December 2016

Ryan O’Shea spent seven years in the education system as a secondary school teacher after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Kinetics and Education. Ryan’s interest in Business led him to complete his MBA at California State University Long Beach in 2014 where he received the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key upon graduating.  Following Business School, Ryan returned to Canada where he works for Mitchell Group Investments and their residential development branch, Miracon Development Inc. Ryan joined the company as the Director of Residential Development and Construction Manager. In his role, Ryan manages the client and buyer relationships with Miracon, a Vancouver based Residential Development Company, and oversees site coordination with various trades and vendors. Currently, Miracon has three single family projects under construction in Vancouver totaling 135 homes. Ryan also serves on the Greater Vancouver Housing Board Associations Development Committee that assists members with advocacy on issues related to policy and regulations on housing affordability, green building, sustainability, and parkland dedications.

If you would like us to feature your story, contact Giselle.Oberly@csulb.edu

Annual Alumni Mixer

On November, 12^th the CBA Graduate Programs hosted the second annual Alumni Mixer. Alumni were able to connect with colleagues, former classmates and faculty. Alumni from as far back as the Class of 1968 attended and shared their CBA stories and experiences with some of our newest alumni and current students. The new MBA Advisory Board was introduced including Barbara Barcon, who was also recognized for being our 2016 Honored Graduate Business Alumnus. Overall, the night was a great success, this is very exciting for the CBA Graduate programs because we want to reconnect and engage with our alumni to continue to build the CBA as a strong brand in the region! We have many strengths and our alumni are an important part of this.

Accelerated MBA Travels to Peru

“In May 2016, the whole AMBA XI cohort flew to Peru for our International trip. It was a great opportunity for all of us to see and experience the rich and vibrant culture of Peru, while learning about some of the diverse startups that are booming in the country.  The whole point of the experience was to learn about entrepreneurship in a country that has recently achieved strong economic growth and prosperity and try to understand how innovation starts, how it grows, evolves and ultimately becomes successful. Peru is a land of abundant opportunities, just like their expansive natural resources. We learned a lot from our trip in Peru.  The whole vibe of the country felt familiar to me and I felt a sense of kinship with its people. It felt like being in Manila, Philippines. It felt like home.

The first leg of our trip was in Lima and we visited Startup Peru, a program created by the Peruvian government to help business-minded individuals to get their innovative ideas started and get them off the ground. We also visited Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL) and learned about their department that was solely focused on entrepreneurship. They offered courses in entrepreneurship and they held competitions that were open to the public for great business ideas that they are able to fund. The second leg was in Cusco and it was so much fun flying together as a class. In Cusco we visited Algarrobos Organicos, an organic farm that grows, process and exports native products to the world. Theirs was a thriving business and it especially sparked my interest since I have a background in agricultural chemistry. They were doing extremely well in growing their business and industry. The last place we visited was a lot of fun and extremely fulfilling. We got to volunteer some of our time in helping underprivileged kids have a nice, safe and clean after-school facility that was spearheaded by Proyecto Peru. Our time in Peru was definitely one for the books, one that will be cherished till the end of time.” - Fidji Nicar Victoriano, AMBA XI

CBA Incubator

Pictured: The Molina Speaker Series October 27^th event

Attention all participants of this year’s Innovation Challenge! The CBA Incubator would like to remind you all that your letter of intent is due Friday, December 2^nd.  To access the complete timeline and get more information about the Innovation Challenge, click here.

Our Molina Entrepreneurship Speaker Series continues on Thursday, December 15^th at the Molina Baker Building on 650 Pine Ave. Long Beach, CA 90802. We will begin with a networking session at 6:30pm with some light refreshments. For more event information, please email biz-innovatate@csulb.edu!

Remember, our CBA Incubator meetings are open to all students and alumni of CSULB and CBA Graduate Programs. Join us every Tuesday at 7:00pm in CBA 139A!

For live updates and more fun, follow @CBAIncubator on Facebook and Twitter or #InnovationChallenge.

Connie Awards

MSSCM students Radhika Naik, David Clifford and David Pollard Receive Scholarships at the CONNIE Awards 

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) hosted the 2016 CONNIE Awards at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel on September 20.  This year, the CONNIE Awards honored Knud Stubkjaer, CEO of Carrix, Inc., while also recognizing three distinguished students from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).  

With over 35 years of experience in transportation, terminal operations and logistics, Stubkjaer has served in various leadership roles in the industry. Before joining SSA Marine (a Carrix enterprise), he served as Head of the Maersk Container Business Worldwide in Copenhagen; Partner in A.P. Moller; CEO of E.R. Schiffahrt GmbH; and Vice Chairman of E.R. Capital Holding. 

Stubkjaer received his shipping degree from the Maersk International Shipping Academy, and continued to supplement his education with various executive programs at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and INSEAD business school.

At the CONNIE Awards, CII also recognized three students from CSULB who are continuing their education by pursuing a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management while working full-time. David Clifford is the Transload & Container Depot Manager for Ventura Transfer Company, David Pollard is Director of Rail Operations with APM Terminals, and Radhika Naik is working towards a second master's degree while also working as a Pricing Analyst Intern for Shift Freight.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by CII for this scholarship during an evening recognizing the industry contributions of Mr. Stubkjaer,” said David Clifford. “Balancing the demands of work and family will continue to be a part of what we do as professionals in this industry. The supply chain is a dynamic industry that continues to evolve, and will require individuals who can meet the challenges we may face in the future.”

Congratulations to the MSSCM students for being recognized for their hard work and continued pursuit of education, and to Knud Stubkjaer for receiving the 2016 CONNIE Award. 

MSA Program Information

Do you want to start your career as an Accountant? Do you want to be a CPA? We have the perfect program for you!  

