Current and Formers Ph.D. Students
Current PhD Students
ANJA FESSMANN
Expertise
Anja Fessmann joined the PhD program in Strategic Management in Fall 2019. Her research interests lie in the area of International Strategic Management and Corporate Social Activism (CSA). Currently, she is researching cross-fertilization between CSA, CSR, Social Marketing & PIC (Public Interest Communication). She has two children and still loves to read in her free time. as opportunity for Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
Education
- Master of Business Administration (1999 – 2003)
- University of Applied Sciences Wildau, Germany
- Master’s Thesis: Tools of Risk Management as Part of a Global Expansion Strategy – A Siemens Power Generation Services Case Study; Chair: Prof. Dr. Rainer Voss
- Studies in German & International Law (1997 – 1999)
- Humboldt University Berlin, Germany
- Studies in Literature & History of Science (1995 – 1997)
- Technical University Berlin, Germany
Conference Presentations/Posters
- Fessmann, A., Bruyaka, O., & Dawley, D. (2021). Strategic Orientation of Firms’ CSR and Media Favorability: A Study of Point and Flow Signals. Strategic Management Society Conference.
- Fessmann, J., Fessmann, A. & Griffin, L. (2019). The spiral model of public interest communications. Proceedings of the 69th Annual International Communication Association Conference 2019 “Communication Beyond Boundaries”, Washington, DC.
- Fessmann, J., & Fessmann, A. (2019, March). The country expansion checklist as a risk management tool in strategic global MNC expansion. Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference 2019, Orlando, FL.
- Fessmann, J., & Fessmann, A. (2019, March). Don’t force Germans to smile - Crisis communications lessons from Walmart’s failed expansion into Europe. Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference 2019, Orlando, FL.
Guest Lectures
International Marketing
- Ø 2019, March. In MANG 360 (001) - International Business
(Margrit Blakely), John Chambers College of Business & Economics,
West Virginia University , Morgantown, WV - Ø 2019, March. In MANG 360 (002) - International Business
(Margrit Blakely), John Chambers College of Busin ess & Economics,
West Virginia University , Morgantown, WV - Ø 2018, April. In ADV4400 International and Cross-Cultural Advertising
(Aqsa Bashir), College of Journalism and Communications,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Integrated Communications and Global Structures
- 2019, February. In STCM 215 Intro to Strategic Communications
( Dr. Jasper Fessmann), Reed College of Media,
West Virginia University , Morgantown, WV - 2018, February. In PUR 4800 Public Relations Campaigns
(Jasper Fessmann), College of Journalism and Communications,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Integrated Global Logistics
- 2011, Summer. NI 3015 International Logistics and Distribution Channels
( J asper Fessmann), Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) & Technical University of Berlin Summer Program
MINGANG (MIN) GEIGER
Expertise
Min Geiger joined the Management PhD program (Organizational Behavior; OB) in Fall 2017. Min defended her dissertation proposal in 2020. Her program of research focuses on explicit and implicit biases that may disadvantage stigmatized individuals in the workplace. Her work has been published in Group & Organization Management and presented in several premier management and industrial and organizational psychology annual meetings. Min received the 2021 Lee Hakel Graduate Student Scholarship from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the 2020 Management Department PhD Student Research Award.
Education
- Ph.D Candidate, Management, West Virginia University
- MPA, Public Administration, University of Kansas
- B.A, Public Administration (minor: Sociology), Magna Cum Laude , Ewha Womans University
Publications
- Field, J. G., Bosco, F., Kraichy, D., Uggreslev, K., & Geiger, M. K. (In Press). More alike than different? A comparison of cross-cultural models. Journal of International Business Studies.
- Geiger, M., Lee, J., & Geiger, M. K . (2019). The power of negative disposition: An examination of trait and state negative affect with OCBI and OCBO, Group & Organization Management, 44 (6): 1136-1172
Conference Presentations
- Geiger, M. K. & Langlinais, L. A. (2021). Accent speaks louder than ability: The effect of nonnative accents on trust repair. Academy of Management Conference.
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Geiger, M. K., Teodorescu, H. M., & Morse, L. A. (2021). Raising the volume
on fairness in speech technology. Academy of Management Conference.
