Articles Published in 2024
Search by faculty:
(Alphabetical by Faculty Last Name)
"Entrepreneurial Mindset and Intentions for Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship in Engineering and Business Students"
Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy
Agnieszka Kwapisz · Professor of Management
Kregg Aytes · Professor of Management
Scott Bryant · Professor of Management
Co-author: Brock J. LaMeres; Montana State University
Abstract: With the shifting dynamics of the modern workforce, there is a growing recognition of the essential role that an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) plays in shaping future innovators, notably within engineering disciplines. Despite the acknowledged significance of EM, there remains a gap in understanding how it relates to entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial intentions (E/II). This research investigates the link between EM and E/II among business and engineering students. We also analyze how EM changes over time. Our findings indicate that in both domains, ideation correlated with entrepreneurial intentions (EI) and intrapreneurial intentions (II). In both domains, altruism was associated with II. Empathy and interest were related to EI in engineering students, distinct from their business counterparts, whereas open-mindedness and interest correlated with II. These differences emphasize the need for distinct educational strategies to prepare both business and engineering students for their entrepreneurial paths.
"Words That Resonate: Synthesizng Insights From Engineering Faculty Collaboration on Entrepreneurial Mindset"
IEEE Transactions on Education, volume 67, issue 5
Agnieszka Kwapisz · Professor of Management
Co-author: Brock J. LaMeres; Montana State University
Abstract: Contribution: This study synthesizes insights into the thematic focuses and linguistic attributes that resonate most in engineering faculty collaborations aimed at fostering entrepreneurial mindsets (EMs). It provides a roadmap for educators and institutions to effectively communicate and encourage entrepreneurial thinking in engineering. Background: Amid the heightened emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking in engineering education, understanding the factors that resonate with faculty is pivotal for informing curriculum development, aligning with global trends, and optimizing the preparedness of engineering graduates. Research Questions: 1) What elements of the EM are most frequently emphasized by faculty in their shared educational content? 2) What aspects of the EM resonate most with academic faculty? and 3) How do these relations differ in the electrical or computer engineering disciplines compared to other engineering fields? Methodology: A comprehensive analysis of educational resources shared by faculty on EM was conducted. The study used text analytics to assess engagement metrics, such as views, shares, favorites, and downloads. The data were analyzed using Stata. Findings: Faculty engagement strongly resonates with the three core components of the EM: Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value, often emphasized in their shared educational content. Specifically, the “Creating Value” component emerged as the most significant across most engagement measures, with nuanced variations in the electrical and computer engineering disciplines.
"Minding the abstraction gap: approaches supporting implementation"
System Dynamics Review, volume 40, issue 4
Laura Black · Professor of Management
Co-author: Donald R. Greer
Abstract: Regardless of insights gained from building and analyzing dynamic models, the only strategies people can act on are those in their heads. The strategies people internalize are related to their perceived capacities to act—the verbs they believe they can do. If we want others to implement model-informed policies, then we must connect model abstractions with new situated, concrete actions stakeholders can take. We can emphasize opportunities to act with SD representations, navigating levels of abstraction cleanly, identifying flows as verbs, and choosing variable names that signal who is acting. By drawing on social-science theories as we offer our grammar of accumulations, activities, and relationships in the language of actions accessible to stakeholders, we help connect experiential understandings to richer, dynamic explanations people can internalize and so discover situated steps to implement policies informed by modeling.
"Reflecting on Zagonel's dichotomy of microworlds and boundary objects"
System Dynamics Review, volume 40, issue 4
Laura Black · Professor of Management
Abstract: Aldo Zagonel's distinction between “microworld” and “boundary object” approaches to modeling suggests we ask ourselves pointed questions about what we are valuing, under what conditions, as we involve stakeholders with system dynamics representations. Reflecting on developments in both participatory modeling and large system simulations, I propose that Zagonel's dichotomous descriptions lie along a continuum, with room for scholars and practitioners to explore more explicitly the multiple ways we adapt system dynamics methods to the needs and capacities of the stakeholders with whom we are working at that time. Regardless of approach, whether simulation models or causal diagrams, modifiable in the moment or fixed by design, the goal of using system dynamics representations remains focused on fostering intelligent action among the stakeholders facing the problem of focus.
"Measures and Metrics of ML Data and Models to Assure Reliable and Safe Systems"
2024 Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS)
Shane Hall · Assistant Professor of Management
Co-authors: Benjamin D. Werner, Benjamin J. Schumeg, Jon Vigil, Benjamin G. Thengvall,
Mikel D. Petty
Abstract: This paper is an exploration of the research and development conducted by OptTek and UAH within the framework of how it may be applied to the assurance of systems to be developed by the US Army and augment practices in reliability and safety.
"Inferred attractiveness gravity-based models for estimating realized access at rural hospitals"
Journal of the Operational Research Society
Sean Harris · Assistant Professor of Management
Andreas Thorsen · Associate Professor of Management
Co-author: Maggie L. Thorsen, Montana State University
Co-author: Ronald G. McGarvey, University of Missouri
Abstract: Operating obstetric units in rural America is financially challenging in part due to low birth volume. Birth volume at a hospital decreases when birthers bypass it to go to a farther hospital. Beyond financial considerations, it is important from a healthcare equity perspective for hospitals to know whether certain subgroups of birthers avoid utilizing the hospital’s services. This can better inform resource allocation decisions targeting those subgroups. In this paper, we use a nonlinear programming optimization model, inferred attractiveness gravity-based model (GBM), to estimate realized access to obstetric care at hospitals in Montana. We compare three variations of GBM and benchmark our results to a regression-based conditional logit model. Results indicate that hospital attractiveness varies across the level of obstetric care provided and depends on the subgroup of birthers considered. While all GBMs produced smaller errors for hospitals with higher birth volumes, our novel variant was more accurate for low-volume hospitals. Bootstrapping analyses and resolving the models for population subgroups indicated large variations in hospital attractiveness. Research findings contribute to new knowledge about equity in access to obstetric care, the importance of considering population heterogeneity in GBMs, and the benefit of using hospital demand-based thresholds for GBMs in rural settings.
"How Index Fund Ownership and Earnings Guidance Frequency Influence Managerial Myopia"
Behavioral Research in Accounting, volume 40, issue 4
Brad Kamrath · Assistant Professor of Accounting
Co-authors: Brian T. Gale, Stephanie M. Grant, Frank D. Hodge; University of Washington
Abstract: Managerial myopia imposes significant costs on firms, stakeholders, and the overall economy. Research suggests that both a firm’s shareholder base and the frequency of its earnings guidance influence myopia. Shareholder bases have undergone significant changes in recent years as index fund ownership supplants long-term shareholder ownership, yet it is unclear how the growth of index funds affects managerial myopia. We experimentally examine how index fund ownership influences managers’ myopia, and how these effects vary based on firms’ earnings guidance frequency. Consistent with prior research, results show that the likelihood of myopic decision-making increases as earnings guidance frequency increases. Results also show that the likelihood of myopic decision-making increases as index funds replace long-term shareholders, but only for managers who provide frequent earnings guidance. Our results suggest that eliminating frequent earnings guidance to help curtail myopia may become even more important as index fund ownership grows and supplants long-term shareholder ownership.
"The Performance of Options-Based Investment Strategies: Evidence for Individual Stocks from 2004-2019"
The Journal of Derivatives, volume 32, issue 1, p. 32-62
Zhuo Li · Assistant Professor of Finance
Co-author: Michael L. Hemler, University of Notre Dame
Co-author: Thomas W. Miller Jr., Mississippi State University
Abstract: Using data from January 2004 through November 2019, we examine the relative performance of four options-based investment strategies versus a buy-and-hold strategy in the underlying stock. Specifically, using 10 stocks widely held in 401(k) plans, we examine monthly returns from strategies that include a long stock position as one component. Ignoring early exercises for simplicity, we find that the covered combination and covered call strategies generally outperform the long stock strategy, which in turn generally outperform the collar and protective put strategies, regardless of the performance measure considered. The outperformance of the covered combination was smallest in the 2015–2019 subperiod. These results also hold for equally-weighted and value-weighted portfolios constructed from the 10 individual stocks. Our findings suggest that options-based strategies can improve the risk-return characteristics of a long equity portfolio.
