UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

For-Purpose Profits: UCLA Anderson Drives Change During Impact Week

[email protected] and the UCLA Anderson Net Impact chapter present Anderson’s annual Impact Week, April 9–13, 2018. Under the theme Purpose + Profit, invited thought leaders and founders of mission-driven companies explain how they are shaping the future of business through the creation of a social, environmental and economic evolution. They share their insights in workshops, panels and a networking mixer open to the campus community and the wider public.

Jessica Lin (’18) and Karthik Patange (’18), both VPs of Impact Week and UCLA Anderson’s Net Impact chapter, which won NI Graduate Chapter of the Year in 2017, are spearheading Impact Week. As purpose-driven MBA candidates, they hope their peers will be inspired to build service and the greater good into their plans for profitable careers.

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Q: As Impact Week comes together, where do you anticipate MBA students and alumni will find particular value?

Karthik Patange: The technology theme will be prominent during Impact Week. We live in a world where tech governs everything, including our future careers. However, it’s hard for some to envision how tech and social purpose come together unless it’s through the traditional CSR “add-on.” This year, Impact Week delves into blockchain, social media and education through computer science. We hope to show MBA students that they can make an impact within their tech roles, and not as a peripheral initiative of their companies.

Jessica Lin: We wanted to highlight a variety of industries in which profitable companies also have meaningful impact. I expect that representatives from the big name companies, such as Patagonia, Google and BuzzFeed, will help expand people’s knowledge of and interest in having impactful careers.

KP: Definitely. I hope students understand that big companies with big business practices can also cater to big purposes, and that this mindset can shape their individual careers.

Q: What is the role of social media in realizing the “purpose + profit” goal?

KP: Social media directly influences social impact. Online social networks are outlets for individuals to be outspoken about their purposeful initiatives and generate awareness. How is the business side supporting this interest, especially in today’s always-online climate? From simple knowledge sharing to how to use data for social good to spreading the word on the human condition in other parts of the world, social media networks can support purpose in a sustainable and profitable way.

Military Precision Led to a Dynamic Career in Business

By Jill Hisey (’95)

Both of Jarred Herman’s (’14) grandfathers served in the military, which influenced him to set his sights on joining the U.S. Navy. But one of his grandfathers convinced him to get his college degree first, and then, if he was still interested, he could enter the Navy as an officer.

Heeding this advice, Herman, who grew up in Nevada City, California, attended University of Nevada, Reno, majoring in math. After graduating he knew he wanted to join the submarine corps and determined that becoming a nuclear engineer would offer a perfect mix of science and military service. But first he would attend Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, followed by six months at the Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina — which he says entailed an intense academic program — and six months at the Ballston Spa NPTU Prototype in Saratoga Springs, New York. Finally, Herman spent six months in submarine school in Connecticut. All told, he spent 1½ years in training before reporting for duty.

Big Ideas Highlight Third Annual Big Data Conference

By Carolyn Gray Anderson and John Bugajski

Now in its third year, UCLA Anderson’s annual Big Data Conference on November 17, 2017, addressed the theme of innovation — in devices, data storage and analysis, new VR and AR experiences, educational, training and philanthropic applications, and the data-driven business initiatives transforming industries from entertainment to agriculture.

Co-organized by Anderson’s Easton Technology Management Center and the Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports, the conference featured panels and presentations by professionals in a range of sectors representing the expanded tech ecosystem.

Alumnus Bill Duff (’96), CFO of Microsoft’s Windows and devices group, sat down for a candid conversation with Easton faculty director John Blevins (’11). Duff said Microsoft has been aggressively investing in cloud computing for a decade, even on the devices side. Witness Windows 10, which the company offers as a service rather than a product.

Thanks to big data, said Duff, “Your technology strategy is your financial strategy.”

Microsoft Chairman John W. Thompson Talks Tech Trends, Business Strategy, More

“I don’t think anybody knows what the industry will look like in five years because every eight or ten years there’s an inflection point,” John W. Thompson, chairman of Microsoft Corporation, said when asked how the company’s business will evolve in the next few years. “There’s a pattern of change and it’s difficult to predict.”

