June 2004 Volume 1, Issue 11

The Management Brief

The Newsletter of the School of Management at Ben-Gurion University of the

Farewell to Prof. Amos Drory

Prof. Amos Drory, Dean of the School Highlights: of Management, is to step down after Trading Room Profits 2 eight years in the position. He will st News in Brief 2 swap places, on 1 August, with Prof. Arie Reichel, currently Dean of the Interns in New York 3 University's campus in . Business Plan Competition 3 Amos Drory was appointed Dean in 1996, replacing the late Prof. San Diego Conference 3 Avraham Mehrez who established the Honors MBA 4 School a year earlier. In the eight years of his tenure, the School has developed into one of the most sought-after academic units at BGU and is among the three most popular Management Schools in . "It has been a wonderfully satisfying experience", says Prof. Drory. "To build an new school from the ground up has been immensely challenging and I've enjoyed every minute of it. It was a tremendously rewarding work and cooperation, I think we did experience." a pretty good job." In summing up his tenure, Prof. Drory The School marked its coming of age places emphasis on his first years as when it moved to its new building at Dean. "We were a new academic unit the beginning of 2003. "I think that's at BGU, and we had very few when we knew that we'd finally made it", says Drory. resources, administrative, academic or infrastructure. Nonetheless, we Nearly 6,000 students have graduated had to run a school with five from the School in the last eight academic departments and more years and today many of them fill than 2,500 students while at the leading positions in the public and same time establishing our private sectors. reputation both at BGU and as a "I'm looking forward to the new quality management school in Israel. challenges that lie ahead", says Prof. It was a very testing time, and Drory. "Among other things I will frought with new challenges." continue to oversee and develop the Prof. Drory ascribes his success to new Honors MBA and our Executive the support of the dedicated team MBA programs. Although I will have around him. "Each and every one of new obligations as Dean of the Eilat them was determined to make the Campus, I’ll still be part of the School a success, and through hard School of Management team."

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Trading Room Profits

With the continuing instability of global financial markets, the first class of Prof. Shmuel Hauser Celebrates with Students students from the Eva & Irwin Simon Trading Room completed their course with a healthy return on their investments. The students operate the trading room under the supervision of academic advisors and representatives of their two clients, Ben-Gurion University and Bank Hapoalim – for whom they manage a $300,000 portfolio. "I think they've done very well considering the volatility of the international markets," says Shmuel Hauser, the professor in charge of the students academic program. "They were fairly conservative in their investments so the returns were not great, but all things considered, I think they performed very well. To celebrate the successful conclusion of the course, the students held a small party where they announced their end- of-year results.

News In Brief ■ Prof. Joseph S. Pliskin of the ■ Dr. Aviad Israeli of the Department ■ The School of Management is Department of Health Systems of Hotel & Tourism Management installing wireless internet access Management is to receive the 2004 received the annual "Outstanding throughout the building to enable Career Achievement Award from the Lecturer Award" for his excellent students and staff to access Society of Medical Decision-Making. teaching performance during the email and internet without the The award will be presented at the year. The award was based on the need for a wall port. Society's Annual Meeting to be held response of students to a ■ A one-day seminar – Current in Atlanta in October. questionnaire distributed throughout Trends in the Management and the University. ■ Following a generous donation from Strategy of Multi-National the Sundell family of the US, the ■ The Department of Public Policy & Companies - was held in June auditorium in the School of Administration has granted its first under the auspices of the Management building is to be named doctoral degree. Miki Malul Department of Business The Jeremiah Sundell Executive completed his PhD with distinction Administration. Organized by Dr. Auditorium. under the supervision of Prof. Rafi Nurit Zaidman, the seminar Bar-El. Miki plans to take his Post- included lectures dealing with ■ Dr. Nurit Zaidman of the Dept. of doctorate at Cornell University. Global Law Firms, Business Administration is part of a Internationalization v. Business team that was awarded an Israeli ■ Prof. Shifra Shvarts of the Diversification, the Multinational Science Foundation research grant Department of Health Systems Enterprise in China, and National in the amount of $34,000 for Management recently published a Culture and MNE Subsidiary research which focuses on the book entitled "Hadassah for the Control. penetration of varieties of 'Eastern Health of the People". The book was Spirituality' practices into schools written with Dr. Zipora Sheory-Rubin and work organizations. and Prof. Yoel Donchin. The Management Brief Page 3 of 4

New Interns to New York Following the resounding success of last year's internship program in New York hotels, a new group of 12 students is due to arrive in Manhattan in July. The students of the Department of Hotel & Tourism Management, will complete three- month internships in Manhattan hotels. Part of the students' degree course requires them to complete 1,200 hours of practical work in the industry, which, until last year, was completed in Israeli hotels. However, due to the downturn in Israeli tourism it was difficult to find them placements. At the initiative of Mr. Sol Freedman, the New York internship program commenced last year with a group of Dr. Amos Ron (Leftmost) with the new group of six students. Upon their return to Manhattan Internship Students due to Depart in July Israel they enthused about the experience of working at one of the housekeeping, maintenance and world's centers of tourism. They were During their internships students more. In the three months of their particularly pleased to find that their experience many aspects of hotel stay, they rotate from one position American peers study the same management working at the front academic curriculum. desk, as concierge, reservations, to another.

