Belmont Students Learn about Economic Development in Guatemala
Led by Belmont College of Business faculty Dr. Marietta Velikova and Jose Gonzalez, a group of 15 students recently spent 11 days on a study abroad trip to Guatemala. This is the second year a group from Belmont has visited the area to learn about Fair Trade Coffee, entrepreneurship and economic development. Their experience included work with Limitless Horizons, a local NGO that supports youth education in the region of Chajul, and Asociacion Chajulense, one of Guatemala’s largest Fair Trade and organic coffee producer coop. The group also visited Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City, where they were able to explore their beautiful campus and listen to a lecture by Professor Monterroso on poverty in Latin America.
About the trip, Instructor of Entrepreneurship and Management Jose Gonzalez said, “This is a great opportunity for students to apply learning and get some international experience doing what so many at Belmont are passionate about, helping others. I’m thankful to be a part of what has proven to be such a rewarding learning experience for all.”
Merry Christmas!
It’s amazing to see how technology has impacted our lives and offered new ways of doing things. In celebration of this glorious season, I wanted to share this video from North Point Community Church in Atlanta – what a creative way to engage the audience.
Merry Christmas!
Belmont SIFE Finishes Third in World Cup
Congratulations to our Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team on being named the best team in the USA and the third best in the world out of 1,500 active programs in 40 countries!
SIFE brings together a diverse network of university students, academic professionals and industry leaders around the shared mission of creating a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business.
Thirty-nine national champion teams presented their projects, which incorporated market economics, entrepreneurship, success skills, environmental sustainability, business ethics and financial literacy, this past week at the 2010 SIFE World Cup in Anaheim, and we are thrilled our team placed in the top three in the world.
In addition to competing, our students had the chance to socialize with students from the other national champion teams at a Cultural Fair, as well as the opportunity to meet some of the world’s top business leaders.
Massey Alum Shares Negotiation Insights
[Authored by Dr. Susan Williams] Massey alum Ford Simpkins has taken his negotiation abilities to a new level and has written a helpful guide for negotiators in the HEOPS publication Scientific Cowboys. He gives good advice on preparing for negotiation, particularly in the healthcare arena. It is good reading and an easy-to-follow refresher for those of you who want a succinct preparation framework. Click HERE for the article.
Getting Down to Business with Dave Ramsey
Last night, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Director of Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship, interview Dave Ramsey, successful financial author and radio host, at Belmont. Mr. Ramsey shared stories and helpful advice from his own entrepreneurial experiences. He talked about how personally, and with his company, he mainly wanted to follow what God led him to do (run a “WWJD business”), then use it to bless and help others. As a Christian organization, Mr. Ramsey said they operate by “the golden rule” (“Do to others as you would have them do to you” Luke 6:31).
Congratulations to our Entrepreneurship Program for another Top 25 Ranking!
From over 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, Belmont University has once again been recognized as having one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the country. In the list of the Top 25 programs, Belmont ranked 18th in the undergraduate category of the survey. See the full Belmont story here.
Belmont’s entrepreneurship program was evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of teaching entrepreneurship business fundamentals in the classroom, staffing departments with successful entrepreneurs, excellence in mentorship, providing experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as non-traditional, distinguishable aspects of their programs.
Click here to learn more about Belmont’s entrepreneurship program.
How Concerned Should We Be Regarding the Health Effects from the BP Oil Spill?
Plenty! Many newscasters and eyewitnesses have remarked on the disappearance of the oil spill over the last week or two. It is somewhat puzzling to see that such a large quantity of oil has somewhat vanished, at least on the surface level. However, it may only be wishful thinking that everything is moving back to normal (or at least a place where the environment is less toxic and not so saturated with oil and tar). While many experts agree that the Gulf Coast (and especially the plant & animal life) appear to be more resilient regarding the toxic effects of the oil spill than previous expected, there is still plenty of concern to go around regarding the possible harmful health effects related to the oil spill.
Managing a Better Story
I was so happy to find out Donald Miller, author of Searching for God Knows What, Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, among others, will be speaking at Belmont on September 1st. In his latest book and talks, Miller challenges his audience to “live a better story.” The last time I heard Miller speak, he gave what I thought to be a great management lesson when working to accomplish a project/goal. Miller says it is important to start by developing a single climatic scene, a “fleshed end goal that is compelling to instill sacrifice.” To get everyone on board, you have to explain the “why” behind the process and help communicate what the results will actually look like, not just give figures. Miller explains “engagement goes up when connected to a climatic scene.”
He offers the following questions/comments to think about:
•What project do you need to create a storyline for?
•What outcomes are you responsible for?
•Why is this good for your organization, customers, community?
•Describe a scene that can only take place if you're successful. Use the answers to write scene.
•From your associates’ perspective, why might this not be engaging?
•Is it something they can envision?
•Can people make an emotional connection?
•Does bringing about the scene mean we've accomplished all we are responsible for?
Miller encourages us to think through our inevitable conflicts, by asking ourselves “what are the most obvious major conflicts we'll encounter?” and “how will we respond?” After this is determined, it is time to hire the characters and assign them conflicts to respond to. Miller concludes that story is designed by God, and He “increases conflict so [people] will value what they pursue.”
We will all continue to face challenges and opportunities in all aspects of life, but it is up to us to take responsibility and “live a better story” that engages others and positively transforms the world.
Welcome to Your New Brain
Last night in our Advanced Marketing Management class we found ourselves engrossed in a deep discussion regarding the impact of social media technologies on consumer behavior. If we admit it, most of us in recent weeks have found ourselves in a situation where we were observing something happen (e.g., watching a movie at the theater, listening to a radio program while driving or a speaker's live presentation) and missed what we felt like was an important piece of information. Even though at the time you weren't actually watching TV or sitting at your computer, haven't you, even for a split second, ever found yourself thinking about how to push the button on your remote to rewind your DVR or clicking on your media player so you could replay what you just missed? If so, you may still be normal, as least what is becoming the "new normal."
The following article explains how technology is changing the way we think as consumers, as well as how we process and react to information. Check out Dan Tynan's article that was published earlier this week in PC World.
Belmont’s College of Business Administration Hosts Ninth Annual TSCPA Accounting Academy
Belmont University’s College of Business Administration (COBA) recently hosted 46 high school students and rising college freshmen from across the state of Tennessee for the ninth annual Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) Accounting Academy. Directed by Dr. Del DeVries, assistant professor of accounting and information systems, and Dr. Jane Dillard-Eggers, associate professor of accounting, this free, four-day camp offers students the opportunity to explore careers in accounting and learn more about the dynamic world of business. The students participated in multiple interactive team projects and visited several area businesses, including Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, and the Tennessee Titans Practice Facility.
Participants found the experience to be enlightening, making such comments as “It has opened my eyes and shown me that this is something that is interesting, and it’s a job I could never get bored in” and “I am excited about the things I learned about the different accounting careers and all of the friends I made here. I plan to use my experience to choose my career in accounting and to apply it to my life.”
This is the fourth consecutive year the program has been hosted at Belmont University. COBA Dean and Interim Provost Dr. Pat Raines said, “Our partnership with the TSCPA provides a valuable resource to the Nashville community. High School students from around the state learn about accounting careers through interactive programming, our experienced faculty and professionals in the field.”
Belmont’s College of Business Administration has been selected to host the camp again in 2011. To learn more about the TSCPA Accounting Academy, please contact the TSCPA office at 615-377-3825. High school juniors and seniors in Tennessee are eligible to apply, with applications for the 2011 camp available next spring.