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Michigan Tech. School of Business and Econ.

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Michigan Tech. School of Business and Econ. 1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI, 49931
United States
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Demographic Information

Number of full-time MBA students (2011): 

27

Number of part-time MBA students (2011): 

0

Total duration of full-time MBA program: 

12 months

MBA faculty (Fall 2010): 

37

Females as percent of student body: 

23%
Who Are the Students? See what percentage of the 2010-2011 graduating class came to this MBA program from the private sector, the non-profit sector and government jobs
 
Private Sector (50%)
 
Non-profit (25%)
 
Government (25%)


Description of MBA Program: 

The School of Business and Economics at Michigan Technological University offers a one-year, face-to-face, full-time MBA and a two-year online MBA. Both programs are designed with undergraduate engineering and science students in mind, but students of all academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. In addition to understanding and evaluating the core business disciplines, the objectives of the MBA include developing analytical and decision-making skills, communicating results professionally, consideration of diverse constituencies, and the examination of business situations within their social, ethical, political, technological and economic contexts.

Our philosophy embeds environmental, ethical and social issues in the core courses, while also offering electives covering these issues in more depth. For example: in finance, students explore how maximizing shareholder wealth can be consistent with social/environmental responsibility; in strategy, a recognition of the traditional bias toward shareholder value opens up a conversation on stakeholders such as communities and the natural environment; in management and organizational behavior, ethical issues inherent in local and global workforce diversity and the impact of social justice movements on corporations are explored; and in operations and quality management, EMS, ISO 14001 certification and lean practices to reduce waste in product, process and service are emphasized.

Michigan Tech’s strong commitment to sustainability education and research affords its MBA students many related elective courses in business, engineering and science. Michigan Tech's Sustainable Futures Institute (read more at  http://www.sfi.mtu.edu/ ) offers a 15-credit graduate certificate in sustainability. MBA students can take the Institute’s courses as MBA program electives and complete coursework beyond the required 36-credits for the MBA to obtain the certificate.

We offer graduate business classes on corporate social responsibility and global operations and logistics (emphasizing reverse-closed loop supply chains). Students can also select electives in energy, environmental, and natural resource economics (from the MS program in Applied Natural Resource Economics) and environmental decision-making (from the MS program in Environmental Policy). Since many of our MBA students have engineering and science undergraduate degrees, they are also often eligible to take electives in environmental management and remote sensing in the School of Forest Resources and Ecological Sciences and life-cycle analysis and environmentally responsible manufacturing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Our students' overall experiences are enhanced by faculty actively engaged in the local, national, and international community.

Michigan Tech is strongly committed to sustainable economic development and addressing societal needs through global partnerships. We are home a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders and seven Peace Corps Masters' International (MI) Programs (Economics, Environmental Hazards, Forestry, Science, as well as Civil, Mechanical, and Environmental Engineering). Our MBA students have opportunities to interact with students enrolled in these programs.
 



How does the MBA program 'walk the talk' of social and environmental impact?: 

School of Business and Econmics faculty and both graduate and undergradaute students have numerous opportunities to Walk-the-Talk:  Here are 6:

Carbon Neutral

The purpose of this project was to better integrate Michigan Tech’s goals of sustainability with our education and research efforts now and into the future. The goal of this project was to develop a process, using carbon as the metric, to improve Michigan Tech’s use of energy and materials and enhance our educational and research programs. The team report was delivered in December 2009, results were presented at a University “Tech-Talks” Forum in January 2010 and the project report was completed September 2010 . Go to the AQIP Action Project Directory and select for Michigan Technological University.

Read  more at

http://www.mtu.edu/aqip/action-projects/completed/


Campus Sustainability Efforts and Woods to Wheels Efforts

Wood-To-Wheels is a collaborative program of the Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI) to establish a transportation fuel system based upon woody biomass. SFI collaborators are researching innovations that address the entire value chain from plant genomics to consumer attitudes. The goal is to increase the overall efficiency of converting solar energy captured in forest and other biomass resources.

Collaborators are focusing on:

Center of Energy Excellence: Developing Cellulosic Ethanol Supply Chain

Generating Automotive Fuels from Lignocellulosic Biomass,

Life Cycle Assessments of Biofuels,

Co-Production of Biofuels and Biopolymers,

Ethanol Flex-Fuel Engine Optimization,

Federal Biomass Removal Projects,

Biomass Co-Firing, and

Retail Life-Cycle Assessments.

