2013.05.14

An Economic Outlook and McCombs School Update

Dean Gilligan gives  updates on the latest initiatives, programs and departments at McCombs. He also  offers an economic forecast and touches on topics such as GDP growth and unemployment. Finally, he offers a look at the university’s and McCombs’ financial picture in relation to the latest Texas legislative session.

In 2008, Tom Gilligan was named Dean of the McCombs School of Business and the Centennial Chair in Business Leadership. Prior to joining the McCombs team, Dean Gilligan spent over 20 years as a faculty member at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, where he held a variety of leadership positions. He received his B.A. with honors from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK in 1979, and his Ph.D. in economics from Washington University, St. Louis, MO in 1984. His areas of professional interest include microeconomics, applied price theory, industrial organization, antitrust economics and public choice.

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2013.04.16

Advertising Disclosure in Public Filings: Implications for Firm Profitability, Firm Value and Top Management Team Structure

Dr. Leigh McAlister is the Ed and Molly Smith Chair in Business Administration at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the university, she served on the faculties of the University of Washington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the executive director at the Marketing Science Institute. She has received many teaching and research awards, including her most recent JMR’s O’Dell Award and JR’s Davidson Award. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford University, and her current research focuses on determinants of firm value and implications of web communications.

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2013.04.09

Insights from the March 2013 UT Energy Poll

Energy touches most aspects of our lives. Access and affordability of energy plays a critical role in a nation’s quality of life. How we produce and use energy also affects our environment. The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Poll was launched because we recognized the need for a regular, nonpartisan and authoritative look at public opinion on energy.

In this webinar, UT Energy Poll Director Sheril Kirshenbaum offers a briefing on the latest poll results, and deeper insight into American public opinion on major energy matters like hydraulic fracturing, climate change and consumer choice.

About the UT Energy Poll:
This groundbreaking public opinion poll measures and reports biannually on consumer opinions and attitudes toward energy consumption, pricing, development and regulation. The results provide a source to inform and guide discussion, business planning and policy development by highlighting American consumer attitudes and perspectives on energy. The UT Energy Poll has been fielded in March and September each year starting with September 2011.

About Sheril Kirshenbaum:
Sheril Kirshenbaum, director of the UT Energy Poll, works to enhance public understanding of energy issues and improve communication between scientists, policymakers and the public. She is the author of two popular science books and regularly contributes to magazines and academic journals. Sheril is a 2012 Marshall Memorial Fellow, a Next Generation Project Texas Fellow and has served as a legislative Knauss Science Fellow in 2006 on Capitol Hill with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) where she was involved in energy, climate and ocean policy.

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2013.03.19

Critical Energy Technologies of the Future

Dr. Michael Webber earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2001. He joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2006, where he is an associate professor of mechanical engineering, Josey Centennial Fellow in Energy Resources in the Cockrell School of Engineering and co-director of the Clean Energy Incubator. He holds four patents, has published more than 40 peer-reviewed journal papers and serves on the board of advisors for Scientific American.

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2013.02.12

Current Research in Financial Reporting
- Professor John McInnis discusses recent research on:

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2013.02.08

The Difficulty of Being Ethical in a Difficult Economy
Robert Prentice is the founding chair of the Business, Government and Society Department at the McCombs School of Business. He received his B.A. from the University of Kansas and his J.D. from Washburn University. His research and teaching interests include business ethics and business law, particularly securities regulation and the legal liability of accountants.

Professor Prentice has won numerous teaching awards and is a member of The University of Texas’ Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He has published more than 30 major law review articles on topics such as securities law litigation, tender offers, insider trading, securities regulation and the Internet, accountants' legal liability and products liability.

 Video

2013.02.08

The Big Auxiliary – Funding a Modern Intercollegiate Athletics Program
Chris Plonsky has served as The University of Texas’ women’s athletic director since spring 2001. She also supervised external services for men's and women's athletics at UT since 1993. As the women’s athletic director, she leads the university’s 11-sport program of more than 240 women student-athletes. The external services area includes serving as the university’s athletics' chief liaison with multimedia rights holder, IMG College. She also supervises the university’s trademark and licensing staff, which works directly with IMG College's Collegiate Licensing Company.

