Impact of Intelligence on NFL Performance – Dr. Brian Lyons cited on ESPN.com.

After describing NFL draft prospect Morris Claiborne’s low score on the Wonderlic Test, SportsCenter cites Wright State Management Assistant Professor, Dr. Lyons.   One of Dr. Lyons’s areas of research is the study of the impact of intelligence on NFL performance.    He and his fellow researchers conclude that there is no significant correlation between the two variables across positions. However, they found that the correlation between intelligence and NFL performance was negative for defensive backs and tight ends – in other words, the lower you score on the Wonderlic Test, the better you will perform in the NFL.

To view the video at ESPN.com click here .
Articles entailing Dr. Lyons’ research can be found on his personal website here .

Is Your Body Language Costing You A Promotion? - Todd Dewitt Quoted, Forbes Online

“Half or more of all communication is nonverbal,” says Todd Dewett, a management professor at Ohio-based Wright State University. “Professionals are stressed. They are multitasking. They face many competing demands. Consequently, while they might sometimes be focused on using words correctly, they never give a second thought to what their body is saying.”

Evolutionary psychologists contend that nonverbal communication is largely driven by the limbic system, so body movement and facial expressions are usually unconscious reactions–evolutionary artifacts of behaviors that developed thousands of years ago. However, many of the mechanisms that once ensured survival—an unfamiliar face provoked a fight or flight response—are no longer productive today and may even derail your success.

“Communication, including body lan

guage, becomes significantly more important when considering who’s promotion material,” says Dewett. “As soon as you step into a supervisor role, it all comes down to communication skills.”

Do you know what your body’s saying? Communication and management experts detail the silent signals you may be sending. Read the full article here

Before Texting, Professionals Boost Communication - Todd Dewitt Quoted, Investors.com

With more discussions happening online, especially via mobile devices, leaders are faced with a decision: stick to traditional forms of communication — meetings and phone calls—or reach out using digital texting tools....

Choose wisely how you chat. Hints:

• Weigh. Instead of using the same mode of contact for every talk, judge the importance of what you are about to say first. Executive coach Todd Dewett, author of "The Little Black Book of Leadership," breaks it down.

"Ask yourself if the communication is something that merely must be done — 80% of communication episodes — or something that is truly important — the 20%," he said. "For an 80% issue, strive for efficiency, e-mail, for instance. For a 20% issue, strive for effectiveness, or face to face."

• Gather. "Nothing trumps real, live human interaction," Dewett said. "Designate a day a month or a day each week where employees are encouraged to put down the phone, step away from the computer and actually go talk to someone.........”

For the full article: <http://news.investors.com/article/604298/201203141322/base-workplace-exchanges-on-strong-engagement.htm>

Wright State professor talks Super Bowl commercial winners and losers - Dr. Charles Gulas, Fox 45 Feb. 6, 2012

Marketing professor Dr. Charles Gulas joined Fox 45 the day after the Super Bowl to share his thoughts on which commercials were a hit and which ones flopped.   

Watch the video at: http://fox.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/morning/videos/vid_639.shtml

For Job-Seekers, a New Push to Keep Financial Skeletons Buried - Dr. Brian Lyons Research Utilized

Dr. Brian Lyons worked with Wall Street Journal reporter, Anna Maria Andriotis,  on a recent article about a number of states banning credit checks in order to assist employees to find work.  Dr. Lyons research was mentioned in the article as follows: 

"Some research seems to back employers' fears: Nearly one third of employees with self-reported credit problems engaged in "counterproductive work behavior," such as theft or accepting bribes, compared to about 18% of employees without financial problems, according to a 2008 academic study."  The full Wall Street Journal story can be accessed on-line at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203363504577187262292510088.html 

Dr. Lyons original paper can viewed on his personal web page,  http://www.wright.edu/~brian.lyons/ 

Daily Update: 5,000 Jobs Coming to Dayton Region - Dr. Thomas Traynor

By: Joe Cogliano

The Dayton area will add jobs in 2012, led by growth in health care and manufacturing, according to the latest Regional Economic Report from Wright State University    .

The report projects the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area — which includes Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Preble counties — will have about 376,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2012, a gain of nearly 5,000 jobs compared to the same quarter last year.

Defense work and business services on the national an international market also are expected to fuel job growth.

Thomas Traynor, an economics professor at Wright State and author of the report, expects a seasonal drop in employment during the first quarter of 2012, followed by a mid-year rebound.

