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1 – 10 of 73Jeffrey W. Alstete and Nicholas J. Beutell
The purpose of this study is to analyze learning assurance measures derived from a business simulation as part of capstone business strategy courses delivered via distance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze learning assurance measures derived from a business simulation as part of capstone business strategy courses delivered via distance learning (DL) compared to traditional classroom (on-ground [OG]) delivery modes using experiential learning theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 595 undergraduate capstone business students from 21 course sections taught over a four-year period in a medium-sized private master’s level college is investigated. Variables included learning assurance measures from a competitive online simulation (GLO-BUS), gender, business degree major, capstone course grades and cumulative grade point averages. The analytic strategy included correlations, linear regressions, multiple regressions and multivariate analyses of variance.
Findings
Results reveal that there are significant differences in learning assurance report (LAR) scores, gender differences and differences between academic majors based on delivery mode (OG versus DL). Simulation performance was higher for DL students, although the relationship between simulation performance and final course grades was not significantly different for OG and DL cohorts.
Research limitations/implications
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, implications for courses, programs, curricula and learning assessment are considered. The strengths (actual performance measures) and potential limitations (e.g. possible deficiency of measures) of LAR scores are discussed.
Originality/value
This research compares OG and DL modes for strategic management course outcomes using direct assessments, including simulation learning assurance measures, student characteristics, capstone course grades and student grade point averages.
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Nicholas J. Beutell, Jeffrey W. Alstete, Joy A. Schneer and Camille Hutt
The purpose of this paper is to test a model predicting self-employment (SE) personal growth (learning opportunities and creativity) and SE exit intentions (exiting to work for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test a model predicting self-employment (SE) personal growth (learning opportunities and creativity) and SE exit intentions (exiting to work for someone else and exit likelihood) based on the job demands-resources model.
Design/methodology/approach
SEM was used to examine SE demands and resources, strain, and engagement predicting growth, exit intentions, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. SE type (owners with employees and independent owners without employees) was a moderator variable. Data were analyzed from a national probability sample (n=464 self-employed respondents for whom SE was their primary work involvement), the National Study of the Changing Workforce.
Findings
Overall support for the model was found. Work–family conflict (demand) and work–family synergy (resource) had the strongest relationships with strain and engagement. Strain was positively related to both growth and exit intentions while engagement was inversely related to exit intentions but positively related to growth. The model was significantly different for business owners and independently self-employed.
Practical implications
These results provide guidance to researchers and educators regarding the challenges of self- employment engagement and strain with implications for selecting business types that minimize exit likelihood while maximizing work engagement and personal growth potential.
Originality/value
This study breaks new ground by testing a structural model of engagement and growth for self-employed individuals while also investigating two types of exit intentions. The authors report findings for growth and exit decisions that have received scant attention in the literature to date. Type of SE was a significant variable.
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Jeffrey W. Alstete and Nicholas J. Beutell
This study aims to consider assurance of learning among undergraduate business students enrolled in capstone business strategy courses using the GLO-BUS competitive simulation…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to consider assurance of learning among undergraduate business students enrolled in capstone business strategy courses using the GLO-BUS competitive simulation. Gender, academic major and business core course performance were examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were 595 undergraduate capstone business students from 21 course sections taught over a four-year period. Variables included learning assurance measures, simulation performance, gender, major, business core course grades, capstone course grade and cumulative grade point average. Correlations, linear regression, multiple regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Learning assurance report scores were strongly related to simulation performance. Simulation performance was related to capstone course grade, which, in turn, was significantly related to the grade point average (GPA). Core business courses were related to learning assurance and performance indicators. Significant differences for gender and degree major were found for academic performance measures. Women and men did not differ in simulation performance.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the use of one simulation (GLO-BUS) and studying students at one university taught by one professor. Assurance of learning measures needs further study as factors in business program evaluation. Future research should analyze post-graduate performance and career achievements in relation to assurance of learning outcomes.
