one of these opportunities is working with a professor as a research assistant.

Research rankingThe McCombs faculty was recently named the no. 5 most productive in the world for research in the 2014 release of the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management’s Top 100 Business School Research Rankings.

BHP students have taken advantage of the research opportunities at McCombs and have partnered with McCombs faculty and visiting scholars to not only learn more about their industry of choice, but to take part in the discovery process of expanding and improving that industry. Angela Morisette, Aaryaman Singhal and Jane Tedjajuwana are three BHP students conducting research with McCombs professors this semester.

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AngelaBHP and Marketing major, Angela Morisette, is collaborating with Jade DeKinder, an assistant professor of marketing in the program. The two are researching the stages of an initial public offering (IPO), where shares of stock in a company are sold to the public for the first time, and what factors contribute to a company’s valuation in advance of an IPO.

The research findings will be useful to Morisette this summer as she interns with machinery and equipment manufacturer, Caterpillar Inc. She plans to work in corporate marketing after graduation and feels her research background will have prepared her to appreciate the process that goes into interpreting big data and the complications that can arise.

“My experience with Dr. DeKinder has shown me that the starting point is often at the most basic level. You just have to ask and you can’t be afraid,” said Morisette. “If you think a professor is really cool or if you think the research they do is really awesome, all you have to do is ask to be involved, and you never know where that can go.”

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AaryamanAaryaman Singhal is currently working with management professor, Ethan Burris, investigating how employees should frame their ideas when selling them to their managers. Professor Burris and Singhal are looking at how framing the voice in a promotive fashion (focusing on new ideas) or prohibitive fashion (focusing on problems that need to be stopped) can impact how managers evaluate the quality and viability of those ideas, and ultimately determine which ideas make it from inception to implementation.

“I chose to participate in research because I enjoy learning from the research and being a part of the discovery process,” said Singhal. “I feel that I learn as much from research as from class and what I learn from research is on the cutting edge of what we know about people today. Through our research we learn more about how people think and operate in the world around them. It’s exciting to be making the new discoveries with regards to how humans behave.”

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janeBHP and Finance major, Jane Tedjajuwana, is collaborating with a visiting scholar and researcher from Sweden, Lisen Selander, and Information, Risk, and, Operations Management professor, Sirkka Jarvenpaa. The trio is researching digital activism and civic engagement at Amnesty International. As social media has made it easier for everyone to engage in civic causes, it has also created tension between activism based on long-term organizational memberships and a growing individualization focused on single causes in short-term forms. The project is in the early stage of data collection, both qualitative and quantitative.

Their research allows for Amnesty International, the world’s best-known incumbent in political activism, to understand the challenges in balancing the volatile nature of digital activism with sustained political engagement.

“I first learned about research opportunities available to McCombs students through an info session,” said Tedjajuwana. “One thing I really liked was the fact that research projects focus on a very specific topic, but explore it much more in-depth than undergraduate classes do.”

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Current BHP students interested in becoming a research assistant should connect with a faculty member whose research you find intriguing. Professors generally select students they’ve had in class or currently have in class as they often review their own research throughout the course.

Incoming students should consider joining the research-based First-Year Interest Group (FIG). The research FIG is designed specifically for freshmen of the program and meets weekly throughout the fall semester to discuss the importance of research and how to get involved in research at UT.

Students Take Fourth Place in a Non-Profit Case Consulting Competition

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BHP students Robert Ma, Thomas Pigeon, Jane Tedjajuwana and Shannon Wey took fourth place at the McDonough-Hilltop Business Strategy Challenge at Georgetown University in Washington, DC this month. Twenty teams competed, 11 from the U.S. and nine international, in this unique non-profit case consulting competition. This year’s case centered on expanding job opportunities available to members of the National Institute for the Blind (NIB).

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From left: Jane Tedjajuwana, Robert Ma, Thomas Pigeon, Shannon Wey

“The main goal of NIB is to help the blind become independent personally and financially. Our job in the case competition was to find ways for the NIB to open up job opportunities not only within the federal government, but in the private sector and in the service industries,” said Shannon Wey.

The team presented a three-pronged solution which involved starting an internship program allowing blind people to get a foot in the door with employers, building a stronger network of partner companies across the nation, and implementing a talent showcase open to companies to show what blind people are capable of with current assisted technologies.

