Nancy Rauseo

Process mapping—creating a diagram to help clarify a process or a series of parallel processes—is a familiar idea to most firms and companies, especially those involved in efforts such as Six Sigma or any quality management initiatives. Nancy Rauseo, instructor in the Marketing Department in the College of Business Administration, along with a colleague, took the concept, added new ideas, and applied it with great success at a large, South Florida construction company.

In addition to applied learning techniques—giving participants the chance to put into practice what they were learning—the researchers/trainers used cognitive mapping techniques. Cognitive maps enable people to, as one person at the company put it, "make the invisible visible." An organizational chart, which creates a picture of the alignment of power and authority, is one form of a cognitive map.

“Our approach was to use cognitive mapping techniques to help align the business strategy to the process strategy,” Rauseo said.

The first new idea was that organizations using process maps usually map from the bottom up, with individual departments preparing charts of their functional activities.

“We involved top level executives and built the maps from the top down,” she said. “That gave the company a holistic view of its business and made it possible for everyone to visualize all the interrelationships among the separate departments.”

Another vital new idea: the approach was completely customer-focused.

“Rather than having the company and its departments look at ways to reduce expenses or otherwise improve the bottom line from an internal perspective, we had them use the maps to create a view of how customers interact with them,” she said. “By understanding these interactions, companies can make their business processes match customer expectations more effectively.”

Since companies have to define customer needs and evaluate how those needs are being met—or not—the method puts great focus on obtaining external input from those customers as well as input from the departments, about interactions.

“Customer observations are captured through ongoing market research, regular surveys, gathering of feedback by account managers, and a variety of informal methods,” Rauseo said. “By involving the customers more, companies can improve their processes and secure the loyalty of their customer base.”

In fact, that enhanced customer relationship translates into a major impact on the bottom line—perhaps more so than having each department look at its internal processes to try to isolate cost savers or revenue enhancers.

“It’s eight times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain one,” she said. “Companies taking this systematic customer focus enjoy a significant return on their investment because the method makes it easier to identity and implement changes that will be attractive to the customers they already have.”

Though Rauseo believes the method can be applied effectively at any company or firm, she admits that, like most initiatives, this one boils down to culture.

“In hierarchical organizations, the challenge is greater,” she said. “Companies with collaborative, cross-functional teams will have an easier job of going through the mapping process and implementing the changes.”

“Building an Enterprise Process View Using Cognitive Mapping,” by Rauseo and her colleague and published in the Business Process Management Journal, explains the research and applied learning techniques and includes a case study of the construction company’s experiences.

FOCUS ON

.: Business Alumni Traveling Happy Hour draws record crowd.

Alumni and guests enjoy a night of networking in a social setting at the Four Seasons Hotel. 

  The Business Alumni Chapter hosted its fourth Traveling Happy Hour at the Four Season’s Hotel in January. The event was part of the Chapter’s highly successful series of networking receptions at upscale locations in Brickell and the heart of Coral Gables.  Members of the Business Alumni Chapter who attend a Traveling Happy Hour, and/or individuals who sign up for membership at the event automatically are entered into a raffle to win great travel prizes, including two airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S. courtesy of TraveLeaders. Prizes will be raffled at the conclusion of the series.  If you are looking for a venue for networking, be sure to attend the next event in the series of the Business Alumni Traveling Happy Hour to be held on February 23rd at Big Fish from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m

.: College hosts alumni at Ernst & Young.

Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam met this month with alumni at Ernst & Young at the Miami City Club to update them on the college's recent achievements as well as to brief them on plans for the new building complex.  She also discussed ways that the college’s alumni can get involved. Alumni were impressed to discover that the college’s School of Accounting is the largest in the U.S., as reported by the Wall Street Journal in July 2005. Additionally, the School’s programs stand among the 125 separately-accredited accounting programs in the world out of more than about 1,200 programs and that it ranks in the top 10 percent in that category.

With support from various firms, the college hopes to identify accounting alumni and inform them about the organizational and fundraising programs led by the college and the School of Accounting’s advisory board.

.: Real estate affinity group holds another popular happy hour.

REAAC Networking Happy Hour at Mosaico continues to draw alumni.

The Real Estate Alumni Council (REAAC) held another Happy Hour at Mosaico Restaurant on January 25th.  The successful event brought together more than 80 alumni and real estate professionals for a night of high-level networking.

