Media Coverage

A lot of the suggestions that Jeffrey Robinson gave during his talk to business owners at the Advantage Conference came straight from his first-hand experiences.

He specifically addressed entrepreneurs in the room at the Turnbull Center last Wednesday. The gist of his message was about the importance of knowing how to “connect the dots.”

The “dots” are resources that could save a business born out of an entrepreneurial spirit from going under, said Robinson, PhD, Prudential chair in business at Rutgers Business School.

“It isn’t a straight line,” he said of being an entrepreneur. “It’s a little bit of ups and downs. There could (however) be lots of positive things if you have the right surroundings; the right environment.”

“Any country that wants to be competitive in the 21st-century is going to need STEM and people trained in STEM to be successful, grow their economies and create the kind of innovations that every nation is going to need to survive,’’ said Rutgers-Newark Provost and business school professor Jeffrey Robinson, who is leading the effort at Rutgers. “We’re training people who can be leaders of innovation in their countries.’’

The grant, will be administered through Rutgers Business School’s NJSBDC Network, adding to the increased community and economic development initiatives supported by the highly ranked business school.

Reflecting on the SSBCI program, Rutgers Business School’s Dean Lei Lei said, “We applaud the SBDC’s success in securing this important funding that ensures its work to assist small business owners, especially those from socially and economically disadvantaged groups, will continue.”

Panel: Partnerships (such as one between Fiserv and Rutgers-Newark) are key to next-generation workforce initiatives.

Participants in the panel included, from left, New Jersey Institute of Technology President Teik Lim, Rutgers University – Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Bergen County Community College President Eric Friedman and New Jersey City University President Andrés Acebo, with co-moderator Arturo Osorio and co-moderator Eliza Charters.

Lisa Kaplowitz, an associate professor in the Department of Finance and Economics at Rutgers Business School and executive director at the Rutgers Center for Women in Business (CWIB), said that a company goes public for two primary reasons: to access more money to expand its business and to provide private investors the opportunity to monetize their investments.

The post-pandemic IPO market had stayed dormant due to a lack of investor optimism, but companies have recently gained confidence in their ability to raise capital as the Federal Reserve slows down on interest rate hikes and inflation concerns subside, she said.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) today announced the establishment of the Diversity Finance Advisory Board (DFAB) which will work to increase access to institutional capital for women- and minority-owned startups. The board will provide knowledge, guidance, and insights on ways to best increase capital, access, and investments in New Jersey’s diverse entrepreneurs.

According to a survey from the National Venture Capital Associations (NVCA), venture capital investments have quadrupled across the United States over the past 10 years, but those increases are not true for startups with women or racial minorities as their founders. The State recognizes national studies that correlate with the NVCA study that finds only one percent of venture capital-backed founders are Black and less than two percent are Hispanic.

Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Rutgers University – Newark, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor, will serve as a member of the inaugural 2023-2024 Diversity Finance Advisory Board.

A new White Paper from the Rutgers Center for Real Estate focused on parking in multifamily residential communities spells this out. (Click here to read the paper.)

The result of several months of examination after analyzing data obtained from over 175 properties and approximately 28,000 operating multifamily rental units in the state, the report concludes that mandatory rules required by the Residential Site Improvement Standards are outdated — and that they may not reflect a society that relies on ride-sharing and/or mass transit more than ever.

The report, entitled “How Much Is Enough? Parking Usage in New Jersey Rental Units,” showed that, on average, low and midrise apartment buildings in New Jersey utilize approximately 0.56 parking spaces less than as required by RSIS, with high-rise communities utilizing approximately 0.32 parking spaces less than as required by RSIS.

Deb Tantleff, the founding principal of TANTUM Real Estate and one of the authors of the paper, said the results of the objective research provide conclusive and compelling data that can and should be utilized by both the public and private sector.

“A thoughtful and intentional approach to reduce parking requirements will benefit municipalities, planners, developers/operators and, importantly, the end user while creating a pathway to address larger affordability challenges that we face as a state and country,” she said.

