The chapter inducted 37 Martha and Spencer Love School of Business students in a ceremony led by chapter President Marybeth Nemecek ’21 and Vice President Maria Mendoza ’21. Students heard from keynote speaker Brooks Depro, assistant professor of economics, who spoke about his professional and personal experiences and what he learned from them.

To qualify for ODE membership, students must complete at least 16 credit hours of economics classes and maintain a 3.25 GPA. Brandon Sheridan, assistant professor of economics, serves as Elon’s faculty advisor.

ODE, one of the largest international academic honor societies, honors the outstanding achievements of economics students and connects them with other economics students and faculty. Members have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers, group discussions and chapter meetings.

The chapter’s 2021 inductees:

• Abigail Noyes
• Abigail Street
• Alexa Rasmussen
• Andrea Sheetz
• Aniyah Adams
• Anya Sachdev
• Brandon Goodman
• Christina Wyatt
• Cole Haecker
• Cole Willett
• Emily Katz
• Guy Harper
• Hailey Crawford
• Isabella Hindley
• James Edmunds
• Jillian Czarnecki
• John Schuessler
• Jovani Mendez-Sandoval
• Julia Edwards
• Kara Friske
• Katherine Cote
• Katherine Robinson
• Kimheng Larch
• Lauren Demchak
• Liam O’Connor
• Lily Friel
• Madison Duchesneau
• Malia Takei
• Mateo Ribadeneira
• Olivia Ruckenstein
• Ryan McCabe
• Sarah Collier
• Stephen Hawthrone
• Victoria Russo
• William Davies
• Zachary Irons
• Zachary Penta

Students currently taking the Strategic Management course studied Delta Air Lines and the airline industry as a whole to understand the strategic challenges of the industry. Cole, who prior to joining Delta held several positions at Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., offered specific comments on how Delta has managed the upheaval brought on by COVID.

“The key thing in a crisis is communication,” Cole said during the April 1 event. He shared it has been crucial for him to communicate with his team, first to let people know that he supports them, and second, so that everyone can work together to form a plan.

Cole’s team at Delta had to decide what was most important during the crisis. Delta immediately prioritized the safety of its employees and passengers, implemented social distancing and preserved its cash. Through open and effective communication, Delta was able to take immediate action on these changes while keeping its customers and employees informed. Now, as the market for both business and leisure travel is returning, Delta is well-positioned to regain their profitable position in the industry.

Beyond asking about strategic management at Delta, students sought Cole’s advice on how to transition from school to the professional workplace in order to get the best starting experiences. Cole shared three tips for a successful career in the corporate world. First, successful employees must first succeed in the roles they have before they will be considered for new roles. Reflecting on his first position as an accountant, Cole said, “I’m here to get results. I was hired to be an accountant, so I will be the best accountant I can.”

Once he gained the reputation of delivering results in his job, he was quickly considered for positions with greater responsibility.

Second, successful employees strive to make the people around them better, whether it’s those in positions above or below them in the hierarchy. It is crucial to take the positive position of helping all succeed rather than a competitive position where only you succeed, he explained. Being one who helps others “will make peers want to either work with you or help you advance.”

Finally, “surround yourself with mentors and other people who will give you honest feedback,” Cole stated.

He motivated students to seek feedback from peers in the workplace, which will help them to continuously improve. He also recommended students seek out peers whom they consider to be successful and ask them about their experiences or best practices.

Cole concluded his visit with Elon business students by challenging them to use their business knowledge to help lead positive and socially just solutions to the difficult trials of today.

Islam and co-authors David Newhouse and Monica Yanez Pagans, both senior economists at The World Bank, explore and analyze methodologies used to estimate international poverty rates for countries in South Asia.

South Asian countries measure the daily consumption of individuals through surveys and then use that to determine whether a person is in poverty. The paper examined in detail how daily consumption was measured in each of the South Asian countries, and then looked at how standardizing that consumption measure across South Asia would affect the poverty rate. They find that standardizing the way daily consumption is determined in South Asia would reduce the number of people in poverty by almost 18.5 million.

The Asian Development Review (ADR) publishes research on development issues pertaining to the Asia and Pacific region. Published material attempts to bridge the gap between theoretical work and empirical studies to advance the understanding of Asia’s development, including globalization, inequality, structural transformation, and poverty.

Prior to joining Elon in 2014, Islam held roles as a short-term consultant at The World Bank and a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kentucky. Islam’s research interests are in labor and regional economics as well as economics of poverty and empirical microeconometrics.

During a virtual event hosted by Elon’s chapter of the American Marketing Association and the Center for Organizational Analytics on Feb. 23, Ajjan discussed background on the book, her career path, as well as advice for students.

