Professor Alina Sorgner Launches Frank J. Guarini School of Business Research Workshops
Professor Alina Sorgner
On June 11, 2022, the JCU Department of Business Administration held the first edition of the Frank J. Guarini School of Business’ series of Research Workshops, organized by Professor Alina Sorgner.
“This is a brand-new series of annual research workshops that we have created as a platform for academic exchange between professors and students at the Frank J. Guarini School of Business. Participants can discuss their ongoing research in the fields of Business, Management, Economics, Marketing, and beyond,” said Professor Sorgner.
Students with demonstrated excellence in research (some examples include but are not limited to: an outstanding research paper or a case study, successful participation in the Learn-Do-Share program, or student research assistantship) can be nominated directly by their professors and invited to present the results of their research at the annual workshop, which will be held at the end of each academic year. Self-nominations will be considered as well.
“Many of our students have a natural passion for doing research, and we want to help them develop the necessary skills for becoming great researchers. Therefore, we provide them with opportunities to present and discuss their work with more experienced scholars, namely, their professors. This is part of our excellent research culture at JCU,” added Professor Sorgner.
One of the unique aspects of the first edition of the Frank J. Guarini School of Business Research Workshops was its diversity, both in terms of the topics and the speakers. Presentations during the day-long workshop revolved around three topics:
- Economic and Business Resilience
- Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology
- Social and Gender Dimensions of Inequality
One of the speakers, JCU alumna Francesca Yang, presented her research on the “Role Models of Entrepreneurship,” in which she shed light on the early precursors of entrepreneurial development of individuals. Professor Simona Costagli provided insight into how the Italian business system faced the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students Ben Burroughs, Giorgia Gnecchi, Valentina Gozzi, Elisa Magnanini, and Daniela Purificato delivered a presentation of their research findings concerning gender pay gaps in Italy and in the U.S. Further topics included “AI and Labor Markets in Developing Countries,” (by visiting student Malek Debrabander), “The Role of Natural Disasters for Gender Disparities on Regional Labor Markets and in Entrepreneurship,” (by Professor Alina Sorgner), “Estimation Model for Healthcare Costs in Malaria Vaccines,” (by Professor Alessandro Signorini), “Post-Covid-19 Change in Consumer Behavior,” (by Professors Tetyana Kholod and Ieva Jakobsone Bellomi), “Logistic resilience, intangibles, and technology,” (by Professor Marco Valerio Rossi), and “New Skills, Old Wisdom: A Sensemaking perspective for Digital Technologies Adoption in Cultural Heritage and Tourism” (by Professor Luigi Nasta).”
“After the successful launch of the research workshop series at the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, we look forward to hosting the next edition at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year,” concluded Professor Sorgner.
