Neli Loewenthal

SUMMARY

Neli Loewenthal teaches international business at the Zicklin School of Business.  She has taught international business and strategic management courses at George Washington University (GWU) School of Business in the past 10 years. Her area of academic interests is at the intersection  of international business, strategic management, and sustainability.

Neli has achieved recognition in these areas not only as an educator but also as a scholar and a business consultant. The Academy of International Business distinguished her research with the coveted 2017 Buckley & Casson Best Dissertation Award. Neli’s significant consulting experience, which includes team leadership roles at Accenture and strategic planning work for the U.S. Secretary of the Airforce Small Business Office, adds value to her teaching practical business skills. Among Neli’s strengths are student-centered teaching, experiential-learning approach, and collaboration with colleagues.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in International Business • George Washington University, Washington DC, 2016

MBA • Finance • George Washington University, Washington DC, 1998

RESEARCH AWARDS

• Best Dissertation Award from the Academy of International Business, received in Dubai, United Arab Emirates • 2017
• European Union Center in the United States Research Award for research pertaining to investments in the EU energy sector • 2016
• GW Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Award for Qualtrics-driven factorial survey design and data analysis of 300 C-suite executives’ responses pertaining to their foreign direct investments • 2015
• Hyundai Corporation Research Grant for research on corporate governance • 2014
• US Department of State and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Award for research on organized crime and corruption in Eastern Europe • 2012

WORK EXPERIENCE

Taught the following business courses (online, HyFlex, and in-person):

1. Managing the Multinational Enterprise (elective undergraduate course)
2. Introduction to International Business (required undergraduate course)
3. Markets & Politics (required undergraduate course)
4. Age of Globalization (required undergraduate course)
5. International Business Strategy (required MBA course)
6. International Business Finance (accelerated executive MBA course)
7. Introduction to International Business (required MBA course)
8. International Markets, Cultures and Institutions (required undergraduate IB course)

• Developing 10 live international business strategy consulting projects with businesses from different countries and a variety of industries.
• Developed and implemented a scaffolding assignment that enhances MBA students' research, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, analysis, integration and project management skills.
• Re-designed IBS 4200 course to more closely relate to the course title which is 'International Markets, Culture and Institutions.'
• Contribute to the Baruch College 'DEI Friday' session by engaging in discussions and building awareness of antisemitism and disability justice issues.

Visiting Assistant Professor of International Business and Strategy  01/19–06/22

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, School of Business, Washington DC

• Achieved high ratings (up to 4.9 out of 5) on the “instructor overall quality” metric indicating high levels of student satisfaction.
• Excelled in online student retention rates by designing student-centered courses and actively guiding teams of students dispersed across six (6) continents via online learning management systems and digital communication platforms.
• Succeeded in designing new courses and in adapting existing courses to the online and HyFlex modalities by including engaging content, scaffolding assignments, novel assessment techniques, interactive teaching style, and life case studies.

Lecturer of International Business                      01/13-12/18

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, School of Business, Washington DC

• Achieved high impact teaching by engaging senior officials from the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the EU Commission, Basel Committee, the World Bank, and USAID as course collaborators on topics of international banking regulations, international public-private partnerships, global entrepreneurship and micro-financing.
• Won nomination for GWSB teaching excellence award by initiating and executing a partnership with MasterCard’s SVP of Technology Partnerships that resulted in a Fintech consulting project.

Consulting Experience

Independent International Business Consultant                                   01/10–12/18

• Developed international expansion strategy reports and recommendations for European, Korean and US firms in the consumer services & products space by performing research and advising clients on the risks involved in proposed market entry.
• Initiated international business research projects utilizing novel research methods, private company data from Orbis-Bureau van Dijk, TI Corruption Perception Index, the UN Oil- For-Food investigation results, and the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative.

2

Strategy Consultant                               09/08–12/09

US SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE SMALL BUSINESS OFFICE (SAF/SB)/Accelsior,

Arlington VA

• Achieved client’s objectives to detect corruption and ‘bundling’ of US Air Force contracts by analyzing large data sets from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)-NG, preparing comprehensive research reports, and presenting recommendations.
• Led a team responsible for developing the annual strategic plan that contributed to 21% increase in federal contract dollars allocation to women-owned, veteran-owned and minority-owned small and midsize business enterprises.
• Gained deep insights into the effectiveness of Small Business Administration’s Mentor- Protégé program by analyzing small business data, industry sectors, laws and regulations.
• Initiated investigative research including Capital IQ, media and government sources into companies to identify issues and report them to the Senior Executive Service leader of SAF/SB.

Business Consultant                               03/98–04/02

ACCENTURE, Washington DC Metro

• Exceeded multinational client’s post-acquisition objectives by leading financial modeling and process design that contributed to decreasing time-to-market of product development from two years to six months.
• Managed program budget, schedules and new employee orientation, and developed risk mitigation actions for a cross-functional DoD financial configuration and SAP implementation program.
• Achieved clients’ process improvement objectives by engaging client stakeholders, collaborating with change management and strategic management teams.

INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

1. Publications & Work-in Progress Targeting Peer-Reviewed Top Journals Loewenthal, N. and Spencer, J. W. (work-in progress). Informal Nonmarket Strategies: Corruption Persistence and The Role of Multinationals.

Loewenthal, N. and Zaffari, B. (work-in progress). Disruptive Technology, Corruption and FDI: A Bayesian Approach.

Loewenthal, N., 2017. Three Essays on Corruption, Government Transparency, and Foreign Direct Investment. Academy of International Business Insights Vol. 3.

Loewenthal, N. and Vojvodic, G., 2012. Corruption and its Effect on Foreign Direct Investment in the Energy Sector of Emerging Economies. Progress in International Business Research, Vol. 7.

1. Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations

Loewenthal, N. and Spencer, J. W., 2019. Disruptive Institutions and Institutional Change in Emerging Markets. Academy of Management Conference, Boston, USA.

Loewenthal, N. and Zafari, B., 2017. Technology Disruptiveness, Corruption and FDI: A Bayesian Approach. Academy of Management Conference, Atlanta, USA.

3

Loewenthal, N., 2017. Three Essays on Corruption, Government Transparency and Foreign Direct Investment. Academy of International Business Conference, Dubai, UAE.

Loewenthal, N., 2014. The Pursuit of Government Transparency: Panacea or Pandora’s Box of Business Corruption. Academy of International Business Conference, Vancouver, Canada.

Loewenthal, N. and Vojvodic, G. 2013. Clean Energy to Dirty Countries. Academy of International Business Conference, Istanbul, Turkey.

SERVICE

• IB Faculty representative on GWSB Teaching Excellence Task Force, 2021-2022
• Reviewer of Academy of Management annual conference manuscripts, 2019
• Reviewer of Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) manuscripts, 2017 CURRENT PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS/RELEVANT TRAINING

• Course Design (Learning-focused)                                          05/22
• Diversity training                                                                  03/22
• VoiceThread (Multi-media communications platform)                02/21
• Teaching with Cases Online                                                    10/19
• Qualtrics Factorial Survey Design & Configuration                    12/15