Costello College of Business News

There are many misconceptions about employing people who have developmental disabilities. Operating out of Manassas, Virginia, Didlake finds and creates employment opportunities for people with developmental and other kinds of disabilities. One of their business ventures in creating such opportunities is The UPS Store franchising, an operation well suited for job skills training. Recently they added a location, opening up on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. In partnership with Mason LIFE, a program offering a university experience to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Didlake has assembled a team to proficiently handle the printing, packaging, and shipping needs of the campus community.

Sponsored by the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) and the Business for a Better World Center, the 17 Rooms-U produced dozens of ideas, some of which were combined during follow-up conversations. Groups championing those ideas are now receiving up to $5,000 in seed money to implement their sustainability plans.

The School of Business and College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University teamed up this holiday season to donate over $1,500 in gift cards to the Culmore Family Resource Center.

Graduate students in the MBA elective class help companies examine their impact on the environment and offer solutions to reduce their environmental footprint.

Ajay Vinzé, professor and former dean of the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri, has been named the next dean of the George Mason University School of Business. He will assume his role on July 1, 2022.

Turbulent times are challenging for decision-makers in business. This pervasive condition scholars call economic policy uncertainty (EPU) can turn a wise move into a costly one virtually overnight and is known to weigh on firm innovation, investments and value. When confronting EPU, what’s a firm to do? Saurabh Mishra, professor and area chair of marketing at Mason, and co-authors explores that question.

During her time at the School of Business, Nancy Sydnor, BS Marketing ’99, formed lasting friendships among her classmates and instructors. “Starting at Mason in my 40s and further along in my career, I was nervous about fitting in,” she says. “But everyone was so welcoming and helpful. My Mason experience was immensely positive.”

Growing up in Paris, France, Ava Nia, BS Marketing ’19, fondly recalls coffee breaks paired with delicious baked goods. A passion baked at a young age ultimately inspired her to establish Baked à la Carte, a business she runs while also balancing the pursuit of an MBA at Mason and working fulltime as a marketing business partner at CGI.

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Darin Simmons Jr. MBA '11, recognizes there’s challenging work to be done, work that won’t be accomplished overnight.

Brad Greenwood, associate professor of information systems and operations management at George Mason University School of Business, and coauthors recently launched a research study that is forthcoming at Information Systems Research that explores what happens to a community’s abortion rates when a workaround for capital constraints becomes available.

​​​​​​​A paper co-authored by Jessica Hoppner, associate marketing professor at Mason, has been named a finalist for the American Marketing Association’s prestigious Weitz-Winer-O’Dell Award.

The rules of the economy are being wholly rewritten right under our noses, and distributed ledger technology wields the pen. That’s the core contention of Sarah Grace Manski, an assistant professor in George Mason University's School of Business.