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The Master of Science in Business Analysis Blog.
A master's program in business for non-business majors that can be completed in less than one year.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
Are writing skills necessary anymore?
From The Washington Post.
Career Coach: Are writing skills necessary anymore?
By Joyce E.A. Russell May 22, 2011
We know the value of oral communication skills for today’s workers, but that other type of communication— writing — is just as important. With today’s emphasis on fast communication through technology, it seems more people ask why they need to take writing courses or learn writing skills when they can just text their views to employers, clients and colleagues.
Even children seem to gripe more these days about why they need to learn to write in complete sentences. So what is the value of good writing skills today?
I recently posed this question to a number of executives, consultants and business leaders from various disciplines. I thought that some of them, especially the younger ones, might actually agree that writing is overrated. On the contrary, all of them emphasized the criticality of good writing skills and said that writing is even more important than in previous years. Professionals spend more time each day writing and are inundated with written communications (e-mails, reports, memos and such), so it is imperative that employees be able to write succinctly and write well.
Business leaders also felt that writing skills among graduates seem to have declined over the years. Those who demonstrate good writing skills are often sought to participate in more interesting projects. As one chief executive put it, “Employees have to be able to write proposals for client work; they can’t just cut and paste from the Web.”
Another partner of a firm said he was so embarrassed by an associate’s writing, he couldn’t put it in front of a client. A sales manager agreed, “We have gotten so used to texting our messages to people or tweeting that we have forgotten how to spell or put two words together.”
Writing skills can differentiate job candidates from one another. Some graduates have told me that they think their writing skills landed them a job. In some cases, applicants have to provide a writing sample for a position. Many applicants have to complete job applications, which may include answers to various essay questions. Job candidates can also show off good writing skills by following up an interview with a thank-you note reiterating the value they would bring to the job. Employers often tell me they are surprised by how often applicants do not review what they submit. Incorrect grammar, spelling and language usage can make a very bad impression. Using an informal style — relying on abbreviations, not using punctuation and failing to capitalize — does not come across as professional. Many hiring managers figure that if a person demonstrates poor writing skills when highly motivated to apply for a job, those skills probably won’t be any better once on the job.
Here are some things to think about when you sit down to write:
Joyce E.A. Russell is the director of the Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist and has more than 25 years of experience coaching executives and consulting on leadership and career management. She can be reached at jrussell@rhsmith.umd.edu.
Read More »
Career Coach: Are writing skills necessary anymore?
By Joyce E.A. Russell May 22, 2011
We know the value of oral communication skills for today’s workers, but that other type of communication— writing — is just as important. With today’s emphasis on fast communication through technology, it seems more people ask why they need to take writing courses or learn writing skills when they can just text their views to employers, clients and colleagues.
Even children seem to gripe more these days about why they need to learn to write in complete sentences. So what is the value of good writing skills today?
I recently posed this question to a number of executives, consultants and business leaders from various disciplines. I thought that some of them, especially the younger ones, might actually agree that writing is overrated. On the contrary, all of them emphasized the criticality of good writing skills and said that writing is even more important than in previous years. Professionals spend more time each day writing and are inundated with written communications (e-mails, reports, memos and such), so it is imperative that employees be able to write succinctly and write well.
Business leaders also felt that writing skills among graduates seem to have declined over the years. Those who demonstrate good writing skills are often sought to participate in more interesting projects. As one chief executive put it, “Employees have to be able to write proposals for client work; they can’t just cut and paste from the Web.”
Another partner of a firm said he was so embarrassed by an associate’s writing, he couldn’t put it in front of a client. A sales manager agreed, “We have gotten so used to texting our messages to people or tweeting that we have forgotten how to spell or put two words together.”
Writing skills can differentiate job candidates from one another. Some graduates have told me that they think their writing skills landed them a job. In some cases, applicants have to provide a writing sample for a position. Many applicants have to complete job applications, which may include answers to various essay questions. Job candidates can also show off good writing skills by following up an interview with a thank-you note reiterating the value they would bring to the job. Employers often tell me they are surprised by how often applicants do not review what they submit. Incorrect grammar, spelling and language usage can make a very bad impression. Using an informal style — relying on abbreviations, not using punctuation and failing to capitalize — does not come across as professional. Many hiring managers figure that if a person demonstrates poor writing skills when highly motivated to apply for a job, those skills probably won’t be any better once on the job.
Here are some things to think about when you sit down to write:
- Think about your audience (business colleagues, friends, etc.) and the appropriate format (e-mail vs. report vs. letter).
