Bottom Line header
SPRING 2010
In This Issue
Dean's Message
Dubai and India Travel Study Trip
Visiting Professor from Bethlehem
eMedia Club
Student Advising
MBA Review Committee
Cyber Warfare Speaker
ACBSP Update
Research Initiative at The Stahl Center
New COB Building
Faculty News
Upcoming Events
April 30, 2010 - Senior Reception
May 15, 2010 - Graduate Commencement Ceremony
May 16, 2010 - Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Click here to view the Fall 2009 Senior Reception and Awards Ceremony photos.

Never Miss A Class Again!

The Graduate School of Management introduces a new, flexible option to attend classes.  Students enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Security (MSIS) program have three ways to attend classes.

  • On campus
  • Online in real time
  • Anytime* 

*Classes are recorded and archived for your convenience

 Sit-in or Log-in to a class before you enroll.

Call today to learn how!

Go to Class...Anywhere...Anytime...

 APPLY TODAY!

Next sessions begin May 31st and August 30th.

(815)836-5913 www.lewisu.edu/academics/msinfosec

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More than 700 alumni are connected through LinkedIn, where they can network and share news with each other. The Lewis University Alumni group was started in January 2008 and continues to increase with each graduating class. LinkedIn allows colleagues and classmates to keep in touch, as well as network with inside connections. 
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If you have any questions or comments regarding The Bottom Line E-Newsletter, contact Editor Tracy Joyce at [email protected] or (815)836.5991.

Message from the Dean

Welcome to this issue of the College of Business and Graduate School of Management's e-newsletter, The Bottom Line.  We are pleased to report that we made great strides on all of our initiatives.  We will be collecting our third set of student assessment data this fall, which will enable us to complete the self study report.  We are planning to submit the report to ACBSP Accreditation by the end of this year.  The Academic Facilities Planning Committee is in the process of completing their report. It will be presented to the provost and other university executives in May.  The next step will be to include this proposal in the Lewis capital campaign.  One of our priorities at the college is to increase our business sustainability.  We continue to move more operation and academic processes online.  The scheduling of student advising is completely online.  Faculty are encouraging their students to use e-textbooks when available, as well as making course materials available in electronic format.  We are going to offer our MBA program this coming fall at our campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Three undergraduate programs, Business Administration, Management, and Information Technology will be offered also this fall at our Chicago campus.

 

You will find more details about these initiatives and other projects in this issue.  I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue.  Please feel free to email us with your feedback and comments.   

Rami

 

Dr. Rami Khasawneh

Dean and Professor

College of Business and Graduate School of Management

Doing business in Dubai and India

Eleven Lewis University students and two faculty members traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Mumbai, India as part of the Business Travel Study trip February 26-March 7. While earning credit, students visited many corporations and offices in Dubai and Mumbai, providing an opportunity to network and discover how business is conducted in these major global business hubs.

 

The undergraduate and graduate students who participated are enrolled in the Introduction to International Business Seminar and they analyzed the economic environment, regional market characteristics, social and cultural environment, political, legal and regulatory environment as well as an individual company.

The trip was led by Dr. Faisal Abdullah, associate professor of Management Information Systems, and Dr. Rami Khasawneh, dean and professor of the College of Business.

 

Students on the trip include: Majdy Bader, Sara Debuhr, Adriana Hernandez, Alexander Horodysky, Azra Husain, Samia Khan, Abby Lamping, Anthony Lovero, Mark Olsson, Jemaria Quinn and Carol Thompson.

While staying in Dubai, the group stayed at the Four Points by Sheridan.  In the beginning of the trip, the group did some sightseeing to the following locations: the Palm Jumeirah, which are manmade islands that cover seven million square miles; Atlantis The Palm Dubai, one of the many five-star hotels, costing $25,000 a night for the presidential suite; The Burj Al Arab, the world's only seven-star hotel, which stands at approximately 1,053 feet and accommodates guests with a receptionist on each floor, discrete check-in, a ride in a hot air balloon, a chauffeur that will transport you in a Rolls Royce, and the rental of a private yacht that comes with a personal chef, butler and hostess; the viewing of Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest tower in the world, standing over 2,625 feet tall; and the Mall of Dubai, one of the world's largest malls.

