Business Commons^™

The Perspectives Of Saudi Arabian Professionals Regarding The Most Important Soft Skills For Leaders To Possess In Telecommuting Environments During Crisis: A Q Methodology Study, Shatha Abdulghani Khalifah

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Q methodology study was to explore Saudi Arabian professionals’ perspectives regarding the soft skills they considered most important for leaders to possess in telecommuting environments during crises.

Q methodology was developed to study human subjectivity and uses both quantitative and qualitative procedures to do so. As is the convention for a Q methodology study, a single question guided the research: What are the perspectives collectively held among Saudi Arabian professionals regarding the soft skills they consider most important for leaders to possess in telecommuting environments during crises?

The researcher developed a 44-item Q sample of opinion …

The Role Academic Deans Play In Public Higher Education Fundraising, Lee B. Anderson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Philanthropy in higher education consists of gifts of financial funding from individuals, alumni, community advocates, parents, private companies, businesses, or foundations, to support a spectrum of items including scholarships, fellowships, academic programs, professorships, research, or development. In the 21^st century, most public and private higher education institutions grapple with a philanthropic agenda. Although philanthropy for higher education dates back to the 1630s, it was not until the past few decades more attention was given to academic deans and their role in fundraising. Thus, there is a push for academic deans to work in tandem with the institutional advancement offices …

Student Retention In Higher Education: Effect Of The Campus Fitness Center On Women, Leslie Marie Gordon

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of the 3.5 million first-time in college, full time students who began college in fall 2017, 74% returned for fall 2018, with 61.7% retained at their starting institution. Covid-19 has negatively impacted retention; in addition to normal attrition, one of every five students did not return to campus in fall 2020. Researchers have gauged both academic and social factors that positively influence retention and note the use of the campus fitness center (CFC) as one social factor; however, women are less likely to use the CFC, are one third as likely to exercise, and experience more numerous fitness obstacles and …

Love The Customers: Principles Of Interpersonal Relationships Applied To Social Media, Tracey Kyles

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social media has changed communication, and its influence is far-reaching. Companies have adapted and tweaked their marketing strategies to more personal approaches to reach their audiences. This is especially evident in recent years. It can be observed, for example, by fast-food Twitter accounts attracting the attention of online users through witty personas and sarcastic tweets. This phenomenon is the motivation of this research looking into relationships between brands and their social media followers. Here, interpersonal relationship theories are referenced to uncover what encourages these kinds of relationships as well as discover which methods deliver the most positive responses, likes, and …

On Fire Or Burned-Out?: The Role Of Self-Monitoring On Burnout In The Workplace, Elizabeth Marie Ellis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Workplace burnout (i.e., exhaustion, disengagement, lack of professional efficacy) produces turnover which, in turn, increases costs (personnel recruitment, selection, training) for businesses (Maslach et al., 2001). Job demands predict workplace exhaustion whereas job resources predict workplace cynicism (Demerouti et al., 2001). Burnout is also related to individual differences in personality (Alessandri et al., 2018). In the present study, we explore the potential mediating effect of demands and resources on the connection between self-monitoring (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2010; Wilmot et al., 2015) and burnout. Self-monitoring can be conceptualized as either a single, dichotomous variable (Snyder, 1974) or two, continuous variables: protective …

Retaining Millennials: Values-Based Communication Tactics Employers Can Use To Appeal To A Supposed Risk-Adverse Generation, Erica Santillo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Millennials are growing within the workforce, but they are becoming difficult to attract and retain for longer than two years at a time. In addition, Millennials have generational-specific values that are different than their predecessors. Identifying and applying these workplace expectations to organizational policies have made it challenging for leaders to appeal to this generation. Millennials desire five aspects from their workplace: work with a purpose, to be their own boss or work for a boss that is a mentor, a collaborative work environment, flexible work schedules, and work-life integration and/or work-life balance. Using a survey research method, this thesis …

The New Frontier Of Advertising: Computer-Generated Images As Influencers, Corliss Deionn Oglesby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of computer-generated images as influencers of consumer opinions and behavior is an emerging advertising strategy. This research investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using computer-generated images (CGI) as influencers of human behavior from the perspective of promoting a brand. The power of electronic word of mouth (social media) and how it is incorporated in computer-generated images used as influencers is discussed as a major factor in consumer decision making. The social media account content of computer-generated images was analyzed by conducting a frame analysis to discern how computer-generated images are portrayed on social media. A frame analysis of …

Leadership Skills, Promoting Flow And Generating Profit: A Study Of Millennial Managers Through Gamification, Junior Badibanga

