Olin Business School

“Scotch” comes from a word meaning water of life, and the industry is the life blood of the Scottish economy. That makes scotch whiskey an excellent case study for Olin Business School students. A10-day research trip to visit Scotland’s distilleries got off to an adventureous start as the students had to skirt volcanic ash and airline strikes to reach their destination.

To complete a course in entrepreneurship, Olin Business School students traveled to Budapest, Hungary for some hands-on work with new ventures. Their consulting projects not only benefitted the eastern European entrepreneurs, but helped students gain a better understanding of the global marketplace and their career futures.

Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will share findings from the recent report by the Committee on America’s Energy Future in a talk June 7 at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center in Kansas City. Wrighton served as vice-chair of the Committee on America’s Energy Future, a group sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He is a scientist, researcher and respected authority on global energy options. 

Journalists covering the business beat are invited to participate in the first Olin Corporate Strategy Prize, sponsored by the Olin Business School. $10,000 in honoraria will be awarded for the best reporting on companies that have undergone significant strategic change.  Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2010.

At age 84, James Martin Wybar of Philadelphia was the first in line to receive his diploma at Olin Business School’s 2010 Commencement May 21. Wybar is the oldest graduate in the school’s history. He finished his courses in 1947, but didn’t have time to collect his diploma until this year.

Jaimie McFarlin is a leader, motivator and NCAA national champion in women’s basketball. On May 21 McFarlin, chosen by the Record as an Outstanding Graduate from the Olin Business School, will pick up one more well-deserved honor: A master’s of business administration.

Which companies get the biggest bang for their buck when it comes to R&D? Olin Business School professor of strategy Anne Marie Knott believes there is a strong correlation between certain characteristics of companies and their R&D practices.  Effective R&D is a sign of firm with high IQ.  But just what makes a company smart?  Professor Knott is on a mission to measure firms’ IQ and how to improve it.  Video included.

Two prominent economists made headlines last week in visits to the Olin Business School when they shared their views on the economy and its recovery from the “Great Recession.” Former Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker and St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank president and CEO James Bullard, PhD, offered different perspectives on jobs, financial reform and the global economy. One dared to suggest the need for increased taxes in the near future; one said the current crisis in Greece could slow the U.S. recovery.

Students graduating from Olin Business School’s undergrad, MBA and Executive MBA programs receive diplomas in separate ceremonies this month.  The will also receive some words of wisdom and advice from those who have gone before them.  Olin alumni will be the featured speakers at commencement exercises on the Danforth Campus.

The economy and recovery from the “Great Recession” will be in the spotlight this week with two prominent speakers on campus.  Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank and current St. Louis Fed president Jim Bullard will share their views at two separate events.