Business Commons^™

Measurement And Outcomes Of Identity Communication In Virtual Teams, Susan A. Brown, Sherry M. B. Thatcher, David W. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Virtual teams play an important role in the modern economy, and many organizations struggle to overcome the weaknesses inherent in technologymediated work. Drawing from a strong empirical foundation for identity-related outcomes in nonmediated settings, we propose that perceived virtual identity communication accuracy positively impacts virtual team trust and performance. We further propose that capabilities of the communication medium can either support or hinder perceived virtual identity communication accuracy. In three studies with a cumulative sample of N=410, this research-in-progress paper reports on the first phase of a two-phase study. We develop survey scales for a medium’s identity communication capabilities and …

Application Of Expectancy Violations Theory To Communication With And Judgments About Embodied Agents During A Decision-Making Task, Judee K. Burgoon, Joseph Bonito, Paul Benjamin Lowry, Sean Humphreys, Gregory D. Moody, James Gaskin, Justin Giboney

Faculty Publications

Because users treat embodied agents (EAs) as social actors, users hold expectations about human-to-EA communication (HtEAC) similar to those in human-to-human communication. This study extends Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT) to examine how different forms of interfaces that confirm or violate user expectations affect the communication process, social judgments, ability to influence, and accuracy of recall associated with HtEAC. Positive violations of expectancy are acts or characteristics of the EA that are unexpected but evaluated favorably by the human partner. Results suggest that when the EA deviates from expectations, effects on the HtEAC process and related outcomes can be more pronounced. …

Time-Chunking And Hyper-Refocusing In A Digitally-Enabled Workplace: Six Forms Of Knowledge Workers, James E. Gaskin, Tanner Skousen

Faculty Publications

Until the turn of the millennium, switching tasks required moving locations or reconfiguring physical workspaces. However, contemporary digital tools and workspaces allow knowledge workers to perform an increasingly diverse set of tasks, with an increasingly extending arm of influence, all from the same physical location without any physical reconfigurations or traversing of physical space. Along with this increased ambidexterity comes an increase in the quantity and frequency of demands on the time of knowledge workers. This digitalization of work now tethers their ability to perform largely to their ability to intensely focus in small chunks, and then “hyperjump” that focus …

The Function Of Field Study: Comparison Of Limited And Full Field Experience Courses, Lauren Fine, Telyn Peterson, Mat Duerden, Riley Nelson, John Bennion

Faculty Publications

Fieldwork, an experiential and outdoor component of a traditional lecture class, has been effective in improving students’ content knowledge and attitudes. However, most studies of these courses use a full lecture course as the comparison group rather than comparing amounts or types of fieldwork. This study compares two classes that incorporate fieldwork (n = 18 and 12 participants, respectively) and uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze changes in content knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived value of the subject (entomology). Pre-and post-test scores suggest that information memorization is best taught in a traditional classroom environment. Qualitative data illustrate that the …

Family Therapy In Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare: Current Practices And Future Possibilities, Anita R. Tucker, Mark A. Widmer, Troy Faddis, Bryan Randolph, Michael Gass

Faculty Publications

This paper highlights the role of the family in the treatment of youth who attend Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) programs. It discusses the history of OBH, provides a critical overview of the research on the impact of OBH programs on family functioning, and discusses the importance of increased intentional integration of family therapy into OBH settings. To show this integration, this study presents a case study that highlights the role of the family, as well as the home family therapist throughout the phase of OBH treatment. Areas for future esearch are provided as well as suggestions for the increased utilization …

Female Veterans’ Involvement In Outdoor Sports And Recreation, Neil Lundberg, Stacy Taniguchi, Rachel Mcgovern, Shauna Smith

