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 Refreshing Experience
Mason Harp is not only a Chambers College marketing junior, but he is also WVU’s Coca-Cola Ambassador. In fact, he is currently ranked 1st on the leaderboard for Coca-Cola Campus Ambassadors. “I am extremely excited to be working with Coca-Cola. The chance to add a Fortune 500 Company to my resume will help make me more marketable when applying for internships and other future opportunities,” Harp said.
Economics, Gentrification and Crime
You often don’t think of gun violence, gentrification and drug crime when thinking about business education. But one recent economics alumnus found a research niche on that topic.
Tipping Points
Here’s a tip for New York City taxi drivers seeking bigger tips: Pick up tourists. Adam Nowak, associate professor of economics, and Amir B. Ferreira Neto, ’19, PhD Economics, studied data on yellow taxis in the Big Apple to see if tourists tipped more than locals. They do. Furthermore, theatergoers tip more than non-theatergoers, based on their findings that zeroed-in on drop-offs and pickups near Broadway. These differences between tourists and locals may affect the allocation of taxis throughout the city, conclude Nowak, Neto and Amanda Ross, of the University of Alabama.
Just Say 'No'
Rejoice introverts and, generally, anyone who wants to decline a social invitation. Recent research by Julian Givi, assistant professor of marketing, shows that it's ok to decline party invitations. His research has gained national and international coverage: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/resources/how-to-say-no
Something in the Air
A paper coauthored by Economics Professors Brad Humphreys and Jane Ruseski has been chosen by its journal of publication, Sports Economic Review, as its best paper of the year. Their research suggests that cities with professional sports teams bear increased flu mortality rates. Read the paper on Sports Economic Review.