USNews & World Report (National) Nov. 2009
With the right decision-making, some companies improve during a crisis. “Effective crisis leadership is really…imagining a future that brings you beyond the status quo,” said Ronald Dufresne, Ph.D., assistant professor of management. He argued that good crisis management does more than weather a storm. “It proactively creates a better future.”
WHYY-FM Radio Times, Labor Notes (Philadelphia) 11.6.09
Thomas Paine Cronin, director of Saint Joseph’s Comey Institute for Labor Relations, joined Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Matthew Mitchell of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers for a discussion of the SEPTA strike. “Driving public transit vehicles is a high-stress job for, at best, an adequate wage. But no one—not the public, the union leadership or rank-and-file members—wants a transit strike,” said Cronin. “Working people’s lives are thrown into disarray, and drivers and mechanics go without a paycheck.”
BioPortfolio (National) 11.6.09
On Nov. 21, 2009, Americans with a genetic medical condition will no longer live in fear of discrimination from their employers because of their unique genetic code. On that date, The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) goes into effect, prohibiting employers from discriminating in terms of hiring, promotion, firing or any other terms and conditions of employment based on an individual’s genetic code. “Researchers have made great advances in mapping the human genome, giving the medical community and patients access to life-saving information,” said William McDevitt, J.D., associate professor of management. “Thanks to GINA, employees will now have the freedom to access information about their health, without risking penalty from their employer or group health insurance provider.”
The Star Press (Muncie, Ind.) 11.6.09
It’s unclear just how much the general decline in consumer spending will affect the green movement, since eco-friendly products tend to be more expensive. Surveys show most people are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products, but a smaller number actually do, said Michael Solomon, Ph.D., professor of marketing and director of the Center for Consumer Research. “I think people do vote with their pocketbooks,” said Solomon. “Right now, that is the No. 1 priority for most Americans, for most people around the world.”
BeyeNetwork (National) 11.9.09
Richard Herschel, Ph.D., chair and professor of decision & system sciences, wrote an article on the importance of writing skills in a business environment. “The importance of good writing skills in the business world has become more evident even as companies rely increasingly on computers and other new technologies to meet their obligations,” said Herschel. “Indeed, business experts warn that any business's positive qualities – from dedication to customer service to high-tech expertise – will be blunted to some degree if they are unable to transfer that dedication and knowledge to the printed page.”
The Philadelphia Business Journal, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal 11.9.09
Vana Zervanos ’07 (M.B.A.), assistant dean of the Erivan K. Haub School of Business, has been appointed to a new board position at the Middle Atlantic Association of Colleges of Business Administration (MAACBA). The mission of MAACBA is to promote and improve collegiate education for business in all areas within the jurisdiction of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary School. Zervanos will be responsible for developing and coordinating programming for the annual MAACBA conference as well as working to enhance membership, use sub-committees effectively, and develop networking groups.
KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia) 11.9.09-11.20.09
Director of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Institute Patricia Griffin commented on the development of Homeland Security as a focus of the U.S. Government in a special report on emergency preparedness. When asked how the government reacted to 9/11, she said: “The federal government responded by establishing a Department of Homeland Security. In the post-Katrina time we saw more money and more attention being directed into the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
KCUR-Radio's “Up to Date” (Kansas City, Mo.) 11.10.09
Maria Kefalas, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, discussed her newly released book Hollowing Out the Middle: Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America. The book explores the mass exodus of youth populations from rural America and the impact on the communities they're leaving behind. On the program she argued, “I don't think America will be well-served by letting too many of these small towns just fade away and go quietly into the night. The heartland is a key part of the American agricultural economy. It will be ground zero for the green energy revolution.” Kefalas feels we have a moral obligation to these communities, considering these are the areas that elect our presidents and feed our military.
City Suburban News (Philadelphia) 11.11.09
SJU's Cap and Bells Dramatic Arts Society opened its 82nd season with Grease, the Tony-nominated musical on which the famous movie is based. Renee Dobson, M.F.A., associate professor of fine and performing arts and Cap and Bells' co-artistic director, noted the show's lighthearted nature as one of its benefits. “This show is an audience pleaser, and for students pursuing careers in musical theatre, it's important to know how to perform this kind of show,” she said.
About.com, Medical News Today, News-Medical.Net (National), Reliable Plant (Milwaukee, Wis.) 11.12.09
With respiratory season in full force, millions of Americans are packing hand sanitizer. But, which is best? Hand sanitizer or soap and water? According to medical microbiologist Michael McCann, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biology, you should wash your hands with soap and water whenever possible. “Use hand sanitizer only when there is no soap and water available and only use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers which kill bacteria using triclosan or other similar chemicals can actually create resistant bacterial strains in the same way that antibiotics do,” he said.
The Atlantic (National) and nine other outlets. 11.13.09
The movie 2012 opened on Friday, predicated on the notion that on December 21, 2012, as the most recent Mayan long-form calendar cycle (5,125.366 years) ends, the world will end one era cataclysmically and enter another. Allen Kerkeslager, Ph.D., associate professor of theology, commented on why, throughout history, certain cultures have developed prophecies about the world ending. “Apocalypticism,” as it is academically known, arises from a deep evolutionary sense or need for social justice. “Typically,” he explained, “[apocalypticism] involves claims to prophetic authority among the leaders of the movement, an emphasis on visions and other forms of direct experience with the gods, and prophecies of a future transformation of the world that will bring relief to the afflicted members of the apocalyptic group and destruction on their enemies.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer 11.13.09
“Digital/Analog/Analogues,” an exhibition of digitally crafted drawings and brightly colored sculptures by Chad D. Curtis now on display in Saint Joseph's University Gallery, was reviewed.
Next Issue: November 30, 2009
