One of the goals of the LSB is to develop highly responsible business professionals who are engaged civically and socially. This year 111 undergraduate business students each completed at least 20 hours of community service during the fall and spring semesters.

Robert Moorman, the Frank S. Holt, Jr. Professor of Business Leadership, and Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, gave congratulatory remarks, facilitated a reflection discussion and distributed award certificates to students.

The following students were inducted into the Honor Roll for Social Responsibility:

Fall 2013:

Deanna Andolina, Jake Battersby, Amanda Beland, Linley Benson, Tucker Bolding, Daniel Bower, Cooper Boyd, Justin Choe, Gianna Codella, Christopher Crosby, Jada Dalley, James Dorsett, Egheosa Edomwonyi, Frank Garcia, Theresa Gilligan, Andres Gonzalez de Mendoza, Kaitlyn Grant, Meghan Greene, Danin Greusel, Mark Holmes, Conor Johnson, Stephen Kae, Robert Kratz, Carolyn Kuzmin, Jackson Larkin, Taylor Lawson, Lauren Linnan, Kyle Maney, Nicole Manning, Kathryn McGettigan, Ann Monaghan, Sam Paone, Katherine Pemberton, Athena Petredis, Kent Philbin, Emeline Preston, Holly Preston, Erin Riley, Kristan Scala, Kyle Scott, Jill Soscia, Travis Sprague, Mary Sullivan, George Wall, Allison Weiler, Danielle White, Tammy Wong.

Spring 2014:

Manasi Bhagia, Lauren Bolusky, Karl Bostick, Timothy Brust, Elizabeth Chang, Emily Choinski, Steven Cobb, Marie Daigle, Carly Davenport, Keegan DeSilva, Andrea Diaz, Marisa Dour, Alexandra Goeldner, Elise Grigg, Nicole Hanrahan, Patricia Hogan, Kai Li Yong, Jordan Kaufman, Brendan Keefe, Evan Kendrick, Adam Knaszak, Katherine Larson, Barbora Lazarova, Megan McGhee, Miriam Merliss, Burke Modisett, Chelsea Nelson, Megan Peden, Elin Pinatti, Desiree Porter, Megan Robb, Julie Rodriguez, Jensen Roll, Ashley Rotholz, Maria Schmitt, Chevonne Sewer, Katherine Skinner, Leanne Stone, Gregory Stone, Ryan Struble, Alexandra Swallow, Junii Tsunomura, Asher Weinstein, Martyna Wiacek, Taj Zahran.

Fall 2013 and Spring 2014:
Shruti Anantatmula, Andrew Brazel, Nicholas Cianciara, Colleen Cooper, Aubrey Crawley, Kerianne Doran, Maritza Gamboa, Michael Hart, Josiah Jodrey, Mae Lim, Vivienne Miller, Jacqueline Orr, Christopher Pacitto, Maria Restuccio, Noah Sakin, Melanie Siedman, Kelly Smith, Morgan Smith, Katherine Welch.

The abstract reads:

Projections for 2014 US healthcare inflation sit at around 6.5 percent, four times greater than that of price inflation. As health insurance costs continue to increase more rapidly than wage rates, firms often respond by adjusting their employee compensation and/or their demand for labor. The hypothesized tradeoff between employer provided health insurance and wages is uncontroversial, yet puzzlingly difficult to prove. The small pool of economists that have estimated a negative relationship have used models plagued with weak instruments and omitted variable bias. More specifically, research fails to control for individual health-status, which results in a bias and overestimation of the effects of health insurance on wages. I build on previous work by adding a variable for self-reported health status. I estimate multiple two-stage-least squares models with 2009 cross-sectional data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. By introducing health status, I find no evidence that a negative relationship exists between employer-provided health insurance and wage rates.

Dean, an economics major, conducted his research under the mentorship of Steve DeLoach, professor of economics. He also presented his paper during Elon’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 29 and at the Eastern Economic Association’s conference in March.

Dean is the recipient of the LSB Student Achievement in Economics Award, which is given to a senior economics major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her courses as well as promise for future achievement.

