Aya Chacar

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

What does this statement by the sixteenth-century Dutch author and philosopher Erasmus have to do with conducting business in the twenty-first?

Plenty, it turns out.

“Many people believe that in emerging economies, competition is weaker, enabling new players to be like the one-eyed man in the land of the blind,” said Aya Chacar, assistant professor in the Management and International Business Department in the College of Business Administration, whose research focuses on competition, innovation, and change. Read more.

FOCUS ON

.: Real Estate Alumni Affinity Council (REAAC) announces new board members.

At a special reception at The Banker’s Club on May 31st, the 2006-2007 REAAC Board of Directors was announced. They are:

• President: Bill Harter, account manager at Spherion Corporation
• President-elect: Robert Meneses (BBA ’02), vice president at West Vest Associates
• Treasurer/Secretary: Andrew Demos, ESQ., with Glazer & Associates, P.A.
• Vice President/Events Committee Chairwoman: Denisse Recinos (BBA ’00), program manager for the Master of Science in International Real Estate, Chapman Graduate School of Business. Read more.

.: How SWEET it is! College alumnus leads the U.S. division of his family's confectionary business.

Fernando Panizo (BBA '00) never tires of the sweet smell of cocoa, the main ingredient in the fine chocolates produced by his family in Peru. It is this smell that he grew up with as he watched his mother, Elena, create the sweet treats in their home kitchen. Not only did he crave his mother’s chocolates, but he yearned to be a part of the business. Read more.

.: Alumni Notes

• Longtime Dean’s Council member, Florida International University foundation chairman, and local corporate/community leader, Carlos Migoya (BBA ’74), leaves his seventeen-year post as regional president, Wachovia, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Migoya will move to New York City to be the CEO for Wachovia's Atlantic region, which includes New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. "We are so sad to see Carlos leave our community. Not only has his influence been felt by the College of Business Administration and the university as a whole, but he will be missed tremendously by our local business and civic communities," said college Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam. "Carlos is one of our most prominent and active alumni and has been instrumental as a member of my Dean's Council, helping to set strategy for the college. We will miss him dearly, but we look forward to hearing about the great work he will do for Wachovia in New York."

• Cesar Pizarro (BBA ’78) has been promoted to vice president/El Nuevo Herald and business manager at the Miami Herald Media Company.

• The Adler Group has promoted Lincoln Lopez (BACC ’79) to chief financial officer and vice president of finance.

• Lester Law (BBA ’86) recently was appointed as senior vice president for the Naples office of U.S. Trust.

• The Easton Group, a commercial real estate firm, has hired Alberto F. Couto (BBA ’89) as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Couto, who is the chairman of the Chapman Graduate School of Business’ International MBA program’s advisory board, joined The Easton Group after a long career with the Burger King Corporation.

• Angel Medina, Jr. (BBA ’92), who is the chairman of the college's Dean's Council, recently was honored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s “A Salute to Miami’s Leaders” awards program during its 2006 Goals Conference. Medina is president, Regions Bank, Miami-Dade County.

• Saul M. Kredi (MACC ’92) has been hired by American Media as chief accounting officer.

• Daniel D. Díaz (BBA ’94) and Raul Incera (MST ’91) were recognized as finalists in the 2006 South Florida Business Journal’s “Up and Comers Award” in the Banking/Finance and Accounting categories, respectively.

• Jair Longo (EMBA ’05) has been promoted by Citrix to head its Brasil division.

.: Farmer-to-Farmer program helps rural Honduran university develop strategic plan for growth.

Situated on the eastern coast of Honduras between breathtaking mountains and the turquoise Caribbean Sea, Centro Universitario Regional Del Litoral Atlántico (CURLA) is an extension branch of the national university system. Many of its 2,500 students come from low-income families who live and work in the surrounding rural area. Tuition averages approximately $20 year—but even with such a seemingly-affordable fee, the university is looking for ways to grow and attract more students. Read more.

