Twitter is more than rantin’ and ravin’ and snarky memes. It can influence stock returns, according to Alexander Kurov, professor and Fred T. Tattersall research chair in finance. Kurov and Chen Gu, a 2018 graduate of the finance doctoral program, found that firm-level Twitter content has information useful for predicting next-day stock returns, and that it is a stronger predictor of returns for firms with less analyst coverage. Their study, “ Informational role of social media: Evidence from Twitter sentiment,” is published in the Journal of Banking and Finance.
On The Board
Rodney Williams, an alumnus of the Chambers College, has been named one of the newest members of the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Elected during the November 2022 meeting, Williams will serve a six-year term expiring in 2028.
In Service to the State
Brad Price, associate professor of management information systems, was named to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business' 2024 Class of Influential Leaders. This distinction honors “AACSB-accredited business school faculty demonstrating impact through their research.” The AACSB is the Chambers College’s accrediting body.
Immersed in Indonesian
Jana El-Khatib, a Master of Business Administration student from Hurricane, West Virginia, was one of four WVU students to earn the Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Over the summer of 2021, El-Khatib got to study Indonesian, a language she became interested in after spending time living in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. She hopes to use the skills gained from the scholarship to improve her cultural competency for a future career as a healthcare provider.
A Divine Business Plan
Religiosity can help turn believers into entrepreneurs, according to Nancy McIntyre, associate professor of management at the Chambers College. A study by McIntrye found that when religiosity is more than attending a place of worship — “when it’s a commitment to religious principles and activities” — it strengthens the desire to create a business with a conscience.