Read more at http://www.sfi.mtu.edu/w2w/


Update On Michigan Tech’s Energy Blueprint Continued:

Submitted By: Dave Taivalkoski, Manager, Energy Management

• ENERGY SECURITY. Here the focus is shifting to stable energy sources that are less likely to be subjected to supply shortages, volatile price swings or international

politics.

• ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP/CARBON NEUTRALITY. This objective

focuses on minimizing our impact on the environment, reducing our carbon footprint,

and taking steps toward carbon neutrality. In some cases, dollars are also saved, but

in some cases there are additional costs to achieving this objective.

• SUSTAINABILITY AND THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY. The objective here

is to focus on taking steps to reduce our use of finite and limited resources and shift

toward renewable energy sources such as biomass, biofuels, wind, solar, and

geothermal. The Energy Advisory Group is planning an open forum in the near future to provide the campus with information on our current energy status, discuss energy-related issues, and to

introduce some preliminary options that might be available as we move forward. The EAG is

also planning to survey campus opinion on energy issues sometime after the open forum.

Your participation in these events is greatly appreciated and will guide the Energy Advisory

Group in evaluating how energy conservation, biomass, biofuels, cogeneration, wind, solar,

geothermal, nuclear, and other options will be considered as part of the energy blueprint.

Read more at

http://www.admin.mtu.edu/fm/facops/newslettervol2,issue1.pdf

GREEN CAMPUS ENTERPRISE

Mission Statement:  To help Michigan Tech’s Administration effectively engage the University community in reducing our carbon footprint.  

 The Green Campus Enterprise is an organization of students working to make the Michigan Tech campus more sustainable through both low and high profile projects. We are collaborating with University personnel on many of our projects and gaining professional experience and leadership skills. The Green Campus Enterprise was created in fall, 2008 as a result of the Carbon Neutral Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) project.  The Carbon Neutral AQIP project was initiated to improve the integration of sustainability into Michigan Tech’s research and education.  Under the AQIP project Green Campus is charged with estimating the University’s carbon footprint and, eventually, suggesting ways to reduce it.  Green Campus works with the Executive Team and provides them with project progress reports at the end of each term.  Determining the carbon footprint is instrumental in selecting energy reductions projects, which will eventually reduce Michigan Tech’s impact on the environment and save the University money.

We have several teams working on projects that target various aspects of energy usage on campus.  These include computing practices, lighting and heating in buildings and energy efficiency in the dorms and dining halls.  Green Campus believes that the attitudes and opinions of students, faculty and staff need to be considered when implementing new ideas on campus. Successfully reducing Michigan Tech’s carbon footprint is going to require a commitment from the entire campus.  For this reason, we also have a team dedicated to “campus culture” to ensure all are aware of the importance of being more “green." The Green Campus Enterprise has several groups working on many different projects:

Carbon Footprint (Clean Air Cool Planet)

Wind Power,Campus Culture,,Energy Use: Buildings

Energy Use: Computers.Read more at

http://www.enterprise.mtu.edu/green_campus/gcindex.htm

Center for Water and Society

Mission Statement

The mission of the MTCWS is to support research, education, and outreach in all disciplines at Michigan Tech related to water issues. The goal is to establish Michigan Tech as a state, regional, national and international leader in these disciplines and, in particular, in interdisciplinary approaches to solving water-related problems. The objectives of the MTCWS are:

• To serve as a focal point for instructional and research activities in water-related fields and water-related outreach activities across the Michigan Tech campus

• To provide an organizational structure that supports continuing growth in water-related fields and outreach activities and encourage interdisciplinary projects

• To support interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate education and research in water related fields

• To pursue external funding opportunities to support these objectives and to facilitate MTCWS participating faculty to obtain external support.

Read more at http://www.mtcws.mtu.edu/


The Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society, the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Keweenaw Land Trust are sponsoring a Green Film Festival at Michigan Tech, starting Thursday, Jan. 20 2011.


The films will be shown from 7 to 8:30 p.m., on the third Thursday of each month, from January through June, in the Noblet atrium and Hesterberg Hall G002.


