Uncategorized – Feliciano School of Business

Dr. Pinto Underscores Role of Secured Credit Cards in Financial Stability

mattiap — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:21:32 +0000

In a recent WalletHub on secured credit cards, Dr. Joann Pinto, Professfor in the Department of Accounting & Finance explained who can benefit most from products like the Citi Secured Mastercard. She noted that secured credit cards, which require a refundable security deposit, are well-suited for young adults and individuals with limited or poor credit history who want to establish or rebuild their credit profiles. Because the deposit minimizes the lender’s risk, these cards also foster customer loyalty while giving cardholders an accessible path to strengthen their financial standing.

Feliciano Faculty and Staff Honored at �鶹��ý��’s Inaugural Red Hawk Recognition Day

mattiap — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:59:36 +0000

�鶹��ý�� launched a powerful new tradition on May 19 with its first-ever Red Hawk Recognition Day, a campus-wide celebration designed to honor the extraordinary contributions of faculty and staff. This initiative brings together the University community to acknowledge not only departmental excellence, but also the individual effort and contribution to �鶹��ý��’s continued rise in enrollment, research, and community impact.

We are proud to celebrate several members of the Feliciano School of Business who have been honored for their exceptional contributions to teaching, innovation, and advocacy.

Dr. Josh Lupinek, Associate Professor in the Hospitality and Tourism department, received the Excellence in Teaching, Early Career, Full-time Faculty Award, celebrating his outstanding impact on student learning in his first years at �鶹��ý��.
Dr. Nicole Koppel, Professor in the Information Management & Business Analytics department, was awarded an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Innovation, acknowledging her creative and effective solutions to complex academic and administrative challenges.
April Sime, Graduate Programs Coordinator, earned an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Advocacy and Allyship, recognizing her unwavering support for underrepresented communities through mentorship and inclusive leadership.

You can view the full list of awardees here.

Professor Lin Shares Budgeting Insights in WalletHub Feature

mattiap — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 16:47:10 +0000

Dr. Betsy Lin, Professor in the department of Accounting and Finance, was featured in a piece about Budget Categories. Lin shared her insights on how individuals can better organize their personal finances through effective budgeting. Drawing on her expertise in financial literacy and accounting, Professor Lin emphasized the importance of prioritizing essential categories such as housing, transportation, food, debt payments, and savings. She also highlighted commonly overlooked areas, including emergency fund contributions, irregular expenses, and pet costs, reminding readers that true financial planning must include the unexpected.

Professor Lin also cautioned against making budgeting overly complicated. “A good balance is having broad enough categories to stay organized but specific enough to understand where your money is going,” she noted. Her practical advice included adopting the 50/30/20 rule, automating savings and bill payments, and regularly reviewing expenses. Her contributions are part of Feliciano’s broader mission to prepare students and the community with the real-world financial tools they need to thrive.

�鶹��ý�� Hosts 2024 NJ Small Business Summit, Uniting Entrepreneurs and Industry Leaders for Innovation and Growth

mattiap — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:11:05 +0000

On October 24, 2024 �鶹��ý�� and its Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation, welcomed the state’s small business community to campus for the New Jersey Small Business Summit, an event dedicated to connecting, learning and sharing ideas on how to support entrepreneurs and small business owners.

In partnership with 10 New Jersey higher education institutions and 20+ community organizations, the event welcomed over 350+ attendees for a day of networking, learning and inspiration highlighted by a program featuring panel discussions and A-List entrepreneurs.

Panelists at the Summit included happy Products’ Co-founder & CEO Craig Dubitsky, Culina Health Co-Founder and CEO Vanessa Rissetto, and Shark Tank Season 14 contestant and Nopalera Founder Sandra Velasquez.

Sessions at the New Jersey Small Business Summit included:

AI Trends For Small Businesses: Explored how artificial intelligence can benefit small businesses by improving efficiency, decision-making, and customer engagement
Scaling Up: Women Entrepreneurs Turning Ideas into Profits: Women entrepreneurs shared their experiences of growing their businesses from initial ideas to profitable ventures
From Bootstraps to Backers: The Different Paths to Success: Explored the various funding journeys entrepreneurs take, from bootstrapping their ventures to securing outside investment
Doing Business with the NJ Government: We learned how small businesses can engage with the New Jersey government through contracts and partnerships

This successful day was rounded out by a panel on how to prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026 – which included some photo opportunities with the official FIFA ball!

You can email the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation at entrepreneurs@montclair.edu or follow them on Instagram @montclair_felicianocenter to find out what is in store for the NJ Small Business Summit in 2025.

Why IT Initiatives Fail

mattiap — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:16:59 +0000

Dr. Te Wu, Feliciano School of Business associate professor from the Department of Management, was quoted in an article for the IT leadership publication about why IT initiatives fail.�� He noted that the definition of an IT failure has changed; unlike the past, IT project failures are more likely due to missed marks than technological disasters. Some key reasons discussed include lack of project management expertise, little or no executive support and no business sponsor accountability, among others.