The unique emphasis on non-profit organizations altered the way the students view not-for-profit work, “We realized all the different obstacles that are placed in front of a non-profit, be it people’s biases against the people the organization is trying to serve, to limited opportunities, to financial restrictions,” said Thomas Pigeon. “It gives you a greater appreciation for how they maximize every dollar they are given.”

“Non-profit put such a huge twist on it. I’ve done six or seven case competitions and this is the one I’ve enjoyed the most because the nature of the case made if feel more fulfilling because I felt like I was contributing to a greater cause,” said Robert Ma. The students were also able to dedicate more of their efforts in areas, which may not receive as much attention in typical business case competitions. “Because it’s a nonprofit we didn’t just focus in on revenue,” said Jane Tedjajuwana. “We didn’t look at the financial projection at all in the first round because they just wanted to hear our ideas and gage how realistic it was because ideally they wanted to be able to implement the solution.”

The team also enjoyed meeting other competitors from outside of the U.S. and hearing their global perspective on the case. “It provided a really unique experience for all of us. We appreciated how international it was. We met people from Hong Kong, Australia, Germany and Singapore,” said Robert Ma.

After taking a closer look at non-profit organizations, all of the team members said they would now definitely consider working with non-profits after college.

The trip was not all work. The group managed to find time to visit the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and made sure to make a pit stop at Georgetown Cupcake.

 

Annual HBA Company Field Trip Brings Students to Washington D.C.

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CFT 2014

Written by Jace Barton

Four days. 23 students. Three companies. Good memories? Too many to count.

The Honors Business Association recently traveled to Washington D.C. for its annual Company Field Trip. A broad mix of students, from freshmen to seniors, marketing to finance, took advantage of an incredible opportunity to network with executives at top companies in the city while learning more about the non-traditional doors a McCombs major can open.

The first company visit was to Marriott. We toured sample rooms from six of Marriott’s brands and learned about the intricate process behind crafting the perfect hotel rooms. We also gained insight to the subtleties of hotel branding, and how even the smallest details can make a difference in guest experience. The Marriott visit also included a tour of the Innovation Lab, where Marriott is testing new designs to place itself at the cutting edge of the hospitality industry. The visit concluded with a quick tour of the rest of the headquarters building and a question-and-answer panel with two Longhorn alumni.

Thursday night, the group was treated to even more alumni interaction through the annual Alumni Dinner. Four local BHP alumni joined us at the Texas-themed Rhodeside Grill. We chatted with the alumni to enquire about their career paths and gathered advice on fun classes to take and quirky hole-in-the-wall restaurants to try. With outstanding food and even better company, the night was a treat for all involved.

Friday started with a tour of the White House. While not all of us have political ambitions, it was hard not to fantasize about one day calling 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. home. After the White House, we trekked to one of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Laboratories. Various company executives talked to us about multiple facets of the company’s business, including aerospace & defense, space, and information technology. At the end of the visit, we took turns piloting Lockheed Martin’s F-22 and F-35 simulators. While no student has voiced intent to leave the Business Honors Program to become a fighter pilot, several were tempted!

Friday concluded with a visit to the Central Intelligence Agency. We were treated to a tour of the Main Hall and museum, where the history of the agency is illuminated through photographs, artifacts, and exhibits. After the tour, two officers from the Agency’s recruiting division talked to us about how business majors make an impact in the CIA. We departed extremely impressed with the level of excellence the CIA attains. We would tell you more, but we’ve been sworn to secrecy…

Saturday, we started the day with a tour of the Capitol. Following this, we broke off into small groups to explore all Washington D.C. has to offer. Popular destinations included the Newseum, the National Zoo, several Smithsonian museums, and many of the national monuments.

Sadly, the trip needed to end sometime, and the group returned home Sunday. While the trip was finite, we all knew that the memories of good times with great friends in an amazing city would last forever.

Barton

BHP Students Take First Place In SCI Case Competition

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It is no secret that Austin, Texas is the place to be right now for anything to do with business. Entrepreneurs are flocking to get their startups off the ground, businessmen and women are migrating from the Silicon Valley to the Silicon Hills and everyone who’s anyone is talking about ATX. As businesses are growing, they’re also presented with bumps along the way, which is when consultants are able to lend a helping hand. The UT Student Consulting Initiative (SCI) is more than happy to offer their services to the booming business of Austin.

