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 the inaugural College of Business (COB) and Graduate School of Management electronic newsletter. Over the past several years we have published the college newsletter on paper. Last year COB started taking steps toward supporting business sustainability. One of these initiatives is cutting down on paper and utilizing online resources. This e-newsletter is just one step in that direction. Preliminary observations indicate we are not only being good to the environment, but we are also good to our organization. We are able to cut cost in a time of great need and also reach out to many more of our constituents. I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. Feel free to email us with your feedback and comments. 
Rami Khasawneh, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
College of Business and Graduate School of Management |
|
Partnership Agreement Signed with The University of St. La Salle in the Philippines
Brother James Gaffney, FSC, President of Lewis University, and Brother Ray Suplido, FSC, President-Chancellor of The University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Philippines, signed an agreement in September 2008 that pledged friendship, cooperation and solidarity through a mutually beneficial association. Future activities that they agreed to explore include: student exchanges, faculty/staff exchanges, academic exchanges, and joint research activities. Both institutions are supporting each other in academic, teaching, research and civic engagement work. 
In a follow-up to Brother Suplido's visit, Dr. Marisa S. Quezon, Dean of the College of Business and Accountancy at The University of St. La Salle, visited Lewis University, November 11-13 and exchanged ideas with College of Business faculty, administrators and other members of the Lewis University community.
"I'm overwhelmed with the kinds of activities you are doing here," commented Dr. Quezon, while meeting with professors from the Lewis College of Business. She continued, "The programs are very focused and your online opportunities are endless."
"The possible areas of cooperation we discussed included student and faculty exchanges, international internships, international service learning opportunities, faculty workshops, Lewis faculty teaching opportunities, certificate programs, faculty-student research projects, and an online MBA, all of which were very encouraging," commented Dr. Ian Gladding, Director of the International Business and Contemporary Global Studies Program at Lewis University. |
|
ACBSP Update 
Progress continues to be made on the College of Business' initiative to obtain ACBSP Accreditation. The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) is a leading specialized accreditation association for business education which supports, celebrates, and rewards teaching excellence. It also develops, promotes, and recognizes best practices that contribute to continuous improvement of business education and accredits qualified business programs. The ACBSP accreditation is similar to the Good Housekeeping seal of approval - it is an external, objective validation that the College of Business has excellence in its programs and its teaching practices.
The College of Business has submitted the Preliminary Questionnaire, and it has been accepted by the ACBSP with some minor revisions. This enables us to begin working on the next major step, the Self Study Report.
One of its requirements for accreditation is the external and objective assessment of student learning outcomes. One major source of assessment measures is the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test (ETS MFT). The MFT is an assessment designed to measure basic student learning outcomes in a major field of study. Test results enable academic departments to refine and improve curriculum, gauge the progress of students compared to others in the program and those in similar programs at schools throughout the country. Additionally, with many students planning to enter graduate school, taking this test will help prepare them for taking the GRE or the GMAT.
In the next few weeks, the College of Business will be announcing a Pilot MFT Assessment Program. This voluntary and confidential program will be used to establish a baseline of performance among graduating business seniors. The MFT program will be voluntary, with no impact on GRE or graduation. There is no "passing" score; and there is no "failing" score. The MFT is more of an assessment of how well the college has performed. Watch for a coming announcement as there may be incentives for those students who participate in the pilot assessment.
Questions regarding accreditation and assessment may be directed to Marvin Bates, Director of ACBSP Accreditation, [email protected]. |
Real Estate Club 
On February 17, the inaugural meeting of the Lewis University Real Estate Club gathered in the University Conference Room in the LRC to discuss all things real estate. At the first meeting, 14 people including students, faculty, staff and community members attended. The club is one of the initiatives supported by the Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies.
Scott Krafthefer, Director of the Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies, was pleased with the active diaglogue and participation and stated, "Hopefully we can build membership to 20-25 people and plan some fun activities in the near future."
The next meeting on April 15th will feature a real estate broker or banker who specializes in foreclosures and short sales. For more information on the Club, please contact Scott at (630)573-1740 or [email protected]. |
COB and JETRO Co-Sponsor Symposium The College of Business at Lewis University and JETRO, Japan External Trade Organization, are co-sponsoring a symposium entitled, "U.S.-Japan Collaboration and Opportunities: A Dialogue."
This symposium-part of a new International Speaker Series by the College's International Business and Contemporary Global Studies program-will have two sessions, afternoon and evening, on April 23, 2009 at Sancta Alberta on the Romeoville Campus.
The afternoon session, beginning at 2:00 p.m., is open to the public but it will primarily focus on student interests. This session will include a discussion of U.S. - Japan commercial relationships in this era of globalization, an overview of Akita International University and the priority it is giving to the development of international programs of interest to American university students, and a case study of how a young American entrepreneur grew his company in Tokyo over a decade, learning business relationship management skills in Japan.
The evening session begins at 6:30 p.m., and is also open to the public, including the local business community as well as students and faculty. This session will include a discussion of the benefits of dialog between international-minded U.S. and Japanese universities, a detailed look at the economic ties between U.S. and Japan, perspectives from Japan on energy and environment issues and government policies, and how a U.S. technology company based in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago sustains its business in the Japanese marketplace. There will also be a demonstration of Paro, a therapeutic robot developed for use in the healthcare industry. The symposium will conclude with a networking reception.