REAAC is an affinity group of the college’s Business Alumni Chapter, which provides alumni in real estate and other South Florida real estate professionals with a forum in which to network and establish lasting business relationships.  The organization hosts a variety of events, including networking opportunities, seminars, career forums, and an annual awards luncheon. REAAC also supports the college’s Jerome Bain Real Estate Institute and students majoring in real estate. 

.: Alumni Circle welcomes new and returning members.

Joining the Alumni Circle recently is Edgar Ceballos (MBA ’02, BBA ’99), senior project manager for Precision Response Corporation.

Special thanks to returning Alumni Circle members:  Osvaldo “Ozzie” Dominguez (BBA ’91), general manager, Simon Property Group, Inc./Dadeland Mall, Augusto "Gus" Vidaurreta (BBA ’80), principal, RAM Strategy, Inc., and Rich Danze (EMBA ’03), vice president, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.

The Alumni Circle is a group of senior-level alumni who work closely with the college's administrators to develop programs and initiatives to achieve the college's goals. For more information about the Alumni Circle, call Monique Catoggio at 305-348-4227.

.: Alumni Notes

• Tony Argiz (BBA ’74) CEO and managing partner of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLP, was named as a “heavy hitter in finance” by the South Florida Business Journal.

• Ileana Nieto (BACC ’86) was named vice president of compliance at BankUnited Financial Corp., the parent company of BankUnited FSB.

• Marta Alfonso (MBA ’88) has been named partner at Rachlin Cohen & Holtz in the firm’s litigation support services area.

• Angel Medina, Jr. (BBA ’92), president of Regions Bank, was presented with The March of Dime’s “Humanitarian of the Year” Award for his personal involvement and commitment to making a difference in our community. Medina chairs the college’s Dean’s Council.

• Darren D. Lynn (EMBA ’03) and wife Cynthia gave birth to a health baby boy, Dean Todd Lynn, born December 30, 2005.

.: Dreams come true thanks to hard-working students.

It’s difficult for most people to imagine the lives of those who sleep on cardboard and rags, whose children have no shoes, and whose local schools have hole-filled walls and roofs—if they have walls and roofs at all.

It was exactly that level of need that a dedicated group of the college’s students sought to relieve. After months of planning an d fundraising, members of the International Business Honor Society (IBHS) in the college embarked on the NICA Global Leadership and Service Project (GLSP): “Nicaragua December of Dreams Trip to Help Kids.”

Between December 26, 2005, and January 8, 2006, seventeen students in Team Managua, led by Norman Uriate, and twelve in Team Granada, led by Christian Jarquin, traveled on rugged mountain roads to remote areas of the region to help in a variety of ways.

“Our primary project took place in the little town of Los Fierros, where we did substantial renovations on the dilapidated building where about 100 kids attend school,” Uriate said.

For seven days, the students, aided by many of the 400 families in the town, built an exterior wall, painted inside and out, replaced broken or missing windows, and repaired a swing set.

“It was like a Habitat for Humanity construction project,” he said.
And when the group visited a little girl—their “poster child” during their fundraising efforts—they spontaneously reached into their pockets to collect money to provide the family, one of the poorest in this very poor town, with beds, sheets, and materials to rebuild the shack in which the foursome lives.

A celebration at which each child received a bookbag with a toy capped off the week’s work.

The group also fixed up a second remote school, sent materials to a third for a local effort, and coordinated through a contact Uriate had in the United Nations’ World Food Program to get food to the children.

Simultaneously, Team Granada was logging twelve-hour days distributing items to three orphanages, two schools, and various slums.

“We conducted some English lessons, had sing-alongs and dancing, played with piñatas, and handed out cookies,” said Jarquin. “Mainly, we focused on passing out the first toys, shoes, and school supplies these children had ever had. We met with the directors of orphanages, nuns, and the children of the streets. We also met the archbishop of Granada.”

The results exceeded Jarquin’s expectations.

“On paper, we thought we would touch the lives of 1,350 kids, but it was closer to 1,500. In one school, Escuela Miravalle, 300 children were packed inside a classroom waiting to get their donations and there were lines everywhere we went.”

This is the second GLSP conducted by the IBHS. Their purpose is to help create responsible business leaders who understand the environment in which they’re working. The first took place in Bangkok in the spring of 2005; plans for the 2006 Bangkok trip are well underway. Participants from the Nicaragua GLSP are now thinking about sponsoring families in Los Fierros and about making another trip, this one in the summer when airfares and hotel rates will be lower.

From left to right, Target representatives Eric Estevez, Angel Blanco, and Ariel Grillo.