The challenge asked student teams or individuals to present solutions to social problems they saw on campus or in the broader community. Students explored and researched their chosen issue for one month and developed proposed solutions. The eight teams gave 5-minute presentations to a panel of five judges that selected first, second and third place winners based on the potential impact of the solution presented.

The winning team was Ace Timing Race Management, a service to support race organizers comprised of Kate Sims ‘15, Laura Orr ‘16 and Patrick McLaughlin ‘16.

“One of our favorite aspects of the challenge was learning about other people’s ideas and projects. We also received good feedback that helped us identify parts of our presentation that we could strengthen, as well as how to structure our pitch to be more effective in conveying our business idea,” said Sims.

The second place winner was Austin Rhoads ‘14 who developed Lynkforce, software to connect companies to freelance workers.

Globes to Give Back, a program to fund microloans, came in third place. The team was comprised of Denis Dotson ‘14, Anna DeDufour ‘15 and Paige Edwards ‘15.

Other student who participated were Andrew Creech ‘14 presenting Man Kits, a men’s hygiene subscription service; Michael Somerby ‘17, who developed Church Street Ghee, a healthy butter alternative; and Dario Morando ‘17, developer of BluePrint Backpacks, a customizable backpack company. A team comprised of Kimberly Gersh ‘14, Marie Lunney ‘14 and Megan Guido ‘14 developed Cookie Ninja, a late night cookie delivery service. Cape Cod Aquaculture, a domestic fish farming idea, was presented by Parker Connolly ‘16, Will Shelly ‘14 and Adam Salaymeh ‘16.

Judges for the Triple Impact Challenge included: Barth Strempek, associate professor of entrepreneurship; Mary Morrison, assistant dean of students and director of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement; Peter Ustach ’09, owner of Pandora’s Pies and Fat Frogg; Gary Palin, senior lecturer in entrepreneurship; and Ian Baltutis ’08, owner of Vibration Solution.

The challenge is held to encourage students to develop their entrepreneurial ideas, turning concepts into reality. The overwhelming response to the first Triple Impact Challenge last fall led to the continuation of the program.

“Entrepreneurship is valuable because it encourages people to swim upstream, promoting creativity that is often stifled by the structured nature of classrooms, corporations, and the constructs of every-day life,” Orr said. “Entrepreneurship provides a lens to see the world differently – whether it’s a million dollar business, a way to help nonprofits raise money, or simply tweaking a recipe to create a delicious new dish – the value is in learning how to see beyond what is in order to create what could be.”

During her presentation, Jenkins discussed key supply chain trends affecting today’s global environment, including:

• Continuous geo-eco-political pressures, which are creating sourcing challenges in addition to competition at global, regional & local levels.

• Growth strategy, with emerging market emphasis, is putting increasing demand on shared capital and people.

• The need to feed nine billion people by 2050 without destroying the planet implies businesses that have a strong sustainability focus will emerge.

• End-to-end supply chain solutions are needed to meet the increasing volatility of customer demand.

• Greater alignment across global supply chain and fully leveraging assets, people and processes are required to provide differentiated solutions.

• Competition for supply chain talent is increasing globally.

One of the ways McCormick responds to some of these trends is through its Global Sourcing Program to ensure it is continuously adapting to the changing market. The Global Sourcing Program includes four main components, which include market intelligence, product quality management, cost management and vendor management. Through these strategic segments, McCormick stays informed about changes in products and ensures that it is prepared to meet consumer demand.

Learning about McCormick’s supply chain activities enabled business students to gain a real world perspective on the subject and further understand the importance of supply chain activities within organizations.

Written by Kristan Scala ‘14

Then, beginning in their junior year, Elon students will start their studies at Reutlingen University or NEOMA Business School. Students are required to do a semester-long, full-time internship the spring of their junior year and will gain invaluable business experience in a multicultural environment.

Tom Tiemann, director of the dual degree program, said the program was developed to help business school students take advantage of study abroad opportunities that are more long-term.

“It’s going to be really hard to not deal internationally in a career,” Tiemann said.

Alex Goeldner ’15 is currently enrolled in the dual-degree program and studying international business with a marketing focus. The German native is currently completing an internship at Eppendorf in New York and said she is looking forward to opportunities she will have to grow professionally and personally during her time at Elon.