Guest speakers include Michio Katsumata, Professor of Japan-U.S. Relations at Akita International University and former Los Angeles Bureau Chief for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's leading business newspaper; Steven Gan, founder of Advance & Associates Co., Ltd. in Tokyo from 1992-2004 and currently President, Stellar Risk Management Services, Inc., a Northbrook, Illinois firm providing credit risk management products and services; Sam Cremin, Director of Marketing Communications at Molex, Inc. in Lisle, a company with extensive business relationships in Japan; Muneo Takashi, Chief Executive Director of JETRO Chicago, which fosters business relationships between Japan and the business community in twelve Midwestern states; and Gen Hajime Ito, President of JETRO New York and former Deputy Director-General for Global Environmental Affairs of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Economy. |
|
Panel Discussion on Sustainable Architecture
The Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies started its Speaker Series with a panel discussion on sustainable architecture and eco-friendly site design. The event was held in the D'Arcy Great Room on the Romeoville campus, February 26, 2009. The casual forum was designed so students and community members can learn about current topics and trends in real estate from industry professionals.
Featured panelists included John Schiera of JGS Landscape Architects, Inc.; Jay Womack, director of sustainable design for Wight Associates, and Ken Osmun, PE, DBIA, LEED AP, construction group president for Wight Associates. The discussion was moderated by Scott Krafthefer, Director of the Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies for Lewis University.
This was the first event in the Real Estate Speaker Series. The next event is scheduled to be held in the spring with a discussion on the Wall Street bailout and the economic stimulus package's effect on real estate. Krafthefer explained the series is another facet of the mission. He commented, "One of the primary goals of the Lowell Stahl Center for Real Estate Studies is to provide programs to enhance knowledge and skills for students interested in real estate. |
|
Faculty News
Dean Khasawneh Speaks in China
Dr. Rami Khasawneh, the Dean of the College of Business, was the keynote speaker at the 2008 International Conference on Technical Barriers to Trade and Standardization at China Jiliang University in Hangzhou and also the 2008 International Forum on Tourism Management at Shandong University in Jinan. His presentation was titled "Sustaining Growth through Corporate Social Responsibility." He discussed the challenges that are preventing corporations from being more responsible to their society, community and the environment. He also presented a strategic approach for companies that are interested in social responsibility but concerned about additional expenses and long-term impact. He demonstrated, through examples, how social responsibility helped companies sustain their growth.
Finance Professor Interviewed, Reviews Papers
Dr. Frank Rose, Assistant Professor of Finance, reviewed three papers for the 2009 Annual Meetings of the Academy for International Business to be held June 27 - 30, 2009 at San Diego State University. The papers are entitled, "Terror-Free Investment Index Screens: Corporate Governance Implications for Non-U.S. Corporations," "The Regulation of Inward FDI Pre and Post the 1997 Asian Crisis: The Cases of Indonesia and Australia," and "Globalization and the Apparel Industry: Results from a Small Sample of Enterprises Making Apparel in Ningbo, China."
Dr. Rose was also interviewed for an article entitled "Cooling China's Growth Fever" published in the October 10, 2008 issue of Top Producer, a magazine serving the U.S. agricultural industry.
Business Administration Professor Contributes to Conferences
Dr. Roberto Gamarra, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, presented two papers at the Academy of Business Administration Conference in Cancun, Mexico on December 20, 2008; "Identifying Technologically Sophisticated Export Markets for Manufactured Products," and "Cross-Functional Strategies for Technological Learning through Exporting." Also, in St. Louis, MO at the Midwest Academy of Management's 51st Annual Conference on October 2-4, 2008, Dr. Gamarra presented the paper, "Cross-Functional Strategies for Export Development."
Finance Chair Co-Authored Research Paper
Dr. Robert Atra, CFA has co-authored a research paper (with Rawley Thomas and Dandan Yang of LifeCycle Returns) entitled, "Linking Discounted Cash Flow Valuation with Stable Paretian Portfolio Construction." The paper was submitted to the Financial Management Association for their annual conference in October.
Recent turmoil in the financial markets suggests stock returns are not normally distributed in that extreme returns occur too frequently. The paper investigates this "fat-tailed" aspect of stock returns. Specifically, the authors find that an accurate discounted cash flow model can assist investment managers in constructing portfolios with not only higher returns but also less risk in terms of their returns being less fat-tailed. The findings are extraordinarily valuable in linking the security selection and portfolio management processes.
International Business Professor Reviews Papers 
Ian V. Gladding, PhD, Professor of Business Administration and Director of the International Business and Contemporary Global Studies program, made a presentation to the Latino Business Association of Joliet at Harris Bank entitled, "Survival Skills and Strategies for Small Business in a Recessionary Economy."
Dr. Gladding also reviewed the manuscript "Collateral Damage The Impact of the United States \"War on Drugs\" Policies on the Economies of Latin the Caribbean Region" for the Academy of International Business Annual Conference.
Dr. Gladding also reviewed, "The Effects of Regulation and Public Policy on the National Technology Capabilities across Countries: An Empirical Study" for the Academy of International Business Annual Conference, and he reviewed the manuscript, "Ethanol Industry Emergence in an International Context: Biofuels from Renewable Resources" for the Academy of International Business Annual Conference. | |
If you have any questions or comments regarding The Bottom Line E-Newsletter, contact Editor Tracy Joyce at [email protected] or (815) 836.5991. | |
|
