Jindal School Now – January 2025

Eric Zheng Wins ISS Distinguished Fellow Award

Dr. Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Ashbel Smith Professor in the Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Information Systems Area, recently won an award reserved for elite academics of the information systems discipline.

Zheng was selected as one of the winners of the Information Systems Society’s 2024 ISS Distinguished Fellow Award. He joined an illustrious list of JSOM faculty members who have won the award, including Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean who won in 2012; and Drs. Vijay Mookerjee and Sumit Sarkar, both Charles and Nancy Davidson Chairs and professors in the IS Area, who won in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

“Receiving the ISS Distinguished Fellow Award is an immense privilege for me, both personally and professionally,” Zheng said. “UT Dallas is one of the few institutions with multiple recipients of this prestigious recognition, and being mentioned alongside such distinguished scholars and pioneers of the information systems field is truly an honor. This award not only is a recognition of the impact of my work but also serves as a source of inspiration, motivating me to further explore fundamental research challenges and advance the field.”

Study of Cross-Border Acquisitions Earns Jindal School Researchers ‘Best Paper’ Award

A study that investigates the acquisition strategies of multinational enterprises from emerging economies (EMNEs) has earned a faculty member and two PhD alumni from the Naveen Jindal School of Management a “Best Paper” award from the International Management Division of the Academy of Management. The paper has also been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of the Strategic Management Society’s Global Strategy Journal.

Dr. Mike Peng, O.P. Jindal Distinguished Chair and a professor in the Jindal School’s Organizations, Strategy and International Management Area; Dr. Joyce C. Wang, PhD’19, an assistant professor of management at Texas State University; Dr. Sergey Lebedev, PhD’16, an associate professor of strategic management at Kennesaw State University; and Dr. En Xie, a professor at Tongji University, Shanghai, China, won the award for their paper “Theorizing About Emerging Multinationals’ Cross-Border Acquisitions.”

The study — 10 years in the making — investigates why these large companies are paying more to acquire targets from developed economies while also allowing those acquired targets to operate independently after the purchase.

“What attracted our research attention was the rising number of cross-border acquisitions of EMNEs and their unique approaches that could not be easily explained by received theory,” Peng said.

Award-Winning Research from the Jindal School Focuses on Best Human Resources Management Practices During Mergers and Acquisitions

Companies’ employee-oriented human resources management (HRM) practices play a significant role in mitigating the negative effect of downsizing following mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on labor productivity.

That is the conclusion of a study conducted by Dr. Hyesook Chung, an assistant professor in the Jindal School’s Organizations, Strategy and International Management Area. A worldwide professional association for scholars has recognized her and her co-authors with its Best Convention Paper Award for the article — “It’s Different: Examining the Effect of Firm Employee-oriented HRM on Employee Downsizing Following Mergers & Acquisitions.”

Chung and her co-authors received the award from the Human Resources Division of the Academy of Management. After undergoing a rigorous selection process, the awards committee selected the paper as the best paper of the year. Chung and her fellow researchers were honored at the organization’s annual conference, which began Aug. 9.

New Jindal School Lab Harnesses the Power of AI

The new Artificial Intelligence and Analytics Laboratory in the Naveen Jindal School of Management represents more than just technology; it is a space where innovation can meet opportunity.

So said Angela Faust, BS’10, MBA’18, senior vice president and COO at Credit Union of Texas, whose company provided the $100,000 gift to purchase 10 workstations that have graphics processing units (GPUs) — high-powered circuits originally designed for digital image and parallel processing, now widely used for complex analytics on large datasets in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The Jindal School’s Center for the Management of Financial and Digital Asset Technologies (FD-Tech Center) will manage the computers.

“It’s a testament to what’s possible when industry and academia unite with a shared vision for the future,” she said. “We’re proud to play a role in shaping the next generation of AI leaders and look forward to seeing how their work transforms the financial industry and beyond.”

Corporate Governance Conference at Jindal School Focuses on AI

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), leadership and ethical governance took center stage at the 22nd Annual Corporate Governance Conference, presented by the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The event — its theme was “Intelligence” — was held Oct. 16 in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. Speakers explored how AI is reshaping business and how essential it is for board members to take the lead in its responsible implementation.

Dr. Rita Kirk, William F. May Endowed Director of the Cary Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor of Department of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at SMU, explored the ethical dilemmas created by the corporate use of AI.

“AI systems can analyze vast amounts of data and make decisions in milliseconds, far outpacing our human capacities to do the same thing,” she said. “So anywhere from stock trading to supply chain management errors or biases can propagate at unprecedented rates, potentially eroding trust before we even recognize that there’s a problem.”

Kirk said that it is critical for companies to develop ethical principles that guide AI development.

