PRESS RELEASES

LOS ANGELES — Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management and ChinaMart® Los Angeles will host a seminar on U.S.-China trade relations and shared economic interests on February 16, 2012, for members of a business delegation from the People’s Republic of China and U.S. business officials as part of Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Los Angeles. Positioned as China’s next president, Vice President Xi Jinping is traveling to the U.S. at the invitation of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by the business delegation, in an effort to help enhance diplomatic ties and develop business and professional relationships in the Southern California area.

The seminar event on February 16th will begin with a business mixer and match-making session in the morning to promote U.S. exports and imports at ChinaMart® Los Angeles, a one-stop portal providing support for Chinese manufacturers to successfully market in the U.S. The second portion of the seminar event will be held at Pepperdine University’s West Los Angeles campus with a keynote address by Terry Young, Ph.D., a professor of economics and chair of the Economics and Law Department at the Graziadio School of Business and Management.

“Dr. Young has more than 25 years of business experience in Asia and the United States and has extensive knowledge of the global marketplace, with a primary emphasis on Asia,” said Dean Linda A. Livingstone. “The jǐnmì liánxì between China and the United States is one of the world’s most important international relationships and we are honored to host Vice President Xi Jinping’s delegation at the Graziadio School in the hope that our discussion and interaction will increase business opportunities and cooperation between our two countries.” continue

PRESS RELEASES

LOS ANGELES — Rajan Bansi of RBC Dominion Securities, Jim Emerick of Bank of America, Cynthia Holland of Robert Half International, and Steve Milovich of Disney/ABC Television Group have been recognized with the inaugural Golden Torch Award as outstanding engaged MBA alumni by the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.

The Golden Torch Awards honors excellence by business alumni who have made significant contributions to the Graziadio School of Business and Management with program support and student development. Each recipient has lent their time and expertise, serving as ambassadors for the Graziadio School by facilitating the career development of students and strengthening the alumni network.

“Through their noteworthy investment, our alumni have truly ‘passed the torch’ to the next group of emerging Graziadio leaders,” said Dean Linda A. Livingstone. continue

PRESS RELEASES

Pepperdine Private Capital Market Project Research Conducted in Partnership with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. Release Findings from Survey of 3,118 Private Businesses

LOS ANGELES–Only 33% of privately-held businesses owners support raising the debt ceiling this year, while 45% say the government should never raise the limit, according to survey results released in the 2012 Economic Forecast conducted by Pepperdine University’s Private Capital Markets Project and Graziadio School of Business and Management in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. The report comes as the nation’s legislators grapple with the President’s request to increase the debt ceiling by an additional $1.2 trillion and today’s vote in the House.

Download forecast: http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/2012economicforecast

In the survey conducted over the first two weeks of the New Year, 23% of the 3,118 small and medium privately-held businesses that responded support a debt limit increase in the first half of 2012 and 10% support an increase in the second half of 2012. Looking further in the future, 9% of respondents favored 2013, 4% indicated 2014, only 2% 2015 and 7% favored 2016 as the earliest they could support an increase to the debt ceiling. continue

PRESS RELEASES

LOS ANGELES–Executives and managers are invited to enroll in non-degree certificate programs centered on strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) and creative problem solving, as well as travel to Japan for an immersive experience in the country’s sustainable business practices. Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management announces its Spring 2012 portfolio of new executive education offerings. Courses are taught by MBA-level faculty, addressing the latest best practices and current issues facing business leaders, and designed to advance learning that can be immediately applied to enhance the success of organizations. continue

PRESS RELEASES

Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. to Collaborate on Research Regarding Access to Capital for Private Businesses and National Economic Forecasts

LOS ANGELES–Pepperdine University’s Private Capital Markets Project and Graziadio School of Business and Management announces a national partnership with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. focused on the development of research on the national economy as well as private capital access for small and medium sized businesses.

The first part of the partnership between both organizations will involve a national annual economic forecast. This represents the continuation of ongoing research by Dr. John K. Paglia, lead researcher for the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project and an associate professor of finance at the Graziadio School. Dr. Paglia’s previous economic forecast analysis has predicted GDP and employment trends with greater accuracy than research from the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Congressional Budget Office and the White House.

“We expect to give small and medium size business owners in every community in the country an opportunity to share their challenges and successes in finding capital from a variety of sources and then benefit from the aggregate data,” added Pepperdine’s John Paglia. continue