NEWSLETTER

October 19, 2009

Download the newsletter as a PDF.

Dear Management Majors:

The Rucks Department of Management faculty extends its best wishes for your academic success this semester. This letter describes the various programs offered by the department and reports on many newsworthy items.

DID YOU KNOW?… MANAGEMENT TRIVIA!!! WIN A PRIZE!!! – Attention Students:  A trivia question is embedded in this issue of the newsletter. Find the question, be the first to send the correct answer to lwolfe@lsu.edu and win a $5 gift card to CC’s Community Coffee House.

HELP NEEDED FROM UNDERGRAD MANAGEMENT STUDENTS – What is your main source of information for college of business news? Is this newsletter useful to you? What is the best way for us to communicate management department news to you? E-mail lwolfe@lsu.edu with your feedback.

THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM – What should an organization try to accomplish? How should its resources be deployed? How can an organization meet its obligations without neglecting its social responsibilities? Professional managers address such questions in the process of efficiently utilizing human and material resources to accomplish established goals. In doing so, they plan the use of resources; organize, select, hire, train, motivate, and evaluate employees; and assure the quality of goods and services.

It has been said that “managers are outgoing, creative people who have the ability to motivate and guide dozens or even hundreds of individuals in the same overall direction for the attainment of desired goals.”  If you like diversity, working with people, and are goal-directed, you may wish to pursue a career in professional management.

The LSU undergraduate program in management is designed to prepare students for a wide array of professional managerial positions in large or small, for profit or not-for-profit organizations. Courses cover human behavior in the workplace, human resource management, compensation and benefit administration, collective bargaining, strategic management, entrepreneurship, social and ethical responsibilities, and multinational management. Specific curricula are offered in general management, human resource management, and entrepreneurship.

THE DEGREE – As a management major, you currently have a choice among three "options" or "concentrations.” You may focus your management studies in the human resource area, the entrepreneurship area, or maintain a more generalist orientation by simply selecting the management option. Your degree will be designated "Management," regardless of the option you choose.

SOME REQUIRED COURSES ARE TAUGHT ONCE A YEAR – YOU NEED TO KNOW! To assure that we can satisfy student demand and curriculum requirements while accommodating faculty availability, the Department of Management teaches our courses according to a predictable cycle. It is the students’ responsibility to register for the required courses when they are taught. This is particularly important for majors in the human resource and entrepreneurship concentrations. Note that MGT 3513, 4113, 4100, and 4323 are only taught in the fall semester and MGT 3111, 3120, 4114, 4322, and 4523 are only taught in the spring semester. If you have any questions, contact the department’s undergraduate advisor.

RUCKS FELLOWS SELECTED – Thanks to William W. and Catherine M. Rucks, the department has been able to develop the Rucks Fellows Program to recognize a select few undergraduate majors for their outstanding academic achievement.  Our newest group of Rucks Fellows was selected this semester. The names of the most recent inductees are:

Blake Louis Budden                                                                      
Erica Daniela Grego                                                                      
Josh Archer Harmon                                                                    
Margaret Anne Johnson                                                              
Mark Paul Lasseigne
Seth Jacob Long
Amanda Rachel Mayer
Caitlin E. Munn
John Love Norris IV
Ross Aaron Nugent                                                                        

Congratulations to all of you.

UPPER-DIVISION HONORS IN MANAGEMENT – The Rucks Department of Management is pleased to announce the availability of an upper-division honors program for qualified management majors. This program is aimed at providing superior students enrolled in management with the opportunity to achieve "Upper-Division Honors Distinction.”  We invite qualified students to apply.

Eligibility – Sophomore-level students majoring in management with an overall grade point average of 3.5 or above are invited to apply for admission to the management department Upper-Division Honors Program. As a part of completing the required honors course of study, students will demonstrate their competence in the management field by completing a senior thesis/project. In addition, to receive the “Upper-Division Honors Distinction,” students must achieve, after their sophomore year, at least a 3.3 grade point average and no grade lower than a “B” in any honors course.

Recognition – The student successfully completing the Upper-Division Honors Program in management will be recognized through the designation "Upper-Division Honors Distinction" on their LSU transcript.

To apply for admission to the Upper-Division Honors Program in management, or to obtain additional information for the various management curricula, contact: Laura Wolfe, Honors Adviser, 3158B Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Rucks Department of Management, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6312, Telephone: 225-578-6110, e-mail: lwolfe@lsu.edu.

SIGMA IOTA EPSILON (SIE) CHAPTER PLANS TO INDUCT NEW MEMBERS – The Rucks Department of Management is pleased to support the LSU chapter of Sigma Iota Epsilon (SIE), a national honorary and professional management fraternity. SIE’s general purposes are to encourage and recognize scholastic excellence and to promote cooperation between the academic and applied areas of management. The LSU chapter is designated Epsilon Rho and is one of more than 60 active chapters, according to the national organization.

Juniors and seniors with an overall grade point average of 3.25 and above are eligible to join SIE. If you are interested in learning more about SIE, please contact the faculty adviser, Laura Wolfe at lwolfe@lsu.edu. Eligible students will be contacted at the beginning of the fall semester.

