December 13th, 2007

 

 


Headings marked in MAROON represent previously posted information; those marked in BLUE represent new information.

 

 

The mission of the Simmons School of Management is to educate women for power and principled leadership. We are committed to the advancement of knowledge and practice in management through excellence in education and research. Our academic programs offer rigorous, applied, management education designed for women. We focus on leadership, and our programs integrate the strategic, functional, and behavioral aspects of management. SOM students gain the knowledge, analytical skills, and confidence that they need to manage successfully in dynamic and global environments. We are invested in our students’ success and support them as they launch, advance, and change their careers.

New Information This Week

Note from Mary D.
Quotes At the End of the Semester
Spring 2008 MBA Course Material Information
Registration Updates for Summer

MBA STUDENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Marketing Seeks Help FROM SOM Students
New Addition to the SOM Community

 

MBA Office Updates

Note From Mary D.

You made it!! Fall semester for everyone is over at 3pm today when the Marketing presentations wrap up and everyone I talked to this week couldn’t wait for the week to be over!! I also love it when the MBA program snow gods wait until all your finals are done to start the storm, as the undergrad campus is frantically rescheduling finals as we speak!!

 

You have worked so hard and after you catch up on sleep and taken some well deserved time off, take some time to reflect on the fall-what worked well, how much you learned, how you saw yourself and your classmates change over the course of the semester. For many of you, it is your first term and there were lots of adjustments you needed to make to being back in school. For another group of you, graduation is getting closer and closer and August 08 doesn’t seem very far at all now! And the majority of you are in between, making great progress on your goal of getting your MBA, wondering at times if you can do it, and then before you know it another semester has passed and you are closer!! School has a crazy rhythm with times that it seems like you have been here forever and getting through each week is a challenge with everything else that you all do in your busy lives, but when you look at it from a different perspective it was an unbelievably fast 15 weeks!! Congratulations on a great term.

 

Have a great break, and we will see all of you the week of January 7!



Quotes At The End Of The Semester

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do and you've done it. Margaret Thatcher

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." John Quincy Adams

 


Spring 2008 MBA Course Material Information

 

Information on MBA course materials for the Spring 2008 semester is now available online at: http://my.simmons.edu/som/resources/packs.shtml

 

Please contact Carolyn Bogle in the MBA Program Office at 617.521.3812 or boglec@simmons.edu with any questions.



Registration Updates For Summer

We have just found out that Laura Morgan Roberts, who was scheduled to teach Authentic Leadership in the summer will not be able to teach as she is expecting her first baby right in the middle of it!! For those of you not graduating, we are looking to offer it in Fall or Spring of next year.


MBA STUDENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED… For the 2008 SOM LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Dialogue & Discovery

 

Please attend our informational session on Wednesday, January 23rd at 5:15–6:00 pm in Case Room 2 in the Mockler Building. We will provide an overview of the conference and answer your questions. This informational session is designed to help you decide if you would like to volunteer.  Following the meeting, you will have the opportunity to sign up. Volunteers are essential to our success.  In exchange for your contribution, you will be permitted to attend the Conference FREE.  (Conference fees are $580.00 for SOM students)

  • Volunteers may attend Glenn Close closing keynote address.
  • Volunteers will receive a complimentary conference bag.
  • Volunteers have the opportunity to network with corporate sponsors and interact with nearly 3000 attendees from the nation’s major corporations.
  • Volunteering for the Leadership Conference is an active, ‘hands-on’ way to show your support for the SOM.

 

Volunteering for the Conference requires the following minimum commitment:

 

  • Attendance at the Wednesday, January 23rd meeting
  • One additional pre-Conference instructional meeting and tour in April (2 options will be offered) at the Seaport World Trade Center
  • Half-day (approximately six hours) of work at the Leadership Conference.
  • Review of conference packet prepared for volunteers of session rooms, speakers and volunteer schedule.

 

SOM Leadership Conference Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008

 

We need and genuinely appreciate your support. Your time and effort directly supports the SOM.

All proceeds raised by the Leadership Conference fund SOM MBA scholarships.

