It could be argued that there has never been a time with more unrest.  I am an avid news reader, and watching world patterns over the past year has been enlightening and troubling, to say the least.  The conflict in our world saddens me, and to watch it progress every day can be worrisome.  From time to time, an article finds its way to fruition bearing a title in regards to Generation Y, the Millennial, or in more relative terms, me.  My peers, the kids that I grew up with, follow Generation X, and now we get to see what everyone has to say about us.  We are described as the up and coming, the unpredictable, the lazy, the undriven, the future.  Forbes says that by 2025, Generation Y will comprise 75% of the total workforce.  MSNBC says that we are perhaps the best-educated generation ever, but simply can’t find jobs.  As members of the Millennial generation, it is so vitally important that we inform ourselves.  Education and thirst for knowledge will re-define our future, as our past has been so defined.

There are monumental things that we Millennials have experienced in our lifetime.  We grew up to celebrate the year 2000, terrorists attacking our nation and breaking down the ones we loved, an enormous and staggering technological advance, an economic crisis second only to the great depression.  The accumulation of these things have profoundly shaped our generation.  We were, perhaps, the first generation to grow up with what some would call ‘modern technology’, i.e. the household video game system, the first standard big screen TVs, modern cell phones, and perhaps most significantly, we were the first generation that grew up with computers.  Our families had them, we played games on them, made websites, taught ourselves to design, and became accustomed early on to their seeming magical ways and creative powers.  Ever since I was little, I’ve been completely intrigued by, and good with, computers.  I’m fairly certain I  helped teach my parents how to use computers since I was in grade school!  Kiplinger has an article called ‘Technology is in their DNA,’ commenting on the way that Gen Y’s see technology as enhancing the quality of our lives, and how it is second nature to us.  The amount of knowledge and information we can access amazes me, and it has been amazing to watch the progression of technological advances that occurred since I’ve been around.  The comfort with which we rely on computers and technology and the fact that our generation is accustomed to these sciences on such a basis will lead to enormous advancement in the span of my generation.

While my talent and path may be in business, others have dreams to pursue politics, sciences, technology, education, and much more.  I am excited to see what my peers and I can accomplish once we have the chance to apply our knowledge to the world.  The advances in sciences and technology may prove to redefine our world during my time.  My future is large, and the future of our nation is enormous.  I hope my generation we will someday thrive once we take our place in the professional world.  I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of all of our hard work.

“Following a path made at other universities, Northwest Nazarene University School of Business Dean Steve Mountjoy is teaching a class on social ventures, where students create business plans with a financial and social bottom line.

“’Business really should be meeting the needs of the communities it works in to make those communities thrive,’ said Mountjoy . . ..  ‘Too often, those things are distanced from the real needs of the communities that they serve. Especially in American, where we are bombarded by marketing, we are told what we want rather than having businesses serve our needs.’

Dr. Steve Mountjoy

“The 50 students in the social ventures classes, half of whom are seniors completing a final seminar, will work in small teams making their social venture plan. In late March, they’ll present their plans and compete for a cash prize and the chance to travel to Seattle Pacific University in April for a larger contest featuring teams from across the northwest.

“Potential social ventures include secular or church non-profits, engineering projects, and businesses that address a social need. Though the NNU class is new, Mountjoy sent a team to the SPU competition last year with an idea for a database system that matched volunteers with organizations needing help, based on the volunteers’ expertise and abilities. The winner of last year’s SPU contest was Pterofin, a prototype small wind or water turbine that can generate energy at low speeds. Previous winners include a landscaping company that would train ex-offenders and a soap company that would create manufacturing jobs and a larger supply of soap in the Philippines.

“Mountjoy said the new class is designed to appeal to non-business majors, and that he has students majoring in English, political science and social work taking the class. He also said the class fits NNU’s religious mission.

“’Christians should be doing this kind of thing,’ he said. NNU’s School of Business, which has 300 students split among undergraduate, adult degree and MBA programs, strives to include religious and ethical education. ‘What we want to develop is ethical leaders in business.’”