The Spring 2009 Sigma Iota Epsilon Initiates are: Stephen Barbier, Melanie Cash, James Fisher, Kathryn Haydell, Warren Mott, Blair Naquin, Christian Rabito, and Brennan Womack . Congratulations!!

SHRM – PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION – As you enter the business and professional world, you will find that membership in various associations is expected and can be advantageous. To provide you with a head start in this area and to further develop your professionalism, the department supports an LSU chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

SHRM (formerly the American Society for Personnel Administration), founded in 1948, is the largest professional society in the world devoted exclusively to personnel/human resource management. This non-profit association of personnel, human resource, and industrial relations professionals serves more than 225,000 members in the United States and more than 125 foreign countries. There are more than 575 affiliated professional chapters in the U.S. and abroad, including offices in China and India.

SHRM’s student program was created in 1965 to promote mutually beneficial interaction between HRM students and practitioners. The program includes more than 430 affiliated student chapters and nearly 11,000 student members.

Membership in SHRM and the LSU chapter of SHRM provides you with access to a wealth of Web-based information, timely publications, opportunities to meet and interact with human resource professionals, and a chance to compete for local and national scholarships. Many of the members obtain part-time jobs in the form of paid internships and/or other job leads through this association. For more information, contact Laura Wolfe, (3158B Patrick F. Taylor Hall; e-mail: lwolfe@lsu.edu; 578-6110), faculty adviser to the LSU chapter of SHRM.

LSU SHRM RECEIVES NATIONAL SUPERIOR MERIT AWARD – For the 20th consecutive year, the LSU Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management has received a Superior Merit Award from the national organization. The superior merit award, which recognizes the chapter's achievements in professional development and other programs, is typically received by approximately 15 to 20 percent of all university chapters nationwide. There are 430 active student chapters throughout the U.S. and its territories.

GBR-SHRM SCHOLARSHIP – The Greater Baton Rouge Society for Human Resource Management (GBR-SHRM), a professional association of HRM practitioners in the Greater Baton Rouge area, provides a $1,000 scholarship each fall and spring semester to the HRM student graduating with the highest grade point average. This semester’s recipient is Heather Pratt from St. Rose, Louisiana. The award will be made at the end of the semester in the form of a graduation gift recognizing academic scholarship and professionalism.

STEPHENSON ENTREPRENEURSHIP INSTITUTE – ENTREPRENEURSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM – The Entrepreneurship Fellows Program is a year-long work/study certification program intended to help foster and retain needed talent in the region by providing an intensive, high quality entrepreneurship education to a select group of undergraduate and graduate students at LSU. Fellows are selected from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds across campus and are given the knowledge, skills, and contacts to make an immediate impact. These students are taught to be both entrepreneurial and “intrapreneurial” and will be exposed to business leaders and successful LSU alumni from across the country.

The three-semester program consists of two seminar courses focusing on strategy, business etiquette, innovation, and leadership as well as a summer internship with a leading company. Fellows will also have a mentor from one of the partner companies and will have the opportunity to network with business leaders at business and social events, increasing their exposure to the business community and broadening their opportunities for success.

The application process began in September with the Fellows Kickoff Event that featured Todd Graves, owner of Raising Cane’s as the keynote speaker. The first group of Fellows participants will be limited to 25 and will begin in the Spring 2010 semester. For more information, please contact Jill Roshto at jrosht1@lsu.edu or 225-578-0089. Trivia Question:  What recent management grad played in the final inning of the 2009 College World Series in Omaha this past June???

CAREER SERVICES – LSU Career Services is open to all LSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. For career planning and co-op education services, interested parties should go to B-1 Coates Hall (225-578-1548). Placement services and general information may be obtained in 1502 Patrick F. Taylor Hall (225-578-2162).

LSU FLORES MBA PROGRAM AND FOCUS – The college offers three distinct paths leading to the MBA degree: the two-year traditional LSU Flores MBA, the two-year Professional MBA, and the 18-month Executive MBA. Each path provides the same course content, while incorporating different goals and schedules. In each option, students learn to apply modern business management principles to a wide range of decision-making situations. Students achieve capacities to balance quantitative and qualitative aspects of decision making and also become more sensitive to the legal and ethical issues that so frequently confront modern business management. The LSU Flores MBA Program is structured along six themes:

• Effectively managing resources
• Developing, managing, and using financial information
• Understanding and managing the organization–environment interface
• Managing information and technology
• Developing global awareness
• Tools and techniques for professional and personal development.

The program of study for the traditional LSU Flores MBA consists of 52 credit hours of course work, 15 of which are elective. Students are strongly encouraged to focus on an area of concentration. For more information visit mba.lsu.edu,  or contact Stephanie Hedge at 225-578-8892 or shedge@lsu.edu

ARE YOU LINKEDIN? – We have recently created a LinkedIn group for current/former students and current/former faculty of the Rucks Department of Management. Please join!! If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, it is easy to set one up. Go to www.linkedin.com and click on join. It is free. To join our group, search for “Rucks Management” in the search box at the top of the LinkedIn page. Be sure you click “Search Groups. F.O.R.M.” “Friends of Rucks Management” should appear. Click on “join this group.” We will then let you in.   All internships and part-time and full-time job opportunities for management majors are posted to this group. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that is a useful tool for recruiting, job searches, and staying in touch. It is a great way to build your “social capital.”