Tantleff prepared the paper along with Morris Davis (the head of the Rutgers Center for Real Estate), Ron Ladell (the head of AvalonBay in New Jersey) and Facundo Luna (a Ph.D. student at Rutgers University).

Edmund Zagorin, Founder & CEO of Arkestro, and Dr. Arash Azadegan, Professor & Vice-Chair of the Department of Supply-Chain Management at Rutgers Business School, were recently interviewed by Benzinga.

Founded in 2017, Arkestro’s Predictive Procurement Orchestration (PPO) taps into the power of behavioral science, game theory and machine learning to help companies make their best buying decisions faster. Leading enterprises leverage Arkestro to optimize their procurement cycles with direct actions and clear recommendations, managing spend at scale without increasing headcount.

The company has teamed up with Rutgers to offer its “Museum of Procurement” at the university’s school of business.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/U9spEMa2JVc

Jeffrey Robinson
Speaking at the reopening of JBJ Soul Kitchen at Rutgers University-Newark last fall, college provost and executive vice chancellor Robinson remarked that the venture from Garden State rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorethea was “a fantastic example of social entrepreneurship in action, when you build a restaurant that is meeting a social need, you demonstrate the power of a double bottom line.” And entrepreneurship in action is something the academic, author and advocate knows well. Robinson’s research is focused at the intersection of business and society, with projects and initiatives addressing diversity, economic inclusion, inclusive entrepreneurship, and innovation. At Rutgers, the school’s recent collaboration with Fiserv on the Fiserv-RU-N Program for Inclusive Innovation is just one example of such practical applications at work. Robinson is also a professor at Rutgers Business School, the co-founder and academic director of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and serves as Prudential chair in business at RU-Newark, a position he assumed last fall that employs a multidisciplinary approach to business education. Upon his appointment in the latter position, RU-N Chancellor Nancy Cantor said Robinson was the “perfect match” for the role, describing him as “a pioneer in social entrepreneurship and a steadfast builder of inclusive innovation.”

This year’s NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business honorees were drawn from hundreds of nominations – a testament to the myriad accomplishments of the 2023 class.

Launched in 2007, this program recognizes 50 women who have made a significant impact on New Jersey business and the community at large.

After an open nomination process, a panel of independent judges selected this year’s honorees using a points system to evaluate submissions.

Lei Lei, dean, Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University is included on this distinguished list.

“This is a one-of-a-kind executive education, workforce development and bonding capacity building program. It will increase the readiness of small businesses to sign contracts. It leverages the Port Authority’s commitment to local contracting, the connections of AACCNJ, the research on minority business development of CUEED and expertise in procurement of Integrity Compliance Consulting,” said Lyneir Richardson, assistant professor of practice at Rutgers Business School and executive director of the Newark Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED).

Lei Lei
Dean
Rutgers Business School

Her research expertise includes supply chain network design and optimization, operations planning, scheduling and process recovery after disruptions, demand-supply planning and resource allocation optimization.

Lyneir Richardson
Executive director
Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

He leads capacity-building programs that have assisted over 400 entrepreneurs — and he serves an assistant professor at Rutgers Business School, where his commitment to teaching intersects with his passion for equitable economic development.

In-office time can indeed have its benefits, including productivity and team building, but employers need to tread carefully when developing and communicating new or more intense RTO policies, says Terri R. Kurtzberg, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. “Especially in policy statements, it pays for organizations to recognize that insisting on anything feels a little bit like an affront to employees at this point.”

A beloved aunt who raised him, the football coaches who mentored him and the organizers of an enrichment program at Rutgers Business School (RBS) who encouraged him serve as the inspiration driving Jerry Melius to succeed.

“Growing up, Jerry didn’t have much, and he has struggled, but he never let that stop him,” says Miyokee Saint-Florent, program coordinator for the B-STAR program, which offers mentoring and academic support to high-performing students from under-represented backgrounds.

Could making a large purchase on a 0% APR card affect one’s credit score?

