SDSU and the San Diego Padres Partner to Host Second Annual Sports MBA Case Competition

On Saturday, Nov. 4, in conjunction with the San Diego Padres Baseball Club, San Diego State University's Sports Business Management MBA Program hosted the second annual Sports MBA Case Competition.

The event was held at PETCO Park beginning at 8:30 a.m. and featured teams of MBA students representing USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Virginia, Northwestern University, Columbia University, Wilfred Laurier University (Canada) and San Diego State University. The San Diego based law firm of Seltzer Caplan McMahon & Vitek and investment group Wheeler Frost Associates, Inc sponsored the event.

The UC Berkeley team of Simona Chin, Todd Evans, Tom Fitzsimmons and Melissa Olle won first place with a dynamic and powerful plan for the USA Sevens Tournament. Northwestern University and San Diego State University placed second and third respectively.

This year's case competition continued its rich tradition of involvement with world-class sporting events held in downtown San Diego. In August of 2006, the San Diego Padres and the International Rugby Board announced an agreement that will bring the USA Sevens Tournament to PETCO Park in early February of 2007. The theme of this year's case involved many of the challenges that arise during the organization of such a large-scale, international event. Student teams were given 24 hours to research the issues within the case before presenting recommendations to a panel of judges on Saturday morning.

SDSU Business Forum Explores Issues of Family-Run Businesses

San Diego State University's Entrepreneurial Management Center (EMC) hosted an open Business Forum on Tuesday, October 10 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. The event was held at the Marriott Mission Valley and featured Jim Brown, CEO of Marvin K. Brown Auto Center, as the keynote speaker.

Brown became CEO at the age of 24 when his father died suddenly. He discussed how he overcame the odds that were against him in keeping the franchise together, including how he handled a letter of termination delivered the day after his father's funeral.

The forum also included a panel discussion on how to serve the growth and needs of closely-held and family businesses through succession planning, leadership development, code of ethics, corporate governance, wealth management, transitions and executive coaching. George Chamberlin of KOGO Radio served as moderator and panelists included representatives from Duane Morris, Ernst & Young, Comerica Bank, and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

CIBER hosts Conference on Emerging Research Frontiers in International Business

CIBER recently hosted the Fourth Annual Academy of International Business (AIB)/Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) Conference on Emerging Research Frontiers in International Business on Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2006. The conference was held at The Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego and included an off-site dinner at the San Diego Zoo.

This year's conference was titled “Asia and Global Business in the 21st Century: Institutions, Cultures, and Strategic Transformations.” The conference discussed methodologies for management research in Asia, international business, business groups in Asia, internationalization in Asia and others, corporate governance and institutional transformation in Asia, cultural issues in global business and joint ventures.

Ko Nishimura, former CEO and President of Solectron Corp., will serve as keynote speaker from the global business view point and Mike Peng, Provost's Distinguished Professor of Global Strategy, Organizations, Strategy and International Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, will serve as keynote speaker from the academic view point. In addition, many distinguished global business leaders and successful academics from leading universities will be speaking at the event.

SDSU CIBER Co-hosts National Forum on Trade Policy in Seattle

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Dean Gail Naughton poses with CBA alum Scott DiValerio, VP at Microsoft at the CIBER National Forum on Trade Policy in Seattle.

Together with University of Washington's Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), San Diego State University's CIBER hosted the 2006 CIBER National Forum on Trade Policy (NFTP) on Dec. 7 and 8. The event will take place at The Westin in Seattle, Washington and will focus on pressing trade issues, draw from regional case studies, and examine the role of key industries in trade and regional prosperity throughout the United States.

The NFTP is an annual conference that brings together business leaders, federal and state policy makers, higher education practitioners and leading experts. The forum is designed to help decision makers and researchers understand the shifting economy and evaluate policy responses. The goal of the conference is to provide international business education, research and outreach programs to advance economic competitiveness.

This year, the program will focus on pressing trade issues, drawing from regional case studies including San Diego, Seattle, Austin and North Carolina, and examine the vital role trade plays in a region's economy. The CIBER National Forum on Trade Policy facilitates discussion among interested and informed parties of significant trade policy issues, provides an avenue of private/public sector exchange of ideas, stimulates meaningful research, and motivates constructive policy action. These issues are particularly important in an emerging global economy, where company headquarters and production can take place anywhere in the world.

Dean Gail Naughton was among the industry leaders who participated in a panel discussion on regional prosperity. Naughton spoke specifically about regional prosperity in the bioscience field.

The NFTP is scheduled to take place in San Diego in two years. For more information about NFTP, visit http://bschool.washington.edu/ciber/nftp/.

Students Learn from Real Estate Experts

On Friday, Dec. 8 in Aztec Center, the CBA hosted a special event for students who are interested in learning more about the opportunities and benefits to be gained by pursuing a career in Real Estate.

CBA board member Chris Lee, a nationally recognized expert on the real estate industry, noted real estate futurist and the President /CEO of CEL & Associates, Inc. was the featured speaker at the event. In his presentation titled “Emerging Trends and Career Opportunities in the Real Estate Industry,” Lee discussed future trends and why we are entering what he considers the “Age of Real Estate.” He also highlighted career opportunities and offered insight as to what today's employers are looking for in real estate professionals.

Additional speakers included Corky McMillin Visiting Chair of the Real Estate Program, Dr. Patric Hendershott, and President of the Real Estate Society, Kelsey Stuart.

Local Universities Team Up to Hire San Diego

On Nov. 3 at the University of San Diego, San Diego's top three universities teamed up to host Hire San Diego, one of the largest graduate business career fairs on the West Coast.

Hire San Diego is a graduate career fair aimed to help graduate students in their search for a job as well as facilitate companies and recruiters by providing them with convenient access to top talent in the region.

More than 1,500 graduate business students from SDSU, the University of San Diego (USD) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) were eligible to participate in the event, which took place at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at USD.

Some of the region's leading employers present at the event included: Biogen Idec, Northrop Grumman Corporation, the San Diego Padres and Wells Fargo.

By working together, the three universities were able to better serve all of the graduate students and provide them with the opportunity to meet and network with some of the best employers in San Diego.

CBA Hosts Panel Session at the National Corporate Directors Forum

As part of Directors Forum 2007, the College of Business Administration will host a pre-conference bonus session on Sunday, Jan. 21, from 1-4 p.m. The session, titled ìWhat Academics and Directors Can Learn from One Another About Corporate Governance,î will feature a roundtable discussion between leading academics in corporate governance research and directors. Topics will include shareholder democracy, disclosure transparency, director professionalism and ethics, board responsibility, and the effect of the convergence between Institute for Advanced Study and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles on financial reporting.

Participants in the pre-conference session will include Robert Bushman, Forensic Accounting Distinguished Professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler; Mark Lang, Thomas W. Hudson, Jr./Deloitte and Touche L.L.P. Distinguished Professor of Accounting; Per Olsson, Associate Professor of Accounting, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; and Donna Street, Professor of Accounting, Mahrt Chair in Accounting, University of Dayton.

The meeting is open to all Directors Forum 2007 attendees and is included in the price of the conference. Others may attend as follows: $100 registration fee for those academics or professionals who are not registered for Corporate Directors Forum; $25 fee for non-SDSU students; SDSU students are free. Seats are limited and must be reserved in advance. Seating at the door is on a space available basis.

For more information, contact Victoria Krivogorsky at (619) 594-7189 or vkrivogo@mail.sdsu.edu. Roundtable website: http://msa.sdsu.edu/roundtable.html

email: business@sdsu.edu

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