a Message from the Dean
Dear alumni and friends,
Innovation. For a business school to survive and thrive in the constantly evolving landscape of
business — and society — it needs to be innovative.
Innovation is a recurring and unifying theme here in the School of Management. It's evident in our
faculty research, the way we teach our students and how we engage with the community. Innovation
is also a critical component of our countless interdisciplinary collaborations, such as the new initiative
on social innovation we've launched with the School of Social Work.
In this issue of Buffalo Business, you'll fi nd many examples of innovation woven throughout the
stories, programs and profi les featured.
Innovation in our curriculum, including programs like LeaderCORE
™
and Corporate
Champions, helped the MBA program vault 13 spots in Bloomberg Businessweek's ranking of best
business schools (page 2).
Our cover story, "Management and the Machine" on page 10, highlights the business applications
of artifi cial intelligence and taps into the expertise of our faculty and alumni to explain the promise
and pitfalls.
In Startups, beginning on page 2, you'll see how two students are taking advantage of UB's burgeoning
entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop their business, MemoryFox, and winning awards and recogni-
tion in the process. Also in that section, you can read about how we celebrated the innovative spirit
of Candace Johnson, president and CEO of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, by honoring her as the
Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year.
The ability to innovate has been the key to success for many of our alumni, including those you'll see
featured in this issue from such companies as Microsoft, Intel, Amazon and Adobe.
Our faculty are thought leaders in management and their respective fi elds, adding new knowledge
that impacts business worldwide. In Insights, beginning on page 20, you'll fi nd research by Professor
Jim Lemoine on how a collaborative culture can empower women in male-dominated workplaces, a
study by Professor Ram Bezawada about how social media engagement impacts consumer spending,
and more.
As we move forward as a leading management school, we will continue to innovate so we can nimbly
navigate the ever-changing waters of business. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Paul Tesluk
Dean
R E A D B U F F A L O B U S I N E S S O N Y O U R T A B L E T , M O B I L E D E V I C E O R T H E W E B A T M G T . B U F F A L O . E D U / B U F F A L O B U S I N E S S
Sincerely,
Paul Tesluk
Dean