Originality/value
This study conducts empirical analyses of simulation learning that focuses entirely on direct measures, including student characteristics (gender, major), learning assurance measures, business core course grades, capstone course grades and student GPAs.
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Jeffrey W. Alstete, John P. Meyer and Nicholas J. Beutell
This paper aims to explore the importance of tailored faculty development for neurodiverse business educators. It focuses on how specialized support can enhance research output…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the importance of tailored faculty development for neurodiverse business educators. It focuses on how specialized support can enhance research output, teaching effectiveness and service contributions within the academic community.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper’s conceptual approach uses elements of autoethnography to inform and support prior theoretical and empirical work. An explication of how neurodiversity can be integrated into faculty development efforts is presented with emphasis on individualized support systems, empathetic mentorship and customized teaching and research support strategies to leverage often unrecognized abilities.
Findings
The research identifies that neuroatypical faculty possess certain strengths such as heightened problem-solving skills and attention to detail, which, when supported, can significantly enrich the academic environment. However, there is a lack of targeted support mechanisms for, and general awareness of, these faculty. The paper proposes modifications to existing faculty development activities, emphasizing general and individualized approaches to better harness the talents of neurodiverse educators.
Practical implications
Implementing the proposed strategies will foster an inclusive educational atmosphere while enhancing academic creativity, innovation and productivity. This approach also aligns with important trends in diversity and inclusion, promoting a more equitable and dynamic academic environment.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the field by extending the discourse on neurodiversity in higher education beyond student-focused initiatives to include faculty development. It provides actionable strategies to create inclusive environments that leverage the cognitive strengths of neurodiverse faculty, a relatively unexplored area in business education.
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Jeffrey W. Alstete and Nicholas J. Beutell
The purpose of this paper is to focus on connecting recent conceptualizations of learning space design in management education by examining interior building and classroom design.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on connecting recent conceptualizations of learning space design in management education by examining interior building and classroom design.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used mixed methods research: external benchmarking with same industry institutions (n=5) and two surveys of students (n=131) and faculty members (n=38).
Findings
The process helped to envision how a business school could improve by adapting design aspects from industry peers, understanding the needs of students and faculty, and incorporating new teaching methods and instructional technologies to inform learning space solutions.
Research limitations/implications
The small number of external benchmarking partners may make the findings more applicable to the institutional type examined. Yet, the findings and the mixed methods research have implications for learning space design more broadly.
Practical implications
With the business school building boom, the external architecture of new buildings appears to garner much of the attention. However, the researchers believe that the real impact of new business schools is the centrality of interior learning space design and technology.
Originality/value
This paper uses a mixed methods research approach to examine learning space theory and research in relation to a particular business school’s efforts to use this knowledge to design learning spaces in a new building.
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Jeffrey W. Alstete, John P. Meyer and Nicholas J. Beutell
The purpose of this study is to utilize an exploratory multiple-case design research method using three undergraduate management courses at a medium-sized private comprehensive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to utilize an exploratory multiple-case design research method using three undergraduate management courses at a medium-sized private comprehensive college near a large metropolitan area in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores differentiated instruction in relation to experiential learning in management education by examining three teaching applications from different management courses to illustrate these concepts.
Findings
The use of differentiated instruction in management education is supported through varied approaches such as individual student and team-based scaffolding that demonstrate the applicability of differentiation. In addition to improving student learning, other benefits include improved student retention and faculty autonomy in course creation and delivery. The implementation involves a proactive response to learner needs informed by a faculty perspective that recognizes student diversity yet retains quality assurance standards with mindful assessment and planning.
Research limitations/implications
The comparatively small number of courses and instructional methods may make the specific findings and examples more relevant to the type of institution examined. Yet, the general conclusions and methods identified have potential implications for learners in a wide variety of colleges and universities.
Practical implications
Differentiated instruction may be a useful approach for enhancing learning in heterogenous groups of students by recognizing student readiness and making appropriate modifications.
