At UNC Kenan-Flagler, the Family Enterprise Center (FEC) specializes in preparing next generation business leaders for success in their own family enterprises. Founded in 2008, the FEC builds upon an innovative family business course first offered in 2005 by co-founder Steve Miller. “People involved in a family business often share a passion, a commitment to a common purpose and a legacy that creates strong ties with customers, vendors, family members and employees. But the workplace dynamics can be much more complicated in a family business,” explains Cooper Biersach, director and co-founder of the FEC. “Understanding these different perspectives and articulating a common vision that inspires all stakeholders is critical in leading sustainable family enterprises.” To date, more than 300 students Read More
Monthly Archives: March 2012
The Circle of Giving
When Gretchen Dunnaway Mitchell (MBA ’06) was selected as a recipient of The Richard H. Jenrette Fellowship in 2004 before choosing UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program, she immediately felt welcomed by the school. “I received an exceptional embrace from alumni and the Kenan-Flagler community, who reached out to me before classes even started,” says Mitchell. “Receiving a Jenrette Fellowship was not only an incredible honor that opened many doors for me, but it also enhanced my accountability to maximize my experience while at Carolina.” “UNC is a special place for everyone,” she is quick to add. “This fellowship had a lot to do with me going to Kenan-Flagler, but even without it I am sure I would have had a great Read More
March Madness Photo Contest
It’s time for the second annual UNC Kenan-Flagler “Takes You Places” March Madness Facebook photo contest! Deadline to register is March 26 at noon. This is the chance for students, alumni, faculty and staff to share photos of how the school has taken you places, both literally and figuratively. Examples of where UNC Kenan-Flagler has taken you can include: around the world up the corporate ladder into the community or other places – be creative The winning photo will be chosen by voters on our Facebook page. The winner will receive two tickets to a UNC Men’s Basketball game for the 2012-2013 season. Enter the contest today, and make sure you like our Facebook page and tell your friends to Read More
Recognizing Dedicated Donors
In February, UNC Kenan-Flagler hosted two donor recognition events to thank members of the school’s 1919 Society and Dudley Carroll Society. These are the first events of their kind held at UNC Kenan-Flagler. These giving societies – along with the Dean’s Circle – were created to recognize the generosity of our donors and promote the importance of philanthropy for the school. 1919 Society Dinner Seventy-five attendees gathered at the Kenan Center on February 17 in celebration of the 1919 Society, which recognizes donors who have achieved cumulative lifetime giving of $100,000 or more (including matching and irrevocable planned gifts) to UNC Kenan-Flagler. The 1919 Society is named for the year that the University established the Department of Commerce, one of Read More
Carving Out Waste in the Performance Chain
Kenan-Flagler students recently had the opportunity to learn about performance improvement tools in an interactive six-hour seminar presented by Sue Gillman, Managing Partner of Supurna, a global operational change firm. The day was dedicated to bringing the challenges that businesses have to create “flow” in a performance chain, defined as all the people, processes and tools that must create a system to convert an order to cash in the bank for the seller. Since the goal of business is to compress the order to cash cycle, the session provided students with a real world business case to analyze and improve process in a transactional administrative environment for new product development. According to Gillman, the key to seeing waste in performance Read More