Business Beyond Usual

In this episode, Michigan Ross MBA student Sheela Lal sits down with Ross Alum Nicaila Matthews, MBA ‘15, the founder of Side Hustle Pro, a successful podcast and entrepreneurship community. The two have a wide-ranging discussion touching on Matthews’ successful podcast and company, the ways in which Matthews is looking to reshape the narrative of entrepreneurship, and the reality and dangers of i...

“Perhaps the real Open Road was the friends we made along the way.” In this episode, Ava Damri hits the road with fellow students Ariana Almas and Chris Owen to visit Merit Goodness, a Detroit-based small business with a social mission at its heart. They’ll chat about their experiences with Open Road, a four-week road trip across America where MBA students team up to visit with entrepreneurs and p...

The students who manage the student-led investment funds at Michigan Ross are just like normal students, except they carry an extra burden: They are giving actual money to actual businesses, and the school has a real stake in those businesses’ success because of their decisions. In this episode, Ramu talks with three of those leaders about what it’s like to manage actual multimillion-dollar invest...

“We know we have cinnamon rolls the size of your face, and we’re innovating around that.” In this episode we sit down with the President and CEO of Cinnabon, Joe Guith. Guith graduated from the Michigan Ross MBA Program in 2001 and guest host Marjace Miles talks to him about his MBA experience, how he’s successfully grown a company built around indulgence when there’s a health craze sweeping the n...

In the first ever episode of Business Beyond Usual recorded with a live audience, Host Ramu Annamalai chats with classmates about some of the most challenging conversations happening in America right now. How has the #MeToo movement and recent news about DACA and the dreamers impacted the world of business? How has the climate on college campuses, and among students in MBA programs, changed in rec...

In this episode, guest host Nathalie Flores explores the life and legacy of Dr. Alfred L Edwards, a prominent figure in the history of business school education. Nathalie chats with two former students who knew Dr. Edwards well and helped him usher in a new era of diversity for MBA programs. We’ll also hear from current students working hard to keep Dr. Edwards’ legacy alive during the annual ALE...

Charlie Munger is an American institution –– vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway, business partner to Warren Buffett, philanthropist, author, and former University of Michigan student. Recently, Scott DeRue, the Edward J. Frey Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, had the chance to sit down with Munger at an event in Los Angeles. The two discussed Munger’s life, career, and global trends. M...

Ramu has a wide-ranging discussion with some of the most powerful MBA student leaders. In this episode, Ramu is joined by Vaish Shastry, Kristen Steagall, and Charisse Wilkins, MBA students at Michigan Ross and leaders of some of the largest student clubs on campus (Finance Club, Tech Club, Black Business Student Association). The group discusses what it means to be a female leader in the world to...

If you follow any MBA students on Instagram, you know they seem to travel the world... a lot. In this episode, Ramu sits down with three Michigan Ross MBAs who recently studied abroad. He talks with them about their global experiences, as well as why they felt it was important to take advantage of some of the many global opportunities available to MBAs at Michigan Ross. Special thanks to our guest...

In this episode, Ramu is joined by Soojin Kwon, managing director of full-time MBA admissions and program at the Ross School of Business. He’ll ask Soojin questions from our listeners, and get the inside scoop on what it really takes to impress an admissions committee in today’s elite business school landscape. We want to hear your feedback. What do you like about the show, what can we improve, an...

Go behind the scenes and hear what it’s really like to be an MBA intern at some of the world’s largest companies. In this episode, Ramu chats with MBA students who spent their summers working with Boston Consulting Group, Microsoft, 3M, and L’Oreal. In an upcoming episode, we will interview Soojin Kwon, director of admissions at Michigan Ross, and we want to ask her your questions. Have questions...

Hear three incredible stories told live by business school students. We’re bringing you some powerful clips from the finale of the Michigan Ross event “Story Lab,” which is developed by the Sanger Leadership Center and the Design + Business Club here at Ross. After their stories, NPR’s Guy Raz, host of popular podcasts “How I Built This” and “TED Radio Hour,” will join us for a story of his own an...