She serves as a volunteer board member of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame and USA Basketball. She is president-elect of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) for 2013-14. Locally, she is a member of the UT Libraries Advisory Council, the Capital Area Crime Stoppers board and the University Federal Credit Union supervisory committee.

Plonsky was born in Pittsburgh and raised in both Greensburg, Penn. and northeast Ohio. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1979 at Kent State University.

 Video

2013.02.08

The Role of Energy Innovation and Investment in Driving the Economy
Rex Tillerson is a native of Wichita Falls, Texas, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1975 as a production engineer.

In 1989, he became general manager of EUSA's Central Production Division, responsible for oil and gas production operations throughout a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. In 1992, Mr. Tillerson was named production advisor to Exxon Corporation. Three years later he was named president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc., and in January 1998 became vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc. and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited. He was responsible for Exxon's holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea as well as the Sakhalin I Consortium operations offshore Sakhalin Island, Russia.

In December 1999, he became executive vice president of ExxonMobil Development Company. Mr. Tillerson was named senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation in August 2001, and was elected president of the corporation and member of the board of directors on March 1, 2004. He assumed his current position Jan. 1, 2006.

Mr. Tillerson is a member of the Executive Committee and is a former chairman of the American Petroleum Institute. He is also a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is a member of the National Petroleum Council, a member of the Business Roundtable, an honorary trustee of the Business Council for International Understanding and a member of the Emergency Committee for American Trade.

Mr. Tillerson is the vice-Chairman of the Ford's Theatre Society, immediate past national president of the Boy Scouts of America and a former director of the United Negro College Fund. He is also a member of the Chancellor's Council and the Engineering Advisory Board for The University of Texas at Austin and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

 Video

2013.02.08

Big Data and Data Analytics: How Companies Use Data to Solve Business Problems
Michael Hasler is a fellow in the Supply Chain Management Center of Excellence, lecturer in the Information, Risk and Operations Management department and the director for the Master of Science program in Business Analytics. He received his B.S.M.E. from the General Motors Institute (Kettering University), M.S. and MBA from the University of Virginia and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.

The bulk of his professional experience was in supply chain management and operations  for the auto industry. He moved to high technology in the semiconductor equipment industry with Applied Materials where he helped launch their supply chain management activity, and led operations for a $1 billion division. He was the head of global materials operations before leaving in 2003.

 Video

2013.02.08

Trillion Dollar Platinum Coins, Currency Wars and Other "Modern" Ways to Produce Inflation
Lewis Spellman is a professor in the Finance Department at the McCombs School of Business. He received his B.B.A. and MBA from the University of Michigan and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. His research interests include the value of third party financial guarantees, market estimates of bank risk, bank survival and banking development. His teaching interests include debt, equity, foreign exchange price trends, market intervention by governments and macroeconomics and business conditions.

 Video

2013.01.09

Advocacy: How to Get People to Buy Your Ideas
Good ideas never sell themselves. The only way any idea sees the light of day is by effective advocacy by its proponents. - Dr. John Daly

Join Dr. John Daly, author of "Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others," as he shares his thoughts on transforming ideas into practice.

Dr. John Daly has published more than 100 scholarly articles, produced five books and made numerous conference presentations. He has served as editor of two academic journals, the president of the National Communication Association, and the president of the Council of Communication Associations. He has been on the Board of Directors of the International Customer Service Association and the International Communication Association.

Daly has worked with more than 300 companies and public agencies worldwide on topics related to communication, influence and customer loyalty. In recent years, he has worked with corporations like American Airlines, EDS, IBM, Trammell Crow, Marriott, Roche, Merck, TI and Merrill Lynch, as well as governmental units such as the White House, Department of the Army, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Interior and many others.

 Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2012.12.11

Outsourcing: Promise Versus Reality
With increased global connectivity, firms continue to unbundle their value chain activities and rely on global resources for business processes and other inputs. Some firms have gained from global sourcing, but most find the reality different from the promise. Why do some firms benefit while others fail to achieve desired results? This presentation seeks to address why different firms experience different results in global sourcing.

