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Election analysis, media endorsements and fresh perspectives: Radford faculty available for interviews

Radford, VA (10/31/2024) — Radford University professors are available to talk about the following topics:

Election day is less than a week away...

Radford University professor and chair of the Department of Political Science Chapman Rackaway, is available this week to speak with reporters on a number of topics in politics and upcoming U.S. presidential and Virginia elections. Rackaway is an expert on the U.S. presidency, American voting behavior, campaign strategy and management, political communication, social media in politics, and political polarization.

Email: crackaway@radford.edu
Phone: 540-831-6602

In addition, Associate Professor of Political Science Daniel C. Reed is available to offer expertise on the presidential election and voting behavior, with a particular focus on political parties.

Email: dreed33@radford.edu

On media endorsements

Many of the largest U.S. newspapers, such as the Washington Post, Los Angles Times and USA Today, as declining to endorse a presidential candidate ahead of the Nov. 5 election. But, does it matter? School of Communication Professor Bill Kovarik is available to speak about newspaper endorsements of political candidates, which he said, "do not carry the weight they used to, as Jeff Bezos wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Monday." An expert in journalism and media history, Kovarik's career has included work at wire services, daily newspapers, national news magazines and the environmental press.

Email: wkovarik@radford.edu
Phone: (540) 831-6033

Giving unattractive produce a boost to help reduce food waste

While shopping for fresh produce, have you ever passed over a misshapen or discolored fruit or vegetable? Many shoppers do. Radford University Assistant Professor of Marketing Luke Liska is part of a research group whose latest work sheds light on how storytelling can shift this behavior, encouraging the acceptance of "ugly" produce. "By sharing the stories behind these imperfect foods, we can change perceptions and reduce food waste," Liska said.

Email: lliska@radford.edu

Beyond moral fundamentalism

Radford University professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Steven Fesmire is available to speak about his new book "Beyond Moral Fundamentalism: Toward a Pragmatic Pluralism."

Fesmire's book delves into moral fundamentalism, "the my-way-or-the-highway notion that my group has exclusive access to the right diagnoses and prescriptions to our moral and political problems," the professor explains.

Fesmire describes an alternative approach, pragmatic pluralism, "that can be applied to complex ethical, political, educational and policy problems. This approach avoids flattening variability among values or presuming that abstract theories can determine what we ought to do on the ground."

Email: sfesmire@radford.edu

AI's future in business

Associate Professor of Economics Can Dogan, Ph.D., is available to speak about his research into the future of AI and its impact on business dynamics. "Survey results show that the adoption rate among existing businesses is still low," Dogan explained.

Dogan and his co-researchers are analyzing all business applications in the United States since 2004 and identifying AI-related businesses. They are also following that work by tracking those AI applications to examine how well they perform once they become employer businesses.

"AI adoption may come from existing businesses as well as new startups," the Davis College of Business and Economics faculty expert explained. "Our results show that the second source of AI adoption, AI startups, is on the rise. We observe a significant acceleration, particularly after 2016, with a large, discrete jump in 2023."

Email: cdogan@radford.edu
Phone: (540) 831-6042

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