Contents
- Naveen Jindal Presented with UT Dallas’ Lifetime Achievement Award
- Jindal School Attains Its Highest Position Ever in U.S. News & World Report Ranking
- Jindal School Ranking Reveals Worldwide Increase in Business-Research Productivity
- Faculty and Research News
- Program, Center and Conference News
- Program Updates
- Student News
- Alumni News
Naveen Jindal Presented with UT Dallas’ Lifetime Achievement Award
Naveen Jindal, MBA’92, made a notable return to The University of Texas at Dallas, his first visit since the Naveen Jindal School of Management was named after him in 2011. During his recent trip in March, accompanied by his wife, Shallu, and their two children, Jindal attended the University’s Awards Gala, where he was honored with the University’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Jindal is recognized as one of UT Dallas’ most accomplished alumni. He is esteemed globally for his leadership in industry, his statesmanship in India, his advocacy for human rights, and his sporting achievements. Accepting the award, Jindal expressed gratitude for the University’s significant influence on his life and accomplishments, acknowledging that his time as a student there laid the foundation for his successes.
“It is an incredible privilege to be recognized by the institution that played such an important role in my life,” Jindal said at the Awards Gala. “I came to Dallas full of dreams and aspirations, and I saw and learned so much here. The seeds for many of the achievements for which I am being recognized were planted here during my days as a student.”
Discover more about this accomplished alumnus on MANAGEMENT magazine.
Jindal School Attains Its Highest Position Ever in U.S. News & World Report Ranking
The University of Texas at Dallas continues to make significant strides in its MBA programs, as evidenced by its improved placement in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Business Schools rankings. The Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Full-Time MBA now stands at No. 10 among public U.S. university programs and No. 27 overall, climbing two spots from the previous year. The Professional MBA Program has leaped eight places to reach No. 11 overall, while securing the No. 5 spot among public universities. Several MBA concentrations at the Jindal School also achieved impressive rankings.
Dr. Monica Powell, senior associate dean and graduate dean of the Jindal School, expressed appreciation for the students who seek out a better future at JSOM.
“We are excited about the recognition that the Jindal School has earned in both the Full-Time and Part-Time MBA rankings,” she said. “We are fortunate to attract smart students who have proven over and over that they are prepared to tackle challenging problems for the employers that hire them. We live in a complicated time and being able to respond to industry needs with impressive talent makes our school a top destination for the best and the brightest prospects for our MBA programs.”
Gain more insights into this MBA ranking on Inside Jindal.
Jindal School Ranking Reveals Worldwide Increase in Business-Research Productivity
The 19th edition of The UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings™ demonstrates a significant rise in global research productivity. In the 2018-2022 reporting period, the Top 100 institutions witnessed an almost 8% increase in research output compared to the previous 2017-2021 period. The rankings track articles published in prominent academic journals since 1990, shedding light on key business and management issues worldwide. Notably, there has been a notable narrowing of the productivity gap between North American universities and the rest of the world, indicating a growing emphasis on research from non-North American institutions. UT Dallas climbed three spots to secure the second position.
“This narrowing of scores in recent years indicates a much greater emphasis on research from universities outside of North America,” said Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean. “In the 18 years since we first published this ranking, business and management research are truly becoming worldwide phenomena. It reveals just how global the economy has become.”
Find out what schools are in the Top 100 on Inside Jindal.
Faculty and Research News
Insights into Sales-Promotion Strategies for Retailers Provided in Study from Jindal School Researcher
Retailers can effectively boost profits and minimize waste by implementing certain buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) promotions, according to a study by Dr. Dorothée Honhon, a professor at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and Dr. Qi Wu from Case Western Reserve University. Published in Production and Operations Management, the study analyzes the impact of BOGOF promotions on retail profit and food waste. It highlights the unintended consequences of perishable food promotions and explores alternative approaches like “BOGOF Later,” which stagger consumption over time. The research emphasizes the financial, ethical, and environmental implications of food waste, offering insights for retailers and encouraging consumers to adopt the 4 R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle.
Learn more about the connection between store promotions and food waste in MANAGEMENT magazine.
Study by Jindal School Researcher Offers Insights into Social Media Friendship Decisions
In a recent study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, Dr. Ying Xie, professor of marketing in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, sheds light on the factors that influence individuals’ decisions to form online friendships. The research focuses on how strangers connect within evolving social networks, with implications for social media companies aiming to increase user engagement and advertising revenue. The study distinguishes between fast-growing evolving networks and static social network platforms, where users maintain stable friendship ties. Understanding the drivers of online friendship formation can help social network companies optimize their strategies and foster greater connectedness among users.
