McCombs School of Business
     

Briefs

Focus on Executive Education

Focus is McCombs Executive Education’s new series of one-day executive development programs. “The programs pay close attention to the kind of critical, day-to-day business issues that are challenging for managers and executives,” says Chantal Delys, assistant dean for Executive Education.

Creating new executive development open programs is a complex process, and the first and most critical step is choosing the right topics. While some topics are always in demand, such as the fundamentals of accounting and finance, others have a “shelf life” because they develop in response to a major business event. The interest in programs about corporate governance is a good example: it has become a hot topic in the wake of scandals at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and other companies.

Moreover, there is a great need for programs that give people the kind of in-depth education that goes beyond frameworks and theories. What people want are those new skills that will enable them to stand out and lead in today’s knowledge-based economy, Delys says. The high expectations for executive development programs match the high stakes: people’s careers and organizations.

For information about all of Executive Education's 2004 programs please visit our website at www.mccombs.utexas.edu/execed or call (800) 409-3932.

McCombs Taps Future Minority Businesspeople

The McCombs School launches a weeklong summer program this year called The Academy. The program is an opportunity to encourage minority high school students to consider business as a career. The 40 selected outstanding Hispanic and African-American students from high schools across Texas will attend business sessions taught by professors and professionals, as well as live in residence halls and experience UT life. Participating companies will play an integral role in The Academy by providing financial support and interacting with the students.

McCombs Leads Discussion of Corporate Governance

McCombs accounting, finance, and management researchers joined their faculty colleagues from the University of Michigan, the University of
North Carolina, Stanford, Stern, Wharton, Yale and six other schools April 16 and 17 for an interdisciplinary corporate governance conference at the McCombs School.

“This was one of the first times that the subject of corporate governance has been approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective,” said George Gau, dean of the McCombs School. “Experts from such diverse academic disciplines joined in a common discussion on the issue, and we’d like to take a research leadership role in such an approach to this important subject.”

Son Follows Father’s Footsteps on Campus

Adam Blum, a Business Honors student at the McCombs School who is also pursuing a masters degree in professional accounting, is following in his father’s footsteps. Adam has been named one of 12 Cactus Yearbook Outstanding Students for 2004. Adam’s dad, Marvin Blum of Fort Worth, received his accounting degree from UT in 1975 and law degree from UT in 1978. Marvin was also named a Cactus Yearbook Outstanding Student during his days at UT.

The Outstanding Student designation is awarded for outstanding scholarship, leadership and contribution to UT, and is generally recognized as UT’s highest student honor.

Moreover, Adam was recognized by UT’s President Faulkner as a Distinguished Scholar for his perfect GPA, again tracking his dad’s footsteps as a 4.0 accounting graduate.

New Behavioral Lab to Support Research in All Disciplines

McCombs researchers who study how people and organizations function are taking advantage of a new state-of-the-art behavioral laboratory that opened its doors in February 2004.

“It’s quite a step up from the old lab,” says marketing professor Linda Golden, who heads the college-wide behavioral lab committee. “The technology will make it ideal for many diverse types of research.” The lab offers a group process room with freely arrangeable furniture, computer and video projection, video and sound recording capability, and a two-way mirror. The separate computer room has twelve PC workstations with microphones and headphones that can be monitored automatically or manually, individually or in groups.

Studies by faculty members and doctoral students in almost all business disciplines will take full advantage of the technology, from an accounting experiment involving market trading to a management study on how individuals exchange information when they work on cooperative tasks.
Professor Raj Raghunathan was one of the first to use the new lab in his marketing study about how a discount, coupon or sale sign affects consumer behavior. MSIS professor Jay Koehler and co-researcher Molly Mercer (accounting, Emory University), anticipate using the lab when they study peoples’ intuitions about the returns and distributions of IPOs.

For now, use of the lab is restricted to McCombs faculty and doctoral students; in the coming months it will be made available to departments across campus. For more information, please visit the behavioral laboratory website at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/labs/behavioral/.

For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
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