Business Commons^™

Good Governance, Bad Governance: A Refinement And Application Of Key Governance Concepts, Scott L. Mitchell, Mark D. Packard, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Understanding what makes governance 'good' or 'bad' has been impeded by construct ambiguity. Contemporary governance research has struggled to define 'governance' and related constructs such as 'ownership', 'agency', and 'management' in a way that clearly separates and distinguishes them. Often, the line between governance and management is so blurred that it is impossible to say what is good or bad 'governance' versus 'management'. Here we provide a systematic classification of key governance concepts in terms of their distinct economic functions. 'Governance', for instance, is the economic function of behavioural constraint. This allows us to state what 'good' governance is and …

Sustainable Small House Project, Mollie Jo George

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Sustainable Small House Project was developed in cooperation with UNO/UNL Engineering, UNO Gerontology, and Metro Community College. This project merges both sustainable living with the small house movement to promote aging-in-place for older adults. This presentation describes the journey of Dr. Bing Chen as he envisioned the Sustainable Small House Project to its development and finally to implementation at its current location--west of Baxter Arena or adjacent to the UNO ballfield.

From a gerontological lens, the project focuses on principles of universal design which allows for aging-in-place, fall-detection and prevention using smart technologies such as Nobi, and voice-activated technologies …

Seeming Ethical Makes You Attractive: Unraveling How Ethical Perceptions Of Ai In Hiring Impacts Organizational Innovativeness And Attractiveness, Serge P. Da Motta Veiga, Maria Figueroa-Armijos, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

More organizations use AI in the hiring process than ever before, yet the perceived ethicality of such processes seems to be mixed. With such variation in our views of AI in hiring, we need to understand how these perceptions impact the organizations that use it. In two studies, we investigate how ethical perceptions of using AI in hiring are related to perceptions of organizational attractiveness and innovativeness. Our findings indicate that ethical perceptions of using AI in hiring are positively related to perceptions of organizational attractiveness, both directly and indirectly via perceptions of organizational innovativeness, with variations depending on the …

Rogue Entrepreneurship, Russ Mcbride, Mark D. Packard, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

We suggest a new category of “rogue entrepreneurship,” that describes entrepreneurial activity where the core business idea violates established or expert consensus, to be contrasted with “conforming entrepreneurship,” where it does not. There are large entrepreneurial rents hidden behind a bulwark of expert consensus that predicts doom for a venture based upon a rogue and unlikely claim. The “rogue” cases, where the predominant assessment context is different from the entrepreneur’s, result in broad skepticism against the entrepreneurial claim. We explain what rogue entrepreneurship is and how it works.

“What important truth do very few people agree with you on? A …

Overcoming The Challenge Of Exploration: How Decompartmentalization Of Internal Communication Enhances The Effect Of Exploration On Employee Inventive Performance, Lin Jiang, Brent B. Clark, Daniel B. Turban

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Drawing upon the notion of boundaryless organizations and upon the information processing perspective of organizational design, we investigate the decompartmentalization of internal communication as a unique organizational context that moderates the relationship between R&D employees’ exploration behaviors and their individual inventive performance. We test our hypotheses using a novel combination of survey and archival data. We find that R&D employees who explore more generate inventions that are more valuable only when in workplaces characterized by high communication decompartmentalization. Such workplaces have more frequent communication between R&D and other units, more employee mobility via cross-unit project rotations, or greater managerial support …

Decentralizing Corporate Governance? A Praxeological Inquiry, Scott L. Mitchell, Mark D. Packard, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The theory and practice of corporate governance has been in something of an arms race with corporate malefactors—as corporate governance mechanisms have incrementally advance, so too have the strategies of malefactors who skirt those governance practices to engage in costly misconduct. Modern centralized governance approaches appear inapt to filling the gaps caused by agency and knowledge problems. Here, we start afresh using the atypical ‘praxeological’ method to reconstruct governance theory anew from basic foundations. The resultant theory is distinctive from prevailing corporate governance theorizing in several key ways. One of the more important conclusions from our reconstructed theory is that …

Ethical Perceptions Of Ai In Hiring And Organizational Trust: The Role Of Performance Expectancy And Social Influence, Maria Figueroa-Armijos, Brent B. Clark, Serge P. Da Motta Veiga

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring entails vast ethical challenges. As such, using an ethical lens to study this phenomenon is to better understand whether and how AI matters in hiring. In this paper, we examine whether ethical perceptions of using AI in the hiring process influence individuals’ trust in the organizations that use it. Building on the organizational trust model and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, we explore whether ethical perceptions are shaped by individual differences in performance expectancy and social influence and how they, in turn, impact organizational trust. We collected primary …

