Business Commons^™

Story Writing In The Accounting Classroom, Michelle Freeman, Mark Friedman

ETSU Faculty Works

A story is an established method of communicating fact, fiction, parable, and myth from cultural generation to generation. Is it possible to actively engage accounting students with content when the student becomes the storywriter? Can story writing by the student be an effective teaching tool, and should accounting professors consider its use in their classrooms? This archival research seeks to review the literature regarding the value of story writing as a pedagogical tool across academic disciplines in higher education, synthesize the findings of existing research and describe the uses, benefits and difficulties with using story writing in various accountancy classes …

Best Practices For New Online Management Education Instructors To Overcome Resistance To Online Teaching: New Insights, Lorianne D. Mitchell

ETSU Faculty Works

Enrollment in online courses has increased rapidly in the last two decades, and exponentially in the last few years (Seaman, Allen, & Allen, 2018) as part of an e-revolution, especially in business schools (Kumar, Kumar, Palvia, & Verma, 2019), in which access to and use of information technology has become widespread. Instructors are one of the most important variables in online teaching as they function as the source of content for, and facilitators of, the online course. Some faculty, however, are ambivalent about teaching online for a variety of reasons (Mitchell, Parlamis, & Claiborne, 2015), and this ambivalence can be …

Inversed Learning In An Intermediate Accounting Course, Ashley B. Bentley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students enrolled in accounting courses often struggle because of the complexity of the topic. Accounting instructors have searched for effective means of fostering student success, but the learning process continues to change. Critical thinking and problem solving abilities are vital for students and future professionals. Thus, teaching should not be limited to the transmission of information. By moving the dissemination of basic knowledge outside the classroom inversed learning allows class time for deep dives into complex topics and hands-on activities. Students who are actively involved in learning tend to be more successful in the classroom.

The purpose of this study …

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Hurts Single Parents With Children Pursuing A College Education, Michelle S. Freeman, Alyssa Reed

ETSU Faculty Works

This article highlights some instances where the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) increased taxes for single parents at the moment their children are pursuing a college education. The article further recaps education credits that were saved (but not increased) by the TCJA and a deduction that was lost. The authors also discuss an implication of the TCJA that could cause the burden on families sending children to college to increase further. Finally, the article captures items that legislators could enact to relieve the additional burden on families with students pursuing a college education.

The Cpa Exam Is Changing: Are The Professors Ready?, Michelle S. Freeman

ETSU Faculty Works

Accounting professors will now be accountable for teaching their students to think critically, analyze, and evaluate information. The pressure to change accounting higher education cannot be ignored with the new version of the CPA exam, released in April 2017, which now tests analysis and evaluation skills. Have the professors made the changes in their classrooms that will help their students to be successful with this format of questioning? This research seeks to find whether professors have indeed embraced pedagogy that will enhance students’ ability to develop higher order thinking skills. The study begins by explaining changes to the CPA exam. …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members’ Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti R. Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

A total of 463 non-faculty staff members from different units of a single higher education institution participated in this study. This study included non-teaching staff, including student workers and both full-time and part-time staff members. …

Broadband Access For Students At East Tennessee State University, Thomas Scott Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the availability of Internet access for students attending East Tennessee State University during the fall semester 2013. It has been unknown to what degree broadband access is available in the East Tennessee State University service area that includes counties in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina.

The research was conducted during the fall semester 2013 including the months of August, September, and October of 2011. Data were gathered by surveying currently enrolled students of the university. Seven hundred eighty-four students responded to the survey. The survey instrument covered areas of …

Market Simulation Programming As A Culminating Experience For Students Interested In Entrepreneurship And Pursuing An M.S. In Engineering Technology, W. Andrew Clark, Craig A. Turner

ETSU Faculty Works

Many of our students enrolled in our Master of Science in Technology program have expressed an interest in learning about entrepreneurship and the development and management of a technology driven company. Students interested in entrepreneurship can pursue a 12 credit concentration that includes classes in developing a cohesive marketing and technology strategy, comparing and contrasting technology strategies for companies within the same market niche, developing an entrepreneurial business plan and coursework in either small business management or entrepreneurial finance. One critical component of this concentration is the utilization of the Marketplace™ Venture Capital simulation game to provide students with real …

Encouraging Student Participation In Social Entrepreneurship Opportunities, W. Andrew Clark, Peter Hriso, Craig A. Turner

