Owen in the News

Innovative entrepreneurs find support in Nashville

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:12:21 +0000

Owen Graduate School of Management editor Ryan Underwood begins his first in a series of business columns by examining the climate of entrepreneurship in Nashville.

States seek currencies made of silver and gold

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:16:03 +0000

Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, lawmakers from 13 states, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia, are seeking approval from their state governments to either issue their own alternative currency or explore it as an option. David Parsley, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Economics and Finance, is quoted.

Three keys to a killer Super Bowl ad

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:14:19 +0000

Super Bowl weekend is here. For some, Sunday is all about the game. For others, the ads take center stage. For the latter, here are three keys to making a killer spot. Jennifer Escalas, associate professor of marketing, is quoted here and featured in a related story in Science Daily:

States seek currencies made of silver and gold

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:09:06 +0000

Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, lawmakers from 13 states, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia, are seeking approval from their state governments to either issue their own alternative currency or explore it as an option. Just three years ago, only three states had similar proposals in place. David Parsley, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Economics and Finance, is quoted.

The most annoying, pretentious and useless business jargon

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:20:48 +0000

Bruce Barry, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management, is quoted in a recent article about clichés and jargon used all too frequently in the business world. Barry’s comments were later referenced in the online edition of the Library Journal: .

Business schools welcome students' partners, spouses

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:27:05 +0000

Many business schools offer clubs or groups for student’s spouses and partners, including the Owen Graduate School of Management.

MBA electives offer hands-on learning

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:29:11 +0000

Business school electives have taken a turn for the creative, tackling everything from New York City’s problems to health care to humanitarian relief. In the Fundamentals of Quality Improvement in Health Care elective, students from the Owen Graduate School of Management join nursing and medical students to focus on process improvements at the university’s hospital.

Companies can foster or destroy innovation

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:02:35 +0000

David Owens, clinical professor of management and innovation, says business and other leaders need to understand exactly which constraints work against them in order to help create conditions that foster innovation rather than kill creativity.

How to steady your portfolio

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:05:32 +0000

There is one way to steady a stock portfolio without unloading shares: an options strategy known as “covered calls.” The idea is to collect extra income now in exchange for giving up potential gains later. Bob Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Finance, is quoted.

Harvard B-school lands on top once again

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:39:20 +0000

The Owen Graduate School of Management rose three places to 25th this year on a new ranking by . Harvard took the top spot for the second year. The list is a composite of the five major MBA rankings published by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Economist, The Financial Times, Forbes, and U.S. News & World Report.

How the health care 'mandate' perverts the economics of insurance

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:43:58 +0000

Insurance is not a wealth redistribution tool in which good risks cover the bad ones to ensure that everyone pays the same rate, writes Larry Van Horn, director of the health care MBA program at the Owen Graduate School of Management.

More scared of innovation than you'll ever admit

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:16:12 +0000

The Artist, a film about an early movie star having difficulty navigating the transition from silent movies to “talkies,” is a cautionary tale about not embracing innovation. Although the film is set 80 years in the past, the challenges many companies face today are not very different. David Owens, professor of the practice of management and author of , is quoted.

Dodd-Frank foes beating path to courthouse door

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:17:41 +0000

Opponents of Dodd-Frank financial regulations law have been emboldened by a circuit court ruling that faulted the SEC for failing to determine the full costs of implementing the law. The SEC responded to the ruling by bulking up its Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation, a sort of in-house think tank created in 2009 that examines the economic impact of rules. The appointment of Craig Lewis, Madison S. Wigginton Chair of Management, to lead the division is mentioned.

Who's on board?

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:15:50 +0000

The role of the corporate board of directors has evolved to include increased responsibilities to oversee company audits, pay packages and other key financial matters that get the most scrutiny from Wall Street, federal regulators and the investing public. All the extra attention—plus competition for top-flight talent on corporate boards—has raised directors’ compensation, making the once-ceremonial job of being on a public company’s board a higher-risk but high reward part-time job. James Bradford, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, serves on many boards and is mentioned.

Forget preventive health care: Let them eat vegetables

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:14:08 +0000

The 2010 health care reform law mandates free preventive-care coverage. This approach is ignorant and irrational. It ignores the fact that preventive services are a minor contributor to the overall health of a population. In reality, lifestyle and genetics are far more important. Free vegetables would be a better investment, writes Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and director of the health care MBA program.

Rejected: Foreign MBA applicants face major hurdles

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:11:24 +0000

MBA applicants from India and China face significantly higher rates of rejection by many top U.S. business schools than either domestic candidates or those from Europe or Latin America, according to a new study by Poets & Quants. John Roeder, admissions director for Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Business, is quoted.

Colleges scramble to fill skills gaps

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:19:34 +0000

There are millions of unfilled jobs in the U.S., despite the country’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and many will remain because there aren’t enough candidates with the right education and training to fill them. Colleges and universities in Middle Tennessee are trying to address the skills gap by adding new programs and degrees and expanding curricula. The Owen Graduate School of Management’s new master’s of accountancy and Americas MBA are mentioned. James Bradford, dean of the Owen school, is quoted.

Academic Minute: Fourth downs and business decisions

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:56:26 +0000

In today’s Academic Minute, Rangaraj Ramanujam, associate professor of management, uses fourth down plays to explain why and when businesses choose to go for it. ()

Corzine lived up to risk-taking reputation

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:59:29 +0000

In his 24-year career at Goldman Sachs, Jon Corzine made a name for himself as an intrepid trader who pushed the limits of risk. So it makes sense that when Corzine, after almost a decade as a U.S. senator and governor, was named chairman and chief executive officer of MF Global Holdings in March 2010, his plan for expanding the futures and commodities trader involved taking more risk. Less than 20 months later, the company is bankrupt, days after posting a $192 million quarterly loss and disclosing $6.3 billion in bets on European government bonds. Hans Stoll, Walker Professor of Finance and director of the Financial Markets Research Center at Vanderbilt, is quoted here and in a related story for Bloomberg: .

Lack of MF global controls exposed by missing money

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:01:32 +0000

MF Global Holdings Ltd.’s bankruptcy, the eighth largest in U.S. history, is exposing a lack of internal controls that may have prevented a last-minute rescue of Jon Corzine’s futures broker. Hans Stoll, Walker Professor of Finance and director of the Financial Markets Research Center at Vanderbilt, is quoted.

Doctors may forfeit fees over medical errors

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:05:58 +0000

Hospitals and doctors that make mistakes now face tougher sanctions. Two years ago, Medicare began refusing to pay doctors and hospitals if the wrong procedure was used or medical missteps led to unnecessary complications. Now, many private insurers and the state’s TennCare Medicaid program are following suit. Timothy Vogus, assistant professor of management and organization studies, and Jim Jirjis, assistant professor of medicine and chief medical information officer for outpatient services, are quoted.

Rationing hospital care may be the only way to keep Medicaid intact

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:18:28 +0000

Capping Medicare hospital benefits is rationing. Unfortunately, it appears to be necessary since there is such a disconnect between our country’s desire to consume services and our inability to fund them through taxes. I am hopeful that this will usher in a more pragmatic approach to paying for health care with public dollars, writes Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and faculty director of the Healthcare MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management.

Logic (and basic economics) prevail as the CLASS Act unravels

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management, blogs about the repeal earlier this month of the CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Support) that was originally passed in 2010 as part of the health care reform act.

Guns-in-bars gets a reality check

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:58:05 +0000

Proponents of Tennessee’s new guns-allowed-in-bars law explained that gun-permit holders were responsible citizens. They would never break the law by drinking in bars and restaurants while carrying their guns.

State Rep. Curry Todd just proved that this simple idea is wrong. Police reported that he was driving drunk, with a loaded handgun.

Even the most responsible gun owner will at times be tempted to drink while packing, even though they know it is illegal. And once they get a few drinks under their belt, permit holders, just like other human beings, do stupid things. That is why most Tennesseans — including many gun owners — think it is foolish to allow guns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

Ray Friedman, president of Gun Free Dining Tennessee and Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management is quoted.

Corporate audit fees up? Beware of trouble ahead

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:23:13 +0000

Elevated audit fees can be a red flag of problems to come for a company, say three recent academic studies that together warn about increased chances of fraud, stock price declines or financial restatements. Nicole Thorne Jenkins, assistant professor of accounting, is quoted.