Dr. Prabhudev Konana is the chairman of the Department of Information, Risk and Operations Management. He is a William H. Seay Centennial Professor of Information Management and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He has an MBA and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

We are unable to post slides of this presentation.

 Webinar Recording

2012.11.13

Insights from the UT Energy Poll
Energy touches most aspects of our lives. Access and affordability of energy plays a critical role in a nation’s quality of life. How we produce and use energy also affects our environment. The University of Texas at Austin's Energy Poll was launched because we recognized the need for a regular, nonpartisan and authoritative look at public opinion on energy. This groundbreaking public opinion poll measures and reports biannually on consumer opinions and attitudes toward energy consumption, pricing, development and regulation. The results provide a source to inform and guide discussion, business planning and policy development.

Sheril Kirshenbaum is the director of The Energy Poll and works to enhance public understanding of energy issues and improve communication between scientists, policymakers and the public. She is the author of two popular science books and regularly contributes to magazines and academic journals. Sheril is a 2012 Marshall Memorial Fellow, a Next Generation Project Texas Fellow and has served as a legislative Knauss Science Fellow in 2006 on Capitol Hill with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) where she was involved in energy, climate and ocean policy.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2012.11.07

McCombs Today: A Prospective Student Overview with Charles Enriquez
The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin cordially invites you to find out more about admissions,  opportunities and resources available in our top-ranked program.

Charles Enriquez is an assistant director in the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, and oversees recruitment and scholarships for the McCombs Undergraduate Program. Charles has worked at the McCombs School of Business since 2005, recruits top talent to the program and administers the undergraduate scholarship program. Prior to his time with McCombs, he worked in the Office of Admissions for five years where he served as an admissions counselor reading applications and visiting with students and families regarding admission to the university.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2012.10.02

Live Webcast of "The Economy in 2013 - Now What?" Texas Enterprise Speaker Series with Dean Tom Gilligan
Will there be budget deficits and a double-dip recession? Or will we see Europe resolve their financial challenges, the Dow consistently over 13,000 and profits rise across Texas? One thing is for sure, there'll be an election in November, and that too, will likely change the economic landscape.

As you work on those revenue and expense numbers for your 2013 budget, you have to wonder what the environment will look like for investing, growth and expansion – within Texas and around the world. Come listen as economist and Dean of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, Tom Gilligan, Ph.D., shares the view from 30,000 feet, along with experts from some of the most active industries in the Texas economy, including health care, energy, and technology.

We are unable to post a recording of this webcast. 

2012.09.06

Retirement: The Future is Not What It Used to Be
Join Professor Laura Starks for a discussion on how retirement investing has changed. Research provides evidence on the decisions individuals and institutions are making regarding the sources and uses of retirement funds, including choices regarding investment vehicles, asset allocation, payout methods and the psychology behind these choices. There is also evidence on the consequences and potential consequences of those decisions for financial markets.

We are unable to post a recording of this webinar.

 Presentation Slides

How to Capture Innovative Ideas (from Your Employees)
The pursuit and capture of innovation is challenging to say the least.  Employees must be invested enough to spend the time and effort to contribute their ideas.  There are no guarantees that anything will be done once employees give their suggestions.  Once an organization develops a way to solicit employee ideas, executives may find it challenging to sift through them all, arrive at a set of agreeable strategic actions, and convince the many constituencies to buy in.  Selecting the most-feasible ideas to implement and align stakeholder commitment is similarly daunting for senior leaders. This webinar focuses on how organizations can foster an environment that encourages employees to speak up with ideas and develop a process for evaluating and prioritizing ideas once they are on the table.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

2012.07.17

Greece, the Euro-Zone and America's Future
Join Professor John Doggett in a lively discussion on what is happening “behind the headlines” in Greece, and what he predicts for the Euro-Zone. How will it affect America’s economy? What are the long-term impacts for economic growth and development globally? Learn from our own global expert on what the fallout will be, and how to prepare your own business.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Dean Tom Gilligan 

