Our Big 3 with Dean H. Rao Unnava: Summer 2023

Dean H. Rao Unnava's Summer 2023 edition of the Big 3 features:

1. Class of 2023: What's Next for You? 
   Our largest class ever is ready to change the world. At Commencement, we asked the newest alumni from each of our six graduate degree programs to share where they are heading next in their careers and future pursuits. View video of new graduates >
    
2. Poets&Quants Names Mika Shang Among Best & Brightest MBAs 
   Poet&Quants recognized 2023 Full-Time MBA student Mika Shang among its top 100 Best & Brightest MBAs in the U.S. Poets&Quants says these MBAs are today’s business school movers and shakers. Read more about Mika Shang >
    
3. Rotten Movie Reviews = Box Office Success?
   Assistant Professor Pantelis Loupos' research shows positive reviews from critics may signal a new release will be a flop while negative reviews lead to an opening weekend box office hit! Loupos partnered with three MSBA student to analyze more than 28,000 reviews of over 500 movies on Rotten Tomatoes. Their study was published in "Marketing Letters." Read more about Loupos' research >

Transcript

Welcome to our Summer 2023 edition of our Big 3 video newsletter.

Commencement 2023 

The largest graduating class ever as we tripled in size in the last six years!

At the packed UCenter at UC Davis, family and friends cheered as more than 400 graduates from our Full-Time MBA, Sacramento Part-Time MBA, Bay Area Part-Time MBA, Online MBA, Master of Professional Accountancy, and Master of Science in Business Analytics programs crossed the stage and received their master’s academic hood.  

Hundreds more worldwide watched the livestream of the ceremony. 

These students are headed to the Big 4 Accounting Firms, top Silicon Valley analytics firms, and cutting-edge food, ag, and biotech companies in California. A few of them chose to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

The joy in the arena was palpable as six student speakers spoke of their journey over the last one or two years, recognizing the impact the faculty, staff, and other students have made on their lives.

We’re proud of their accomplishments and we congratulate our Class of 2023! One of the best days every year in the life of a dean!

Mika Shang Named Among Poets&Quants Top 100 Best & Brightest MBAs

We are also thrilled that Poet&Quants recognized our 2023 Full-Time MBA student Mika Shang among the top 100 Best and Brightest MBAs in the nation.

Poets&Quants says these MBAs are today’s business school movers and shakers.

Mika’s combination of kindness and strength has lifted our community and has made Mika an invaluable leader in our Class of 2023.

For example, earlier this year Mika independently organized a four-week personal finance series designed to increase financial literacy specifically amongst women, minorities and disadvantaged individuals in the UC Davis community.

Mika also was on the Associated Students of Management Executive Committee, was President of GSM’s Finance Association, was on the winning team of our Biz Quiz Challenge, and was presented the Robert Smiley Leadership Award for her outstanding leadership qualities.

Mika’s global mindset and collaborative leadership landed her a summer internship at Intel. She’s now heading back to Intel as a senior financial analyst. Congratulations Mika!

Rotten Movie Reviews = Opening Weekend Box Office Success?

Summer break also means summer blockbuster movies!

Before heading to the theater, many of us like to check out critics’ prerelease reviews of feature films.

When we think of movie reviews, we often take them as indicators of success or failure at the box office. Common sense dictates that positive reviews generate more revenue and vice versa.

Not so fast says Assistant Professor Pantelis Loupos.

His research shows positive reviews from critics may signal a film will be a flop while negative reviews lead to a box office hit!

Professor Loupos partnered with three students in our Master of Science in Business Analytics program: Yvette Peng, Sute Li and Hao Hao. Their study was published in April in the journal Marketing Letters.

They turned this conventional wisdom about the impact of movie reviews on its head, revealing an unexpected harbinger of failure in the movie industry.

Loupos and the students examined over 28,000 pre-release reviews and commentary for almost 500 movies from Rotten Tomatoes. They then compared this to the opening weekend box office for each movie.

We’d like to recognize the exceptional contribution and collaboration of our MSBA students on this research. Professor Loupos said it best in his blog: “It’s not just about learning; it's about applying that learning to challenge established norms and bring new insights to light.”

Thank you for watching the Big 3 video newsletter!