Best of Nashville 2011: Media & Politics Writers' Choice

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:14:27 +0000

BEST POTENTIAL BRAIN TRUST: JIM BRADFORD, ROBERT FISHER, BILL IVEY
Jim Bradford, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, took the helm when Owen wasn't exactly rocketing up the national rankings. He then infused it with legitimacy and prestige. Bob Fisher, president of Belmont University, has probably overseen one of the most respectable ramp-ups of any business or nonprofit in this city in the last decade (that little Lisa Howe imbroglio notwithstanding). Bill Ivey is the former longtime head of the Country Music Foundation who then went on to run the National Endowment for the Arts and then Vanderbilt's Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy. My guess is all three are nearing retirement age, and I'm reasonably certain their golf games suck. But they are all so bright and accomplished that they should be pressed to focus their combined acumen on some vexing local problem, whatever that might be. What the hell — call a fourth guy, Keel Hunt, and get him to articulate the problem. BRUCE DOBIE

BEST CONTENDER FOR HIGHER OFFICE: MEGAN BARRY
Unlike most politicians, At-large Metro Councilwoman Megan Barry doesn't shy away from her interest in seeking higher office. Speaking on record, Barry, a favorite among local progressives (and the wife of longtime Scene contributor Bruce Barry), won't rule out a 2015 mayoral run or campaigning for Congress whenever Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper decides to step down. (Many Nashville liberals wish she would opt to challenge Cooper — the Blue Dog of all Blue Dog Democrats — in a future primary instead.) No doubt the 47-year-old Barry has emerged as one of Nashville's key political figures to watch. In August's general election, Barry was the leading vote-getter among Metro's five at-large winners, all incumbents. But her future potential candidacies could have some challenges. You see, in Barry's world, progressive politics have somehow been possible while also maintaining strong ties with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and other traditionally conservative spheres of influence. That could be a difficult line to continue to walk. JOEY GARRISON

Apple fans are honoring Steve Jobs

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:42:38 +0000

Apple fans are honoring Steve Jobs outside the company store in the Green Hills Mall. Thursday afternoon the store had countless messages written on post-it notes and flowers. David Owens, Professor for the Practice of Management and Innovation Faculty Director, VU Summer Business Institute is quoted.

JumpStart grad 'RentStuff.com' taps network for Seed capital

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:01:31 +0000

RentStuff Inc., the Nashville startup whose online platform supports transactions among people who borrow and lend things, is nearly ready to trade some of its shares for seed capital.

RentStuff might easily have been a California startup, if it hadn't been for co-founder and CTO Adam Albright's experience at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management, where Albright expects to complete his MBA in 2012. (Albright holds a VU degree in computer science.)

Albright won a $15,000 grant through a Summer entrepreneurship competition held at Owen, and then prevailed on Jaeger -- who had already relocated with his wife and brother to California, in anticipation of setting-up RentStuff there -- to enter the JumpStart Foundry accelerator program and base the business here. JumpStart's investor day on Aug. 25 put RentStuff in the spotlight alongside classmates.

Michael Burcham, Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, is also quoted.

The wallet allocation rule and your brand

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:04:57 +0000

Bruce Cooil, Dean Samuel B. and Evelyn R. Richmond Professor of Management, is interviewed with one of his co-authors about his article “Customer Loyalty Isn’t Enough. Grow Your Share of Wallet.”

Importance of Play to Innovation

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:20:24 +0000

Essay describes how LEGO Serious Play fosters innovation. The system was co-developed by Owen professor Bart Victor.

Customer Loyalty Isn't Enough. Grow Your Share of Wallet

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:19:13 +0000

New research co-authored by Owen professor Bruce Cooil on “Share of Wallet” featured in the October issue of Harvard Business Review. The piece was co-authored by Owen alum Tim Keiningham (MBA '89), now a Senior Vice President at Ipsos Loyalty.

Master's a long way from the new Bachelor's

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:18:32 +0000

Matthew Shea, a senior and Computer Science major, is one of the many upperclassman that find themselves torn between getting a master’s and entering the job market.

"I remember in my first year, I read an article in some newspaper saying that by the time I graduated I was going to need a master's degree, because so many more people are coming to college and getting bachelor's degrees that it's the new high school diploma," Shea said. "Even a lot of non-technical jobs like restaurant managers are requiring bachelor's degrees, so you have to get that master's to get an extra edge."

Article in the Vanderbilt student newspaper on the value of graduate degrees quotes Owen professor Germain Boer.

MBA career promises: Behind the fancy job stats

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:23:18 +0000

Facing a brutal job market, underemployed graduates of professional schools have begun to speak up, some even suing their former institutions, claiming they were duped into acquiring massive debt loads based on the promise of a secure, six-figure-salary job. That promise is particularly critical at business schools, where graduates expect a quick financial payoff as well as an education. Read McNamara, executive director of career services at the Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management, and Emily Anderson, co-chair of the MBA Career Services Council and Vanderbilt’s senior associate director of career services, are quoted.

The Last Moderate

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:22:19 +0000

Profile of U.S. Rep. and adjunct Owen professor Jim Cooper, described in Joe Nocerra’s opinion column as “The Last Moderate.”

Vanderbilt graduate school launches MAcc valuation program

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:23:19 +0000

The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is now recruiting students for its recently launched master of accountancy program that focuses on valuation services.

The MAcc valuation program welcomes its first class of students in August 2012 and is, according to the school press release, a response to increased demand for students to handle functions such as assessing mark-to-model values, measuring brand goodwill, and pricing acquisition targets.

Karl Hackenbrack and Dean Jim Bradford are quoted.

VU launches valuation master's degree

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:36:50 +0000

The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management has launched a new master of accountancy program focused on the fast-growing field of valuation services. Dean Jim Bradford and faculty director Karl Hackenbrack are quoted.

Fear Factor

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:33:49 +0000

The VIX is the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or the so-called “fear gauge,” which charted recently like the energy levels of a 5-year-old with a sugar addiction. VIX developer Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, is quoted.

Shortage of accountants challenges Middle TN

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:39:54 +0000

Demand for accountants is growing faster than supply in the 10-county Nashville area, and a shortage of accounting professors across the nation makes meeting future needs difficult, say local educators and workforce experts. Karl Hackenbrack, faculty director of the Master of Accountancy program at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Oh, The Nerve: Betting On Fear In A Volatile Market

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:19:27 +0000

If being invested in a wildly unpredictable stock market freaks you out right now, you're definitely not alone.

In fact, there's an index to measure that nervousness, and even trade on it. It's called the Volatility Index, or VIX, but it also goes by another name: the fear gauge. And during times like these, the VIX draws a lot of attention.

Professor Robert Whaley is quoted.

Interviewed Professor Robert Whaley

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:17:01 +0000

WKRN, Channel 2, interviewed Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, about the stock market and the VIX index.

Stick to basic economics to reach agreement

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:14:31 +0000

If Washington truly wants to find a compromise on the debt and deficit, policymakers must agree on two simple principles: The government cannot spend more money than it brings in, and it cannot spend money it does not already have, writes Larry Van Horn, associate professor of health-care management and executive director of health affairs for the Owen Graduate School of Management and director of the Office of Sustainable Health Care Finance for the School of Medicine.

Interviewed incoming students

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:35:19 +0000

WKRN, Channel 2, interviewed incoming students at the Owen Graduate School of Management for a report about the volatility of the stock market.

Woman MBA group launches local chapter

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:34:06 +0000

The National Association of Woman MBAs has started a Nashville-area chapter and will host a launch event Aug. 16 at Belmont University’s Inman Health Sciences Building. The group is being sponsored by SunTrust Bank, The Massey School at Belmont, The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and the MBA programs at Trevecca Nazarene University and Lipscomb University.

Vanderbilt grad students slated to volunteer in Habitat project Friday

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:32:44 +0000

About 250 students from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management will gather at Timberwood, a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood in North Nashville, for a community service project at 8 a.m. Friday.

Measuring people's anxieties over the markets

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:30:51 +0000

Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, was interviewed about the VIX, a stock market volatility index he developed. Whaley’s work is also discussed in Fortune:

B-School Profs: Fixing the Deficit

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:26:51 +0000

…Others agree that healthcare expenses are crippling the U.S. economy. Larry Van Horn, executive director for Health Affairs and associate professor of economics and management at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management, says it is mathematically impossible to keep up with the ever-growing costs of Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, he would tax the health insurance that companies provide to employees, which he estimates could bring in $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years. "We have an insatiable appetite for healthcare, but we have a limited willingness to fund it," he says. "We've kicked the can down this road for the last 25 years, and we've run out of time."

Instead, Medicare and Medicaid should cover catastrophic services as opposed to unlimited services, says Van Horn. For example, he says that a year's worth of Medicare payroll deductions for 17 taxpayers would be needed to pay for one knee or hip replacement, which costs about $20,000. Multiply that by the 400,000 replacements that happen each year in the United States, he adds, and you need more than 6.5 million taxpayers to cover those expenses. "You can spend what you bring in," says Van Horn. "But if you can't bring in the money, you can't keep spending." …

Cracker Barrel names Cochran new CEO

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Among leadership changes including a new CEO, Cracker Barrel has appointed James Bradford, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, to the company’s board. Bradford’s appointment is also reported by the .

MetroHealth pays consultant to do controller job

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:04:53 +0000

In the first six months of this year, Cleveland’s public safety-net hospital paid a consultant $240,000 in salary plus expenses to do the job of the former hospital controller, who was paid $105,000 annually. Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and faculty director of the health care MBA at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Boehner's A-bomb: Is cursing effective workplace motivation?

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:58:58 +0000

Speaker of the House John Boehner recently used profanity while trying to rally Republicans considering his debt ceiling plan, which raised a question: Is swearing a legitimate method of motivating co-workers? Rangaraj Ramanujam, associate professor of management at Vanderbilt, said that while there’s a difference between cursing and abusive behavior, cursing can mark a tactical shift and communicate a very different message to employees than holding an open discussion.

Young Nashville professionals win 'Emerging Leader' award

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:05:30 +0000

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Natasha Halasa and consultant Jeff Gowdy, who teaches sustainability at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management’s Executive Development Institute, are among this year’s Emerging Leaders honored by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville. The also reported on the event.