Thompson, a Silicon Valley icon who succeeded Bill Gates as chairman of Microsoft in 2014, joined UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian in a wide-ranging conversation Monday before a capacity crowd in Anderson’s Korn Convocation Hall. The event was part of the school’s Robertson Lecture Series on Global Business Leadership, which provides students, staff, faculty and others the opportunity to hear top business leaders discuss issues that affect global business and the political economy. The lecture series is made possible by Chip Robertson (FEMBA ’06) and his family in conjunction with UCLA Anderson's Center for Global Management.

With Olian guiding the hour-long conversation, Thompson touched on a variety of topics. While declining to predict what Microsoft will be like in five years, he did say the company would be guided by three core principles. First, he said, the company would focus on personal computing with a goal of making it easier for people to interact with technology. Second, Microsoft will look to help users become more productive through business enterprise software such as Office and Word. It’s in this realm that Thompson believes many users will feel the effects of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“The third one is obviously the cloud,” Thompson said, noting that in 2014 Microsoft pivoted from protecting its Windows operating system and began shifting emphasis towards the cloud.

Seen and Heard (and Felt) at LeVRage

UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) recently convened LeVRage, an event exploring the most practical ways to monetize new virtual reality and augmented reality experiences that depart from the strictly visual. A lineup of experts in emerging technology, film, gaming, social innovation, marketing and storytelling shared their predictions for the next big trend in VR and AR. #UCLAleVRage

"Do you want to take flight?"
- @gopositron, location-based, narrative-driven #VR #UCLAleVRage #VirtualReality pic.twitter.com/rIxNETLDeO

— UCLA Anderson (@uclaanderson) October 6, 2017

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• Mariana Acuña, Co-Founder, Opaque Studios
How we consume will change dramatically as every industry is touched by AR and VR. Kids will learn to tell stories differently. If you’re an artist, you’re always going to have to be yearning to get ahead of the curve.

• John Canning, VP of Interactive Experiences, NBCUniversal
Building experiences complete with haptic and olfactory sensations is where investors are active.

• Emily Cooper, 360 Video and VR Producer
Tell stories that are a conduit to quieter voices, the unheard Americans. VR can’t literally transport us but it can extend an olive branch to understanding.

Tech Storytellers Explore the Business of VR and AR

Enjoy a full album of photos from UCLA Anderson's LeVRage conference

#UCLAleVRage

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By Carolyn Gray Anderson

We live in a future-oriented culture. But sometimes innovation is already right in front of you.

That was the message at LeVRage, which explored monetizing virtual reality and augmented reality from every angle — whether in a blockbuster movie or a scrappy marketing startup. Organized by UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES), the conference and expo convened panels of veterans and newcomers to make pronouncements on the most practical ways to scale new VR and AR experiences.

MEMES executive director Jay Tucker (’09) opened the day-long event by asking the question, “What if VR and AR tech grew the entertainment industry by $100 billion?” While experts were cautious about tying the profits from storytelling and technology innovations to a hard number within a specific industry, animated discussions ensued as they both agreed and disagreed about what’s going to make the next big difference in a vast number of consumers’ lives. Some observed that it makes more sense to market add-ons to existing products than to require consumers to buy a new gadget for every upgrade — though members of the audience gleefully waved their latest Apple mobile products in response.

EBV Graduate Ben Wynkoop Demystifies the Digital Ecosystem of Marketing Niches

See a full gallery of photos from UCLA Anderson's 2017 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

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By Matt Duyst

Ben Wynkoop, who completed UCLA Anderson’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program in 2010, returned to campus in July to share his expertise in digital marketing through search engine optimization with the EBV class of 2017. The crux of Wynkoop’s talk advocated the importance of SEO to achieve the broad goals of digital marketing — how to bring more traffic to one’s website vis-à-vis consulting, strategies for reaching out to online vendors, the necessity of pay-per-click Google AdWords. His visit fell on the occasion of Anderson’s 10th anniversary hosting EBV, which gave it special relevance. Wynkoop, a former U.S. Marine, emblematizes as well as emulates the purpose of UCLA Anderson’s EBV program, serving as a symbol of its continuation within the veteran community and as a tangible representation of the program’s success.

