@Mays - Fall 2010

@ MAYS

Fall 2010

Mays Business School, Texas A&M University

Ace the interview: Best practices for both sides of the desk

Contents

@Mays Fall 2010 Director of Communications and Public Relations Pam Wiley @Mays Editor Chrystal Houston Editorial Assistant Shae Ford Design Linda Orsi, HSC Marketing and Communications Illustration Tamara Strecker Photography Gabe Chmielewski Michael Kellett Jim Lyle Nicholas Roznovsky Š 2010 Mays Business School @Mays is an semi-annual publication for the former students and friends of Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. This publication is made possible by the generosity of private donors.

Monthly news updates are available in Mays’ online magazine, Mays Business Online, at maysbusiness.tamu.edu.

Information about the majors, degrees and programs offered by Mays Business School is available at mays.tamu.edu.

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One dime at a time

12

Funny man

Features 20 Ace the interview Interviews are a challenge, both for the employer and prospective employee. Murray Barrick, Mays professor of management, shares his considerable knowledge on the topic.

25 Project X For students in the Mays Executive MBA Program, homework is real work. What are they learning and why does it matter?

@ MAYS Mays Business School, Texas A&M University

16

Trial by fire

29

Fire in the belly

33

Paying it forward

Departments 02 Over Coffee A sip of news from the buzz around Mays

29 Partners People that help Mays thrive

9 Network Mays students—current and former—that are making a difference

33 Ideas@Mays Faculty research for your career

15 9-to-5 Tips and trends from the workplace

Fall 2010

Over Coffee

We are the champions

Mays boasts some of the best business students in the world. Now, we have even more proof to back the claim. Check out these big wins from our current students competing with the brightest minds from across the globe.

Singapore success

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fter three arduous rounds of preparation, presentation, and discussion, a team of Mays management information systems undergrads placed 3rd in a five-day information technology case competition in Singapore where they faced b-school students from around the world.

The 2010 APEX Global IT Case Challenge had teams serve as hypothetical consulting firms. Students were tasked with solving information technology problems in terms that business leaders could understand and implement.

Congratulations to (L-R) team coach ‘Jon Jasperson, assistant INFO department head and director of the Center for the Management of Information Systems at Mays, and students Kevin Avila ’10, Heather Hewett ’10, and Nicole Crum ’10.

Jumping for joy: What’s better than a perfect harmony between human resources and information technology? Placing 3rd in a global competition.

Mays MBAs place 4th in MIT competition

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t was an intense couple of days, but for the team of Mays MBA students to participate in the national Operations Simulation Competition hosted by the MIT Sloan Operations Management Club, the stress was worth the reward: they placed 4th out of the field of 75 teams from top schools.

For three days, teams monitored the production of a simulated factory around the clock, tweaking details to boost productivity and efficiency on a minute-by-minute basis. The

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@MAYS Fall 2010

teams were tested on their ability to process information quickly and to make accurate predictions about demand on the fly.

The Mays team finished just behind teams from the University of California, San Diego (teams placed 1st and 3rd) and New York University. Team members included: Andrew Folkert ’11, Ryan Goodnight ’11, Praveen Jain ’11, and Telyn Joseph ’11.

Over Coffee

Going green to bring home the gold

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choing a university-wide effort to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent, the Mays chapter of Students in Free Enterprise encouraged faculty, staff, and students to reduce, reuse, and recycle. They called the effort the Wehner Environmental Sustainability Challenge. When the team presented their “Save Wehner” project at a regional competition, the judges were impressed: they came home with first place credentials and proceeded to the national competition the following month.

Their effort asked the Mays community to dedicate themselves to energy-saving actions such as turning off equipment and replacing disposable drinking containers with reusable ones.

They followed up with an energy audit to gauge overall use and waste of energy in the building, and communicated energy consumption data on a regular basis.

Judges weren’t the only ones interested in the Mays students’ project: the effort has caught the eye of the university’s Office of Sustainability.

Their program has the potential to expand campus-wide in upcoming semesters.

Congratulations to the SIFE team: Kaitlyn Rice ’12, Anna Dinwoodie ’12, Lacey Bruner ’12, Hallie Schaper ’12, Lindsey Wells ’11, Rosa Salas ’11, Arielle Robinson ’11, Prashant Ramachandran ’10, Austin Pooley ’12, Martha Sontheiner ’12, Erin Taylor ’12, Ashley Nunn ’12, and Enedina Nunez ’13. The group is lead by Cindy Billington, associate director of Graduate Business Career Services, who is the SIFE advisor.

Mays students nab 2nd place in international competition

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Jackpot! On a recent trip to Vegas, this team of Mays students won big without setting foot in a casino. They placed 2nd in a global competition hosed by CA Technologies.

or a team of MS-management information systems students, a trip to Las Vegas was no vacation. They participated in the International Case Competition on the Strategic Value of IT Management at the CA Technologies World Conference, placing 2nd among competitors on a global stage.

The event brought together students from business and information technology disciplines to explore the strategic value of information technology management for an organization.

Congratulations to Mays student participants (L-R) Bedanta Talukdar ’10, Bethany Lipton ’10, and Ankit Jagwani ’11 (far right), pictured here with Citigroup Senior Vice President Bromin Menezes and CA Technologies CEO William E. McCracken.

mays.tamu.edu

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Over Coffee

Student competition improves processes in Texas hospitals

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t least 1.5 million Americans are injured every year because of medication errors, adding billions of dollars to the cost of health care.

Determining which medications a patient is taking prior to admission, which are given during a hospital stay, and which are prescribed when they are discharged—and making sure that none of these interact with unintended consequences—is a vital process called medication reconciliation.

In understaffed hospitals, it’s a process that is full of potentially lethal challenges.

Streamlining this process was the goal of an interdisciplinary competition hosted by the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Texas A&M University. Mays finance students Rawles Bell ’11, Frederick Lou ’11, Sarah Mullis ’10, and Ryan O’Dwyer ’11 teamed with students from industrial engineering, nursing, and pharmacy programs at A&M to evaluate medical reconciliation practices at local hospitals and provide practical solutions for improvement.

It was more than a learning exercise: solutions have been implemented in hospitals.

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@MAYS Fall 2010

Mays prof has a hand in nationwide overhaul of healthcare information technology practices

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ow many lives—and how much money—could be saved if all of a patient’s healthcare information, including test results, orders, medications, health histories, and insurance information, was stored in one record, easily accessible by healthcare professionals anywhere?

This is the future President Obama envisions for healthcare in the United States, but it is dependent on the sharpest minds in management of information systems and information technology.

Through a $5.2 million grant from the federal government, Arun Sen, professor of information and operations management, and two A&M colleagues will develop one of four regional extension centers for healthcare information technology for the state of Texas, creating a resource for doctors as patient healthcare records become digitized in compliance with goals set by the Obama administration for a paperless healthcare system.

Sen says that soon healthcare information will be available via an electronic pipeline that will move patient records from local to state to national levels. The National Health Information Network is already under development.

Sen and A&M colleagues Robert Morrow of Rural and Community Health Institute and Amarnath Banerjee of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at A&M are creating the system through which Texas healthcare providers will upload patient information to this national system. The team of researchers from A&M will be on the leading edge of designing an electronic health record (EHR) system to be used for the state.

These three researchers will also establish the CentrEast Regional Extension Center for HealthCare information technology and a health information exchange—a hub for providers to coordinate with the national system.

Streamlining patient records by

digitizing and sharing them is still optional for healthcare providers. By 2015, providers must participate in the national network, or risk nonpayment or partial payment from Medicare and Medicaid. Providers seeking to use EHRs face a variety of challenges, such as assessing needs, selecting and negotiating with a system vendor or reseller, implementing project management, and instituting workflow changes to improve clinical performance and ultimately, outcomes. Past experience has shown that local technical assistance can result in effective implementation of EHRs. There will be 60 such centers in the U.S. Sen’s work will involve researching how patient information is currently handled and developing a more efficient process as providers modernize their record systems.

The center will also connect providers with vendors who specialize in digitizing records, and will serve as a data repository for all area providers.

The federal funding for the center will last for four years, with the bulk of the money provided in the first two years.

By years three and four, Sen says the center should be a self-sufficient business, as doctors will pay for the services and resources provided. Sen predicts there will be a large demand from area providers as the center advances healthcare in the region. The ultimate measure of the center’s effectiveness will be whether it has assisted providers in becoming users of certified EHR technology.

Contact Arun Sen, professor of information and operations management, at asen@mays.tamu.edu

Over Coffee

Conant’s contributions honored

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he hillside at the Wolf Pen Creek amphitheater in College Station was dotted with electric blue the evening of April 1, as nearly 700 people in “Project Conant” tee shirts gathered for a benefit concert. Featuring “We bleed maroon” country crooner Granger Smith ’02, the event netted nearly $10,000 to be added to a scholarship fund in Jeffrey Conant’s name.

The initial goal for this fund was $25,000, which was reached, and reset to $30,000. Once fully funded, it will be the largest endowed scholarship in the Department of Marketing. Nearly $28,000 has now been secured.

Brandon Coleman, Jr. ’78, a graduate and a supporter of the marketing department, as well as a personal friend of Conant’s, has provided the funding for the first student, Kevin Case ’11, to receive the Conant memorial scholarship.

The benefit concert was the culmination of events honoring the beloved professor who was lost to illness in June 2009. Earlier in the day, a ceremony and reception were held as the Dr. Jeffrey S. Conant Behavioral Research Lab was dedicated in the Wehner Building.

The lab is a fitting tribute to Conant, said Bala Shetty, executive associate dean and Letbetter Chair in Business, as its creation was Conant’s brainchild. It has been in use since August 2007. “Jeff vigorously advocated for a behavioral lab,” he said, noting that while space in the building was at a premium, Conant successfully argued for the college-wide benefits of the research facility, which he loved to tell people was “one of the best, probably the best behavioral research lab in the country.”

Kelli Haws, assistant professor of marketing, says the lab is significant: “We think it’s destined to play a major role in enhancing the reputation of the marketing department at Mays and the university as a whole for scholarly research.”

The crowd was 700 strong as friends gathered to honor the life and legacy of Jeffrey Conant, professor of marketing.

The scholarship in his name is almost fully funded. You can add to the fund by visiting mays.bz/conantsch.

A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.

Author Unknown

Dr. Jeffrey S. Conant April 5, 1955 - June 30, 2009

mays.tamu.edu

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Over Coffee

Mays faculty recognized internationally While many of our faculty members deserve recognition and applause, a handful have received significant accolades in the past few months that we had to mention.

R. Duane Ireland R. Duane Ireland has been elected to an officer position on the board of governors of the Academy of Management. He will serve as president of the academy in the fourth year of the five-year term.

He has also been chosen to the highly selective body of Fellows for the Strategic Management Society, placing him in the top one-half percent of scholars in his field. Ireland is a Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of Management and the Carroll and Dorothy Conn Chair in New Ventures Leadership.

