College of Business Administration

Newsletter

Happy Year of the Ox!

News from

Hawai‘i Pacific University

College of Business Administration

Message From the Dean

Aloha!

Before the start of the semester, I had the opportunity to travel across China for the first time. The trip reinforced in my mind why

HPU‘s mission to educate for global citizenship must be the driving force behind our academic programs. The world is no longer filled

with countries beyond our reach. In fact, it is small enough to fit into

your blackberry if you are willing to learn how. The task at hand is to ensure that students at HPU grasp how the world is changing and

understand what can be done to innovatively address not just issues such as the recession but also issues at first glance unrelated to

business such as global warming and overpopulation.

Hawai‗i is one of those rare places in the U.S. where the beginning of

spring semester is not accompanied by cold weather and snow. I‘m sure this was not the main reason why the faces of new students

joining the College of Business Administration were bright and joyful,

but it certainly helped. During the orientation gatherings, faculty members shared with the new students their expectations, informa-

tion on the academic rigor and the learning environment at HPU. It is

important that incoming students have this information right from the beginning so there are no surprises. At the other end of the spectrum, the Winter Graduation Ceremony was well attended by HPU Faculty, Staff, and more than

400 students. I am sure that the students were happy to see their professors as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.

The CBA is continuing to enhance the relationships HPU‘s College of Business Administration has with the business community. Our faculty are working together to expand the programs we offer both in the classroom and via dis-

tance education in ways that complement the University's mission. I am a strong proponent of a student-centered approach in the classroom and intend to continue to find ways to better connect students with the faculty, the busi-

ness community, and services provided by the University. This semester, I intend to maintain an academic environ-

ment that is conducive to the flow and exchange of new ideas, and to encourage responsible participation with the goal of improving the quality of our business programs. The CBA will ensure that the business programs are capable

of educating a broad range of audiences represented by the student body at HPU, from Generation Y to military personnel. The faculty members in the CBA are firm believers in experiential learning. In the classroom our faculty

will continue to connect theory with practice so that the students are able to understand the relevance of business

theories as they are applied in the business world. It is a privilege to be a member of the HPU ‗Ohana and to be able to work in Hawai‗i as an educator. I am confident that in the coming months and years our College will continue

capitalizing on Hawai‗i‘s unique geopolitical position in continuing to build the College and expanding the course of-ferings we have both in the classroom and via distance education.

I wish all of you a Happy Year of the Ox.

U. Aytun Ozturk

Dean College of Business Administration

Hawai‗i Pacific University

Faculty Assembly Dates:

Wednesday, February 11,

2009 @ 3:40pm in FS 301

Thursday, March 12, 2009

@ 3:40pm in UB 912B

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

@ 3:40pm in FS 301

Thursday, April 30, 2009

@ 3:40pm in UB 912B

Hawai‘i Pacific University

College of Business

Administration

Inside this issue:

Peter Ho, President of Bank of

Hawai‘i, Speaks at the Executive MBA

Luncheon

4

MGMT 4001 Students Connect with

Successful Alumnus

4

Seminars on Entrepreneurship 5

HPU Accounting Club — Make A

Difference Day 2008

5

Marketing Students Collaborating

with Russian Business Students

5

HPU’s SHRM-Lokahi Wins the Fall

2008 HR Games

6

Featured Club: SIFE (Students In

Free Enterprise)

7

Honolulu Marathon Research 8

TIM Professor Appeared in The Andy

Bumatai Show

8

TIM Students Help Spread Christmas

Cheer to Jefferson Elementary

8

HPU Hosts China Hotel Executives 9

Hiroshima College of Foreign

Languages Students Attend HPU

English and Tourism Program

9

Faculty Highlights 10

Alumni Updates 10

January/February 2009

U. Aytun Ozturk, Dean

Page 4 College of Business Administration Newsletter

On October 14, 2008, the MGMT 4001D Business Policy class,

taught by Dr. Susan Fox-Wolfgramm, Professor of Management,

had a unique opportunity to go on a field trip and visit a former HPU business graduate‘s new gourmet quick service business

ventures at the Safeway Kapahulu Shopping Center. The stu-dents visited ―Good to Grill,‖ ―Caliente del Sol,‖ and ―Burgers on

the Edge.‖ They were also offered a free meal at the restau-

rant of their choice, after the field trip presentation.

