Analyzing Educational Testing Service Graduate Major Field Test Results

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) created the Graduate Major Field Test in Business (GMFT-B) for MBA students. This test is administered to all MBA classes at Jacksonville University for the purpose of measuring student academic achievement and growth, as well as to assess educational outcomes. The test is given in the capstone course, Business Strategy and Policy, typically taken by students at the end of their MBA program. It provides valuable feedback to each student as to their standing with regard to students across the nation. A total of six years of data (2006 to 2011) was collected for analysis of these test scores. For the first half of this time period, Jacksonville University was in candidacy for accreditation by the Association for the Advancement of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB), and for the time period 2009-2011 it was an AACSB accredited institution. Executive MBA, evening MBA (also known as flex MBA) and day-time (accelerated) MBA classes took the exam over that time period. It was determined that the executive MBA student grades were significantly better than their counterparts in the evening (flex) and day-time (accelerated) MBA students at Jacksonville University. It was also found that there was no significant difference in student performance during the first half (AACSB candidacy) and second half (AACSB accreditation) of the time period under investigation

Factors Affecting School Quality In Florida

This paper examines the factors that are theorized to be determinants of school quality in the 67 counties of Florida from 2000 to 2011. The model constructed for this purpose is comprised of a mix of independent variables that include county educational attainment (number of high school graduates and State University System enrollees) and economic factors (median household income, unemployment rate, number of housing starts, and property tax revenue per student). Furthermore, the model also considers 4 demographic/social variables (percent of population from 5 to 17 years old, percent white, percent female, and crime rate), as well as a variable for trend. The trend variable allows inferences to be made about the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It is hypothesized that these 11 variables will explain the variation in school quality by county over the observed time period

Enterprise Resource Planning And Business Process Management - A Marriage Of Convenience?

This paper investigates the impact of the simultaneous utilization of Business Process Management (BPM) procedures on the payoff period of an investment in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.  ERP has been put into operation in 400 of the Fortune 500 companies at an average cost $15 million.  Indeed, some implementations have had price tags as high as$300 million. Most companies evaluate such expenditures by looking at the return on investment (ROI), so it is important to identify factors that might speed up the payoff on an investment in an ERP system.  It is hypothesized that the simultaneous implementation of BPM techniques can accelerate the payoff on a firm's investment in such a system.  This paper examines this hypothesis by developing a multiple regression model where the percent investment returned, time since implementation, and number of departments where BPM was put into service are the variables of interest.  Using data from a sample of firms where ERP was put into operation, it is concluded that time, and not the simultaneous implementation of BPM, has the most impact on ROI.  It is further concluded that more extensive data should be collected to test this hypothesis with more accuracy

Frequency and severity of myocardial perfusion abnormalities using Tc-99m MIBI SPECT in cardiac syndrome X

BACKGROUND: Cardiac syndrome X is defined by a typical angina pectoris with normal or near normal (stenosis <40%) coronary angiogram with or without electrocardiogram (ECG) change or atypical angina pectoris with normal or near normal coronary angiogram plus a positive none-invasive test (exercise tolerance test or myocardial perfusion scan) with or without ECG change. Studies with myocardial perfusion imaging on this syndrome have indicated some abnormal perfusion scan. We evaluated the role of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and also the severity and extent of perfusion abnormality using Tc-99m MIBI Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) in these patients. METHODS: The study group consisted of 36 patients with cardiac syndrome X. The semiquantitative perfusion analysis was performed using exercise Tc-99m MIBI SPECT. The MPI results were analyzed by the number, location and severity of perfusion defects. RESULTS: Abnormal perfusion defects were detected in 13 (36.10%) cases, while the remaining 23 (63.90%) had normal cardiac imaging. Five of 13 (38.4%) abnormal studies showed multiple perfusion defects. The defects were localized in the apex in 3, apical segments in 4, midventricular segments in 12 and basal segments in 6 cases. Fourteen (56%) of all abnormal segments revealed mild, 7(28%) moderate and 4 (16%) severe reduction of tracer uptake. No fixed defects were identified. The vessel territories were approximately the same in all subjects. The Exercise treadmill test (ETT) was positive in 25(69%) and negative in 11(30%) patients. There was no consistent pattern as related to the extent of MPI defects or exercise test results. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that multiple perfusion abnormalities with different levels of severity are common in cardiac syndrome X, with more than 30 % of these patients having at least one abnormal perfusion segment. Our findings suggest that in these patients microvascular angina is probably more common than is generally believed

Incorporating Computer Telephony into the MIS Course

A dilemma for business professors is how to integrate new topics into the Management Information Systems (MIS) course One such subject is Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). CTI is sweeping across the Information Technology (IT) landscape and is having a profound impact. This paper discusses (1) the major CTI concepts and issues; and (2) how CTI can be incorporated into a graduate level MIS course

Integrating the Digital Revolution into the Classroom

A new approach using digital concepts can enhance the Principles of Management course. Innovation and Information Technology are subjects in the course that are interrelated. Firm use of digital concepts is resulting in less cost, as well as improved quality and efficiency. This approach offers students valuable insights and sensitizes them to the true nature of change occurring in the contemporary world

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Curricula

This paper presents an approach to employ experiential experiences in the learning of a major area of artificial intelligence, namely Expert Systems (ES). Learning is enhanced by requiring students to build a real world ES application using an ES shell called EXSYS

The Use of Computer Simulations as a Pedagogical Aid in Teaching Management Information Systems

Information Technology (IT) is a term that subsumes the traditional areas of computers and telecommunications. The Management Information Systems (MIS) course is rapidly evolving into an Information Technology (IT) course for all business majors. A key portion of this course is intended to introduce students to the major telecommunications technologies that are an integral part of networking. This paper focuses on computer simulation designed to facilitate the rapid learning of the many new technologies in telecommunications. Simulation tools such as NETVIZ and GRAFNET have been evaluated and will be demonstrated and discussed. Future MIS courses need to be supplemented with this type of software so that students will gain familiarity with the basic principles and design of modern networking. Such software is now being employed routinely by the practitioners in industry to model modern networks