- Geiger, M. K., Oxarart, R. A., & Houghton, J. D. (November 2019). What school are you from? Stereotype threat due to institutional prestige. Southern Management Association Annual Meeting. Norfolk, VA.
- Field, J. G., Geiger, M. K., Bosco, F., Uggreslev, K., & Kraichy, D. (April 2019). Global effect benchmarks: Assessing culture, region, and country differences. The Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). National Harbor, MD.
- Geiger, M. K. & Geiger, M. (August 2018). Gender, justice, and trust in supervisor: A moderated mediation model predicting OCB. Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.
Teaching
- MANG 422 Individual & Organization
- MANG 434 Business Research Methods
LUKE LANGLINAIS
Expertise
Luke Langlinais joined the PhD Program in Management in Fall 2017. His research specialization is in Organizational Behavior. He received his MBA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and spent the last decade working in healthcare administration. His experiences in management inspired him to explore how social influence functions within the organization. Luke presently researches the antecedents and consequences of social networks in organizations, and his main research interests lie in leader-member exchange and interpersonal trust development and repair. When he is not on campus, Luke can be found adventuring with his wife and four children.
Education
- Ph.D. Student, Business Administration, Management (OB), West Virginia University
- M.B.A., Healthcare Administration, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, May 2012
- B.S., Business Administration, Marketing, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, May 2007
- Tomlinson, E. C., & Langlinais, L.A. (2021). The relationship between trust and attributions: A levels-of-analysis perspective. In N.Gillespie, N., Fulmer, A., & Lewicki, R.J. (Eds), Understanding Trust in Organizations: A Multilevel Perspective. SIOP Organizational Frontiers Series. New York: Routledge.
- Tomlinson, E.C., Nelson, C.A. and Langlinais, L.A. (2020). A Cognitive Process Model of Trust Repair. International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-03-2020-0048.
Conference Presentations
- Langlinais, L. A. & Tomlinson, E. C. (2021, July 29 - August 4). Sorry or Sorry You Got Caught? The Differential Mediators of Forced Versus Voluntary Apologies [Symposium presentation]. Academy of Management.
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Langlinais, L. A., Oxarart, R., Maykrantz, S. A., Nobiling, B. D., Houghton, J. D. (2020), August 7-11). Coping with the Crisis: The Effects of Psychological Capital and Coping Styles on Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic [Asynchronous presentation]. Academy of Management, OB Division COVID-19 Rapid Research Plenary, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Field, J., Geiger, M. K., Langlinais, L., List, S., & Bosco, F. (2018). A metaBUS analysis of gender differences in common I-O topics over the last 35 years. The 33rd Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chicago, IL.
- Tomlinson, E., Nelson, C., Langlinais, L. (2018). Causal Attributions and Justice Perceptions: A Cognitive Process Model of Trust Repair. 10th Annual Conference of the First International Network on Trust. St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Teaching
Luke currently teaches a 400-level Organizational Behavior class at the individual level of analysis.
RICHARD (RICHIE) OXARART
Expertise
Richard Oxarart joined the PhD program of Management in Fall 2018. His research interests lie in the area of Organizational Behavior / Human Resources. Specifically, he studies how to motivate employees in training and development contexts. He is interested in employee motivation pre-training, within training, and post-training. Currently, his research examines the connection between firm CEOs and industry competitive dynamics using cross-level research design. Furthermore, he is researching connections between gamification (a possible training/development design tool) and self-leadership.
Education
MBA, Human Resource Management Focus, Illinois State University, 2014 – 2016
B.S., Psychology & Management, Illinois State University, 2013 – 2016
A.A., General Studies, Heartland Community College, 2011 – 2013
Publications:
Houghton, J. D., Oxarart, R. A., Heames, J. T., Buckley, M. R., & Carbo, J. A. (2021). “Leader Power and Agency-Communion Orientations as Moderators of the Effects of Organizational Characteristics on Workplace Bullying.” Employee Rights and Responsibilities Journal, 33(2).
Maykrantz, S. A., Nobiling, B. D., Oxarart, R. A., Langlinais, L. A., & Houghton, J. D. (2020) “Coping with the Crisis: The Effects of Psychological Capital and Coping Styles on Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Submitted to the Health Education & Behavior Journal.
