Costello College of Business News / en MS in Accounting student leader receives PCAOB Scholarship /news/2025-07/ms-accounting-student-leader-receives-pcaob-scholarship <span>MS in Accounting student leader receives PCAOB Scholarship</span> <span><span>Katelynn C Hipolito</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-29T12:22:56-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 12:22">Tue, 07/29/2025 - 12:22</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ekinory" hreflang="en">Ethan Kinory</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">“He advocated for exploring the possibilities of a career in accounting to the entire class,” says Khaled </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed intro-text" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">. “I took him up on that, and I have been very happy ever since.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0 intro-text">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-07/cree_article_images.png?itok=QJqwQlep" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Khaled Alkurd</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">After taking the Survey of Accounting 203 course with alumnus Muhammad Awais, BS Accounting ‘13, MS Accounting ‘14, an adjunct instructor at the </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW173551760 BCX0" href="https://business.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Costello College of Business</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">, Khaled </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> knew everything he needed to know to switch his area of study from marketing to accounting.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“He advocated for exploring the possibilities of a career in accounting to the entire class,” says </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">. “I took him up on that, and I have been very happy ever since.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> continues to excel in his accounting studies, planning to graduate with his undergraduate degree in the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun CommentStart" lang="EN-US">fall of 2025 and with his MS in Accounting </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">in the spring of 2026, through the Bachelor's Accelerated Master's (</span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW173551760 BCX0" href="https://business.gmu.edu/programs/bachelors-accelerated-masters-programs" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">BAM) Program</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Further boosting his resume and job prospects, he was named a PCAOB scholar following his spring 2025 semester. “It is something that means a lot to me and helps with my confidence and assurance to know that, indeed, auditing is a field that is a good fit for me,” he says.</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The Accounting 461 course and the way it was taught by </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW173551760 BCX0" href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/ekinory" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Ethan Kinory</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">, an instructional assistant professor in accounting at Costello, was the most significant factor in changing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> interest from the tax side of accounting to auditing. With </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Kinory’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> guidance, he found that he had a knack for inspecting details for accuracy. “I believe he is a remarkable professor,” says </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">. “He cares deeply about his students.” Though Accounting 461 has had, perhaps, the biggest impact so far, each class has contributed more to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> understanding, growth, and ambitions. “My experience has been excellent,” he says. “The entire faculty is extremely supportive. They have all been amazing in their own ways and rights.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Ethan </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Kinory</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> was also the one who recommended to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> that he run for president of George Mason’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international organization for accounting, finance, and information systems majors that he had already been heavily involved in. It is through Beta Alpha Psi that he got connected with Baker Tilly for an internship, and it helped him secure the PCAOB scholarship as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">In addition to serving as president of Beta Alpha Psi in the fall, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> will be the student ambassador for the MS in Accounting program, a role he’s very much looking forward to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun CommentStart" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">&nbsp; "I'm excited to share my passion for accounting and the incredible opportunities available within the MS program with prospective students," he says. Costello’s student ambassadors are exceptional students who embody the values of leadership, community engagement, and professional excellence. Having gotten so much out of his Costello experience already, he is excited to lead in these extracurriculars and help others.</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW173551760 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Khaled </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> is making the most of his opportunities at the Costello College of Business by being highly engaged. “If you put your best foot forward, if you attend and apply yourself, you will succeed,” he says. “There are resources available. You just </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed" lang="EN-US">have to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> show the engagement and you’ll be rewarded tremendously.” </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun CommentStart" lang="EN-US">In the future, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Alkurd</span><span class="TextRun SCXW173551760 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> plans to stay in the region and work at a large corporate firm, possibly one of the Big Four firms. He aims to leverage his strong academic foundation, leadership experience, and newfound PCAOB scholar status to contribute to complex financial audits and make a significant impact in the accounting profession.</span><span class="EOP SCXW173551760 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21016" hreflang="en">Accounting - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13701" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21156" hreflang="en">Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s program</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:22:56 +0000 Katelynn C Hipolito 221426 at Are there upsides to “overboarding”? /news/2025-07/are-there-upsides-overboarding <span>Are there upsides to “overboarding”?</span> <span><span>Nilesh Patel</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-14T13:13:26-04:00" title="Monday, July 14, 2025 - 13:13">Mon, 07/14/2025 - 13:13</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/sdemirka" hreflang="en">Sebahattin Demirkan</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">How many board seats is too many for one director? That’s the question on many investors’ minds, as they confront the possibility of “overboarding”—directors being spread too thin to do their work effectively. BlackRock, for example, </span><a href="https://www.investmentweek.co.uk/news/4055837/blackrock-pushes-tech-overboarding-voting-directors"><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">voted to oust</span></a><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG"> one of Twitter’s board members in 2022 because he sat on the boards of six other companies.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">However, new research from </span><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/sdemirka"><span lang="EN-SG">Sebahattin Demirkan</span></a><span lang="EN-SG">, associate professor of accounting in the Costello College of Business at , suggests there may be upsides to board directors holding multiple seats at the same time. His paper in </span><a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ara-10-2024-0332/full/html?"><em><span lang="EN-SG">Asian Review of Accounting</span></em></a><em><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;</span></em><span lang="EN-SG">finds that deeply networked boards are more flexible and creative when it comes to a key competitive area: open-ended strategic alliances.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">The paper’s co-authors are Robert Felix of The Catholic University of America and Nan Zhou of University of Cincinnati.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">The researchers used a metric called “board centrality” to quantify the total social capital held by a company’s board of directors.