Timothy B. Greenlee

Contexts for Communication: Teaching Expertise Through Case-Based In-Basket Exercises

Abstract Stakeholders from both business and academe are challenging educators to integrate meaningful writing into the business curriculum. In this article, the authors describe the use of case-based in-basket exercises (CIBEs) as a particularly effective way to elicit such writing. CIBEs require students not only to master course concepts but also to learn how to communicate what they know to a variety of professional audiences beyond the classroom. CIBEs require students to combine specialized functional area knowledge with analysis of communication contexts; thus they lead students to expertise, or the ability to adapt disciplinary content to varied audiences and purposes.

Means-End Theory: Getting the Service Customers's Attention

ABSTRACT In todays technically sophisticated, information-rich environment, consumers are bombarded with information. Consequently colleges and universities must develop ways to get the prospective student to give their promotional material more than a cursory glance. Pre-purchase service evaluation has received little attention beyond the nature of cues used by consumers to categorize service alternatives. The studies presented in this paper examine the usefulness of Means-End Theory in developing effective recruitment brochures. Empirical evidence is presented that demonstrates college brochures that emphasize attributes (e.g., cost, location) over consequences (e.g., getting a job) or values (e.g., security) will generate greater interest in an educational institution.

On Academic Rankings, Unacceptable Methods, and the Social Obligations of Business Schools

Inspired by recent discussions of the systematic costs that external rankings impose on academic institutions, and the undeniable shifts in the landscape of institutional data, a concerted and pragmatic re-evaluation of ranking efforts has begun. In this study, multiple administrators and researchers representing both public and private institutions across the United States weigh in on these issues. While reaffirming the social contract we hold with society, we argue that the fundamental methodological shortcomings of existing rankings, and ultimately any ordinal ranking system, limit the value of current rankings. These shortcomings emerge from the conceptualization and the architecture of comparisons, and are evident in survey designs, data collection methods, and data aggregation procedures. Our discussion continues by outlining the minimal requirements that a socially responsible, transparent, flexible, and highly representative rating (vs. ranking) approach should employ. Ultimately, we call on academic institutions and organizing bodies to take a collective stand against existing rankings and to embrace the strategic use of multidimensional alternatives that faithfully serve prospective students, parents, and other key stakeholders. We conclude with a number of suggestions and opportunities for practice-oriented research in the decision sciences aimed to support this fundamental shift in evaluative framing.

Developing Effective Service Brochures: A Preliminary Assessment of Means-End Theory

Pre-purchase service evaluation has received little attention beyond the nature of cues used by consumers to categorize service alternatives. Presented are the preliminary results of a study that examines the usefulness of means-end theory in developing effective promotional material. Findings indicate that promotional materials emphasizing the initial level of the means-end hierarchy will generate greater interest in the service.