An informal but informative newsletter for WSB alumni and friends
The Briefing
Jake Wood’s 10-year mission continues
A trip to Haiti after an earthquake sent Jake Wood (BBA ’05) on a path he never imagined. Team Rubicon, the organization he co-founded to provide disaster relief and help give veterans a renewed sense of purpose, will soon mark 10 years of growth and assistance around the world. Wood visited campus this fall and spoke with WSB about Team Rubicon’s work, including recent operations in the Bahamas.
WSB part of alliance to further women’s leadership
Forté has a mission: to change the balance of the workplace. The nonprofit dedicated to women’s leadership and advancement has a partner in that endeavor, the Wisconsin School of Business. WSB is now a Forté Sponsor School, giving full-time MBA and undergraduate students access to the Forté network.
Business Badgers come home to Grainger Hall
Homecoming 2019 was a rousing success—and not just because the Badgers thumped Michigan State on the football field. An enthusiastic crowd of 440 alumni and friends, joined by Bucky Badger, enjoyed food and music at WSB’s annual Homecoming Bash.
Back to School
Business acronyms: As easy as ABC (or not?)
Acronyms are part of the language of business. They’re something every new business student has to learn and most alumni have to remember. How many of these do you know or still use?
- CPA
- CRM
- KPI
- CPG
- REIT
- P&L
- HRD
- VC
- SWOT
- TTM
1. Certified public accountant; 2. Customer relationship management; 3. Key performance indicator; 4. Consumer packaged goods; 5. Real estate investment trust; 6. Profit and loss (statement); 7. Human resource development; 8. Venture capital; 9. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (analysis); 10. Trailing twelve months.
Tip Sheet
Giving a gift can be tricky, no matter the occasion. Evan Polman, associate professor of marketing, studies gift-giving as part of his broader research on decision-making. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including Parents magazine, The New York Times, Consumer Reports, and The Wall Street Journal. He offers these insights to lessen the pressure of buying the right gift:
- Buy yourself the same thing, the recipient will love the gift more. “They feel like it’s a more intimate gift, a better gift,” Polman says.
- Get picky people what they want. It doesn’t sound like much fun, Polman says, but it works. Shoppers ease their stress by not exerting much creative effort to please a picky recipient, and the end result is the picky person gets what they want.
- Indulge someone. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just something recipients would consider a splurge if they bought it for themselves.
- Don’t be rude. When someone gives a gift, they sometimes then behave differently toward the recipient—and it’s not always good. “They establish themselves as having done a good thing, so they’re more likely to behave in a way that’s unkind,” Polman says.
Alumni Opportunities
- Tele-Town Hall with Dean Samba: On November 19, participate from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada to be part of an alumni discussion via telephone with Dean Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy.
- Alumni Voice Panel: Annual invitations for the panel are coming soon. If you are interested, make sure your contact information is updated and look for the email invitation this winter.
- Badger Bridge: Get connected to a worldwide network of UW–Madison alumni.
- Alumni webinars: More coming in 2020. Watch our 2019 webinars.
About Business Casual
Every other month, alumni and friends of the Wisconsin School of Business provides updates with news about our alumni, faculty, students, and programs. If you want to share Business Casual with friends, they can join our mailing list.
Questions or comments? Email businesscasual@wsb.wisc.edu
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