cjbarber

JB Hunt Job Opportunities for every major

September 26, 2024 by cjbarber

JB Hunt Transport (JBHT) is sending an HR representative, Jasmine John, to UCA on Oct 7. JBHT has a market cap of $17.75B and is known as one of the most innovative and technologically advanced firms in the nation.

Supporting such an organization requires a lot more than supply chain talent. They need students from every major.

Students are invited to meet with Jasmine John, the JB Hunt Rep, on October 7 at the following times and locations:

*Please bring your resume

October 7, 2024

9:00am – 10:50am
COB 207 Conference Room
Time for one on one visit with Jasmine

11:00am – 11:50am
COB 214
Presentation to Voss’ class (all welcome)

12:00am – 12:50pm
COB 214
Presentation to Voss’ class (all welcome)

1:30pm – 2:30pm
ZaZa’s Conway
Lunch with Jasmine for any faculty or students
Please RSVP to Doug Voss – voss@uca.edu. Lunch is sponsored by UCA Supply Chain Management program.

E-Payment Use and Perceptions in Japan

July 29, 2020 by cjbarber

Japan is one of the world’s most advanced and largest economies, yet lags behind in its use of e-payment and e-commerce.

In 2018, the Bank of Japan found only 18% of its citizens used e-payment systems. A recent study by three UCA College of Business professors and two students found that age and gender play a significant role in e-payment usage in Japan. The results, recently published in the Global Journal of Business Disciplines, showed males were more likely to use e-payment systems, as well as older residents.

Previous research has found several factors played a role in Japan’s slow adoption of e-payment, including the fact many local retailers and stores do not use or accept e-payment systems. Only 17% of Japan retail sales are made up by e-payment systems, compared to 85% in South Korea, 56% in Singapore and 35% in India.

The postponed 2020 Olympic Games, to be held in Tokyo, provide a new incentive for a faster adoption as millions will visit the country next summer and expect to be able to use e-payments to purchase goods and services. In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government estimated the games would create nearly $284 billion in economic benefits.

Three UCA College of Business professors — Alex Chen, Ph.D., professor of management; Steve Zeltmann, Ph.D., professor of management information systems; and Ken Griffin, Ph.D., former associate dean of the College of Business — and two students — Moe Ota and Risa Ozeki — examined perceptions of benefits, trust, security, ease of use, quality and competency and how they impact the use of e-payment systems in Japan.

When asked how frequently they use e-payment, 21.6% of respondents said they did not. Less than 15% used it more than 3 times a week and the average weekly use was 1.5. Incentives were shown to be most closely associated with increased e-payment use.

“One of our major findings is the relationship between gender and e-payment behavior,” Chen said. “Men were more likely to use e-payment systems than women in Japan.”

The study found older people were more likely to use e-payment than younger people.

“It is reasonable to assume older people in this group are more likely to have a full-time job and, perhaps, a higher income,” Chen said. “Since they probably spend more money and have more money to manage, e-payment is a good platform for them to use.”

Chen said the upcoming Olympics would serve as the most important marketing tool and expects to see Japanese consumers will use e-payment systems more often in its aftermath.

“People from all over the world are expected in Japan and those people will expect the availability of e-payment,” he said. “The Japanese government and banking system understand this, and e-payment systems will be promoted as necessary to attract this business to Japanese vendors.”

Internal Drive, Supportive Faculty Helped Ericka Gutierrez Be Successful in COB

April 6, 2020 by cjbarber

Attaining her master’s in business administration was going to be a daunting task, but Ericka Gutierrez was up for it.

Most days began around 5 a.m. for her. She finished up tasks and assignments she hadn’t the night before at the library, prepared for another day and saw her 5-year-old daughter, Aryana, off to school. She was at her desk by 8 a.m., working as outreach coordinator for the UCA Office of Diversity & Community.

From there, she either worked several hours at her part-time job or attended night class. That was followed by a few hours in the library each night to work on assignments. Then, she tried to get a few hours of sleep before the next day began.

“It’s difficult to be in school at the post-graduate level and have all those moving parts,” said Gutierrez. “But I never doubted that no matter what happened, I could reach out to my professors and they would support me. I knew from my undergraduate in the College of Business I could take all this on and have the support I needed.”

Gutierrez first came to UCA in 2012 as a transfer student from the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.

MORE: Transferring from UACCM? Check UCA’s 2+2 Transfer Agreements

“I was a first-generation college student in my family so I needed a little extra help in navigating through college, finding my bearings and navigating the next steps,” said Gutierrez. “My professors were the best throughout that process and impacted me tremendously.”