Samia Khan stated, "I realized Dubai is a place of endless possibilities that is one of the most amazing things about this place."

In Dubai, the group received a tour of RAK Ceramics, and Dubai Women's College. R.A.K. Ceramics, in just over ten years, became one of the world's leading producers of high quality ceramic wall & floor tiles, Gres Porcellanato (porcelain/vitrified tiles), and sanitary ware.  It has worldwide sales of over $1billion, and exports to more than 150 countries across 5 continents.  Dubai Women's College (DWC) is one of the 16 Colleges that make up The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), with an enrollment of 2,111. DWC was established in 1989, offering Bachelor degrees in Education, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging, Business Administration, Communication Technology, Information Technology, Information Management, and Ecommerce.  It is a quality provider of top-quality National women graduates in Dubai. Anthony Lovero said, "I was pleasantly surprised with the warm welcome given by the girls from DWC. It was very interesting to learn about their college and about the Emirati way of life."

 

Arriving in Mumbai, India, the second half of the travel study trip, the students noticed the high amount of security needed in order to check into their hotel and business buildings. Sixty percent of Mumbai lives in slums. Some of the exciting sites visited were Naramin Point, the Taj Mahal hotel, the Gateway of India, created so when the Queen of England came, she had a grand place to enter, a boat ride on the Arabian Sea, a mosque, and a Jane Temple.

 

The group also received tours of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Indofil, and Arshiya International. TCS is the largest business group in India, ranking in the top 10 multiple branches of its company globally.  TCS provides IT consulting services, with many United States companies outsourcing their IT needs to TCS.  It provides services to growing organizations who would like to "increase profitability and efficiency by doing more with less."       

 

Indofil, develops agricultural chemicals, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, etc.  It is a research-led and fully integrated chemical company. Indofil presented to the group their strategic plan for growth, which was very impressive. Their vision is "to focus on specific opportunities, drive growth and enhance value for esteemed customers."  They strive on retaining and satisfying their customers.          

 

Arshiya International is a logistics and integrated supply chain management company.  It has initiated Free Trade & Warehousing Zones (FTWZ) in India, and plans to develop five zones across strategic locations in India.  Arshiya has the following business entities: Arshiya Logistics, Arshiya Supply Chain Management, Arshiya Technology, Arshiya FTWZ, Arshiya Rail Infrastructure, and Arshiya Distripark.    

This was a great educational and fun experience for all the students and faculty members.

Alexander Horodysky stated, "I truly enjoyed the trip. The thing that made this trip really enjoyable was the group that I went with; wouldn't choose a different group. Having Dr. Rami and Dr. Faisal, who both knew about each area Dubai and India, was of great help. For being my first school trip at Lewis I feel it was professionally done. Meeting with different companies, learning about the areas and getting free time to enjoy our time was very nicely prepared."

 

To read more about the Dubai and Mumbai travel study trip experiences, please click here to view the daily blogs.

Visiting Professor from Bethlehem

Nadira ArajNadira Araj, Professor of Business Administration at Bethlehem University in Palestine, visited Lewis University in January 2010 for almost a full month. Some of the courses she taught are Quantities Business Analysis, Operations Management, and Computers and Information Systems.  Professor Araj earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in computer science from the University of Jordan, and she earned a Masters of Science in Computer Information Systems and a Masters of Science in Information Resources Management from Syracuse University in New York.

Professor Araj stated, " I havedecided to come to Lewis University' College of Business  because both Bethlehem University and Lewis University are both founded by the De La Salle Christian Brothers.  Many of Bethlehem University's graduates were given scholarships to do their masters degree at Lewis University.  Also, the current dean of Business at Bethlehem University, Dr. Fadi Kattan, earned his MBA from Lewis University."  Professor Araj's visit to Lewis University is also part of a short fellowship by the AMIDEAST office through their Palestinian Faculty Department Program (PFDF).       

While visiting the College of Business, Professor Araj attended a two-day seminar in Quality Improvement Using Six Sigma delivered by Dean Rami Khasawneh.  She also prepared a course outline and content for E-Business after observing Professor Robert Bergman's unique teaching style.  Professor Araj is teaching the E-Business course for the first time this spring semester, using Professor Bergman's philosophy of young adults multitasking and how one can utilize such talents toward their learning process. 