Some advocacy avoids Tennessee lobbying label

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:35:50 +0000

After a tentative move in 2008 to require more people advocating positions on legislation to register as lobbyists, the Tennessee Ethics Commission has retreated to interpret state law so that some can avoid disclosure of expenses related to influencing lawmakers. A complaint filed by Mike Shor, assistant professor of management, against a public relations firm contracted by the state’s liquor wholesalers’ organization to oppose the wine-in-grocery-stores bill is mentioned.

Online health-care deals are growing, and so are the warnings

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:11:27 +0000

From January to March of this year, more than 1,800 medical, health and dental offers were published on daily deal sites in the United States. When the deals are offered, they sell like half-price hotcakes. But some consumer experts and physicians don’t think it’s a good idea. Mark Ratchford, an assistant professor of marketing at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

New Vanderbilt MBA program draws interest through International studies

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:14:34 +0000

Launching this fall with 15 slots, Vanderbilt’s new MBA program partners with business schools in Canada, Mexico and Brazil, as well as Vanderbilt’s Latin American Studies program, to provide students with international experience. Tami Fassinger, associate dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Accounting's finest 2011

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:17:42 +0000

This roundup of the area’s best accountants includes several advisers to Vanderbilt’s Master of Accountancy program, including Tom Aaron of Deloitte and Touche, Randy Laszewski of KPMG, and Dion Sheidy of Pricewaterhousecoopers. Also named is an adjunct instructor at the Law School, Kevin Crumbo of KraftCPAs Turnaround and Restructuring Group.

Feedback on incubator grants sought

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:37:20 +0000

State officials are seeking input to help them craft a grant program for business incubators that will nurture promising startups. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development is tagging its effort Startup Tennessee, and named Michael Burcham, lecturer in management and the CEO of Nashville’s The Entrepreneur Center, to lead it.

Money with a mission

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:35:47 +0000

Mission-minded businesses, sometimes called “social enterprises,” are on the rise in Middle Tennessee. Vanderbilt-associated businesses profiled include Triple Thread Apparel, founded by Vanderbilt student Kyle McCollum; the Nashville Mobile Market, founded by medical student Ravi Patel, inspired by fellow medical student Carmen Adams and staffed by medical student Neil Issa; and Teach Twice, founded by Peabody senior Trevor Burbank. Jim Schorr, clinical professor of management, is quoted.

In their shopping carts, it's only "Made in the USA"

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:30:32 +0000

Consumers who specifically buy American-made products do so for a variety of reasons. Some want to support their local gardens and farms by increasing their consumption of homegrown produce; others say their choices reflect the gratitude they have for the troops serving overseas; and some do it to strengthen the American workforce. Malcolm Getz, associate professor of economics, and David Owens, professor of the practice of management and innovation, are quoted.

Nashville makes pitch for more Music City involvement

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:02:02 +0000

Mayor Karl Dean wants to capitalize on the city’s recent momentum with the Nashville Music Council, a 60-member group that draws together the music community, city leaders and business interests to find ways to leverage Nashville’s unique position as an all-purpose hub that’s home to more than just country music. The music council recently partnered with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a tech business incubator run by Michael Burcham, professor of the practice of management.

Predators seek marketing advice from college students

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:24:11 +0000

In an attempt to translate this past season’s success into a larger pool of fans, the Predators are teaming up with students from the Vanderbilt Accelerator Summer Business Institute to explore ways to attract and convert new fans through creative, community-centric initiatives.

Randy McClain: Students hone skills, benefit businesses

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:28:56 +0000

Columnist Randy McClain writes about Vanderbilt’s Accelerator program, an intensive summer business workshop for undergraduates. Three-fourths of this year’s Accelerator participants already attend Vanderbilt, most of them as undergraduates. Some are considering enrolling later in the Owen Graduate School of Management, which houses the four-week summer institute. Greg Harvey, Accelerator program director, and students Matt Sternberg and Jackson Marley are quoted.

Yazoo looks to expand as sales spike

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:42:49 +0000

Sales of a beer brewed in Nashville have shot through the roof this year – surging by nearly 50 percent. The Yazoo Brewing Company wants to expand its 10-man operation as craft beer sales around the country are growing. This week Yazoo has been harvesting ideas from college students and recent graduates at Vanderbilt’s Accelerator Business Institute.

AT&T to spend more with suppliers that track carbon

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:09:43 +0000

AT&T wants to shift more than half of its expenditures to suppliers that track their carbon footprints and save $40 million a year by reducing energy use. The telecommunications giant revealed these and other new goals today with the release of its 2010 Sustainability Report, which was prepared after feedback the company received from business students at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Enough With 'Call of Duty,' Answer the Call in Room 417

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:15:55 +0000

Our alum and Alumni Council President, Susan Strayer (MBA’07) is featured prominently.

Ms. Strayer's group at Marriott has the challenge of attracting newcomers to around 50,000 hotel positions this year, many in emerging markets such as India and China, which don't have strong hospitality-industry traditions.

Is bond trading dying?

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:35:52 +0000

Fixed income trading revenue is falling, and some of the best minds on Wall Street disagree on whether this is temporary weakness or slow death. Hans Stoll, Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Finance, is quoted.

Salaries soar for top execs in Tennessee

Tue, 31 May 2011 16:34:16 +0000

With CEOs of hospital chains leading the way, the average compensation for the top executives among Tennessee’s major companies rose 24 percent, according to an analysis by executive compensation data firm Equilar Inc. Tim Gardner, associate professor of management, is quoted.

Fixes: Instead of student loans, investing in futures

Tue, 31 May 2011 16:32:41 +0000

A social enterprise called Lumni has raised $17 million to finance the education of a wide array of students in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and the United States in the same way start-ups are financed. Lumni, cofounded by Miguel Palacios, assistant professor of management, offers “human capital contracts” to people like Jairo Sneider, who grew up in a low-income, single parent family in Colombia.

Business school commencements 2011

Wed, 25 May 2011 16:29:14 +0000

Kent J. Thiry, chairman and CEO of DaVita, is pictured speaking to the Class of 2011 at Owen Graduate School of Management.

SEC names Craig Lewis as chief economist

Mon, 23 May 2011 16:24:13 +0000

The Securities and Exchange Commission has named Vanderbilt University economist Craig M. Lewis to become its chief economist, filling a key post that has been left vacant for more than a year. The story is also reported by The Tennessean: .

First firms leave Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Fri, 20 May 2011 16:21:33 +0000

Nearly nine months after opening its doors, Nashville’s Entrepreneur Center is bidding farewell to its original 15 businesses. Director Michael Burcham, lecturer in management, is quoted.

For Chinese women, U.S. MBAs are all the rage

Fri, 06 May 2011 14:37:52 +0000

Seeking an edge in the job market, Chinese women are flocking to U.S. B-schools—enough to boost female enrollment overall. John Roeder, director of admissions at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Five ways to channel your inner millionaire

Thu, 05 May 2011 15:40:44 +0000

To make the best business decisions, your prefrontal cortex must be coaxed into action. Richard Daft, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, is quoted.

Long-term care comes of age

Thu, 05 May 2011 15:38:22 +0000

About two-thirds of those 65 years or older will use or need some form of long-term care. The challenge, as we live longer, is how to pay for it. Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and director of the health care MBA program, is quoted.

Wall Street's cult calculator turns 30

Wed, 04 May 2011 19:56:53 +0000

Thirty years after the launch of the HP 12c, it’s still commonplace for financial analysts filing into a conference room to set down their calculators next to their papers and cell phones. James Granberry, a student at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, runs a Facebook fan page for the beloved calculator and is quoted.

Options highest since 2007 shows gains intact amid hedging

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:20:15 +0000

The end of the Federal Reserve’s Treasury repurchase program is prompting options traders to pay the most in four years for protection against stock declines, a signal that proved bullish in the past. Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, is quoted.

VIX creator on Alpha Indices

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:57:22 +0000

Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management at Owen Graduate School of Management, is interviewed about a new investing tool he developed with Jacob Sagi, Vanderbilt Financial Markets Research Center Associate Professor of Finance.

The story is also covered in the Nashville Business Journal: and Nashville Post: .

WKRN, Channel 2, and WTVF, Channel 5, reported that Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, and Jacob Sagi, Vanderbilt Financial Markets Research Center Associate Professor of Finance, rang the NASDAQ opening bell April 19.

Vanderbilt professors create method for investing in relative stock performances

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:14:29 +0000

This week the Nasdaq stock exchange has begun allowing investors to bet on a company’s performance relative to the broader stock market. The financial instrument was created from research by Jacob Sagi, Vanderbilt Financial Markets Research Center Associate Professor of Finance, and Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management.

Jeter's movie receives awards

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:23:02 +0000

Clarksville, Tenn., native Clay Jeter Jr.’s film “Jess +Moss” collected professional acclaim during film festivals in Hong Kong and Dallas, Texas, with Jeter to be further honored for his work during a ceremony Friday night in Nashville. Debra Jeter, associate professor of accounting at Owen Graduate School of Management, co-wrote the play and is referenced.

Care center aims to improve seniors' lives and create a few jobs along the way

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:24:59 +0000

76 million baby boomers are approaching retirement age and a group of Louisville entrepreneurs led by John Reinhart are looking to develop new medical services to help this demographic stay healthy, mentally keen and physically active. Michael Burcham, lecturer at the Owen Graduate School of Management, and CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, is quoted.

