Mays Business Online

In his address as the inaugural speaker in the Dean’s Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series at Mays, C.K. Prahalad spoke about the transition from a firm-centric society to a consumer-centric society—one where consumers dictate what products are made and at what price they are sold, and businesses respond with products tailored specifically to the needs of their audience.

The past, present, and future of Mays Business School were embodied in the three guests of honor as the Benton Cocanougher Chair in Business was dedicated at a luncheon on October 23. Special guests by invitation of Dean Jerry Strawser were in attendance, as well as the men of the hour: Lowry Mays ’57, founder of Clear Channel Communications and benefactor of Mays Business School; Benton Cocanougher, dean of Mays Business School from 1987 to 2001 and current dean emeritus and professor emeritus at Texas A&M; and Luis Gomez-Mejia, professor of management and inaugural holder of the Cocanougher Chair.

Rising from the economic ashes as the holiday season approaches, store owners are realizing that the retail landscape has changed dramatically. New tactics are needed to woo customers who don’t shop the same way as they did before the recession.

In a culture that lauds the beautiful, wealthy, and entertaining, the work of scholars and educators often goes unnoticed. To give honor where honor is due, Mays Business School presented their Outstanding Doctoral Alumni award to three individuals whose work has had a significant impact on thousands of students, as well as the marketplace.

With all the festivity of a royal celebration, three Mays Business School graduates were recognized recently as outstanding alumni for their careers of merit and lives of service. Robert D. Starnes ’72, David W. Williams ’79 and Stephen B. Solcher ’83 were feted at a banquet Sept. 24 at Miramont Country Club in Bryan, where the escorts were the elite Ross Volunteers and the opening music was provided by the Singing Cadets

A program is only as good as its faculty. That’s why hiring and retaining the very best faculty members is a primary goal at Mays Business School. For the 2009-2010 school year, ten full-time tenure/tenure-track faculty members have been added to the roster from a variety of locations and a wide range of research interests. What they all have in common is a dedication to their profession that distinguishes them from their peers.

“Healthcare in America is sick…It costs too much, wastes too much, errs too much, and discriminates too much.” These are the conclusions Leonard Berry reached after eight years of research that combines his dual areas of expertise, marketing and medicine.

As business becomes an increasingly international or multinational endeavor, accounting for assets is an ever more complicated job. To simplify the process, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). As IFRS is adopted throughout the world and may perhaps soon replace American standards, the faculty at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University is making proactive changes to the accounting curriculum to prepare students for this shift.

Mays faculty members discuss the impact of the recently signed Credit Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, which will limit or change the way credit card companies do business starting in February 2010.

The road stretches on, a winding river of black asphalt. Matt Proctor ’11 is in the zone as leans over the handlebars and peddles along at about 18 miles per hour, listening to the rhythm of his breathing and the hum of his tires against the pavement. His muscles start to burn as the cluster of 27 cyclists he is a part of heads uphill. The brutal summer sun beats down and as sweat trickles down his back, he has to remind himself once again why he’s pushing himself to ride 4,000 miles in 64 days: for Betsy.