Faculty/Staff | Alumni | Events
Updated August 27 2008
Faculty/Staff
August 8, 2008
Atlanta Journal Constitution— Maria Saporta noted in her column this week that "Dr. V. Kumar, considered one of the nation's top five marketing scholars, is joining GSU's J. Mack Robinson College of Business. He will be the inaugural recipient of the Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair in Marketing. It took 10 years, but Georgia State University's business school landed a big name in the marketing world," added Saporta. She further noted that "Kumar's theories are based on a concept of 'customer lifetime value' - figuring out how companies can market to customers according to their life cycle and building loyalty by trying to make customers more profitable rather than just trying to sell them more products."
Read the article here.
August 4, 2008
Wall Street Journal — Despite economic weakness since the end of 2007, worker productivity, or output per hour, is estimated to have grown an average 2.5% at an annual rate. By contrast, in the six U.S. recessions since 1970, worker productivity, or output per hour, grew only 0.8%, on average, a trend that is contrary to typical productivity behavior of going "up in good times and down in bad times," says Georgia State University forecaster Rajeev Dhawan. Brian Blackstone, who filed the story, wrote that, "Unlike in the 1970s, the recent rise in energy prices is unlikely to damp productivity," referencing a paper written for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta by Dhawan and two Atlanta Fed economists in which they presented findings that prior to 1982, higher energy prices negatively affected productivity as measured by total factor productivity. Dhawan and his coauthors wrote that, "This spillover has since disappeared."
August 1, 2008
Atlanta Business Chronicle - Idhasoft Ltd., an information technology company based in Atlanta and Mumbai which grew from zero to $100 million in revenues primarily through acquisitions, anticipates closing on $50 million in private equity financing early this month. Asli M. Arikan, an assistant professor in the Department of Managerial Sciences who is an expert on mergers and acquisitions, outlined problems that can beset a company making numerous deals in a short period of time:
- The purchasing company generally loses money on any deal due to difficulties with human resources and integration.
- The risks are greater when the company's assets are intangible, such as human capital, because talent may choose to leave.
August 1, 2008
GeorgiaFrontPage.com — Patricia Ketsche, an associate professor of health administration, prepared a brief for the Georgia Health Policy Center in which she discussed recommendations issued by the Institute of Medicine that call for a coordinated and regionalized trauma system. Ketsche wrote that, "In many regions of the country and in Georgia, a variety of agencies and organizations comprise the trauma system. These distinct organizations lack a formal mechanism to ensure the exchange of information between those who receive the initial call, providers of EMS care and transportation, hospital emergency departments and trauma centers, and public health agencies."
July 31, 2008
BusinessWeek — Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center, comments on what drives consumers' oil consumption behavior. "After Katrina, gas got close to $3, and then prices moderated," he says, insinuating that it took prices to barrel over the $4 mark with no expected relief for consumers to use less oil.
July 30, 2008
USA Today — When asked about the new housing act and who will benefit from the legislation, "Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, notes that even though prices have plunged in such states as California and Florida, they've been more stable in other areas. Still, putting a backstop behind Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will ensure that buyers in healthier markets continue to have access to credit."
July 29, 2008
Access Atlanta — Despite the economic downturn, many Atlanta arts and non-profit organizations, especially theater groups, report record ticket sales, revenue and fund-raising for the fiscal year that just ended. Ken Bernhardt, assistant dean for corporate relations, offered several possible reasons for the phenomenon:
- "In depressing times, people do seek an opportunity to escape"
- "The arts as a whole in this town have gotten better at marketing and communications"
- "The quality of the artistic work in Atlanta has improved over the past several years. They're making the product better and reducing some of the inconsistencies."
Bernhardt's support of the arts was referenced, including his service on the boards of the Alliance Theater and the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition.
July 28, 2008
dBusinessNews — Debby Cannon, director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality and part of the steering committee for the Atlanta GreenBusiness Works EXPO, which will be held on October 7-8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, commented on "Greening Hospitality," a four-course track of best practices developed for hotel, resort and special event professionals as well as meeting planners. Cannon said that the track "is important because of Atlanta and Georgia's significant dependence on the hospitality industry for a large portion of the city and state tax base."
July 22, 2008
Globe and Mail (Toronto) — The rebound of bank stocks after Wachovia Corp. released its second-quarter report posting $8.9 billion in losses, a double digit decline in revenue and pennies in dividends, "surprised" James Owers, a professor in the Department of Finance. "The sense is that [Wachovia] could be a target for a takeover, which is a rather curious sense of logic. You have a very bad quarter and your price goes up because you become an attractive target."
Atlanta Business Chronicle — Wayne Lord, professor of International Executive Education, has been named president of the Southern Center for International Studies. The non-profit, non-partisan educational institution seeks to broaden the public's understanding of international issues and their impact on the U.S.
