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PROACTIVE EXECUTIVES CAN HELP FOSTER BUSINESS GRADUATES WITH STRONG ETHICS BACKGROUND.
Can companies benefit from more ethics in
business school curricula? At the opening keynote session of the 8th International Conference on Corporate Reputation,
Identity, Image, and Competitiveness in May, Deborah Vidaver-Cohen, a professor in the College's Management and International
Business Department, made the case that they can.
Researching results of recently-published
studies conducted by The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Aspen Institute, Business Ethics magazine, and the AACSB
International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Vidaver-Cohen found that in the face of growing
public anxiety about flagging corporate ethics, companies now want more from b-school graduates than simply the know-how to
produce a hefty short-term bottom line.
The Wall Street Journal study showed that
executives who fear seeing their companies share headlines with Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and Martha Stewart have begun directing
campus recruiters to give hiring preference to graduates who demonstrate both a strong moral compass and the skills to
recognize, respond to, and resolve ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Business Week's latest "Best B-School" survey found
that schools with strong ethics programs earned higher reputational rankings from corporate evaluators than did their
counterparts.
Vidaver-Cohen said executives who want
schools to turn out the kinds of graduates they'd like to hire need to become proactive. Companies can sponsor student
ethics clubs and essay competitions and can offer recognition awards or scholarships to students with top marks in business
ethics courses. They can sponsor business school conferences with an ethics focus and send recruiters to make presentations
about the kind of ethics background their companies are seeking. Companies can fund new positions enabling schools to hire
competent ethics faculty, or they can sponsor release time for current faculty to build their ethics-education skills and
develop new ethics-related instructional materials. And, they can offer their insights and experience to help schools
build a curriculum that teaches the business ethics companies now need.
.: ALUMNI CHAPTER ELECTS NEW BOARD.
Jeremy Baker (BBA '00) will lead the CBA
Alumni Chapter board of directors as president for 2004-2005, the group announced this week. The board includes President
Elect Denise Pena (BBA '97), Vice President Marteena Rodriguez (BA '92), Vice President of Chapter Programming Nelson
Vallin (BBA '99), Treasurer Arvi Arunachalam (MSF '03), and Secretary Arturo Aviles (BBA '01).
Baker said the chapter will continue to
offer the quality programming it has consistently provided. The new board will take office July 1.
For more information on becoming involved
with the Business Alumni Chapter or for upcoming Alumni Chapter events, visit the Chapter web site.
.: 3rd ANNUAL CBA ALUMNI POOL TOURNAMENT HELD ON MAY 11.
Pool tournament winners (from left): 2nd place-Daniel Galdona (BBA '96), 3rd place-Evelyn Guzman, 4th place-Humberto Pino, and 1st place-Abraham Salstein (BBA '74).
.: CHAPMAN MINI-CONFERENCE SHOULD REFRESH YOUR CONTACTS, BUSINESS SAVVY.
Experts in international business, real
estate, marketing, retail, and corporate governance will converge at The Omni Colonnade Hotel on June 19 in a series of
workshops comprising The Chapman School Summer Alumni Refresher Conference.
The mini-conference will kick-off with
a continental breakfast at 8:00 a.m. followed by a choice of two workshops in two morning sessions. Key speakers include
Carlos Migoya, president of Wachovia Bank in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; Angel Medina, Jr., president of Union
Planters Bank in Miami-Dade; Patricia Dahne, regional president of Coldwell Banker Florida; N.K. Tripathy, executive
vice president for Burdines; Gonzalo G. Ruiz, Jr., president of Global Network services for Latin America and the
Caribbean, American Express, and Gabriel Sanchez-Zinny, a partner with Egon Zehnder International.
José de la Torre, dean of CBA's Chapman
Graduate School, will moderate a luncheon panel discussion as well as ring in the conference June 18 with an evening
reception in his home.
For more information or to register for
the Conference, visit the Chapter's web site.
-
Robert L. Bonnet (BACC '75), was highlighted as "The Newsmaker" in the Thursday, May 27th edition of Miami Today. Bonnet is the President of Florida Savings Bank in Pinecrest, Florida.