Business Plan Competition schools, providing practical program to develop the experience to students and often infrastructure for collaboration Twenty nine business plans were leading to the establishment of between the US and Israeli submitted to the first competition successful start-ups. companies. held under the auspices of the Bengis Center for Entrepreneurship & Hi- A panel of judges will award prizes to Among those attending from abroad tech Management. the three most promising plans. were Mr. David Earwicker, Dr. Lois Olson and Dr. Jeffery Glazer from

The competition is organized in San Diego, and Prof. David Jacobson cooperation with Israel's Small & Major Conference with from Dublin City University, Ireland. Medium Sized Business Development San Diego Authority and the Small Business The Bengis Center for Development Center, Beersheva Entrepreneurship and Hi-tech (MATI) and is open to all students at Management hosted a conference in BGU. May in cooperation with the San More than 350 students attended five Diego State University Center for preparatory seminars designed to International Business Education and help them formulate their plans. 70 Research. students took advantage of one-on- The Conference followed the one consultations provided by MATI. awarding of a research grant of Business plan competitions are $150,000 by the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation for a Dr. Dafna Shwartz common at leading US business addresses the Conference Page 4 of 4 The Management Brief

Honors MBA Program Developments

The first meeting of the International Advisory Board of the Honors MBA Program took place during BGU's annual Board of Governors meetings in May. The Honors MBA program - aimed at top students - commenced in October 2003 and is the first full-time MBA program of its kind in Israel. Only students with the highest qualifications are admitted; they must attain an exceptional GMAT score as well as excel in personal interviews. The meeting of the International Advisory Board was attended by Mr. Ms. Dalia Lev, Mr. Yoram Oron, Mr. Shlomo Nehama, Mr. Alex Waislitz Amiram Bukspan, Director-General, Israel Small Enterprises Authority; Prof. Avishay Braverman, President, have been in constant consultations Good work placements are vital to BGU; Board Chairman, Mr. Ehud with their peers at Columbia. guarantee the success of a quality Houminer; Mr. Elan Jaglom of MBA program. With this in mind, the Switzerland; Ms. Dalia Lev, former The charter class of the Program Board has placed a strong emphasis CEO of IDB Development, Israel; Mr. started in 2003 and will complete on locating first-class positions for Shlomo Nehama, Chairman of the their studies in November 2004. In graduates of the Program. Board of Directors of Bank Hapoalim; addition to their very intense Mr. Yoram Oron, Founder and academic program, the 18 students In the Program's formative years Managing Partner of Vertex, Israel; have benefited from presentations by students are being recruited only in Dr. Yitzhak Peterburg, CEO of directors of leading Israeli companies Israel. The Board's vision is to create Cellcom, Israel; Mr. Alex Waislitz, - some of them board members. Ehud a top-class MBA which will entice Executive Chairman of Thorney Houminer, Dalia Lev, Yoram Oron and international participation. As much Investment Group, Australia and Mr. Avishay Braverman all gave lectures of the course work is in English, and Roy Zuckerberg, Chairman of the about their personal experiences as with a view to admitting foreign Board of Governors of BGU and leaders in their fields. Visits were students, the Program will eventually former Vice-Chairman of Goldman paid to Bank Hapoalim where be converted entirely to English and Sachs, USA. Also on the Board are: students met with Director-General marketed within Israel as well as Ms. Orit Gadiesh, Chairperson, Bain Zvi Ziv. At Cellcom, CEO, Dr. Yitzhak abroad. & Company, USA; Prof. R Glenn Peterburg explained his strategy for Hubbard, Dean, Columbia Business Israel's leading cellular telephone School, Mr. Shalom Seidler, company. Published by President and CEO, Wissotzky Tea, Mr. Daniel Porat, VP & Chief School of Management Ben-Gurion University of and Mr. Michael Strauss, Strauss- Operations Officer of Makhteshim Elite, Israel. the Negev Agan, a leading agrochemical Beersheva Mr. Ehud Houminer, summed up the company, and Mr. Dan Peer, General Israel Board's vision for the Program - to Manager of Rotem Industries, a build the best MBA program in Israel, Negev-based technological incubator, Phone: emphasizing excellence and elitism. also lectured to the students. 972-(0)8-6472728

It should contain the best students, A campaign is currently underway to Fax: the best professors, and the best recruit the second class of students 972-(0)8-6472866 curriculum. which is scheduled to commence studies in October 2004. The Written, Edited, The curriculum of the Program is Designed and Produced based on that of Columbia Business incoming class will contain 40 by School in New York and BGU lecturers students. Mike Diamond, Adv.