Rider University Assistant Professor Mark D. Promislo, who is a Fox School PhD alumnus, Fox Professor of Human Resource Management Robert A. Giacalone and doctoral student Jeremy Welch’s study, Consequences of concern: ethics, social responsibility and well-being, bases its insights upon survey results drawn from 262 employees at four companies.

The researchers used four metrics to measure well-being: “life satisfaction,” defined as an intellectual judgment of one’s overall quality of life; “subjective affect,” defined as the day-to-day frequency of upbeat feelings; “sleep problems,” which helped determine participants’ health; and, finally, “job stress.”

Survey participants answered questions exploring their personal commitment to ESR, as well as their companies’ commitment. The researchers then ran a series of analyses to determine what, if any, correlations exist between personal or workplace ESR and well-being.

They discovered that individuals with a deep commitment to ESR are more likely to suffer job stress, low life satisfaction and poor day-to-day moods. But companies that display a serious commitment to ESR have happier employees – with higher scores on mood and life satisfaction – regardless of those employees’ personal ethical perspectives.

“The study demonstrates that ESR is not simply a concern for the company’s bottom line,” Giacalone said. “ESR is a very personal issue of employee health and happiness that can undermine the very fabric of an employee’s life.”

The researchers suggest that perhaps individuals most deeply committed to ESR feel as though the business world is too cutthroat. They worry for colleagues and feel personally dejected. But since all employees are happier in companies that uphold high ethical standards, corporate commitments to ethics don’t go to waste.

ACG members judged the competition, which engaged business school teams in analysis, valuation and strategy development. The intense competition provides feedback from real-world experts and links the next generation of top-tier business-school talent with potential mergers and acquisitions employers.

“The team’s dedication and work on this case competition paid off, and we are so proud of all they’ve accomplished,” said Julie Crist, associate director of Executive and Professional MBA/MS Programs.

The Fox School’s ACG Case team included Full-time MBA students Perdeep Thind, Peter Ortiz and Rinor Gjonbalaj, and Professional Masters student Zhengwei Liang, who is concentrating in finance.

The event, held April 12 at SugarHouse Casino’s The Refinery Restaurant, drew nearly 75 people, including winners from the 40 Under 40 Class of 2012, awards alumni and guests.

In addition to networking and hors d’oeurves, Class of 2012 winners participated in a formal photo shoot. The evening began with remarks from Philadelphia Business Journal publisher Lyn Kremer and SugarHouse General Manager Wendy Hamilton, a 40 Under 40 winner in 2011 and keynote speaker at last year’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference, hosted by the Temple University League for Entrepreneurial Women.

This year’s 40 Under 40 class features four Temple graduates: Leonardo Mattiazzi, a Fox Executive MBA alumnus from 2009; Danielle N. Cohn, a School of Communications and Theater alumna from 1995; Kelly Erb, a double Temple Law graduate from 1997 and 1999; and Lawrence H. Pockers, also a 1999 law graduate.

This year’s 40 Under 40 awards program, also sponsored by the Fox School, is scheduled for 5-8:30 p.m. May 22 at the Crystal Tea Room at the Wanamaker Building in Center City.

For a photo gallery of this year’s honorees, visit http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2012/03/15/40-under-40-winners-announced-by.html

PHmHealth, co-founded by CEO Michael Mittelman, MBA ’10, Chief Innovation Officer Jennifer Hinkel, and marketing and sales Vice President Dirk Rassloff, took home more than $125,000 in cash, products and professional services during the April 26 finalist presentations at the Fox School of Business.

“I knew we had this great team in place, and I thought if we can win this, then this will change all of our lives,” Mittelman said a day after winning top prize. “And so far it is. It’s just going to completely change things for all of us.”

The proposed PHmHealth System would result in efficiencies, lower costs and reduced risk of fraud in the delivery of home healthcare. The system would facilitate record keeping and could even, for example, alert a family member with a text message if a provider doesn’t arrive for a visit with a loved one.

“Our product is designed to provide value to patients and their families, to healthcare providers, and to the system as a whole,” Mittelman said. “We want to fundamentally transform home healthcare.”

