DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

The Action of Grace in Territory Held by the Devil: Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy

Scott A. Singleton — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:33:00 PDT

This paper compares the lives and work of Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy. The two authors share similarities in their backgrounds, careers, and work. The paper begins with an examination of biographical information of both authors to contextualize their work and note commonalities in their lives and careers. The central idea is that Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy both create grotesque characters to reveal the depraved condition of humanity in order to highlight the need for redemption and the possibility of divine grace. To prove this, examples are discussed from multiple pieces of work by O’Connor and McCarthy including The Misfit, from O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and Anton Chigurh, from McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. Following this is a review of the visual presentation of No Country for Old Men through the Coen brothers’ film adaptation of the novel.

Common Errors of Two Contemporary Classrooms: A Capstone

Helen M. Cauley — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:06:04 PDT

The work covers the issue of common of grammatical errors made by first-year writing students. Includes a case study, results, and analysis.

An Examination of the Relationship between High School Mathematics Teachers' Dispositions and Their Metaphors for Teaching

Lorrie Ogle Bearden — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:06:01 PDT

Teachers demonstrating dispositions that lead to effective teaching is a common discourse in mainstream education circles. Consequently, teacher education programs are held accountable for standards that include assessing professional teaching dispositions. In 2008, National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) published standards in which professional dispositions were clearly defined. Likewise, scholarly work in metaphor research provided an understanding of how teachers conceptualize their most fundamental views and beliefs about aspects of teaching. This mixed methods study examined the relationship between the dispositions and the teaching metaphors of mathematics teachers. The sources for this study included multiple interviews, observations, and the researcher’s field notes and memos. After extensive data analyses, the findings revealed evidence that the link between the professional dispositions and the teaching metaphors of mathematics teachers may exist in teachers’ belief systems. Three themes emerged under the umbrella of belief systems: (1) personal experiences; (2) perceptions about personal factors (dispositions); and (3) perceptions about their students. One recommendation for teacher practice is to design professional learning in the area of teaching metaphors. Discovering their metaphors for teaching would provide for reflection on how their teaching metaphor informs many aspects of their teaching. Consequently, the findings impact teacher preparation as well. Exploring the teaching metaphors of preservice teachers would reveal basic beliefs that these students hold with regard to teaching and learning. These initial metaphors, along with exposure to reflective activities and field-based experiences could attribute to factors that would influence their beliefs about teaching.

Repatriating the Bust of Nefertiti: A Critical Perspective on Cultural Ownership

Lauren Bearden — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:42:58 PDT

Who owns antiquities? This question has plagued the global community in recent times and has opened dialogues between former colonial Western countries and their past colonized nations whose property is exhibited. This essay examines the conflicting perspectives of ownership in the repatriation of the Bust of Nefertiti between Berlin, Germany and Egypt. By analyzing the effects of European occupation in Egypt and the Western dominance in foreign cultures during the Age of Imperialism, a moral argument arises questioning the legality of the Bust’s removal. This article will review the historical significance of the Bust of Nefertiti in terms of its original intent as well as its removal to Germany and transformation into a global artwork and how this has affected her proposed return to Egyptian ownership.

The Effects of Internal Audit Report Type and Reporting Relationship on Internal Auditors' Judgments

Douglas M. Boyle — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:25 PDT

This study examines the effects of internal audit reports issued to external stakeholders (the public) and internal audit reporting relationship types on internal auditors’ judgments. I use a 4 x 2 between-subjects experiment and practicing internal auditors as participants. I manipulate internal audit report type at four levels ((1) no external report issued by the internal audit function [current state of practice], (2) descriptive external report of internal audit activities, (3) assurance external report on the internal controls, and (4) a descriptive external report of internal audit activities and an assurance external report on the internal controls). Senior level internal audit’s reporting relationship is manipulated at two levels (primarily to management or primarily to the audit committee chair). I examine the effects of these independent variables on internal auditors’ fraud risk and control risk assessments.

