Digital Commons Network^™

Naturify 2300, Yarina Yiwei Dai

Masters Theses

In my art practice, I explore the interplay between human desires to manipulate and anthropomorphize nature, as seen in the technological augmentation of plants and living entities. This investigation delves into how this intersection, alongside empathy towards these creations, contributes to fears of uncontrollability and the risks of addiction and excessive dependence on technology.

Bioengineering and genetic modification have cultivated unprecedented developments, allowing humans to manipulate the fundamental building blocks of life. My research speculates on this technology further, modifying the genetic code of organisms and creating bioengineered wearable entities with enhanced traits or entirely new functionalities. The primary objective …

2023 Community Bank Case Study Competition, Joseph Kelly

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

We studied a community bank in Danville, Arkansas named Chambers Bank. This was part of a 2023 Community Bank Case Study Competition, which illustrated the financial analysis, staffing, and training of the bank. We learned about technology implemented into the bank, and how the bank works with customers locally to ensure the best quality care.

Ai Usage In The Insurance Industry: Future Or Fad, Carrie Stetler

Honors Projects

AI has garnered the attention of professionals from every industry and Insurance is no different. Join me to analyze the many ways AI is affecting this industry and others, as well as to answer the question, “Is AI really the future?”

Zeitgeist Of The 2010s And Impact On Fashion Trends, Sophie Scott Anderson

Senior Theses

The zeitgeist of the 2010s can be examined through shifts in technology, politics, economy, environment, religion, and entertainment. This research explores how fashion serves as both a mirror and a driver of societal change during this transformative decade. Trend diffusion itself evolved from the traditional theories of trickle-up and trickle-down because of the prominence of influencer culture, giving average consumers the platform to influence numerous like-minded consumers. Defining the 2010s zeitgeist requires an analysis of the significant patterns in the technological and sociocultural environment through as many sources as possible for a holistic approach. Sociologically, fashion has been accepted as …

Improving Credit Card Fraud Detection Using Transfer Learning And Data Resampling Techniques, Charmaine Eunice Mena Vinarta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This Culminating Experience Project explores the use of machine learning algorithms to detect credit card fraud. The research questions are: Q1. What cross-domain techniques developed in other domains can be effectively adapted and applied to mitigate or eliminate credit card fraud, and how do these techniques compare in terms of fraud detection accuracy and efficiency? Q2. To what extent do synthetic data generation methods effectively mitigate the challenges posed by imbalanced datasets in credit card fraud detection, and how do these methods impact classification performance? Q3. To what extent can the combination of transfer learning and innovative data resampling techniques …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Post-Covid-19 Employee Satisfaction: An Examination Of Flexible Work Arrangements, Joshua Cooper

Honors Theses

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to switch their strategy to stay afloat in such unprecedented times. One way that businesses, as well as entire industries, pivoted was by using flexible work arrangements to alleviate the stress and potential danger of employees gathering at work. The addition of flexible working arrangements into industries has created an entirely different world of work that challenges the traditional form of working in a face-to-face format. Moving forward, after the pandemic, industries have to accommodate for these more present working conditions that impact how employees view their satisfaction with their job. This research …

The Evolution Of 5g: Delineating The Impact And Limitations Across Transportation, Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, And Manufacturing, Thomas Bailey

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

A world previously only thought possible in science fiction is about to become a reality. A world where doctors can operate on patients thousands of miles away. A world where students can experience ancient cities and distant galalike they are physically there. A world of fully self-driving cars. A world where every step of the supply chain is automated. A world where factories have a handful of employees overseeing robots handling the entire manufacturing process. A world of fully autonomous farms, where one farmer can manage an entire farm from seed to harvest from their smartphone. The development, implementation, and …

Digital To Phygital: An Analysis Of How A Better Collaboration Between Interior Designers And Mobile App Developers Could Improve The Future Of Retail, Hayden Wyrick