“We felt that there was a gap between the knowledge and skills companies needed and how current textbooks prepared students for their careers in analytics,” Ajjan shared as a reason for developing the textbook. “Our textbook focuses every chapter on why we run a specific analysis, how we apply it using engaging hands-on case studies and what the results mean to improve business outcomes. We also included interviews with practitioners who talk about how they use the analytical approach in their day-to-day work”

In “Essentials of Marketing Analytics,” Ajjan and co-authors Joe Hair, University of South Alabama; and Dana E. Harrison, East Tennessee State University; provide insight into some of the most currently used software analytic tools, such as Tableau and Python, as well as a variety of analytical techniques, including but not limited to social network analysis, automated machine learning, neural networking and more.

During the event, which included a question-and-answer session moderated by Business Fellow Alexandra Pirsos ’21, Ajjan emphasized the demand for marketing analysts, across all business sectors, revealing how essential it is for students to be comfortable identifying the right business problems to tackle using the most effective analytical tool.

McGraw Hill is an American learning company and educational publisher that provides customized educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education.

Ajjan joined Elon in 2010 and currently serves as the associate dean of the Love School of Business and as a Faculty Administrative Fellow. She earned her doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Belk College of Business. Her research explores technology’s impact on individuals, groups, and organizations.

The panelists emphasized the breadth of an economics degree and explained how their education helped them achieve a diverse range of post-graduate positions.

“The main advantage of an economics degree is the skill set and tools that can be applied to so many things,” said Rouse, who worked in consulting at Deloitte before going to graduate school. “There is definitely a variety of available options for graduates with an undergraduate degree in economics.”

Feldman, a senior associate in the TMT Sector at EY-Parthenon, shared how her economics education helped lead her to a diversity of roles since graduation and how the jobs “sometimes had nothing to do with economics.” However, Feldman pointed out that in the consulting world, economics tends to be the prevailing major.

The panel, held on International Women’s Day, highlighted the experience of women in economics and the need for diversity in the field. Koslow, a marketing science partner manager at Facebook, touched on the activities that Facebook facilitated to honor International Women’s Day and why diversity matters. “Diversity and inclusion are such an important pillar to our company,” Koslow said. “A team that is diverse is so important. I work with people from the U.S., not from the U.S., women and men. Everyone brings a different perspective.”

“I think probably more than any other discipline, economics touches almost every single aspect of public policy and public policy affects everyone, so you need diverse voices…when you’re making policies so that you get those different perspectives,” Rouse added.

Hunziker, a senior consultant at Cloudmed, drew attention to the field being male-dominated and how that can impact problem solving at her firm. Based on her experience on fully-male and fully-female teams, she noticed a difference in critiquing styles. “Females are more detail oriented, and have to be perfect,” she said. “Males are more big numbers driven, and, ‘Let’s just get that final output.’” Ultimately, Hunziker concluded that the field needs more diversity, and for both men and women to be represented to achieve the best work.

Feldman acknowledged the difference in confidence levels she saw between men and women in her field. She noted the importance in sharing ideas and encouraged the women in the audience to speak up in their classes and jobs rather than remaining quiet in fear of being wrong.

The panelists also shared the following recommendations for economics majors trying to gain a competitive edge in the job market: learn coding, become involved in independent research, and engage in your passions.

Swankowski, a researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, encouraged students to be creative with the job application process since there are a wide range of opportunities available.

“Being knowledgeable of your options and how others have been extremely successful in their lives is an immense help when deciding what to do with the rest of your life,” Takei said, reflecting on the value she derived from the panel. “Given the pandemic and chaos with the job market, it was reassuring to hear tips on how to find a job and identify a future career path, while understanding that there is no one set path for people with a B.A. in economics to follow. It was really motivating for me, as a woman, to learn to value my knowledge and the experiences that Elon is offering me.”

Nelson discusses when it could be beneficial to apply for a club’s co-branded card, how to compare the cost to the potential rewards, and how to evaluate different cards based on their rewards.

“The first decision the consumer would make is whether the cost savings that he/she receives from Costco over other grocery stores is enough to offset the Costco membership fee. The second decision is to weigh the potential benefits of the card against the costs,” Nelson says. “Frequently, credit cards are acquired for special bonus rewards, such as extra hotel or airline points. In general, there is an expectation to utilize those bonus rewards in a near timeframe which could lead to choosing a card with near term rewards rather than one with greater long-term benefits.”

Read the entire article .

The case creates an opportunity for students to evaluate the effectiveness of a company’s internal control system based on the 2013 COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission) Framework.

The Journal of Theoretical Accounting Research promotes a space for academic publications, research ideas and collaboration.