Questions welcome:

Judy Benjamin

Associate Director

SOM Leadership Conference

judith.benjamin@simmons.edu

 

Ali Corvino
Volunteer Coordinator
SOM Leadership Conference
ahcorvino@comcast.net

 

For complete information on the 2008 SOM Leadership Conference, visit our website at http://www.simmons.edu/leadership.

 

 

Marketing Seeks Help FROM SOM Students

 

As you may know, the SOM is currently revamping our marketing materials for the MBA program. The project is well underway and we expect to have materials in hand later this spring. However, to meet this aggressive timeline, we need your help. If you are interested in any (or all) of the following, please contact Nicole Herrick nicole.herrick@simmons.edu and sign up to participate in our photo shoot (details below).

 

* Supporting the SOM brand

* Learning about "Marketing in the Age of Web 2.0

* Entering for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate

 

Think about it...how many opportunities do you have to learn about something new and exciting, support your school, and possibly win a $100 gift certificate at the same time

Jill Avery has graciously offered to present on "Marketing in the Age of Web 2.0" on Wednesday, December 19th at 1:30 p.m. on the main campus.

As a further incentive, the SOM Marketing team will be raffling off a $100 gift certificate. Transportation will be provided to all participants.

 

Please help us make this project a huge success by joining us on the 19th. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly and I'll gladly fill you in on the details.

New Addition To The SOM Community

Fiona Germain gave birth to a new baby daughter, Sabrina Elizabeth who was born on Wednesday, Dec.5 @ 2:04pm.  She weighed 5 lbs. 10oz.  Everyone is doing well!



Schedule Changes For Spring 08 Term

Tech and Ops-day section. Moving 2/8 class time from 10-12noon to 9-11am

Managerial Accounting-day section-moving 1/28 class time from 1-3pm to 9-11am

Orgs-day section-moving 1/28 class time from 9-noon to 12-3pm

 

 

Reminders About Course Taping

In the MBA program, we have a policy where the quantitative courses are taped for podcasting and student use. As a general rule, students who have a need to individually tape a class should make sure that they clear it in advance with their faculty. Often this need arises because someone is not going to be able to make class, wants to relearn the material a different way, etc. But, your faculty should be aware of it and give permission that it is ok. They may decide to inform the class as well, just so there is no perception of a privacy violation within a classroom.



Message From The Dean That Went To Alums

Giving Back: Business and climate change

 

As I write this letter, government representatives from around the world are congregating in Bali for the UN Conference on Climate Change.  We are at a tipping point where governments, citizens, and business are all beginning to comprehend the stark implications of global warming for the health of our global economy and society.  Al Gore’s Academy Award winning movie Inconvenient Truth and the conferral of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raised public awareness and catalyzed a powerful global call to action. 

 

Perhaps no other issue reveals more starkly the interdependence between business, society, and the environment.  The final report of the International Panel on Climate Change, released in November 2007, forecasts “irreversible changes” in our climate with devastating impact on our global economy and society if we do not take immediate and bold steps to reduce carbon emissions in the next three years.[i]  If business does not take the lead, its asset base of natural resources will be severely degraded and economic growth will be compromised. 

 

Recognizing this challenge, 150 global companies, worth nearly US$4 trillion in market capitalization, signed a petition to be presented in Bali.[ii]  The petition calls for the creation of a "an ambitious, international and comprehensive, legally-binding United Nations agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” This framework would provide business with the certainty it needs to cut carbon emissions and “scale up global investment in low-carbon technologies."   The petition calls for a minimum of a 50 per cent cut in emissions by 2050 in order to prevent catastrophic global warming. Signatory companies, representing a wide range of sectors, include Ambro Bank, AIG, British Airways, BP, Coca-Cola, E-Bay, Gap, GE, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Nokia, Pacific Gas & Electric, Shell, Sun Microsystems, and Swiss Re.

 

One of our tenets of Principled Leadership, as we have framed this concept at the School of Management, is that we need to hold ourselves accountable for the long-term impact of our leadership decisions on society and the environment.  The issue of mitigating climate change puts this tenet to the test. 

