Raise your hand if you’ve got a smartphone next to you. This one’s for you.
“Brain Drain,” a 2017 research paper co-authored by Rady School professor Ayelet Gneezy and Ph.D. graduate Kristen Duke (Ph.D. ’19), was recently recognized as having the highest social impact according to a best in class survey by Financial Times.
Gneezy and Duke’s research tested the “brain drain” hypothesis, that the “mere presence” of your smartphone might make it more difficult for you to engage with the task at hand, even when you’re resisting the temptation to actually check your phone. (Their research suggests that it does.)
Now raise your hand if you’ve just thrown your phone out the window.
To measure social impact, Financial Times first asked business schools to submit up to five research papers published within the last five years for consideration. Using Altmetrics, Financial Times measured “the online resonance that each [research paper] had with the wider world beyond universities,” including data such as academic citations, blog references and tweets. “Brain Drain” received an Altmetric score of 3956, more than five times higher than the second-highest-scoring paper.
You’ve rehearsed your pitch over and over again to prepare for the big meeting. So, how do you tell your story without sounding rehearsed?
Let’s ask Associate Professor of Marketing Rachel Gershon.
Gershon’s research focuses on understanding and improving human decision making with a focus on social and prosocial behavior. Some of her research looks at perceptions of authenticity.
In the paper Twice-told tales: Self-repetition decreases observer assessments of performer authenticity, Gershon and her co-author describe how we generally assume social interactions to be unique. When we find out that someone is repeating themselves, we find them to be less authentic, and in turn, we feel less likely to want to engage with them in the future.
Watch the video below for a research-backed tip on how you can repeat a performance—and still appear authentic—the next time you speak in public.
How to Increase Your Authenticity When Speaking in Public was last modified: February 25th, 2020 by Camille Cannon
We all know the struggle of sticking to New Year’s resolutions. We start strong, and then by February, our willpower to resist a plate of french fries or commit to a gym routine is gone faster than, well, said plate of fries.
What can we do to make healthy habits actually stick?
Associate Professor of Marketing Wendy Liu has answers. Liu specializes in consumer judgment and decision making, focusing on the cognitive and emotional basis of consumer choice, social interactions, and well-being.
Her recent research topics include decision making under complexity, self control decisions, and the role of emotions and social motivations in customer behavior. She also studies consumer behavior in medical and health domains.
Watch the clip below for a quick tip on how to see your new habits all the way through December.
This Quick Tip Can Help You Form Healthier Habits was last modified: February 5th, 2020 by Camille Cannon
This September, the first ever cohort of Master of
Professional Accountancy (MPAc) students will make history as they begin
classes on campus at Rady School of Management at the University of California
San Diego.
It’s an exciting time to be around the buzzing Rady campus,
not just for the students but for the faculty and staff too. James Deiotte,
Executive Director of Rady’s MPAc program, is particularly excited to kick off
the 2019-2020 academic year with a refreshed take on the traditional masters of
accountancy program.
James Deiotte, Executive Director, Master of Professional Accountancy
“Our students will be taught
by professionals in the field they’re entering. They will gain great insights
as to what goes on and what’s expected to become successful in the profession,”
says Deiotte. “Being taught by research
faculty and industry professionals, including retired accounting firm partners,
will accelerate the career development of our students.”
What makes the Rady MPAc different is that we’re leveraging
on the strengths of being a young business school that is entrepreneurial at
its core. Rady is a school that has a collaborative and innovative culture and
the MPAc program is no exception. The collaborative approach is reflected in
the program’s crossover with other disciplines offered at the school, including
business, analytics, and finance.
“We have approached embedding
data and business analytics into most of our classes to accelerate the
understanding of these changes and putting more context around it,” says
Deiotte. “For example, we want our
students to understand the legal nuances and the accounting implications of what
is a digital asset and how you might want to account for the acquisition of
those assets. We are especially
interested in the accounting and reporting related to the new and restrictive
regimes arising around the world like the EU’s General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) or California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).”
