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What do the upcoming changes to AACSB Accreditation mean for your business school? AACSB's Board of Directors appointed the Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality (BRC) to conduct a comprehensive review and make recommendations regarding AACSB Accreditation Standards and Eligibility Criteria, processes and related organization structures, and support services. Participate in discussions on AACSB Accreditation with regards to Teaching and Learning, Faculty and Intellectual Contributions, and Eligibility and Strategic Management, and share what the upcoming changes mean to your school. AACSB's Annual Accreditation Conference is your chance to unite with management educators worldwide and hear the latest updates from the BRC. Whether you've been accredited for almost a century or are just beginning the process—your opinion counts and we encourage you to take part in the discussions that will affect your b-school. Save 200 USD—register before August 10, 2012. Learn more at www.aacsb.edu/Accreditation-Conference Google Search Ads Pay Off THE LIFETIME VALUE OF customers gained through Google ads could be higher than some measures take into account, according to associate professors of marketing Tat Chan and Ying Xie, and doctoral student Chunhua Wu, all of the Olin Business School at Washington Uni- versity in St. Louis, Missouri. Tat Chan The researchers designed a track- ing method using Web traffic and sales data from a small U.S. firm. They examined customers' repeated pur- chases, both online and offline, and determined whether those purchases were the result of a Google search ad or another type of contact. Then, they used that data to estimate the lifetime value of customers acquired through search advertising. Ying Xie According to the authors, the cost per click of a Google search ad increased from 25 cents in 2004 to nearly 80 cents in 2007. However, the return on that investment is about $10 per click for each keyword the com- pany uses. They also discovered that customers referred by a Google search ad spent more than those referred by another source. That increased ROI stems from the search ad's abil- ity to tailor a company's products, services, and advertising message to potential customers' needs, say the researchers. The conventional method used to calculate the ROI of online search ads mea- sures only one-time sales made directly from the ad. The authors note that their study offers a more accu- rate calculation because it accounts for the likelihood that those same custom- ers will purchase again via other channels or spend more than customers gained through other means. "Measuring the Lifetime Value of Customers Acquired from Google Search Advertising" appeared in the Sep- tember–October 2011 issue of Marketing Science. BizEd July/August 2012 53