{"id":53,"date":"2019-07-31T00:34:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T00:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/?page_id=53"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:06:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T15:06:16","slug":"research-internship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/student-experiences\/research-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"Research & Internship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer Research Fellowship<\/h2>\n

As a business or\u00a0accounting major, you will have the opportunity to work with our faculty on real-world problems. We explore the most complex issues impacting every business, ranging from accountability and leadership to globalization and sustainability.<\/p>\n

You will be engaged in real research. That means your work will not\u00a0be relegated to the most remedial task. Instead, you’ll have an opportunity to attend conferences and present your own research. Some of our students have even co-authored research papers that have appeared in journals like The Psychological Record <\/em>and The International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you decide to conduct research with our faculty, be sure to apply to Summer Research Fellowship<\/a>. It is one of the few programs in the country that directly funds student internships, offering competitive fellowships to our students.<\/p>\n

Read on to see what some of our\u00a0student research\u00a0fellows have done.<\/p>\n

LiveWell Greenville<\/h3>\n

Backgrounds or experiences can influence consumer decision-making during point-of-purchase. \u00a0The purpose of this study was to determine whether increased availability and point-of-purchase promotion of healthy concession food options influenced consumer acceptance at county-owned waterparks.\u00a0 Weekly sales data for each healthy concession option and all concession options were collected during the comparison season and in each intervention season. \u00a0Consumer selection of healthy food options was assessed by analyzing sales data.\u00a0Findings indicate increased availability and point-of-purchase promotion of healthy menu options may positively influence consumer acceptance.\u00a0 Sustained acceptance of healthy menu options for three years is promising, but additional methods may be warranted to further increase consumer acceptance of healthier food options.\u00a0 Consumer behavior analysis applications may help support marketing practices.<\/p>\n

Antecedent Stimuli to Donor Behavior: A Component Analysis of Nonprofit Donor Campaign<\/h3>\n

This research features a community-based project with an Upstate nonprofit organization. \u00a0A component analysis of the nonprofit\u2019s donor campaign advertising materials was conducted.\u00a0 The purpose of the study was to conduct an internal assurance check of the nonprofit\u2019s communication materials with potential donors, examining the use of specific language\/images found in the materials to be aligned with the organization\u2019s current mission and objectives.\u00a0 In essence, this research is the first step in being able to find out what materials and phrases the non-profit can use to increase donors and retain past donors.<\/p>\n

Automotive Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: An Updated Analysis<\/h3>\n

This research builds on a previous study by\u00a0analyzing\u00a0the growth and development of\u00a0automotive\u00a0“foreign direct investment” in the U.S. since 2011.\u00a0 Utilizing secondary data and interviews, the study\u00a0seeks to provide insight\u00a0relating to the follow issues:\u00a0\u00a0plant expansion and vehicle production growth; impact on regional supply chains; sales relating to\u00a0both domestic and foreign markets; economic impact to cities, states, and regions; competitive positioning of manufactured vehicles including performance and quality; and the impact of the plant on additional nonautomotive state and regional economic development.\u00a0The research\u00a0also seeks to understand the major issues facing foreign firms currently manufacturing on U.S. soil.<\/p>\n

Internships<\/h2>\n

If you are seeking a career in business or accounting, an internship can help you develop new skills and explore different career paths. We not only\u00a0have connections in the local business community, but\u00a0each\u00a0year\u00a0representatives from the nation’s four largest accounting firms recruit our accounting\u00a0students. Apply for an internship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Experiential Learning in Wealth Management<\/h3>\n

Students in the Principles of Financial Planning course\u00a0are\u00a0paired with local\u00a0Certified Financial Planners,\u00ae\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup>who\u00a0act\u00a0as mentors throughout the semester.\u00a0 The mentors meet with the students during lunches and breakfasts to discuss current financial topics that affect\u00a0CFP’s\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0and to\u00a0advise the students\u00a0on basic concepts regarding\u00a0putting together a personal\u00a0financial plan.<\/p>\n

At the end of the semester, the students deliver\u00a0presentations on their personal financial plans and are\u00a0judged by a panel of six other\u00a0CFP’s\u00ae<\/sup>.\u00a0 The judges offer\u00a0constructive criticism and advice on the work the students have done.<\/p>\n

Using the Consulting Framework to Help Remedy Local Business Problems<\/h3>\n

Local companies are partnering with students in the “Strategic Implementation and Innovation” course\u00a0to help\u00a0solve\u00a0a problem faced by\u00a0the company operations.\u00a0\u00a0 As different companies request\u00a0a\u00a0partnership, they will bring a different operational problem.<\/p>\n

In this type of engaged experience, students strengthen\u00a0their foundational coursework\u00a0by being a part of the\u00a0full\u00a0problem-solving\u00a0cycle.\u00a0\u00a0Their study of the company includes site visits, project analysis, synthesizing and developing questions, understanding the company and industry processes, using professional communications, exhibiting leadership, and utilizing team dynamics.<\/p>\n

At the end of the semester, a student presentation is given to the company’s executive team.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Then the cycle repeats with another group of students, a new\u00a0company, and a new\u00a0problem.<\/p>\n

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)<\/h3>\n

Furman students in Intermediate Accounting I and Advanced Financial Accounting participate in\u00a0the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)\u00a0service-learning project.\u00a0 As participants in this program, students travel to United Way VITA sites in the community and spend at least 15 hours preparing income tax returns for low-income taxpayers free of charge.\u00a0 The impact of this service is significant as tax\u00a0payers are able to save several hundred dollars in tax return preparation fees while receiving assistance from certified tax preparers.\u00a0 Prior to VITA service, students\u00a0are trained in tax return preparation and must pass a certification exam.\u00a0 Throughout their service, students prepare written reflections and consider the impact of their service on themselves and on their community.<\/p>\n

In addition to providing a valuable community service, the benefits to students are significant as VITA service involves far more than just inputting numbers into a tax return.\u00a0 Students interview each taxpayer and must develop rapport and a sense of trust in order to effectively obtain information about the client’s life and financial situation. In addition to enhancing their communication skills, VITA service helps students gain technical and organizational skills in a professional environment.<\/p>\n

An\u00a0Interdisciplinary\u00a0Study\u00a0of\u00a0Neighborhood\u00a0Change\u00a0and\u00a0Gentrification<\/h3>\n

Using an urban displacement typology, researchers randomly selected urban and rural tracts at different stages and conducted focus groups with residents and interviews with local businesses to better understand the local business landscape, displacement pressures, impact on community health, and trust within these neighborhoods.\u00a0 One student researcher developed an interactive web interface to allow researchers, community leaders, and community residents to more easily evaluate and map changes over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summer Research Fellowship As a business or\u00a0accounting major, you will have the opportunity to work with our faculty on real-world problems. We explore the most complex issues impacting every business, ranging from accountability and leadership to globalization and sustainability. You will be engaged in real research. That means your work will not\u00a0be relegated to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":55,"parent":21,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-53","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/53\/revisions\/308"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/business-accounting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}