- Be clear. Don’t rely on technical jargon or acronyms.
- Be concise. For many jobs it is important that you be able to write a one-page executive report as well as other short reports.
- Be professional, especially in e-mails. Anything that you send can be copied or forwarded to others. Employers often comment that a person’s written message reflects his/her personal image and degree of professionalism.
- Be comfortable with revisions. Don’t expect that your first draft will be the final product. Great writers often spend many hours revising and improving their work.
- Practice and get feedback on your writing.
- Take classes to improve. An Internet search quickly reveals numerous in-person and online options to improve technical writing and creative writing.
- Read your writing aloud to uncover mistakes.
- Cite references where appropriate. Make sure you do not plagiarize by taking others’ work without crediting it.
- Proofread your work or get someone else to review it. Review accuracy, clarity, spelling, punctuation, grammar and conciseness.
- Use structure to make it reader-friendly. Section headings, paragraph subheadings, graphs, charts and bullet points can help.
Joyce E.A. Russell is the director of the Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist and has more than 25 years of experience coaching executives and consulting on leadership and career management. She can be reached at jrussell@rhsmith.umd.edu.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
MSBA Student Interns at FoodCowboy to Help End Hunger in America
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| Roger Gordon, co-founder of FoodCowboy |
Download the FoodCowboy app, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
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| Barbara Cohen, co-founder of FoodCowboy |
#FoodCowboy has already been featured in multiple media platforms (Huffington Post, NPR, Time Magazine, etc.) and I recently had the unique opportunity to take a behind the scenes look at the TV interview process and all the hard work that goes into the preparation of the interview. We are excited to see all of our hard-work come to life on The Nightly Business Report on PBS in February! Stay tuned for #FoodCowboy’s answer to #hunger.
For more information about FoodCowboy, visit their website at www.foodcowboy.com.
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| Barbara and Roger speaking to the MSBA class |
Monday, January 26, 2015
Business and Economics School to Receive $3 Million
Jan. 22, 2015
Business and Economics School to Receive $3 Million
Grant to Fund Four Long-term Faculty Researching Virtue in Business
The Catholic University of America’s School of Business and Economics
has received a commitment of up to $3 million from the Charles Koch
Foundation ($1,750,000), the Busch Family Foundation ($500,000), and
three business leaders (each contributing $250,000) to support
additional faculty members who will bolster the school’s goal of
advancing the study and practice of principled entrepreneurship.
“This new $3 million grant puts our school far along the path of creating a cadre of faculty dedicated to research exploring how we can make business and economics more humane,” said Andrew Abela, dean of the school. “That’s not only the vision for our school; it’s also a moral imperative that Pope Francis has been championing with great passion.”
The $3 million pledge comes a little more than a year since the Charles Koch Foundation and the Busch Family Foundation committed $1 million and $500,000, respectively, to the business and economics school to support four visiting scholars researching principled entrepreneurship as a catalyst for improving society’s well-being.
The four additional faculty, who may be hired as early as fall 2015, will be long-term scholars who teach in the management area and share a common focus in research on the integration of Catholic social doctrine within business professions.
The Charles Koch Foundation supports research and higher education programs focused on advancing an understanding of how free societies improve well-being, especially for the least fortunate. The Busch Family Foundation was founded by Timothy R. Busch and his wife, Steph. Timothy Busch is a member of The Catholic University of America’s Board of Trustees and the School of Business and Economics Board of Visitors, and chairman of the board of the Napa Institute.
The three Catholic business leaders who have each committed $250,000 – Sean Fieler, Frank Hanna, and Michael Millette – are all members of the business and economics school’s Board of Visitors. Millette is a member of CUA’s Board of Trustees.
“I am proud to donate to CUA’s vision for an educational program that shows how capitalism and Catholicism can work hand in hand,” Timothy Busch said. “The school, an integral part of the only pontifical university in the country, will have a unique role in teaching this message to future business leaders – and to the rest of the American Church.”
“Catholic University’s increased commitment to exploring principled entrepreneurship will engage more students and scholars in crucial debates about the role of business in society,” said Brian Hooks, president of the Charles Koch Foundation. “This additional grant will accelerate the University’s efforts to understand how businesses best create value in society.”
The University will search for, recruit, and select the new professors in accordance with existing University hiring policies.
The mission of The Catholic University of America School of Business and Economics is to provide intellectual leadership in business and economics through practical and theoretical education and scholarship, inspired by the Catholic principles of human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good, in support of the mission of the University. It is one of 12 schools at the University, which was founded in 1887 as a graduate research institution.