 

As organizational leaders and responsible citizens, the single most important action that we can all take today to “give back” to society and future generations is to reduce our individual and our organization’s use of carbon-based sources of energy and the products of forests that sequester CO2.

 

We need to be systematic and strategic, instituting actions from the simple to the more complex.[iii]  And we need to start today.  Examples include:

  • Simple:  replacing incandescent with compact florescent bulbs; buying only Energy Star compliant office equipment;[iv] using only recycled paper; reducing heat and air-conditioning use; and promoting comprehensive on-site recycling.
  • Moderate:  enabling commuting employees to work 1 day a week from home to reduce fuel use; providing incentives to employees who commute in hybrid cars or carpool; purchasing carbon offsets for air travel. 
  • Complex:  ensuring that our buildings are well insulated, highly energy efficient, and meet the standards of LEED certification; purchasing energy from renewable sources;[v]; establishing metrics to assess carbon footprint.
  • Strategic:  using commitment to environmental sustainability as a criterion for selecting vendors and suppliers; investing in new business opportunities and technologies that will result in reduced consumption of carbon-based energy and forest products; investing in clean tech funds. (The percentage of venture capital invested in clean tech funds and renewable energy technology has grown from 5% to 9.5% of total VC investment since 2004.)[vi]

 

At the School of Management we are beginning this process.  We are building a “green building” which will reduce energy use by 30% and use renewable forest products in its construction.  We are addressing the business implications of environmental sustainability in our curriculum – both the constraints and the strategic opportunities. We sponsor a chapter of Net Impact, a national MBA student club designed to prepare leaders to use business to improve the world.  We have been ranked in the top 100 business schools globally for our attention to the social and environmental impact of business in our teaching and research.  We are joining many other business schools by signing the Principles for Responsible Management Education sponsored by the UN Global Compact and the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Business Education.  And we are now taking a hard look at our operational practices to ensure that we are doing everything we can to reduce consumption of carbon-based energy and forest products. 

 

Please join me in this New Year in committing to giving back as principled organizational and community leaders to raise awareness and catalyze action to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and mitigate the negative consequences of climate change. 

 

 “Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Margaret Mead, anthropologist

 

As always, I welcome your feedback and comments at somdean@simmons.edu


[i] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Fourth Assessment Report, http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm

[ii] P. Spotts, “In Bali, new urgency for a climate change accord,” Christian Science Monitor, December 3, 2007; http://www.balicommunique.com/communique.html

[iii] A. Hoffman, Carbon Strategies: How Leading Companies Are Reducing Their Climate Change Footprint, University of Michigan press, 2007

[iv] http://www.energystar.gov/

[v] Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), http://www.usgbc.org/

[vi] D. Esty and A. Winston, Green to Gold: How smart companies use environmental strategy to innovate, create value, and build competitive advantage.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.



Simmons Students In The News

 

Delia Pollack, one of our evening students was featured in the State Street Global Newsletter about all her work with kids and teens promoting financial literacy. This newsletter goes to all 28,000 employees in State Street!!

 

 

News & Events

 

End Of Semester/Year Party For All Students

 

Please Join Us for Our End of Year/Semester Party!

Saturday, December 15th

409 Commonwealth Avenue, Green and Gold Room

7:00 - 9:30pm

 

Come spend time with your fellow classmates and enjoy some good conversation, food and drinks!

 

Save the date! Please contact Crystal if you have further questions at crystal.daugherty@simmons.edu


Career Services Updates

MBA Rotational and Management Development Programs

DETAILS AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND ON CAREER CONNECT (https://www.myinterfase.com/simmons/student/)

 

College to Career – The Partnership Inc. – DEADLINE EXTENDED 12/18/07

 

EMC – DEADLINE 12/31/07

Marketing Development Leadership Program

Finance Training Program

Human Resources

 

 

Recent Job Postings – Visit Career Connect

 