A facilitated discussion will follow each film. Coffee, tea and dessert will be served.



The first film in the series is "Tapped." It examines whether access to clean drinking water is a basic human right or a commodity to be bought and sold. The film takes a look at the big business of bottled water. The discussion facilitator is Professor Alex Mayer (CEE), director of the Center for Water.


The rest of the festival will feature:* Feb. 17, "Weather Report"--takes us to places where global warming is having an immediate effect, to meet people who are early victims of the global crisis that will soon affect us all. The discussion facilitator will be Chair Sarah Green (Chemistry).


* March 17, "Build Green"--a refreshing look at environmentally smart building materials and practices that better protect against the elements while saving money and resources. The discussion facilitator will be Dave Bach, a builder.


* April 21, "Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action"--inspirational stories of Native American activists who are fighting back against the environmental violations to their homelands.

Academic Department

Course Name: Business Process mamnagement
Instructor: Dr Greg Graman

In today's world, the increase in competitive pressure (typified by the Japanese inroads in

the electronics, steel, and automotive industries) and the advent of new technologies (e.g., Material Requirements Planning, Just-In-Time, and Supply Chain Management) have resulted in a rediscovery of the importance of total quality management, international competitiveness, and Production/Operations Management. The increased awareness of environmental concerns and

the desire to preserve out natural resources, particularly energy, have further contributed to the resurgence of interest in these areas.

Course Name: Energy Economics
Instructor: Dr Mark Roberts

This course in energy economics examines all sources and uses of all forms of energy, including renewable and nonrenewable types of fuels. The course studies energy from a broad, long run historical perspective using economic analysis of the changing efficiency in energy is supplied and used to increase human welfare over time. Throughout this analysis, social welfare and environmental impacts are key components of the assessment of how well society is achieving its goals with respect to energy production and use. Many historical examples are presented that compare the costs to the environment and society with the benefits received from various types of energy as they are used to satisfy human goals.

Course Name: Environmental Economics
Instructor: Dr William Breffle

This course emphasizes how economic analysis, particularly damage assessment and cost-benefit analysis, can be used to correct two of the three classical imperfections, public goods and externalities, with regard to the natural environment and its interface with society. The course emphasizes the importance of sound consumer welfare concepts in developing suggestions for policy makers who pursue efficient and equitable outcomes. It also stresses the importance of environmental valuation when the alternative is no valuation (and therefore, no consideration) of compromised natural resources. The course focuses on tradeoffs, both inter- and intra-temporal; as such the impact of human-caused problems such as climate change get careful consideration, even if the impacts extend decades or centuries into the future. Mostly, the course emphasizes to students that economics is one important tool in the policy maker's tool kit to cause change that benefits society and increases the public's satisfaction.

Course Name: Financial Reporting and Control
Instructor: Dr Joel Tuoriniemi

Environmental - Students read and present a write-up on a case study involving a company's

responsibility to establish and estimate the amount of a contingency fund for environmental liabilities,

including the type and content of such disclosure in the company's financial statements.

Social - Students read and present a write-up on a case study involving a company's utilization of a

balanced scorecard to evaluate performance. A specific section of the balanced scorecard relates to

corporate social responsibility and has a series of measures that students must consider.

Ethical issues - Numerous case studies and in-class exercises throughout the course require students to

evaluate options and make decisions applying an ethical framework from a stakeholder perspective.

Course Name: Financial Risk management and Decison Making
Instructor: Dr Howard Qi

As environmental issues become more important in corporate decision-making processes and international legal systems, their impacts on financial asset pricing, corporate governance and risk management have started to attract greater attention. For example, carbon trading and clean energy are reshaping the industry across the board. Companies in the 21st century face some totally new challenges that have never been encountered in the traditional business environment. How to incorporate these factors in the traditional pricing framework poses unprecedented challenges to the future decision makers. This course aims at providing students with a solid finance foundation so they will be better positioned in a more challenging business world.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the necessary in-depth knowledge of finance and the associated quantitative skills, with which they can better understand the concept of green investment, environmental issues in corporate risk management, as well as the corporate decision making processes in general and the consequences on value creation and the society.

Course Name: Managerial Economics
Instructor: DR Paul Nelson

Three seventy-five minutes classes are devoted to government regulation in which topics such as pollution permits, emissions trading, patents, collusion, and ethics arise. Particular attention is paid to energy policy, environmental policy, and health care.