The MS in Accountancy is taught by experienced faculty to meet the 150-hours CPA licensing requirement for the State of California. Importantly, you do not need to be an undergraduate accounting major to participate in this low cost and high value program. Specific benefits include:

• Complete 30 hours of course work in less than 11 months.
• Convenient evenings and Saturday schedule to accommodate working professionals.
• Summer “boot camp” courses to help Non-Accounting graduates achieve program prerequisites.
• Free CPA review course – pass the CPA exam while getting your MS in Accountancy.
• CSULB’s strong career development resources.
• Beta Alpha Psi and Accounting Society membership opportunities.
• Alumni network support

 

Dr. Rod Smith is the Director of the MS Accountancy program and has taught at the CBA for over 15 years. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has published articles in The Accounting Review, the Journal of Information Systems and the Journal of Management Accounting Research, among other academic journals. His research interest includes: Financial and non-financial measures to assess organizational performance. Accounting information systems, enterprise systems, business processes, and business value. Design science. Systems dynamics and business process simulation.

MSSCM Program Information

Dr. Sherry Su is the Director of the MS Supply Chain Management Program. Dr. Su's research and teaching interest include supply chain management, production and inventory management, applied game theory, operations-marketing interfaces and business analytics. 

Dr. Su is an associate editor for International Journal of Operational Research, and is a member of editorial review board for Production and Operations Management. She is also actively involved in the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and Decision Sciences Institute (DSI). Her research has appeared in journals including Production and Operations Management, International Journal of Electronic Business, The TQM Journal, International Journal of Educational Management, and International Journal of Services and Standards.

Before joining CSULB, Dr. Su has taught at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and worked as operations director in a high-tech firm. Upon joining CSULB, she has devoted most of her time to revamping the undergraduate Operation and Supply Chain Management program and building SCM at graduate level. She received Fifth Annual Dean’s Exemplary Service Award in 2012. 

CareerTip: The LinkedIn Summary – A Must for Your Online Presence

LinkedIn is a powerful tool in today’s professional world. With roughly 470 million online users, and growing each year, there is tremendous opportunity in utilizing this online tool to connect with others. It’s too often that we forget to translate the essentials of making a professional connection in person into a digital space. In this case, it’s the LinkedIn summary. Essentially, this section of your profile can be the same as introducing yourself at a professional networking event. You wouldn’t shake somebody’s hand and just hold your resume up to their face, right?  So think of this section of your profile as the introduction to who you are as a professional. This is the first thing someone might read about your experience, and possibly the very first impression they receive, hence it is an essential section to include. There are many ways to craft your LinkedIn profile summary. Here a few styles we’ve seen our students and alumni take:

Straight to the Point: This is when you include 4-5 sentences that explain your experience and your strengths. Here’s an example:

Business consulting and process improvement professional, experienced in operational excellence, Lean Six Sigma and entrepreneurship. Strategic, dynamic, and creative.

Demonstrated experience in bringing a global perspective to ongoing projects.

Master's and bachelor's degrees in international business and economics. Regional expertise in China and the Asia-Pacific. World traveler and enthusiast for culture, technology and food.

MBA – Concentration in Management (UC San Diego)
BA - Economics (UC Santa Barbara)
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (In Progress) - (Toshiba)
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - (Toshiba)

Conveying Your Essence: This is the strategy where you think long and hard about what you do and why you do it, and you lead with your passion and the types of problems you want to solve in the world.

I’ve been studying and working with computers since the early 1970s. I enjoy solving hard problems, and I’ve often been able to come up with creative and innovative solutions. I love to think beyond the problem at hand and look toward the future, and to educate others so they can solve interesting problems as well.

Over the past 4 or 5 years I’ve been working with huge datasets, involving 100s of billions of data points…(continue to summarize work experience/education as applicable).

Curious how others are approaching the LinkedIn summary? Here is some help:  Article 1  Article 2​

Best, The Graduate Business Career Services Team 

How Can You Get Involved? Donate to our Scholarship Fund - Your Donation Has a Big Impact on Students’ Education

"Since receiving the Graduate Fellowship Research Award, I have been able to further chase a dream I have had for a few years now, helping people in my native country of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is now on record as the country with the worst rate of inflation in the history of the world, and along with that are various issues. One of which being availability of electricity for basic needs. This fellowship has given me a chance to not only return to Zimbabwe, but to be able to collect data, and assess the positive impact of renewable technologies!” – Thulani Ngazimbi, Current Evening MBA Student

Give

Esteemed CBA Alumni: GBA Needs You!

Are you interested in sharing your catalogue of business knowledge with passionate Graduate Business students? CSULB’s Graduate Business Association is just for you!

The Graduate Business Association (GBA) is a student-led, on-campus organization composed of Graduate Business Students at CSULB, and consists of students in MBA, Supply Chain, and Accountancy Master’s Degree Programs. GBA students range from: domestic to international, experienced to novice, business and non-business backgrounds, and represent a myriad of different industries of interest. The GBA’s mission is to engage with our alumni and provide Graduate Business students with networking and professional experiences that complement their academic careers and enrich their professional development. This being said, GBA needs alumni! CBA Alumni from any industry or position level are welcomed with open arms and encouraged to reach out to participate in GBA events.

Our events typically include a spotlight on CBA Alumni, where the alumnus speak to students about his/her “story” post-graduation as they enter and maneuver about their professional careers. Following the speaking portion, students are very eager to ask questions, gain insights, and make meaningful connections with the respected alumni that attend these GBA events. Your experience is very valuable; the Graduate students are very excited to learn and benefit from your knowledge and expertise!

If being part of a GBA Alumni Speaker Event interests you, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please email GBA President Troy Mullen for more information. Thank you!