Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Cycles Of Inequality In The Marketplace: Insights From Macro, Marketer, And Consumer Perspectives, Debora V. Thompson, Amna Kirmani, Rebecca Hamilton, Andy Li, Christilene Du Plessis, Daniel Fernandes, Guillaume Johnson, Brent Mcferren, Jian Ni, Vladmir Pavlov, Francine Petersen, Lisa Scheer, Yan Vieites, Keith Wilcox

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Seeking inequality via differentiation is a fundamental theme in the marketing literature: consumers derive utility from products that convey socially valued attributes, and marketers target consumers by giving them opportunities to differentiate on socially valued attributes. However, as a large body of evidence shows, inequality can reduce consumer well-being and limit economic growth. In this paper, we take a systemic view of marketplace inequality, examining the interdependence among consumers, marketers, and macro forces in shaping inequality in markets for goods and services. Our broad review of the marketing literature across ten marketing journals and a variety of subdomains within the …

Overcoming Adversity With Resilience: A Phenomenological Examination Of African American Women Leaders Facing Microaggressions In Corporate Spaces, Dionne Trenise Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American women leaders in Fortune 500 companies experience persistent challenges of subtle yet pervasive systems of discrimination in the form of microaggressions that cause negative impacts to their psychological well-being, workplace performance, and career advancement. These women exhibit incredible resilience that enable them to thrive at work, mitigate mental health challenges, and navigate their careers successfully. However, unlike people who fall into either a racial minority group or a gender minority group, African American women experience compounded effects of microaggressions due to the intersection of their race and gender. As a result of microaggressions, these women experience impacts to …

The Effect Of Positive Communication On Leadership Development: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Philip J. Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Christian college professors in the Midwest who utilize positive communication within mentoring relationships to develop leadership capabilities in students preparing for ministry. The research addresses the development of leadership capabilities in Christian colleges and examines how mentoring relationships serve as a sustainable alternative to costly and often ineffective formal programs. Following a descriptive phenomenological approach informed by the methods of Husserl and Giorgi, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with faculty members who have at least five years of teaching experience at a Christian college in the Midwest. The study utilized Bowlby’s …

Developing A Framework For Mooc Dropout: The Role Of Utilitarian And Hedonic Values In Student Retention, Bipllab Roy, Mave D'Souza, Madhura Laghane

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have expanded access to higher education but continue to face persistently high dropout rates, raising concerns about their long‑term effectiveness and sustainability. This study develops and empirically tests a structural framework that links utilitarian values (perceived usefulness, certificate value, time flexibility), hedonic values (enjoyment, variety and novelty, personal interest alignment), and individual characteristics (goal orientation, self‑efficacy, motivation type) to MOOC student retention. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 200 MOOC learners from Christ University, Lavasa Campus, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS. The results show that goal orientation, self‑efficacy …

When God Lifts The Veil: Transformational Leadership And Political Skills Model As Counters To Machiavellianism And Organizational Politics In The Los Angeles City Council, John Sandy Campbell

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This paper examines how Machiavellianism and Organizational Political Behavior contribute to destructive organizational politics and applies Transformational Leadership Theory and the Political Skill Model as countervailing frameworks to the Dark Triad. Grounded in leadership and organizational behavior research, this theory-based conceptual paper provides a theory-driven analysis that synthesizes established models to explore how power and unethical governance erode public trust. This paper examines the relationship between leadership behavior and power dynamics in a contemporary political context. Rather than relying on empirical data collection, it draws on Transformational Leadership Theory, the Political Skills Model, the Dark Triad, Organizational Politics, and Organizational …

The Impact Of Sovereign Wealth Funds On Emerging Markets: A Behavioral Analysis Of Investment Decisions And Market Reactions, Grant A. Mosshart

Senior Honors Theses

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are increasingly influential in emerging markets, yet the behavioral drivers behind their investments remain underexplored. In this paper, an analysis of SWF capital’s impact on economic development and the psychological factors, such as optimism bias and herding, that shape these decisions is examined. Utilizing a mixed-methods comparative study, the research analyzes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. Event study analysis reveals a divergent impact: the PIF’s high-profile developmental commitment to India generated a positive 5-day Cumulative Abnormal Return of +2.05%, confirming a macro-level “seal of approval” signaling effect. By contrast, Temasek’s commercially …

Exploring Maximal Length Cellular Automata To Generate Primitive Polynomials In Gf(2), Sumit Adak, Subhrajit Deb, Anurag Ghosh, Angshuman Roy, Souvik Roy

