Research Newsletter September 2022

School of Business Research Newsletter

ISSUE 2 – SEPTEMBER 2022

For this second issue, we would like to share some of the our faculty achievements and also provide information on the upcoming BERC activities and events.

The BERC team: Nava Cohen (Accounting), Serdar Yayla (Marketing), Lauren Johnson (Management), Jorge Medina (Economics), and Li Xu (Finance).

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Dr. Lauren Johnson

Dr. Lauren Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Management Department at ��ɫ�� where she teaches business and sports management related courses. She joins the School of Business from the University of Georgia where she completed her Ph.D. in Sports Management and Policy. Her research is at the intersection of consumer behavior and marketing strategy with an emphasis on women’s sports, professional sports business development, and fan engagement. Since 2019, Dr. Lauren has developed and taught courses in sponsorship, sports management and management analytics. Her focus as a faculty member in the Management Department is in building out the sports management concentration in order to provide students with an opportunity to develop the management skills needed to work in the sports industry. Dr. Lauren is a native of Cairo, Georgia. She holds an M.S. in Sports Administration and B.S in Marketing Management, both from Hampton University. Prior to academia, she enjoyed a career as a youth sport program director and worked for several professional sport organizations in community relations. Athletically, Dr. Lauren played basketball professionally in Tordera, Spain and played at Hampton University and Darton College.

What is your favorite thing about working at NJCU?

��ɫ�� has brought a great sense of community to my life. The faculty and staff who work at NJCU believe in its mission and go above and beyond for the students they serve. I feel blessed to be in a position here where I can grow as an academic and as a person while serving as a mentor to students. I have been blessed to teach students at this University who are leaders, work in family-owned businesses, and have the responsibilities of many working adults. They have helped me raise my standard in facilitating a learning environment that is relevant to their career aspirations. This University allows for a great sense of community through athletic competitions, the arts, academic showcases and everything in between. I feel that God brought me to this University to help students grow into their dream careers, and for me to grow as a person who seeks value in serving others. I love the freedom to teach relevant material that students will need to be successful, while also exploring my own interests that help inform my teaching and research.

Tell me about your specific field of research.

My core research interests are in marketing and management strategy in professional sport organizations. I have had the opportunity to write a book and several book chapters on the consumer behavior of sports fans and fan engagement. Within this focus, I conduct studies in determining product satisfaction and motivation for consuming women’s professional sports.

Another area of focus of mine is in business development strategy within sport organizations. I have recently given international lectures on my research that discusses the integration of Web 3.0 (Metaverse, Crypto, NFT’s, and Digital Tokens) and fan engagement for revenue generation.

When did you know you wanted to pursue an academic career (in sport management)?

I feel that one of the things that God put me on this earth to do is to teach. Whether it is through academia, as a tutor, or a coach, I have always gravitated towards opportunities to help facilitate knowledge. As a college athlete, I was a business tutor for other student athletes. While working through my PhD and playing basketball overseas, I taught English on the side to make extra money. I spent the early part of my post-athletic career using this gift to build a sports coaching business. However, through the unique experience of being both a student and an instructor during the Covid-19 Pandemic, I saw an academic career in a different light. While sports were shut down, I really gravitated towards academia, and helping students find ways to solve problems and create innovation during this time of uncertainty. Throughout all of my experiences in athletics, I felt that teaching courses in sports management and business provided the most synergy within my expertise as a young professional.

If you weren't in academia you might be...

Being in academia provides me with the opportunity to pursue many of my passions within business, storytelling, and in the sports industry as a whole. However, in the future, I can see myself in a private equity firm that invests in professional sport organizations and leagues.