Course Name: Managing Behavior in Organizations
Instructor: Dr Sonia Goltz

Leadership: A week of the course is spent on Leadership, including readings such as “Level 5 Leadership” and “Epic of Survival: Shackleton”.

Negotiations: This topic is covered along with conflict management. Students read and discuss the reading “Negotiating Globally.”

Sustainability: This topic is discussed during a week of focus on the topic Environment and Change. In particular, the reading, “Broadening the Debate” is discussed in class. Also, students view and discuss the movie, “Roger and me” and the internet video, “The Story of Stuff.” Social and global issues are covered in most of the other readings and movies throughout the course as well (e.g., “The Efficiency Expert”, “Re-engineering the Corporation”, “The Folklore of Steel”, “The Tuskegee Airman”, “Negotiating Globally”, “Generations: Boomers and Echos and Nexters—Oh My!” “Roberts vs. Texaco” and “Two Women, Three Men on a Raft”).

Ethics: Ethics is discussed as part of the discussion of culture. In addition, ethics is sprinkled throughout the course in that excerpts from “The Smartest Guys in the Room” (Enron case) are read during class for many of the course topics. Since this doesn’t appear in the syllabus, following are the pages read and discussed in class by topic:

Diversity: pp. 28, 31, 32, 101

Selection: pp. 136-137, 140

Performance appraisal: pp. 63, 117

Groups: p. 34

Negotiation: pp. 46-47

Power, leadership: pp. 5, 58, 105, 121, 139, 152

Culture: pp. 5, 89, 114, 118, 120, 122, 132, 142, 143

Course Name: Marketing, Technology and Globalization
Instructor: DR Junhong Min

Individual Project Guideline

Background and Purpose: this is a big project and you will need to put significant effort and time into completion. Particularly, I want you to develop a strategic marketing plan for “green product development”. Examples of green product in the context of Business to Customer below and you can also find several pictures and concepts of green products that are recently introduced in the market .Although the green trends can be often found in many Business to Business areas , (e.g., EnXco

producing wind turbines for renewable energy, Ashkelon Desalination Plant offering Israel’s renewable water resources), the green products in the B-to-C context is very rare.

I want everybody to take the front-line responsibility that you need to develop the green products which are useful for the B-to-C context (note: No green products for B-to-B context). This is a very challenging project because green products are not yet effectively promoting the exchange relationship between

companies and customers. For example, as we discussed early, customers won’t buy green products although their price is lower than other non-green products. Stated differently, saved money that company used recycled materials can reduce the price but it doesn’t mean necessary that low price creates customer value. In other words, inexpensive green products are not enough to satisfy customer’s needs and wants towards green products. Therefore, we need strategic marketing thinking and a marketing plan for your green product development.

Course Name: Natural Resouurce Economics
Instructor: DR Gay Campbell

Studies the economics of nonrenewable resources (energy and minerals) and renewable

resources (water, fisheries, forests and species). Discusses the economics of land use change,macroeconomic topics such as economic growth, sustainability and green accounting.

Course Name: Strategic IS Management
Instructor: Dr Mari Buche

Students analyze the top 12 “Green IT” organizations listed in ComputerWorld (October 25, 2010). Their research papers and class discussion focus on both the benefits and challenges of reducing power demands enterprise-wide and increasing efficiencies using appropriate technologies, proposing future technological innovations. In addition, case analysis and open discussion are methods used to highlight important skills necessary in navigating cultural differences and conflict resolution within virtual teams. Another topic covered in this course is the necessary trade-off between efficiency and security, including the potential negative impact on employee productivity. Students prepare white papers to outline approaches for overcoming potentially disruptive reactions to IT implementation, such as computer anxiety and resistance. To address the critical aspects of IT ethics within firms, students prepare and summarize privacy issues surrounding corporate monitoring of electronic communications. Even more broadly, we consider ethical and legal issues regarding wire-tapping legislation and its inability to keep up with technological innovation. We also investigate the legal protection afforded to intellectual property, such as software development. Awareness of individuals’ rights and understanding corporate policies regarding computer/Internet usage are emphasized..

