Tag Archives: Management

Faculty Spotlight: Ram Ranganathan – General Management and Strategy

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Faculty Spotlight: Ram Ranganathan – General Management and Strategy

Written by Megan Tran-Olmsted

Professor Ram Ranganathan has travelled throughout the globe on various career expeditions. While he began his career in his home country of India, Professor Ranganathan has settled in the U.S. in various states to pursue his passions, exploring the intersectionality of the science of strategy, business management, and finally, academia.

Professor Ranganathan teaches the Business Honors Capstone class – Management 374/H. This class is one of the final BHP classes that students take during their time at UT. Professor Ranganathan says that this class is particularly insightful because it is not just another class where students learn a single subject. Instead, he believes that this class serves as a bridge between all the classes that students have taken – exploring how finance, accounting, marketing, and supply chain all work together to create successful businesses. Students are assigned to explore a single business of their choice, analyzing how business decisions made in various aspects of the company have contributed to the company’s success or the company’s failure.

Dr. Ranganathan says that a career in academia is unlike so many other careers. He is able to contribute to knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination. He says that he is able to create knowledge through the extensive research that he conducts with colleagues at McCombs, and he is also able to disseminate this knowledge unto others through the classes he teaches. Teaching is something special, says Professor Ranganathan. Not only does he get to interact with a younger generation of bright, insightful students, but he also gets to learn from students as they often challenge his research ideas, strengthening his work.

Professor Ranganathan joined The McCombs School of Business after finishing his Ph.D. in Strategic Management at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. Prior to making the switch to academia, Professor Ranganathan worked for Deloitte as a strategy consultant in California. This job was particularly stimulating for Ranganathan since he had received his a dual-undergraduate degree in computer science and computer engineering, allowing him to contribute to problem-solving for some of the world’s largest technology companies.

In addition to teaching, Ranganathan conducts research with The University of Texas, focusing on how companies adapt to technological changes, looking at company responses and the factors that enable companies to control the evolution of technology. One of the main reasons that Professor Ranganathan chose to come to UT after finishing his Ph.D was because of the excellence of the research department, coupled with the strong culture, focus on professor retention, and the bright students.

If you want to get to know Dr. Ranganathan better, but need some conversation starters, consider asking him the about the following topics:

  1. His travel aspirations (He travelled to 5 countries this summer alone!)
  2. What he likes to do in his free time (Hint: he’s an outdoorsman as long as it’s not allergy season)
  3. How him and his neighborhood cricket team are doing
  4. Some of his favorite books (He most recently read Justice, a book by Harvard Professor Michael Sandel, that discusses philosophy and the criminal justice system)

Stop by Professor Ranganathan’s office in CBA 4.234 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-2:30PM to get to know him even better.

Faculty Spotlight: Trent Thurman – MAN 336H

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Faculty Spotlight: Trent Thurman – MAN 336H

Written by Callie Blumenfeld

Trent Thurman, Director, Master of Science in Technology Commercialization, poses for portraits outside the McCombs School of Business on November 8, 2016. Photo by Lauren Gerson.

Professor Trent Thurman teaches MAN 336H, Organizational Behavior, in the BHP. He is also the director of the UT Master of Science in Technology Commercialization (MSTC) program, and teaches a global studies class called technology transfer in the global economy. This  class, culminates with a trip South Africa to  teach the students about taking a technology idea to market.

While he’s definitely involved on campus, Professor Thurman particularly likes teaching a BHP class because of the engagement of the students. Thurman elaborated, “for one, it keeps me on my toes because everyone is prepared, bringing in current events and experiences from internships.” He enjoys teaching his students to take the theoretical concepts from class and find practical applications. “The fact that the majority of you guys have that real world experience allows us to talk about things in the practical application setting,” he explained with enthusiasm.

Professor Thurman spends most of his time in the classroom engaging his undergraduate and graduate level students, rather than doing research. However, his background is one filled with diverse experiences. After completing his undergraduate studies at the “other UT” (the University of Tennessee), Professor Thurman spent years in D.C. working on Capitol Hill for Senator Gore. Although the years on the hill were filled with memories, “I knew that I was going to go back to grad school of some type,” Thurman shared. While in D.C., Professor Thurman met his wife, who was originally from Austin, and she is a large part of the reason that he is here sharing his wisdom with us today.