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@MAYS Fall 2010

Murray R. Barrick Murray R. Barrick was named a Fellow of the Academy of Management—a distinction earned by less than 1.5 percent of the nearly 20,000 members of the academy worldwide. He is a Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of Management, department head, and the Paul M. and Rosalie Robertson Chair in Business. (Read about Barrick’s research and accomplishments on page 24.)

Michael A. Hitt Michael A. Hitt was recognized in a list of top researchers in business and economics, prepared by Times Higher Education. The list ranks the top 68 authors in the fields of economics, finance, and business management by the number of papers published from 1970 through 2009 that were cited 50 or more times. Hitt is the top ranked scholar in the field of management, with 30 papers averaging over 100 citations each. Overall, he is listed at #11.

He is a Texas A&M Distinguished Professor of Management and the Joe B. Foster ‘56 Chair in Business Leadership.

L. Paige Fields L. Paige Fields received the Academy of Finance 2010 Teaching Excellence Award. This is the only international teaching award available in the discipline of finance. Previously, she has been recognized for outstanding teaching at the college and university levels. Fields is an associate professor of finance.

She was recently named a Mays Teaching Fellow for innovation. This is the second time she has received this distinction.

Over Coffee

How do we measure up?

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review of recent rankings shows education at Mays Business School is still among the best in the nation.

Here are a few rankings of note: Undergraduate program • Bloomberg BusinessWeek: 16th (U.S. public) • U.S. News & World Report: 19th (tied, U.S. public) Individual departments Accounting • Financial Times: 2nd U.S. public (10th globally) for undergraduate program • U.S. News & World Report: 14th U.S. public for undergraduate program • Public Accounting Report: Graduate program ranked 5th U.S. public and doctoral programs ranked 11th U.S. public Management • U.S. News & World Report: 9th U.S. public undergraduate program • Ranked 6th for faculty’s impact on the literature over a 25-year period according to a study published in the Journal of Management • Ranked 3rd for research productivity in top management journals Supply Chain Program • AMR Research: 3rd U.S. public (tied) for scope of program; 6th (tied) for industry value Full-Time MBA program • Financial Times: 1st (U.S. public), value for money category • Forbes: 9th (U.S. public) • U.S. News & World Report: 13th (U.S. public) • U.S. News & World Report: 2nd (U.S. public) for placement after three months Executive MBA program • 1st overall, Return on Investment, The Wall Street Journal

Management, 9th, U.S. News & World Report

Accounting, 2nd, Financial Times

MBA, 1st, Financial Times

For all Mays rankings, visit mays.bz/academicrankings.

Would-be entrepreneurs video blog bootcamp

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n basic training just seven days after her high school graduation, Andrea Carlton planned to make the Army her career. Due to injuries sustained in the service, 12 years later she is now medically retired and looking for a new dream. The mother of two young sons, she is passionate about children.

Her big idea? A childcare facility that offers 24-hour care for children of people with non-traditional work schedules.

Charles McKellar used to make a living jumping out of planes for the Army. Today, he’s ready to take a different kind of leap by launching a business that incorporates his knowledge of technology with his love for people. Building on the freelance work he does currently, his venture will provide IT training and job skills to diverse demographics, from at-risk youth, to injured soldiers, to the elderly.

Don’t let Stephanie Bowers petite stature and sweet, Tennessee drawl fool you—this Southern belle is a former Army sergeant, with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan under her belt.

She currently works at a VA hospital.

Her business idea was born out of her experiences as a caregiver and a wounded soldier: she wants to provide a patient advocacy service.

Andrea, Charles, and Stephanie were among the 18 graduates of the 2010 class of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a free program offered at Mays to veterans wounded in the service since 9/11. To read their stories and watch the video blogs they created during their intense week of training, visit mays.bz/ebv2010.

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Over Coffee

Quiz time!

Mays faculty faces F

aculty members give a lot of quizzes, but seldom do they have to take them. Today we’ve turned the tables on Annie McGowan, Deloitte Professional Program director and associate professor of accounting.

She teaches and does research primarily in the area of cost accounting, but her outside-of-work interests don’t involve balance sheets.

What’s your dream travel destination? Why?

Sometimes I dream of being on the sandy white beach with a book. At other times my dreams take me to a ma jor city with great shopping, great food, and lots of entertainment. The target for my next ma jor vacation is Italy. I read the book “Eat, Pray, Love” and was inspired by all of the food she ate.

What’s your secret talent? If I told you it wouldn’ t be a secret.

Hobbies? Reading, dancing, and travel.

What’s your favorite business news source?

BusinessWeek.

hat one piece of accounting advice do you have W for readers? As in all aspects of life, take

Survey says…

After our last issue of @Mays in spring 2010, we asked readers what they thought about the publication. Here’s what they said.

75% 80% 86% 100 +

responded “excellent” or “very good” when asked to rate the overall quality of the magazine.

said that they learned something useful from the magazine.

said the magazine strengthened their connection to Mays.

the number of comments generated by the cover story on ethics—the favorite article Readers mentioned a desire to see recent rankings included.

(See page 7.)

special care to maintain balance.

What do you think of this issue? Share your opinions at mays.bz/atmaysfall2010

Ethics 101: follow up Did you enjoy the cover story of the spring 2010 issue of @Mays? If so, you’ll want to check out “Bottom Line Ethics,” the blog of Michael Shaub, clinical professor of accounting. From college athletics to the Gulf oil spill, Shaub discusses ethics in a variety of everyday situations. Lively comments often follow. Check it out at mays.bz/ethicsblog.

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@MAYS Fall 2010

Network

Business education never tasted so good

Andrew Pappas ‘10, idea man behind Spoons.

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t’s a simple set up: pick up a dish and visit the self-serve dispensers featuring a rotating array of delectable frozen yogurt flavors, such as golden cake batter and strawberry fields forever—with the added bonus of “low-fat” and “fat free” in the title to remove all guilt as you fill the bowl to the brim. Then move along to the buffet of toppings: coconut, fresh fruit, cookie crumbles, candies, and sauces. Your masterpiece sundae is then weighed and you pay by the ounce for the fully customized dessert creation.

Are you drooling yet?

This was the idea pitched by a group of Fellows students to entrepreneur David Mebane ’98. Mebane shaped the business plan (originally a class project) and agreed to make the dream a reality. Today, Spoons Yogurt on Texas Avenue, a fraction of a mile from campus, is one of the busiest eateries in town. The line of eager patrons usually stretches to the door, and the chances of finding a seat are slim.

More than a restaurant, Spoons has been an entrepreneurial learning lab for Mays students. Andrew Pappas ’10, a student in the Professional Program (finance track), was involved in the original concept presentation to Mebane. As the idea solidified into a business, Pappas and classmates were involved in many of the decisions, from product selection and pricing to the purchase of furniture for the shop. Pappas also learned human resource functions, as he helped train new employees, and developed an inventory management system.

Pappas says Mebane has been “an unbelievable mentor,” and that the experience with Spoons’ success has been surreal. While his involvement with the business is now hampered by his classes and internships as he completes his degree, he is in touch with Mebane often, discussing the dayto-day details and the future of the business.

Mebane is preparing to open four more locations in college towns in Kansas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia. Two additional locations in College Station are in the works as well, says Spoons Yogurt, LLC, general manager Logan Prewett ’09. Prewett, also a finance student, was involved in the planning and opening of the shop. He now oversees operations of the main location in College Station and is at the helm of the planned expansion.

Besides being simply delicious, Spoons’ trademark is the way it interacts with the community. The shop has become a popular hangout for Fish Camp groups and other organizations, and often partners with individuals and groups to raise money for charitable causes, from Haiti relief to Little League team jerseys. They invite any group to “spoon” with them, offering profit-sharing opportunities every day from noon to 2 p.m.

That commitment to the community is very intentional, says Prewett, who credits the support of the community with the success of the business.

From the beginning, giving back was an integral part of the business plan.

Clearly it’s paying off—perhaps because it was created in part by businesssavvy Mays students.

mays.tamu.edu

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Network

Saving babies, one dime at a time Mays graduate students volunteer with March of Dimes

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he Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song plays over the speakers and sixyear-old Caylee wiggles and giggles and claps with the other mini dancers on the stage, her face painted with cat whiskers and her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. Healthy and happy, she looks like all of the other girls her age.

That is a miracle.

When Caylee was born at a mere 27-weeks gestation, she weighed less than one-and-a-half pounds. More than three months too young to be out of the womb, Caylee was placed in an incubator and connected to dozens of tubes that kept her alive. Without a team of skilled doctors and nurses, and researchers who make advances in preterm neonatal care, Caylee would not be dancing today, wearing a “NICU Graduate” tee shirt.

Caylee is the daughter of Stacey Cole, assistant director of Graduate Business

Thanks in part to Mays graduate students, $160,000 was raised for March of Dimes through the Brazos Valley March for Babies event.

Career Services at Mays. When the Master’s Leadership Council (the organization of graduate business students at Mays) was looking for a service project, Cole, who advises the group, suggested a cause close to her own heart: The March of Dimes, the organization that seeks to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Since her daughter’s birth in 2003, Cole has helped to raise more than $10,000 for March of Dimes.

The students rallied to the cause. On May 1, Mays students arrived at Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater in College Station at 6 a.m. to set up for the annual fundraiser March for Babies 5K Walk/Run. More than 500 supporters attended the 5K, which included entertainment and children’s activities such as bouncy houses, face painting, basketball, hula-hooping, and pictures with the Disney princesses.

Students completed the set up and clean up, hosted event booths, handed out water, directed traffic, and kept things tightly running.

“We could not have done

this event without the incredible help of the students,” said Shona Quiring, community director for March of Dimes in Bryan/ College Station. “They were diligent in making sure everything ran smoothly, and made sure all the kids and their families had a blast.” Students participating were: Tereso Herrera, Alek Schmidt, Lauren Bortka, Mimi Bowman, Garrett Stanley, Lauren McGinty, Jenna Janik, Amy Thompson, George Holzwarth, Annica McDermott, Nicole Kresse, Matt Wood, Steve Lionetti, Lindsay Brown, Amanda Eller, and Chelsea Sauder.

It was an eye-opening experience for the students. “I didn’t realize how many babies are born prematurely and that so many occur right here in College Station,” said Lindsay Brown, an MS accounting student. “I am glad I got to be a part of such a fantastic experience that celebrates and remembers these lives.” According to the March of Dimes website, more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely each year. These babies face potentially severe and long-term complications.

Along with Cole, Lori Donnell, associate director for employer development and services in the Graduate Business Careers Services office, helped to organize the student’s involvement in the March for Babies. Cole and Donnell both serve on the board of the local chapter of the March of Dimes. “This walk and organization stands up for the tiniest of human beings, giving them and their families hope, health and often miracles that would not be available without the education and research March of Dimes provides,” says Donnell. “Without the support and generosity of these students, March of Dimes would not be able to provide this service.”

“I am glad I got to be a part of such a fantastic experience that celebrates and remembers these lives.”

Network

Another Mays student wins A&M top award

“A

young woman of exceptional honor who leads by example.”