Originality/value
This paper offers an exploratory overview of differentiated instruction with guidance for management faculty members in designing and implementing these approaches in their courses.
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Neena Gopalan, Nicholas J. Beutell and Wendy Middlemiss
This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate international students’ cultural adjustment, academic satisfaction and turnover intentions using ecological systems perspective and explores factors that affect academic success and turnover by exploring three stages: arrival, adjustment and adaptation.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consists of 208 international students enrolled at a mid-Western university in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediational analyses were used to test hypotheses.
Findings
Findings indicate that self-efficacy, as a pre-sojourn characteristic, affects adjustment variables inclusive of cultural adjustment, affecting academic satisfaction and turnover intentions. Adjustment variables (coping, cultural adjustment and organizational support) mediated relationships between self-efficacy and turnover intentions.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed model moves the research forward by examining an ecological systems framework describing how individual, social, academic, cultural and institutional factors function in supporting international students’ transitions. Results may be generalizable to other large US universities with varying dynamics and resources available (or not) for international students.
Originality/value
Given the challenges international students face in the USA in adapting to both new culture and academic setting, it is imperative to identify what elements of their transition and academic environment predict academic success. This is one of the first studies testing the propositions derived from Schartner and Young’s (2016) model.
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Neena Gopalan, Nicholas J. Beutell and Jeffrey W. Alstete
This study assesses the role of trust in management on relationships between predictors (supervisor support, coworker support and meaningful work) and outcomes (job satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
This study assesses the role of trust in management on relationships between predictors (supervisor support, coworker support and meaningful work) and outcomes (job satisfaction, turnover intentions and healthy lifestyle).
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 1,302 working adults from the National Survey of Changing Workforce was used in this study. Structural equation models and mediation analyses are used to analyze the data.
Findings
Findings indicate that trust in management significantly mediates relationships between support (supervisor, coworker) and outcomes and meaningful work and outcomes. Trust in management does not mediate relationships involving turnover intentions. Gender does not have a significant impact on the findings.
Practical implications
This study shows how trust in management is increasingly important during disruptions including high levels of voluntary turnover known as the Great Resignation. Trust in management is a key factor in work involvement and organizational citizenship behaviors.
Originality/value
This novel study tests how trust mediates relationships between both organizational behavior factors and work factors in relation to outcomes. The importance of developing and sustaining trust in management is paramount because it affects work-related outcomes as well as an individual's job satisfaction and healthy lifestyle.
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Suzanne de Janasz, Joy A. Schneer, Nicholas Beutell and Sowon Kim
The understudied psychosocial factors affecting Airbnb hosts are examined in this study by focusing on social isolation and willingness to remain as an Airbnb host. The espoused…
Abstract
Purpose
The understudied psychosocial factors affecting Airbnb hosts are examined in this study by focusing on social isolation and willingness to remain as an Airbnb host. The espoused benefits of host flexibility and autonomy have not been fully contextualized in relation to the real demands and costs of hosting.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses Social Support Theory to examine hosts’ perceptions of their positions. Data from 136 Airbnb hosts were analyzed using a structural model to explore relationships between social isolation, work-family conflict, mental wellbeing, and life satisfaction.
Findings
The results indicate that higher levels of social isolation were linked to greater work-family conflict, lower mental wellbeing, and reduced life satisfaction. Furthermore, social support was negatively correlated with social isolation.
Practical implications
As a result of social isolation, Airbnb hosts will need to find outside support (e.g. online gig worker communities, mental wellbeing apps) to meet work/life challenges. Gig work platforms should provide tools for gig workers to cultivate social support.
Originality/value
This research presents a needed focus on the paradox of gig work. Airbnb hosting can provide flexible employment and extra income, but it may also lead to social isolation, work-family conflict, and reduced wellbeing. These findings have significant implications for gig workers and contracting organizations, underlining the need to prioritize workers' social connections and overall wellbeing in the increasingly pervasive gig economy.
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