Dr. Weber is a graduate of Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.  She received her master’s degree from St. Joseph’s University of Philadelphia, and her Ph.D. degree from Touro University.  She joined the faculty at Northwest Nazarene University in 2001.  Dr. Weber teaches courses in marketing and information technology.

Konya is married to Bob.  They have two children, Camise and Davis.  Bob is an engineer at Hewlett-Packard. Konya loves to work with her kids in school, help with Bible School, exercise and read.

Dr. Weber says, “I am extremely proud of the quality program we offer our traditional undergraduates.  NNU business students excel in their studies, grow spiritually, and graduate well qualified for the job market.  Our School of Business has consistently produced graduating classes that score in the top ten percent of business college and university programs across the nation.  The NNU School of Business is the place to be.”

Christmas is a critical time for marketing, particularly in financially uncertain times. Among all the issues marketers face during the holiday season, we asked Konya Weber our marketing professor to name one that could really create headaches.

In the past few years, some corporations have attempted to be politically correct by eliminating the greeting of “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” to address other holidays such as Hanukah or Kwanzaa.

What was the outcome?

Wal-Mart received a backlash from some Christians who did not appreciate eliminating the Christian focus of the holiday. They responded by boycotting its stores. Now, the stores have returned to greeting its customers with a “Merry Christmas” and learned from the reaction of its loyal customers.

What questions does this raise for marketers?

If we are attempting to be politically correct, will avoiding any association with one religion help or hurt this effort?

So what is the answer?

A Muslim leader recently slammed these politically correct individuals for being racist. “Why do they blame us?” he commented. “They portray us as people who hate their religion, we do not. We find it highly offensive that you are portraying us in a way that incites hatred towards us.” Rather than avoid the differences, we should embrace and provide opportunity for us to learn of other religious celebration.

Dr. Galloway led a presentation on a paper co-authored by him and Dr. Samuel L. Dunn, entitled, “Islam, Islamic Finance, and Christianity.”  Dr. Weber presented a paper authored by her, along with Dr. David Houghton from Charleston Southern University and Dr. Jeffrey Fawcett from Cedarville University, entitled, “Out of the Salt Shaker onto the Plate: Experiences that Transform Students and the World.”  Dr. Lineman served as the moderator for that session.
 
The mission of CBFA is as follows, “The Christian Business Faculty Association exists to assist and encourage Christian business faculty in the study, integration, teaching, and application of Biblical truths in service to the academy, students, and the business community.”

The theme of the conference was “Salt and Light” and over two hundred and eighty business faculty members attended the conference.  The organization is approximately twenty-five years old and provides a forum for Christian faculty to interact with one another, share ideas, and publish together.

Jeffrey Lineman