THE BULL, BEAR & LION

VOL. II, NO. v

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEYS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

FRESHMEN CAN ENTER MAYO TOO:

ELEMENTARY ROBOTICS
By JoAnna DiCicco
With the semi-final presentations for
the Mayo Business Plan Competition
coming up March 9, we wanted to get
an inside view on Elementary Robotics,
a team made up of freshmen, Sarah
Sleiman, an open options business major, Dominic Clark, a management major, Skyler Maxwell, an electrical engineering major, and Megha Rathi, an
open options business major. They
agreed to share their experiences and
expectations with us.

JoAnna DiCicco: Can you give us a little description of your business?

Sarah Sleiman: Our non-profit organization is called Elementary Robotics. If
an elementary school wants a robotics
club, they pay a fee, and we provide
kits, laptops, and mentors, who are col-

lege students. We would send mentors

to run the meetings, and after a few
months, hold competitions.

JD: What made you choose robotics?

Skyler Maxwell: I think it is a good idea
because it will introduce young kids to
robotics, and get them excited about
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

JD: If you are to win, how would you

use the money?
SS: All the money would go towards
start-up, to buy robotic kits, laptops,
and a large chunk to build the website,
controllers, and advertising/marketing
expenses.

[see MAYO continued on back]

To Brexit, or Not to Brexit

That is the question: What could happen if the British decide to exit (Brexit) the EU via
referendum on June 23?

On June 23, a referendum

would emerge with a BrexBACKGROUND:
will be held to determine if
it. Britain is one of the most
the UK will leave the EU, By Kristen Townend prosperous countries in the
and Prime Minister David
EU, and its departure could
Cameron has already warned of the con- upset its foundation and unity. Altsequences of withdrawal.
hough the economic effects are debataMany believe that the EU is not effec- ble, the country would lose current
tively serving the interests of Britain, trade benefits, and the jobs of exporters
therefore these people are advocating would be threatened. Reports have statfor a British exit unless the terms of ed that nearly half of Britains exports
membership are reformed. It is a com- go to countries within the EU, but many
mon sentiment that the EU has too have pointed out that the UK could still
much power over member nations, and form outside trade agreements with ina sizable proportion of citizens oppose dividual European nations.
the renunciation of national sovereignAnother potential consequence is a fall
ty.
in investment in the countrys indusAmid the possibility of a Brexit, tries. If the UK is no longer viewed as an
(British exit), uncertainty has arisen entity that provides entry and accessiwithin the UK in recent months, caus- bility to the rest of the European maring the value of the pound to decrease ket, it could lose its position as one of
by more than four percent. The curren- the chief financial hubs of Europe.
cy has hit its weakest exchange against
The Brexit is still under consideration,
the dollar in over six years, and some as are its potential outcomes. We shall
believe that additional ramifications see definitive results come June.

Prime Minister David

visions releasing the UK
Cameron is dealing with AGAINST THE BREXIT: from paying dues or being
this critical issue in his
legally subject to the EU.
By Paul Mulholland
usual way: create a popular
This would be an imreferendum on the issue,
portant provision as nearly
and campaign in favor of the status quo. half of British exports end up in the EU.
Facile though this may be, it has been
This outcome is unlikely. The EU will
a successful political tactic for Cameron drive a hard bargain with the UK to
throughout his tenure as Prime Minis- discourage other states from leaving.
ter.
Joining the common market would
If the out campaign is successful, probably require the UK to still pay
the United Kingdom would be the first dues and follow EU regulation; they
country to leave the EU, and would would only be losing their vote in EU
legally have to spend two years negoti- affairs.
ating a new relationship with the EU.
This has important implications for
The out campaign supports the con- the US for our domestic economy, fortinuation of UK/EU trade ties with pro- eign influence, and our power abroad.