That was how a nominator described Morgan Knocke ’10 in a letter of recommendation for the Brown FoundationEarl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award. Knocke, a finance major, is the third consecutive Mays student to win the award—the highest undergraduate honor given at A&M. Knocke and the other recipients were presented their awards by Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin during the spring commencement ceremony. The Brown-Rudder award, which includes a cash gift of $5,000, is presented each spring to students who exemplify the leadership and related traits of the late General Earl Rudder, a World War II hero who served as president of Texas A&M from 1959 until his death in 1970.

While her 4.0 GPR had her nominators calling her academic achievements

“remarkable,” Knocke was also praised for her volunteer efforts to bring educational and medical aid to Kenya. Paying her own travel and living expenses, Knocke spent the summer there working with Comfort the Children International.

Dean Jerry Strawser said he “cannot imagine a more deserving recipient of the Brown-Rudder Award. In addition to her outstanding academic credentials, Ms. Knocke has demonstrated remarkable levels of selfless service and leadership.”

At Mays, Knocke served two years as coordinator of the Fellows program.

She also founded the Horizons program, which provides resources for students preparing for careers in strategy consulting and investment banking. Through this program, Knocke worked to connect current students with former student mentors in top positions in a variety of fields. As a result, the program has raised awareness about career opportunities in these areas

Aggie Pride: What does it take to be the best? How about a 4.0 GPR added to selfless service and leadership experiences. Morgan Knocke ‘10, is the third consecutive Mays student to be selected for the Brown-Rudder Award.

while educating firms across the country about the value of an Aggie graduate.

Life of leisure? Not quite.

Bravenec retires, pursues pro bono work

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Writing text books, practicing the law pro bono, fishing…Bravenec’s retirement plans have little to do with relaxing or slowing down.

fter nearly four decades of teaching at A&M, Lorence Bravenec, professor of accounting, has reexamined his personal balance sheet and decided to redistribute his time and energy assets: the fall 2009 semester was his last in a Mays classroom.

He has now retired.

Bravenec jokes that he’s been busier since he retired than he was when he was working. Perhaps that’s because in addition to a greater emphasis on fishing and family time (“and other jobs decreed by my wife”), he’s still working on a textbook. It’s a project he is passionate about: he won’t make anything from its publication, and it will be distributed to students electronically without cost. This is significant, he says,

as at $100 (or more) apiece, the cost of textbooks puts a large burden on already cash-strapped students.

After the textbook is finished, Bravenec plans to volunteer his time as a pro bono lawyer for the community, as his roots are in law as well as accounting. In fact, he says he got into teaching business courses almost by accident. He had practiced law in Dallas and decided to relocate his family to College Station. Teaching at A&M was supposed to be a side job while he built a client base in the new location. Instead, he found it suited him. “It’s been a nice ride,” he says. “I’ve had some very fine students.”

He estimates he has taught between 4,000 and 5,000 Aggies in his 39 years at A&M.

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Network

Funny man Tim Washer ’89 carves career in corporate comedy

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ear and excitement battle within his chest as he waves to the crowd and reaches for the microphone. This moment is his dream come true. A dream he’s dreamed for years: his first standup performance. His wife and four friends cheer him on. Their attendance is part of the reason this day has arrived. It’s a “bringer” show—he had to bring five paying customers who will meet the two-drink minimum to pay for his chance for a few minutes at the mic.

He starts strong. “After graduating high school, I went to Harvard. (pause) And stayed most of the afternoon. I bought that shirt that says ‘Harvard Lacrosse’ so I could misrepresent both my intellect and athletic capability.” People laugh. Yes! Their response loosens him up a bit. Too soon. He bombs.

The first time I performed was at a club called Stand-Up New York, on Broadway. I had a five-minute set. I got maybe two-and-a-half minutes into it when I completely forgot where I was. I was too green to know that you need to have a set list—you write down ‘the wife, the parachute, and your father’—the key words for the story you’re going to tell, instead of trying to memorize the set like I did. I stuttered a bit, then started improvising with the audience, and then I figured out where I was and finished up. My wife felt so bad for me. I’ve had jokes bomb but that, for sure, was my biggest failure.

Abysmal? Perhaps. Still, the adrenaline surge from being on stage drove him on. There was no giving up.

Tim had always been funny, but it wasn’t until 1998 that he took a leap of faith to do it for a living. He felt a calling. “There was a moment of realization that I needed to pursue comedy. I needed to quit being afraid of it.” His day job was as vice president at Interpublic Group, a global marketing firm. He enrolled in an improv comedy class taught by comedienne and actress Amy Poehler (of Saturday Night Live) to hone his comedic chops.

“The first day I came very close to running out of the class,” he reminisces when recalling the introductory exercise, “hotbox.” A word is provided, and the would-be comic creates a song about that word on the spot. “I was on stage with 10 strangers. It scared the heck out of me…Once I got past my fear of that class, it got a lot easier.”

What was it like working with someone as famously funny as Poehler? “Amy is a very encouraging person and a great teacher.”

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Make ‘em laugh: Customers have higher expectations for corporate communication thanks to social media—they want to be entertained and interacted with, not merely informed. Tim Washer ‘89, senior manager of social media at technology firm Cisco Systems and part-time comedian, is just the man for the job.

Network

She was intimidating at first, though. “She’s so incredibly funny as an improviser. She’s obviously very funny on TV, but I think she’s even funnier as an improviser.”

Sticking in that class led to more of the stuff of dreams. Tim performed with Poehler on the Comedy Central series Upright Citizens Brigade and went on to appear regularly on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He submitted material for The Late Show with David Letterman, celebrating when his jokes made their way into the opening monologue. He starred in the commercial “Filibuster” for Cablevision, winning a best in class award from the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing.

Three years from that wobbly start at the bringer show, he quit his day job to focus on his comedy career and an idea he had for a screenplay. Fear and excitement battled again. Fear won for a while.

Tim struggled with depression, filled with anxiety about his work.

Unless you’re Jerry Seinfeld, the life of a comedian is no laughing matter.

I learned pretty quickly that working the New York City clubs wasn’t going to pay the bills and wasn’t the best use of my time. Even an experienced comic typically only makes a hundred bucks a night unless he is a celebrity. It’s a rotten life and it doesn’t pay any money. When I was performing with a lot of other new comics, my wife wasn’t enjoying it as they often rely on sex and profanity for laughs. I’ve always worked clean. I quit doing the clubs.

Finding out he was going to be a father motivated Tim to look for a better paycheck and more security than fickle audiences could provide. He had an MBA, experience in sales and technology, and a desperate need for an outlet for humor. A career coach redirected him to event hosting and speechwriting.

Tim took a job as a speechwriter for IBM but he felt like a failure that first day on the job. This time fear was of long, dreary days not using his real talents. Was this giving up? Had he copped out? He did go back the second day at IBM and he’s glad he did.

Day two on the job, he answered the phone and heard a VP say, “I heard you’re funny. Can you write a joke for me?”

“Here I am on at IBM thinking I may have to give up on comedy when a door opens for me to be funny at IBM…that’s how my job evolved.” While learning the ropes and pushing for more humor at IBM, he also built a side career, emceeing events evenings and weekends. He’s hosted a range of events honoring the rich and famous, from George H.W. Bush to Oscar winners, to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He also starred in a few more commercials, for T-Mobile and Budweiser, plus two segments on The Onion Sports Network.

What’s been his favorite gig? Working with Catherine Zeta-Jones on the T-Mobile commercial (he’s the guy with the line “I like it when you say things.”), and the bits for The Onion, where he did a mockdoping piece about genie-use in professional baseball (“Until we have hard evidence that Overstreet knowingly benefitted from a wish granting phantasm, he’s an innocent man.”).

While at IBM, he wrote, produced and starred in a series of films called Art of the Sale. Originally intended for in-house use, this set of six short clips went viral (it’s worth your time to look it up on YouTube). It was selected by the cable channel Comedy Central as a “Staff Favorite” and was cited in Forbes.com in January 2007 as the example of the “Jon Stewartizing” of corporate communications.

Today he is the senior manager of social media at technology firm Cisco Systems, where he’s using comedy to reach out to wider audiences.

As we move into an environment where social media is more mainstream, there is going to be much more humor in corporate communications. You can reach out to a technical audience with a very specific message, and that’s part of what we do. Some of our large service providers are interested in the geeky details about a router. But if we want to reach a broader audience, it certainly helps your message if it’s entertaining.

Tim predicts there will be more jobs like his in the future, as social media revolutionizes company interactions with clients and as customers come to expect a certain amount of entertainment. Large corporations are realizing the need to stand out in the social media landscape.

He warns other funny people that there is a danger in letting your true colors show at work. A professor once told him with grave earnestness, “no one will take you seriously in the office once you start telling jokes.” Tim agrees. People do label you as “the funny guy.” Yet, as his ambition is not the corner office, he doesn’t care much. His dream job? Writing for Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart.

In the meantime, he’s satisfied with pursuing comedy outside of the confines of traditional venues.

In his spare time, he now performs customized sets at corporate events such as sales meetings and professional conferences. He’s still tinkering with his screenplay (the details of which are hilarious— and confidential until it’s purchased), and beginning a series of podcasts where he’ll interview influential people in entertainment. He’s also using his comedic gifts in church and at church conferences.

I asked him to tell me the secret of to how he’s overcome his fears to pursue his dreams. He said he’d get back to me someday when he figured that out.

Fear is always with you. I think it’s a constant struggle. As you gain experience over time, you get a little better at suppressing the fear. I imagine many artists in all fields struggle with this…

In comedy, you get immediate feedback. If you tell a joke and nobody laughs, you know right away that you’ve failed.

You’ve got to be ready for that. But how you judge failure is important. For me, even when the audience doesn’t laugh, I know that I am doing what I am called to do. That’s what counts. All I can do is obediently follow the path that is before me.

For more on Tim Washer, including contact information, see timwasher.com.

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Network

Rethinking business education Former student now dean of Dalhousie University faculty of management

W

hile the global recession can be blamed on many factors and individuals, Peggy Cunningham ’92 thinks there is one player in the catastrophe that has been largely overlooked: business schools.

“Something that hasn’t been in the discussion—in newspapers, business magazines or whatever—is the liability of business schools in thinking about the products we have created,” said Cunningham in a 2009 interview with The Globe and Mail. Business schools must examine their curriculum and core concepts carefully as they train the next generation of business leaders.

That is precisely what Cunningham is doing at Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, Canada), where she was recently appointed dean of the faculty of management (this title is equivalent to Dean Strawser’s position at Mays). She believes a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility is a needed shift in MBA education.

There has been too great a focus on individualism in business education, says Cunningham. “Many people say greed is good. That has promoted a lot of wellbeing, but I don’t think those models are sustainable any longer,” she says. “If what it takes to make one person rich is to make two-thirds of the rest of the world poor, I don’t think that’s a sustainable model. It’s a big wakeup call. When we look at issues of sustainability, we have to look at not only our own sustainability but that of our society.”