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">“Centralized directors are leaders who have been in the industry a long time,” says Demirkan. “They sit on multiple boards. And they are deeply connected within an industry, such as if Nvidia and Intel have a relationship and that person is working as a board member for both.”</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">The researchers used the SDC strategic alliances database to capture new alliances formed during the period 1998-2011. Their data-set comprised 18,412 firm-year observations.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">First, they divided the alliances into joint ventures and incomplete contracts. Joint ventures, which involve setting up an entirely separate business entity, entail much less complexity and uncertainty than do contractual alliances, which by definition cannot account for all the surprising challenges that may lie ahead. The paper finds that centralized boards were more likely to embark upon both types of strategic alliances, but the effect was strongest for contractual alliances.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">Demirkan stresses that the two types aren’t mutually exclusive; a contractual alliance can be a precursor to a successful joint venture. “I always use marriage as a comparison…Some cultures do arranged marriage because families know each other very well, because they were neighbours and so on and so forth. It’s trial and error but you don’t want to make too many errors because these arrangements may hurt your parent company business. That’s where board capital comes in. Centralized board members know which strategic alliances will work for this particular company.”</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">Further, centralized boards took on more strategic alliances when their CEOs were relatively new, underscoring boards’ customary advisory role. Similarly, diversified firms, which normally require more guidance from the board, saw a stronger relationship between board capital and propensity for strategic alliances. The same was true of firms with more intangible assets—in other words, innovative companies engaging in heavy R&amp;D.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">The researchers also looked into whether the enhanced alliance activity paid off for these firms. Their analysis confirmed that the special ability of centralized boards to form successful strategic alliances was associated with higher market performance, steadier returns and lower audit fees.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">This strikes an interesting contrast with some of Demirkan’s earlier publications on similar topics. For example, a 2014 paper in </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296313004438"><em><span lang="EN-SG">Journal of Business Research</span></em></a><span lang="EN-SG"> found that firms with contractual alliances suffered from lower earnings quality, making them a riskier bet for investors. A 2016 paper in </span><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1911-3846.12213"><em><span lang="EN-SG">Contemporary Accounting Research</span></em></a><span lang="EN-SG"> linked contractual alliances to higher audit fees.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">“The market doesn’t like companies with contractual alliances,” Demirkan says. “It discounts their stock prices, because the information environment is not good; it’s quite complex and the boundaries are not well defined.”</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-SG">However, the new paper indicates that centralized boards act as a reassuring signal to capital markets that offsets some of the inherent risk of contractual alliances. “Boards with high social capital may manage this better, because they are much more knowledgeable,” Demirkan says. “They know which contractual alliances are good, and the market also trusts them to pick these alliances wisely.”</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13796" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21016" hreflang="en">Accounting - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20941" hreflang="en">Costello Research Corporate Governance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20976" hreflang="en">Costello Research Competitive Strategy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21061" hreflang="en">Strategy - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21001" hreflang="en">Costello Research Internal Audit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21036" hreflang="en">Costello Research Market Efficiency</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 14 Jul 2025 17:13:26 +0000 Nilesh Patel 118211 at Costello MBA students are turning their ideas into successful companies /news/2025-07/costello-mba-students-are-turning-their-ideas-successful-companies <span>Costello MBA students are turning their ideas into successful companies </span> <span><span>Greg Johnson</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-07T09:55:26-04:00" title="Monday, July 7, 2025 - 09:55">Mon, 07/07/2025 - 09:55</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/skip-west" hreflang="en">Skip West</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">“I wanted to start my own business,” says Patcharaporn Adchariyavivit, a Costello MBA student, “It seemed like this course was going to help me start it. But I didn’t expect it be this good, you know?”&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-07/skip_west_hi_res_sq_0.jpg?itok=zxVVZxUQ" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Skip West</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/skip-west" title="Skip West | Costello College of Business"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Skip West</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">, founder of MAXSA Innovations and adjunct faculty at the </span><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/" title="Costello College of Business | "><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Costello College of Business</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> at , offers the course Turning Ideas into Successful Companies</span><em><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> </span></em><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">once a year to MBA students. The concept for the course came from West’s own entrepreneurial experiences of turning his ideas into companies. He has co-taught the MBA version of the course with Suresh Shenoy, an engineer, senior business executive, and philanthropist.</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">When he was in graduate school at Stanford, West took a course that was attended by both engineering and business students, working together to turn their ideas into companies. Several years later, he reconnected with his partner from the class to build upon their ideas from school. Together, they founded DesignTech International, where they pioneered remote car starting and keyless entry, among other automotive safety accessories and wireless home automation products. The successful launch of the business took many years, but it really began in the collaborative environment of a classroom.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Now, Skip West has designed the curriculum for his course at the Costello College of Business so that students can realize their own success. “It’s all about the students coming up with their passion,” he says. “It’s not what I care about. It’s what they care about and developing a business that they’re interested in.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-07/rameldupree_resized.png?itok=Qz-g0RW8" width="350" height="245" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Ramel DuPree. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Ramel DuPree entered the course with his idea for a men’s special skincare brand that is primarily targeted to Black men. “Once I was presented with the possibility to actually take a graduate level course, to actually learn more and go into details with it, and also have some guidance, I just jumped at the opportunity.”&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Adchariyavivit also entered the course with a concept already in mind. Inspired by observing all the processes in her family’s restaurant business—combined with her previous professional experience as a project manager in an IT startup—she had been working on an AI-powered restaurant consultant application.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“In today’s digital world, where AI makes market research, competitive analysis, and business plan writing almost mundane, the real skill is learning how to learn,” says Shenoy. “That means teaching students to validate, verify, and seek relevant information to bring their ideas to life.” Throughout the course, the students examined every facet, from manufacturing to marketing and everything in between. “In the end, they develop a business plan, and it’s a lot of pitching to the class, feedback from your classmates, feedback from us,” says West. “It’s a discovery class.