THIRD THURSDAY: HOW TO GET CALLED UP

TO THE BIG LEAGUES
By D.J. Kleinbard
The College of New Jerseys School
of Business held its first Third Thursday
event of the semester on Feb. 18, bringing a new perspective to students looking to enter a specific field after college.
The school hosted a panel of six TCNJ
alumni all currently employed in the
sports industry. They shared their experiences on how they began their careers
and how they progressed to where they
are today.
The alumni panel consisted of Major
League Soccers Christoph Schoenbeck,
2010; the National Football Leagues
Jason Cantor, 2010; the Trenton Thunders John Fiercko, 1988; the Football
Championship Subdivisions (FCS) Craig
Haley, 1991; Philadelphia Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy, 1990; and the
Mets Radio Networks Kristina Shemming, 2010. The panel offered great
diversity within the sports industry
providing insight on how to enter this
field. Additionally, the panel was available for networking opportunities following the event.
Follow us on Twitter: @Bull_Bear_Lion

The speakers discussed the importance of networking to help determine your path in the industry. Some of
them were not business majors in
school, but through the networks they
were able to build they obtained jobs
with sports organizations which spurred
their interest in the sports industry.
Some panel members studied criminology, biology, and health and exercise
science while at TCNJ.
While the sports industry mirrors
other industries in the sense that experience is necessary to climb the hierarchy, it differs in how that experience
can be attained. A part time job at a
minor league facility can be just as impactful on a resume as an internship can
be.
This great panel opened the eyes of
those who attended, giving them hope
to pursue their dreams of working in
the professional sports world. Overall,
the program proved to be another valuable resource that the School of Business has provided its students.

MARCH 7, 2016

The UK is a very close ally and partner

of America. If it were to leave the EU,
the US would lose significant influence
in EU affairs. This is important because
America is currently negotiating a free
trade agreement with the EU. A Brexit
could cause these negotiations to collapse because the UK trades with the
US more than any other European
country, and is therefore advocating it
more within the EU. The EU is unlikely
to scrap the deal in the event of a Brexit, but the US will have less leverage,
and the deal itself will be less beneficial
to our economy if it excludes the UK.
Investors hate uncertainty, and the
uncertainty surrounding the UK is

causing investors to pull capital out of

the UK. When investors do not invest
in pounds, the demand for that currency goes down, and all else being equal
so will its relative value; the pound has
been depreciating against the dollar and
the euro. This has the ironic effect of
helping British exports, which might
help persuade Brits on the fence that
the in side is more reasonable. However, this will also hurt US exports to
the UK, but make British products
more affordable for US consumers.
The UK is too important a country to
not cause global repercussions. The US
should hope that the in campaign
wins this summer.

Gloria Steinem on the Workplace

By Kristen A. Borowski
I had the wonderful opportunity to
personally interview Ms. Steinem before her speech at Kendall Hall on
Wednesday, March 2. What do you say
to such an icon for womens rights? I
kept in context with business so that I
could share her advice with all of you.
When asked about advice she would
give to young women seeking employment in a male-dominated industry she
said that support from others can give
you strength. In struggling through
tough times together, Ms. Steinem said
you will come to find that you are not
crazy, the system is crazy.
To the women pursuing degrees in
male-dominated areas such as finance,
economics, mathematics, and science,
do not be afraid to follow your dream.
There is nothing biological about
[these subjects], Ms. Steinem said.
In talking about the glass ceiling, Ms.
Steinem mentioned the importance of
realizing the existence of the sticky
floor and pink-collar ghetto which
keep many women grounded in terms
of job choice. I also asked Ms. Steinem
about how women can handle power
dynamics in relation to gender in the

Gloria Steinem speaking during an interview.

workplace. She told me how treating

male co-workers well and with respect
is the best place to start. I continued to
ask her, So the Golden Rule is a good
motto to have? She replied, Yes, but
you have to reverse it tootreat yourself the way others should treat you.
We women have a way of being very
hard on ourselves and self-deprecating;
in addition to treating others with respect and kindness, we must also treat
ourselves the same way.
In closing I want to share Ms. Steinems words which I hope stay with
you; in dealing with others, assume
humanitydont assume difference. If
we keep these words in our hearts we
can manage organizations better, negotiate better, and most of all, become
better people.
www.bbltcnj.weebly.com

