Digital Commons Network^™

An Expectancy-Based Theory Of The Firm: How Media Tone And Ceo–Media Political Ideological Alignment Shape Corporate Investment, Ondina Sevilla

All Dissertations

This study examines how ideologically differentiated media tone in business and economic news relates to firm investment decisions and how CEO–media ideological alignment conditions this relationship. I advance an expectancy-based extension of the Behavioral Theory of the Firm in which media tone serves as an external informational signal that is interpreted through managerial cognition rather than directly influencing firm behavior. CEO political ideology shapes how media signals are interpreted and incorporated into managerial expectancies regarding future conditions.

To test these arguments, I construct firm-quarter measures of positive and negative media tone from business and economic news articles, disaggregated by outlet …

A Machine Learning And Artificial Intelligence Sentiment Analysis Of Esg Disclosures, John Barnett Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This dissertation examines whether environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure sentiment extracted from SEC Form 10-K Item 1A risk disclosures aligns with Bloomberg ESG scores. The study combines SEC textual disclosures, Bloomberg ESG ratings, firm financial data, executive compensation data, and executive gender characteristics. Natural language processing and artificial intelligence methods, including FinBERT, Loughran-McDonald sentiment measures, BART-MNLI zero-shot classification, LLaMA-based ESG scoring, and readability analysis, are used to evaluate ESG-related disclosure signals. Results reveal that SEC 10-K Item 1A risk-factor sentiment and Bloomberg ESG scores represent related but distinct constructs. ESG sentiment in Item 1A is poorly aligned with third-party …

Economic Efficiency Of End-Guns On Center Pivot Irrigation Systems For Utah Alfalfa Production, Sophia Moss

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study looks at whether using an end-gun on a center pivot irrigation system is financially worthwhile for Utah alfalfa producers. End-guns are used to water extra acreage beyond the end of a pivot, they can also apply water less evenly, which may reduce production on those outer acres. To examine this tradeoff, the study compares farm returns with and without an end-gun using historical Utah alfalfa price and yield data along with estimates of irrigation cost, added acreage, and possible yield loss. The results suggest that end-guns can improve profitability in many cases, mainly because they bring more acres …

Socially-Minded Investors And Corporate Behavior, Merritt B. Fox, Menesh S. Patel

Faculty Scholarship

Many equity investors are concerned with the world’s worsening social and environmental problems and are losing faith in the capacity of political institutions to respond. Corporate behavior is often contributing to these problems. Some investors, at least if fully informed as to costs and benefits involved, would favor corrective changes to corporate behavior even where that would lessen their investment returns. Two important questions arise: (1) given existing law, are such willing-to-sacrifice equity investors currently affecting firm behavior; and (2) should there be legal reform that makes firms more sensitive to these willing-to-sacrifice investors’ preferences? This Article seeks to answer …

The Information Content Of The Implied Volatility Term Structure Slope For Forecasting Commodity Market Volatility, Lawrence E. Mckenzie

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

This study evaluates the implied volatility term structure (IVTS) slope (𝜅) for forecasting 21-day realized volatility against traditional time-series benchmarks and a 3-month continuous futures baseline. Using a matched sample of eight energy and agricultural commodities spanning 2007 to 2019, the study explicitly tests whether the option-implied slope contains unique predictive information beyond deferred price histories. The empirical findings yield three primary insights. First, redundancy testing indicates that the slope parameter delivers a statistically significant, independent risk signal even when controlling for deferred continuous futures paths. Second, an integrated joint encompassing framework that combines near-term historical volatility, generalized autoregressive conditional …

Promotion Architecture: A Deal Fairness Model Of Restricted Price Promotions, Shangwen Yi, David Hardisty, Dale Griffin, Thomas Allard

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This research examines the effectiveness of two common types of restricted price promotions: threshold promotions (conditional on spending more than a threshold amount; e.g., “Get $5 off on orders of $10 or more”) and capped promotions (limited to a maximum dollar value; e.g., “Get 50% off, up to $5 per order”). Results from seven pre-registered studies, including one field study, show that threshold promotions lead to higher purchase intentions and conversion rates (but potentially lower purchase amounts) than comparable capped promotions—even though capped promotions are equivalent in maximal economic savings for the consumer—when the trigger value (the spending amount at …