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-07/patcharaporn_adchariyavivit.jpg?itok=FHB_mnk_" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Patcharaporn Adchariyavivit. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The class has made a significant difference in the business ideas from both Adchariyavivit and DuPree. “With Skip, the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">guy’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> more practical, and he is a real investor and a real entrepreneur,” says Adchariyavivit. DuPree appreciated how the feedback loop kept him on his toes and focused on eliminating any blind spots. “Once I was able to get that feedback,” he says, “I had to come back. I had to readjust. I had to restructure. It was super beneficial to allowing me to do an outside-looking-in perspective for myself.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW8111013 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW8111013 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The course was tailor made for students to turn their passionate ideas into successful companies, but it’s beneficial to all business students. “Even if you’re developing your business conceptually, it forces you to look at everything holistically,” says West. “You get to see all the aspects of a business.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW8111013 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13701" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6691" hreflang="en">entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7911" hreflang="en">MBA Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/166" hreflang="en">innovative classes</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 07 Jul 2025 13:55:26 +0000 Greg Johnson 150731 at “Doing well by doing good”? There’s a framework for that /news/2025-07/doing-well-doing-good-theres-framework <span>“Doing well by doing good”? There’s a framework for that </span> <span><span>Jennifer Anzaldi</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-02T11:38:03-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 11:38">Wed, 07/02/2025 - 11:38</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/rabratt" hreflang="en">Russell Abratt</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">Today’s customers don’t just buy products—they buy into what a company stands for. It is no longer just low prices or flashy marketing that target the latest trends. Stakeholders are asking harder questions: Does this company treat its workers fairly? Are they harming the environment?</span></p> <p>In a recent study published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41262-025-00392-1" target="_blank" title="Read the article"><em>Journal of Brand Management</em></a>, <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/rabratt" title="Russell Abratt">Russell Abratt</a>, a marketing professor at the Costello College of Business at , tackles a key strategic challenge: How companies can move beyond shallow social and environmental messaging to meaningfully shift consumer perceptions. Joining Abratt on this research team are co-authors Emmanuel Silva Quaye of University of Witwatersrand and Nicola Kleyn of University of Pretoria.</p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-07/rusell_abratt_350x350.jpg?itok=e3f-DArT" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Russell Abratt</figcaption> </figure> <p>When a brand is described as being true to themselves, holding values of fairness, a concern for society, and an obligation to goodness, it becomes what they call a <em>conscientious corporate</em> <em>brand</em>. These are brands who are trusted to do the right thing consistently and authentically.</p> <p>But trust alone is not enough. Companies want to know: Does being conscientious also deliver better business outcomes?</p> <p>Building on their <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jbim-10-2021-0468/full/html" target="_blank" title="Learn more">2023 work</a>, which introduced a framework for developing conscientious corporate brands, the research team now offers empirical evidence that this framework not only enhances brand trust but also leads to the response companies are hoping for—responsible branding can drive tangible value.</p> <p>“Firms in order to succeed these days really need to go beyond profits,” says Abratt. “You’ve got to be ethical in whatever you do. You’ve got to be socially aware. And you’ve also got to be very, very conscientious about what you are doing.”</p> <p>To further investigate Abratt’s 2023 framework and understand what changes stakeholder perceptions, the researchers conducted two experiments with South African participants. Each participant was shown a scenario involving a fictional construction company: the control group highlighted traditional business goals such as efficiency and profitability, and the experimental group emphasized ethical leadership, social impact, and environmental sustainability. The results were striking.</p> <p>“We saw very clearly the differences between the control group and the experimental group,” Abratt explains. Participants viewed the purpose-driven, socially engaged version of the company as significantly more conscientious, responsible, and authentic than the version focused purely on business efficiency.</p> <p>Their research identified four elements in a chronological sequence that contribute to conscientious corporate branding: organizational purpose, brand authenticity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and ethical organizational culture. These are not separate strategies; they reinforce each other.</p> <p>The first element of this sequence is organizational purpose. A company must begin by defining why it exists beyond just profits. Next is authenticity. “Authenticity leads to trust,” says Abratt. “The more authentic that an organization is perceived to be, the more positive perceptions the stakeholders have.” The paper finds that authenticity acts as a bridge that connects an organization’s purpose to stakeholders’ perceptions of conscientious corporate branding.</p> <p>Next is the third element: corporate social responsibility. This must be integrated, not performative. “Developing a corporate social responsibility strategy should be part of the organization’s overall strategy,” says Abratt. “It should not be seen as greenwashing, as added on and fake.”</p> <p>Lastly, an ethical organizational culture is created by top leadership through example and prioritizing ethical values across the organization.</p> <p>According to Abratt, “In order for a firm to say this is our purpose beyond profits, they’ve got to have a top leadership that says these are our values. This is what we stand for. Then that needs to be typicalized throughout the organization.”</p> <p>So what does this mean for business leaders? It means that building a conscientious brand is no longer just a marketing strategy—it’s a business imperative. But the real challenge lies in making sure those sustainable actions resonate with consumers to ultimately result in success. Can companies do well by doing good?</p> <p>Looking ahead, Abratt and his colleagues hope to expand their research to other industries and other countries or regions to test whether their results are generalizable to other contexts.</p> <p>“Brands that have a purpose beyond profit are the ones that are going to be seen by stakeholders in a more positive light. And if they are seen in a more positive light, those stakeholders, especially customers, are likely to support that particular organization,” Abratt concludes.<br>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21031" hreflang="en">Marketing - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21021" hreflang="en">ESG - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21101" hreflang="en">Costello Research Brand Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21121" hreflang="en">Costello Research Market Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20901" hreflang="en">Costello Research Managing Change</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20976" hreflang="en">Costello Research Competitive Strategy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21046" hreflang="en">Costello Research Retail</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13796" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13151" hreflang="en">Marketing Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:38:03 +0000 Jennifer Anzaldi 117981 at Brett Josephson’s GovCon research honored with coveted award /news/2025-06/brett-josephsons-govcon-research-honored-coveted-award <span>Brett Josephson’s GovCon research honored with coveted award</span> <span><span>Nilesh Patel</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-06-16T14:40:36-04:00" title="Monday, June 16, 2025 - 14:40">Mon, 06/16/2025 - 14:40</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/bjosephs" hreflang="en">Brett Josephson</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">The </span><a href="https://www.ama.org/"><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">American Marketing Association</span></a><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG"> (AMA) has awarded the prestigious Louis W. Stern Award for 2025 to a paper co-authored by </span><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/bjosephs"><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">Brett Josephson</span></a><span class="intro-text" lang="EN-SG">, associate dean for Executive Education at and associate professor of marketing at the Costello College of Business.