THE BULL, BEAR & LION

MARCH 7, 2016

BIG DATA V:

Book Review:

The Toolbox for Data Mining

The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life By Ivanka Trump

By David W. Letcher, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Review by Alyssa J Freitas

With the ever present Trump news in

industry where her fathers name and

the media it can be all too easy to make

reputation preceded her, Ivanka proved

generalizations

who

herself through hard work and pas-

holds that last name. Whether your

sion. She learned that loving what you

opinions are positive or negative, it is

do is fundamental to maintaining moti-

quite clear in her book, The Trump

vation. She shares how to uncover your

Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life,

passion and communicate that drive

that Ivanka Trump is her own woman.

throughout your entire career.

about

anyone

Published in 2009 when Ivanka was

not yet 30, this book demonstrates her
remarkable intelligence and understanding of how to recognize your
strengths and passions and to leverage
them

to

your

greatest

advantage.

Through her introduction of growing

up Trump, to short essays included
from high profile businesspeople, to
actionable advice for young professionals, The Trump Card offers insight and

My previous four articles in this se-

to be high-risk. In such analyses, the

ries showed that the phrase big data

data set is divided into subsets, each

refers to data sets that exhibit the three

having the same probability distribu-

Vs: volume, velocity and variety.

tion. One subset, the training set, pro-

Some authorities have even added a

vides a potentially predictive relation-

fourth V, veracity, to this collection.

ship while validation and test subsets

But, big data needs to be analyzed to

determines the strength and usefulness

provide value and insight to businesses.

of the predictive relationship.

What is most valuable about the book

Data Mining accomplishes this. Open-

The third scenario is one in which

is that it does not simply end the dis-

ing this toolbox reveals a wealth of

data sets are examined to see whether

cussion at find your passion and every-

hardware and software solutions that

natural associations exist between vari-

thing will work out. Rather, Ivanka

are both very numerous and growing

ables. Three examples that are becom-

explains that in order to get noticed at

in number. In broad, general terms,

ing classic are Netflixs approach to

work you must approach every task

data mining uses a wide variety of ana-

discovering which types of movies

with focus and efficiency. Doing what

lytical and statistical procedures to

their customers like and then offering

is asked of you is not enough: seeking

extract whatever characteristics and

recommendations for future rentals.

out opportunities and taking on respon-

patterns exist in a data set. Four ap-

Amazons book recommendations are

sibility are the most effective ways to

proaches are described below.

based upon analysis of past purchases.

advance. The book also addresses using

One approach involves identifying

Grocery stores routinely print coupons

uncertainty to your advantage, fiercely

groups, say, in a collection of custom-

at point-of-purchase based upon what

While Ivanka currently works for

guarding your reputation, building

ers or in a collection of employees.

was currently bought.

The Trump Organization, she started

your personal brand, and the art of ne-

Segmenting customers into distinct

Fourthly, correlation between two

out her career, after graduating from

gotiation. (Would any book with the

groups enables a firm to target specific

variables offers some insight into possi-

the Wharton School, at Forest City En-

name Trump on it be complete without

groups for product offerings while seg-

ble cause-and-effect relationships. But,

terprises (another real estate develop-

such a section?) This is a valuable read

menting employees helps to identify

as we know, correlation does not nec-

ment company) to prove to herself that

for any young professional and will

productive and non-productive em-

essarily imply cause and effect and the

her skills and passion for real estate

give you new perspective on the eldest

ployees. The identification of records

often-used Pearson correlation coeffi-

extended beyond her family business.

Trump daughter.

that contain errors or missing data so

cient is a measure of the linear, not a

as to be corrected using a variety of

non-linear relationship between two

accepted methods is also important.

variables. For example, a strong posi-

The Real World:

Hierarchical clustering and k-means

tive correlation between job satisfac-

Economic Optimism From Warren Buffett

clustering represent the two major

tion and satisfaction with a supervisor

methods used to identify groups.

may imply that the former is caused by

entertainment for the reader.