Our program embraces students that want
to change and make a meaningful impact in their careers and the profession. With
the changes taking place in technology and data, students that have majored in
data science, economics or international studies are finding that the accounting
profession is interested in them, provided they can understand and use the
language of business – accounting.
Getting into the profession is Job #1! “We’ve
built a curriculum that accomplishes the most important tasks with respect to
the professional development of our students,” says Deiotte. “We want to make sure that students are ready
for certifications within the profession, including the CPA and CMA exams,
which are both recognized globally.”
Growing in the profession and future proofing the student’s
investment in their career is enhanced by Rady electives focused on leadership,
communication and decision making courses and experiences from Capstones. “We have heard from firms, both large and
small, that soft skills development is even more important today because of the
rapid technology enabled changes taking place and the use of BOTS, AI and ML
platforms,” says Deiotte.
Launched in 2014, the Master of Finance (MFin) program at
Rady School of Management is a relatively new program. But despite its
adolescence, the program and its curriculum has quickly become highly praised
within the industry.
Just last year it was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the top MFin programs in the world; a
huge accomplishment after a mere four years since the program’s conception. It
placed 14th in the U.S. and is expected to rise higher in the future.
The highly-regarded ranking isn’t all that the MFin degree
has to offer. The Rady School MFin program is a STEM-designated, CFA
Institute-affiliated professional degree that delivers rigorous, hands-on
training to prepare graduates to immediately contribute in environments where
quantitative and analytical skills are at a premium.
Students learn leading-edge methods for analyzing big data
for financial decision-making and risk management. The program’s emphasis on
quantitative models and methods ensures that graduates are equipped to develop
innovative solutions to the complex problems facing the financial industry.
“The Master of Finance
program at Rady is designed for the current needs of the finance industry. It
incorporates class work that reflects what’s going on in the industry today and
includes a heavy component of data science, which is presently very important
for financial firms,” says Michael Melvin, the Executive Director of the MFin
program at Rady.
Michael Melvin, Executive Director, Master of Finance, Rady School of Management
As Melvin notes; “It’s
a quant program, so students learn quantitative skills, including financial
econometrics that they can apply throughout their coursework including the final
capstone research project.”
The MFin capstone is a project-based course that allows
students to work with a prestigious firm within the finance industry. Students work
together in teams of four and complete research that demonstrates the application
of skills developed throughout the MFin program.
“Our students work
with a mix of local and global firms. From San Diego to London to Hong Kong,
capstone project stakeholders present students with a particular idea to
research, which may cover a range of financial topics.”
These topics can include anything from portfolio construction,
cryptocurrencies and bitcoin, trading issues, payments, asset management, and risk
management, among many others. What’s more is that students can learn from collaborating
with respected industry professionals.
Examples of capstone companies that students worked with
this year include some of the top financial firms in the world, such as Goldman
Sachs and BlackRock. They also worked with companies that have finance groups
within them, like ViaSat, and a local La Jolla firm, Alphacore.
“Alphacore is a great example of a firm where we had students interning
with them that were so successful in their research that Alphacore executives
were interested in continuing the relationship and building upon what was
started,” recalls Melvin.
Melvin says that “students
might do a project with one firm but then that experience will lead them to
opportunities with other firms as well.” Opportunities for students to
network and showcase their skills often lead to their ultimate goal;
employment.
“I think the MFin
degree is a ticket into the industry. I used to be a Managing Director at
BlackRock and we’re teaching students at Rady the skills that I wanted to hire
for my teams at BlackRock, which were quantitative investing teams.”
The capstone increases employability because the students
gain the skills and the abilities that firms want to hire. Not only that, but
students can differentiate themselves from other job applicants because they’re
able to highlight bespoke research on their resume.
“When capstone teams
are doing very well, which they often do, firms will request resumes from the
teams so that they can interview students, which leads to internships and
permanent jobs.”
For anyone looking to enhance their career within the
finance industry, the MFin program at Rady is a great place to start.
In today’s business environment,
being skilled in analytics is becoming more and more of an advantage across
many industries and corporations. Playing it safe with a basic understanding of
business practices might be satisfactory, but successful businesses use data
analytics techniques and models to make better decisions and gain a competitive
edge.
At Rady School of Management, we
equip our students enrolled in the Master of Science in Business Analytics
(MSBA) program with the skills needed to thrive in these types of data-rich
business environments.
Our MSBA program offers rigorous,
hands-on training that prepares students how to identify business
opportunities, generate business insights and create business solutions, all
through data and analytics. It’s unique in the sense that it delivers a
curriculum at the convergence of data science and business.
As Raymond Pettit, Executive
Director of Rady’s MSBA program, notes, “Rady
is one of the few business schools that has a strong and collaborative relationship
with our data science colleagues on campus. Many other schools that offer MSBA
degrees are often stand-alone, however Rady offers cross-discipline
opportunities through our close relationship with the Halıcıoğlu Data Science
Institute and the Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego and our world-class
faculty in all these areas.”
As part of the MSBA curriculum,
students must participate in a capstone project, which consists of solving a well-defined
business problem for a real life company. Each student pursues this experience
as part of a team and must complete both written and oral exams to pass the
course, as well as a complete report for the sponsor company.
With more companies seeking
skilled professionals who can work effectively in teams to answer key
operational and strategic business questions using data and analytics, the
capstone project is crucial to position students for future career
success.
“The capstone project isn’t just mandatory for students, it’s beneficial
for them because it gives students the opportunity to practice what they’ve
learned throughout the course and apply it to a real-world setting with an
industry leading company,” says Pettit.
Every year, the capstone
stakeholders include Rady School industry partners and big name companies such
as Petco, Hewlett Packard, Becton Dickinson, Cisco, DIRECTavenue, Mirum, and
Mazda among many others. These companies present students with an opportunity
to obtain real industry experience that aids them in their job search and
beyond.
It’s also not just beneficial for
students, but it’s also valuable for the participating companies. Pettit added,
“Many companies that our students work
with see the capstone as a way to create a talent pipeline, so they can keep these
students on as interns or they can hire students for permanent jobs afterwards.”
Some participating companies have
been involved with the MSBA capstone project for several years, meaning they
can build off projects from the previous years. Not only that, but the capstone
is growing tremendously with more than 25 companies submitting proposals to
take part just this year alone.
For this academic year, Pettit
and the rest of the MSBA faculty were overall very pleased with the capstone
results noting that; “The quality of
students emerged in the amazing work and reports the teams presented to the
sponsoring firms. This group of students will be making sizable contributions
as their careers continue to grow and evolve.”
It’s an exciting time to enroll
in an MSBA program at Rady as there are many advancements on the horizon.
“We’re going to expand the program and we can envision this expansion
benefitting a larger number of companies based on the success we’ve seen so far,”
says Pettit. “There is scope for the
current capstone to develop into a joint-capstone in partnership with other
disciplines on campus including data science undergraduates and our Master of
Professional Accountancy program. To do this on the business side and work
together would be huge and a new type of collaboration that nobody else is
doing.”
On June 16, 2019, the Rady School of Management
at UC San Diego held commencement ceremonies for 344 students. The commencement
ceremonies celebrated the graduation of the school’s Full-Time, FlexEvening and
FlexWeekend MBA classes, Ph.D. students, and students from the Master of
Finance and Master of Science in Business Analytics classes.
Family,
friends and Rady School supporters joined the graduates for the ceremonies. The
commencement keynote speakers were Julia Brown, a life science industry
executive and Charles Brandes, an investment firm founder and visionary.
“Don’t be
afraid to take a risk and try something new,” said Brown. “Decide what path you
will take then go for it and don’t look back. Achieving a peak gives absolutely
no assurance of staying there. We must earn it every day. What it took to be
successful yesterday may be different than what will be required tomorrow. So
we need you. We need your brain power, your talent, your energy and your
leadership as you embark on your career. We wish you all the best. Whatever you
decide to do, we wish you great success, great happiness and a long and
gratifying career. So now let’s get out there and make things happen.”
Rady School
Dean Robert S. Sullivan presided over the ceremony and emphasized the
importance of remaining connected to the Rady School and its alumni after
graduation.
“So to our graduates on behalf of this your
Rady School community, we look forward to your successes and to your impact,”
Sullivan said. “We look forward to confidently building our bridges and our
support network. So please know that we will be here for you, our alumni,
throughout your professional careers, not just now. If you had an issue five
years or 10 years from now, this is the place to come back to keep the
connections. And the network that you build as friends, they’ll go on forever.”
Students and alumni also took part in the ceremony, with Lauren
Murphy (MBA ’19) and Robert Louis Beyer (MSBA ’19) delivering the student
commencement addresses. Rady School Alumni Association President Bosco Lujan
(MBA ’12) and Andrea Yoder-Clark (MSBA ’17) delivered the alumni addresses.
Retiring Rady School Adjunct Professor Dr. Harry
Markowitz was honored with the Rady School of Management Founders Medal at the
ceremony for his outstanding contributions to the school.
Markowitz is
an esteemed economist, beloved professor and thoughtful philanthropist, His
seminal work, “Portfolio Selection,” launched a distinguished career lauded
with economics’ most prestigious accolades, including the Nobel Prize in
Economics, the John von Neumann Theory Prize, and the Wharton-Jacobs Levy
Prize. His lifetime of teaching ultimately brought him to the Rady School where
he joined the founding faculty as an adjunct professor of finance and
accounting in 2006 and continued to teach his groundbreaking theory to Rady
students until his retirement this year.
In addition to
his critical contributions to the establishment and quality of the Rady School,
Markowitz has also dedicated himself to securing the future of the Rady School
and its students through his timeless generosity. In 2017, Markowitz pledged a
$4 million gift to the Rady School of Management to create fellowships for
students. He placed his Nobel Medal at the UC San Diego Library in 2018.
The Rady School of Managment Celebrates Graduation 2019 was last modified: June 18th, 2019 by Melinda Battenberg
As a child who grew up in a military family and having lived in nine different
states, Associate Professor Terrance August was used to change. So, as a
professor of Innovation, Technology and Operations Management, his familiarity
with adaptation has come in handy to his ever-changing academic discipline of
interest.
His research focuses on the level of security associated with software
as a result of decision-making by individuals and larger firms.
“Think of your Microsoft Windows software for example,” August said.
“Your risk with the software not only involves how
much Microsoft invests in security, but also the patching decisions made by all
of the other users.”
August said he became interested in the field during his
time working within the Brita division of the manufacturing company Clorox, as
he was frequently involved in the operations portion of the division.
Afterwards, his role as a software engineer at a startup allowed him to combine
his experiences while pursuing a Ph.D. of operations, information and
technology at Stanford.
While his career interests did not initially begin in
academia, August said he began to appreciate the freedom it gave him while
working toward the end of his Ph.D.
“It was really a sense of having control over my
projects and how I spent my energy that was most important to me,” August said.
In addition to his time as an associate professor at the
Rady School of Management, August also teaches at the Korean University
Business School located in Seoul, South Korea.
“It’s a win for me on several fronts in being able to
teach the MS and Ph.D. students there,” August said. “I also have a lot of
research colleagues over there.”
Aside from his academic career, August previously consulted for several companies,
including Honeywell, an American conglomerate, which designs aerospace systems,
Herbalife, a marketing corporation that sells dietary supplements, and Time
Warner.
August said he chose to come to the Rady School because
of the startup business environment of the school, which emphasizes innovation
and entrepreneurship.
“I was also really influenced by Dean Sullivan’s vision
for the school,” August said. “I found his vision for the school quite
compelling. Also, who wouldn’t want to come to an institution of UC San Diego’s
caliber?”
Outside of work, August likes to spend time with his
wife and two sons. He is also an avid golf player and basketball fan.
Rady School Faculty Profile: Terrance August, Associate Professor of Innovation, Technology and Operations was last modified: June 11th, 2019 by Matthew Wu
What happens when someone with Ph.D. in psychology ends up in a B-school? You get fascinating research looking into how expressing emotions like compassion or pride in the workplace can create meaningful connections. Or how body language and nonverbal behaviors can impact first impressions and potential business deals. That is exactly what you get in Chris Oveis’ core Leadership courses at the Rady School of Management at the University of California-San Diego.