ETSU Faculty Works

Social entrepreneurs utilize the traits of commercial entrepreneurs; organizational abilities, opportunity identification, combining resources in novel ways, willingness to accept and manage risk and explosive growth or returns, to create enterprises that return high social value. As educators, we see opportunities where entrepreneurial skills can be applied to education, not-for-profit organizations, government offices and programs and philanthropic concerns and create service learning opportunities for students beyond the boundaries of the university. Many of us involved in higher education are frustrated with students who do not attend class, turn in assignments late or exhibit a lack of effort in classes where …

Embedding Innovation Process And Methodology In Engineering Technology And Business Management And Marketing Courses, W. Andrew Clark, J. Paul Sims, Craig A. Turner, Jon L. Smith

ETSU Faculty Works

For many business segments, true “out of the box” innovation occurs in entrepreneurial companies where the founders aren’t hindered with the research paradigms established by mainstream businesses. The founders of these companies, many times technologists and scientists, see the application of the technology long before potential customers develop an understanding of the capabilities that the new technology can bring to the marketplace. Many times these “new technology ideas” have been developed though modifying an existing dominant design (product or service) to meet an unforeseen market need or through the development of a new design that may become the new industry …

Linking The University With The Community: An Experiential Learning Project To Promote Arts Entrepreneurship, Peter Hriso, W. Andrew Clark, Tara Maxwell, Cher Cornett

ETSU Faculty Works

Teaching students entrepreneurial skills and the utility of cross-disciplinary teams is difficult if only classroom exercises are employed. In this program, university students worked together with commercial artists and business-persons residing in our declining downtown region to assist in the organization, planning and management of an established regional arts festival and to launch a new feature of the festival based on digital animation. Through experiential learning, students gained an appreciation for “real-life” budgets, deadlines, responsibilities and an appreciation of working on cross-disciplinary teams while the community observed first-hand the benefits of students trained in digital media, entrepreneurship and project management.

Establishing A Technology Based Business Incubator At A Regional University: A Conceptual Framework And Case Study, W. Andrew Clark

ETSU Faculty Works

University managed technology-based business incubators evolved at major research institutions as a mechanism for university professors to pursue commercial applications of their research without having to resign their university positions. These incubators assisted the universities in retention of valuable faculty and also provided for the development of university intellectual property (IP) to a level where commercialization was probable. In addition to faculty retention and the potential for revenue from commercialization of IP, these incubators further developed the universities’ reputations in producing cutting edge research. The physical proximity of the incubators to the universities is crucial because this allows easy access …

Linking Art To Science: Digital Media As A Technology Translation Tool, W. Andrew Clark, Cher L. Cornett, Peter M. Hriso

ETSU Faculty Works

Technology translation can be achieved through the blending of the sciences and arts in the form of digital imagery. Digital animation and video can be utilized to portray molecular events where the mechanism of action is known but the process occurs at a sub-microscopic level. There needs to be a strong collaboration between scientific advisors and digital artists when creating the animation such that the artistic interpretation of the molecular event conforms to the known and accepted confines of science. The finished animation may be used for information, education or persuasion as entrepreneurial biotechnical companies attempt to find markets, customers …

Technology Based Business Incubators: Living Laboratories For Entrepreneurial Students, Andrew Czuchry, W. Andrew Clark

ETSU Faculty Works

Those teaching entrepreneurship to engineering and technology students are faced with the challenge of converting theory into learning opportunities that provide real-world-practical experience. Although the literature stresses the need for experiential learning through group and field projects and case studies, the potential of capitalizing on technology-based business incubators as living laboratories has not been fully utilized. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual framework for closing this gap. This framework is based upon our experience working with graduate student teams on projects with the Oak Ridge National Laboratories Center for Entrepreneurial Growth and East Tennessee State University’s …

Diverse Cross Functional Student Teams: A Teaching Tool For Enhanced Learning, Craig Turner, Keith Johnson, W. Andrew Clark

ETSU Faculty Works

Traditional engineering and science teaching methodology has been to train like-minded students within the discipline of their respective majors. Curriculum time constraints, however, limit the number and nature of out of discipline elective courses. As a result, students are well trained within their respective fields of study but lack the breadth of experience in interacting with other diverse disciplines. Industry, particularly technology-based companies, has observed that solutions to problems have a greater probability of success when all interested parties (purchasing, innovation, marketing, sales, manufacturing, etc.) have input in developing a plan to achieve a desired corporate outcome. It is through …

