B-School Bulletin: A Dog’s Life (At HBS)

Meet Annie & Piper: A Student And Dog’s Life At HBS

News from Harvard Business School

“Before attending HBS, Annie Fulton studied Architecture at the University of Arkansas and worked for a building materials company. It was important to Annie that she become more involved with the decision-making process of what is built and how it is built, so she decided to attend HBS to pivot into a more fulfilling career in the building industry. Annie graduated in 2017, and has since started a career in strategy with Clark Construction, one of the largest commercial general contractors in the country.

“Fortunately, attending Harvard Business School did not prevent Annie from being with her dog, Piper. We caught up with Annie to learn more about her and Piper’s experience at HBS.”

Read more …

---

Why Banning E-Cigarette Ads On TV Could Backfire

News from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management 

“Americans would likely be surprised to see a traditional cigarette ad during their favorite television show. After all, they have been banned on TV and radio since the 1970s.

“Yet their modern equivalents exist.

“Ads for electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are not technically included in this ban, and have been allowed in all types of media since the product’s introduction to the U.S. in 2007.

“Such ads have ignited controversy over whether they should be regulated in the same way as traditional cigarette ads. Although the electronic products are generally considered less harmful than their conventional counterparts, they still carry health risks. For example, e-cigarettes typically contain the addictive substance nicotine, and some studies have found that the devices may expose users to carcinogenic chemicals. But, even if assumed to be safer than conventional cigarettes, some people worry that e-cigarette ads could end up encouraging consumers to smoke more traditional cigarettes as well.”

Read more …

---

How A Fast-Growing Startup Built Its Sales Team For Long-Term Success

News from HBS

“It’s common for leaders of sales teams to focus almost exclusively on short-term tactics and current operations while failing to think and act in a way that supports the longer-term needs of their businesses — and it’s hard to fault them. Sales teams must meet the immediate needs of their customers, respond issue by issue and account by account, and meet quarterly goals. As one sales manager noted, ‘In this job, if you don’t survive the short term, you don’t need to worry about the long term.’

“The biggest problem with a short-term approach is that managers develop blind spots around crucial processes such as recruiting, hiring, and training and development.”

Read more …

---

Corporate Heaven: The ‘Authentizotic’ Organization

News from INSEAD

“The CEO of Wickrott Corporation was known as a suspicious control freak. Symptomatic of his leadership style were the numerous ‘internal consultants’ hired to keep him informed of the goings-on in the organisation. Staff described their work environment as a cutthroat, Darwinian ‘soup.’ Information was power; secrecy was the norm; transparency and teamwork were conspicuous by their absence. To add to the company’s paranoid culture, the CEO demanded pre-signed resignation letters from all of his senior executives so that he could fire them on the spot if he felt that they had transgressed. At meetings, he frequently subjected them to abusive, even profane tirades. During these humiliating sessions, he made it quite clear that the firm owed every bit of its success to him alone.

“At the Upling Corporation, by contrast, great efforts were made to ensure that every staff member was aligned behind the firm’s values, mission and vision. Senior executives emphasised the importance of a coaching-oriented, people-centric culture. Employees were proud of the organisation as it offered mutual support, promoted trust and provided them with meaning. Pay was decent and the benefits were excellent. Senior management encouraged people to speak up, come up with new ideas and take risks. In particular, entrepreneurial activities were advocated. Work-life balance was taken seriously, and the company strived to be a good corporate citizen for the community and the world at large.”

Read more …

---

Coming Full Circle: Young Master Of Accountancy Alum Now Helps Recruit For EY

News from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management 

“Cam Cooper (MAcc’15) came to Bethany College to play football and major in economics. Through his coursework, he developed an interest in accounting and decided that he wanted to pursue a career in the field after graduation. A summer internship at a regional accounting firm before his senior year confirmed his interest.

“’I got exposed to the audit track through that internship, and I thought that it was something I could see myself doing and that it was a good place to start my career, (given) the opportunities and experiences you get early on,’ he said.

“There was only one problem: Cooper wasn’t an accounting major, so he didn’t have the academic grounding he needed to enter the field. He looked at Master-level Accounting programs to give him the knowledge he needed and decided that Vanderbilt was the perfect fit.”

Read more …