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

We present a simple method that uses cellular automata (CAs) to find primitive polynomials over GF(2). We used maximal length CAs as tools to generate primitive polynomials. It is usually very difficult to find maximal length CAs or primitive polynomials since they require exponential time, and there is no linear time method. However, in our work, given an n-size specific sequence of CA with reasonable probability, our technique computes a cycle of length at most 2^n-1 (maximal length) in O(n) time. The characteristic polynomials of synthesized maximal length CAs are claimed to be primitive since it was previously established that …

Decision Making At Triage Classification Using Svm With Smote Technique, Mehanas Shahul, Pushpalatha Kp

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The efficient functioning of triage gates in overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) occurs in the context of the complex adaptive system (CAS) framework, where diverse system elements – patients, medical personnel, resources, patients’ inflow patterns, and patients themselves – simultaneously and dynamically influence the decision process. This study addresses the automated incorporation of machine learning triage algorithms as part of the system triage process to support automated classified risk-level recognition based on a limited set of vital signs. Patients are dynamically subsumed under high and low-risk categories enhanced by sensitivity, which enables optimal diagnosis and triage response to the critical clinician …

Uncovering Discrete States From Multimodal Psychophysiological Data Using Gaussian Latent Dirichlet Allocation (Glda), Congyu Wu, Aaron Fisher, David Schnyer

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

In this article we explore and validate the utility of an unsupervised probabilistic model, Gaussian Latent Dirichlet Allocation (GLDA), for discovering discrete states from repeated, multimodal psychophysiological samples collected from multiple individuals. Psychology and medical research heavily involves measuring potentially related but individually inconclusive variables from a cohort of participants to derive diagnosis, necessitating clustering analysis for state identification. Traditional probabilistic clustering models such as Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) assume a global mixture of component distributions, which may not be realistic for observations from different patients. The GLDA model borrows the individual-specific mixture structure from a popular topic model Latent …

Burning Out: A Narrative Exploration Of The Adaptive Challenge And Scaffolds Built Toward Sustenance Among Immigrant Rights Activists In San Diego County, Anna C. Runion

Dissertations

Activist burnout has been identified as one of the greatest threats to social movement sustainability, and the lived experience of paid immigrant rights activists remains undertheorized. This narrative inquiry explored activist burnout among 10 San Diego County immigrant rights activists, revealing how this community understands burnout, what factors contribute to its production, and how activists sustain themselves within it. Using Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) narrative inquiry methodology, the researcher conducted in-depth individual interviews with ten activists representing a range of intersectional identities and roles. Narrative profiles were analyzed through holistic narrative reading, narrative reporting, structural and emergent coding, and cross-narrative …

“I Have A Voice”: Bridging The Communication And Sensemaking Gap Between Restorative Justice Practice And Program Implementation, Stefan Cocorelis

Dissertations

Restorative justice (RJ), a philosophy, practice, and movement inspired by local, largely Indigenous traditions, has increasingly been introduced in modern criminal justice systems as an alternative process to more comprehensively address harmful incidents, heal harms, and meet victim’s needs. While RJ implementation growth is encouraging for its advocates, there remain significant questions around formalized RJ practice. Specifically, little is known about the decision-making process in implementing and administering RJ programming within criminal justice. This dissertation aimed to contribute to the understanding of RJ practice and implementation efforts within criminal justice systems by putting emphasis on practitioners already working directly in …

Asymmetric Opinion Formation Of Emotional Excitable Agents, Irene Ferri, Emanuele Cozzo, Aleix Nicolás-Olivé, Albert Díaz-Guilera, Luce Prignano

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The bounded confidence model represents a widely adopted framework for modeling opinion dynamics wherein actors have a continuous-valued opinion and interact and approach their positions in the opinion space only if their opinions are within a specified confidence threshold. Here, we propose a novel framework where the confidence bound is determined by a decreasing function of their emotional arousal, an additional independent variable distinct from the opinion value. Additionally, our framework accounts for agents' ability to broadcast messages, with interactions influencing the timing of each other's message emissions. Our findings underscore the significant role of synchronization in shaping consensus formation. …

Implicit Bias In Hiring: Leveraging Avatars To Foster More Inclusive Hiring Practices, Alexa Trifilo, Gary Blau, Crystal Reeck

