MBA Students & Mental Health

Michigan Ross

News from University of Michigan Ross School of Business

“In the latest episode of the Business Beyond Usual podcast, Michigan Ross MBA students continue the ongoing discussion surrounding mental health on campus, following the rollout of several new programs aimed at bringing awareness to the issue.

“In the episode, students take a look into a common way mental health issues manifest in business school, and some strategies for how to deal with it.

“First, Business Beyond Usual Producers Marjace Miles, MBA ‘19, and Adam Fasher, MBA ‘20 are joined by fellow students to share stories about how they’ve approached managing their own mental health during their Ross MBA.”

HBS photo

Harvard Business School’s Rock Center For Entrepreneurship Announces Rock Venture Capital Partners

News from Harvard Business School

“MBA students at Harvard Business School (HBS) who are interested in entrepreneurship and looking to start new ventures are able to seek guidance and access expertise from various resources on the HBS campus, including more than 30 faculty experts in the field, 21 Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and this year’s Venture Capital Partners, all based at the School’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.

“Venture Capital Partners are managing and general partners from some of the most successful VC firms in the United States. They come to campus a few times a year to meet with students; provide fundraising information as well as feedback on their ideas, business models, and other aspects of their new ventures; and judge the New Venture CompetitionFinale in the spring.

“’We truly appreciate the time and effort these outstanding venture capitalists have committed to the Rock Center and the entire HBS community,’ said Jodi Gernon (MBA 1991), the Center’s Director. ‘They bring an amazing array of industry experience, knowledge, and accomplishments to the School’s thriving entrepreneurial environment.’”

This UVA Darden Professor Isn’t Teaching Your Parents’ Operations Class

News from University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Doug Thomas. Darden photo

“University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor Doug Thomas suggests we forget our preconceptions about studying operations. Yes, students in 2018 still learn about how to eke additional efficiencies out of the enterprise, but in an era where technology-driven disruption has upended business models and yesterday’s car company is today’s ‘transportation solutions’ provider, the operations field is richer, more dynamic and arguably more critical to venture success than ever before.

“Thomas came to Darden ahead of the 2017–18 academic year after stints at INSEAD, the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and, most recently, Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. He has built his academic and professional career around the global supply chain — the steps and processes involved in producing and distributing a product.

“’I build mathematical models for managing production and distribution and optimizing inventory and production,’ said Thomas, an engineer by training initially drawn to the field by what he described as a lifelong interest in puzzles. He also entered something of the family business, as Thomas’ father is a renowned operations management professor and current dean of the Johnson College of Business.”

John Pringle. UNC photo

John Pringle: Teaching As A Calling

News from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

“In 1956, John Pringle was a brand-new second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Asked what he planned to do after his tour ended he replied, ‘No clue.’

“And when he learned his fellow officer was going to Harvard to get his MBA, he had just one question: ‘What’s an MBA?’

“Pringle not only found the answer — he went on to earn his MBA at Harvard.”

HBS

How Software Is Helping Big Companies Dominate

News from HBS

“Throughout the global economy, big companies are getting bigger. They’re more productive, more profitable, more innovative, and they pay better. The people lucky enough to work at these companies are doing relatively well. Those who work for the competition aren’t.

“Policymakers have noticed. Antitrust and competition policy are seeing renewed interest, including recent hearings on the subject by the Federal Trade Commission. Headlines in publications ranging from The Nation to The Atlantic to Bloomberg warn of America’s ‘monopoly’ problem with calls to break up big companies such as Google or Amazon or Facebook. ‘Imagine a day in the life of a typical American,’ writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. ‘How long does it take for her to interact with a market that isn’t nearly monopolized?’”

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.