Making the right decisions is critical to leading a successful life, Citigroup CFO Gary Crittenden told students and faculty at the 2007 Marriott School Honored Alumni Lecture Sept. 20. Crittenden was chosen as the Marriott School’s 2007 Honored Alumni as part of BYU’s annual homecoming tradition of recognizing an outstanding graduate from each of the university’s colleges.

Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management is honoring the late Sheri Joy Bischoff, professor of organizational behavior, with a new scholarship to assist MBA candidates studying organizational behavior and human resources. Bischoff’s family, friends, former students and colleagues made contributions totaling more than $40,000 to create an endowed scholarship in her name.

The Wall Street Journal ranked Brigham Young University’s Master of Business Administration Program first in the nation among regional schools in the paper’s 2007 report of top business programs, up from third in 2006 and sixth in 2005. The Marriott School was also ranked No. 2 among the best schools for hiring graduates with strong ethical standards behind Dartmouth College.

This summer, 19 Korean executives from Hyundai Heavy Industries got a surprise crash course in American biking culture when a pack of Harley-Davidsons roared into the Marriott School of Management parking lot to enhance the visitors’ classroom studies. For 11 years HHI, the top shipbuilder in the world, has sent its managers to the Marriott School for three-months of trainings in business English, ethics, marketing and more.

Two Brigham Young University business professors explored how companies can effectively enter attractive markets dominated by entrenched rivals in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review. For example, how could Red Bull, the soft drink that arrived in the United States in the late 1990s, capture market share that belonged to industry giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi? Although most similar market-grabbing attempts fail, David J. Bryce and Jeffrey H. Dyer identified the three strategies most commonly used by those tiny Davids who methodically slay - or at least wound - seemingly insurmountable Goliaths.

Forbes magazine ranks Brigham Young University’s MBA program 18th in return on investment in its biennial survey of two-year business programs, as reported in the magazine’s Sept. 3 issue. “We’ve always been a strong value,” says Ned C. Hill, dean of BYU’s Marriott School of Management. “That’s because we not only attract well-prepared and talented students but also receive tremendous support from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Marriott School of Management’s accounting program ranked 3rd and its international business program ranked 19th in specialty categories in U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” survey, up from 5th and 21st respectively in 2006. “We are extremely pleased by the recognition our program receives in U.S.News & World Report,” says Kevin Stocks, director of the School of Accountancy.

Eighteen students from BYU’s Romney Institute of Public Management traveled to Ghana for a two-week educational field study and a chance to share their business knowledge with 12 local nonprofit organizations. The students offered one-on-one consultations to the nonprofits on personal empowerment, timelines, budgets and outcome measurement, as well as open workshops for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on business and personal management. “We’re preparing these students to become managers in the field of international development,” says Jeff Thompson, assistant professor of public management and faculty supervisor.

A Marriott School of Management alumnus and three faculty members will be presented with the prestigious John B. Thurston Award at the Institute of Internal Auditors International Conference July 8-11 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, for their article about how to protect wireless networks from hackers. The award is given annually for the best article appearing in Internal Auditor, published by the Institute of Internal Auditors, a leading authority on international auditing.

Experience paid dividends at the Rice University Business Plan Competition in Houston, where a seasoned team from Brigham Young University won third place and took home $9,500 in prize money. Adam Robertson from Santa Rosa, Calif., a recent graduate from BYU’s Marriott School of Management, and Tim Wessman, a junior from Idaho Falls, Idaho, majoring in manufacturing engineering, won $7,500 for placing third overall and an additional $2,000 for writing the best executive summary.

BYU information systems students stole the show with their technology and problem-solving abilities during competition at the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference, held this spring in Detroit. Faced with competition from more than sixty other schools, some with twenty or more entrants, the six BYU students left with eight competition awards—more than any other school.

The planned addition to the N. Eldon Tanner Building is officially underway after ground was broken on the campus of Brigham Young University April 25. The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by President Cecil O. Samuelson, with Elder W. Rolfe Kerr of the Seventy and Commissioner of Church Education, presiding over activities.

Financial investing, modeling and analysis have paid early dividends for four second-year MBA finance students who were awarded the 2007 Stoddard Prize.

When BYU junior J.T. Davis was fourteen years old and first read a book about Warren Buffett, he never imagined that one day he’d be riding in the front seat of Buffett’s Cadillac DTS. But on March 30 Davis had just that opportunity. As one of 70 BYU participants, Davis, an investment student from Plano, Texas, attended a Q&A session and lunched with the famed “Oracle of Omaha,” an opportunity Buffett has extended to 35 universities during the 2006-2007 school year.

Hosted by the Marriott School’s William G. Dyer Institute for Leading Organizational Change, the organizational behavior/human resources faculty group and Department of Organizational Leadership and Strategy presented Alison Davis-Blake, dean of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, with its 2007 Distinguished Alumni award.

A team of students from Brigham Young University took third place and won $2,000 at the international finals of the tenth annual Venture Capital Investment Competition, held April 12-14 at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Originally a wild-card entry into the tournament, BYU finished behind MIT and the University of Virginia, becoming the second wild-card team ever to place in the tournament’s top three.

The Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University announced nine MBA candidates, including two international students, as its 2007 Hawes Scholars. The honor, which carries a cash award of $10,000, is the highest distinction given to MBA students at the school.

Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management honored Steven R. Thorley with its 2007 Outstanding Faculty Award, the highest faculty distinction given by the school. The award was presented at a banquet March 21 where the school also recognized 11 other individuals who have made significant contributions.

Competing against a record number of contestants, a team of three MISM students won the winter 2007 Omniture Web Analytics Competition hosted by the Rollins Center for eBusiness. Jimmy Zimmerman from Sandy, Utah; Ben Robison from Lehi, Utah; and Benjamin Swanson from Stow, New York — all graduating this April — were members of the winning Webtacular team. The judges awarded them first place and $5,000 for their extensive research, strong presentation and valuable business recommendations.

Brigham Young University’s Romney Institute of Public Management honored Bountiful City Manager Thomas R. Hardy with its 2007 Administrator of the Year award at a banquet given in his honor. “Tom has really distinguished himself as an outstanding city manager as well as a great example for the young professionals he has helped develop,” says Rex L. Facer, assistant professor of public management. “He’s known as a straight shooter who truly has the public interest at heart and always pushes for the community’s best interests.” After receiving the award at the March 29 dinner, Hardy said he felt honored to be included on the list of award recipients.