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Analytics & Technology
Finance Professor Bill McDonald analyzed Facebook's whitepaper on Libra, a new, simple global currency and financial infrastructure that is intended to empower billions of people. McDonald, the Thomas A. and James J. Bruder Chair in Administrative Leadership at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, previously worked as a vice president at the Schwab Center for Investment Research in San Francisco during the Internet boom/bust, and he has consulted for major investment banks, brokerages and stock exchanges, and served as an expert witness.

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Automation presents both challenges and opportunities in today's workforce. Since the landmark event on "Jeopardy!" in 2011, fears surrounding job displacement have shifted from traditional blue-collar roles to white-collar professions, where skilled workers in fields like finance, journalism, and even medicine now face the realities of intelligent machines. The discussion now revolves around how these advancements can lead to a re-evaluation of the purpose of work itself, urging professionals to rediscover the value in what they do amidst the rise of technology.

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A team of Notre Dame MBA students recently traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest to learn about local food production, specifically how to transform the poisonous mandioca root into a nutritious starch product called farinha. Guided by indigenous farmers, they experienced traditional methods for processing this ancient crop while exploring ways to help increase the community's income. With an eye on preserving the rainforest and supporting its inhabitants, the Business on the Frontlines course aims to foster economic stability and awareness of the challenges faced by these remote communities.

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business schools need to adapt their curricula accordingly. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the job landscape, educators face the challenge of prioritizing critical skills—technical knowledge, critical thinking, and socioemotional competencies—while addressing urgent market demands. The need for graduates to navigate the ethical complexities associated with AI developments has never been more pressing, underscoring the shifting focus in business education. Balancing these elements will be crucial for preparing students for an uncertain future in the workforce.
Alumni Impact
Alumni Impact
Mendoza student Charlotte Pekoske is among 100 gifted graduates from the Class of 2019 chosen to be on Poets & Quants Best and Brightest list. Now in its fifth year, the Best & Brightest celebrates MBAs whose academic prowess, extracurricular achievements, innate potential, and inspirational life journeys make them standouts in their graduate business schools.
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Deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest — reached by a flight into the jungle, a two-hour boat trip, a pickup truck transporting 31 people in the bed despite a downpour, and a half-hour walk — five Notre Dame MBA students and two faculty advisers are learning how to turn mandioca root into a local starch product called farinha. They're part of the semester-long Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) course, which examines the impact of business in societies suffering from deep poverty or conflict.
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Kelly Chase (MBA ’16) and her four Business on the Frontlines teammates traveled to Dili, Timor-Leste’s capital city, in March. They had spent weeks prior to the trip extensively studying the country, but it wasn't until they arrived that the true challenge of what they faced hit home for Chase. Charged with identifying sustainable solutions to improve the livelihoods of farmers, the team faced language barriers, cultural differences and harsh physical conditions.
Analytics & Technology
With sleek glasses, dark shoulder-length hair and a charming demeanor, Kevin Hartman looks and acts the part of an innovative practitioner in the world of business analytics and big data. While his job centers around numbers and data, he sees his work as an art form just as much as it is a science. This perspective has also helped him become a relatable and impactful Notre Dame professor.
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Justin Jones (MBA ’16) always strove to be a force for good in the world, but was never sure how that would look. It all came together for him during his MBA at Notre Dame — in particular, while helping humanitarian aid organization World Vision address child sex trafficking in the Philippines, as part of innovative Notre Dame MBA course Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL).