Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School

Using Facebook to Promote the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

2008-07-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

I just created a new Facebook group,

Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott.

I think this will be a great way for us to stay in touch and expand our membership. I know that many of us have little to no experience with Facebook and it is just one more thing that we do not have time to learn. However, it is the wave of the future and undoubtedly our children are already there.

It will be a way to reach the students and younger generation to get them involved with the Management Society. To the graduating classes of both BYU-Hawaii (Saturday, December 15, 2007) and BYU-Idaho (Friday, April 11, 2008) Elder Russell M. Ballard, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called upon the graduates and their guests to take our message to the world. On 21 April 2008 Elder Ballard was honored for his life-time achievement by the Brigham Young University Management Society in Washington D.C. where he addressed the group which included such notable people as Senators Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch, Robert Bennett, and Gordon Smith and raised the same plea. (Transcript of his address to the Washington, DC chapter of the BYU Management Society.) The cover story of the July Ensign, also written by Elder Ballard, was on this same topic.

If you have not already done so, I suggest you create an account on Facebook (it only takes a few minutes to enter the minimum information and you can expand it later). Then, as a separate step, join our Facebook group, referred to above. Then you will have greater access to information about events, people, news, etc. Please post any comments you might have on this topic either pro or con.

BYU Management Society enters fourth decade promoting business ethics

2008-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 12, 2008
LDS Church News

Corporate integrity

BYU Management Society enters fourth decade promoting business ethics

By Jason Swensen
Church News staff writer

Sobering tales of bad business behavior and fraud are easy to find. Simply unfold the finance pages of your daily newspaper or enter "corporate scandal" on an Internet search engine. The stories will file across the page like crime suspects in a police line-up.
Indeed, high-profile allegations of business fraud have transformed corporate brands such as "Enron" into synonyms for avarice. Meanwhile, local papers tell of senior citizens scammed of their life savings by fraudulent men and women they once trusted.
Sometimes the con artist and victim are members of the same congregation of various religious faiths. Since Latter-day Saints are not exempt, some will find they are in the same ward or stake— fellow members and friends.
Earlier this year, the First Presidency urged members to be wary of fraud and expressed concern that "there are those who use relationships of trust to promote risky or even fraudulent investment and business schemes."
Locating accounts of ethical, moral business practices is a bit trickier. Conducting honest business is typically transparent. It goes unnoticed. When was the last time you called your mechanic and thanked him for correctly repairing your transmission at the estimated cost?
Still, Church leaders have long said that morality and ethics are essential in business. In his October 1987 general conference address, Elder David B. Haight of the Quorum of the Twelve said free societies are built upon foundations of moral values.
"Only in an atmosphere of freedom and trust could values like honesty and integrity truly flourish and thus encourage others to pursue their rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
So it's alarming, he added, when daily media accounts detail the corrupting influence of dishonesty — from "small-time" stealing and cheating to major embezzlement, fraud and misappropriation of money or goods.
Despite the many stories of corporate malfeasance, many members insist the term "business ethics" is not an oxymoron. Entrepreneurial Church members, they say, can adhere to a strict moral code and make a go in the business world.
An organization dedicated to ethical and moral corporate leadership has drawn LDS businessmen and women together for more than 30 years. In 1977, Elder Merrill J. Bateman — then dean of Brigham Young University's College of Business — founded the BYU Management Society.
The society was designed to bring together business professionals who shared a desire for high ethical standards even as it helps develop corporate leaders worldwide via networking and mentoring. Today, the society includes some 6,000 members doing business in 40 cities in 10 countries.
As it enters its fourth decade, the need for an ethics-anchored business society remains, said William Chapman, chairman of the society's international steering committee.
"We feel that there is a crisis in the world in (areas) of morals and ethics," said Brother Chapman, a California attorney and bishop.
By utilizing its many chapters throughout the world, society officials hope to regularly drive home ethical and moral practices in businesses of all sizes. Society chapters meet regularly, allowing LDS professionals to interact with fellow members and discuss ethical issues they may be facing. Speakers at those meetings often focus their words on moral business leadership.
The society also hosts an annual leadership conference at BYU during the week of the October general conference. Again, ethical and moral leadership anchors their message.
BYU Management Society's Executive Director Rixa Oman is familiar with the anecdotes of members who might separate their "church" life from their "work" life." The society, she said, is committed to "connecting the values with what we do on Sunday and what we do every other day."
Besides its work in the chapters, the society also performs a mentoring role by supporting the BYU's Marriott School of Business, said Sister Oman. Included in the school's curriculum are several courses that focus on business ethics.
Despite its obvious connection to BYU, the management society is not exclusive to graduates of the school or even Church members. Ethics-minded business professionals of all backgrounds are welcome to join.
Brother Chapman said the society's influence extends beyond LDS business professionals and students. For example, a local newspaper regularly covers the seminars sponsored by a local chapter in Orange County, Calif. Perhaps weary of "businessmen behaving badly" stories, the editors of the paper were eager to include coverage of members of the business community dedicated to moral business practices.
"All we can do is continue to talk about (ethics)," Brother Chapman said.
As the society grows, its leaders hope to realize the challenge extended by Elder David B. Haight:
"We need members of the BYU Management Society to help build the moral base of our communities. You have standards, ideals and values that will not only lead you to success, but will bless and strengthen this nation and all the world."