“Overall, the regional economy continues to lag well behind its long-run potential in terms of employment and income, but is beginning to show extended signs of growth for the first time in more than a decade,” Traynor said.

While the positives are expected to outweigh the negatives, the report mentions several factors that could end up being a drag on the Dayton-area economy including the continued weakness of the national economy, another recession in Europe and additional defense budget cuts.

Wright State Study Targets Social Media Use

By: Laura Englehart

Dayton companies have taken to Facebook, Twitter and company blogs to reach out to customers, but why and how to manage those social networks remains unclear to some businesses, according to preliminary study results from Wright State University.

The study, being conducted by Shu Schiller and Kevin Duffy, associate professors in the information systems and supply chain management department at WSU, asked 26 companies in the region to talk social media with their industry peers.

Though final numbers are not available yet, preliminary results show that most companies have social media accounts toward maintaining them so that they can keep up with current trends and test the waters.

More Americans Work Weekends, Survey Shows- Dr. Traynor Quoted

By: Dave Larsen

More than 35 percent of employed Americans work on an average weekend day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2010 American Time Use Survey. That figure, up from 34 percent in 2008, includes people whose jobs are typically performed on weekends, as well as those who usually work on weekdays but spent time working on the weekend, the survey said.

The annual survey is drawn from interviews with 13,200 people over age 15.

The trend of more people working on weekends stems from the shift away from manufacturing and toward a service-oriented labor force, said Thomas Traynor, a Wright State University economics professor.

“People might prefer to work the traditional Monday through Friday work week, but it just might be a shift in the kinds of jobs that are available,” Traynor said.

For example, the booming health care industry “is using a lot more labor and a lot of that labor works seven days a week,” he said.

The survey also found that 51 percent of people with multiple jobs were likely to work on an average weekend day, compared with 34 percent of people with just one job.

The desire for two jobs is typically related to the lack of satisfactory income from a primary job, Traynor said.

“If people are already working Monday through Friday, of course their main available days to pick up some extra hours are going to be on the weekends,” he said.

Business College a Boost to Region- Dean Farmer Quoted

By: Yvonne Teems-Stephens

If you think the academy is light-years away from the “real world,” you must abandon those notions when walking into the office of Berkwood Farmer, dean of the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University.

Farmer, who has a Ph.D. in economics, took his post as dean a decade ago and works to cultivate a mutually productive and profitable relationship between the College and the local business community.

"We're here, we're active, and we want to make this place better," Farmer said.

The college has numerous programs that are designed to help both local businesses and Wright State's business students.

"I don't know of any business school where students work more with businesses," Farmer said of the college.

Erik Collins, economic development manager for Montgomery County, said that Wright State's business college has helped attract companies to the region.

"The students get to practice what they've learned in class," Farmer said. "When they get ready to graduate, the business knows more about what they can do... It's a way to demonstrate how good they are before the business so they can be hired later."

Fleet- Reduction Plan Stuck in Slow Lane- Dr. Dewett Quoted

By: David Siders

Gov. Jerry Brown said in January that he wanted to sell off half the state's passenger vehicle fleet, one of several highly symbolic measures Brown proposed to cut costs.

Brown's progress so far is indicative of the tendency of politicians to over-promise, stymied by bureaucracies that are more resistant than they might have expected, said Todd Dewett, a professor of management at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

"People do this all the time in politics," he said. "Most people radically underestimate the strength of the status quo in bureaucracy."

The Democratic third-term governor's fleet-reduction progress so far is expected to reduce spending by about $11 million annually in maintenance and other costs.

"Significant progress has been made, but we are not done yet," Brown said in a release. "I'm not satisfied with purging just 3,800 vehicles -- state departments can make deeper cuts. Every department must eliminate the unnecessary vehicles that waste taxpayer money.

Dr. Conflict- Dr. Light Quoted

By: Mark Light

Dr. Conflict is the pen name of Mark Light, MBA, PhD. In addition to his work with First Light Group (www.firstlightgroup.com), Light teaches at the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University and the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University. His new book Results Now for Nonprofits: Purpose, Strategy, Operations, and Governance was published by John Wiley & Sons in 2010. Along with his stimulating home life, he gets regular doses of conflict at the Dayton Mediation Center, where he is a mediator.

