From the Dean's Desk

Research Roundup

Dean Martijn Cremers

Dean Martijn Cremers

Monday, 18 November 2024

Thank you to all who attended the University Chair Lecture delivered by Jason Colquitt on Thursday. Jason delivered an excellent talk that detailed his research career and helped us all understand his important work on justice and trust in the workplace. We will provide the link to the video of his talk as soon as it becomes available. 

Here are recent papers published or accepted by top academic journals:

Nicholas Berente, Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations
John Lalor, Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations
The Effect of Bots on Human Interaction in Online Communities (MIS Quarterly)
Artificial intelligence agents, or "bots," are becoming ubiquitous. To get a sense for how bots impact human to human interaction, the researchers studied Reddit — an online environment that is increasingly incorporating bots across its communities. In analyzing over 70 million posts, the authors found that different types of bots have different effects. Specifically, "reflexive" bots — those agents that generate and disseminate content — generally increase the breadth of interaction among different humans, but generally decrease the depth of interaction among specific human pairs.  Further, "supervisory" bots — those agents that manage the appropriate forms of interaction in communities — generally reduce the popularity of the most central humans in a community. 

John Busenbark, Mary Jo and Richard M. Kovacevich Associate Professor of Management & Organization
How Music Theory Can Inform Competitive Dynamics: Anticipatory Awareness and Successful Preemption (Academy of Management Review)
Navigating competitive interactions is a vital determinant of firm performance. Whereas research has primarily focused on how firms observe and react to their rivals' strategic actions, the authors shift the focus to proactivity and offer insights about how firms can anticipate their competitors' upcoming strategic moves and preempt them. They specifically draw from tenets of music theory to argue that managers’ ability to do so stems from interpreting contemporaneous and sequential cues from their rivals.

Zhi Da, Howard J. and Geraldine F. Korth Professor of Finance
Fractional Trading (Review of Financial Studies)
Fractional trading (FT) — the ability to trade less than a whole share — removes barriers to high-priced stocks and facilitates entry by capital-constrained retail investors. This research observed a surge of tiny trades among high-priced stocks compared to low-priced stocks after the FT introduction. These tiny trades, when coordinated during attention-grabbing events, are forceful enough to exert large price pressure on high-priced stocks, and even fuel Meme stock-like trading frenzies and bubbles.

Peter Easton, Notre Dame Alumni Professor of Accountancy
Stephannie Larocque, Notre Dame Associate Professor of Accountancy
Private Equity Fund Reporting Quality, External Monitors, and Third-Party Service Providers (The Accounting Review)
The researchers describe variation in the reporting quality of private equity (PE) funds across external monitors and third-party service providers. In contrast to public markets, they find only limited evidence that reporting quality varies with investor types. They observe, however, that reporting quality varies with auditor involvement and the use of third-party service providers. This evidence is important to investors and regulators, especially now that PE supersedes public markets as the main vehicle to raise capital.

Frank Germann, Viola D. Hank Associate Professor of Marketing
Getting the Board on Board: Marketing Department Power and Board Interlocks (Journal of Marketing Research)
The study examines how the power of marketing departments (MDP), a key driver of organizational outcomes, is influenced by board interlocks — directors serving on multiple boards. Analyzing 6,008 firms (2007–2021), the findings reveal that MDP in board-interlocked firms positively affects MDP in focal firms. Contrary to claims of diminishing board interlock effects, the influence remains robust, particularly when firms’ interlock networks have greater reach, richness and receptivity. The study underscores the board's role in sustaining MDP.  

Cindy Muir (Zapata), Professor of Management & Organization
Seeing “Eye to Eye” About Our Relationship Makes Me Good at Being Fair: A Study of LMX Agreement and Fairness Efficacy (Organization Science)
The importance of fair treatment within organizations is clear. What is less often discussed however is the value of supervisors and employees “seeing eye to eye.” This work demonstrates how the dynamic interplay between leaders and followers, and in particular — how aligning perceptions of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality — is key to fostering fairness at any level of relationship quality. By enhancing each party’s perceptions of fairness, agreement on the quality of the exchange relationship (LMX agreement) indirectly leads to supervisors becoming more confident in their fairness-related abilities, and employees performing at higher levels. Generally, findings reveal that achieving LMX agreement improves perceptions of fairness that can create a self-reinforcing fairness-efficacy spiral, benefiting both supervisors and employees beyond the immediate relationship.

Thank you to Nick, John L., John B., Peter, Stephannie, Frank and Cindy for their contributions.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

Martjin Cremers
Martin J. Gillen Dean
Bernard J. Hank Professor of Finance

 


Guest Column: Rob Kelly

Rob Kelly

Rob Kelly

Monday, 11 November 2024

Thanking Those Who Serve

On this Veterans Day, I’d like to dedicate this entry of the Exchange to all of our faculty, staff, students and alumni who are former and active members of the uniformed services.

