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Dividend The official online magazine of the Carson College of Business

December 2020 – New Hires

Sung Ahn will continue to serve as associate dean for International Programs and will also step in as director of the International Business Institute, replacing Jessica Cassleman who retired from the college in June.

Lisa Baden is the administrative manager at the Carson College of Business at WSU Vancouver. Baden has experience in several areas of higher education, from student services to event planning to curriculum development. Most recently, Baden worked with Clark College’s community education program developing noncredit offerings. Prior to that, she worked with the University of Oregon Portland as a program manager for the College of Design.

Tim Baker, associate professor of decision science, will become the academic director for the Carson College of Business at WSU Tri-Cities after his return from sabbatical.

Bitty Balducci is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business. Before pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Missouri, Balducci worked in the nonprofit sector, growing philanthropic support at the University of Montana Foundation and the American Cancer Society. In her research, Balducci explores the science behind sales interactions.
Read more about Balducci.

Jeremy Beus is an associate professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. He received his doctorate and master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Texas A&M University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University-Idaho. His primary research interests include organizational climate and workplace safety. Beus is an associate editor at Human Performance and his research has been published in a variety of journals.
Read more about Beus.

Azam Boskabadi is a career track assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Management Science. She earned her doctorate in industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her doctoral studies included research projects in mathematical modeling, operations research, supply chain network design, and block chain.
Read more about Boskabadi.

Asa Brown is the new assistant director for the Center for Entrepreneurship and an instructor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. Brown previously worked for WSU’s Innovation and Research Engagement Office and the Office of Commercialization. Before he and his family moved to the Palouse in 2016, he worked for a mobile-app development company called Area360 Inc. Brown graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature, a juris doctorate, and a master’s degree in sport management. He is a licensed, practicing attorney in the state of Washington.

Michelle Carter is an associate professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. She is a first–generation college graduate who earned her doctorate in management information systems from Clemson University. She is joining the Pullman faculty after spending three years as a faculty member at WSU Everett, as well as other institutions including the University of Alabama, the University of Washington, and the University of Nebraska Omaha. She is chair of the Association for Information Systems committee on diversity and inclusion.
Read more about Carter.

Kevin Chase is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business with an industry background in business-to-business sales and business-to-consumer sales. He previously taught at the University of Kentucky and Clemson University, working to develop undergraduate education to prepare students for careers in sales. His research focuses on complex organizational buying and selling processes using both qualitative and quantitative exploration.

Robert Crossler was appointed chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship last spring.

Jeremy Cox is a career track assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oregon and an MBA from the University of Utah. He has worked as an actuary building mathematical models to quantify risk. He has also worked on loss models for banks and predictive models for customer behavior for a marketing company. During his doctoral studies, he has explored topics such as social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, franchises, and cognitive and behavioral strategy.
Read more about Cox.

Nicholas S. Delaney is the senior director of development for the Carson College. Delaney (’03 Soc. Sci.) brings more than 32 years of combined experience in senior management, business, financial services and fundraising to the role. He holds certifications as an investment management analyst and a private wealth advisor. Delaney previously worked for the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, deepening alumni relationships and support in the Seattle metropolitan area, Bay Area, and other U.S. regions.
Read more about Delaney.

Joan Giese, clinical associate professor of marketing at WSU Tri-Cities, will take on a supplemental role as director of lifelong learning for the Carson College, helping to organize pilot ventures into professional non-credit education offerings.

Sue Gill, former chair of the Department of Accounting, is now the director of the Honors and Business Leadership and Innovation Experience, the Carson College program for students in the Honors College.

Susan He is a career track assistant professor of finance at WSU Vancouver. She spent eight years teaching economics at WSU before completing her second doctoral degree in finance. She earned her first doctorate at Washington University in St. Louis. Her area of research includes econometrics, the use of statistical and mathematical models to describe economies.
Read more about He.

Jacob Jaggi is an assistant professor in the Department of Accounting, where he teaches intermediate accounting courses. His primary research interests include corporate governance, debt contracting, and monitoring mechanisms such as auditing and audit committees. Prior to earning a doctorate at the University of Arizona, Jaggi worked as an internal auditor, controller, and U.S. Securities and Exchange reporting analyst, and in several industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and non-profit.
Read more about Jaggi.

