FIU College of Business breaks new ground with “Uncommon Thinkers” Facebook application
MIAMI (April 22, 2009) - Are you more of a revolutionary than a visionary? Maybe you fit in with the creative crowd instead.
A new Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/uncommonthinkers) created by Florida International University’s College of Business Administration will let you know.
As part of the business school’s award-winning “Uncommon Thinkers” campaign, the Facebook application asks users a series of questions to determine what type of thinker they are: revolutionary, creative, visionary, risk taker or different. The results can then be posted on the user’s Facebook page, and shared and compared with friends.
The Facebook application derives from the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique or ZMET, a process that draws on psychology, anthropology, neuroscience and other disciplines to delve deep into the mind of the consumer. It was created by Harvard Business School Professor Gerald Zaltman.
The creative-type is rarely bored and enjoys exploring new places and meeting new people. The visionary-type has the unique ability to brainstorm creative ideas as well as to implement them. The different-type maintains refreshing openness and indifference to conventional norms. The revolutionary-type tends to be perceived as nonconformist but not necessarily rebellious. And the risk-taker-type feels comfortable with change, readily embracing new situations if these can provide potential benefits.
“This Facebook application, a first for FIU, reflects our strategy of using social media to reach out and engage prospective students, current students and alumni,” said Luis Casas, director of marketing, communications & recruiting. “We are especially proud of the fact that the application was developed completely in-house.”
Casas said the application forces people to think differently about the world around them-a value fostered at the College of Business.
FIU’s business school has been recognized for its “Uncommon Thinkers” branding campaign, and received the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals’ (NAGAP) 2009 Award for Promotional Excellence at its annual conference on April 23rd in New York, NY.
As a result of the campaign, the attendance to FIU’s graduate business information sessions have almost tripled, while the number of new graduate business students (MBAs and Specialized Masters) increased by 76%.
-FIU-
About FIU’s College of Business Administration
Florida International University’s College of Business Administration, South Florida’s leading business school with unique expertise in international business, entrepreneurship and a broad range of financial services, is the largest of the university’s professional schools. Among the college’s nearly 30,000 alumni are some of South Florida’s most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. More than 6,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate business courses in its R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business, and more than 1,000 graduate students study in its Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Graduate School of Business every year. Another 1,000 business professionals participate annually in one or more of its professional and executive education programs.
About FIU
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006, FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.
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Unfortunately, there is considerable overlap in the characteristics put forth for each type. The creative type with the ability to implement. Believe me, creative types are sometimes forced to implement or go broke (they can visualize a business, but if in a monetary crisis, will learn how to sell!! (Personal experience) A creative type is also somewhat indifferent..they like to create! They also, of NECESSITY, do not follow conventional norms (how could you be creative but follow the norms…maybe just half and half…real creation means putting heavy cream in your coffee.) A revolutionary who is non-conformist but not rebellious? A revolutionary is a rebellious person who initiates action! Napoleon disobeyed his commander at Toulouse and went on to become Emperor of France! Also a risk-taker. This “personality analysis” is so muddled that most people could fit in many categories! These are merely fantasies. And, the risk-taker is comfortable with change? Most are hyperactive and looking for the “big kill.” Watch current news……a lot of risk-takes lose…its in the statistics. They are less likely to win (that’s WHY we call them risk-takers.) Be careful you do not encourage people who are moderately one of these types to ruin their lives, in order to get the title! Encouragement is helpful, but don’t make celebrity a positive human characteristic. Not many famous religious leaders were looking for it……they were looking for communication, not fame.
Natan,
Like I said… everybody have the right to think or say whatever they want…. Some people like it, some people hate it…
Why is it news? well… http://news.fiu.edu/?p=3227
FIU won a national award for this branding campaign (that again, some people liked it and some didn’t) and simply decided to go further and also people have the right to know about it, that’s all.
If you find this application boring, that’s fine… is nothing out of this world. Some people like it, some people hate it. The important thing is that FIU is embracing new technology and exploring new areas. I support my school and support the fact they don’t ignore what is going on online.
To Joel Cloralt:
This article claims the facebook application “was developed completely in-house.” Research and/or development that happens “in-house” at a university means it was paid for by students’ tuition. Unless some kind of grant, subsidy, or other such monetary gift paid for its development, rest assured the money came out of students’ tuition.
To bolster that argument, the article makes no allusion to any such grant, etc. Therefore, with the information I had available, I made my comment.
If you have information that goes counter to that, then you should use that information to back up your argument. You haven’t said anything that would calm my nerves and help me “sleep at night.” In fact, all you’ve done is disagreed with a comment I made about an organization, and turned it into a personal attack. I have every right to make comments on this board.
In any case, what normal person would consider the development of a facebook application by a research university a major news story? Look at the names for the categories of “types of thinker” - “revolutionary, creative, visionary, risk taker or different.” What could anyone possible learn about themselves from this quiz? Maybe someone thinks they’re “creative” but after taking the survey they find out the earth-shattering news that they’re “different”? This application is no more impressive that an internet poll that tells you what character from Scooby-Doo you resemble most.
Hey - maybe if I want to “sleep at night”, I should play around with boring facebook applications like this one - that’ll tire me out!
I’m happy that everyone likes to express themselves however they want even though some times they have no idea about what they are saying. I hope Natan can sleep at nights from now on after he finds out that his tuition money was not used to make this app.
I believe FIU Business is always trying to make things no other school have done before and if they have, then make it too but even better.
Thanks Casandra and everyone else for your support.
I’m thrilled my tuition money has gone towards developing meaningless (are there any meaningful?) facebook applications. Congratulations on once again lowering the bar at FIU.
Congrats on embracing new technology!