Mittelman said the prize money is funding product development. The team hopes to be testing on the market in September or October and projects to launch in January 2013. On May 18, PHmHealth plans to attend the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures (MADV) early spring venture forum. MADV is a Temple-based entrepreneurship advisory and venture forum program that provides support and connections to capital to early-stage innovation and knowledge-based businesses. It is the largest, year-round venture forum program in the Greater Philadelphia region by clients served annually.

The annual Be Your Own Boss Bowl®, the flagship program of the Temple Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI), is one of the most lucrative and comprehensive business plan competitions in the country. This year, nine business plans representing five of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges were selected as finalists. They competed for $250,000 in cash prizes, Microsoft and Dell products, professional services and incubation space.

This is the second year the competition included a competitive track for social innovation ventures, in addition to an undergraduate track and a track for Temple graduate students, alumni, faculty and staff. New category prizes for best-written plan by a woman, best-written plan by a minority, and best-written clean-technology plan also were introduced last year after Goldman Sachs Gives donated $500,000 to the Be Your Own Boss Bowl® at the recommendation of Temple alumni Alan and Deborah Cohen.

For the third year, the IEI awarded the Chris Pavlides Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award to a graduating senior. Entrepreneurship major Mark Franzen is the 2012 recipient.

Be Your Own Boss Bowl® participants benefit from coaching, mentoring and networking opportunities with the Philadelphia area’s leading business professionals, including members of GPSEG, the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group. Overall, the competition receives support from more than 450 executives and entrepreneurs.

Be Your Own Boss Bowl® by the numbers

259 preliminary judges from 17 states
159 participating team members
144 senior-executive mentors
15 sponsors
14 participating Temple schools and colleges
12 finalist judges
11 presentation coaches
4 scorekeepers

The spring series started March 28 and was delivered via TalentMarks, a company providing college students and graduates access to information to help build successful careers. The company has been putting on the webinar for two years, and CSPD began providing it to graduate and undergraduate students at the Fox School of Business and School of Tourism and Hospitality Management in October 2011. Holly Pfeifer, assistant director of corporate relations for CSPD, said she thought the series would be an invaluable resource to students, no matter where they were in their academic careers.

“Everyone has their own way of how they like to do things, and it is great to learn from other successful professionals,” said Bianca Lupo, a freshman international business major who attended the webinar regularly.

Each week the webinar is sponsored by a different employer, which gives companies an opportunity to build their presence on campus by providing Temple students with refreshments for a fun and informative event. The Why Should We Hire You? webinar will be sponsored by KPMG, and they have provided promotional T-shirts, umbrellas and desk supplies for attendees.

Prizes are also offered as an incentive for student engagement. The May 2 webinar will feature the “Ultimate Professional Development Basket,” which includes a $100 gift card to Macy’s, provided by Enterprise Holdings, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Toppers Salon and Spa for students to use for a professional makeover.

Since its debut in Alter Hall in October, the CSPD Wednesday Webinar series has seen a steady audience of approximately 70 students each week.

“As a Fox student, I have heard many times thus far that ‘Your future Fox degree is like a stock in your own business. Enhance its value every day,’” Lupo said. “Attending the Wednesday Webinar series is truly a great investment.”

To commemorate the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s Champions of Change initiative, Lehrman made another visit to Washington, D.C., where less than a year ago she sat with top immigration policymakers and fellow Champions of Change at a roundtable discussion.

Lehrman, a Fox Executive MBA graduate and national director of Temple’s Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders), was awarded the E Pluribus Unum Prize in 2011. Competing against 450 applicants, Lehrman was one of only four to receive

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

the award for exceptional immigrant integration initiatives. The $50,000 prize, given by the Migration Policy Institute, was used to fortify and expand Project SHINE’s initiatives.

That same day, Lehrman, who also holds master’s degrees in education and organizational development from Temple, was named a White House Champion of Change.

Project SHINE is a nonprofit based at Temple’s Intergenerational Center. Today, SHINE operates on 19 campuses in nine states. The program started in 1985 and has trained nearly 10,000 college students to provide important English, civics and literacy knowledge to local older immigrant populations. More than 40,000 immigrants have been assisted through the project.