E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com

Networking and the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

2008-04-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

In recent public and private conversations I've had with members of the Executive Committee of the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, as well as some of our members and visitors, I have detected some divergence in opinions about what our primary purpose(s) should be. In the interest of oversimplifying, I would suggest that there are two general camps or schools of thought as to what our primary purpose is:

General Networking. This group's primary purpose is to get together with other business people who share our values, learn from good speakers on current business topics, meet new people, generally socialize in a business setting that is not filled with alcohol, smoking, coffee, off-color jokes, foul language, etc.
Specific Networking. This group's primary purpose is to network to grow their business in both the short term and long term. If they are not finding new customers or people who can refer them to customers, coming to a monthly breakfast meeting is not worth the time and the $15-$20.

I think we need to have a very good discussion among the Executive Committee (and I would like to get input from the entire group by way of our monthly survey) on the following questions:

Which of the two above purposes is our primary one?
Can we hold out both purposes as equally important and remain a viable organization?
Can we put one of the two purposes above as the primary one, but keep both purposes as priorities, and remain a viable organization?
Should we give up one of the above purposes and focus exclusively on the other?

Please leave your comments on this blog so that we can keep all of our thoughts in one place.
Bill Chapman
Orange County Attorney

Orange County Register Publishes Article on Inaugural Breakfast of the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

2008-01-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

The Orange County Register published an article on the inaugural breakfast of the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society entitled, "New Rancho Society focuses on ethics in business." We are very pleased that the Register published a very positive article on our first meeting.

RSM Management Society Survey

2008-01-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Below is a draft Survey that we plan on inviting our members and other interested individuals to respond to. Please review it and post any comments before we go public with this. Thanks.
Bill Chapman

1. Reason for coming (rank each one in order of importance; 1-most important, 5-least important):
a. Networking
b. Breakfast
c. Moral and ethical leadership
d. Socializing
e. Other (describe)
2. How did you find out about us? (Check all that apply)
a. Word-of-mouth (name if you care to share it)
b. e-mail flier
c. Regular mail flier
d. Coto News (please check if you saw the article)
3. Please check any of the following committees you would like to volunteer for:
a. Speakers (searching for speakers who can address our vision of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world" with a unique viewpoint from their industry)
b. Membership (recruiting new members)
c. Blog (researching and writing about stories of moral and ethical leadership)
d. eNewsletter (similar to the blog but less frequent and sent by e-mail)
e. Media (getting our events and stories published in the local media)
f. Service (we may look for an appropriate annual service project to participate in in the local community)
4. Evaluation (1-10, 1 lowest, 10 highest):
a. Speaker
b. Food
c. Facility
d. People
e. Other (describe)
5. Do you plan on coming to our next event (Peter Vidmar, February 13)? Yes No
6. Would you recommend this group to a friend or neighbor?
a. Yes
b. No
c. If yes, name and e-mail address or phone number (if you are willing to share it)
7. Suggestions on how we can improve
a. What did you like? What did you not like?
b. Comments:

