February 29 to March 1, 2008
Wilmington College
Wilmington, Ohio
About the Conference:
Wilmington College in Ohio is hosting an annual conference devoted to managing in a diverse and highly innovative 21st century. Faculty, students, and practitioners are welcome to submit proposals related to human resource management, strategy, management, ethics and social responsibility, and entrepreneurship and creativity. This is an enjoyable, relaxed venue to share your research, works-in-progress, or completed projects with students on the beautiful Wilmington College campus.
Conference Information:
You are invited to submit a proposal. There will be five tracks and participants are asked to develop proposals that relate to one of these areas:
Track 1: Ethics & social responsibility
Track 2: Management
Track 3: Human resources management
Track 4: Strategy
Track 5: Entrepreneurship, creativity, & innovation
Each presentation is limited to 40 minutes (this includes time for question-and-answer, so plan your proposal with this time-frame in mind). Proposals must be limited to 5 double-spaced pages, with 1-inch margins all around, and following APA guidelines. Include an abstract of 100 words or less. Only electronic proposals and submissions are accepted.
E-mail to: businessconference@wilmington.edu.
Deadline for proposals:
January 15, 2008
Proceedings:
Each presenter(s) will receive one copy of the published Proceedings. Final manuscripts (not to exceed 15 double-spaced pages) are due by March 15, 2008. Follow APA guidelines.
Doctoral Students:
Students in doctoral programs are encouraged to submit proposals. They will find this conference to be not only very beneficial, but welcoming as well. Conference registration for doctoral students is $100.
Non-Academicians:
Though this conference is primarily targeted to academicians, those who are executives, consultants, or practitioners are welcome.
Registration:
Registration fee is $200 if participants register by February 1, 2008. After February 1st, the fee is $225. Doctoral students pay only $100. Cancellations after February 25, 2008 are nonrefundable.
Checks should be payable to Wilmington College Business Conference and mailed to:
Steven Austin Stovall, Ph.D.
Ralph J. Stolle Chair of Entrepreneurship
Asst. Professor of Management
Wilmington College
1870 Quaker Way #1281
Wilmington OH 45177
Conference Fee Includes:
Hotel Information:
The following three hotels are located in Wilmington, Ohio and are priced at less than $100 per night (call the hotels for rates and reservations):
11:45 a.m. – 12:30p.m. Check In (McCoy Room – Kelly Center)
12:30p.m. – 12:50p.m. Welcome and Introductions (McCoy Room – Kelly Center)
Note: All paper presentations will be held in the Boyd Cultural Arts Center (BCAC) – next to Kelly Center
1:00p.m. – 1:45p.m. Session I
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Strategic Marketing of American Graduate Education: The China Segment. Fei Deng, Hui Li, Dennis Mathern – University of Findlay |
Strategy |
BCAC 210 |
Setting Out On a New Venture: Lessons for Entrepreneurs from Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.” Timothy Ewest – Wartburg College |
Entrep. |
2:00p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Session II
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Transparent Governance and Efficient Management Practices in Africa: Could Information and Communication Technology Assist? Nancy Bertaux, Adekunle Okunoye – Xavier University |
Mgt & Economics |
BCAC 210 |
Generational Differences in the Workplace: Understatement or Exaggeration? Terrence R. Bishop – Northern Illinois University |
Human Resources |
3:00-3:30 p.m. Refreshment Break- McCoy Room – Kelly Center
3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Session III
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Is Ethical Leadership a Management Oxymoron or a Competitive Advantage in Negotiations? Rod McGraw – The University of Michigan Flint |
Ethics |
BCAC 210 |
Global Advertising: The New Wave or a Dinosaur? Don Capener – Monmouth College |
Strategy |
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Session IV
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
A Primer for Activists on Economics: How to Use Economics for Equality, Social Justice, and Ecology. Steve Szeghi – Wilmington College |
Mgt & Economics |
BCAC 210 |
Social Entrepreneurship: An Innovation For the 21st Century. Debbi Brock, Susan Steiner – Berea College |
Entrep. |
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Session V
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Values as Antecedents of Ethical Behavior: A Case Study From the American Financial Planning Industry. Erich C. Fein – Wilmington College, Kurt A. Hildebrand |
Ethics |
BCAC 210 |
Creativity Education as the Precursor to Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A Literature Review. Lola Smith, Nathan Mills – Morehead State University, Rik Berry – University of Arkansas Fort Smith |
Entrep. |
6:15 p.m. Dinner (heavy hors d’oeuvres) and Reception- McCoy Room – Kelly Center
7:30 p.m. (Optional) Wilmington College Theatre Production, Boyd Cultural Arts Center, Hugh G. Heiland Theatre
NOTE: Information about the play is included in your folder. See the registration table for tickets and additional details.
