Olin Business School

There are times when bending over backwards to make customers happy won’t result in better profits; in fact, it could cause a drop in profits. Unprofitable customers show up in every industry, causing companies to reconsider the value of customer service and to even consider “firing” those customers that cause the most loss.

When a company decides to turn to a call center to handle its customer service, company heads assume that signing a contract is the best way to get the best service. Not necessarily, says Tava Olsen, associate professor of operations and manufacturing management in the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Olsen and a colleague at the University of Toronto, found that some contracts allow call centers to meet their obligations half-way, leaving their clients — and their client’s clients — on hold.

Over a handful of classes, M.B.A. students developed programs for selling merchandise featuring National Park System logos.

A gift of $1.2 million was augmented with $300,000 from the University’s Sesquicentennial Endowed Professorship Challenge.

Photo by Mary ButkusMore than 50 students put on their best suits and tried out for the reality television show The Apprentice.

Carl Schramm, President and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, will deliver an address entitled: “Innovation: How it will impact the United States in a Global Economy” on Friday, Feb. 18, 2005.

Its first holder will be Barton H. Hamilton, professor of economics, of management and of entrepreneurship in the Olin School of Business.

Alumnus Robert Frick and his wife Barbara have established a professorship in the Olin School of Business. Todd Zenger, authority on business strategy and organizational design, will be formally installed as the first holder.

Photo by Mary ButkusThe “Super Ad Bowl” Feb. 6 was an opportunity to watch and evaluate the advertisements broadcast during the Super Bowl.

Photo by Joe AngelesResearch opportunities for undergrads like David Corley (left) will be facilitated by the University’s new Office of Undergraduate Research.Under Director Henry Biggs, it will help place students in research positions, promote their findings and award scholarships.