Annual Diwali Celebration - 2015

Last week students, faculty and staff celebrated Diwali, one of the largest festivals in India. To celebrate "The Festival of Lights", the International Student Organization decorated the 2nd floor lounge and threw a party complete with food, drinks, dancing and entertainment. Members of the Full-Time Class of 2016 and 2017 participated in a talent show where students sang, dance and walked in a fashion show. After the entertainment, there was an Indian Buffet and students sang karaoke and danced some more! It was also so fun to see everyone dressed up in traditional Indian clothes! Thanks to the ISO board for throwing such a fun event!

ZS Associates Site Visit

This past Friday, ZS Associates (Princeton) hosted members of the Rutgers Marketing Research Insights and Analytics Club for a site visit. ZS Associates is one of the world's largest business services firms specializing in transforming sales and marketing from an art to a science.

Rutgers Students and ZS Principal Bekia Fosam

The day started with an introduction from Noelle Bruno, ZS Recruiter, who welcomed the students to the Princeton office and went over the agenda for the day. Glenn Sabin, Principal, then gave an overview of the company and its history. He also answered questions from students about the type of clients ZS works with and the effect big data has had on market research. Glenn’s talk was followed by a Lunch & Learn delivered by MRIA Advisory Board member, Paul Kraus. He spoke about how market research and customer insights drive sales and marketing, market research best practices, and the ZS Customer Insights team. Students learned a lot about the framework for a successful market research study from Paul. The next event scheduled was a Panel Discussion with Business Consultants Sean Newcomb, Adam Schneider and Josh Hattem, and Business Consulting Manager Jennifer Minuchi. They talked about how they got to their respective jobs, gave examples of projects they are currently working on, and offered advice for MBA students considering entering consulting. The day wrapped up with a lively discussion with MRIA Advisory Board member and Principal, Bekia Fosam. He asked students to summarize what they learned from the day and also answered any lingering questions. He concluded by telling students the two things necessary to be successful consultants: keep learning all the time and never be satisfied with your work.

Glenn Sabin giving an overview of ZS

Paul Kraus delivering a Lunch & Learn

Panel Discussion

Thank you so much ZS for hosting the Rutgers MRIA Club and we look forward to working with you again in the future!

Novartis Panel Discussion

In business, Procurement is the act of buying the goods and services necessary to keep a company operational. While it may seem simple in theory, it’s a complex field that requires strategic and analytical thinking in conjunction with softer skills such as emotional intelligence and communication.

Rupa Banerjee delivering introductory remarks

On Thursday, November 5^th, Rutgers Business School hosted a panel discussion where executives from Novartis shared stories from their careers in Procurement. Michael Brueckner (US Head of Procurement), Michael McKenna (US Head of Corporate Services Procurement), AnnMarieMoran (US Head, Marketing and Sales Procurement), Thomas Michaels (US Head, Real Estate and Facilities Procurement), Caitlin Mosco (Sourcing Manager, Global Procurement), and Todd Bittiger (Global Supplier Performance and Innovation Manager) were all in attendance. Rupa Banerjee, Co-President of the Management Consulting Club, kicked off the event by welcoming all the panelists and attendees. Professor Eric Larson then spoke about how the RBS Supply ChainManagement program has grown, and that Rutgers is now one of the top schools in the country for students interested in Supply Chain. Next, Shakun Wattal, Co-President of the Supply Chain Student Initiative, introduced each of the panelists and gave a brief description of their role at Novartis.

Novartis Panel Discussion

The panel then kicked off with a video where the Novartis CEO, Joseph Jimenez, talks about the mission of Novartis and the patients they serve. It was very clear that all of the work Novartis does is centered on allowing patients to overcome their respective diseases and live a normal life. Mr. Jimenez  explained, “I have arrived at a very simple concept: normal is extraordinary. There is nothing more extraordinary than a normal life." Mike Koskulics, Co-President of the Pharmaceutical Management Club, served as the panel moderator and segued into the discussion by asking the panelists what inspired them to get to the point in their careers they are at today. All of the panelists came from different backgrounds, but it was clear they all have a passion for Procurement and the effect it can have on an organization like Novartis. Mr. Brueckner talked about how he wanted to work in Procurement because it gives you a broad view of the company and the business. Mr. McKenna comes from an academic background and described how the world of academia shaped his professional career in Procurement. Mr. Michaels noted that Procurement is all about saving money and at Novartis, every dollar he is able to save can go developing new drugs or helping patients pay for their medication. Mr. Bittiger explained how procurement also affects the top line in a business and that is what inspires him. If he is able to do his job well and form strategic partnerships with top suppliers, he can make Novartis their client of choice and this ensures that Novartis’s products are brought to market in the most efficient and successful way possible.

The next topic of discussion focused on how students can be successful in Novartis without a strong Pharmaceutical background. Ms. Moran assured students that it’s OK to come to Novartis without a Pharmaceutical background. Instead of having broad knowledge about the industry, having skills essential to the function of Procurement is more important. Ms. Mosco elaborated by saying skills like being able to develop relationships and effectively communicate are the most important to her career.

Mike then opened up the panel to a general Q&A and the panelists covered topics such as innovation and the changing landscape of Procurement.  The event concluded with closing remarks from the Chair of the Supply Chain Management Program, Professor Rosa Oppenheim. It was an informative and engaging event that the students benefited from and enjoyed. Thank you to Rupa, Shakun, Michael and the countless other people involved who made this event such a success! And a special thanks to the panelists for taking time out of their busy schedules to come to RBS. We hope you’ll return again soon!