Faculty Publications

Previous research has recognized the need to better understand the experience of female veterans and their adjustment upon returning home, especially considering that a growing number of veterans are women. Their stories, particularly as they relate to combat and the associated wounds of war, largely remain untold. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to employ a theoretical sample from Grounded Theory methodology to determine if similar recreation opportunity structure patterns existed in the use of outdoor sports and recreation for a sample of female veterans, as had been found in previous research with individuals with physical disabilities. The investigation …

A Retrospective Consideration Of Recreational Family Storytelling Among Parents And Their Adult Children, Kelly Gagalis-Hoffman, Ramon Zabriskie, Patti A. Freeman

Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to determine the purpose and function of recreational family storytelling across the life span from the perspective of parents and their adult children. Twelve individuals were interviewed (six parents paired with one of their adult children). Questions focused on ascertaining the purpose and function of storytelling from the perspectives of parents and children in the same family unit. In these families storytelling created opportunities for family bonding. Storytelling accomplished its purpose of creating family bonds through five functions: being fun, dealing with difficult topics or situations, transferring beliefs and values as well as giving …

The Ownership And Trading Of Debt Claims In Chapter 11 Restructurings, Victoria Ivashina, Benjamin Iverson, David C. Smith

Faculty Publications

Using a novel data set that covers individual debt claims against 136 bankrupt US companies and includes information on a subset of claims transfers, we provide new empirical insight regarding how a firm’s debt ownership relates to bankruptcy outcomes. Firms with higher debt concentration at the start of the case are more likely to file prearranged bankruptcy plans, to move quickly through the restructuring process, and to emerge successfully as independent going concerns. Moreover, higher ownership concentration within a debt class is associated with higher recovery rates to that class. Trading of claims during bankruptcy concentrates ownership further, but this …

Vaccination Rates Are Associated With Functional Proximity But Not Base Proximity Of Vaccination Clinics, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David I. Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Gwendolyn I. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Background: Routine annual influenza vaccinations are recommended for persons 6 months of age and older, but less than half of US adults get vaccinated. Many employers offer employees free influenza vaccinations at workplace clinics, but even then take-up is low.

Objective: To determine whether employees are significantly more likely to get vaccinated if they have a higher probability of walking by the clinic for reasons other than vaccination.

Method: We obtained data from an employer with a free workplace influenza vaccination clinic. Using each employee’s building entry/ exit swipe card data, we test whether functional proximity—the likelihood that the employee …

Rhetoric, Spectacle, And Mechanized Amusement At The World’S Columbian Exposition, Jonathan Mark Balzotti

Faculty Publications

This essay focuses on the disruptive qualities of public entertainment and public spectacle at the 1893 Columbian exposition. I use my analysis of different fairgoers’ responses to explore the ways public spectacle, even in its most commercialized form, can lead to a rhetorical response from the audience where alternative views of culture are made available. Rather than seeing spectacle as empty theatricality, I argue that in certain cases spectacle may speak more loudly than plot, character, and script. Just as the backdrop for a theatrical dialogue can change the story, so too can spectacle alter the story being told, and, …

Firm-Specific Human Capital Investments As A Signal Of General Value: Revisiting Assumptions About Human Capital And How It Is Managed, Shad S. Morris, Sharon A. Alvarez, Jay B. Barney, Janice C. Molloy

Faculty Publications

Research Summary:

Prior scholarship has assumed that firm-specific and general human capital can be analyzed separately. This paper argues that, in some settings, this is not the case because prior firm-specific human capital investments can be a market signal of an individual’s willingness and ability to make such investments in the future. As such, the willingness and ability to make firm-specific investments is a type of general human capital that links firm-specific and general human capital in important ways. The paper develops theory about these investments, market signals, and value appropriation. Then the paper examines implications for human resource management …

Understanding Audit Quality: Insights From Audit Professionals And Investors*, Brant E. Christensen, Steven M. Glover, Thomas C. Omer, Marjorie K. Shelley

