The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University has established an active center of intellectual and scholarly pursuit through the annual Research Seminar Series. This endeavor serves as an important outlet for the institution’s research faculty to communicate their work in progress as it celebrates and promotes dialogue and strengthens collaboration in the academic world. The series this year consisted of twelve different seminars and covered an impressive range of issues that are important for the development of the business world.
The Potential Evolution of Business Research
As Jennifer Siemens, the Associate Dean of Faculty Excellence, pointed out, the participants from the seminar series were able to appreciate “a valuable glimpse into the exciting work happening across departments.” Moreover, she stated that such seminar series brings awareness, connections, and improves the overall research culture within the Powers College of Business. This was further supported by Acting Associate Dean of Research Scott Baier, who recognized the importance of interdisciplinary education. “The seminar series offered faculty from across departments a valuable opportunity to learn about each other’s research—what questions colleagues are exploring and the data and modern tools they are using to answer them. It also fostered new connections among faculty who might not have otherwise discovered their shared research interests.”
Analyzing Leadership and Diversity: Recent Trends
The range of research coverage was very comprehensive across business disciplines. From the Department of Finance, Daniel Greene examined the consequences of California legislation mandating increased female participation on corporate boards. The assessment indicated that while female directors increased in number, their qualifications and market reactions aligned with control groups indicating that increased gender diversity does not guarantee a decline in the level of director quality.
Pravin Nath from the Department of Marketing investigated the influence of top management teams, especially the Chief Marketing Officer, on the effectiveness of Chief Sustainability Officers. His research suggest that TMT constituents who are trained in marketing facilitate the enhancement of corporate sustainability by CSOS during conditions of high discretion and role customization.
Tools of Economic Analysis: Sharpening Research Precision
David Drukker from John E. Walker Department of Economics spoke to researchers from various disciplines and aimed at improving their appreciation of econometric theory in relation to ‘real’ data set, showcasing its impact on ‘real world’ scenarios. This particular session gave participants immense knowledge pertaining to conducting substantive or authoritative research.
Human Capital and Organizational Behavior: The Dual Complexity of Turnover and Illness
The human element in business was equally important. Nancy Harp and Derek Dalton from the School of Accountancy shared their study on public accounting turnover. They analyzed the impact of the pull phase of the exit on the ex-employee’s willingness to assist the firm’s post-exit. From within the School of Accountancy, Babak Mammadov examined the extent to which employment-based health coverage impacts the quality of financial reporting, concluding that enhanced health insurance coverage correlates to improved financial accountability.
Harnessing ‘The Power of Technology’’: Cybersecurity and AI’s Influence
There was considerable technology-related emphasis during his business presentations. He Li from the Department of Management reviewed three case studies from the same firm, focusing on how investments in cybersecurity affect the firm’s exposure to breaches in the information age. Also, Michael Giebelhausen from the Department of Marketing presented excerpts from projects studying AI and its effect on customer service encounters and student interactions, looking at technology’s impact on the overall experience.
Market Efficiency through Strategic Choice
Lily Shen from Department of Finance presented her co-authored work on real estate transactions, shedding light on agents’ productivity and flat-fee brokers’ practices. Also, in the Department of Finance, Ernesto Aldana looked at the term structure of lease rates, explaining the rental market’s risks and returns, and quantifying them.
The Bigger Picture: Performance – Social Impact
Paul Wilson from the John E. Walker Department of Economics discussed his co-authored paper ‘A Generalized Hyperbolic Distance Function for Benchmarking Performance Across Varied Settings’ during the seminar, while Serkan Akturk from the Department of Management looked into the analysis of media coverage of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) breaches and its impact on the consumer’s buying decision. Erin Hawkins from the School of Accountancy presented a qualitative project on stress and coping in auditors. Benjamin Grant from the Department of Management examined the effect of the family medicine office integration with hospital campuses on emergency department patient traffic. Labor supply under pension eligibility rules was the focus of research presented by Jonathan Leganza from Walker’s Economics Department.
Final Statement: An Ecosystem of Intellectual Instinct
The Research Seminar Series at Clemson’s Powers College of Business featured seminars that further sociological development through nurturing the intellects of the faculty and other Joind World scholars, thus, enhancing multidisciplinary based research toward applied business principles. Such initiative nurtures expected civilization societal advancement through widening the gap between a growing body of orthodoxy and a rapidly evolving world.
