Business Commons^™

Benchmarking: Understanding The Basics, William M. Lankford

The Coastal Business Journal

It is often stated that those who benchmark do not have to reinvent the wheel (Parker, 1996). By following others one can make improvements and not focus on stale ideas. Benchmarking at first glance may be mistaken for a copycat form of developing strategic plans and for making improvements within an organization. This is not true. Benchmarking is a process that allows organizations to improve upon existing ideas. In order to eliminate myths and misconceptions about benchmarking it is important to know exactly what benchmarking is, the different types of benchmarking, the criticisms of benchmarking, and the ethical practices concerning …

Does Aacsb Accreditation Impact Enrollment?, Robert P. Alexander, David Hatfield

The Coastal Business Journal

The study sought to determine if the newly received AACSB accreditation impacted enrollment of the Lewis College of Business, Marshall University. A questionnaire was used to survey all new or transfer students and a 27.5% response was received.

Growth, Bullfrogs, And Small Businesses, Leanne C. Mcgrath

The Coastal Business Journal

Small business owners are always striving to grow the business in pursuit of success. The question of how to make that happen is the paramount issue. Spotlighting key areas related to sustained, rapid growth and its consequences, both good and bad, is especially essential for small businesses who rarely have much of a financial cushion. Do all small business owners want to have extended, high growth periods? If so, what problems are associated with such accelerated growth?How can small business owners grow successfully, guarding against many common pitfalls?

The Economics Of Corruption In Developing Countries, Ramchandra Akkihal, Harlan M. Smith Ii, Roger Adkins

The Coastal Business Journal

Official corruption, unfortunately, is endemic in the developing world. One factor in the spread of this illegal activity has been the propensity of developing-country governments to intervene heavily in their economies, often in the attempt to guide, direct, and control economic activity in order to promote the desired pace and style of economic development. Such regulatory efforts, though now on the wane in much of the developing world, continue to generate opportunities in many countries for bureaucrats in control of scarce resources to allocate them on a non-market basis, to further their own economic, political, and social prospects.

Casinos, Lotteries, And Markets, Ramchandra Akkihal, Suneel Maheshwari, Roger Adkins

The Coastal Business Journal

Gambling activities of casinos, lotteries and other forms are becoming increasingly acceptable to society. Also, the media and the public are increasingly referring to economically essential market-risk management activities like trading in derivatives as gambling. This paper attempts to distinguish between these two types of activities and maintains that unlike gambling in casinos and lotteries, the market-risk management activities add value to the economy and are essential to the efficient working of production and distribution functions of the economy.

The Impact Of Attractions Demand On Lodging Demand, L. Taylor Damonte, Darla J. Domke-Damonte

The Coastal Business Journal

This three-year study of the relationship between attractions demand and lodging demand indicate that increasing attendance at recreation and entertainment-related attractions is associated with heightened lodging demand. However, it is also clear that the relationship between attractions attendance and lodging demand may vary from destination to destination.

Utilization Of Golf Course Facilities By Residents Of Golf Course Communities In Myrtle Beach, Jordan N. Roberts, Darla J. Domke-Damonte

The Coastal Business Journal

The number of golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area is constantly changing. So too, are the number of new residents who decide to buy or build homes or condominiums near these golf courses. This thesis explores the utilization of golf courses by residents of the particular golf course community. Primary research is performed and analyzed concerning four Myrtle Beach area golf course communities. The study shows that primary home ownership, retirement, membership of the golf course, and prestige of the golf course are all positively associated with usage of the golf course. The results of the study may be …

The Effect Of Golf Course Location On Housing Value, Jeffrey J. Pompe, James R. Rinehart

The Coastal Business Journal

Structural and locational characteristics are known to affect housing prices, and numerous studies have explored many of these characteristics. However very little empirical information was available on the effect of golf course location for improved property. Two recent studies find that building on a golf course adds 7 to 8 percent to the value of property. However, we find that for a private development on a barrier island, building a villa or single family home on a golf course does not have any significant impact on price. Specific locational factors may explain this unexpected result.

