Philip J. Trocchia

From the Follower’s Viewpoint: A Configurational Approach to the Ideal Academic Leader

These studies examine the context-specific differences in implicit leadership theory (ILT)—based conceptualizations (i.e., perceptual configurations) of the ideal academic leader in two contexts: private and public universities. Specifically, the authors measured the perceived importance of leadership abilities and traits among university faculty followers (i.e., non—department heads and non-deans) to reveal the ILTs of academic followers and how the ILTs influence these faculty perceptions depending on university context (i.e., private vs. public university context). The studies were conducted within academic business units, and they examined the faculties’ conceptualizations of the ideal academic leader (e.g., department head or dean) among more than 500 business school members from more than 220 universities. Conceptualizations of the ideal academic leader varied substantially across private and public contexts, indicating that the leadership characteristics desired by faculty followers are context specific. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Characterizing consumer concerns about identification technology

– Retailers use of advanced technology to identify consumers has broad and, for many individuals, disturbing social implications. This study seeks to uncover consumer concerns regarding various identification technologies that may be encountered in present and future retail environments., – Subjects were asked to describe, in writing, concerns that they might have regarding six identification technologies. Content analysis was employed in order to place consumer concerns regarding biometric and radio frequency identification device technology into meaningful categories., – Eight specific categories of concern emerged which fall under three general themes: concerns regarding the technology itself, concerns regarding the security of collected data, and existential issues regarding interaction with the technology., – This research provides a framework for academic researchers to further develop a model of consumer interaction with identification technology. Therefore, an empirical follow‐up study, using a representative sample, should be conducted in order to expand the findings of this research., – This research study makes use of qualitative elicitation techniques to uncover specific areas of concern that may be addressed and alleviated prior to a technologys introduction., – This paper fills a gap in the existing literature with regard to our knowledge of consumer concerns and fears about identification technology.

A typology of students based on academic entitlement.

ABSTRACT Two hundred ninety-three university business students were surveyed using an academic entitlement (AE) scale updated to include new technologies. Using factor analysis, three components of AE were identified: grade entitlement, behavioral entitlement, and service entitlement. A k-means clustering procedure was then applied to identify four groups based on the relative strength of the AE components: the model student, under the radar, instructor as servant, and the privileged. These groups were further characterized by additional demographic (i.e., parental income) and classroom variables (i.e., instructor response times). Findings can help business educators gain better insight into the AE construct and devise more effective instructional strategies.

Digging Deeper: Providing Business Students with a Tool for ‘Surfacing’ Values

Individuals– personal values play a fundamental role in shaping business decisions. Decision-makers at Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, and Omni Media have grabbed headlines for their behaviors and have subsequently had their value systems scrutinized. As such, it is critical for business students to understand for themselves the nature and variety of values that individuals possess. We demonstrate an innovative classroom technique that allows students the opportunity to interview people in order to discover the diverse range of values that can drive behavior.