Dr. Gerard Burke, Chair and Associate Professor of Operations Management in the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University recently told me of a very impressive speaker that will be giving a lecture at the university next week.
    Dr. Jay B. Barney, Presidential Professor of Strategic Management and Pierre Lassonde Chair of Social Entrepreneurship in the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah will present, “Human Capital and Competitive Advantage” on Monday, Feb. 25, in the College of Education Auditorium (classroom 1115) from 4 p.m.-5:15 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
    Barney currently teaches organizational strategy and policy to MBA and Ph.D. students at The University of Utah.  He also has taught in a variety of executive training programs at Ohio State, Texas A&M, UCLA, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, the University of Michigan, Bocconi University (in Milan, Italy), and at several firms, including AT&T, Nationwide and McKinsey & Company.
    Barney's research focuses on the relationship between firm skills and capabilities and sustained competitive advantage. 
    "Dr. Barney is considered to be one of the top five management strategists in the world," Burke said. "He distills high brow academic thinking into layman's terms. He is a very good story teller and gives great examples of what he is trying to convey to his audience."
    Barney has published more than 100 articles in a variety of journals and books.  He has also delivered scholarly papers at the Harvard Business School, the Wharton School of Business, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, The London Business School, and at over seventy other universities throughout the world. He has also published six books.
    "Dr. Barney will be focusing on the fact that there are a lot of strategy frameworks, and that there really isn't a 'one size fits all,' " Burke said. "His emphasis is going to be on the importance of human capital in your business, both internally and externally, and how both are very important. This includes front-line employees, managers, suppliers and customers."
    Barney has consulted with a wide variety of public and private organizations, including Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, Koch Industries Inc., Nationwide Insurance, and others. His consulting focuses on implementing large-scale organizational change and strategic analysis. He also has served on advisory boards for several privately held companies, and on the board of directors for one publically traded firm (Max & Erma’s Restaurants).
    "This is a wonderful opportunity to listen to a world renowned strategist," Burke said. "It is my hope that many of our local residents will come and hear him speak."
    So, until next Tuesday, I bid you au revoir.

    Got a scoop for Jan? Call her at (912) 489-9463 or email her at jmoore@statesboroherald.com