Business Commons^™

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 …

Lucky’S Legacy: Determining An Effective Relationship Between Music And Business Management Principles, Jacob Joseph

Honors Projects

The Recognition-Conversation-Reflection (hereafter “RCR”) framework is modeled after popular change management frameworks for accomplishing projects and goals, utilizing concepts found often in business management and strategy. While traditionally these ideas are found in the workplace, they also serve as complex practices that can be used in various contexts. The music industry is composed of a plethora of professions exploring vast genres and interpretations of melody around the world. Despite its diverse perspectives, music is rooted in performance involving ensembles of varying capacities. With the complexities of the RCR framework and the diversity of the music industry, the question I looked …

An Examination Of Leading Through Change Using Snyder’S Hope Theory And Lewin’S 3-Step Model, Scott E. Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

Never has the world experienced such rapid change, and the environment in which organizations operate necessitates increased change capability and organizational agility (Argyris, 1991). Strebel (1996) found success rates for change initiatives in Fortune 1000 companies ranged from a low of 20% to a high of 50%. Later studies would substantiate Strebel’s (1996) findings, claiming that, on average, failure rates of transformational change initiatives approach 70% (Beer & Nohria, 2000; Sirkin et al., 2005). Suppose this is so, and companies wish to thrive in such a dynamic environment. A fundamental understanding of why change efforts fail and how to drive …

Marching Forward: A Qualitative Examination Of Adapting Enlisted Veteran Leadership Skills In The Corporate Environment, Casey W. Jensen

Dissertations

planning, resource utilization, and conforming to corporate policies all required adaptation. Veterans primarily adapt their leadership skills through internal and external networking, mentors, coaches, managing and resetting expectations, and understanding light and dark ambiguity. The theoretical contributions of this research are in paternalistic leadership and veteran enlisted research. The practical implications assist veterans in understanding how to adapt and strategies to adapt their skills. In addition, managers and peers may use this research to understand veterans' challenges better when leaving military service. Next, talent acquisition professionals can use this research to better identify military veteran candidates for specific roles and …

The Museum Professionals’ Experiences Survey: Assessing Motivational Processes In Museums Through The Context Of The Organizing Framework, Devin E. Geraci

Museum Studies Theses

Through the development and evaluation of the Museum Professionals’ Experiences Survey, this research blends Museum Studies and Organizational Behavior to understand managers’ perceptions regarding employee motivation, key drivers of motivation, trends in professional experiences’, and the different experiences of management and non-management personnel in the context of museum workplaces. With responses from 276 museum professionals in the United States, the application of this knowledge can be used to develop a workplace climate that encourages job satisfaction, high performance, and organizational commitment, and thus more positive outcomes for the museum. Recent controversies and public testimonies are evidence of negative professional experiences …

Case Study Of Otis: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, And Mattering In Onboarding Practices, Caitlin Skolasky

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

It was during the Summer of 2021 that I completed a sales internship at Otis Elevator Company in Nashville, Tennessee. Throughout this time, other interns and I conducted a project regarding the diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and mattering (DEIBM) aspects of onboarding. After presenting ways that their company could improve the process, I wanted to dive deeper into the many different topics that this can cover for all organizations. It is important to note just how crucial the onboarding process as well as the variety of applicants that employers should understand the pain points of is when it comes to …

The Four Agreements Analysis Los Cuatro Acuerdos De Don Miguel Ruíz, Dulce Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Toltecs were an indigenous Mexican culture of great warriors and artists with a very unique wisdom on life and behavior, that lived around 1000 years ago. Their extended knowledge on life and behavior certainly can be of help on developing a great leader in any organization based on the four agreements they practiced to better themselves spiritually, emotionally and physically. Therefore, Don Miguel Ruiz did some research of the Toltecs Wisdom and learn more about these four agreements:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

