Scott L. Carmona College of Business News

February 25, 2015

SVSU Honors Outstanding Graduates at Alumni Celebration

Saginaw Valley state University recognized six of its graduates and one future graduate at its annual Alumni Celebration Friday, Feb. 20. Five alumni were honored with the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest award presented by the SVSU Alumni Association. In addition, the Young Alumni and Future Alumni award recipients were bestowed.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to an SVSU graduate in recognition of distinguished service and accomplishment in any field of human endeavor that enhances the prestige of the university.

In the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences, Patrick McInnis received the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus honor. He currently serves as CEO of Fathead, an industry leader of officially licensed sports and entertainment graphics with headquarters in Detroit. Previously, McInnis served as president of Quicken Loans from 2002 to 2009. He completed a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1988.

In the College of Business & Management, the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus award was given to Dave Abbs. A certified financial planner and owner of Abbs Retirement Planning Advisors in Saginaw, he also is actively involved in the Great Lakes Bay Region, having served as chair of SVSU’s Board of Control and the Saginaw Community Foundation Board. Abbs completed a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in marketing and management in 1983.

In the College of Education, Karen Abbott received the 2015 Distinguished Alumna honor.  During her 35-year career in education, she has served as a teacher, administrator and principal; she presently is the elementary principal at Rutherford Winans Academy, a charter school in Detroit. Abbott completed a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1979.

In the Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services, the Distinguished Alumna award was given to Carmella Jones. A registered nurse and an ordained American Baptist clergywoman, she serves as the director of the Faith Community Nurse Program at Holy Cross Health in Silver Spring, Md. Jones completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1981.

In the College of Science, Engineering & Technology, Rick Nash received the Distinguished Alumnus honor. Since 2007, he has served as a global product line executive director and chief engineer for Saginaw-based Nexteer Automotive's steering columns and intermediate shafts business. Nash began his career as a project engineer for General Motors after completing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1988.

The Young Alumni Award recognizes an individual who has graduated within five years, contributed to student and campus life, has a strong affinity for and connection to SVSU, has been recognized for a strong work ethic, and has shown evidence of professional achievement and civic service. The 2015 recipient is Sarah Lockwood, who graduated from SVSU in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. A native of Waldron, she has since completed a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Michigan State University – where she received the Outstanding Teaching Award – and currently serves as chief technical officer at LifeBlood, a start-up company in East Lansing.

The Future Alumni Award is presented to an SVSU student of junior or senior class standing who meets the same criteria as the Young Alumni award. The 2015 recipient is Valerie Adams, an exercise science major from Washington Township who is expected to graduate with honors in May.  She has been accepted into Duke University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, where she will continue her education in the fall.  While at SVSU, Adams has presented at the 2014 National American College of Sports Medicine conference, received a grant to redefine proper nutritional practices for NCAA collegiate athletes, and she is an active member of several student organizations.

January 23, 2015

SVSU Business Dean with new Super Bowl ad finding on emotional appeal; fewer auto companies advertise in this year’s game

The NFL’s Super Bowl will be played Sunday, Feb. 1 and while stakes are high on the field, advertisers are competing just as fiercely during the television broadcast. Last year’s game, Super Bowl XLVIII, set a new record for the most watched television program in American history, attracting 111.5 million viewers. The price for a 30-second commercial during the game also is at an all-time high: $4.5 million.

Rama Yelkur, dean of the College of Business and Management at Saginaw Valley State University, is one of the nation’s leading experts on whether viewers find ads to be likable. She has studied Super Bowl ads for 20 years and has identified certain factors that can predict whether an ad will appeal to viewers.

Yelkur’s most recent finding is that ads with a positive emotional appeal are better liked by audiences.

“In recent years, there have been more ads that tug on people’s emotional heartstrings,” she said. “Showing affection or enjoyment appeals to the mood of the consumer watching the Super Bowl, someone who often is in a party setting, having a good time.”

Yelkur, Ph.D., and SVSU student researchers looked at all 109 Super Bowl ads for the past two years and found ads’ positive emotional messages correlated very highly with how well the commercials were liked. She and SVSU student Courtney Seamon, a marketing major from New Lothrop, will present their findings at the Marketing Management Association Conference in Chicago, March 25‌-27.

Along with her late research colleague Chuck Tomkovick, Yelkur’s previous studies have found other factors that tend to make ads more likable: the use of humor, including animals or children in the commercials, and the appearance of celebrities. Their work has been published in leading scholarly journals and has been cited widely in popular media, including Advertising Age, CNN Money, The New York Times, USA Today‌, and The Wall Street Journal.