The fourth annual International BizFest had all the familiar sights and aromas of the popular event. The Ryder Business Building’s south lawn was alive with activities, music—this year provided by Breaking Tides, a local band—other performances; international cuisine, and members of all the business student organizations providing information to students who want to get involved.

It also was marked by a new presence: representatives from Target. The company served as the event’s sponsor, providing financial support as well as soft drinks, desserts, and paper goods.

“We chose to sponsor the event because we know there’s great potential at the university and we thought BizFest would be a good opportunity to meet students and to recruit,” said Angel Blanco, store team leader from Kendall Target, whose district team leader, Humerto Collado, worked out the financial arrangements with Annabelle Rojas, the college’s director of External Relations and Resource Development.

Blanco was delighted with the immediate results.

“It was a great experience for us, since we got to interact with students in a very informal atmosphere,” he said.

He was equally pleased with the potential down the road.

“We were able to establish relationships with some of the student organizations, which paves the way for future recruiting,” he said. “Retail has a stigma because people think you work 100 hours a week, so we want to change the mentality by letting students know that, at Target, we run businesses. This was a chance for us to share our excitement about the businesses these students can run, the money they can make, and the size of the teams with which they’d be involved.”

One of the many hard-working students, Lourdes Lourido, president of Alpha Kappa Psi, also was enthusiastic about the event.

“This year was full of energy and was by far the most successful BizFest we’ve had,” said Lourido, a finance major who will graduate in April. “We saw many more students and a lot more activity than we have at previous BizFests. We were able to pass out information about our organization, our events, and ways to rush.”

The fourth annual BizFest, attended by between 300 and 400 people, was held January 19, 2006.

.: Demonstration shows audience how to get pitch right.

When Albert Santalo (EMBA ’97) presented his business pitch recently, it wasn’t the first time. In fact, it was the 75th.

Founder, president, and chief executive officer of Avisena, Santalo had the idea of once again delivering the presentation he and his team had made to raise money for their company in 2002. This time, their audience was more than 100 people, including many students, who attended “How to Pitch Your Business Idea,” an event sponsored by the college’s Eugenio Pino and Family Entrepreneurship Center.

“The events run by the Pino Center are always very real-world,” said Yassiel Zapata, a senior finance major in the college who observed this first-of-a-kind offering at the Center. “It doesn’t get any more real-life than this.”

Because of what he learned from Santalo’s presentation, he feels he now has a clear idea of what’s involved in making a pitch.

“This gave me a benchmark if I am ever in that position,” Zapata said.

“Santalo was kind enough to put himself through the wringer again for the benefit of the audience,” said Colleen Post (MBA ’03), instructor and associate director of the Pino Center. “Six well-known professionals—all of whom will be judges in our upcoming New Venture Challenge—acted as venture capitalists, asked him tough questions, such as where he got his figures for the business plan that succeeded, which was version 48.”

Santalo credits a good team with leading to his ultimate success, and Post was pleased that students could see the perseverance it takes to succeed. She also was delighted by how well the unusual format worked.

“Thanks to him, we think we have created a new kind of event, one that marks the beginning of a new tradition,” she said.

Santalo, whose company helps health care companies adopt technology to support their key business processes, among other activities, serves on the college’s Deans’ Council and received the Charles E. Perry Visionary Award at the fourth annual Torch Awards gala for faculty and alumni.

.: Professional MBA program gets off the ground.

Thirty-four students from more than a dozen countries have begun the new Professional MBA (PMBA) program at the FIU Broward Pines Center. That’s just one shy of the ambitious initial enrollment goal set by the Chapman Graduate School of Business. The numbers validate the organizers’ research that indicated that a flexible, Saturday program offered in a convenient location would find a ready clientele.

The PMBA follows the structure of the Executive MBA (EMBA) program but requires only four years of professional experience versus the eight required for entrance to the EMBA. It takes merely twenty months to complete, and unlike the EMBA, it does not require a mandatory international trip, which makes it more attractive for some people’s schedules.

The initial group brings with it some impressive credentials.

“The average age of the participants in our first class is 31, the average professional experience is nine years, and the average salary is $65,000,” said Sarah Perez, program director of both the PMBA and the EMBA programs. “According to a survey the students completed, they chose the program because of its flexibility, because it gives them the chance to do MBA work on Saturdays, and because they could enter the program with fewer years of professional experience, even though many have more than double the requirement.”

Three international students left jobs and relocated specifically to take the program and four employees of the college signed up.

As with the well-established EMBA, the PMBA began with an orientation and intensive team-building exercises. The students took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); heard from Dana Farrow, professor of management, and Barry Shiflett, director of Career Management Services for the Chapman School; completed a wall-climbing exercise; and got their team assignments.