I find that the issuance of an internal audit report (IAR) to external stakeholders affects internal auditors’ judgments. Specifically, internal auditors’ fraud risk assessments are higher (more conservative) when the IAR is assurance-based or both activities and assurance-based than when the report is only activities-based or there is no external report. Additionally, the results indicate that when the Chief Audit Executive reports primarily to the Audit Committee Chair (as opposed to management), internal auditors’ control risk assessments are higher (more conservative). This relation is marginally significant for fraud risk assessments. Overall, there is evidence that internal audit report type and reporting relationship each affect internal auditors’ judgments, increasing the conservatism of certain risk assessments when accountability to stakeholders or the audit committee increases.

Job Embeddedness: Do the Interaction Effects of Attitude, Personality, and Exchange Relationships Detract from Performance?

Juanne V. Greene — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:23 PDT

Job embeddedness (JE) research has considered the web of connections that attach an individual to their work organization. Empirical evidence suggests that high JE is related to reduced turnover and improved individual task performance. Scholars have also suggested the potential for negative implications of JE when the web of connections serves to trap the individual in the organization. This study explores the boundary conditions that may add light to this potential dark side of JE by considering how variance in individual attitude, personality, and exchange relationships may moderate the relationship between JE and both performance and counterproductive behavior. Moderated hierarchical regression results from the current study suggest that under certain exchange conditions and for those with certain personality traits, job embeddedness may result in undesirable outcomes relative to counterproductive behavior and contextual performance. Findings also suggest the importance of commitment in accessing the effects of job embeddedness. In all, this study speaks to the negative side of job embeddedness and provides support for its potential to produce adverse consequences for organizations.

Antecedents and Outcomes of the Investment in Internal Auditing and the Moderating Role of Family Business Culture

Debra J. Lasher — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:20 PDT

While the internal auditing function (IAF) has been studied extensively in publicly traded firms, relatively little is known about the function and related outcomes among privately held family businesses. However, family businesses play a leading role in economic production and employment in the U.S. and globally. The blending of family culture with organizational culture in family businesses is a key aspect that differs from nonfamily businesses and across family businesses. This research develops the new construct of family business culture as a replicable measure of the influence of the combined cultures of the family and the business. Both essays include family business culture as a moderating variable to provide a detailed analysis of differences between family businesses. Data was collected utilizing an online survey. Essay 1 extends agency theory into the area of the IAF in privately held family businesses to address conflicting research concerning family involvement and related agency costs. The research examines three unique characteristics of privately held family businesses that could influence the investment in an IAF; family involvement in ownership, management, and on the board. The logistic regression results indicate an unexpected positive relationship between family involvement on the board and the existence of an IAF, with no moderating influence of family business culture. An integration of two theories provides the theoretical foundation for Essay 2. Agency theory is used to investigate the potential impact of the investment of an IAF on objective and subjective financial performance. Social exchange theory is employed to assess the potential effect of an IAF on employee trust in top management and in the business and affective organizational commitment. The multiple regression results do not support a significant relationship between the level of investment in an IAF and the five outcome variables. Analysis supports a positive relationship between the existence of IAF and both measures of financial performance. The moderating influence of family business culture was not significant. This research is the first step in gaining more knowledge of family involvement as antecedents of an IAF in privately held family businesses and the outcomes of that decision in five critical areas.

The Drivers of Future Generosity Behavioral Intentions of College Service-Learning Experience Participants

Jeananne Nicholls — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:17 PDT

This research provides insight into the drivers of generosity behavioral intentions. Behavioral reasoning theory (BRT) is used as the framework for this investigation. First, in BRT, attitudes directly predict behavior and behavioral intentions (Ajzen, 2008; Ranganathan & Henley, 2008; Webb, Green, & Brashear, 2000; Westaby, 2005a, 2005b, 2006). Second, attitudes influence the relationship between "reasons" and behavioral intentions as demonstrated in several studies by Westaby (2005a, 2005b, 2006). Third, the reasons construct has two components: reasons for and reasons against a behavior (Westaby, 2006). Westaby (2005a,2005b) and Briggs. Peterson, and Gregory (2010) empirically explore this construct and demonstrate that it directly and positively influences attitudes. Finally, reascons directly and positively influence behaviors and behavioral intentions (e.g., Costa-Font, Rudisill, & Mossialos, 2008; Kim, Kim, Myoung, & Lee, 2010; Lee. Westaby, Chyou, & Purschwitz, 2007; Wagner & Westaby. 2009).