Pages

Type of Offering

Organizational Behavior with Diverse Cultures
Date: September, 2010

John Soyring—International Organizational Behavior

John Soyring addressed MBA students about organizational behavior practices in IBM. Specifically, he will address how they view and convert the challenges that arise out of operating in 174 countries with diverse cultures as IBM's strategic strength. .

After graduating from Michigan Tech with a BSEE in 1976, John joined IBM. During his career with IBM, John has held a variety of technical, professional, managerial and executive positions within the company. He is currently an IBM corporate vice president and the senior global executive for the IBM Software Services & Support business unit. John currently lives in Texas, but his second home and his heart are on the shores of Lake Superior near the mouth of the Huron River.

Affordable Solar Energy
Type: Business Plan Competition
Date: April, 2010

Dustin Denkin walked away with $4,100 in prize money and consulting services after winning first place at Michigan Tech’s First Annual Business Plan Competition. Denkin’s company, Suburb Solar, created to provide pre-assembled modular solar electric systems to households, was awarded the prize after spending four months preparing a business plan and presenting his plan to a panel of judges on April 17th . The competetion was sponsored by Michigan Tech's Institute for Leadership and Innovation http://www.iis.mtu.edu/ .

Denkin, an MBA student scheduled to graduate in December of 2010, said the idea for his solar panel business came from his own personal experience. “I wanted to set up a solar system for my house and I found out that it would either take a great deal of my time or a great deal of my money,” said Denkins. “So I wanted to come up with a more affordable, easier way to connect homes to solar power.” Suburb Solar’s product is still in the beta-testing stage, but will provide up to 5% of a house’s energy with just a single unit at 1/10 the cost of current systems. The next step is to finish the beta-testing and begin quality testing of the product.

Presidential Council of Alumnae
Date: April, 2010

The members of the Michigan Technological University Presidential Council of Alumnae (PCA) are recognized for achievements in a number of areas such as educational excellence, professional accomplishments, past student service, current community services, University support, and other personal success. The PCA’s main responsibility is to advise the President on campus climate issues and to provide suggestions for enhancing the University’s environment for students, especially women. The PCA members assist the President by identifying activities and programs that will benefit Michigan Tech students, and work with the Department of Educational Opportunity, the Advancement area, and the academic departments to implement their ideas. During their annual meeting, the School of Business and Economics PCA members meet with faculty and MBA students to gather information, share impressions, and make recommendations.

The Conflict between MBA Practices and Quality Engineering
Date: October, 2010

Jim Lenz has over 25 years or experience working for Boeing, Honeywell, the University of Minnesota, and John Deere. In this presentation, he discussed potential conflicts MBA graduates might face between quality engineering requirements and MBA practices.

Entrepreneurship and Technology Symposium at Michigan Tech
Type: Symposium
Date: September, 2010

Former Intel executive Dave House ’65 will moderate the Entrepreneurship and Technology Symposium, set for 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, in the M&M U115. All members of the University community are invited to ask questions and listen to the insights of a stellar panel made up largely of Michigan Tech alumni.

The panelists include eight entrepreneurs and technology leaders from health care, software, clean technology and solar energy. They will share their thoughts on the direction of technology and how Michigan Tech can leverage its talent and capabilities to capitalize on those trends.

Find more at http://blogs.mtu.edu/business/2010/09/28/entrepreneurship-and-technology... .

Ethical Bahavior Surrounding the Intellectual Property Controversies
Date: January, 2010

Never in history has the issue of intellectual property rights been more relevant or the debate more heated. Has our legal system run amok, severely restricting the use of previously recorded and copyrighted sounds, music, words and images? Do we have an inherent right to use these materials without restriction? Are current copyright laws archaic and hopelessly outdated? Where do we draw the line on these ethical issues?

This series of lectures, culminating in a four-person panel discussion, will dissect the legal and ethical repercussions of private property vs. "free and fair use." Audience members are encouraged to attend each panelist's lecture and come prepared with questions for the q-and-a period afterwards. This event promises to generate plenty of sparks, no matter what side of the issue you take.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 5 p.m., Rozsa Center

"Copyright Criminals" film premier

A documentary film by Kembrew McLeod and Ben Franzen, "Copyright Criminals" deals with the controversial issue of sampling.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m., Rozsa Center

Lecture--"To Quote or Not to Quote: That Is the Question that Plagues Our Culture in the Age of Intellectual Property"

Speaker--Kembrew McLeod, University of Iowa, associate professor, media studies scholar and independent documentary filmmaker

Friday, Jan. 23, 5 p.m., Rozsa Center

Lecture--"Copyfight!"