After she settled on a management degree with an emphasis in logistics and supply chain management, Gutierrez said Scott Nadler, Ph.D., associate professor of management, walked her through her first career fair, introducing her to his contacts in the industry.

“That first career fair can be intimidating,” she said. “There are a lot of people and recruiters, and it’s hard to know what to say and how to present yourself. Dr. Nadler diffused the tension and helped me through it.”

That type of support and encouragement continued throughout her undergraduate with other professors including Doug Voss, Ph.D., associate professor of logistics and supply chain management, and Michael B. Hargis, Ph.D., dean of the UCA College of Business and then-associate professor of marketing and management.

LEARN MORE: Logistics & Supply Chain Management

“It was unheard of to have that type of support,” said Gutierrez. “I felt at home with a group of professors who were willing to walk with me through my education. It was great to have that type of support from people I looked up to.”

When she graduated in 2014, Gutierrez had various opportunities in logistics and supply chain, but the pull to work at UCA was too strong to ignore. She accepted a position as an admissions counselor and began recruiting throughout central and northwest Arkansas.

“I loved UCA, and the position sounded great,” said Gutierrez. “The more I learned about it, the more I knew that was where I needed to be. As a Hispanic woman and first-generation college student, it was incredible to connect with so many students who were like me and reassure them they could achieve the educational goals they had and have the support at UCA to do so.”

Her previous experiences in the college, along with an opportunity she saw to grow personally and in her career, Gutierrez returned to the College of Business in 2016 to pursue an MBA.

“I wanted to continue to learn about myself and see what area of business I wanted to enter eventually,” said Gutierrez. “It was an amazing experience.”

Gutierrez immediately saw the benefits of the program. Concepts in Organizational Behavior helped Gutierrez better address and counsel students in a new position as coordinator for Hispanic and Latino outreach initiatives in the Office of Diversity & Community. Now, Gutierrez is a recruiter at Pediatrics Plus, and the things she learned continue to be beneficial.

Her Innovation Leadership course with Jeff Standridge, Ph.D., adjunct instructor of finance and member of the College of Business Advisory Board, “changed my perspective in my personal life, motherhood and in my career,” said Gutierrez.

“It’s a do-and-learn class,” said Gutierrez. “It’s about implementing new products or ideas in effective ways. It presents a process you can follow and implement whatever you’re doing, get feedback, adjust and reapply. It’s something I’ve been able to apply in my career and it’s been rewarding to see how it’s helped.”

LEARN MORE: Master of Business Administration

While many of the days were long, Gutierrez said smaller class sizes, paired with helpful professors and hybrid courses helped her tremendously.

“I was able to take face-to-face classes when I felt I needed to do that, but I had the flexibility to take online classes, too,” she said. “Having that option was amazing and makes it possible to achieve.”

Ultimately, her time in the MBA program was transformational for Gutierrez.

“I took a lot of self-development and growth out of that program,” she said. “I was able to explore my strengths and weaknesses which is invaluable. Whether it is personally, academically or professionally, if you’re able to see your strengths and weaknesses, you can be strategic in those areas.”

BIT Club Meeting – 3/10/20

March 5, 2020 by cjbarber

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its third meeting on Tuesday, March 10th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Phi Beta Lambda is co-hosting the event. Our speaker will be Ms. Shari Natovitz, former Senior Vice-President, Director of Risk Management, Silverstein Properties and World Trade Center Properties, New York, NY. Shari has spent the past fifteen years providing leadership, direction and creative solutions for the risk management challenges of the company’s real estate, development and financial services businesses. This included the WTC development project and the Silverstein portfolio of buildings, acquisitions, operations and new construction projects. Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

BIT Club Meeting ~ 2/25/20

February 12, 2020 by cjbarber

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its second meeting on Tuesday, February 25th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Mr. Seth Bartolotta, Decision Support Analyst with Acxiom Corporation in Conway, will be the featured speaker. From coast to coast, our internships and new college grad programs provide you with powerful skills to set you up for career success. From mentoring to hands-on problem solving, get ready to roll up your sleeves and make a difference for an industry-leading Fortune 500 company. Seth is a graduate of our College of Business and we are delighted to welcome him back to campus. Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

BIT Club Meeting – 1/28/20

January 23, 2020 by cjbarber

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its Spring Welcome Meeting and Kick-Off on Tuesday, January 28th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Courtney Phillips, a UCA alum who is a Team Leader (Mainframe Academy) at Ensono, will be the featured speaker. Joining her will be Samantha Valencia, Project Lead (Mainframe Academy) and TJ Sambuunyam, Associate Application Developer – all UCA graduates! Katie Branch, Manager (Mainframe Academy), will be present as well. Ensono delivers managed IT services to optimize and modernize mainframes, infrastructure, and cloud for clients all around the world and will be at our Career Fair. We are delighted to welcome them all back to campus. Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

The Best of 2019

December 12, 2019 by cjbarber

As we close out another year in the College of Business, we want to thank all our friends and supporters, and look back at some of the milestones and achievements of the last year.