Dr. Zui Chih (Rick) Lee

Dr. Zui Chih (Rick) Lee joined NJCU in 2016 as an Associate Professor of Marketing. He primarily teaches digital marketing and global marketing strategy at both MBA and undergraduate levels. Dr. Lee was a tenured professor from Susquehanna University (AACSB) in Pennsylvania, where he received the Outstanding Research and Service Award and the Teaching Innovation and Excellence Award. He is a dedicated and passionate educator, particularly in the field of marketing. As an immigrant from Taiwan, he was the first in his family to receive a college degree. Dr. Lee received his Ph.D. degree in Consumer and Retailing at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Dr. Lee enjoys meeting new people from around the world and learning about different cultures. In turn, his passion lies in global marketing and hopes to inspire his students to broaden their horizons. Dr. Lee enjoys interacting with students and listening to their ideas. He intentionally designs his courses to equip the students with stackable marketing credentials, such as Google Adwords Certifications (Search advertising, Display advertising, Mobile Advertising, Video and Shopping Advertising). Since 2020, 90% of the students in Dr. Lee’s Digital Marketing class received the Google Adwords Certificate.

Have you noticed any differences in the students over the years?

College life today is drastically different from my time. For example, classrooms have changed significantly not only in the past decade but also in the past five years. Smart platforms, laptops, and digital devices now dominate the classroom landscape. Faculty’s teaching approach altered and is technologically adapting to learners’ behavior. More students simultaneously work and attend college to pursue their career aspirations. Post COVID-19, students are overwhelmed by the amount of new and existing information. As a faculty member, I try to keep current on the latest technologies, so I can support our students to access knowledge effectively. Not surprisingly, the added pressure of balancing work and school has increased the demand for flexible learning options. I would encourage our students to navigate through the challenges and persevere. The experience that we gain from overcoming obstacles is priceless. I noticed that dedicating my time to support students’ learning is critical in enabling their academic success.

What is your research about? Why are these projects important to you?

My research focuses on online/mobile decision behavior. I published in various business & marketing journals, including Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, International Journal of Wine Business Research, Organization and Environment; Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal. I co-authored the book “Successful Technological Integration for Competitive Advantage in Retail Settings” by contributing to a chapter titled Radical and Incremental Innovation Effectiveness in Relation to Market Orientation in the Retail Industry-Triggers, Drivers and Supporters. The chapter reached 6,000 reads on Research Gate, and addresses retailing innovation effectiveness in relation to market orientation. I also co-authored the book, “Capacity Building in Developing and Emerging Countries: From Mindset Transformation to Promoting Entrepreneurship and Diaspora Involvement” by writing the chapter titled Promoting Grassroots Entrepreneurship for Developmental Capacity Building in the Horn of Africa. Recently, I have been working on product platform strategy via business-to-business platform ecosystems and studying the contingent factors and the impact with the high-tech companies. This research may help guide decision makers in identifying appropriate innovation activities to enhance product platform strategies.

Looking back at your college years, what was your favorite class?

My favorite class during my college years was Global Marketing. We learned the diverse preferences of consumers around the world and how they react to companies’ strategies in product, price, place and promotion. It is fascinating to learn how drivers of consumer behaviors can widely vary from different parts of the world.

If you weren't in academia, you might be...

If I was not in academia, I would find a nice and quiet town to open a small ice-cream shop. I can interact with my consumers and learn their preferences during the day, while serving all sorts of ice cream flavors. As quoted in one of my favorite movies, “Life was like a box of chocolates -You never know what you’re going to get.” Hard work and practice carpe diem, I will enjoy all the mysteries life brings!

Spring & Summer 2022 SOB Faculty Publications

ECONOMICS

Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association – LACEA, Spring 2022
Pablo Garofalo and Jorge Streb

IADB: Inter-American Development Bank, August 2022
Matías Busso, Julian Cristia, Pablo Garofalo, and Julián Messina

FINANCE

International Journal of Data and Network Science, April 2022
Hammouri, Q., Altaher, A., Al-Gasawneh, J., Ahmad Rabaa'i, Aloqool, A., and Khataybeh, H.

