Departments Program Updates SOM Adds Director of E-Business Initiatives Dr. Michael J. Savoie has joined the faculty of The School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas as the director of e-business initiatives. In announcing the appointment, SOM Dean Hasan Pirkul explains that Dr. Savoie will oversee the School's degree and non-degree e-business programs and research initiatives. "He also will extend our activities in this area and establish partnerships with DFW Metroplex companies interested in expanding their e-business activities," Dean Pirkul says. Dr. Savoie brings to SOM fourteen years of university teaching experience at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He is the author of more than fifty articles, chapters, and books on information technology, electronic commerce and quality, and operations management. His most recent book is Introduction to Quality Management and Engineering. Dr. Savoie's current research focuses on the role of information technology in organizational transformation. Prior to joining The UTD School of Management, Dr. Savoie served as director of information technology and e-commerce programs in the Graduate School of Management at the University of Dallas. He also served as director of the Center for Applied Information Technology, a nonprofit education and research think tank in the DFW Metroplex. In addition, Dr. Savoie is a senior consultant and facilitator with more than sixteen years of experience in helping companies manage their corporate infrastructure and develop the skills necessary to survive in a rapidly changing environment. Project Management Programs Go Online The School of Management's innovative Project Management Program - named in September by PM Network Magazine as one of the "Best Bets for Business Schools" worldwide for project managers - is being made available through online Internet classes this academic year. The program's non-credit professional development short courses became available to online students in September, and the Internet version of the School's Project Management degree programs will go online in March. Jim Joiner, SOM's Project Management Program director, explains the decision to offer the courses is based on numerous requests from prospective students. "We get a lot of inquiries and requests from people all around the country and overseas as well. There are only a few universities offering online programs in project management, and there is a growing demand." Other U.S. schools offering project management programs online include George Washington University and Western Carolina University. Mr. Joiner notes that the UTD Project Management Program's curriculum - which relies heavily on class-project teamwork - will not change, but will be adapted for Internet delivery, with students working in virtual teams and cohort groups. Students in the online version of the program's degree classes will also be required to attend three-day, on-campus retreats at the beginning and approximately two other times during the course of the program of studies. Mr. Joiner estimates it will take students thirty-two to thirty-four months to complete their MBA through the online program. The UTD Project Management degree program's on-campus curriculum stresses managing projects of various types in a manner that integrates interpersonal, organizational, and technical aspects. Students can opt to spend ten months in the program during which they receive preparation for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam, the certifying exam of the Project Management Institute. Students can opt to continue in the program for another eleven months to earn a Master of Science degree. They can then continue for yet another seven months during which they earn an MBA degree with a concentration in project management. The program's non-credit professional development short courses teach individual topics in project management and are also available on campus on a rotating schedule throughout the academic year. More information on both SOM's on-campus and online Project Management Programs can be obtained by contacting Mr. Joiner at 972-883-2652 or jamesj@utdallas.edu or by visiting the program's website at http://som.utdallas.edu/project. Graduate Advisor Gary Horton Retires Longtime School of Management graduate advisor Dr. Gary Horton was honored at a retirement reception in August. Dr. Horton retired from the University after working in the School's advising office since 1992. He holds a Doctor of Music degree and was on the music faculties of Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Louisville before coming to UTD. He returned to school in 1990 to acquire management knowledge to help his four children - who were all graduating from either law or medical school - use sound management principles as they established their practices. While working in the School's advising office, he completed a Master of Arts degree in International Management in 1992 and an MBA in 1993. Dr. Horton has now moved to Tyler, where he plans to teach part time at The University of Texas at Tyler and assist his daughter in the establishment of her medical practice. Faculty Recognized for Teaching Excellence Dr. Suresh Radhakrishnan, associate professor of Financial Accounting, and Dr. Ashutosh Prasad, assistant professor of Marketing, have been awarded this year's School of Management Advisory Council Excellence in Teaching Awards. The SOM teaching committee reviews student nominations and selects faculty members for their outstanding teaching abilities. Dr. Radhakrishnan was recognized for teaching excellence in graduate-level classes, and Dr. Prasad was recognized for his work with undergraduate classes. The same committee also awarded Dr. Deepak Sethi the outstanding teaching assistant award. Dr. Sethi completed his PhD at UTD in August and has joined the SOM faculty as a visiting assistant professor of Organization, Strategy, and International Management. All three faculty members received a plaque recognizing their achievement and a grant of one thousand dollars. Government Officials in Nanjing, China, Host Professor Konstans In May, School of Management (SOM) accounting professor Dr. Constantine Konstans traveled to Nanjing, China, where he was invited to lecture for five days to officials of the municipal government of Nanjing. During the lecture series, Professor Konstans addressed twenty-four representatives from the city's government on topics ranging from business management and accounting to information technology. Professor Konstans' Nanjing lecture series was arranged through the offices