Thursday, March 31, 2016

Former VP of US Chamber of Commerce visits MSBA class

Rich Cooper, former Vice President of Emerging Issues at the US Chamber of Commerce was our guest this month in the MSBA Leadership Series. Rich has a wealth of knowledge and information on future trends and directions and kept the class spellbound with his ideas on what their future might look like.

Mr. Cooper contends many of the old definitions are no longer relevant and the status quo is constantly being disrupted. “Think Über and Lyft versus the taxi monopoly,” he urged. “Will regulators be able to keep up with the technology? What about the unintended consequences of these disruptors? Who will decide the limits of the drone? Your airspace, free airspace?”

“Google glasses may be a great convenience, but what if you don’t want your conversation recorded?”, he asked. Lawyers and ethicists will have to deal with these questions in the future.

In fact, Mr. Cooper thinks the current Millennial generation may be the most disruptive generation since the founding fathers; not willing to accept the status quo and possessing the means to disrupt it. For example, smart phones today have more computing power than the technology that landed man on the moon and all of the information contained in the Alexandria library, once considering the greatest in the world, would fit on a thumb drive today.

In closing, Rich counseled vigilance and humility will be needed to ensure progress is for the benefit of all.
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Monday, March 21, 2016

MSBA Alumni Success Story Spotlight Video - Bryan Levine

Check out our newest Alumni Spotlight video featuring Bryan Levine, MSBA class of 2012. Hear about how his experience in the MSBA program helped him in his job field. Let us know what you think by commenting below - we would love to hear from you!

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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Former Presidential Speechwriter Bill McGurn Guest Lectures in MSBA Class

Bill McGurn, Main Street columnist at the Wall Street Journal, joined the MSBA Spirit of Enterprise class for the first of three visiting lectures. McGurn has had a long career in journalism, serving as the Editor for the Editorial Page for The New York Post, columnist for the The Wall Street Journal, and speechwriter for former President George Bush, Sr.

Last week's case study dealt with the ethical question surrounding the relationship between Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill and Salomon Smith Barney analyst Jack Grubman in 2001. Was the sudden AT&T upgrade from hold to strong buy a result of new strategic information that Grubman encountered? Or was it in fact a quid pro quo for Weill's recommendation and $1M contribution to the 92nd Street Y pre-school which Grubman wanted his childrento attend?

At stake was AT&T's choice of an investment bank, which Weill coveted, knowing a hold recommendation from his subsidiary SSB was likely to hurt Citi's chances. After discussing the case and reading memos between the two, Mr. McGurn and professor Max Torres role-played Jack Grubman and congressional questioners. Guilty or not guilty? We will never know. What we do know is the case led to a spirited debate in our Spirit of Enterprise class and demonstrated the fine line between honorable and selfish intentions.
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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

MSBA Alumni Success Story Spotlight

Let us know what you think of our latest MSBA Success Story Spotlight video! Today we feature 2015 graduate Paige Pilarski who currently works at RiskLens. Share your thoughts with us in the comments!


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