MSBA student writes post for FOXNews "The Daily Bret" Blog

The Politics of Big Data

Joe Fiocco-College Associate: Special Report

It’s conventional wisdom now for businesses and political campaigns to have a social media presence. And, pressure is mounting for projects to be “data-driven”. This election cycle will witness some of the most highly targeted advertising campaigns in American politics. Candidates are investing vast resources in collecting voter data to accomplish this, and the implications are startling.

Most notably, Ted Cruz exploited his grassroots network to target voters door-to-door in the Iowa caucus. The Cruz campaign’s mobile app learned the political beliefs of its subscribers through Facebook content. With access to subscribers’ political beliefs as well as their demographic data, Cruz staffers pinpointed the Iowans most receptive to the campaign’s messaging. From there, volunteers started knocking on doors. The app added competition to getting out the vote, rewarding staffers with points for sharing content, recruiting volunteers, or soliciting donations. With this enthusiastic ground game, Ted Cruz defied political logic and carried Iowa. This is especially striking, since Cruz opposed ethanol subsidies, Iowa’s golden calf.

The precision of campaign ad targeting is growing sharper.  Academic studies from the University of Toronto and the University of Minnesota found correlations between personality traits and political beliefs. Voters who valued “openness” leaned liberal, while “conscientious” voters leaned conservative. Analytics firms such as Cambridge Analytica claim to predict how voters will swing based on personality traits.

 In 2014, Cambridge Analytica devised five criteria for assessing voter personality, known as OCEAN: Open, Conscientious, Extrovert, Agreeable, and Neurotic. Over a million participants filled out questionnaires to see where they fell. The firm looked for matches in public commercial data between participants and the general population. Matches provided the basis to predict the personality types of potential voters. Cambridge Analytica found they could tailor emotional messages to individual voters. For example, a neurotic voter will likely engage with an ad highlighting a candidate’s strong stance on national security. Or, a conscientious voter might relate to an ad calling for cutting the national debt. Companies like Cambridge Analytica seem poised to overhaul traditional campaigning, for they served 44 different federal and state GOP campaigns in 2014. The firm is one of 13 such companies designing ads for the RNC and individual GOP candidates this year.

The 2016 election so far has surprised pundits and wonks at every turn. The ability to gain insights from Big Data has made an upset possible in Iowa. Concerns abound as to how politicians will use their newfound knowledge. In the future, political campaigns may be more attentive to specific issues voters care about. Yet, it may be unsettling for candidates to know your fears and desires before you do. And, as always, there will be worries about privacy. Either way, the idea that politicians are out of touch is straying further from the truth. 

Originally posted April 18th on "The Daily Bret" Blog

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Catholic University Receives $47 Million for Business School, Academic Programs

School to be name the Tim and Steph School of Business and Economics

Tim and Steph Busch

The Catholic University of America announced today that it has received six commitments totaling $47 million for the operational needs of the School of Business and Economics and other University academic programs. The lead gift of $15 million from the Busch Family Foundation is the largest financial commitment the University has received to date.

“Today marks a historic day for Catholic University, in which it is propelled forward in its mission to serve both Church and nation through the incredible generosity of several benefactors,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees.

The gift from the Busch Family Foundation, established by Tim Busch and his wife, Steph, will be allocated to the renovation of Maloney Hall, where the business and economics school will be relocated. Busch is founder and CEO of Pacific Hospitality Group and The Busch Firm, both based in Irvine, Calif., among other companies and charitable organizations. He is also co-founder and chairman of the board of The Napa Institute, which has co-sponsored two conferences with the School of Business and Economics. He serves as the chairman of the school’s Board of Visitors and will conclude his 12-year tenure on the University’s Board of Trustees this year.

The school will be renamed the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics in recognition of their support for the University’s approach to thought-leading business education informed by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

“We are committed to supporting Catholic University's vision for business education which integrates principled entrepreneurship and Catholic Social Teaching in a distinctive way,” said Tim Busch. “Students at the school of business and economics learn how businesses can be highly profitable and innovative, while also meeting the needs of communities and promoting human flourishing."