One interesting trend that has emerged among the companies choosing to purchase Super Bowl commercials for this year’s game on NBC is that there will be fewer car commercials.  Last year, 11 auto companies advertised during the big game, accounting for nearly one-quarter of air time, but only six are confirmed for this year (BMW, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota).

The broadcast will feature a few Super Bowl ad debuts as Carnival cruise lines, super glue maker Loctite, cell phone accessory company Mophie, and the web site service Wix have all purchased air time for the first time.

The dieting company Weight Watchers also announced recently they will be advertising.

“There is a great deal of speculation already about how their aid will be received in a party atmosphere where there tends to be a lot of eating,” Yelkur said.

Several recognized names will be returning as advertisers.

“The usual suspects are in,” Yelkur said.  “M&M/Mars, Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and GoDaddy are all back. SquareSpace is back, too, after appearing in last year’s game for the first time.”

Yelkur joined SVSU in July 2013‌ and will continue her Super Bowl ad research, including SVSU students in the process.  A focus group will watch the game on campus and evaluate this year’s commercials.

December 18, 2014

SVSU Research, Presentations and Publications- September 2014

• Marlena Bravender, assistant professor of education technology, presented a workshop on using simulations in education leadership preparation, as well as a paper titled “Technology Innovation in Leadership Preparation” at the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration annual conference, Aug. 5-6 in Camarillo, Calif.

• Michael Busch, ESL specialist, had his article titled “Do adult ESL learners and teacher goals for improving grammar-in-writing correspond?” published in Language Awareness, Vol. 23, Issue 3, Pages 234-254.

• Professor of Modern Foreign Language Anna Dadlez’s three-part series, titled “Women and War,” has been accepted for publication by the Profiles in Diversity Journal. The series describes three women of different countries involved in different ways in World War II. The first part will appear in the journal this year. Two other parts will appear in 2015.

• Monika Dix, assistant professor of Japanese, published an article titled “A Mother’s Voice: The Potency of a Woman in the Jojin Ajari no haha no shu” in the Journal of Japanese Language and Literature, Vol. 48, No. 1, 2014.

• Julie Foss, assistant professor of modern foreign languages, presented the workshop “Speaking Activities for Oral Proficiency Development” at MSU’s Center for Language Education and Research, July 21-23.

• Jason Pagano, assistant professor of chemistry, presented a poster titled “Tubular precipitation patterns from reactant-loaded pellets” at international conferences: Gordon Research Seminars and Gordon Research Conferences in Oscillations and Dynamic Instabilities in Chemical Systems, Melia Golf Vichy Catalan Business and Convention Center, Girona, Spain, July 12 and July 16-17, respectively. SVSU students Patrick Fryfogle and Eric Nelson were Pagano’s co-authors.

• Hong Y. Park, professor of economics, presented three papers based on his research supported by a Braun Fellowship. First, Park co-authored “Knowledge creation structure and new competence creation” with Heyjung Chang and Yong-Seoung Park (both at Kyung Hee University); the paper was presented at the 9th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics, June 11-13 in Matera, Italy. The paper was included in the conference proceedings.

 Also, Park and Il-Hyung Cho, associate professor of computer science & information systems, co-authored “Information technology and user knowledge-driven innovation” with Sook Jung and Dorrie Main (both at Washington State University); the paper was presented at the 2014 Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organization Conference, Aug. 3-4 at the University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K. In addition, Park presented “Knowledge, entrepreneurship and creation of new competence: Foundations of the creative economy,” presented at the 2014 Korea Development Institute Economic Policy Conference, Aug. 8 in Sejong City, Korea. The paper was included in the conference proceedings. The KDI is the top government sponsored policy research institute in Korea.

• Khandaker A. Rahman, assistant professor of computer science & information systems, presented at three conferences. First, in August Rahman presented “Exploring Movement Pattern Based Authentication for Mobile Platform” at the 23rd USENIX Security Symposium, San Diego, Calif. Also, in May he presented “Proposing a Novel Defense Mechanism to Spoof Attacks Targeting Keystroke Dynamics based Cyber-behavioral Biometric Systems” at the 13^th Annual Security Conference, Las Vegas. In February, Rahman presented “A Study on Defending Synthetic Spoof Attacks Against Keystroke Dynamics Based Continuous Verification Systems” at the Annual Conference of Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters.

