Social responsibility sells
   Companies that fail to establish themselves as good corporate citizens may end up sacrificing customers, says Lois Mohr, an associate professor of marketing at Georgia State University. Her research shows that consumers' perceptions of a company's level of environmental and philanthropic concern definitely influences their buying decisions. What's more, consumers seem willing to pay more for a product made by a socially responsible company. "Companies' standard statement that they can't clean up pollution because they'd go out of business is grossly overstated," she says. Contact Mohr at 404-651-4175 or lmohr@gsu.edu.

Sports marketing expert: Collapse of women's soccer league no surprise
   Though the U.S. women's soccer team had dominated this year's World Cup, the recent collapse of the Women's United Soccer Association has raised questions about the future of women's professional sports. While the national soccer league served a "public good" in providing women another entry into an industry dominated by men, the league failed because it tried to do "too much, too soon," says Mark Nagel, assistant professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University. "The WUSA made mistakes from the beginning - they tried to be a national league with a national following from the inception, and didn't take time to think about the market and the other struggling leagues out there, like the NHL," says Nagel, an expert in sports management and finance. Though the league had some loyal supporters, shrinking tickets sales and low television ratings turned off corporate sponsors hoping to make a profit. The league could have survived longer if it had first created regional leagues and developed support on a grassroots level. Contact Nagel at 404-651-4680 or mnagel@gsu.edu.

'Spasers' could be wave of the future
   Physicists at Georgia State and Tel Aviv universities are on their way to realizing the discovery of an energy beam that could take laser technology to its next - smallest - level. In a recent issue of Physical Review Letters, Mark Stockman of Georgia State University and David Bergman of Tel Aviv University propose the idea of a "spaser" which, using the same principle as a laser, would work on an atomic scale to detect bacteria, viruses and chemical particles, and drill holes 10,000 times smaller than the thickness of human hair. While laser technology concentrates light waves into a powerful beam, the spaser would use waves called surface plasmons, produced when a monochromatic beam of light interacts with metal. "It is an idea no one thought of before," said Stockman. "It can have tremendous applications in the future." For more information, contact Mark Stockman at 404-651-2779 or mstockman@gsu.edu.

Coming Out Day can present dilemma for gays and lesbians
   National Coming Out Day, which falls on Oct. 11, is intended to increase acceptance of gays and lesbians by helping Americans realize how many homosexuals they encounter in their daily lives. Sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the project is based on research showing that those who personally know gay men or lesbians are much more likely to support gay and lesbian issues than are those who don't believe they're acquainted with gays or lesbians. According to James Darsey, associate professor of communication at Georgia State University, it's not necessarily that easy. "Though the Human Rights Campaign is on solid ground when it makes claims for the positive political effects of coming out, it is also the case that increased visibility of the gay and lesbian community has created a political backlash," he says. "'Coming out' presents gays and lesbians with a dilemma: maintaining public status in society at the expense of denying private identities or seeking consistency between public and private selves at the expense of some degree of public censure." Darsey, who studies social movement and gay-rights rhetoric, can be reached at 404-651-4873 or jdarsey@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Experts to discuss youth violence prevention
   School safety experts Roy Martin and Arthur Horne will speak on "GREAT Schools and Families: Reducing Violence and Aggression in Middle Schools" at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14 at Georgia State University's University Center (66 Courtland St.), Room 465. The event is sponsored by the Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management. The presentation will provide an overview of the federally funded GREAT Schools and Families Program, which examines ways to prevent youth violence and aggression in middle schools. Martin is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Georgia; Horne serves as professor of counseling psychology at the University of Georgia. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 404-651-3438.

Scholar to lecture on teaching in the new millennium
   Education scholar Gloria Ladson Billings will lecture on "What if We Leave All the Children Behind? The Challenge of Teaching in the New Millennium" at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Georgia State University's Loudermilk Center (40 Courtland St.). The event is part of the College of Education's Speaker Series/Benjamin E. Mays Lecture. Billings, the author of "The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Children," is a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves as a senior fellow in urban education at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. A reception will immediately follow the lecture. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Angela Turk at 404-651-4033.

Theatrical performance celebrates National Coming Out Day
   Nationally recognized African-American theatrical ensemble Adodi Muse devotes performances to expressing the challenging issues of heterosexism, homophobia and invisibility that face many gays in today's society. In honor of National Coming Out Day, the ensemble will perform at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 in Georgia State University's Alumni Hall Theater (30 Courtland St.). Georgia State students will open for Adodi Muse, performing several short works on lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered life, some of which were written by Shirlene Holmes, associate professor of communication. For more information, contact Holmes at 404-651-2749.

Georgia State Leads: Business/Law is a quarterly e-mail tip sheet from the Department of University Relations. For more information about the publication, contact Beth Flannigan at 404-651-3576 or bflannigan@gsu.edu.

Don't see what you're looking for? Call University Relations at 404-651-3025 for fast access to faculty experts and university news. After hours and on weekends, contact Betsy Robertson, assistant director, via pager at 404-655-3456.

©2003 Georgia State University