The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the UB School of Management

NewsBites

Several influential media featured the accomplishments of the School of Management and the expertise of its faculty over the past year. Below is a summary of some of the school’s citations in prominent national and regional media. These media “hits” enhance the school’s national reputation and help to brand it as one of the nation’s top business schools.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Bloomberg Businessweek in November named the School of Management as one of the nation's best business schools in its ranking of full-time MBA programs. The UB School of Management was ranked No. 57 in the biennial ranking, and had the sixth lowest program cost of all the ranked schools.

The School of Management also was ranked as one of the top business schools for MBA salary progression, according to a report from Payscale published in Bloomberg Businessweek.

U.S. News & World Report

In September, U.S. News & World Report again ranked the School of Management as one of the country's best undergraduate business programs in the 2013 edition of "America's Best Colleges." The school tied for No. 87, higher than any other business school in the State University of New York system. The ranking was culled from a list of more than 625 schools accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, positioning the school in the top 15 percent of accredited undergraduate business programs.

U.S. News also ranked the School of Management as No. 4 on its list of the 10 least expensive business schools for out-of-state students.

Financial Times

The Financial Times ranked the School of Management's Executive MBA program No. 28 in the nation in its annual ranking.

Forbes

Lawrence Sanders, professor of management science and systems, was interviewed by Forbes about his study investigating why players remained involved and engaged with massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) such as "World of Warcraft," while other MMORPGs struggled to make a dent in the marketplace. "Research on loyalty has found that increasing customer retention by as little as 5 percent can increase profits by 25 to 95 percent. So for the developers who create these games, finding gameplay styles that keep players coming back is key to building a successful MMORPG-and business," Sanders said.

Wired, TechCrunch

Sanders also was quoted in numerous technology news outlets, including Wired, TechCrunch and Massively, about the study, which found that gamers would be more loyal if they had more opportunities to be social and collaborate. "To build a player's feeling of ownership towards his or her character, game makers should provide equal opportunities for any character to win a battle," he said. "They should also build more selective or elaborate chat rooms and guild features to help players socialize."

The Straits Times

Lewis Mandell, professor emeritus of finance and managerial economics and current professor in the School of Management's Singapore EMBA program, was quoted in Singapore's largest newspaper, The Straits Times, on the subject of aging and finances. "The ability of people to make sound financial decisions in their own best interest peaks at age 53 and declines thereafter at a pretty rapid pace," Mandell said. "It's very important that people get their lives set up while they still have it together, and put things on automatic so they can be sure they have enough income to make it through life comfortably."

Bloomberg Businessweek

Arun Jain, the Samuel P. Capen Professor of Marketing Research, was quoted on Bloomberg Businessweek's website on Office Depot debuting new, smaller stores. "They're in a very difficult spot. Everybody is eating at their meals," Jain said, noting that Walmart, supermarkets and drugstore chains carry many of the "back-to-school" supplies that office-supply stores stock. While moving into a smaller space will make it more convenient to shop, Jain asked how the chain will attract customers in a crowded field: "What will distinguish them from everybody else?" he asked.

Workspan

Jerry Newman, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and chair of the Organization and Human Resources Department, was featured in workspan magazine, a publication of human resources association WorldatWork. Newman collaborated on a cover story outlining several worldwide initiatives McDonald's launched to increase its employment brand. "The perception of working at McDonald's is quite different than the reality," Newman said. "Eighty percent of McDonald's employees say they were satisfied with their jobs, but only 30 to 40 percent of consumers view working (there) in a positive way."

Buffalo News

Arun Jain also was quoted in a Buffalo News story on counterfeit merchandise and a federal prosecution against a Nike counterfeit ring. "The government is here to protect consumers against fraud," Jain said. "People have a right to know if what they're buying is real or fake." Jain also was quoted in several News articles on Black Friday deals and holiday shopping.

Tom Ulbrich, executive director of the School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL), was quoted in an article on the CEL's activities during November's Global Entrepreneurship Week. "With anybody who has that entrepreneurial flame, we can fan it a little bit better," he said.

Business First

Cristian Tiu, assistant professor of finance and managerial economics, was quoted in Business First on regulation changes expected to affect the banking industry. "Dodd-Frank is here to stay," he said. "I think it will become entrenched during these next four years, making it hard to change it" (after (Obama's second term ends).

In a story on collaborations between Western New York banks and colleges, Joseph Ogden, professor of finance and managerial economics, spoke on CitiGroup's Yield Book internship program and curriculum, saying, "The students who take the course are in high demand because there are so few experts in fixed-income securities." Gwen Appelbaum, assistant dean and director of the school's Career Resource Center, discussed M&T's internship program for graduate students and other co-curricular programs that help students understand banking. "Everything we do is to make sure students are ready to hit the ground running," she said.