sealPurdue Business, Finance, Tech Briefs
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June 1999

Purdue students tap into power of Web-investing

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University students are cashing in on a course that teaches them the ins and outs of investing, particularly on-line investing, at an early age.

Last spring, all 200 seats were taken in Professor Sugato Chakravarty's undergraduate personal finance course, and two more classes will be added when students return in the fall.

Although many of the students don't have the money to invest now, Chakravarty says he sees his job as preparing them for the future.

"Giving a student a degree, a nice paycheck and the opportunity to invest without the knowledge of how to invest is like giving them a loaded gun without showing them how to use it," he says.

Chakravarty, who's been teaching the course for three years, says the fact that students are both computer and market savvy is driving the trend in young would-be investors.

Although the course also addresses credit, insurance and retirement issues, over half of the time is devoted to demystifying the stock market and learning how to use the World Wide Web to research and invest in various stocks.

"Above all, I emphasize that you need to be an educated consumer," Chakravarty says. "And that's easier than ever if you know how to find reputable information on the Internet."

Chakravarty is quick to warn his students and others not to try to compete with the on-line professional day traders who can still get in and out of a market faster than the average on-line investor.

"While the Internet has empowered the average investor, it's also created a greater volatility in the market on a daily basis," he says. "The potential pitfalls of on-line trading can come from false information or rumors in chat rooms or a temporary groundswell of excitement over a particular stock."

He encourages his students to remember the fundamentals of sound investment strategy and not to trade on sentiment.

CONTACT: Chakravarty, (765) 494-6427; sugato@purdue.edu

Purdue expert: Big money, perks don't always motivate

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Good managers intuitively know that different things motivate different employees, says a Purdue University human resource expert, but putting a tailored plan into action is not as easy as it sounds.

David Schoorman, who teaches human resource management at Purdue's Krannert School of Management, also consults extensively with industry. Schoorman says the structured "one-size-fits-all" corporate compensation plan can trip up even the most responsive, creative manager.

"A real challenge for supervisors and managers today is to figure out how to be that bridge between the standard benefit list of 'what you get' and what really motivates you as an employee," Schoorman says. "People putting together compensation and benefit plans often underestimate the value of growth opportunities, both professional and personal, as motivational tools."

Still, all is not lost, says Schoorman. Creative managers can work within a company structure to keep employees motivated. In addition to the standard financial rewards and days off, he offers these tips:

  • Offer seminars and courses that nurture self-esteem and personal growth.
  • Give employees challenging tasks that allow for visibility and professional growth.
  • For more social employees, make team or group work situations available.

Above all, says Schoorman, supervisors and managers need to build and maintain individual relationships with employees.

"That's the only true way to know what does motivate them." he says.

CONTACT: Schoorman, (765) 494-4391; schoor@mgmt.purdue.edu

Oklahoma dean to head Purdue's Krannert School

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Richard A. Cosier, dean of the business school at the University of Oklahoma, will be the next dean of the Purdue University School of Management and the Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue President Steven C. Beering announced earlier this month.

Cosier, 52, dean and the Fred E. Brown Chair at Oklahoma's Michael F. Price College of Business since 1993, will succeed Dennis J. Weidenaar, who will return to the faculty July 1. Before his appointment at Oklahoma, Cosier spent 16 years at Indiana University, Bloomington, as the associate dean for academics, a departmental chairman and professor of management. In addition, he held a faculty appointment at the University of Notre Dame in 1975-76. His appointment is effective Aug. 1.

"Dean Cosier is one of the most exciting young deans in the country," Beering said. "He has the energy and creativity needed to lead Krannert into the new century and hold it true to its path of excellence."

During his six years as dean at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Cosier worked to improve the curriculum and restructured the MBA program. He established the J.C. Penney Leadership Center, the traveling Oklahoma Business Outlook Panel and the Oklahoma Business Conference, which has featured speakers such as Michael Dell, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Dell Computer Corp., and Ted Turner, vice chairman of Time Warner Inc.

Under Cosier's leadership, Oklahoma raised more than $10 million in cash each of the past two years. Since coming to Oklahoma, he increased the business college's endowment from $13 million to more than $60 million. In April 1997, Wall Street fund manager Michael F. Price, for whom the business school is named, pledged $18 million to be paid over five years.

Fall 1998 enrollment at the University of Oklahoma at Norman was 21,068 compared to 36,686 at Purdue West Lafayette. Enrollment at their respective business schools was 300 graduate and 3,600 undergraduate students at Oklahoma and 416 graduate and 2,386 undergraduate students at Purdue. Another 243 people are enrolled in the Purdue's Krannert executive master's programs. Purdue's School of Management offers majors in management, accounting, international management and economics.

Cosier, originally from Jackson, Mich., received his doctorate in business administration from the University of Iowa. He received his master's in business administration from Loyola University in Chicago and his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.

CONTACTS: Beering, (765) 494-9708; Cosier, (405) 325-3611

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A photograph of Richard Cosier is available from the Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2096, or from the Purdue News Web and ftp site.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu


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