Episode 11: A Fun Swirl of Data and Ideas in Management Science

Host

• Dr. Kasie Whitener, Clinical Assistant Professor, Management

Guest

• Dr. Joel Wooten, Associate Professor of Management Science

Dr. Joel Wooten wants to know “What makes a good idea?” His research focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, and his classroom experience includes courses in innovation and design, web-based products and services, business analytics, and statistics. He holds doctoral and master's degrees from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech. 

His recent projects include work with innovation tournaments and recommendation systems as well as research partnerships with XPRIZE and Merck. With a history of entrepreneurial involvement, he has helped companies ranging from Fortune 500 firms to a local barbecue restaurant chain. Prior to returning to academia, he spent three years as a strategy consultant for Bain & Company.

Conversation Topics:

• Innovation topics and innovation contests: How can companies engineer better solutions to things?
• Tools we can use versus innate creativity for problem solving
• Is it better to have more ideas? Or better to have crazier ideas?
• Classes Joel teaches: business analytics, innovation and design, qualitative analysis: sports analytics
• Using data to show that NBA referees are betting on games, or how home field advantage actually works
• Why should someone study management science?
• Lots of important questions revealed during COVID about how do businesses actually get things done?
• The Moore School has a hands-on approach, experiential learning, and a focus on making learning more fun
• What kind of work can the students be expecting to do? - real, tactical stuff
• Companies tend to think they know what the problem is, but they often don’t. In the class we spend a lot of time exploring and observing and asking, “Is this really a problem?”
• No tests, no exams, no textbook, just practical work that applies what we’re learning to real outcomes
• PMBA class in innovation and design - students have a unique perspective on the business world
• New class Music analytics - sports was changed by Moneyball, the music industry is a little behind but seeing something similar: Taking the same approach as the sports class and answer questions for an upcoming band
• What sorts of jobs to Management Science majors get when they leave the Moore School?

To learn more about Joel Wooten visit this site.

To learn more about the Management Science major at DMSB, click here.

To learn more about the Darla Moore School of Business visit this site.

To be a guest or suggest a topic for our podcast, click here.

Moore Impact is a product of the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. For episodes, notes, and links visit sc.edu/moore