Goeldner is the third person to be featured in a series of profiles about students enrolled in the dual-degree program and their experiences studying international business.

She answered questions recently from the Love School of Business about her experiences.

How did you learn about Elon’s dual-degree program?

The first time that I heard about a dual-degree program was on the internet, while looking at different German colleges. I saw that Reutlingen University (my German university) offered the dual-degree program with several different countries, one of them being the United States. Within the U.S., Reutlingen had four different partner universities at the time. I chose Elon as the university I wanted to attend for my last two years of college.

Why were you interested in studying in the United States?

The biggest reason I wanted to study in the U.S. was because of a previous stay in the U.S. During high school I spent my junior year abroad at a high school in Michigan. I lived with a host family and got a taste of what living in the U.S. was like. The family I stayed with became like my second home during that year and still is. Because the stay with them was such a great experience I decided to study in the German-American dual-degree program.

What do you hope to gain from the dual-degree program?

The dual-degree program is a great experience to truly dive into a different culture by living and studying in a foreign country for two full years. In addition, you gain work experience in two countries, since it is required to do a five-month internship in Germany and the U.S. This being said, I believe that the dual-degree program is just a great learning experience, as you become fluent in a second language, learn about another culture’s working environment and college life, and have a full year of work experience by the time you graduate college. Over the past year, I have learned a lot more about U.S. culture, as well as many things about myself.

What professional skills have you developed since entering the program?

I have improved my presentation skills, both in German and in English. I also learned what it takes to work in teams that consist of people from many different cultures and how to lead such a team effectively. Furthermore, the dual-degree program has equipped me with theoretical knowledge necessary for a professional career. The internships have been great to gain practical experience and to learn firsthand about the way a company is structured and how daily operations work.

I have also acquired a lot of professional skills through a social business called H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Eat) that some friends at Elon and I have started. It has been a very cool experience to see how supportive 51爆料网, its professors and staff have been along the way – and has been a great way for me to apply the knowledge that I have acquired through the dual-degree program. I learned what is necessary to build a business from the ground up and how to deal with some of the difficulties along the way. I also experienced how important it is to make connections with people in the business world and how to do marketing with limited financial means.

What are your career goals and plans for the future?

I hope to work in marketing, preferably in the consumer goods sector. Since I have had the chance to look into many different business areas in both of my internships there is a possibility that I would apply for a job in a different area other than marketing, e.g. business development. One of the important factors for deciding on a career will definitely be to have a job that I can truly enjoy and have a passion for. Who knows, maybe this even means starting my own business at some point!

Community partners such as the Alamance County Boys & Girls Club, Positive Attitude Youth Center, Blakey Hall Retirement Community and Alamance County Community Services benefited from the student projects.

Students conducted research for the community partners, gauging people’s perceptions and how they could better market themselves to the community through strategic recommendations. Students in the fall and spring semesters presented their research and marketing plans to the organization at the end of the semester.

“Service learning is a win-win,” Norvell said. “Students get hands-on experience with project management and it provides a great service to the community.”

Through conducting research, analyzing data and reporting results students were exposed to the unique needs of nonprofit organizations working to benefit the community.

“My team’s market research helped the Positive Attitude Youth Center better understand how to connect with members of the community,” said Nathan James ’14, a marketing and finance major. “With this information, the organization will be able to more effectively reach out to donors and volunteers, and thus better serve at-risk youth in the community.”

Students worked in groups, meeting with community partners at least twice during the semester, putting in at least 20 hours of work into each project.

“Before the course I imagined data analytics was just something Fortune 500 companies did, but we were able to conduct meaningful research to make a substantial impact on the Burlington community,” said Danny Bowers ’14, a marketing major.

Will Llamas ’14, a marketing major, worked to improve the Congregate Meal Program, which provides free, healthy meals to elderly people in a social setting.

“Being able to interact with this elderly group and knowing I was conducting research to help prolong their lives made me feel like I was making a real difference,” Llamas said. “I also would always picture my grandparents in the program, which would help me do the best work I could possibly do.”