Rutgers Business School Welcomes The Management Consulting Club

Executive Board Members of the Management Consulting Club

This semester two students from the Class of 2016 formed a new club at Rutgers Business School: The Management Consulting Club. The founding Co-Presidents, Rupa Banerjee and Pam Soffer, recently took the time to answer some questions about the new club.

What is the vision behind the Management Consulting Club? 

The Vision of MCC is to enhance the MBA experience of students by helping them understand, appreciate and solve real business problems. The MCC will bring several avenues to expose students to the world of consulting, thereby giving an opportunity to evaluate consulting against their sense of fit.

What motivated you guys to start the club? 

Firms all around the world are looking for problem solvers. We wanted to help students become better problem solvers by bringing to them several avenues to work on time bound business situations that have strong financial implications.  This would prepare students for case interviews and case competitions and would give them significant competitive advantage over other graduate students.

How has the process been starting a new club at Rutgers Business School? 

The process of starting MCC has been great. We've had a lot of support from faculty and are excited about upcoming events. 

What kind of events do you have planned for the semester? 

In February we held a Kickoff Meeting where we shared our ideas about the club with students and faculty. We also got feedback from many students and club members about what they want to get from MCC. On March 25^th we are holding a joint event with the Pharmaceutical Management Club on case preparation. Gartner Consulting will visit RBS on April 9^th to speak about consulting sectors and popular language. Finally, the Rutgers Deloitte Recruiter, Joe Slota, will hold a session on the “Dos and Don’ts of Case Interviews” sometime this spring.

We hope you all will be able to join us for the events this semester!

Rupa Banerjee has 6+ years of experience in business process outsourcing and capital market consulting. She was a tech recommended, campus recruit at Wipro technologies. She started her career as an IT consultant and made her way to business consulting working for two of the world’s largest securities banks, Bank Of New York Mellon and State Street Corporation, helping them create/re-orient business process models to structure problem solving for faster delivery.

Pam Soffer has 8+ years in project management, and most recently worked with two companies as an internal consultant to spearhead their PMOs to align projects with business goals, develop competitive price structures and create strategic with market needs and company resources. She currently is a consultant with the Project Management Institute to assist schools with offering PMP courses. 

ISO Hosts Annual Oktoberfest at 1 Washington Park

Oktoberfest is the world's largest fair held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year.  The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the original Munich event. 

Here in Newark, NJ, Oktoberfest is a great reason for MBAs to get together and drink beer in between classes.  Thank you International Student Organization!

New Student Organization: RBS Pride

We are so proud of Jett McGurk, an RBS flex-time (turned full-time) student who played an instrumental role in launching RBS Pride, the new LGBTQ student organization aimed at raising sensitivity of LGBTQ people among future managers and leaders at RBS. Check out the article below on the accomplishment. 

RBS Pride brings new support and career resource to LGBT campus community

RBS Pride received provisionary status as a new student organization this month, reflecting an effort to recognize diversity and to raise the level of sensitivity toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people among future managers and leaders at Rutgers Business School.

Jett McGurk, a second-year MBA student who played a major role in forming the club, said while Rutgers University has one of the longest-standing and well-established LGBT support systems, including a new LGBTQ Diversity Resource Center at Rutgers in Newark, there was no presence at the business school.

RBS Pride President Jett McGurk and Arturo Osorio Fernandez, the club's faculty advisor

The diversity center also emphasizes support for the undergraduate student, McGurk said, which created an opportunity to start a club geared toward MBA students and their concerns, particularly when it comes to careers and work issues.

“As far as the business school is concerned, we’re all going to be hiring managers one day,” McGurk said. “It’s important for the LGBT community, as they enter the business world, to be able to talk about things like should you be out and how out should you be.”

While a club on campus will offer the LGBT community a place of belonging, McGurk also envisions it as a source of awareness-building and a place where free discussions will occur about such things as work place benefits and discrimination. McGurk is also hoping to increase the participation of Rutgers MBA students at ROMBA, which holds an annual networking conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender graduate business school students.

“I would have loved to have gone last year but I didn’t know about it,” she said, adding that students from New York University and Harvard attend regularly and enjoy audiences with recruiters from top-notch companies. “I would love to get more attendance there,” McGurk said.

Like any club, RBS Pride will remain on provisional status for two semesters while it elects officers, builds the necessary membership and successfully organizes a number of events, including one on the Livingston Campus.

RBS Pride is open to members of the LGBT community and their allies.

“The reaction has been wonderful,” McGurk said. “First year MBA students are thrilled. Everyone seems to be really excited for the club.” Eighteen students had signed up to be members when the club held its kick-off meeting Oct. 3. McGurk is serving as club president until the first board elections are held.

Arturo Osorio Fernandez, who agreed to serve as faculty advisor to RBS Pride, said such clubs makes diversity seem less of a concept and more of a reality. Osorio is also involved with Pride Newark, which recently opened its offices not far from the RBS campus on Halsey Street.

“Having the opportunity to have these clubs,” he said, “brings an awareness of the issues out to everyone.”

RBS Pride is on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/groups/RBSPRIDE/. Information can be obtained via email at RBS.PRIDE@gmail.com.

Many thanks to Susan Todd, Senior Publiv Relations Specialist for this article. More Rutgers Business School news here: http://www.business.rutgers.edu/news/