• Scott M. Youngstedt, professor of anthropology, co-edited a book, Saharan Crossroads: Exploring Historical, Cultural, and Artistic Linkages between North and West Africa (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014). This trilingual book (English, French, and Arabic) includes 19 chapters written by authors based in Algeria, Cameroon, France, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa and the U.S.

• Matthew Zivich, professor of art, has a work accepted for showing at the Bottom Feeders and The Distant Self: Alternative Approaches to Self-Portraiture show at Slusser Gallery in the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design, Ann Arbor. Zivich’s photographic work, 30 Croatian Cravats, was accepted by the curator of the show, Trevor King. The show was open to all media and runs through Oct. 8.

• Gladys Zubulake, professor of modern foreign languages, presented a paper titled “Coffee as the universal language to teach culture” at the ASTSP International Conference, Panama City, Panama, July 8-12.

December 18, 2014

SVSU Presentations, Research and Publications

• James Bowers, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented two papers at the annual Midwest Criminal Justice Association meeting, Sept. 25-27 in Chicago. The first paper, which was presented by Bowers and coauthored with SVSU students Sarah Perry, Jon Sand and Michela Andrus, was titled “Michigan Diversion Program Evaluation.” The second paper, which Bowers presented, was titled “Techniques of Neutralization Used by Michigan Sex Offenders.”

• Marlena Bravender, assistant professor of education technology, co-authored an article titled “The Construction of Simulations as an Instructional Activity for Graduate Students in an Education Leadership Program,” published in Leadership and Research in Education: The Journal of the OCPEA, Fall 2014.

• Ann Coburn-Collins, director of the Center for Academic Achievement, led a workshop on “Successful Aging with High Self- Efficacy,” Sept. 25 at Creative 360 in Midland.

Also, Coburn-Collins and adjunct instructors Lester Altevogt, Anne Acker and Lisa Tsay presented “An Adjunct Faculty Learning Community to Increase Intentional Learning,” Oct. 16 at the Lilly Conference in Traverse City.

• Fenobia I. Dallas, associate professor of rhetoric & professional writing, had a book review on The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogs, by Angela Y. Davis, published in the Journal of African American History, vol. 99, issue 3 (summer 2014), pp. 343-45.

Dallas also presented a paper titled “What is a Citizen Without Civil Rights?: Ignoring the Voices in the ‘Redlined’ Areas” at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History conference, Sept. 26 in Memphis, Tenn.

• Julie Foss, assistant professor of modern foreign languages, presented two sessions, “What Can You Do with the Can-Do Statements?” with Emily Spinelli of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and “Engage with Your State, Regional and National Professional Organizations” with Viviana Muriel de Bonafede of Detroit Public Schools, at the 50th annual Michigan World Language Association Conference, Oct. 23-24 in Lansing. Foss will serve as MIWLA president in 2015.

• Tim Kenyon, lecturer of English, presented a lecture titled “Words & Pictures: In Defense of Comics” at the Toledo Public Library, Sanger Branch in Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 27. His talk and presentation was part of the library system’s annual celebration of Banned Books Week.

• Edward C. Meisel III, lecturer of chemistry, announced that SVSU’s greenhouse is now certified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program. MAEAP was developed by a coalition of agriculture farmers, commodity groups, state and federal agencies and conservation and environmental groups.

November 21, 2014

Halfway around the world and back

As a student at Buena Vista High School, Rollin Johnson, 2009, M.B.A., set his sights on the world outside mid-Michigan. His travels and experiences after graduation took him halfway around the world, then back to his hometown, and most recently on to Baltimore Md., where he serves as director of the Center for Social Concern at Johns Hopkins University.
After graduating from college, Rollin joined the U.S. Peace Corps in 2003, serving first in Nepal, then in Burkina Faso through 2005. Those eye opening and mind-broadening experiences helped Rollin realize that he wanted to continue working for a greater good and that furthering his education would help him do so more effectively.
“The Peace Corps helped me think about how to use my business acumen in a way I hadn’t considered, how to use it around public service.”
When he returned to the United States from Africa, Rollin joined the staff of a small college in Iowa, where he promoted volunteerism and the Peace Corps.
“My experiences internationally with the Peace Corps created a really strong sense of connection with people and with organizations. That helped shape who I am.” 

Rollin is a man committed to bringing public service to the forefront, and effecting meaningful change in a city [Baltimore] facing many social challenges. SVSU’s M.B.A. program, he said, helped prepare him for this work.

