Southern Miss Business April 2024 Newsletter

Unlocking Innovation: Harnessing Design Thinking in Business

In the dynamic landscape of successful enterprises, innovation and creativity reign supreme. These twin forces drive the engine of progress, infusing organizations with vitality and competitive edge. Creativity is the spark that ignites fresh ideas, novel solutions, and unexpected breakthroughs. It transcends conventional boundaries, linking disparate concepts to birth something truly original and valuable. From pioneering scientific discoveries to revolutionary business strategies, creativity permeates every facet of human endeavor, fostering ingenuity and propelling growth.

Though often used interchangeably, innovation and creativity are distinct. Creativity births novel ideas, while innovation transforms these ideas into practical solutions with tangible benefits. A truly innovative idea is not just new but also serves a purpose, addressing a need or solving a problem effectively. It is this fusion of novelty and utility that defines true innovation, which can manifest in diverse forms, from incremental improvements to groundbreaking inventions.

Regrettably, many individuals perceive creativity as an elusive trait reserved for a select few, relegating innovation to the realm of creative genius. However, creativity is a skill that can be cultivated and honed by anyone willing to embrace experimentation and venture beyond comfort zones. By fostering an environment conducive to exploration and risk-taking, organizations can unlock the latent creative potential within their teams.

Enter design thinking—a powerful methodology for driving innovation and problem-solving. Unlike conventional approaches, design thinking places human needs and experiences at the forefront, grounding solutions in real-world insights and empathy. It offers a structured framework comprising four pivotal questions: "What Is?" delves into understanding the current landscape; "What If?" sparks creativity by exploring possibilities; "What Wows?" evaluates ideas against criteria and stakeholder feedback; and "What Works?" tests and refines solutions iteratively.

By embracing design thinking, organizations can demystify the innovation process and harness a wealth of tools to navigate each phase effectively. From data-driven analysis to rapid prototyping, design thinking empowers teams to iterate swiftly, minimize risks, and embrace failure as a catalyst for growth.

So, let us not underestimate our capacity for innovation. With the right mindset and methodologies like design thinking, we can unlock boundless creativity and drive meaningful change within our organizations. I invite you to explore the transformative potential of design thinking and share your experiences and insights on the journey to innovation. I would love to hear from you concerning your experiences with design thinking and learn about the innovative solutions you've generated.

The Golden Quills

Cheers to The Inaugural Golden Quills! We had a wonderful time celebrating the accomplishments and outstanding work of our amazing business students, faculty, and staff. Emerging from a desire to elevate the annual college awards ceremony, The Golden Quills was created to truly celebrate the scholarly excellence and vibrant spirit of the Southern Miss Business community. Congrats to all of our award recipients, you make us proud:

Business Student Award Recipients: Monique Addison, Elizabeth Alexander, Lainey Bartlett, Olivia Boleware, Miranda Brumfield, Madison Calkins, Margaret Coblentz, Christopher Daniels, Stacey Duvic, Enzo Ferreira, Kathleen Garraway, Blake Gordon, Walter Johnson, Zachary Kimbriel, Mason Knapp, Kennedy Lambert, Kaeli Lewis, TeKatelyn McGill, Haley Milstead, Drazen Moratzka, Jaclyn Mordica, Dawson Mowry, Christian Nesser, Katelyn Nguyen, Haeden Overby, Melissa Queen-Lomas, Kinlea Robinson, Ryan Rogers, Desiree Rodriguez, Ashlyn Roche, Greyson Swartzfager, Ciara Venable, Andrew Welch, Tiara Williams, Kristen Wilson, and Kaitlynn Yocum.

Business Faculty & Staff Award Recipients: Dr. Nell Adkins, Dr. Banu Bas, Dr. Joel Bolton, Julia Bradley, Dr. Ali Dogru, Dr. Ke Gong, Dr. Kimberly Goodwin, Dr. Chao Meng, Dr. Valerie Simmons, Dena Temple, Dr. Bradley Winton, and Dr. Kenneth Zantow.

Special thanks to President Joe Paul for delivering the champagne toast and helping us kick off this new tradition!

Gulf Park Awards Day

The School of Leadership was well represented at the 2024 Gulf Park Awards Day. Congratulations to the following award recipients for being recognized and celebrated for their contributions:

• Dr. Heather Annulis received the Coastal USM Three Pillars Award.
• Dena Temple received the Coastal USM Outstanding Staff Award.
• Dr. Peter Kalejaiye received the Coastal USM Student Leadership Award & Graduate Assistant of the Year.