Mr. Jason Kim, a 2001 HPU undergraduate business major graduate, and former MGMT 4001 student of Dr. Fox-

Wolfgramm, is a partner with Mr. Wes Zane in these three busi-

ness ventures. Mr. Kim and his company, NiceCream LLC, are in charge of the back-end operations, and Mr. Zane, President

of Laughing Gravy Restaurants, the creator of the concepts, is in charge of the design and front-end operations. Both have

known each other for a long time, love food, and were excited

to discuss their passion for starting the businesses with the students. They agreed that their long-term friendship contributed a lot to the success of their collaboration and admitted that friends and contacts are inter-

ested in franchising their ideas on the Mainland and in Asia, in the future.

The students learned, first-hand, about the challenges and opportunities in strategically creating and operating a business. Ideas about environmental scanning,

strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation and control were conveyed, throughout the owners‘ presentations. Students learned about the importance of SWOT analysis; developing a business identity and philosophy that leads to success; daily ideas and actions that go into running these restaurants; and the

challenges that lie ahead in sustaining their future success; such as, maintaining quality control, creating new recipes, effectively managing employees, and pro-

viding customers with a great experience.

After the field trip presentation, the students were asked to share what they learned from this experience. Ideas such as, ―starting a business can be a lengthy process unless you have good networking skills,‖ ―having different concepts happening at once can become confusing and may be difficult to make successful all

at once,‖ ―how important product branding and extension can be, ―developing potential franchise concepts;‖ ―how to carve out industry niches;‖ and ―what the

owners can do to achieve more efficiencies with closely located establishments,‖ were some of their insights.

―What we learned in class, played out in front of my eyes, said Jeffson Bualuay, a student in the class. ―These are ordinary people like you and me. He (Jason Kim) took the same class I am taking now and seven years later, he is living his dream.‖ Goldee Nastor, another student in the class, said ―it was a great experi-

ence to meet with the owners because they have hands-on experience with the company and are well aware of what works and what does not and built the res-

taurants from the ground-up.‖ When she selected her free meal at ―Burgers on the Edge,‖ she was surprised that the cashier wanted her to ―add‖ one more choice to her personal choices on her own burger creation.

MGMT 4001 Students Connect with Successful Alumnus

Peter Ho, Pres ident of Bank of Hawai‘ i , Speaks at the Executive MBA Luncheon

Hawai‗i Pacific University‘s College of Business Administration‘s EMBA participants gathered at the Indigo Restaurant for the 2008

Executive MBA Distinguished Speaker Series to network and listen to a presentation given by Peter Ho, Bank of Hawai‗i‘s President

and Chief Banking Officer. In addition to EMBA participants, MBA Faculty and HPU Administrators attended the event.

Peter Ho, who is also a member of the board of Trustees at Hawai‗i Pacific University, explained the reasons behind the collapse of the subprime mortgage industry. He then provided the details of what this means for the local companies and the changes that must

be adopted to survive the economic recession.

Dr. Susan Fox-Wolfgramm, Jeffson Bualuay, Goldee Nastor, Robert Fischer, Mr. Jason Kim,

James McCabe, Josh Maynard, Chris Scales, Martin Martensson, April Katada.

Peter Ho

During the spring semester, the Pappas Entrepreneurial Leadership Series 2009 will be sponsoring classroom series for faculty members who wish to invite

entrepreneurs to speak on an issue that is relevant to the course objectives i.e. marketing, HRM, Accounting, Travel Industry, Economics. These talks will be titled

"Entrepreneur-in-the-Class" (EITC) and is organized by the Entrepreneurship Center. EITC is one of the programs within Pappas Entrepreneurial Leadership Se-ries, which is sponsored by Marilyn and Jim Pappas. The goal of the series is to introduce students to an entrepreneur and help them see how different manage-

ment functions are being applied in an entrepreneurial setting. The series not only will help students make the connection with the real businesses, but also will help them be aware of the career options in different industries. The event will be open to students at HPU and members of the community. Please email Bee

Leng Chua at bchua@hpu.edu or call (808) 687-7068 for details and questions.