“Similarity matters a lot when strangers choose to become friends in an online social network,” Xie said. “Having common friends, common interests and common demographic traits — age, gender and location — all improve the odds that two strangers become friends in an online community.”
Gain more insights about social-media friend-making behavior on News Center.
More Research News:
- Economists Find Tax Amnesties Helpful for Increasing Revenue for Governments (UT Dallas Magazine)
- Study from Jindal School Researchers Finds Telemedicine Affects Clinical Decision-Making (Inside Jindal)
- Workers with Inflated Job Titles May Be Losing on Overtime Pay (News Center)
- JSOM Researchers Win SFS Best Paper in Finance Award (Inside Jindal)
Center and Conference News
Jindal School Conference Encourages Academic Collaboration
The Naveen Jindal School of Management hosted the 19th Big XII+ MIS Research Symposium, bringing together faculty and graduate students in the fields of information systems and business analytics. Over 130 participants from 22 universities attended, supported by nine corporate partners. The symposium featured 33 papers covering various topics such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and behavioral economics. Keynote speakers Dr. Vijay Mookerjee and Dr. Sumit Sarkar, both faculty members in the Jindal School, discussed the future of digital commerce and offered career guidance for PhD students and junior faculty. Attendees praised the conference for its networking opportunities, diverse research topics and valuable insights from scholars and industry experts.
Learn more about this conference on Inside Jindal.
Jindal School Conference Helps Undergraduate Deans Adapt to Rapid Changes in Education, Industry
The Naveen Jindal School of Management recently hosted the third annual Undergraduate Deans Conference, gathering more than 80 deans from 75 universities to discuss the changing landscape of work and the necessary responses from business educators. Dr. Monica Powell, the Jindal School’s senior associate dean, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the evolving nature of degrees and the need for continuous learning. Various topics were covered during the conference, including innovation in undergraduate programs, student engagement, social impact, and academic integrity.
One of the most profound changes related to business education, according to Powell in her keynote address, is that a degree is no longer “lifelong.”
“Students will no longer be able to get their degree and it’s one and done,” she said. “The degrees your students are getting now have a two- to five-year life span. We need to tell students that their degree is incredibly valuable, but they will have to continually add to it. We have to set that expectation in them.”
Discover what else the deans learned on Inside Jindal.
Competition Immerses Students in Business Sustainability
The finals and celebration of the 2023 Global Sustainability Experience, organized by the Naveen Jindal School of Management, explored a crucial topic — global business sustainability — and garnered praise from both judges and attendees. The event included a pitch competition and seminar series, highlighting the importance of sustainability and innovation. Sponsors, including the Ann and Jack Graves Charitable Foundation, Infosys and Vistra Energy, showed support for the event by presenting a $25,000 check. Various teams presented innovative ideas, with the winning team focusing on an app for appliance education and repair. The event provided valuable experience for students, fostering collaboration and exposing them to new ideas. Dr. Habte Woldu, a conference committee member and director of the Global Sustainability Initiative at the Jindal School, said he saw the seeds of the future planted at the event.
“Great ideas come out of sustainability,” he said. “Students know the phases, the challenges and now solutions. They can be ahead of their time, and, for me, they showed great understanding of the topic.”
Discover how else the Jindal School is teaching its students about sustainability on Inside Jindal.
Faculty, PhD Students from Texas Universities Discuss Relevant Accounting Research at Jindal School Conference
The Naveen Jindal School of Management’s Accounting Programs hosted the 2023 Lone Star Accounting Conference Feb. 9-10. Dr. Ying Huang, an assistant professor of accounting, organized the event, which brought together faculty and PhD students from eight Texas schools to collaborate and discuss research papers vying for publication in academic journals. Hosting responsibilities for the annual conference rotate among the participating universities, fostering a collaborative environment for accounting researchers in Texas.
“The conference is a great opportunity for our faculty and the PhD students to brainstorm with other productive researchers in the field,” Huang said. “This greatly benefits the accounting group by incubating and developing rigorous and relevant research in the field.”
Get a further look into the Lone Star Accounting Conference on Inside Jindal.
Program Updates
Jindal School Event Targets Workplace Neurodiversity Challenges
The Naveen Jindal School of Management organized the “Neurodiversity at Work” event, shedding light on the concept of neurodiversity and promoting inclusivity in the workplace. The event, spearheaded by Maria Hasenhuttl, MBA’95, PhD’08, and Dr. Dorothée Honhon, featured a panel discussion addressing the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals and highlighted programs implemented by large corporations to support them. The neurodiversity movement seeks to raise awareness and acceptance of individuals with neurological differences such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. The event aimed to help create more neuro-inclusive workplaces.