Drawing on behavioral reasoning theory research (Costa-Font et al., 2008; Lee et al., 2007; Sarif & Shiratuddin 2010; Wagner & Westaby, 2009; Westaby, 2005a, 2005b, 2006: Westaby & Fishbein. 1996), these essays build empirically based models that consider reasons as direct drivers of generosity behavioral intentions. Essay 1 evaluates pre-service learning experience measures as reasons. Because behavioral reasoning theory includes a feedback loop from Behavior to reasons, Essay 2 compares two models using different postservice-learning experience measures as reasons and determines which model is the best driver of generosity behavioral intentions. Essays 1 and 2 also examine the role of attitudes in the relationship between reasons and behavioral intentions.

Extended Stakeholder Orientation: Influence on Innovation Orientation and Firm Performance

Vijay K. Patel — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:15 PDT

In search of drivers of sustainable competitive advantage, this study integrates aspects of stakeholder theory and market orientation. The work results in the concept of extended stakeholder orientation incorporating proactive elements for the first time. Market orientation focuses on customers and competitors – two key stakeholders. Stakeholder theory seeks to broaden the focus to a wider group of stakeholders including employees and shareholders who together with customers and competitors are seen as ‘essential’ stakeholders. Relationships, interactions and ongoing mutual impact on firm activities involving essential stakeholders are fundamental and frequent. While other views of stakeholder theory place more emphasis on stakeholders such as suppliers, community and the environment, the essential stakeholders represent a core from a managerial standpoint, thus serving as justification for the approach chosen for this study. Since market orientation has emerged as a versatile and empirically sound theory positively relevant across cultures, industries and drivers of firm performance such as innovation, the considerable research within market orientation informed this study. In particular, research by Narver, Slater and McLachlan (2004) suggesting that the market orientation concept could be extended to distinct responsive and proactive components inspired the current proposed extension to stakeholder orientation. Specifically, a key development is to incorporate proactive or anticipatory, forward looking aspects of stakeholder orientation in addition to the traditional responsive elements. Development of the multiple validated scales related to the core stakeholders and innovation orientation provide useful guidelines for managers and researchers alike. Extended stakeholder orientation and innovation orientation as developed were tested for their effect on firm performance including financial and non-financial measures. Based on a cross-section of public and private companies including small to medium enterprises, this study found extended stakeholder orientation to be an important driver of innovation orientation and firm performance.

Institional Theory and Cross-National Differences in International Market Selection for Direct Selling

Charles B. Ragland — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:12 PDT

This study extends international market selection (IMS) literature by using institutional theory to develop conceptual links between country level factors of market attractiveness and IMS. More specifically, this study examines the extent to which institutional theory and cross national differences can predict attractive markets for direct selling. The hypotheses were tested over a sample of 51 countries from developed, developing, and emerging economies that comprise 91 percent of the worldwide GDP. The use of a marketing channel, in this case direct selling, is unique to IMS empirical analysis as it represents multiple products and services from multiple industries. The analysis provided initial empirical support for the hypotheses. Managerial implications are discussed.

Two Papers on "How Perceptions of Fairness and Influences of Social Capital and Source Credibility Matter to Compensation Committees And Investors"

Anne M. Wilkins — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:14:10 PDT

This paper uses an experimental research design to examine the influences of social capital, source credibility, and fairness on the decision making process of compensation committee members when making an executive compensation decision as well as whether an expectation gap exists between the committee members and nonprofessional investors regarding the judgment. One hundred and one public company compensation committee members and ninety nine nonprofessional investors completed an executive compensation case indicating their support on a scale of 0 to 100 of revising executive incentive pay financial performance targets mid-compensation cycle.