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Breakfast- McCoy Room
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Session I
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Strategies for Teaching Business Ethics in Higher Education. Timothy Ewest – Wartburg College |
Ethics |
BCAC 121 |
Measuring and Benchmarking Organizational Underperformance. Oswald A.J. Mascarenhas, Ram Kesavan, Jeanne David, Trevor Crick – University of Detroit Mercy |
Strategy |
BCAC 210 |
Social Entrepreneurship: Business Models and the Role of Technology-Driven Innovation. Anu Venkateswaran – Wilberforce University |
Entrep. |
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Session II
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
International Standards Organization 26000: Corporate Social Responsibility. Donna M. Schaeffer – Marymount University, Patrick C. Olson – National University |
Ethics |
BCAC 121 |
Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Information Asymmetry Ram Kesavan, Oswald Mascarenhas, Trevor Crick - University of Detroit Mercy, Anand Kesavan – Siebert, Brandofrd, & Shank Co. |
Mgt & Economics |
BCAC 210 |
The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education on the Racial and Gender Challenges to Entrepreneurship. Henry Otis Brown – Virginia State University, Paul C. Bland – Bryant and Stratton College |
Entrep. |
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Refreshment Break- McCoy Room
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Session III
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Removing the Occasion of War in the 21st Century Lee B. Thomas, Jr. – Louisville, KY |
Ethics |
BCAC 121 |
Lean Enterprise Efficiency Concepts Traced Back in Management History. Jill Merle – Anderson University |
Mgt & Economics |
BCAC 210 |
Cross-Cultural Comparison of Perceptions of New Venture Careers. Sherrie E. Human, Thomas Clark, Candace Gunnarson – Xavier University, Charles Matthews – University of Cincinnati |
Entrep. |
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Lunch- McCoy Room
Keynote Speaker: Derek Foote
The Hidden Enemy (The real causes of economic and social injustice)
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Session IV
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
Beyond Restoration: Tyco’s Crisis and Recovery. Julie Stewart – The University of Cincinnati |
Strategy |
BCAC 210 |
Childhood Obesity in America: Is Marketing a Factor? Kimberly York, Kenneth Henderson – Morehead State University |
Ethics |
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Session V
Room |
Title/Presenter |
Track |
BCAC 119 |
The Ethics of Employee Theft and the Manager’s Responsibility. Susan Blevins – Morehead State University |
Ethics |
BCAC 210 |
Student Investment Clubs: A Model for Success. Gerald R. Root – Lake Superior State University |
Entrep. |
Session I
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
BCAC 119
Strategic Marketing of American Graduate Education: The China Segment.
Fei Deng, Hui Li, Dennis Mathern – University of Findlay
This paper shares the results of a survey completed by current Chinese graduate students in the USA. The information presented will provide an increased understanding of this student segment that can be used for the strategic management of international student recruitment by American universities. The survey data focused on geographic, demographic, sociographic, and psychographic data that influence the Chinese students’ decision making process and satisfaction. This information can assist in filling current information gaps for this particular student group.
BCAC 210
Starting Out On a New Venture: Lessons for Entrepreneurs From Jack London’s “To Build a Fire.”
Timothy Ewest – Wartburg College
This case study uses literature, specifically Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”, to illustrate strategies, challenges and leadership characteristics required in entrepreneurship. The case study is modeled after Harvard Business School’s John Shad Professor of Business Ethics, Joseph Badaracco use of literature to cultivate creative perspicuity in learners. The case includes a synopsis of the story, relevant excerpts, main issues and concepts, questions and suggested answers, learning objectives as well as full copy of the text. The case resolves by finding correlations between the story and entrepreneurial principles, specifically: the need to employ various types of reasoning, the need for the formation of a team (or partner), the need to adapt to the environment and how to avoid failure.
Session II
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
BCAC 119
Transparent Governance and Efficient Management Practices In Africa: Could Information and Communication Technology Assist?
Nancy Bertaux, Adekunle Okunoye- Xavier University
In this paper, we present cases of e-government in Nigeria. We also discuss the ICT initiatives in private sectors and its impact on transparency, accountability, efficiency, and effective management in businesses and organizations. While our cases are isolated cases, we discuss how they can be scaled up and as well as their implications. We recommend how ICT could be used further by the government and businesses and its resultant effect on economic development and poverty alleviation.