“This event is about starting a conversation,” said Hasenhuttl. “We are at the beginning of this journey to create more neuro-inclusive workplaces. There is a lot of education and discussion that needs to happen.”
Learn more about neurodiversity workplace challenges on Inside Jindal.
Student News
Graduate Student Gets Boost from Commercial Real Estate Industry with Scholarship
Alejandro Jimenez Herrera, a graduate finance student at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from CoreNet North Texas Community. The scholarship aims to support learning and advancement in the corporate real estate industry. Jimenez, who previously earned a bachelor’s degree in finance with a real estate track from the Jindal School, has been actively involved in the Real Estate Club at UT Dallas and has gained recognition for his leadership skills. He will join CBRE as a global finance intern and plans to pursue a career in commercial real estate. Jimenez encourages students to get involved in campus activities and explore different interests to shape their careers effectively.
Julie Lynch, an associate professor of practice in the Finance and Managerial Economics Area at the Jindal School, describes Jimenez as a passionate student who brings good leadership skills to his involvement in real estate.
“I can’t think of a more deserving student to receive this scholarship,” she said, “and I am excited about his entering commercial real estate. I am excited to see the growth in our program and increased interest from students in pursuing a concentration in real estate along with a degree in finance of business.”
Find out how Herrera sets himself up for success on Inside Jindal.
Jindal School Students Land at Top of Podium in Two Competitions
The Naveen Jindal School of Management achieved first-place victories in two recent competitions. In the Texas Christian University (TCU) Graduate Supply Chain Case Competition, the Jindal School team successfully identified a company bottleneck, leading to their win and a $14,000 prize. At the 2023 Business Analytics Student Competition, sponsored by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), another Jindal School team excelled in analyzing a marketing television problem, aiming to maximize clicks with a given budget. They claimed first place, receiving $1,000 and a certificate for their efforts. These victories showcase the practical application of knowledge gained in the classroom and further solidify the Jindal School’s reputation in supply chain and business analytics.
John Fierst, director of the MS in Management Science and MS in Supply Chain Management programs in the Jindal School, saw the TCU competition as a key supply chain education victory for the Jindal School in the wake of a top-4 ranking in the Gartner Supply Chain University Top 25 for 2022.
“You look at our Gartner ranking, and this competition is one more example that we’re heading in a strong direction,” he said. “It shows students can apply knowledge because these competitions are all about an application from the classroom. It says our students don’t just understand theory but can put it into practice.”
Gain more insights into how the Jindal School prepares its students on Inside Jindal.
Alumni News
Jindal School Graduate is Top Performer in CPA Exam
Justin Briggs, BS’21, MS’22, an accounting alumnus from the Naveen Jindal School of Management, has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Elijah Watt Sells Award by the American Institute of CPAs. This award recognizes exceptional performance on the Uniform CPA Examination®. To qualify, candidates must achieve a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the exam and pass on their first attempt. Out of approximately 67,000 exam takers in 2022, only 50 individuals, including Briggs, met the criteria. Briggs attributes his success to the Professional Program in Accounting (PPA) at UT Dallas, praising the outstanding professors who prepared him for the exam.
“They taught me a lot through accounting, which has actually translated to my career now.” Briggs said. “They all do a great job of preparing students to succeed on the CPA exam. I think any student at UT Dallas, with the great support system that they have, should definitely be able to pass the CPA exam, and, if they really want to work hard, then they could also make Elijah Watt Sells.”
Learn more about Briggs’ exam preparation on Inside Jindal.
Global Business Student Takes Classroom Lessons Afield
Vlad Wallace, BS’20, took action when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Concerned for his family’s safety, Wallace raised awareness about the war on social media and donated to local organizations in Ukraine. He later embarked on a mission to the Ukrainian border, providing aid to refugees and documenting his journey on social media. Wallace credits his global business education at the Jindal School for preparing him for an international career and enabling him to serve overseas. He has been accepted into the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program, which will further his aspirations of a foreign service career.
“The Jindal School was phenomenal in providing me with any resources and support that I needed,” Wallace said. “I think that helped me prepare early on and feel comfortable to take the initiative to pursue a career in the foreign service.”
Read more about Wallace’s experiences in MANAGEMENT magazine..