of SOM's Strategic Partner Haynes and Boone, LLP, and was sponsored by Triway Enterprises, Inc., an overseas training consulting firm located in Washington, D.C. Professor Konstans also was invited to speak in March at CFO Magazine's fifth annual Best Practice Conference at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dallas. He addressed the conference on new trends that create value for shareholders by using technology to more efficiently leverage assets. Other speakers at the event included Jesse Greene, senior vice president of strategic planning of Compaq Computer, Renee Hornbaker, CFO of Flowserve, David M. Miller, senior vice president and CFO of Dr Pepper/ Seven Up, Inc., Gary C. Kelly, executive vice president and CFO of Southwest Airlines Company, Lloyd Hansen, vice president and controller of Ford Motor Company, and Lynn Atchison, senior vice president, finance, and CFO of Hoover's, Inc. Professional Development Workshops Offer Continuing Education Opportunities The School of Management's Executive and Professional Development Program is offering three workshops this fall that address various management aspects of high-tech marketing, financial analysis, and accounting. James R. Helbig, president of both IP Resources, Inc. and Marketing and Management Resources, Inc., was the instructor for "Marketing Strategy for High-Tech Entrepreneurs and Managers" October 16 and 17. Professor Rajiv Banker, director of Accounting and Information Management programs at UTD, is the lead instructor for "Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers," November 27 and 28. Two additional UTD Accounting and Information Management faculty members, Dr. Laurel Franzen, and Dr. Ram Natarajan, will join Dr. Banker in presenting the workshop. On December 4 and 5, UTD Accounting and Information Management professors Dr. Mark Anderson and Dr. Suresh Radhakrishnan are presenting "Financial Analysis and Value Creation." All three workshops are being held at the UTD Conference Center. R. Jay Phillips, director of UTD Executive and Professional Development Programs, notes it is his area's role to present the kind of continuing education opportunities that the workshops afford. "It is our goal to offer learning opportunities for our graduates and others so they can continually update their skills and stay abreast of the latest developments in their fields," Mr. Phillips explains. "In addition, one of the key ways UTD can make a positive contribution to the surrounding corporate community is to offer efficient, cost-effective educational support. Such support contributes to the success of both individuals and companies and also can have a direct positive effect on our economy." UTD Executive and Professional Development Programs offer non-credit programs in a variety of formats, including workshops, seminars, conferences, short courses, and one-on-one training, either on site or on campus. For more information, contact Mr. Phillips at 972-883-4697 or jayphil@utdallas.edu or visit http://som.utdallas.edu/profdev. National Science Foundation Grant to SOM Faculty Member The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a grant to School of Management Professor Chelliah Sriskandarajah to support research designed to help electronics and hardware manufacturing companies streamline their production schedules. Professor Sriskandarajah is working on the project in collaboration with Professor Rasaratnam Logendran of Oregon State University, who is a co-recipient of the grant. The NSF grant supports the professors' work to develop methodological frameworks - comprised of mathematical models and algorithms - for rapidly generating schedules that have a guaranteed quantifiable performance. The professors will receive the funding of two hundred fifty thousand dollars over a two-year period that ends June 30, 2003. Papers by Two SOM Faculty Members Draw Top Honors Two School of Management (SOM) professors received "Best Paper" awards at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management this summer in Washington, D.C. Professor Steven Phelan won the Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice Award for best conceptual paper in entrepreneurship. The award for his paper, titled "Entrepreneurship as Expectations Management," included a five hundred dollar- cash prize and a recognition plaque. Professor Zhiang (John) Lin's paper, "Organizational Design and Adaptation in Response to Crises: Theory and Practice," which he co-authored with Professor Kathleen Carley of Carnegie Mellon University, was also included in the best paper proceedings of the academy's Organization and Management Theory Division, 2001. Both Dr. Lin and Dr. Phelan are assistant professors in the School's Organization, Strategy and International Management area. The Academy of Management is a professional society, head- quartered in New York City, whose stated purpose is to foster research, teaching, learning, and practice in the management field. Dr. Anne Ferrante Named Director of SOM's Distance Learning Executive MBA Program UTD School of Management Dean Hasan Pirkul has named Dr. Anne Ferrante director of the School's Global Leadership Executive MBA (GLEMBA) Program. Dr. Ferrante, formerly associate director of the program, assumes the lead GLEMBA position following the untimely death in July of program founder Dr. Stephen E. Guisinger. In announcing Dr. Ferrante's appointment, Dean Pirkul said he considered the School to be fortunate to have such a capable successor to Professor Guisinger, one of the pioneers of Internet-based distance learning and founder not only of GLEMBA but also of SOM's online Masters in International Management Studies (MIMS) Program. "Anne has been doing a wonderful job as GLEMBA's associate director for nearly three years. She worked closely with Steve to take executive distance learning at UTD to the next level. Her willingness to step into the program's lead position provides the continuity essential to the program's continued excellence. We appreciate that." Dr. Ferrante earned her doctorate in Human and Organization Development from The Fielding Institute. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science in Human Resources degree, both from Rutgers University. Dr. Ferrante has a fifteen-year corporate background in organization development and human resources with AT&T and Lucent Technologies. She has lived and worked internationally in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She joined the UTD School of Management faculty in 1999. Indo-American Chamber of Commerce Honors Dr. Sethi The Greater Dallas Indo-American Chamber of Commerce recently honored Dr. Suresh Sethi, the UTD School of Management's Ashbel Smith Professor of Operations Management, for his outstanding contributions to education. The group recognized nine individuals and three companies for outstanding achievements and contributions during its annual awards banquet June 15 at the Doubletree Lincoln Centre Hotel. Other award recipients included Dr. Krish Prabhu, until recently chief operating officer for Alcatel Worldwide and chairman of the UTD Development Board. The group, which works to better business relations between India and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, awarded Dr. Prabhu the Outstanding Corporate Leadership award. They also recognized Bank One, Guaranty Bank, and Southwestern Bell for those companies' outstanding corporate contributions. Dr. Sethi has also recently been named a senior editor of Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (MSOM), a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Dr. Sethi becomes the second School of Management faculty member to be invited to serve as a senior editor for the journal of the twelve thousand-member society, which represents professionals in the fields of operations research and management science. Dr. Rajiv Banker, the School's Ashbel Smith Professor of Accounting and Information Systems, is also an MSOM senior editor. Next Professional Development Forum Set for December "Promoting Change in Corporate Learning" was the topic of a presentation by Dr. Joe Carlisle, director of employee development at Fujitsu Network Communications, at The School of Management's September Professional Development Forum. At the June forum, Gordon Markley, recruiting director for Southwest region human resources at Electronic Data Systems (EDS), spoke on "Human Resources in the Boomerang Economy." The School presents the Professional Development Forum on the first Thursday of each March, June, September, and December at the UTD Conference Center. The forum series promotes training and development as an integral, bottom- line function in organizations and presents current trends and issues in employee training and professional development. The next forum is planned for December 6, 2001. For more information, contact Ken Gilliam, 972-883- 2204. Two New Academic Centers Open, Symposium Scheduled The School of Management (SOM) has formed two new academic centers, one to focus on practice and research in software management and the other to advance knowledge in the area of Accounting and Information Management. The goal of The UTD Center for Practice and Research in Software Management is to become a leading center for interdisciplinary research in software management and economics. The software management center will focus on software's development, maintenance, operation, and evolution. It will also evaluate the role of software in creating competitive advantage and the impact of innovative software management practices. Dr. Rajiv Banker, UTD's Ashbel Smith Professor of Accounting and Information Management, and Dr. Indranil Bardhan, an SOM assistant professor of Accounting and Information Management, are executive directors of the software management center. The School of Management's Accounting and Information Management (AIM) Center for Excellence will sponsor research and curriculum development projects that contribute to the understanding of how information is generated, aggregated, reported, and interpreted in managing operations. In addition, the AIM Center for Excellence will sponsor symposiums and short programs featuring interactions between academic researchers and business leaders on leading business practices and issues. One of its symposiums, "Contemporary Challenges in Business Valuations," is being held November 16 and 17 on the UTD campus. Dr. Banker is joined by SOM Accounting and Information Management professors Constantine Konstans and Suresh Radhakrishnan as co-executive directors of the AIM Center for Excellence. For more information on either the two new centers or the symposium, call 972-883-2564. Study by Professor Enthoven Prescribes Cures for Russian Economy By Patricia Schoch A study by School of Management Professor Adolf J.H. Enthoven and a group of five Russian scholars calls for Russia's public and private sectors to subscribe more closely to internationally accepted business practices as one means of curing the former Communist country's current economic, financial, and social ills. The 160-page joint research publication, Accounting, Auditing and Taxation in the Russian Federation [An Update], released in September, argues that were it to implement international accounting methods, the Russian government would encourage the foreign investment and domestic capital markets so necessary to further develop the country's emerging free-market economy. The monograph, an update of a 1998 study, is being produced at the UTD Press under the direction of Professor Enthoven, head of the UTD Center for International Accounting Development. The 1998 publication evaluated business conditions and developments in Russia during the first eight years after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Citing an eight percent growth rate in Russia's gross domestic product between 1997 and 2000, the new study credits three years of economic and financial reforms by President Vladimir Putin - including devaluation of the ruble, the debt default, a tightened fiscal policy, and a Central Bank of Russia policy of adopting international accounting standards by 2004 - with producing hopeful signs for the Russian economy. The study says that increased compliance with the country's new lower corporate and personal income taxes has improved the investment climate within Russia, but the study notes that foreign confidence in investing in Russia is still low. Dr. Enthoven co-authored Accounting, Auditing and Taxation in the Russian Federation [An Update] with professors Yaroslav V. Sokolov, Valery V. Kovalev, Svetlana M. Bychkova, and Irina M. Smirnova of St. Petersburg State University and Professor Maria V. Semenova of St. Petersburg Institute of Commerce and Economics. With the exception of Professor Smirnova, the same group of Russian scholars also co-authored the 1998 study with Dr. Enthoven. Dr. Enthoven has worked as a U.S. State Department-sponsored consultant with the Russian government since 1990. Working together with the U. S. Treasury, the Soros Foundation's East-West Management Institute, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Russian Ministry of Taxation, he developed and administered the computer-based "training the trainers" program.