Conferences (selected):
Oxarart, R. A. (2020). “Machiavelli CEOs and Competitive Aggressiveness: Using Upper Echelons Theory to Understand Competitive Dynamics.” Accepted and Presented at Strategic Management Society (SMS) 2020.
Oxarart, R. A. & Houghton, J. D. (2020). “Gamification and Motivation in Training Design: A Theory-Based Conceptual Model.” Accepted and Presented at Southern Management Association (SMA) Annual Conference 2020.
Geiger, M. K., Oxarart, R. A., & Houghton, J. D. (2019). “What School Are You From? Stereotype Threat Due to Institutional Prestige.” Accepted and Presented at Southern Management Association (SMA) Annual Conference 2019.
Teaching interests
Richard has taught the capstone business course here at WVU (BCOR 460: Strategic Management) and a class focused on organizational behavior (MANG 422). He is interested in teaching undergraduate or graduate-level courses that focus on human resource management, strategic management, and/or organizational behavior.
OLEKSANDR (ALEX) TSARUK
Expertise
Oleksandr Tsaruk joined the Ph.D. program in Management at West Virginia University in 2019. He studies the effects of corporate governance on a firm’s competitive behavior in different contexts. His research links CEO compensation to competitive aggressiveness by unitizing behavioral agency mechanisms. In this vein, he also studies executive and firm-level contingencies of competitive forbearance and escalation. Other research projects on the intersections of corporate governance and competitive dynamics investigate platform-based competition, decision-making of entrepreneurs and VCs. Oleksandr is also working on a research methods project on model selection bias in event history analysis. Before joining academia, Oleksandr had experience as a C-level consultant in international organizations. His recent research on research methods resulted in a U.S. patent.
Education
- Ph.D. Candidate in Management (Strategy and Entrepreneurship), West Virginia University
- MBA in Innovation Management, École des Ponts Business School, ParisTech
- Candidate of Science in Statistics, M.S. & B.S. in Accounting and Audit, Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University
Conference Presentations (selected):
Tsaruk, O., Srivastava, A. (2023) Pitfalls of Discrepancy in a Time-to-Event Analysis and the Value of TTT Tests for Model Selection. Academy of Management Proceedings 2023 (1)
Tsaruk, O., Srivastava, A. (2023) Extending Survival Analysis in Organizational Research with Hazard Shape Analysis. 2023 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference
Tsaruk, O. (2023) Entrepreneurs Are From Mars, Venture Capitalists Are From Venus: Cross-Gender Mind Reading Biases in Decision-Making. 2023 Australian Center for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange Conference
Tsaruk, O. (2022) Entrepreneurs Are From Mars, Venture Capitalists Are From Venus: Gender Biases in Decision-Making. Academy of Management Proceedings 2022 (1), 13516
Tsaruk, O., Srivastava, A. (2022) Extending Boundaries of Time-To-Event Analysis with Bathtub Curve And TTT Statistics. Academy of Management Proceedings 2022 (1), 14944
Tsaruk, O. (2022) In the Moment of Weakness: Why and When CEO Dismissal Instigates Competitive Attacks. Academic Career Development Conference 2022
Tsaruk, O. (2021) The Emperor’s New Clothes: Competitive Dynamics Between Complementors and Platform Owner For Technology Survival. 2021 Strategic Management Society Annual Conference
Tsaruk, O. Srivastava, A. (2021). When Shape of Distribution Matters: Repercussions of Varying Hazard Rates on Robustness of Time-to-Event Analysis. 2021 Meeting of the Southern Management Association
Tsaruk, O. (2020). Changing Our Attitude About Errors in Decision-Making in R&D Teams. 2020 Midwest Academy of Management Conference
Tsaruk, O. (2020). Congruence and Strategic Ambidexterity Between Stakeholders, Strategies, and Business Models: Why Stakeholders Want Impossible From the Firm? 2020 Midwest Academy of Management Conference
Tsaruk, O. (2020). Reputation Complementarity Price Premium Effect in Platform-Based Markets: Conceptualizing Reputation Intra-Level Gap. 2020 Midwest Academy of Management Conference
Teaching
Alex has taught the capstone business course (BCOR 460, Contemporary Business Strategy) at West Virginia University face-to-face and online since 2021. In BCOR 460, he combines conventional strategy theories and frameworks with GLO-BUS business simulation game in which his students often get into the Top 100 global ranking. Since the Fall of 2023, Alex teaches an applied course in entrepreneurship for senior students (ENTR 425, Risk Assessment and Contracts). While his major interest is in teaching Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, he is also very interested in sharing his expertise in Quantitative Research Methods, Organizational Theory, Innovation, and International Business.