Ed Tonkon, BBA '78

Our Turn Campaign: Giving to Ensure the Prestige of Our Degrees
In this webinar, Dean Tom Gilligan joins alumnus Ed Tonkon, a McCombs ambassador for the Our Turn Campaign, to discuss the steps being taken to double the alumni giving rate to 10% over the next three years. While our McCombs School of Business has attained several top performance rankings, lower-ranked schools like SMU, Texas A&M (and even OU) at least double our rate  of alumni giving of only 5 percent. When alumni give back it helps McCombs, which in turns helps keep each prestigious degree preserved. It also helps keep alumni informed on the latest events, activities and development going on with McCombs and its alumni.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

An Economic Outlook and McCombs School Update
 This webinar provides updates on the latest initiatives, programs and departments at McCombs. Dean Tom Gilligan offers an economic forecast, and touches on topics like GDP growth and unemployment, and looks at UT and McCombs’ financial picture in relation to the latest Texas Legislative session.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Numbers All Americans Should Know
This presentation focuses on many of the fiscal and economic numbers that you should be familiar with in order to participate in the political and economic discussions that will continue to take place well into the foreseeable future. We'll discuss debt, social security, health care, disability insurance, employment and other issues.

We are unable to post a recording of this webinar. For more information and updates from Sandy Leeds, visit his blog at www.leedsonfinance.com or view this list of recommended resources from his presentation.

Crisis Management and the Psychology of Blame
A critical issue companies face during a crisis is whether they will be blamed by the public, even when it is not clear how the crisis occurred. Will people blame the company, despite the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the crisis? How does the public assess blame during a crisis? This webinar discusses the factors influencing the assessment of blame during a crisis, a topic that Daniel Laufer has been researching over the past 10 years since receiving his Ph.D. from McCombs in 2002.

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"Money, Power, Politics and Ambition: The Texas Way"
In Dr. Cunningham's keynote address at the 7th Annual Alumni Business Conference, he discussed some of the more interesting and controversial events that took place during the period he was President of The University of Texas at Austin and Chancellor of The University of Texas System. These ranged from the creation of the Big 12 to his relationship with four Governors and the Texas Legislature. Video coming soon.

Advocacy
"Good ideas never sell themselves. The only way any idea sees the light of day is by effective advocacy by its proponents." Professor Daly just released his new book "Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others" and shared thoughts on how to transform ideas into practice. Video coming soon.

 Presentation Slides

Case Studies in Ethics
Paula Murray discussed "Hot Topic in Business" and presented two cases related to ethics at the 7th Annual McCombs Alumni Business Conference. Video coming soon.

“How Do We Solve the US Fiscal Crisis?”
Is the federal government’s fiscal health as bad as conventional wisdom says it is? Or is it even worse? Using actual data from the federal government’s audited financial statements, Professor Michael Granof will attempt to answer those questions. He will tie the federal government’s fiscal condition to that of state and local governments to present a more complete picture of the challenges that we, as citizens and taxpayers,  currently face. Video coming soon.

Presentation Slides

Findings from the UT Energy Poll
UT's new groundbreaking public opinion poll measures and reports biannually (October and April) on consumer opinions and attitudes toward energy consumption, pricing, development and regulation. The Energy Poll results provide an impartial and authoritative source of public perspectives on energy in order to inform and guide discussion, business planning and policy development.  The University of Texas at Austin's Energy Management and Innovation Center, a research center within the McCombs School of Business, and the McCombs Department of Marketing developed the Energy Poll to provide objective, scientifically valid and practical data on consumer attitudes and perspectives on energy issues, tracked over time. The survey was rigorously developed and tested by academic and research experts. To ensure its usefulness and impartiality, the university also solicited input from parties across the energy spectrum, including non-governmental agencies, consultants, a large energy user, energy producers, and an academic advisory panel. Video coming soon.

Presentation Slides 

Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship and Why It Matters to Everyone
Kevin Williams develops and teaches graduate courses at the McCombs School, where he's received several awards for teaching. He also taught at the McCoy College of Business Administration, Texas State University, San Marcos. Williams was a Venture Partner with ARCH Venture Partners from 1999-2005, where he was involved in seed and early-stage technology investing.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides.

