The Tulane MBA

Net Impact Returns to Tulane

Net Impact returned to the Tulane campus last Thursday creating a scene in the Goldring/Woldenberg II courtyard on a gorgeous sunny day! Over 150 students enjoyed free food from Naked Pizza (a local socially responsible business), bottles of Honest Tea, and joined in on a crawfish boil; all to raise awareness about the organization and how students can do well in business by doing good for society.

The Tulane chapter of this international organization dissolved in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, but with the persistence and patience of several students is coming back to campus in a big way.  The Tulane Net Impact Club brings together students seeking to network and take action to foster a new generation of leaders who use the power of business to create a better world. The event inspired great lunch-time discussions about which companies are incorporating the values of social responsibility into their overall mission and how we as future business leaders can work collaboratively to further promote businesses with a purpose.

The Freeman School is truly a place where you can make “it” happen!! The passion of several students was propelled to greater heights due to the support of our fellow classmates. At the event we received a lot of interest in Net Impact and will spend the next few months of the semester taking on new projects to Magnify our Impact at Tulane.

Ruth Yomtoubian

Guest Blogger / Net Impact Member

Professor Accessibility

In the past I have talked about the many reasons I select Tulane.  One of which was the small class sizes and ability to develop close relationships with professors.  So I wanted to highlight what this actually looks like in practice.  A few days ago I sat down with one of our leadership professors to speak about some challenges I was facing in my professional life.  I’ve already accepted my job and I’m working on developing the team that will be reporting to me.  Very comfortably and casually we were able to sit down and talk through some scenarios and he was able to give me many great suggestions that I could take away and implement immediately. Even better, he was genuinely interested in what I was doing and asked that we continue to talk throughout the semester and even after I graduate so that he could continue to help me through this process.  It’s pretty nice to know that I have a professor that I can come back to and speak to about professional challenges after I graduate.

Key takeaway for you……The professors here truly want each and every student to succeed and regularly go above and beyond to ensure that this happens.

-Eric

A campus visit to Boston

So last weekend I took a trip to Beantown to visit a little business school know as Harvard. Before you label me a traitor I was there to attend the Retail & Luxury Goods Conference hosted by the school’s retail and luxury goods clubs. Having only been to Boston once and having never been to HBS it was quite an experience. For one, it was freezing, like 28 degrees freezing. And it was just unlike the type of conference that you picture a school like Harvard having. There were a lot of people, like me who LOVE fashion and retail and business and are looking for great opportunities after b-school that combine those passions. The conference began with a reception on Saturday night and keynote speakers and breakout sessions on Sunday. Because of HBS’s proximity to NYC, oh and because it’s Harvard they were able to get some great speakers for the conference including the CEO of Macy’s, Gucci, and Coty Cosmetics. Now Tulane may not be hosting a retail & luxury goods conference yet, but our Retail & Luxury Goods Association has really hit the ground running. Just two weeks ago we invited the COO of Mignon Faget, Ltd. to come speak, and not only did he come but he brought Mignon Faget herself. Last week, we worked a sold-out fashion show and met Zac Posen. I’m not one to brag, but for a club that’s only been in existence for a year, we’ve definitely accomplished a lot.

Amina

Consulting like a pro… kind of

There are many perks to attending Tulane. One of my favorites is the small class size, on average we have less than 50 students in our core classes and often even less in our elective classes. With small class sizes comes the ability to develop great relationships with our professors. Case in point, I had a professor last semester for an elective who also just happens to run a consulting firm. This semester I had him for a core class, and one day in class he asked if anyone would be interested in working with him and the other partner on a local consulting project. I expressed interest and a few days later I was sitting at the place of business with my professor and his business partner, the owner, executive chef, and a group of my fellow classmates. Not only will this make for great “real world” experience but it’s also just a really cool way to spend some time out of the classroom, hopefully applying some of the things that I learned in the classroom.

Amina

KeyBank Business Case Competition

One of the best opportunities you have as an MBA student is to take part in extremely engaging extracurricular activities. Whether doing consulting for startups, building marketing plans to rebrand local businesses there is probably something going on that will interest you.

Then there are the case competitions. I was fortunate enough to be a part of a 4 person team representing Tulane at the 6th KeyBank business case competition in Cleveland, Ohio. We had one month to prepare a business case, this year the case was about growing KeyBank’s online banking usage. And last Saturday we had the chance of going head to head against 19 teams from all over the country. There were some big names like Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, Penn State, and Washington State.

The format of the competition is as follows: During the first round, every team presents to a panel of 4 to 6 judges. Presentations last 20 minutes with 10 minutes for Q&A and they are done behind closed doors, only the judges get to hear the first round presentations. Then the 4 best teams are selected for the final round.  The final round is the same format but they are open to the public so other teams can watch. All 4 teams present again in front of 6 KeyBank executives.

The experience is interesting to say the least; KeyBank employees and executives are highly involved and are always talking to teams discussing how the competition impacts their respective areas. Staff keeps everything flowing smoothly; it’s impressive how good the planning was.

The best part of it all is that we won 1st place. It’s the first time that Tulane participates and we took it home. It was a wonderful learning experience that will not soon forget.

Juan

Mid-Semester Shuffle

Here at Tulane, we’re half-way through the semester.  For MBAs, that means mid-terms in some courses, and the end / beginning of other courses.  This Spring, I have three classes that continue for the entire semester (Consumer Behavior, Management and Real Estate Cases) and four classes that only meet half a semester (Internal Reporting, Management, Marketing and Global Business).  The exam period for this half-semester is over this weekend, so we’ll all start new classes next week.

This set-up really gives us variety in class choice.  I am concentrating in Consumer Behavior, but I am still able to take classes outside of core or concentration curriculum.  I could have double concentrated in Management and Consumer Behavior, but the course load would have given me no room to take courses outside of my concentrations.

Also at this point in the semester, we all start getting serious about internships.  A few of my classmates have received offers from some of the country’s biggest companies.  They’re lucky.  Most of us are still waiting on our fate.  Some companies get their internship program together early, and some are still accepting applications.  That leaves a lot of us up in the air as we wait for warmer weather and the next step in our education.

So that’s post-Mardi Gras, post-Superbowl life at Tulane.  It’s back to the books, finally.  Let any of us know if you have any questions.

Louis David

ldavid@tulane.edu

When in New Orleans…

A few weeks ago, before the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras madness consumed the last two weeks of my life (not that I’m complaining), I had four friends come visit from New York City - my first visitors! I was excited to show off my new city to my old friends and get their take on life in New Orleans. I’ve always found in the past that this method is the best way to really appreciate your surroundings.

For their visit I had two things on the agenda, two things that New Orleans is really known for: music and food. Every night we took in some local music by popping into some of the bars that line Frenchmen Street. Some of my favorites include Apple Barrel and d.b.a. (which strangely enough has a sister bar of the same name in Manhattan’s East Village). One of my favorite things about New Orleans is the often FREE live music. Rarely have I paid a cover charge to enjoy some of the most talented musicians in the country.

I was really pumped to show off some locals eats. As a vegetarian, I rarely go out to eat as that most restaurants aren’t exactly catering to the non-carnivorous types. Friends in town was the perfect chance to experience some of these famous spots vicariously through them. From Port of Call, known for their burgers and gigantic monsoons, to Cochon, a more upscale spot known for their pork dishes (and surprisingly delicious vegetarian sides/apps), the restaurants of New Orleans did not disappoint. All four of my friends are already planning their next trip back, and I can’t wait to eat my way through more of the city with them!

-Sarah