Nasdaq sets date for alpha options launch

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:11:21 +0000

Nasdaq OMX will launch a new type of options contracts this month that will allow investors to take a position on the performance of popular individual stocks relative to the wider market. Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management, is quoted.

Some Soles4Souls shoes sold overseas

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:26:55 +0000

Millions of pairs of used shoes donated to Soles4Souls by churches, civic groups and individuals don’t go directly to the impoverished people the charity says it is helping. Instead, Soles4Souls ships most of the donated used shoes to for-profit wholesalers and collects a handling fee. The wholesalers then ship the shoes overseas. There, vendors sell the shoes in marketplaces. MBA student Clark Bosslet, studying social entrepreneurship, is quoted.

Nashville investors buy stake in Chicago-based Advent Health Partners

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:56:59 +0000

A group of prominent Nashville investors has acquired a significant stake in a fledgling Chicago-based insurance claims recovery company and plans to set up corporate offices here. Larry Van Horn, faculty director of the Healthcare MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Opinion: The terrible economics of health care "hot spotting"

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:30:10 +0000

Larry Van Horn, director of the health care MBA at Owen Graduate School of Management, writes that it is neither economically feasible nor appropriate for the health care system to supply the kind of social interventions required to help keep patients with chronic, complex illnesses healthy enough to avoid frequent hospitalizations.

Opinion: Not every firm plays by the rules all the time

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:33:43 +0000

Ranga Ramanujam, associate professor of management, co-authored this commentary with National University of Singapore business professor David Lehman about corporate rule violations based on their recent research.

Read Story

Study: Residents’ politics, donations affect companies’ bottom lines

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:42:39 +0000

Amid all the talk of money in politics, Alexei Ovtchinnikov, assistant professor of management, and Eva Pantaleoni, visiting scholar with the Kennedy Center, have found a new angle: The more everyday people contribute, the better off companies that operate nearby will be.

Extreme makeover: Hospital edition

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:55:44 +0000

Medical errors—which are already at epidemic proportions at U.S. hospitals—will likely surge without dramatic organizational and cultural reforms within health care organizations, a new study suggests.
The absence of a clear safety culture or an adequate conceptual toolkit for improving safety makes preventing medical errors difficult, according to the new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“It’s shocking that as much goes right as it does in a hospital,” says Ranga Ramanujam, professor of management at Vanderbilt University.

2011 U.S. News & World Report MBA Ranking of the Best Business Schools

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:29:47 +0000

The biggest changes in the top 50 of the 2011 ranking? The University of California at Davis jumped 14 places to secure a 28th place finish, up from No. 42 last year. Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business rose eight spots, from 27th in 2010, to claim a tie with California at Davis.

Tennessee jobless rate rises

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:24:39 +0000

Even though Japan is Tennessee’s largest trading partner with 160 Japanese-owned companies here, business disruption caused by the massive earthquake and tsunami isn’t expected to result in layoffs or other labor issues in the state, at least in the short run. David Parsley, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Economics and Finance, is quoted.

Owen part of new four-school Americas MBA

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:47:43 +0000

Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management is partnering with three other business schools in the Americas on an MBA program designed to equip managers with the know-how to better run businesses with transcontinental operations. TAMI FASSINGER, associate dean of executive programs, is quoted. The story is also reported in the

A new sales model: employees

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:45:57 +0000

Marketing researchers and psychologists say that using “regular” people to model products, as the online shoe-seller Zappos does, can be especially effective in certain cases. STEVE POSAVAC, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing, is quoted.

'Social' businesses pursue profit with a cause

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:14:14 +0000

BlueSilk.org of Franklin is among a burgeoning class of businesses known as social enterprises that are charting new territory through the precarious twin goals of turning a profit and advancing a cause. JIM SCHORR, clinical professor of management, is quoted.

HCA returning three times cost shows timing trumps overhauls

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:15:32 +0000

This month, HCA’s owners may triple their initial investment in what would be the largest private- equity backed initial public offering on record. LARRY VAN HORN, director of the health care MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Bush back in Washington to unveil Frist portrait

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:02:54 +0000

A portrait of former senator and majority leader Bill Frist was unveiled in Washington yesterday. Frist’s time as a professor at Vanderbilt after leaving office is mentioned.

Second Opinion: America's health system leads to bad consumer decisions

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:09:05 +0000

Larry Van Horn, director of the Healthcare MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management, interviews David Penson, professor of urological surgery, about the business side of patient treatment.

Special Report: Is Stevie Cohen the Feds' Moby Dick?

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:00:23 +0000

Some people inside and outside the $1.9 trillion hedge fund industry are whispering that U.S. authorities, who have spent at least four years looking for evidence of wrongful trading at SAC Capital, may come up as empty-handed as Captain Ahab did in his hunt for the great white whale Moby Dick. Nicholas Bollen, E. Bronson Ingram Research Professor of Finance, is quoted.

Third Man Record's Ben Blackwell Waxes Records, Dirtbombs and More on The Owen Podcast

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:11:50 +0000

In case you didn't learn all you need to know about Jack White's Third Man Records in last month's Scene cover story on the label, check out this interview White's nephew, TMR lieutenant and consummate fountain of factoids Ben Blackwell did with Vanderbilt University's Owen Podcast. In it, he muses about records, his employer, labels, his ongoing tenure as drummer for Detroit's legendary Dirtbombs — who recently released, Party Store, a triple-LP covers record of Motor City techno classics — and more.

Around Town: Mekong Blue, Thistle Farms, Triple Thread discuss business as social catalyst today at Owen

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:09:50 +0000

How local and international businesses can effect social change — attacking ills such as poverty, unemployment and inequality — is the subject of today’s free panel discussion at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Broaden Your Skills

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:39:54 +0000

The recession has made many companies leery about hiring specialized employees who may not be able to adapt to volatile market changes. That’s why experts say it’s important to routinely re-evaluate your skill set. Tim Gardner, associate professor of management, is quoted.

The world's top business professors under 40

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:46:14 +0000

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren once mused that "the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." Poets and Quants' 40 top business school professors under the age of 40 all possess this particular artistic gift. They draw students into often esoteric subjects, inspire deeper thinking and engage discussion, assisting in the discovery of new and powerful ideas.

Poets and Quants searched near and far to uncover this remarkable group of men and women. Some of them have barely reached the age of 30, but they have made a name for themselves as rising stars in business academia. We asked B-school officials, students and alumni for favorites and then sorted through the nominations to come up with a list of the world's top 40 business profs under 40.

Tim Vogus, 36, a management professor at Vanderbilt's Owen School, has been known to bust a rhyme in class, rapping to the Beastie Boys, among others. He sometimes ambushes the class by transforming himself into a character from a case study, forcing his students to respond to the executive he plays. "It's a technique that gets students to manage difficult situations in the moment," he says.

Executive Profile: Dr. Ravi Chari

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:50:50 +0000

Dr. Ravi Chari became chief medical officer of HCA’s TriStar Health System in January, a role he previously held at Centennial Medical Center. He cites his decision to pursue an MBA at Owen Graduate School of Management while practicing medicine at Vanderbilt as a breakthrough moment for his career.

On applying business sense to medicine, the importance of listening well, his love of baseball and dream of pitching for the Yankees.

What is the most outside-of-the-box idea you have ever had in your professional career? Going to get my MBA. I did that from 2006 to 2007 at the Owen graduate school at Vanderbilt University. At that time, I was actually still a professor and chief of transplantation at Vanderbilt, so it was challenging to do the two, but it turned out to be a very good thing. It was a way for people to see me beyond a physician or surgeon in terms of the ability to impact medicine from a business standpoint.

What was the result? Someone had told me, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’ and it was a good chance to learn about an area that I had not known too much about it. It also gave me the opportunity to take on an administrative role at Centennial in 2008 after I graduated and move away from clinical medicine into the administrative side of health care.
What makes your organization stand out? The first one that comes to mind is the people. The people in the company are committed; they’re hard-working with a lot of integrity. The other thing, more from a business standpoint, is our locations in terms of hospital-based assets. We’re in the communities where we serve the people right there at their door.

What does your organization have in the works for 2011? With health care reform and a lot of the changes going on, we’re really trying to position ourselves to continue to be a leader in cost-efficient, quality health care.

What word describes your leadership style? Collaborative. Spending time to engage all the stakeholders in any decision process and help work with them toward a solution that creates value for everybody involved.

Goal yet to be achieved? Help TriStar and HCA be the first name people think of when they think of the best health care in the markets we serve.

Professional pet peeve? Selfish leaders who are more committed to their own success than the organization or the people they lead.

Favorite hobbies? I spend a lot of time practicing baseball with my son.
You’ve just been given $100,000 to donate to charity. Where would you give it? I’d keep it locally and give money to the Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville. It’s a real venue for patients’ families to come in and stay close during challenging times.

What keeps you up at night? My dog in a thunderstorm.

What do you do to relieve stress? Two things: I run and I also do yoga.

What is the simplest thing you never learned to do? Use a drive-thru lane at a bank. I still go in, or I’ll walk in to use an ATM.

Pets? A chocolate lab named Mickey, named after Mickey Mouse. It’s actually my son’s dog.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? The gift of love in many forms.