Going global . . . close to home

Rollin said when he decided to pursue his Master of Business Administration, SVSU was on his list of possible universities. 

“Being from the area, I knew about SVSU,” Rollin said. “When I looked into the M.B.A. program, I was attracted to the curriculum; the global emphasis of the program was very interesting to me.
“I also liked the size of the program,” Rollin added. “I knew I’d have access to my professors.”
For Rollin, SVSU offered global reach in a close-knit community. “SVSU has a really friendly atmosphere,” Rollin said. “And the M.B.A.’s international emphasis was really exciting. Connections with people from around the globe opened up this cool space for me to learn from my colleagues. I liked being able to sit with someone from halfway across the world and work together to build rapport and friendships. I’m still in touch with some of those people.”
While working on his M.B.A., Rollin served as a graduate research assistant for the Entrepreneurship Institute at SVSU.

“I worked with Harry Leaver [executive director] and the team at the Center for Business and Economic Development, and with Ken Kousky [at the time, SVSU’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence],” Rollin said. “That helped me sharpen some of the ‘soft’ skills, learning how to work with people around mutual gain and goal. And the opportunity to address some real world problems provided great experience.”
That experience, and other strategies and skills Rollin learned and honed at SVSU, has helped him meet the challenges of his job.

“My work at the Center for Social Concern [Johns Hopkins University] provides new challenges,” Rollin said. “We have change agents out in the city and the community, working to pull together the optimal courses of action for a lot of different interests. Identifying the right route to prime results is challenging. SVSU prepared me by sharpening my technical skills and developing my ability to think critically.

“At SVSU, I learned the importance of plugging in and connecting,” Rollin said. “If I have any advice, it’s ‘get involved.’”

November 21, 2014

Bowrin Finds 'Just the Right Fit'

There are many reasons why someone who has never been to SVSU would find it appealing.

For Anthony Bowrin, associate dean of the College of Business & Management, it all started with a coat.

Some 2,700 miles from his native Trinidad and Tobago, Bowrin came to campus for an interview in early March 2009 and stepped of the plane without a winter jacket. Meeting him at the airport was his future colleague, Professor of Accounting Mark McCartney, who immediately took of his own jacket and offered it to Bowrin — and, luckily, it was the right fit. That type of hospitality, Bowrin says, is exactly the type of interaction he  was looking for when he decided to relocate from the University of the West Indies in search of an institution that also was “just the right fit.”

Bowrin was hired as an associate professor of accounting and wasted no time introducing his students to a teaching philosophy he admits is predicated on tough love.

“My belief is that every student who is willing to work hard can succeed,” he said. “I ask them what are their strengths and weaknesses, and their likes and dislikes. If they answer honestly, they can craft a plan that will almost guarantee their success.“

Last year, Bowrin took that same philosophy to a new administrative position when he was named associate dean.

“Honestly, an administrative role wasn’t a goal when I came to SVSU,” he said. “But I can still help students as associate dean — I can still mentor them, and I can still help them navigate a plan that will help them be successful.”

Bowrin has also taken his desire to help others to a new field of sorts — the soccer field. For the last three years he has served as a youth soccer coach for recreational soccer teams at the Midland Soccer Club, where he says working with the children is “the highlight of my week.”

Still, he says, there is no greater joy than watching one of his own students find success after graduation.

“I especially enjoy getting a phone call from a student or employer commenting on the quality of what we do in the college or the quality of a student,” Bowrin said. “Thankfully I’ve received quite a few of those calls.”

November 21, 2014

College Update Fall 2014-College of Business & Management

• In late winter, the college announced reaffirmation for AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation. Fewer than 5 percent of business schools worldwide are so recognized, keeping the college in elite company.
• At the end of the 2013-14 academic year, 19 students were inducted to Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society serving AACSB-accredited programs. To be inducted, B.B.A. students must be in the top 10 percent and M.B.A. students in the top 20 percent of their class.
• The college hosted the first-ever “Academia Awards: Best in Business” in March honoring businesses, students, alumni and faculty for their contributions to the college for high achievement. Award recipients included: Nexteer Automotive, Outstanding Business Award; Stevens Worldwide Van Lines, Outstanding Family Business Award; Herbert Spence III, Outstanding Business Leader Award; Pamela Forbus, Outstanding Alumna Award; Stephanie Smith, Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award; Brian Funk, Outstanding Graduate Student Award; Mark McCartney, Excellence in Teaching: Faculty Award; John Abbott, Excellence in Teaching: Adjunct Faculty Award; and Kaustav Misra, Excellence in Research Award. Next year’s program is scheduled for March 13, 2015.
• In partnership with the Shri Ram College of Commerce of Delhi University, India, the college co-hosted the Global Business Sustainability Conference, an international conference that provided a forum for participants to exchange ideas on effective and sustainable business practices. Keynote speakers included Linda Kennan, corporate vice president of stewardship, Dow Corning Corporation; Debashis Kanungo, talent transformation and management director – human resources, Tata Consultancy Services; and Robert (Bo) Miller, global director of corporate citizenship, The Dow Chemical Company. The conference took place on Sept. 23-26.

