Inaugural Newsletter

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Featured Alumni - Barbara Barcon

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Barbara BArcon
Ms. Barbara Barcon has been a finance executive with over 30 years of corporate finance leadership in the Aerospace and Energy industries. She has an extensive background in financial planning, M&A and operational management. Her career includes over 21 years at Hughes Electronics, where she rose to the position of CFO  of the satellite manufacturing business unit. She was also at TRW/Northrop Grumman, a Private Equity firm and PG&E as CFO of the utility. She earned a Bachelors degree from San Diego State University and her MBA from CSULB in 1984. She also serves as a judge for the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition. Ms. Barcon was honored at the 2016 Graduate Banquet on May 14, 2016. She was not able to join us and will receive her plaque at the November 12th Alumni Mixer. Please see our Upcoming Events Section for more information on our Alumni Mixer. Would you like us to feature your story in an upcoming Newsletter? Contact Giselle Oberly for more information

Saturday MBA Travels to Berlin

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Students in Berlin
In June, SMBA 5 travelled to Berlin. We had the opportunity to explore a city with a rich and complex history, while learning about some ways in which sustainability is practiced in another culture. The idea was to be able to experience these differences and understand the potential to implement innovative ideas in the US. By approaching this experience through the lens of sustainability, the cohort was able to see how much opportunity there is to improve on processes in the US. Outside of the curriculum, the class was able to spend some time sightseeing, enjoying the local cuisine and bonding with each other!The cohort teamed with SRH­Hochschule Berlin, and learned both from the faculty at the campus, as well as through a number of site visits in order to learn about sustainability practices in Berlin. The site visits included locations such as the BMW Motorcycle manufacturing plant, and Feldheim, a community which supplies its citizens with energy resources such as a solar plant, wind farm, biomass and biogas facilities. Another site visit included the EUREF Campus Berlin, which is essentially a campus for sustainable start­ups. The class learned that innovation in sustainability can truly lead to profit and ROI. This international experience truly added to the MBA curriculum and heightened the cohort's understanding and application of materials learned on campus in Long Beach. - Carole Murphy SMBA Cohort 5

CBA Incubator

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students talking
The landscape of entrepreneurship has grown, shifted, and changed dramatically over the past decades. It almost seems like new rules are being written daily. With the rise of social media, advancing digital & logistical technologies, and a shift to an app based culture the “business of business” has needed to evolve rapidly, but also maintain its practices and best working procedures, to ensure consistency and most importantly success in the 21st century.

Finding a clear path on the journey from idea to implementation to success can prove to be incredibly challenging and elusive for so many up-and- coming entrepreneurs as well as seasoned veterans of business. The difference between success and failure falls on a thin and sometimes uncooperative line. To help with these challenges, in November of 2015 a group of graduate students, from the College of Business Administration (CBA), now alumni, started a Business Incubator. Their mission: Plan for and implement an entrepreneurial incubator on and off campus that will facilitate learning and the development of a community of interest. The Incubator will be the bridge between Long Beach city government, the University, and the Long Beach community. For alumni, the Incubator allows the opportunity to return to campus and give back by sharing knowledge, experience, and in some cases, failures. Alumni also have the opportunity to form a stronger network, receive business guidance, and compete in business competitions.To facilitate the bridge between the University and the Long Beach community, the Incubator has recently partnered with Molina Healthcare to host a series of speaker events titled Molina Entrepreneurship Series. To learn more join us every Tuesday from 7:00PM – 9:00PM in the College of Business Administration (CBA) building room  139A.-­ Brian Budzinski SMBA 5

Program Orientations Fall 2016

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students posing
CBA Graduate Programs welcomed the Fall 2016 incoming class at three separate orientations. Students in the Accelerated MBA, Saturday MBA, Evening MBA, MS Supply Chain Management and MS Accountancy programs had the opportunity to meet and mingle with colleagues, faculty and staff. Through various presentations, workshops and activities the students were given the knowledge base and tools to succeed in their program and beyond.­ Giselle Oberly, Graduate Programs Specialist

MSA Wins 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place in Case Competition!

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Our MSA students participated in the 2016  IIA-LA Chapter Internal Audit Student Case Competition on September 26th.  Seven teams from our programs sent in their solutions and five of them made it to the final round. There were a total of 31 submissions, 8 teams made it to the final round. CSULB teams were awarded 1st. 2nd,  and 3rd place, beating out teams from UC Davis, CSULA and Redlands University! - Dr. Sudha Krishnan, Chair, Accountancy Department

Are you a recent CSULB business grad looking for better career opportunities?

Accounting employment is expected to grow by 11% over the next 10 years, adding almost 150,000 new jobs. Accounting careers are challenging but rewarding. Not an accounting major? Not a problem. You can leverage your business degree with CSULB’s Master of Science in Accountancy degree. The Master of Science in Accountancy at CBA, CSULB provides the advanced coursework in auditing, financial statement analysis, corporate governance, forensic accounting, and taxation required to meet requirements for CPA licensure in California and includes the relevant ethics courses required by 2017.

