From large family gatherings to crowded store aisles, as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Americans are rethinking their holiday traditions.
This time of year, the economy relies heavily on consumer spending. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales represent about 20% of annual U.S. retail sales.
But will the pandemic shrink budgets? And could it change how people shop for gifts?
In his most recent episode of #CoffeeWithDrA on YouTube, Dr. Abdullah Al Bahrani talks to Senior Lecturer of Economics, Darshak Patel. They touch on being an international student, Patel's tips for teaching large (500-student) lectures, why you should consider University of Kentucky's economics doctoral program, and belonging in the profession.
Rodney McMullen`82, CEO of the Kroger Company, joined "Good Morning America" ahead of the holiday to share how their stores have prepared to help customers get ready to shop with ease.
"Thanksgiving is a holiday that we started planning for six months ago so we have plenty of turkeys," McMullen assured.
Congratulations to two University of Kentucky Accounting students, Ariel Q. Brent (left), and Geetika Rakhraj, who received Legacy Scholarships from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The two students received the Scholarship Award for Minority Accounting Students for the current academic year.
The University of Kentucky MBA program at the Gatton College of Business and Economics welcomes all working professionals, industry leaders and executives in Kentucky (and beyond) to learn more about Gatton's professional MBA programs at the Professional MBA Virtual Open House event on December 9th via Zoom.
On October 30, VASOA Ph.D. candidate Valbona Sulcaj presented the paper “Litigation Risk, Financial Reporting Quality, and Critical Audit Matters in the Audit Report: Early U.S. Evidence” at the 2020 PCAOB/TAR Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets. The paper is part of her dissertation work under the guidance of Professors Brian Bratten, Monika Causholli (co-chair), Dave Ziebart (co-chair), and Joseph Waddington.
On November 5 and 6, Darshak Patel was part of a panel session on "Creating Engaging Large-Enrollment Classroom Experiences: Remotely or (again someday) in Person" at the 2020 St. Louis Fed Professors Conference. The panel consisted of Martha Olney (University of California, Berkeley), and Aselia Urmanbetova (Georgia Institute of Technology) and moderated by Gail Heyne Hafer (St. Louis Community College-Meramec).
University of Kentucky MBA alum, Michelle Allen, has been recently promoted to Vice President of Sales, DIY for Valvoline at their world headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky becoming the 2nd woman to be promoted to a VP position at Valvoline. DIY is a division within Valvoline's Core North America Business Unit that is responsible for their consumer package goods.
Allan Chen has been named Associate Editor for the Journal of Consumer Research.
Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, has named University of Kentucky MBA and Gatton College of Business alum Victoria Russell as its first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer effective January 11th, 2021.