Read Dr. Conflict's Column

MCSi Owes Banks $88.5M, Government Witness Tells Judge- Dr. Akhbari Quoted

By: John Nolan

Under the leadership of its top executive Michael E. Peppel, MCSi Inc.’s debts to its bank lenders soared up until the company’s 2003 collapse and those banks are still owed $88.5 million today, a prosecution witness testified Tuesday at a hearing to help determine Peppel’s sentence for fraud crimes.

Earlier Tuesday, college finance professor Marlena L. Akhbari testified that MCSi suffered multimillion-dollar losses totaling 79 percent of its value in early 2003 when the public first learned of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into MCSi’s suspected false reporting of financial results. That caused a loss of investor confidence that sank the company’s stock price and caused losses for investors, she said.

During that same time, the market in which MCSi operated declined by just 10 percent, indicating that the loss of public confidence in MCSi was a substantial factor in the plunge of the company’s stock price, said Akhbari, chairwoman of Wright State University’s finance department.

The government hired Akhbari to calculate the loss that Peppel’s actions caused.

Under defense cross-examination, Akhbari said she could not attribute all of the MCSi’s loss of value to the report of the federal investigation. She also said, under defense questioning, that she had not been aware of other factors that could have caused losses at MCSi, including that it was among the top 50 creditors of fiber-optic network operator Global Crossing Inc. when Global Crossing filed for bankruptcy court protection in 2002.

Peppel’s sentencing has not been scheduled. He could receive as much as 20 to 50 years in prison and fines of up to $5.5 million, but likely will get lesser punishment under federal sentencing guidelines and because he entered guilty pleas.

Wright State Report: Defense, Manufacturing to Create Jobs- Dr. Thomas Traynor Quoted

By: Joe Cogliano

Manufacturing and the defense industry will boost the Dayton-area economy during the second half of 2011, according to the latest Regional Economic Report from Wright State University.

If accurate, the report's fourth quarter forecast of 374,500 workers would mark the highest employment number since the first quarter of 2009.

On the strength of global conditions, manufacturers in the region are expected to continue hiring while public and private sector employment will be bolstered as missions coming to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process reach full speed, said Thomas Traynor, an economics professor at Wright State and author of the report.

Traynor said health care and the leisure industry — which includes restaurants and hotels — are also most likely to see seasonally adjusted growth by the end of the year.

Read Full Report Here

In a Pinch, Could Your Family Find $2,000? - Dr. Robert Premus Quoted

By: Mark Fisher

Half of American families including a growing portion of the countrys middle-class would not be able to cope with an unexpected expense that required them to come up with $2,000 within 30 days, according to the study that illustrates both the fragile nature of family finances and the depth of the nations financial crisis.

More than a quarter of Americans (27.9 percent) reported that they would not be able to cope with such an expense, while another 22.1 percent responded that they probably would not be able to come up with the money. The studys authors conclude that financial hardship in America is not limited to the poor or to a small group of the population but instead extends to those with higher-and-average income and higher educational attainment. The survey showed that while most people who said they could come up with $2,000 responded that they would withdraw from their savings, nearly one in five (19 percent) would sell some of their personal property to generate the cash and more than one quarter would do so by resorting to what might be seen as extreme measures. Paul Cook, a sales associate at Maxs Jewelers and Loan on North Fountain Avenue, has seen more middle-class people than ever come in recently to pawn their belongings for money. People that normally wouldnt have to pawn are pawning, Cook said. Every day, we have people come in here and say, Im 45 years old and Ive worked all my life, and I just got a layoff notice. Even people who have jobs are getting their hours cut. Robert Premus, professor of economics at Wright State University, praised the studys quality and credibility, and said he believes it accurately reflects the vulnerability of area families. People are running pretty scared right now, Premus said. Because a recessionary climate has extended for two full years, traditional sources of help for families who are struggling financially other family members and friends are themselves tapped out, and credit is still difficult to obtain from banks and other financial institutions, he said.

To get help from the Consumer Credit Counseling Services, call (937) 643-2227 or (800) 377-2432, or go to www.graceworks.org/cccs.

Your Education Should Include Financial Literacy- D.R. Fannin Quoted

By: Teresa Dewald

Graduating and moving onto a new chapter in life is exciting. You have so much potential. Part of your long-term success involves being informed and making wise financial decisions. Here are some tips from those with a lot of financial know-how:

Have a checking and savings account

If you don’t already have a checking or savings account, go to your local bank or credit union and set one up. Somebody at the financial institution you chose can help you set up direct deposit and help you decide how much you should put in checking or savings.

