Digital Commons Network^™

Gendering Migration Determinants: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Professional Immigrant Women From India, Noreen Ohlrich

Theses and Dissertations

The economic contributions of highly qualified (HQ) labor migrants from developing countries fuel the global talent race. The problem is that little is known about the women in this sought out talent pool. This phenomenological study addressed this neglected gendered dimension by exploring how professional Asian Indian women experienced the following aspects of international migration: (a) gendering international mobility, (b) women and the race for global talent, (c) policies and the labor market, (d) cultural stigma, (e) brain drain versus diaspora networks, and (f) the Asian Indian woman paradox.

Professional Asian Indian women from greater Frankfurt am Main, Germany were …

Two Essays On The Impact Of Memory On Consumer Well-Being And Self-Definition, Kara Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Consumer memory is an important variable for marketers to study because it is well documented that memories influence consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions (Chattopadhyay and Alba 1988). In my dissertation, I focus on two specific types of consumer memories that are important for consumer well-being and self-definition – memories of shared (social) experiences and memories of special experiences. In my first essay, I contend that shared experiences are remembered better than individual experiences because of their positive impact on consumer well-being, while in my second essay, I investigate the manner in which memories of special experiences, which are inherently …

An Investigation Of Buyers’ Forecast Sharing And Ordering Behavior In A Two-Stage Supply Chain, Minseok Park

Theses and Dissertations

Profitably balancing demand and supply is a continuous challenge for companies under changing market conditions, and the potential benefit of collaboration between supply chain partners cannot be overlooked by any firm who strives to succeed. One of the key elements to successful collaboration is sharing of forecast information between supply chain partners. However, when supply shortage is expected, buyers may inflate order quantities and/or order forecasts to secure sufficient supply. An important question that arises is how the supplier should allocate inventory to customers when shortage exists. Literature shows that certain allocation policies can reduce buyers’ order inflation behavior. However, …

Sustainable, Operations-Enabled Solutions For Reducing Product Waste, Erin C. Mckie

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional linear production system where products are created, used, and then disposed of is no longer a viable business model for many firms. A combination of growing populations, increases in consumerism, and urbanization are placing unprecedented pressures on our world’s natural resources. In addition to these motivations, strong demands from consumers and governments are requiring companies to reevaluate and prioritize their environmental strategies. Fortunately, there are several opportunities for firms to engage in more sustainable business practices throughout their entire supply chain, particularly at the end of their products’ useful lives. However, moving from a linear model to a …

Innovative Revenue Management Practices With Probabilistic Elements, Övünç Yılmaz

Theses and Dissertations

Sale of products with a probabilistic nature, where customers do not know which product they will receive at the time of service, has become popular over the recent years. In the revenue management literature, there has been a growing interest in understanding these modern approaches using analytical techniques. On the other hand, customer-centric revenue management has been replacing the long-standing inventory-centric approach because of the availability of rich data sets by focusing on understanding and predicting customer behavior and then optimizing price and/or quantity related decisions. In this dissertation, we take a customer-centric approach and do not only provide analytical …

Exploring Determinants And Consequences Of International Diversification: A Multi-Level Perspective, Ettore Spadafora

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores determinants and consequences of international diversification and consists of two essays. Essay I focuses on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance (ID-P). Drawing on the global strategy literature and the institution-based view of strategy, we propose that the mixed findings of extant research on the ID-P relationship can be explained by the contextual conditions in which this relationship exists, including home-country formal and informal institutions. The model is tested in a meta-analysis (HOMA, MARA, and HiLLMA analyses) of firm-, industry-, and home country-level factors driving the ID-P relationship. The sample consists of 359 primary studies …

When Auditors’ Skeptical Judgments Do Not Lead To Skeptical Actions, Erin Michelle Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Auditors are required to maintain professional skepticism through the course of an audit engagement. Professional skepticism is maintained through both skeptical judgment and observable skeptical behavior (skeptical action). However, auditors who exhibit professional skepticism in judgment do not always exhibit professional skepticism in action. The present study examines whether social presence alters the likelihood of auditors acting on skeptical judgments by utilizing an experimental setting where participants interact with a hypothetical client using four different communication mediums varying in social presence. Results suggest that auditor-client interactions high in perceived social presence inhibit auditors from acting on skeptical judgments compared to …

Essays On Bank Loans, Deposit Insurance, And Deregulation, Herman Saheruddin

Theses and Dissertations

In my first essay, using a novel dataset that merges the Dealscan database and 8-Ks between 1994-2014, I find that on average, only about 31% of bank loans are announced by firms. Among those loans announced, about 60% are cleanly announced and 40% are announced together with other events. The three-day Cumulative Abnormal Stock Return (CAR) following a loan announcement is positive and both statistically and economically significant, which on average about +39 b.p., in line with the theory of bank loan specialness. This finding is mainly driven by bank-dependent firms. Next, I find significant evidence of sample selection bias …