Person outside of your family you would most like to spend time with on an island? Michael DeBakey. He was an innovative cardiac surgeon leader who really defined the speciality of vascular and cardiac surgery.

Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? David C. Sabiston. He was the chairman of surgery at Duke University where I trained in surgery. He really instilled the values of hard work, loyalty and attention to detail which are essential to the practice of medicine.

When faced with two equally qualified candidates, how do you determine whom to hire? I would work with the staff to whom that person would be working with or overseeing and ask them for their input and have them actually decide.

Organization or company other than your own that you most admire? Johnson & Johnson. I had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with Bill Weldon, who is their CEO, a number of years ago. The integrity and mission and values of Johnson & Johnson are really something that he follows.

What would you like to cross off your “bucket list” next? Either visiting all the major league ball parks or attending the College World Series.

What line of work would you pursue if you couldn’t work in your present one? A baseball field or stadium grounds keeper.

What is there about you that people would be surprised to learn? I grew up in Canada and helped start a water ski club.

What skill would you most like to improve? Listening and patience.

Biggest professional mistake and how you overcame it? It was maybe more of a mind set. For a long time there was almost a failure to acknowledge the importance of the political process in decision making. Sometimes as a physician you’re in the mind set of the quest for truth and the awareness that there always is a right answer. But in reality, there are often many points of view. Acknowledging many points of view is a necessary part of the process.

What is the one behavior or trait that most often derails leaders’ careers? One where you forget about the group you’re leading or you forget to listen to the people you lead.

They’re making a movie of your life. Is it a drama or comedy and who plays you? Comedy. Steve Carrell.

If you could live a double life, the other would be: Major league baseball starting pitcher. This might be too revealing, and I could create a lot of enemies, but it would be for the Yankees.

About Ravi Chari
Age: 45
Title: Chief medical officer
Company: HCA’s TriStar Health System
Address: 110 Winners Circle, Brentwood 37027
Web: www.TriStarHealth.com
Employees: 10,000
Most recently read book: “The 90-Second Rule” by Jim Fannin
Favorite music artist: Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, Nickelback and Linkin Park
Education: University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, Duke University, University of Toronto, Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt
Community involvement: 2010 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk executive committee member

Owen wins Littlefield MBA simulation competition

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:32:59 +0000

Congrats to Derek Sparks, Frank Pazos, Elisa Graban and Bryan Loughridge for winning the Avnet Tech Games RedPrairie Supply Chain challenge simulation competition this past weekend. The team competed against some of the country's top business schools and took home first place. Congrats to you all!

What 4th downs say about taking risk

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:39:56 +0000

CBS radio network interviewed RANGA RAMANUJAM, associate professor of management, about fourth-down decisions in football and what they tell us about deadlines and risky decision making in business. The interview was conducted at VUStar, Vanderbilt’s campus broadcast facility. KMOX in St. Louis, Mo., aired the report.

Cosmic Log: If score's close, losing teams go for it

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:29:54 +0000

Assuming the score is remotely close, expect the losing team to go for it on a fourth down as time runs out in the Super Bowl on Sunday, according to new research conducted by RANGA RAMANUJAM, associate professor of management, and David Lehman of the University of Singapore.

What 4th downs say about taking risk

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:49:44 +0000

After studying more than 22,000 fourth-down decisions over five NFL seasons, researchers found that teams trailing by three touchdowns or less are more likely to “go for it.”

Try asking any Monday morning quarterback about blown fourth-down play calls in the NFL and you are guaranteed passionate opinions. In most fourth-down plays, an NFL team will punt or try for a field goal. But, occasionally, teams decide to do something that is viewed as risky—attempt a fourth-down conversion or "go for it."

Vanderbilt business school ranks No. 25 in U.S.

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:18:08 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management ranked 25th in the U.S. and 51st worldwide, according to the 2011 Global MBA survey published today by Financial Times.

Owen moved up five spots in its U.S. ranking and six spots in its global ranking compared to 2010. In addition, Owen ranked high among schools worldwide in two key measures: job placement (No. 31 globally) and faculty research (No. 31 globally).

“We have worked hard to build a strong MBA program, and clearly our efforts are being rewarded,” said Owen dean Jim Bradford. “Our students and faculty are among the finest in the world.”

Last fall, Owen welcomed its most academically competitive MBA class in the school’s history, with an average GMAT score of 673 and GPA of 3.4.

Winning ideas for the future of B-Schools

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:23:05 +0000

The Graduate Management Admission Council announced a contest in July that would award $50,000 to the best idea for how to improve management education. DAWN IACOBUCCI, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing, won second place.

GMAC Met Fund Ideas to Innovation Challenge Winners

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:44:12 +0000

The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) is pleased to announce the following winners of the Met Fund Ideas to Innovation (i2i) Challenge. The winning ideas (15 prize winners and 5 honorable mentions), selected from a pool of more than 600 entrants, are among the world’s most creative concepts for improving graduate management education.

Second Place: Every Student Creates a Business Plan DAWN IACOBUCCI (US), Vanderbilt University Every student writes a fully detailed business plan to improve something in the business or the world. Read More

Second Opinion: Why smart people will never agree on health care reform

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:22:13 +0000

Professor LARRY VAN HORN examines the reasons why thoughtful people will never agree on health care reform in his last blog post for Forbes.

Pulse Exclusive: Nobel Laureate, Economists Make GOP Repeal Case

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:15:13 +0000

House Republicans open the health reform repeal debate today with an ace up their sleeves: a letter making the economic case for repealing the law, signed by 168 tenured economics professors and academic institution-affiliated scholars, two former CBO directors and four Federal Reserve economists, including a Nobel Laureate, among others. "We believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a threat to U.S. businesses and will place a crushing debt burden on future generations of Americans," the 200 economists write, in a letter organized by the American Action Forum and obtained by PULSE. They charge that the law is a barrier to job growth and a "massive spending increase," adding $1 trillion in government spending over the next decade. LARRY VAN HORN and LUKE FROEB are mentioned.

Pack mentality grips hedge funds

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:27:55 +0000

Hedge funds are crowding into more of the same trades these days, amplifying market swings during crises and unnerving investors. The pack behavior undermines the image of hedge-fund chiefs as savvy money managers who sniff out investment opportunities that others don’t see—thereby justifying the hefty fees they charge clients. It also suggests that hedge funds are having a harder time coming up with money-making ideas in rocky markets. NICOLAS BOLLEN, E. Bronson Ingram Research Professor of Finance, is quoted.

More jobs on the way in Nashville

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:59:04 +0000

Business owners and economists see a slightly brighter outlook for the Nashville area’s job market this year — with one projection calling for a 1.3 percent increase in employment that should slightly exceed the national average. Read McNamara, executive director of the career management center at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Vanderbilt listed among the top by Princeton Review

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:57:00 +0000

WKRN, Channel 2, reported that Vanderbilt and Belmont were listed among the Top 300 Graduate Business Schools in the world by Princeton Review. OWEN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT students was ranked as having the most competitive students.

Opinion: Why it matters that I hate Comcast

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:39:06 +0000

Companies with dissatisfied customers will eventually fail. Research by BRUCE COOIL, Richmond Professor of Management, into the relationship between customer satisfaction and stock prices is mentioned.

Second Opinion: If health care ruling holds, insurer requirements must change too

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:01:19 +0000

LARRY VAN HORN, director of the health care MBA at Owen Graduate School of Management, writes about the impact a certain provision in the health care reform bill will have on the insurance industry.

The top 10 business reads of 2010

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:55:34 +0000

The Executive and the Elephant (Jossey-Bass) by RICHARD DAFT, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Professor of Management, has been selected by the Globe and Mail as one of the Top 10 business books of 2010.

Transparency Gaining Stream

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:17:46 +0000

With consumer-driven health plans increasing in popularity -- more than half of U.S. companies will offer such plans in 2011 -- employers must provide as much medical cost and quality information as possible to enable informed decisions. LARRY VAN HORN, Associate Professor of Health Care Management and Faculty Director, Health Care Programs, is quoted.

The fear merchants: Behind Wall Street's plan to profit from rocky markets

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:08:10 +0000

Former Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker famously questioned the value of financial innovation. For an object lesson in what he was talking about, look no further than the proliferation of products based on the Chicago Board Option Exchange’s so-called Market Volatility Index, developed by ROBERT WHALEY, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management.

Second Opinion: America can't cut spending without slashing Medicare

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:05:09 +0000

LARRY VAN HORN, director of the healthcare management program, writes about the disconnect between Americans’ desire to cut spending and unwillingness to cut Medicare or adjust coverage for the wealthy.

To fix health care, consumers must own up to its true costs

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0000

LARRY VAN HORN, director of the healthcare management program, introduces his new blog for Forbes, Second Opinion.

Investing in fear is big business

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:33:13 +0000

The popularity of the VIX index, which has become a widely watched barometer of investor fear since the financial crisis, is generating a host of spinoffs, copycats and derivatives. It is adding up to big business for VIX’s owner, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, as well as partners and competitors. ROBERT WHALEY, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management in Finance, is quoted.

New businesses hatch at Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Meet some of the newest kids on Nashville’s entrepreneurial block — all hoping to become the city’s next success story. Many of the newest businesses focus on health care or digital media, and others have novel twists on mainstream consumer products. Five people are profiled including Vanderbilt graduates George Sibble and Chris Thompson, are quoted as is Rep. JIM COOPER, who teaches a course on health care, and David Furse, adjunct assistant professor of managerial studies.