Speaker--Danny O'Brien, Electronic Frontier Foundation, international outreach coordinator, English technology journalist

Friday, Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m., Rozsa Center

Panel discussion--Kembrew McLeod, Danny O’Brien, David Orozco and Molly Kleinman, with moderator Michael G. Bennett of Vassar College, the Andrew W. Mellon Research Fellow in the Science, Technology and Society Program and a consultant in intellectual property matters, nanotechnology research and development, and professional engineering and legal ethics

Saturday, Jan. 24,5 p.m., Rozsa Center

Lecture--David Orozco (SBE), Michigan Tech, assistant professor of business law

Saturday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m., Rozsa Center

Lecture--Molly Kleinman, University of Michigan, special projects librarian and copyright specialist

Ethics and Production Management in the Health Care Industry
Date: October, 2010

David Chaudier—Project Management in Healthcare

David Chaudier held a Q and A session with the MBA Association; topics included socal impact and ethical behavior of management in the health care field.

David M. Chaudier (93) graduated with a degree in business administration from Michigan Tech. He is the VP of Operations at Aurora St. Luke's Health Medical Center in Milwaukee and lives in Belgium, Wisc.

Algae Beats Ethanol as Alternative Fuel Source

http://blogs.mtu.edu/business/2011/01/03/algae-beats-ethanol-as-alternat...

When Ryan Jones class of 2010 was researching sustainable fuels as part of his MBA, he was surprised at what he found, more than once. “I looked at the impact on the cost of foods and additional impacts that using corn for ethanol had,” he said via phone from his new job as an electrical engineer at Bonneville Power in Portland, Oregon. “I learned that, if we used corn ethanol as a main fuel, or as 100 percent of our fuel consumption for transportation today, it would have a much larger impact than if we used fuel created from algae oil,” he said. Jones compared the two sources and discovered algae could be grown at wastewater treatment plants, in addition to saltwater seas.

Center for Water and Society
Business School Housing? No
Number of Faculty: 56
Contact Name: Alex Mayer
Contact Email: asmayer@mtu.edu

The Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society (MTCWS) was established in June of 2005 under the Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI) to provide the multidisciplinary perspectives and tools to manage water-related problems of local, regional, and international interest. MTCWS is a “virtual” Research Center. By virtual, we mean that the MTCWS will not occupy physical space, but will be a consortium of people at Michigan Tech whose focal point is water-related activities.

Mission Statement

The mission of the MTCWS is to support research, education, and outreach in all disciplines at Michigan Tech related to water issues. The goal is to establish Michigan Tech as a state, regional, national and international leader in these disciplines and, in particular, in interdisciplinary approaches to solving water-related problems. The objectives of the MTCWS are:

• To serve as a focal point for instructional and research activities in water-related fields and water-related outreach activities across the Michigan Tech campus

• To provide an organizational structure that supports continuing growth in water-related fields and outreach activities and encourage interdisciplinary projects

• To support interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate education and research in water related fields

• To pursue external funding opportunities to support these objectives and to facilitate MTCWS participating faculty to obtain external support.

Sustainable Futures Institute
Business School Housing? No
Number of Faculty: 85
Contact Name: David Shonnard
Contact Email: drshonnar@mtu.edu

The Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI) is an education and research leader on sustainability initiatives related to water, air, and energy; industrial ecology; environmentally conscious manufacturing; green engineering; public policy; the built environment; sustainable development that includes issues of the developing world; pre-college education for students and teachers; community outreach; and university campus eco-improvements. The SFI has over 100 participating campus members and oversees more than $15 million in research projects addressing all areas of sustainable systems development.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI) is to enhance knowledge, develop technologies, and expand capabilities in working towards a sustainable future.

Graduate students interested in gaining expertise in sustainability may obtain a Graduate Certificate in Sustainability, offered by the SFI upon completion of an approved course plan. Michigan Tech students can learn sustainability principles through courses Sustainable Futures I; II, or through hands-on participation in the Green Campus Enterprise. The SFI is also in the process of developing a distance learning program, which will offer a variety of sustainability-related courses online to on-campus and off-campus students. SFI contributes to the advancement of sustainability education in local middle and high-schools through the Center for Science and Environmental; Outreach and the Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education.