Distinguishing Unpredictability From Uncertainty In Entrepreneurial Action Theory, Ryan W. Angus, Mark D. Packard, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The traditional view that perceived and archival uncertainty measures are substitutable proxies for “true” environmental (entrepreneurial) uncertainty presumes an “all-seeing eye.” Adopting a representationalist epistemology, we distinguish environmental (objective) unpredictability from entrepreneurs’ subjective uncertainty, which has so far been theoretically confounded. It is, in fact, possible for an entrepreneur to be highly certain despite excessive unpredictability and vice versa. Theoretically distinguishing these constructs has fundamental implications for entrepreneurial action theory. For example, because intentional action is consciously originated, unpredictability influences action only indirectly, while uncertainty has direct effects. Outcomes, on the other hand, are directly affected by the complexity and …

Status Consumption And Charitable Donations: The Power Of Empowerment, Sona Klucarova, Xin He

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Status consumption, the act of consuming market offerings aimed at conferring status on the consumer, has often been portrayed as the opposite of charitable donation behavior. In a departure from prior works, this study examines the connection between these two seemingly contradictory behaviors. The results of seven studies (including one in the Supporting Information Appendix) demonstrate that status consumption, considered a self-centered behavior, leads to increased charitable donations, a prosocial outcome. This effect is driven by a process of empowerment (i.e., increase in the sense of power that consumers derive from status consumption). The underlying mechanism of empowerment is examined …

Research Productivity Of Management Faculty: Job Demands-Resources Approach, Chet E. Barney, Brent B. Clark, Serge P. Da Motta Veiga

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Purpose

The main purpose of this study was to examine which job resources are most valuable for research productivity, depending on varying teaching demands.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from 324 management faculty at research, balanced and teaching (i.e. respectively low-, moderate- and high-teaching demands) public universities in the United States.

Findings

Results showed that no single job resource predicted research productivity across all three types of schools. At research schools (i.e. low-teaching demands), productivity was positively associated with job resources including summer compensation, level of protection for untenured faculty and number of research assistant hours, while negatively associated with travel …

Do Masks Matter? Consumer Perceptions Of Social Media Influencers Who Wear Face Masks Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sona Klucarova

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The rapid spread of COVID-19 brought about an increased use of face masks among the general public. Focusing on disposable surgical masks in particular, this article examines consumer perceptions of and intentions toward social media influencers who wear such masks amid the pandemic. Drawing on the theory of product symbolism, this research experimentally demonstrates that masked (vs. unmasked) influencers remind consumers of highly competent healthcare professionals, leading in turn to greater competence inferences about and more favorable behavioral intentions toward these influencers. Additional analysis demonstrates that this effect might not hold for other groups of professionals who are considered relatively …

The Effects Of Political Ideology And Brand Familiarity On Conspicuous Consumption Of Fashion Products, Ganga S. Urumutta Hewage, Sona Klucarova, Laura Boman

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

From the lens of conspicuous consumption, this research examines the interactive effect of brand logo size and political ideology on consumers’ intentions toward fashion products. Specifically, in a series of four studies, we address how consumer political ideology influences intentions toward items displaying smaller, inconspicuous logos versus larger, conspicuous logos for unfamiliar and familiar brands. We show that liberal consumers are more likely to prefer a large (rather than small) logo when a brand is unfamiliar. We suggest that liberals’ greater desire for product uniqueness elevates their risk propensity, which in turn increases preference for conspicuous consumption when familiarity with …

The Impact Of Live Cases On Student Skill Development In Marketing Courses, Shannon Cummins, Jeff S. Johnson

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Live cases, where students work directly with an outside organization to solve real-world problems, can be an immersive learning experience for marketing students. Current scholarship on live case usage in marketing is limited to small samples from a handful of live case devotees. This article draws from a large, international sample of 169 marketing educators to investigate the perceived educational impacts of live cases on student skill development. Specifically, the paper explores student teamwork, conflict handling, time management, presentation, communication, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the article explores how student skill development is affected by the amount of course time …

Keynes And Knight On Uncertainty: Peas In A Pod Or Chalk And Cheese?, Mark D. Packard, Per L. Bylund, Brent B. Clark

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

For many years, the ideas of Knight and Keynes have been widely understood to overlap greatly and they are presumed to have developed notions of uncertainty that deeply intersect, both describing a state where outcomes have non-probabilistic likelihoods. Furthermore, even their political philosophies are historically somewhat homogenised, both considered ‘liberals’. We critically review the historical records and writings of these key scholars with the purpose of dehomogenising their political philosophies, scientific epistemologies and their famous works on uncertainty, published in the same year—1921. We show that neither Keynes nor Knight has been considered fairly by history. Keynes, far from a …

