Stan Williamson

Evaluations of Ethical Situations by University Faculty: A Comparative Study

Abstract This article reports the results of a pilot study comparing ethical situation evaluations by nonbusiness faculty with those of business faculty at five colleges at a southern university. Data were collected from 231 faculty members; 73 from liberal arts, 49 from pure and applied sciences, 38 from pharmacy, 37 from education, and 34 from business. Each faculty member was asked to rank 30 ethical situations on a scale ranging from very unethical (1) to not at all unethical (5). Though a t test of significant differences of combined means did not produce significant differences at the.05 level, business faculty were significantly less ethically sensitive on many individual items than were faculty from other disciplines.

Sticker Shock: Management Professors' Perspectives on the Rising Costs of College Textbooks.

This study uses Internet survey methodology to target management instructors’ views on the cost of textbooks and the strategies that might be exercised by universities, publishers, and legislatures to control cost increases. From a random sample of 2,893 management professors selected, using university websites, from universities throughout the United States, 228 provided useable responses. Findings suggest that management instructors, particularly those with years of experience, acknowledge the concerns their students have over high textbook prices. They are willing to have legislation enacted to force changes in the marketing of the textbooks by publishers, but they do not want university policies that unduly (from their perspective) restrict their choices for texts. Nor are they in favor of possible publisher cost saving strategies that appear to add administrative burdens on faculty involved in the adoption process. Future research should include investigating techniques for reducing the rising costs of textbooks.

TO THE POINT: HOW MANAGEMENT FACULTY USE POWERPOINT SLIDES AND QUIZZES

This exploratory study examines U.S. management faculty usage of two types of supplements: PowerPoint (PPT) slides and quizzes. Results suggest the majority (67%) of experienced management faculty frequently employ PowerPoint in their classes. However, they do not see PPT basic slides provided by the publisher as very central to getting their message across. In using PPT they tend to personalize publisher slides to cover issues discussed in class and to embellish slides with visuals and videos for interest. Primarily they encourage their students to use PowerPoint slides provided on the instructor’s website to review lectures and chapter material to prepare for exams. Half of our study’s management professors used quizzes sparingly or not at all. When quizzes were used, professors developed their questions more often based on material presented in class as well as from the text. Further research investigating the reasoning behind faculty’s choices is warranted.