October 27, 2014

John Stadwick '83-A Global Cardinal

John Stadwick, 1983, B.B.A., came to SVSU in 1978 as a student-athlete. A member of the track team. John was a three-time All American and part of the 1982 and 1983 Men's Indoor National Track Championship team. Today, he serves as vice president of Shanghai-GM Automobile Co. Ltd. (Shanghai-GM) and Vice president of sales, service and marketing for General Motors China.

Lessons learned as a student-athlete helped him achieve success in his professional career.

“On the track team, everybody had different specialties, different strengths,” John said. “We learned to leverage them. This translates into the working world where you identify and leverage individuals’ strengths to build a winning team.”

A native of Harrison Township near Detroit, John chose SVSU because the university was building a nationally-recognized track and cross country program.

“When I was in high school, I received a recruitment package from [track coach] Dr. [Doug] Hansen,” explained John. “I wanted to continue running track and cross country in college, and SVSU seemed to be a good ?t.”

Not only was SVSU a good fit for the college freshman, but it was also a good place to “grow up.” 

“Going to college is [often] the first time you live away from home,” John said. “So it’s a big growth time emotionally, physically and psychologically. SVSU provided a positive environment for my growth and development. Those years were very influential in providing me with a solid foundation that I use in decision-making every day of my life.

“A couple of great coaches — Ed Skrelunas and Doug Hansen — acted as mentors to a bunch of young men and women,” John said. “They instilled some pretty good values: integrity, trust, dedication and teamwork. These helped me in my career, especially as I work around the world. You have to build trust; your colleagues need to believe in you, and you need to believe in them.”

The Road to Success

John’s road to success has taken him across the country and around the world. After earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in 1983, he joined the district manager-in-training program at GM’s Oldsmobile division in Lansing.

Working for a global company, John realized there were many opportunities outside of southeast Michigan.

His career has taken him from New York to California and points in between. In the late 1990s, John left Oldsmobile to join GM’s corporate office. His first overseas opportunity came in 2004, when he moved to Mexico as director for General Motors Service Parts Operation for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

By that time, John and his wife, Andrea, had three children. The move to Mexico gave them a broader perspective on the world.

“When we moved to Mexico, my daughter participated in a United Nations event with kids from all over the world,” John recalled. “They talked about global politics and shared personal perspectives. My kids’ experiences really made them global citizens.”

Although John hadn’t experienced international travel as a student, he said his experience at SVSU helped prepare him for life abroad.

“Reflecting back, my first roommate was a kid who grew up in Greece,” John said. “Lou Iordanou and I became best friends and are still friends. That was my first exposure to a different culture and language.

“Being on the track and cross country teams taught me how to adapt and adjust to people from diverse backgrounds. I didn’t realize I was even learning those lessons, but they came into play later.”

While in Mexico, John learned to speak Spanish, which led to an appointment as regional director of aftersales for GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. In 2009, he accepted the position of vice president of aftersales for GM International Operations in Shanghai. In 2010, John became president and managing director of General Motors Middle East Operations, based in Dubai.

John’s success earned the attention of Evo Middle East, a leading auto publication, which named him “2011 Man of the Year.” In 2013, Forbes Middle East included John on its “Global Meets Local” list of top influential leaders of global corporations’ regional operations.

Late last fall, John once again packed up his office and returned to Shanghai.

John credits his experience at SVSU as a positive influence and essential in the development of his successful life and career. Because of that, he supports the university.

“I’m not sure I’d be where I am if I had not gone to SVSU,” he said. “I believe in giving back. I want to make sure other students have the same opportunities that were available to me.”

As for his many moves around the world, John credits his wife. “When traveling and relocating around the world, you need strong support from your spouse,” John says. “My wife has moved our family multiple times. I could not have done it without her.”

The road from SVSU to Shanghai has been interesting for John Stadwick, and he’s eager to see where it takes him next, and so is SVSU.

