Business@FHU An e-newsletter of the School of Business at Freed-Hardeman University
Summer 2005 Volume 2, Number 4

In This Issue · MBA Kickoff · Ethics in England · Hurricane Katrina Relief · Three New Faculty Members · Joshua Kachelman Wins Competition Mission Statement The mission of the School of Business is to glorify God by providing a student-centered education that prepares graduates for service to Christ as business professionals. FHU Faculty Listing April L. Brashier, M.Acc. Jason M. Brashier, M.A. Rickey A. Brooks, D.A. Richard T. Brown, Ph.D., PCM James Q. Edmonds, J.D. C. Ray Eldridge, D.B.A., CQM Lee E. Hibbett, M.B.A. , PCM Vicki M. Johnson, Ed.D., CPS Judy M. McKenzie, M.S., CPA Kenneth O. Moran, M.B.A., CFE Michael H. Oliver, D.B.A., CPA R. Mark Scott, M.S. James G. Shelton, Ph.D., CPA Keith W. Smith, Ph.D., CPA Dwayne H. Wilson, Ph.D. Faculty News Drs. Rick Brooks and Rich Brown will be running in the St. Jude Marathon on December 3. Proceeds from this event go to help treat children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Contact either of them if you are interested in helping raise money for this. Alumni News Congratulations to alumnus Kyle Carter who had two photos published in a recent weekend edition of USA Today. Congratulations to Daniel E. Epler who received the Procter & Gamble Bronze Medal for achieving the third-highest score on the CMA exam. Layne Keele is clerking for a year w/ Judge Deborah Cook of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He then plans to go to Dallas to work in business litigation. Contact Us 158 East Main Street Henderson, TN 38340 731-989-6091 jedmonds@fhu.edu Visit Us on the Web www.fhu.edu/soBus/index.asp

From the Dean I look forward to working with each of you who comprise the School of Business family. It is an exciting time here as we strive to be a leading business program for West Tennessee and universities of our kind. We are in a great position because of the leadership of Jim Edmonds and Dwayne Wilson and the efforts of our very qualified faculty. Let me explain briefly what I mean by qualified faculty. Educationally, fourteen of the fifteen of us have doctorate work with nine completed doctorates and five in various stages of completion. Professionally, we have experience in accounting, purchasing, banking, IT consulting, logistics, operations, sales, small business, university administration, law, city government, organizational government and the military. For professional certifications, we have CPAs, PCMs, a CPS, a CFP, a CQM and both national and state level Baldrige Quality Award examiners. Spiritually, we have elders, deacons, wife of an elder, Bible school teachers, a college minister, and an education director. We also have an excellent curriculum, an ACBSP accredited undergraduate business program, and a new MBA with accounting and leadership tracks and, quite frankly, the best academic technology and business facility in the area. I humbly speak for the School of Business, yet proudly acknowledge that we are ready to take full advantage of what has been achieved and to accomplish that of which we are capable. For those of you I have not met, I look forward to seeing you on campus or please feel free to email me at reldridge@fhu.edu. For those I know, please do not be a stranger. “See you on the high ground.” Ray Eldridge Dean, FHU School of Business MBA Begins With Eleven Students The MBA at Freed-Hardeman University began on Monday evening, August 22, 2005. Dr. Keith Smith’s class, Accounting for Decision Making, began with ten students. Overall, the program has eleven students enrolled. Dr. Jim Shelton, Director of Graduate Studies in Business said, “The program appears to be off to a smooth start. I believe the two-year, part-time option we have built into the schedule is working well for those who have jobs and cannot come to traditional classes during the day.” The MBA is a 36-hour program with a 27-hour core and two 9-hour tracks; one in accounting and the other in leadership. Smith’s accounting class will meet once a week on Monday evenings for eight weeks. After that, another eight-week evening course will begin. This evening track allows students to take one course at a time and complete the program in two calendar years. There are also two daytime courses being offered this semester and one “pilot” online class. The school is investigating the possibility of offering more online classes in the future. Dr. Jim Shelton Takes Ethics to England On May 23, Dr. Jim Shelton met twelve students at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta to begin an eleven day adventure in the United Kingdom. These students had signed up for the first ever “Ethics in England” course that Shelton had developed. Students completed the course with a combination of pre-trip readings and assignments, online assignments, and by participating in the trip itself. The group first headed to Oxford, England to explore the world of C.S. Lewis. As part of the requirement for the class, students read Lewis’ book Mere Christianity. The students visited The Kilns, Lewis’ Oxford residence and were given a tour by one of the Oxford University graduate students who helps to maintain the house. They were also able to visit Lewis’ grave in Headington Quarry and take a look at Magdalen College where he was a professor of literature. In addition, three company tours were provided. The first one was a tour of the Jaguar automotive facility in Birmingham, England. Students were able to watch one of the world’s most famous sports cars being produced. The next day, the class traveled south of Oxford to Newbury. Newbury is home to the corporate headquarters of Vodafone, one of the world’s largest mobile communications company. Mr. Richard Lomax, the director of facilities, spent the morning telling the students about the social responsibility concerns related with the construction of the seven-building complex. The location of the complex has been designated by the British government as an area of outstanding natural beauty. That designation created many challenges for a company that previously was spread out in different locations over the city of Newbury and needed to have a central location. Lomax told the students about the various environmental considerations and explained how Vodafone had taken what many would consider to be environmental obstacles and turned them into opportunities for the company to enhance relationships with the local area. The last part of the trip was spent in London. Students were housed in a Travelodge on Kings Cross Road near the city center. The final company tour was at British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). BSkyB is the largest provider of digital television in the UK and also owns Sky News, a 24-hour news network similar to Fox News or CNN, and Sky Sports which provides original sports programming to the UK