Richard Johnson is an associate professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. He received a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University, an MBA from Virginia Tech, and a doctorate in information systems from the University of Maryland. He has held faculty positions at the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, and the University at Albany—State University of New York. Most recently, he was department chair and director of the human resource information systems program at the University at Albany.
Read more about Johnson.

Donna Paul is the new academic director for the Carson College at WSU Vancouver, replacing Jane Cote, who retired from that role.

Chase Potter is an assistant professor in the Department of Accounting. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Utah, and did his doctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. His research focuses on how politics affect the financial reporting environment and provides insights for the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the costs and benefits of including non-financial information in financial statements.

Roy Suddaby is a professor of management at the Carson College of Business, where he has a half-time appointment. He is also the Winspear Chair of Management at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Canada. Suddaby is an internationally regarded scholar of organizational theory and institutional change. His work has contributed to the understanding of the critical role of symbolic resources—legitimacy, authenticity, identity, and history —in improving an organization’s competitive position.
Read more about Suddaby.

Benjamin Warnick is an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at WSU Vancouver. His research focuses on the psychology of entrepreneurs, including their passion, emotions, and well-being. Warnick earned his doctorate in entrepreneurship and strategic management from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
Read more about Warnick.

Bernard Wong-on-Wing is the new chair of the Department of Accounting.

Joann Zhang is an academic coordinator at WSU Vancouver. She has numerous years of experience with academic advising and diversity-related initiatives in higher education. She previously worked at Clackamas Community College and University of Oregon. She is a first-generation college graduate and first in her family to earn a master’s degree, which was from Oregon State University in education in college student services administration.

December 2020 – Research & Popular Press

“No Annual Fee Credit Cards“

Jedidiah Collins, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Finance and Management Science, was featured in the Nov. 23, 2020 Wallethub expert panel review of no annual fee credit cards, where he said most consumers are not aware of how much they pay in annual fees.

“Tips for Takeout and Delivery in Clark County Amid Pandemic“

Dogan Gursoy’s research on consumer confidence in dining out during the pandemic was featured in an October 23, 2020, article by Rachel Pinsky in The Columbian. Gursoy, a professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management, also offered advice on tipping for carry-out service.

“Pacific Northwest Business Leaders Optimistic Despite COVID“

The Carson College of Business’s report on COVID-19 and the regional economy was featured in the August 18, 2020, issue of Yahoo!Finance and the September 11, 2020, issue of the Idaho Business Journal. Chip Hunter, dean of the Carson College of Business, was quoted on the results of the college’s survey of business leaders across the Pacific Northwest.

The survey was featured by a number of local news outlets, and some of those stories included interviews with Hunter.

KHQ TV reporter Sean Owsley in Spokane did an August 20, 2020, broadcast on the survey. The report was also featured in broadcasts for KIRO 7 News, KOMO Radio, KCYULP Fox News, and KAYU Fox News. Reporter Blake Peterson wrote an Aug. 27, 2020, article for 425Business and the South Sound Business Magazine, “WSU Report Finds Pacific Northwest Businesses Resilient Despite Pandemic.”

Spokesman-Review reporter Amy Edelen wrote a September 23, 2020, article, “WSU Survey Finds Pacific Northwest Business Leaders Remain Optimistic Despite Coronavirus-Related Challenges.”

“Restaurants Automatically Add a Tip to the Bill —
Here is the Reason that is Bad“

Jeff Joireman’s research on tipping was featured in an August 24, 2020, article by John Anderer in The Ladders. Joireman, professor and chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business, discussed why automatic gratuities are unpopular with restaurant customers, particularly when service is good. Customers were frustrated because they couldn’t reward servers, he found.

“Carson Business Solutions at WSU“

Garth Mader talked about Carson Business Solutions, a free consulting service for small businesses offered through the Carson College of Business, on October 21, 2020, with Mike Davis at KGMI Radio in Bellingham. Mader is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship.