Cato Institute's Reynolds to Discuss Income Inequality

It was recently reported that Wall Street executive bonuses are on the rise once again. Is this more of the same, that the rich get richer – and what about the rest of us? What’s the real story behind the data showing increasing income and wealth inequality in America? Is the data real, or is there another explanation for what we read in the press?

Alan Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, will address these issues in a lecture titled: “Increasing Income Inequality: Reality or Policy Persuasion?” It will be held Wed., Nov. 3, at 4 pm at Annenberg Forum (First Floor of Carswell Hall).

Reynolds was formerly director of economic research at the Hudson Institute. He served as research director with National Commission on Tax Reform and Economic Growth, an advisor to the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, and as a member of the OMB transition team in 1981. His studies have been published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Joint Economic Committee, the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and St. Louis, and the Australian Stock Exchange.

Author of Income and Wealth (Greenwood Press 2006), he has written for numerous publications since 1971 including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Review, The New Republic, Fortune and The Harvard Business Review. A former columnist with Forbes and Reason, his weekly column is now nationally syndicated.

Introducing New Grad Student Sentiment Index

Hello Graduate Business Students!

It is hard to believe that November is already here. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the end of the fall semester soon after. The good news is that there is still a fair amount of time left before we reach the end of the fall semester. I encourage you to make effective use of your time to keep up with your deliverables and avoid that nasty end of semester crunch.

As a faculty member who teaches in the areas of Operations Management and Six Sigma, it will probably not surprise you to learn that one of the desires I bring to my new role is the pursuit of continuous improvement.

Along these lines, I cannot over emphasize the important role you play in helping us continuously improve our programs. Thus, I encourage you to share any suggestions or concerns you have with me, your program director, student affairs champion, and during town hall meetings. Furthermore, I encourage you to share any feedback you have with us at the earliest possible time as this best positions us take action on your suggestions.

To further enhance our continuous improvement efforts, I am pleased to announce the launch of a new Graduate Student Sentiment Index. This index will be similar to investor or consumer sentiment indexes you may be familiar with, but will focus on your satisfaction with your program. Every two weeks a random sample of students from each of our graduate business programs will receive an email message from me with a link to a web-based survey form asking for input on your level of satisfaction with your program.

The survey form will consist of a single question and therefore will take a minimal amount of time to complete. All input will be anonymous. I hope when you are selected, you will take advantage of the opportunity to provide your input. In future columns I will update you on the Graduate Student Sentiment Index.

Best wishes for the remainder of the fall semester.

~ Scott Shafer

Wake Forest Team Wins Howard Case Competition

A team from the Wake Forest University Schools of Business took home the top prize last week in a case competition hosted by Howard University.

Joy Fuller, Ahkesha Murray and Talib Graves-Manns clinched victory - and a $5,000 prize - by beating teams from MIT, Georgetown and UNC-Chapel Hill in the final round. The case, sponsored by LMI Consulting, asked students to create a supply chain concept for a fence project along the border with Mexico. Georgetown came in second, while MIT Sloan was third.

"This case competition enabled us to showcase not only what we learned in the classroom but also our ability to collaborate to tackle complex business problems," Fuller said.

This is the fourth straight year that a Wake Forest team has placed in the Howard MBA Case Competition. The team's faculty advisor was Derrick Boone.

Marketing Summit Unveils Bigger Top Prize

During Thursday’s kick-off event, the committee behind the 2011 Marketing Summit announced several “upgrades” for the case competition’s 21st year. The biggest change is an sizable increase in the top prize, which now stands at $75,000!

The Marketing Summit will also provide the winning undergraduate team with a trophy – complimenting the cracked egg award that historically goes to the winning graduate team.

Next year will also feature more networking opportunities for team members. There will be a new networking event on Thursday night before teams embark on their 36-hour sessions. Perhaps more intriguing is scheduled time on Saturday following the awards ceremony, when sponsors can identify individual case participants for one-on-one discussions.

These are just a few of the ways that this year’s committee hopes to raise the stakes next year. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the event.

Walmart CEO at Wake Forest: Video Highlights

Mike Duke, president/CEO of Wal-mart Stores Inc. discusses "Leading Global Growth" on Sept. 28, 2010, at the Worrell Professional Center on the Wake Forest University campus. His presentation was part of the Schools of Business "Leading Out Loud" executive lecture series made possible by the Broyhill Family Foundation.

Elevator Competition Starts Social Media Campaign

Just months away, the creative student minds behind next year's Elevator Competition are active on the Internet. Here are ways you can get an early feel for the event via social media. And don't forget the main website, found here.

Find the Elevator Competition on

• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• FeedBurner

VF Corp. to Sponsor 2011 Marketing Summit Case

VF Corp., a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, is the case sponsor for next year's Marketing Summit!
Teams participating in the 21st annual case competition will have the opportunity to become familiar with two of VF's leading brands.
Graduate student teams are expected to develop innovative solutions for The North Face, while the event's undergraduate competitors are scheduled to work on a case involving Nautica.
"The case competition provides value to VF in several ways, including access to new ideas and perspectives and an opportunity to assess and recruit talented students well versed in marketing strategy and tactic," said Paul Mason, a company spokesman.
Mason said VF, based in Greensboro, chose The North Face and Nautica for the competition because both brands "should be familiar to the competition participants and provide compelling case studies."
VF's ties to Wake Forest run deeper than the Marketing Summit. Mike Gannaway, vice president of VF Direct/Customer Teams, has been a judge. VF chairman, president, and CEO Eric Wiseman earned a B.S. and MBA from the university and he serves on the board of visitors for the Schools of Business.
Each year, Wake Forest University attracts talented marketing minds from top MBA and undergraduate programs nationally to participate in the Marketing Summit -- a student-run competition that offers students the opportunity to apply their marketing skills and creativity to real-world marketing challenges. VF follows a tradition of landing high-quality case sponsors that have included IBM and PepsiCo.
Stay tuned. Over a short 36-hour period, teams work around the clock to craft a strategic marketing plan to address a given challenge. At the end of the competition, the sleep-deprived students present their solutions to a panel of industry-leading experts.