Seminars on Entrepreneurship

Page 5 January/February 2009

On October 25th, 14 members of the HPU Accounting

Club assisted the Hawai‗i Society of CPA‘s Young CPA

Professional Committee in their Make A Difference Day Community Service Project at Ala Wai Elementary

School. The rainy weather curtailed accomplishment of some of the anticipated projects. However, participants

were able to repaint all of the hopscotch areas, and

numbers on the sidewalks leading to the cafeteria. At the request of the school principal, they also painted

simple math problems and series of numbers (2, 4 6, 8,

10 and 5, 10, 15, 20) on other sidewalks in the area.

Club members were also able to network with young CPA‘s in both public and private industry. A fun time was

held by all. Vice President of the HPU Accounting Club,

Marnelli Taasin, stated ―it was a great, fun, and enjoy-able experience. We had an opportunity to work with

professionals. We cleaned up a school and connected with HPU students, and member of the UH-Manoa‘s Ac-

counting Club. It‘s like killing two birds with one

stone...networking with professionals and doing a com-

munity service.‖

HPU Accounting Club — Make A Difference Day 2008

Marnelli Taasin, Kirk Yamada, and Tam Huynh, all HPU accounting students, repainted the school’s

hopscotch lines.

Marketing Students Collaborating with Russian Business Students

Marketing students at HPU has a unique opportunity in partnering with students across the globe. The Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law (KSAEL)

is the largest educational institution in the Russian Far East that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the area of economics, management and com-

mercial law. KSAEL has six schools – Management (2,000 students), Law, International Economic Relations (1,600 students), Finance, Auditing, and Commerce. The Academy‘s web site lists universities from eight countries that have partnership agreements (among which – Hawai‗i Pacific University since December 2,

1997).

Tonya Bauman is working with Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law students majoring in international marketing on developing marketing plans for introducing Kona coffee and Oils of Aloha to Khabarovsk market. The guidelines and questionnaire for the assignment were developed and sent to KSAEL

in October. Samples of those products were mailed to Khabarovsk, Russia, in November 2008. Three marketing plans were received in December 2008. HPU

students of MKTG-3420 course will conduct research, compare results and discuss marketing suggestions with the owners of those two companies.

Congratulations to HPU‘s own Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)-Lokahi team for winning the 2008 Fall HR Games of the Hawai‗i State Competi-

tion. Our winning team of HPU undergraduates, Juanet Sablan, Crystal Costa, and Jaime Zahn, beat the University of Hawai‗i in the final round. HPU hosted the

venue at Warmer Auditorium and HPU was asked to host the Spring 2009 HR Games on March 7, 2009 (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.).

The HR Games are a Jeopardy-style competition sponsored annually by the Society for Human Resource Management. The HR categories covered in the competi-tion reflect the body of knowledge covered in HR professional certification exams. The games consist of a series of game show style matches, between teams of

up to three undergraduate students from various colleges and universities. Winning teams at the state level earn the right to compete at the regional competi-

tions. Regional winners go on to compete against other regional champions at the SHRM Annual Conference.

The HR Games offers the opportunity to bring professional chapter volunteers, students and student chapter advisors together in a meaningful way. The volun-teers conducting the games get a refresher course in the body of knowledge required of a human resource professional as they listen to the students answer

questions. The students receive an opportunity to network with other students and showcase their knowledge to HR practitioners.

HPU‘s SHRM-Lokahi Chapter is one of HPU‘s RIO‘s. Juanet Sablan is the chapter president, and Linda Kawamura, Michelle Alarcon, Edgar Palafox, and Henry Ku

are chapter advisors.