A large purchase may negatively impact your credit score since one of the components of the credit score is the percentage of credit utilized. You should also analyze the purpose of the 0% purchase. If the purchase is purely for consumption purposes, it may be unnecessary. However, if the purchase helps fund a business or other investment, perhaps it will be worthwhile. Clearly, once the 0% "teaser" rate expires, it is crucial to repay the debt in full since future interest rates will often snowball to a rate in the high teens or 20%+.

Are there any benefits of getting a credit card while still in college?

Getting a credit card at nearly any age — late teens and above — can help you build up a positive credit rating if the card is used responsibly. It may also earn the owner rewards points that may provide discounts on purchases or cash back. However, if you are unable to pay the credit card balance in full each month, you are probably better off sticking with a debit card.

What is some advice you would give to people for managing their money during a recession?

Currently, money market funds, CDs, and Treasury Bills are offering attractive (e.g., 5%+) yields. These investments may make sense for a portion of the "safe" part of one's portfolio. I'd be surprised to see 5%+ rates on these instruments a year from today. Over many months, investing in stock index funds on a dollar-cost-averaging basis has historically been a good investment for the "risky" part of one's portfolio. Descriptions of the "American Dream" usually consist of owning your own home. So, saving money for a down payment on a new home or accelerating payments on an existing home may make sense as part of an overall financial plan.

In researching disruptions in supply chains and the dynamics of humanitarian supply chains, we’ve identified five key lessons for private-sector supply chain managers when working with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

What mistakes do people make with credit cards, and specifically rewards programs?

While these are generally good elements of credit cards, users need to be careful to be able to pay the card balance in full each billing cycle. To charge items just to get the rewards is generally not a good strategy and can lead to growing balances.

What are the "gotchas" about credit cards and rewards programs that are not well understood by consumers?

Sometimes there are other "catches" to the rewards programs requiring additional purchases or other elements. I use a "cash back" card offering rebates for gas, travel and other items at different levels. Look carefully at what items deliver the maximum level of return (e.g., I get gas rebates of 4%).

Many students are not educated on credit card use, managing spending and debt. What tips do you have for new credit card holders or parents looking to teach their students how to properly use a credit card?

First, set a reasonable credit limit for small expenses but also low enough to prevent the card user from developing significant debt beyond a comfortable level to be repaid. Be careful of high limits that also have a high interest rate. These are often ways that students get into trouble by making credit too easy and then repaying beyond their ability as new users.

Why do employers have difficulties in filling employment positions?

Although the demographic trends are quite clear in the U.S. and in most of the developed world, it seems that many people, including most employers, do not understand how significant these trends are for their efforts to hire people for their current businesses. The “native-born” population in the U.S. and most developed countries has been growing very slowly and not keeping pace with economic activity. Unless the U.S. accepts more immigration, employers across the country will not be able to fill job openings, even with salary increases.

While it may seem like a lot of stores on paper, it’s really not, explained Arturo Osorio Fernandez, a management and global business professor at Rutgers University.

“If placed on a map there is a geographical pattern of service-overlap on highways and heavy traffic areas,” he said in May. “Yet you will also see that they have no real overlap. Each brand serves a different area. And there are even areas that are not served by either of them.”

Morris A. Davis, professor and Paul V. Profeta Chair in Real Estate and the academic director of the Center for Real Estate Studies at Rutgers Business School, said certain factors will drive down inflation.

"Hopefully, the Russia-Ukraine war will be over soon and the COVID pandemic is essentially over so the impact of supply disruptions on inflation should go away soon," Davis said. "Additionally, the Fed is trying to reduce demand for goods and services by raising interest rates. The key is to get the core inflation rate to 2 percent."

The inflation rate doesn't tell the entire story behind the U.S. economy, Davis said.

"I think the thing we should all be worried about is the debt ceiling," Davis said. "If the U.S. government defaults on a debt payment, chaos will ensue in financial markets, a major recession or worse will follow, and the dollar may massively revalue."

The Provost and Executive Vice Chairman of Rutgers University, Newark-NJ, Dr Jeffrey Robinson, spoke about his institution’s collaboration with SOS Global Investments and Nekotech Center and touched on some of the courses available at Rutgers University to be offered to the incoming African students.