Marta Torres is assistant director of the program, and Clark Wheatley, associate professor, School of Accounting, is its faculty director.

.: Established women leaders inspire future ones.

A panel of ten women who hold leadership positions in a variety of sectors shed light on the kinds of questions pondered by women early in their careers: “How can I balance work with other commitments such as marriage and families?” “When is the right time for me to get my education?” “What can I expect in terms of salary equity?”

Joyce J. Elam, executive dean of the college, was one of the speakers, along with Margie Arce, Miccosukee Indian School, teacher; Erin Ashby, area manager, Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Margaret Brisbane, division director and member of the college's Alumni Circle; Miami-Dade County enterprise technology services division; Grisel Fernandez, chief financial officer, Unisa; Dr. Phyllis Kotey, clinical associate professor of law in the university’s College of Law; Jada Phillabaum, Caterpillar, CRM process manager; Sherry L. Ulsh, executive director, Burger King McLamore Foundation; Mairanella Valera, president, American Therapeutic; and Claudia Vasquez, regional recruiting supervisor, Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

“The discussion gave me an opportunity to get to know women who already are making it in a different industries,” said Vanessa Coronado, a junior accounting major and president-elect of the FIU Accounting Association (FIU-AA), which co-sponsored the event along with Career Services, the Women’s Studies Center, and the Women’s Center. “It gave me hope; knowing that they’re succeeding made me feel I can, too.”

Another attendee, Mariana Runha (BA ’04) works with teenage girls through Ayuda, an organization that helps under-served and/or at-risk families in Miami-Dade County achieve self-sufficiency. She wishes she could have worked out the logistics so that the girls could have come along with her, but she looks forward to passing on to them what she learned.

“It was a great asset to hear what successful women say,” said Runha, who has her degree in public relations. “I got valuable information about what goals you need to achieve as you try to reach your big goal.”

José Toscano (BA ‘97), assistant director of Career Services, moderated the three-hour discussion, which fifty people—most of them women—attended on the evening of January 17, 2006.

.: Speakers polish their skills in Executive and Professional Education course.

Rick Harty

Rick Harty, director of internal audit at AvMed Health Plan, speaks to groups often.

“I present at least quarterly to our board of directors and to audit committees, which consist of CEOs, CFOs, or board members from other companies who want to hear about what controls are in place at our company,” he said.

Despite his experience, Harty wanted to improve his skills and found what he was looking for in “Presentation Skills for Managers,” a two-day course offered through the Executive and Professional Education office in the college.

“Any organization depends on people being able to stand up, be assertive, use props well, and present ideas clearly and understandably,” said James R. Bussey, (EMBA ’99), chief of staff in the Executive Dean’s office in the college and an officer in the International Toastmasters organization, who teaches the course. “Yet most people find it uncomfortable to do, and it’s rare that a speaker leaves the audience with something more than that with which they arrived.”

Bussey said that when he joined Toastmasters, he was “awful—unable to organize my ideas or articulate them. But when I got good at it, I realized that many people don’t understand how easy it is.”

He’s been sharing his expertise to help professionals who want to overcome their fears of public speaking, sharpen their ability to present comfortably, learn tips about how to use visual aids effectively, and much more. The program will be offered next on March 16 and 17, 2006.

For Harty, who has since joined Toastmasters, the class “was a good introduction to learn how to communicate to groups of people.”

Rosie Pagan

For Rosie Pagan, PhD program manager in the Chapman Graduate School of Business who hadn’t made a presentation in a long time, the course was a chance to “refresh and practice my skills. Also, I suffer from presentation anxiety,” she said.

Pagan felt the program helped her learn about her weak areas, get acquainted with new techniques, and “perform, perform, perform.”

It paid off right away.

“Shortly after the sessions, I had the opportunity to do a presentation for the Chapman School’s staff at a strategy meeting,” she said. “This time, it was a real group and a very important meeting. I found that I was better able to manage my presentation anxiety. More importantly, Bussey mentioned that I had improved.”

“Presentation Skills for Managers” is one of dozens of public offerings available through the college’s Executive and Professional Education office, which has been collaborating with businesses in Miami on professional certificate and training programs since 1992. In addition to its array of standardized offerings, the office  customizes courses, which college faculty, faculty members from other universities, or qualified business people teach at the university or the customer’s site.  It also offers a number of programs in Spanish.  More information can be obtained by calling 305-348-4217 or visiting http://business.fiu.edu/epe/overview.cfm.