The Oversharenting Paradox: When Frequent Parental Sharing Negatively Affects Observers’ Desire To Affiliate With Parents, Sona Klucarova, Jonathan Hasford

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Modern-day parents increasingly engage in sharing of their children’s information and photos on social media. However, when parents post about their children on social media with high frequency, the phenomenon of “oversharenting” occurs. This research explores the impact of oversharenting on others’ desire to affiliate with parents. While parents post about their children to socialize with others, three experimental studies conducted with U.S. residents recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk demonstrate that parents who oversharent are viewed as less desirable acquaintances than parents who do not. This effect is mediated by observers’ perception that oversharenting constitutes a social norm violation (Study …

Economic And Strategic Analysis Of Minority Entrepreneurs In Omaha, Nebraska, Lizbeth Perez Hernandez

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Few resources of published studies exist identifying the needs or motivational factors that would assist minority business owners (MBOs) in Omaha, NE wishing to open a new business venture. Although MBOs have accounted for significant growth in the United States, there is not a lot of information available about how they access capital and resources to launch and grow their businesses. Findings show that MBOs continue to experience high barriers trying to find basic resources. There is evidence that proves the persistence of low minority business ownership rates and the survival of existing minority businesses is affected by social norms, …

A Sweet Future For Sugar Makery: A Deeper Dive Into Small Business Consulting, Samuel Lauritsen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This case study investigates a local candy store in Glenwood and Council Bluffs Iowa. Processes, consistency and concise planning promoted the rapid growth of Sugar Makery into two locations in three short years. Results from the analyses indicate that the main problem facing Sugar Makery is sustaining its differentiated strategy from new industry entrants, key recommendations to sustain its success are presented. Every company has its own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The key is identifying each to be able to capitalize on competitive advantages, mitigate the damage done by weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities and create plans to avoid …

Understanding Students’ Decision-Making Process When Considering A Sales Career: A Comparison Of Models Pre- And Post-Exposure To Sales Professionals In The Classroom, Shannon Cummins, James W. Peltier

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Businesses face a challenge recruiting and maintaining a high-quality salesforce. Increasingly, recruiting focus for entry-level sales positions has turned to university business students and sales centers. Unfortunately, research shows that most students have persistent negative misconceptions about professional sales careers and there is little research examining comprehensive and structured decision-making frameworks used by students when evaluating a sales career. This paper develops and tests an integrative framework that maps students’ decision-making process to their intention to pursue a sales career. Specifically, we examine how perceived sales knowledge, perceptions of selling ethics, perceptions of salespeople, and perceptions of the selling profession …

Why Do Many Consumers Prefer To Pay Now When They Could Pay Later?, Arvind Agrawal, James W. Gentry

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Payment timing is conceptualized as a payment characteristic useful in explaining motivations to prefer payment types. Cash, debit cards, and online banking represent consumers' preferences to pay now, while credit cards and loans represent the inclination to pay later. Based on a grounded theory study, a payment‐timing model is developed to theorize consumers' choices of payment types with differences in payment timing. The model presents four motivations for payment‐timing preferences: (1) the extent of rewards salience, (2) the perception of financial stress, (3) adopting heuristics for money management, and (4) the influence of perceived financial ability. Consumers choose payment‐timing options …

Should Donation Ads Include Happy Victim Images? The Moderating Role Of Regulatory Focus, Yael Zemack-Rugar, Sona Klucarova

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

We examine how victim imagery interacts with ad messaging’s regulatory focus to determine the effectiveness of donation appeals. We predict and show that ads that combine a happy victim image with a promotion-focused message uniquely increase donation intentions. We demonstrate that this occurs because the combination of promotion-focused messaging, which makes gain goals salient, and a happy victim image, which signals gains are occurring, increases consumers’ perceived response efficacy. Four studies test the interaction of victim imagery and regulatory focus showing the predicted effect. We also test the mediating role of perceived response efficacy and rule out several alternative explanations. …

Recruiting Sales Students: The Value Of Professionals In The Classroom, Blake Nielson, Shannon Cummins

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

It can be difficult for employers to recruit sales students because of the supply/demand gap. This is true despite increases in university sales education programs. This study investigates the impact of a sales organization representative giving an in-class presentation about student intent to pursue employment at the organization. The results indicate that a quality in-class presentation can improve students’ desire to work for the organization, but an average in-class presentation or shorter extracurricular presentation had no positive effect. These results imply that an in-class presentation should be taken seriously and done well in order to positively impact the recruitment process.

