Research

R.I. Current Economic Indicator suggests economic stagnation, hints at increasing risk of double-dip recession

May 10th, 2012

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  - With very slow rates of economic growth, the state economy has been stuck since the first quarter of 2011, according to the Rhode Island Current Economic Indicator (CEI).

According to a briefing released today by Bryant University's Center for Global and Regional Economic Studies and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), the CEI for the first quarter of 2012 increased 1 percent (annualized rate).

"The indicator signifies that Rhode Island's economy is stagnating, and that growth is predominantly the result of external factors, which are also showing signs of slowing," said John Simmons, executive director of RIPEC. "While there are some positive signs, the question is whether the economic conditions in the state will continue to improve, and at what rate."

Read More...

‘Birth of a demon’: A look at Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman

April 3rd, 2012

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Bassett

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Thom Bassett, a lecturer in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, is the author of "Birth of a Demon," the cover article of the spring issue of Civil War Monitor. The article examines some of the surprising contradictions of Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. 

In this podcast (10:10), Bassett (left) spoke with University Relations' Paul DeWolf about the famous leader of Union troops. On the one hand, Bassett tells DeWolf, Sherman had no problem applying the "hard hand of war" not only to Southern troops but Southerners themselves, leaving "in his wake civilians who were utterly terrorized." On the other hand, "as ruthless as his intentions were, there was a part of him that absolutely hated" the destruction left behind by his marches across the South.

Read More...

Grant will help Bryant professor create African Digital Archive

February 18th, 2012

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

To learn more about the genesis and goals of the African Digital Archive and Professor Perullo's work with the African Alliance of Rhode Island, listen to this podcast (12:37 min.) or download here.

Perullo

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Alex Perullo, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology and African studies in Bryant's College of Arts and Sciences, has received a $6,000 grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities to create the African Digital Archive, an interactive resource containing images, interviews, videos and curriculum materials about African people who have immigrated to Rhode Island.

The archive is an outgrowth of the African Studies Workshops co-sponsored since 2007 by Bryant University and the African Alliance of Rhode Island. The annual workshops have served as a means to create conversations among Africans living in Rhode Island, university students, and the public.

Read More...

Briefing for R.I.’s fourth quarter shows a stalling state economy

February 10th, 2012

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  — The Rhode Island Current Economic Indicator (CEI) for the fourth quarter of 2011 indicates that the state has lost most of the economic momentum experienced in the first two quarters of 2011.

According to a briefing released today by Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), the CEI for the fourth quarter increased only 0.7 (annualized) - roughly the same increase seen in the third quarter and significantly lower than the 2.6 percent in the second quarter. In addition, projections show that the state's economy will expand just 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2012.

Read More...

The great wall of trust: A look at the importance of guanxi in international business

December 19th, 2011

Chinese culture puts great emphasis on personal relationships, a phenomenon called guanxi. In business relationships with Chinese executives, overseas executives may be at a disadvantage for lack of guanxi.

In a research paper published in the December 2011 Journal of International Business Studies, Crystal Jiang, assistant professor of management, and colleagues Roy Chua of the Harvard Business School, Masaaki Kotabe of the Fox School of Business, and Janet Murray of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, investigate how important this concept is to the Chinese and how foreign executives might overcome the challenge.

Read More...

Rhode Island unlikely to see big growth for years

November 21st, 2011

The prospects for Rhode Island to re-energize its economy and spur job creation in the next few years are slim, according to a presentation prepared for the New England Economic Partnership by Edinaldo Tebaldi, assistant professor of economics at Bryant, and Edward M. Mazze, distinguished university professor of business administration at the University of Rhode Island.

They discuss their findings in this column written for the Providence Business News.

NOTE: Some news sites require registration; some links may expire

State’s growth slows, according to R.I. Current Economic Indicator

November 3rd, 2011

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Rhode Island Current Economic Indicator (CEI) shows that the pace of the economic recovery slowed significantly in the third quarter of 2011, creating a dark cloud looming over future growth.

According to a briefing released today by Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the CEI increased 0.9 percent (annualized rate). This is significantly lower than the 2.2 percent in the second quarter and much slower than projected in the 2011 Q2 Briefing.

A .pdf of the briefing is available here.

Read More...

Her job was to get folks ‘cookin’ with gas’

November 2nd, 2011

denhoff

Sylvia Brooklyn Denhoff, center, with Bryant students Madeleine Lux, right, and Amanda Zagame '11

A research paper written by two Bryant students surfaced the remarkable wartime story of home economist Sylvia Brooklyn Denhoff, featured in this Providence Journal article.

The Journal article references some of Denhoff's efforts, but "Keeping America Fed and Healthy during World War II: Sylvia Brooklyn Denhoff: Home Economist," written by Madeleine Lux and Amanda Zagame '11, provides a richer, more detailed exploration of Denhoff's life. The research paper, produced as part of History Prof. Judy Barrett Litoff's course "U.S. Women and World War II," was based on interviews the students conducted with Denhoff at her home. The interviews were also filmed.

Read More...

State’s economy expanded faster than national economy in Q2, according to R.I. Current Economic Indicator

August 9th, 2011

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  - Despite a significant slowdown in the U.S. economy in the first two quarters of 2011, Rhode Island sustained its economic recovery and expanded faster than the national economy. Moreover, the Rhode Island Leading Economic Indicator projects the economy will expand 2.2 percent (annualized rate) over the next two quarters.

These are some of the findings of the Rhode Island Current Economic Indicator (CEI) for the second quarter of 2011, released in a briefing today (Aug. 9) by Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC). (A .pdf of the briefing is available here.)

Read More...

Social Security proposal would devastate recipients, Muksian says

August 8th, 2011

The monetary consequences of Social Security changes proposed within two Senate bills could be staggering for certain workers, according to an analysis conducted by Professor of Mathematics Robert Muksian, an expert on Social Security.

NOTE: Some news sites require registration; some links may expire