Contributed by Dr. Xaver Neumeyer, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Cameron School of Business.

In the inaugural Virtual Rocket Pitch Competition, organized by Dr. Xaver Neumeyer, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, students presented early-stage business ideas, ranging from the use of smart technologies to decrease hand gun incidents to the purchase and expunging of medical debt. The presentations were judged by serial entrepreneur (e.g. WebTel Marketing, The Wall Printer) and EBD advisory board member Paul Baron, as well as Girard Newkirk, founder and CEO of KWHCoin and co-founder of Genesis Block, a new collaborative space for local entrepreneurs in Wilmington, NC.

Guest Blogger: Contributed by Emma F. Maynard, Student Success Advisor in the Office of Graduate Programs at the Cameron School of Business (this post originally appeared on WilmingtonBiz.com on January 1, 2021).

It’s here! It is finally here. Welcome to 2021- yes, the beacon of hope we all desperately kept our eye on as we trudged through the murky and unpredictable waters of the year, 2020. As we gear up for what we hope is a year of possibilities, I encourage you to reflect on the shadows that remain with us from our perseverance through one of the most historic times in our lives. If you’re a believer in silver linings, then perhaps you can recognize the strengths, dreams and aspirations ignited by the frustrations of a year that has tried to take so much.

Guest Blogger: This piece was contributed by Lizzette Perez Lespier, PhD & Saba Pourreza, PhD of the Congdon School of Supply Chain, Business Analytics, and Information Systems at The University of North Carolina, Wilmington (this post originally appeared on WilmingtonBiz.com on December 15, 2020). (This photo was taken before COVID).

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unexpected stresses on many systems, creating immediate challenges, and specially having a major impact on the exchange of goods throughout the world. It is a common practice for people to either visit their local stores or to order products online every day, but most don’t think about what happens behind the scenes to get that product ordered, manufactured, and delivered right to your local store or to your doorstep. The explanation behind this “magic”, that allows consumers to be able to get what we want and when we want it, is a very efficient supply chain.

Story notes contributed by Dr. Donald Barnes, Associate Professor of Marketing at the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Donald Barnes, Ph.D. associate professor of marketing at UNCW Cameron School of Business, along with his co-authors Tobias Kraemer, Matthias H. J. Gouthier, Nadine Ludwig, and Andreas Giese from the University of Koblenz, recently published a paper titled “After-service gifts: evaluating how presence, context and value impact customer satisfaction and customer delight” in the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice.

Guest Blogger: This piece was contributed by Teresa Walker, Director of Student Professional Development at the Cameron School of Business (this post originally appeared on WilmingtonBiz.com on December 1, 2020). (This photo was taken before COVID).

Wilmington is one of the fortunate cities to be home to several post-secondary educational institutions made up of young professionals seeking knowledge and experience. The experience comes in the form of an internship that can be in-person, virtual, or a combination of both. Each year we meet with hundreds of students interested in part-time internship experiences while attending school. How can we meet this demand? With help from local employers! Here’s the why and how of successful internships for both the employer and student:

Contributed by Jeffrey Cummings, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Information Systems and Thomas Janicki, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems in the Congdon School of Supply Chain, Business Analytics and Information Systems in the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Prior research completed by the same team on the same topic was just accepted and published in the Journal of Information Systems – August 2020 edition: Read here.

A recent survey of information technology (IT) professionals indicates the field continues to evolve as organizations leverage analytics, target customers via apps and focus on the importance of security. The survey, conducted this past spring/summer, consisted of over 500 IT professionals from across the country. The survey asked respondents to answer questions concerning their specific field as well as overall skills every IT professional must possess.

Story notes contributed by Dr. Miran Hossain, Assistant Professor of Finance at the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Miran Hossain, Ph.D. assistant professor of finance at UNCW Cameron School of Business, along with his co-author Dr. David Javakhadze from Florida Atlantic University, recently published a paper titled “Corporate media connections and merger outcomes” in the Journal of Corporate Finance. The journal is rated “A*” by the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal list.

Story notes contributed by Dr. Rebecca Guidice, Professor of Management and Leadership at the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Rebecca Guidice, Ph.D. professor of management and leadership at UNCW Cameron School of Business, Dr. Alexander Assouad, and Dr. Praveen Parboteeah recently published “Who Are These Emerging Markets Anyway? A Taxonomic Approach Integrating Institutional and Culturalist Perspectives” in the International Journal of Cross Cultural Management. The journal is rated “A” by the Australian Business Dean’s Council.

Story notes contributed by Dr. Xaver Neumeyer, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Xaver Neumeyer, Ph.D. assistant professor of entrepreneurship at UNCW Cameron School of Business recently published “Overcoming Barriers to Technology Adoption When Fostering Entrepreneurship Among the Poor: The Role of Technology and Digital Literacy” in IEEE Transactions of Engineering Management. The journal is rated “A” by the Australian Business Dean’s Council.

Story notes contributed by Dr. Mark Pelletier, Professor in Marketing at the UNCW Cameron School of Business.

Dr. Mark Pelletier, along with his co-authors Dr. Alisha Horky from Columbus State University and Dr. Alexa Fox from The University of Akron, recently published a timely social media-related paper titled “Fexit: The effect of political and promotional communication from friends and family on Facebook exiting intentions” in the Journal of Business Research, which is an A journal according the ABDC journal list.