She joined Obama and 12 other Champions of Change on April 26 in an event highlighting the great accomplishments achieved by alumni since initially being honored as White House Champions of Change. The program was created by the Obama administration to “honor ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things” and has recognized more than 500 people from all 50 states.

Lehrman believes immigrants are America’s greatest asset and that it is imperative that they are integrated into society in order for the nation to excel politically, economically and socially.

“By raising the profile of this issue and calling for a national conversation on immigration reform, the White House recognizes that the best ideas that result in real change come from the American people,” Lehrman has said. “By leveraging every asset and every talent in our communities, we can win the future.”

How? By making a gift to Fox and increasing the percentage of their class, and the percentage of alumni, who support the school. To accomplish this, a student committee representing freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors founded the Fox Cherry Society.

Andrea Brumbach, chair of the Senior Class Gift Committee, said the goal is to get students in the habit of giving back and to keep young alumni connected with the school. The Fox Senior Class Gift Committee also hopes to boost the Fox School’s rankings, as the percentage of alumni who donate is a factor in determining a business school’s overall rankings.

Students who make a minimum donation of $5 will be entered into the Fox Cherry Society, have their name displayed on a wall in the Center for Student Professional Development and help the Senior Class Gift Committee install a bench outside of Alter Hall on Liacouras Walk as the Fox Class of 2012 gift.

“It’s $5 to be a part of the Fox Cherry Society, to be part of something new and special, and to help your degree and someone else’s,” said Frank Fusaro, Fox Cherry Society vice president.

Underclassmen may donate to the society as well and will have their contributions applied toward their graduating class gift.

The Fox Senior Class Gift Committee has been tabling in Alter Hall and will continue to accept donations for the Fox Cherry Society and Class of 2012 gift. Donations can also be made online at http://ph.ly/foxcherrysociety

For more than a decade, Fox School MBAs have participated in a required and closely supervised consulting project for paying clients. These EMC teams have completed more than 200 projects – and generated $278 million of new investment – for high-technology startups, social ventures and large corporations, including 60 foreign businesses across 10 countries.

“EMC is a proven experiential learning model with a strong international presence,” Fox School of Business Dean M. Moshe Porat said. “We are thrilled to partner with UTS, to share in the launch of their consulting program, and to further extend our global partnerships.”

Inaugural projects for UTS students will include exploring new growth opportunities for Conservation Volunteers, Australia’s leading practical conservation organization, and Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings, which owns the highly advanced Eco Whisper wind turbines.

Fox School Associate Professor of Strategic Management James Hutchin, who leads EMC’s Initiative for Sustainability Strategies, cultivated the partnership with UTS Business School and will be spending four months there starting this summer to advise its new program. Faculty and business executives will guide UTS MBA students during their projects.

“UTS’s status as one of Australia’s leading business schools makes them an exciting new partner,” Hutchin said. “The country’s export-oriented economy will give students many opportunities to engage in new-market analyses, and Australia’s innovative marketplace will provide a reliable flow of new projects. It’s an ideal environment to establish a consulting program.”

Eric Smith

“And we certainly, all of us, learned from Eric and Kevin about how to give the gift of life,” he continued. “The lesson they left with us is exactly that. There is no greater gift than to make someone’s life better.”

Eric Smith and Kevin Kless, recent graduates of the Fox School’s risk management and insurance program and alumni of the professional fraternity Gamma Iota Sigma, died within seven months of each other, both at age 23. Smith died in a June 2011 car accident. Kless was the victim of homicide in January.

To honor their memories – and their families’ decisions to donate their organs to help others in need of lifesaving transplants – Temple’s Sigma Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma selected the Gift of Life Family House for its annual Charity of Choice.

Through bake sales, a date auction, a beef and beverage event, charity drawings and more, Gamma members led a fundraising effort that culminated April 25 with the presentation of $25,000 to underwrite a guest room at the Family House in Kless’s and Smith’s names.

Kevin Kless

The nonprofit Gift of Life Family House serves as a home away from home for transplant patients and their families by providing temporary, affordable lodging and supportive services to those who travel to the Philadelphia region for transplant-related care. A permanent plaque at the Family House, at 401 Callowhill St., will be unveiled May 6.