“As the University’s largest benefactors to date, Tim and Steph Busch have demonstrated unparalleled support for the unique approach of our business school,” said President John Garvey. “Beyond this, they have attracted other major supporters whose gifts have nourished the school’s success. We are immensely grateful for their partnership and all that they have done to advance the University.”

A small group of leadership donors also made the following financial commitments to the University: $10 million from the Arthur and Carlyse Ciocca Charitable Foundation, which includes the establishment of the Arthur and Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship; $10 million from the Charles Koch Foundation, which supports hundreds of colleges and universities across the country and helps individual students and faculty members pursue scholarship related to societal well-being and free societies; $5 million from Joe Della Ratta (Class of 1953), founder and owner of Della Ratta, Inc. and current benefactor of the Centesimus Annus Della Ratta Family Endowed Professorship; $5 million from an anonymous donor; and $2 million from the Blanford Charitable Gift Fund through the recommendation of Larry Blanford, a member of the school’s board of visitors, and his wife, Lynn.

These gifts will support the Maloney Hall renovation, academic programs in the business and economics school, and the new Institute for Human Ecology, which will take up Pope Francis’s call in Laudato Si’ to systematically study the relationships of human beings to one another and the world around them.

Media Contact: Elise Italiano, executive director of university communications, 202-319-5600 or italiano@cua.edu.

Posted 16 hours ago by CUA School of Business and Economics

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MSBA Alumni Spotlight Story - Anatole Doak

"I came in with a liberal arts background and didn't really know what I wanted, but going into the program exposes you to every single aspect of business"

 

Hear more of Anatole's story in the MSBA Alumni Spotlight video below. Want to learn more about the MSBA program or interested in applying? Click here to learn more!

 

 

 

 

Are you an MSBA alumni? Would you like to share your story of how the MSBA program helped you in your career path and be featured in a video? Contact Emily Casey at caseye@cua.edu.

 

 

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University Hires Dean of School of Business & Economics

Following a nationwide search, President John Garvey announced today that The Catholic University of America has hired Bill Bowman as the new dean of the School of Business and Economics. Bowman will begin on Aug. 20, but will be on campus extensively during the summer. Bowman is currently the President and CEO of Core Values Group LLC in Boston, a consulting firm that works with employees to help them grow in the human virtues most important to their organization’s success.
Bowman brings with him to his new position over 25 years of business leadership experience. Prior to launching Core Values Group, Bowman was president and CEO of US Inspect in Chantilly, Va., the nation’s largest home and commercial inspection company. Before that, he served as president of ChildrenFirst Inc. (now Bright Horizons), the nation’s leading provider of backup child care services to corporations.

Bowman is also an experienced entrepreneur. In 1982, he co-founded Spinnaker Software Corp., one of the nation’s first educational software companies. After selling Spinnaker to the Learning Company, Bowman began operations for Logal Software, Inc., another educational software company. Serving as president, he helped to take the company public in 1996. Prior to both those ventures, Bowman co-founded the Montrose School, an independent day school for girls located in Medfield, Mass. Bowman served as chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees for 10 years and remains active as a trustee.

Bowman is an honors engineering graduate of Northwestern University. He received an M.B.A. with distinction from the Harvard Business School. He is married to Leigh Bowman, with whom he has nine children.

Bowman also worked for the Boston Consulting Group and for the United States Public Health Service, and was appointed by the governor as a trustee of the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts, remaining on the board for six years. He is a co-founder of the Massachusetts Software Council, past chairman of the Software Publishers Association, and a former director of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

Announcing the appointment, President Garvey said, “Bill Bowman has achieved great success while living out his faith in the business world. We look forward to working with him as he brings his talents, experience, and values into his new role as dean of the School of Business and Economics.”

Bowman noted: “The Catholic Church has a rich set of social doctrine that can help business leaders operate their companies with greater integrity and compassion. I look forward to working with our faculty and students to translate these principles into concrete actions that improve business operations without sacrificing financial return. At a time when so many are losing faith with business, The Catholic University of America can help them gain confidence that there is a better way to operate."

As the dean of the School of Business and Economics, Bowman will report to the provost. He will provide academic and administrative leadership to the school, while representing the school to the University at large and the business community. He will also be responsible for leading the school’s development and promotion efforts.

Original post found here. 

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