Congressman Ken Calvert To Speak At January 8, 2008 Governmental Affairs Committee Meeting

2007-12-31T23:51:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested in knowing about our local political issues and would like to meet our US Congressional representative for the 44th District, Congressman Ken Calvert, you'll have an opportunity on January 8, 2008 at a special meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the S outh Orange Counties Regional Chambers of Commerce. The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 a.m. and will be meeting at Cox Communications, 29947 Avenida de las Banderas, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688.

For more information, go to the South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce website, which also has a flyer for this event.

Highly Acclaimed Motivational Speakers to Address RSM Management Society

2007-12-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

We are excited to have commitments from 2 outstanding speakers for our January and February meetings, as follows:

January 16: Dan McCormick, personal rags to riches story, motivational speaker and author of " Lessons from Great Lives," a book about 19 of the greatest human beings that ever lived, including Jesus, Socrates, Da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, Churchill, Lincoln, Gandhi and others; and
Febuary 20: Peter Vidmar, member of the US Olympic Hall of Fame, most decorated men's gymnast in U.S. Olympic history and one of the top 10 motivational speakers in America.

Both of these gentlemen reside in the RSM area (Coto de Caza) and are anxious to apply their motivational speaking skills to our vision of "growing moral and ethical values around the world." We will be meeting on the Third Wednesday of every month from 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m. at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center in Rancho Santa Margarita.

As we are just now forming this chapter, please bring a friend or two from your neighborhood. Feel free to forward this e-mail to your friends and colleagues in the Rancho Santa Margarita area. If you have suggestions for future speakers, please let me know. I look forward to seeing you at these important events.
--
Bill Chapman

"Information Sheet" regarding the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

2007-12-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

The Newly Forming Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School

A Unique Organization Focusing on Moral and Ethical Leadership

• A mission of “growing moral and ethical leadership around the world”

• All events will have as their purpose growing moral and ethical leadership

• Will search out, recognize, and invite speakers who exemplify these values

Career Development

• Find a job using a sophisticated state-of-the-art online job search program

• Find an employee using this program

• Brainstorm sessions with local business people regarding the job market here in Rancho Santa Margarita and Southern California

Not a BYU Alumni Association

• Active recruiting of those of all faiths and educational institutions

• Not an alumni Association of BYU or the Marriott School

• No fundraising for any educational or religious institution

• Decentralized organization

Low Cost, High Return

• The cost of a continental breakfast and a modest annual fee for membership

• Optional contribution to a micro credit organization could help start a business in a developing country

• Opportunity to make a difference in business standards locally/worldwide

Strong Infrastructure & Credibility

• Benefits from the resources of the BYU Marriott School

• A network with chapters in 40 US cities and 18 countries worldwide

• Opportunity to adopt a "sister" chapter in a developing country

Ground Floor Opportunity

• This group is just forming

• Your voice will be heard because there is great flexibility in how the organization's goals are accomplished

• Bring a friend or neighbor and increase your influence for good

Local Emphasis

• Have breakfast in Rancho Santa Margarita on your way into work

• Local government and business leaders as speakers

• Get to know the businesses of friends and neighbors whom you now know only socially

• Make a connection to the community

More Information

• BYU Management Society website: https://marriottschool.byu.edu/ mgtsoc/

• Cultural Beliefs:

• https://marriottschool.byu.edu/mgtsoc/culturalBeliefs.cfm

• Blog:

• http://www.byumanagementsociety.com

Exposure to New Ideas and People

• Monthly business breakfast meetings

• Online photo directory of Society members from all over the United States and around the world

• Mentoring and networking

How to Join

• Contact Bill Chapman: wchapman@BYU.net or 714-550-7720

• An online registration system will be set up soon

"Open Letter of Invitation" to Join the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

2007-12-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

Chapter President’s Letter

Dear (name):

We would like to introduce you to a very unique business organization that we believe will help integrate your personal moral compass with your life in the ever-competitive workplace. However, first we need to find out if your needs match what we have to offer.

