10 Questions…on Wal-Mart’s Major PR Battle for Jim Flanigan
Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton often scoffed at public relations as a waste of money. But after years of growing negative public opinion about the retail giant’s lack of employee benefits and high-profile defeats in their push to move into urban areas including Inglewood, the largest retailer in the world is rethinking their approach with public relations efforts to rival even political campaigns. As Jim Flanigan, a business writer for more than 40 years for Forbes, the New York Times, and Los Angeles Times, explains here, the shift was inevitable as the company was forced to adapt. Full story

On Point: The Power of Money in the November Special Election
With the defeat of all four of his proposed propositions, many people defined last month’s Special Election as a marker of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s dwindling support in the state. The election reaffirmed something else for Professor of Political Science Alan Fisher: When it comes to public opinion, money doesn’t talk, it screams. Full story

CBAPP and Campus News

First Annual Student Research Day Kicks Off A Resounding Success
Under the direction of Professor of Computer Information Systems Mohammad Eyadat, who served as the conference chair, more than 100 students presented research posters and papers at the first annual campus-wide Student Research Day.  Full story

Library Expansion Campaign Launched
The CSUDH Library kicked off its Library Enhancement Campaign on Nov. 17 with a reception in the current library. The Enhancement Campaign is designed to supplement funding for the library’s new addition. Construction on the new building will begin next spring with the 140,000-square-foot new library opening in the fall of 2007. Full story

Newsmakers

Iris Baxter, assistant professor of public administration, was appointed chair of the Department of Public Administration by Provost Allen A. Mori. Baxter assumed her post effective Nov. 17.

Sang Choi, assistant professor of public administration, had his paper, “Relative Efficiency of Fire and Emergency Services in Florida: An Application and Test of Date Envelopment Analysis,” published in the October issue of the International Journal of Emergency Management, (Vol. 2, No. 3).

Barbara Chrispin, professor of management, recently completed her work as CBAPP’s director of AACSB Accreditation and Assessment. Chrispin began CBAPP’s application for AACSB accreditation candidacy five years ago and has continued to ensure the college has taken the necessary steps to receive the accreditation, which is the most prestigious accreditation available for business schools around the world.

Steve Jenner, professor of management, co-authored an article with Iris Baxter, assistant professor of public administration, and Mary J. Cruise, professor of nursing, that was accepted for publication in the Journal of the Academy of Business Administration. The article is titled, “Student-Centered Teaching and Learning Through Teamwork Assignments.”

Senior Dyana Wrighting, business administration: accounting, received the 2005 Freedom Fund Scholarship from the Carson-Torrance chapter of the National Association for The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The $300 award will help Wrighting with her school finances. A single mother, she raises two young children and works part-time as a student assistant in University Advancement. Wrighting plans to take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam in 2006, eventually opening her own accounting business specializing in income tax. She currently works in the finance department of her church.

Myron Sheu, assistant professor of information systems and operations management, was appointed CBAPP’s new director of AACSB Accreditation and Assessment at the outset of the fall 2005 semester. As the director, he will lead the effort for accreditation with AACSB International, the preeminent governing body for business schools.

Frank Strier, professor of accounting and finance, recently had his article, “Time For a Facelift: The Public Image of the Public Accounting Profession,” accepted for publication in The CPA Journal. A separate article, titled, “Conflicts of Interest in Corporate Governance,” was accepted for publication in The Journal of Corporate Citizenship.

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