Congratulations to the award recipients:

Scholarship of Teaching Award: Jim Sorensen
Presented to a faculty member to recognize outstanding teaching

Scholarship of Integration Award: Hugh Grove
Presented to a faculty member to recognize outstanding integration

Scholarship of Discovery Award: Anthony Hayter
Presented to a faculty member to recognize outstanding discovery

John D. Hershner Award: John Holcomb
Presented to a faculty member to recognize dedication to and support of free-enterprise
economic system

C. Thomas Howard Endowed Teacher Scholar Award: Cindi Fukami
Presented to a Daniels faculty member for demonstrating excellence in teaching innovation and business relevance

Alexander J. Lindsay Award: Donald Matoy
Named in honor of a former faculty member. Presented to a staff member in the Daniels College of Business who provides outstanding customer service to all
segments of the Daniels community

Nominees:
Patty Hickman – Associate Director of Planning and Operations, Suitts Career Management Center
Cindy Koch – Assistant to the Director, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management
Jackie Martinez – Office Manager, Suitts Career Management Center
Donald Matoy – Senior Support Specialist, Technology Services
Sue Nuttall – Assistant to the Director, School of Accountancy
Beth Riley – Manager of Recruiting, Admissions and Student Support, Office of Professional and Executive MBA Programs
Mark Williams – Facilities Manager, College Operations

Daniels Inclusive Excellence Award
Recognizes members of the Daniels community who are engaging in inclusive
excellence in their everyday lives.

• Undergraduate:  Sanai Fennell
• Graduate: Jacky Song
• Staff: Marilyn Hughes
• Faculty: Sylvester Houston

Daniels Awards for Excellence

Recognizes outstanding contributions to the Daniels community.

• Undergraduate: Natalie Steverson, BSBA Accounting
  Undergraduate Nominees:
  Eric Berkley, BSBA Finance
  David Carle, BSBA Finance
  Ophus Wong, BSBA International Business
• Graduate: Shaunese Cradle, MBA
  Graduate Student Nominees:
  Brian Carroll, IMBA
  Jessica Gu, MBA
  Peter Knox, IMBA
  Leah Kuehn, MBA
  Bo Storozuk, IMBA
  Emalee Sugano, MBA
  Britta Youngren, MBA

• Staff: Daniel Garza – Senior Director of Undergraduate Programs, Office of Undergraduate Programs
  Staff Nominees:
  Jill Hartman – Assistant Director of External Relations, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management
  Cindy Koch – Assistant to the Director, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management
  Donald Matoy – Senior Support Specialist, Technology Services
  Sue Nuttall – Assistant to the Director, School of Accountancy
  Beth Riley – Manager of Recruiting, Admissions and Student Support, Office of Professional and Executive MBA Programs
  Laura Simpkins – Operations Coordinator, Office of Executive and Professional MBA Programs
  Mona Spitz – Director of Alumni Relations, Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations
  Shanda Twiggs – Graduate Programs Coordinator, MBA Programs Full-Time

• Faculty: Sylvester Houston
  Faculty Nominees:
  Sylvester Houston – Senior Lecturer, Department of Management
  Carol Johnson – Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Marketing
  Michele Lutz – Lecturer, Department of Marketing
  Sandra Young – Lecturer, Department of Marketing

Read about all the other awards recognized at Honors Convocation

CINDI FUKAMI

Related posts:

1. Daniels Professors Received High Honors for Their Review and Research Work
2. Daniels Announces New Faculty Chaired Professorships
3. From Case Study to Strategy

This is a remarkable trajectory as history has shown that there is limited movement in rankings, especially in the upper ranges. To put our ascent in national and international rankings in perspective, one has to understand how rankings are calculated and what they measure.

Worldwide Competition
There are over 3,600 business schools in the U.S. and nearly 13,000 worldwide. Most publications only consider accredited business schools, which narrows the competition even further. Daniels is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International), which accredits approximately 643 business schools worldwide. Daniels was re-accredited by the AACSB in 2010 and has been continuously accredited since 1923.

Upward Mobility
Now that we understand this, we can revisit the remarkable story of our undergraduate program rising in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ranking. To be ranked No. 57 out of 3,600 business schools put us in the top 2% of business schools in the U.S.  For several years, our community has come together to make tangible differences to improve our student and recruiter satisfaction and academic quality. This is reflected by our upward movement from No. 74 in 2010, No. 64 in 2011 and now No. 57. It takes a strong, dedicated commitment from faculty, staff and alumni to make this happen.

Rankings Publications
For business school rankings, Bloomberg Businessweek, Financial Times, U.S.News & World Review and the Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes are the best recognized and most coveted by schools. In addition, Princeton Review issues a list annually. Each measures different criteria and methodology to determine the rankings. And each requires different preparation and data by schools to be ranked among the best in the world.