.: ALUMNI GROUP HELPS FEED THE HOMELESS.
Volunteers from the CBA Alumni
Chapter devoted a Saturday morning to the kitchen at Camillus House, preparing and serving food to about 300 of Miami's
elderly, disabled and homeless.
The May 22nd project was part
of the Chapter's ongoing community service initiative, chaired by Nelson Vallin (BBA '99). The Chapter targets a different
cause every month. Since its inception in December, the service committee and its volunteers have worked with injured
animals, battered women, refugee youth and the elderly.
"This was one of the most
rewarding projects that we've done so far," Vallin said. "We were cleaning tables in the dining room, refilling waters,
and serving seconds to people who really need it the most."
The group's next endeavor
will be June 26 when they help construct a residential building for Habitat for Humanity. Anyone interested in participating
should call Vallin at 786-443-6528 or visit the Chapter web site.
.: EXXONMOBIL DONATES OFFICE FURNITURE TO CBA.
Eight storage pods filled with
about 430 pieces of office furniture were shipped to a Miami storage facility on May 27, a gift to the College from
ExxonMobil. The contribution came as the oil industry giant planned its move from its 40-year-old headquarters in Coral
Gables to its new facility at One Alhambra Plaza in Coral Gables on June 1.
The donation was facilitated
by Edward Glab, who for 25 years served as a public affairs executive with ExxonMobil and is now acting director of
the College's Knight Ridder Center for Excellence in Management. Glab estimated the retail value of the contribution at
$25,000.
The items, which include
more than 100 desk chairs and dozens of bookcases, credenzas and tables, will be used in College offices and student
areas.
Hispanic Marketing Symposium:
Planning Today for a Different Future
June 16 - 18, 2004
Miami, Florida - Hilton Miami Airport Hotel
For details, visit http://www.nhcc-hq.org/events/fiu.cfm
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.: FIVE BUSINESS LEADERS RECEIVE HONORS AT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION.
Joyce Elam inducted Justo L. Pozo (BBA '80) and Joseph L. Caruncho (BBA '81) into the 2004 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame as president and founder, respectively, of Preferred Care Partners.
More than 500 alumni
and executives celebrated the accomplishments of five community business leaders, honorees at the 2004
Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon on May 13 at Parrot Jungle Island in Miami.
The luncheon, the
College of Business Administration's largest alumni event of the year, marked the induction of Preferred Care
Partners founder Joseph L. Caruncho and president Justo L. Pozo into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. The
pair master-minded South Florida's first and only state-licensed Provider Sponsored Organization (PSO), an
alternative Medicare health plan that allows physicians to bypass the HMO.
Caruncho, a health
care lawyer, received his BBA from the College in 1981. Pozo majored in accounting, receiving his BBA from
the College in 1980 and his CPA license in 1984.
"Entrepreneurship is
a core area of emphasis in the College and a vital element of everything the College does-from classroom
instruction to faculty research to the school's annual international business plan competition," Executive Dean
Joyce Elam said.
Two other alumni,
Roberto Capó (BBA '03) and Andrew P. Yap (BBA '91, MBA '97), were spotlighted for contributions to their family
businesses. Capó is vice president of advertising at El Dorado Furniture, the largest Hispanic-owned retail
enterprise in the U.S. and one of the top 50 furniture retailers in the country. Yap, a CBA adjunct professor,
serves as senior vice president and COO for LEASA Industries Co., Inc., South Florida's dominant producer of
sprouts and tofu.
The 2004 South Florida
Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Keith St. Clair, whose role as chairman and CEO of TraveLeaders has
distinguished the company as one of the leading, fully-integrated travel distribution operations in North
America. The accolade recognizes an FIU supporter who is not a graduate.
"We strive to instill
in our graduates the values of innovation and discovery, and this event allows us to honor those individuals
who have put these values into practice and been successful," Elam said.
The Entrepreneurship
Hall of Fame was established in 1999 through a gift from SunTrust Bank, Miami, to acknowledge alumni who
have distinguished themselves as founders and builders of new business enterprises and to promote the
entrepreneurial spirit throughout the College.
