Business Commons^™

High-Speed Rail Safety Analysis Based On Dual-Weighted Complex Network, Liu Lv

Dissertations

This study uses a complex network model to analyze the causes of accidents in high-speed railway operations. By identifying the key factors that led to high-speed railway accidents, hidden safety hazards were discovered. This will help improve the operational safety of the U.S. high-speed rail line under construction.

The analysis uses the regional high-speed railway network in Guangzhou, China as a case study, including the railway (including high-speed railway) accidents that occurred in the company's jurisdiction from 2013 to 2017. With comparative analysis between general railways and high-speed railways, the changes of high-speed railway safety factors are explored. Data analysis …

Online Fulfillment: F-Warehouse Order Consolidation And Bops Store Picking Problems, Wen Zhu

Dissertations

Fulfillment of online retail orders is a critical challenge for retailers since the legacy infrastructure and control methods are ill suited for online retail. The primary performance goal of online fulfillment is speed or fast fulfillment, requiring received orders to be shipped or ready for pickup within a few hours. Several novel numerical problems characterize fast fulfillment operations and this research solves two such problems. Order fulfillment warehouses (F-Warehouses) are a critical component of the physical internet behind online retail supply chains. Two key distinguishing features of an F-Warehouse are (i) Explosive Storage Policy – A unique item can be …

A Phenomenological Study On The Impact Of Servant Leadership For Establishing A Culture Of High Performance As Perceived By High School Principals, Darrick Rice

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the perceived impact of Patterson’s (2003) 7 servant leadership constructs on high school principals in establishing a culture of high performance.

Methodology: The qualitative phenomenological study described the lived experiences of high school principals who lead schools that have implemented Patterson's (2003) 7 servant leadership constructs for establishing a culture of high performance in Los Angeles County, California. The researcher was a part of 8 peer researchers and 2 faculty advisors. The data collection included virtual face-to-face semi structured interviews using a protocol developed by the thematic team. …

Organizational Stressors As Predictors Of Burnout, Kristen Albritton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if organizational stress, measured by role conflict and role ambiguity, predicts burnout among employees. A review of the related literature identified variables that demonstrate a relationship with burnout, supported by the Maslach (1998) theory of burnout and Katz and Kahn’s (1966) organizational role theory. The researcher also examined whether organizational level and demographic variables (gender, education level, and job tenure) moderate the relationships between role conflict, role ambiguity, and burnout.

The study follows a non-experimental, cross-sectional design using data collected from a survey. Results of linear regression analyses reveal role conflict and …

Do User-Generated Ratings Affect Hotel Valuations? – An Analysis Of The Chicago Hotel Market, Shailesh Patel

Dissertations

Today’s travelers are increasingly relying on aggregated online opinions to make purchase decisions. One of the sectors most impacted by these online reviews is the hospitality industry, where consumer review websites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Bookings.com play a critical role in influencing consumer's choice of hotel and the price they will pay for the room. Recently, there have been studies investigating the various aspects of user-generated online reviews and ratings. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of user-generated ratings on hotel valuations. Our paper does this using regression analysis to study the impact of TripAdvisor …

Investment Advisor Succession Planning: Attitudes, Norms, And Control, Don Mueth

Dissertations

This study investigated succession planning intentions of investment advisors who lead their small businesses. We employed the theory of planned behavior to better understand the attitudes, norms and perceptions of control that impact these business leaders’ intentions to plan. Our research included a pilot study of interviews with 10 investment advisors and a main study of advisor survey responses. With a sample size of 198 participants, we analyzed survey responses measuring traditional TPB constructs as well as involvement in outside activities. Using two-step structural equation modeling, our model fit was acceptable, and our results supported our hypotheses that beliefs, attitudes, …

An Examination Of Optimal Level Of Ceo Narcissism: Why, How, And When Narcissism Impacts Firm Performance, Scott Boswell

Dissertations

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) may have narcissistic tendencies that impact the firm and its performance. We explore the definition of narcissism, how it is measured, and when it might be optimal or harmful to the firm’s performance. Leaders exhibiting higher scores on one or more Dark Triad traits often are viewed negatively both inside and outside the firm. Should such negative perceptions disqualify a leader who displays a measure of a Dark Triad trait? This research answers the primary question, is there an optimal level of CEO narcissistic traits and if so, are there moderating factors that impact the level? …

A Comprehensive And Absolute Corporate Sustainability Assessment And Enhanced Input Output Life Cycle Assessment, Joseph M. Wright

Dissertations

Stresses due to economic activity are threatening to exceed environmental and societal limits with the potential to jeopardize local communities and create global crises. This research proposes new methodologies and analytic techniques to comprehensively assess corporate sustainability and enhance the efficiency of estimating environmental and social impacts with Input Output Life Cycle Assessment (IOLCA).