in much the same way ESPN does to American audiences. Mr. Richard Brooking, the facilities director, was the host for the day. Students met with executives who spoke to them about Sky’s corporate responsibility concerns. One Sky executive shared some of the company’s research initiatives aimed at providing media services to the visually handicapped. In addition, the students were treated to studio tours of both Sky News and Sky Sports, including watching a live presentation of the mid-day news and being in the control room while a live “in the field” report was prepared to be broadcast from Paris. One of the final days in London was used for tours of the British Library and the British Museum. The British Library contains some of the world’s most valuable documents including the Sinaiticus manuscript of the Bible and a copy of the Magna Carta. The British Museum is arguably the world’s greatest museum containing items such as the Rosetta Stone, the Gilgamesh Epic, and many other items from antiquity. Patrick Boyns, the director of the British Bible School met the group in London and provided a guided tour of both the library and the museum. Rose Wallen, one of the students who went on the trip said, “This class is an awesome opportunity to learn. Anytime someone can go to another country to study he should take advantage of it. There is nothing like learning first hand from companies who have dealt with issues concerning corporate responsibility and business ethics. It is interesting to see what businesses in other countries value in comparison to businesses in the U.S. I had a great time learning new things about the companies we visited.” If there is sufficient student interest, Shelton plans to offer the class on an annual basis. Given the recent terrorist bombings in London, Shelton wonders if the demand for the course will be there. He said, “Students and parents need to put this in context. It is true that London was struck by terrorists, but it is no truer than the fact that New York was struck in 2001. That is the world in which we now live. If the terrorists succeed in preventing students from experiencing these types of opportunities, they will have won. Of course, we need to be cautious and use good judgment, but we do not need to completely withdraw from overseas opportunities. I have always felt as safe in England and Scotland as I have in the United States.” Students having any interest in participating in next year’s trip may contact Shelton at jshelton@fhu.edu. Three Join Faculty The School of Business welcomes three new members to its ranks this fall. April Brashier, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Economics, is completing the PhD in economics from the University of Alabama. Brashier has previously taught at the University of Alabama, Shelton State Community College, and Birmingham Southern College. Jason Brashier is an instructor in management. He is a graduate of the University of North Alabama and holds the master of arts in management from the University of Alabama. Brashier has taught previously at the University of Alabama. Mark Scott is an assistant professor of management information systems. Prior to joining the FHU School of Business, he managed his Internet/network security and technology consulting practice from 1997 to the present. Scott has more than 20 years experience concentrating in the computer and network technologies, including special expertise in Internet security and digital forensics. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member for the FHU School of Mathematics and Computer Science from the Fall of 2003 through the Spring of 2005. Currently he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Administration and Information Management. Faculty Respond to Hurricane Katrina Dr. Rich Brown, associate professor of marketing, has been working closely with others at the university in organizing relief efforts for the victims of Katrina. At present, three student-faculty trips to the gulf coast are being organized to assist in the cleanup effort and more trips may be made as needed. There will be more about this in the Fall newsletter. 2005 Senior Retreat to Feature Phil Kinzer This year’s senior retreat is scheduled for Friday, October 21. Phil Kinzer, the minister for the West End church in Nashville, will be the speaker. This will be our third. At this event, graduating seniors have an opportunity to get off campus with faculty in a relaxed atmosphere for a period of devotion, spiritual talks, and a meal. Student Wins Competition Josh Kachelman won first place in the undergraduate division of the APICS Educational and Research (E&R) Foundation’s Donald W. Fogarty International Student Paper Competition. The competition encourages understanding of operations management and builds bridges among operations management practitioners, professors, and students. Each year, the APICS E&R Foundation presents cash awards to student authors in two categories: undergraduate and graduate. Each APICS region presents a cash award for the best paper. The winning paper from each region is forwarded to the E&R Foundation for judging. Online Summer School This past summer, Dr. Ray Eldridge participated in a pilot program of online classes from Freed-Hardeman University. Five such classes were offered. Eldridge’s Principles of Management class was one of those. He said, “From an instructor’s perspective, the online course was a huge success. The management course enrollment was twenty-five and I believe overall the university’s five online classes exceeded eighty students.  According to the students, it was also well received. There have been many who have stopped by my office to personally request more online courses.  The interesting aspect is they have commented on the amount they learned and not simply its convenience. This is a perfect platform to reach our students as they scatter throughout the country in the summer, yet still want to have a FHU connection. I consider online instruction now a way of life and no longer just a novelty.” Picture This – Ethics in England Students listen as they are given a guided tour of The Kilns, the home of author, theologian, and Oxford don C.S. Lewis Rose Wallen, probably breaking every National Trust regulation on the books, is perched atop a stone placed by Neolithic men at Avebury some 4,600 years ago. Andrew Williams and Jamie Miller admire a new Jaguar at the Jaguar Assembly Plant at Castle Browich, near Birmingham, England. Richard Lomax, director of facilities, tells students about the various dishes graciously provided by Vodafone for our lunch. Vodafone headquarters at Newbury Richard Brooking, facilities director at British Sky Broadcasting in London, addresses the group. Waiting for the train to Gatwick Airport – time to go home. The School of Business at Freed-Hardeman University © 2005 Freed-Hardeman University All Rights Reserved