One of the new faculty members who joined the University’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics in the fall is Amr Adel Soror, an assistant professor in information systems and decision sciences. Soror holds a doctorate from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, an MBA from Old Dominion University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alexandria University.
Why did you pursue the opportunity to join the Titan community?
It’s a privilege to be offered the opportunity to join Cal State Fullerton. CSUF, given its amazing cultural and ethnic diversity, welcomes with open arms fresh members and makes them feel at home.
What do you most look forward to now that you’re here?
I look forward to making a difference. By coupling research and teaching, I aim to improve and enhance students learning experience and foster collaboration opportunities with local communities. My career objective revolves around achieving professorship through maintaining an active publication line, engaging in cross-disciplinary research collaborations, pushing emerging trends in IS research forward, and giving back to the academic community through teaching and building and strengthening bridges with the IT industry.
In my opinion, the key ingredients to garner students’ success are: promoting the students interest in the topic being discussed; boosting their confidence in their own abilities; providing them with ample opportunities to reflect on what they have learned; and linking their class experience with career opportunities. By providing a comfortable classroom environment, real-world applications and one-on-one mentoring, our students will be more prepared for their future careers and lives.
What areas of continued scholarship and research are of particular interest to you?
My research agenda is primarily focused on investigating the factors that facilitate or inhibit goal-directed behavior in the context of information systems use. I’m actively pursuing such research across multiple streams, including investigating the dark side of IT use by studying the mechanisms underlying technology addiction and mobile phone use. The second stream is focused on examining the influence of mobile-based interventions on the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyles. The last stream of research, is related to investigating information system use for knowledge exchange in organizational settings.
What are some of your outside activities, hobbies or interests?
I travelled across different parts of the U.S. from the East to the West Coast and from the southern to the northern borders. Living in California provides a wealth of opportunities to satisfy my thirst for adventure and exploration. I love hiking, swimming, reading novels, listening to music and trying ethnic food from international cuisines.