Veterans Day, originally named Armistice Day to commemorate the end of major hostilities in World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, is often observed with a moment of silence at 11:11 a.m. on November 11. Those we honor today are all current, former, living and deceased members of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, National Guard, Navy and Space Force.

Growing up, I had a front-row seat to the contributions and sacrifices that our military service men and women make to our country. As an Air Force “brat,” I followed my father’s deployment schedule from my birthplace outside of Madrid, Spain, to our final destination as a family in Jerome, Michigan. Between those two locations, we moved five times across the country, spanning Michigan to Texas and Ohio to Colorado. I went to eight different schools between kindergarten through 12th grade. 

An ROTC student stands vigil in front of the monument on campusIn contrast, my wife Starr grew up in one town and attended one combined campus over that same period. Our children have only known one neighborhood and two different school buildings. Even in relative peacetime and away from the front lines of conflict, service to one’s country still comes with sacrificing your personal will and comfort.

I have also been able to experience firsthand the dedication, service and impact that our military service members make to their communities on behalf of our country. Those contributions came in the form of supporting community infrastructure projects and civic events, celebrating national holidays by displaying America’s military personnel and machinery as well as entertaining and educating the public through air shows and museums. 

Even now, on a Notre Dame football gameday, the one thing I hope for (second only to an Irish victory) is a loud and well-timed flyover at the end of the National Anthem. Chills!

As members of the Notre Dame community, we share in a long, proud history of partnership with and respect for service academies, from the famed “God, Country, Notre Dame” plaque over the Basilica door to Notre Dame ROTC cadets’ 24-hour vigil at the Clark Memorial Fountain taking place today. I encourage you to learn more about Notre Dame’s history of supporting military service. It’s inspiring!

We share the halls of Mendoza and Stayer with colleagues who have also made their own contributions and sacrifices to our national defense and domestic tranquility. Veterans on our faculty or staff include:

Mike Chapple - Air Force
Douglass Hemphill (emeritus) - Army
James Fuehrmeyer (emeritus) - Army
Pat Gibbons - Marine Corps
Jim Leady - Army
Bob Lewandowski - Navy
Drew Marcantonio - Marine Corps
Frank Mark - Air Force
Jim O’Rourke - Air Force
Amy Spangler - Army
(This list may not be exhaustive.)

Additionally, our graduate programs have traditionally held significant military and veteran representation, notably:

14% of the MBA Class of 2025
17% of the MBA Class of 2026
17% of the EMBA Class of 2025
23% of the Global EMBA Class of 2026

At the undergraduate level, we have representation in all of the branches of the campus ROTC program. And though they are too numerous to list here, the Mendoza alumni who have gone on to military service is a long and illustrious list of some of the University’s top alumni.

Veterans and active members, we thank all of you for your service, your contributions and your sacrifices.

Gratefully,

Rob

Rob Kelly
Chief Operating Executive


University Chair Lecture featuring Jason Colquitt

Dean Martijn Cremers

Dean Martijn Cremers

Monday, 4 November 2024

Please join me for the third University Chair Lecture to be delivered by Jason Colquitt, the Franklin D. Schurz Professor in the Department of Management & Organization and academic director of the Ph.D. in Management program. Jason’s talk, “Insights on Trust and Justice in Organizational Life,” will take place from 3-5 p.m., Thursday, November 14  in the Jordan Auditorium followed by a reception in the atrium. 

We launched the University Chair Lecture Series in fall 2023 to recognize the importance of the research contributions of our faculty. The series features Mendoza faculty designated as University chairs – Notre Dame’s highest recognition of the impact of a faculty member’s research. The event is an opportunity to hear about the work and career of some of our most impactful faculty and to celebrate together how – through our research – we are growing the good in business. 

Jason researches in the areas of justice, trust, work meaning, personality and identity. He has published over 50 articles with more than 60,000 (!!!) citations in top academic journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 

His career includes serving as a past editor-in-chief and associate editor for of the influential Academy of Management Journal. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review and Administrative Science Quarterly. 

Jason’s prodigious research career has been recognized with the Cummings Scholar Award for early to mid-career achievement, which is sponsored by the Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior division. He also authored one of the top-selling organizational behavior textbooks, which is now in its eighth edition.

As the founding academic director of the Ph.D. in Management, Jason was responsible for shaping a groundbreaking program for the College that has successfully recruited talented candidates who are already contributing to their discipline with published research.

Previous University Chair Lectures by Mike Crant, the Notre Dame Professor of Management & Organization, and Ahmed Abbasi, the Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, were illuminating and entertaining.  

I hope you will attend. 

I also encourage you to attend the Thomas H. Quinn Lecture featuring Gerry Baker, Wall Street Journal editor at large, at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 8, in the Jordan Auditorium. He will present “Unpacking the Election: Where Do We Go From Here?” 