In this episode, we’re pitting MBA students against their professor in a live, on-stage debate about a hot topic in the business world: Should U.S. companies voluntarily offer paid family leave for parents? Paid time off for parents is mandatory in many countries, but not in the U.S. Several states, like California, have enacted separate paid leave policies, and support for a federal-level paid le...

This past term for first-year MBA students at the Ross School of Business was anything but typical. They’ve spent the past seven weeks working on projects for real companies and organizations as part of the required Multidisciplinary Action Projects course at Michigan Ross. They’ve traveled all across the country and around the world to meet with executives, conduct research, and immerse themselve...

Three teams of MBA students, each representing a different cohort of business school social life – a team of single students, a team of married students, and a team of students in long distance relationships – face off against each other in the first ever edition of the Business Beyond Usual Quiz Show! On the line: Glory! Respect from classmates! And also actual prizes! What’s it really like to ex...

Women are incredibly impactful leaders, but there is still a lot of work left to do to open the doors of opportunity for women throughout the business world. Today, women make up less than 5 percent of CEO jobs at fortune 500 companies – despite mountains of research and evidence showing that having more women in leadership roles leads to better business performance. In this episode, we'll hear fr...

We received an email from a listener who had some questions about how to prepare himself for two years of business school. So Ramu went on a quest to find some answers. We want to hear your feedback. What do you like about the show, what can we improve, what would you like us to talk about? Leave a review to let us know, or you can reach us at BBUPodcast@umich.edu. Business Beyond Usual is brought...

As we heard in the first part of this episode, the role businesses should play in society is a topic of much debate in the world today – and there’s no question that MBA students and the leaders of tomorrow will play a big role in shaping the outcome of those discussions. So, how are business school students preparing themselves for working at the intersection of business and society? In Part Two...

It's said that the world's largest corporations have more money and more power than most countries on Earth - but does that mean they are obligated to be good stewards? Are the economic incentives of socially conscious business strong enough to make it an imperative? Or - should the bottom line and shareholder value be the only measure by which we evaluate business success? These are big questions...

Technology is the fastest growing industry in terms of hiring MBAs, and more than 20% of the Michigan Ross Class of 2016 took a post-Ross job in Technology. What’s behind the boom? And what does it mean to pursue a technology career during an MBA? In this episode Ramu is joined by two guests who can help him answer those questions. We’ll also hear from someone on the ground in Silicon Valley, maki...

MBA students are surrounded by experts on business and the economy, so for this episode, Host Ramu Annamalai talks to several of them at Michigan Ross to get their reflections on the U.S. presidential election and the future of the global economy. Guests include: Ambassador Ron Weiser , former president of the Michigan Republican Party; Senator John Dingell , 30-term US Senator and recipient of th...

Professor Michael Jensen at the Ross School of Business is an international research fellow with the Oxford University Center for Corporate Reputation. His research into the role of identity, reputation, and status in markets and social networks has been influential in helping companies large and small understand corporate strategy and strategic alliances. Host Ramu Annamalai sat down with Profess...

On today’s show, a deep dive into business school rankings. From Businessweek and Poets & Quants , to the Financial Times and the Economist – there’s no shortage of organizations fighting to have the most definitive ranking of the world’s best MBA programs, but which one is actually on top? How do rankings impact a student’s education and career outcomes? Is there a better way to evaluate scho...

When coming into business school, it’s natural to have 100 ideas in your head about what the experience will be like. In this episode, host Ramu Annamalai will be joined by two fellow students to talk about their perceptions before coming to school and how reality has completely shattered with they thought they knew. We want to hear your feedback. What do you like about the show, what can we impro...

New voices, fresh perspectives, and nothing is off the table. Get ready for Business Beyond Usual: a new podcast from MBA students at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.