The month was June, but the company was august when admissions personnel from eight of the country’s leading business schools and the Alvah H. Chapman Graduate School of Business spoke to sixty students from Florida International University about the value of the MBA degree. The road show, an activity of the Ten School Diversity Alliance (TSDA), included:

• comments from alumni of TSDA schools who work in the Miami area about what future MBA students can expect from the graduate experience,
• a panel during which speakers explained what undergraduates need to know about preparing to apply to MBA programs, and
• an MBA fair at which the schools gave out marketing materials and answered questions about their offerings. Read more.

.: Future home for college proceeds on all fronts.

The physical construction of the new College of Business Administration’s building complex is moving along briskly, as is the continued effort to raise funds for the multi-phase Building for Business Campaign, whose components include:

• the Building Complex Fund;
• the Growth and Excellence Fund, which seeks to increase annual giving for special programs and initiatives; and
• the Securing Our Future Fund, which will build endowments to support faculty and programs and includes the Scholarship Fund.

Construction shows daily progress.

“Construction on our new building school complex finally got underway in March, 2006,” said Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam, who along with Chapman School Dean José de la Torre, is investing time to make sure that events unfold smoothly. “Since that time, progress has been amazing. It’s exciting to come in each day and see more and more of the building taking shape.”

“The foundations of Commons Hall and Student Hall are completed for the most part and the first walls are already going up for Student Hall,” said Fernando Irizarri, coordinator of the college’s facilities. “The expected time for completion—including Academic, Commons, and Student Halls—is September, 2007.” Read more.

.: First SMECE conference helps Latin American small and medium-size business entrepreneurs sharpen their competitive edge.

Established by the College of Business Administration and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the newly-created Small and Medium-size Enterprise Center of Excellence (SMECE) is dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses compete more successfully in international commerce.

By all accounts, the first SMECE conference held in Miami at the Sonesta Hotel, Coconut Grove, from June 6-8, 2006, indicates that the program is off to a strong start. Read more.

.: PhD students look for patterns—in teaching strategies and creative projects.

Nicole Wishart

David Hinds

Nicole Wishart and David Hinds, both PhD students in the Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems (DSIS) in the College of Business Administration, are focusing on patterns. Though the subject matter is quite different—teaching conceptual database design and innovation communities—their findings have a number of features in common, including their practical applicability. Read more.

.: South American trip offers firsthand look at Latin American culture and business dynamics.

This year, thirteen university professors and administrators from across the United States journeyed to Brasil, Argentina, and Chile as part of the Tenth Annual Professional Development in International Business (PDIB)-Mercosur program. 

“The main objective of PDIB-Mercosur is to raise the awareness of business professionals and faculty members around the country about the social, political, economic, and business environments that exist in South America,” said Tita Kourany, program coordinator and associate director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) in the College of Business Administration. “It’s a significant milestone to have completed our tenth successful trip. Each trip has been an eye-opener for the participants and provided them with experiences and insights they can carry back to their respective schools. Read more.

.: First-ever study of women-led Florida businesses opens eyes.

Do women business leaders have it all?

Yes.

That’s what a first-of-its-kind study, conducted by three entities within Florida International University, showed. The College of Business Administration, the Center for Leadership, and the Metropolitan Center, along with The Commonwealth Institute of South Florida, which initiated the project, surveyed women-led businesses in Florida with revenues of $1 million or more.  Read more.

.: Dean’s Council welcomes new members.

The Dean’s Council—a group of business leaders representing a cross section of industries who offer College Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam insights about the college’s strategic direction, new initiatives, and existing programs, to name a few of their contributions—has a number of new faces.  Read more.

.: Human Resources advisory board meeting delights members with expanded program.

When members of the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) Advisory Board requested a meeting that was more than just a meeting, they got exactly what they were looking for on June 13, 2006, at the Biltmore Hotel. Before their business session, they had the opportunity to hear from two human resource experts on the subject of recruiting and to enjoy a luncheon with many of their colleagues.  Read more.