THE BULL, BEAR & LION

VOL. III, NO. v THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TCNJS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2017

LA LA LAND WINS BIG AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES DESK

From Ewing to HollywoodGolden Globe Winning Director is Son of TCNJ Faculty, Dr. Celia Chazelle
REVOLUTION
By Kristen Borowski By Jonathan T. Sheridan
La La Land has taken Hollywood by As the typical 40-hour work week
storm. It is a modern-day reincarnation inches towards 50 to 60 hours, Ameri-
of the classic Hollywood musicalthink cans are sitting more than ever. This
Singin in the Rain. Sweeping the Golden excessive amount of sitting has been
Globes on January 8, the film has been linked to an array of health concerns
nominated for 14 Academy Awards. ranging from chronic back pain to dia-
We have much reason to be proud. La betes. Health-conscious Americas re-
La Lands director, Damien Chazelle, is a sponse? The standing desk.
Princeton native and his mother is Celia A standing desk is one that allows
Chazelle, a professor in the History De- the user to stand while working on a
partment here at The College of New computer. Advocates of the desk claim
Jersey. that the desk reduces back pain and
I sat down to speak with Dr. Chazelle improves energy. This summer while
about her award-winning son, his roots, many TCNJ students interned sitting
and his future. down, one was able to witness the
At three years of age and before he standing desk revolution first hand.
could write, Damien was creating and While analyzing financial state-
sharing his stories. He would draw pic- ments at a public accounting firm this
tures and show them to me, explaining past summer, Senior Accounting Major
his story to me, Dr. Chazelle says. They Matt Charne was able to conduct some
were like storyboards. Later he would of his work at a standing desk. I felt
expand on his vision, directing neighbor- much more alert when I used a stand-
hood kids and creating little films. ing desk at work. Being able to stand
Damien was always a hard worker keeps me from dozing off in my chair
tenacious, she says. He was always fo- and allowed me to stretch my legs and
cused on the visual and would take in- get my blood flowing better. Besides,
spiration from directorsAkira Kurosa- even if I got tired of standing, the desk
wa was his favorite as a teenager, he also Fields, referring to the renowned vau- i n Princeton High Schools jazz band. can always move down into a regular
loved Martin Scorsese films. devillian and comedian of the early The jazz story has culminated with La La sitting position.
His initial fascination started with twentieth century. Land and audiences are relishing the As more and more firms move to
Walt Disneys animated films. I would While studying at Harvard, Damien renaissance of this seemingly bygone open-floor layouts that encourage col-
rent or buy the filmsthey were VHS met Justin Hurwitz, who composed the style. laboration and community, the stand-
tapes at the timeor take Damien to the score of La La Land. They became good Damien Chazelles upcoming film First ing desk revolution may just be part of
theater to see them. He loved them. friends, both sharing a passion for Holly- Man is a biopic on Neil Armstrong, the that movement. Matt explains his pref-
Perhaps film-making and movies wood musicals. first man on the moon. It stars Ryan Gos- erence of the open space paired with
were in his blood. It skipped a genera- They collaborated on Damiens senior ling and has yet to begin production. standing desks over other arrange-
tion, Dr. Chazelle laughs. My father project at Harvard, a story about a jazz As for future musicals, I ask Dr. Cha-
was an extra in films during the trumpeter that became his first film, Guy zelle whether Damien will return to the A standing desk is one that al-
1930s. (One being the 1935 film David and Madeline on a Park Bench. The genre anytime soon. Damien wants to
Copperfield, directed by George Cukor.) recurring theme of jazz music continued work on different projects now, she lows the user to stand while work-
My grandfather was an executive at with Chazelles 2014 film Whiplash, the says, but its always a possibility to ing on a computer. Advocates of
Paramount pictures during the 1920s story of a jazz drummer. Much of this come back to. The 89th Academy the desk claim that the desk re-
she adds. One of his friends was W.C. s t o r y is b a s ed o n C h a z el l e s t i m e Awards will take place on February 26. duces back pain and improves
energy.
u.s. & world headlines: ments. The open office area was far
preferable since it encouraged collabo-
ration between co-workers and al-
January 2017 lowed me to feel more comfortable
Compiled by Kristen Borowski bringing questions to my supervisors,
rather than feel like I was bothering
Happy New year 2017 Donald J. Trump inaugurated as 45th president of the U.S.A. them. Standing desks were a great ad-
dition to this layout as well. Something
Congressional republicans attend a retreat in Philadelphia to discuss issues about them made people seem more
relaxed in the work place, rather than
womens march protests pop up worldwide day after trumps inauguration being curled up in a chair pushed tight
Prime minister Theresa May visits U.S.A.meets with president trump against a desk all day.
When asked if more offices should
Mexican President Enrique pea nieto cancels visit to u.s.a after president take the leap, Matt stated, [they]
should absolutely use standing desks
trumps executive order on border wall [standing desks] make employees feel
dow jones industrial average hits 20,000 mark for first time more relaxed and simultaneously
alert. No matter your major or career
snaps upcoming ipo seeking a valuation anywhere from $25 - $40 Billion choice, you just may cross paths with a
standing desk soon. This is beneficial
British parliament publishes draft bill invoking article 50 in continuing brexit to every firm, no matter the industry.

