Bissett Insider

Bissett professor Matthew McLarnon has research articles published

Congratulations to Bissett faculty member, Matthew McLarnon for his recent research publications. Matthew is a professor in the General Management and Human Resources Department at Bissett School of Business.

Matthew’s article was recently published in the top ranking Journal of Applied Psychology,  and titled, Challenging the “static” quo: Trajectories of engagement in team processes toward a deadline. Larson, N. L., McLarnon, M. J. W., & O’Neill, T. A. (in press)

Abstract:  Although team effectiveness research has advanced our understanding of team processes, much of this research has been based on static methodologies, despite the recognition that team processes change over time. Thus, the purpose of this article is to advance the team dynamics literature by developing and testing a theoretical account of team engagement in processes toward a deadline. We theorize about team process trajectories, which we suggest is the form of process change over time (i.e., pattern of increase/decrease). Further, we identify a key driver of process trajectories and consider the implications of trajectories for team performance. Results from a series of linear multilevel latent growth models suggested that teams’ engagement in strategy and planning, monitoring goal progress, and cooperative conflict management (cf. Marks, Mathieu, & Zaccaro, 2001) increased over time toward a deadline, and that steeper increases tended to be positively related to team performance. Finally, achievement-striving was found to be an important within-team factor driving team-specific process trajectories and was indirectly related to performance. This study provides new theoretical insights with respect to how teams engage in processes toward a deadline, along with team achievement-striving as a compositional input, and the performance implications of team process trajectories.

Matthew’s second article: Resiliency, self-regulation, and reemployment after job lossJournal of Employment Counseling. McLarnon, M. J. W., Rothstein, M. G., & King, G. A. (in press).

Abstract:  This study investigated self-regulation and resiliency in the search for reemployment. Although trait-based approaches are central to many resiliency conceptualizations, recent research has found that self-regulation (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) contributes to predicting resiliency-related outcomes. We hypothesized that self-regulation increments prediction of reemployment process outcomes, specifically the job search outcomes of psychological well-being, job search self-efficacy, and job search clarity. Results indicated that, over and above resiliency traits, behavioral and cognitive self-regulation incrementally predicted well-being and job search clarity, and cognitive self-regulation incrementally predicted job search self-efficacy. Implications for theory and continued research on resiliency in reemployment are discussed.

Bissett finance professor, Tashfeen Hussain has research papers accepted for publication

Congratulations to Tashfeen Hussain,PhD, for having his research recognized. The first paper titled, Total productivity and cost efficiency dynamics of US merging banks:  a non-parametric approach (Jaml Ali, PhD;  Nacuer Essadam, PhD,  and Tashfeen Hussain, PhD), has been accepted to the Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance.

Abstract:   This paper investigates the productivity characteristics and cost efficiency dynamics of US acquiring banks over the period from 1992 to 2003. The findings show that large merging banks tend to have the same productivity scores compared to their peer banks. Small merging banks, on the other hand, experienced lower productivity than their peers. The source of the acquirers’ productivity seems to be the efficiency change rather than the frontier shift. Cost efficiency results show that small and large merging banks maintained higher cost efficiencies over their peers for the whole period motivated by higher technical efficiency scores, meaning that the large acquirers’ ability to maximize their outputs given fixed inputs is best relative to merging and non-merging banks of different sizes. The principal component analysis of the cost efficiency sub-components indicate that the merging banks principal cost efficiency components are mainly of technical and pure technical efficiencies but after the merger, allocative efficiency increased substantially at the expense of technical and pure technical efficiencies, while the peer banks cost efficiency remained totally dependent on technical and pure technical efficiencies.

Also, Tashfeen has recently presented his working paper, titled, Do credit default swaps impact lenders’ monitoring of loans? at the Academy of Economics and Finance Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, earlier this month. Tashfeen received FDC funding to attend the conference.

Congratulations Tashfeen, the faculty looks forward to more of your research.

Bissett professor, Uthpala Tennakoon has chapter published and receives research grant

Congratulations to Bissett HR professor, Uthpala Tennakoon, PhD, on the recent publication of a chapter titled, Ideal Organizations for the New Ideal Workers: Exploring the Role of Life-friendly work practices in the book, The New Ideal Worker. Contributions to Management Science. (Edited by las Heras Maestro M., Chinchilla Albiol N., Grau Grau M.)

