It’s said in the academic world that professors live and die by their research. We’re pleased to report that many at the Marriott School are thriving. Regular publishing in some of the industry’s top journals has put them on the leading edge of business and made some stars in their fields.
One interesting note is that Marriott School professors are the third most-published group in the prestigious Harvard Business Review. Here’s a taste of some of the research that’s creating a buzz around water coolers in the Tanner Building.
1. Consumer Confusion
At the crossroads of marketing, psychology, and law, professors Eric DeRosia and Glenn Christensen’s work in Psychology and Marketing argues that if a large company extends its brand to a new product, the brand confusion for the new product which shares the same name—will increase. Consumers subconsciously categorize each product and brand they see, which makes them vulnerable to source confusion—being unsure about a product’s maker.
2. Developing Teens’ Identities
Recreation management professors Mark Widmer, Stacy Taniguchi, and Mat Duerden consider the structure of programs that help teens establish identities. Published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, the professors created a framework describing what helps teens develop: new experiences, challenges, and supportive relationships.
3. Creating Processes
Information systems professor Anthony Vance co-authored an article in Communications of the Association for Information Systems on the option of using a moldable, team-oriented model for establishing software development processes. They suggest combining the fluidity of new products and developments with established processes.
4. Developing Quality Employees
In an article published in the Journal of Management, strategy professor David Kryscynski and his co-author, Russell Coff, find ways to attract, retain, and motivate talented employees. Their research builds on the principle that well-developed human capital leads to a sustained competitive advantage.
5. Defining Liquidity
Liquidity matters, writes finance professor Hal Heaton in “Liquidity and the Value of a Business,” published in Business and Economy. Since the 1980s, money in retirement funds has risen from less than $1 trillion to more than $14 trillion. The recent economic crisis made liquid securities illiquid and proved that liquidity is most crucial in bad markets, which is when it is hardest to get.
6. Changing the Role of Auditors
The work of auditors is getting more difficult, argue accounting professors Steve Glover and David Wood in their article published in Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory. To close the gap between financial expectations and reality, they suggest a series of changes to reporting and standards, designed to make a difficult job easier.
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By Michelle Kaiser