December 2007

Welcome to It's All About You : News from the Eller MBA, sharing highlights and insights of the Eller MBA program at The University of Arizona.
 

Students working to make a difference:

Eller MBAs Participate in the National Net Impact Conference

Eller MBA students joined over 1,800 students and professionals from top universities and companies from around the world at the annual Net Impact Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

The conference provided an excellent opportunity for students to learn about socially responsible careers and initiatives within the environmental sector, international development, the nonprofit sector, the health care industry, and small, medium, and large companies. Conference attendee Courtney Martin, a second-year student, discussed her experience at the conference. “The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has definitely been mainstreamed and it was reflected in the diversity of corporate sponsors and keynote speakers. For example, the keynote speakers included the founder of Patagonia, the CEO of DuPont, and the executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. CSR is no longer isolated to a few people within the company. It is beginning to filter down into all functional business units.”  Representatives from small start-up companies, large multinational corporations, and large nonprofit organizations also spoke about the importance of being socially responsible.
 

Eller MBAs Partner with Habitat for Humanity

Three second-year MBAs are currently involved in an advanced field project  with Habitat for Humanity Tucson, an organization that is working to end poverty housing by creating opportunities for homeownership among low-income families. Courtney Martin, Lee Ann Christensen, and Suzanne Delgado are working to identify sustainable green building options that Habitat can replicate on a large scale and incorporate into its overall operations.

The goal of the project is to provide Habitat with a matrix of green building options, categorized by several factors including cost, maintenance requirements, ease of use, benefits to homeowners, and benefits to the environment. This project provides an opportunity for Eller students to connect with the local community, while providing potential cost savings and a healthier living environment for low-income families.
 

UA Faculty Member is Appointed FCC Chief Economist

Gregory Crawford, assistant professor of economics, has been named chief economist of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Professor Crawford is an expert in industrial organization, econometrics, and media economics. His research focuses on the cable TV market and cable TV regulation.  Currently, he is researching the potential effects of “a la carte” cable pricing, a system championed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. He has analyzed consumer demand for the bundles of television networks that make up cable television services and studied the incentives for cable companies to bundle their services. 

Prior to joining the UA's Eller College, Crawford taught at Duke University. He holds a doctorate in economics from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently associate editor of the International Journal of Industrial Organization.
 

Eller MBA Team Takes Second Place in Annual Pac-10 MBA Case Competition

	The Eller MBA team (from left): Will Hamilton, Vishnu Selvarathinam, Chris Gray, and Tom Narins.

A team of four second-year students placed second at the competition, which was hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle. The team had 24 hours to prepare recommendations for a food processing company that needed to make strategic decisions about entering the biofuel industry. 

Team member Chris Gray, who was also recognized as one of the competitions best presenters, explains how case competitions offer a valuable opportunity to test the skills students have acquired through class work in a real-world setting: “It was a complex case, and focused on an industry that none of our team members had had any experience with. Our business communications class definitely played a large role in our success.  The corporate strategy also provided a good framework for our analysis.”

The Eller team, along with first-place winner University of Washington and third-place winner Arizona State University, have been invited to participate in the Pac-10/Big-10 MBA Challenge in January.
  

Susanna Reith : MBA '01

Susanna Reith, MBA '01, is the season category manager for Hallmark.

Looking to expand her career, Susanna Reith chose to get her MBA at the Eller College of Management after earning her B.A. in communications with a minor in art history from the University of California San Diego. Reith decided to pursue a career in marketing, capitalizing on her previous education.
 
During her first year, she applied for and landed a marketing internship at Hallmark. Reith explains why she chose this career path: "It made perfect sense for me. It brought together the artistic side with helping people communicate. It was something I could feel good about marketing." Upon graduation, Reith was accepted into Hallmark's Career Development rotation program for high-potential managers and spent a year working in a variety of functions.

Through this rotational position, she gained experience analyzing data to discern consumer behavior, product management, and optimization of product mix. She is currently the season category manager, where she manages the placement of over $200 million in seasonal cards to all Wal-Mart stores. "That's what’s so great about working for a big company like Hallmark — you have that ability to fine-tune what you're doing.”
  

By Nicole Akporiaye : MBA '09

	Nicole Akporiaye, MBA '09, closes out the first term of the Eller MBA program.

The past four weeks as an Eller MBA student have been a busy transition period. As the first eight weeks drew to a close, my classmates and I bid adieu to our first-term professors and prepared to begin three new courses.  Finals were very intense and I really got to know my classmates through the late-night study sessions.

I am continuing to work with my Business Intelligence Quotient (BIQ) team and we recently experienced the ”crisis communication,” a real-life simulation where students present a crisis scenario to executives in a boardroom setting. Our final BIQ assignment is an analyst presentation to external executives and senior faculty. This year Intel is sponsoring the competition and will participate in the judging, as well. In addition to the BIQ teams, we are in the process of formulating teams for next semester’s field projects. The field projects are team-based consulting projects covering a range of disciplines for companies such as Accenture and IBM. 

The Office of Career Development recently organized several events for students to improve their business etiquette.  My favorite event was the dining etiquette event, where students were shown the correct protocol for business dinners. Did you know that it is a serious faux-pas to salt your food before tasting it?  However, the MBA program is not all business.  We had an excellent volunteer day at Saguaro National Park. Fourteen students helped clear an invasive brush that endangers the native cactus. 

See you next month with more updates on the life of an Eller MBA.
 

Articles of Interest

Inside Arizona Business interviews Eller associate professor to discuss market volatility [video]

Economics professor speaks to The Wall Street Journal about Tucson's economy

Connect with industry leaders at Eller College Distinguished Speaker Series
 

Important Dates

Application Deadlines
Be sure to get your application in on time:

Apply for Eller MBA admission now.
 

• mba_admissions@eller.arizona.edu
• 1.888.Eller.MBA