In a recent interview, Johnson & Johnson’s CEO, William Weldon offered the following advice for business students. “I think that, no matter what careers students pursue, it is important that they develop interpersonal skills and business ethics. It’s important that they know how to work in all-inclusive teams and that they be exposed to the global nature of the business community. The main idea of Tom Freidman’s book, The World is Flat, is really true. In this global market, students need to know who to appreciate and deal with differences and diversity.
“Students also have to come out of business school knowing that there should be more to a job than just a paycheck and a title. Students should think about the benefits and richness that they can bring to their lives.”
On leadership, Weldon offered this advice: “Leaders have to be courageous. They need to get all the facts, but not necessarily go the way of the crowd. If they believe in something and have the facts to support it, they have to have the courage to take positions that might not be popular.”
You can read more about Tricia Bisoux’s interview with William Weldon and his thoughts about Johnson & Johnson, in the November/December issue Biz Ed magazine.
When most people think about the payoff for an MBA, they think this begins sometime after graduation. “Not so,” say’s Jon Neff, Executive Director of Technology Services at Kirkwood Community College and second year Executive MBA student. Jon will be the first to tell you that he and his employer have enjoyed immediate results and benefits from his current (on-going) EMBA experience.
On October 17, the Class of ’11 participated in the ropes course challenge, a traditionally popularevent for Executive MBA students. The weather was very agreeable for these business leaders to shed the suits, ties and polished shoes for jeans and sweatshirts and maybe some fleece. They participated in a series of team-building activities from walking on ropes to scrambling up walls, and at the end of the day, shared one more memory to last a lifetime.
According to John Fraser (program director), “this even has been part of the curriculum for well over 12 years. In fact, we used to do the ropes course during residency week, but we decided to move it into the middle of the semester.”
context. Second, the students familiarity with one another, would makes participation that much easier. And finally, a day of outdoor activities in beautiful fall weather… is a welcome break from statistics and financial accounting.
The Class of 2011 Corridor B Study Group shared their thoughts about the first few weeks of their EMBA experience. The biggest surprise for Jenny Stanfield (Rockwell Collins) has been the difference between her undergraduate and EMBA experiences. “I was expecting a lot of individual work, but the Executive MBA program is much more geared towards a team oriented approach. I have learned so much from team members and this really complements the material we’ve covered in class.”
The Executive MBA Program is very fortunate to have help and support from two graduate assistants (GAs). This year is no exception. Each year, a new GA is selected from current, full-time MBA students. The first-year graduate assistant is assigned to the first-year EMBA cohort and will remain with that cohort for the duration of their two year experiences.
Ann is a second year MBA student, and she’s the graduate assistant for the second year EMBA class. She’s from Waukesha, Wisconsin and got her undergraduate degree from the University Notre Dame in accounting. Ann’s currently studying corporate finance and marketing, and hopes to land a job in brand management or product management when she graduates.
customer value.
At the end of the first day of Residency Week, the Executive MBA Students retreated to Hotel Vetro for the annual welcome reception and dinner. After introductory remarks by John Fraser, director of the Tippie School of Management Executive MBA Program, Armando Dal Colleto, dean of the Busienss School Sau Paulo, provided a brief outline of the exciting International Seminar in Brazil scheduled for second year students in their final sememster of classes.
of their lives, both professionally as well as personally.
With final preparations in full swing, only five days remain before residency week begins. The office is cluttered with boxes of books and supplies for students. All systems go. We look forward to seeing students when the arrive next week.