Graduate School Hall of Fame

Congratulations to School of Leadership students Dr. Melissa Lomas and Ana Ruth Cortés Arreaza, who were among the twelve inducted into the 2024 USM Graduate School Hall of Fame!

Dr. Melissa Lomas is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is graduating with her PhD in Human Capital Development. Her dissertation explores solutions to burnout in night shift nurses. She proposes the innovative ‘Resource Coach’ model, which fosters teamwork and well-being through shared responsibilities and peer support.

Ana Ruth Cortés Arreaza is from Pinalejo, Santa Bárbara, Honduras, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Human Capital Development with an emphasis in Instructional Technology and Design. In her research, she is beginning to examine pathways to career success for international graduates in the United States and the influence of passion and discipline over the career success of creative/arts graduates.

The University of Southern Mississippi Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony

The University of Southern Mississippi holds an annual awards ceremony to celebrate outstanding faculty and staff campus wide. The following faculty and staff from our college were recognized this year:

Innovative Teaching Mini-Grants

• Dr. Ali Dogru, Assistant Professor in the School of Management
• Dr. Chao Meng, Assistant Professor in the School of Marketing
• Dr. Wei Wang, Associate Professor in the School of Marketing

Summer Grants for Improvement of Instruction

• Dr. A. Banu Elmadag Bas, Assistant Professor in the School of Marketing
• Dr. Joanne Tran, Associate Professor in the School of Marketing

ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholars

• Dr. Brandon Allen, Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Marketing
• Dr. Brigitte Burgess, Associate Professor and Director of the School of Marketing
• Dr. Chad Miller, Professor of Economic Development in the School of Finance
• Dr. Carsten Schmidtke, Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Leadership

ACUE Fostering a Culture of Belonging

• Dr. Heather Annulis, Professor and Director of the School of Leadership
• Dr. Chiquila Dolison, Academic Advisor in the College of Business and Economic Development
• Dr. Jamye Foster, Professor in the School of Marketing and Associate Dean in the College of Business and Economic Development
• Dr. Abubaker Haddud, Associate Professor in the School of Leadership
• Dr. Joyce Powell, Assistant Director in the School of Leadership
• Dr. Joanne Tran, Associate Professor in the School of Marketing

Research Advocate Award

Dr. Jamye Foster, Professor in the School of Marketing and Associate Dean in the College of Business and Economic Development

Junior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award

Dr. Chao Meng, Assistant Professor in the School of Marketing

Student Research Showcase

Hosted by the School of Marketing

Five incredible Honors College students nailed their thesis defenses at the 5th annual Student Research Showcase hosted by the School of Marketing. Let's give it up for Walter Johnson, Christian Nesser, Haeden Overby, Greyson Swartzfager, and Patrick Tyson! We are incredibly proud of these students and applaud them for their hard work and dedication!

Undergraduate Symposium on Research and Creative Activity

Six Southern Miss Business students presented during the 2024 Undergraduate Symposium on Research and Creative Activity! Congratulations to Andrew Welch and Marcus Kirkland who placed 1st and 2nd in their category. Other business student participants included Haeden Overby, Greyson Schwartzfager, Walter Johnson, and Patrick Tyson. These students did an outstanding job participating in this competitive experience and representing our college well.

Andrew Welch engaged in a case study of Altaworx, LLC, a private company headquartered in Mobile, Alabama and specializing in voice-over-Ip (VOIP) products and services. He compared the financial results of Altaworx from 2013-2023 with its competition and evaluated the reasons Altaworx far exceeded the industry during this time. The management decisions and operational efficiencies of Altaworx serve as best practices in the industry. Andrew’s research project included a personal interview with the CEO of Altaworx. Welch's faculty advisor is Dr. Kimberly Goodwin.

Marcus Kirkland’s research examines the motivations and practices of college students regarding consumer activism, specifically against companies involved in the recent Israel-Palestine conflict. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with a diverse group of college students, Marcus aims to understand why some engage in consumer activism like boycotts while others do not. The significance lies in the increasing influence of consumer activism on corporate behavior, and the findings could provide practical implications for businesses, policymakers, and consumer advocacy groups in navigating societal issues. By analyzing interview data for recurring themes, the research seeks to contribute insights into consumer-brand interactions amid politically charged events and promoting corporate social responsibility. Kirkland's faculty advisor is Dr. Banu Bas.

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Several Southern Miss Business graduate students presented during the Susan A. Siltanen Graduate Student Research Symposium hosted by the USM Graduate School.