After learning how to apply …

Creation Of A Home Bakery: A Business Plan, Erika Prusak

Honors Projects

Nothing exemplifies business knowledge more than creation of a business plan, and subsequently, creation of a business. Both pull together business knowledge of marketing, management, accounting, business law, supply chain, and finance. Business knowledge is then tied together with the mentality needed of an entrepreneur to tackle challenges and thrive for the moments when everything works out perfectly. Completing a business plan will organize my ideas and help me see my business clearly. It will help me identifies areas that I need to research more as well as areas I cannot figure out until I start it. My business plan …

How Can Design Thinking Transform Diversity Initiatives For Architectural Trade Organizations In The United States?, Leroy Stewart

Dissertations

This study intended to assess design thinking as a variable regarding its utilization as a tool to increase the number of African American architects in the United States. The research was grounded in the speech given by Whitney Young to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1968, and the initial partnership between the AIA and the National Organization of Minority of Architects (NOMA) in 2001 to increase the number of African American architects to 15,000 by 2030. Through the qualitative methodology, via descriptive phenomenological analysis (DPA), fourteen participants, all of whom were African American licensed architects, were interviewed to …

Ceo Types And Firm Efficiency, Lok Chi Lam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the connection between CEO types and firm efficiency. I utilize the general ability index (GAI) as a proxy to examine and separate CEO types: generalist CEOs and specialist CEOs. Initially, I applied the pooled ordinary least square (OLS) and fixed effect regression on 26,830 firm-year observations to explore the GAI effect on firm efficiency. The finding shows that GAI has a negative impact on firm efficiency. It indicates that CEOs with lower GAI are better at improving firm efficiency; for instance, specialist CEOs are preferable to generalist CEOs. Further analysis of CEO types using the quadrant method …

Emotional Intelligence: Using Relationship Management In Leadership, Lauren Odette

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The professional world is evolving, and business leaders are required to operate in sometimes difficult situations for which they might feel unprepared. While in recent years, research on emotional intelligence has shown to be an important leadership component, it is not always translated successfully to business leadership nor contextualized to young leaders. This project aims to present a workshop to help people in leadership communicate effectively with their employees using skills stemming from increased emotional intelligence. The workshop draws on a range of literature and experiences in leadership training and emotional intelligence. Key concepts that serve as the focal points …

A Dual Perspective Towards Building Resilience In Manufacturing Organizations, Steven A. Fazio

Theses and Dissertations

Modern manufacturing organizations exist in the most complex and competitive environment the world has ever known. This environment consists of demanding customers, enabling, but resource intensive Industry 4.0 technology, dynamic regulations, geopolitical perturbations, and innovative, ever-expanding global competition. Successful manufacturing organizations must excel in this environment while facing emergent disruptions generated as biproducts of complex man-made and natural systems. The research presented in this thesis provides a novel two-sided approach to the creation of resilience in the modern manufacturing organization. First, the systems engineering method is demonstrated as the qualitative framework for building literature-derived organizational resilience factors into organizational structures …

The Relationship Between Religious Freedom In America And The Current And Future Workplace, Liz Spence

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

In regards to religious freedom, the current climate in America is ambiguous and sensitive. This has carried over into the workplace and will continue to affect the way that leaders must manage their employees. This study contains a survey that addresses historical cases dealing with religious freedom, personal experiences in the workplace, and finally, questions regarding the ideal workplace and leadership. This study also includes in-depth interviews of current employees in a variety of careers that adhere to a religion. The paper concludes with a summary that explores how managers should react in the future to the findings in this …

Hotel Executives’ Perceptions Of Effective Promotion Processes And The Successful Transition From Single-Unit To Multi-Unit Management, Mark A. Sharkey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growth experienced by the hospitality industry, especially the hotel industry, has outpaced its ability to develop future leaders. Like many organizations, the hotel industry employs a management hierarchy of single-unit managers responsible for each unit (hotel) and a multi-unit manager who oversees single-unit managers and their units (hotels). The vast majority of these multi-unit managers are promoted from a successful single-unit operation. The promotion can be challenging, and first-time multi-unit managers struggle to make a successful transition. Research confirms that this struggle is partially due to the need for a newly promoted multi-unit manager to develop a new and …