Professor Araj stated, "I've enjoyed the welcoming friendly environment that could be felt with every single person whom I met.  Every one whom I've met was very generous in terms of dedicating their time to help me make my stay so easy."    

Professor Araj plans to return to Lewis University in the summer for two months, where she will be working on a research paper about the obstacles of E-Business in general and Palestine in particular.

MIS faculty established the eMedia Club

The _hyperlink: eMedia club was created to analyze, design, and implement an array of different Internet technologies that deal with digital/online content. The eMedia club also will be studying and researching the latest emerging web technologies. In its inaugural year, the eMedia club was able to add five students to the group. The eMedia club students have been busy developing and managing some of the College of Business department websites, facilitated by two faculty from the Management Information Systems department, Joe Tomsic and Michael Godfrey.

 

Some of the current projects looking to launch this year, include the Marketing Department website http://www2.lewisu.edu/marketing and the Business Administration Department website

http://www2.lewisu.edu/busadm. These new COB Department websites will be the home for individual pages authored by professors, instructors and adjuncts. The website will also host Web pages for any of the COB classes needing Web page hosting services, as well as serving the needs for professional-like portfolio development by students to use in their search for internships and jobs following graduation.

 

The websites will also serve as a laboratory for eMedia club students to learn basic and advanced skills used in real-world Web Content Management Systems, which organize and distribute an organization's structured and unstructured knowledge with all its diversity in content. Currently, the eMedia club is using Drupal in developing the COB Department Websites.

 

Please contact Joe Tomsic [email protected] or Michael Godfrey [email protected] for more information.

COB launches new website to assist with Student Advising

Advisor Meeting Signups/Registration can now be done Online thru the new COB - Advising website

http://www2.lewisu.edu/cobadvising. With a simple signup form, students can now securely register thru the website and sign-up for a meeting time with advisor faculty. Upon registration, the student receives a confirmation email from the College of Business once the appointment has been accepted. The new COB Advising website also contains detailed Advisor Faculty info and important Advising documents to assist in the course registration process. The website capabilities have streamlined the Advisor Registration process and provided to be an excellent way to stay organizing with the COB Advisor meetings.
 
The COB Advising Website Project was lead by Jessica Kush, secretary to the assistant dean, Mike Progress, assistant dean and Michael Godfrey, MIS instructor. Please contact Jessica Kush, 
[email protected] for more information or questions.

MBA Review Committee Update

To keep pace with the changing landscape of graduate education, the College of Business recently formed the Graduate School of Management MBA Review Committee.  The purpose of the committee is to examine the relevance and effectiveness of graduate programs in the College of Business.  Co-chairs of the committee for the 2009-2010 year were Dr. Robert Atra and Dr. Roberto Gamarra.

 
This year, the committee focused on developing a common theme for the several programs in the Graduate School of Management and the College of Business at large.  While still in discussion, the developed theme will guide the development of coursework and programmatic changes in the future and to foster the mission of Lewis University.

Guest speaker Paul de Souza visits Lewis University to discuss Cyber Warfare

Founder of The Cyber Security Forum Initiative (CSFI) and Cyber Warfare Division (CWD), Paul de Souza presented "Cyber Warfare - The Virtual War" at 5 p.m. on Feb. 25 in the Sancta Alberta Chapel at Lewis University in Romeoville. The event was free of charge and open to the public. The event was also streamed online with access for pre-registered attendees.

 

CSFI is a volunteer initiative actively raising Cyber Warfare and Cyber Security awareness worldwide. Paul de Souza, with over ten years of cyber security experience, has worked as a Chief Security Engineer for AT&T where he designed and approved secure networks for MSS. Souza has also consulted for several governments, military and private institutions on best network security practices.

 

Paul de Souza began his presentation by explaining the mission of CSFI and their role in the 21st century cyber war. He then defined Cyber Warfare and the Cyber Battlefield. Various types of Cyber Warfare attacks were explored. Later, Souza covered a history of attacks waged against the United States. To conclude, he discussed other cyber warfare organizations and acronyms and offer further insight into CSFI.

 

Click here for more event information. Patty Perez, graduate recruitment and business relations coordinator, also has more information at (815) 836-5913.

