In August 2010, Sokol Celo, a doctoral student in the Department of Management and International Business at Florida International University (FIU), reached a high point in his academic career. He was among the six winners of the Academy of Management’s International Management Division’s “Most Promising Dissertation Proposal Award.” His proposal was titled “Bounded Rationality and Its Effects on International Managerial Decision Making and MNE Performance.”
It would be hard to top that achievement, but he did . . . and once again, his dissertation came into play. In late 2010, he accepted a job as an assistant professor in the Strategy and International Business Department, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. During his round of interviews, he met with the dean, William O’Neill, former CEO of Polaroid. A discussion about decision making ensued.
“I started to talk about my research and he started to talk about his own experiences,” Celo said. “To have the former CEO of a large company give me his insights, and to have him discuss my ideas, was great and the interview went longer than scheduled.”
Professors share Celo’s excitement.
“Our work with doctoral students is validated when our students get strong offers like this one during a ‘buyers market’ in which the competition is fierce for a small number of positions,” said Galen Kroeck, department chair.
For Aya Chacar, associate professor and chair of Celo’s dissertation committee, his success validates his “extreme hard work, dedication and talent, and his willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need, and always with a smile. The accomplishment also validates the significant investment the College of Business Administration and our department have made in our PhD program, which is our way to give back to the community and to the future of education.”
Though 2010 was an exceptionally gratifying year for Celo, Kroeck foresees even more success for him.
“The best part is that this is just the beginning of his career and the pride we will all feel as he continues his publication stream,” he said.