Faculty Publications

Projects seeking to define, measure, and evaluate audit quality are on the agendas of auditing standards setters as well as audit firms. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) currently provides information regarding audit quality through the release of inspection reports, and the Board intends to establish and report audit quality indicators. To provide additional perspective on audit quality, we obtain auditors’ and investors’ views, definitions, and indicators of audit quality. We find that investors’ definitions of audit quality focus more on inputs to the audit process than do auditors’, and that investors view the number of PCAOB deficiencies as …

Authoritative Coaching: Building Youth Through Athletics, Christian S. Brinton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence and extent of the relationship of coaching styles and adolescent athletes in terms of Self Determination Theory (SDT). Specifically, this study adapted Baumrind’s parenting styles of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissiveness to coaching styles and examined the relationship between each coaching style and the tenets of SDT, namely competence, autonomy, and relatedness. This study also examined the effect of the number of years an athlete participated in a chosen sport, the number of years played on a specific team, and the number of years played for a particular coach. The sample …

Marital Leisure Satisfaction: Investigating Comparative Skill Levels Within Marital Leisure Activities, Benjamin Dayley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how comparative skill levels within marital leisure activities relate to marital satisfaction, and if gender or activity type affects that relationship, and if Flow theory could help explain a potential correlation of these leisure activity contexts. Specifically, this study examined three different comparative skill differences and similarities of couples engaging in leisure activities in three different types of leisure activities as factors in marital leisure satisfaction and ultimately Satisfaction With Married Life (SWML). Their gender and the skill-gender interactions were also included in the analysis. This study followed up on …

Estimating The Short-Run Supply Curve Of Higher Education, Carter Davis, Taylor Nadauld

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original project that I set out to research with this ORCA grant was to investigate how the real estate bubble spread leading up to the financial crisis, using an incredible 90 gigabyte dataset of mortgage information. Two unfortunate events occurred during the course of this project: the external hard drive that stored the data was lost and a programming error on my part destroyed the data on the BYU supercomputer. Dr. Nadauld and I were devastated. Instead of investigating how bubbles spread, I set out to estimate the slope of the supply curve of higher education. Dr. Nadauld and …

Micro-Enterprise Education: The Academy For Creating Enterprise, Barry West, Gibb Dyer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In developing countries throughout the world, one often-used approach to alleviating poverty has been to encourage entrepreneurship among the poor. Micro-credit is a highly popular solution to encourage the poor to launch new enterprises, but has somewhat mixed results (Field et al., 2013; Banjeree et al., 2009; Karlan and Zinman, 2011; Kaboski and Townsend, 2011). Current literature suggests that simply giving loans to those who start businesses out of necessity is not the best approach to encourage entrepreneurial success. These writers argue that these “necessity entrepreneurs” need education in the form of business knowledge and tools to help them succeed …

The Humility Effect: Mitigating Intergroup Conflict, Reese Haydon, Dr. Kurt Sandholtz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prior techniques for solving intergroup prejudice have shown limited practical application. Common to these techniques is an emphasis on understanding and appreciating the competencies of the out-group members (i.e., disconfirming the in-group’s stereotypes of the out-group). The purpose of our research is to build a case for a different approach—one that emphasizes in-group humility, or recognition by in-group members of their own strengths and weaknesses.

Going The Distance: The Pros And Cons Of Expanding Employees’ Global Knowledge Reach, Shad S. Morris

Faculty Publications

While some scholars have suggested MNEs to be superior to markets for managing knowledge across geographically distant boundaries, how they actually accomplish this has not been fully considered. We address this void by developing and testing a model that highlights the critical role of organizational incentives in enhancing employees’ internal search and use of knowledge. Data from 166 knowledge-intensive projects support our argument that, in contrast to process-based incentives that influence more local search, outcome-based incentives motivate employee teams to reach well beyond their immediate location, which in turn enhances performance. At the same time, we demonstrate that expanded reach …

Experiential Learning In Personal Finance: A Principles And Applications Based Approach, James C. Brau, Jacob K. Nielson, Bryan L. Sudweeks

Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the need for increased financial literacy among college-aged students and then presents and analyzes a personal finance class taught at a large, private university. The course is designed around five characteristics which, when combined, result in a high value-added pedagogy. These characteristics are the following: a humanistic approach to personal finance, a principles-based approach, an applications-based curriculum, a partnership with Intuit's Quicken, and a serviceteaching requirement. With a track record of over a dozen years and 3,128 students, the course continues to be one of the best-rated courses among both students and alumni.