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The award’s namesake, Louis W. Stern, is the John D. Gray Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, best known for his influential work on marketing channels.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">Josephson describes Stern as “one of the founding godfathers of marketing, especially on the interorganizational side, involving B-to-B channels and distribution.” Appropriately, the Louis W. Stern Award is given annually by the AMA’s Interorganizational Special Interest Group, in recognition of “a published article that has made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of interorganizational marketing and channels of distribution.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The winning paper, “</span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022242918814254"><span lang="EN-SG">Uncle Sam Rising: Performance Implications of Business-to-Government Relationships</span></a><span lang="EN-SG">,” was published in </span><em><span lang="EN-SG">Journal of Marketing</span></em><span lang="EN-SG"> in 2019. Josephson’s co-authors were Ju-yeon Lee of Iowa State University, and Babu John Mariadoss and Jean L. Johnson of Washington State University-Pullman.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The paper proceeded from Josephson’s observation that “the notion of the government as a customer — not just any customer, but the largest, most impactful customer in the world — had been left out of the business scholarship consensus.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">To fill the knowledge gap, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sector experts, who highlighted the additional transaction costs inherent in the B2G (business to government) space. “The interviewees were saying that government contracting had all these idiosyncratic costs, and it was really hard to diversify away from government contracting,” Josephson says. “If you wanted to be in this space, you had to be all in.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">By the same token, companies were rewarded for upping their commitment to government clients. Comparing firm value metrics to actual government contracts, the researchers found that the more a company’s portfolio was weighted toward B2G, the more market benefits it enjoyed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">However, there can be risks associated with deepening involvement in government contracting. Because federal agency budgets are linked to political priorities, they can change quickly and unpredictably. Josephson and his co-authors discovered that companies could hedge against that risk by catering to a greater number of government clients. Those with a more concentrated B2G portfolio faced higher risks when taking on more government contracting, but saw higher gains in firm value on the whole.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The dynamics of the B2G sector lend themselves to increasing specialization, Josephson says. “Just because you have knowledge of a customer, there’s no guarantee you know how to translate that to someone else, and if anything, it can become a detriment because you don’t know how to speak that customer’s language.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">With the government contracting ecosystem adjusting to rapidly shifting political winds, Josephson’s findings may be even more relevant today than they were in 2019. The risks Josephson describes in his paper are hitting close to home for contractors with deep ties to civilian agencies, while military contractors may be basking in a proposed </span><a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/trump-administration-to-request-1t-defense-budget-using-reconciliation-funds/"><span lang="EN-SG">trillion-dollar budget</span></a><span lang="EN-SG"> for the Department of Defense.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">Nevertheless, Josephson does not expect to see serious attrition in the B2G ecosystem anytime soon. “Even with cuts and uncertainty and ambiguity, the federal government is still the largest customer in the world, hands down.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The Louis W. Stern Award stands as gratifying proof of the paper’s ongoing impact and influence. “Past winners include not only some of my academic advisors, but also many other people who have made major contributions to marketing scholarship,” Josephson says. “So it’s pretty awesome, even just to be on that list.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG">The award will be granted at the AMA’s annual summer conference in Chicago.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21031" hreflang="en">Marketing - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21061" hreflang="en">Strategy - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20976" hreflang="en">Costello Research Competitive Strategy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20901" hreflang="en">Costello Research Managing Change</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/206" hreflang="en">Faculty and Staff News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14346" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Dean's Teaching and Faculty Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13151" hreflang="en">Marketing Faculty Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:40:36 +0000 Nilesh Patel 117821 at In the workplace, relationships equal reality /news/2025-05/workplace-relationships-equal-reality <span>In the workplace, relationships equal reality</span> <span><span>Nilesh Patel</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-28T11:18:36-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 11:18">Wed, 05/28/2025 - 11:18</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/krockman" hreflang="en">Kevin Rockmann</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="intro-text">Most managers measure success in outputs: bottom lines, quarterly gains, performance metrics, and incentives. But the forces that shape those outcomes are often invisible — rooted in relationships, communication, and how people support one another. Many management models overlook these dynamics, treating them as background noise rather than essential systems.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/krockman"><span>Kevin Rockmann</span></a><span>, professor of management at and CGI corporate partner faculty fellow, argues that managers often lack a nuanced understanding of how employees actually work with and through one another, not just one-on-one with their supervisors.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>“We're really trying to get both researchers and practitioners to think about relationships in a different way,” Rockmann says. “And really, the movement we're working on here is to think more broadly about what relationships do in organizations.’’&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>For example, Rockmann’s paper in&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-110622-061354"><span>Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior</span></a><em><span>—</span></em><span>co-authored by Caroline A. Bartel of the University of Texas—draws on established research concepts of Pipes and Prisms to help managers better understand the often-overlooked importance of interpersonal relationships at work.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The Pipes metaphor captures the channels through which the work gets done. They are conduits through which these central processes, like communication and coordination, keep the organization running smoothly.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>“We can’t really understand organizational effectiveness unless we understand how relationships serve as pipes,” Rockmann says. “To extend the metaphor, managers need to ask if their pipes are clogged? Or whether the pipes are even there?”&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>This might occur, for example, when a new hire joins an organization and their relationship with an incumbent employee helps them navigate team dynamics, answers all their questions efficiently, and ultimately enables work to get done in a timely manner.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Rockmann’s research shows that leaders should move beyond focusing solely on their own one-on-one relationships with their subordinates and view how relationships function across teams or units of employees.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Rockmann says, “My relationship as a manager with my employees matters, but it also involves looking at the Pipes—how are people connected with one another? Is each person getting the support and the help that they need? How well are we communicating and working together as a unit? So, it’s not just about my relationships, but about the relationships of the people I’m managing.”