I find outcome fairness to shareholders and management significant influences on compensation committee member judgments. In addition, I found more experienced compensation committee members had less support for the compensation proposal. I found a surprising expectation gap between nonprofessional investors and compensation committee members as the members held the CEO more accountable for financial performance than the nonprofessional investors. In addition, I found marginal support that the nonprofessional investors were influenced by the manipulated influences of social capital and source credibility whereas the compensation committee members were not influenced.

Overall, my results indicate that the compensation committee members are not under the undue influence of the CEO but consider pay for performance and shareholder fairness as their top influences on executive pay decisions. My results provide preliminary evidence that compensation committee members should further improve communication with shareholders and other stakeholders regarding the rationale for their decisions including information about the consideration of fairness in their judgments.

African American Parents' Experiences in Their Children's Health Care Encounters

Rebecca D. Green — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:32:35 PDT

Persistent disparities in African American child health may be the result of the intersection of many social determinants of health and other factors, such as health care relationships. A review of the literature revealed a gap in understanding of African Americans’ perceptions of care; and a gap in understanding of dimensions of relationship-centered care between African American patients and health care providers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to interview African American parents about their encounters with their children’s health care providers; in order to generate new understanding that could lead to interventions that can measurably improve health outcomes for African American children. The author employed an interview guide to interview 18 African American parents in a small south Georgia town about encounters with their children’s health care providers. The data were analyzed within frameworks of social phenomenology, critical ethnography, and intersectionality. Data fell within two main content areas: precursory parental relevances, and we-relationships. Precursory parental relevances included: symbolism of illness and wellness, typifications of health care providers, and various in-group/out-group memberships. Membership in the insurance out-group was particularly important in parents’ perceptions of health care encounters. Parents’ descriptions of we-relationships with children’s health care providers were categorized as routine, problematic, or transformative and were characterized by parents in terms of how patient-centric provider role expectations, relevances, group memberships, and knowledge affected the relationships. Practical recommendations include concrete relationship-centered interventions for health care providers. Recommendations for health professions education include a call for development of cultural competence curriculum with greater emphasis on understanding how health care language, mores, customs, values, codes and practices serve to alienate those persons it purports to serve; and inclusion of intersectionality as a framework for consideration of environmental macrofactors that contribute to health disparities.

An Examination of the Influence of Top Executives on Entrepreneurial Orientation

James Ruben Boling — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:32:33 PDT

This collection of essays examines the influence that top executives have on the level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) within an organization. EO is defined as the degree to which a firm exhibits behaviors and managerial philosophies that are innovative, proactive and risk-taking. EO is an extensively studied construct, yet there is still much to be explored and understood about its effects and predictors. This study adds to the discussion by examining predictors of EO in the two essays.

Essay 1 examines the influence of top management team characteristics on entrepreneurial orientation and the moderating effect of managerial discretion. It adds to the discussion of EO by invoking both the entrepreneurial orientation concept and upper echelons theory in an attempt to evaluate how the characteristics of the top management team (TMT) are related to the firm’s exhibition of an entrepreneurial orientation. It is posited that the more heterogeneous the team in industry and functional background the greater the organization’s EO. It is further argued that the level of education completed by the top management team will have a positive relationship with EO. Industry-level managerial discretion (managerial discretion) is hypothesized to moderate the TMT characteristics-EO relationship. Results from this research have important implications, for example, for human resource practices at the top management team level.

