December, 2009

International Business Students Perform Role Plays for Three American Executives in China
Students in the Global Business Culture class in the Fall 2009 practiced what they have learned in the class through role plays. At the end of the semester, they put the role plays together and put on a big show to the audience across campus – Three American Executives in China. They learned how doing business cross-border needs to consider cultural understanding, such as differences of national cultures, management styles, individuals and potential partners. The picture shows the students in the class with Dr. Yang to practice an etiquette session in a Chinese restaurant in San Antonio in December 2009 after the big show.

Dr. Rita Kosnik coaches graduate students as they analyze negotiations cases.

Negotiation and Team Development Skills for Graduate Students
Graduate students in accounting learn critical skills in negotiations and team development through simulated negotiations.

November, 2009

Students analyzing private label brands against powerhouse brand Chips Ahoy!

Principles of Marketing Taste Testing
Living laboratory! Students in Dr. Davis' Principles of Marketing course often find themselves testing and exploring marketplace behavior in the classroom. To underscore a discussion with the power of brand names and possible difference between store brands and national brands, students were tasked with taste tests and visual comparisons of actual products.

October, 2009

Accounting Graduate Student/Alumni Mixer
The MS in Accounting Graduate Student/Alumni Mixer was held on Thursday, October 15.  Recent graduates from the program shared their tips about preparing for the CPA exam.  Students were particularly interested in hearing about the application process and the scheduling of exam sections, as well as experience with review courses.  The opportunity to mingle and eat pizza also offered a welcome break following midterm exams.

Jennifer Wang (class of ’09; E&Y) visits with MS in accounting student, Todd Wildman, at the Graduate Student/Alumni Mixer.

Class of ’08 classmates Robert Miller (KPMG) and Shawn Loader (ATK&G) get caught up on the news while waiting for MS in accounting students to arrive.

September, 2009

"Meet the Firms" Night
Forty two junior accounting students who will be participating in spring internship interviews had the opportunity to meet firm representatives at Meet the Firms on September 30, 2009, in the Great Hall.  The attendees also included several Senior Hosts who participated in the interview process as juniors and who will be serving internships during spring 2010.  The firms represented at Meet the Firms included the Big Four, as well as representatives from other national, regional, and local firms.  The next event for juniors will be a resume workshop in January, followed by mock interviews and a Junior/Senior meeting in March, and internship interviews in April.  Information about these events will be disseminated through the Intermediate Accounting class.

Dr. Robertson, chair, presents gifts to Mr. Donald Tong

Hong Kong Commissioner visits Trinity University
In September 2009 the Department of Business Administration hosted Mr. Donald Tong, the Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs in the U.S. In a roundtable discussion with Trinity University faculty interested in Asia, Mr. Tong reviewed Hong Kong's latest economic development and its role as a gateway to China. He encouraged further faculty and student collaboration with both business and educational institutions in Hong Kong in order to facilitate faculty and student exchanges as well as internship opportunities for students. The photos show Commissioner Tong and Kim Robertson, Chair of the Department of Business Administration, exchanging gifts.

Students in Alaska

July, 2009

Learning beyond the Classroom
The Department of Business Administration has recently initiated a number of courses that are taught far away from the Trinity campus.  Depending on the exact nature of the course, they have names such as Adventure Learning, Experiential Learning and Learning beyond the Classroom.
The most recent of these was a class conducted in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula.  The instructors were Professors Don Van Eynde (Business Administration) and Sheryl Tynes (Sociology).  Together they constructed a pilot course on Leadership and Group Dynamics. The course was conducted in two phases:

• Phase I consisted of having the students learn more about leadership and group dynamics by reading books and articles, conducting independent research, and writing papers.   They also learned about Alaska by doing focused reading on the history, politics, economics, ecology, geography, and wildlife of the state.

• Phase II was conducted from July 24 – 31, 2009 at various locations on the Kenai Peninsula.  Operating primarily from their home base at Ninilchik, Alaska, each day different students were placed in charge of subgroups for the day’s activities.  The student leaders were responsible for planning, organizing, directing and controlling the group experience for the day, including all aspects of care and feeding of the group members.  Each evening they gathered  to process what they had learned that day about group dynamics and about good leadership and being an effective team member.  The day concluded with theory input from the instructors that was designed to help the students understand better what had occurred.

The students who participated in the experience were Colby Bishop, Celeste Garcia, Lauren Howard, Brynn Leggett, Ryan Lesch, Thomas Pickett, Thomas Spickler, Virgil Yanta, and Leo Unzeitig.
The students and professors had an awesome experience!

Fishing on the Kenai Peninsula

Fishers with their Halibut