And according to a Rutgers Business School analysis, it is because of Title IX that today, three million more high school girls and 200,000 more college women have access to athletic pursuits.

Parul Jain, finance and economics professor at Rutgers University, reckons the problem might have got worse in the United States, not better.

The U.S. inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.4 in May, up from 1.33 a year ago, which means retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers have more inventory than they can sell at a higher rate than a year ago, she said.

A new study examines whether privately owned banks seek political influence by offering preferred loan terms to corporate borrowers with valuable political connections, showing that such connections do indeed lead to lower interest rates on new loans.

Among the questions MoneyGeek asked a group of experts was this one, What are some of the main benefits of having a secured credit card? Would you consider it worth it for most people? John Longo, a distinguished professor or professional practice in finance at Rutgers Business School offered this information as part of his advice in the piece: "A secured credit card is backed by cash, so there is a significantly reduced chance of default. Therefore, a secured card enables you to build up your credit rating in most instances. If someone has had problems in the past with paying off the balance in full on a traditional credit card, then a secured card may be a good option. Consumers should try hard to pay off their balance in full each month with any type of credit card since the interest rate on remaining balances is likely to exceed the returns on other uses of the funds.

What advice do you have for people looking for a same-day loan?

Same-day loans can be a quick source of emergency funds for people who are in urgent need of cash, but they can be extremely expensive (APRs can be several hundred percent for payday loans) and come with nasty non-payment penalties. Same-day loans often come with high origination fees that include both a fixed charge and a percentage of the loan amount in addition to the high-interest rate. Many have prepayment penalties and expensive rollover costs (if you have to roll it over because you cannot pay it off by the due date).

The best advice that I can give to someone considering these loans is to read the fine print and only borrow from a licensed lender.

Do you think most adults know what a balance transfer is and how it works? Why or why not?

Most adults may have heard about balance transfers; however, this can only be availed of if the 0% offer is mailed to them. And it appears that these offers are mailed to people with high credit ratings, who obviously may not be maintaining outstanding credit card balances for transfer. These offers seem to be targeting the wrong audience.

By and large, it seems that most have a partial understanding of how balance transfers work. The devil is in the details: the balance transfer fee could be 3-5%, the 0% is a teaser rate that can skyrocket when the grace period ends, and there is always a minimum amount to be paid to keep the 0% rate. Thus, any lapses can lead to a big tab.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) partnered with Rutgers University to survey voting-eligible citizens with and without disabilities following the 2022 elections. The newly released “Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2022 Elections” found that after a substantial drop in voting difficulties among people with disabilities over an eight-year period, there was a slight uptick in the 2022 election.

The team from Rutgers was led by Professors Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse, Co-Directors of the Program for Disability Research at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. The study was also conducted by Mason Ameri, Associate Professor of Professional Practice at the Rutgers Business School, and Professor Meera Adya, Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, & Post-Secondary Education, Interwork Institute at San Diego State University.

YWCA Evansville has announced its keynote speaker for the 21st annual Women's Equality Day celebration, and according to the news release, she brings a combination of athleticism, advocacy and business.

Lisa Kaplowitz will be addressing the theme, “From the Locker Room to the Boardroom – Channeling Your Inner Athlete (Even if You Never Played Sports)."

Kaplowitz's background in gender equality advocacy dates to her student-athlete days at Brown University, when she was part of a landmark Title IX case that added more varsity athletic opportunities for women.

“The marketing for Barbie has been insane,” said Kristina Durante, a professor of marketing and department chair at Rutgers University’s business school.

The marketing campaign did two critical things: It kept the plot of the movie a mystery, doling out only breadcrumbs, while simultaneously bombarding the world with pink, partnering with brands and letting social media and millions of people around the world do the rest. It also allowed people to connect with Barbie and with each other in a safe way.