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

Interior designers and mobile app developers equally play a role in the design of omnichannel retailing spaces (either within the physical or digital realm) where retailers and consumers interact with each other; yet they hardly work in tandem. Omnichannel retailing creates a seamless experience for consumers when interacting with a retailer and allows them to purchase items in a cross-channel setting. Consumer expectations of retailers’ omnichannel approaches are increasing, and therefore this study investigates two of the most successful retailers, Walmart and Amazon, through a qualitative approach of case studies, interviews, and public observations. This study intended to explore the …

How The Finance Industry Is Shaped By Technology – A Corporate Experience, Max Pabin

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

For this paper, I want to analyze how new technology affects the financial industry for individual clients. My internship at Fidelity Investments provided me with a back-end view of the technology used for clients, while my Chase experience has provided me with an in-depth view of how clients use technology daily. I believe that the financial services industry is being taken over by new technology. This has created a new experience for customers that has made it easier for them to bank, apply for credit, and invest their money. I find this subject to be very interesting as someone who …

Exploring Strategies For Measuring Team Innovation In Small Financial Business, Kimberly Nicole Whitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small financial business leaders cannot maintain a competitive advantage without effectively measuring work team innovation. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to explore the strategies that small financial business leaders use to measure work team innovation to maintain a competitive advantage. The conceptual framework undergirding this study was Schumpeter’s innovation management theory. The research question asked what strategies small financial business leaders use to effectively measure work team innovation to maintain a competitive advantage. Interview data were collected from 15 small financial business leaders who employ less than 100 employees in Madison, Chester, Gibson, Henderson, and …

Riders’ Lived Experiences About Ride-Sharing On The Concept Of Customer Trust In The Choice Of Rides In Dallas, Texas, Winston Randolph John

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A business’s long-term success is dependent on the ability to build and maintain customer trust. Failed projects within the sharing economy, which ride-sharing is part of, suggest distrust of the services and products of sharing economy companies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of riders using ride-sharing regarding the concept of customer trust in Dallas, Texas. The conceptual framework for this study was the theory of planned behavior. Interview data were gathered from 15 participants who met the inclusion requirements of being a rider with Uber or Lyft with ride experiences before, during, …

Consumers’ Responses To New Technologies In The Marketplace, Umair Usman

Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain

Chapter 1. This research examines whether the use of blockchain technology to back a brand’s claims (i.e., blockchain augmented claims) influences consumer preference for sustainable products. Consumers are demanding higher levels of transparency from brands and are also showing keen interest in consuming sustainable products, which includes products that promote social, environmental and economic sustainability. Recent advancement in digital technology, specifically blockchain, is offering an opportunity for brands to meet both these consumer demands. In five laboratory studies, I demonstrate that blockchain augmented claims, as compared to traditional industry practices (i.e., use of third-party labels and brand’s self-made claims), increases …

An Application Of Lewin In A Trans-Pandemic World: A Narrative Inquiry In A Case Study With A Suggested Model For The Future, Chandler Barksdale Ewell Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

Change is constant in today’s post-pandemic world. This is truly evident in online business success with entrepreneurs that defy past limitations and rely on future vision. This study purposely attempts to identify and qualify the impact of stylized change focused leadership in response to workplace changes during the variant challenges of the corona virus pandemic. The relevancy of Lewin’s organizational change model in today’s new normal provides the foundation for this research. Data were gathered through interview with a purposive sample of 12 managers executives and team members from a public sector organization. Evolving through an iterative process of evaluation …

An Autoethnograpy Of A Baby Boomer In Higher Education: Challenges And Catalysts For Change, Deborra Finlan

Theses & Dissertations

Higher education as a baby boomer brings mental, physical, and economic adjustments, concerns, and insecurities. Additionally, life delivers unexpected challenges and barriers which can cause hardships requiring various types of motivation. Fortunately, there are also catalysts which can contribute toward successes. Literature from four major elements were the focus in this study: motivation, adult learning, challenges, barriers, and catalysts. Theorists and theories included Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation with the added factor of cost, and Ryan and Deci’s theory on self-determination; Mezirow’s transformative learning and Knowles’s self-directed learning; Cross’s theory on educational barriers—situational, dispositional, and institutional; and Cobb’s social support …