Is a Sovereign Default an Earth-Shaking Experience?
A sovereign default, or even a near default, can have earth-shaking consequences to income levels, wealth redistribution, institutions and governmental structures. The developments in Europe have the power to change most everything we're accustomed to. The European situation will be reviewed, and some general conclusions will be drawn.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Open Innovation and Technology Transfer, Sustaining the Firm for the Future
In this webinar, Professor John Sibley Butler will investigate the relationship between laboratory science, the commercialization of laboratory science and the competitive strategy of the firm.

Butler is professor of management and sociology and is the director of the IC² Institute and Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business. IC² is an interdisciplinary research unit with 18 endowed fellows and over 280 fellows worldwide. Butler’s research areas are organizational science, with special emphasis on military and entrepreneurial organizations.

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Motivating Employees: Beyond Carrots and Sticks
This presentation explores academic theories of motivation within the context of three key themes: (1) motivation requires a relationship, (2) true change and learning comes from inside a person and (3) a change of behavior is as much emotional as it is intellectual. In addition to an overview of theoretical knowledge, the presentation will provide applicable guidelines and examples to help you understand how to improve productivity and morale in your workplace.

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Organizational Corruption and Control
Organizational corruption is illegal or unethical (by societal standards) action taken by organizational members, through their organizational positions or with organizational resources. This webinar examines the drivers of corruption and the tools and techniques that have been developed for organizations to control corruption and build ethical organizational cultures.

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Capital and the Investor's Perspective
This session provides participants with a crash-course in capital for new businesses, including:

• The fundamental knowledge base of what investors look for
• Investment patterns in clean energy
• Identifying sources of capital for network-centric energy
• New funding sources and strategies

Kirk Coburn is an entrepreneur and start-up advocate that founded three companies through idea creation, market validation, team building, fund raising, company launch, operational execution and successful acquisition. 

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Influence and Problem Solving
Dr. Gaylen Paulson is associate dean and director for Executive Education at the McCombs School. He is also a Senior Lecturer for the Management Department. His research and teaching are focused on the strategic aspects of interacting with people, including negotiation, conflict management, persuasion and interpersonal communication.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Update on the Private Capital Market
Professor Nolen will give an update on the current state of the private capital markets, including capital availability for privately owned businesses, venture capital and private equity activity and middle market M&A activity. Recent and pending IPOs by LinkedIn, Groupon and Facebook will be discussed on whether these high profile VC exits will revive the IPO market in the US or lead to another tech bubble.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Challenges of Ethical Leadership 
The ethical behavior of an organization is largely dictated by its ethical climate. The leaders of an organization are the most significant contributors to its ethical climate. Leaders face unique ethical challenges by simply being leaders. This webinar will addresses those challenges.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Economic and McCombs Update
In addition to providing updates on the latest initiatives, programs and departments at McCombs, Dean Tom Gilligan offers an economic forecast, touches upon on topics like GDP growth and unemployment, and looks at UT and McCombs’ financial picture in relation to the latest Texas Legislative session.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Texas Venture Labs
Continuing the discussion from his webinar in November, Dr. Rob Adams covers the newly formed Texas Venture Labs, a cross-campus initiative centered around innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship. Venture Labs provides direct links to the entrepreneurial, business, technology and legal resources available both on the campus and in the Texas entrepreneurial eco-system.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Sustainability of Government Spending
Is the federal government’s fiscal health as bad as conventional wisdom says it is? Or is it even worse? Using actual data from the federal government’s audited financial statements, Professor Michael Granof attempts to answer those questions. He ties the federal government’s fiscal condition to that of state and local governments to present a more complete picture of the challenges that we, as citizens and taxpayers, currently face.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Keynote Presentation: 6th Annual McCombs Alumni Business Conference
I. Jon Brumley has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He was chairman of the Texas State Board of Education and he's been active in educational causes and oversight since 1980. He has a BBA degree from McCombs and an MBA degree from Wharton.

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Making a Difference in a Second Career: Planning and Results at McCombs
Lamar Johnson discussed "Hot Topic in Business" related to career changes at the Sixth Annual McCombs Alumni Business Conference.