Sustainability assessments and management require consideration of both social and environmental impacts as outflows of economic activity. There are a number of assessment tools available to gain insight into environmental and social impacts; but in most cases, these approaches lack essential components for a comprehensive and …

Mind Maps And Machine Learning: An Automation Framework For Qualitative Research In Entrepreneurship Education, Yasser Farha

Dissertations

Entrepreneurship Education researchers often measure entrepreneurial motivation of college students. It is important for stakeholders, such as policymakers and educators, to assert if entrepreneurship education can encourage students to become entrepreneurs, as well as to understand factors that influence entrepreneurial motivation. For that purpose, researchers have used different methods and instruments to measure students' entrepreneurial motivation. Most of these methods are quantitative, e.g., closed-ended surveys, whereas qualitative methods, e.g., open-ended surveys, are rarely used.

Mind maps are an attractive qualitative survey tool because they capture the individual's reflections, thoughts, and experiences. For Entrepreneurship Education, mind maps can be utilized to …

Peer-To-Peer Consumption In 3d Printing Design, Weizhi Chen

Dissertations

Three-dimensional printing or additive manufacturing is a new element in new product development that emphasizes on digitalization and innovation. However, due to its new emergence, existing research has rarely explored its mechanism and benefits especially in marketing, new product development and innovation. This research addresses the mechanism of 3D printing under collaborative consumption in the age of personal fabrication. The primary focus of this research lies at the intersection of marketing, 3D printing in collaborative consumption, and data science. Online peer-to-peer 3D printing sharing platform myminifactory.com is utilized as primary study context. In this research, two types of product design …

Servant Leadership Behaviors That Positively Influence On-Time Delivery Of Committed Work By Agile Teams In A Scaled Agile Framework, Rob Barclay

Dissertations

This research found strong evidence that leaders who use Servant Leadership Behaviors (SLBs) positively influence on-time delivery of committed work by scrum teams in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). In organizations using a Scaled Agile Framework to manage large programs, Agile teams plan work called “stories” within an iteration, which can range from one to four weeks. The stories are ultimately intended to deliver functionality to the end-user and have enough information within them for business and technical people to understand the intent, develop, test, and demonstrate a vertical slice of system functionality.

Our research used Servant Leadership theory to …

A Strategic Plan To Thread Genomics Competencies Into Undergraduate Curriculum, Holly Mathis

Dissertations

Problem: Genomics in undergraduate nursing education has experienced slow adoption in the United States. Various approaches have been proposed but do not address barriers to successful implementation.

Methods: A strategic plan was developed to increase the amount of genetics and genomic content in the curriculum of an undergraduate nursing program. A gap analysis was performed on the curriculum revealing a paucity of content. A SWOT analysis informed the strategic plan, which included a faculty education program using the ANA/ISONG’s Essentials of Genetic and Genomic Nursing: Competencies, Curricula Guidelines and Outcome Indicators (2^nd ed.) (2009) as a foundation.

Results: Faculty …

Leadership Adapted: Towards An Understanding Of How Western-Developed Leadership Theories Are Translated And Practiced In The Modern Arab Middle East, Derek R. Olson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how western-developed leadership theories are translated and practiced in the Modern Arab Middle East (MAME). Over the past century the notion of leadership has progressed through phases of understanding, definition, and practice. This evolution continues today and is no longer contained to the academic and practice-oriented institutions of North America and Europe. Through western-styled educational institutions and professional industries, western-developed leadership theories have stretched around the globe, including the MAME. While this is known, what is much less understood is how these theories are adopted and adapted. This study’s objective is to …

The Relationship Between The Perceived Value Of Professional Development, Job Satisfaction, And Intent To Leave, Wendy Marie Wells

Dissertations

Organizations striving to remain competitive compete in the war for talent in order to recruit and retain employees. Studies assessing intent to leave and turnover suggest numerous strategies to mitigate the revolving door of employees quitting jobs (Allen, 2008; Allen, Bryant, & Vardaman 2010; Lee, Hom, Eberly, & Li, 2018). This study assesses the relationship between the perceived value of professional development, job satisfaction, and intent to leave. Results of the study reveal as one finds professional development, valuable job satisfaction increases. In assessing the relationship between professional development and intent to leave, the results of the study suggest that …

Work-Life Balance: Perceived Differences Of Teleworkers And Non-Teleworkers, Christian Paul Lagarde

Dissertations

As the growth in the number of dual-career couples continues, couples attempt to balance the demands of career and family (Berlato & Corrêa, 2017). A healthy work environment potentially supports a positive work-life balance for employees. Supportive work environments increase morale, job satisfaction, job retention, productivity, as well as a fulfilling family life (Molla, 2015). Failure to assist employees with finding work-life balance risk the loss of a positive work environment for a company’s employees and the entire organization. Therefore, this human capital study seeks to build on the current research surrounding assisting organizations to find work-life balance for their …