Though working in a male-dominated

By Kristen A. Borowski
Warren Buffett is always taken seriously when he speaks or gives his opinion. Rightfully so: the man is a brilliant
and extremely successful investor! So
when he speaks about the future of the
US economy, we should consider his
perspective. The media likes to paint a
dismal picture of the future of the
economy, predicated on slow growth
and pessimism. Mr. Buffett begs to differ:

lems. As a result of this negative drumbeat, many Americans now believe that
their children will not live as well as
they themselves do...The babies being
born in America today are the luckiest
crop in history. American GDP per
capita is now about $56,000. In real
terms that is a staggering six times the
amount in 1930, the year I was
born...Americas economic magic remains alive and well.

Its election year, and candidates cant

stop speaking about our countrys prob-

[Adapted from Warren Buffetts Shareholder Letter]

The second approach uses one or

the latter.

more data variables to calculate a cate-

A universe of books, journals, trade

gorical outcome. We could, for exam-

magazines, professional societies, con-

ple, use such variables as age, gender,

ferences, software and hardware ven-

income, education-level to categorize a

dors, web sites, handbooks, etc. dedi-

bank customer as low-risk or a high-

cates itself to the world of big data and

risk for a loan.

Such calculations

data mining. This universe, like our

would be correct most of the time but

astronomical universe, grows and ex-

there will be some customers who

pands relentlessly!

would be judged low-risk but turn out

TIPS & QUOTES:

[MAYO continued from front]

JD: You are all freshman; that is great!
What inspired you all to compete?
SS: I always wanted to start an organiza-

form, how you communicate with others. All of us had no idea about business
plans or anything. We researched, have
tion, but I didnt know where to begin,
different resources, different people. I
so I talked to my FSP professor, Dr. Mor- have learned to never be quiet and sit
ton Winston, and he suggested to join
and do work; always ask for help.
the competition. Then, I just grabbed
some friends!
JD: Is there anything else you would like

to say or add?
JD: What are you expecting to gain from SS: Just some advice to anyone wanting
this experience?
to joindo it, but it is a lot of work. Im
Megha Rathi: Everybody always works so glad I decided to do it. Whether we

Quotes to Inspire You:

HBR Highlight:
Make Time for Your Top Priorities

Prioritize your schedule.

Schedule one day for group project
meetings so you can focus on work
on your days off.
Close your e-mail and silence your
phone.
Give yourself a break on the weekend so you have balance.

hard and is determined, but at the end of win or lose, it is a great learning experithe day its about strategy, how you per- ence.

"Many of life's failures are people

who did not realize how close they
were to success when they gave
up." Thomas Edison
When everything seems to be
going against you, remember that
the airplane takes off against the
wind, not with it. Henry Ford

THE BULL, BEAR & LION

The Student Newspaper of The College of New Jerseys School of Business
March 7, 2016 ~ Volume II, Number v

U.S. & World News

super Tuesday sees trump, clinton winning big for GOP,
Democracts, respectively isis gaining control over water
sources in Syria and Iraq looming recession to hit Brazil
Ukraine peace talks continue, no progress ongoing migrant issue in Europe final downton abbey episode airs
Follow us on Twitter: @Bull_Bear_Lion

STAFF:
Editor-in-Chief

Contributors

Kristen Borowski, 17

JoAnna DiCicco, 17
Sarah Wallin, 17
Kristen Townend, 19
D.J. Kleinbard, 16
Paul Mulholland, 17

Assistant Editor
Alyssa J Freitas, 17

A special thank you to Dr. Letcher for the Big Data series.

ADVISORS:
Patty Karlowitsch,
Communications Specialist,
TCNJ School of Business
Dr. Jean Brechman,
Assistant Professor, Marketing

CONTACT:
Join our team! Write, take
photographs, or help manage
The Bull, Bear & Lion!

Write to Kristen Borowski:

bo row s k1 @t cn j. edu
T H E B U LL , B EAR & L IO N is
pub lis h e d o nc e a mo nt h .

www.bbltcnj.weebly.com