“Barbie is taking issues about equity, body image, inclusion, diversity, intersectionality, politics and the patriarchy, all of the stuff we’re dealing with in such a divided country — the state of the world today is very negative — and addressing it.” Durante said. “It adds a little bit of levity around the weight of these issues that we are facing.”

Nancy DiTomaso, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School, said that even removing legacy admissions wouldn’t affect white students because they still have access to opportunities that other racial groups do not.

The opposite effect is true for Black and Latino students with regard to the end of affirmative action.

“If they don’t have some kind of attention to the kinds of challenges that they faced and the opportunities that they’ve had to show their leadership and their achievements, despite lack of resources, for example, it may have a big effect in terms of their ability to get into the quality of school that they’re applying to,” DiTomaso said.

In 2015, the BOE voted to approve its “historic” Access & Equity Policy followed shortly thereafter by an Academic Placement policy meant to provide access to higher level courses at the high school to Black students.

Upon its passage, BOE President Wayne Eastman said the Access & Equity policy was a “seismic change” in the district, introducing choice and opening access to all classes and levels for all students throughout the district.

Disability rights advocates say new laws to reduce early in-person voting, restrict vote-by-mail and ban curbside voting — in response to Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud — have angered voters with disabilities. Disabled voters make up a sizable, diverse group, with nearly 16 million casting ballots in the 2022 midterms, according to a U.S. Election Assistance Commission report, which Mason Ameri, a Rutgers Business School professor of professional practice, helped to compile.

RentCafe recently showed new data indicating that North Jersey has one of the most competitive rental markets in the nation, due to high home prices, tight housing supply and inflation. Those factors, combined with a job market that has showed signs of slowing for entry-level positions, have made New Jersey the state with the highest percentage of people ages 18 to 34 living with their parents, said Parul Jain, an associate professor of practice in finance and economics at Rutgers Business School.

Given the apparent arbitrariness of the established guidelines, I posed the question of how much a responsible individual should truly spend on a house. I disregarded the fantastical figures that optimistic lenders might approve and focused on an appropriate expenditure. The experts seemed puzzled by this premise. “What does the word responsible even mean?” pondered Morris Davis, a real estate professor at Rutgers.

The most significant danger of overspending on a house is the potential inability to continue making payments in the event of personal or global catastrophes. Admittedly, the risk is relatively low. Even homeowners who allocate up to 38 percent of their income towards their mortgage tend to avoid default, especially if they possess good credit and paid a substantial down payment, according to Davis’ research.

Like many other small businesses in North Jersey, Release Yoga has financially recovered from the pandemic and has seen growth. However, small businesses still face challenges. According to Marc Kalan, an associate professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, although the economy is currently strong, consumers are hesitant to spend money on non-necessities that many small businesses sell, because of inflation.

“Cash flow is the essence of your business,” said Gary Minkoff, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers University.

Along with tracking revenue and expenses, business owners need to monitor the timing of cash receipts and payments, to ensure they have enough money to cover payroll and other upcoming bills. Also important is knowing what it costs the business to offer its products and services, and effectively managing those costs, as in leveraging inventory and identifying which products are selling and why.

It’s no secret that supply chains were put to the test during COVID, and that many global networks are still feeling the lasting impacts of the subsequent shortages. That’s because consumer demand increased as the worldwide crisis wound down, exacting even more stress on already-taxed supply chains. “When demand exploded, everything from semiconductors to cars to basic items were hard to get,” says Farrokh Langdana, a professor in the finance and economics department at Rutgers Business School and director of its Executive MBA Program.

Eliminating legacy admissions would have a “limited effect” on white students and, to an extent, Asian students, said Professor Nancy DiTomaso. “There are still many options available from which they can gain a good education and good opportunities for their life outcomes,” she said. But Black and Latino students have “greater obstacles and lesser resources,” she added, even those whose families are middle class, because of different factors including the effects of policies and laws, that have made it harder for their families to build wealth.

"The Fourth is a holiday of getting together, sharing games or the beach, and food with family and friends," said Marc Kalan, a professor of professional practice in marketing at Rutgers Business School. "So, spending less money than in previous years on this event is really coming off a relatively low base, and I do not think the overall impact will be very significant. Even most seasonal businesses should not see a very significant decrease for that weekend (and note, this year the weekend has 4 days of celebration, a 33% increase over a traditional 3-day holiday weekend).