BCAC 210
Generational Difference in the Workplace: Understatement or Exaggeration?
Terrence R. Bishop – Northern Illinois University
Much discussion has centered on generational differences to be encountered in today’s workforce, and the need to accommodate these differences through HR practices. Most of this literature contains anecdotes, yet little empiricism. This study identifies twelve work/career preferences that have been suggested to have significant generational variation. A survey was designed and administered across three defined generation: Baby Boomers, Generation X and MIillenials. Findings suggest that some of the expected generational differences are indeed likely to be present, but that not all may be valid. Some of the postulated differences may be exaggerated or limited to subsets of generations.
Session III
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
BCAC 119
Is Ethical Leadership a Management Oxymoron or a Competitive Advantage in Negotiations?
Rod McGraw – The University of Michigan Flint
This paper looks at recent studies that display ethical leadership in a negative or lower category than other leadership traits. The author will cite other references as well as draw on his considerable real like experiences to demonstrate that ethical leadership in negotiations can be an effective and competitive strategy. The author has over thirty years as a manager and negotiator with the Ford Motor Company. He ended his career there as the director of a leadership program for Ford’s 3,000 middle managers on a global basis. He has at least seventeen years experience after receiving his doctorate and teaching at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Flint. He teaches Human Resources, Organizational behavior, Labor Relations, Negotiations and Strategy. He serves as the Interim Dean of the School of Management at the University of Michigan Flint for three years.
BCAC 210
Global Advertising: The New Wave or a Dinosaur?
Don Capener – Monmouth College
As the world’s people become more mobile and cosmopolitan, brands are testing the extent by which the same brand strategy can be used worldwide. The focus in Japan and most developed countries has been to apply their Brand’s global strategy to the local market by significantly changing or adapting the market message in a culturally sensitive way. My research focuses on recent changes and the strategic importance of global advertising in 2008 and beyond. The advantages of global advertising are presented in context of Japan as the receiver of global advertising messages and the United States as the global brand messenger.
Session IV
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
BCAC 119
A Primer for Activists on Economics: How to Use Economics for Equality, Social Justice, and Ecology
Steve Szeghi – Wilmington College
Many people including policymakers, business leaders, and even academics have a mistaken view of economics, that is stalwartly defends the inequality and environmental damage of the economic system. Economics as a discipline makes no such defense. Standard economic theory can effectively be used by activists to challenge and indict the economic system. This paper shows how that can be done by laying out what economic theory claims and what it does not. In so doing it provides tools for activists to challenge bogus claims in the name of economics by those intent on resisting systemic change.
BCAC 210
Social Entrepreneurship: An Innovation for the 21st Century
Debbie Brock, Susan Steiner – Berea College
For centuries entrepreneurs have shaped the world by creating innovations that have changed the way we live and work. A new breed of entrepreneurs- social entrepreneurs- are channeling their business skills and acumen to address society’s most intractable problems. The interests in social entrepreneurship among students from the millennial generation is due to a confluence of social, economics, and technological factors. This article shows how those factors can tie into course design by highlighting best practices of pioneering universities and faculty worldwide.
Session V
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
BCAC 119
Values as Antecedents of Ethical Behavior: A Case Study From the American Financial Planning Industry
Erich C. Fein – Wilmington College, Kurt A. Hildebrand
In the post-Enron era, the role of values in promoting ethical management and business practices is becoming more important than ever. Although there has been increased attention to values as antecedents of general ethical behavior, various applied situations may offer opportunities in how values serve as such antecedents. This study begins with a brief review of the management literature relating to the roles of values in ethical behaviors models and then offers a case study within American financial planning industry. Through the examination of principles that guide operations within a moderately sized financial planning business in Central and Southwestern Ohio, we illustrate how personal values are distilled into ethically considered business policies and practices within a high-stakes industry with limited oversight.
BCAC 210
Creative Education as the Precursor to Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A Literature Review
Lola Smith, Nathan Mills – Morehead State University, Rik Berry – University of Arkansas Fort Smith
This literature review focuses on the need for a systemic approach to incorporating creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship into our educational process so as to enhance future U.S. competitiveness. The observations of academics, general press authors, and business persons coverage in recognition of the need for changes in the U.S. educational environment if our economy is to remain competitive in the new globalized/technological environment of the 21st century.