The next Bernie Madoff?

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:26:24 +0000

In a study examining the effectiveness of five known “red flags,” NICOLAS BOLLEN, E. Bronson Ingram Research Professor of Finance, says he’s already picked out 195 possibly fraudulent hedge funds that haven’t yet been charged with violations.

Aux Etats-Unis, "une large zone de flou"

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:23:33 +0000

The number of American workers fired for what they say online concerns free-speech advocates. BRUCE BARRY, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management and professor of sociology, is quoted. (French)

Something for the weekend

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:21:35 +0000

Ponzi schemes and other hedge fund frauds could be more easily identified, suggests recent research by NICOLAS BOLLEN, associate professor of management, is quoted.

Dick Cowart: Health professionals in House will influence debate

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:48:24 +0000

In addition to enlivening voters, health-care reform also inspired a new class of health professionals to seek public office. The 112th Congress has 12 new members who are health professionals. Several are from the Nashville area, including Rep. JIM COOPER, a national authority and Vanderbilt instructor in health policy.

Tennessee congressman offers cash for yard signs

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:17:01 +0000

Democratic Representative JIM COOPER, who handily won election to a fourth term last week espousing a “penny-pinching” platform, is buying back his campaign’s yard signs to deploy in the next race. Cooper is also an adjunct professor of management at Owen.

Opinion: Facebook, freedom and thin-skinned bosses

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:24:37 +0000

BRUCE BARRY, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management and professor of sociology, wrote this commentary on a recent case in Connecticut of a worker dismissed after posting a scathing comment about her boss on Facebook.

Wounded Warrior Project helps Iraq, Afghanistan veterans get back to work

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:01:19 +0000

The Wounded Warrior Project helped two very promising veterans go to top business schools, including Owen graduate RAY SUMNER.

Debate Room: Crack Down on Cyberslackers

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:18:58 +0000

Should businesses crack down on workers who visit recreational Web sites—such as Facebook, Fantasyfootball, and Twitter—on company time? BRUCE BARRY, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management, authored the “Con” opinion.

Pitfalls in calculating bad behavior's true cost

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:11:27 +0000

By assigning a price tag that sums up medical, economic and other burdens, researchers are hoping to influence policy makers who weigh spending on these concerns against other priorities. MARK COHEN, Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise and Business and professor of law, is one of the experts studying the issue and is quoted.

MBA Job Placement rates trending higher

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:24:45 +0000

The job market for 2010 MBA graduates made a slow but steady recovery this year, beginning to rebound from one of the worst MBA hiring seasons in recent history. READ MCNAMARA, executive director of the career management center at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

B-School redouble efforts overseas

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:22:00 +0000

U.S. business schools, faced with a decline in applications from overseas, are stepping up international recruiting efforts to preserve what they say is an essential component of an institution’s credibility. JOHN ROEDER, director of admissions at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Zeroing In on Investments

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:27:21 +0000

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. on Monday will introduce new indexes from ROBERT WHALEY, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management and creator of the VIX volatility index, and JACOB SAGI, associate professor of finance. The new index will track popular stocks’ performance against the broader market.

Create small-business story for happy ending

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:25:40 +0000

Part of being an effective leader means crafting a compelling story about your business, a reason customers should seek you out and employees want to work for you. JENNIFER ESCALAS, associate professor of management, is quoted.

Opinion: Irreconcilable

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:23:51 +0000

BRUCE BARRY, professor of sociology and Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management, wrote this opinion piece about the difficult choice progressives face between gubernatorial candidates Mike McWherter and Bill Haslam.

True crime costs

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:21:31 +0000

Researchers at Iowa State University have set out to assign a dollar value to many types of crime in an effort to determine its true cost of society. The price tag for each murder, researchers say, exceeds $17 million. MARK COHEN, Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise and professor of law, is the country’s leading expert in the cost benefit of crime prevention and punishment, and is quoted.

Your Career: Discussing politics at work

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:19:46 +0000

Talk around the water cooler these days is probably about witches, whores and Speedos thanks to the election season. Such emotionally charged political discourse often ends up in a workplace debate, labor experts said, and that’s not always a good thing. BRUCE BARRY, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management, is quoted.

Test Headline

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:20:16 +0000

Test Body Copy

The Princeton Review's annual law and business school rankings -based on 37,000 student surveys - now out

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:17:16 +0000

The Best 172 Law Schools and The Best 300 Business Schools, both on sale today, each has 11 ranking lists of top-10 schools in various categories. Vanderbilt Law School ranks fourth in the category of “Best Career Prospects,” sixth in “Best Classroom Experience” and fifth in “Best Quality of Life.” Owen Graduate School of Management ranks first in “Most Competitive Students,” fifth in “Best Administered” and ninth in “Best Classroom Experience.” The career prospects ranking is mentioned in USA Today: Considering grad school? Advice in a flat job market.

Work on those flaws

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:15:53 +0000

Becoming a more effective leader is a constant exercise in examining what you can do to improve. RICHARD DAFT, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Professor of Management and author of The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader’s Guide to Building Inner Excellence, is interviewed.

Downtown center caters to budding entrepreneurs

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:14:33 +0000

One year ago, the Nashville Entrepreneur Center was little more than a website and a mission: Connecting entrepreneurs with resources to help launch and grow their businesses. Today, Nashville’s “front door” for entrepreneurs has become home to seven local start-up companies. President and CEO MICHAEL BURCHAM, professor of the practice of management, is quoted.

Bredesen proposes health reform fix in book

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:12:36 +0000

Gov. Phil Bredesen is re-entering the fray over health-care reform, with a new book that calls for a fundamental overhaul of the nation’s medical industry. LARRY VAN HORN, director of the health care MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted.

Good investors never stop studying markets

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:16:04 +0000

Anyone can dabble in online trading, but what separates the successful investor from those who fail is the ability to handle a sudden crisis. Whether it’s an unexpected political confrontation, an act of terrorism or an economic reversal, events occur that send stock exchanges spiraling downward. Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management in Finance and developer of the leading financial market volatility index, is quoted.

More States Allowing Guns in Bars

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:06:57 +0000

Tennessee is one of four states, along with Arizona, Georgia and Virginia, that recently enacted laws explicitly allowing loaded guns in bars. Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management, who created an online directory of gun-free Nashville-area dining establishments with his daughter, is quoted.

Hertz, Avis Fight for Dollar Drives Bid to Triple Recent Offers

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:03:27 +0000

Hertz and Avis are dueling for the last available publicly traded auto-rental company, putting competitive pressure on the company that loses. Mike Shor, assistant professor of management, is quoted.

Column: Why I Hate Ordering Wine by the Glass

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:00:59 +0000

Wine by the glass is usually marked up to cover the wholesale cost of the bottle, plus some. A study on wine pricing by Mike Shor, assistant professor of management, and his students is mentioned.

Analysis: Sustainability Indexes Lack Own Transparency

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:58:32 +0000

Indexes that determine which stocks can be called “socially responsible” don’t always set the highest standards with their own disclosures. Nicholas Bollen, associate professor of management, is quoted.

Website Shows Which Nashville Restaurants Allow, Prohibit Guns

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:55:12 +0000

Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of management, and his daughter Toni, a Hume-Fogg High School student, started a website and a nonprofit organization, Gun Free Dining Tennessee, to educate diners about which Nashville establishments allow guns inside and which ones prohibit them.

How To Tame Your Inner Elephant

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:52:52 +0000

Every executive has habits and unconscious systems that rampage out of control. The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader’s Guide to Building Inner Excellence, a new book by Richard Daft, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management, is reviewed.

Vanderbilt: A Virtual Tour

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:39:47 +0000

The publication’s “MBA Insider” section features a virtual tour of Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

MBA Applications Muted

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:57:42 +0000

Full-time MBA applications have slumped after several years of increases, down 2 percent for the class entering this fall, according to an annual report released by the Graduate Management Admission Council.

Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Business, applications were flat overall, says JOHN ROEDER, director of admissions. But international applications fell--more than 50% among applications from Asian countries. Mr. Roeder suspects prospective students who would have applied to Vanderbilt instead chose to stay closer to home and apply to reputable schools in their regions.

A Market Solution That Put Investors in a Fix

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:55:05 +0000

In coming weeks, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission are expected to release their report on the “flash crash” of May 6, when the stock market briefly plummeted.

"The market always tries to find its way around the rules," says Vanderbilt University's WILLIAM CHRISTIE, whose work first exposed the game-playing among Nasdaq dealers in the 1990s. "It's kind of like a balloon—you squish one side and it pops out the other."

Beware of "Independent" Investing Research

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:52:27 +0000

In recent years, financial-services firms have found a new tool to help them drum up customers: the academic study. Universities conducting the research say they do not allow sponsors to interfere, but critics say that schools should do more to disclose corporate support. HANS STOLL, director of Vanderbilt's Financial Markets Research Center, says business schools have been accused of not being close enough to the real world. "The connection to business is desirable. I don't think we want to sever that on the altar of conflict of interest."

