Peer Identification as Social Stratification: Comparing Media and Network Measures of Status in US Universities

This research investigates the extent to which peer group identification serves as a measure of university status. Examining Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions reveals that university peer groups exhibit many of the same stratification qualities as social networks. Specifically, higher-status universities tend to have more reciprocal ties with one another while lower-status universities, in addition to having more reciprocal ties with institutions of similar status, have more one-way ties with higher-status institutions. These findings are then used as a basis to illustrate how peer group networks can be used as an alternative measure of university status. Network-based measures are then compared with media rankings to illustrate a surprising disconnect between network-based status and media status

Perceived Value of HRM Professional Certification in a Disrupted Marketplace

In response to Lengnick-Hall and Aguinis’ (2012) call for examining the practical value of HR professional certification, and using Lengnick-Hall and Aguinis’ individual-level propositions as hypotheses, this study compares 123 HR practitioners’ evaluations of HR certification based on attained education, membership in professional associations, and commitment to the HR profession. Our analysis found that HR practitioners value certification equally regardless of attained education level, members of professional associations ascribe 16% more value to certification than nonmembers, and certified members have a higher commitment to the profession. Further, a comparison between the established HRCI certifications and the newly competing SHRM certifications on pay level, job offers, and promotions received mixed results, with the established HRCI credential yielding slightly more value for job offers than the new SHRM certifications

Strategic Choice and Firm Performance during COVID-19

This paper aims to identify successful strategies for private companies to increase liquidity during times of crisis. We define four strategic choices based on an introduction and/or discontinuation of new products or services: cannibalization, retrenchment, expansion, or entrenchment. We use a micro data set from a worldwide survey of 10,349 companies conducted between April and September 2020 by the World Bank. Our results show that for most companies liquidity during COVID-19 decreased or at best stayed the same. Due to the pandemic, firms applied one of the four strategies, with the majority of the firms applying an intrench strategy. The Chi-square test was used to assess which strategy is associated with increased liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate that liquidity increased or stayed the same for the companies using the expansion strategy, followed by cannibalization, intrench, and retrench strategies. Expansion and cannibalization strategies are both associated with the introduction of new products and/or services, suggesting that innovation is the key to surviving a pandemic crisis

Mired in Myth: Students’ Misguided Expectations of Marketplace Behavior

This study evaluates whether business and non-business students have different impressions of the attitudes and behaviors that lead to success in business. The extent to which business and non-business students are similar, or dissimilar, has important implications for the business curriculum. To teach business ethics effectively, professors ought to understand students’ beliefs before entering the classroom. This study focuses on the degree to which selfish, self-interested, and self-sacrificing attitudes impact behavior in commercial settings. The data analyzed are from a survey administered at 14 colleges and universities across the country. The final data set contains 665 responses. Results from this study suggest that both business and non-business students believe that selfish and self-interested behavior is common in business. Students believe that to be successful, business decisions need to be motivated by these antisocial attitudes. This finding reveals a level of ignorance regarding the role of prosocial attitudes and behaviors in commerce. It also reveals that societal metanarratives, rather than business education alone, are likely fueling student perceptions. This provides an opportunity to move the business curriculum towards highlighting the prosocial attitudes that contribute to success in business. Antisocial attitudes and behaviors should not be ignored, but they need to be put alongside examples of businesspeople contributing to the common good

Emotional Intelligence: Comparative Analysis of Accounting and Non-Accounting Business Majors at Two Universities

Success in accounting has long been associated with completing technical tasks as opposed to cultivating relationships. In 1999, the AICPA Core Competency Framework was adopted and expanded professional competencies to include not only functional competencies but personal and broad-based business competencies. Personal competencies include intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, comprising a range of behaviors collectively grouped as emotional intelligence. This study examines the emotional intelligence (“EI”) of 609 business school students at 2 different universities (University A and B), using TTI’s Emotional Quotient (TTI) inventory report. The groups were segregated into accounting and non-accounting groups and comparative t-tests were conducted.  The results were significant, confirming our hypotheses that the EI of accounting students at universities A and B, separately and combined, were lower than the EI scores of non-accounting business majors

An Examination of the effects of Fan-Based Brand Associations of a Professional Soccer League on League Brand Equity