Abstract:The increased interest of modern employees to balance competing demands between work and life has driven organizations to rethink the profile of the ideal worker. Life-friendly work practices (LFWP), which commonly include flexible work arrangements, compressed work weeks, teleworking, job sharing, family leave programs, organizational support for dependent care, and other life-related benefits, have evolved as a means to create workplaces which appeals to this new breed of workers. With limited resources at their disposal, it is important for organizations to be intentional about the selection and offering of LFWP. This interview study with 16 HR executives and 16 post-secondary university students as future employees, explores the organizational reasoning behind LFWP and future employee attraction criteria in relation to LFWP. The findings reveal that most organizations are genuinely interested in creating an ideal organization for their ideal employees. It may be beneficial for organizations to be more expressive of the organizational LFWP initiatives in their employer branding message to create awareness and attract the future ideal workers. The multi-perspective examination of LFWP provided useful insights for practical applications, and directions for further research.

Also, the faculty extends their congratulations to Uthpala for receiving a research grant from the Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the in the 2020 Essential Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants competition for the project titled, “Pop Quiz with a twist: Assessing the Benefits of two-stage in-class quizzes in business courses”.

 

2020 BASS managerial case competition a success

On January 24th, the Bissett Accounting Student Society (BASS) held their annual managerial case competition on campus.
The winners of the competition were as follows:
  • 1st- Linda Tran & Sohaib Abbas
  • 2nd- David Koter & Garret McMullen
  • 3rd- Mezha Sikandar & Aaesha Azhar
1 ST. Place BASS Competition
2nd Place BASS Competition 2020
3rd Place BASS Competition
Congratulations to all the winners and all student participants. Special thank you’s are extended to the BASS executive, the volunteers and  the  judges: Kate Schiller from KPMG, Amy McHarg from Pembina, Dave MacPherson from Bissett School of Business, Kelvin Ng from PwC.

Networking Day 2020: A direct link to the workforce

January 30th seen the latest edition of the Networking Day 2020: A direct link to the workforce  and it was a big success!

Focusing the workshops on building interpersonal skills to aid in effective networking, and providing a conduit to companies actively recruiting through the Career Expo, provided the experiential impact that Bissett School of Business offers our students.

On behalf of the Bissett and Communications Studies faculties, we thank the organization committee, the many faculty, students and staff volunteers as well as our valued alumni for their participation.

ND – Workshop
ND – Finance Workshop
ND – Workshop
ND – Career Expo
ND – Career Expo
ND- Career Expo
ND – Roderick Mah
ND- Supply Chain Breakfast

Bissett student, Mary Serafini receives Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year Futures Fund Scholarship

The Bissett School of Business is very proud to have selected Bachelor of Business (BBA- Finance) student, Mary Serafini as their successful candidate for Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year Futures Fund Scholarship Award. Bissett was one of 10  business schools across Canada chosen to  award one of their best and brightest students for 2019. The selection was based on students who demonstrated exemplary academic and leadership skills in their extracurricular endeavors. Mary received a $7500.00 bursary and a trip to Toronto to attend the Awards Gala on February 12, 2020.

Mary’s academic success and record of service has been recognized with many academic awards including the MRU President’s Scholarship, Bissett Scholarship for Excellence in Business, Louise McKinney Scholarship and the CFA Program Awareness Scholarship .

In September of 2018 Mary was selected to represent Mount Royal University on the CFA Institute Research Challenge Team; after months of preparation, Mary’s team presented their valuation report to industry judges and was subsequently selected as a finalist in the Canadian Prairies Division. Mary cites this opportunity as one of the highlights of her studies at Bissett School of Business.

A passion for academics and a strong belief in service to others, led Mary to mentoring first year business students in the MRU MAPS Peer Mentorship Program and tutoring finance students through Student Learning Services. Her keen interest in academics and her passion for giving back, has had real impact on the students she has mentored as well as those peers she has worked collaboratively with throughout the first years of her degree .

After her graduation in June of 2020, Mary plans on pursuing her CFA designation and, thereafter, a career in Finance, but also plans to stay connected to Mount Royal through the university’s mentorship program.

Mary represents the very best of today’s Bissett students and tomorrow’s leaders: dedicated, passionate and committed to her community.

Congratulations Mary!

Bissett professor Melanie Peacock named to HRD Global 100

Congratulations to Human Resources professor Melanie Peacock, PhD, for being named to HRD Global 100, the definitive list of the best and brightest people practitioners of 2020. The Global 100 is an initiative of Human Resources Director.  Only 20 Canadians are named to the list and Melanie is only one of two academics to have made the list!

Melanie is currently on leave from the faculty to serve as President of the Mount Royal Faculty Association. Melanie remains active on the Human Resources landscape often as a media commentator on all issues relating to HR.