Cunningham joined Dalhousie in March 2009 as director of the School of Business Administration and associate dean (research). In April of this year she was promoted to dean, making her the first woman to hold the role in the school’s 35-year history.

Regarded as one of North America’s leading professors of corporate social responsibility and marketing, she is widely published and has received numerous accolades for her teaching prowess.

Cunningham graduated with a BA from Queen’s University, an MBA (marketing) from Calgary and a PhD (marketing) from Mays. Prior to her position at Dalhousie, she spent 19 years at Queen’s, where she served as director of the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility and founded the accelerated MBA program.

Her ideas about education aren’t limited by geography: she has worked in the U.K., Germany, China, and the U.S. She recalls an interaction with an Australian colleague who works for a large bank. “She was doing work on responsible leadership with a group of us who are senior people in business schools. She looked us in the eye and said: ‘You have graduated a generation of monsters.’ It brought home that business schools have to take a very hard look at themselves to see the kind of people we are graduating and take our responsibility very much to heart in terms of the models we use to graduate these people.” Now more than ever, training leaders that understand the value of ethics is central to the future of business.

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Rebound or double dip?

Forecast for U.S. economy to 2011

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hat can we expect the economy to do in the latter half of 2010? Mark G. Dotzour, chief economist and director of research at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center at Mays Business School has a few ideas. The road ahead is filled with potholes, but Dotzour says there is hope for the future.

As we begin the second half of 2010, clearly the entire country is ready for the end of the current economic decline and the beginning of a new phase of economic expansion. There are signals that the economy is trying to turn the corner. Consumer confidence has increased from a year ago and consumer spending has resumed its relentless upward trajectory.

But the most important positive indicator is that corporate profits have rebounded! In a free-market, capitalistic system like America, profits are the key indicator. When profits are growing, companies hire employees. When profits flatten, they stop hiring. When profits fall, they start to fire people, and they keep on firing people until profits start to increase again. Clearly, most businesses have right-sized their firms sufficiently to regain profitability.

So then why aren’t they hiring people?

The answer is uncertainty: uncertainty of capital gains and income tax rates; uncertainty about the cost of health care and the possible increase in energy costs due to “cap and trade.” The prospect of new and increased government regulation makes it hard for business to see clearly into the future.

Businesses can buy insurance against risk, but there is only one way to “insure” against uncertainty and that is to hoard cash. There is now well over a

trillion dollars in cash sitting on business balance sheets. They have much more capital than the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac combined.

So, what will it take to get businesses to deploy their capital and start hiring? A new cycle of economic expansion in the U.S. will not happen until this occurs.

The answer lies in business owners seeing the opportunity to make significant profits again. It is unlikely

because of the pent-up demand that has been created by several years of postponed purchasing.

A second headwind for economic recovery comes from the government sector at the state, county and city level, including school districts. All over the country, income tax revenues are down. So are sales tax revenues. Property tax revenues from commercial real estate have fallen some, and are likely to fall further in 2011. In many states residential property taxes have fallen as home prices declined. These declines in revenues are forcing government entities to make difficult decisions regarding spending and hiring. There is little doubt that there will be reductions in employment at all levels of government. The private business sector has right-sized their firms to adjust to the current environment.

Individual households have increased their savings rate to pay down debt and improve their balance sheets.

Government has begun the same process, but has a long way to go yet.

Small business is crucial at this stage of the game. As the government lays people off, it will be essential that small businesses resume hiring. Otherwise, we will start losing more jobs rather than beginning a new expansionary cycle.

Look for signals from Washington.

Business owners are like racecar drivers.

They have a precision-tuned machine with lots of spare tires and parts. They have skilled mechanics and drivers. They are just waiting to hear from Washington that the yellow flag of government intervention has been lifted and it’s time to roll back onto the track and resume the race.

There is now more than a trillion dollars in cash sitting on business balance sheets.

They have much more capital then the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac combined. that the issues of taxes, “cap and trade,” insurance costs and new regulations will be resolved in 2010. Hence, expect a sluggish economy through the remainder of the year. After the elections in November and new Congress members are seated early in 2011, business owners may get a clearer picture of what the future looks like. As the uncertainty recedes, the confidence to invest, expand and hire will increase.

Many business decisions have been deferred in the past three years. There could be a pleasant economic surprise when businesses see the “all clear” signal,

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Copyright © Houston Chronicle

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Trial by fire J

im McIngvale, better known to Houston-area residents as “Mattress Mack,” says there is one question all retailers must consider if they want to be successful: If your store disappeared, would your customers notice?

As it turns out, this is more than a rhetorical question for Mack.

On a Thursday in May 2009, surrounded by his family and a hundred loyal employees, Mack watched his business, Gallery Furniture, go up in flames. An arsonist with a personal vendetta set out to destroy Mack’s 29-year-old business and, by extension, his life. In the two hours it took to contain the fire, $20 million in merchandise burned. The three showrooms of the facility were badly damaged and the warehouse was destroyed completely. Mack says he’ll never forget the hopelessness, anxiety and despondency he felt watching those leaping flames. He also says he felt God’s grace touch his soul in the midst of the crisis and he knew that “Thursday’s tragedy was Friday’s opportunity.”

With tears in their eyes and smoke in their lungs, the Gallery Furniture family joined hands to pray and sing “God bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner” in the parking lot, vowing that they would survive and rebuild bigger and better.

To rebound, Mack knew it was imperative that his customers

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Copyright © Houston Chronicle

If your store disappeared, would your customers notice?

Jim MacIngvale looked on as his life’s work went up in flames, the work of an arsonist. Heartsick but not defeated, Mattress Mack says he knew that “Thursday’s tragedy was Friday’s opportunity.”

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experience no delay in the same-day service Gallery Furniture is known for. While the ashes smoldered that night, Mack ordered an express shipment of furniture from his vendors, though he had no idea where he’d put it when it arrived. He also shot a commercial to air the following day, telling customers he was still in business and inviting them to his location in the Galleria area. The business never missed a beat: not a single employee was let go, nor was there a break in the service to customers. The day after the fire, Gallery Furniture delivered $200,000-worth of furniture to Houstonians.

On the Fourth of July, a mere 44 days after the fire, they reopened one showroom at the main location. While all across America people were celebrating, Mack and his supporters were celebrating their own triumph.

“We raised the barn together, just as people in Texas have done for 175 years,” he said. By Labor Day, both of the other showrooms were open, and it was back to business as usual.

Did his customers notice? In the weeks after the fire, he received more than 5,000 cards and emails of encouragement from customers and business associates. “That outpouring of love and support sustained us in our darkest hour,” he said.

One great big advantage: desire

McIngvale began his career sacking groceries, feeling miserable about his prospects. Then he got fired for having a bad attitude. He slouched around, feeling sorry for himself, until he had an epiphany when he heard a message from televangelist Oral Roberts. It sticks with him to this day: The biggest challenge we all have from our creator is to use our talents. The world doesn’t owe you a favor—you owe the world a favor.

With this motivation, McIngvale went out the next day and found a job at a furniture store, discovering that he had a talent for retail. Eighteen months later, he wanted to open his own store.

His mentor told him Houston was a boomtown and that would be a good place to set up shop. With his life savings of $5,000 and a new bride, he moved to Houston and opened a store. There were many naysayers. “All the reasons that they gave as to why we would fail were good and solid, logical reasons. But I had one great big advantage called desire. I have learned in my life that you can do anything if you want it bad enough.”

A few years down the road, his business was floundering. He made another a risky gamble: he bet his last $10,000 on television advertising. It paid off. Television transformed his business and made him into a well-known Houston personality. That first commercial had an immediate impact on sales. Today, the medium is still his most powerful resource: He paid for a local spot during the 2010 Super Bowl; The $85,000 price tag was recouped in three days.

It’s a point of pride for him that each year of the past ten, his TV ads have been voted the worst in Houston. Still, they are effective.

Through his ads and frequent visits to local schools where he delivers encourages kids to say “no” to drugs and “yes” to school,

Mack makes a connection with young people whom he hopes will be customers for life. He is in the enviable position as a retailer of being well-loved and trusted by children all over Houston. Visiting his store is a treat, on par with visiting the zoo, as Gallery Furniture is known for its daily birthday cake, and live monkeys and parrots in the store.

Customer delight = retail success

During Mack’s visit to a retail merchandising class at Mays, he discussed one of the difficulties he’s faced since the fire. In their ambition to rebuild “bigger and better,” they changed the layout of the store significantly, grouping items by style instead of function. Rather than placing all of the beds in one section, they were spread throughout in pre-set rooms that feature the nightstand that goes with the bed, that goes with the lamp, etc. While his customers raved about how much they love the new look, sales decreased dramatically.

“You’ve got to focus on the customer. That’s all that matters.

We are in the singular business of delighting customers,” he told students, noting that the new store layout overwhelmed his shoppers. They quickly set about the costly process of reorganizing all of the merchandise.

Trust is at an all-time low in the U.S. today, he says. That means customers are looking for reasons to complain.

“Getting the details right in a low-trust economy is critical. The quality of your merchandise and service must engender trust in your customers.”

His final word was to “buy American whenever possible, because the job you save might be your own.” We can’t be a nation that only consumes. We must produce, if we are to survive, he says. And Mattress Mack? He knows how to survive.

Gallery Furniture is a sponsor of the Mays Center for Retailing Studies.

McIngvale recently committed to a gift to the center to endow an interactive digital library.

“The world doesn’t owe you a favor— you owe the world a favor.”

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Hate the status quo Loeffler ‘77 shares insights on leadership

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team of employees, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and quirks, doesn’t fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, says Bob Loeffler ’77. It’s the job of a leader to hold the team together, like glue, when the pieces don’t precisely fit.

After 40 years in business, the last seven spent in the president’s chair of Texas grocery chain H-E-B, Loeffler knows a few things about the characteristics and duties of leaders. What he’s learned, he’s gained by experience. When he was earning his MBA at A&M in the 70s, he says he learned much about finance, accounting, human resources, and marketing, but little about the vital skill of leadership. He did take courses on management, but he is adamant that management shouldn’t be confused with leadership. There’s a huge difference between the two—and both are necessary for a business to succeed.

“There are many failed companies who have had outstanding management with CEOs who couldn’t lead their way out of a wet paper bag,” he said. “In the long run, successful organizations have to have better leaders.”

‘Captain Crunch’

Loeffler’s leadership training began when he was young. He served in the Navy for six years, and at the tender age of 22, had 40 men under his command. He recalled an incident when he was serving on a destroyer: The commanding officer earned the moniker “Captain Crunch” when he accidentally ran the ship into a dock while trying to maneuver through high wind and waves.

“To his credit, the captain held a meeting in the wardroom, flopped his big and costly mistake on the wardroom table, and we discussed the issue in detail until we all understood what actions would be necessary to avoid this accident in the future—and we all

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became better sailors as a result…That’s good leadership.”