&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The Prisms metaphor builds on the idea that relationships don’t just get things done more efficiently and produce results—they also impact how subordinates interpret and respond to events and information. For example, when a manager communicates openly with their subordinates about challenges like limited resources or budget cuts, subordinates are more likely to respond with empathy, seeing the situation as a shared problem rather than a failure by their manager.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>“This is why we're talking about relationships as a prism or as the most understudied contextual variable in organizations,” Rockmann says. “It’s untapped potential for not only researchers, but also practitioners to think about why things are working or why things aren't working.” Prisms are the next stage of evolution in sensemaking for managers to recognize how their employees interpret workplace policies or changes, depending not just on what they are told, but also by whom and how. However, most managers still struggle to manage the “pipes,” let alone the more nuanced dynamics of how information is interpreted and processed across teams.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Rockmann believes many managers overemphasize tangible incentives — like bonuses — and underestimate the importance of high-quality day-to-day relationships. Such relationships are a lens by which employees view </span><em><span>everything&nbsp;</span></em><span>in an organization: organizational changes, opportunities, technology, and so on. When the organization becomes a hub for relational support and positive relational interactions, so many other issues organizations face become easier.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>So, what can managers do? Across his work, Rockmann emphasizes making the cultivating of relationships part of the job itself, fostering collaboration in the KPIs on which employees are evaluated. Infusing such criteria into job descriptions, hiring processes, socialization experiences, and evaluation systems are all ways company leaders and line managers can signal to their subordinates that interpersonal relationships truly matter. When infused in this way relationships become more of a strategic priority, not just a “nice to have” for the organization.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21006" hreflang="en">Future of Work &amp; Leadership - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20896" hreflang="en">Costello Research Teams</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21076" hreflang="en">Costello Research Recruiting</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20906" hreflang="en">Costello Research Health &amp; Well-being at Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13796" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 28 May 2025 15:18:36 +0000 Nilesh Patel 117486 at Residency trip to New York City inspires Impact Fellows /news/2025-05/residency-trip-new-york-city-inspires-impact-fellows <span>Residency trip to New York City inspires Impact Fellows</span> <span><span>Greg Johnson</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-27T11:00:28-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 11:00">Tue, 05/27/2025 - 11:00</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW232761902 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">While many of their peers were spending spring break catching sun at the beach, members of the </span><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/current-students/undergraduate-resources/impact-fellows-program" title="Impact Fellows Program | Costello College of Business at "><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW232761902 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">Impact Fellows Program</span></a><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW232761902 BCX0 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US"> were busy engaging with organizations and professionals in New York City to see how they run their operations while being dedicated to social impact, sustainability, and community service.</span><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW232761902 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW232761902 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/impact_fellows_visit_new_york_city.jpg?itok=-M3VstAb" width="263" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Impact Fellows visit New York City. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Using the United Nations’ sustainable development goals as their framework, the Impact Fellows Program is a competitive two-year program for students in the </span><a href="https://business.gmu.edu/" title="Costello College of Business | "><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Costello College of Business</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> at who want to foster their leadership abilities and personal development.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW103759968 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The Costello students in the Impact Fellows Program come from different backgrounds and have different interests, but they are united in the belief that business should be a force for good in the world.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“At the Costello College of Business, we believe deeply in learning that extends beyond the classroom,” said Yena Kim, director of academic achievement and innovative learning at the Costello College of Business. “The Impact Fellows residency trip is a powerful example of our commitment to student experience and career readiness—giving students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned, explore their purpose, and connect with professionals making a difference in the world. Experiences like this are where leadership is forged and career paths come into focus.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW103759968 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Along with being plugged into a network of mentors and participating in a variety of co-curricular activities, the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun CommentStart" lang="EN-US"> f</span><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">our-day residency trip is a requirement of the program to give the students hands-on experience away from campus.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“We had learned about the UN sustainable development goals, and we had done other co-curricular trips that were almost like steppingstones into this experience,” said Camila Rosales, a junior studying supply chain and operations management. “This residency trip almost felt like a final exam situation.”&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW103759968 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">But rather than sitting in a classroom and filling out exam sheets, they joined several organizations who are making a real difference.</span><span class="EOP SCXW103759968 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/highlinetour.jpg?itok=yn7T2kaJ" width="350" height="263" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>High Line Tour. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW108296578 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Leaving on Tuesday and returning on Friday, the Impact Fellows had many places to see and people to meet during their residency trip to the Big Apple. Touring the High Line, they saw a clear illustration of sustainability for all who walk along or around it. Formerly part of the New York Central Railroad, the High Line was transformed into a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park. “When you go to a city like New York, you really experience the interconnectedness, the history, all of the fundamental values of community,” said Mike Van Dyken, a senior studying business analytics and management information systems.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW108296578 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/godslovewedeliver1.jpg?itok=rPdoySzj" width="350" height="263" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>God's Love We Deliver. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW133322661 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">At God’s Love We Deliver, the group learned how the nonprofit cooks and delivers specialized meals to people suffering from chronic illnesses. “Getting to help those people hands-on and seeing how my work had an impact on people’s lives definitely inspired me to create my own nonprofit organization one day,” said </span><span class="TextRun SCXW133322661 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Shriganesh</span><span class="TextRun SCXW133322661 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> Sivakumar, a sophomore studying finance.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW133322661 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Leticia Nunez Nova, a senior studying marketing and business analytics, also has a passion for nonprofit work, and this was the first time she was able to speak with the operations team of a nonprofit. “I love nonprofit work, especially marketing it,” she said, “So, that would be like my dream job. Maybe work for a social enterprise.”