D.R. Fannin, director of Wright State University’s Center for Economic Education at the Raj Soin College of Business, says you should always pay yourself first and set a certain percentage of your wage for savings.

“It’s important to allow the child to have some degree of financial independence,” said William Burke, CEO of Day Air Credit Union. Parents can arrange to have access to their child’s savings and checking account, making deposits and helping manage finances.

Build credit wisely

Fannin says you can begin to establish your credit history by having parents co-sign for your first credit card. He adds that the card needs to be used responsibly.

It may not be exciting, but Fannin says you need to read the fine print.

Also, don’t acquire too much credit too quickly. Doing so can set off red flags in your credit report.

Once you have a credit card, be smart when you use it. Burke says, “Respect the danger that it can get you into.”

Know the Annual Percentage Rate on your credit card and do the math when you use it.

“When you’re using [your card] add in the cost of credit,” said Jodi Owens, a financial aid officer at Sinclair Community Colleges. How much will a $10 lunch really cost? It will cost more, if you don’t pay your balance off every month.

Fannin wants people to know that their credit can impact their ability to get a job and even their insurance rates.

He also advises people to check their credit report at least twice a year.

Use student loan on just the essentials

Fannin suggests that you only use your student loan funds for school expenses. Imagine paying for that school sweatshirt or pack of gum 10 years later. How much would they actually cost? It’s better to spend your student loan money on the essentials.

Find the complete article here

Big Companies Lead Local Recovery- Dr. Tom Traynor Quoted

By: Joe Cogliano

Buoyed by a revived manufacturing sector, the Dayton region’s largest businesses appear to be on the road to recovery.

Eighty companies on the Dayton Business Journal’s Top 100 list posted higher revenue for 2010, while only 16 companies reported lower sales. On the previous year’s list — which reflected 2009 revenue — 55 companies reported lower revenue while 44 companies posted flat or increased sales.

Tom Traynor, an economics professor at Wright State University, said the gains made on the Top 100 list appear to be consistent with the overall U.S. recovery.

"It seems like the economy is growing fairly steadily, but fairly slowly," Traynor said. "Nationally, GDP is growing, so you would expect that to show up in revenues. Locally, the best indicators we tend to have are employment and that's going up."

Traynor said the health care industry is still a steady source of growth in the Dayton region, but the most pleasant surprise is manufacturing, which is seeing an uptick in employment after year-over-year declines for a decade.

Google, Facebook Battle For Top Web Site- Dr. Kendall Goodrich Quoted

Staff Report

A new report reveals that and Google Inc. are battling it out in a tough race for the top Web site.

Facebook had 10.4 percent of all Web visits for the first week of May, with Google coming in just shy of 8 percent, according to Experian Hitwise. However the tech tracking firm said Google's YouTube site had 3.1 percent, which would give Google's combined Web presence an 11 percent share of all Web visits and put it ahead of Facebook by less than one percentage point.

Yahoo Inc.'s mail service was fourth on the list with 2.9 percent of all visits, and Yahoo's main site was fifth with slightly fewer than 2.5 percent. Microsoft Corp.'s Bing site came in at sixth on the list with 1.5 percent of all Web visits for the week, while its Windows Live Mail and msn sites tied for 9th/10th with 0.98 percent each.

AOL was 12 and 14th, with eBay coming in at 13th. No other site had more than half of one percent share of the visits. Amazon.com came in at 16th with 0.38 percent and 20th was Ask.com.

Google continued to dominate the search engine race though, with just shy of 68 percent of all Web searches. Yahoo was second with 14.6 percent, Bing had 12.3 percent, ask had 2.9 percnt and AOL had 1.6 percent to round out the top five search engines by volume for the month of April.

Google was the top visited Web site of 2009, but was overtaken by Facebook in 2010 when it had 8.93 percent of all U.S. visit compared with Google's 7.19 percent. Google's YouTube unit was fifth for 2010 with 2.65 percent, giving Google a combined 9.84 percent of visits for last year.

The most recent results indicate both Google and Facebook have been growing their searches.

Both companies are giants in the Internet and social media sector, and generate a significant amount of revenue from online display ads. Facebook is the leader in online ads and accounted for 346 billion impressions, from January through March, according to a new report from comScore.

Facebook has become a business tool used by companies throughout the Dayton region for everything from recruiting to marketing.