“A mistake is too precious a thing to waste,” he says. Leaders must create a culture where people are comfortable admitting mistakes rather than hiding them in fear of punishment. Mistakes can be very valuable to the individual and the organization if they are made public, dissected, understood, and if changes are made to prevent that mistake from happening again.

Vision: HATE the status quo

The leader’s job is not always to create a vision, but rather to sell a vision to everyone involved with the company—the board, the executives, and every member of the team on down the line. “The challenge is to paint the vision in such an attractive way that everyone who hears it concludes this vision is one worth pursuing,” he says. Part of that process is making sure everyone in the company is as unhappy as possible with the status quo. Make sure your people hate the way things are today so that they will buy into the vision of where they can be tomorrow.

Your team always needs a “B-HAG,” said Loeffler with a grin.

“Do you know what a B-HAG is? That’s a big hairy-ass goal.”

People have a natural reluctance to change; a leader must overcome this, and excite the team to want to change.

Business is a game, he says. The leader is responsible for creating an exciting, challenging game for the team to play through setting goals. The leader is playing the game, too, by doing everything possible to help the team win.

Loeffler asks: Would you rather spend your career clocking in and clocking out, then starting to really live after quitting time? Or would you rather spend your day playing a game that is complicated, challenging, meaningful, and rewarding, working

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alongside team members who join you in the pursuit of becoming champions?

“The leader has the responsibility to take what could otherwise be a humdrum worklife and turn it into a noble and challenging game to play. That will make all the difference to your people and to the results your organization achieves.”

Be a team player, not a glory hog, he advises. You win when the team wins. “If you are more committed to the team than to yourself, you will receive much personal credit. The opposite is true, as well.”

Be yourself, and be sure of yourself

Leadership skills can be learned from others, but leadership style isn’t something you should strive to duplicate. There’s no better way to lead than the way your experiences and personality dictate, says Loeffler. Give up trying to look good; have fun; be real, vulnerable, transparent—be yourself. “Be the same person at work that you are at home.”

“Trying to look good will actually make you look bad,” he says.

At the same time, a leader “has to be responsible and grown up all the time.” The best leaders don’t lose their tempers or have a bad day that anyone other than their spouse can detect.

Leaders must have confidence, not only in their ability to make decisions, but also in the way that they deal with subordinates.

This is a key area where many leaders fail: “Successful leaders have people working for them who have as much or more horsepower then they themselves do.” Leaders can’t feel threatened by these people, but rather must maximize their performance.

“Powerful people won’t work for someone who won’t allow them to act powerfully.” In other words, don’t hobble your top people through micromanaging, he says.

“One secret to success in leadership is to hire powerful people and to allow them to be powerful. Coach them, train them, point the way, then get the heck out of their way.”

“A mistake is too precious a thing to waste,” says Loeffler.

Whether it’s crashing a ship or failing a campaign goal, talking through the error with the team can be a very valuable exercise.

“One secret to success in leadership is to hire powerful people and to allow them to be powerful. Coach them, train them, point the way, then get the heck out of their way.”

Leaders who micromanage do so because they live in fear of failure. This impacts the whole team as the leader feels the need to examine every decision and every action. “This will ensure that subordinates eventually learn to just not make any decisions or take any actions unless the boss has said to. No one learns, no one acts powerfully, no one takes accountability, and the only one who owns the success of the organization is the boss.”

Fear Factor

Successful leaders aren’t afraid to give and receive feedback. Loeffler says that he was a conflict avoider for the first 40 years of his life—a trait that he realized was holding him back professionally, as he was afraid to voice displeasure or give truthful feedback to subordinates.

“It basically paralyzed me as a leader in certain instances,” he said. “I now realize there is no greater gift you can give to a subordinate than timely, direct feedback—especially negative feedback.” This is the only way you can develop your team and help individuals perform well and eventually be promoted to leadership positions themselves.

The alternative is to say nothing and be stuck with less than stellar employees, whom you may then have to fire for nonperformance. “In the case of employees who have talent and desire, they will consider your feedback a compliment, that you care enough to help them develop into a more effective person—and they will act upon your feedback.”

Feedback from those employees is also valuable.

Don’t be afraid to ask your subordinates what you could be doing better, he says. “Continually assess yourself and ask others to assess you.”

Loeffler visited Mays in April to receive the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award, presented each year to a retailer who is celebrated for their innovation in the field, and to guest lecture. This fall he will be recognized with an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Mays.

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Features

Ace the interview Best practices for both sides of the desk

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efore you schedule that employment interview, consider this: Research suggests that there are many subtle cues in an interview that indicate whether the job seeker will be successful—both in landing the position, and in doing the work. Understanding what those cues are is important, no matter which side of the desk you’re sitting on.

Murray Barrick, management department head and Paul M. and Rosalie Robertson Chair in Business, has been studying elements of the interview process for years and has advice to offer to job seekers and hiring managers.

The Job Seeker: Confidence is Key Your dream job is available, but first you’ve got to prove you’re the best candidate for the job. This nerve-jangling process is reminiscent of a first date—both parties reveal certain information while evaluating the other, examining the potential of an alliance— and as much as you’d like to think it’s all about personality and experience, you know that appearance matters.

You’ve polished your résumé and your shoes, practiced your answers and your winning smile. You’re ready for…

The interview There are three important elements of an interview that determine your success. Controlling for different factors, Barrick has examined

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the impact of each of these areas and his research suggests that those who perform the highest in them receive employment offers.

The information You have to actually know what you’re talking about. This is a no-brainer. You must have satisfactory answers to the job-related questions you’ll be asked.

If you’re lacking in the specific skills and experience necessary for the job, however, you can make up for it by emphasizing conscientiousness and emotional stability. Conscientiousness includes being dependable, hard working, and achievementoriented. Emotional stability involves how able you are to manage stress, and is also related to confidence. Those that are low in self-confidence tend to also be less emotionally stable—and this is a predictor of poor performance and turnover.

Image management You’ve got to look good, and that goes beyond the chic haircut and power suit. An important element of your professional image is confidence, self-promotion, or “what we typically call bragging,” says Barrick. It’s a fine line, though. You don’t want to come off as conceited, but you do want to talk yourself up. If you don’t, no one else in the interview will.

“It’s socially expected in this setting. If you don’t self-promote, people will assume that you are socially incompetent.”

You may have heard the saying “Nobody likes a suck up.” Well, that’s not entirely true. Barrick suggests that an appropriate amount

Features

mays.tamu.edu

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Features

“You can’t change somebody’s personality.

That’s what therapy is about. You can’t increase intelligence without a lot of effort. That’s what a four-year degree is for.” of ingratiation is also a cue to hiring managers that you are socially competent— that you understand the expectations of the context, and can “play the game” of professional interaction well.

Body language What you’re saying without words is as important as your answers to all those probing questions.

Through body language, you must convey two things: confidence and enthusiasm.

Leaning forward slightly is a subtle cue that you are interested in the position and may make a more enthusiastic employee. Good eye contact does the same. And the gold standard…

The handshake Barrick and colleagues rated five elements of the handshake of candidates in mock interviews. They found that if a candidate’s handshake rated higher

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on grip, vigor, duration, temperature, and eye contact during the transaction, he or she was also more likely to be rated highly in other areas of the interview.

First impressions are vital, as your information, image, and body language is quickly assessed and those judgments color the rest of the interview. How quickly?

Barrick says the success of the interview is often decided in the first three to four minutes. If that seems unfair, note that the manager’s first impressions of the candidate may reasonably be linked to performance, as it may indicate how that person will interact with colleagues and customers.

If the hiring manager finds the candidate likeable, others may, too.

The bottom line? The interview is a conversation between two strangers. The interviewer is relying on you to provide the information they need to make a decision

about your hire. So if you are the best candidate, make sure you demonstrate that to the interviewer clearly and confidently.

The Hiring Manager: Hire smarts Want to hire the best candidate? Then don’t worry so much about their skills and experience, pay attention to their general intelligence and personality (emotional stability, openness, dependability). These traits are vital in most any position, and they tend to be fixed—there is little you can do to train an employee to be smarter or easier to get along with.

When it comes right down to it, an interview isn’t the best method of gauging those essential elements, says Barrick, who recommends a formal survey to test for these, such as the Personal Characteristics Inventory®. Co-created by Barrick, this

Features

The big five personality factors— How do you score?

Psychologists have broken personality into five key factors, which, made up of many individual components, generally define a person: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability.

Some of these traits have an impact in all job settings (conscientiousness and emotional stability), while others are more specific to certain types of jobs.

Understanding how you or a job candidate exhibits these factors can be predictive of job satisfaction and success.

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Openness to experience Inventive and curious, those that exhibit this trait have an appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, and variety of experience. They tend to be intelligent.

Does this sound like you?

• I have a rich vocabulary.

• I have a vivid imagination.

• I have excellent ideas.

Then you may score highly in openness.

Workplace takeaway: Those with this trait are, as

expected, more likely to gravitate to artistic (such as graphic design) rather than conventional (such as banking) jobs.

2

Conscientiousness Efficient and organized, those that exhibit this trait show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement. They prefer planned rather than spontaneous behavior.

Does this sound like you?

• I am always prepared.

• I am exacting in my work.

• I follow a schedule.

Then you may score highly in conscientiousness.

Workplace takeaway: This trait is positively correlated with performance across all job categories. Conscientious employees experience more career satisfaction and success.

3

Extraversion Outgoing and energetic, those that exhibit this trait are characterized by energy, positive emotions, dominance, talkativeness, self-confidence, and the

tendency to prefer group settings rather than solo work.

Does this sound like you?

I am the life of the party.

• I don’t mind being the center of attention.

• I feel comfortable around people.

•

Then you may score highly in extraversion.

Workplace takeaway: Extraverts are likely to be good sales representatives and tend to be better leaders. On the flip side, they often are narcissistic and prone to riskseeking, as they have lower inhibitions.

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Agreeableness Friendly and compassionate, those that exhibit this trait tend to trust and work well with others. They are likeable.

Does this sound like you?

• I am interested in people.

• I feel others’ feelings.

• I have a soft heart.

Then you may score highly in agreeableness.

those exhibit this trait aren’t likely to be as extrinsically successful (promotion and pay), possibly because the trait is negatively correlated with management potential.

5

Emotional stability Not easily upset, those that exhibit stability are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be relaxed and free from persistent negative feelings. This does not mean they necessarily experience a lot of positive feelings, however.

Does this sound like you?

• I am not easily disturbed.

• I am relaxed most of the time.

• I seldom feel blue.

Then you may score highly in stability.

Workplace takeaway: Those that score lower in stability are less likely to experience extrinsic career success (promotion and pay).

Conversely, emotional stability is related to positive job performance.

Workplace takeaway: While it’s good to be likeable,

In your next interview, focus on the essentials and measure those explicitly: intelligence, personality, and job skills.

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survey links the big five personality traits to job performance in many categories.

Personality traits can be identified with a high degree of accuracy. They do predict job performance, so it makes sense to test for them.