MEDIA: For more information, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy Hines in the Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600 or cua-public-affairs@cua.edu.
Note: \This article is the press release from CUA Public Affairs, originally posted here.
Read More »
Business and Economics School to Receive $3 Million
Grant to Fund Four Long-term Faculty Researching Virtue in Business |
|
| Dean Andrew Abela addresses the Class of 2018 during Orientation last fall. |
“This new $3 million grant puts our school far along the path of creating a cadre of faculty dedicated to research exploring how we can make business and economics more humane,” said Andrew Abela, dean of the school. “That’s not only the vision for our school; it’s also a moral imperative that Pope Francis has been championing with great passion.”
The $3 million pledge comes a little more than a year since the Charles Koch Foundation and the Busch Family Foundation committed $1 million and $500,000, respectively, to the business and economics school to support four visiting scholars researching principled entrepreneurship as a catalyst for improving society’s well-being.
The four additional faculty, who may be hired as early as fall 2015, will be long-term scholars who teach in the management area and share a common focus in research on the integration of Catholic social doctrine within business professions.
The Charles Koch Foundation supports research and higher education programs focused on advancing an understanding of how free societies improve well-being, especially for the least fortunate. The Busch Family Foundation was founded by Timothy R. Busch and his wife, Steph. Timothy Busch is a member of The Catholic University of America’s Board of Trustees and the School of Business and Economics Board of Visitors, and chairman of the board of the Napa Institute.
The three Catholic business leaders who have each committed $250,000 – Sean Fieler, Frank Hanna, and Michael Millette – are all members of the business and economics school’s Board of Visitors. Millette is a member of CUA’s Board of Trustees.
“I am proud to donate to CUA’s vision for an educational program that shows how capitalism and Catholicism can work hand in hand,” Timothy Busch said. “The school, an integral part of the only pontifical university in the country, will have a unique role in teaching this message to future business leaders – and to the rest of the American Church.”
“Catholic University’s increased commitment to exploring principled entrepreneurship will engage more students and scholars in crucial debates about the role of business in society,” said Brian Hooks, president of the Charles Koch Foundation. “This additional grant will accelerate the University’s efforts to understand how businesses best create value in society.”
The University will search for, recruit, and select the new professors in accordance with existing University hiring policies.
The mission of The Catholic University of America School of Business and Economics is to provide intellectual leadership in business and economics through practical and theoretical education and scholarship, inspired by the Catholic principles of human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good, in support of the mission of the University. It is one of 12 schools at the University, which was founded in 1887 as a graduate research institution.
MEDIA: For more information, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy Hines in the Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600 or cua-public-affairs@cua.edu.
Note: \This article is the press release from CUA Public Affairs, originally posted here.
Friday, January 16, 2015
A Dinner to Remember
We kicked off our first week back in class with our annual etiquette dinner, hosted by Kathryn Marshall. Ms. Marshall, Associate Director of Career Services here at The Catholic University of America, coached the class on dining etiquette as part of an interview.
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| Kathryn Marshall, Associate Director of Career Services |
Students were coached on everything from how to correctly hold a white wine or red wine glass:
To how to correctly hold a fork and knife (and which to use when there is more than one set):
To how to eat more tricky and messy foods like the delicious (and slippery) chicken piccata with fettucine pasta:
Overall the evening was a great success. Everyone learned very important information, tips and tricks to remember when dining as part of an interview. A special thanks to Kathryn Marshall and the wait staff and management of Aramark for making this special event possible.
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| Gorgeous place settings |
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| Eating appetizers can be tricky when there are toothpicks involved. |
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| Second course spinach and tortellini soup |
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| Third course salads |
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| The intermezzo course - mango sorbet |
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| A delicious main course! |
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| There's always room for a little dessert |
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The 80/20 Rule for Fair and Balanced Networking
A great article originally posted here about the rules of networking. We hope you enjoy it!
Power Hack of the Week: The 80/20 Rule for Fair and Balanced Networking
Posted on Oct 27, 2014
In our “Power Hack of the Week” series, we highlight one quick thing you can do each week to improve your personal, career or money life. Today, we’re featuring the 80/20 Rule for Reciprocal (read: it’s not all about you!) Networking.
By now you’ve probably heard the cardinal rule of networking a million times: If you want to make a killer impression, you need to know exactly what to say when you meet someone new. And we’ll bet that’s why you’ve spent hours brushing up on answers to common yet surprisingly tough questions like, “Tell me about yourself!”
