Marketing alumna hosts Check, Please! Philly

As three different guests gather each week with Kae Lani Palmisano, host of WHYY-TV’s Check, Please! Philly, chatting about Philadelphia-area restaurants, her eyes glow. But it’s not just because of the sumptuous fare they discuss.

“The conversation of food has become so diverse and vast,” said Palmisano, a 2010 graduate of the College's marketing program, who is also the food and travel editor at USA Today 10Best . “It’s no longer about just what’s on the plate. People are very interested in the context behind the food, the people behind the food, the chefs and even the business of the restaurant and food industry. I’m interested in the multitude of ways that food contextualizes so much of the world around us.”

Palmisano’s marketing background helps her share these stories.

“I decided to go into marketing because it is also storytelling and research and I was also interested in the social sciences,” said Palmisano, of Berlin, N.J. A semester abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, expanded her world view.

Her advisor, Dr. Manuel Pontes, professor of marketing, and Dr. Berrin Guner, professor and chair of Marketing & Business Information Systems, also guided her. “They were great resources for me to channel my interests and develop the kind of career that I wanted,” said Palmisano, who still keeps in touch with them.

Her unique perspective as a marketing major sets her apart in the media industry.

“Even though I’m a TV personality, I still divert into marketing and ask, ‘How do we position this?’” she said. “When I auditioned for the show, I asked the producers about the demographics of WHYY-TV and its target demographic because that helps me figure out how to present myself as a host and what information would be pertinent to the audiences they are trying to target.”
Kae Lani Palmisano’s business background enhances her capabilities as a TV host and food and travel editor.
Credit: Photos of Kae Lani Palmisano taken by Daniel Burke Photography. 
  Students in the capstone management course managed five simulated businesses.
Management majors operate multi-billion-dollar "businesses"

Before graduation, the Rohrer College of Business (RCB) hands management majors the keys to simulated multi-billion-dollar automobile manufacturing companies. To succeed, they will need to summon many of the skills they developed at Rowan.

Through the capstone “Business Management Simulation” course, using a strategic management system, students work on five competing teams that manage five companies with different strengths, weaknesses and product portfolios. Within a $1.5 billion dollar budget, they design a new vehicle, bring it to market and report how well they recouped their investment.

“They have to plan and execute decisions about research and development, manufacturing, a distribution network and dealers, and all aspects of financing,” said Dr. Dilip Mirchandani, chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. “There are all kinds of customer segments, so they have to understand segmentation and differentiation.”
Pictured: Daniel Folkinshteyn (left), Michael Milovich
RCB researchers expand blockchain understanding

Rohrer College of Business professors continue to ride the crest of innovation, focusing on the rapid evolution of disruptive technology and recognizing its impact on business and business education.

An example is blockchain technology, which is designed to decentralize data, increase internet security and promote other advancements.

“Blockchain will help take us to Web 3.0,” said Dr. Michael Milovich, assistant professor, Marketing & Business Information Systems. “Web 3.0 will open the internet to capabilities beyond the peer-to-peer distributed ledger of blockchain and move us into distributed applications, distributed storage, distributed computation and a distributed web.”
Bill Sikora is a member of the Beta Alpha Psi and Accounting Society executive boards.
RCB resources drive students to succeed

The glowing LED financial ticker in Business Hall initially caught Bill Sikora’s attention.

But after he enrolled in the Rohrer College of Business (RCB), he found that the entire building was crammed with resources for inspiration — from the Success Boards near the Rohrer Center for Professional Development (RCPD), where students scrawl news of full-time positions and internships, to the faculty and staff.

“There are so many resources on campus, like the RCPD and the Executive in Residence, Jerry Maginnis,” said Sikora, of Marlton, a senior accounting and finance major who transferred from Rowan College of Burlington County. “I knew that whatever I wanted to do, there is someone in Business Hall who can push me in the right direction and give me the right advice."
Program combines B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with M.B.A.

Industry leaders face a pivotal moment that will dramatically influence the future for business students.

“We’re in the middle of an environmental crisis around the world as far as global climate change and issues related to climate change,” said Dr. Jordan Howell, co-director and associate professor of environmental and sustainability studies in Rowan’s School of Earth & Environment and associate professor of sustainable business in the Rohrer College of Business (RCB). “People are more aware than ever of how our economic and industrial activities cause pollution and habitat loss.”

To equip students to address these challenges, the University launched a joint degree program last fall that allows students to earn a B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and an M.B.A. in five years.
M.B.A. students collaborate on a project.
Dr. Dilip Mirchandani, Dr. Linda Ross, Kimble Bryd, Dean Sue Lehrman, Dr. Eric Liguori, Dr. Michael Dominik, Dr. Lee Zane, Greg Payton, Dr. Robert D'Intino, Jessica Vattima, and Dr. Susana Santos helped build Rowan’s brand at the USASBE conference.
Dr. Eric Liguori, RCIE executive director and USASBE president, speaks at the national conference.
Kimble Byrd, student Joshua Sivel, and Dean Sue Lehrman engaged with entrepreneurship colleagues from around the country.
Entrepreneurship faculty buckle down in the Big Easy

In January, Rohrer College of Business (RCB) entrepreneurship faculty had a full agenda when they landed in New Orleans, connecting with colleagues from around the country at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Conference.

“USASBE’s focus is on advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship and practice,” said Dr. Eric Liguori, executive director of the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) and president of USASBE. 

The event draws entrepreneurship educators, researchers, policymakers and more, emphasizing interdisciplinary and experiential education. It offers research presentations, workshops, professional development and information on best practices.

“The USASBE conference is a chance for our faculty to network, explore cutting-edge teaching techniques, share best practices coming out of Rowan and engage with a community of leading entrepreneurship educators from around the globe,” he said. “They bring fresh ideas and new partnerships back to Rowan to help improve how we educate the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

Participation in the event builds Rowan’s brand. “It’s a good opportunity to talk about Rowan and what we have to offer to hundreds of universities with entrepreneurship programs,” Liguori said.

For example, RCIE recently approved three new certificates of graduate studies in entrepreneurship that are open to students throughout the University that may fit the needs of students throughout the country. “The conference is our chance to market the options and opportunities we offer,” Liguori said.
RCB faculty who attended included Liguori; Dean Sue Lehrman; Dr. Dilip Mirchandani, chair, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship; Dr. Lee Zane, associate professor; Dr. Susana Santos, assistant professor; Dr. Robert D’Intino, professor; Dr. Michael Dominik, lecturer; Greg Payton, adjunct professor; Kimble Byrd, professor emeritus; Dr. Linda Ross, professor emeritus; Dr. Mark Weaver, founding Rohrer Chair of Entrepreneurship (retired); and Jessica Vattima, outreach and events associate for the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 
Upcoming Events:
Corporate Innovation Forum
March 19, 2020
With tight labor markets and growing demand for innovative, tech-savvy employees, workplace diversity is a competitive advantage across industries. From seasoned baby boomers with years of experience, to newcomers who hail from around the globe, to a rich array of ethnically diverse individuals hiring and developing a cohesive and flexible workforce is a critical organizational success factor.

This year’s Corporate Innovation Forum focuses on how employee diversity, broadly defined, can give your organization a competitive boost, tips for recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of employees, and ways to harness workforce diversity to help your business thrive. We’ll also explore regional labor market trends and delve into the ways governmental, economic development and education organizations are working to help you meet your workforce needs.
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March 2020 Volume 6, Issue 3
William G. Rohrer College of Business | Website