Congratulations Melanie!

 

Chair and finance professor, Reza Chowdhury has papers accepted for publication

Congratulations to Accounting and Finance, Chair and professor,  Reza Chowdhury, PhD, on having  his finance research recognized:
The first publication is titled,  Accessibility to External Finance and Entrepreneurship: A Cross-Country Analysis from the Informal Institutional Perspective. Reza H. Chowdhury and Min Maung (University of Saskatchewan), in the Journal of Small Business Management (2020)

Abstract: By using individual-level survey data from 97 countries, we investigate the effect of informal institutions on external financing and its impact on entrepreneurship. We find that a culturally-driven entrepreneurial environment allows entrepreneurs to obtain more debt, equity, and venture capital financing, and this, in turn, increases entrepreneurial activities. We further find that a culturally-driven entrepreneurial environment is more critical in determining entrepreneurship than formal institutional arrangements (such as investor protection). Our results provide evidence that cross-country variations in entrepreneurship can be explained by differences in cultural support to new venture financing across countries.

Brand and Firm Values in Distinct National Cultures, Reza H. Chowdhury, Wootae Chun (UNBC), Sungchul Choi (UNBC) and Kurtis Friend (Scotia Bank) in the Journal, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics (2019)

Abstract: The objective of this article is to investigate the moderating role of national-based cultural attributes in the relationship between brand value and firm value. This article examines the topic in the context of different national cultural dimensions, including individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, power distance, and long-term orientation. We use brand values of the Financial Times’s Global 500 companies and national cultural values reported by Hofstede, GLOBE, and Schwartz. Results exhibit that brands are more value-additive to companies in highly individualistic cultures. In addition, a valuable brand contributes more to firm value in low uncertainty avoidant, high masculine, low power distant, and short-term oriented cultures.National cultural attributes are therefore important determinants in explaining the magnitude by which highly valued brands contribute to the firm value of the companies that own the respective brands. The evidence suggests that while a valuable brand contributes to firm value, the level of its effect on firm value varies by distinctive characteristics of each national cultural dimension.

Congratulations Reza, we look forward to more research!

Bissett International Business professors Cotae and Musabende participate in international conferences

 Jacqueline Musabende, PhD,  and Frank Cotae, PhD,  have been invited to participate and showcase their research on “Experiential Learning and DFMAS Applicability to IB Curriculum” at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – 12th UNCTAD Debt Management Conference– held in Geneva, Switzerland (November 18-20, 2019).
Jacqueline has recently received an invitation as a guest speaker and panelist at the Overseas Development Institute to be held on Feb 26 and 27, 2020 in London, UK. Jacqueline will showcase her research on “Public Financial Management Reforms and IFMIS in Africa.”
Students in INBU 3302 (International Marketing), taught by Jacqueline, have been enrolled in an experiential exercise with Cuso International that will result in a large scale parks and water purification projects in Honduras. The Virtual Reality Tours designed by students will be featured on the National TV in Honduras.
Congratulations to Jacqueline and Frank for their continued research, student engagement and initiatives!

Bissett professor, Collette Lemieux, successfully defends her doctoral thesis

Bissett School of Business would like to extend congratulations to Assistant Professor, Collette Lemieux on successfully defending her doctoral thesis through the University of Calgary. Collette’s area of study was Education with a specialization in Adult learning and Mathematics Education. Collette is currently teaching Statistics in our faculty. Congratulations Collette!

The Abstract for Collette’s Thesis: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of an intervention, which uses stories to explore statistics, on post-secondary students’ understanding of statistics and their beliefs about the usefulness of statistics, and what features of the stories support meaningful learning.

            A qualitative case study approach was used. In line with the case study approach, multiple data sources were used, which consisted of student and instructor class artefacts, pre- and post-intervention written response items, and post-intervention interviews. The participants in the study were 20 students from a single first-year post-secondary business statistics course in which the intervention was implemented. Data analysis entailed a thematic approach based primarily on open-coding to identify participants’ understanding of statistics, their beliefs about the usefulness of statistics, and what features of the intervention supported meaningful learning.

            The findings suggest that the intervention supported participants development of various types of understanding of selected topics in statistics, development of understanding of the usefulness of statistics, and personalization knowledge as part of the process of developing understanding. Further, the findings indicate that the intervention served to support positive beliefs about the usefulness of statistics. Finally, the findings suggest that the features of the intervention and, in particular, the stories that impacted meaningful learning included the prompts embedded within the stories, the authentic real-world context presented in the stories, and the nature of the characters introduced in the stories.