Worldwide Crisis in Business Ethics

It is undisputed that there is a crisis in business ethics worldwide. Most of us learn our moral and ethical values in the home and where we attend religious services. But, what happens when good people are pressured in a work environment to “bend the rules”? There is a great need in the world for business organizations that focus on moral and ethical leadership. Unfortunately, such entities are almost nonexistent. We would like to introduce you to just such an organization.

Diversity

Although we are backed by the resources of Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University, most of our members are not alumni of that fine institution. In fact, we are united not by any particular alma mater or religious preference but only by our vision of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world." We value that single-minded vision but in all other respects seek as much diversity as possible to enrich and enlighten our experiences together.

Monthly Breakfast Meetings

Do you find it difficult to leave your office in the middle of the day for a two to three hour block of time for a seminar or luncheon? We plan on holding a monthly breakfast meeting to learn about cutting-edge business principles in a variety of industries before everyone heads off to work. South Orange County has an abundance of talented business leaders who are more than willing to share their knowledge in a specialized field of expertise with others. We will bring them to you in a state-of-the-art meeting facility and feed you a hearty breakfast before sending you on your way to work.

Community Involvement

Do you have friends and neighbors whom you know socially but know scant about what they do in their businesses lives 40+ hours a week? Do you feel like you live in a “bedroom community” with very little real connection to the neighborhood you live in? We need more opportunities to get to know those we live around and what they do for a living. We can provide you with those opportunities.

Thinking "Outside the Box"

In the Internet information age in which we live, “knowledge is king.” However, long-term business relationships are still forged through face-to-face contact. Do you take the time to get to know new people and what is happening in other industries outside your own? Such exposure to new people and ideas help us “think outside the box” and creatively solve problems in ways we never thought of. Our group will give you this exposure.

Sophisticated Job Search Tools

We live in a time when job security is at an all-time low and very few people stay with one job during their entire career. Do you have access to and know how to use sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools, if you had to, to find a new position? Would you or your company benefit from an online database that matches potential employers with potential employees based on extensive profiling before the interview even begins? We can provide you with these resources to enhance your career.

Global Network

Our economy is increasingly becoming a global one. Sometime in your career, it is likely that you would benefit from not only a nationwide but a worldwide network of business professionals who share your values. If you choose to join us, you will become a part of an international network of such business professionals who cover virtually every industry in every geographic region in the world.

Breakfast Is on Us

We invite you to explore this opportunity and decide for yourself whether we are capable of delivering the promises above. We are so confident that you will be satisfied that we are willing to provide you a free breakfast at your first meeting.

Come Join Us

If any of the above interests you, please read the attached information sheet and join us at an organizational meeting on January 16, 2008, at 7:00 a.m. in the Bell Tower Regional Community Center, 22232 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688. Please send me an e-mail at wchapman@byu.net or call me at 714-550-7720 to RSVP. I look forward to working with you towards our goal of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world."

Very truly yours,

William D. Chapman

Interim Chair

Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society

Report on Organizing Meeting for the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School

2007-12-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

This blog is intended to be a forum for discussion by all of our members, prospective members or interested persons of topics relating to the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society. We would like to have an open and lively, but respectful, debate of any and all relevant issues. Please use this vehicle for discussions as opposed to e-mail.

