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Business Networks | February, 2008 | Volume 6, Issue 2
Faculty member’s research addresses future needs of the workplace.
Tomorrow’s businesses likely will eschew the vertical structural models of today in favor of assembling teams of experts for time-limited, project-specific collaborations, said Irma Becerra-Fernández (PhD ’94), associate professor, Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems in the College of Business Administration. In this new environment, how will businesses amass the human capital and expertise needed to meet their goals for productivity and efficiency? In “Searching for Experts on the Web: A Review of Contemporary Expertise Locator Systems,” Becerra-Fernández discusses the potential for knowledge management systems (KMS) to help companies adapt to this reality. The paper—published in the Association of Computer Management’s Transactions on Internet Technology, a leading journal—details her development of two prototypes of such systems for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Read more. Blog this.
“Biofuels in the Americas” conference explores technology, investment, and the path forward.
More than 170 energy experts, executives from multinational corporations, and high-ranking government officials from across the Western Hemisphere gathered at Florida International University on January 24, 2008, to discuss the state of biofuels in The Americas at a day-long conference that reinforced the College of Business Administration’s commitment to international business. “We discussed how biofuels can complement or displace traditional fuels and examined investment opportunities for bringing technologies to the marketplace.” —Ed Glab, clinical professor, Department of Management and International Business and director, Knight Ridder Center for Excellence in Management “Topics focused on how hemispheric collaboration can help The Americas collectively secure our energy future,” said Ed Glab, clinical professor, Department of Management and International Business, College of Business Administration, and director of the college’s Knight Ridder Center for Excellence in Management. “We discussed how biofuels can complement or displace traditional fuels and examined investment opportunities for bringing technologies to the marketplace.” Read more. Blog this. Simulation offers taste of the real world—and success.
Students in Strategic Management in the Multinational Corporation, taught by Randall Martin (BA ’76), a member of the Department of Management and International Business, achieved repeated successes during the fall semester in the Business Strategy Game, used by 2,000 teams at 161 universities around the world. Players take a global athletic shoe company through five years of its business cyle, making all management decisions—with lots of surprises thrown in by the instructor and the game’s creators to mimic the challenges such enterprises actually face. The course is one of many that builds the college’s students’ expertise in international business. Martin’s students have excelled during the eight or nine years he’s used the game. This time, however, the traditional classroom group of 45 and the fully online contingent of 63 achieved exceptional results. Read more. Blog this. Rubik’s cube adds new dimension to statistics course.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines statistics as “the mathematics of the collection, organization, and interpretation of numerical data, especially the analysis of popular characteristics by inference from sampling.” Many of the College of Business Administration’s undergraduate students view required statistics courses as a barrier that stands between them and their diploma. But they should not fear. Christopher Ellis (EMBA ’97, BS ’92), instructor in the college’s Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems, teaches business statistics with a twist—using the devilish little puzzle known as the Rubik’s cube to provide students with a real, engaging reason to study statistical methods by giving them a business context in which to apply them. Read more. Blog this. The 2008 Entrepreneur Challenge: New name signals new opportunities.
In recent years, the New Venture Challenge business plan competition gave budding entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their business plans and turn those plans into viable, profitable businesses. This tradition has been part and parcel of the College of Business Administration’s commitment to preparing its students for entrepreneurial endeavors. This year, the tradition continues with a new name: the 2008 Entrepreneur Challenge. The scope of the challenge has changed as well, introducing two new competition tracks—investment and social entrepreneurship. The college’s Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center will host the event with sponsorships from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In both tracks, the top-prize winner receives $10,000 and the runner-up receives $2,500. In another change, the center has opened the competition to not only Florida International University students and alumni but also to local residents. Read more. Blog this.
Chapman School spreads holiday cheer to teens in foster care.
When Educate Tomorrow, a mentoring program for teens aging out of foster care, approached the Chapman Graduate School of Business in the College of Business Administration about hosting its holiday party, the staff leapt into action. In just a few weeks, they pulled together an evening of games, raffle prizes, goody bags, and a step performance by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority sisters that catapulted participants out of their seats. Burger King and local party planner Signature Gardens lent their support to the evening’s festivities. Read more. Blog this.
Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame judges meet to review nominees.
Art of Networking series continues.
Two hundred alumni and guests from the Business, Honors, Real Estate and Law alumni chapters gathered at the beautiful new Texas de Brazil on Miami Beach on January 24, 2008, for part two of a multi-part series on the “Art of Networking.” Senior students from the College of Business Administration’s student organizations also were invited to the function to test their networking skills. Read more. Blog this. Alumni Business and Technology Conference will take place in March, 2008.
Join presenting sponsor Microsoft Corporation, media partner South Florida CEO magazine, Florida International University alumni. and other business and technology professionals for an afternoon of briefings about current trends, emerging opportunities, and issues that continue to threaten our economy in 2008. Read more. Blog this. Alumni Notes
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