MANAGEMENT

IS RESPONSIVE AND ADAPTIVE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING POSSIBLE OR IS THIS DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Recreating Multi-Campus University Systems: Transformations for a Future Reality. James R. Johnsen, Editor. Baltimore Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, Forthcoming 2022

IDENTIFYING SUITABLE SOLID WASTE LANDFILL SITES USING SPATIAL MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS
The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management, May 2022
Hina, Syeda Mahlaqa; Szmerekovsky, Joseph; EunSu Lee; Amin, Muhammad; Arooj, Syeda

STRATEGIC PORT MANAGEMENT BY CONSOLIDATING CONTAINER TERMINALS
The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, March 2022
GeunSub Kim, EunSu Lee and BoKyung Kim

MARKETING

Journal of Retailing, June 2022
Prashanth Ravula, Subhash Jha, and Abhijit Biswas

Journal of Marketing Analytics, May 2022
Prashanth Ravula

MONETARY AND HASSLE SAVINGS AS STRATEGIC VARIABLES IN THE RIDE-SHARING MARKET
Research in Transportation Economics, March 2022
Prashanth Ravula

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, July 2022
Wang, C. H., Chang, C. H., & Zui Chih Rick Lee

Awards & Recognitions of SOB Faculty

Finance professors Ahmad A. Rabaa’i, , and have received the Best Paper Award for their article “A Neural Network Approach to Examine the Continuous Usage of Mobile Food Delivery Apps” during the 2nd International Business Analytics Conference, which was held on April 9, 2022 in Mumbai (India).

’s (Marketing) paper “” was listed in Timoumi et al. (2022) as the only article supporting research “Insight R5.9: Coupons that are redeemable across multiple channels have asymmetric cross-effects depending on the channel where coupon is offered.” This paper was also listed and discussed in detail in Schrotenboer et al. (2022) as an example of pricing promotion strategy in omni-channel retailing.

SOB Faculty in the Media

Daniel J. Julius has published the article “Can Collective Bargaining be Improved?” in Change: the Magazine of Higher Education. Please find below the key takeaways of his article:

At its core, collective bargaining often reflects the use of power and influence, including communication focused on changing people’s opinions, leverage, and counterleverage.
Collective bargaining can be used to facilitate meaningful change.
Recommendations for improving the bargaining process and resulting outcomes are rooted in inclusivity and transparency, both of which facilitate the trust necessary for effective cooperation.
These recommendations address who should be involved and which activities should be included in the process, with a specific focus on the role of academic leaders.

Our Spring 2022 Events

Gothic Research Seminars
During Spring 2022, professors (Marketing), (Accounting), Gita Sharma (Management) and (Management) presented their research in the Gothic Research Seminar Series. These seminars aim to enhance intellectual exchange among faculty and students by providing a forum to discuss research on business-related topics.

Dr. Serdar Yayla is an Assistant Professor in the Marketing Department at the NJCU School of Business. His research interests are brand management, quality management, market entry, digital marketing and entrepreneurial marketing. On February 25, 2022, Dr. Yayla presented his paper ““The impact of demographic similarity on customers in a service setting “in which he examines how the demographic (age, race, gender, and income) similarity of other consumers in a service setting impacts one’s attitude and behavior. His analysis of a large database suggests that age, gender and income similarity between the focal customer and other customers increases intention to return. However, race and gender similarity among customers decreases customer expenditure.

Dr. Helikum is an Assistant Professor in theAccounting Department at the NJCU School of Business and currently teaches mainly data-focused accounting courses. His research explores the judgment and decision-making of individuals in various accounting and business settings, primarily through a behavioral lens and often employing an experimental methodology. Professor Gita Sharma was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management. On March 25, 2022, they presented a joint-project “Expanding Access to Government Exchanges: A Proposal to Address Health Care Affordability”. The two authors document some of the particular challenges of shifting increased costs to employees and families, and propose expanded access to government health insurance Exchanges as an effective strategy for cost control and quality improvements.