Insights On Factors Influencing Startup Failure In The Hospitality Industry, Shivangi Khurania

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hospitality businesses and innovative startups have faced extremely high failure rates. The author provides insights on the factors that impact startup failure in the hospitality industry after performing a deep analysis on innovation frameworks such as the diffusion of innovation theory, the theory of disruptive innovation, and the ten types of innovation framework. Not only that, the author also provides insights based on their own personal experience and knowledge gained through education at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. The research explored in this paper revealed that startup failure is not based on one factor alone and how leaders in …

Lost In Digitization: Physical Products Are Vessels For Social Meaning, Oden H. Groth

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The explosion in digitization means that consumers increasingly have the opportunity to choose between digital and physical versions of products — for example, between an eBook and a paperback book. However, despite the popularity of digital objects, many people nonetheless prefer physical equivalents. This dissertation explores one reason why this may be the case; namely, that physical versions of objects and products are better vessels for social meaning. In chapter 1, explore the specialness of physical objects, and posit that materiality is critical for holding and embodying significance. In chapter 2, I investigate the effects of product format on perceptions …

For-Profit Business Leaders’ Perceptions Of Technology And Conflict Resolution In The Workplace, Sherry Hamilton Latten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored for-profit business leaders’ experiences with technology and conflict resolution. With the rise of technology in communications in the workplace and the risk of miscommunications leading to negative impacts on organizational and individual performance, understanding leader experiences is vital to organizational success. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand for-profit business leaders’ (1) perceptions of technology and conflict resolution in the virtual workplace and (2) perceptions of their leadership styles and the impact on conflict resolution in the virtual workplace. Prior literature regarding the impact of technology on communications revealed mixed results with some studies …

Coronavirus Disability Survey: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Young Adults With Disabilities, Hena Rashid

Student Research Submissions

This paper seeks to inform individuals of the importance of digital inclusivity, diminish the digital divide, and accessibility to technological services of college students who experience a form of disability. The United States has conducted minimal research on the digital disability rhetoric, promoted minimal disability-inclusive measures to protect the rights and well-being of college students, and minimal assistance to mitigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts to this population subgroup. This subject can have a big impact on individuals who suffer from disability stigma, low accessibility issues, and who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Furthermore, this subject will benefit college students …

How Innovation Occurs In The Software Industry: A Qualitative Study On Innovation Management, Jihoon Rim

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research in innovation has been widely conducted by academics. However, many of them merely define associations among innovation factors, findings are often contradictory, and research that involves innovation leaders with rich experiences, both successes and failures, is rare. Thus, how to best innovate remains a question among practitioners. This qualitative research is aimed at filling this gap in the literature. To that end, 23 innovation leaders, most of whom founded software companies worth hundreds of millions to billions of dollars, were interviewed with a grounded theory approach using Peter Drucker’s innovation theory as a lens through which to view new …

Technology As The Driving Force Behind Rising Healthcare Costs An Analysis Of Why Americans Pay So Much For Healthcare, Nicholas Nuzzo

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Strategies Leaders Of Stem-Focused Education Nonprofit Organizations Use To Engage Hiring Corporations, Andrew Kanas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some leaders of nonprofit Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) focused nonprofit education organizations lack strategies to engage STEM-focused hiring corporations to support their organizations’ missions. Nonprofit leaders are concerned about engaging individuals, organizations, and government entities to help support sustainability. Grounded in human capital theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies leaders of nonprofit STEM-focused education organizations use to engage STEM-focused hiring corporations to support their nonprofit organizations’ mission. The participants consisted of five board members of a nonprofit partner organization in the U.S. state of Florida who successfully managed STEM-focused stakeholder engagement. …

