Can Game Theory Help Decision Makers?

The BB&T Colloquium on Capitalism, Ethics and Leadership

5:30 - 7 p.m., November 8, 2012
Frank Auditorium, Van Munching Hall, Robert H. Smith School of Business

Introductions Dan Waetjen BB&T; Dr. G. "Anand" Anandalingam, Dean
Speaker Dr. Thomas Schelling, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2005
Interviewer William Mayer, Chairman Emeritus, The Aspen Institute
Introductory Remarks Dr. Shreevardhan Lele, Ralph J. Tyser Distinguished Teaching Fellow of Decision Sciences

This BB&T colloquium is about the decisions leaders make. It involves understanding the consequences of choices and, given that foresight into outcomes, deciding between alternatives rationally. Methods and skills to improve the ability to make intelligent choices will be discussed by Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas Schelling as he is interviewed by Bill Mayer. Among topics to be explored in the discussion is the impact of ethics on the decisions that leaders make.

Food will be served at the conclusion of the colloquium in Van Munching Hall's Pownall Grand Atrium.

Distinguished Speakers

Thomas Schelling is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. In 2005, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for "having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis." He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Schelling has taught courses in game theory and rational choice to advanced students and government officials for 45 years – most of them at the Kennedy School at Harvard, and most recently, at the University of Maryland at College Park. Schelling's understanding of game theory methods and his approaches to problems can improve daily decision making for leaders of business, government and nonprofit organizations.

Click here for a Harvard Kennedy School Magazine article regarding Dr. Schelling's life and contributions to the field of game theory.

Click here for a copy of Dr. Schelling’s article, “Game Theory, A Practitioner’s Approach.”

William Mayer served as chairman of The Aspen Institute from 2000 to 2008 and is now chairman emeritus of the organization. He is also U.S. chairman of the British-North American Committee, a board member of the Acumen Fund and Atlantic Council, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Vietnam Dialogue Group, and vice chairman of the Middle East Investment Initiative. In addition, he serves on the boards of a number of public companies. Mayer served as president and CEO of The First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse), a major investment bank. He is currently senior partner of Park Avenue Equity Partners, a private equity firm. He served as dean of The Robert H. Smith School of Business from 1994 to 1998.

Daniel Waetjen is the group/state president for BB&T’s Greater Washington, D.C., region. Prior to this role, he served as executive vice president and commercial line of business manager for SunTrust Bank in Southwest Florida. With over 40 years of experience in the banking/financial services industry, Waetjen strives to continuously improve the quality of client services at the bank branches he manages. As a member of the Robert H. Smith School of Business Advisory Board, Waetjen has been an integral part of the continued support that BB&T provides to the business school’s curriculum and programs.

Distinguished Faculty

G. “Anand” Anandalingam has been dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business since July 1, 2008. As dean, Anandalingam has invested in 10 centers of excellence, including the Center for Social Value Creation, the Center for Financial Policy, and the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change. He has raised funds for multiple endowed professorships, programs on business history and ethical leadership, and numerous scholarships for students. The recipient of numerous academic and teaching awards throughout the course of his career, Anandalingam has also served on the editorial boards of several prestigious business journals.

Shreevardhan Lele is the Ralph J. Tyser Distinguished Teaching Fellow of Decision Sciences at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. He teaches MBA and EMBA courses in three different areas: (a) incentives and games of strategy, (b) sustainability and managerial ethics, and (c) analytical decision-modeling. His current work centers on MBA curriculum development and issues at the intersection of business and society. Before joining the Smith School in 1997, Lele taught at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Lele has also provided consulting/executive training to several firms in a broad range of industries.