SCI hosted their Annual Fall Case Competition Saturday, November 23, which was sponsored by the BBA Alumni Excellence Foundation, EYAdvisory, OSL, Student Government and SCI alumni. The competition lasts two months and teams were tasked with assisting a local business with their needs from internal communication to marketing and more. Nine teams competed in the competition pairing with different local businesses. “We were very impressed with the results this year,” said SCI Co-Chair, Holli Wertheimer. “The students created a wide range of deliverables from marketing campaigns to inventory management tools to compensation requirements among many others.”

The winning team worked with Fair Bean Coffee on their internal communications and employee retention for a prize of $1,200. The team consisted of Jason Prideaux, BHP, Finance and Plan II ’16, David Kaplan, BHP & Corporate Finance ’16, Douglas Berkman, BHP ’16, and Catherine Anne Prideaux, BHP & Plan II ’16.

“This was a tremendous learning experience,” said Douglas Berkman, a member of the winning team. “The case competition provided me with insight on what it is like to be a consultant for a real company with real employees and a real owner.” Many of the students felt it was a good experience even for those not currently pursuing consulting, “I entered the competition for experience,” said Catherine Anne Prideaux. “I would highly recommend doing SCI even if you’re not considering consulting!” All four team members noted that their group meetings were one of their favorite parts of the competition.

If you’re interested in learning more about SCI, visit their website.

This article originally appeared on BBA News.

BHP Alumni Accepted Into Top MBA Programs Across The Country

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Choosing to pursue a MBA degree is common for BHP graduates. We don’t always hear from alumni when they have been accepted into graduate school, but this year we received news from several BHP alumni letting us know that they had been accepted into top business schools across the country. In fact, seven alumni let us know that they are attending Harvard Business School, and others wrote to tell us of their acceptance into the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

 

Andrew Schwaitzberg graduated from BHP in 2008 with additional degrees in Finance and Government. Schwaitzberg worked in the energy industry for four years before applying and being accepted into the Harvard Business School. “I wanted to meet new people and find new ideas,” said Schwaitzberg. “I’m finding different ways to be a good leader and rethinking the type of manager I want to be.” Since entering the Harvard MBA program, he has found his experiences in BHP to be extremely relevant. “Whether it’s grad school or any other situation, knowing how to learn with other really talented and smart people to find a common solution is always valued highly,” said Schwaitzberg. “Being in a program where you’re constantly working and being challenged always forces you to better yourself – those are the types of skills valued most, not just whether you can build a financial model or not.”

 

Alpana Kelkar graduated with dual degrees in BHP and Marketing in 2009. She has noticed a lot of parallels between the Honors Program and the MBA program at Chicago Booth. “The curriculum is molded based on our background and interests as students,” said Kelkar. “I was attracted to the good reputation at Booth and the top-notch professors. It reminds me of BHP because everyone is really driven and collaborative.” She also notes that making connections has been an important aspect to both programs. “The teamwork and collaboration required for all BHP classes has been instrumental for me. Relationship-building is really important, especially in grad school. You never know when you’ll want to start a company and need to rely on your peers.” Kelkar describes the Chicago Booth application process as intensive and stresses the importance of telling a clear-cut story for admissions. “You have to really make sure you know what you’re trying to get out of your ultimate experience,” said Kelkar. “Make sure everything you’re portraying is accurate. Link what you’ve done in your past to what you’re going to do after school to tell one story and tie everything together.”

 

Angelique Obiri, who graduated in 2004 with degrees in BHP and Marketing, worked for the same company for eight years and was looking to switch industries and functions. She began applying to grad schools with the help of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and took the GMAT three times, which paid off when she was accepted into four of the five schools to which she had applied. Obiri chose the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern because of the people, the curriculum and the opportunity to try new things beyond her comfort zone. She believes her time in BHP had a positive impact on the decision to admit her into the program, “In my interview I explained how I transferred into the program as a sophomore and it helped to tell my story of seeking new challenges,” said Obiri. She also offered advice to current BHP students considering getting a MBA, “Really know why you want to go to business school,” said Obiri. “The time goes by quickly and you don’t have much time for exploration once you’re actually in. Many people that come into school thinking they will figure it out are surprised about how soon you have to start making career decisions.”

 

Current BHP students and alumni of the program who are interested in pursuing an MBA and speaking with a BHP alumnus in a particular MBA program can contact Shelley Nix in the BHP office.