S TAT E & L O C A L
New Jersey Education & PoliticsFrom Where Does the Money Come?
By Matt Gallello

While New Jersey has a quality edu-
cation system, a high gross state prod-
uct, and prime location between New
York City and Philadelphia, the states
financial footing has not been solid in
recent years. The Great Recession exac-
erbated and exposed a multitude of
fiscal problems our state currently fac-
es, including high foreclosure rates, an
underfunded pension system, and a
transportation trust fund that nearly
became depleted. Perhaps the most
significant problems though are the
current method of funding public
school districts and high property tax-
es, and how growing obligations will
only continue to hamper efforts to
make positive strides in both areas.
New Jerseys FY 2017 budget is
roughly $35 billion, with about $13.3
billion going toward education fund-
ing. State income taxes make up the
majority of school aid. State aid is de-
termined by various factors including
each districts number of special needs
students and English as a Second Lan-
guage (ESL) students and whether or
not a district is an Abbott District. Ab-
bott Districts were created after a State with a few exceptions. It is important nation, state officials have begun to
Supreme Court ruling determined that to note that the cap applies to the col- explore ways to improve education
poorer districts in the state were enti- lective tax levy of a government entity while reducing property tax bills. State
tled to school funding equal to their and not individual property tax bills. Senate President Steve Sweeney be-
wealthier neighbors. Given the limited For example, if a school districts total lieves state education funding should
tax bases in many property tax revenues increase by $500 million and that each
of these communi- were $100 million this district should be getting an appropri-
ties, state aid was year, the amount the ate amount of funding in accordance
drastically in- district could collect with the current state funding formula.
creased. Aid that from property taxes Recently, shifts in student population
once went to mid- next year would be size have led some towns to receive
dle- and upper-class capped at $102 million, much more or much less state aid than
suburban towns 2% of the current levy. they are allocated under the current
began to shift to- Increases in individual formula. Governor Chris Christie has
ward poorer dis- property taxes would proposed giving every district in the
tricts. Towns that then be based on prop- state $6,599 per pupil in aid, regardless
lost aid had to fill erty values. This law of factors such as the number of stu-
the gap by dramati- was intended to keep dents who are economically disadvan-
cally increasing property tax increases taged or have special needs. Under this
property taxes. to a minimum and plan, increases in aid would be re-
Today, many force county govern- quired to go toward property tax relief.
New Jerseyans see ments, municipalities, The issues of school funding and
about 50% of their and school boards to high property taxes are sure to be sig-
property tax bills go allocate their spending nificant issues in this Novembers elec-
toward funding their local school dis- in more efficient ways. tion as voters will elect a new governor
tricts. In 2010, Governor Christie As Abbott Districts have continued and all 120 seats in the state legislature
signed a bipartisan law capping local to struggle and NJs property taxes have are up for re-election.
property tax levy increases at 102%, remained among the highest in the

Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Bloomberg Businessweek 2016 Ranks TCNJ School of Business #1 in NJ, #35 in Nation, Undergraduate Business School Programs www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
PAGE 2 | THE BULL, BEAR & LION | VOL. III, NO. v JANUARY/FEBRUARY , 2017

FILM
Heist
By The Silent Critic
The Silent Critic has been criticized
by some (likely those who have not
done well in SCs courses) for foisting
financially-themed and intellectually-
rewarding movies (The Big Short, Mar-
gin Call) on his readers. So in the spirit
of fairness and a New Year, SC departs
from the genre from which one may
actually learn something and strays into
escapist entertainment. What to watch
instead? Cops and robbers, chase
scenes, and the triumph of good over
evil are the obvious answers!
The movie Heist is the type of film
from which one can learn precisely
nothing but which can entertain for an
hour and a half. Of course if one reads
the reviews of professional critics, one
will stay far, far away from this movie.
But if we have learned anything from
the recent political season it is how
little the professional critics know
about, well, almost everything, so bear
with me.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who?) plays
Vaughn, an Alabama river boat casino
dealer unable to pay for his daughters
life-saving operation. Robert De Niro
(who must have needed the money that
this film didnt make) plays the casino
owner (Frank Pope) who, in an un-
Pope-like response turns down Vaugh-
ns appeal for a loan for said life-saving
operation. Vaughns co-worker Cox
(Dave Bautista) suggests robbing the
impregnable casino and the stage is set
for another in a long line of good-guys-
chasing-bad-guys movies (Morris
Chestnut plays Dog, Popes maniacal
THE BB&L
R E V IE W
thug enforcer, disguised as one of the
good guys).
The chase sequence that follows the
robbery features a hijacked city bus,
terrified riders, a desperate psychopath
with a gun (Cox), SWAT teams and
black-clad motorcycle riders...the usual
suspects in other words. To round out
the improbable cast of characters, Gina
Carano plays a police detective who
while conducting negotiations with the
fugitive bus hijackers develops a rela-
tionship with Morgan (I kid you not),
schemes with him to save both the bus
riders and Morgans daughter, and ends
up looking the other way at exactly the
right moment at the hospital. The Pope
(De Niro, not the real one) has a change
of heart at the end and all turns out
well, as it surely must. Are you familiar
with the phrase, suspension of
disbelief?!
Consider watching this movie
(whats an hour and a half spread over
the next 60-80 years of your lives?!) for
the rapacious-capitalist-finally-does-
the-right-thing, the-evil-thug-gets-
his, and the tear-jerker-ending
moments. The OHenry twist(s) at the
conclusion make this an almost
memorable film. (You will need to look
up what an OHenry ending is...thats
the intellectually-rewarding part I
said would be absent from this review.)
Is this great cinema? No, it is not. Is this
an entertaining way to spend time
away from books, papers and exams?
Yes, it is.
BOOK
GETTING TO YES
By Bruce Patton, Roger Fisher, and William Ury
Review by Alyssa J Freitas
Every single one of us engages in ple, interests, options, and criteria. The
negotiations every day. Which room- authors stress that focusing on the
mate is going to get the bathroom first? problem at hand, rather than becoming
What restaurant are you going to go personal, is essential to moving a nego-
to? And how about the movie youre tiation forward. They also point out
going to see beforehand? Whether we that getting to the deeper interests of
realize it or not, we are aiming to reach someone is far better than getting hung
agreements and influence those around up on a position, or thinking that
us constantly. With negotiation being there is only one way to get your needs
such an integral part of our relation- met. In that same vein, inventing many
ships, it only makes sense that the art creative options is a great strategy to
be studied and evaluated so we can all ensuring that you and the other party
learn how to improve and to get to yes are moving forward together. Lastly,
in our daily and business lives. when evaluating and measuring ideas it
In Getting to Yes the authors, who is important to use objective criteria so
are all master negotiators in their own both you and the other party feel
right and Harvard alumni, take the equally invested.
reader through understanding the What makes this book standout as a
problems of negotiation, the most ef- helpful resource is the variety and
fective methods, and give practical ex- depth of examples. From international
amples and solutions for dealing with crisis negotiations, all the way to a rent
the toughest and most challenging ne- agreement, Getting to Yes teaches
gotiators. The main goal of the book is widely applicable principles and gives
to show readers that relying on the reader practical ways to use them.
principled negotiation is the only In personal and professional life, nego-
way to have a productive and mutually tiation is a powerful skill to have and
beneficial negotiation. anyone can benefit from reading and
The idea of principled negotiation utilizing this advice.
comes down to four key factors: peo-
Tips & quotes
Edited by Kristen Borowski
ADAPTED FROM THE HBR MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY:
Establish Trust before Delegating Big Decisions
JANUARY 16, 2017
Build trustwork one-on-one, deliver feedback, and observe them.
Accept failure as a possible outcome.
Understand strengths and weaknessesmatch people to the best fit.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS
True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes.
Daniel Kahneman (b. 1934), Israeli-American psychologist

L E F T & R I GH T F OREIGN OUTLOOK

The U.N. Security Council & Israel Will Indonesias Economy Grow?
By Paul Mulholland & Kristen Borowski By Kristen Townend

LEFT
The U.S. decision to abstain on the
resolution was indeed wrong. It should
have voted with the rest of the Security
Council. Resolution 2334 was pushed
primarily by New Zealand, a country
with a closer military relationship to
the U.S. than Israel. New Zealand is a
member of the five eyes alliance, and is
currently training Iraqi troops to fight
ISIS; Israel is not. If this is simply an
issue of siding with allies at any cost, it
should be easy to vote with states such
as France, Great Britain and New Zea-
land rather than Israel.
Accusing Obama of being unsup-
portive of Israel is unusual, in light of
the $3.8 billion in aid per year he
agreed to give them, without condi-
tions. Resolution 2334 is almost exactly
the same as resolution 446 and is strik-
ingly similar to several others permitted
by past presidents. 2334 simply restates,
again, that Israels illegal settlements on
the occupied territories are in fact ille-
gal settlements, and that annexing land
from a future Palestinian state harms
the potential existence of that state.
The hysteria over the issue is primarily
due to Israeli fear of becoming a pariah
state and a sense from Netanyahus coa-
lition that they have a divine right to
the land in question.
Secretary Kerry said following the
vote that if Israel preferred a single
state solution then it must choose be-
tween being a Jewish state and being a
democracy. If Israel annexed the entire
West Bank it would have a very large
non-Jewish population. How could it
remain a Jewish state and allow them
all to vote? The only serious route for
Israel is to permit a second state in Pal-
estine, and that means doing what 2334
says. The real disgrace is that Obama
waited so long.
RIGHT Over the past five years, Indonesias aspects for investors. The country has
The U.S. decision to abstain from economy saw a constant decline. Ex- low inflation, and while inflation was
voting on U.N. Resolution 2334 was ports fell, infrastructure spending was above seven percent in mid-2015, in
wrong. The Obama administration has low, and the rising cost of imported 2016 it has declined from around 4.5%
been particularly unsupportive of Israel materials made it difficult to boost to about 3.05%. Indonesia also has a
and Prime Minister Netanyahu in a competitive prices. Amid the record high life expectancy and a growing
time of high tension and insecurity in lows, many labeled China population in which the
the Middle East. Defense of our ally, and Singapore the best pro- average age is under 30.
Israel, should be among Americas top spects for future growth. Future growth will be sup-
priorites in the Middle East. However, Indonesias ported by the innovative
This abstention does not act in a growth rate for the second youth of the country, and
vacuum of recent events. The Iran nu- quarter of 2016 exceeded this youth factor is espe-
clear deal is another example of the expectations, and was its cially notable when com-
Obama Administrations neglect to- highest rate in ten quarters. pared to the aging popula-
wards Israel. American-Israeli influence The 5.18% economic tions of many other coun-
is being reduced to nothing where Ira- growth figure surprised tries. The government has