Kendall Goodrich, assistant professor at the Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business, recently told the Dayton Business Journal that companies taking advantage of Facebook should see rewards.

As companies — both large and small — look to expand their presence online, Facebook, given its 600 million users, is an obvious resource, Goodrich said.

He added that companies can make a name for themselves both by using Facebook and by utilizing Facebook's strategy. By amassing "friends," a site is effectively increasing its influence on the Web and creating a soft metric by which potential investors can assess its value.

"The opportunity to them is that almost anyone can get out there and potentially become influential on Facebook," Goodrich said.

Also, social media in general, including Google's Android apps for smartphones and mobile tablets, are giving another potential marketing tool to businesses.

Most restaurants are starting to use social media to help drive business, with many of them being lauded recently for their efforts. Promotions on such sites as Facebook are becoming common, and Twitter is being used to get the marketing message out as well. With many people using smartphones or mobile tablets, many restaurants are launching their own apps for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad, or Google Inc.'s Android devices.

In fact, the majority of businesses, including those in Dayton, now use some form of social media to help connect with customers and boost their business. Even government agencies and municipalities, such as the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, are using the social media tools such as Facebook.

E-mail dayton@bizjournals.com. Call (937) 528-4400. Twitter.com/DBJnews

Regional Economy Has Stake in Global Trade Wars- Dr. Riad Ajami Quoted

Major Dayton-area and Ohio manufacturers responsible for thousands of jobs are on the front line of international trade battles.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said the state has concentrations in the chemicals, paper, glass, steel and aluminum industries, all of them vulnerable to unfair trade practices. More aggressive trade law enforcement is needed to protect these industries, he said. Companies also need to be willing to report trade violations as quickly as possible to protect jobs and businesses, he said.

Riad Ajami, director of the center for global business at Wright State’s Raj Soin College of Business, said China’s continued expansion is inevitable. However, China’s expansion also may offer opportunities for U.S. companies, he said.

“Are they making inroads? Yes, they are,” he said. “But we are further ahead than they are and we should be confident in our ability to innovate and produce. Now, should we ask for reciprocal conditions from the Chinese in terms of opening their markets, financial services, procurement, protection of intellectual property? Of course we should.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7317 or ttresslar@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Oil Driving Up Price of Consumer Products- Dr. Riad Ajami Quoted

DAYTON — As local gas prices rise toward $4 a gallon, more bad news is on the way. Crude oil prices driving up the cost of gasoline also bump up the cost of thousands of other products either made with oil or shipped by it.

Everyday items made with oil include everything from the coloring in your toothpaste, to shampoo, plastic water bottles, house paint and even golf balls.

“Eventually the price of all these commodities is likely to go up” said Wright State University professor Riad Ajami, director of the Center for Global Business at the Raj Soin College of Business.

Dayton-Area Web Operators Stand to Benefit From Facebook- Dr.Kendall Goodrich Quoted

Local internet companies stand to benefit from the rising popularity of Facebook and Twitter. First, as the sites add more followers, they present opportunities for increased exposure. Second, the sites’ rising valuations may extend to Dayton-area Web companies.
Kendall Goodrich, assistant professor at the Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business, said companies taking advantage of Facebook should see rewards.
As companies- both large and small- look to expand they presence online, Facebook, given its 500 million users, is an obvious resource, Goodrich said. He said companies can make a name for themselves both by using Facebook and by utilizing Facebook’s strategy. By amassing “friends”, a site is effectively increasing its influence on the Web and creating a soft metric by which potential investors can assess its value.
“The opportunity to them is that almost anyone can get out there and potentially become influential on Facebook,” Goodrich said.

China's Largest Manufacturer of Bulldozers and Other Earth-Moving Equipment is Considering Dayton — Among Other Possible Midwestern Sites — For a U.S. Manufacturing Operation

2 March 2011, Dayton Daily News By: John Nolan

DAYTON — China's largest manufacturer of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment is considering Dayton — among other possible Midwestern sites — for a U.S. manufacturing operation, a Dayton marketing firm representing the company said Wednesday.

Shantui Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. is expanding its international sales and is considering establishing a U.S. manufacturing site in two to three years, said Dave Lightle, a principal of VMA Worldwide, an international marketing division of Visual Marketing Associates Inc.

Making bulldozers, road graders and other equipment in the United States would eliminate exporting costs, such as Asian automakers have done in recent decades by opening factories in this country, Lightle said during an interview by Skype Internet video link from China's Shandong Province. Lightle is spending the year in the province to handle Shantui's international marketing. Kenneth Botts, a VMA founding principal, arranged the interview from his Dayton office.