July 20, 2008
Atlanta Journal-Constitution — "Hooters, forget it," said Steven D. Olsen, director of the Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility. Asked to comment on an AJC analysis revealing that Forsyth County employees used state issued credit cards to purchase gas, NASCAR tickets and meals at the restaurant chain, he said, "If you are asking people what is the worst thing we could do to erode the public's trust in how we are stewarding their money, send them to a Hooters or a strip club."
July 11, 2008
Atlanta Business Chronicle — In its quarterly report on the hospitality industry, the Chronicle describes the sector as "Atlanta's job engine," citing predicted job gain data for 2008-2010 from the Economic Forecasting Center. Also in the report: the paper's annual "Who's Who" in Atlanta's hospitality sector. Among those on the top-100 list:
- Debby Cannon, director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality
- Ken Bernhardt, assistant dean for corporate relations
- Frederick W. Cerrone, president and CEO of Hotel Equities, who is in Robinson's Executive MBA program
- Daniel E. O'Leary, president and CEO of Underground Atlanta and a Robinson alumnus
In the same issue, the Chronicle reported that enrollment in Atlanta area MBA programs is up 12.1 percent overall and up 16.6 percent at Robinson. Jane Mutchler, associate dean for academic planning and programs, commented on the trend, "If your job is a little dicey and you don't know if you are going to keep it because of the economy, then you're going to go back and get your MBA."
July 10, 2008
Best Day Audio — Martin Grace and Robert Klein of the Center for Risk Management and Insurance Research were interviewed about the future of insurance regulation.
July 7, 2008
U.S. Insurance News — In "the Ongoing Battle for Insurance Regulatory Reform," Martin F. Grace and Robert W. Klein of the Center for Risk Management and Insurance Research write that, "Insurance regulation is at a crossroads with many paths that eventually lead to the same place – a modern, national system of insurance regulation."
July 4, 2008
Atlanta Business Chronicle — Julian Diaz III, chairman of the Department of Real Estate, says that the delivery of 2.5 million square feet in new office tower space in the Buckhead district of Atlanta within the next twelve months will have the greatest impact on "owners of class A space that is not quite as new," due to "cannibalization."
July 1, 2008
Atlanta Woman — Debby Cannon, director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration, understands that, in order for hotel and restaurant leaders to embrace environmentally friendly habits, they will have to see how those habits will affect the bottom line. "They have to answer to stockholders and their boards," says Cannon. Moreover, Cannon knows a move toward a greener industry won't happen overnight but has to begin with baby steps. "What if, wonders Cannon, hotels or restaurants practiced a 'green point of the day' such as, 'turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth,' or, 'recycle your paper today'?"
July 2008
Atlanta magazine — Deborah S. Butler and Bennett J. Tepper of the Department of Managerial Sciences offered advice about "Leading in Tough Times." Regarding retention, Tepper counseled that, "Even when the job market is tight, there is a compelling business case for organizations to do all they can to treat workers well and reduce quit rates." Butler emphasized the business case for workforce engagement. "Employee commitment plays to the bottom line," she said, and, "engagement usually happens at the management/supervisor level, so this is not going to happen through an HR initiative."
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Alumni
August 1, 2008
AJCjobs.com — Terrell Slayton, current chairman of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, discusses the success of a student that he mentored through Project Success, a program that works with students from families in which no one has attended the college. After earning a bachelor's degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, the woman (who is not named in the article) earned an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Robinson.
August 1, 2008
Market Watch — Sonoco announced the promotion of Robert L. "Bob" Puechl (MBA/Finance) to division vice president and general manager - Rigid Plastics.
August 1, 2008
Dawson Times — Preston P. Kellogg (MBA), a Marine aviator during the Korean War who subsequently was a chief pilot of Southern Airways and later flew for its successors, Republic and Northwest Airlines, died on July 22. He lived in Cumming, GA.
July 30, 2008
The Creative Coast — The Sullivan Group, a human resources outplacement firm based in Savannah, has named Teres Bergmann as its chief financial officer. Bergman earned her MBA from Robinson.
July 24, 2008
Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Fulton County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Sammy Jones describes Roger Gustafson as, "one of the more educated fellas you'll meet." Gustafson, whose pro-bono work with abused children resulted in his recent appointment to Fulton County Juvenile Court punishment, holds an MBA from Robinson College, a law degree from the University of Chicago, a doctorate in religious ethics from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theology from Emory University.
July 15, 2008
Atlanta Journal-Constitution — The Gwinnett County Board of Education has appointed Jeff Lee as principal of Chattahoochee Elementary School. Lee holds a BBA from Robinson College, a master's degree in elementary education from Piedmont College and an educational specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University.
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Events
August 27, 2008
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta — Dennis P. Lockhart, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, spoke at the Economic Outlook Conference held by the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. In an address titled "Inflation Beyond the Headlines," Mr. Lockhart shared his views on the dynamics underlying inflation and the inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.
read Lockhart's remarks>>
listen to Lockhart's remarks>>  (duration: 40:02)
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