“Good networking is all about building good relationships,” business coach Alisoun Mackenzie explains. “Selling at people just turns them away.”
If that news has you scrambling to revamp your networking strategy stat, slow down for a sec—because Mackenzie’s favorite hack, the 80/20 Rule, is here to help.
In a nutshell: At any given networking event, spend 80% of your conversations focusing on whomever you’re talking to—and only 20% on self-promotion.
If you spend five minutes talking to someone, you’ll want to limit talking about yourself to one minute—and cede the floor to your new connection for the rest of the time.
Why It’s Worthy of Being Called a Power Hack More than ever, networking is a vital part of the employment search process—70% of jobs are now found through networking and many are filled by word of mouth.
The only problem?
Nerves, self-interest and the natural human tendency to talk about yourself often get in the way of building those mutually beneficial relationships needed for professional success—unless you’re keeping the 80/20 Rule in mind to combat these sneaky stumbling blocks.
How to Get Hacking Visualize what the 80/20 split might look like at your next networking event. If you spend five minutes talking to someone, you’ll want to limit talking about yourself to one minute—and cede the floor to your new connection for the rest of the time.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should spend those four minutes in silence. So before the event, research the latest trends in your industry, companies you might want to work for, and the individuals you hope to meet. Armed with this information, you can start to formulate useful, informed questions that will fill up the lion’s share of your conversations.
They could be as simple as, “What is your typical day like?” or “What do you most like about your job?” Although the best ones will be related to your own professional goals, such as, “Are there any professional associations you enjoy and would recommend?”
You can also use this time to offer a helpful suggestion, strategic introduction or possible solution to a tricky work problem your new acquaintance may have just described—so you can both help each other achieve big professional goals.
Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship to us.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
MSBA meets NYC Picture Recap
Last week, 23 of our CUA MSBA students
attended our annual New York City Trip. We had a great time visiting
companies such as DDB, Interbrand, the New York Stock Exchange, JP
Morgan, Fox Business News and many others. Thanks to all the companies
who made our visit possible and to our stellar students. A special
thanks to Varanun for making the great video!
"The trip to New York was absolutely incredible! We spent days at some
of the best companies and got to meet so many new exciting people, but
the best part was definitely growing closer to my classmates - it is an
experience that I won't forget!" - Patty Fabijanczyk
"The NYC trip was a true learning and bonding experience. While visiting
numerous diverse companies, I learned a lot about the type of work
environment that I will thrive best in. It was also fun to spend time
and get to know our MSBA class even better!" - Kendall Swenson
"The NY trip was a great experience for our group. Travel is a necessary
evil in the business world; fortunately, busy travel days become a lot
more bearable when you're surrounded by 25 good friends. We were lucky
to be able to share this experience as a class. Use your travel time
wisely; smile, say thank you, and compliment the people you meet." -
Julie Brownell
"It was a great way to bond with our class." - Caitlin Wiggins
"The trip to New York was a great experience for me. I have lived in
New York my entire life but never had the chance to visit businesses,
learn the inside aspects of the companies or walk around the floor of
the New York Stock Exchange! The trip was exciting and educational,
which is how the MSBA program has been this semester" - Victoria
Capozucca
"It was exciting to see the vast number of opportunities in a wide variety of industries and businesses." - Pat Fricchione
This class continues to show promise and we are excited to see what next semester holds.
Read More »
"An experience I will not forget. I met some incredible leaders in
business who inspired me to work hard and strive for excellence.
Overall, I feel much closer to the MSBA cohort and that the experience
has given me a greater appreciation for how businesses operate and how
much passion drives success.” - Sean Russell Wilson
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| At Times Square |
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| Made it to the hotel safe and sound! |
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| On the way to JP Morgan |
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| Studying hard on the train to NYC |
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| Joe Liebman, account planner at DDB, explains the role of research in developing client communications |
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| Professor Shatzen discusses quantitative methods with Joe Liebman |
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| Outside the New York Stock Exchange |
"I think seeing different industries appealing
to everyone is class was very beneficial. Also – I think sleep and
hunger are for the weak (you guys know what I’m talking about). The trip
was an excellent experience. I made great connections and would highly
recommend the trip to future MSBA students." - Matthew Miano
.JPG) |
| At the W hotel after a long day of company visits |
“The trip was spectacular, it really changed my perspective on the
variety of jobs there are. It was really helpful getting to meet CUA
graduates working in these different companies and getting to know how
they got there." - Shea Lilly
 |
| On the way to the New York Stock Exchange |
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