FORMER PHD STUDENTS
ALANNA HIRSHMAN
Assistant Professor of Management at Texas Tech University
Expertise
Alanna Hirshman graduated from the Management Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University in 2021. Theoretically grounded in sensemaking and sensegiving literature, stakeholder theory, and signaling theory, her research takes a behavioral approach to strategic management. Specifically, her research explains the behavioral and sociocognitive mechanisms that underlie stakeholders’ perceptions of firms’ ethical decisions and how firms manage these perceptions through interactions with key stakeholders. In particular, she studies ethical decisions associated with crisis management, corporate social responsibility, market re-entry, and competitive dynamics. Alanna studies perceptions such as social evaluations (e.g., social approval, organizational stigma, firm celebrity, and reputation), investor reactions, and the role of the media (e.g., social media, traditional news publications, and press releases). In terms of methods, she uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis, experimental vignettes, and event studies.
Education
- Ph.D. Candidate, Strategic Management, John Chambers College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University
- B.S., Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management, Frostburg State University
- B.S., Economics with a concentration in Business Administration, Frostburg State University
Conference Presentations
Bruyaka, O., Hirshman, A. M., & Philippe, D. (2020, October). Media Coverage of Firms’ CSR Initiatives: Interaction Effects of Point and Flow Signals. Paper presentation at the Strategic Management Society 40 th Annual Conference, London, United Kingdom. [virtual]
Hirshman, A. M. (2020, October). A Stakeholder Approach to Crisis Management:
Stakeholder Sensegiving, Firm Sensemaking, and Crisis Response". Paper presentation
at the
Southern Management Association Annual Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL. [virtual]
***
Best Paper in Strategic Management Track***
Hirshman, A. M. (2020, October). Selfless or Selfish? Firms' Strategic Motivation for Engaging in Different Types of CSR Actions. Paper presentation at the Southern Management Association Annual Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL. [virtual]
Hirshman, A. M. (2020, February). Ethics and Stakeholder Theory. Round table lead discussant at the Mid-South Management Research Consortium, Auburn, AL.
Hirshman, A. M., & Bruyaka, O. (2019, October). In the Eye of the Media. Firms’ CSR Actions, Signal Framing, and Receiver Bias. Paper presentation at the Strategic Management Society 39 th Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Hirshman, A. M. (2019, August). A Stakeholder Approach to Crisis Management: How Stakeholder Sensegiving Influences Firm Sensemaking and Crisis Response. Round table presentation at the Experiments in Institutional Theory and Strategy Research, Professional Development Workshop at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Hirshman, A. M., Dawley, D. D., & Zachary, M. A. (2018, September). A Stakeholder Perspective to Crisis Management: How Stakeholder Sensegiving Influences Firm Sensemaking and Crisis Response. Paper presentation at the Strategic Management Society 38 th Annual International Conference, Paris, France.
Hirshman, A. M., Bowers, L., & Houghton, J. (2018, March). Is Blood Thicker Than Water? How Crisis Type and Severity Influence Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention. Paper presentation at the Western Academy of Management, Salt Lake City, UT.
Awards
Best Paper Award, Strategic Management Track, Southern Management Association - 2020
Ph.D. Project Management Doctoral Student Association Young Educator Award - 2020
John Chambers College of Business and Economics Doctoral Student Award for Outstanding Teaching - 2020
WVU’s Management Department Ph.D. Student Teaching Excellence Award - 2020
TeachingAlanna has taught six sections of the Strategic Management Capstone course at West Virginia University, via the face-to-face and online formats. Alanna received three teaching awards in 2020: the Ph.D. Student Teaching Excellence Award for the Department of Management at WVU, the Doctoral Student Award for Outstanding Teaching for the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at WVU, and the Ph.D. Project Management Doctoral Student Association’s Young Educator Award. While she has a great passion for teaching Strategic Management, she is also very interested in teaching Business Ethics, Organizational Theory, International Business, and Entrepreneurship.