Strategies For Increasing The Sustainability Of Small Restaurant Business, Sahara J. Givens-Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners who operate in the restaurant industry face many challenges and sometimes succumb to failures. Identifying solutions to avoid failure is important and will strengthen this community of entrepreneurs and help in terms of creating sustainability strategies. Grounded in Richard Cantillon’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners in the restaurant industry use to sustain business beyond 5 years. Participants included six small restaurant business managers who survived beyond 5 years and specialized in fast-casual food service within Chicago. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and participant reflections. …

Strategies For Banks Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Finance Compliance Programs To Protect Financial Systems, Pamela L. Connell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective implementation of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance programs exposes the vulnerability of banks’ and increases the threats of money laundering and terrorist financing. The banking community must address the threat of money laundering and terrorism finance to protect the global financial system from abuse. Grounded in the fraud management lifecycle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies to reduce threats of money laundering and terrorist financing. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, a review of bank policy documents, and previous Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) cases. The participants comprised six BSA/AML compliance officers at banks …

Strategies To Reduce Technostress On Corporations’ Employees, Kenneth Michael Coble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technostress is a phenomenon that hurts the performance of corporations and employees. Technology managers must identify strategies to reduce technostress, as technostress causes employee burnout and absenteeism, reducing employee performance and the corporation’s productivity and ability to remain financially stable. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies technology managers use to minimize technostress. The participants were nine business leaders in the United States who implemented strategies to minimize technostress. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five components of case study data analysis. Five main themes were identified: (a) tech-break; focus …

The Technical Skills Valued By Public Accounting Firms, Nicholas P. Mokas

Honors Theses and Capstones

Accounting firms are continually working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. As part of these efforts, firms adopt new technologies like bots, analytics, and specialized software. As accounting firms become increasingly reliant on newer technologies, colleges need to continually reevaluate their required curricula to ensure that their students are adequately prepared for their future careers in accounting. To fill a gap in the extant literature, the objective of this study is to examine the technologies and skills accounting firms value and the proficiency of new hires with these technologies and skills. To complete this objective, a survey …

Applying Artificial Intelligence In The Hotel Industry: Exploring Perspectives Of Employees, Logan O'Hara

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation, or RAISA, has become increasingly accessible and affordable for a wider demographic of businesses, including hospitality operations, to implement over the last couple of decades. Especially over the past five years, we’ve seen a significant surge of interest in automating within the service industry and a coupled sense of uneasiness that this technological development would in turn displace the human workers, due to factors such as cost of labor and perceived removal of human error; however, this thesis will posit that automation is most effectively used by augmenting the capabilities of the present workforce. …

Space Opens Its Doors To Unexpected Players, One Of Them Paraguay, Macarena Carrizosa

Capstones

Paraguay successfully sent its first native satellite into orbit in 2021, proving how essential and accessible the industry has become, even for developing countries. This article looks at how knowledge and technology transfer programs combined with a lower cost of entry helped Paraguay reach its first major milestone in the space industry, having its own satellite.

Drone Technology In Agriculture Appraisal, Cj Johnson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of this project is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of implementing a UAV/drone technology within agricultural appraisals. This project is categorized into four categories; introduction, literature review, methodology, and conclusions. The methodology portion of the project is a capital budget analysis measuring the effectiveness of UAVs within the appraisal department. The capital budget will be further developed by conducting a Present Value (NPV) analysis. The NPV analysis consists of a five-year NPV analysis measuring changes in productivity and total revenue caused by UAV technology.

Results were found by using @Risk simulation to simulate data gathered during the project. …

Stock Market Forecasting Based On Artificial Intelligence Technology, Yuzhun Liang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience project used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to forecast and analyze the stock market and construct complex nonlinear relationships between the input data and the output data. This project used a radial basis function neural network to forecast and analyze the stock market data. Compared the radial basis function neural network performance with the feed-forward neural network and clearly showed the superiority of the radial basis function neural network over the feed-forward neural network in the data processing. The results showed that AI technology could effectively predict stock market performance. Based on the results, the conclusion is that …