Dr. Daniel J. Julius, former Provost and Senior Vice President at NJCU, is a Professor of Management at the School of Business, and a Visiting Fellow at the School of Management at Yale University. Dr. Daniel J. Julius is a recognized expert in the areas of labor management relations, collective negotiations, human resource management and conflict resolution. On April 19, 2022, Dr. Julius presented his paper “LEADING AND MANAGING AMERICAN MUSEUMS IN TURBULANT TIMES” in which he highlights institutional, demographic, and organizational factors that inhibit or promote effective management and leadership practices, particularly in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. Over 45 Museum CEOs were interviewed including those from many of the major museums in the US.

10th Business Student Research Showcase
15 students presented their research projects during the 10th iteration of the Business Student Research Showcase held virtually on May 13, 2022. Marketing major Jonathan Santos won first place in the analytics track with his project titled “Why Retail Customers Hesitant ��ɫ�� Shopping In-person During COVID.” Jonathan worked alongside Dr. Rick Lee (Marketing), who served as his adviser. Management majors Valerie Suga-Morales and Jennifer Alvarado won second place with their project titled “Forecasting Sales of Starbucks Mobile Order App: A Case Study.” Dr. EunSu Lee (Management) was Valeria and Jennifer’s adviser.

In the qualitative research track, management major Ayaa Elayyan won first place and marketing and psychology double major Brieanna Lemus won second place. Both students presented integrated marketing communication plans for a small business founded by an NJCU alumnus Dr. Kathleen Rennie (Marketing) served as adviser for both, Ayaa and Brieanna.

Jonathan Santos (Analytics track: 1st place) presented his project “Why do Retail Customer Hesitate for Shopping In-person during COVID?” His study examined retail consumers' multichannel shopping preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan collected data through a survey using Qualtrics in April 2022 with a total of 58 valid responses. He shows that shopping convenience and customer satisfaction present a higher correlation with purchase intention through the online channel than in-person. However, service quality has a more significant correlation with purchase intention through the in-person channel than online. The results of this study provide insights for firms to optimize their shopping channels strategy.

Ayaa Elayyan (Qualitative track: 1st place) and Brienna Lemus (Qualitative track: 2nd place) projects involved Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) plans for Arielita's Bakery to help this business achieve both its business and communication goals. The small business specializes in customizable home-made baked goods.

Valerie Suga-Morales and Jennifer Alvarado (Analytics track: 2nd place) presented their project “Forecasting Sales of Starbucks Mobile Order App: A Case Study.” The objective of this study is to collect data on Starbucks consumers, more specifically on the individuals who use the Starbucks mobile app compared to in-store purchases.

Congratulations to the winners and to all the students who competed in the Business Student Research Showcase!

Save the Date for Our Upcoming Events

Next Gothic Research Seminar – Friday, September 30 at 2:00 PM
The Gothic Research Seminars are held online every month throughout the year and are open to NJCU faculty, staff and students, and others by invitation.

On September 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM, we will hold our first seminar of the Fall 2022, featuring a presentation from Dr. Geeta Nair, visiting professor in the Economics department. Dr. Nair has been Professor and Head of Department of Business Economics at H. R. College of Commerce & Economics for over three decades. During her S.I.R. Fulbright Fellowship for four months at NJCU, she will start a new course on the Indian Economy, and enrich the existing Economics syllabi by covering the developing countries perspective. She will also conduct research in the area of “Cost-Benefit Analysis of Online Learning in nHigher Education in the US-Learning Lessons for India.”

We hope to see you all! Flyer with Zoom invitation will be sent via email.

Fall 2022 Business Student Research Showcase – Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 2:00 PM.

The Business and Economics Research Committee is pleased to invite students to participate in the 11th Business Research Showcase Competition. This competition offers undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge and present their research.

This Fall the event will be held in person at the SoB in a HyFlex room and will include both an oral presentation competition and a poster competition.

This event is also a great opportunity for students to participate in an extra-curricular activity that will highlight their academic and professional acumen for future employment opportunities or academic endeavors.

A formal call for participation will be distributed via email in Fall 2022. For additional information, students may refer to the Business Student Research Showcase website

Please send faculty achievements at ncohen@njcu.edu to be featured in the next newsletter.

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