Texas Exes Honor Academic Advisor at McCombs
Five academic advisors who have had an effective, positive influence on the educational experience of students, including Brent Winkelman from McCombs, have been selected to be honored with the Texas Exes’ James W. Vick Award for Academic Advising. The ceremony will be held in the Alumni Center March 7. These unique awards are student nominated and student selected. Each recipient will receive a certificate and a check for $500 funded through the President’s Office. “Academic advisors are college students’ friends, family, counselors and mentors,” said Khushboo Bansal, chair of the student selection committee. “All the recipients this year are exceptional candidates that clearly go above and beyond the call of duty to help serve their students.”

Plus Program Examines Business Climate in Brazil
Why is Brazil’s economy not growing like India’s and China’s? This question is frequently posed to Jiro Takahashi, MBA ’08, who exemplifies Brazil’s diversity with his Japanese surname and Portuguese accent. “The answer is that the tax structure gives incentives for companies to not grow too big,” Takahashi said at the MBA Plus Program’s Feb. 22 talk entitled “Averting International Business Disasters in Brazil.” The session was the third in a five-part Business Across Borders Series aimed at helping MBA students succeed in the sometimes-confusing world of international business.
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Hermes Helps Welcome Next Generation of McCombs Students at Explore UT

In the News: Wal-Mart Protest Follows Uncommon Pattern
Houston Chronicle, March 5, 2007
Wal-Mart is once again the object of protest, but not for the usual reasons. Residents of Seguin, Texas, are protesting the retailing giant’s decision to replace its fabric section with “celebration centers” featuring party supplies. Because of the dearth of fabric stores in such a small town, the absence of Wal-Mart’s fabric center means residents won’t have a local source for fabrics. “In an open market, if Wal-Mart exits, then somebody else ought to be able to come in and take care of it,” said Mark Alpert, marketing professor. “In a way, there’s an irony here. The same people who criticize Wal-Mart for driving out small business are now saying, ‘Darn it, now you’ve got to keep providing this stuff.’ It's actually an opportunity for small business.”
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Hicks, Owner of Rangers and Stars, Turned Passion Into Profession
By Chantelle Wallace
Don’t worry about your first job because it won’t be your last, advised Tom Hicks, chairman and CEO of Hicks Holdings, at his Feb. 27 VIP Distinguished Speaker Series talk. “Be sure you do something where you have fun.” As owner of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, Hicks, an avid sports fan, definitely has fun. He also follows another piece of his own advice—“pick an area of business that excites you”—when speaking of his focus on leveraged buyouts (LBOs).
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Undergraduates Design Innovative IT System to Conserve Water in Austin
By Paul Tilton
With water becoming an increasingly sparse resource in Central Texas, innovative and financially viable business solutions are needed to reduce water consumption in Austin. On Feb. 23 and 24, 12 teams of business students tackled this challenge in the BizIT Case Competition sponsored by the Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management and supported by Accenture, Citigroup, ConocoPhillips, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Shell, USAA and Wal-Mart.
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In the News: India Might Soon Be Sweeter
The Patriot News (PA), March 1, 2007
The Hershey Co. may acquire a majority stake in an India’s Godrej Beverages & Foods Ltd., which makes tea and confectionery products. The unconfirmed reports follow Hershey’s desire for growth in emerging markets. India has proven its sweet tooth with the success of Nestlé, according to Vijay Mahajan, marketing professor, who added that India’s growing economy and youthful population represent an excellent market for candy makers. “Sweet products are not unusual for the Indian population,” he said. “Nestlé is already there. Nestlé has been there for many, many, many years. So the chocolate is not unusual.”
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In the News: New Austin Buyout Fund Looks to Invest in Smaller Companies
Austin American-Statesman, March 2, 2007
At a time when all eyes are on gargantuan private equity funds and deals, a new Austin-based buyout firm is going to play small ball. After more than two years of pounding the pavement for money, the Southwest Opportunity Fund is expected to close its first round of investment—$108 million—by mid-March. Southwest Opportunity’s size can work for it, said Jim Nolen, senior finance lecturer. Southwest Opportunity plans to invest in small to midsize companies, a market Nolen said “has gotten left behind” in the buyout frenzy. “The big funds keep raising bigger and bigger funds, and that forces them to do bigger and bigger deals. That means someone is not looking at the middle market and some opportunities there.”
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Congrats to...Us!
McCombs leads the ranks again. The McCombs School’s staff holiday party was one of the Capital Area Food Bank’s top 50 donation events in 2006. The generous monetary and canned-food donations provided 14,841 meals to hungry Austinites.
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McCombs School Job Postings:

• Senior Placement Representative, Undergraduate Programs Office
• Assistant to the Dean, Dean's Office
• Systems Analyst, Computer Services
• Development Associate, Office of Resource Development

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