Strategically Camouflaged Corporate Governance In Ipos: Entrepreneurial Masking And Impression Management, David F. Benson, James C. Brau, James Cicon, Stephen P. Ferris

Faculty Publications

Entrepreneurs attempt to persuade potential investors that their new ventures are both credible andworthy of funding. A long line of research on entrepreneurial impressionmanagement establishes that the ability to present their ventures in a favorable light is a key attribute of successful entrepreneurs. In this study, we examine the opposite side of the issue and test to determine if some entrepreneurs obscure corporate governance information.We create a newmetric tomeasure the level of camouflage used in governance documents for initial public offerings (IPOs). We find that entrepreneurs are less likely to use camouflage during periods of high scrutiny, as measured by …

The Comovement Of Investor Attention, Michael S. Drake, Darren T. Roulstone, Jared Jennings, Jacob Thornock

Faculty Publications

Prior literature has documented that investor attention and constraints on that attention are associated with the pricing of stocks. We introduce the concept of attention comovement, which is the extent to which investor attention for a firm is explained by attention paid to the firm’s industry and the market in general. We find that attention comovement is non-trivial for the average firm and is related to firm characteristics, such as size and visibility. We also find that the comovement of investor attention has market consequences, in that it is positively associated with excess stock return comovement. Finally, we show that …

Taking The Long Way Home: U.S. Tax Evasion And Offshore Investments In U.S. Equity And Debt Markets, Michelle Hanlon, Edward L. Maydew, Jacob Thornock

Faculty Publications

We empirically investigate one form of illegal investor-level tax evasion and its effect on foreign portfolio investment. In particular, we examine a form of round-tripping tax evasion in which U.S. individuals hide funds in entities located in offshore tax havens and then invest those funds in U.S. securities markets. Employing Becker’s (1968) economic theory of crime, we identify the tax evasion component by examining how foreign portfolio investment varies with changes in the incentives to evade and the risks of detection. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evidence of investorlevel tax evasion affecting cross-border equity and debt investment.

How Polymorphic Warnings Reduce Habituation In The Brain—Insights From An Fmri Study, Bonnie Brinton Anderson, C. Brock Kirwan, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, David Eargle, Seth Howard, Anthony Vance

Faculty Publications

Research on security warnings consistently points to habituation as a key reason why users ignore security warnings. However, because habituation as a mental state is difficult to observe, previous research has examined habituation indirectly by observing its influence on security behaviors. This study addresses this gap by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to open the “black box” of the brain to observe habituation as it develops in response to security warnings. Our results show a dramatic drop in the visual processing centers of the brain after only the second exposure to a warning, with further decreases with subsequent exposures. …

Does Microfinance Fill The Funding Gap For Microentrepreneurs? A Conceptual Analysis Of Entrepreneurship Seeding In Impoverished Nations, James C. Brau, Sunshine N. Cardell, Warner P. Woodworth

Faculty Publications

We address the role microfinance institutions (MFIs) play in funding entrepreneurial ventures and present a distinction between the types of entrepreneurs that seek MFI and traditional venture funding. We argue that microfinance can serve successfully as s eed financing for microentrepreneurs in under developed economies around the world. By comparing bootstrapping and private equity seed financing in developed economies to microfinance seed financing in impoverished economies, we show that the different ent repreneurial characteristics in the two economies have similar funding gaps but are solved with different sources of funding.