Jay Lindley, CEO and president, Fabyan Saxe, vice president of value chain, Mike Hinson, vice president of operations and general manager, and Vanessa Maliski, accounting manager, visited Elon on March 4 to hear student presentations regarding improved business practices and local store customer reach. The presentations were part of a process systems and technology course taught by Haya Ajjan, an assistant professor of management information systems.

“There is nothing like the hands-on experience,” Ajjan said. “It challenges you to perform better and immerse yourself in real world situations.”

Student who will work with IPP include: Asher Weinstein ‘14, Julie Rodriguez ‘14, Kasey Sullivan ‘14, Chris Savage ‘14, Travis Sprague ‘14, Kelly Smith ‘14, Ian Brady ‘14, Hunter Priebe ‘14, Lexi Scovil ‘14, Serra Kefeli ‘14, Ryan Balick ‘14, Julia Kinser ’14 and Chase Strom ’14.

The students have visited IPP’s headquarters and interviewed company employees as part of a proposal for a strategic business plan they will submit in May to IPP’s executives.

The annual competition is hosted for undergraduate and graduate student teams competing to solve a case similar to real-world decisions facing a baseball front office.

The Elon team, comprised of Connor Clark ’14, Drew Forte ’15, Danny Sandford ’15 and Jake Sotir ’14 were asked to determine the top three “pitching assets” in the game today- pitchers who will generate the greatest value to a team over the course of their contract.

John Burbridge, professor of operations and supply chain management, accompanied the group to the conference.

“The SABR analytics competition provides an excellent vehicle for the students to sharpen their analytical skills. While baseball is certainly a game, it is also a business requiring thorough analysis of the economic factors impacting that business,” Burbridge said.

Student teams were judged on their analysis of the case and a presentation made before a panel of judges made up of Major League Baseball professionals.

“I participated in the case competition because I love baseball and analyzing players and this competition gave us flexibility to express our views about the players and why we chose them as the most valuable,” said Forte, a finance and sport and event management double major.

One of the other members of the team, Sotir, a marketing major, spoke on a student panel during the conference.

“I had the unique experience of being one of four students at the conference selected to speak on a panel regarding the way the younger generation consumes the game of baseball in the digital age, and that was absolutely my favorite part of the entire weekend,” Sotir said.

The two winning teams in the undergraduate division were from Cornell University and Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. A team from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business won the graduate and professional school division of the competition.

The case competition was led by SABR president, Vince Gennaro, a consultant to MLB teams. Gennaro is also the author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball and a regular contributor to MLB Network’s Clubhouse Confidential, the first show of its kind focused on baseball analytics.

Companies in attendance included:

• ADP
• Allstate Benefits
• Bankers Life and Casualty
• Centric
• Century Interactive
• Cisco
• E&J Gallo Winery
• Education First
• EMC
• Henry Schein
• John Hancock
• Lenovo
• Liberty Mutual Insurance
• McKesson Health Systems
• New York Life
• Oracle
• Paycom
• Piper Enterprise Solutions
• Reynolds and Reynolds
• The Select Group
• Transperfect
• UPS
• Varrow

The next Sales Meet & Greet will be held Fall 2014. For more information, contact Michael Rodriguez, director of the Chandler Family Professional Sales Center, at mrodriguez4@elon.edu.

“We presented on our chapter’s strategic plan and how we have implemented the plan through our financial literacy program,” said Segal, an accounting major. “We plan to continue making financial literacy presentations in the local community this semester to build on the program we have established.”

Patty Cox, advisor to Elon’s chapter of BAP and assistant professor of accounting, also attended the meeting. This year’s theme was “Leading at the Crossroads.”

Attendees gained professional insight into industry topics such as fraud and forensic accounting and sports and entertainment management. BAP officers benefitted from specific training sessions geared toward their role in the chapter.

Hanna Wentz ’14, Michael Visconti ’15, Nancy Chen ’14 and Robert Danis ’15 made a presentation in an operational session on how to transition officers of a chapter.

Beta Alpha Psi is a national honorary society recognizing students in fields of accounting, finance and information systems. The Lambda Xi chapter is hosted by 51爆料网’s Department of Accounting in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.