2010 School of Business Student Achievement Day Presentations

Celebrating Student Achievement day was held Thursday, April 22nd on the Meredith College campus. It is a day to savor the results of a year well spent in intellectual and creative growth. Throughout the day, students present the results of last year’s research. Their presentations represent the broad scope of Meredith College student achievement. Six business majors were involved in conference sessions or poster presentations. Below are abstracts of their presentations.

Conference Sessions
Hailey Carpenter – Perception Deception
Audit reports are important because stakeholders rely on the information provided by the auditor to assist them in decision-making. Users must be able to understand the audit report in order to make good investment decisions. The purpose of Ms. Carpenter’s research was to determine how well different groups of users understand the information contained in a standard audit report. Her research used qualitative analysis through the use of a survey given to undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff of Meredith College. This research will benefit the community of accounting academics by promoting further research on topics related to auditing and audit reports.

Brittany Cornelius -- The Credit Boom and Bust of the 1920's
Spurred by an interest in the 2008 Crisis, Ms. Cornelius researched the Credit System in the 1920's. The 1920’s were the beginning of consumer credit. Ms. Cornelius discussed the types of credit that became available to households during the 1920's and their corresponding problems which lead to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression.

Rachel Greene – Tax Planning for Retirement
Retirement planning is an important issue that affects all citizens living and working in the United States, and tax planning is an important factor that needs to be considered in the process since it has an impact on adequate funding for retirement. Ms. Green’s research includes an examination of various plans including: Qualified and Nonqualified plans, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, Annuities, Social Security, IRAs, and Roth IRAs. This examination can ultimately help individuals select a plan to meet their individual retirement goals and objectives.

Brittany Morrison -- A Study of Female Entrepreneurs in North Carolina
Recently, female entrepreneurs have been starting their own companies in unprecedented numbers. Women decide to start their own businesses for many reasons: the “glass ceiling”, work-life balance, and pursuit of higher standards of living. Women are also pursuing personal goals of entrepreneurship and achieving success. In her preliminary research, Ms. Morrison conducted individual on-site interviews with ten female entrepreneurs inquiring as to what motivated each of them to start their own business and the impact of being a female business leader. She also focused on each woman’s leadership style. She found that ambition, education, management style, and organizational culture all contributed to a female entrepreneur’s desire to start a business.

Sara Roberson – Women in Medicine: Where are Today’s Women Going, and Why?
Ms. Roberson’s research investigates the factors that influence a woman's decision to enter one medical specialty over another. Although her research does include previously published works, the majority of her project involved a survey of Meredith College students with a declared major in biology. Through this survey -- which asked students to report their ideas about gender roles, role models, and the work/family balance -- she determined which factors are most influential in a woman's decision.

Poster Presentation
Nakia Bennett – Television Viewer Behavior in Response to Using Digital Video Recorders The purpose of this research is to study the effects of television viewing behavior in response to using digital video recorders (DVR). This research will focus on both the frequency of zipping and zapping of commercials, as well as the recall and comprehension of ads viewed in this format. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges the marketers face in communicating with audiences as a result of this technology.