BS Management News 

A Brigham Young University graduate student and alumnus both earned kudos for their top-scoring performances on the Certified Internal Auditor exam administered by the Institute of Internal Auditors. Eric Hatch, a graduate student in accounting at BYU’s Marriott School, earned the William S. Smith Student Highest Achievement Award for his top score on the exam given last May.

Three Marriott School students came out on top for their case presentation to a panel of judges in the first-ever FTI Case Competition Nov. 3. Teams of three to five students were asked to analyze a case and present their recommendations to a panel of judges from the Marriott School and FTI Consulting.

A pair of Marriott School students proved to be the winning combination at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management’s 2006 International Ethics Case Competition. Philip Arias and Sarah McMullin, both undergraduate students at BYU’s Marriott School of Management, earned first place at the fourth annual ethics competition.

Cougar Capital, a student-run investment fund at BYU’s Marriott School, saw its first investment significantly outperform projections when the company’s stock closed on its opening day at 57 percent above its initial public offering. Riverbed Technologies, the company in which Cougar Capital invested, specializes in the production of Steelhead appliances, which address latency and bandwidth problems that computer network applications often experience.

Brigham Young University students Tim Wessman and Adam Robertson took second place in the recent Fortune Small Business Student Showdown in New York City with their surveying company, Precision Surveying Solutions. The competition admitted 38 student entrepreneur teams from universities across the country who presented their unique business ideas to a nine-judge panel.

For the second time in three years, a team of Brigham Young University students took first place at the Center for International Business Education and Research Case Challenge Nov. 1–3 at The Ohio State University. Teams from 12 universities, some as far away as New Zealand, took part in the annual competition, where undergraduate business students presented their solutions for a given business case to a panel of judges.

An increase in the stock market's overall performance, like the one that took place in October, can turn inexperienced investors into trade-happy amateurs, according to Brigham Young University business professors in a study published in The Review of Financial Studies. "When investors start off in the market, they tend to trade pretty conservatively," said Steven Thorley, the H. Taylor Peery professor of finance at BYU's Marriott School of Management. "In periods where the overall stock market performs well, they see a good return on their portfolio and figure they are good at picking stocks, so they start to trade more frequently."

Brigham Young University’s master of business administration program provides graduates with the country’s fastest return on their financial investment, according to BusinessWeek magazine. As reported in this week’s issue of the magazine, BYU MBA graduates take less than four years to pay off their education, compared to 14 years for Harvard graduates and 15 years for those from MIT. The reason? BYU’s Marriott School of Management charges a relatively low tuition and students command very competitive salaries at graduation, says Joseph Ogden, Marriott School assistant dean.

Texas transplant and BYU business management professor Andrew Holmes was recently profiled by BusinessWeek Online as students’ favorite professor at the Marriott School of Management. The article is one in an ongoing series by BusinessWeek Online highlighting business professors who rate exceptionally well with students.

The Wall Street Journal ranked Brigham Young University’s Master of Business Administration Program third among regional schools in the paper’s 2006 report of top business programs, up from sixth in 2005. The Marriott School was listed second as the best place to hire MBAs with high ethical standards.

Precision Surveying Solutions is featured on CNNMoney.com as one of 12 semifinalists in Fortune Small Business’ fourth annual business plan competition. The company, owned by MBA student Adam Robertson and Tim Wessman, took second place in BYU’s 2006 Business Plan Competition. The article on CNNMoney.com displays a brief overview of the twelve semifinalists; readers are asked to vote on their favorite.

Brigham Young University is ranked 70th in U.S.News & World Report's annual survey, "America's Best Colleges," with the Marriott School of Management's undergraduate program ranked among the top 50 in "Best Business Programs," coming in at 37th. The Aug. 28 issue of U.S.News & World Report, which hits newsstands Monday, ranks about 1,400 four-year accredited colleges and universities by mission and region.

Firefighter, doctor and teacher are common answers to the elementary classroom question: what do you want to be when you grow up? But in Hershey, Pa., global chocolatier might get a few votes — especially from Andrea Thomas’ kids. Thomas, Marriott School alumna, mother of three, and possessor of what may be the sweetest corporate title to date, was recently highlighted as one of BusinessWeek’s 25 Champions of Innovation.

In fifth grade, Bret Rasmussen’s notebooks were filled with sketches of shoes, more than a decade later he’s still designing shoes and this summer he’ll travel to China in search of a suitable factory to produce his innovative designs. The dream started to become more of a reality this year after placing first at the Utah Entrepreneurial Challenge and winning $40,000.

The Marriott School of Management will host its 11th Annual BYU Management Conference June 29 – July 1, 2006. This traditional event will feature internationally and nationally renowned speakers such as Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., Chairman, Huntsman Corporation; Kim Smith, Vice President, Goldman Sachs & Co.; Bruce Reece, President and CEO, Bonneville International Corporation; and Elder Ben B. Banks, Emeritus General Authority and Director of Hosting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It’s not everyday you reach into your mailbox and see your face staring back at you from a magazine cover. Marriott School alumnus Brian Mower says this is one of many surprises hard-working BYU graduates may see from the professional world. The Journal of Accountancy recently highlighted Mower’s quick rise to chief accounting officer of a public company.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded BYU a four-year grant worth $1.4 million to continue its work as a Center for International Business Education and Research. The grant allows BYU to work with other CIBER schools across the nation to improve international business and language courses. Brooke Derr, director of the Marriott School’s Global Management Center, spent last summer drafting the proposal with help from center staffers and Associate Professor Kristie Seawright. According to Derr, some of the key factors in winning the grant include an extensive offering of business language courses, BYU’s geographic location and several proposed programs.

It is not everyday students hear from someone whose life surpassed their dreams. Dell CEO Kevin Rollins spoke to Marriott School graduates encouraging them to dream big and live even bigger at Friday’s convocation. Rollins, the keynote speaker, told students that in addition to dreaming big they should work hard, give back and maintain balance.

BusinessWeek magazine ranked Brigham Young University’s undergraduate management program eighth overall and first among recruiters in the most comprehensive ranking of U.S. undergraduate business programs to date. The magazine cited the program’s stellar accounting program and ethics-based education as strengths.

A team of Marriott School accounting students earned second place at the 11th Annual National Student Case Study Seminar sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation. Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. took first place. Other national finalist teams represented Pennsylvania State University, University of Notre Dame, University of Illinois and University of Wisconsin – Madison.