Three Essays On Capital Structure And Product Market Interactions, Ying Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Capital structure can have important consequences for firm value. High leverage increases firms’ probability of bankruptcy, and is shown to be the primary cause of financial distress. As suggested by a strand of literature on capital structure and product market interactions, high leverage is costly because financial weakness could induce unfavorable actions by product market participants such as customers and competitors. While the costs of high leverage are well documented in the extant literature, little is known on the factors that influence the costs of high leverage. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining how the costs …

Institutional Brokerage And The Governance Of Global Value Chains: The Case Of The Us Apparel Industry., Alessandro Perri

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study of the apparel industry, I analyze the governance of buyersupplier interfaces in outsourced global value chains through an institutional theory lens. I set forth that transactional and relational cross-national barriers, linked to institutional distance between home and host country in outsourced production networks, and supplier capabilities are key determinants of variations in the governance mode chosen by lead buyers for their outsourced value chain. I further posit that lead buyers respond to the additional costs imposed by home–host country institutional distance and by structural supplier capability constraints, by means of governance modes that provide institutional brokerage, …

Branded For Success: A Longitudinal Examination Of Brand Associations As Drivers Of Team Identification For A New Sport Brand, Henry Wear

Theses and Dissertations

The competition for the sport consumer has intensified over the last decade, and many teams are now seeking to establish a foothold in the marketplace (Baker, McDonald, & Funk, 2016). To form a competitive advantage in the sport industry, many sport organizations are beginning to think of their organizations as brands to be managed (Ross, 2006). From a sport marketer’s perspective, it is difficult to rely on brand characteristics based on success or team composition to promote a sport brand and develop fans due to the unpredictable nature of the sport product. Conversely, brand characteristics regarding the logo, color scheme, …

Automatically Detecting The Resonance Of Terrorist Movement Frames On The Web, Ugochukwu O. Etudo

Theses and Dissertations

The ever-increasing use of the internet by terrorist groups as a platform for the dissemination of radical, violent ideologies is well documented. The internet has, in this way, become a breeding ground for potential lone-wolf terrorists; that is, individuals who commit acts of terror inspired by the ideological rhetoric emitted by terrorist organizations. These individuals are characterized by their lack of formal affiliation with terror organizations, making them difficult to intercept with traditional intelligence techniques. The radicalization of individuals on the internet poses a considerable threat to law enforcement and national security officials. This new medium of radicalization, however, also …

Internet-Based Behavior Of It Professionals: Implications For Online Ergonomic Education To Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Priyadarshini Pattath

Theses and Dissertations

INTERNET-BASED BEHAVIOR OF IT PROFESSIONALS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ONLINE ERGONOMIC EDUCATION TO PREVENT WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS

By Priyadarshini Pattath, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017 Director: Dr. Robin Hurst, Assistant Professor of Adult Learning, Teaching and Learning,

School of Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the preferences of medium of ergonomic education and views about self-directed online training modules to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in computer professionals and understand their perspectives and experiences about online health information seeking using a …

A Systems View Of Is Governance And It Governance: A Case Study Of The Virginia Department Of Transportation, Bernard Farkas

Theses and Dissertations

A review of the research related to Information Technology (IT) governance reveals that researchers have yet to use systems theory directly as a basis for understanding IT governance; however, analysis of these researchers’ various definitions of IT governance shows a concurrence between these definitions and the characteristics of a system. This case study research adopts a systems imagination to observe IS and IT governance in the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which has a budget of over $5 billion and over 7,500 employees and has recently conducted a strategic assessment of its IT organization - including IS and IT governance. …

Favorability Of Financial And Nonfinancial Performance Measures And Analysts' Recommendations, Thomas F. Lewis Jr

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the extent to which sell-side analysts make full use of available financial and nonfinancial information signals in formulating stock recommendations. Prior research shows that investors rely strongly on sell-side analysts’ recommendations and that sell-side analysts pay considerable attention to nonfinancial measures in making their decisions. However, prior research has primarily focused on the mere presence of nonfinancial measures and not the extent to which the direction of such measures (i.e. favorability) is associated with firm value, or assessed the extent to which any interaction between financial measures and the direction of nonfinancial measures may influence analysts in …

A Sensitivity Analysis For Relative Importance Weights In The Meta-Analytic Context: A Step Towards Narrowing The Theory-Empiricism Gap In Turnover, James G. Field

Theses and Dissertations

Turnover is one of the most important phenomena for management scholars and practitioners. Yet, researchers and practitioners are often frustrated by their inability to accurately predict why individuals leave their jobs. This should be worrisome given that total replacement costs can exceed 100% of an employee’s salary (Cascio, 2006) and can represent up to 40% of a firm’s pre-tax income (Allen, 2008). Motivated by these concerns, the purpose of this study was to assess the predictive validity of commonly-investigated correlates and, by extension, conceptualizations of employee turnover using a large-scale database of scientific findings. Results indicate that job satisfaction, organizational …