Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Faculty and Staff

Paper Takes Top Honors at Global Innovation and Knowledge Academy

Published
By

(Left to right: Saurav Pathak, Emanuel Xavier de Oliveira, and Andre Laplume)

A paper that focuses on entrepreneurs in emerging economies was awarded “best paper” honors at the Second Global Innovation and Knowledge Academy in Spain. Its authors, Saurav Pathak, Andre Laplume and Emanuel Oliveira of the School of Business and Economics, were competing against 80 other papers at the academy, and eight received top honors.

In the paper, Pathak, Laplume and Oliveira argue that regimes that protect intellectual property rights, combined with high levels of foreign investment, negatively affect individuals’ entry into technological entrepreneurship.

“Neo-classical growth theory argues that technological progress is the main engine of economic growth, given that other factors have diminishing returns,” said Pathak. “Our key finding is that emerging economies with higher foreign investment per capita tend to have relatively lower techno-entrepreneurship rates.”

Saurav Pathak is the Rick and Jo Berquist assistant professor of entrepreneurship and innovation, Andre Laplume is an assistant professor of management, and Emanuel Xavier de Oliveira is a senior lecturer of economics.

Written by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor in University Marketing and Communications.

Continue Reading →

Par-Tee Time Golf Outing: Success!

Published
By

The third annual Alumni Reunion ‘Par-Tee Time Golf Outing’ was a big hit among the alumni, students, staff, and faculty of Michigan Technological University as well as with local community members. The scramble was hosted by the student volunteers of the MBA Association and the American Marketing Association as well as the staff of the School of Business and Economics.  Ten four-person teams competed for a variety of cash and sponsored prizes in a fun-filled atmosphere on the greens of the Portage Lake Golf Course. The winners of the tournament were Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics faculty members Josh Filzen, Soonkwan Hong, Dean Johnson, and Joel Tuoriniemi.

Held on a beautiful summer afternoon, the event provided participants a great opportunity to network, golf, and enjoy delicious food and beverages provided by the golf course restaurant, Par and Grill. In addition to cash prizes and a 50/50 raffle, local businesses sponsored over  40 prizes for the post-tournament raffle.  Throughout the day, participants also had the opportunity to meet and interact with the School of Business and Economic’s new dean, Gene Klippel.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the School of Business and Economics, the MBAA and AMA student organizations, the support of the Michigan Tech community and the local businesses the event continues to be successful.  Plans for next year are already underway, and participants can look forward to another weekend of fun, friendly competition, and a valuable opportunity to expand their business network.

Continue Reading →

Goltz and Tuoriniemi published in Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy

Published
By
Joel Tuoriniemi
Sonia Goltz

Professor Sonia Goltz and Assistant Professor Joel Tuoriniemi, both of the School of Business and Economics, were coauthors, with colleagues, of a paper, “Applying Indices Post-Grutter to Monitor Progress Toward Attaining a Diverse Student Body,” published in Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy.

To read the paper, please visit the following link: http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njlsp/vol7/iss2/5/

Continue Reading →

Research Presentation on Inter-Sourcing

Published
By
Dr. Mari Buche speaks during panel discussion.

Associate Professor of Management Information Systems Mari W. Buche and graduate student Gareth Johnson (ME/MBA) traveled to Green Bay, Wis., to attend the Midwest Association for Information Systems (MAIS) annual conference May 18-19. They presented “Inter-sourcing: Partnerships Between Businesses, Universities and Student Interns.” Buche, treasurer of MWAIS, also participated in a panel discussion on the future of the Midwest AIS organization and chaired a session on organizational issues relating to information systems.

Associate Professor of Management Information Systems Mari Buche and Gareth Johnson
Continue Reading →

Woods Receives Distinguished Teaching Award

Published
By
MTU School of Business and Economics Roger Woods
Roger Woods Receives Distinguished Teaching Award

“Office hours” are an elastic concept for Michigan Tech’s 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award winners.

Roger Woods, a lecturer in the School of Business and Economics, received the award in the assistant professor/professor of practice/lecturer category. He also synchronizes his schedule to his students.’

“I’m on IM from 8 to 10 p.m.,” he said. “That’s when they are doing homework. When they get stuck, I help them get unstuck.”

Woods came to Michigan Tech in spring 2003. The former IBM manager and engineer teaches Quantitative Problem Solving and is an instructor in the Business Development Experience, the School’s equivalent of Senior Design. He also has taught a variety of other courses, including project management, operations management and entrepreneurship.

Students polled in his Quantitative Problem Solving class wrote, “He never lets a student fall behind if the student is putting their 100 percent effort into the course”; “He makes a difficult class enjoyable and gives us plenty of opportunities to get help”; and “He is the BEST teacher that I have ever had, period. Of all the schools I have ever been to, he is the most helpful teacher and the most excited about his job. He creates energy so that this class will never be boring and keeps us busy.”

How does he inspire such enthusiasm? “I think it’s access,” Woods said. “I don’t expect them to learn everything from a book or from a lecture. It’s going to take some exploring; when they explore, they sometimes need help, and that doesn’t happen on my schedule.” He also makes a special effort to tailor the material for his students. “It’s important to think of your audience.”

One of the best things about teaching, he said, is watching a student experience the “aha!” moment that may serve them later in their careers. “I want them to walk away with confidence that they can learn, not just regurgitate information,” he said. “Someday they will be in the workplace, without a professor, and I want them to apply these lessons so that ultimately they will do their job better.”

“I challenge them, I make them think,” Woods added. “If they are willing to respond by thinking, then they get it, and that’s rewarding to them. And I enjoy interacting with those students who have that desire to learn.”

Just reading a textbook won’t cut it. “Word gets out: don’t miss class,” he said.

Occasionally, students let him know his efforts have paid off after they leave the University for the corporate world. “I get emails back saying, ‘I did what you told me, and I was a star.'”

“It’s no surprise” that Woods has been honored for his teaching, said Tom Merz, associate dean of the School. “Roger has a great rapport with younger people,” he said. “It’s a cliche, but it’s still true: he deeply cares about younger people, and he gets a lot of gratification watching them work hard and succeed. Plus, he has a sense of his audience, who he is communicating with, so he can reach them.”

His students agree. Wrote one, “When I tell people that I’m in BUS2300, people say ‘Is Woods still teaching that? I loved that guy.'”

Originally published in Tech Today by Marcia Goodrich, magazine editor.

Continue Reading →