“A month prior to my high school graduation, I received the opportunity to take part in a medical mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala. My mother is an RN, and I was invited to travel with Team 258 to document a life-changing trip through photography and a daily blog, as well as assist in translating for the local patients and staff. I have grown up going on mission trips, so this was far from my first. However, my heart was the most humbled in this trip as I was able to share the story of the patients through my eyes.

“In Guatemala, many of the impoverished find themselves situated in the jungle on the sides of the volcanoes. The hospital at which we worked and performed surgeries was also an orphanage for children who’s families could not provide the care that they needed, or by special needs children and adults that would not have been able to live in the mud huts and poverty of their families. Walking through the rooms of the orphanage was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had. There were two rooms in particular that just broke my heart. The first was a room for malnourished infants, as well as many babies impacted with cleft lips and palettes. These children were looked down on by the culture, and at times were left at the orphanage because their family simply did not want them, or thought they inhibited a bad omen. In the next room, there were rows and rows of baby cribs, about 40 in all. Walking up and down the aisles, it became obvious that these were not babies. There were people ranging in five years of age to twenty years of age, each nestled inside their own baby crib. So malnourished and unhealthy that even at the age of twenty, they were still able to fit in a crib. They were still children in means of their mind, but each of them were so happy to see us. It was uplifting to see the smiles spread across their faces as we walked down the aisles and interacted with them.

“This is something that has stuck with me, even nearly two years later. I hope to someday return to Guatemala and continue the work that is continually being done there. Faith in Practice was the group that I traveled with, and the hearts of the people involved and dedicating their life to these children and patients are the most compassionate hearts that I have ever met.

“The cultural differences between our group and the locals were immense and I was touched to see the gratefulness and respect with which the patients treated us. I learned a lot about different cultures and simply about the abundant gratefulness of others when you take the time out of your schedule to help. Trips like these can bear great impact on our lives, especially those who travel to help others.”

Article and pictures by Taylor Rauch

Motivation is a topic important to managers and leaders of organizations, whether those organizations are for-profit, government, or not-for-profit organizations. Managers and leaders must know how to motivate their colleagues and workers to accomplish the strategies and goals of their organizations. It is generally believed that “highly motivated employees are a critical factor in the long-term success of many organizations” (Drake, Wong, & Salter, 2007, p. 72).

In his paper the word motivation is defined, a concise review of the development of the theory is given, followed by a discussion of culture and motivation.  He then discusses a recent development in the theory, and finally offers a call for country-specific research about motivation.

Dr. Ron Galloway

Drs. Sam Dunn and Ron Galloway also published an article about Islam, Islamic Finance, and Christianity, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Biblical Integration in Business.

Islam now claims 1.5 billion adherents around the world and up to 3 million Muslims in the United States. As Islam grows social institutions are developing that conform to Shariah law and principles. Among them are Islamic banks and Islamic financial products which are becoming recognized as legitimate options to conventional banks. Since economic and business systems around the world are increasingly integrated and businesspersons from the United States will most likely be interacting at some level with Muslims, it is important that U.S. businesspersons understand Islam and Islamic finance. To be salt and light and to interact in Christlike ways with Muslims, Christians need to know what Muslims believe, and especially what Muslims believe about Jesus.

In this paper the authors first describe Islam by giving its history and principal theological doctrines. Then several important features of Islamic finance and various financial products are described.

All of us in the School of Business wish you and your loved ones a very special and sacred Merry Christmas.   In the words of Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’  A Christmas Carol, “God bless us, everyone!”

When asked about the impact this new center will have on the Boise Valley, Ron Galloway, Boise Center director, said, “The new Boise Center, located across the street from both Boise State and the University of Idaho in the Washington Group Plaza, gives NNU greater visibility in the Boise Metro area. As academic offerings and student numbers increase in Boise, the importance of this new location will become evident.”