UCA Day of Giving

In 24 hours, our college received nearly $200,000 in donations, named three spaces in the college and created seven scholarships for our students. The UCA Day of Giving included Greenway Equipment establishing the Greenway Equipment Cultivating Successful Leaders Scholarship Fund, Modern Woodmen sponsoring a classroom, C.H. Robinson sponsoring our Imagine Lab used for the Innovation & Entrepreneurship program, and Leanna Godley, of Goddess Products, establishing the first Minority in Business scholarship in the college.

Diversity in Business Night

How do we achieve diversity in business? It was the discussion our accounting and Biz@Bear students had with business community members in our college in March.

Student Awards Banquet

In April, we honored the best of the best in the college, awarding our students for their academic and service achievements throughout the 2018-19 academic year. Kelsey Carter, an accounting major, was won our 2019 Outstanding College of Business Student Award.

MIS Student Wins Student Worker Award

Darby Ketron, an MIS student, was awarded the 2018-19 Student Worker of the Year Award by UCA Career Services in April.

John W. Allison Entrepreneurial Speaker Series: Bunny Adcock

Bunny Adcock, chair of the UCA Board of Trustees, spoke to our Innovation & Entrepreneurship students in April as the latest speaker of our John W. Allison Entrepreneurial Speaker Series. Adcock shared about the work he does with his organization, Opportunity Matters, which assists undocumented immigrants purchase a home.

HR Club Wins at State Competition

Danesha McCraney and Kaitlyn Reeves won the student case competition at the Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management Conference in April. Reeves was also named a recipient of the J.C. Cote Scholarship.

Phi Beta Lambda Racks Up Awards

Our Phi Beta Lambda students won 11 awards in April at the State Leadership Conference. The awards covered categories such as contemporary sports issues, sports management and marketing, computer applications, information. Management and insurance concepts.

Beta Gamma Sigma Inducts New Class

Beta Gamma Sigma is the premier business honor society in academics. Being a part of AACSB allows the exceptional students from the College of Business to enjoy membership. In April, we had the pleasure of inducting our newest class of members.

Beta Alpha Psi Named Student Organization of the Year

Beta Alpha Psi, the national honors organization for financial information professionals at UCA, was named the campus’ Student Organization of the Year in April.

Celebrating 50 Years of Business Education Excellence

July 1, 1969. The day our college was established. Much has changed since then. What was the State College of Arkansas became the University of Central Arkansas. We’ve called multiple buildings across campus our home, established new departments, created new programs and started new fields of study.

In all our growth and advancement, the one thing left untouched is our mission. We have the same commitment to providing a high-quality business education to our students as we did a half-century ago. We are honored to be celebrating 50 years.

Standridges Establish First Endowed Scholarship in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Jeff and Lori Standridge established the first endowed scholarship in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the UCA College of Business in June. The Dr. Jeff and Lori Standridge Innovation & Entrepreneurship Scholarship will be awarded to one upperclassman majoring in Innovation & Entrepreneurship each year.

UCA/Acxiom IT Careers Camp

Our IT Careers Camp brings together young students interested in information technology with young business professionals for a two-day camp on our campus. The students enjoy an engaging series of sessions with hands-on learning and activities.

Insurance Program Named Global Center of Insurance Excellence

This summer, our Insurance & Risk Management program was designated a Global Center of Insurance Excellence by the International Insurance Society. Our program is the only four-year program of its kind in Arkansas. UCA is one of 34 universities in 11 countries to have obtained the designation.

Insurance Hall of Fame Inducts New Class

Six new members were inducted into the Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame in October. The inductees were: James Howard Atkins, of Herrington, Inc.; Matthew Cashion, of Cashion Company, Inc.; Daryl Coker, of Spradley & Coker; Gail James, of Bituminous Insurance Companies; Ron Lensing, of BancorpSouth; and Jim Spradley, of Spradley & Coker.

The Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame was created to recognize leaders of the insurance industry in Arkansas, and to remind the public of the important role insurance plays in securing the well-being of both individuals and businesses. The Hall of Fame is housed in the UCA College of Business, which offers the only insurance and risk management program in the state.

