UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

UCLA Anderson Announces 2013 Loeb Awards

Tyler Mathisen, master of ceremonies at the 2013 Gerald Loeb Awards banquet in New York City.

The Loeb Awards celebrated the best in business journalism and 40 years with UCLA Anderson at Capitale in New York City Tuesday night. Judy D. Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management and chairman of the G. and R. Loeb Foundation, welcomed Gerald Loeb Awards finalists and career achievement honorees and gave out the night's first award for the Online category to Alison Young and Peter Eisler of USA TODAY.

Tyler Mathisen, co-anchor of CNBC’s Power Lunch, and co-anchor of Public Television’s Nightly Business Report, served as master of ceremonies.

Along with the 14 competition categories, two career-achievement awards were presented: the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to John Huey, former editor-in-chief of Time Inc., and the Lawrence Minard Editor Award, which went to Michael Williams, global enterprise editor of Reuters.

Winners included Beat Reporting to Tom Bergin of Reuters, Breaking News to Thomas Lee, David Phelps, Janet Moore, Paul McEnroe, Tony Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy and Eric Wieffering of Star Tribune, and Broadcast to Byron Harris, Billy Bryant, Jason Trahan and Mark Smith of WFAA-TV.

The Gerald Loeb Awards were established in 1957 by the late Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton. His intention was to encourage reporting on business and finance that would inform and protect the private investor and the general public.

Head to the Gerald Loeb Awards page for a full list of winners and judges, as well as news, videos and awards archives.

UCLA Anderson's Full-Time MBA Program Moves to Self-Supporting Model

University of California President Mark G. Yudof has approved UCLA Anderson’s proposed status change for its full-time MBA program and the program is now poised to become self-supporting. State support previously allocated for the school’s full-time program transfers to the university at large, while state support for Anderson’s doctoral and undergraduate accounting minor programs remains in place.

UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian said in a statement that the decision adds predictability to the tuition-setting process and flexibility to faculty assignment. “UCLA Anderson is well positioned for the future, and this change further enables us to address MBA student and program needs,” she said. “We also believe that our alumni and friends will be energized by the clarity of the school's financial model, and its singular dependence on self-generated funding and philanthropy.”

The full text of Dean Olian's letter to the Anderson community is below.

Also, check out UCLA Anderson news, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg Businessweek for more coverage.

 

Dear Colleagues,

President Yudof has approved UCLA Anderson's proposal for the self-supporting MBA Program. The university announcement is available at: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/uc-president-approves-ucla-anderson-247078.aspx.

With this decision, the MBA transitions to a self-supporting program, similar to our other five Master's programs. The tuition setting process will become more predictable, faculty assignment to the MBA program more flexible, and the school will receive all MBA tuition. The university at large will retain all state support that had been allocated to Anderson, with the exception of a small amount of state support for the Anderson doctoral and undergraduate accounting minor programs. In every other respect, UCLA Anderson remains a part of UCLA exactly as before. We see this change benefiting both the university and UCLA Anderson, a creative strategy in response to declining funding from the state.

UCLA Anderson is well positioned for the future, and this change further enables us to address MBA student and program needs. We also believe that our alumni and friends will be energized by the clarity of the school's financial model, and its singular dependence on self-generated funding and philanthropy.

This proposal has been under review for about three years. There was vigorous and healthy debate from all sides, as there should be in an institution that thrives on respectful discourse. Thank you to all who participated in this debate, and to the leadership across all parts of the school and university who guided this proposal to its fruition.  I want to extend special appreciation for their support and willingness to embrace innovative solutions to President Yudof, Chancellor Block, EVC Waugh, VC Olsen and the leadership of UCLA's Academic Senate. 

Let's move forward now! With thanks,

Judy

OUYA, She Did

Raising 904% of your Kickstarter goal is no game—unless you’re Anderson grad Julie Uhrman (’04) and your product is a game. OUYA sought $950,000 in funding and topped out at $8,596,474 from 63,416 backers. The open-source game console hit two Kickstarter records on its way: fastest project to raise more than $1 million and the most raised in a day, more than $2.5 million. The $99 console hit stores today and promptly sold out on Amazon.

OUYA is Android-based and says, “hackers welcome” when it comes to a development scheme. In fact, “rooting” the box (breaking open the code) won’t even void the warranty. The complete $99 OUYA package comes with console, Bluetooth controller, HDMI cable and batteries. There are currently 178 games available and 17,000 developers registered to take a crack at becoming the first big OUYA thing.

OUYA games are free to try, and apps include Twitch.tv, Flixster and Tunein, with more on the way from the likes of iHeartRadio.

Check out more at the OUYA website, and look for a feature in Assets Digital coming in early September.

UCLA Anderson Hosts SIEML Program

The University of California Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders lands at UCLA Anderson June 30. The two-week program hosts fifty students from historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions, the first time students from HSIs have been included.

Rotating across six UC business schools, the institute teaches principles of business development, entrepreneurship and other key management skills. Students attend classes for two consecutive summers, learn from world-class educators, participate in hands-on workshops and make valuable connections with peers and industry leaders.

"The Summer Institute is a marvelous opportunity for undergraduates to be exposed to business and leadership fundamentals, an important ingredient of our public mission of outreach to diverse student populations," said Judy Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management. "The UC business schools are located in some of the country's most exciting hubs for entrepreneurship and innovation, including UCLA Anderson in Los Angeles, which benefits also from powerful connections with the Pacific Rim and Latin America."