Review Finds GOP "Deficit" on Smith Exit

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:47:41 +0000

The Tennessee Republican Party had a $100,842 deficit when its then-chairman, Robin Smith, left on May 31, 2009, according to a copy of a routine financial review conducted after Mrs. Smith departed to run for Congress. NICOLE THORNE JENKINS, associate professor of management and accounting, is quoted.

Southern-Fried Health Care

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:41:34 +0000

Health care now is by far the largest industry in Nashville, commanding a fifth of its economy, with the picture looking ever brighter as the industry stands to gain from constant, unrestrained growth. But as the capital of Tennessee, the second-most obese state in the nation, Nashville’s health-care cluster suffers from a public relations blemish. JIM BRADFORD, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, is quoted. A related story quotes Harry Jacobson, former vice chancellor for health affairs: The good news: Nashville's health-care cluster is growing...

How to Trim Payroll Without Layoffs

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:38:19 +0000

While layoffs may be necessary at some small businesses, employers should avoid sharpening the ax. Here’s why: Not only do employees contribute to the company’s productivity and bottom line, they’re often well-schooled (at a great cost) on your specific business methods.

If there isn't enough work to go around, consider switching up people's duties, suggests RAY FRIEDMAN, a management professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "I have seen big companies make it through downturns by having factory workers do maintenance work [such as] painting, fixing tools" and the like, he says. Small companies, he adds, can receive similar cost savings by having current employees perform jobs that you would otherwise hire someone to do.

Buying Household Staples Online

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:36:04 +0000

The magazine’s “Deal of the Day” blog looks at online deals for everyday household items. The regularity with which consumers buy household goods appeals to web retailers, says DAWN IACOBUCCI, a professor of marketing at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Even Amazon.com (AMZN: 120.10, +0.16, +0.13%) offers groceries and home products. “They’re all hoping to hook you on the convenience of home delivery for a regular order,” she says.

Listing Analysis: To Specialize or Not to Specialize

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:26:08 +0000

Once accepted to business school, students must decide whether they need or want to specialize or pursue a more general business education. “Don’t stick to one goal or career choice if it’s just not going to bear fruit,” says NICK BOLLEN, faculty director of the MS Finance programme at Vanderbilt in the US. Several of his students have looked to other industries for employment and found roles in entirely different areas, such as healthcare.

BP Agrees to $20 Billion Fund to Help Gulf Victims

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:20:24 +0000

Mark Cohen featured in NPR story, "BP Agrees To $20 Billion Fund
To Help Gulf Victims."

Burcham Brings His Projects Together

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:17:04 +0000

MICHAEL BURCHAM, current director of the Vanderbilt Accelerator Summer Business Institute and future inaugural president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, has found a way to bring both worlds together.

Companies Struggle to Avoid Getting Stock Delisted

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:14:23 +0000

There are 112 companies listed on the NYSE and Nasdaq that are trading below $1, the threshold at which a company faces the prospect of being delisted from the major stock exchanges.
WILLIAM CHRISTIE, Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Finance, says "even after delisting, electronic trading at over-the-counter venues gives investors a way out, although at higher costs."

Students Bridge the Business Gap

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:10:47 +0000

Owen Graduate School of Management’s ACCELERATOR program is highlighted in this roundup of business schools offering summer business boot camps to non-business majors. (FT.com registration required)

Rival Chains Secretly Fund Opposition to Wal-Mart

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:08:43 +0000

MUNDELEIN, Ill.—Robert Brownson long believed that his proposed development here, with its 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, was being held hostage by nearby homeowners.

He had seen them protesting at city hall, and they had filed a lawsuit to stop the project.

What he didn't know was that the locals were getting a lot of help. A grocery chain with nine stores in the area had hired Saint Consulting Group to secretly run the antidevelopment campaign. Saint is a specialist at fighting proposed Wal-Marts, and it uses tactics it describes as "black arts."

Nashville Entrepreneurs Get a Leader in Michael Burcham

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:51:04 +0000

MICHAEL BURCHAM, professor of the practice of management and director of Owen Graduate School of Management’s Accelerator program, was recently named president of the new Nashville Entrepreneur Center. He’ll start July 5 and get going on plans to raise as much as $3 million to help fund its operations over the next 12 months. The center’s goal is to be both a launching pad and classroom of ideas for startup companies. Burcham is also interviewed at length in the Nashville Business Journal.

NASHVILLE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER TAPS LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR BURCHAM AS PRESIDENT

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:59:18 +0000

Michael Burcham, a local entrepreneur and former health care executive who is now a faculty member at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, has been named president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. The story is also reported in the Nashville Business Journal.

"GENERATION D" FOR DIMINISHING PAYCHECK

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:48:37 +0000

One factor that could be contributing to IT wage suppression is alleged collusion on the part of some big tech companies. The Department of Justice is investigating a number of companies who supposedly have agreed not to poach each others top talent, according to recent news reports.

"It seems that the DOJ is trying to figure out how and why agreements among firms not to poach each others' employees reduces competition in some way," said TIMOTHY GARDNER, professor at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. "My research shows that these agreements relieve colluding firms from having to respond to the competitive actions of their rivals," such as raising wages, he pointed out.

Full Story

FINANCIAL REGULATORY REFORM DISCUSSION WITH SEN. BOB CORKER AT VANDERBILT

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:35:10 +0000

Media Contact: Amy Wolf, (615) 322-NEWS  amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu

MEDIA ADVISORY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – One of the most hotly debated issues in Washington, other than health care, is the need for reform of the financial system. With members of Congress now considering ways to reform the financial system, Sen. Bob Corker, a member of the Senate Banking Committee who has played a role in helping craft the Senate’s version of regulatory reform legislation, is coming to the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management to hold a discussion on regulatory reform with academic experts, banking leaders and finance graduate students. The dialogue will be held on Wednesday, March 31, from 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. at Averbuch Auditorium in the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.

WHAT: Financial regulatory reform discussion with Sen. Bob Corker
WHERE: Averbuch Auditorium, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management
WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, at 9 a.m.

Any media interested in attending should contact Amy Wolf at amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu. To learn more about Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management go to www.owen.vanderbilt.edu. For the latest news and videos from Vanderbilt, go to our VUCast news page at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.

VANDERBILT STUDENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE OVER SPRING BREAK

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:46:13 +0000

The newspaper’s “Kindness” blog, covering philanthropy and community service, highlights Owen Graduate School of Management’s Project Pyramid and quotes student KELLY KUPERS, who volunteered over spring break with one of the project’s partner organizations, Primeros Pasos, in Guatemala.

HEALTH CARE REFORM WILL ADD THOUSANDS TO THE ROLLS

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:44:24 +0000

Like anywhere in the U.S., the effect of health care reform will be mixed — extending insurance coverage to many while resulting in increased taxes for others.

Other commercial insurers are likely net losers, given new industry taxes, an increase in customers with greater health risks and constraints on their ability to raise rates, said JON LEHMAN, associate dean for health care management at Vanderbilt University. Pharmaceutical companies, device makers and some other traditionally “non-Nashville” segments also face a somewhat negative effect.

But for the most part, Lehman thinks most companies will do all right.

“It’s still a huge market, and the underlying demographics are strong to drive growth,” he said. “So I don’t think that anyone is going to the poor house on this.”

According to most estimates, some 32 million uninsured people will have coverage upon full implementation of the new law. That leaves only about 5 percent of Americans uninsured.

GLASS CEILING HASN'T BUDGED FOR WOMEN IN TN BOARDROOMS

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:42:33 +0000

Women continue to be underrepresented on the corporate boards of publicly traded Tennessee companies, and the state lags the rest of the country on this count, with an average 15 percent of board seats held by women, compared with Tennessee’s 8.3 percent. "It's pretty depressing," said CORBETTE DOYLE, lecturer in Organizational Leadership at Vanderbilt University and an expert on gender diversity.

Customers, talent and innovation are at risk if companies don't strive for more diversity at the top, Doyle said. "There is compelling evidence that creativity and innovation is dramatically enhanced when you have different thought processes at the table."

Sometimes women don't advance at work because an all-male nominating committee may have biases. "You tend to pick what you picked before," she said.

At the same time, some women may place limits on themselves, knowing career advancement is difficult, especially if they have children. Thus, senior executives need to allow flexible work schedules to tap into all available talent, Doyle said.

OWEN PROFESSOR SAYS NO ETHICAL BREACH WHEN COMPANIES "POACH"

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:13:58 +0000

A professor at the Owen Graduate School of Management believes that the practice of "poaching" other companies' employees should be accepted or even encouraged in the business world. TIM GARDNER is the co-author of the paper "The Ethics of Lateral Hiring," which is being published in Business Ethics Quarterly. He contends that as long as a company's actions are not illegal or deceptive, it is fine to contact and make offers to a rival firm's employees for similar positions.

Listen to interview

BANKERS FEAR CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:53:49 +0000

A major piece of financial reform headed for a U.S. Senate vote as early as April includes a provision that has survived significant banking opposition for nearly a year: the creation of a consumer financial protection bureau.

LUKE FROEB, a Vanderbilt University professor and a director at the Federal Trade Commission under President George W. Bush, disagrees.

"If you create a new agency without an institutional memory, you'll get these bright-eyed college graduates who want to save the world, and you will do more damage than good,'' Froeb said. "They don't know what they don't know."