&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/internationalwellbuilding1.jpg?itok=2wTC2xPX" width="350" height="263" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>International WELL Building Institute. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW56597152 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">At the International WELL Building Institute, the Impact Fellows had the opportunity to engage directly with leaders in sustainable finance and workplace innovation. During a dynamic conversation with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW56597152 BCX0 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">Minjia</span><span class="TextRun SCXW56597152 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> Yang, vice president and head of sustainable finance, students gained insights into how companies are designing spaces that prioritize human well-being, environmental responsibility, and innovation. The visit not only deepened the students’ understanding of sustainability in business but also provided valuable networking opportunities with a global leader in the field—an experience many described as inspiring and eye-opening.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW56597152 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The Impact Fellows had a full itinerary on their trip, also touring the Tenement Museum and the United Nations Headquarters.</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/tenementmuseum_1.jpg?itok=gjXUSt3I" width="350" height="263" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Tenement Museum. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW190995981 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“I really do owe a lot to the residency trip because I was on the fence of what to pursue, but having a week of experiencing what it’s like to be in spaces that are focused on sustainability and helping the community made me realize how much I want to do it,” said Rosales.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW190995981 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Their experiences showed the students that profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. “It opened my eyes to the fact that there are businesses that have made it possible to get revenue and also do good,” said Nunez Nova.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW190995981 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW191706525 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Besides seeing how everything operates, the Impact Fellows learned how to communicate and work effectively with professionals and volunteers from a wide variety of backgrounds.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW103759968 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW191706525 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“The Impact Fellows Program teaches you not only cross-cultural communication but also how to implement and communicate with professionals that work in the industry,” said Sivakumar. For several of the Impact Fellows, the trip confirmed career goals. “Just overall, this program helped me stick with my original vision of how I could use business to have a positive impact,” said Van Dyken.</span><span class="EOP SCXW191706525 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/unhq.jpg?itok=q39Grlv6" width="350" height="263" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>United Nations Headquarters. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW142749899 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW142749899 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">For the Impact Fellows, the residency trip to New York City brought their program experience full circle. When they graduate, they will be entering the workforce with connections, leadership skills, and the inspiration to make the world a better place through business and innovation.</span><span class="EOP SCXW142749899 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW142749899 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW142749899 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">If you are interested in learning more about the Impact Fellows Program and how you can get involved, </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW142749899 BCX0" href="https://business.gmu.edu/current-students/undergraduate-resources/impact-fellows-program" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW142749899 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">visit us online</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW142749899 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW142749899 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12376" hreflang="en">Business for a Better World Impact Fellows Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/911" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="21bf8b3d-4ea6-4e88-a55b-9aca7910e883"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://business.gmu.edu/current-students/undergraduate-resources/impact-fellows-program"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about the Impact Fellows Program <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 27 May 2025 15:00:28 +0000 Greg Johnson 117551 at An inspiring internship resume for a blossoming entrepreneur /news/2025-05/inspiring-internship-resume-blossoming-entrepreneur <span>An inspiring internship resume for a blossoming entrepreneur</span> <span><span>Sarah Holland</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-13T15:45:18-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - 15:45">Tue, 05/13/2025 - 15:45</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">One could say that student Leticia Nunez Nova’s path to business was predestined. Genetic, even.</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2025-05/nova-leticia_02_-_copy_2.jpg?itok=5hhVy39p" width="400" height="560" alt="Nunez Nova posed outside for a portrait" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p>Her maternal grandfather owned numerous businesses around the Dominican Republic—from real estate to auto shops to hardware stores—and her paternal grandmother used business to support her family after her husband’s passing.</p> <p>“I grew up hearing these stories about how entrepreneurship has helped people out of difficult situations,” she said. Nunez Nova is studying business at with concentrations in marketing and business analytics. “I was inspired. I wanted to build something from scratch myself.”</p> <p>Nunez Nova’s desire to nurture a business from the ground up paved the way for a series of internships with start-up companies. In her freshman year, she landed a position with the <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/centers/center-for-innovation-and-entrepreneurship">Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a> (CIE) in the <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/">Costello College of Business</a>. Her work included supporting the SOAR Initiative for aspiring entrepreneurs and the student venture program The Depot, which she said helped create a strong foundation for her future career.</p> <p>“Supporting student entrepreneurship and the local business ecosystem aligned with my reasons for studying business,” she said.</p> <p>Her work at CIE became a foundational experience. “CIE associate director Crystal Fickers helped me build core soft and technical skills, and CIE director of operations and engagement Rebecca Howick taught me how to use kindness strategically to help others and manage challenges in the workplace,” she said.</p> <p>That interest in local businesses continued with her second and third internships. While continuing her work with the CIE, Nunez Nova worked for the start-up company HomeCook, a platform to connect commercial kitchen owners with food entrepreneurs. Then, she interned with WISE Cities LLC, a student-up developing an app to encourage senior community engagement, social participation, and physical activity with citizens over the age of 65.</p> <p>Now, she’s trying something a little different: gaining experience working for growing telecommunications start-up Raycom. She’s learning the intricacies of office culture and procedures, something that she says is perhaps the most valuable for students to learn.</p> <p>“Those basic workplace skills are transferable,” she said. “Working in an office is a unique experience, and it will give you an edge if you can say you’ve done it and done it well.”</p> <p>While each internship has given her the opportunity to grow in unique skills, all of them have built onto the foundation she’s gained from her classes at George Mason.</p> <p>“I learn by doing, so I think it’s so important that you apply whatever you’re learning in the classroom. It helps you understand the reality of the world that you’ll be going into once you graduate,” she said. “It gives you the chance to determine if this is really the path you want.”