Essay 2 examines the relationship between CEO tenure and entrepreneurial orientation within family and non-family firms. This essay adds to the knowledge base pertaining to EO by examining how CEO tenure is related to EO. Furthermore, it is expected that this relationship will be moderated by firm ownership type; specifically, family versus non-family firms. Over the course of a CEO’s tenure, an inverted-U relationship is posited such that EO is lower, but increasing in the CEO’s early-tenure stage, highest in the mid-tenure stage, and decreasing in the late-tenure stage. Managerial implications include the need to align incentives that encourage or discourage entrepreneurial behavior with the CEOs’ time-in-office as a basis for achieving or sustaining an appropriately entrepreneurial posture.

Social Media in Context: Writers Explore the Marketplace: A Practicum in Editing and Design

Denae Eagen — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:30:31 PDT

"A Practicum in Editing and Design" details the editing process of the scholarly collection Social Media in Context: Writers Explore the Marketplace, a series of essays written by MAPW scholars on social media strategies. The practicum follows the book through the stages of editing, design, marketing, and publication.

A Strong-Minded Southern Woman: Sarah Joe Alston Claiborne

Catharine M. Johnson — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:20:05 PDT

A proposal for a creative non-fiction book using original family letters and other documents brought to light for the first time. The narrative traces the lives and losses of the author's relatives, John Herbert Claiborne, M.D., and Sarah Joseph Alston Claiborne, from 1852 to 1868 in Petersburg, Virginia. This work tells the story of their courtship, marriage, separation during the Civil War, and life during early Reconstruction. The point-of-view is that of "Joe's" perspective (as everyone called Sarah).

Gaining Admission to the Medical Discourse Community: The Importance of Method Within Homeopathic Research

Katharina Jorgensen — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:57:22 PDT

This article represents a synthesis of current homeopathic research. I explore the rhetorical universe of homeopathy and juxtapose homeopathic research articles with articles critical of homeopathy. Furthermore, I regard the discourse community of homeopathy and the struggles it undergoes in seeking admission into mainstream medicine. Following my research is the conclusion that the aim of homeopathic research has drifted from an integrated model to a pluralistic one, thereby ignoring criticisms issued by mainstream medical researchers. The trend of homeopathic researchers publishing in specialized homeopathic or complementary and alternative medical (CAM) journals is also explored within my article.

The Walton Way: A Tradition of Excellence

Jana Hoffman — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:40:16 PDT

A book describing the history and company culture of Walton Communities, a property management company based out of Marietta, Georgia.

About the Contributors

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:15:56 PDT

Contributor biographies.

Romania's Recovery after the Economic Crisis

Claudiu Doltu et al. — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:15:54 PDT

Compared with other countries in the region, Romania reacted slowly to the recent economic and financial crisis. After eight years of strong growth (200 1-2008), Romania's economic contraction was among the most severe in the region. Significant macroeconomic corrections occurred in 2010 but at the cost of compressing the household consumption and the investment. Downward adjusting the domestic demand by rapidly decreasing nominal wages and increasing taxes also discouraged businesses by increasing uncertainty. Partially, the macroeconomic policy worked well in 2010. However a steady growth in the next years will depend on the following three conditions: 1) reducing the transaction costs of doing business; 2) building critical infrastructure and; 3) raising human capital.

Societal Sources of Negative Attitudes Against The Roma: The Case of Romania

Eliza Markley et al. — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:15:52 PDT

Romania is the home of one of the largest Roma minorities in the world. This paper examined sources of negative attitudes toward the Roma in Romania by testing two explanations, that of societal integration and contact on a nationally representative sample. Our findings suggest that the negative attitudes against the Roma are largely driven by the type of relationships and contact that Romanians develop with the Roma. Having Roma in the family or as friends or colleagues at work decreases Romanians ' negative attitudes against the Roma. On the contrary, as the contact theory states, being in limited contact with them, without engaging in personal relationships is conducive of suspicion, hostility, and negative attitudes. Second, the interpersonal level of individuals' trust contributes significantly to building positive attitudes toward the Roma. Consequently, we recommend that future global initiatives and strategies on Roma inclusion should be centered on increasing the level of interpersonal trust and contact between Roma and non-Roma.