•    One­year program with 30 units (8 courses).
•    Intensive summer prep courses for non­accounting graduates.
•    Classes held evenings and Saturdays to accommodate the schedules of working professionals.
•    CPA Exam Review course from major publisher included.
•    Professional career development through the Graduate Business Career Center.​
     ​Networking opportunities through Beta Alpha Psi or Accounting Society (BAP/AS).
•    Career opportunities with over 30 corporate entities, financial firms, audit & tax groups, and government/tax authorities.

Dr. Rodney Smith, Director, Master of Science in Accountancy

Molina Entrepreneurship Speaker Series

The Graduate College of Business is partnering with Molina Healthcare, the City of Long Beach iTeam, and the Downtown Long Beach Business Association to present a new speaker series – Molina Entrepreneurship Speaker Series.  Our goal is to engage students, faculty, alumni, the business community, residents of Long Beach, and the LB City government in a discussion on promoting entrepreneurship. The first event on September 22nd was a panel discussion of four local entrepreneurs that shared their experiences navigating the “Valley of Death” as they started their businesses.  The event was attended by more than 125 people from all of our partners and created quite the buzz  in the Long Beach business community.  This series continues with the following dates: 10/27, 11/17, 12/15 and then on into January.  If you are interested in learning more about our speaker series, click here to register. -Dr. Ingrid Martin, Director, Graduate Business Programs

Career Tips: Creative Ways to Answer the All-Too-Common: "Tell Me About Yourself"

Whether you are interviewing for a job, connecting with employers at a job fair, or introducing yourself to someone for the first time at a social event, it’s almost 100% certain that you will be answering this question at some point in your life, if you haven’t already. Despite the anxiety this question incites for some, answering it does not have to be a stressful process. Our team from Graduate Business Career Services has provided some strategies on how to appropriately answer this question in an engaging, informative way that is sure to intrigue your listener.

1. Consider the Context

How you go about answering this question and the type of information you include will vary depending on the situation in. In more casual settings, such as bumping into an executive from one of your target companies in an elevator, or attending a networking mixer, you will want your answer to be more free­flowing and conversational. If you meet someone for the first time and go into an all­out 30­second pitch without stopping to take a breath, you might turn away your listener rather than engage them. Start this conversation just like you would any other conversation – by introducing yourself. Take the following example, let’s say you happen to be in an elevator with our CSULB President, Jane Close Conoley. Here’s an example:

FERNANDO: Hi, I’m Fernando, I’m a second year MBA student. I had to introduce myself because I recognized you from your work around campus.
PRESIDENT: Hi, Fernando, nice to meet you!
FERNANDO: You as well! I’m actually a part of the League of Networking Professionals, a student organization here on campus. You visited our meeting last semester and I really enjoyed what you spoke about. My passion is connecting my peers with professionals in our community to open up potential career paths for them. I would actually love to get your input on a couple initiatives we would like to move forward. Would it be possible to set up a quick meeting with you some time?

Since this example is more conversational, Fernando built in his personal brand (his passion for connecting his peers with others in the community) in a more casual way. If Fernando was interviewing for a position, it would be best if he crafted his pitch to both emphasize his passion, values and personal brand, and their connection to his accomplishments, in order to make a strong statement about his fit into the role at hand.

2. Weave Your Personal Brand Throughout Your Accomplishments, and Consider the Problem You Want to Solve in the World

When answering the “tell me about yourself” question in an interview, a well­thought out response that connects WHO you are to the needs of that position is one of the optimal ways of expressing your qualifications. To truly nail this, you want to consider some of the following questions:

What can you to with/through/for others?
Why are you passionate about your major, a certain field, or a certain industry?
What problems do you love to solve, and how are you successful in doing it?
What is your work style? How do you do it?

For example, perhaps you identify yourself as both creative and intuitive. You determine that you want to coin your work style as “creative intuition”. Here’s how you could speak about your work style; in this case the answer is crafted to an engineering project management role you’re interviewing for:


INTERVIEWER: So, tell us a little about yourself and why you applied for this job?
BIANCA: Sure, so a little about myself, my name is Bianca, and if I had to describe my work style I would call it “creative intuition”. I enjoy working with others in teams in a way that utilizes my ability to tap into their motivations and strengths to create an efficient work process that allows us to get the job done. This is part of the reason I decided to pursue my MBA, so that I could better understand team dynamics in the business world. Additionally, I’ve found that I’m naturally creative, and I’ve been able to express this through engineering by coming up with ideas in technology that solve some of life’s basic challenges, such as building a self­cleaning fridge in my free time.