Testing for intelligence, however, can be complicated, as certain populations tend to score higher on IQ tests. Employers may fear being branded as discriminatory if they are perceived to be using these tests to exclude minorities. There is a moderate relationship with interview success and intelligence, says Barrick, which suggests that interviewers are already pretty good at picking out the candidates with smarts (or that smarter folks perform better in interviews). Even if you’re not formally assessing it, being aware of the importance of intelligence in a candidate will help you detect it.

Barrick reports that as many as 20 percent of American companies (such as McDonald’s) are using personality surveys to screen applicants. The survey is usually sandwiched between a prescreening interview and a final interview. Often its function is identifying which individuals will be most conscientious and emotionally stable—two key indicators of overall performance.

While there are better selection tools available to assess many of the things we measure in an interview, the process is not going away in the American marketplace.

“It’s a cultural expectation that before I hire you I’m going to meet you and talk to you, look you in the eyes and see what I think of you as a person, draw some conclusions about your character as a whole,” says Barrick.

Often managers try to do too much in a 30-minute interview. In your next interview, focus on the essentials and measure those explicitly: intelligence, personality, and job skills. Managers typically rate these areas subconsciously, but making the rating explicit will clarify the process and make the interview more predictive of success.

Interviews are most useful for determining one thing: fit—that intangible, hard-to-define element that suggests an employee will be successful in the framework of the company culture. Most people can’t tell you exactly what fit is, says Barrick, but when you ask practitioners, they all agree that it is important.

How to measure whether or not a person is right for your company? There’s no questionnaire for that one. You’ll have to go with your gut.

More about Murray Barrick

I

n recognition of his 22 years of leadership

Mays has the unique position of employing

through management scholarship, Barrick

five other academy Fellows: Ricky Griffin, Luis

has recently been singled out for praise by

Gomez-Mejia, Michael Hitt, Don Hellriegel,

the Academy of Management as well as Texas

and Duane Ireland. This places Mays behind

A&M University.

only four universities (Harvard University,

Barrick was recently named a Fellow of

University of Michigan, Stanford University,

the Academy of Management—a distinction

and University of Washington) in terms of the

earned by less than 1.5 percent of the

number of Fellows.

nearly 20,000 members of the academy

Earlier this year, Barrick was also

worldwide. The prestigious fellows group was

recognized by Texas A&M University

established to honor members of the Academy

System when he was designated an A&M

of Management who have made significant

Distinguished Professor. This title denotes a

contributions to the science and practice of

faculty member who is recognized as being in

management. Fellows serve as ambassadors of

the top five percent of his or her field by peers

the academy.

throughout the world.

Information for this article came from research in a variety of Barrick’s papers. You can find links to many of these articles and other research from Barrick on his personal website: mays.bz/barrickpubs.

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X

Features

Project

For Executive MBA Students, homework is real work

How do you learn to lead a department, regional division, fleet, or multinational organization? Theory-based education will only get you so far. It’s experience that truly hones your skills.

Features

F

rom creating cost-saving systems to developing new growth strategies, students in the Texas A&M Executive MBA Program at Mays must use their business knowledge and leadership skills to tackle an important challenge facing their organization. This effort, their Capstone Project, creates solutions for a real problem, giving immediate application to their classroom learning—and creating value for the individual students, their companies, and their customers.

In fact, The Wall Street Journal recently ranked the A&M Executive MBA Program first in the nation for precisely this sort of experience: when examining factors such as raises received after graduation, companysponsorship figures, tuition, and out-of-pocket costs, the program was ranked number one for individual return on investment. This program is a point of differentiation for Mays, as most executive MBA programs don’t incorporate participants’ professional work into an individualized curriculum.

On the following pages are some of the most interesting and impactful Capstone Projects to come out of the EMBA Class X, which graduated in May 2010. Their work will save millions of dollars and create more efficient organizations that will grow the economy. You don’t have to be considering an executive MBA to learn something from their experiences, too.

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Shawn Corkran

Director, Transmission and Distribution Operations, Entergy Texas, Inc.; Beaumont, Texas Hurricane winds blow, ripping off roofs and siding, shattering windows, relocating trees and trashcans, and downing power lines.

When the storm is over, the vital work of restoration begins. Key to the recovery is turning the power back on—a job that customers expect to have completed very quickly. A job that requires a huge investment of manpower.

For a business utility company with approximately 5001,000 employees, the restoration process after a catastrophe can temporarily swell their ranks to 10,000-15,000. Acquiring the additional workers from contractor companies and other utility companies, then providing for them logistically (equipment, housing, food) in a storm-damaged area is a huge resource management and supply chain challenge.

As a longtime Gulf Coast resident and Entergy employee, Shawn Corkran knows how vital timely response to natural disasters is.

The focus of his EMBA Capstone Project was improving Entergy’s ability to bring in thousands of new employees and put them to work as quickly as possible. Applying what he learned in operations management, Shawn developed a model to optimize Entergy’s decisions regarding crew deployment, housing, and meals. After many hours spent building and validating the model, Shawn’s work led to his promotion to director of operations.

When he presented his project to his storm team at Entergy, his ideas were enthusiastically embraced. Shawn expects that his proposal, which includes the creation of a new resource management model, will be applied in the near future.

“My storm team loves this,” he says of the new model. “It allows us to take people who are under a lot of stress and a lot of duress, and make good decisions on behalf of everybody.”

Features

Michael Hopkins

Production Control Group Leader, IAH/HOU Heavy Aircraft Maintenance, Continental Airlines; Houston, Texas

Sara Bucaram

Brand Manager for Services Marketing, Dell; Dallas, Texas “Many hands make light work,” says the proverb—but how many hands are needed depends on the job. For her Capstone Project, Sara Bucaram evaluated her team of information technology professionals at Perot Systems, delving into the daily details of their work to create a scalable model so that as customer volume grew, the appropriate number of staff would be added.

Her ambition was not micromanaging her employees, but rather understanding the demands of the position so that each team within Perot was right-sized for the workload of a particular client.

Sara measured and analyzed the time spent on each information technology request, the number of requests each employee handled per month, and the customer feedback. She says it was enlightening to turn over every rock and analyze specific components of the employees’ days.

When all of the data was collected, Sara determined that each team member should be able to respond to about 200 requests per month. Using this and other variables, she developed a model that could forecast staffing adjustments based on a client’s growth rate.

After her Capstone Project, Sara says there is great value for managers in any kind of business to closely examine the output delivered by a team of employees. Only after fully understanding the objectives and the nature of the job can a manager determine if modifications to team size or workload would lead to greater productivity.

Before Sara’s models could be applied to other teams within the company, Perot was acquired by Dell. As the companies merge, Sara has moved from service to marketing, but the experience she gained from her project and from the EMBA degree are not wasted: They have opened doors for promotion for her in the reorganization phase. When the dust settles, Sara plans to implement certain elements of her models to teams within Dell.

Mike Hopkins can easily quantify the value of his Capstone Project: millions of dollars in corporate savings.

From the trucks that tow the luggage from the gate to the plane, to the tugs that push aircraft into position on the ground, it takes a fleet of thousands of support vehicles to ensure that your flight leaves safely and on time. Mike’s Capstone Project was to improve efficiency in the strategic organization of Continental’s ground services equipment division.

A problem of this magnitude was more than Mike could handle alone, so he enlisted the help of four Mays Full-time MBA students, Justin Zsiros, Derek Egbert, Imraan Mulla, and James Kress. Together the team collected and interpreted more than 60,000 lines of data on vehicle performance and maintenance.

After eight months of hard work that required the cooperation of many units within the organization, Mike was ready to present his recommendations to Continental’s top executives.

The results were received with excitement and will be used to drive change and reduce costs at every hub within Continental’s system. Mike’s timing couldn’t be better. Continental is currently preparing for a merger with United Airlines, and both companies will place a high priority on streamlining operations as they integrate.

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Features

Bruce Pool

South Business Unit VP for North America, Aggreko, LLC; Houston, Texas Not all growth is good. If expansion isn’t strategic, then it may not be sustainable. So says Bruce Pool, whose Capstone Project examined the growth patterns of the rapidly expanding global firm, Aggreko, LLC, a rental power, temperature control, and compressed air systems company.

As demand for services outpaced strategic planning, Aggreko had followed customers’ growth into new markets, committing $8$12 million in facility, rental fleet and people with each new site.

In many cases the investments were successful. But if the customer they were following had a downturn, if the market was too narrow or already saturated, or if they could offer no advantage over area competitors, then they experienced only marginal results at best.

To help Aggreko understand the dynamics of rapid expansion, Bruce gathered and analyzed economic and market data for 50 existing sites that had performed best for Aggreko in recent years, not in terms of total revenue, but for year-over-year increases. Using these data, he then developed a model to evaluate six sites under active consideration for expansion.

The data he collected challenged assumptions about the way Aggreko does business, such as the long-held belief that growing in areas with a large energy trade was the best strategy. It turned out, however, the best markets are far more diversified.

Based on Bruce’s project, Aggreko has put expansion into one of the markets it was considering on hold. During the next year, he hopes to refine the model to more effectively incorporate pricing and demand data by sector. As the company grows globally, his models will be at the forefront of expansion decisions.

COMING SOON

The Future of Energy: Unraveling the Economic Impacts of Energy Policy Mays Business School and the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service invite you to join us for a panel discussion exploring energy policy and its potential impacts on businesses and the economy.

Our distinguished panel of industry leaders, policy experts, and Texas A&M faculty members will discuss critical challenges of the energy industry, including the regulation of offshore drilling, the possible implementation of a carbon tax, the environmental issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing, and the economics of climate change.

We hope you will join us for the third in a series of annual events featuring distinguished panels of experts addressing the most pressing issues of business today.

November 1, 2010 5:30 p.m. Registration and refreshments 6:30 – 8 p.m. Panel discussion Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas-Houston Branch This event is free and open to Mays former students, but seating is limited. To learn more and register to attend, visit mays.tamu.edu/energy.

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Partners

An entrepreneur’s fire in the belly T

he year was 1960. A young engineer fresh out of college was granted a patent for his invention; an invention he knew would radically shift an industry. The competitor’s product weighed 400 pounds and cost $800. His? A mere 10 pounds selling for $105.

He had a great, patented idea but no money and few connections. What did he have? Desire.

“I started with nothing…I didn’t have any money, so I rode a Greyhound bus for two years from city to city introducing my product, an electronic valve actuator, to chief engineers and getting orders from them. I built the business one sale at a time.”

Fifty years later, Frank Raymond’s hard work has paid off. Though now cofounder and chairman of a multinational corporation, he has not forgotten those long bus trips doggedly pursuing sales. He wants to use the lessons he’s learned to benefit the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. That was the motivation for Raymond and his wife, Jean, to commit $410,000 for scholarships through the Mays Business School Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship over the next 20 years. Along with the financial gifts, Raymond wants to mentor scholarship recipients.

Taking a product from design to production, launching and selling and merging companies, opening plants all around the world—Raymond has seen it all when it comes to entrepreneurship.

He hopes that through these scholarships, he can help a young person learn in the classroom what he had to learn through the hard lessons of experience.