Here is a report of our meeting today:

Attendance. 19 people were in attendance: Alan Neilsen, Ben Brewster, Bill Chapman, Bill Gilbert, Bill Rowe, Brock Hatch, Carol Schelin, Dave Carter, David Schelin, Doug Higham, Jeanne Arnold, Jennifer Proffit, Jim Evans, Kevin McDaniel, Marilyn Campbell, Nate Farnsworth, Peter Vidmar, Richard Eynon, Young Hong.
Name of Chapter. If was unanimously voted it the name of the organization will be the following: "Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, Affiliated with the BYU Marriott School."
BYU/LDS Church. Our policy is to seek out local business people who identify with and exemplify our vision of "growing moral and ethical leadership around world," regardless of their religious affiliation or alma mater. (UCLA, USC, Cal State Fullerton and alumni of other institutions welcome.) The name of our chapter reflects the fact that although we are"affiliated with" the BYU Marriott School, we are not an alumni Association and seek a diverse membership without regard to where our members went to school. Nor is this organization a unit of the LDS Church. We want to invite, welcome and provide an open setting for persons of all faiths and educational institutions to meet and discuss local business issues, as long as they subscribe to our vision. We specifically seek members and guest speakers of diverse backgrounds who share our vision. Therefore, we will avoid using any particular denomination's vocabulary, or references to any particular faith or its events, beliefs, etc., in our meetings. You can see more information on the topic, "Act Professionally" Cultural Belief, on the BYU Management Society website.
Orange County Management Association. We have a more local focus than the Orange County Management Association; however, we believe most, if not all, of our local chapter members will become members of the OCMA and participate in its functions whenever possible. When
Meeting Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tower Community Center.
Next Meeting: January 10, 2008, 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. We would like to pick a regular day of each month to meet. If you have a conflict with us holding our meetings on the Second Thursday of every month, or any other day of the month, please indicate that by comment below. Just scroll down to the word "Comments," and indicate any day of the month that you are unable to attend. While we cannot promise to avoid every potential conflict, if you will tell us what days of the month you have conflicts, we will take that into consideration.
Survey: We would like to get input as to what benefits we could provide to our members. Please respond to the questions below by posting a comment on this blog. You may do so by clicking on the word "Comments," below, and typing in your responses. The questions are as follows:

What time would you prefer our meetings to begin/end? (7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m., 7a.m.-8 a.m., etc.)
Is there any day of the week that is impossible for you to attend our meetings? If so, what day is that?
What type of events would be most beneficial to you?

local business speakers
speakers from our own group
networking opportunities
career development
seeking employment
searching for employees
focus on "moral and ethical leadership"
adopting a chapter outside the United States and a "Sister Chapter (exchange of information such as business trends in a foreign country by way of video conference or standard conference call, annual visit to a chapter in a foreign country, etc.)
golf tournament to raise funds for scholarships
Entrepreneur's Conference
breakfast meeting
lunch meeting
dinner meeting
other?

The purposes of our next meeting will be as follows:

find out how many additional people we can recruit to better assess our potential size;
establish a regular place, day of the month and time for our meetings;
elect officers (chair, chair elect, secretary, treasurer and committee chairs);
establishing dues;
discuss and vote on a calendar of events for 2008.

Prior to our next meeting, January 10, 2008 at 7:30 a.m., we ask that you do the following:

Fill out the above survey and post as comments below;
Invite one or more of your friends, neighbors or colleagues whom you believe would be interested in this group to join us at our next meeting;
Research and come prepared to propose several speakers for our breakfasts in 2008;
Let me know if you would be willing to be in charge of a committee (committees to be formed at our next meeting).

Although each speaker and event will be different, we would hope that a common thread running through everything we do is our vision of "Growing moral and ethical leaders around the world."

I would appreciate it if you could RSVP by posting a comment on this blog or by sending me an e-mail (wchapman@byu.net) whether you will be able to attend the next meeting. We look forward to hearing your comments.

Bill Chapman

December 13, 2007 Agenda

2007-12-08T00:13:00.001-08:00

Here is a draft agenda for our meeting this Thursday:

Welcome/Opening Prayer/Introductions/Working Breakfast
Introduction to the BYU Management Society PowerPoint
Selection and Rotation of Officers
Bylaws & 501(c)(3) documents
Discuss and Finalize One Page Business Plan
Assign Committee Chairs
Potential Speakers & Purpose of Each (Vision)
Discuss and Finalize One Page Business Plan
Choose meeting date, time, place
Dues
Recruiting New Members
Live Oak Canyon, Tijeras Creek, others?
Thanks for Coming!