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increased number or organizations are shifting away from traditional hierarchical, command and control business strategies which focus solely on generating profit to focusing on both people and profit. In this study, Csíkszentmihályi’s flow state (1975/2000) is considered to correspond with the people side of the social enterprise model, where organizations focus on both people and profit. Csíkszentmihályi (1990) describes the flow experience as a mental state which occurs when a person is motivated and fully immersed in an activity, resulting in feelings of energized focus and profound enjoyment. The current study analyzed secondary data from 1,184 millennial managers that …

The Perceptions Of Nonprofit Arts And Culture Organization Leaders Regarding Their Role In K-12 Arts Education, Alarie A. Gibbs

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study posed two research questions. Because of limited research regarding leadership in arts and culture organizations, the background question to contextualize the study was: How do nonprofit arts and culture leaders in the Jacksonville, Florida, metropolitan area perceive their roles within their organizations? The foreground question was: How do leaders of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the Jacksonville, Florida, metropolitan area understand their roles in providing underserved K-12 students access to and opportunity for arts education? The research questions warranted a qualitative research design using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The review of the literature documented the importance of …

Individual And Organizational Culture Predictors Of Participation In Training And Development Activities Among Student Affairs Professionals, Andrea Adams-Manning

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizational culture substantially impacts employee motivation, employee behavior, and employee participation in professional development activities. In the field of Student Affairs, it is critical for employees to regularly participate in professional development activities to stay up-to-date with understanding today’s students’ needs and meeting federal and state demands. This study examined what individual and organizational culture factors predict participation in professional development activities among student affairs professionals at higher education institutions. For this study, 354 participants from various public and private institutions were emailed an anonymous web-based survey. Field theory served as the theoretical foundation giving perspective as to how external …

The Impact Of Social Presence And User Experience On Gender Sensitive E-Tail Websites, Dishi Shrivastava

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Internet has come afar, from connecting computers to connecting people. Since its early days, the use of Internet has evolved tremendously. People use the Internet today in a variety of different ways, including communicating with friends, family, co-workers and performing activities like paying bills and shopping. With the increase in electronic retailing (e-Tailing), attracting and retaining customers has become the most important part of running a successful business. However, the online shopping experience may be viewed as lacking human warmth and sociability as it is more impersonal, anonymous, automated and generally devoid of face-to face interactions. Thus, understanding how to …

The Role Of The Quality Of A Website In Consumer Perception, Hibah Khalil

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wide spread of the Internet has allowed businesses to present information, sell products, and provide relevant services through websites. Many researchers argue that websites are an imperative channel for communication and online shopping. However, businesses struggle to retain customers due to low switching cost and lack of face-to-face communication. Customers who do not appreciate the user interface and information presented in the website may choose a competitor’s site to achieve their goals. Therefore, e-loyalty, which is about attracting and retaining customers in an online environment, is crucial to remaining a successful business.

In the context of e-loyalty, the website …

Improving Search Ranking Using A Composite Scoring Approach, Larry D. Snedden

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the improvement to relevance in computerized search results is studied. Information search tools return ranked lists of documents ordered by the relevance of the documents to the user supplied search. Using a small number of words and phrases to represent complex ideas and concepts causes user search queries to be information sparse. This sparsity challenges search tools to locate relevant documents for users. A review of the challenges to information searches helps to identify the problems and offer suggestions in improving current information search tools. Using the suggestions put forth by the Strategic Workshop on Information Retrieval …

Campus Planners' Preferences For Residence Hall Project Delivery Methods, Paul E. Riel

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research determined the preferred project delivery method utilized by campus planners when building student housing on a university campus. Four key performance indicators were also evaluated to determine if they influenced the campus planner to select a particular project delivery method. The four key performance indicators were: owner input, cost, safety, and on-time completion. Campus planners identified though the Society for Campus and University Planners (SCUP), were invited to participate in this survey research method. Five research questions were explored in this study. They were:

1. What is the preferred project delivery method (PDM) when building a residence hall …

Unknown Exception Handling Tool Using Humans As Agents, Mwaka Mahanga

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a typical workflow process, exceptions are the norm. Exceptions are defined as deviations from the normal sequence of activities and events. Exceptions can be divided into two broad categories: known exceptions (i.e., expected and predefined deviations) and unknown exceptions (i.e., unexpected and undefined deviations). Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) has become the de facto standard for executing business workflows with the use of web services. BPEL includes exception handling methods that are sufficient for known exception scenarios. Depending on the exception and the specifics of the exception handling tools, processes may either halt or move to completion. Instances of …

