Roland J. Kushner's Web Page

Hello, and thanks for visiting. I provide strategic management services to businesses and nonprofit organizations, and teach business and economics at colleges in the Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania.  In addition, I research and publish in a variety of areas of economics, business, and policy, and perform as a singer and songwriter as time permits.  This page describes my ...


Here's how to reach me:
 

Roland J. Kushner, Ph.D. 
Post Office Box 4213 
Bethlehem, PA  18018-0213 

Office Telephone: 610-865-9697 

Office Fax: 610-865-5330 

email:Roland@Rjkushner.com

http://www.rjkushner.com

 

Music

Much of my professional career has revolved around music.  I've played guitar and sung for may years, and recently I've been writing songs, performing in the Lehigh Valley, and recording.  Link here for my musical bio, and here for upcoming performances. In 2000 I released a CD of original songs called "527" -- Link there to hear samples and learn more about the songs.   In 2006, I plan another recording of songs I've written in recent years -- tentatively entitled "Where Did You Go, What Did You Do?"   Top of Page

Research

My main research interests are in four areas that I summarize below.  You can see abstracts of  publications and conference presentations here. The research areas are: 

  • strategic management,  particularly, the relationship among strategic purpose, organization structure, and organizational effectiveness. Much of my work in this area examines nonprofit organizations. In recent years, I've been examining how performance is measured in a number of nonprofit settings, including international development, human service delivery, and arts education.
  • cultural markets and the entertainment business. Here, I'm particularly interested in the organizations and market mechanisms that link performing artists to their audiences.  I've published a number of studies with Arthur Brooks of Syracuse University, on cultural districts in major American cities, choral conductors, and comparing nonprofit arts and culture markets in 20 American metropolitan areas.  I'm currently working with researchers at Urban Institute on the Performing Arts Research Coalition, and with Americans for the Arts on a National Arts Index. .
  • economics and business in the Lehigh Valley area, including tourism, purchasing, and the nonprofit sector. 
  • business education in the liberal arts environment.

 Top of Page

Teaching

 I teach at various colleges and universities, including Moravian College, Lehigh University, and Drexel University.  From 1992 to 1999, I taught at Lafayette College in the Department of Economics and Business. The Department's program emphasized the connection between economic theory and business practice. I taught courses on entrepreneurship, marketing, and management, and a seminar to freshmen on the music business.   Most recently, I've been teaching courses in nonprofit management.

In addition to in-class teaching, I write support material for Prentice-Hall management textbooks. I provide training and coaching to nonprofit executives in areas of strategic planning, environmental scanning, and measuring and improving organizational effectiveness through the LaSalle University Nonprofit Center in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative. Click for more details on my teaching and training.

In my teaching, I try to assist students with their writing by providing writing guidelines and criteria for evaluating written work. Top of Page

Internet and other resources

Like everyone, I use the internet as a tool for communications, business intelligence, learning, and to keep in touch with the world around me.  I maintain a series of  Internet Links to help me use the web effectively.  You may find them helpful if you're looking for information on business, news, the Lehigh Valley, arts and entertainment, economics, nonprofit organizations, or other subject areas.  Somewhat in need of revision, but still a helpful tool for many people, I'm told. Top of Page

Personal background

My full-time business since 1999 is as a management consultant, researcher, and business educator.  Since 1983, I've done consulting work with various business, nonprofit, and government organizations on questions of management and marketing strategy and economic analysis. From 1992 until 1999, I was an assistant professor of economics and business at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Before Lafayette, I was a graduate student at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where I earned the Ph.D. in Business & Economics.  Before graduate school, I was an arts administrator: from 1984 to 1987, I was Managing Director of Bethlehem Musikfest, and from 1987 to 1990, Director of Development for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.  Before that, I was an M.B.A. student at Lehigh, specializing in arts administration and in management consulting issues. In the Lehigh Valley community I've been active as a volunteer in the nonprofit arts and human services fields. 

I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and moved to Bethlehem in 1980 to marry Barbara.  We have two sons, Nathan and Benjamin. Nate graduated from Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, was a student at the American Comedy Institute in New York, and is now working in New York as a comic and a member of "A Week of Kindness," a sketch comedy group.  Ben will be a senior at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

In addition to my professional work in economics and business, I'm an active amateur musician and songwriter. Top of Page

Last modified on September 15, 2005. All contents of this page are © Roland J. Kushner, 2005.