Minding Our Business
A monthly article written by Dean Becton
Rethinking the Workplace
While there have been significant changes in the workplace in the past, many companies are undergoing unprecedented changes concerning how and where work is done. The pandemic forced companies to send many employees home to work remotely and the results were somewhat mixed. When it began, most worried that productivity would suffer among those working from home. However, for many employees, productivity increased. Although it is hard to determine exactly why this occurred, some think that the lack of disruptions or interruptions and the increased flexibility provided the boost. It is no secret that many people have a hard time getting work done at work and working remotely appeared to solve that issue. So, we should just send all our employees home and cancel our office leases, right? Sounds like a win-win…increase productivity and save money on overhead. The flip side to this proposition is the long-term implications for organizational culture. Organizational culture is an important differentiating factor for businesses and can be a major source of competitive advantage. If most employees work remotely, it becomes incredibly difficult to build and maintain a healthy organizational culture. Also, collaboration becomes more challenging. Idea generation, innovation, and collaboration often happen in informal, impromptu ways in the workplace, but they mostly require interacting with coworkers and that becomes very difficult virtually.
Given the difficulty employers have filling job vacancies and the desires of a large portion of the workforce, remote work is not going away, but neither are offices. They may be reimagined, redesigned, and better utilized. Some type of hybrid workplace is probably the new reality, where employees work from home and the office based on personal needs, organizational priorities, project requirements, etc. More shared workspace for employees to use as needed instead of offices with someone's name on them will likely be the case. This will present some benefits, but also some challenges for managers. It will be a great balancing act for organizations to provide the environment and flexibility needed to maximize productivity while creating regular opportunities to be physically present together. I’d love to hear how your organizations are dealing with these challenges.
Emily Toomer Completes Sherwin-Williams Management & Sales Internship
Emily Toomer is a senior and double major in marketing & management who completed a Sherwin-Williams Management & Sales internship this past August. The final objective for intern groups was to present their internship projects in competition for scholarships. The first round was hosted in Memphis, TN, where Emily competed against roughly 20 groups across the West Area of the Southeast Division. Emily achieved 1st place even though she was on the only SINGLE-PERSON team. Emily moved on to the virtual round against all interns in the Southeast Division and earned 2nd place. Alongside bragging rights, Emily received an $800 scholarship from Sherwin-Williams.
Loan Forgiveness Questions Addressed by USM Professor of Practice
President Joe Biden recently announced details surrounding his student loan forgiveness plan. While there are plenty of places on the web to read about the political and fiscal pros and cons of student loan forgiveness, a majority still had questions. Professor of Practice, Mike Morgan, explains that the most pertinent question from his students is “does this cover current college students?” Morgan, addresses this question and several others in a recent article published by Southern Miss and several other local news outlets.
Dr. Srinidhi Kanuri Insight on Stock Market's Instability
The U.S. stock market has taken investors on quite a roller coaster ride thus far in 2022 with no obvious end to the unnerving experience in sight. Dr. Srinidhi Kanuri, associate professor of finance, urges patience during these volatile times on Wall Street.
Generally, investors who don’t panic and sell during bear markets benefit a lot. A recession/bear market is a great opportunity to buy more shares at a discount. Therefore, investors should be patient and keep investing using low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs (exchange trade funds).”
Meet the Firms
The Southern Miss Business School of Accountancy hosted the 2022 Meet the Firms event this month, welcoming 30 well-known firms and organizations with locations all across the country to connect with our students. Meet the Firms is an important annual event that allows students to learn more about internship and career opportunities within the accounting field while networking with representatives from accounting firms, corporations, and other professional organizations. As an added bonus, we look forward to this event as a way to reunite with USM graduates who return to campus to represent their professional organizations!
Patrick Davis Memorial Scholarship Recipients
Southern Miss Business is honored to announce the recipients of the Patrick Davis Memorial Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. The financial award provides two $1,000 scholarships to dually enrolled graduate students pursuing their Master of Science in Sport Management and Master of Business Administration. This distinguished scholarship pays tribute to the late Patrick Cooper Davis, who served as a graduate assistant for the Sport Management program, was a devoted Golden Eagle fan, and deeply enriched the lives of those around him. While in school, he avidly pursued studies in business, accounting, and sports, demonstrating his passion for interdisciplinary professional fields. Mr. Davis unexpectedly passed away on September 10, 2020. Through this generous scholarship, his legacy will continue here at Southern Miss.
Emilee Hoang
Second-time recipient, Emilee Hoang, is currently pursuing her MBA and M.S. in Sport Management at USM while working to earn her certification in Athlete Development Specialization from the University of Florida. She currently serves as a graduate assistant within the School of Marketing where she provides teaching support for marketing courses and assists with social media marketing campaigns. During her undergraduate career, she served as an athletics marketing intern and academic tutor with Southern Miss Athletics. Graduate school has provided her with the opportunity to help with the analytics for the Southern Miss baseball team, including managing the new Trackman system. Hoang says she thoroughly enjoys all the various areas she has had the opportunity to work for at the University and that these experiences have furthered her desire to work in college athletics after she graduates.
