Dr. Zaki Bsat

Dr. Zaki Bsat relishes his roles as a teacher, a mentor, and an educator. Prior to Claflin University, Dr. Bsat served as Associate Professor of Management at Tusculum College, at National University, and at Jackson State University.

Biography

Dr. Bsat believes that students can learn better when they understand the material of an academic subject rather than memorize it. It is rather easy to memorize keywords that are necessary to pass a quiz or a test; but if students did that, how much of the material would they be really learning or would they even take away with them and apply in other courses? He is a strong proponent of learning-by-doing in the classroom. In order to enhance the students’ learning experience, he makes use of conventional lectures, applied examples, case studies, group exercises, and classroom discussions.

He also employs instructional technology such as videos, PowerPoint presentations and the capabilities of the internet to enrich the content of his lectures. He trains his students to produce reports of simulated case studies that pertain to the different academic topics covered in class, concisely, analytically, and effectively. Even before the official start date of his classes, he initiates email communications with hisstudents in order to facilitate an efficient and effective exchange of information related to the topics of the course, and pave the way for a good, enjoyable learning experience.

He seeks to create a relaxed classroom environment that promotes self-confidence, facilitates understanding, and encourages creativity, where students are constantly encouraged to think critically, think independently, and express themselves no matter what the outcomes of their statements and ideas might look like. This way, students can master the material quicker and better. It is important for Dr. Bsat to listen to what each and every student has to say because all his students are in the classroom for the same reason: to learn. So, he tries to develop that capacity and entice them to speak their mind.

An important pillar of his approach to teaching is flexibility which presents him with the opportunity to carefully listen to and guide students to understanding the class material. He tries to interact with all his students on an equal and mutually respectful basis in order to promote not only honesty and openness between each one of them and him, but also in order to encourage mutual understanding and mutual respect, thus help prevent quelling their initial enthusiasm for the class topics.

Education

• Ph.D. in Business Administration, University of Mississippi. Dual Major: Production/Operations Management and Management Science. Dual Minor: Management Information Systems and Psychometrics.
• M.B.A., Western Illinois University. Area of Concentration: Human Resource Management.
• Post-Graduate Studies in Economics, American University of Beirut.
• B.S. in Management, Beirut University College.

Research Interests

• Supply Chain Management
• New Product Development
• Quality Management
• Inventory Management
• Cultural Differences in Management Practices

Activities and Honors

• Beta Gamma Sigma. National Honorary Society for Collegiate Schools of Business - Alpha Chapter
• President’s Professoriate Award. National University.
• Merit Award (4 times). National University.
• Presidential Scholars Award (2 times). National University.
• Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in Teaching. School of Business and Management. National University.
• Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in Research. School of Business and Management. National University.
• Judge (6 times), Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair - Region II. Jackson, MS.
• Excellence in Graduate Education Award. Jackson State University.
• Outstanding Paper Award. 16th International Academy of Business Disciplines Meeting.
• Well-Published Research Scholar Award. College of Business. Jackson State University.
• Fellowship Award, Center for Automatic Identification and Data Capture. Ohio University.
• “Forecasting Market Trends with Neural Networks”. Article Used for Instruction in Two Seminar Courses at Oakland University in California.
• Certificate of Outstanding Contributions to the Faculty/Staff Annual Fund Campaign in Support of Jackson State University’s Development Foundation.
• Exceptional Service Award. International Multi-Disciplinary Academic Conference on Business, Economics, Finance, and Accounting.
• Organizational Leadership Award. Global Information Technology Management Institute.
• Individual Achievement in Professional Life Award. 28th edition of Strathmore’s Who’s Who in Academic Universities and Colleges.
• Honorable Mention Award. Graduate Student Case Colloquium. 1st Annual Meeting of the Southwest Case Research Association.

Recent Publications

Authored/Co-Authored More than 40 Double-Blind, Refereed, Professional Research Articles in International, National, and Regional Cabell-listed Academic Journals.

Increasing Successful Expatriates Assignments (2016). Bsat, M.Z. and A.M. Beckers. Journal of Strategic and International Studies 11(3):46-52.

An Analysis of Intercultural Business Communication (2015). Beckers, A.M. and M.Z. Bsat. Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences 26(3):143-53.

Strategic Total Quality Management or the Ability to Gain (2012). Bsat, M.Z. and R. Fadaei-Tehrani. Business Research Yearbook 19(2):476-480.

The New Role of Quality (2012). Bsat, M.Z. and A.M. Beckers. Business Research Yearbook 19(2):530-535.

Effects of Supplier Relationships, Product Innovation, and Customer Focus on the Global Competitiveness of American Businesses (2011). Bsat, M.Z. Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences 23(3):103-111.

A Statistical Analysis of Organizational Effectiveness (2010). Bsat, M.Z. and A.M. Beckers. Business Research Yearbook 17(2):509-513.

We Need to Learn from the Japanese Productivity and Growth (2010). Fadaei-Tehrani, R. and M.Z. Bsat. Business Research Yearbook 17(2):506-508.

Translators as Cultural Intermediaries (2009). Beckers, A.M. and M.Z. Bsat. Business Research Yearbook 16(2):508-513.

The Influence of Automated Technology on Learning Behavior (2008). Bsat, M.Z. Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences 19(1):5-16.

Recent Presentations

Presented Numerous Research Articles at the following National Academic Meetings:

Institute for Operations Research and Management Science
Decision Sciences Institute
Production and Operations Management Society
International Academy of Business Disciplines
American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences
Academic Organization for Advancement of Strategic and International Studies
American Production and Inventory Control Society
Academy of Management