AUK College of Business Students and Faculty Continue Learning in the Summer

Fresh off accounting for the largest number of graduates in the Class of 2023 of the American University of Kurdistan (AUK), the College of Business continues its work on behalf of its students. The College of Business is offering numerous summer courses to prepare students for their next steps, which could include further study at AUK or a leap into the workforce. In several of these summer courses, students are presenting their research findings and receiving actionable feedback from College of Business faculty. Three such presentations (the first two occurring on June 6, the third on June 7) are summarized below.

“Factors Affecting the Degree and University Selection of High School Students in Iraqi Kurdistan” included the most important components the faculty in attendance were looking for: a clear statement of research questions, the concession of research limitations, the articulation of research significance, an overview of previous studies, a description of the research approach, and detailed findings. Although the topic of this presentation was particularly relevant to AUK, the presenter kept it suitably objective and broad. He uncovered that “university reputation” is the most important selection criterion in the Kurdistan Region. Through pie charts, the presenter illustrated that the availability of financial aid and foreign accreditation were also highly valued criteria, named by 65% and 80% of respondents, respectively. His closing recommendation was for regional universities to “diversify their marketing strategies… to use the influencing factors… to attract prospective undergraduate students.”

“Impact of Deceitful and False Advertising on Financial Performance of Organizations in Kurdistan and Iraq” assessed the short- and long-term impacts of deceptive marketing. As explicitly stated in the presentation, “deceitful advertising” was the independent variable, “financial performance” the dependent one. It examined loss of sales, of assets, and, most significantly, of trust, utilizing the “deductive approach” to research. Not surprisingly, false advertising to which the public caught on was found to diminish firms’ credibility appreciably. “Government regulation” was the most commonly proposed solution among respondents. The presenter recommended Kurdish businesses enshrine “ethical advertisement practices that prioritize consumer trust and transparency.”

“The Future of the Oil and Gas Industry in Kurdistan: Past Approaches, New Challenges” suggested that past approaches, new challenges (like global warming), and technology (such as renewable energy sources) will have a major impact on the future of the Kurdish oil and gas industry. She conducted formal analysis in which she rejected the “null hypothesis” on all three counts. Her research integrated “Hubbert’s peak theory,” positing the “peak oil” the world economy is likely experiencing now. She was open about her research methodology, naming her “inductive approach,” “interpretive paradigm,” “cross-sectional design,” and “sample size” of 182 industry workers consulted (while strictly maintaining confidentiality). One of the six concrete recommendations with which she closed was for the Kurdish petrochemical establishment to “promote sustainable development practices to ensure that resource exploitation benefits all stakeholders while safeguarding environmental concerns.”

The College of Business strives to uphold high standards, so it is possible to “fail” these presentations, just as it would be in professional life. The College of Business faculty members could only determine appropriate grades after asking presenters rigorous questions. In effect, the students performed “thesis defense.” Questions often dealt with incorporating research from others (with proper citation) and follow-through on earlier guidance from their AUK research advisers. Constructive criticism for further growth tended to be embedded in the questions themselves.