Expert to Matrix Learning: A Comparison of Graduate versus Undergraduate

The process use of expert-to-matrix learning is explained and then exampled across undergraduate principles of marketing classes and a graduate foundations of marketing course. Through expert-to-matrix learning students practice teamwork, presentation, and critical thinking skills. The technique is an example of cooperative learning, where students discuss concepts, seek explanations, and develop a common response to objectives that they present to others. They gain positive learning benefits like empowerment and responsible association. Matrix learning maximizes performance, morale, and well being of students. Teams are evaluated on the thoroughness and quality of their shared understanding of daily course objectives through class presentations. The understanding of the same objectives is later tested individually through traditional testing methods. Though the result of this teaching method in the undergraduate classes yielded superior outcomes when compared to traditional teaching methods, the same results were not found in the graduate course

Design, Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Peptides as Different Medical Treatment

A peptide is defined, as a molecule that contains less than fifty amino acids; anything larger is a protein. Peptides are important molecules because they have diverse uses. Peptides were utilized in two ways: 1) Peptide bioconjugates containing a fluorescent porphyrin or phthalocyanine macrocycle were designed and investigated, with or without a PEG moiety for selective targeting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). 2) Amyloid aggregating mitigating peptides (AAMPs) was synthesized and investigated containing polar amino acids, MiniPEGs, and/or ααAAs that have the ability to inhibit and disrupt Amyloid Beta (Aβ). The peptide bioconjugates containing a porphyrin or phthalocyanine were able to selectively target EGFR and select AAMPs were able to inhibit and disrupt Amyloid Beta (Aβ)

Communiversities: A Unique Outreach Opportunity for Business Schools

Communiversities are a growing phenomenon in communities where public and private partnerships are formed to provide local economic growth and educational advancement. This research presents several case studies of communiversities in the United States and Canada. The individual communiversities are unique with respect to how they address the needs of local communities and the commitment of members of the partnership to serve the needs of the community. The term communiversity is derived from the partnership of educational institutions and local business and government entities to meet the unique needs of the city or area that they serve. The objective of the research was to determine the feasibility of starting a communiversity in a southeast city. Interviews with local community leaders and existing communiversities were combined with onsite visits to determine how the needs of local communities were being met by these partnerships. In each partnership there were varied combinations of involvement by local colleges and universities, technical schools, businesses, potential investors, government entities and grant opportunities. The traditional university led model of organized outreach and paternalism is replaced by organic structured models that though partnered with, they are not necessarily a university or college entity. The commonality to the organizations is their role in organizing local partners (universities, colleges, technical schools, public schools, businesses, citizens, and governmental agencies,…) to provide training, consulting, education and, where appropriate and feasible, facilities, to help foster entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has had steady growth for over a decade, communiversities provide a gateway for citizens across a community to find the resources and assistance they need to explore and launch a business. Business schools can play a valuable role as partners in communiversities. Communiversities are not necessarily embedded in a college or university. The range of communiversity programs varied from youth outreach through masters level degree programs; self-help/self-enrichment to full laboratories and workshops for production of finished goods. The variation of programs matched the needs of the community and the inputs of the partners. In each case there was significant opportunities for schools of business to guide efforts in developing new revenue streams and service to the local community

Bridging the Journal Gap: How Increased AQ Demands have Pushed Marketing Publications to Capacity

As more Universities begin to stress academic publication as a way to conform to current Marketing Department and Business School standards of accreditation the need for additional outlets for scholarship has become a pressing concern for faculty. This paper examines the changes that have taken place in the environment and proposes some changes that need to occur to make the current model for academic success achievable. The reality in the market is that growth in journal outlets for academic publications has not kept pace with either the increased number of marketing faculty nor with the increased emphasis on research publication, particularly at the refereed journal level. Therefore academicians are faced with an increased need for publication and increased competition for the relatively limited slots available

Predictors of Enrolling in Online Courses: An Exploratory Study of Students in Undergraduate Marketing Courses

An exploratory study of undergraduate students enrolled in marketing courses at a Southeastern regional university was conducted to determine the motivations and characteristics of marketing students who plan to be online learners and examined for differences between those who have taken and those who have not taken online classes. An online survey of Likert scales, openended questions and demographic questions was sent via class learning management websites. A total of 165 students of the 438 invited to participate completed the survey. A structural model was developed using SMART-PLS to estimate the relationships of constructs that predict taking online courses. Results of the study showed differences in predictors of those that have taken online courses compared to those who plan on taking online courses. A significant predictor of those planning on taking online courses is quality of learning while a significant predictor of those who have taken online courses is scheduling and timing. The results can be used to examine ways to improve/enhance the student’s educational experience, as well as an institution’s effectiveness in attracting the growing body of online learners

Strategic Marketing Cases: Smallville, Midville, & Grandville

An overview of case study research and process is followed by eight cases. Each case can be customized to fit one of three community profiles provided in the text. Text is designed for strategic marketing cours

Marketing Business Incubators and Accelerators: A Profile of Centers in the Southeast United States

Information on business incubators and business accelerators in the Southeastern United States was collected. This was research by searching for links to incubator websites. Business incubators are a significant method that state and local interests employ to stimulate economic development in the areas that they serve. Business incubators offer a variety of services to startup and existing businesses to succeed. These include providing facilities, consulting services, financial services and other services that assist startup and existing businesses to grow

Turning Scents into Sense and Schooling by Smiling: The use of Sensual and Sentimental cues to Enhance Student Retention of in-class Learning