“There's a lot of costs associated with shipping a bulldozer 10,000 miles,” Lightle said.

Lightle said he has contacted Marty Hohenberger, the Dayton Development Coalition's vice president for business development, about Shantui's interest in Dayton.

Hohenberger declined comment Wednesday, saying through a spokeswoman that he is aware of the company's interest, but has not been given details.

Three of Shantui's top four executives went through Wright State University’s Master's of Business Administration program in recent years and are familiar with Dayton, Lightle said.

Any U.S. manufacturing operation will be several years away because Shantui must first be able to meet U.S. emission standards for its machinery, he said.

VMA is also pursuing business representing other companies in China's manufacturing-heavy Shandong Province, Botts said. He declined to identify them.

As Private Pay Plummets, Public Pay in Ohio Increases - Dr.  Thomas Traynor Quoted

19 February 2011, Port Clinton News Harold.com By: Russ Zimmer, an excerpt of the article “As private pay plummets, public pay in Ohio increases”

A plunge in spending by state and local governments will slow the growth rate of the economy, but is unlikely to stop it in this instance, said Tom Traynor, professor and chair of Wright State University's economics department.

This is because the positive potential effect contracting government -- making Ohio more competitive for business -- won't be immediately realized, but the reduced earnings of public employees will. Many states are facing the same dilemma, he said.

"Based on the rough information available, the growth rate of the state economy appears to be similar to that of the national economy," Traynor wrote in an e-mail. "If so, the balancing of the state budget will reduce the economic growth rate, but won't make it become negative."

Raising taxes slows growth for basically the same reason as paying less to government employees: Both discourage consumer spending, according to Traynor. The state budget, by law, must be balanced, so one of the two -- cut expenses or raise revenues -- or a combination of both must be done, regardless of the timing, he said.

"It would be easier to make cuts or increase taxes in a healthy economy than in this economy," Traynor said, "but unless new funds come from an unexpected source, the state really doesn't have a choice but to balance the budget."

Jobs Likely to Return as Service Industries Grow Again – Dr. Robert Premus Quoted

6 January 2011, Dayton Daily News-Online also in Springfield News Sun-Onine, By: Tim Tresslar, an excerpt of the article “Jobs Likely to Return as Service Industries Grow Again”

The state's unemployment rate for November fell for the eighth straight month, to 9.8 percent, but the number of jobs continues to shrink.

While some job categories are faring better than others, Horner said “I don't expect anything to skyrocket” in the new year. ODJFS projects that “employment, recruitment and placement specialists” will be Ohio's fastest-growing occupations from fall 2009 to fall 2011, as employers seek temporary workers rather than making the commitment to hire.

Robert Premus, economics professor at Wright State University, said that a weaker U.S. dollar on foreign currency markets is good for manufacturing jobs in Ohio. The strong dollar was “devastating for the Midwest,” making the region less competitive in the global marketplace, he said. “Now that the dollar is down, manufacturing is up and exports are coming back. We're poised for a continuation of growth.”

Online Trailblazer Created Arts & Letters Daily Site – Dr. Tran Huu Dung Mentioned

5 January 2011, Los Angeles Times also in Washington Post-Online and Fresno Bee-Online, By: Elaine Woo, Excerpt follows of the article “Online Trailblazer Created Arts & Letters Daily Site”

Denis Dutton, a scholar, author and Internet trailblazer who founded Arts & Letters Daily, a pithy Web site that links thousands of devoted followers around the world to smart, provocative writing online about books, culture and ideas, died Dec. 28 in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he taught philosophy at the University of Canterbury. He was 66 and had prostate cancer.

The Arts & Letters Daily site was modeled on a Victorian-era broadsheet, consisting of three columns of witty teasers - written mainly by Dr. Dutton - about articles and essays on topics that provoked him and Managing Editor Tran Huu Dung, an economics professor at Wright State University in Ohio.

On its first day, Arts & Letters Daily attracted about 300 visitors. Now it averages 120,000 views a day. Dr. Dutton ran the portal with a tiny staff scattered across several time zones. Fans worried about the future of the Web site were reassured last week by Phil Semas in a statement on the Chronicle's Web site. "He is nearly irreplaceable. Even so, we intend to continue Arts & Letters Daily in the spirit in which Denis created and nurtured it."

