Appalachian State University Professor of Accounting Tammy Kowalczyk has been awarded a 2017 Faculty Micro-Grant from the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program.
The $1,500 grant will allow Kowalcyzk to offer a unique learning and research opportunity to Appalachian students through a graduate level course, Sustainable Business in a Global Business Society.
During the Spring 2017 semester, Kowalczyk led a cross-disciplinary team of graduate students from the Walker College of Business to participate in the Aspen Institute's Business & Society International MBA Case Competition. Appalachian was one of only 25 schools invited to participate in that competition and the students were the first group from Appalachian to ever participate in the event.
With Kowalczyk's guidance, Fall 2017 Sustainable Business in a Global Business Society students will continue their work on the IBM case study.
Kowalczyk earned the grant for her efforts in successfully organizing the case competition at Appalachian and for her commitment to exploring the continued teaching of the IBM case study on campus. Jaan Elias, Director of Case Study Research at the Yale School of Management, helped the Aspen Institute's Business & Society Program select the faculty winners.
"The opportunity to use the 2017 MBA Case Competition in a course is an honor," said Kowalczyk. "Appalachian is one of only five winners to be awarded this opportunity."
The Aspen Institute's Business & Society International MBA Case Competition encourages future business leaders to innovate at the intersection of corporate profitability and positive social, environmental and ethical impact. Now in its eighth year, the competition offers a singular opportunity for students from 25 business programs worldwide to reflect on the significant influence - and potential for good - that a well-managed business can have in society. Aspen's program aims to communicate that social, environmental and ethical issues are not at the periphery of business; indeed, they are central to business growth in the 21st century.
"The Case Competition celebrates a growing movement—and a growing number of business leaders—who are stepping up, speaking out, and acting in ways that strengthen our capitalist system while also making the world a better place," said Claire Preisser, Associate Director at the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program.
For more information about the MBA Case Competition, visit www.AspenCaseCompetition.org.
About Sustainable Business at Appalachian
Appalachian’s Walker College of Business is committed to advancing sustainable business practices that promote responsible management of economic, social and natural resources. The theory and practice of sustainable business recognizes that the economy, environment and society (the triple bottom line) are interconnected and interdependent, and strives to enhance the business model so that it can flourish and thrive to benefit future generations. The college offers a sustainable business minor available to business and non-business majors, a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics and policy, and an MBA concentration in sustainable business. The programs focus on student engagement, research and community involvement.
For more information, visit business.appstate.edu/sustain.
Accounting professor earns grant from Aspen Institute; graduate students will research on IBM case study