• Bloomberg Businessweek Undergraduate Business Schools
  Ranking based on nine measures of student satisfaction, post-graduation outcomes and academic quality.

The Daniels College of Business ranked at No. 57 in 2012. Daniels was the highest-ranked undergraduate business school in Colorado; we also ranked #22 for academic quality and #43 for recruiter satisfaction.

• Bloomberg Businessweek Part-time MBA Programs
  Ranking issued in the odd years and is based on measures of student satisfaction, academic quality and post-graduation outcomes.

The Daniels Professional (part-time) MBA was ranked No. 25 in 2011.

• Bloomberg Businessweek Executive MBA Programs
  Ranking based on two surveys—one of EMBA graduates and another of EMBA directors. Alumni complete a survey on teaching quality, career services, curriculum and other aspects of their experience.

Daniels ranked in the Top 65 in 2011.

• Financial Times Executive MBAs
  Ranking based on 16 criteria, five of which are determined by a school survey and a survey of alumni who graduated three years ago.

The Daniels EMBA has a three year average ranking of No. 93.

• U.S. News and World Report Part-time MBAs
  Ranking based on peer assessment surveys of business school deans and MBA program directors at each of the nation’s 314 part-time MBA programs.

Daniels ranked No. 87 in 2012.

• U.S. News and World Report Best Undergraduate Business Programs
  Ranking based on surveys of deans and senior faculty at peer institutions. Surveys asked participants to rate the quality of all programs with which they were familiar on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished).

Daniels ranked at No. 81 in 2011.

• The Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes
  Ranking based on how well an MBA program incorporates social, environmental and ethical issues into the training of future business executives. The Aspen Institute collected approximately 12,000 courses and faculty research abstracts and 4,000 examples of institutional support from 149 participating schools.

Daniels ranked No. 2 in the world for small MBA programs and No. 15 in the world overall in 2011.

• European CEO Magazine
  Award based on a poll of European CEO members who analysed business schools’ abilities to find solutions to ensure students not only have an in-depth understanding of their roles in society but also leave with the necessary skills to make profitable decisions within an ethical framework.

Daniels was named the Most Innovative Business School, Western United States in 2011.

• Princeton Review Top 300 Business Schools
  Selection based on five factors: admissions selectivity, academic experience, accessible professors, interesting professors and career rating. Four of the five factors (all but admissions selectivity) are based in part or entirely on student surveys.

Daniels was one of the Princeton Review’s Top 300 Business Schools in 2012.

Related posts:

1. Daniels College of Business Once Again Ranked Among Top U.S. Schools by BusinessWeek
2. BusinessWeek ranks Daniels top in Colorado
3. Daniels Ranks Among Bloomberg Businessweek Top Speciality Rankings

With constant changes in the economy and politics, and devaluation of the peso, people are less likely to invest here. In turn, this makes raising capital very difficult. Everyone agrees a correction to the inflation rate is needed, but no one seems to have the fix. From a multinational corporation standpoint, the inflation rate puts substantial pressures on business operations. We had a meeting at Thomson Reuters, which has a Global Command Center in Buenos Aires. A challenge for their operations is that salary thresholds do not accurately reflect market changes throughout the year. The Buenos Aires office needs to justify a 20% annual wage increase just to maintain the same cost of living, while offices in other countries may allow for just a 1-2% wage increase.

Certainly agriculture has fueled growth and economic recovery for Argentina. The country is one of the world’s leading exporters of soybeans. Soybeans accounted for approximately ¼ of Argentina’s total exports in 2010. But, is this the right mix for sustainable growth of the economy? Is there a backup plan to recover quickly from acts of nature (ie: insect infestation, drought, deep freeze, etc)? If the supply declines, but demand remains high, will prices rise too high?

Our students have fully engaged in this week’s activities with open minds and hearts; eager to take in the culture, and mingle with the locals. To summarize our takeaways: Argentines are accustomed to economic and political uncertainty. Yet, they are infinitely proud of what the country can produce. They also take pride in what business they can attract. There are signs of promise, along with challenges. The social, economic, and sustainable development of Argentina is a dynamic work in progress!

Related posts:

1. Buenos Aires: Resilience tested.
2. Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires
3. International Student Preparation Week

Jonathan Alirez

Three Daniels students were recently selected as finalists in the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. Daniels MBA students Jonathan Alirez and McKenna Hall and Executive MBA student Richard Moore were chosen for the PMF class of 2012. It is an honor to be selected in this highly competitive program, and it is rare to have three students from the same college in one class. The program received more than 9,000 applicants, which was culled down to 628 finalists for the PMF class of 2012.

McKenna Hall

The PMF Program is a leadership development program for advanced degree candidates interested in government leadership and public service. Fellows may serve two-year appointments in agencies such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior, and may be converted to full-time employees at the end of their fellowships.

Richard Moore

The Daniels students attended the PMF Job Fair March 18-21 to meet and interview with agencies. They will have one year to obtain a fellowship appointment.

Note: Daniels is aware of recent news that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the management of the Presidential Management Fellows Program due to recent IT issues, including a January 2012 incident, whereby the Office of Personnel Management mistakenly notified 300 PMF semifinalists they had qualified as finalists when they had not. We will await any news on this investigation and how or if it will affect our students.

Related posts:

1. Daniels Hosts 10th Chinese Executive Media Management Program
2. Daniels Accounting Scholars Development Program
3. Daniels MBA Student Honored with Investor’s Circle 2011 Venture Fellowship

With an increasing number of disasters disrupting commerce and community life around the world, Dr. Day and his coauthors argue that now is the time to position humanitarian and disaster relief supply chains (HDRSC) within the broad field of supply chain management. Their paper distinguishes attributes of the environment that illustrate the difficulties encountered in supply chain management.

Although considerable research has been conducted in logistics issues affecting humanitarian/disaster relief supply chains, very little management research speaks to the complicating attributes. The coauthors describe activities such as demand determination, supply-chain coordination, recognizing when to move along the lifecycle and post-disaster reconstruction that differentiates supply-chain concerns from logistics concerns. Dr. Day’s paper identifies areas where research into humanitarian and disaster relief supply chains can inform supply-chain management.

In March 2012, Dr. Day also delivered a presentation (titled “Coordinating a Shared Recovery with New and Old Organizations”) at a national meeting of Church World Service, a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian communions that supports sustainable grassroots development, disaster relief and refugee assistance.

The paper is forthcoming in April 2012. Visit onlineliibrary.wiley.com to read the Journal of Supply Chain Management online.

Related posts:

1. Dr. Patti Appointed Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Research
2. Dr. Vijaya Narapareddy Keynotes the Association of Latin American Casewriters Conference
3. Daniels Professors Received High Honors for Their Review and Research Work

Just as in the U.S., technology now plays a large role in trading in Buenos Aires; allowing traders to work remotely. Ten years ago, there would have been 400 traders on the floor in Buenos Aires. During our visit, there were no more than 20. As such, we were allowed access to the trading floor. Perhaps the biggest surprise to us is that the use of Facebook is acceptable on the trading floor–for both personal and professional use. Our host informed us that Facebook is widely used to inform trading in Buenos Aires, and is where the “big players” post commentary on the market.

We also visited with ANSES (the National Association of Social Security), which administers the majority of Argentina’s social programs. Of particular controversy among the public is the pension fund reform of 2007-08. In 1993, a private, fully funded system was created. However, the government claims that the goals of the private system were not achieved; that fees were charged and value was not created. In an effort to contribute to the sustainable development of the economy, the congress amended the Pension Fund system. The government now invests in established domestic companies (through the purchase of stocks) and traditional programs (energy, roads, etc). Funding sources include social security taxes and general (diesel, income, sales) taxes. Our students question this approach: Is it as conflict of interest? Will the people really see an ROI? What’s the backup plan in the event of another economic crisis? But the response is that the new system will ease the financial impact on the pension system as a result of negative economic and social factors, and that everyone benefits from the system. Time will tell. The system will be challenged over the next several years, as Argentina has a substantial aging population.

Related posts:

1. Buenos Aires: Where uncertainty is certain.
2. Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires
3. Daniels Going Global: Expanding Our Global Reach

“I was in the middle of my MBA when my brother came up with this idea for a positioning device that would fix this problem,” says Alexander. “He drew up the idea and worked with a seamstress to build a prototype.” Alexander took on the business plan, and received great support from professors and fellow students, and vetted many parts of the plan in her Daniels classes. “A lot of people at Daniels were very excited to help. This was definitely the subject of a lot of my class projects.”

After graduating in November 2010, Alexander set to work on their idea. With their father as their silent investor, she and her brother named their product O2ool, founded their company, Bedside Solutions, and are now focused on getting their product into the marketplace.

Earlier this year, Alexander and O’Leary entered Bedside Solutions into the 2012 University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge, competing against 50 other entrepreneurs that also submitted feasibility studies. On March 8, they won the competition, taking home the first place prize of $18,000, which they will put toward marketing the O2ool and developing new products.