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Energy at McCombs
Professor Spence discussed "Hot Topic in Business" related to energy at the Sixth Annual McCombs Alumni Business Conference.

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Marketing UT Athletics
In 1996, The University of Texas at Austin’s athletics programs languished in the Southwest Conference with an unimpressive record, coaching turnover and a $21 million budget. The Texas Athletics rise of  to national powerhouse with $143.6 million in revenue is a story of focus, innovation and branding, with lessons for every enterprise. Ben Bentzin, lecturer in the Department of Marketing and CEO of an Austin technology startup was formerly a marketing executive with Dell Inc.

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Business Ethics
Professor Cox discusses the “creed of greed” based on the concept of “economic man” and its progeny: “rational choice theory” and “game theory.” He uses sports as a metaphor for business and its regulation. Cox is the La Quinta Motor Inns Centennial Professor in Business and professor in the Department of Marketing. He received his B.A. (1965) and MBA (1966) from Michigan State University and his DBA (1973) from Indiana University.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Rob Adams
Senior Lecturer,
Director of Texas Venture Labs

Market Validation and Texas Venture Labs
The November Knowledge To Go (KTG) webinar features Rob Adams on market validation and the newly-formed Texas Venture Labs. Texas Venture Labs is a cross-campus initiative centered around innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship. Market validation is a technique core to making new products successful in the market, and it's the framework for some of the successful acquisitions that have come through Texas Venture Labs.

Webinar Recording Slides: Part 1 Slides: Part 2

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Real Estate Outlook
What started out as a subprime crisis led to a financial crisis, which in turn impacted the entire macroeconomy. The resulting recession led to a standstill in real estate activity and a drop in values. Now many worry that commercial real estate represents the “next shoe to drop” (or that has already dropped). In this September KTG webinar Professor Hartzell discusses current conditions in the real estate markets, how we got to this point, and the outlook for the future.

Webinar Recording                                         

Challenges & Successes with Marketing Sustainability
Walmart believes that customers shouldn’t have to choose between products they can afford and products that are good for their family and the planet.  That’s why sustainability is embedded deep into the DNA of Walmart's brand and business. While not an easy thing to do, it’s the right thing to do, and sustainability is one of the ways Walmart is able to deliver low prices.  Through their scale, they have the ability to bring affordability to more sustainable products, and influence our suppliers and their suppliers to look at the way they do business and how their practices impact the environment. Ultimately, the customer wins with lower prices and higher quality products, all while reducing the impact on the communities.  Tony Rogers, SVP of marketing, explains Walmart's responsibility and challenge to bring greater transparency to customers, allowing them to make more informed purchasing choices.

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Building Your Company Culture
Marcie Zlotnik has more than seven years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to co-founding StarTex Power in 2004, she served as President and Director of Gexa Energy, a retail electricity provider Zlotnik co-founded in 2001. StarTex Power has received the J.D. Powers award for Residential electricity in Texas, Houston Business Journal Top 10 Best Places to Work and #30 Fastest growing Private Business in US. How does one company satisfy its customers, employees and shareholders? Corporate culture plays a significant role in StarTex Power’s success.

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8 Keys to Building Lasting Enterprises
Gary Hoover, entrepreneur-in-residence at McCombs’ Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, has spent a lifetime studying business and entrepreneurship and has started four companies himself, including Bookstop and Hoovers. In this webinar, he speaks to the eight keys to building lasting, successful enterprises, giving vivid examples along the way, beginning with the importance of a robust curiosity.

Presentation Slides

School Update & Economic Outlook
This webinar provides updates on the latest initiatives, programs and departments at McCombs, Dean Gilligan offers an economic forecast, and touches on topics like GDP growth and unemployment.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Global Trade Outlook
We are in the eye of a hurricane in global trade unlike anything anyone has seen in recent history. Andy Grove calls this time a strategic inflection point, “a time in the life of a business [or country] when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end,” (Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive). Our rules of thumb and assumptions are no longer valid, and countries we hadn’t considered to be competitors in the past are emerging ahead of the US. Listen and learn as Professor Doggett examines recent global trends and zeroes in on the future global economy as impacted by recent Chinese economic growth.