.: NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE WINNERS ACCEPT THEIR PRIZES.
The 2004 New Venture Challenge undergraduate winning company of Eco-Solutions, Inc., (from left) with Dale Andrew Silvia and Charles Bowden, and the graduate team of UniversityPlacementServices.com, with José Alvarez, Alba Nunez, Omar Vales and Michael Reyeros, accept their grand prizes during the Hall of Fame luncheon.
The 2004 winners of
the Howard J. Leonhardt New Venture Challenge, a student business plan competition coordinated by the Colleges
of Business Administration and Engineering, were unveiled at the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame luncheon May
13.
Taking top honors in
the graduate student division was UniversityPlacementServices.com, an international student service addressing
all aspects of the university admissions process in the United States. Team members Jose I. Alvarez, Alba N.
Nunez, Omar Vales and Michael Reyeros received $15,000 and $4,000 in in-kind contributions for their efforts.
The same prize went
to the first-place undergraduate team of Charles Bowden and Dale Andrew Silvia for their company,
Eco-Solutions, Inc., which manufactures mulch and tea tree oil from Florida's abundant nuisance, the melaleuca
tree.
The only winning team
not from FIU was first runner-up Gladys-T Porto Alegre, a Brazilian company designing, importing, and trading
high-quality women's garments in Uruguay. Members Andres Buela, Rosina Guisande, and Elianne Hecht, all recent
business graduates from Universidad ORT in Uruguay, were on hand to accept their $5,000.
Receiving $1,000 and
$2,500 in in-kind contributions were Les Bagatelles team members Lindsay Thomas, Alexander Riera, Judieth
Cure, and Anne-Christine Lenquette. The company manufactures and distributes designer handbags through retail
outlets and donates the profits to the Women's Alliance.
The prototype award
and $5,000 went to Moe Sadeek and his Dirtyboi, Inc., a wheel rim that illuminates while in motion.
The New Venture
Challenge, which highlights the importance of combining technological innovation with business savvy, is
underwritten through a gift from Howard J. Leonhardt, founder, chairman and CEO of Bioheart, Inc., a Fort
Lauderdale-based manufacturer of treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
.: ACCOUNTING GRADUATE SCORES AMONG THE BEST ON CPA EXAM.
Another graduate of the School of
Accounting was recognized in Florida CPA Today magazine's May/June edition for receiving one of the highest scores on the CPA
exam.
 Alejandro M. "Alex" Perez (BACC '92)
registered one of the 10 best scores in the state, rounding out the "Florida Top-10" list after sitting for all four parts of
the November 2003 Uniform CPA Exam. Perez is an accountant with Miami-Dade County's South Florida Work Force, where he has
been employed since 1997.
"I was surprised when I found out
my score," he said. "I had just wanted to make sure I passed."
According to Dana Forgione, director
and professor in the School, Perez joins rank with seven other College graduates who have met with phenomenal success on the
exam. CBA alumni have amassed two Gold Medals, which denote the top score in the nation, a Silver Medal, for the
second-highest score in the nation, and four Florida Top-10 awards, including one for the highest marks in the state.
.: CENTER OPENS FACULTY SPANISH-ABROAD PROGRAM TO COMMUNITY.
Previously only
offered to faculty, an 11-day "business Spanish" program in Peru will extend its welcome beyond FIU's campus
this year, hoping to appeal to community members who are looking to communicate effectively in professional,
academic and business situations.
The Fourth Annual
Spanish Language Immersion Program, which runs July 12 - 23 in Lima, tailors Spanish business classes to the
needs of beginner- and intermediate-level speakers. The program is presented by one of the best universities
in Latin America in cooperation with the College's Center for International Business Education & Research
(CIBER).
"It's a terrific
training program, and it's helped all of us jump-start our Spanish," said CIBER Director Mary Ann Von Glinow,
who has attended the program every summer since its inception. "I think it's the optimal way to learn the
language."
For more information,
visit the web site at www.fiu.edu/~ciber.
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