Underscoring Wynkoop’s presentation was his personal progression, which he illustrated by streaming a timeline of his entrepreneurial metamorphosis — a play-by-play recap of his life before and after the bootcamp. He told his audience that EBV served as a vehicle for him to develop as an entrepreneur, though his introduction to the formalities of management came a couple of years before his enrollment in the program.

UCLA Anderson Alumna Kristin Mirek Channels Nickelodeon Tweens by Mini-Networking for a Major Network

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles won Favorite Female Athlete at the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards

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By Margaret Bliss

“Is our filter live on SnapChat?” Kristin Mirek (B.A. ’91, ’04) asked while running a pre-production meeting for the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards, held July 13 in Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. She was assured that it was. “And,” she was informed, “you can play a game on the world lens!”

As senior VP of Nickelodeon Social at Viacom, Mirek (née Rolla) successfully communicates with the tween world; but before achieving that status she earned her bachelor’s degree in history at UCLA and then became a “double Bruin” when she graduated from UCLA Anderson. She serves on the Department of History’s board of advisors.

In a world where “social” means so much, it is not surprising that “doing social well” is far more complicated than posting the coolest Boomerang on Instagram or creating the best stream on Facebook Live. “My role is truly multidisciplinary,” Mirek said. “I am essentially running my own mini network within Nickelodeon.” She describes herself and her team as writers, strategists, storytellers and production experts — all while being charged with creating the roadmap for content creation. “Sixty percent of Nickelodeon’s audience, tweens ages 11 to 13, are on social media, and it’s my job to make online social media a place of ‘heart share.’”

Drone Technology Is Here to Disrupt and MBAs Need to Be Prepared

 

WineFlight software from UAV-IQ Precision Agriculture

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By Vandana Mangal

UCLA Anderson’s Easton Technology Management Center, in partnership with UCLA Extension, recently invited a panel of experts to address the topic of drone technology. Alumnus Andreas Neumann (’14), CEO of precision agriculture startup UAV-IQ, moderated a discussion about the contemporary drone ecosystem among panelists David Bruemmer, co-founder and chief technical officer of 5D Robotics; Mike Quindazzi, business development leader and managing director at PwC; Van Espahbodi, co-founder and COO of Starburst Accelerator; and Keith Kaplan, CEO and co-founder of the Tesla Foundation.

As I researched drones, or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), I found that the technology has actually been in use for nearly a century for military purposes. Nicola Tesla is considered to be the father of drone technology, as he invented a radio-controlled boat in 1898 that instigated drones. Today, 86 countries have drones, some armed and others unarmed. Monrovia-based AeroVironment unmanned aircraft systems are used widely for military surveillance. The company recently unveiled a surveillance drone that can be launched from the palm of the hand and carried in a small pouch.

No Guesswork, No Guilt: Goodbye Hangry, Hello officebites

UCLA Anderson MBA students conduct Applied Management Research field study projects in lieu of a thesis. Anderson gives full-time students the Business Creation Option in which entrepreneurs launch companies while still in school. We’re highlighting stories of Class of 2017 mission-driven BCO projects that fulfill unmet needs in sectors from e-commerce to cleantech.

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By Anna Highberger (’17), Brian Leong (’17), Evan Milnor (’17) and Jesse Shapiro (’17)

Officebites takes the guesswork out of healthy snacking in the workplace.

Our subscription snack box contains nutritionally ideal snacks to help consumers become more mindful about what they eat at work. After consulting with nutritionists and dietitians, we’ve developed a menu of snacks with two times the protein and half the sugar of the vast majority of snacks on the market. They are portion-controlled at 135 calories each and are time-stamped for consumption two times a day.

We're proud to announce that officebites has been awarded the UCLA Anderson/Union Bank Most Outstanding Business Creation Award and a fellowship from YPO West Los Angeles, and we tied for second place in UCLA Anderson’s 2017 Knapp Venture Competition.

Officebites tied for second place and won $5,000 in the annual Knapp Venture Competition. Left to right: Jesse Shapiro, Brian Leong, Evan Milnor