</p> <p>Nunez Nova will graduate in spring 2025. She hopes her future continues to be one of discovery and exploration while pursuing her goal of making an impact.</p> <p>“The more I explore, the more I learn, and the more I find to love about marketing,” she said. “I want to work in a place where I really believe in the mission.”<br>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="71c958d8-b58e-4718-9468-c2999a6ee5dc"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="/graduation"> <h4 class="cta__title">2025 Spring Commencement <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-graduation-cap" data-fa-transform data-fa-mask style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; --fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="fb4837a5-7e06-477d-bfed-f43a9e9201b7"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="/internships"> <h4 class="cta__title">Explore more internships <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="cb38653f-4696-410b-978a-72daa154a5cc" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Related news</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-8456c6b4073fbc0c731205af1138a8f6a0762f88f291c0e20efd8d41e0a98f59"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="news-list-wrapper"> <ul class="news-list"> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-07/these-george-mason-alumni-were-driven-succeed-premier-nascar-race-team" hreflang="en">These George Mason alumni were driven to succeed with a premier NASCAR race team </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">July 25, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-07/v-top-subaward-will-help-make-george-masons-top-ranked-internship-opportunities-more" hreflang="en">V-TOP subaward will help make George Mason’s top-ranked internship opportunities more accessible</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">July 15, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/inspiring-internship-resume-blossoming-entrepreneur" hreflang="en">An inspiring internship resume for a blossoming entrepreneur</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 13, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/anthropology-student-digs-deep-department-commerce-internship" hreflang="en">Anthropology student digs deep at Department of Commerce internship </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 8, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/former-rower-racing-toward-finish-her-accelerated-masters" hreflang="en">This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 2, 2025</div></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/481" hreflang="en">Graduation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1061" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1806" hreflang="en">Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20556" hreflang="en">Internship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 13 May 2025 19:45:18 +0000 Sarah Holland 117251 at Senior of the Year champions kindness /news/2025-05/senior-year-champions-kindness <span>Senior of the Year champions kindness</span> <span><span>Katarina Benson</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-13T14:36:17-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - 14:36">Tue, 05/13/2025 - 14:36</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">Senior of the Year Haley White said double majoring in business and art history was one of the best decisions she made during her time at . Her second best decision was joining the </span><a class="Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW253609060" href="https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/kindness/" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">Mason Chooses Kindness</span></a><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US"> initiative.</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060 intro-text">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">White, who is from Lynchburg, Virginia, has been a driving force behind Mason Chooses Kindness since 2023. “The idea behind the initiative really spoke to me,” she said. “I was raised to be polite, give back, and be kind, and I feel like we can always benefit from more kindness to ourselves and others. It’s not always about giving a compliment or holding a door—though those things are great, sometimes it’s about doing hard things, and Mason Chooses Kindness really seemed to understand this.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060">&nbsp;</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2025-05/headshot-haley_white.jpeg?itok=_SyYl5CA" width="470" height="560" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Haley White. Photo provided.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">For her dedication to kindness in both her personal and professional life, White was named Senior of the Year by the Alumni Association. She will be recognized at the association’s annual Celebration of Distinction this fall.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">During her four years at George Mason, White has been very active with the Costello College of Business, where she works as a business engagement assistant. She was one of the main contributors and design lead on Costello's 47-page </span><a class="Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW253609060" href="https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/kindness/mck-unit-guidebook/" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">handbook</span></a><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> on implementing well-being projects and </span><a class="Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW253609060" href="https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2024/08/introducing-the-kindness-curriculum" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">co-authored an article</span></a><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> on Costello’s introduction of kindness into their course curriculum.</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“We do not know what we will do without her [when she graduates],” said Gretchen Hendricks, term instructor at Costello. “Haley has been an instrumental part of the ‘goodwill team’ within the Costello College of Business.”&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun SCXW253609060 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">In November 2024, White led 75 students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteers and helped organize the largest Day of Service event in Costello’s history, resulting in 3,000 lbs. of food packed to support the Patriot Pantry.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW253609060 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph BCX0 SCXW253609060"><span class="TextRun BCX0 SCXW253609060 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“Haley embodies the best of George Mason students,” said Christine Landoll, BS Accounting ’89, MS Taxation ’92, director of business engagement at Costello and White’s mentor. “She is strong academically, strong civically, strong philanthropically, and a kind and compassionate human.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP BCX0 SCXW253609060">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW27351776 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW27351776 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">White said she fell in love with art history when she enrolled in ARTH 101 Introduction to Visual Arts to meet a Mason Core requirement. First, she added art history to her coursework as a minor and then realized she needed to just add it as a second major.</span><span class="EOP SCXW27351776 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW27351776 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW27351776 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Looking forward to where the road after graduation takes her, White said she hopes to travel more and “be happy with what I am doing. I have a lot more to learn, and I hope in 10 years I can look back and be proud of myself for all it took to get me there.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW27351776 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW27351776 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW27351776 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">And of course, kindness will be a part of that future. “I have become more intentional and more aware of what kindness looks like, and it is something that I am going to take into my future work and continue being an ‘ambassador’ for in my personal life,” she said.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW27351776 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW230739193 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW230739193 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Being kind to oneself is a core piece of White’s advice for incoming freshmen.</span><span class="EOP SCXW230739193 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW230739193 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW230739193 BCX0 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“It can be easy to beat yourself up when you get a question wrong or feel like you are behind others or not doing ‘enough,’” she said. “You don't have to be perfect every day or even do as much as you did yesterday—focus on being kind to yourself, doing the best you can each day, and even if you are afraid, reach out for help when you need it. Extending yourself kindness every day is a worthwhile practice.