Thurman completed his MBA here, at the real UT, and then went on to a job in commercial and corporate real estate for 10 years. He couldn’t fight the draw back to higher education though. “I realized that real estate wasn’t really my passion, and came to the realization that education was. My dad was my high school principal, my mom and wife are teachers, so I came back to McCombs initially just to launch the weekend MBA program in Houston.” After some more academic success, Professor Thurman ultimately began leading the portfolio of professional MBA programs, before leaving back to the University of Tennessee to teach for about two years. He found his way back to us in the end, and joined the faculty once again last fall to take over the MSTC program and to teach.

Professor Thurman is filled with life experiences, knowledge, and an abundance of care and goodwill towards his students. When you stop by his office hours, be sure to ask him a couple of questions that are sure to start some interesting conversations. He’d be delighted to talk about music festivals, all the cool places he’s run marathons (he runs about 50 miles a week!), his senate private office, the one time he threw out the first pitch at a baseball game, and of course, his two twin sons. Professor Thurman can be found on Tuesdays from 10:30-11:30 AM at Café Medici on the Drag, Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30 PM in his office (GSB 5.126J), and by email or phone appointment (he will gladly run with any willing student!). Be sure to stop by and share in the knowledge, smiles, and genuine good energy of this incredible BHP Professor.

BHP Buenos Aires Short-Term International Program – Enroll Today!

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The Short-Term Study Abroad BHP Management Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is not only the first-ever South American Program, but is also exclusively designed and reserved for BHP students. During the five-week summer program, students take two courses and earn six BHP credits while studying at one of the top business schools in Argentina, the Universidad de San Andres. Students take two courses – Organizational Behavior (MAN336H) and Non-Market Strategies in Emerging Markets (IB372). An English-speaking professor at the host university teaches the second course.

Professor Ethan Burris

“My class was a little different taught in Buenos Aires for a few reasons,” said Management Professor Ethan Burris, who taught the MAN336H class “Because the course is condensed to five weeks, I teach for four-hour blocks of time, which allows for deeper discussion. I didn’t feel like I had to cut a conversation short. Also students are also able to take what they learn and apply it to the non-free market of Buenos Aires first hand. Buenos Aires is a big city. It’s like a less glamorous New York City or Chicago.”

Classes are held in the morning, freeing afternoons and evenings for weekly, organized excursions to experience the vibrant culture of Buenos Aires. There is one three-day weekend incorporated into the schedule, which many students used for additional travel. A particularly popular destination for the weekend was Iguazu Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Throughout the session, the group will tour at least two large companies. Summer 2013 tours included: Danone (food production); Tenaris (oil and gas); and Cartocor (packaging).

Iguazu Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world

The 2013 group. Submitted by Dana Hwu

As a current BHP student, there are no prerequisites to participate in the program. There are 25 spots available each summer. Students do not need to speak or understand Spanish to join the program. Both courses are taught in English and the group is accompanied by a cultural liaison. The liaison is generally a graduate student that has traveled to the area before, knows it well, and speaks the language. Registration is first-come, first-served and opens today. Attend the Short-Term International Programs Information Session Wednesday, October 2, at 3 p.m., in CBA 3.304. Read more about the experience from the students who went on the trip below.

Dana Hwu

“I had an absolutely amazing time in Argentina! I am so incredibly happy and thankful I went because I don’t think I would have ever gone to South America without this opportunity pulling me there. The culture was so different, and it was unlike any other experience.” – Dana Hwu

Photo of Buenos Aires submitted by Rachel Solomon

“I can’t even begin to pick one favorite aspect! Everything from the coffee, to the architecture to the weather to the classes to the people I spent my time with to the excursions and beyond made me fall in love with the trip. I never wanted to leave.” – Rachel Solomon

“One weekend, we tagged along with a travel agency to a northwestern city called Mendoza, which is at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. We took a horseback tour along the mountains guided by a gaucho (Argentine cowboy) and had asado afterwards, which is basically a huge meal of fresh vegetables and barbequed meat. The food was delicious and the view was absolutely breathtaking.” – Amy Yu

George Chidiac

“McCombs prides itself on diversity. Studying with local students was a concrete example of McCombs walking the talk. Not only were I and 24 other BHP students able to study with Argentinians, but we also had French foreign exchange students with us in our International Business course. A melting pot of students from three different countries, we were all able to contribute in ways I never imagined. Weird as it may seem, articles we read came to life when Argentinian and French students were able to validate claims and expand on others, such as when we discussed the black market.” – George Chidiac