This event was sponsored by Lewis University's Graduate School of Management (GSM) and Institute for Information Assurance (IIA). The mission of IIA is to provide quality education and understanding in the field of information security, critical infrastructure protection, homeland security and data network operations.

Continuing our Major Field Testing initiative for ACBSP Accreditation
ACBSP LogoProgress continues to be made on the College of Business' initiative to obtain ACBSP Accreditation.  The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) is the leading specialized accreditation association for business education which supports, celebrates, and rewards teaching excellence. 
 
The COB has implemented student assessments using ETS Major Field Test (MFT) in business. In the Spring 2010 term, testing continues for both graduate and undergraduate students. This MFT assessment will be conducted every term - Fall, Spring and Summer.
 
The MFT measures student learning in eight functional business areas. Test results enable the academic departments to refine and improve curriculum development, gauge the progress of students compared to others in the program and those in similar programs at schools throughout the country. 
 
The 2009 - 10 Undergraduate Catalog lists completion of the ETS Major Field Test (MFT) as a requirement for graduation for all College of Business students. This assessment is currently scheduled as a component of the Business Communications in the Digital Age (61-300) undergraduate course, and the Marketing Management (59-568) graduate course.
                                               
For additional information on the COB accreditation initiative, contact Marvin Bates, Director of ACBSP Accreditation, [email protected].

The Lowell Stahl Center introduces its research initiative
Much has been happening at the Real Estate Center this spring.  We recently completed Stahl Center 2011, a long-term strategic plan that will chart the direction of the Center in years to come.  The plan addresses educational activities, student support, alumni networking, program development and partnership realization.  As the real estate market continues to improve, careful planning will help the center to grow.
The Real Estate Club met on March 31 (1:00, University Conference Room, LRC) and this meetings topic was on how to go about purchasing your first new home.  Methods on how to find your ideal property and various ways to finance your purchase were discussed.  For Information, Contact Scott Krafthefer, [email protected] or (630) 573-1746.
This spring, The Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies introduced a real estate research component.  This research initiative will help to expand the Stahl Center as a place where scholars can come together to pursue research that advances knowledge in the fields of both commercial and residential real estate.  The research component will help to strengthen Lewis University's relationships with practitioners in these fields.  The coordinating committee has been meeting, and research proposals are now being accepted.  For more information, contact Dr. Frank Rose, [email protected] or (815) 836-5802. 
The Advisory Board will be meeting on April 27, 2010.

New Building Committee Update

The Committee is excited to be concluding their efforts and will present a proposal to the Provost and the Vice President for Business and Facilities, and the Vice President of University Advancement on May 5, 2010. 

 

Since October 2009, the committee has met with faculty, staff, administrators and students to perform a Needs Analysis.  The committee, made up of Dr. Laura Leli Carmine (Chair), Dr. George Klemic, Dr. Frank Rose, Robert Bergman, Michael Progress, Victoria Weise, Dr. Faisal Abdullah, Bushra Malik, and Dr. Rami Khasawneh, dean of the College of Business.

 

The committee has also visited other campuses to learn how other schools are adapting technology, light, space, classroom design, and other needs of students, as well as a comprehensive literature review of what the experts recommend.

 

The primary theme the committee is recommending is that this new building "be not just a showcase for the College of Business, but a place students want to be, even when they don't have classes."  Also, included are recommendations that the building be environmentally sustainable, maximize natural light, provide meeting rooms for students, varieties of classrooms with state-of-the-art technology, a gourmet coffee shop and restaurant area that provides healthy cold and hot meals, both inside and outside space for socializing, and much more.

Faculty News

Dean, Dr. Abdullah and students present at Dubai Women's College

RamiDr. Rami Khasawneh made a presentation at Dubai Women's College (DWC) on March 2nd, 2010. The presentation was about Corporate Growth through Business Sustainability. He demonstrated that companies can continue growing by exercising sustainability, which refers to integrating ethical values, environmental implications and social impact in their growth strategy and product development. He also indicated that part of the current economical challenges we are facing now are because most companies don't have a business sustainability strategy.

 

Dr. Faisal discussed the current economy situation in the USA and how the challenges in economy growth are affecting people and businesses.

 

Anthony Lovero, an MBA student, presented information about Lewis University and its history to students and faculty from DWC. Alexander Horodysky, an International Business student, presented information about the College of Business and its programs to the DWC group.