After the Greyhound sales trips to build his first venture, R&A Machine Company, Raymond merged the business twice, eventually becoming Raymond Control Systems. In 1976 he sold out of that business and started his next project, founding the controls division of Keystone

Frank Raymond started out with one great invention, a Greyhound bus ticket, and a whole lot of moxie.

International, Inc., the oil field services company owned by A&M patron Galen T. Brown. Both businesses grew exponentially under Raymond’s leadership. Eventually, he led Keystone as president of their North and South American offices.

The transition as Keystone moved from a private to a public firm was a learning experience, says Raymond, as greater external funding meant he was able to control less of his company, leading to business decisions he didn’t agree with.

After Keystone’s public offering, Raymond and Craig Brown ’75 (son of Galen) left the company to organize Bray International in 1986. Raymond is proud to boast that Bray is not for sale and that it has never been dependant on outside funding. He has no intention ever taking the company public, as that would put others in the decisionmaking seat that he enjoys sharing with Brown, now the president and CEO.

Some entrepreneurs can’t sit still long enough to enjoy a meal all the way through dessert. Raymond defies this stereotype. He founded Bray in 1986 and says the work there continues to be fulfilling, especially as the company grows, adding new products and services, acquiring other companies.

“It’s been a phenomenal growth company…

It’s been such an exciting run and it’s still exciting.”

The life of an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone, Raymond acknowledges. “The risks of entrepreneurship are extremely high and the work ethic must also be extremely high. You have to have tremendous drive to do it.” Entrepreneurs will never be comfortable for long he says, as there will be happy and prosperous periods of the business, and other times when you’ll lose your shirt—but the majority of your career will be spent adjusting to or creating change. In that environment, it takes a mays.tamu.edu

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Partners

“Entrepreneurs will never be comfortable for long. There will be happy and prosperous periods and other times when you’ll lose your shirt.

The majority of your career will be spent adjusting to or creating change.” certain breed of person—and a certain kind of family—to survive and thrive.

Raymond counts himself lucky to have the family that he does, as their support was integral to his success. “I never had to worry about them being a problem, as families can be if they get scared.” He says his wife never complained when, more than once, he leveraged their assets to invest in advancing the business.

In fact, Jean was also an entrepreneur, operating her own interior design business for many years, so she understood better than most the challenges her husband faced.

“The driving force [for an entrepreneur]

is starting from nothing and trying to be successful for yourself and for your family,” says Raymond.

“I think most people don’t have the fire in the belly to take those risks. But I do.” In the end, the risks are well worth it. “The satisfaction is unbelievable. Some people call it the rush…solving problems, moving ahead, the challenges of constantly developing new products and seeing them become successful in the market place.”

“I must say, even after doing this for 50 years, I’m still emotionally excited about what we do and where we’re going and how we’re getting there.”

Above: Jean and Frank Raymond will do more than support Kristina Pontious ‘12, with scholarship money. They want to be involved in her life, offering mentorship and guidance as she makes decisions about her future entrepreneurial endeavors. Below: The smallest valves Raymond’s company, Bray, produces are just ¼ inch in diameter. This is the largest: 96 inches, weighing 9 metric tons, manufactured at their China plant.

Lowry Mays ’57 receives medal for philanthropy

T

he Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees recently honored San Antonio businessman Lowry Mays ’57, founder of Clear Channel Communications.

For his philanthropy to A&M, the foundation trustees selected Mays to receive its Sterling C. Evans Medal. In addition to his corporate work, Mays is well-known for his generosity to Mays Business School and the George Bush Presidential Library.

The Evans Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Texas A&M philanthropic efforts. Evans Medal recipients exhibit a distinguished record of philanthropy benefiting Texas A&M, through giving and volunteer leadership. Other qualifications include a willingness and ability to motivate others to support Texas A&M, a lifelong devotion to Texas A&M and higher education, and a personal history of integrity and excellence in all aspects of life.

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Partners

Merry Christmas, Dad

Blake ’89 honored his father, Herb ’65, with a named scholarship at Mays. “The gift was much more meaningful than the typical Christmas gift,” says Herb.

Aggie father honored by son’s gift

W

hat to give dad for Christmas is a question that leaves many stumped. A tie? A movie? Tools? How about a named scholarship at his alma mater?

The latter was the option chosen by Blake Pounds ’89, who recently gave $25,000 to Mays to create the Herbert (“Herb”) E. Pounds, Jr. ’65 Endowed Scholarship in honor of his father, which will support a student in the finance or accounting programs.

On Christmas morning, Blake left a letter under the tree containing details of the gift. When Herb opened the letter and started reading, Blake says he was touched.

“He started reading and got to about the second paragraph and couldn’t finish. He was kind of choked up. I’ve never seen him like that. It obviously meant a lot to him,” said Blake.

“I am indeed honored and humbled by the gift by Blake to Mays,” said Herb. “I was taken totally by surprise. The gift was much more meaningful than the typical Christmas gift.”

Blake, who holds a finance degree from Mays, says graduating from the business school at A&M is a common bond that he and his father, an accounting major, share. He says that the scholarship “was something I wanted to do for my father while he’s alive, something that I thought he’d be honored by.” He describes his father as his mentor, coach, and advisor.

Blake says he had planned to give a gift of this nature to Mays at some point

in the future, possibly when his four children were out of college (the oldest is 14, the youngest is five). However, he decided it would be more meaningful to his father if he gave it sooner rather than later. The offer of matching funds from his company (Accenture) also made the present attractive.

Blake has been with Accenture since 1990. He is a partner in their Houston office. In addition to his financial gifts to the university, he is also involved in the Mays Dean’s Development Council. He and his wife, Dawn, reside in Spring, Texas.

Blake is proud of his father’s accomplishments.

Upon graduating from Texas A&M, Herb served in the United States Air Force, where he flew more than 220 combat missions as a pilot in Southeast Asia. He later worked in the banking industry, eventually becoming president of a national bank. He earned a law degree from the University of Texas and started a new career as an attorney when Blake was preparing to enter A&M. Herb and wife, Melinda, live in San Antonio, where he practices law,

specializing in securities fraud and broker misconduct.

“The leadership opportunities which I had at Texas A&M positioned me well for the real world, and any success which I have had can be traced directly back to Aggieland,” he says.

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Partners

Elys to provide scholarships in business honors

“C

all it what you want, ‘paying it forward’ or ‘giving back,’ there comes a time when you honor those who have helped to shape you,” says Mark Ely ’83, who with his wife, Janet, has recently committed to a gift of $150,000 to create an endowed scholarship fund for business honors students at Mays. The gift will be matched by funds from the Center for Executive Development to create a $300,000 endowment. The fund will provide support for students of any major that participate in the honors program, as well as students who declare an honors major.

Through this gift, Ely hopes to honor those that have impacted his career, including Mays benefactor Jerry Cox ’72.

Ely calls Cox an outstanding individual who unselfishly provided mentoring at critical junctures in his career. Cox is someone

Ely tries to emulate, as he is “a model citizen and business leader.” Cox has given generously to Mays in previous years, most notably providing the lead gift for Jerry and Kay Cox Hall, the home of Mays’ graduate programs, which is adjacent to the Wehner Building.

“A few years ago, Jerry sent [development officer] David Hicks and Dean Strawser to visit with me about getting involved in financially supporting the dean’s efforts at Mays. It took a couple of years to see the light, but there was never any doubt about what I needed to do,” said Ely. “When I met Dean Strawser and had an opportunity to experience his vision for the business school, it was quickly apparent why individuals like Jerry Cox were so committed to supporting the effort. I remain duly impressed.”

The Elys’ gift will support Strawser’s

strategic vision for Mays, which includes greater emphasis on scholarships for business honors students.

“Mark and Janet’s most generous gift helps Mays compete for the very best undergraduate students in our business honors program,” said Strawser. “They will touch the lives of these students, while also providing them with role models for a lifetime. I just can’t think of how more impactful any gift could be than this.”

Mark and Janet—whom he calls “the center of [his] universe,”—celebrated 20 years of marriage in June. They have two children, Avery and Emily, and live and work in Sugar Land, Texas. Ely is the founder and managing partner of EBR Energy, LP, an oil and gas exploration company.

D.C. bound

First business honors major graduates, pursues dreams in a D.C. classroom

J

ennifer McCatharn ’11 was standing at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial at twilight, thinking about all that she had seen in her few days in D.C. on a trip with other business honors students. Looking up at the marbled face of one of the most influential men in American history, she had a revelation: this could be her future.

She reached for her cell phone.

I love it here, she texted her mom.

Her mom was quick to respond: Just remember, your home is in Texas.

Now, two years later, Jennifer is leaving that Texas home and returning to the nation’s capitol, where she will pursue a master’s degree in education through The Urban Teacher Center. She will participate in a four-year program, during which she will earn her degree for free in exchange for service in a D.C. school.

Jennifer knows the road ahead of her won’t be easy—D.C. public schools are 32

@MAYS Fall 2010

It was on a business honors trip to D.C. in 2008 that Jennifer McCatharn ‘11 first realized that someday she would call the nation’s capitol “home.”

notorious for their low graduation rates and poor academic scores—yet she is optimistic.

The Urban Teacher Center recruits top candidates from across the nation to prepare them to teach in the most challenging schools, equipping them with state-of-theart training and linking their certification to their students’ performance outcomes.

Jennifer is eager to join this innovative

program, which has the power to impact so many lives, as well as education reform on a local and national level. She looks forward to being in the classroom and using her creative and business skills to encourage learning.

In May 2010, Jennifer became the first Mays student to graduate with a degree in business honors. She says that the program has benefitted her through the intimate class sizes and special opportunities such as the D.C. trip she took part in her sophomore year. She also appreciated the honors book club, which exposed her to books such as Three Cups of Tea and Good to Great that have shaped the way she sees business and the world.

Jennifer is thankful for the scholarships she received during her years at A&M. “I know how much it has meant to my family and to me…someday I hope to give back in the same way.”

Ideas@Mays

Paying it forwardnal Supervisor work-life enrichment improves employee performance

W

hen supervisors want better performance from employees, there is an easy thing they can do: spend more time away from their own desks.

There is a direct link between supervisor work-family enrichment and subordinate performance, says new research from Dwayne Whitten, clinical assistant professor of information and operations management at Mays, and colleagues.

It works like this: when a supervisor has a healthy balance between work and life, it creates and promotes a more family-friendly work environment. This in turn leads to improved employee performance.

For some corporations, telling managers to spend less time in the office and more time at home seems counterintuitive.

As one climbs the ranks of a company, increasing responsibility can mean less time for personal endeavors. But, says Whitten, in this case, time away from the office can actually lead to measurable gain for the whole team.

Whitten and colleagues surveyed 161 employees and 48 immediate supervisors from a broad range of organizations including manufacturing, professional services, education, and health services.

Key in the research is that it did not look

at CEOs, but rather mid-level managers.