Strategies To Justify Resource Allocation To Corporate-Sponsored Volunteer Programs, Jolene Cantrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increased interest in how perceptions of stakeholders and customers can affect the performance of an organization has led some scholars to study the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance. Some business leaders attempt to allocate significant time and resources towards CSR, specifically corporate-sponsored volunteer (CSV) programs, but have yet to develop the business rationale and lack strategies. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies central Florida executive level business leaders used to establish or maintain CSV programs. Participants comprised three business leaders from central Florida firms …

Financial Strategies To Sustain Small Businesses Beyond 5 Years, Sandra Elizabeth Siddons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate financial knowledge and planning have frequently led to small business failures. Small business owners (SBOs) who lack financial strategies to sustain their organizations may contribute to the estimated closure of 50% of new small businesses, found frequently occurring within the first 5 years of formation. Grounded in the human capital theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore financial knowledge and skills SBOs successfully used in support of long-term sustainability. The participants were five SBOs who used financial decision-making strategies to sustain their small business beyond 5 years in Northern Illinois. Upon completion of data …

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 …

A Framework For Adaptive Capacity In Complex Systems, Abdulrahman Alfaqiri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Complex systems are characterized by their high level of inter-connectivity, ambiguity, and emergence. Therefore, a failure in one element of a system (e.g. cyber layer) due to external or internal disturbances can lead to a cascade effect that may influence all elements of the system. Consequently, the complex system will not be able to perform its functional performance. Threats related to complex systems are very dynamic, fast, complex and damage can be severe. Thus, to respond to the dynamic and unpredictable nature of these threats, complex systems need to be highly adaptive to survive and thrive in the face of …

Clarifying And Measuring The Value Of Human Capital Resources, Donald Hale, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of value is central to the strategic human resources (SHRM) and strategic human capital resource literatures (SHCR) because of their grounding in Resource Based Theory (RBT). In order to facilitate a firm’s competitive advantage, both the SHRM and SHCR literatures argue that the practices and people in a firm must work together to generate resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable. Value is the first and primary consideration in this logic. Despite the centrality of value in both literatures, prior attempts to identify and measure human capital resource (HCR) value (e.g. utility analysis) have produced mixed results …

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 …

Does Extrinsic Motivation Affect Creativity Within Diverse Teams?, Gitanjali K. Viswanathan

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the relationship between extrinsic motivation and creativity in teams. The moderation effect of functionality, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and diversity within a team is also considered. A survey was constructed and distributed to students within Sections 1 and 6 of the course Principles of Management at The University of Mississippi. Survey data were collected from 77 respondents and used for hierarchical regression and moderation analysis. The results of this study do not support extrinsic motivation as a significant predictor of creativity. Functionality, agreeableness, and conscientiousness each demonstrate a separate, significant interaction effect with extrinsic motivation. However, …

The Macroeconomic And Cultural Microcosms Of Global Groceries, Emily C. Mccluskey, Stephanie A. Barton

Senior Theses

The aim of this thesis is to understand the global grocery market and to present a framework to assist sector players in developing go-to-market strategies as they expand abroad. In order to holistically study the cultural and economic implications of grocery stores across the world, we first selected six unique countries to focus our research: Singapore, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Germany, and the United States. In addition to having personally traveled to each of these countries, we chose to analyze these six very different markets in order to include a wide range of cultures and levels of economic development. We found …

A New Generation Of Workers: Preparing For Generation Z In The Workplace, Kendra Harris

Senior Theses

A new generational wave has begun to enter the workforce. The oldest members of Generation Z, those approximately at the age of 25 and below, have recently begun their careers. In the past few years, some changes have been made to work environments, like constructing gyms and daycares at workplaces, expanding the options for work at home programs, and firms hosting social events to attract top, young talent. Some of these actions were to appease Generation Y (Millennials), but some, whether the intent was known or not, will be very pleasing and beneficial to Generation Z. However, Generation Y and …

Modelo De Gestión, Atención, Seguimiento Y Fidelización De Clientes Aplicado A La Empresa Seguridad Atlas, Omar Eduardo Eslava Fuentes