In Notre Dame,

Martijn


Undergraduate Program Fall Update

Dean Martijn Cremers

Dean Martijn Cremers

Monday, 28 October 2024

Welcome back! I hope that last week gave you an opportunity to take a break. 

I used the time to travel to Rome, where I had the great honor of attending a special conference convened at the Vatican on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and ethics. Pope Francis has made several statements on AI, recently asking: "Does it serve to satisfy the needs of humanity, to improve the well-being and integral development of people?" Or does it, rather, "serve to enrich and increase the already high power of the few technological giants despite the dangers to humanity?" 

The pope emphasizes the need for Christian morals and ethics to be integral to the evolution of the technology. I’m thankful to our faculty members who are increasing our understanding and awareness through their important research on the many facets of ethics and AI, and I hope to connect us to the many people working on artificial intelligence that I met at the conference.

In this column, I’d like to further highlight a few developments in our Undergraduate program, in follow up to Andy Wendelborn’s September column. Specifically, I want to update you on the number of students choosing to broaden their academic experience with double majors and minors, both inside and outside the College, which was a major objective of the redesign of the business core curriculum that went into effect starting with the Class of 2026 (current juniors). 

Here is the breakdown of the primary majors of current students:

pie charts of undergraduate enrollment

 

Of our sophomores and juniors, 145 students declared a second business major, with nearly 69% choosing the Accountancy/Finance combination:

 

Pie chart of double majors

 

To round out the picture of the diverse studies of our students: 

  • 26% are enrolled in business minors.
  • 34% are enrolled in a second major outside of business.
  • 37% are enrolled in a minor outside of business.

These percentages will increase as current Mendoza sophomores are in the process of registering for second majors and minors in and outside of Mendoza; for example, the Marketing minor and the Finance minor have only recently become available to Mendoza students.

Considering just the last two bullet points, this means that more than 71% of Mendoza students are expanding their coursework to non-business disciplines, which speaks positively to the holistic development of our students.

In important other news pertaining to our undergraduate program, earlier this month, the University's Academic Council approved a new double major program allowing Mendoza undergraduate students to study business and computer science. In a collaboration between Mendoza and the College of Engineering, the program will provide a cohort of students with the opportunity to combine any one of the Mendoza majors with a second major in computer science. Admission to the program will be through a competitive selection process with more details to come. My thanks especially to Mike Chapple for his leadership and guidance in establishing this new opportunity for our students.

The pope’s conference on AI is a reminder of the importance of continuing to evolve and innovate within our undergraduate programs as we prepare them for a future that could be far different from the present. I’m thankful to the many of you who teach and serve as administrators and advisors in Undergraduate Studies.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn


Guest Column: Claire Fitzgibbon

Claire Fitzgibbon

Claire Fitzgibbon

Monday, 21 October 2024

Enhancing the Student Experience: A Commitment to Community

The Graduate Enrollment team has always prided itself on ensuring a top-notch experience for prospective students throughout the application process. This summer, we deepened our commitment to enhancing the student experience by reviewing our application process with a fine-toothed comb. We looked at our competitor’s applications, examined our applicant user experience, clarified steps and removed barriers to make applying easier.

Next, we assembled a cross-functional group of Mendoza colleagues to refine our interview questions. The goal was to ensure that the information applicants share during interviews gives the admissions committee a clear understanding of their fit within our community, commitment to our mission and their goals within the program and beyond.

Speaking of interviews, applicants now have the option to interview virtually or in person. The return of in-person interviews has allowed prospective students to experience the Mendoza community firsthand before being admitted. They can schedule interviews during visits to Mendoza which are offered three days per week, or if they're on campus for a Football Friday, they can meet with us in a suite at the stadium — providing iconic views of Notre Dame before their interview.

Visiting students will also benefit from our new, dedicated parking spaces for Mendoza Graduate Admissions. With most prospective students arriving around noon, when parking can be challenging, these reserved spots reflect the Mendoza community’s thoughtful consideration of the entire student experience.

In addition to these on-campus enhancements, our recruitment team has been traveling nationwide and internationally to meet students face-to-face. It's been incredibly rewarding for our team to receive calls from students they met just a week earlier, asking questions as they work on their applications.

The enrollment team has had a busy summer and fall, all aimed at introducing students to our community. Their efforts culminated in one of our favorite days: Last Friday, we made more than 200 phone calls to newly admitted students, welcoming them to the Notre Dame family. 

The commitment and passion our team brings to their work every day was met with an outpouring of excitement and emotion from the students, ranging from tears of happiness and stunned silence to joyful shaking and at least one ecstatic scream. The energy and excitement we see from our newly admitted students is a powerful reminder of why we remain committed to providing an exceptional admissions experience for every applicant.

Go Irish!

Claire

Claire Fitzgibbon
Senior Director of Graduate Enrollment
Graduate Enrollment

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