"Consumer fantasies, feelings, fun..., and death? How mortality salience invokes consumers' fantastical thoughts about luxury products"
Journal of Consumer Behavior
Omar Shehryar · Professor of Marketing
Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that the salience of one's mortality can influence the consumption of luxury goods because the higher monetary value of luxury goods pads one's self-esteem which in turn assuages fear aroused by death thought accessibility. The present research presents an alternative explanation for this relationship by exploring the role of fantasy in the relationship between mortality salience and the preference for luxury goods. In four studies, we consistently find that consumers demonstrate a greater preference for luxury goods when their mortality is made salient (vs. control condition). In study 2, we extend previous research by utilizing fantasy engagement to demonstrate that increased preference for luxury goods following mortality salience is constructed through engagement in fantastical thinking. In study 3, we use fantasy proneness as an individual difference variable to show that together, a heightened awareness of mortality and a greater capacity for fantastical thinking lead to a greater preference for luxury goods. Finally, in study 4 we rule out alternative explanatory variables such as materialism and status-based consumption to demonstrate that fantastical thinking mediates the relationship between death anxiety and evaluation of luxury goods whereas materialism and status-based consumption do not elicit the same effect. Based on our findings we conclude that when existential concerns are activated, luxury goods allow for greater fantasy engagement than non-luxury goods and that greater fantasy engagement increases preference for luxury goods. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.
"Dishing Up Morality: How Chefs Account for Gratuity"
Journal of Business Ethics
Omar Shehryar · Professor of Marketing
Abstract: This study delves into the intricate world of tipping, examining how restaurant chefs and chef-owners account for and morally justify this practice. While previous research has paved the way for understanding several of the nuances of tipping in the dining experience, little attention has been given to chefs’ perspectives on its moral dimensions. In today’s evolving restaurant dining landscape, tipping practices have become increasingly contentious. Therefore, it is imperative to grasp the ethical intricacies of tipping experiences, as they hold significant implications for social and economic interactions. This study focuses on interviews with culinary artisans—the masterminds behind the dining experience, including executive chefs, chef-owners, sous chefs, chefs de cuisine, private chefs, and pop-up chefs. Through these conversations, we explore the moral justifications for tipping, unintended consequences that arise, and the advent of tip coercion. Our findings shed light on the moral reasoning and ethical dynamics behind tipping practices. These findings offer a foundation for shaping theoretical frameworks, informing practical solutions, and guiding policy decisions in this complex realm.
"Does The Adoption of Ixbrl Improve Data Usability? Evidence from Future Earnings Response Coefficients (Fercs)"
SSRN
Yimei Zhang · Assistant Professor of Accounting
Co-author: Yuxin Shan
Abstract: This paper examines how the adoption of iXBRL affects future earnings response coefficients (FERCs), which measure investors’ ability to predict future performance and impound the prediction into the current-year stock price. By following the research design of Ettredge, Kwon, Smith, and Zarowin (2005) and Kim, Kim, and Lim (2019), we find that the adoption of iXBRL is positively associated with FERCs. This finding indicates that investors can better anticipate the future performance from iXBRL filings and reflect it on the current stock price. We also find that the number of standardized and extension tags can strengthen the association between iXBRL adoption and FERCs, demonstrating the benefit of those two tags in enhancing investors’ capabilities to analyze complex financial disclosures. Our findings are informative to the SEC regarding the effectiveness of the iXBRL mandate. We also contribute to the emerging literature on iXBRL adoption and the usability of iXBRL filings.
