College of Business and Public Administration
January 7, 2008
California State University, San Bernardino
Friends,
You are invited to attend this quarter's Executive Briefings that are breakfast lectures on "hot" leadership topics, sponsored by Business Alliance. There is a different speaker and different topic for eight consecutive Thursday mornings, beginning January 24. Come to one, or come to all! Find out more on the website, or fax back the registration form linked below.
Best wishes,
Karen Dill Bowerman, Dean
FAST PITCHES: In the TriTech/Tech Coast Angels Fast Pitch Competition held at UCR, five CSUSB entrants were the only students in the field of 14 competitors from a 5-county area all who sought funding for business ven
tures they hope to launch. The competitors made a 60-second "fast pitch" of their business concepts. The judging panel then selected the top three entrepreneurs --all three our students-- who then made a three-minute presentation and a three-minute question and answer session from the judging panel. Congratulations Felix Zuniga (bottom right), Jesse Inman (bottom left) and Marquise Jackson (top right). Zuniga, of San Bernardino, who made his pitch for Armada Business Services, was the winner, receiving the opportunity to make a full presentation of his business plan at a members-only "deal screening" session of the Tech Coast Angels. During that session later in January, investors will evaluate the plan and, if interested, form a committee that begins the process of evaluating the company for investment, ranging from $100,000 to $2 million. "Our students were awesome," said Dr. Michael Stull (center), director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship and Monica Brule (top left), director of the Integrated Technology Transfer Network.
Students warmed their pitches as part of the festivities of October's Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program; five student finalists from the CSUSB Competition delivered a 90-second pitch about their venture idea to the audience and were critiqued on their overall preparation and professional presentation. Each of the students impressed the audience of more than 500 local business leaders and entrepreneurs. Eva de la Parra of Box Seats Sports Bar (top center), received a $4,000 1st place prize; 2nd place of $2,000 went to Felix Zuniga of Armada Business Services, and 3rd place of $1,000 went to Marquise Jackson of GameSpace. Runners-up Wilbert McClay (bottom center) and Jesse Inman each received $250. The students were the five surviving entrants from a field of 56 in two rounds of qualifying pitches at CSUSB. Sponsors of the Fast Pitch were Enterprise Funding Corp., the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, and the College of Business & Public Administration.
NEW FACULTY: Dr. Molly Takeda helps us kick off this first day of Winter Quarter in her new role as CSUSB's Associate Professor of Management in International Business. Dr. Takeda has been on the faculty at the Australian National University, Auyama Gakuin University's Graduate School of International Management in Tokyo, and the University of Tennessee. Her Ph.D. is in International Business from the University of Pittsburgh, and her publication list is lengthy. With the plan to get "a jump on" knowing how to update our international curriculum from the students' perspective, she has already held focus groups with our majors.
INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE: Dr. Jake Zhu (right) served as program co-chair along with a professor from the University of Science and Technology in Beijing where the 18th annual conference was held. Dr. Tapie Rohm (2nd from right), also of our Information & Decision Science Department, has long served as executive director of the association. The conference drew 150 attendees from 20 countries to share their research and discuss information technology issues in our global networked environment. Dr. Zhu has also received the outstanding service award from the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences and serves as co-editor of its E-Journal. 
Executive Briefings
Thursdays from 7:30 to 9 a.m., continental breakfast served
Location: CSUSB Pfau Library, 4th floor room 4005
Cal State San Bernardino is at 5500 University Parkway. Enter campus at University Ave. main entrance
Purchase $4 parking permit at kiosk ~ Pfau Library is straight ahead.
Program Cost: All 8 events $175 (Business Alliance members, CSUSB students, staff & alumni $75)
Individual briefings $25 (Business Alliance members, CSUSB students, staff & alumni $10
