Category: Research

Elham Asgari and Co-Authors Win Tariq Farid Franchise Institute Award for Best Paper

Elham Asgari, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship in the College of Business, and co-authors Richard A. Hunt and S. M. Abidul Islam were awarded the Tariq Farid Franchise Institute Award for Best Paper on the Topic of Franchising at the 2024 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC). The award will be presented at the 2025 BCERC Conference, June 4-7 at Babson College.

The award-winning paper is titled, “Franchising in the Metaverse: Entrepreneurial Pathways for Virtual and Mixed Reality.” An abstract of the paper is below.

Asgari’s research interests include corporate entrepreneurship, technological innovations, star employees, and the small satellite industry. She is a Charles C. and John G. Gates Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Soonkwan Hong Is Editorial Advisory Board Member of Journal of Social Impact in Business Research

Michigan Tech campus in the fall.
The Michigan Tech Campus in the fall season

Soonkwan Hong, associate professor of marketing in the College of Business, is an invited editorial advisory board member of the Journal of Social Impact in Business Research, which was founded in July 2024.

The journal explicitly responds to AACSB’s new standards, which underscore “Societal Impact” as encompassing “…activities undertaken by business schools that over time lead to meaningful, discernible change for the betterment of people, economies and the environment” (AACSB and Societal Impact: Aligning With the AACSB 2020 Business Accreditation Standards, February 2023, p.2).

Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics, Discusses Resources Policy Journal in Podcast


Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics in the College of Business, was recently a guest on the podcast “Journals 101,” which hosts discussions about the world of academic publishing.

The podcast was hosted by Dr. Brian Lucey, professor of international finance and commodities, at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Gary Campbell, Professor of Natural Resource Economics

Early Interest in Behavior Analysis Leads to Rewarding Career for College of Business Professor Sonia Goltz

Sonia Goltz professor of organizational behavior in the College of Business at Michigan Tech, doesn’t like to repeat a presentation twice.

Sonia Goltz, professor of organizational behavior and the Mickus Endowed Faculty Fellow in Business Impact in the College of Business, applies behavior analysis concepts and principles to examine and understand the topics of power, coercion, and toxic leadership, as well as organizational change. Goltz has also conducted research in gender equity and its legal aspects. Her work, along with her community allyship, was recognized with the 2021 Michigan Tech Diversity Award.

The publication of Goltz’s 2022 paper, “On Power and Freedom: Extending the Definition of Coercion,” in the journal Perspectives on Behavior Analysis, prompted great interest among her colleagues and has led to numerous opportunities to present her research to organizations focused on behavior analysis.

Faculty Profile: Giridhar Reddy Bojja, Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics

Giridhar Reddy Bojja, new College of Business assistant professor of information systems and analytics, brings academic expertise in management information systems, analytics, and computer science, as well as industry experience as a data scientist and engineer. His hire is part of a College of Business faculty hiring initiative that supports a new curricular emphasis on technology and business analytics.

Bojja comes to Michigan Tech from the University of Central Oklahoma – College of Business, where he was a visiting assistant professor of business analytics. His academic and industry background is well aligned with Michigan Tech’s tech-focused environment.

Giridhar Reddy Bojja, Assistant Professor of Information Systems & Analytics