Immediate supervisors are frequently gatekeepers in setting the standards for acceptable behavior in a work group. If employees see their immediate boss flex her schedule to attend a child’s soccer game or a long lunch with a spouse, employees will feel more comfortable in modifying their schedules to be more harmonious with outside-of-work life.

In the study, nearly 90 percent of the supervisors were married and 77 percent had at least one child living at home; for subordinates, 71 percent were married and 59 percent had at least one child at home. The survey asked participants to rate statements such as, “My involvement in my work helps me acquire skills and this helps me be a better family member,” and “My involvement in my family puts me in a good mood and this helps me to be a better worker.” Other elements of the survey asked supervisors to rate employee performance, and employees to rate how family supportive the organization is, what degree of schedule control they have, and a performance self-evaluation.

Researchers found that when subordinates feel they have greater schedule control, it has an impact on their

job performance as evaluated by their supervisor and themselves. Researchers theorize that supervisors with high levels of work-family enrichment may become more tuned in to the work-family needs of their subordinates and may therefore respond by improving workplace family friendliness. The environment may occur through formal or informal policies that allow workers to take control over their work schedule (including location) or simply a management style that connotes a sense of family friendliness or concern about workers’ lives outside the office—such as showing concern for subordinate home-life situations, providing help during a personal emergency, or showing sympathy about family issues.

When supervisors have a well-balanced work and family life, they pay it forward to their employees. Then, supervisors more readily empathize with subordinates and provide support that leads to enrichment; this enrichment leads to greater engagement in the workplace on the part of the employees, as well as improved performance.

Contact Whitten at dwhitten@mays.tamu.edu.

mays.tamu.edu

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Ideas@Mays

Beyond Tinseltown Motion picture industry provides insights into multi-country release strategy

F

or most large firms, more than half of revenues are generated outside their home country. In this flattening world, formulating the right strategies about when and how to release a new product in multiple countries can have a significant impact on success. Firms follow one of two strategies: waterfall (a cascade of releases), and sprinkler (simultaneous release) across multiple markets.

To study international market entry strategies, Reo Song, marketing doctoral candidate and Venkatesh Shankar, Brandon C. Coleman, Jr. ’78 Chair in Marketing examined the Hollywood motion picture industry, identifying which factors influence success on a global playing field.

Their findings are valid for many types of products beyond movies.

The researchers used data from the motion picture industry to test their hypotheses for important reasons: unlike other industries, each movie is a unique product, and movie marketing and performance data are closely tracked.

In deciding the time window between launch in the home country and in a foreign market, time is money, says Shankar. If you wait too long to enter a market, you may miss a vital window of opportunity created by strong advertising.

However, if you enter too soon, you may not benefit from the spread of positive word-ofmouth. This is especially true in the film industry, as movies have short life cycles and carry huge investments. Appropriately timed releases can transform a so-so movie

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@MAYS Fall 2010

into a hit and a good movie into a super hit in theaters.

Analyzing more than 200 films released in the U.S. and abroad, Shankar and Song have created a model that accounts for several variables and offers strategic insights that could improve a new movie’s revenues in each country.

As the film cascades to other countries, Shankar says marketers

should plan on a strategy that involves releasing first to countries where there is a high demand for entertainment and a close cultural fit with the themes of the movie. In those environments, it will be easier for the film to succeed, boosting the word-of-mouth.

Traditionally, waterfall U.S. film releases go like this: domestic, U.K., other European countries, Asia, the rest of the

world. Shankar says this is not always the best strategy. If a movie has a closer culture fit to another country, it should launch there sooner. For example, the film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, which was about Latin dance. After its U.S. release, it became a big hit in large Latin American markets such as Argentina and Brazil, where it generated enough positive word-of-mouth to be successful in other markets around the world.

Piracy may also be a factor in the country sequence decision. It’s a doubleedged sword, says Shankar.

On the one hand, releasing early in countries such as China and Russia means bootlegged copies of the film will be available for consumers immediately— which may diminish box office sales. On the other hand, pirated copies can provide fast word-ofmouth and improve box office revenues.

Movies that are not likely to generate much additional positive word-of-mouth should consider the sprinkler method, which involves greater pre-launch advertising. Much anticipated sequels, such as Iron Man 2, do better with a sprinkler release, as the demand for them is already high and is less likely to be helped by new wordof-mouth. However, if another strong film is opening at the same time in a foreign country, then it may hurt the Hollywood movie’s ticket sales in that market.

While the model is complex, one thing is clear, says Shankar: many in Hollywood are ignoring these factors—and missing out on millions of dollars.

Contact Venkatesh Shankar, vshankar@ tamu.edu or Reo Song, msong@mays.tamu.edu.

Ideas@Mays

Increased religiosity, decreased fraud Firm’s location can predict the likelihood of fraud

W

hen you’re evaluating the risks associated with investing in a company, one item you may not have thought to consider is its location relative to the Bible Belt. However, that may be a salient detail, if you’re worried about fraud.

New research from Mays accounting faculty members Sean McGuire, Thomas Omer, and Nathan Sharp suggests that firms headquartered in counties where residents report that religion is important in their daily lives exhibit less aggressive financial reporting.

This is especially true in small-tomedium sized firms that have less external monitoring from financial analysts. For such companies, religion can act as a substitute for other monitoring.

There is a significant association between the measure of a county’s religiosity and measures of aggressive reporting, including shareholder litigation related to accounting malfeasance. In fact, after controlling for other firm and county characteristics, they find that an approximate 10 percent increase in the population that indicate religion is important to their daily lives results in a 48.8 percent decrease in the odds that a firm headquartered in that county is sued for accounting malfeasance.

Which states overall reported the highest numbers of residents claiming religion was important in their daily lives?

The top ten are all Bible Belt states, with Mississippi (86 percent), Alabama (84 percent), and Tennessee (79 percent) in the

first three spots. At the bottom of the list by this measure are Alaska (48 percent), Vermont (46 percent), and New York (44 percent). Texas is number 13 on the list, with 71.9 percent of residents reporting religion is important in their daily life. The religion data were collected by Gallup, Inc. Another finding of note is that firms located in more religious counties scored lower on measures of corporate social responsibility, including support for the community and diversity initiatives. On the surface, this seems surprising: shouldn’t firms where religion has an impact show higher levels of corporate social responsibility? The researchers hypothesize that this finding may be easily explained: in more religious counties, there is likely less need for corporate involvement in providing for needs within the community, as those activities are already being addressed by religious groups. Also, if a company’s CEO or other managers are already involved in community efforts personally through a religious group, they may not see the need to involve the corporation.

While the religiosity of the county where a firm is headquartered is significantly related to fraud risk in a large sample of firms, Sharp notes that it is only one of many factors potential investors must examine. It is significant, he says, but one shouldn’t invest solely on this criteria.

Contact the researchers at smcguire@mays. tamu.edu; tomer@mays.tamu.edu; or nsharp@ mays.tamu.edu.

mays.tamu.edu

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Ideas@Mays

Honeymoon to hangover in the workplace How does the new job become just like the old one?

T

he first day on the job is exciting as a new employee learn the ropes and the way around the office. There are dozens of fresh faces and it is easy to be swept away in the rush of new experiences. A few months later, the new job has become more like the old job and the employee often finds himself back where he started: wondering if the grass is greener someplace else.

Why is it that the novelty of a new job wears off so quickly? Does the company need to keep employees as excited about their workplace on day 100 as on day one?

Wendy Boswell, Nichols Associate Professor of Management, Mays Research Fellow, and director of Center for Human Resource Management, and Abbie Shipp, assistant professor of management, collaborated to take a deeper look into the nature of this process and the measures employers might take to lessen the effects of the let-down after the initial high.

The researchers break the new job experience into two phases: honeymoon and hangover. Shipp and Boswell explored the attitude shift in a set of new employees over the course of one year. The sample group of new employees came from a public service organization in the southwestern United States, and were surveyed at four points throughout the year: the first day, and the three-, six-, and twelve-month marks. The surveys assessed the new employees’ levels of satisfaction both with their previous places of employment, as well as with their current position.

The research indicates that it is typical for an individual to go through the honeymoon to hangover process, though the

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@MAYS Fall 2010

severity of the shift from high to low varies between individuals. The employees that the Mays professors found to be the most at risk for a steep decline in satisfaction were those who came to the new job with baggage from their old job. People started the new job feeling deep dissatisfaction about their previous job will more likely feel a greater let-down after the newness wears off because they felt the new job would be such an improvement. They’ve set themselves up with unrealistic expectations, says Boswell.

The data they gleaned from this study indicated that the peak of a new employee’s job honeymoon tends to be between three and six months. Shipp reasoned that this makes sense, as it is during this period that

a new employee is no longer apprehensive about beginning work, and the realization of his or her permanence in the organization is finally setting in.

One of Boswell and Shipp’s hypotheses was that greater socialization would have a role in preventing the hangover.

This turned out not to be the case. The organization where the research was conducted took several steps towards making socialization important, including a first-day new employee orientation and planned activities and social events throughout the first year. The surveys revealed that even well socialized employees experience the honeymoon to hangover shift.

After examining the data, Boswell says it seems that job satisfaction has more to do with the individual’s attitudes and previous experiences than the managers’ efforts. Also, the honeymoon to hangover process is a natural occurrence, and does not necessarily represent a problem. “Even if you’re really enjoying what you’re doing and contributing to the organization, you may still experience this decline,” she says.

In fact, the absence of a rise and eventual decline in enthusiasm could indicate a problem, says Shipp. If an employee doesn’t exhibit those signs, it may be an indication that he or she is less engaged and more likely to leave the position.

Instead of trying to prevent a hangover, Boswell suggests that managers could do more to re-recruit their employees—in essence, give them a second honeymoon.

Contact Boswell at wboswell@tamu.edu or Shipp at shipp@mays.tamu.edu.

Snapshots from Haiti I went thinking that they showed the worst parts on the news and that it really wouldn’t be that bad. But everywhere we would go, everything we would see—everything was destroyed. Every person you talk to has lost someone. It’s not just a friend of a friend of a sister. It’s my brother, or my husband, or my mom.

Still, the people that I talked to were so grateful. They were scared, but they were grateful that they had this opportunity to live and to have a second chance…They felt that it was by God’s grace that they were still alive.

You want to help? I think the best way is to go there.

Just go. They can use anyone. If they could use me, a young girl with no experience, then they can use you.

—Cristine '10

Cristine Mayer ’10, a management major from Arlington, Texas, has made two service trips to Haiti since the January earthquake.

She is a 2010 Buck Weirus Spirit Award recipient. mays.tamu.edu/haiti

Creating knowledge and developing future ethical business leaders for a global society.

Mays Business School 4113 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-4113 The 2010–2011 yell leaders include David Benac ’12 (far left), a finance and business honors major from Boerne, and John Bush ’11 (second from right), a management and business honors major from Beaumont.

It’s not about us. What makes this special is that we unite the Aggie Family...When

we’re down on the field, people in the stadium don’t know us, we’re specks of white, but we lead everyone at Kyle Field into being part of the 12th Man. John ‘11 and David ‘12