Short Sellers And The Informativeness Of Stock Prices With Respect To Future Earnings, Michael S. Drake, James N. Myers, Linda A. Myers, Michael D. Stuart

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we examine whether short interest improves the informativeness of stock prices with respect to future earnings. We find that short selling strengthens the relation between current returns and future earnings, especially in settings where short sellers are likely to possess an information advantage, such as when a firm’s information environment is weak or when analysts are highly optimistic about future earnings growth. Collectively, our results illustrate the important role that short sellers play in improving the extent to which current stock prices reflect information about future earnings and thus, in improving market efficiency.

The Effect Of Providing Peer Information On Retirement Savings Decisions, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Katherine L. Milkman

Faculty Publications

Using a field experiment in a 401(k) plan, we measure the effect of disseminating information about peer behavior on savings. Low-saving employees received simplified plan enrollment or contribution increase forms. A randomized subset of forms stated the fraction of age-matched coworkers participating in the plan or age-matched participants contributing at least 6% of pay to the plan. We document an oppositional reaction: the presence of peer information decreased the savings of nonparticipants who were ineligible for 401(k) automatic enrollment, and higher observed peer savings rates also decreased savings. Discouragement from upward social comparisons seems to drive this reaction.

Deception Is In The Eye Of The Communicator: Investigating Pupil Diameter Variations In Automated Deception Detection Interviews, Jeffrey G. Proudfoot, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Judee K. Burgoon, Jay F. Nunamaker Jr.

Faculty Publications

Deception is pervasive, often leading to adverse consequences for individuals, organizations, and society. Information systems researchers are developing tools and evaluating sensors that can be used to augment human deception judgments. One sensor exhibiting particular promise is the eye tracker. Prior work evaluating eye trackers for deception detection has focused on the detection and interpretation of brief eye behavior variations in response to stimuli (e.g., images) or interview questions. However, research is needed to understand how eye behaviors evolve over the course of an interaction with a deception detection system. Using latent growth curve modeling, we test how pupil diameter …

Fortifying Leisure: Adolescent Perspectives Of Family Leisure In Uganda, Rachel A. Mcgovern, Stacy Taniguchi, Julie M. Hite, Steven J. Hite, Mark A. Widmer, Christopher B. Mugimu, Yusuf K. Nsubuga

Faculty Publications

This study examined family leisure patterns and meanings of family leisure from the perspective of adolescents living in the Mukono District of Uganda. Sixty-eight secondary students were interviewed. Results indicate Ugandan adolescent definitions of leisure reflect leisure as free time and leisure as a means to an end. Students mentioned three primary family leisure outcomes (enjoyment/fun, personal development, and family development) that point toward a core theme. Fortifying describes the importance Ugandan youth place upon family leisure outcomes that strengthen the individual to overcome inevitable challenges they will face throughout their lives and enable them to succeed, especially through family …

Using Digital Learning Platforms To Extend The Flipped Classroom, Jonathan M. Balzotti, Lynn B. Mccool

Faculty Publications

Although digital environments already play a vital role in the flipped classroom model, this research project shows that in university writing classrooms, innovative content design and delivery systems can extend the walls of the classroom to areas beyond, in which students transfer and connect course content with the professional world. In this article, we describe the incorporation of video learning modules into three professional communication classrooms for just such a purpose.

Consumer Behavior Change At The Base Of The Pyramid: Bridging The Gap Between For-Profit And Social Responsibility Strategies, Lisa Jones Christensen, Enno Siemsen, Sridhar Balasubramanian

Faculty Publications

This longitudinal field experiment compares two different for-profit market entry strategies with a philanthropic strategy in terms of how each influences consumer behavior in base-of-the-pyramid communities. We analyze reactions to a water purification product offered at three price points (moderate discount, deep discount, and free) in rural Malawi. We find that those who paid the deeply discounted price remain more likely to re-obtain and use the product than do those who paid the moderate price or who took it for free.