HUAIZHONG CHEN
Visiting Assistant Professor at Tulane University
Expertise
Huaizhong joined the PhD Program in Management in Fall 2014 and is currently on the job market. She completed her Bachelor and Master degree in Applied Psychology in China and had research experience in Organizational Behavior and Entrepreneurship in Singapore. Huaizhong also had management consulting experience in Talent Management and Leadership Development for the multinational corporations in the manufacturing and insurance industries. Huaizhong's primary research interest focuses on how people’s agentic behavior impacts and is impacted by others embedded in the institutional context of organizations.
Education
- Ph.D. Candidate (Organizational Behavior), West Virginia University, the United States
- Master Degree in Education (Applied Psychology), Shenyang Normal University, China
- Bachelor Degree in Science (Applied Psychology), Shenyang University, China
Conference Papers/Proceedings
Knotts, K., Chen, H., & Houghton, J. (October, 2016). A meta-analytic study on self-leadership. Southern Management Association (SMA) Conference. Tampa, Florida, United States.
Chen, H. & Goodman, J. S. (August, 2015). Will proactive employees always engage in voice behaviors? The moderating roles of humble leadership and supervisory status. Academy of Management (AOM) Conference. Vancouver, Canada.
Sun, S., Chen, H., & Song, Z. (April, 2013). Conscientiousness as a moderator of within-person level self-efficacy effects. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Conference. Houston, Texas, United States.
Publications
Sun, S. & Chen, H. (2017). Is political behavior a viable coping strategy to organizational politics? Unveiling the underlying resource dynamics. Journal of Applied Psychology , 102(10), 1471-1482.
Sun, S., Chen, H., & Song, Z. (2016). Cross-level moderating effects of conscientiousness on within-person relationships of self-efficacy to effort allocation. Human Performance , 29, 447-459.
Teaching
Huaizhong's teaching interests include Organizational Behavior, Leadership, and Introduction to Statistics. She has taught courses on Organizational Behavior (MANG 422) and Survey of Management (BUSA 320) at WVU. The class size ranges from 26 to 47. Huaizhong’s average teaching evaluations range from 4.60 to 4.85 out of 5.00.
KAREN NICHOLAS, PH.D.
Assistant Professor at Boise State University, ID
Karen graduated from the Management Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University in 2018. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Management at Boise State University. Her research interests focus on inter-firm networks, examining firms’ collections of alliances. Networks are examined for their role in the mobility of resources, including knowledge resources and social resources such as status. Karen has recently been selected to participate in a pilot for the Center for Transformative Research at Boise State University.
ANDREW (DREW) CARNES, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Western Carolina University, NC
Drew Carnes was B&E’s first-ever Ph.D. business management graduate (here pictured at December 21st 2015 graduation ceremony).
Expertise
Workplace bullying, team learning, recruitment, work stress, leadership
See Dr. Carnes’s Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1ZRUH_4AAAAJ&hl=en
CURTIS R. SPROUL, PH.D.
Assistant Professor at Georgia Southern University, GA
Curtis graduated from the Management Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University in 2017. His areas of specialization include alliances and inter-organizational relationships, human capital, business plan and business planning.
Curtis has presented research at several conferences and won the Journal of Small Business Management Best Paper in Public Policy at the 2015 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference. His research has also been published in multiple outlets, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.
See Curtis R. Sproul’s profile at https://parker.georgiasouthern.edu/mgnt/curtis-sproul/
KEVIN KNOTTS, PH.D.
Assistant Professor at Marshall University, WV
Kevin graduated from the Management Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University in 2018. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Management and Health Care Administration Division at the Lewis College of Business. He teaches topics such as human resource management, negotiations, and related topics in management. His research investigates individual motivation, specifically through the use of self-leadership strategies to better accomplish tasks, goals, etc. Kevin’s scholarly work has been published in a variety of academic journals, including Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal.
See Kevin Knotts’s profile at https://www.marshall.edu/cob/kevin-knotts/