UTSA College of Business Update 3/25/10

College of Business finance students Will Jones, Addison Lofton, Andre Moreira and Rafael Velez were named regional finalists in the Texas CFA Investment Research Challenge.

The undergraduate students had to analyze, write and present a report recommending "Buy," "Sell," or "Hold" positions on a publicly traded company.

Ten teams competed in the competition. The finalists presented their oral presentations in February in Dallas.

The purpose of the competition is to teach best practices in research to the next generation of analysts.

March 31
Executive MBA Information Session. 6 p.m. BB 1.01.20.
Call 458-4778.

April 7
REFD Career Expo. 3-6 p.m. Denman Room in the University Center. Call 458-7333.

April 8
COB Graduate Programs Information Session. 5:45 p.m. BB 4.01.18. Call 458-4641.

April 19
COB Graduate Programs Information Session. 5:45 p.m. BB 4.01.18. Call 458-4641.

Please forward to your friends and colleagues. If you wish to be removed from this mailing, please e-mail wendy.frost@utsa.edu

Business Update March 25, 2010 College of Business finance students Will Jones, Addison Lofton, Andre Moreira and Rafael Velez were named regional finalists in the Texas CFA Investment Research Challenge. The undergraduate students had to analyze, write and present a report recommending "Buy," "Sell," or "Hold" positions on a publicly traded company. Ten teams competed in the competition. The finalists presented their oral presentations in February in Dallas. The purpose of the competition is to teach best practices in research to the next generation of analysts. Calendar of Events March 31 Executive MBA Information Session. 6 p.m. BB 1.01.20. Call 458-4778. April 7 REFD Career Expo. 3-6 p.m. Denman Room in the University Center. Call 458-7333. April 8 COB Graduate Programs Information Session. 5:45 p.m. BB 4.01.18. Call 458-4641. April 16 Accounting Golf Tournament. Noon. The Quarry. Call 458-6632. April 19 COB Graduate Programs Information Session. 5:45 p.m. BB 4.01.18. Call 458-4641. Please forward to your friends and colleagues. If you wish to be removed from this mailing, please e-mail wendy.frost@utsa.edu		Deadline Today to Register for Accounting Golf Tournament The Department of Accounting will host the 18th annual Kathleen Reymann Keil Memorial Scholarship golf tournament on Friday, April 16 at the Quarry Golf Club. The deadline to register is this Thursday, March 25. Registration includes a two-hour CPE session in the morning featuring presentations on Digital Forensics by Mike Kizerian, HEI Systems and Solutions; and one on XBRL by Dr. James Groff, chair of the UTSA Department of Accounting. The tournament begins at 1:30 p.m. with a shotgun start. An awards dinner will be held to honor the winners at the conclusion of the day. All proceeds benefit the Kathleen Reymann Keil scholarship fund. For more information and sponsorship details, visit the Golf Web site or call (210) 458-6632.

		Business Faculty Research Zillow Home Estimates Are estimates of home values at Zillow.com accurate? A research study conducted by University of Texas at San Antonio business faculty members Daniel Hollas, Ron Rutherford and Tom Thomson has found that Zillow’s market value estimates are not any more reliable than owners’ estimates of value. Their study, “Zillow’s Estimates of Single-Family Housing Values,” examined how Zillow’s estimates of value, known as Zestimates, compared to actual sales prices. Zillow.com is a Web site that provides estimated market values for houses. The research was published in The Appraisal Journal’s Winter 2010 issue. The faculty members looked at 2,045 single-family home sales in Arlington, Texas, which was rated by Zillow as having the most accurate data. The study found that 40 percent of the homes in the sample were overvalued by Zillow by more than 10 percent compared to actual sales prices. “Given these results, homeowners can make good use of Zillow’s Zestimates, but in most cases Zillow should not be relied on to provide an accurate estimate of value,” said Ron Rutherford, the Elmo J. Burke Jr. Endowed Chair in Building Development. “It appears, based on results from prior research and the current results, that homeowners are able to determine the value of their own homes better than an automated system such as Zillow.” -More-

		College Launches New One Year MBA International Degree Program The College of Business is launching a new MBA International degree program this June. This innovative MBA degree is a full-time, lockstep program that is completed in 12 months. The MBA is internationally focused and the inaugural class will be globally diverse. All classes will focus on international business issues, and the program will include an international study abroad component as well. Assistantships are available for qualified students. All educational backgrounds are eligible to apply. For more information, visit the MBA International Web site.

		Ph.D. Student Receives Dissertation Fellowship College of Business doctoral student Ruben Mancha, MOT'05, has been named a recipient of the UTSA Spring 2010 Dissertation Fellowship. Mancha, who is completing his Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in information technology, was one of three doctoral students chosen to receive this award. A native of the Canary Islands, Mancha's dissertation chair is Dr. Jan Clark, professor of information systems. The recipients were selected for their academic record, their research and their progress toward degree completion. The award, sponsored by the President's Office, provides funding for dissertation research assistance. Mancha's dissertation is titled "Commitment Cost and Product Valuation in Online Auctions: An Experimental Research." His research revolves around the study of cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects of humans when interacting with information technologies. Please send all comments and suggestions to Wendy Frost, director of communications, at wendy.frost@utsa.edu.