Session I
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
BCAC 119
Strategies for Teaching Business Ethics in Higher Education
Timothy Ewest – Wartburg College
This paper explores the various challenges to teaching business ethics as an overture to defining and delineating strategies for teaching business ethics in higher education. The strategies presented can be broken up into two categories: technical and theoretical. Theoretical pedagogies concern themselves with educating students by creating cognitive awareness through teaching conceptual principles that lead to moral development. Technical categories are not as concerned with cognitive deployment but with stakeholders interests and those formulas, including ethical decision making models. The summary encourages educators to implement strategies regardless of pedagogical orientation.
BCAC 121
Measuring and Benchmarking Organizational Underperformance
Oswald A. J. Mascarenhas, Ram Kesavan, Jeanne David, Trevor Crick – University of Detroit Mercy
We do not know everything about organizational high performance. We do not have the benefit of an agreed-upon high performance scorecard whereby we can decide who stands tallest among competing businesses (Kirby 2005: 30). Much less do we agree on what underperformance is and exactly how to measure it. For the most part, however there is agreement that success shows up in cash and that cash is a criteria of success. Yet in business turnaround management it is crucial that the turnaround executives detect corporate underperformance quickly and apply the proper correctives.
BCAC 210
Social Entrepreneurship: Business Models and the Role of Technology-Driven Innovation.
Anu Venkateswaran – Wilberforce University
A better understanding of the theoretical framework and underpinnings of social entrepreneurship is an important first step to help guide future research in this rapidly evolving area. This exploratory paper synthesizes academic efforts to define social entrepreneurship, elaborates on the nature of the process, and delineates the differences between ‘social’ entrepreneurship. Business models of social entrepreneurship are assessed in general. A number of published case studies involving social entrepreneurship, across a spectrum of goods and services – both domestic, as well as international, are analyzed in the context of suggested models, with a view to furthering the conceptual framework of social entrepreneurship.
Session II
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
BCAC 119
International Standards Organization 26000: Corporate Social Responsibility.
Donna M. Schaeffer – Marymount University, Patrick C. Olson – National University
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a network of public and private standards institutes in 157 countries. Some examples of widely accepted standards are those of managing greenhouse gasses and crash test methods for automobile safety. Efforts are currently underway to develop a new standard that deals with four areas of corporate social responsibility: environment, human rights and labor practices, organizational governance and fair operating practices, and consumer issues and community involvement/society development. This paper will describe how compliance to a corporate social responsibility standard can lead to competitive advantage in the 21st century.
BCAC 121
Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Information Asymmetry
Ram Kesavan, Oswald Mascarenhas, Trevor Crick – University of Detroit Mercy, Anand Kesavan – Siebert, Brandofrd , & Shank Co.
In this paper we begin by characterizing the domain of the Buyer-Seller Information Asymmetry (BSIA) phenomenon. Then we reflect on recent events that caused panic in financial industry due to the out of control growth in subprime mortgage lending. We introduce the concept of BSIA reduction as one of the solutions to prevent the repeat of the subprime crisis. We present arguments as to why BSIA reduction in the context of subprime is indeed ethical. Countrywide Mortgage Corporation is profiled as the main case study. Several propositions will be derived to be empirically verified and we will conclude with managerial and public policy implications.
BCAC 210
The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education on the Racial and Gender Challenges to Entrepreneurship.
Henry Otis Brown - Virginia State University, Paul C. Bland – Bryant and Stratton College.
The United States of America is perceived to be the greatest and most powerful nation in the world. People in the U.S.A. daily either legal or illegally search for entrepreneurial opportunities either full or part time to earn a better livelihood. The United States has been noted as the land of opportunity for entrepreneurship. But, with the pending preeminent slowdown there is growing concern among Congress and even the current presidential candidates. It should be noted that public outcry has even caused President Bush to debate with Congress, develop and propose an economy stimulation package. Questions have been raised such as: What happened to cause the housing debacle in the real estate industry? What will be the impact of the decline in the housing market on business start ups? In the current economic climate, should Americans attempt to start a business? The federal government is looking for ways to encourage the growth of entrepreneurship. Many believe that if this economic downslide continues entrepreneurship will be negatively affected. In the past, African-Americans and women have mounted a heroic, legal and political effort to destroy racial and gender challenges and their effects in America so that they can become entrepreneurs. Traditionally, whether well founded or not, it is perceived that race and gender has caused an economic and entrepreneurship imbalance, precluded business opportunities for them as compared to Caucasian men. This paper looks at the research in examining the impact of Brown v Board of Education on the race and gender challenges to entrepreneurship.