Twenty returning and 30 new students will attend the program, which runs through July 13.

Can Calorie Counts Help Count Calories?

It seems that giving customers health information to chew on might not get them to pick healthier options. A study co-authored by UCLA Anderson’s Phillip Leslie, associate professor of strategic management, did find a six-percent decrease in calorie consumption at Starbucks after calorie-count posting. However, that small affect was income and education dependent.

The researchers also found folks didn't abandon that high-calorie beverage just because they knew the damage to their waistline. They did, however, make changes to their food purchases. Leslie and his co-authors concluded, “Survey evidence and analysis of commuters suggests the mechanism for the effect is a combination of learning and salience.”

An op-ed by Frank Bruni in The New York Times’ Sunday Review highlighted the 2011 research in an attempt to digest results of the five-year-old New York City rule requiring calorie-count posting. The data thus far isn’t encouraging, he concludes. “We should certainly continue to give posted calorie counts a whirl. Even a tiny impact is better than none,” he writes. “But we also need a more forceful kick in our amply cushioned rears. We’re not as plump as we are because we’ve never had our eyes opened to the wages of a Whopper.”

Check out the study abstract here and The New York Times piece here.

UCLA Anderson Goes Gold

The UCLA Anderson Net Impact chapter received a coveted Gold rating based upon their performance for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Net Impact is a student and professionals group whose aim is to create “a more just and sustainable future.” The gold standing is the culmination of several years of work building the local chapter of the organization.

“This year we continued to expand our role as a professional association, providing a wide variety of opportunities for students to network with social impact leaders in Los Angeles and beyond,” says Sue Andres-Brown, current Net Impact president.

The group’s activities, led by President Aviva Altmann, included a successfully reorganized Board Fellows program, the Net Impact Consulting Challenge, a co-sponsored Career Night with USC, two Days on the Job and numerous Dinners For Eight.

Of the more than 300 Net Impact chapters, just 24% achieved gold standing.

Check out the Net Impact page here.

Scripted Writes A New Chapter

When Sunil Rajaraman (’08) co-founded the storytelling software scripped.com, he didn’t know the arc his own story would take. That original site gave birth to content-creation powerhouse scripted.com, which just closed a $4.5 million investment round. Led by Crosslink Capital (investors in Netflix and Tivo) and Redpoint Ventures (investors in Pandora and Bleacherreport,) the new funds will allow Scripted to invest in marketing and sales, as well as ramping up product development.

Scripted matches businesses and writers to “produce high-quality content at scale.” From blog posts to white papers to social media, the service matches business needs to creatives’ availability and ideas.

Rajaraman and his partner launched screenwriting software scripped.com while still at Anderson and benefitted greatly from the school’s resources. “The Price Center, specifically Angela Klein, Holly Han and Elaine Hagan ('91), were always available if we wanted to host events on campus or needed any sort of connection,” says Rajaraman. “My classmates and alums were generous with introductions and helped me all along the way. Management Development for Entrepreneurs, run by Andrea Garfield at the time, taught me a lot about how to run a business, as did George Geis ('81), through Venture Initiation. There are so many folks from Anderson to thank, I'm not even sure where to begin.”

At the start of 2011, the Scripped team began receiving inquiries from businesses looking for content—and a pivot was born. They launched Scripted using the robust writer base they had already collected. In fact, Scripped still generates users and doubles as a source of potential writing talent for Scripted.

Rajaraman’s own story, he says, should serve as an inspirational, feel-good tale for all new Anderson students. “My advice to students would be to start a business while you're there. You have all the resources in the world at your disposal, and very low opportunity cost.”

The Story of Good Communication

UCLA Anderson’s Management Communication Program founder and director Janis Forman, Ph.D., gave the keynote address at the PR News Content Marketing Boot Camp event on June 18. Her address, “Authenticity and Fluency for Effective Storytelling in Business,” follows up on her recent Q&A for the PR News website.

Find details on the event here, the Q&A here and check out her new book, Storytelling in Business: The Authentic and Fluent Organization here.

Veggie Grill Heats Up

Veggie Grill, the Los Angeles-based eatery started by UCLA Anderson grad T.K. Pillan (’96), is on a roll. In 2012, it more than doubled its locations and expanded its geographical reach. The beginning of this year, they announced plans to double again within the next 18 months. And, now Forbes is taking notice.

Veggie Grill is No. 6 on Forbes’ list of 15 Explosively Growing Companies to Watch This Year, ahead of tech darlings Snap Chat and GetTaxi and 3-D printing giant MakerBot.

Check out the Forbes piece here.

New AMR Highlight Video

Interested in the Applied Management Research Program? Or, better yet, looking to hire a top-notch team of strategic consultants? Check out AMR’s new video for the who, why and how, as well as real-world examples of field studies in action. Companies and current and previous AMR participants highlight the benefits and experience of working with the program.

Gonzalo Freixes, associate dean of the Executive MBA and Fully Employed MBA Programs, leads the team as faculty director for the program.

The Applied Management Research Program (AMR) has been a critical part of the MBA curriculum and experience at UCLA Anderson since 1967. More than 2,400 student teams working closely with a faculty advisor have served as strategic consultants to organizations ranging from private businesses and large public corporations to government agencies and not-for-profit entities.

These student teams confront organizational and competitive problems and provide recommendations for action. The primary goal of this management field study project is to help students develop their ability to solve complex business problems in real-world settings, while delivering value to clients.