The new facility includes four classrooms with ample room for 125 students. A student computer lab with 20 laptops as well as three desktop computers are available for student use. The new Boise Center has breakout rooms both inside and outside of the suite as well as a conference room and an on-site cafeteria.

See Nazarene Communication Network for more on this story.

Dean Walker

• “Trust is not gained overnight.”
• “People want to do business with people they can trust.”
• “There is no substitute for a good work ethic.”
• “If you are going to do [business] successfully, you need to separate family and business as much as you can.”
  “It can’t be all about you; I believe very much in servant leadership.”

Scott Englund

• “I love business but I have a passion to serve as well.”
• “Everything in business is people.”
• “Behind every crisis is a huge opportunity.”
• “There’s no reason that you have to give in to unethical decisions.”
• “Always take the high road.”
• “It’s not an accident that you have talents and passions.”
• “Don’t limit yourself to the world’s perspective of the business world.”

Contributors Ryan Rebischke, Jessica Jackson, and Janette Bumgarner

“If we think our life is stressful, frustrating, and hard as students; imagine if you had two kids, no job, and no education.  Now that is tough!”  Janette Bumgarner

“It was fun to watch how all the “families” chaotically ran around trying to get their bills paid.”  Darren King

“They let us loose before I felt like I had even a muddy idea of what we were doing. At first I was frustrated with that, but then they pointed out that people in poverty face the same uncertainty. They aren’t given all the rules either.  The chaos ended after 50 minutes, but for the world there’s no finish line where all those problems go away.  Tim Vanderpool

“The simulation was shocking as I saw people stealing just to survive for the month because they had no other way of ‘surviving’.”    Gregg Miller

“I was assigned the role of police, and it was interesting to watch the students’ reactions as they were charged with leaving underage children home alone to seek employment, robbing the bank to feed the family/pay bills, as well as being evicted from their homes for lack of payments. Granted, while it was a simulation, hopefully it impacted the students to consider their own roles in society and demands for those in poverty.”  Dr. Karen Jones

“Poverty Simulation was a great way for students to begin to understand the competing demands that people without resources face every day.  The way United Way presented the program helped students understand that these needs exist right here in the Treasure Valley.  Students now have greater awareness and more resources to begin to address them.  Well done to Dr. Konya Weber for organizing this event.”  Dr. Steve Mountjoy

“The poverty simulation was a huge success for the students and those attending it. I appreciate all the help from the United Way and AMA sponsoring the event. The experience was fun, frustrating, chaotic, and very revealing of the need in our Nampa community. I believe our students have a greater understanding and appreciation for the difficult decisions these individuals on the edge of poverty encounter and the role United Way plays in helping them.  If given the opportunity, I would strongly urge anyone to participate in the poverty simulation as it was a valuable experience.”  Dr. Konya Weber

Dr. Steven Mountjoy, Josh Severson, and Dr. David Chaplin

The NNU School of Business was accepted as a charter member in Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society for Economics.

NNU is the Delta Chapter of Idaho and recipient of the 672nd charter in the history of the organization, and joins Idaho State University (1968), Boise State (1976), and University of Idaho (1994) as the only colleges or universities in Idaho with an ODE Charter.

On September 20, NNU President David Alexander presented the new charter to faculty adviser David Chaplin.

“The Omicron Delta Epsilon Chapter at NNU provides our students the opportunity to distinguish themselves through high scholastic achievement in the field of economics,” Alexander said. “The addition of ODE to the other honor societies on campus improves the overall academic reputation of the university. Furthermore, it creates a ‘quadruple threat’ of honor societies in the School of Business, which are Delta Mu Delta (business administration), Alpha Mu Alpha (marketing) and the Financial Management Honor Society.”

Josh Severson, a senior business administration and economics major from Nampa, was the first inductee in the honor society during the event.

This tournament provided a final opportunity for all male Olympic hopefuls who had not previously qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. Final qualifiers will be featured at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Dr. Chaplin has presented scholarly work at domestic and international conferences on the application of economic principles to amateur boxing. His experience in Cincinnati will contribute to his academic research in this area.