Through combining my ability to intuitively connect with others, and my passion for creating new tools and technology, I’ve come to realize that project management in the engineering field is the best fit for me in terms of a career. As a project manager for a biomedical device company, I will be able to solve some of life’s basic challenges, while leveraging my ability to connect with and lead others through my intuition, and that’s why I’m sitting here today interviewing for this role.
As you can see, the example above also took the approach of bringing the listener into the present moment as a way to close out the “tell me about yourself” answer. This makes the answer sound more natural and also illustrates the connection between who the person is and the qualifications of the job for the listener. We encourage you to use this creative approach in answering the age­old question of “tell me about yourself”. Be sure to practice your answer out loud several times before going into an interview or networking event. Best of luck out there!  ­ -Zoe Sullivan, Assistant Director, Graduate Business Career Services

How Can You Get Involved? Donate to our Scholarship Fund: Your Donations Make a Huge  Impact:

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Chris Zermeno
I would like to thank all the California State University, Long Beach  donors  for the meaningful  and generous donations made to help CSULB students. Your time and financial contributions allow CSULB students, like myself, to continue pursuing their academic and career goals at a life-­changing institution.  As a first generation college student, pursuing a master’s degree would not have been possible without scholarships. Thankfully, I received the Hogar Scholarship, from the College of Business Administration, which has made my dreams a possibility. This scholarship reduced my financial burden and gave me the opportunity be a 20­year old MBA student at CSULB. As a result, I have been able to truly enjoy the journey of being in the AMBA XII cohort, as well as get involved on campus and concentrate on my academics. Your donations have not only encouraged me to make the most out of my educational experiences, they have also inspired me to become a donor in the near future. By helping create an everlasting donating cycle, CSULB alumni and friends will continue to nurture CSULB student success for decades to come.-­Christopher Zermeno, AMBA Cohort XII

Give

Interested in Hiring Graduate Business Talent?

Interested in Hiring Graduate Business Talent? Hire SoCal 2017 Graduate Business Career Fair is your one­stop shop for hiring the best and brightest from 6 elite graduate business programs in the Southern California region. Participating schools include: California State University Long Beach, California State University Fullerton, Pepperdine University, Chapman University, Drucker School of Management, and UC Riverside. Our 3rd Annual Spring Career Fair will take place at California State University Fullerton on Friday, February 10, 2017. If your company is interested in hiring graduate business talent, please contact Michelle Gomez at for additional details.-Michelle Gomez, Employer and Job Development Specialist

 

Annual Alumni Mixer

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After a very successful inaugural Alumni Mixer in 2015, the CBA will have their second Alumni Mixer in the CBA courtyard on November 12th, from 6 to 9PM. Alumni will have the opportunity to network with fellow Alum, current Students, Faculty and Staff. The CBA Graduate Programs office is also taking this opportunity to spotlight our honored alumnus Barbara Barcon and introduce our new MBA advisory board. Alumni please click here to register.

CBA Incubator

Learn more about the CBA incubator in the News section of our Newsletter. The incubator meets every Tuesday from 7­pm-9pm in CBA 139A and is open to all CBA Gradaute Programs current students and alumni.

Molina Speaker Series

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student discussion
The Molina Entrepreneurship Speaker Series was created to engage students, faculty, alumni, the business community, residents of Long Beach, and the LB City government in a discussion on promoting entrepreneurship. Upcoming dates for the speaker series include October, 27th, November,17, December 15 and into January. The series runs from6:30 to 8:30pm at the Molina­ Baker Building, 650 Pine Ave. Long Beach CA 90802. 

Information Sessions

Know anyone that would benefit from our business graduate programs? Invite them to learn more about your alma mater at our next Information Session on Saturday, October 15th, 11­:00am to 12:30pm, in CBA 139.

Meet the Staff

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ingrid martin
Director, Graduate Business Programs, Dr. Ingrid Martin is a Marketing Faculty member and was previously the Chair of the Marketing department. Dr. Martin oversees our five business master programs. Ingrid.Martin@csulb.edu

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Zoe Sullivan
Assistant Director, Graduate Business Career Services, Zoe Sullivan works with all our Graduate Business students providing individualized career planning, job search coaching and other career focused services. Zoe.Sullivan@csulb.edu

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Michele Gomez
Our CBA Employer and Job Development Specialist, Michelle Gomez, works with employers in Long Beach and the Southern California region to connect them with our talented Graduate Business students. Michelle.Gomez@csulb.edu

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Marina Freeman-Garvey
 Marina Freeman-Garvey, Graduate Programs Specialist, Saturday MBA, Marina.Freeman@csulb.edu

 

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Giselle Oberly
 Graduate Programs Specialist, Accelerated MBA and MS Accountancy. Giselle.Oberly@csulb.edu

 

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Rhianna Lemos Girton
Rhianna Lemos­-Girton, Graduate Programs,Specialist Evening MBA and MS in Supply Chain Management,Rhianna.LemosGirton@csulb.edu