The Sustainable Futures Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) project involves graduate students at Michigan Technological University and Southern University at Baton Rouge. This program addresses sustainability challenges through a multidisciplinary, inter-institutional doctoral education program directed at achieving the integration of industrial, environmental, and societal sustainability.

An Evaluation of Mitigation Options for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Coal-Fird Power Plants in the US Great Lakes States
Author(s): Johnson, D.M.

We assessed options for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in the US Great Lakes States, a region heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants. A proposed 600 MW power plant in northern Lower Michigan, USA provided context for our evaluation. Options to offset fossil CO2 emissions by 20% included biomass fuel substitution from (1) forest residuals, (2) short-rotation woody crops, or (3) switchgrass; (4) biologic sequestration in forest plantations; and (5) geologic sequestration using CO2 capture. Review of timber product output data, land cover data, and expected energy crop productivity on idle agriculture land within 120 km of the plant revealed that biomass from forestry residuals has the potential to offset 6% and from energy crops 27% of the annual fossil fuel requirement. Furthermore, annual forest harvest in the region is only 26% of growth and the surplus represents a large opportunity for forest products and bioenergy applications. We used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare mitigation options, using fossil energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions per unit electricity generation as criteria. LCA results revealed that co-firing with forestry residuals is the most attractive option and geologic sequestration is the least attractive option, based on the two criteria. Biologic sequestration is intermediate but likely infeasible because of very large land area requirements. Our study revealed that biomass feedstock potentials from land and forest resources are not limiting mitigation activities, but the most practical approach is likely a combination of options that optimize additional social, environmental and economic criteria.

Journal Title: Biomass and Bioenergy Volume: 3 Edition: 34 Page Numbers: 251-262
Exploring the Effect of Unfair Work Contexts on the Development of Fairness Beliefs
Author(s): Sonia Goltz

This paper examines what happens when individuals who perceive a fair situation discover that the situation is in fact, unfair. In a previous study, women who sued their universities discussed their initial expectations that their universities would treat them fairly despite several studies that clearly indicated discrimination at universities is still a problem (Goltz, 2005a). Thus, using interview excerpts from this past study, the current paper explores how these women’s expectations of fairness may have been formed, as well as how they changed after a discriminatory experience. Results suggest that the women’s expectations of fairness arose in part from three values emerging during childhood: the values of hard work, education, and self-sufficiency. In addition, the interviews indicated the women moved from stage 5 of Kohlberg’s model of moral development, where the belief is that justice can be negotiated in accepted social systems, to a belief that this may not always the case, but if enough people continue to pursue justice through accepted means, then the systems will eventually change. Implications of these results for research into models of moral development, psychological contracts, and organizational justice are discussed.

Journal Title: Journal of Business and Management Volume: 16(2) Edition: Page Numbers: 167-191
U.S. Midwestern Consumers and Ethanol
Author(s): Johnson, D.M.

This study uses multivariate statistical methods to explore the beliefs of upper Midwestern U.S. residents about global climate change, and possible consumer responses to determine their willingness to pay more for cellulosic ethanol from multiple feedstocks. A mail survey was sent to residents of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to determine baseline knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on several aspects of these issues, with a focus on the emerging market for cellulosic ethanol. First, survey responses were compiled and principal components analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data. This resulted in seven factors and a theoretical framework to help understand consumers’ beliefs about climate change and possible energy policy responses. Second, these results were combined with insights from previous studies that were used as input for further research hypotheses and multivariate analyses. The factor scores from principal components analysis along with the some of the key control variables (i.e., gender, income, and rural/urban) served as independent variables in three revised multiple regression models of consumer’s willingness to pay (WTP) their fair share of any additional cost of cellulosic ethanol, as reported in an earlier study. Four explanatory variables were found to be significant determinants of WTP in every model: environment, energy consumption, and climate change; concerns about climate change impacts; inability to stop climate change; and gasoline prices and consumption. These results suggest strong public support and consumer WTP for cellulosic ethanol production in the region.

Journal Title: Biomass and Bioenergy Volume: TBD Edition: TBD Page Numbers: TBD