Podcasters have any number of reasons for starting their shows. They may want to share their passion about a certain subject, build a brand or establish themselves as thought leaders in a particular industry. Businesses use podcasts as a content marketing tool to engage with their audience and promote their products or services.

Podcasts provide marketers with a unique opportunity to stand out in a crowded digital space, said Neal Schaffer, founder of digital marketing consultancy PDCA Social and a Rutgers Business School instructor, on NealSchaffer.com. While millions of podcasts have been published — Apple Podcasts lists nearly 2.5 million — they amount to just 0.1% of the number of blogs that exist. And only 20% of them are active, with episode drops at least every 90 days. “This simply means that the chances of being found and making connections are high!” Schaffer noted.

Developing countries commonly face alarmingly low levels of regulatory compliance by firms, endangering the health and safety of citizens and the environment. Previous research indicates that the opportunity to provide feedback during the regulatory drafting process—also known as Notice and Comment (N&C)—enhances firms’ views of government’s regulatory authority, as well as their actual efforts towards compliance. This is evidence of a firm-level version of a mechanism that psychologists refer to as procedural justice, which is particularly relevant for the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are most challenging for resource-strapped developing country governments to regulate. Simultaneously, however, there is also evidence of compliance “backlash”—in other words, reduced compliance—when these same firms find government and its N&C approach to be insufficiently engaged or responsive.

New research from the University of Washington finds that employee approval greatly influences whether a board of directors will retain or dismiss a chief executive officer. For a CEO, that means job security could hinge on keeping workers positively engaged and appreciative of leadership.

Other authors were Danni Wang of Rutgers University, Qi Zhu of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Wei Shen and David Waldman of Arizona State University. Zhu was supported by a research grant from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

As well as rising interest in supply chain management as an academic discipline, the career opportunities post-degree look brighter than ever. So what are the key skills that supply chain managers need to be successful in this age of turmoil — and how can they acquire them while studying at business school? “We have had a class on risk and disruption management since the program started. The examples and cases that we study have changed, but the overall learning goals remained the same,” said Rudi Leuschner, director of the online Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management Program at Rutgers Business School in New Jersey. "Demand is robust for the course, he said.

How we interact with others may change, depending on the technological device we are using. So says a new study that found people are more likely to be deceptive for their own gain when performing tasks on a laptop rather than a cellphone. “What we ended up tapping into is the association with the device—friends and family for the phone and work and a ‘get ahead at any cost’ mentality with the laptop,” says Terri Kurtzberg, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School, who conducted the research with Charles E. Naquin, associate professor of management at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, and Mason Ameri, associate professor of professional practice at Rutgers Business School.

The event included remarks by Special Guest Speaker, Lizanne Kindler, Executive Chair & CEO, Talbots, Ann Taylor, LOFT, Executive Chair, Lane Bryant, followed by a lively panel discussion moderated by Lisa Kaplowitz, Founder & Executive Director of the Center for Women in Business, Rutgers University that included Jill Beraud, Independent Director, Levi Strauss & Co. Chair, Fashion for Good, Gisel Ruiz, Former EVP Chief Operating Officer, Sam's Club, Independent Director, Ulta Beauty, and Theresa Strickland, Executive Leader and Digital/Brand Transformation Expert.

In contemplating the 150-hour requirement for licensure — if and how the rule benefits both CPA candidates and the profession — it’s important to note that it’s also part of a larger discussion around the decline in the CPA pipeline and accounting program enrollments in general. It seems there’s no better time to be an accounting student — you are in high demand! But the trend is troubling for the accounting profession itself.

So why does the 150-hour requirement exist and what value does it provide? I assume that, at least in part, the thought-process behind the rule initially was that accounting students should acquire additional knowledge which would prove useful in their future careers. But how has this scenario played out over the years? How do students choose to complete these credits?