Session III
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
BCAC 119
Removing the Occasion of War in the 21st Century
Lee B. Thomas, Jr. – Louisville, KY
This paper will describe the building of partnership in matters of faith and business, locally as well as globally, cultivating friendships that span the personal and professional and may go deeper into the spiritual. The presentation will strike a chord of hope that we need not fall into the time-worn way of dealing with conflict through suspicion and the eventual violence that occurs when misunderstanding leads to mistrust and hatred. Human beings are imperfect. But by following the leading of the God within, we can strive for perfection.
BCAC 121
Lean Enterprise Efficiency Concepts Traced Back in Management History
Jill Merle – Anderson University
Lean Thinking is a current management philosophy that has developed over years of management history. This paper defines lean thinking and looks at the theories of management efficiency, waste elimination and continuous improvement. The theories of these management experts are reviewed and then compared with lean thinking concepts of today. These experts have been involved in the development of scientific management philosophies and techniques. This paper also reviews the applications of lean thinking. Research indicating some of the struggles with implementations of the lean philosophy outside of the Japanese culture is considered. The final section of the paper looks forward from this point and predicts where lean thinking is headed. Lean thinking theories have developed out of both the scientific management and human relations studies of management. These lines of historical thought and research blend together to build the principles of a lean enterprise. The scope of this paper is to focus on the scientific management theories and their impact on lean manufacturing. There will be reference to the human relations aspects, but historical development of these thoughts is not addressed in this paper.
BCAC 210
Cross-Culture Comparison of Perceptions of New Venture Careers.
Sherrie E. Human, Thomas Clark, Candace Gunnarson – Xavier University, Charles Matthews – University of Cincinnati
Relatively few comparative studies have examined how perceptions across cultures might converge or diverge regarding careers in general and new venture careers in particular. Our research addresses this gap by providing a comparative study of career perceptions among undergraduate business students in three countries with different levels of experience with capitalism: South Korea, Ukraine and the United States. Results suggest both surprising differences and interesting similarities between undergraduate students in the three countries with regards to how they perceive characteristics associated with entrepreneurial careers. Findings are discussed in the context of distinct differences and commonalities across cultures and implications for research provided
Session IV
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
BCAC 119
Beyond Restoration: Tyco’s Crisis and Recovery.
Julie Stewart – The University of Cincinnati
Image Restoration Theory is often applied when organizations face crisis. Benoit explains “that human beings engage in recurrent patterns of communicative behavior designed to reduced, redress, or avoid damage to their reputation (or image) from perceived wrong-doing” (1995, vii). Thus, image restoration theory “focuses on message options” (Benoit, 1997, 178) for reducing damage following an organizational crisis. Tyco was able to successfully employ the strategies of image restoration theory and expand on it in order to make a fast recovery following scandal in 2003. An exploration of the theory as well as the strategies enacted by Tyco show the usefulness of the theory as well as where there is room for growth.
BCAC 210
Childhood Obesity in America: Is Marketing a Factor?
Kimberly York, Kenneth Henderson – Morehead State University
This paper will discuss the social responsibility of companies that produce products contributing to the dangers of obesity. This paper is divided into four sections. First, it will review the history of obesity and why this is a major social issue that needs to be addressed. Next, marketing’s role in the epidemic of obesity is examined. Third, the practices of marketing junk food targeted specifically to children is discussed. Finally, ways of reversing this epidemic are presented.
Session V
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
BCAC 119
The Ethics of Employee Theft and the Manager’s Responsibility.
Susan Blevins – Morehead State University
Let us examine the ethics of employee theft. First we have to ask ourselves, as managers, several questions concerning employee theft. What is it? How pervasive is it? Who does it? Why do they do it? What can be done about it? Once we have the answers to these questions, we will better be able to make a determination as to the ethics of employee theft and its ramifications to us, our employees, our company and our customers.
BCAC 210
Student Investment Clubs: A Model for Success.
Gerald R. Root – Lake Superior State University
This article was originally written for publication in an education journal however, the author believes the model could be easily adapted for use by an entrepreneur seeking to establish an investment advisory firm, mutual fund, or hedge fund. Long term investment success comes to those who apply sound portfolio theory and careful fundamental analysis to the portfolio construction process. The process begins by setting realistic goals and objectives to ensure the level of risk assumed by the portfolio is appropriate to the client’s needs and risk tolerance. Detailed statistical and financial analysis is required to find good companies selling at attractive PE ratios.