Costello College of Business News

While on campus, it was imperative to Juancarlos Figueroa, BS Finance '20 that he lived his Mason experience to the fullest. And he did just that, taking leadership positions in the Hispanic Student Association (HSA), Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), and the Student Managed Investment Fund (now the Montano Student Investment Fund). His Mason experience has continued since graduating, and as an alum he has served as vice president of the investment committee for the Montano Student Investment Fund and continues to serve on the Latino Alumni Chapter Executive Board. 

Jingyuan Yang, an assistant professor of information systems and operations management at Mason's School of Business, is at the forefront of AI research that aims to crack the codes of the physical world. Her results so far point toward innovative solutions for some of the biggest societal, governmental, and business challenges we face. 

Exceptions may prove the rule, but they must first be explained. That is why finance researchers are drawn to the distress anomaly-- a well-documented phenomenon that challenges the risk-return paradigm in equity markets. Generally, higher-risk investments are expected to yield higher returns than safer, more stable securities. In recent years, however, studies have shown that high-credit-risk securities for companies in distress – i.e. when their already-low credit rating is being downgraded -- realize abnormally low returns compared to non-distressed securities of the same or lower risk.  Academics have proposed a range of rationales for this puzzle. Alexander Philipov, finance area chair and associate professor at George Mason University, says they mainly fall into two categories. 

After transferring to George Mason University and graduating from the Master’s in Management accelerated one-year program in 2020, Cooper Mrowka decided to take advantage of his collegiate baseball eligibility to further his education. “I started looking to sports jobs, maybe combining my sport management and business management degrees and people kept saying that the new thing is data analytics–knowing how numbers work, how to analyze them, and how to use them to your advantage,” he says. Following completion of the business analytics certificate, Mrowka found that the skills he developed were applicable to a variety of fields, giving him many careers to choose from. 

Selling is inseparable from relationship management. In the past, the one-to-one "human touch" of a salesperson compensated for the standardized nature of their wares. However, today's sales environment tends towards customized solutions and co-creation with the client, especially in the B2B space. In many cases, these trends have greatly increased the network of stakeholders whom salespeople are obliged to keep happy. Research shows that B2B customers benefit from being more involved in the process, but what about the sales force? Does their increased interpersonal burden translate to higher risk of burnout? George Mason University School of Business Marketing Area Chair Jessica Hoppner's recently published paper in Industrial Marketing Management, co-authored by Paul Mills of Cleveland State University and David A. Griffith of Texas A&M University, finds some surprising answers.

George Mason University recently welcomed Dean Ajay Vinzé to the School of Business. Dean Vinzé comes to Mason from the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri. We spent a few minutes chatting with Dean Vinzé to learn a little bit more about who he is, how he came to Mason, and his goals for his time here.

In keeping with its commitment to preparing students for the workforce of tomorrow, George Mason University School of Business recently launched a new Master of Science in Business Analytics program. Designed to provide a deeper knowledge of analytics and data-driven decision-making, the program can be completed in just one year.

Today's workforce might best be described in terms of tumult: Great Resignation, Great Retirement, Great Reshuffle, etc. In this "new normal," managers must learn to navigate a state of continual transition in their teams and organizations, while keeping up with day-to-day demands. Likewise, George Mason University School of Business Management Professors Sarah Wittman and Kevin Rockmann believe that it is time for scholars to change the way they think about role transitions to better align their theories with our increasingly uncertain world.

George Mason University is among the top 10 most diverse and innovative public universities in the country, as well as top 10 in undergraduate cybersecurity, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “2023 Best Colleges List” rankings.

Cameron Harris, BA Integrative Studies ’06, associate professor of business foundations in the School of Business, was recently awarded the George Mason University Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion. Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence were created to recognize, promote, and honor outstanding members of the George Mason University community for excellence in teaching, research, social impact, and diversity & inclusion. The Faculty Excellence Award in Diversity & Inclusion recognizes activities that directly advance diversity and inclusion within and outside of the Mason community.

We’ve all become familiar with the pandemic-related reasons behind the upheaval in the labor market, as well as the standard-issue solutions like trying to infuse work with purpose or offering employees remote working. While these are practical suggestions, they have not restored stability to the workforce. It is our contention that any broad-brush advice for retaining employees in the current environment will be insufficient. Whether managers like it or not, employees will demand sensitivity and adjustment to their psychological needs as individuals.

For some, working on their taxes can be an anxiety-riddled experience, but for Anne Magro, co-executive director of the Business for a Better World Center (B4BW) and associate professor of accounting, tax is where she thrives. She’s so exceptional, in fact, that Anne was honored as the top tax educator in the nation, receiving the prestigious Ray M. Sommerfeld Outstanding Tax Educator Award from the American Taxation Association (ATA) at the organization’s mid-year meeting earlier this year.