Emotional states play an important role in memory. Emotions can be triggered by external cues that stimulate our senses. Research has shown that some of the strongest memories can be triggered by scents. Despite olfactory neurons decay in 60 days, the memory is able to remember associated experiences long afterwards. Of the senses, smell takes the longest for the body to form a reaction. Strong emotional responses, such as fear, happiness, and sexual arousal have been shown to increase memory. In an effort to increase memory retention of in-class learning, as measured through performance on exams, attempts to collective influence the emotional responses of students were tested. The emotional state of any group of individuals initially coming into a setting, such as a classroom will be varied. Two different methods were used to stimulate a positive disposition at the beginning of the class period. Some students were exposed to pleasing scents in the classroom. In separate classes students were encouraged to smile using a happiness scale to indicate their mood. For each baselines of student performance were established as a point of comparison. Two hypotheses were tested related to the different circumstances. H1: Students exposed to pleasing scents during in-class learning will perform better on performance measures (exams) than students not exposed to pleasing scents. And, H2: Students that indicate they are in a positive mood while in class will perform better on performance measures (exams) than students that do not indicate having a positive mood in the same class. In the first experiment using scent, through the first exam the students were not exposed to scents. The same exams given in a previous semester of the same course was given for comparison of anomalies that might exist in the delivery of the course across and within semesters. For the class periods between the first exam and the fourth exam, students were exposed to a subtle, pleasant scent in the classroom. For the fourth, the last exam of the semester, the scent was not present in the classroom. The average grade for the first and the fourth exams, when scents were not present, were comparable to previous semester’s averages. The average grades for the second and third exams, when scents were present, were 8.5% higher on average than the other exams. This would indicate that the scent exposure did make a difference. In the second experiment attempts to positively influence mood were used through suggestive language and action. The first day of class students completed a short survey using established scales to quantify their general happiness. Students were asked at the beginning and ending of each session to indicate the “Happiness” using a five point happiness scale. This provided a daily indicator of mood and any change of mood across the 90 minute class. Students who were the least happy at the end of the class on average were the students who had the least positive change in their mood from the beginning of the class to the end of the class each day. These students also performed better on average across the four exams. These experiments would indicate that the use of pleasant scents have a positive effect on students’ abilities to retain information, as measured by test performance. Unexpectantly, students whose moods were least positive and whose moods were least changed during class exceeded their peers in test performance

Tales of Two Parks: The Promotion Efforts to Promote Healthy Lifestyles Using Community Open Spaces

In recent years, communities across the country have realized that urban growth must incorporate open spaces to meet the expectations of a livable community. In addition, parks and open spaces help the local economy through higher property values which in turn helps local governments with increased property tax values (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2010). In determining the rankings for best places to live, retire and work – “quality of life” makes up a large portion of the formula (Taylor 2008) and always includes the built and natural environment and how these two have been effectively woven together to make the ideal community. Quality of living is always important in studies of the Best and Worst places to live, work, raise kids, that are often printed in publications such as Fast Forward, Inc. and Money magazine (CNNMoney.com 2008). Being on a list of the Best Places brings positive exposure and interest to a community. Along with quality of living, increasingly, studies report on the overall healthiness of its citizens, measured by various elements but often dependent upon the availability of sports and recreational activities (Mercer LLC 2010). The availability of recreational resources is one of several important environmental factors that influence individuals’ physical activity behaviors (Roux et al 2007). Many studies support the causal link between a community’s built environment, i.e. its design, form and uses, and physical activity (Handy 1996; Berrigan and Troiano 2002; Cervero and Duncan 2003; Krizek 2003; Lee and Moudon 2006). The major predictor of park use, trail use, and leisure exercise is residential proximity to a park (Barton 2009; Cohen et al 2007: Troped et al. 2001). Individuals who live within one mile of an urban park are four times more likely to visit a park than those who live further away. In addition to proximity, perceived urban trail safety and neighborhood connectivity significantly influence trail use (Wolch et al 2010). More aesthetically pleasing parks with such amenities as tree-lined paths stimulate physical activity (Corti et al. 1997) and certain features encourage more physical activity. While physical activity might be the main use of such urban trails, other studies show a more holistic motivation. Bichis-Lupas and Moisey (2001) found that only 4% of trail users were solely concerned with fitness; most of the users were interested in a combination of benefits including social, spiritual and physical. In several recent polls (Forbes 2010; CNBC) Memphis was in the top 10 in “Worst Cities to Live in America” and “America’s Most Miserable Cities”. Memphis owns the title of most sedentary city and the country’s most obese. In 2007, the grassroots plan for creating a “Green Memphis” became public discussion for the construction of two greenways – the Wolf River Greenway and the Greater Memphis Greenline. The goal of the Greater Memphis Greenline was for an individual to be able to walk or bike from downtown through the city of Memphis to Cordova or Germantown a distance of some 20 miles and connect with the Wolf River Greenway, the Germantown Greenway and Shelby Farms. The Greenline became reality in October 2010 using an abandoned CSX railroad track. Milledgeville, GA and its surrounding community of just over 45,000 has yet to make it on a Top 100 Best Places listing, but can be compared across other communities using the same types of information (Sperling 2010). Like many communities, Milledgeville suffers from a walking problem; people would rather drive than walk. The downtown and university district is one-half mile from the Oconee River Greenway. Initiated in 2002, the Greenway\u27s primary mission, was to create a corridor along the river that would integrate local economic benefits, increased public use and resource protection and enhancement (ORGA 2006). Efforts are currently being taken to link via a bike trail, the University\u27s West campus, through the main downtown campus and on to the Greenway. Unlike in the Field of Dreams , building will not be sufficient to get people to use the bike trail or the greenway. This research examines the efforts of communities to promote their quality of living and encourage citizens to engage in healthier lifestyles through the use of public provide spaces such as parks and greenways. These efforts will be compared to the efforts of the two communities of Memphis and Milledgeville. Both communities currently suffer from a sedentary population