“AI systems should not unjustifiably subordinate, coerce, deceive, manipulate, condition or herd humans,” she said. “Instead, they should be designed to augment, complement and empower human cognitive, social, and cultural skills.”

Jindal School Conference Showcases Top Finance Research

Top researchers from around the United States and world gathered at the Naveen Jindal School of Management recently for the 2024 UT Dallas Fall Finance Conference.

In its seventh year, the conference, organized by JSOM’s Finance and Managerial Economics Area, hosted 75 scholars on Sept. 27 and 28.

Researchers worldwide were invited to submit papers to be considered for the conference. A program committee comprised of Jindal School finance faculty led by Drs. Jun Li and Han Xia, who selected 10 out of 220 submissions to be presented at the conference.

Each presentation was allotted 20 minutes, followed by a 15-minute discussion of the research by a discussant. Questions, further discussion and exchange of ideas followed.

Discussants used their expertise to provide commentary on the papers and explore how each one advances the topic. They are a vital component of the conference, according to Dr. Harold Zhang, a finance professor and area coordinator in the Jindal School’s Finance and Managerial Economics Area.

“We chose leading scholars for discussants of each paper who are experts in those areas,” he said. “That is a benefit to the researchers and the attendees. I believe that is one of the reasons for the success of this conference.”

Jindal School Executive Programs Change Names To Reflect Customizable Options

The Global Leadership Programs in the Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Executive Education Area recently changed names to better reflect the numerous changes and benefits that the programs have been offering for several years.

The Global Leadership MBA (GLEMBA) has been rebranded as the Customized Online MBA. The program’s other graduate offerings — the Master’s in Management Science and the Executive MBA with an emphasis in Project Management — are now all under the Customized Online Programs.

Rhonda Bush, MAT’06, MS’20, assistant dean in Executive Education and director of the three programs, said GLEMBA’s new name better matches what the MBA program was already offering.

“GLEMBA transitioned to a fully online MBA more than five years ago,” she said. “We have seen increased requests from students to expand their MBA knowledge beyond international business. Students expressed interest in additional concentrations or certificates to create their own customized MBA. Thus, we decided to rename the degree to match what we were already offering — a fully online customizable MBA option through Executive Education.”

Bush said that the new names better reflect the programs’ content and objectives, which align with students’ desires.

“The programs are fully online with the ability to add up to two academic certificates or two concentrations,” she said. “We are also offering, for the first time, the ability for students to create their own project in line with their professional growth goals. We expect this combination to help students achieve not just their current career goals but their long-term goals as well.”

Student Organization Housed in Jindal School Keeps Winning Awards

Student organizations at The University of Texas at Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management continue to shine, receiving national notice once again. Most recently, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) honored the University with two awards.

UTD’s INFORMS student chapter was honored with the Cum Laude Award at the organization’s annual meeting in October. Dr. Monica E. Brussolo, MS’07, PhD’11, the chapter’s faculty advisor, won the Chapter Moving Spirit Award.

Teamwork and Mentorship Help Jindal School Students Win Real Estate Case Competition

In addition to regular coursework that provides the academic foundation for business knowledge, students at the Naveen Jindal School of Management often participate in extracurricular activities to further develop their career readiness. Competitions are a popular activity, as they simulate real-world pressures and allow students to sharpen their skills, network with business professionals and enhance their résumés.

Real estate finance students at the Jindal School recently did just that by winning first place in a case competition presented by the Dallas Chapter of the Institute for Real Estate Management. Teams from UT Dallas and the University of North Texas had been tasked with creating a comprehensive management plan for a commercial warehouse property in Grand Prairie, Texas. One month later they presented their analysis and recommendations to the panel of judges. The first-place team won $5,000. CoStar, a platform for commercial real estate information, analytics and news, was the event sponsor and provided the prize money.

Student Conference at the Jindal School Provides Tools for Academic and Career Success

The Naveen Jindal School of Management presented its inaugural Undergraduate Student Conference on Aug. 30 in the Executive Dining Room. The event brought a select group of sophomores, juniors and seniors together to give them an opportunity to experience a conference — for many, it was their first one — while also providing them with resources and knowledge to set them up for success in their academic and career journeys.

Dr. Dawn Owens, associate dean for undergraduate programs at the Jindal School, said the conference was timed to give the students experience and training so that they could increase their chances for success in the Jindal School’s Career and Internship Expo, which followed a week later on Sept. 5. Targeted sessions included presentations and discussions about student success, leadership and personal branding.

Owens said the most rewarding aspect of organizing and leading the conference was getting immediate positive feedback from the students.

“When I asked the students if we should do this again, they all unanimously said ‘yes,’ with at least two or three of them asking if we could do it again next week,” she said. “That tells me that they found tremendous value in attending. It was also fun to read some of their LinkedIn posts documenting their experience at the conference. We truly made an impact.”