~ Operations Systems Program Manager – Genzyme

~ Applications Analyst II – Partners Healthcare

~ Director of Group Sales – Starwood Hotels and Resorts

~ Senior Director, Product Development- Circles

~ Program Manager, Business Relations, and Supplier Diversity - Blue Cross Blue Shields of Massachusetts

 

 

Recent Internship Postings – Visit Career Connect

 

~ Equity Research Analyst Intern – Fidelity Investments (DEADLINE JAN 4, 2008)

~ HR Intern – The New England Center for Children

~ Sustainable Investing Internship - Trillium Asset Management Corporation

 

As a reminder, please keep your Career Connect profile up to date. If you forgot your username and password, please contact julie.barenholtz@simmons.edu or 617-521-3857. Please do not re-register yourself as past information about you will be lost. Any questions about Career Connect? Please do not hesitate to contact Julie.

 

 

Outside Networking & Career Events

 

Outside networking and career events will be posted in detail on Career Connect in the Events and Conferences folder located in the Resource Library. Below serves as a brief reminder of upcoming events. You can register for Career Connect at: https://www.myinterfase.com/simmons/student/home.aspx

 

New England Office of ACCION USA

 

Empowering Lives with Microfinance – December 19, 2007

 

The third Wednesday of every month

8:00-8:30am: Coffee and Check-In
8:30-9:30am: Presentation and Tour

56 Roland Street, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02129

Questions and to RSVP:
Contact Rachel at 617-616-1523 or rfarahbakhsh@accion.org

 

Boston Women’s Network

 

Sara Laschever
Topic:  Effective Negotiation Skills
Expert/Author, Negotiation.  Co-Author (with Linda Babcock), Women Don’t Ask.  

 

 

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Registration at 5:30PM
Networking 6:00 - 7:00PM
Sit down dinner and speaker 7:00 to 8:30PM

 

Location:
Holiday Inn
1200 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA
Parking: $ 8.00 or free
street parking after 6PM

 

Fee:
Members - $ 35.00
Non-members - $ 45.00


 

Just Means

Greater NYC Citizenship and Social Enterprise Expo

February 25, 2008, NYU Kimmel Center - Rosenthal Room, 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10035

Details: http://www.justmeans.com/CareerFairDetails.aspx?Id=5

 

 

Interesting Career Articles

 

What Yesterday's News Means for Jobs in 2008

 

If you're wondering what jobs will be hot in 2008, take a second look at last year's news. Major events and trends often set the stage for dramatic changes in recruiting and this year is no exception.

 

Headlines from the past year signal that more jobs will be created in areas such as alternative energy, online networking and mobile technology, say recruiters. From soaring oil prices and the iPhone's debut to tainted toys and mortgage messes, the issues are familiar. Not surprisingly, some of the same big stories are also likely to result in substantial job cuts in certain sectors. Case in point: The lingering mortgage crisis has already resulted in mass layoffs for workers at many lending institutions, banks and real-estate companies. The outlook for jobs in 2008 in the industry is expected to be even gloomier, say recruiters.

 

Read Entire Article at: http://www.collegejournal.com/jobhunting/searchstrategies/20071211-needleman.html?coljcontent=mail

 

Navigating Your First Holiday Season at Work

A colder climate and a spattering of tinsel and lights around the office are sure signs the holidays have hit.

Since navigating your first holiday season in the workplace can be tricky, here are a few helpful tips of what you should (and shouldn't) be doing:

Do I have to attend the holiday office party?

Am I supposed to give my boss a gift?

Can I do my holiday shopping online during downtime at work?

 

Read Entire Article at: http://www.collegejournal.com/successwork/onjob/20071211-banjo.html?coljcontent=mail

Library Updates

Students – Good Luck with your final exams and deliverables.

 

The library has a new subscription to Time magazine. Stop the library and take a look at the latest issue.

 

Need Help with Citing Your Sources:

The library has an online guide to creating a bibliography and using citation styles: http://my.simmons.edu/library/bibliography/. This guide includes examples from citation styles such APA, Chicago and MLA.

 

Reminder: Please remember to use your cell phones outside of the library.

 

Reminder: Please be respectful of students using the quiet study space.

 

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