October 21, 2014

Are you spending time or money?

Kaustav Misra knows that economics isn’t called the dismal science for its thrilling course content.

“The moment you start with big words, phenomena, concepts — students will leave the class,” the assistant professor in economics said. “Physically, they’ll be there, but mentally, they’ll have left.” 

“Your most important job is to keep them alive in the classroom,” he added. That’s why Misra brings laughter to his lectures. “You have to teach it in a way that students feel connected,” he said.

“Then you start bringing the concepts to the table.” 

It’s calculated, Misra said. “We joke around, but at the same time, I convey my message through the jokes. No matter what I’m teaching them, I want to make sure they’re getting it.” 

And from his experiences, it seems to be working. “They are alive in that classroom,” Misra said. “They talk. They laugh. They argue, and they work with me.” 

When you meet him, it’s clear the Calcutta, India, native and Mississippi State University Ph.D. is straightforward. For instance, he knows he has an accent. That’s why he acknowledges it with students on their first day of class.

“I tell them, ‘The accent, you’ve got to deal with,’” he said. “‘But if you think you can deal with it and get along with me, I’m sure the day you step out of this class, you will have learned something from me.’ And students have liked hearing that.” 

Overall, though, that’s what Misra wants for them: to think of themselves as investors. “I preach it to students every time I see them: Whatever you’re spending, time or money, find out what you’re getting out of it. Otherwise, you are spending your time and money, and it’s all going to go to the water.” 

In fact, from Misra’s teaching, students take theory outside the classroom. During his first semester at SVSU in winter 2011, Misra was teaching his international economics class about how buying and selling currencies can be incredibly lucrative. So students began doing it themselves, and asked Misra for his input.

Today, students still buy and sell currency even as they take classes. Since then, others have stepped forward, asking Misra for investment advice. (He reminds them that this isn’t his expertise and that the risk is entirely theirs, but he’s happy to offer help with the theory.) 

But no matter which way you look at it, economics isn’t an exact science. “It’s between a science and an art,” Misra said. “You need an imagination to understand and see it. That’s why the subject is tricky.” 

In the end, the study is all an investment, Misra said, and if you stick around, the return is high.

“You open your tired eye and understand the world in a new way.”

October 20, 2014

Accountant studies financial impact of faulty cloud storage

Betsy Pierce is versed in a variety of topics. Genetics. Accounting. Chronic lung disease. Battlefield 4.

The assistant professor of accounting’s interest in the latter subject, a futuristic war-time video game, doesn’t involve her picking up an Xbox controller, though. Instead, Pierce over the last year has studied the flawed development plan that nearly derailed the video game’s worldwide release in October.

Recently, Pierce and a colleague — Dawna Drum from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire — submitted a case study paper based on the incident to The Accounting Information Systems Educator, an annual publication dedicated to accounting-based education. The paper challenges students to consider their own business strategy when developing and releasing a videogame. Specifically, students are both asked how they would choose an Internet cloud storage client and to consider an exit strategy should that client prove unreliable. 

Battlefield 4’s developer, Electronic Arts, experienced such a scenario in the fall when its cloud storage company, Nirvanix, filed for bankruptcy and gave its clients two weeks to remove data from its Internet storage space. The company was able to secure a 2-week extension to the storage deadline, and that relief likely prevented Battlefield 4 developers from losing critical files that could have delayed the game’s multimillion dollar-netting release, Pierce said. 

One of Pierce’s many research interests is the growing trend toward firms using cloud storage.

 “I’m an old-time accountant, and I lived through the whole automation process, when (companies) had to convince people to use desktop computers,” said Pierce, a practicing accountant until 2000.

She said now members of the American Institute of CPAs are pushing for more firms to use cloud technology.

“It’s interesting to me, and scary,” she said. 

It wasn’t so long ago when Pierce’s interests lay in a very different field. The Midland native with a Ph.D. in immunology was a postdoctoral fellow in pediatrics before arriving at SVSU last summer. She was one of a half-dozen people in the world with a focus on studying chronic lung disease in patients who underwent bone marrow transplants.

Before that, she taught courses at the college level on subjects such as genetics and accounting. The experience stuck with her through the years, and when an opportunity opened up at SVSU to educate undergraduates, she applied.

 “I love being in the classroom,” she said.

These days, she teaches Financial and Managerial Accounting and is helping revamp the Accounting Information Systems course at SVSU. She recently participated in a study abroad trip in India.

“I’m having a blast,” Pierce said of her SVSU experience.