Dr. Wu emphasized successful IT projects need “good management and strong project governance that continually link the project’s business case to its deliverables through the project work as well as through the implementation and adoption phases”

Two Approaches to Experiential Learning

mattiap — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:35:15 +0000

Dr. Rashmi Jain, professor in the Information Management & Business Analytics department at �鶹��ý�� and Eileen Weisenbach Keller, the Director of Business Experience at Northern Kentucky University both recently discussed in an AACSB article the clear benefits that hands-on experiences provide to help student prepare for the job market.

Dr. Jain discussed how experiential learning is embedded in the Business Analytics Capstone course. Working directly within companies, the students work individually or in teams using “real world date to analyze problems, then communicate their findings to interested stakeholders and receive detailed feedback in return.”

These projects engage students in using data to solve real business problems and help develop and apply critical skills including

Organizing and leading projects
Building hands-on familiarity with analytical tools applied for business solutions
Using visualization tools to communicate to business audiences
Placing projects within a larger business context

��To read more: ��

Economic Impact on Newark From NHL playoffs

mattiap — Tue, 02 May 2023 13:15:13 +0000

Josh Lupinek, a Feliciano School of Business associate professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at �鶹��ý��, recently spoke with NJ Spotlight News about the positive economic impact Newark can expect with the New Jersey Devils participating in the NHL playoffs.

With the Devils advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs, area businesses are ready to welcome the influx of fans to the city. The Devil’s team officials have worked to prioritize partnerships with both the local communities and the state over the years. Dr. Lupinek believes the playoffs do have the potential “to translate into economic activity for the surrounding area and, especially, Newark. The economic activity, in the short term, really comes from increased spending at local hotels, restaurants and bars,” Lupinek said. He credits the team’s ownership for being ready to take advantage of opportunities that come along with a well-performing team heading into the playoffs.

To read the full article, please click

Business Trips Add Perspective on Global Economy

mattiap — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:06:49 +0000

Feliciano’s MBA students travel far for international experiences in emerging markets

�鶹��ý�� Feliciano School of Business MBA students gained perspective into the challenges South Africans have endured in the face of daily power outages – a crisis so large that the country’s president declared a nationwide state of disaster – when they too experienced rolling blackouts.

With global experience a required part of �鶹��ý��’s Master of Business Administration, the international trip to Cape Town and Johannesburg was designed to give students on-the-ground experiences that go beyond what can be learned in a classroom – broadening their thinking and developing knowledge in a globalized economy.

“Whether you’re talking operations, supply chain, marketing, finance, you need to understand it on a global scale,” says MBA Director and Professor Nicole Koppel. In South Africa, that meant the students also came to understand what it’s like to adjust to life in the dark.

“The trip opened my eyes and put in perspective how grateful we should be to live where we are in the world,” says Justin Martinez ’22, a member of the accelerated 4+1 MBA program and an operations partnership manager for a sports memorabilia company.

International experiences are integrated into the curriculum at the Feliciano School of Business, with the MBA program remodeled 12 years ago to expose students to experiential opportunities in the global environment, says Natalie Jones, Feliciano’s assistant director of global programs. Over the past decade, nearly 1,000 MBA students have taken part in immersion trips.

“Not only do they familiarize students with live business environments, but by taking them to emerging or reemerging markets, they’re really learning about companies, both local and multinational, and how their operations exist and adapt within a different country,” Jones says.

The most recent trips in January presented opportunities to understand world cultures and business customs in South Africa; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During their 10-day visits, the MBA cohorts visited multinational and regional companies and cultural landmarks.

In South Africa, that included visits to a diamond mine to learn about the industry and a local nonprofit literacy project. The group experienced “loadshedding” – as it’s known locally – the rolling power outages that occur across the country and saw firsthand how it impacts business operations. In Tel Aviv, a focus included telecommunications and smart mobility, and in Dubai, its sustainable city.

That visit especially impressed Joe Balestrieri, an MBA student who works in banking in an anti-fraud governance and investigative department. “It was almost like, if the world ended, this place would stay alive. It ran on its own solar energy, reused the water. Sustainability was through the roof.”

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a business focus for the MBA students included hospitality. Students gathered for a group photo with a Dubai icon hotel, Atlantis, The Palm, in the background.
“I think employers really like the idea that our graduate students have this global experience,” Koppel says. “Understanding business in a global economy, you can’t do it reading a textbook or watching a video. It’s not until you’re seeing it live in action that you can understand the underlying things that are happening.”

MBA student Joanna Choinska, who works as a small property manager and developer of housing in New York City, says the visit to Dubai was enlightening. “Visiting the city definitely brings it to life. It’s like your five senses – you could read it and see it. But then you go there, you feel it, you hear it, you smell it.”

Kathryn Fellin ’22, a combined BA/MBA student, says gaining cultural sensitivity was among the takeaways from the trip. “This was definitely a big learning experience both personally and professionally in understanding cultural differences and what life is like outside of our bubble.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren. Photos courtesy of Feliciano School of Business.