Maestría en Administración

El presente documento tiene como propósito el establecer un modelo de gestión, atención, seguimiento y fidelización de clientes aplicado a la empresa Seguridad Atlas, para lo cual se asumió una investigación descriptiva de tipo mixto, ya que se combinan los enfoques cuantitativo y cualitativo, mediante un método deductivo que analiza fenómenos generales para llegar a situaciones particulares, utilizando para ello teorías y principios. El trabajo también utiliza como instrumento de investigación el formato de encuesta para conocer la percepción y valoración de los clientes acerca de la organización. Los resultados obtenidos señalan que a pesar de la aceptación que posee …

What Works Where?, Edmond Davis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project my goal is to examine the management styles of three workplace environments and the relationships those styles create between the employees and their managers. I will endeavor to explore areas that can be improved from the management perspective of the work force so that employees will have more input in their workplace setting. The environments that this project will look into are the office setting, retail setting, and labor setting. Information for this project was collected via questionnaires that I constructed. There were two surveys distributed for this project. One survey was for employees and the others …

Controlling Turnover In An Inside Sales Organization: What Are The Contributing Factors, Dennis H. Kimerer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The turnover rate for inside sales team, particularly in Central Florida, is exceedingly high. I have experienced this negative scenario managing inside sales teams for two major Telecom companies over the past 11 years, having as many as 40% of the salesforce resign within 30 days. Organizational costs to hire a new salesperson can be as high as 300% of the replaced employee’s salary and take as long as eight months to reach full productivity. The purpose of this research is to determine the internal and external factors that impact a salesperson’s propensity to leave a company. This qualitative research …

The Tenure Process: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Tenure Standards And Application Processes At The Eight State Funded Universities In Mississippi, Claudia Parker

Honors Theses

The tenure application process is a very important period in any university faculty’s professional career and can be a very stressful event. The results of a faculty’s tenure application will determine whether they will have continued employment at their current university, if they will be required to take another probationary year, or if they will need to seek employment elsewhere. Due to how important this process is, any information associated with this process and the required documentation must be properly managed, easily accessible, and easy to understand. This qualitative analysis develops a list of best practices through a review of …

Mapse Modelo De Administración De Proyectos En Una Empresa Del Sector Eléctrico, Juan José Bernal Segura

Maestría en Ingeniería

Este trabajo propone la adaptación de los modelos propuestos por el PMBOK ® Guide cuarta edición y la norma ISO 10006 tomando los elementos básicos que aplican a las empresas del sector eléctrico, dada la necesidad de tener un referente para abordar proyectos en este sector desde el punto de vista de la gerencia de proyectos, tomando como referencia una compañía que desarrolla proyectos para el sector público y privado en el territorio nacional de Colombia, bajo la modalidad de licitación o contratación directa. Esto implica que los usuarios finales son miles de Colombianos que hacen uso del servicio eléctrico …

Building International Business Competencies, Human Capital, And Service Capabilities: A Study Of Emerging Market Professional Service Small-And-Medium-Sized Enterprises, Nicholas Mathew

ETD Archive

Prior research has shown that a firm’s intangible resources are an important source of sustainable competitive advantage. This dissertation focuses on the intangible resources of Professional Service Firms that are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (PSF SMEs) from an emerging market (namely India). PSF SMEs from emerging markets (such as India) are expanding globally and are attempting to compete with developed country market firms. This research study examines the factors that allow these PSF SMEs to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Examining these factors will enable developed country market firms as well as other emerging market firms to better understand …

Critical Success Factors In Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In U.S. Manufacturing, Justin Goldston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders have increasingly turned to enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, also known as decision-support systems, to make their firms' operational, tactical, and strategic processes more efficient and effective in the changing global marketplace. High failure rates in ERP systems implementations make these projects risky, however. Most prior research on critical success factors for conventional ERP implementation has been on large enterprises, resulting in a gap in knowledge on these factors in the small and medium enterprises that constitute the majority of U.S. employer firms. A qualitative modified Delphi study with an expert panel of U.S. manufacturing consultants and 3 …