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT PURSUING A PhD IN MANAGEMENT? – You are invited to join us for our PhD speaker series, which features top scholars in the management field presenting their research.
Mike Hitt will be making a presentation at LSU on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 10 a.m., speaking about “International Strategy, Entrepreneurial Ventures and Managing Resources: A Confluence of Three Research Streams”. The location has yet to be determined. Additionally, Robert Hoskisson is coming to LSU Friday, November 20, 2009. Topic, time, and location will be announced soon.

FACULTY NEWS  
Jeremy Bernerth
, PhD, joined the Rucks Department of Management this fall as an assistant professor. Jeremy earned a bachelor’s in psychology and management information systems from the University of Georgia, and a master’s and PhD in HR/Organizational Change from Auburn University. Following the completion of his formal education, Jeremy worked for the international consulting company McKinsey & Company. Jeremy’s professional research interests include perceptions of fairness in organizational actions and decisions, development and validation of psychometrically sound measurement instruments, and investigations into organizational change initiatives.

Congratulations to Mark Weaver, who was recently selected as a 2009 Rainmaker! The Rainmakers are selected annually as being among the top 100 LSU Research and Creative Faculty. This is the second consecutive year that a Department of Management faculty member has been honored with this award.

Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute Associate Director Carol Carter has been notified that the International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation has accepted a paper she wrote for presentation. The conference will be held November 16-18, 2009. Carol’s paper, titled “The Challenge of Female Entrepreneurship Education: Impact of Self-Perception when Assessing Entrepreneurship Training Programs,” was actually taken from a paper written for one of her human resource education PhD classes.

Last summer, Professor Hettie Richardson was elected representative-at-large for the Research Methods Division of the Academy of Management, and she served a second term on the division’s Awards Committee. This fall, Hettie will be completing a three-year term on the Southern Management Association Board of Governors and a two-year term as its Doctoral Consortium Co-coordinator.

Thomas Greckhamer , the Penniman Family Developing Scholar Professor in LSU’s Rucks Department of Management, was recently named “Best Reviewer” for the Research Methods Division of the Academy of Management for 2009. Moreover, his article, titled “Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis in Strategic Management Research:  An examination of the combinations of industry, corporate and business-unit effects,” was selected as a finalist for the Best Paper Published in Organizational Research Methods in 2008. Thomas received the honors at the AOM’s annual conference, which was held August 7-11, 2009.

Former management PhD graduate Yves Damoiseau earned the highest student score on the international Certified Internal Auditor Exam administered in December 2008. His high score garnered a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa to receive his award at the international CIA Conference. Damoiseau successfully defended his doctoral dissertation last spring and has accepted a position as an analyst with Goldman Sachs in New York City.

Management PhD student Jeff Muldoon won the Best Student Paper award for the Management History Division of the Academy of Management. He presented his paper, titled “The Hawthorne Legacy: A Reassessment of the Impact of the Hawthorne Studies, 1930-1958,” at the AOM Conference held in Chicago last August.

STUDENT/ALUMNI NEWS
Jamie Allen BS F95 (HR with a minor in Psychology) has recently been promoted to Site Human Resources Manager for the Shell/Motiva Norco Manufacturing facility in Norco, La.

Laura Bowie BS S09 is taking pre-nursing courses at Southeastern and plans to apply to nursing school.

Rachel Lahasky BS S08 is living in Houston and working in Human Resources in the oil and gas industry.

Message from a former student in a note to Dr. Wolfe…
I just wanted to write you a short e-mail to let you know how big of a mistake it was for me to sell my books back. I was in your Organizational Behavior (Spring 2008) and Human Resource Management (Fall 2008) classes and you continuously stressed how important the books would be in our future. Well at the time I thought it would be a great idea to earn the easy buck, now I am kicking myself in the foot wishing I had the books to refer to at times of need. I have only worked at my new job for three months and already I have needed the books for just about every aspect of my job. I was hired on to work in sales but immediately moved over to also supervising the drivers. There have been countless moments where I wish I could grab the books off of my shelf, but in reality they are sitting in Co-Op collecting dust. I guess what I am getting at is I don’t want other students to make the same mistakes that I did.

GOT NEWS?? – In an attempt to make our department newsletter an even more useful publication, and to cultivate a better network among faculty, students, and alums,  we have a request. Send us your news! This can include current jobs, new jobs, promotions, awards/recognitions, engagements, marriages, new babies, etc. If you want to share, we would like to put it in the Student/Alumni News section.  Please include the year and semester you graduated if you are an alum. Send news to lwolfe@lsu.edu.

Laura Wolfe, PhD
Undergraduate Academic Adviser