MOBILE MARKET RIPE FOR GROWTH

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:08:09 +0000

With customers increasingly attached to their smart phones, companies large and small in the Nashville area are spending money on launching mobile Web sites, enabling customers to easily buy products and make reservations on their phones. "I think it's not only a trend. We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg," said DAWN IACOBUCCI, senior associate dean of Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. The younger generation of consumers remained tied to their cell phones, and it's a new opportunity for businesses to connect with them.

"They use their phones for everything," Iacobucci said. "It's an extension of their hands almost."

LEARNING TO KEEP PATIENTS SAFE IN A CULTURE OF FEAR

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:10:05 +0000

Incorporating the lessons learned in high-risk industries like aviation and nuclear energy, medical centers across the country have begun promoting protocols, procedures and checklists to prevent health care errors. RANGARAJ RAMANUJAM, associate professor of management, studied the rates of error reporting among medical residents and is quoted.

Full Story

KEEGAN FELLOWSHIP WINNER TO TRAVEL ACROSS SIX CONTINENTS

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:20:48 +0000

WYATT SMITH, graduating senior and Owen Accelerator graduate 2008, Ingram Scholar and president of Vanderbilt Student Government, has been named this year’s recipient of Vanderbilt’s Michael B. Keegan Traveling Fellowship.

The goal of the fellowship is to develop future leaders through world travel and experiential learning. Graduating seniors awarded the fellowship have the opportunity to pursue an idea or an issue, about which they are impassioned, in the context of daily life in communities around the world.

Full Story

SOLIDUS LAUNCHES MICROFUND

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:42:19 +0000

Venture capital firm Solidus Co. has created a microfund to support Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs in the very early stages of business formation. The goal is to help accelerate the success of promising business ideas that fall into an “early-stage funding gap.”

GERMAIN BOER, professor of management, said the mentoring and expertise of JumpStart’s experienced entrepreneur participants could be far more important than the money and other resources.

“When you’re first starting, there are lots of obvious mistakes you can make that someone who’s already been through this process will help you avoid,” Boer said. He added that the participating entrepreneurs’ experience and connections should help each entrepreneur stretch their $15,000 farther than they might have been able to otherwise.

Full Story

NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS GIVE COMPANY TEAM BUILDING A NEW TWIST

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:52:30 +0000

Writing a song together about your company has emerged as the latest corporate team-building activity, putting a decidedly Nashville twist on how to encourage creativity, build relationships and work together at the office. Owen Graduate School of Management used the technique. "We were a rather tone-deaf crowd," said Bill Dunbar, director of development at the Owen School. "You had a group of finance types. We stepped outside our boundaries a bit and we were forced to be more creative, certainly more than we're used to."

RELIGION BELIEFS: VU STUDENTS STUDY POVERTY IN GUATEMALA

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:47:56 +0000

Vanderbilt University graduate students are in Guatemala through March 14 to study problems of extreme poverty as part of the Project Pyramid course. BART VICTOR, the Cal Turner Professor of Moral Leadership, teaches the course, which brings together 23 students from graduate disciplines such as law, divinity, education and economics to learn about ending global poverty.

Full Story

NASHVILLE GOING TO TRULY BE MUSIC CITY

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:57:53 +0000

The newspaper’s “Bowl of M&Ms” music blog reports on Owen professor TIM DUBOIS’ new position as the head of ASCAP.

The person looking over the region will be Nashville-based industry veteran Tim DuBois. DuBois once was the head of Arista and Universal South Records. Currently, he is a clinical professor of management at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management, so he has musical experience as well as knowledge of how to manage the industry. That combination bodes well for ASCAP. It looks like Nashville will retain its nickname, but now Music City will be about all genres instead of just one.

Full Story

Larry Van Horn interviewed on health care reform

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:14:42 +0000

Reuters.com interviewed LARRY VAN HORN, director of the health care MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management, about the latest developments in health care reform.

Watch Video

THE 2010 ENTREPRENEURS OF THE YEAR

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:01:19 +0000

They are an eclectic bunch that has planted a flag in the financial, technology, services and apparel sectors, among others. And they are creating jobs by the dozen and growing their companies at breakneck speed. BRIAN FOX, Owen Graduate School of Management alumnus, is named for his innovative system for audit confirmation. And KENT WOOD, Executive MBA alumnus, is named for his business expansion in transporting detainees.

Full Story

OWEN EXEC MBA AND STUDENTS ADJUST TO GREAT RECESSION

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:05:14 +0000

The Owen Executive MBA program is adjusting to recession-borne pressures by not letting tuition rise too high and offering a class schedule that enables students to miss less work. TAMI FASSINGER, Owen's associate dean of executive programs, told VNC this morning that leaders of the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management moved quickly in 2009 to survey current and prospective students to determine how they are coping with the recession and new strains on employers, workplaces and families.

As a result, Owen reshaped its EMBA format to eliminate the need for EMBA students to miss every-other Friday at work to meet the requirements of the intensive two-year program.

Full Story

HEALTH CARE: RX FOR MBA JOB BLUES

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:17:53 +0000

Health care is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal job picture for b-school grads, and reform, if it happens, has the potential to make it brighter still.

Part of the reason health care attracts MBAs is that it's such a mess. The impetus for health-care reform in the first place was high cost, ineffective treatments, and millions of uninsured Americans—problems that will require solutions whether reform passes or not. Jeff Freude, a second-year student in the Healthcare MBA program at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management (Owen Full-Time MBA Profile) believes an aging population requiring more care, a financially challenged Medicare system, and ever-rising costs make health care one of the greatest challenges facing the American people. "We must bring consumption and cost to a sustainable level," he says. "Health care accounts for 20% of the economy, which is a lot. It's a real challenge and opportunity for MBAs."

Full Story

VANDERBILT STUDY: ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND HIRING FROM COMPETITORS

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:08:36 +0000

Direct recruiting and lateral hiring from competitors — referred to by opponents as “poaching” — should actually be encouraged, said TIM GARDNER, an associate professor of management at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Full Story

RETAIL GIANTS' $9 BOOKS FRUSTRATE CHRISTIAN STORES

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:52:13 +0000

Recently, a Christian retail trade association known as CBA filed a complaint with the Justice Department, accusing Wal-Mart, Amazon.com Inc. and Target Corp. of predatory pricing because they routinely sell popular books below cost.

Even if the retailers sold books below cost, that's not necessarily illegal, said MIKE SHOR, an assistant professor of economics at Vanderbilt University. To violate the Robinson-Patman Act, a company has to intentionally try to damage other businesses.That's hard to prove, Shor said.

"To successfully prosecute a Robinson-Patman case, there has to be a smoking gun," he said.

Companies often have good reason to sell below cost. For example, Shor said, grocery stores sometimes sell milk as a loss leader — a product sold below cost to entice customers to their stories. The store loses money on the milk, but makes money on other products.

If the CBA could prove that publishers were selling books to big retailers at extreme discounts not available to other stores, the association would have a stronger case, Shor said.

Full Story

CORPORATE ANTAGONISM GOES PUBLIC

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:49:54 +0000

Companies facing difficult negotiations are now taking the backroom debates into the public eye, using advertising and other publicity to generate pressure.
“Customarily these kinds of decisions are business decisions that we can make rationally,” said DAVID A. OWENS, a professor of management at Vanderbilt’s Graduate School of Management. But the narrative businesses are using now “evokes an emotional response,” he said. “It makes business a drama.”

Full Story

CUSTOM EDUCATION HELPS FIRMS BRIDGE GAPS

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:31:17 +0000

When Cisco Systems Inc. wanted to ramp up its health care sales, the company’s account managers needed a crash course in medicine in order to explain and answer questions about the new products. The company opted to train its managers through a customized education program from the Owen Graduate School of Management.

For Vanderbilt, the focus on such customized programs has ramped up revenue. Its custom programs earned the school 20% more in 2009 than 2008. In addition to the sort of training Cisco asked for, clients are also attending the school to learn how to cope with competition or grab market share at a time when many of their competitors are facing challenges, says JIM BRADFORD, dean of the business school.

Full Story

PICK TEACHERS CAREFULLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOLING

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:14:35 +0000

Analysts say social-networking workshops help organizations learn how to use social media to win customers and donors. And the programs are lucrative for the training companies, too: Some classes cost several hundred dollars to attend. "The problem with this whole area is people promote themselves as experts, but people who are really smart know there is no such thing as an expert in this area yet," said JENNIFER ESCALAS,an associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.

Full Story

NASHVILLE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:21:30 +0000

Leadership for the newly formed Nashville Entrepreneur Center has been announced, and includes JIM BRADFORD, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, and MICHAEL BURCHAM, professor of the practice of management and director of the Accelerator program. The story was also reported in The Tennessean.

Full Story

EXPLAINING BLEMISHES ON THE B-SCHOOL APPLICATION

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:29:34 +0000

The magazine’s “Getting In” blog reports that some mistakes and indiscretions do not necessarily ruin an applicant’s chances of getting into a top business school. While the background checks business schools implement usually verify only the accuracy of what you have shared with the school, corporate recruiters might delve deeper. Do a Google search of your name and be aware of any personal information that is on the Internet, suggests JOHN ROEDER, director of MBA admissions at the Owen Graduate School of Management (Owen Full-Time MBA Profile) at Vanderbilt. It takes seconds to search someone's name online, and anyone from a business school to a potential employer might do it.

Full Story