Strategic Management News 

As seven new faculty members joined the BYU Marriott School of Business, dean Brigitte Madrian shares, “We are grateful that these extremely capable individuals have joined our faculty. They are deeply committed to our guiding principle of being centered on students and to our mission of developing leaders of faith, intellect, and character who will transform the world.”

“I’m contributing to decisions that are worth millions of dollars, and I’m still in school,” says Jonathan Dickson, a senior strategy student in the BYU Marriott School of Business who completed a consulting internship over the summer with Bain & Company. Dickson, like many other students in his program, is studying strategy to prepare for a career in consulting.

Leaders at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business know that fighting hunger requires more than compassion—it requires coordination. That’s why connecting with the people making a difference has been at the heart of the center’s hunger initiative, an ongoing series of events designed to spark dialogue and drive collective impact.

Scott Murff’s circuitous journey to becoming an associate teaching professor of strategy at the BYU Marriott School of Business has surprised him. Looking back, Murff has seen how a series of experiences, jobs, and even failures continually prepared him for the next steps in his journey.

Throughout her professional journey, research, and position as a strategy professor at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Lena Lizunova has seen that there are many potential disadvantages people could face in both their careers and their lives. But through her own experiences, she has also seen that feeling like someone believes in her can make a big difference in overcoming challenges—especially self-imposed limits.

Kristen Hansen, a strategy student at the BYU Marriott School of Business, is learning to be intentional about her relationship with technology. “If my body and mind are always on social media, I’m not enjoying the natural, beautiful parts of the world,” she says. Realizing that she is not the only one wrestling with technology use, Hansen hopes to use the tools she is acquiring as a strategy student to help others address their digital habits.

In March the BYU Marriott School of Business administration recognized a graduating student from each undergraduate program with the Bateman Award for their exemplary dedication to the BYU Marriott values, commitment to academic excellence, and profound drive to serve others.

“We don’t survive the junior core—we thrive in it,” says Adam Boswell, a strategy student who focuses on the growth, rather than the stress, of student life. Boswell is encouraging his peers to adopt the same attitude while he serves as president of the Strategy Society in the BYU Marriott School of Business.

From running side hustles to recording podcasts, strategy student Talmage Morgan has worked to open many doors for himself. Through an on-campus internship with the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Morgan discovered an interest in social impact and gained insights that will help him achieve his lifelong goal of starting his own business.

Fortune 500 railway companies don’t often need to remove acres of rare palm trees from their properties, but when Union Pacific was faced with this issue, they turned the problem over to five pre-business students at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

Claire Keller Busco is no stranger to success, both in the classroom and in the workforce. As a strategy student at the BYU Marriott School of Business—a place where she has found opportunities around every corner—Keller attributes it all to a habit she can’t seem to kick: saying yes.

Jeff Dyer is not only interested in anomalies—he is also one himself. He is an experienced business strategist hardwired for organization, but he also believes serendipity plays a crucial role in his life. And as professor at the BYU Marriott School of Business teaching strategy, he continues to balance calculated plans and happy accidents.

Eight professors joined the faculty at the BYU Marriott School of Business in 2023. “We are excited to welcome these new faculty members,” says Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott. “In line with our mission to develop leaders of faith, intellect, and character, these new faculty bring insight and experience that will contribute to the educational experience BYU Marriott offers its students.”

One of 15 children, Trixie Judd spent much of her childhood helping raise her younger siblings. Now at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Judd feels at home in the strategy program, where leadership, hard work, and close bonds are valued—just as they were growing up.

At the 2023 University Conference in August, Brigham Young University recognized a handful of faculty and staff across campus for their efforts in advancing research and experiential learning as well as their exemplary contributions to the university. Among those honored were three faculty members from the BYU Marriott School of Business: Jeff Dyer, Eric Blum, and Isaac Smith.

Strategy continues to capture raw talent; this time, from America’s western planes. “12,000 cows, 200 horses, 1.2 million acres, all controlled via horseback as they did 200 years ago. I was in love with it,” says Mason Dahl, a seventh-generation cattleman and senior in the strategic management program at the BYU Marriott School of Business. Dahl sees himself as the future cowboy strategist of the beef industry.

As he watched his neighboring Nevada mountains disappear under a plume of smoke in the summer of 2021, Danny Dudley felt a new sense of urgency for environmental conservation. This experience helped clear a personal haze about his future and led him to the strategy program in the BYU Marriott School of Business.

New research published this week from BYU Marriott School of Business professors Jeff Dyer and Taeya Howell finds that innovation can be hampered when organizations prioritize “psychological safety” at the expense of intellectual honesty.

As the supply of unsold housing increases in Utah—and across the nation—and as home prices continue to fall, new research has discovered under-the-radar forces that are quietly impacting home pricing and purchasing decisions.

Everywhere you look, something or someone is being rated, and we can all agree that a positive rating is good, and a negative rating is bad. Or can we?