Udeh joined the Elon faculty in 2015 after earning her Ph.D. in Accounting at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to her academic career, Udeh was an auditor.

Udeh’s research looks at the effectiveness of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 2013 Framework. She writes in the article’s abstract, “Effectiveness is examined by ‘investigating how the number of auditor-reported material weaknesses compares for Early-, Timely- and Late-adopters of the framework, and how the number of auditor-reported material weaknesses changed for Early- and Timely-adopters following their adoption of the framework.’”

Udeh’s findings indicate that Timely-adopters of the 2013 Framework continued to exhibit fewer instances of auditor-reported material weaknesses than Late-adopters.

The Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change (AOC) provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to publish information on contemporary organizational changes and accounting practices in industry, public and nonprofit organizations, or in the private sector.

Udeh joined the Elon faculty in 2015 after earning her doctorate in accounting at the Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to her academic career, Udeh was an auditor.

Is there a right time to go to graduate school? Depending on an individual’s choice in career path, the timing for grad school can vary, the panelists noted. Sometimes it could be beneficial to have a couple of years of work experience before deciding to go back to school. This path allows for recent graduates to apply their classroom experience to the workplace.

Breanna Humphries ‘13 shared how she benefitted from having real-world experience prior to attending graduate school: “I could compare and draw off of experiences I’ve had in corporate America rather than just textbooks.” She also noted “some people are able to pull from internship experiences,” acknowledging that students may feel acquainted with the corporate world already and are driven to immediately attend grad school.

When deciding which school to attend, the panelists said it is important to consider factors including location to live, school offerings, alumni network, class size, and the student experience. The panelists highly recommended prospective students communicate with current students and alumni of the school to draw a better sense of the school’s environment and offerings.

They also shared that individuals may choose to attend law school or acquire an MBA to gain accelerated progress in their careers, an expansion of their network, and access to formal training.

Adam Wilver ‘15 hoped to gain more formal management and leadership training through an MBA program: “I took management and leadership training in undergrad but it is tough when you haven’t run into potential situations.” He also said taking a step back from his career and attending graduate school allows him to confirm what he wanted to do career-wise.

The panelists:

• Brenna Humphries ’13, ’2018 MBA graduate of OLIN School of Business, Washington University St. Louis.
• Randall Weisenburger ’14, MBA candidate at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Adam Wilver ’15, MBA candidate at Sloan School of Management, MIT
• Gabrielle Vance, ’18, J.D. candidate at William and Mary Law
• Noor Irshaidat, ’20, J.D. candidate, at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law

The discussion was moderated by Meghan Murray ’21 and Meredith Mackenzie ’22, both serve as vice presidents of Elon’s Beta Gamma Sigma chapter.

Beta Gamma Sigma provides the highest recognition a business student may achieve in a baccalaureate or graduate program at a school accredited by AACSB International. The honor society’s mission is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, foster personal and professional excellence to advance the values of the society, and to serve its lifelong members.

Elon’s chapter, hosted by the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, is advised by Dean Raghu Tadepalli, and he also serves as the chapter president.

Brintha Renganathan ’16, Maritza Gamboa ’14, Kennedy Ojimadu ’17 and Durice White Galloway ’09 G’14 served as panelists. Stacy Outlaw, director of undergraduate programs in the Love School of Business, moderated the discussion.

Outlaw stated that bias is a systemic issue within our society and it is critical for everyone, not just those who identify as a person of color, to learn more about how to navigate this systemic problem and be a future business leader and citizen who actively seeks to dismantle it.

Panelists shared experiences and thoughts around being the only female in an industry that is primarily male, the hierarchical nature of corporate America, being a person of color in a predominately white industry, as well as recruiting biases.

The biases that panelists experienced in their careers have contributed to personal struggles with imposter syndrome and intersectionality. Some of the panelists expressed there have been times when they felt they had to act a certain way in the workplace to combat biases, making it more challenging to express their authentic selves as they progress in their career path. Additionally, they discussed how one’s social identity, including race and ethnicity, can be discriminated against in the workplace.

Renganathan strongly encouraged individuals to always be their authentic self and to own their own worth, not letting biases get to them. Individuals can also work to eliminate bias in the workplace by calling out diversity if there is none amongst a group of colleagues, on a team or in a department.

Additionally, Gamboa advised all to interview a company as much as it is interviewing the candidate. Asking questions and doing research can provide one with deeper company knowledge, especially pertaining to the company’s willingness to support diversity, she said.

Outlaw concluded the panel by emphasizing the bar has been raised in corporate America with the Black Lives Matter movement. It is now more important than ever to recognize that a diversity statement does not hold value if there is visibly sparse diversity in the workplace.