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW230739193 BCX0">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/clandoll" hreflang="en">Christine Landoll</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="bba150c8-4dbb-4ce9-b01f-3f539fdd8c2a" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="bf8fbd63-dd9e-4f4e-8785-d27bd233569c"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/kindness/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn about Mason Chooses Kindness <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="3d6360f7-fb90-45a5-871c-ccb1108da4d8" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="6d23b230-af8d-4f72-a10e-2c65d539eb7e" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Related Stories</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-77d4d74c1873b84425876759a6805578382b5b4799ecb4cc48ff4c92b35a45ef"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="news-list-wrapper"> <ul class="news-list"> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-07/george-mason-phd-champions-coral-reef-conservation-through-research-and-mentorship" hreflang="en">George Mason PhD champions coral reef conservation through research and mentorship </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">July 24, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/mason-korea-graduates-class-2025" hreflang="en">Mason Korea graduates Class of 2025 </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 24, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/george-mason-grad-explores-environmental-management-strategies" hreflang="en">George Mason grad explores environmental management strategies</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 13, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/sit-stay-buzz" hreflang="en">Sit! Stay! Buzz?</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 29, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/george-mason-undergrad-overcomes-health-challenges-walk-across-stage-and-accept-her" hreflang="en">George Mason undergrad overcomes health challenges to walk across the stage and accept her degree </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 22, 2025</div></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div> </div> <div> </div> </div> Tue, 13 May 2025 18:36:17 +0000 Katarina Benson 117246 at Why it doesn’t—and shouldn’t—always pay to be a super-successful CEO /news/2025-05/why-it-doesnt-and-shouldnt-always-pay-be-super-successful-ceo <span>Why it doesn’t—and shouldn’t—always pay to be a super-successful CEO</span> <span><span>Jennifer Anzaldi</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-07T08:46:40-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 7, 2025 - 08:46">Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:46</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/jaier" hreflang="en">JK Aier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">Are corporate boards acting as stabilizing forces for their firms, or enablers of extreme greed? That’s one of the questions implied by current debates about so-called “runaway CEO pay.” It’s not entirely clear how the CEO incentives set by the board can be squared with its fiduciary duty to safeguard long-term shareholder value. That’s largely due to the mystery surrounding how CEO compensation is determined in the first place.</span><br><br>“It’s a black box,” says <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/profiles/jaier" title="JK Aier">JK Aier</a>, senior associate dean for academic affairs and global engagement and associate professor of accounting at the <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/" title="Costello College of Business | ">Donald G. Costello College of Business</a> at . “We don’t know why boards give bonuses, why CEOs get a raise—in other words, what goes on behind the scenes.”</p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2025-05/jk_aier_600x600_2025.jpg?itok=irmvnGEh" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>JK Aier</figcaption> </figure> <p>Aier’s academic paper, forthcoming in <em>Accounting and Business Research</em>, circumvents this problem by focusing on cases posing stark contrasts between short- and long-term value. (Jian Cao of Florida Atlantic University, Zhanel DeVides of Penn State Abington and Ki Kyung Song of West Chester University co-authored.) When a company reports increased earnings year after year, a short-sighted board would raise CEO compensation in line with that performance, incentivizing the CEO to keep up the good work. To cooler heads, however, such a long “earnings string” would raise red flags, prompting a more cautious stance toward compensation.<br><br>“Continuous growth or expectations of continuous growth create adverse incentives and challenges because it’s not possible, given how business cycles work,” says Aier. “It may create undue pressure on CEOs to maintain growth somehow if it is strongly tied to compensation.” A strict pay-for-performance approach could induce CEOs to take risks that endanger long-term firm value, such as engaging in managerial manipulation. But how religiously do boards adhere to pay-for-performance?<br><br>The researchers examined earnings patterns and CEO compensation for thousands of firms during the period 1999-2018 (11,197 firm-year observations in all). About two-thirds of the firm-years saw an increase in earnings; of those, fewer than 20 percent were in their sixth year or later in an unbroken earnings string.&nbsp;<br><br>Across the sample, CEO compensation over time was responsive to earnings patterns. For the first few years of the string, boards lavished their outperforming CEOs with expanding pay packets. But rewards tapered off in subsequent years, indicating that boards may be aware of the risks of over-incentivizing long patterns of increased earnings.<br><br>A similar relationship existed for firms with negative earnings strings. After sharply reducing compensation in the first two years of losses, boards stopped penalizing struggling CEOs and kept compensation fairly flat.<br><br>“If a company continues to have losses, will directors keep penalizing the CEO? If they do, no one will want to work for that company,” Aier says. “Instead, giving CEOs a runway during a string of continuous losses provides them the opportunity to turn things around.”<br><br>The researchers also looked at the probability of CEO turnover as it related to earnings patterns. Surprisingly, CEOs who presided over uncommonly long upward strings faced increased odds of turnover, which Aier attributes in part to board suspicions. “On the profit side, there seems to be a loss of trust that this is even possible,” he says. “Boards are willing to look at changing the CEO because they believe these strings may be unsustainable. In other words, something smells fishy to them.”<br><br>The opposite dynamic held true for poorly performing firms. CEO turnover risk declined over the longer downward strings, presumably reflecting broader concerns about retaining talent during prolonged periods of financial difficulty.<br><br>In sum, board compensation committees seem highly attentive to earnings patterns, monitoring them for long-term risks and adjusting CEO pay packets accordingly. This cuts against the idea that directors may be complicit in a CEO money grab that imperils firms’ long-term standing.<br><br>Moreover, the researchers found that the above-mentioned relationship between earnings patterns and CEO compensation was much stronger for firms experiencing lower competition and higher earnings persistence. This suggests that where market discipline is lacking, directors will pay even closer attention to earnings strings in order to keep CEOs honest.<br><br>“Our research suggests that boards pay attention to their monitoring role,” Aier concludes. “Boards are proactive; they care not only about whether the company is doing well, but also how performance is achieved.”<br><br>Hedging long-term risks by changing CEO compensation is one way directors can prevent misaligned incentives from forming. “The board’s role goes beyond making sure things go smoothly. It is also looking into the future in terms of what’s needed for the company and its stakeholders, and making sure the operations and the management of the company are also looking at performance from that perspective,” Aier says.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21016" hreflang="en">Accounting - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/21061" hreflang="en">Strategy - Costello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20956" hreflang="en">Costello Research Risk Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20941" hreflang="en">Costello Research Corporate Governance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13796" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13081" hreflang="en">Accounting Faculty Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 07 May 2025 12:46:40 +0000 Jennifer Anzaldi 117186 at