Page 6 College of Business Administration Newsletter

Hawai‘i Pacific University

ENTREPRENURSHIP CENTER AT THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Presents

PAPPAS ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP SERIES 2009

TECHNOLOGY AND TOURISM: THE ENTREPRENEURIAL VISION IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Friday, 27 February 2009, 3 PM to 5 PM, Plaza Club, 20 Floor, 900 Fort St Mall, Honolulu, HI 96813

Will the entrepreneurial vision be the ―engine‖ that pulls the organization through these troubled times? The Pappas Entrepreneurial Leadership

Series at HPU is honored to invite Dr. Patrick Sullivan, CEO of Oceanit Laboratories and Mr. Michael Paulin, Chairman of Aqua Resorts to speak

on how they view and strategically respond to the economic crisis. They represent two diverse sectors that have been greatly impacted by the downturn.

Please join us for this meaningful and important opportunity to learn from and interact with Dr. Sullivan and Mr. Paulin, two highly accomplished entrepreneurs in Hawai‗i.

Marilyn and Jim Pappas has made the Pappas Entrepreneurial Leadership Series possible with their generous sponsorship. Their contribution enables students to meet entrepreneurs and gain insights for developing entrepreneurial skills and mindset that are essential for career suc-

cess.

Please call Dr. Bee-Leng Chua, Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center if you have any questions. There is no charge for attending

and you are encouraged to register early to ensure that you have a seat. The program includes refreshments after the forum.

We look forward to seeing you. Thank you.

HPU’S SHRM-Lokahi Wins the Fall 2008 HR Games

A Message from the SIFE President: It is an honor to serve as the president of Students In Free Enterprise at HPU. I am responsible of representing SIFE in the best possible way. Today‘s SIFE mem-

bers are tomorrow‘s business leaders and SIFE provides an opportunity to the students so they can apply their knowledge to real world problems. The current SIFE team at HPU is a very diverse team with members from all over the world. As president, I hope to see more students from around the world joining our

ambitious team.

- Sven Blauth, President of SIFE@HPU

A Message from the SIFE Advisor: SIFE@HPU was founded in 1998 and was the Pacific Regional

Champion seven years running. Of the hundreds of teams nation-wide, we rose to the top ranks of national competition on the

mainland. One year our team placed ahead of so many universi-ties that we earned the nickname ―The Giant Killers.‖

Our team has performed great community and global projects in entrepreneurship, business education, and business consulting.

Along the way we helped many people in their businesses, we

learned outstanding presentation skills, and we networked and earned job offers from the many company CEO's who preside as

judges. SIFE is invaluable 'brains-on' experience that leads to meaningful careers.

- Ken Schoolland, Advisor of SIFE@HPU

Mission Statement: Our mission is not only to be entrepreneurs, but also to be global citizens. Being a SIFE member means; work as a team, friends, and a family. Don't miss the

opportunities to have international friends, who work together for the same goal, which is to change the world.

Calendar: January: Implementation of SIFE HPU handbook, recruitment of

new members, Team meetings (consistently in spring- and fall semester), recruit new projects (every time)

February: AIG Credit Seminar, BICO Project, SIFE HPU home-

page, Micro Loans Project, Abroad Project

March: continuing projects, competition preparation, Annual

Report, Regional SIFE Competition in Waikiki (03-25-09)

April: Depends on the completion results

May: SIFE National Competition

August: SIFE Election for 2009/2010

Contact: Sven Blauth

President SIFE@HPU blauth.sven@gmail.com

sblauth@hpu.edu

(808) 393-4613

Page 7 January/February 2009

Featured Club: SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise)

Page 8 College of Business Administration Newsletter

Professor Jerry Agrusa, Ph.D. appeared on ―NightTime‖ The Andy Bumatai Show, Hawai‘i‘s Talk Show on Tuesday, January 27th on channel K5. Professor Agrusa

was asked to participate in a panel discussion regarding ―Sports Impact on Tourism.‖ Dr. Agrusa has completed various research reports on the effects of

sporting events on tourism as well as published a number of peer reviewed academic research articles on such topics as the Nike Golf Tournament as well as the

effects of the Honolulu Marathon.

