School of Business

KU MBA students compete with the best at Thunderbird Challenge

A team of KU School of Business MBA students out-performed peers from top business schools around the world, making it to the final round of a major competition, the Thunderbird Challenge.

Out of 55 elite teams that represented outstanding business schools, only the top five qualified to compete in the final round of the Thunderbird Social Responsibility and Ethics Challenge. The KU team competed against UC Berkeley, the London Business School, UCLA and HEC Montreal, Canada.

The Thunderbird Challenge is a competition to create the best solutions to corporate ethical issues involving customers, employees, suppliers, communities and stockholders. Read More

Business School students get a taste of entrepreneurship with Summerfield Food Stop

Summerfield Food Stop. The name may be new, but the idea behind it has been circulating for several years now. What is the Summerfield Food Stop? It’s a student-initiated, student-operated business that offers food choices in Summerfield Hall. And all the profits are invested back into student organizations and projects at the School of Business.

Last spring, a group of Undergraduate Business Council (UBC) members jump-started the proposal for a student-run food service by completing a 30-page report that detailed the objectives, management issues and benefits of creating the Food Stop.

Matt Webb, a team member, said he and other members then presented this report to KU Dining Services, which had to grant approval before the business could be opened. “When we got done, Dining Services said,“That was the best proposal we’ve ever had – go do it. We’ll provide whatever you need.’ ” Read More

Ethics Seminar brings together business executives and ethics experts from the Business School

Two KU School of Business centers held a seminar last week to discuss the current ethical issues facing international businesses. The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and the International Center for Ethics in Business brought together business executives and international ethics experts.

“The purpose of the seminar was to familiarize business people with ethical issues that may arise as they conduct business overseas,” said Carol Rose, executive director of CIBER. “These are things they may not have thought about but need to be prepared to encounter.”

Speakers at the seminar talked about how legislation is changing due to recent ethical crisis, such as Enron and WorldCom. Rose said the recent scandals made the seminar especially relevant.

This is the second time the two centers offered an executive seminar on international business ethics. The seminar was co-sponsored by the International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City.

For more information visit the School of Business website.