Dean Hargis Appears on Talk Business

Dean Michael Hargis appeared on Talk Business & Politics with Roby Brock in August to discuss the college’s 50^th anniversary and the future of higher education.

Meet The Firms 2019

Business suits, polished resumes and big smiles were on full-display in September as our accounting students met with dozens of firms and companies at our annual Meet The Firms event on-campus.

Anthony McMullen Wins Master Teacher Award

Anthony McMullen, associate professor of business law, is a long-time fan of “The Simpsons.” With a little inspiration, he found a way to incorporate clips of the popular animated show in his classroom to teach aspects of business law. His efforts won him the Academy of Legal Studies in Business’ Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Award.

#ArcBestDay in the COB

ArcBest took over our building Tuesday, visiting several classes and setting up tables to visit with students and tell them about the opportunities in various fields that await them at the company.

Davis Family Lecture Series Welcomes Curtis Barnett

Curtis Barnett’s career at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield has taken him across several divisions of the company from product development, primary care network and operations on his way to being president and CEO of the largest health insurer of the state.

Barnett’s journey began at the University of Central Arkansas. He shared that journey today with students as the keynote speaker of our Davis Family Lecture Series. Our students learned the occurrences in Barnett’s life that impacted his future and how he leveraged those moments to his advantage. It was an honor to host Barnett and allow our students to be inspired by his story.

TIDA Awards 3 Scholarships in the COB

Karen Xiao, Lane Granberry and Lani Meares are the latest recipients of scholarships from the Trucking Industry Defense Association. We appreciate TIDA for its continued support of our Logistics and Supply Chain Management program.

MBA Program Named to Best Business Schools List

Our MBA program was named recently to The Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools list of Best On-Campus MBA programs. The MBA program has 141 students and offers concentrations in finance, health care administration, information management and international business. It is accredited through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB).

Accounting CPE Workshop

One-hundred and twenty accounting professionals were on-campus in December for the Department of Accounting’s annual Continuing Professional Education in Accounting Workshop. The participants received updates on real estate taxes, estate and financial planning, compliance issues for financial institutions, current expected credit losses and auditing.

Corey Throneberry Named Senior Director of Development for UCA College of Business

December 10, 2019 by cjbarber

Corey Throneberry has been named the senior director of development for the University of Central Arkansas College of Business.

Prior to joining UCA, Throneberry worked as a business development officer at First Service Bank. He also worked with Centennial Insurance Agency in Conway.

Throneberry graduated from the UCA College of Business in 2008 with a bachelor’s in insurance and risk management.

“Through his prior work experience, Corey has established valuable contacts in the business community that will serve us well as we continue to enhance the College of Business for our students, faculty and staff,” said Michael B. Hargis, Ph.D., dean of the UCA College of Business.

The UCA College of Business has more than 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers 13 baccalaureate degrees, two master’s and one graduate certificate across four academic departments and houses the state’s only insurance and risk management program. The UCA College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Visit uca.edu/business for more.

UCA MBA Program Makes Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools List

November 21, 2019 by cjbarber

The University of Central Arkansas’ Master in Business Administration program has been named to The Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools list of Best On-Campus MBA programs.

“Our MBA program continues to be one of our fastest-growing in the College of Business,” said Michael B. Hargis, Ph.D., dean of the UCA College of Business. “This ranking among the top business programs in the country reinforces that our students are receiving an outstanding education at UCA.”

The survey asked more than 26,700 students about their school’s academics, student body and campus life.

“We recommend UCA as an excellent choice for a student aspiring to earn an MBA,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. “What makes our ‘Best Business Schools’ designations unique is that we take into account the opinions of students attending the schools about their campus and classroom experience.”

The MBA program has 141 students and offers concentrations in finance, health care administration, information management and international business. It is accredited through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB).

BIT Club Meeting ~ 11/14/19

November 7, 2019 by cjbarber

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its last meeting of the fall semester on Thursday, November 14th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Dwight Southerland, an Arkansas native with over 39 years of experience in software development, consulting, project management, and systems optimization, will be the featured speaker. He has a BA and MBA from UCA, a secondary education certification from UALR, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

It is his experience and proven collaboration with stakeholders that has provided him with the skillset required in his position as Deputy Secretary of State. Dwight’s role is that of Chief of Staff, and as such, he oversees the operations of all divisions of the Office of the Secretary of State through the facilitation of effective decision making, organizational strategy, and implementing process solutions. Dwight is committed to working for the citizens of Arkansas and serving the mission of the Secretary of State.

Refreshments will be served (PIZZA!) and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.