Insurance Society of Philadelphia President David Arnold also pledged a $10,000 donation to the Sigma Chapter in the names of Kless, Smith and Kevin Lo, a risk management alumnus who died in November 2010 and who has a memorial scholarship fund named in his honor.

“While we are here under tragic circumstances, the raising of the $25,000 is a really positive experience,” said Assistant Professor Michael McCloskey, a faculty advisor to the fraternity who praised Temple’s culture of giving. “This room, what we’ve done today, is evidence of that.”

During the presentation, which the Smith and Kless families attended, professors, friends and family members recalled Smith’s and Kless’s commitment to academics and professional development. Both held internships at insurance broker Lockton in Kansas City and attained impressive positions after graduation, Smith at Lockheed Martin and Kless most recently at Marsh.

Smith’s mother, Mary, said family friends have told her that organ donation was the “perfect tribute to Eric, because he was the type of friend that would be there for anyone, and that everyone could count on.”

The family recently received thank you letters from the man who has Smith’s right kidney and the woman who received his left kidney and pancreas. Smith’s heart went to a 26-year-old man, and his liver was donated to a man who had been awaiting a transplant for a decade.

“Just knowing that Eric was able to, through his death, help others have better lives, it really makes us feel good,” Mary Smith said. “And we have just been embraced by the warmth and fundraising that Gamma has been doing in honor of Eric’s memory. It’s really helping to heal our shattered hearts, and we are most appreciative.”

A panel of three judges – Associate Professor of Accounting Sudipta Basu, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management Neeraj Bharadwaj, and Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management Daniel C. Funk – awarded this project, and several others, with seed funding drawn from a $25,000 pool allocated by Fox School Dean M. Moshe Porat.

Eleven projects led by Fox faculty and PhD students were presented during the forum, all of which connected multiple disciplines and built international collaborations reaching as far as China, Brazil and South Korea. Recipients were selected based upon the strength of their proposals, the extent of their interdisciplinary collaboration, the urgency of their funding needs, and their potential to attract outside funding.

The forum was a continuation of a two-year, bi-annual initiative devoted to interdisciplinary collaboration and further supporting faculty and student research. “The Fox School has been growing rapidly,” said Paul Pavlou, director of doctoral programs and the world’s No. 1 Management Information Systems researcher in 2011. “We’ve recently hired over 50 faculty members and are shaping our PhD program into a worldwide leader. The Young Scholars forum is one of several ways of building an upward spiral by connecting top PhD students and faculty from among the many disciplines in the Fox School.”

Young Scholars Forum funding recipients are:

• National Policies and Citizens’ Happiness: Kikyung Song, Rajiv Banker, Mihir
  Mehta
• Examining Geographic Differences in Crowd-Funding: Gordon Burtch, Sunil
  Wattal, Anindya Ghose
• CEO Overconfidence, Overinvestment, and Learning for Startup Firms: Mara
  Faccio, Sangmook Lee, Lily Yuanzhi Li, Rajdeep Sengupta
• Incentive Regulation in Electricity Distribution Industry: Daqun Zhang, Rajiv
  Banker, Ana Lopez
• Understanding the Generative Dynamics of Digital Innovation in an Open-Source
• Platform Market: SungYong Um, Sunil Wattal, Rob Kulathinal
• Social Commerce in a Networked Society: Yili Hong, Kanliang Wang
• Timing Decisions by Investment Fund Managers: Janice Chen, Rajiv Banker
• To Discount or Not to Discount? Hospitality Firms’ Dilemma of Flash Deals:
  Karen Xie, Yili Hong, David Reibstein
• When does creativity hamper firm innovation? Sung Namkung, Mitrabarun
  Sarkar, Anssi Smedlund
• Towards an Understanding of Measuring Tourist Experiences: Jeogmi Kim, Iis P.
  Tussyadiah, Frank Farley
• Strategic Group Analysis of the Evolution of the Public Accounting Industry:
  Keval Amin, Rajiv Banker, S.Y. Lee