Introduction to Business First Edition
Introduction to Business ignites engagement and prepares readers for their professional journeys, regardless of their career aspirations. Best-selling authors Heidi M. Neck, Christopher P. Neck, and Emma L. Murray inspire readers to see themselves in the world of business and to develop the mindset and skillset they need to succeed. A diverse set of impactful examples and cases, from inspiring startups and small businesses to powerful corporations, illustrate how businesses can prosper and create positive impact.
Bio
Dr. Christopher P. Neck is currently an Associate Professor of Management at Arizona State University, where he held the title “University Master Teacher”. From 1994 to 2009, he was part of the Pamplin College of Business faculty at Virginia Tech. He received his Ph.D. in Management from Arizona State University and his M.B.A. from Louisiana State University. Neck is author and/or coauthor of twenty-seven books including Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence (1st Edition, 2017, Sage Publishers; 2nd Edition, 2019); Get a Kick Out of Life: Expect the Best of Your Body, Mind, and Soul at Any Age (2017, Clovercroft Publishing); Fit To Lead: The Proven 8-week Solution for Shaping Up Your Body, Your Mind, and Your Career (2004, St. Martin's Press; 2012, Carpenter’s Sons Publishing); Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence, 6th edition (2013, Pearson); The Wisdom of Solomon at Work (2001, Berrett-Koehler); For Team Members Only: Making Your Workplace Team Productive and Hassle-Free (1997, Amacom Books); and Medicine for the Mind: Healing Words to Help You Soar, 4th Edition (Wiley, 2012). Neck is also the coauthor of the principles of management textbook, Management: A Balanced Approach to the 21st Century (Wiley: 2013, Wiley: 2017-2nd Edition, Sage: 2021-3rd Edition); an introductory to entrepreneurship textbook, Entrepreneurship, (Sage, 2017; 2nd edition, 2020); an introductory to organizational behavior textbook, Organizational Behavior (1st Edition-Sage, 2017; 2ndEdition-Sage, 2019), and an Introduction to Business textbook (Introduction to Business, Sage, 2022).
Dr. Neck’s research specialties include employee/executive fitness, self-leadership, leadership, group decision-making processes, and self-managing teams. He has over 150 publications in the form of books, chapters, and articles in various journals. Some of the outlets in which Neck’s work has appeared include Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, The Journal of Organizational Behavior, The Academy of Management Executive, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, The Journal of Managerial Psychology, Executive Excellence, Human Relations, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Journal of Leadership Studies, Educational Leadership, and The Commercial Law Journal.
Neck is the Deputy Editor of the journal, the Journal of Leadership and Management. Due to Neck’s expertise in management, he has been cited in numerous national publications including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Houston Chronicle, and the Chicago Tribune.
Dr. Neck was recently voted as a semi-finalist (out of 140 nominations) for the prestigious international 2020 Baylor University Cherry Award for Great Teaching. He finished in the top six of all nominations. Neck was also the recipient of the 2007 Business Week Favorite Professor Award”. He is featured on www.businessweek.com as one of the approximately twenty professors from across the world receiving this award.
Dr. Neck has taught over 70,000 students during his career in higher education. Neck currently teaches a mega section of Management Principles to approximately 900 students at Arizona State University.
Neck was the recipient of the 2020 John W. Teets Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (voted by W.P Carey students). Neck also received the Order of Omega Outstanding Teaching Award for 2012. This award is awarded to one professor at Arizona State by the Alpha Lamda Chapter of this leadership fraternity. His class sizes at Virginia Tech filled rooms up to 2500 students. He received numerous teaching awards during his tenure at Virginia Tech, including the 2002 Wine Award for Teaching Excellence. Also, Neck was the ten-time winner (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009) of the “Students’ Choice Teacher of The Year Award” (voted by the students for the best teacher of the year within the entire university). Also, some of the organizations who have participated in Neck's management development training include GE/Toshiba, Busch Gardens, Clark Construction, the United States Army, Crestar, American Family Insurance, Sales and Marketing Executives International, American Airlines, American Electric Power, W. L. Gore & Associates, Dillard's Department Stores, and Prudential Life Insurance. Neck is also an avid runner. He has completed 12 official marathons and over 100 unofficial ones, including the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, and the San Diego Marathon. In fact, his personal record for a single long-distance run—is a 48-mile run.
