Spring Research Workshop Series

Faculty from the College of Business presented research this spring during the College of Business Research Workshop Series.

Survey Research on Campus

Presented by Marty Ludlum, J.D., professor of business law.

Abstract: Surveys on campus provide a goldmine of potential research projects. I have done numerous surveys on financial literacy, academic ethics, academic entitlement, and attitudes towards group work. You can do many different types of comparisons, same campus over time, different campuses/nations, different majors, demographic differences, etc. Partnering with someone in another discipline adds two key factors: First, you constructs (topics) can be expanded and combined. Second, your potential number of students examined can double, allowing for more in depth analysis. You can also combine survey projects with conference travel or other teaching opportunities. While most surveys involve students, you can also combine with surveys of faculty for comparison. For those struggling to find research projects that result in PRJ, consider surveys on campus.

Keywords: Surveys, PRJ, Opportunity

Marketing as Problem-Solving Process via Value Creation: Investigating its Impact on Marketing Textbook Structure

Presented by Kanghyun Yoon, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing.

Abstract: Currently, marketing scholars and practitioners are in a paradigm change in marketing discipline. Specifically, they have recently experienced its change from goods-dominant logic (GDL) focusing on the transfer of goods to service-dominant logic (SDL) focusing on the provision of service. Later, the third paradigm—called solution-dominant logic (SolDL) focusing on the provision of solution—has been proposed by harmonizing two existing ones due to their hidden weaknesses (Yoon 2021). Even with the recent paradigm changes, however, most university students have used various types of marketing textbooks which rely on old marketing concepts and theories. It is essential for marketing students to adapt themselves to new changing market environment and as the result, find out new career opportunities in it. Given this marketing background, the goal of this research is to propose some guidelines which are helpful for designing new content structure of any marketing textbook by following the spirit of recent solution-dominant logic.

Pollution and Learning

Presented by Travis Roach, Ph.D., department chairperson and associate professor of economics.

Abstract: Exposure to PM2.5 pollution is detrimental to health and cognitive function, and at early ages, inhibits learning. Using standardized achievement data at the school-district level for 3rd through 8th grade students for the entire United States, we show that variation in ambient PM2.5 concentrations and particularly polluted days both reduce student learning. For a school district at the 90th percentile of PM2.5 concentrations, we find an approximate 7.5% of a standard deviation reduction in achievement due to pollution. We further find that cumulative exposure matters in determining the full effect of PM2.5 on student learning.

How E-commerce Assurance Mechanisms Affect Corporate Reputation?

Presented by Wenkai Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing.

Abstract: In this research, the authors examine the impact of online marketplaces’ reputation- vs. regulation-oriented assurance mechanisms on the cognitive and affective corporate reputation of e-commerce platforms. In general, our findings suggest that reputation-orientated (vs. regulation-orientated) mechanisms of an e-commerce platform have a stronger effect on the cognitive corporate reputation of the company, and regulation-oriented (vs. reputation-orientated) mechanisms have a stronger effect on the affective corporate reputation of the company. Furthermore, consumers’ power distance beliefs moderate the impact of reputation-orientated (vs. regulation-orientated) mechanisms on cognitive corporate reputation and the impact of regulation-orientated (vs. reputation-orientated) mechanisms on affective corporate reputation.

Keywords: E-commerce, Assurance mechanisms, Corporate reputation, Power distance beliefs

A Brief (but Spectacular) Introduction to Multilevel Modeling

Presented by Manoshi Samaraweera, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing.

Description: A (very) short presentation introducing Multilevel Modeling and its applications in data analysis. And no — you will not be an expert in multilevel modeling by the end of this session.

Keywords: Multilevel Modeling