“Winning this was definitely a validation of all of the hard work we’ve put in,” says Alexander, who also works as operations coordinator at CSU’s Early Childhood Center. “It’s very exciting, but we’ll be even more excited when our company is doing really well.” Good things seem to be around the corner. The O2ool is currently being evaluated by Poudre Valley Hospital System, and Alexander and O’Leary have secured an agreement with Lincare, the largest home oxygen supply company in the country.

Long term, Bedside Solutions will develop other “workaround” medical products that enable nurses and point-of-care professionals to deliver better patient care. “Nurses improvise all the time,” says Alexander. “They fix the tools they have or rig things to work how they need them to. We see an opportunity to develop those solutions.”

Learn more about Bedside Solutions at bedsidesolutions.com. Learn more about the Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge at mcb.unco.edu.

Related posts:

1. Team Daniels Wins Race & Case 2012
2. It’s a Matter of Mindset: Ten Principles for Unleashing Critical Thinking
3. Daniels Alumnus Founds Startup Life Sciences Company

The 2012 Daniels Race & Case National Competition was held March 2-3. Graduate business students from George Washington University, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina, Texas Christian University, Thunderbird International School of Management, University of Utah, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, Colorado State University and the University of Denver fielded strong teams for this year’s event.

We are pleased to announce the Daniels College of Business won the overall competition.  Team members representing the College were:

• David Groth
• Derek Bennington
• Ruohan Mao
• Alexandra Gardner
• Manisha Paralikar

The top three team results were:

1. University of Denver
2. University of South Carolina
3. University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

The winning team presented an alternative recommendation to the Chalillo Dam project in Belize. The team summarized their strategy:

The issue at hand was whether or not to build a dam in an ecologically rich environment in Belize. If built, the dam would flood a very large rain forest along with possibly destroying one of the only nesting areas of the Macaw, the national bird, and the Jaguar. Further, we decided that the dam was not economically sound as the payback period was over 40 years if there was no drought. The dam’s proposed location was also along an active fault line.

When we originally received the case, we contemplated building the dam in a more eco-friendly way and in a different location. This is what almost every other team ended up recommending.  A few of our group members where not on board with this solution, and thought the dam should not be built at all.  If we were not all on board, we were not going to go any further. We proceeded to look at possible other options that were both safer for the environment, more profitable and available technologically in 2002 when the case was dated.

We ended up recommending tidal power as our solution. This energy has been used all around the world from France to Canada to China and is not dependent on the amount of rainfall or amount of sun. Not only was tidal power more environmentally friendly, it was also four times more profitable than the proposed dam.

Currently, our group is presenting our solution to the largest energy company in Belize during the first week of April after successfully presenting our idea to the company just before the competition.

Now in its ninth year, Race & Case has become a signature event for the College. The event represents our community of excellence and collaboration through a fun with a purpose competition. Please join us in congratulating the Daniels team.

Daniels Race & Case Committee
Co-chair, Kira Gaines
Co-chair, Jessa Mehlhoff

Related posts:

1. Daniels Case Competition Season in Full Swing
2. Team Daniels Advances to Americas Regional CFA Institute Research Challenge in New York
3. Making the Case for Hands-on Learning

First impressions…Buenos Aires is massive. It’s home to approximately 13 million people, and is the second largest city in South America. There’s so much to see and do here. We toured the city today for three hours, and made it to just three neighborhoods: Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo, and La Boca.

Plaza de Mayo is a good introduction to Buenos Aires, as it’s where the city was re-founded in 1580. On the east side of the Plaza de Mayo is the Casa Rosada (Pink House), the presidential palace. We are told that demonstrations are common in Buenos Aires, and this is the site for many of the most intense protests. It becomes quickly apparent to us that many of the protests are stemming from one of two events: La Guerra Sucia (the Dirty War) atrocities during the military dictatorship of 1976-83 and the 2001-02 debt default crisis. During the 2001-02 crisis poverty reached a high of 50%, and unemployment rates were as high as 40%. The residual effects of both events continue to have an impact on Argentines to this day. Essentially, corruption and instability have a long-standing history here, and I expect both to be recurring themes in our discussions this week.

Related posts:

1. Buenos Aires: Where uncertainty is certain.
2. Buenos Aires: Resilience tested.
3. International Student Preparation Week

This year, teams wrote an equity research report on Newmont Mining and presented their findings to an expert panel composed of researchers, portfolio managers and chief investment officers from leading firms in the area.

The Daniels team will travel to New York City on April 9 to compete against approximately 45 other teams in the Americas regional competition. The winners will compete in the global championship April 11, also in New York.

Read more about the regional CFA Institute Research Challenge at cfasociety.org/colorado.

Related posts:

1. Team Daniels Wins Race & Case 2012
2. Daniels Announces Inaugural Institute for Enterprise Ethics Fellowships
3. Daniels Case Competition Season in Full Swing