Dr. Abdullah and Dean Khasawneh led a Panel Discussion

Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Khasawneh led a panel discussion at the MBAA annual international Conference in downtown Chicago. The panel discussed the different e-business models available, the traditional business models. They provided examples for each of these models and presented several new innovative e-businesses such as woot.com, amazon.com, and elance.com, etc. They also discussed what makes an -business successful and sustainable.

Dr. Gladding reviews papers for International Business conference
Ian GladdingDr. Ian Gladding, Professor of Business Administration and Director of the International Business program  reviewed a paper for the Academy of International Business 2010 conference to be held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil entitlted "Competitive Advantage of German Renewable Energy Firms in India and China. An Empirical Study Based on Porter's Diamond."
Dr. Rose reviews papers for the Academy of International Business
Frank RoseDr. Frank Rose, Associate Professor of Finance, recently reviewed two papers submitted for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of International Business to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 25-29, 2010. The papers were entitled, "Spillover Effect of U.S. Monetary Policy on Banks Outside the United States" and "Examining the Global Reach of the 2008 U.S. Economic Downturn."

Dr. Atra quoted in Bankrate.com article

Bob AtraDr. Robert Atra, CFA, Chair of the Finance Department was quoted in a recent article in Bankrate.com, one of the premier sources for financial information on the internet.  The article concerned the concept of "dollar cost averaging" - a process where small periodic investments are made - and how effective it can be.  Dr. Atra's research indicates that while popular financial books tout the benefits of dollar cost averaging, the technique may be overrated.

"For most people it is more of a budgeting tool than an investment strategy," commented Atra.  The article went on to conclude that investors who want to avoid risk really need to look at asset allocation as opposed to timing.  Other quotes presented in the article included those from researchers at Bernstein Global Wealth Management and the University of Chicago.

Dr. Carmine presents at the Shorewood Chamber of Commerce
Laura Leli-Carmine
Dr. Laura Leli Carmine, Chair and Professor of Marketing and Internships, presented "Identifying and Reaching your Target Market" at the Shorewood Chamber of Commerce's "Business Development Program" on February 24, 2010 at the Troy Township Community Center.  This is the first program offered for the Shorewood Chamber's Business Development series.

Dr. Gamarra authors chapter in book

Roberto Gamarra

Roberto Gamarra, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Business Administration, has authored a chapter in a new book to be published in 2010 by Emerald Group Publishing, one of the premier publishers of international management books. "The Past, Present and Future of International Business and Management" edited by Torben Pedersen, Laszio Tihani, and Timothy Devinney at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

 

The chapter by Dr. Gamarra, "nternational Markets Learning: A Technology Perspective" aims todemonstrate that the Uppsala model, the most popular model in the International Business and Management literature, embodies in its original version (1977, the past) and in its current version (2009, the present) a concept of international markets that is under-specified. As a direct consequence of this under-specification, the Uppsala model incorporates a view of international markets learning that overlooks international technological learning, which is of increasing importance for firms that apply technological knowledge and innovation as a vehicle for international competition. To correct this conceptual problem, Dr. Gamarra's chapter proposes an extension of the current Uppsala model (the future) that incorporates international technological learning.  

 

Dr. Gamarra also presented his paper, "The Mechanisms of International Technological Learning through Exporting" at the AIB-Midwest Conference, March 24-26, 2010.

Dr. Klemic presents, co-authors papers 

GKlemicDr. George Klemic, Assistant Professor of Business Administration co-authored with Roger Goodson: "THE INTERNET, ICT, LEARNING AND COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE," published in "Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal." Also co-authored with Eveann Lovero:  "Closing the loop: assessing SLOs for quantitative and qualitative models at Lewis University" in review at "Assessment Update."

 

Dr. Klemic presented "Assessing SLOs for Quantitative and Qualitative Models" at IUPUI's Assessment Conference, October 2009. Also presented "THE INTERNET, ICT'S, LEARNING AND COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE,"  at the Ubiquitous Learning Conference, Boston, December 2009.

If you have any questions or comments regarding The Bottom Line E-Newsletter, contact Editor Tracy Joyce at [email protected] or (815) 836.5991.
                                 Belltower