“Professor Oveis has a remarkable presence and unique teaching style in his Leadership class,” one student said. “He encourages every single of students to interact proactively and facilitate discussion to make us learn from the cohort. His lecture is extremely well organized, dynamic and attractive. Discussion point is very clear and the evidence introduced in class is well supported based on scientific research. He always embodies leadership when he teaches the class. I’ll definitely recommend his class for the next year MBA students.”
Oveis has won multiple awards in research and teaching. He received dozens of thoughtful recommendations and nominations from colleagues, current students, and alumni and was exemplifies exactly what this project sets out to feature. In his spare time, Oveis is hanging with his kids or taking advantage of the weather, outdoor playground, and brewery scene San Diego is famous for.
Current Age: 38
At current institution since what year? 2011
Education: UC Berkeley, Ph.D. Psychology; University of Virginia, B.A. Psychology
List of current MBA courses you currently teach: Leadership
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LIFE AS A PROFESSOR:
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… I wasn’t focused on working in a business school–UC-SD Rady was the draw. It’s a great environment—interdisciplinary, interactive, challenging, and fun. Across areas, the faculty are amazing at what they do and great to work with, and really talented new faculty show up every year. My work has benefited from and been shaped by new perspectives from my colleagues.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it?
My research focuses on the role of emotion in social interactions. Right now, I’m trying to understand how people deal with their anxiety in performance situations, and how this affects their teammates. To study this, my team and I constructed a “Shark Tank” in our lab in which pairs of teammates design and pitch products while their physiological responses are measured. We found that people who are trained to think of their anxiety/arousal as helpful rather than harmful show more efficient cardiovascular responding when pitching a product, and more strikingly so do their teammates.
If I weren’t a business school professor… I would form a band and play on Top of the Pops
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor?
I want all of my students to learn as much as possible, so I try and make each meeting memorable and attention-grabbing in a different way, and I try to make each assignment meaningful. I also want my students to have extremely active conversations where everyone gets involved, everyone listens to each other, and everyone constructively engages with each other, and I work really hard to facilitate these things. Finally, I try to identify what is important within each cohort to tailor the material a bit to help meet the students’ goals. Overall, I’m trying to make my course fun and useful for as many students as possible.
One word that describes my first-time teaching: Hot! San Diego had an unusual heat wave that week, which knocked out the air conditioning in the room. At first, I thought I was just nervous, but when I realized I wasn’t the only one sweating we found another room and carried on with an awesome first meeting.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: That teaching MBA’s is a lot of fun! No two classes that I teach are alike, and every cohort of students keeps the material fresh by bringing in their own perspectives and concerns.
STUDENTS:
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students?
The students at UCSD Rady are really engaged and intelligent and have such a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. I learn a lot from them. The most enjoyable thing is seeing how much effort our students put into helping each other achieve their goals.
What is most challenging?
The 5-day, 30-hour version of my leadership course is a fun physical and mental challenge for both me and the students. It’s also my favorite format, in part because it’s the first course they take. We all get to celebrate and commiserate with each other at the end of the week.
Using just one word, describe your favorite type of student: There’s not really a type. I care about all of my students, and can think of a lot of favorites with extremely different backgrounds, personalities, approaches to the course, etc.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… Fair
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM:
What are your hobbies?
These days I mostly get into whatever my kids are into. One thing I like to do is check out new breweries with friends. San Diego has more than 100 breweries — one great organic brewery, Protector, was even started by a Rady alum.
How will you spend your summer?
Learning all of the intricacies of the PJ Masks series. I have some theories about the origins of the Ninjalinos.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: I’m grateful to live in San Diego, where I’m a 15-minute drive from any number of beaches. Spending the day at Coronado with my family — morning on the beach, lunch at Miguel’s, eat an ice cream cone, and back in time for naptime — that’s a pretty awesome mini vacation.
