Women's Initiative - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Welcome Home to Ann Arbor and the Ross School of Business

The Women’s Initiative and the Michigan Business Women would like to welcome you back for fall 2008. You will find a host of programs and events that are sure to expand your intangible skills, keep you intrigued and multiply your network of incredible people.

Additionally, when you come to this web site to learn about and register for the programs/events - please take note of the SmartBrief. SmartBrief is updated bi-monthly with the latest information published for and about women in business in newspapers and magazines across the nation. It allows you to update at a glance what else is going on in business. If you find the synopsis of the article interesting, click through to read the full article. We are always looking for new ways to assist you and save you time.

Enjoy the fall and get involved with the Michigan Business Women and Women’s Initiative.

-Mary

Study sees strong bottom line with women at the top
A new study of Fortune 500 companies that have women on the boards of directors or in corporate executive positions suggests women are good for business. In the study, companies with the highest representation of women in corporate-officer positions had 35.1% higher financial performance than companies with the lowest representation of women in key posts.
Financial Post (Canada) (5/14) Full Article

Author tells women entrepreneurs to think bigger
Women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men but fewer than 3% will pass the $1 million threshold, says Susan Wilson Solovic, author of "The Girls' Guide To Building a Million Dollar Business." The reason, she says, is women are "not thinking big enough." Seattle Post-Intelligencer (5/9) Full Article

Management and Leadership

Be a successful mentor
Several highly successful executives credit part of their success to having excellent mentors. Such relationships can't be forced, but there are steps you can take to be a successful mentor to others. CIO (5/2) Full Article

Improve your "functional intelligence"
Want to be smarter at work? Then learn new things, temper your stress and exercise. Afterward, take a quick nap to improve your memory and top it all off with a cup of tea. The New York Times (registration required) (5/10) Full Article

Marketplace

Mothers, daughters benefit from running business together
Mothers and daughters who run businesses together must overcome challenges not faced by other entrepreneurs. Because of their personal relationships, a few women who have met success together say they had to define their roles, give each other space and plan an exit strategy. They also gain from the experience. "You've got a friend," says one mom. "Not only a daughter, not only a business partner, but a friend." The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.) (5/11) Full Article

Women stay on job longer before starting maternity leave
In the U.S. workplace, 80% of the women who are pregnant stay on the job until a month or less before giving birth, according to newly released census statistics for 2003. That is a significant increase from 1965, when only 35% stayed so long on the job. Experts attribute the trend to two factors: they need the money and they want to use their time off after the baby is born. Abilene Reporter-News (Texas) (5/11) Full Article

Best Practices

Relationship, not branding, grows small businesses
Author and marketing guru George Torok says he is alarmed by a recent poll that indicates most small businesses consider branding a top priority. Small businesses cannot afford branding and are better off developing customer relationships as their marketing initiative, he says. National Post (Canada) (5/12) Full Article

Tending database can improve marketing, sales
Few companies excel at mining their database to turn prospects into sales, says Colleen Edwards, CEO of PowerMark Group. Consistent and continuous effort on the details of the information are needed to affect revenue. BusinessWeek/Today's Tip (5/13) Full Article

B-School Basics

Eight tips can help in getting past "hello"
A list of eight tips for overcoming social anxiety and feeling comfortable in making the first move in a business situation include making the conversation all about the other person's thoughts and listening intently to their responses. Another tip is to rehearse icebreakers with a friend before going to a meeting or gathering. Forbes (4/10) Full article

Entrepreneurship

Students gain experience while financing entrepreneurs
Students at Yale and Harvard have developed microfinance programs to give low-income and other disadvantaged entrepreneurs get financing and give students real-life experience with startups. Students at Georgetown, Rutgers, University of Rochester and other universities are in various stages of developing similar programs. The Boston Globe (5/12) Full Article