Ohio's Economy Still Stuck in No-Growth Cycle, Expert Says – Dr. Robert Premus Quoted

1 January 2011, Dayton Daily News, By: Tom Beyerlein, an excerpt follows of the article “Ohio's Economy Still Stuck in No-Growth Cycle, Expert Says”

The state's unemployment rate for November fell for the eighth straight month, to 9.8 percent, but the number of jobs continues to shrink.

While some job categories are faring better than others, Horner said “I don't expect anything to skyrocket” in the new year. ODJFS projects that “employment, recruitment and placement specialists” will be Ohio's fastest-growing occupations from fall 2009 to fall 2011, as employers seek temporary workers rather than making the commitment to hire.

Robert Premus, economics professor at Wright State University, said that a weaker U.S. dollar on foreign currency markets is good for manufacturing jobs in Ohio. The strong dollar was “devastating for the Midwest,” making the region less competitive in the global marketplace, he said. “Now that the dollar is down, manufacturing is up and exports are coming back. We're poised for a continuation of growth.”

What Do You Think is the Dayton Region’s Greatest Business Advantage? - Dr. Berkwood Farmer Quoted

December 2010, Dayton B2B, an excerpt follows of the section “B2B Quotes”

The Dayton Region possesses the necessary higher education, technological and human-capital skills that are essential for further development and growth of manufacturing, service and knowledge-based businesses that can effectively compete both nationally and internationally. These are vital components of the Dayton business climate at a time when the local economy is transitioning its focus to aerospace, high tech health, supply chain and human performance businesses and related areas.
Dayton’s strategic location as the “Crossroads of America,” local universities and biomedical and information technology research programs and WPAFB strengthen the area’s business advantage.

Job Openings at 2-Year High - Dr. Robert Premus Quoted

9 December 2010, Dayton Daily News Online, By: John Nolan, an excerpt follows of the article “Job Openings at 2-year high”

Job openings in October reached their highest level in two years nationally, but the hiring rate was unchanged from the prior month, the government reported Wednesday.
That is an indication that many employers still are cautious about committing to full-time hiring until they see signs of a sustainable economic recovery, said Stefanie Nemitz, division director in Dayton for Accountemps, a Robert Half International Inc. division that specializes in providing finance and accounting professionals for temporary positions. And, since there are plenty of people looking for jobs, hiring processes are tending to last longer because employers can afford to be choosy and because online job postings can trigger a rush of candidates, both qualified and unqualified, Nemitz said.
There were 3.4 million job openings nationally on the last business day of October, up from 3 million the prior month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. But the hiring rate was unchanged from September. Still, it represented the highest level of job openings in two years, according to government data. That means job seekers should keep at it during the holiday season, employment industry officials said. Although it is only one month's worth of an tick in job openings, it is a good sign for the economy, said Robert Premus, a Wright State University economics professor. “That could translate into more hirings,” Premus said. “It shouldn't take long to catch up.”

Signs Indicate Manufacturing on Rebound- Dr. Thomas Traynor Quoted

10 November 2010. Business Review – Online. By: Joe Cogliano

Manufacturing still represents 100,000 employees in the 12-county region surrounding Dayton and contributes $4.7 billion in annual payroll, according to a recent report. This includes companies with local operations such as Honda of America (NYSE: HMC), AK Steel (NYSE: AKS), Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV), Avery Dennison Corp. (NYSE: AVY), Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK), Trimble Navigation Ltd. (Nasdaq: TRMB) and GE Aviation, a division of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE).

During the recession, many companies stretched their payables, which in turn translated into older receivables for vendors, said Jim Kaiser, a director at accounting and business advisory firm Brady Ware and a board member of the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association.

The combination of money flowing and moderate sales increases is finally sparking investment — although limited — in equipment such as presses, he said.

Some of the cash flow might also be a result of General Motors' larger suppliers, known as Tier I companies, finally getting caught up on payments to their smaller suppliers, said Jim Grosmann, a spokesperson for the National Tooling & Machining Association.

NTMA has been meeting with GM for more than a year in an effort to pressure Tier I companies — accused of hoarding money and only paying critical suppliers — to pay up. Grosmann said some money started flowing this year.

Tom Traynor, an economics professor at Wright State University, said the trend for customers catching up on past due bills is simply because they're in better financial shape.

“It is another sign that the economy is improving, albeit gradually,” Traynor said.

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