The main objectives of this study are to 1) identify the relevant dimensions of the fan-based brand associations (FBBA) of a sports league and develop a measurement scale for FBBA, and 2) investigate the relationship between brand equity and its components (brand associations and internalization). Data are collected from 227 soccer fans and a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis is conducted. The results indicate that player, referee, head coach, stadium, team success, (team) management, and soccer federation are significant dimensions of the sports league FBBA and that the FBBA and internalization can be applied to investigate the brand equity of professional sports leagues. The findings also suggest that league managers can collaborate with other key members of the industry (e.g., players, head coaches, or team managers) to develop a strong professional sports league

An Investigation of the Perceptions Influencing the Intention to Major in Information Technology

Talented and experienced personnel are essential to maintain an organization’s capacity to implement information technology initiatives. The demand for technology personnel relative to the supply of skilled personnel has formed a challenge with the recruiting and retention of technology personnel.  This research study has compiled the perceptions and attitudes associated with information technology careers over five years. The study provides empirical insight into various factors which could influence the intention to select information technology as a higher education major.  The results of this study found that aptitude and subjective norms are the most influential factors in the intention to major in technology. While resulting in a smaller influence, the regression model found two other significant factors including personal image and media. The personal image was the only negative influence on the intent to major. While this subject has been studied through various research studies, the outcomes reiterate the continuing disconnection related to career information and stereotypes associated with business technology professionals. The results of this research will offer employers and educational institutions (K-12 through higher education) various strategies to increase interest in business information technology careers. The challenges associated with increasing technology majors to fulfill market demand will continue without the implementation of new and refined strategies coupled with continuing assessment and published research

Modeling the Relationship between Trust in Science and Reliance on Formal News Sources

Communication of scientific information to the population presents challenges because of the need to balance being transparent with avoidance of complex scientific terminology. The spread of information and news through social media and other informal sources rose during this past decade. The focus of this study is to understand what relates to reliance on formal news media. Formal news sources influence businesses and people, making them more apt to believe in science as measured by their beliefs in scientific concepts such as vaccinations, climate change, and compliance with COVID protocols. While this study looked at science because of the timeliness of COVID-related communication, this is a major issue related to all areas of business. For example, consider that in the case of COVID vaccines which has a consumer product manufactured by pharmaceutical firms, manufacture of the physical products related to vaccines, the distribution, and administration of vaccines. Trust in the predictive modeling that suggests vaccinations and PPE protocols impact pandemic and health concerns help influence actions. This empirical research shows that belief in science is correlated with the formality of the news source. Having a population that uses scientific information leads to behaviors like controlling the spread of something like COVID which is good for business, and not doing so results in the potential to have shutdowns or restrictions that are bad for business. If one fully understands the process, the public trusts in scientific modeling information, the impacts of non-compliance, and the negative business impact of non-compliance can be minimized

COVID, Customer Loyalty, and Sacrificial HR Strategies Among Customer Service Representatives - Evidence Across Industries

Customer service is a straightforward concept and its effects are widely studied and well known.  No one would disagree that good customer service has a crucial and positive impact on firm profitability (Goodwin, 1992) so why do so many firms continue to provide poor customer service?  Research indicates that instead of viewing customer service as an external customer issue, perhaps it should be viewed as an internal human resource issue. In other words, managers may reap what they sow by not properly managing employee relationships and then expecting these same employees to turn around and successfully manage customer relationships. Using justice theory, this study explores the management of customer service representatives. Specifically, a national survey was conducted of call center managers utilizing measures for the three types of organizational justice: distributive, procedural, and interactional. Call center managers from many different service industries responded including travel/hospitality, telecommunications, retail/catalog, health care, insurance, and financial services. Results of the study indicate that justice theory can be used to explain a significant amount of employee commitment in call center operations. The significance of these findings provides a possible explanation as to why good customer service seems to be disappearing. Can any manager expect CSRs to provide good customer relationship management when managers are not properly handling employee relationships

Managing Stakeholder Demands: Governance Decisions and Stakeholder Standing

In an empirical study, this paper used John Rawls’ idea (1971) of justice as fairness to rank competing stakeholder interests in governance decisions. Undergraduate students were asked to rank the power or responsibility of six stakeholder groups on twelve governance decisions. The results indicate that the participants meaningfully ranked the various stakeholder groups on the governance decisions as evidenced by t-tests.  These results indicate that using the Rawlsian mind experiment of a veil of ignorance and an original position was an effective means of unraveling competing stakeholder interests in governance decisions.  The implications of the results were discussed for stakeholder legitimacy and ethical decision-making