nian and ISIS influence are steadily experts, who had predicted also approved tax reforms,
rising. 5%. The ascent is forecast- bringing sizeable revenue
In his speech following the U.N. ed to continue, allowing from overseas through tax
Resolution, Mr. Kerry spoke at length, Indonesia to rival other amnesty. Indonesia also
propagating a two-state solution, chas- Asian economies. Indone- appointed a new finance
tising Israel urging them to choose be- sia is growing increasingly minister, who worked at
tween being a Jewish state or a Demo- stable despite the difficul- the International Mone-
cratic state, as he pontificated, they ties of other world econo- tary Fund (IMF).
have a choice...Israel can either be Jew- mies. Loose monetary poli- Analysts still stress the
ish or Democraticit cannot be both. cies employed by major economies are need for increased private investment
The recent Paris Middle East Con- not yielding expected results, and many in Indonesia, as well as the mainte-
ference echoed the two-state solution developing countries are experiencing nance of high household consumption.
supported by Mr. Kerry. Israel was not difficulties in breaking onto the inter- Though factors such as low commodity
represented at the conference. national scene. prices could keep growth at 5%, many
Instead of protecting Israel, our one Along with its turnaround growth are optimistic about Indonesias growth
real ally in the Middle East, the out- rate, Indonesia boasts various valuable potential in Asia.
going Obama administration chose to
abandon them and abstain from voting.
The incoming Trump Administration THE BULL, BEAR & LION
will have to clean up even more after THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TCNJS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
the latest Obama/Kerry gaffe. Instead of Volume III, Number v
January/February, 2017
being so harsh towards Israel, Mr. Ker-
ry ought to have been as persistent to- STAFF: CONTACT:
wards Iran during the nuclear deal ne-
gotiations.
Editor-in-Chief
Kristen Borowski, 17
Contributors
Jonathan Sheridan, 17 Matthew Gallello, 17
bbl@tcnj.edu
Assistant Editor Evans Saso, 18 Vivian Louie, 20 No t e: Th e o pi ni o ns e x-
With a new administration comes a Sean Lange, 19 JoAnna DiCicco, 17 pr es s ed i n T h e B ul l, B ea r &
Alyssa J Freitas, 17 Lion a r e t h o s e o f t h e wr i t er s
new strategy of foreign policy in the Paul Mulholland, 18 Carolyn Previti, 18 a nd d o no t i m pl y end o r s e -
Copy Editor
Middle East. Time will tell what that Kristen Townend, 19
Sarah Wallin, 17 Emily Johnson, 17 m ent by t h e ne ws pa p er .
strategy will be.
FACULTY ADVISORY PANEL:
ADVISORS: MANAGEMENT ECONOMICS
Brenda E. Ghitulescu, Ph.D. Roger Moore, Ph.D.
FINANCE STATISTICS

ADVERTISE IN THE BB&L. BBL@TCNJ.EDU

Karl Peterson, Adjunct Professor, Management Susan Hume, Ph.D. David W. Letcher, Ph.D.
Jean Brechman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Marketing MARKETING INNOVATION & ETHICS
Jean Brechman, Ph.D. Kevin H. Michels, J.D.
Thank you to our Advisors and Faculty Advisory Panel for topic ideas, fact-checking, and guidance.

Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Bloomberg Businessweek 2016 Ranks TCNJ School of Business #1 in NJ, #35 in Nation, Undergraduate Business School Programs www.bbltcnj.weebly.com