Dakota Wild
Dakota Wild is the second recipient of the Patrick Davis Memorial Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Wild currently works as a Football Operations Assistant for Southern Miss Football. His responsibilities include organizing coach and player calendars, running the clock for practice, traveling for away games, assisting with official visit weekends, and arranging meals during the season. During his undergraduate career, Wild was involved with Student Government Association, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, Resident Assistant, and Southern Miss Athletics. In the last semester of his undergraduate career, Wild completed a work-study under Coach Hall and his staff for a position in football operations. After graduation, he earned his current role on the team. He said he was thrilled and blessed to know his hard work paid off. He plans to continue working with Southern Miss Football once he completes his MBA and M.S. in Sport Management, but he also aspires to be a Director of Football Operations one day.
Experience Business Casually 2022
More than 150 business students participated in the Experience Business Casually event this year. The purpose of this event is to give students the opportunity to get advice from and network with professionals in a casual, intimidation-free setting. Students interacted with more than 40 representatives from 19 different companies or USM departments while visiting the 18 soft skills stations offered this year.
Special thank you to our title sponsor, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance.
Encounter Management
The School of Management held Encounter Management this month. The purpose of the event is to introduce students to the School of Management faculty and discuss the majors available in their school, which include Human Resources Management, International Business, Management, Entrepreneurship, and General Business.
Hospitality Industry Week—Career Fair
Representatives from 12 companies in the hospitality industry, plus the USM Center for Pathway Experiences, participated in a mini career fair during the activities surrounding Hospitality Industry Week. Students from all majors were invited to discuss full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities. Several representatives spoke to classes while they were on campus as well. Companies who participated include Aramark, Experience Columbia, the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, Hollywood Casino, Island View Casino Resort, Marriott International, Nellie's Chicken & Daiquiris, PCH Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, RPM Pizza, The Sunray Companies, and Waffle House.
Cruisin' the Coast, Southern Miss Style
Join us for Cruisin' the Coast, Southern Miss style. The School of Leadership is hosting a car show and social gathering on October 3rd, 2022 from 3-5pm. While cool cars are the star of the show, fun and comradery on our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast is a close second. Bring your car to be one of the stars (no need to pre-register) or just bring yourself, family, and friends to enjoy the Coast.
All friends of Southern Miss are welcome to join us on The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus. We look forward to talking cars and enjoying the view. The fun will last until 5:00pm, leaving plenty of time to come and go to all the other Cruisin’ festivities in Long Beach. For more information about this event, contact Bradley Winton at bradley.winton@usm.edu.
Coffee and Convos
The School of Marketing's Coffee and Convos event invited senior business students who are in the Honors College to present their thesis prospectus, which includes research questions, a literature review, and a proposed methodology. The opportunity allows these students to practice their presentation skills and to receive feedback on their research topic from faculty and peers. This also provides an outlet for Honors College students of all academic levels to sit in as audience members and get insight into what a work-in-progress research project looks like from current honors students' perspective.
The seven students who participated this year had 10-minutes to showcase their projects, followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. The College of Business and Economic Development faculty provided excellent feedback, recommendations, and resources for the students to consider. The event had a fantastic turnout with approximately 50 guests, including faculty for the College of Business and Economic Development, the Honors College, students of undergraduate and graduate levels, friends, and family.
Fall 2022 Important Dates
- Oct. 3: Southern Miss Cruisin' (GP Campus)
- Oct. 12: Business Career and Internship Expo
- Oct. 15: Southern Miss Business Tailgate
- Oct. 27: Southern Miss Business Tailgate
- Oct. 31: Halloween Monster Mash Event
- Nov. 5: Southern Miss Business Tailgate
- Nov. 18-19: Golden Idea Weekend Hackathon
- Nov. 18: Entrepreneur of the Year Luncheon
- Nov. 19: Southern Miss Business Tailgate
- Nov. 19: Prospective Business Student Preview Day
Class Notes
- John Rimmer '67 retired after serving as Division President for Footwear Unlimited, previously known as Wohl Shoe Company.
- Mel Harnish '09 landed a job with White House Black Market as a Merchandise Planner in Fashion Accessories and Footwear.
- Brandon Vineyard '20 started a position with Rice University as an Account Executive in their ticket office. He previously worked as an Inside Sales Consultant for the NBA/NFL with the Pelicans and Saints in New Orleans. "The skills I learned and experience I gained at USM and in my previous position have been invaluable in preparing me for the world of collegiate athletics," said Vineyard. "I know every step in my career will be built upon the foundation that USM helped me construct, and I'll never be able to adequately credit the university for their investment in me."
Business Alumni, What's New With You?
Southern Miss Business Alumni, we want to hear from you! Do you have good news to share? Maybe you got a new job, earned a promotion, or won an award! Share your good news with us so we can help celebrate you. We encourage you to share these things with us so we can include this in future newsletters. Click the link below to fill out the form.