Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57872
Research in Boone; Okmyung "Paul" Bin of the department of economics at East Carolina University in Greenville; and Chris Dumas of the depart- ment of economics and finance at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Funded by a grant from the National Commission on Energy Policy, the study surveyed the North Carolinian counties of New Hanover, Dare, Carteret, and Bertie, which represent a cross-section of the state's coastline in terms of geographical distribution and economic develop- ment. They found that the state's coastal topography makes it econom- ically and ecologically vulnerable to hurricanes or a rise in sea level. For example, the study found that a one- to three-foot rise in sea level along this cross-section could cause $6.9 billion loss in property UPCOMING & ONGOING n $6 MILLION FOR INNOVATION The Sorenson Legacy Foundation has donated $6 million to the Uni- versity of Utah's Eccles School of Business in Salt Lake City for the creation of an interdisciplinary cen- ter for the study of discovery and innovation. Named after medical device inventor James LeVoy Soren- son, the new center will encourage multidisciplinary examination of innovation and discovery as the pri- mary tools in progress and econom- ic development. The Eccles School will name a Chair of Discovery and Innovation Studies to direct the cen- ter's research. In addition, the center will sponsor the Tech Titans Innova- tion Challenge, a statewide student idea and design competition. 60 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 value, and billions more in interrup- tions to business and tourism, over the next 75 years. By 2080, hur- ricanes could equate to losses that amount to as much as $157 million per storm event. In that time frame, 14 of 17 recreational swimming beaches in southern North Carolina also could erode completely, unless something is done to prevent it. The researchers hope that the study will convince policymakers of the need to address the issue of climate change. "The benefits of implementing climate change pol- icy would occur further down the road, which makes them easier to ignore or postpone," says White- head. "We hope this study will fill in some of the gaps in knowledge about this issue." The full study is available at econ. appstate.edu/climate/. n NEW CENTER ON CHINESE BIZ Indiana University in Bloomington has opened an interdisciplinary Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business, which aims to help scholars and business professionals better understand the complexity of China's economy and political system. Twelve faculty from IU's Kelley School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Public and Environmental Affairs will engage in the center's scholar- ship. The center also will organize lectures, faculty roundtables, confer- ences, and outreach to business pro- fessionals throughout the Midwest. n INNOVATION WINNER The Association of European Operational Research Societies A Slow Journey to Bad Behavior Francesca Gino New research suggests that unethical behavior is often not the result of deliberate fraudulent acts by bad people. Instead, it can happen as a consequence of a gradual decline of ethical standards by individuals in an organization over time, according to Francesca Gino of Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Busi- ness in Pittsburgh and Max Bazer- man of Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For their paper, "Slippery Slopes and Misconduct: The Effect of Gradual Degradation on the Failure to Notice Others," Gino and Bazer- man conducted four experiments with 330 subjects, who were shown pictures of jars filled with pennies. In each experiment, "estimators" (EURO) recently recognized three professors for the paper, "Designing Mechanisms for the Management of Carrier Alli- ances." The paper was authored by Lori Houghtalen, a professor in the mathematics and science divi- sion of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts; Ozlem Ergun, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; and Joel Sokol, an associate professor at Georgia Tech. EURO presented them with its Management Science Strategic Innovation Prize for the study, which outlined the techni- cal and legal challenges associated with integrating information systems of autonomous carriers when they form alliances. It also explored ways to best manage these alliances while ensuring sustainability.