Business and Economics

Carol Cirka
Carol Cirka

Carol Cirka

Carol Cirka, Professor Emeritus of Business and Economics, retired in 2021. She served as a member of the Advisory Council of the U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies, the cornerstone of Ursinus’ initiative to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in every student regardless of major or career interest. Carol founded the U-Imagine Center with two other Ursinus faculty members and served as a Faculty Director from 2013 through 2018.

Carol also served as Executive Director of the Abele Family Foundation from 2017 to 2020. Founded by Will Abele ’61, a member of the Board of Trustees, and his wife Joan, the Abele Family Foundation launched the Abele Scholars Program in 2018 with a major gift to Ursinus College that provides financial and programmatic support for high-achieving Ursinus students who have significant financial need.

During tax season, Carol volunteers with the AARP Tax Aide Program to offer free tax preparation services in her local community. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, Jerry, and extended family, especially her grandchildren, and at the New Jersey shore.

Department

Business and Economics

Degrees

  • PhD in Business Administration, focus in Human Resource Management and Organizational Strategy
  • Temple University Fox School of Business MBA
  • University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business BA American Studies
  • BA Journalism, Penn State University

Research Interests

  • Entrepreneurship education
  • Everyday ethics in organizations
  • Discretionary employee behavior
  • Disability and discrimination

Recent Work

Ishqaidef, G., & Cirka, C.C. Under the radar: Discrimination in the temporary staffing industry. Working paper to be submitted to Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal. Corrigall, E., & Cirka, C.C. (2014).

A case of ability and disability: What managers must know about the ADA. Organization Management Journal, 11:1, 31-39, DOI: 10.1080/15416518.2014.903105 Adya, M., Cirka, C.C., & Mitchell, K. (2012).

Factors Influencing Employer Decisions to Offer Return to Work Programs. Case in Point, a publication of Dorland Health Publishing, November 1. Cirka, C.C., & Messikomer, C.M. (2012).

Behind the façade: Aligning artifacts, values and assumptions in assisted living. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 31 (1): 79 - 106. Messikomer, C.M., & Cirka, C.C. (2010).

Constructing a code of ethics: An experiential case of a national professional organization. The Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 55 - 71. Cirka, C.C., & Corrigall, E.A. (2009).

Expanding possibilities through metaphor: Breaking biases to improve crisis management. The Journal of Management Education, 34, 303- 323. Building an institutional culture of undergraduate research. With K. Goddard-Doms. Presented at Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. March 16, 2007. Goodman, S.G., & Cirka, C.C. (2009).

Efficacy and anxiety: An examination of writing attitudes in a first-year seminar. The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 20 (3), 5-29. Messikomer, C.M., & Cirka, C.C. (2008).

Managing everyday ethics in assisted living: A research-based case analysis for the classroom. Geriatrics and Gerontology Education, 28 (4): 71 - 93. Cirka, C.C., & Messikomer, C.M. (2006).

Caring for workers, caring for clients: Everyday ethics in assisted living. In J.R. Deckop et al. (Eds). (pp. 129 – 158). Ethics and Human Resource Management, part of the series Ethics in Practice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age. Cirka, C.C. (2005).

When actions speak as loudly as words: Autonomy support, psychological empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior. In (D. Turnipseed, Ed.) New Directions in Organizational Citizenship Behavior. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Deckop, J. R., Cirka, C. C., & Andersson, L. (2003).

Doing unto others: The reciprocity of helping in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 47, 101 – 115. Deckop, J.R., & Cirka, C.C. (2000).

The risk and reward of a double-edged sword: Effects of a merit pay program on intrinsic motivation. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 29 (3), 400-418. Deckop, J.R., Mangel, R. & Cirka, C.C. (1999).

Getting more than you pay for: Organizational citizenship behavior and pay for performance plans. Academy of Management Journal, 42(4): 420-428.