Congratulations to Peter Kalejaiye, who placed first in the Social and Educational Sciences and Business category for poster presentations!

Enzo Fedato Ferreira placed first in the Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences category for oral presentations.

Heather Miller, Maurine Pace, and Shelika Hooker placed second in the Social and Educational Sciences and Business category for poster presentations.

We are so proud of these outstanding students who have put so much time and work into their meaningful and impactful research.

Scianna Business Leaders in Houston, Texas

The Scianna Business Leaders went on an immersive study-away experience to Houston, Texas! The trip included an exclusive tour of the state-of-the-art Chevron facility led by two Southern Miss alumni. Additionally, the students dined with notable business alumni Thanh Roettele and Chuck Scianna to get valuable career advice. They closed out the trip with tickets to the Houston Rockets basketball game.

Fastenal National Conference & Expo

After an exclusive invitation from Fastenal, a USM Sales corporate partner, Sierra Greene attended Fastenal's national conference and expo event in Nashville, TN. At this prestigious professional development opportunity, Sierra was able to network directly with corporate hiring managers and sales leadership, observe live sales interactions in a conference setting, and attend presentations by elite sales speakers and thought leaders.

2024 AMA International Collegiate Conference

Southern Miss Business was represented during the 2024 AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans, LA. Our USM chapter president, Donna Swanson, placed in the Top 25 out of 572 in the Perfect Pitch Competition, where they had 90 seconds to pitch why they were perfect for a job at Insight Global.

Tori Jones, a senior marketing major who attended the conference, shared her experience: "It was an incredible weekend, and we even had a one-on-one with the VP of the entire American Marketing Association over all the chapters. It was a fantastic experience, and we are grateful to the college for giving us the opportunity."

Current MBA student Kaela Barnicle also attended the conference to serve as a judge for the sales competition. Barnicle won first place last year during the 2023 AMA Annual Sales Competition while competing against 60 other students from universities across the world. Barnicle became a USM alumna last year after graduating with her healthcare marketing degree. She will complete the master's program in August.

The Southern Miss Professional Sales Program team hosted graduating seniors in a 2-round sales roleplay with an additional round of speed selling/elevator pitch. Top talent was showcased in sales skills and business acumen.

Students were judged virtually by industry sales representatives. This year's judge panel consisted of representatives from Cintas, Jones Logistics, Fastenal, Howard Technology Solutions, NeuroLens, Sherwin-Williams, and Salesforce. Several students received invitations to interview based on their performance at the Challenge.

Gold Bracket

1. Kennedy Lambert
2. Noah Samuel
3. Sierra Temes

Silver Bracket

1. Madison Calkins
2. Desiree Rodriguez
3. Torian Benton

Speed Sell Winner: Kennedy Lambert

The Golden Idea Pitch Competition provides students with support, mentorship, and funding to help launch their big ideas. All current Southern Miss students from all majors and disciplines are eligible to participate. We are proud to announce the 2024 winners:

1st Place: CookEase

Ryan Shi, Sophomore, Business Administration

Pitch: Kitchen management app that leverages AI to digitize inventory and create personalized notifications and recipes

2nd Place: Exoletic

Kaleb Jones, Junior, Polymer Science and Engineering

Pitch: Innovative sportswear that utilizes muscle-mimicking polymers to provide active support in movement

3rd Place: Clean Label

Rupak Raut, Sophomore, Computer Science; Abel Gurung, Senior, Mathematics; Bipul Adhikari, Freshman, Computer Science

Pitch: Food shopping app that leverages AI to help consumers make more informed decisions based on ingredients and nutritional value

Dr. Katie Howie Appears on WLOX

Dr. Katie Howie was invited by WLOX to speak on the proposed TikTok ban in the United States. Dr. Howie's research expertise focus on cancel culture, brand activism, and social media. Watch to see what Dr. Howie had to say about the situation.

Dr. Croft Appears as Guest on Sport Management Podcast

Dr. Chris Croft appeared as a guest on the Constant Sports Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Dr. Wang & Dr. Croft Assist with Topgolf Tourism Project in MS

Dr. Wei Wang and Dr. Chris Croft recently assisted with Topgolf Tourism Project for Ridgeland, Mississippi. Trent Lott National Center Director Brian Henson brought them on board to coordinate the project researching the potential impact of facility venue visitors within the Jackson, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Sport Management Graduate Assistants Austin Bourne and Cassie Lambert assisted with the project. This will be the first Topgolf location in the state of Mississippi, and they recently broke ground, with an anticipated late 2024 opening.