University Managed Technology Business Incubators: Asset Or Liability?, W. Andrew Clark, Andrew J. Czuchry, James A. Hales

ETSU Faculty Works

University managed technology-based business incubators (UMTIs) have become increasingly popular. Some universities are forming private corporations and are encouraging professors/researchers to commercialize intellectual property (IP) based upon research conducted in their laboratories. The UMTI provides the infrastructure, access to high-tech laboratories, libraries, students and faculty, and a coalition of like-minded entrepreneurs. Universities face uncertainties when establishing UMTIs and need to minimize risk while maximizing benefits. This paper discusses results of a benchmarking study of eleven technology incubators and their risk mitigation policies. Experience with technology transfer and use of the UMTI as a living laboratory for students is presented.

Factors Influencing Student-Athlete Choice Of Institution, Edward G. Howat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influenced prospective student-athletes to attend East Tennessee State University. Using a qualitative research design, interviews were conducted with 36 freshman scholarship student-athletes. Participants represented student-athletes from each sport. A literature review covered the history of intercollegiate athletics, the history of recruiting student-athletes, the process of recruiting student-athletes, and the decline of public perception towards intercollegiate athletics. Results from the interviews were analyzed using inductive analysis. Patterns, themes, and categories of analysis emerged from the data. The data from the interviews were then unitized and categorized. The categorized units were …

The Impact Of Cocurricular Experience On Leadership Development, Deborah H. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of cocurricular activities on leadership development. College graduates recognized as community leaders were selected from three communities in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Through survey and interview techniques, the leaders were asked to reflect on high school and college experiences that led to their development as leaders. The study included a focus on differences in experiences of male and female leaders. Developmental influences such as family, mentors, global experience, and the cocurricular activities engaged in during high school and college were explored. Title IX had no impact on increased opportunities for women in this group of …

Implementing Total Quality Management In Business And Academe: A Case Study, Nancy O. Bartell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total quality management (TQM) is a philosophy and process that has been successfully implemented in many business firms. Other organizations, including institutions of higher education, have become increasingly interested in adopting it. It is likely that facilitators need to be cognizant of organizational differences and adjust facilitation methods and strategies accordingly. This dissertation is an exploratory study designed to examine the role of the TQM facilitator in diverse settings. Specifically, the study is an in-depth two-case research study of TQM implementation in an international manufacturing firm and a regional institution of higher education. The primary foci of this dissertation are …

Marketing Acceptance And Its Relationship To Selected Institutional Characteristics In Higher Education Institutions, Melanie G. Narkawicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the level of acceptance of marketing by colleges and universities in the United States. It was based upon the "Four Stage Model Reflecting the Acceptance of Marketing in Higher Education Institutions" developed by Simmons and Laczniak (1992). The primary purposes of this study were to validate the model and to identify the operational level of marketing acceptance at colleges and universities. Secondary purposes were to determine if the level of acceptance differed according to source of control/affiliation (public v. private), highest level of degree awarded (associate, baccalaureate, master's, doctors), regional location, urban location, and institutional size. Variables …

An Analysis Of Reported Paid And Unpaid Time Off For Administrative Employees At Selected Public Universities In Tennessee, Ginger J. Rutherford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lack of research on the use of the leave fringe benefit (paid and unpaid time off) as it related to administrators in higher education was the problem of this study. The main purpose of this study was to increase the body of knowledge by analyzing the differences among paid and unpaid time off and selected demographic data for administrators at four selected public universities in Tennessee (Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Tennessee Technological University). This descriptive study was conducted to provide a historical data base on the use of paid and unpaid …

Innovation In Student Affairs: The Influence Of Individual And Organizational Factors On Programmatic And Technological Change, Sally S. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to explore the influence individual and organizational factors exerted on technological innovations, programmatic innovations and combined technological and programmatic innovations. Student affairs divisions in Comprehensive I colleges and universities constituted the administrative unit examined. The two types of program innovations examined were substance abuse prevention/education programs and retention/academic support programs. The technological innovations examined were financial aid computerized award calculation and computerized career counseling. The individual factors examined were professionalism, gender and age of the chief student affairs officer. The organizational factors were vertical, horizontal and combined vertical and horizontal complexity, centralization and size. …