Engaged Management ReView

This research investigated implicit racial in-group bias in hiring and examined extended reality (XR) as a mechanism for masking visual identity cues during the interview process. By introducing avatars that obscure physical characteristics, such as race, the study extends the concept of “blind” hiring into immersive virtual environments. In our experimental design, randomly assigned participants evaluated job candidates represented by avatars that had three variations of racial identifiability (White, Asian, or racially unidentifiable avatar) and two qualification levels (strong and ambiguous). We controlled for gender by including only experienced, full-time female professionals as participants in the evaluation of female avatars …

The Offense-Defense Balance And The Modern System In Ukraine, Daniel Hogestyn

Master in Public Policy Theses

This thesis evaluates whether the Russo Ukrainian war represents a revolution in military affairs (RMA) by testing Stephen Biddle’s "modern system" theory of battlefield outcomes against recent combat operations. Applying Biddle’s formal model to the 2023 Ukrainian offensive in Zaporizhia, the thesis finds that the offensive's failure conforms closely to Biddle’s causal logic, with force employment variables drawn from 20th century combat sufficient to account for the outcome. Biddle's model in military power argues that force employment has explained victory and defeat since World War I, rather than technology or numerical preponderance alone. Many commentators claim that proliferation of small …

Efforts Toward Employee Inclusion To Increase Customer Loyalty, Mario Norman

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Drive Diaries: How Motivation Shapes Work And Performance, Christian D. Diaz

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Employee motivation remains central to organizational research, yet less is known about how employees personally experience the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and performance. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Expectancy Theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry examined how employees describe their motivational experiences and their influence on workplace effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 employees across diverse industries and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged: (1) autonomy as a primary driver of sustained performance, (2) recognition as a reinforcing factor, (3) organizational culture as either amplifying or diminishing motivation, and (4) motivation as evolving across career stages. Findings …

The Motivation Tapes: Employee Narratives Of Leadership That Matters, Jessica Gray

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how employees describe their lived experiences at work. The purpose of the research was to understand the relational, emotional, and developmental dimensions that shape employees’ day-to-day workplace realities and the meanings they assign to those experiences. Four participants from diverse occupational backgrounds were interviewed using semi-structured protocols designed to elicit rich, descriptive accounts of their work environments, relationships, and sense-making processes. The findings reveal that participants shared experiences of supportive and hands-on leadership, opportunities for autonomy and ownership, and moments of connection, meaning, and long-term growth. Participants also described disruptions to these experiences. The implications …

The Efficacy Of Emotional Reframing As An Intervention To Promote Adult Transformational Growth, Linda Rossetti

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigates the underexplored relationship between adult developmental growth and emotions. Developmental growth requires an individual to respond to self-concept instability by adopting new meaning structures and navigating oppositional emotions. This quantitative study examined the relationship between an emotional reframing intervention and perspective shifts, an indicator of developmental progression. Data collected on three college campuses in the 2024-2025 academic year revealed a strong positive relationship between the intervention and perspective shifts, as evidenced by differences in pre- and post-assessment responses within the studied population, both in aggregate and in specific use cases. The findings contribute to three academic arenas: …

The Nexus Between Sustainable Banking, Customer Trust, And Bank Loyalty In The Bangladeshi Banking Industry: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach, Rashed Mahmud Shakil, Md. Ashfikul Islam, Md Raihatul Islam Hridoy

Business Review

The increasing customer demand for environmentally-friendly practices makes adoption of sustainable banking (SB) strategies a great opportunity for banks wanting to ensure greater loyalty among their customers. However, the impact of SB on bank loyalty (BL) of customers in the Bangladeshi banking sector is limited in the scholarly literature. Thus, the present research investigates the association between SB and BL and the intervening influence of customer trust (CT) in this association. The proposed research model was developed based on the Social Exchange Theory. The research utilized a purposive sampling technique and employed data obtained through 230 questionnaires distributed amongst customers …

Digital Transformation And Adaptive Capacity Of Banks In Tanzania: The Mediating Effect Of Knowledge Sharing, Sospeter Muchunguzi, Ulingeta O. L. Mbamba, Victor G. Wilson

Business Management Review

Amid rising competition and uncertainty, banks are increasingly adopting digital technologies to sustain adaptive capacity and competitiveness. This study examines the mediating effect of knowledge sharing in the influence of digital transformation on adaptive capacity. Drawing on an integrative theoretical framework combining the Dynamic Capability Theory, the Affordance Theory and the Adaptive Structuration Theory, a deductive approach was used, involving a sample size of forty-three (43) banks in Tanzania. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered through a drop-off and pick-up-later method and analyzed with PLS-SEM using SmartPLS software. We found that digital transformation of customer touchpoints makes banks more …