Facility Matters: The Perception Of Academic Deans Regarding The Role Of Facilities In Higher Education, Wallace Harris

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how academic deans perceived the characteristics of facility built environment and its impact on learning in higher education. Q methodology was used as the means to explore the subjective opinions of academic deans within the State of Florida regarding the facility built environment’s impact on learning in higher education. For this Q study, the concourse statements were the result of communications taken from the subject literature and participant responses to this study’s online concourse questionnaire. The resulting 32 item Q sample was sorted online by 43 academic deans, associate and assistant deans. …

Organizational Development Consulting: A Study Of Expert Consultants' Key Strategies, Mona Vosoughi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study was conducted to capture the collective voice of expert organizational development consultants. Until now, very few studies have been conducted that take into account the collective voices of organizational development consultants. More specifically, the purpose of the present study is to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the approaches expert organizational development consultants use throughout their engagement with their clients in an attempt to add value to and enhance organizational capacity. To understand the process used by this distinct group of leaders, phenomenological qualitative inquiry was the methodology used to conduct this study. Data were collected …

Perceptions Of Leadership Styles And Job Satisfaction In A Sample Of High School Athletic Directors In The United States, Colin J. Turey

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined how athletic directors perceive their leadership roles in interscholastic athletics and the relationship of their leadership styles to their job satisfaction. The conceptual framework of this study was Bass and Avolio’s (1994) full range leadership model, also known as the transformational-transactional leadership model, which consists of 9 factors—5 transformational behaviors: idealized influence (attributed), idealized influence (behavior), inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration; 2 transactional behaviors: contingent reward and management-by-exception (active); 2 passive/avoidant behaviors: management-by-exception (passive) and laissez-faire. These 9 factors are measured by the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). The study was also informed by …

Cross-Cultural Comparative Study Of Users’ Perception Of The Navigation Organization Of An E-Commerce Web Application, Tetiana A. Bilyayeva

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The object of this study was to assess the influence of native language, as a principal cultural characteristic, one users’ behavior when using a web-based e-commerce application. The study expands on previous research by comparing English and Russian users. The research also considered demographic data to assess additional factors that influence behavior and task performance. The research design encompassed an online shopping application with two different navigation menus. One menu was based on the action-object model and the other was based on the object-action model. The user interface was created in two different languages (Russian and …

On Human Migration And The Moral Obligations Of Business, Linda H. Harris

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work addresses to what extent businesses in the United States and the European Union have a moral obligation to participate in social integration processes in areas where they operate with the use of migrant laborers. It begins with the presupposition that a common framework as to what constitutes ethical behavior in business is needed and beneficial. It argues that the very industry that creates a need for migrant labor ought to also be involved in merging this labor successfully into the existing community and specifies that a discourse on business ethics and migration is gravely needed. This must be …

Students And Retirement Saving Predictors, Christopher Michael Miller

UNF Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the past century Americans have significantly increased personal income yet decreased personal savings. The researchers in this study examine college students habits and beliefs concerning saving for retirement. To our knowledge there is no published data about retirement savings among Americans in this age group. We try to determine whether a student's retirement savings beliefs and habits can be predicted. We designed a model examining the student's risk-aversion level, financial background, general savings habits, financial literacy and attitudes toward saving. We found that our overall model is predictive of a student's beliefs and habits in regards to saving for …

Applying E-Commerce Techniques To Public School Software, Michael Lapke

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Applying e-commerce technology to public school software is a process that involves an extensive and thorough analysis. There are typically three groups of users who would use such a system: teachers, administrators and parents. Teachers need a system that nearly duplicates the software that they are currently using to enter, store, and calculate their grades, while school administrators and parents need to student and teacher's information. This is where the use of e-commerce technology comes in very nicely.

The analysis performed for this project involved extensive interviews with the expert user set and a walk-through of the current system. The …

An Inquiry Into Micro Marketing Strategy As Implemented By The Coffee Industry: Is The Industry Fracturing The Market?, Keith D. Edwards

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The diversity created in our society during the eighties has brought forth many new challenges for marketers. During that time established market segments subdivided themselves into micro segments. This has forced marketers to further target their marketing programs to reach the ever elusive consumer. Micro Marketing brings with it an abundance of product choices, especially in coffee. Currently, there exists a great deal of uncertainty as to the benefits of this wave of product proliferation.

In this study, first, an attempt is made to identify and define Micro Marketing and the events which lead to its evolution. Substantial support is …