RECENT FACULTY BOOKS
Zacharias Pieri, PhD: "Boko Haram and the Drivers of Islamist Violence"
Zacharias Pieri examines violent jihadists, Boko Haram and factors that spurred its rise in Nigeria and neighboring countries in “Boko Haram and the Drivers of Islamist Violence” (Routledge Focus).
An expert in extremist movements, Pieri has advised the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence and U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Poring over hundreds of interviews, statements and sermons by Boko Haram leaders, archival records and original source material, Pieri, an assistant professor at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, constructs a meticulous assessment of the group’s assent and turn toward violent extremism.
“The main thing I found is that despite what some have said about Boko Haram being disorganized or even unhinged, in reality its leadership has been very good at manipulating Islamic beliefs in the region to legitimize its activities,” he said.
Affiliated with Islamic State, Boko Haram’s aim is to dismantle the Nigerian government and institute a radical form of Islamic rule. Its emergence is intertwined with pivotal moments throughout Nigerian history, including the execution of founding leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, which propelled the current spate of jihadist violence.
“In its early stages, Boko Haram was very good at winning the war on propaganda,” Pieri said. “Once they started becoming violent and attacking people indiscriminately, their message wasn’t as well-received, and it led to a fracturing of support.”
Bhuvan Unhelkar, PhD: "Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy"
USF information technology Professor Bhuvan Unhelkar helps businesses navigate technological changes in his new book “Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy” (Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan).
Co-written by Australia-based technology consultant Keith Sherringham, the book examines how cloud-based technologies, “knowledge workers” and other changes are transforming two basic business paradigms: what companies can understand about their customers and how workers equipped with this knowledge can interact with them.
“Businesses now have access to massive amounts of data about their customers, and they’re able to use this data to promote items and services that they think they’ll enjoy,” Unhelkar said.
Demographic characteristics, website visits and purchase histories all leave traces that can enable companies to develop promotional strategies. Knowledge workers equipped with information can use it to guide personalized customer interactions.
Unhelkar’s book helps companies navigate these changes, adapt their business models and manage their knowledge workers.
Faizan Ali, PhD, and Cihan Cobanoglu, PhD:
"Applying Partial Least Squares in Tourism and Hospitality Research"
USF Sarasota-Manatee campus hospitality professors Faizan Ali and Cihan Cobanoglu break new ground in “Applying Partial Least Squares in Tourism and Hospitality Research” (Emerald), which examines a methodology popular in social science and business research.
Partial-Least Squares-based Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) has long been applied to marketing and accounting studies, but Ali and Cobanoglu explore its use in hospitality and tourism research, a relatively new application.
Published last spring, the book is edited by Ali, Cobanoglu and S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh of Taylor’s University in Malaysia. It explores a range of uses for PLS-SEM, from wide-ranging issues like employee retention to site-specific matters, such as how museums’ websites can drive attendance.
The professors collaborated for a year, sifting through 45 submissions to narrow the field to 10 chapters. Contributors include 28 researchers from 18 universities worldwide.
Ali developed the book after guest editing a special issue of the “Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology,” which explored the same topic and garnered widespread attention in 2018.
“This book covers a comprehensive application of the current, original and most advanced research in the domain of PLS-SEM methodology with specific reference to tourism and hospitality research,” Ali said.
Cihan Cobanoglu, PhD, and Muhittin Cavusoglu, PhD: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE COLLECTIONS
Co-edited by University of South Florida faculty members Cihan Cobanoglu of the Sarasota-Manatee campus and Waynne B. James of the Tampa campus, “GLOCER-19: Advances in Global Education and Research, Volume 3” is a collection of 29 scholarly research papers covering 11 themes including research methods, curriculum and instructional development, educational technology, inclusive education and educational leadership. The researchers included in this collection of papers represent universities and educational institutions from across regions of the United States, Vietnam, Taiwan, Italy and Canada. Of the 29 papers, 10 were authored by faculty from the University of South Florida.
“GLOBE 2019: Global Conference on Business and Economics Conference Proceedings,” co-edited by USF Sarasota-Manatee campus faculty members Cihan Cobanoglu and Muhittin Cavusoglu with Abdulkadir Corbaci of Adiyaman University (Turkey), is a compendium of abstracts submitted for the conference held in Istanbul, Turkey. Their co-edited accompanying “GLOBE 2019, Volume 2: Advances in Global Business and Economics” is comprised of 40 selected scholarly papers submitted by researchers from around the world on topics related to business and global economy such as accounting, management, e-commerce, hospitality and tourism, food and beverage management and others.