TIM Professor Appeared in The Andy Bumatai Show

Under the direction of Professor Jerry Agrusa, Ph.D., students in the Travel Industry Management Program in the College of Business Administration helped

collect over 1,500 surveys from runners in the Honolulu Marathon, the largest organized participatory sporting event in Hawai ‗i. This experience allows the stu-

dents to participate first hand in primary data collection and to use the skills they have acquired in the classroom to facil itate this research project. The survey process involved one-on-one personal interviews between the students and the marathon participants. The data collection took place at the Honolulu Marathon

Expo held in the Hawai‗i Convention Center. An estimated 70,000 turnstile clicks over a four day period at the Honolulu Marathon Expo adds to the largest sport-ing event in the Hawaiian Islands. The results of the Honolulu Marathon study have been quoted in both local and national newspapers as well as business jour-

nals, such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Forbes magazine.

Honolulu Marathon Research

Jerry Agrusa & TIM students

at the Honolulu Marathon Expo

in the Hawai‘i Convention Center

In December 2008, students in the Travel Industry Program at Hawai‗i Pacific University along with Hawai‗i Hospitality

Sales and Marketing Association shared presents and passed along Christmas cheer to less fortunate children at Jeffer-

son Elementary. TIM students helped walk the children to the Waikiki Community Center, served cookies and juice to all,

and sang Christmas carols with the Salvation Army Brass Band.

TIM Students Help Spread Christmas Cheer to Jefferson Elementary

Page 9 January/February 2009

HPU Hosts China Hotel Executives

A 15-person China Delegation was recently on the downtown HPU campus for an educational seminar to learn strategies and techniques to strengthen their tour-

ism-based businesses. The delegation attended lectures presented by HPU College of Business Administration Travel Industry Management faculty and also

participated in site visits at Waikiki hotels.

Students from the Hiroshima Col-

lege of Foreign Languages took

part in a three-week intensive English language and travel indus-

try education program at Hawai‗i Pacific University. The program

was presented by the HPU College

of International Studies and Col-lege of Business Administration

Travel Industry Management pro-gram. Students attended classes

on tourism and made site visits to

hotels, the airport, and local res-taurants to learn about how these

organizations operate and the challenges faced by the travel

industry.

Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages Students Attend HPU English and Tourism Program

Jonathan Whitman—While completing his accounting program at HPU, Jonathan used his medical training to work for ambulance services. He earned top grades even though he was on emergency call to work whenever needed. He now works for the Kaiser Hospital system in California where he is able to combine

his CPA experience with his medical background.

Jim Temple—Before opting for an early retirement package and leaving Tesoro in 2004, Jim was Tesoro's Director of Financial Reporting and Corporate Ac-

counting, responsible for accounting policy implementation and application, public reporting, accounting consolidation, acquisition and divestiture accounting, impairment testing, coordination with external auditors, etc. He also was the team leader for the Finance, Accounting & Systems integration team when Tesoro

acquired the Golden Eagle refinery in the Bay Area. Before that, Jim was the Accounting integration team leader when Tesoro acquired two refineries from BP-

Amoco. He is now living happily retired in Berrien Springs, Michigan and spends his time traveling or doing hobbies.

Matthew Liew—After more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, Matthew has been named Vice President, Client Consulting Group of Atlas In-

surance Agency Inc., Hawaii‘s largest locally-owned and managed insurance agency, where he will be responsible for new sales and servicing of commercial

clients.

Alumni Updates

Hawai‘i Pacific University

College of Business Administration

1132 Bishop Street, Suite 504

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-2820

Phone: (808) 544-0283

Fax: (808) 566-2403

Ken Schoolland gave presentations at economics conferences and seminars last summer in Estonia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, and, a week before the Russian invasion, in the Republic of Georgia. He was accepted

as a member of the Mont Pelerin Society last fall in Tokyo. And his economics book for youth was recently published in Sindhi by the Alternate Solutions Institute of Lahore, Pakistan. This is the 42nd language edition

of the book.

Wendy Lam completed her Ph.D. in Education at University of Hawai‗i at Manoa. Congratulations Wendy!

Jerome Agrusa published an article in the International Journal of Hospitality Management. The article is named Self-service technology: Implications for human resource development practices in the hospitality

industry.

Faculty Highlights