Favorite book(s): The Gruffalo
What is your favorite movie and/or television show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much?
I’m pretty into the Ducktales revival, and Sharp Objects and Russian Doll were great. Also, The Great Mouse Detective is the most underrated Disney film of all time is a hill I will die on.
Favorite type of music: 2005 Indie Pop.
THOUGHTS OF REFLECTIONS:
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Free tuition, free coffee, and Dippin’ Dots.
Faculty and administrators say:
“Chris Oveis is a valued professor at the Rady School of Management, earning an ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award in 2016 from MBA students. His research focusing on emotions has been frequently cited by other scholars and he received a $1.1 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to study the social and emotional factors that make employees thrive in the workplace. In addition, his research has been featured in stories by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and Psychology Today.”
“Professor Oveis has a remarkable presence and unique teaching style in his Leadership class. He encourages every single of students to interact proactively and facilitate discussion to make us learn from the cohort. His lecture is extremely well organized, dynamic and attractive. The discussion point is very clear and the evidence introduced in class is well supported based on scientific research. He always embodies leadership when he teaches the class. I’ll definitely recommend his class for the next year MBA students.”
“Chris Oveis has a passion for teaching leadership and researching the role of emotion, power and nonverbal behavior in social interactions. Students look forward to his classes in a way that is rare in an MBA program, never knowing what to expect. He mixes a healthy but appropriate dosage of humor with serious topics. One of his favorite techniques is to lecture to one side of the room, and, without breaking eye contact with that side, asks a question of an unsuspecting person on the opposite side. It always kept us on our toes. Chris teaches to inform the students, to make them empathetic to serious issues, to make them aware of the impact of their experiences on new situations and decision-making, and to provide positive leadership tools. Most importantly, Chris conveys a great deal of important knowledge in a way that his students are not inclined to forget.”
For Joseph Engelberg, the decision to pursue a
career in finance was an easy one to make – it meant he would be continuing the
“family business.” A native of San Diego, the Rady School professor of
finance’s father worked as an accountant and introduced him to finance early on
in his childhood, sparking an interest in business and leading him to earn a
B.A. in mathematics and a B.S. in business administration at the University of
Southern California (USC).
While academia was not Engelberg’s initial
field of interest in college, he developed a curiosity for it when he worked as
a research specialist under one of his USC professors at the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
“It was eye-opening professionally and
personally,” Engelberg said. “I’m thankful for the experiences that I was able
to have because of that opportunity.”
After being exposed to the world of academia,
Engleberg decided to embrace his newfound interest in research by pursuing a
Ph.D. in Finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
While there, he became interested in observing the behavior of individuals
within the stock market, later publishing a paper with fellow students on the
effect of Jim Cramer’s show “Mad Money” had on stock pricing. His research has
been referenced in national publications such as the New York Times, Wall
Street Journal, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, , and the Chicago Sun Times.
Engleberg’s first teaching position was as an
assistant professor at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flager Business
School, where he taught finance for three years. Engelberg would later return
to San Diego and commit to a teaching position at the Rady School of Management
because he enjoyed the school’s startup environment.
“I’ve had a chance to really influence the
direction of things with the school,” Engelberg said. “It was a unique
opportunity to merge my interests in finance with the exciting world of
entrepreneurship.”
Engelberg’s main area of research is
behavioral finance, which combines finance with insights about individual
behavior from psychology. Traditionally, finance academics have thought
investors act rationally when making financial decisions. Behavioral
finance researchers like Engelberg think that investors are not completely
rational and make mistakes which are predicted in the psychology
literature. Engelberg and other behavioralists believe these mistakes can
affect trading and prices in the stock market.
For anyone interested in behavioral finance or
behavioral economics more generally, Engelberg recommends reading the books,
“Thinking Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman, and “Misbehaving,” by
Richard Thaler, as they introduce the topic and describe ways in which the
research has been applied to real life.
Other fields of interest Engelberg enjoys
pursuing include financial media, information processing, and financial
networks.
The Family Business of Finance was last modified: March 21st, 2019 by Matthew Wu