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Corporate Culture
How does one company satisfy it’s customers, employees and shareholders? Marcie Zlotnik, BBA ’83 and chairman and CEO of StarTex Power, answers these important questions. Zlotnik has more than seven years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to co-founding StarTex Power in 2004, she served as President and Director of Gexa Energy, a retail electricity provider Zlotnik co-founded in 2001. StarTex Power has received J.D. Power awards for electricity in Texas, Houston Business Journal Top 10 Best Places to Work and #30 Fastest Growing Private Business in US.

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Texas Venture Labs & Innovation Using Market Validation 
Rob Adams, lecturer, director of Venture Labs and Moot Corp, and IC2 Fellow covers the recent formation of Venture Labs, a cross-campus University of Texas at Austin program designed to increase innovation, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship for students and faculty. He reviews the process behind Venture Labs successful skunk-works format that has been used for the last five years to successfully identify, raise financing, and launch multiple student ventures. Rob also shares his insight on market validation, the primary business technique used to identify promising market opportunities in teaching entrepreneurship.

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Texas Athletics
In 1996 The University of Texas athletics programs languished in the Southwest Conference with an unimpressive record, coaching turnover and a $21 million budget. How Texas Athletics became a $138 million national powerhouse in 10 years is a story of focus, innovation and branding, with lessons for every enterprise. Ben Bentzin, lecturer in the department of marketing, formerly served as Director of Ballet Austin and was the CEO of World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2006 and Director of Marketing at Dell, Inc.

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The New CIA: China, India & America
Senior Lecturer, Department of Management, John Doggett's research and teaching interests include international entrepreneurship, global competition and sustainability and energy. He teaches summer and winter courses on entrepreneurship and global competition in Austria, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. In this presentation, Doggett examines global trends and growth particularly in regards to Brazil, Russia, India, China and America.

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Energy Issues & the Groundbreaking Research Being Conducted at the University's New Energy Institute
Ray Orbach, director of the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, sheds light on the groundbreaking research being conducted at the University's new energy institute and potential solutions to critical energy issues affecting our country.
Prior to his directorship, Orbach was the U.S. Department of Energy's first undersecretary for science. Orbach sees the Energy Institute as a unifying collaborator to help The University of Texas at Austin mobilize its faculty and academic resources, as well as talent from other institutions in The University of Texas System.

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Social Media--Is It Good for Business?
Social Media is a phenomenon that has been talked about, debated, and complicated for a variety of reasons. Listen to Sean McDonald, BBA ’86 & MBA ’95, in this March 9 Knowledge To Go webinar where he shares observations of how social media can transform business (yes, small business too).

Recording: Part 1 Recording: Part 2 Presentation Slides

Venture Capital & Private Equity--Past, Present & Future
Steve Dow, partner at Sevin Rosin Funds in Dallas, told the New York Times in 2006 that “the VC model is broken.” A recent survey from executive search firm Polachi Inc. polled more than 100 venture capital executives, 70 percent of whom were partners or managing partners. It found that a majority, 53 percent of respondents, indicated the venture capital industry is “broken.” Will the current funding gap affect the US’ ability to develop new technologies and create new jobs? What will be the next "big thing" or growth driver in the next decade? This presentation discusses the golden years of private equity, the current environment and what the future holds for this industry and entrepreneurial activity.

Webinar Recording Presentation Slides

Is America in Moral Decline?
Marketing Professor Eli Cox speaks on whether America is in moral decline. He believes it is, and he's writing a book about it. In his lecture to alumni, Dr. Cox reviews several relevant resource books. He explains the economic concept of marginal utility in depth, and its effect on quality of life. Dr. Cox argues that there is a point of satiation for most individuals where marginal utility begins to decline. For some individuals, no amount of money is enough and that's when aberrant behavior kicks in.

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The Subprime Crisis: Who Is To Blame?
Professor Leeds, senior finance lecturer at McCombs School of Business, reviews a myriad of entities to blame for the subprime crisis, among them homebuyers, mortgage brokers, bankers, the Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and the Security Exchange Commission.

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