Perceptions Of Employability Skills Of Undergraduate Business Students In A Developing Country: An Exploratory Study, Wise Mainga, Reuben M. Daniel, Luis Alamil

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of different employability skills for business graduates seeking initial employment.

Method: Semi-structured survey questionnaires were administered to human resources representatives from industry, business lecturers, and graduating business students to determine gaps in perceptions between the three stakeholder groups.

Results: There was some alignment and moderate discrepancies in perceptions of the relative importance of different employability skills between the three stakeholder groups. There were statistically significant differences in perceived importance of communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills between graduating students and employers. There is evidence that employers were satisfied with …

Leadership Doctorates Newsletter: Volume 8, Number 1, Larry Starr, Phd

Leadership Doctorates Newsletter (Formerly Strategic Leadership Newsletter)

In this issue:

• Reminder: Our Name
• Dr. Jim Plummer
• Rev. Dr. Valerie Andrews
• Dr. Bibi R. Khan
• Strategic Leadership in the Press Again
• Dr. Joy Azikiwe
• Mark Pisacane
• Dr. Scott Koerwer
• Rev. Sung-Won Paek
• Uploaded 2021 DMgt Dissertations
• DMGT Candidates and Dissertation Topics
• Photo Gallery

Eyes Save Lives Water Safety Program For Parents And Caregivers: Program Design And Pilot Evaluation From Southern California, Rachel Love-Smith, William A. Koon, Lauren Tabios, Scott M. Bartell

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Despite expert consensus and evidence-based preventative strategies against drowning, limited formal study exists on translating recommendations into practical and effective interventions. This paper describes the design of an education-based drowning prevention intervention and reports results from a pilot evaluation of the program’s effect on self-reported water-safe behaviors, attitudes, self-efficacy, and knowledge. Parents and caregivers attending children’s swim lessons in July and August 2018 participated in a brief water-safety education program. A pre-post-test design evaluated "Theory of Planned Behavior" indicators to assess for changes. We found significant increases in scores related to water safety knowledge, attitudes on maintaining arms reach distance …

Toward A Student-Ready Cybersecurity Program: Findings From A Survey Of Stem-Students, Lora Pitman, Brian K. Payne, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Lenora Thorbjornsen

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

As the number of available cybersecurity jobs continues to grow, colleges strive to offer to their cybersecurity students an environment which will make them sufficiently prepared to enter the workforce after graduation. This paper explores the academic and professional needs of STEM-students in various higher education institutions across Virginia and how cybersecurity programs can cater to these needs. It also seeks to propose an evidence-based approach for improving the existing cybersecurity programs so that they can become more inclusive and student-ready. A survey of 251 college students in four higher-education institutions in Virginia showed that while there are common patterns …

Determinants Of Students’ Intention To Learn Cloud Computing, Charles Changchit, Robert Cutshall, Chuleeporn Changchit

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The explosive growth of data and frequent application updates along with the increasing need to access data and/or applications from multiple locations has resulted in a need to improve the way data and applications are stored and served. Such a need has forced both companies and academic institutions to pay attention to cloud computing technology. Since education is a driving force for the continuous improvement of cloud computing, this study aims at identifying the factors that influence college students’ intention to learn about cloud computing technology. Specifically, the research question focuses on determining which factors drive students’ intention to learn …

Flipping The Online Classroom – Comparing The Effectiveness Of Two Teaching Modalities For Online Experiential Learning Activities, William J. Zahn Ph.D.

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Marketing educators recognize the importance of imparting theoretical marketing knowledge while also helping students acquire marketable skills through experiential learning. Experiential learning is active, reflective learning that encourages linking abstract lessons with concrete activities. Experiential education is learning by doing (Cowley, 2020; Frontczak, 1998),

Courses have shifted away from in-person lectures and moved online due to the Covid-19 epidemic (Thomason 2020). This shift has left an open question of the best way to include experiential learning in an online learning environment. In short, how can students best prepare for and learn from experiential learning without having face-to-face meetings with their …