COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

"Research conducted by the faculty in the College of Business Administration is directed to the discovery, critical examination, and transfer of knowledge about complex business and government organizations."

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The College of Business Administration is committed to the three missions of Oklahoma State University--instruction, research, and extension/public service. These missions intertwine and play an important role in the professional endeavors of the highly diversified faculty of the College. Central to the success of the College is research. The results of faculty research assure students receive the most current knowledge. Research results are also integral to extension/public service activities which expand the boundaries of the University.

Research conducted by the faculty in the College of Business Administration is directed to the discovery, critical examination, and transfer of knowledge about complex business and government organizations. These efforts further understanding of the functions of organizations, their interactions, and their roles in the global society. Some of this research is basic research activity--that is, efforts to push back the frontiers of knowledge. Some research is best described as applied research, focusing on the application of existing knowledge to solve present-day problems.

At any given time, research activities in the College will contain a mix of basic and applied research. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used by researchers in the departments of Accounting, Economics and Legal Studies in Business, Finance, Management, and Marketing. Cross-disciplinary investigations bring together researchers from these departments, their colleagues from the academic community at large, and professional researchers from the corporate world and government to address questions of common research interest. The unique contributions of each investigator serve to produce a more comprehensive final result. While the range of research interests among faculty of the College of Business Administration is wide, several theme areas of investigation are present. Among these are international business, management of technology and innovation, telecommunications management, and economic development competitiveness of the state and region. A few highlights of the research efforts underway in each of these theme areas provide insight into the diversity of research activity in the College.

International Business

It is readily accepted that international dimensions of business will be of greater concern as the global marketplace continues to develop. A fully integrated European community changed the way corporations and individuals do business worldwide. Of perhaps even greater potential importance is the emergence of Eastern Europe and developing nations into the world marketplace. Faculty in the College of Business Administration are pursuing important research questions that will aid U.S. business in understanding and competing effectively in this changing environment. Faculty in the School of Accounting are directing attention to the flow of funds in international capital markets, the emergence of entirely new capital market centers, and the uses made of the various capital centers. Law faculty from the Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business are examining international arbitration proceedings as they affect U.S. firms engaged in international trade and finance. Faculty in the Department of Finance are investigating the steps necessary to achieve convertibility of the Soviet ruble and the impacts such steps will have on the nation and the world. Other faculty in the College have initiated contact with colleague faculty and representatives of business and government in Eastern European countries, Mexico, and South America to address education and public policy questions that must be answered.

Management of Technology and Innovation

A new challenge for business and government managers in the U.S. is management of technology and innovation in their organizations. A recent National Academy of Science report identifies the inability of managers to incorporate new technologies and to manage these technologies effectively is a major problem in global competitiveness of U.S. organizations. The report also identifies the need for a cross-discipline approach to technology management. Faculty of the College of Business Administration have joined with colleagues in other areas of the university and with professional researchers from business organizations to work toward technology management solutions. Most recently, the commitment has resulted in a cooperative venture of the Colleges of Business Administration; Arts & Sciences; and Engineering, Architecture, and Technology to offer a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management. This program, today in the College of Business Administration, directs research efforts to this rapidly emerging area of worldwide businesses. Researchers in the Department of Management are developing technology management solutions in the form of decision support systems for use by decision makers in firms and to assist firm strategy development. Management faculty, in cooperation with engineering faculty and corporate researchers, are developing expert systems to increase the competitiveness of U.S. firms. Accounting faculty are developing expert systems to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the corporate audit process. Neural networks are being used by management researchers to predict firm bankruptcy and to forecast energy demand. Other faculty are investigating obstacles to the incorporation of new technologies in organizations and ways to overcome these obstacles. The success of these efforts, when shared with corporate and government decision makers, will enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. economy in world markets.

Economic Development

Ongoing research activities of faculty of the College of Business Administration address the economic development competitiveness of Oklahoma and the region. A primary example of these activities is the Oklahoma Economic Outlook publication series. The publication presents forecasts of likely economic activity for the coming year based on results generated by the Oklahoma State Econometric Model. Directed by a faculty member from the Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business and developed by professional researchers of the Office of Business and Economic Research, the 1996 Outlook represented the 16th year for the publication. Over 35 Oklahoma firms participate in and support the effort each year. Other economists are directing research attention to income and productivity inequalities for various regions of the nation, the relationship between regional financial markets and regional growth, development of Oklahoma's banking industry, the effects of state tax structures on economic development, and determinants of productivity growth in manufacturing. Dissemination of the results of these investigations can assist decision makers in the state and the region as they undertake actions to improve economic development competitiveness.