Congruence Between Course Modality And Professor Communication: A Study Of Pedagogical Impact Using Sales Techniques, Cindy B. Rippé, Suri Weisfeld-Spolter, Shannon Cummins, Yuliya Yurova

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Purpose of the Study: Given the similarities between influencing others when teaching and when selling, this work explores student perceptions of selling techniques used by professors. This work investigates faculty instructional methods informed by the prospecting and follow-up sales process’s steps to positively affect student perceptions, and to attract and retain students in online and traditional formats. Selling efforts are developed, described, and examined to see how prospecting and follow-up can be used to increase course learning, retention, and subsequent course enrollment.

Method/Design and Sample: The study used a 2 (Professor Communication Type: Face-to-face vs. Virtual) by 2 …

Strategic Analysis Of Lifeloop, Llc: Current Positioning And Recommendations For Future Growth, Erin Dabbs

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

LifeLoop is a senior living software company that has the potential to gain market share in a new and growing industry. By making changes to current processes, business level strategy, and corporate level strategy, the company can grow organically, faster. LifeLoop must make these strategic changes to areas of marketing and sales processes now as the industry is changing life cycle stages; the company’s movement in this window of opportunity is critical to their future success. These findings outline where LifeLoop is currently positioned and the first steps needed to grow and develop into a reputation of excellence that will …

Creating Cultural Capital: Cultural Entrepreneurship In Theory, Pedagogy And Practice, Olaf Kuhlke Ed., Annick Schramme Ed., René Kooyman Ed., A. Erin Bass, Ivana Milosevec, Dale Eesley

Faculty Books and Monographs

Editor: Olaf Kuhlke, Annick Schramme, and René Kooyman

Chapter, Examining and reconciling identity issues among artist-entrepreneurs, co-authored by A. Erin Bass, UNO faculty member.

In recent years, the global creative economy has experienced unprecedented growth. Considerable research has been conducted to determine what exactly the creative economy is, what occupations are grouped together as such, and how it is to be measured. Organizations on various scales, from the United Nations to local governments, have released ‘creative’ or ‘cultural’ economy reports, developed policies for creative urban renewal, and directed attention to creative placemaking – the purposeful infusion of creative activity into …

Tons: A Guide To Teaching On-Line Sales Courses, Cindy B. Rippé, Suri Weisfeld-Spolter, Shannon Cummins, Barbara Dastoor

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Purpose of the Study: This study describes a creative solution to teaching on-line sales(TONS). On-line education is increasingly in demand; yet, many sales instructors are unsure of how to transfer this interactive, skills-based course from face-to-face to an on-line format. The on-line course is described in detail, with weekly topics, assignments, rubrics, and teaching materials available. The skills-based active learning format develops student knowledge and know-how while building to a final project. Importantly, the technological and time considerations for instructors are kept to a minimum.

Method/Design and Sample: This study tests the use of the on-line TONS teaching …

Using Sales Competition Videos In A Principles Of Marketing Class To Improve Interest In A Sales Career, Shannon Cummins, Terry Loe, James W. Peltier

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Purpose of the Study: This study describes an easily conducted teaching innovation to enhance introductory marketing students’ perception of sales and selling. Sales jobs are plentiful; yet, many marketing students do not pursue sales courses or sales careers. Our purpose is to describe a classroom intervention that improves students’ intent to pursue a sales career.

Method/Design and Sample: This study tests the classroom inclusion of an actual student sales competition video from the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) to provide visual as well as verbal learning stimuli. Following a 45 minute lecture on sales, students were exposed to …

Customer Service Through Incoterms, Josh Nichol-Caddy

White Papers

Settling for the "one size, fits all" shipping solutions typically offered by large logistics companies, small businesses miss out on customer service options that could help differentiate their products. This paper defines the terms and conditions of all the options Incoterms present.

Five Key Ways To Pitch Your Idea To Investors, Wei Jing

White Papers

Here are five key ways by which a startup can effectively pitch their ideas, focusing specifically on communicating financial information.

Is The Woman-Owned Federal Contracting Program A Good Choice For Your Business?, Mary L. Graff

White Papers

Set asides narrow the playing field and increase your chance of winning contracts. A contracting specialist explains the federal government set-aside program for woman-owned businesses and explores the advantages and disadvantages.

Perceptions Of Cause-Related Marketing Tactics, Robert Bernier

White Papers

Study of small business owners in Nebraska reveals reluctance to make judgements about tactics intended to manipulate customers and more certainty about genuine charitable actions.