Abbot International Internship Fund Awards were made for the first time this year. Three Robins School students received awards of $2,666 in financial support for their international internships during the summer of 2008. The recipients were Emily Cahill (internship in Ireland), Rob Radke (internship in Mexico), and Dan Warhola (internship in England). Rob’s summer internship experiences are detailed below.

The street where Rob Radke’s office was located in Monterrey is home to the major brokerage houses in Mexico as well as boutiques such as Prada and Louis Vuitton, and Ferrari and Maserati dealerships.  Radke, who is majoring in business administration at the Robins School with a concentration in international business and finance and a minor in Spanish, had an internship this year at Actinver, a brokerage house and financial services firm.  Each morning, Radke donned his suit and tie, and commuted to work in style—a 1985 neon green VW Beetle.

“Monterrey, Mexico was a very interesting place to live and work, and it was full of contrasts,” said Radke. “My drive to work is a perfect example.  Each morning I would set out from my middle-class neighborhood and drive over a hill covered with tiny, corrugated metal houses stacked on top of each other.  I would then travel through San Pedro, the wealthiest municipality in Latin America, where the grass is perfectly manicured and the houses are very large even by U.S. standards.”

During his internship, Radke worked for the Actinver LLoyd, Operator of Funds division.  He penned a weekly analysis of Mexican politics and current affairs in Spanish, which was mailed to the consultants and then to their clients.  He also worked on various projects, ranging from new promotional ideas to expanding the company within the northeast region of Mexico, determining the location of future branches.

“Working at the company was challenging at first but, I soon discovered my Spanish wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I wrote several reports and presented all my projects to my boss in Spanish–I never found any use for speaking English. All my coworkers were very supportive and I soon made many good friends,” continued Radke.

Radke’s internship was unique in that it lacked structure.  Every day was different and Radke had the freedom to make the internship as challenging and beneficial as he wanted. One of the biggest challenges was the climate-it was typically 106 degrees and very humid, not the best weather for a wool suit and tie.

A Farmington, Connecticut native, Radke chose the University of Richmond because of the Robins School of Business and the University's strong international focus.

”My interest in international business came from a geography course I took with Keith Bosak. I really loved learning about all the different demographic traits and cultures, so I assumed that this major would allow me to travel and see the world and experience these different cultures. I couldn’t be happier with my choice to intern in Mexico because the people are some of the most open and friendly people you will ever meet. ”

Two new courses will be available to undergraduate business students this fall. Both offer students a new perspective on relevant topics for today’s business practitioner.

FIN 369.02: Markets and Exchanges
Professor: Raymond P.H. Fishe
Fall, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. – 9:10 p.m.
How is stock trading organized? Why do some people make money trading, while others do not? In this course, students will learn the various nuances of markets and exchanges that will help them understand how Wall Street works. Students will actively learn the mechanics of new electronic trading venues, gaining instruction on how to place and work orders and judge market impacts. The course will cover the various types of participants and their roles, types of auctions and orders, as well as the regulatory impacts. Students will participate in trading simulations to discover how information makes its way into prices. These simulations will also teach students how to make markets, manage inventory and trading risks. Case studies will also be utilized to examine incidences of insider trading and the effects of announcements on market prices.

MGMT 349.02: Leading Change
Professor: Randolph New
Fall, Thursdays, 3:45 p.m. – 6:25 p.m.
Global environmental forces over the past thirty years have put tremendous pressure on individual industries and businesses to change themselves in order to keep up. Unfortunately, research in companies shows that about two-thirds of major change initiatives fail. This course will prepare students to deal more effectively with organizational change, by learning about the various pressures on organizations to change, diagnostic models for assessing what needs to be changed, reasons people may resist change, and the differing approaches that can be used to implement and sustain change. In addition to reading about change management and applying the learning to case studies, the class will visit seven Richmond-area companies (e.g., Capital One, Genworth, Owens & Minor) to talk with company leaders about how they manage change in the global business environment. The class will also participate in an online change management simulation that is used by other leading business schools and corporations around the world. In the simulation, GlobalTech is struggling to maintain its share of the global positioning system (GPS) market because of global competition.

COMING SOON!

The Robins School continues to attract a diverse student body. To illustrate, here are a few approximate numbers regarding the current junior class of undergraduate business students. It is important to keep in mind that these numbers are not a projection of the upcoming year’s students. This is simply a snapshot of existing numbers.

Number of junior business students: 243
Number of junior business students from out-of-state: 203
States represented (outside of Virginia): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas

Number of International Students: 12
International Countries Represented: Afghanistan, Botswana, China, Columbia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, and Vietnam

Primary* Accounting Majors: 47
Within Accounting, Additional Primary* Concentrations (not required): Finance: 6, Marketing: 4

Primary* Business Administration Majors: 185
Within Business Administration, Primary* Concentrations: Accounting: 18, Economics: 10, Finance: 74, International Business: 15, Management: 14, and Marketing: 51

Primary* Economics Majors: 7
Within Economics, Additional Primary* Concentrations (not required): Finance: 3

*”Primary” refers only to the first occurrence/listing of a major or concentration in the student management system. Students can choose multiple majors and concentrations based on their interests and goals, but (as listed in the system) their choices are not necessarily denoted as primary, secondary, etc. (i.e., the listings above may not represent the actual weight or level of interest that a student applies to each major or concentration).

The start of a new academic year ushers in many changes for the University of Richmond Career Development Center (CDC). With a now-full staff of 11, a dynamic strategic plan and a move to a centrally located and newly renovated space on the third floor of the Tyler Haynes Commons, the CDC is poised to assist students in a broader way.

“We are so excited for this year and what it will bring for students,” said Leslie Stevenson, CDC director. “We plan to roll out targeted programming and services for our students, further develop relationships with employers and assess our outcomes and communication methods.”

This new strategic focus depends on partnerships to be a success, and there are many ways alumni, faculty and staff can work with the CDC to provide students with the information and opportunities they seek.

“Our goal is to help students explore their passions, navigate their challenges and guide them in defining and achieving what success is for them,” said Stevenson. “Whether it’s a dream first job, a service experience, graduate or professional school, a research or internship opportunity or an international experience, we exist to support students. There are many ways we can partner with departments and alumni to benefit our students.”

Alumni can assist students by

• providing an internship or job opportunity with their companies or organizations;
• allowing students to gain career and industry experience through job shadowing and mock interviewing and/or;
• serving on an informational or industry panel.

Faculty and staff can refer students to the CDC to

• explore their interests and abilities;
• choose a major;
• connect with internships and research opportunities;
• investigate graduate and professional school options;
• prepare for an internship or job search and/or;
• land their first jobs.