Retention During Turbulent Times Of Higher Education: Modeling Intent To Leave Academia For Research University Faculty, Jordan Monroe Ball

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

University faculty operate as the lifeblood of any institution given that their job requires a “double duty” to develop both scholarly research and student minds. Due in large part to these expectations, research shows a long history of poor mental health for faculty, which ultimately results in faculty turnover. One model of faculty work motivation (Padilla et al., 2023) details the way in which the faculty work environment influences their mental health, and subsequently informs their job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to leave academia, which serves as a proxy for turnover. Retention related issues have not been a pressing …

Ethics Under Siege: The Conflict In Tigray Through The Lens Of Just War Theory, Daniela Widya Purba

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

This research article explains the ethical principles of the conflict in Tigray based on the Just War Theory. By using the descriptive qualitative methodology, this research article draws data from secondary sources which includes; academic journals, news reports, as well as international legal instruments to analyze the moral trajectory of the conflict. This research begins with jus ad bellum, to assess Ethiopia’s government justification in declaring conflict within Tigray. While the government fulfilled the criteria of just cause and legitimate authority, the question stands on the ambiguous political intentions and the failure to enact peaceful alternatives before resulting in waging …

Ripples Of A Global Health Crisis: 2019’S Pandemic And Its Impact On Sharia-Compliant Equities In Oic Countries, Windiya Saputri, Nur Fatwa, Nurwahidin Nurwahidin

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

The outbreak of COVID-19 marked not only a global health emergency but also a strategic shock with profound economic implications, particularly for developing economies. This study investigates how Sharia-compliant stock markets in selected OIC countries responded to the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Using an event study approach, the analysis focuses on abnormal returns (AR) from six major Islamic indices representing Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Qatar. The results reveal that the pandemic announcement carried significant informational content, as reflected in the notable ARs across all …

Unlocking The Past: Chemical Cleaning And Xrf Analysis In The Restoration Of A Renowned Work Of Art, Crisencio M. Paner

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This study presents the conservation and scientific analysis of a painting by Ang Kiukok, a prominent Filipino National Artist. The project emphasized preventive and restorative conservation, focusing on cleaning methods and pigment identification using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The findings provide valuable insights for developing effective preservation strategies and enhance our understanding of the artist’s materials and techniques, thereby contributing significantly to the documentation and advancement of Philippine art history. Conservation trainees, under expert supervision, followed a structured restoration process. For initial cleaning, three standard materials were used: Vulpex (a non-acidic liquid soap), Artist’s Picture Cleaner, and purified beeswax. These …

Healer Or Human? How Online Physician Reviews Guide Patient Choice, Shabnam Azimi, Sina Ansari, Ignacio Luri, Atefeh Yazdanparast

Faculty Publications

Online reviews increasingly guide physician choice, yet it remains unclear whether content emphasizing a physician's competence (technical skills) or benevolence (prioritizing patients' welfare over self‐interest) more strongly influences patients' decisions. Integrating a field study of 12,351 physician reviews with two online experiments, we distinguish two dimensions of review effectiveness: how helpful readers find a review, and how confident they feel about the choice it informs. We show that competence‐ and benevolence‐focused content influences these outcomes through distinct mechanisms. Benevolence‐focused reviews receive higher helpfulness evaluations because caring behaviors are easier to describe in concrete, vivid language and because naturalistic review platforms …

Redefining Creativity: Exploring The Value Of Generative Ai In Art, Zaldy D. Duenas Iii

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

Artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly transformed human activities and industries, including education, business, healthcare, entertainment, and the arts. The creative and artistic sector, in particular, has been significantly impacted, giving rise to public discourse around AI-generated art, commonly termed "AI art ."Advances in generative AI tools have disrupted traditional artistic practices by enabling rapid and seamless image generation from text prompts. These emerging AI technologies have introduced various economic, legal, ethical, and philosophical debates surrounding creativity in AI-generated works. In line with this, this paper examines the implications of generative AI on art and creativity, posing the central question: "Can …

Artificial Intelligence And Technology - Joni Full Issue July 2026, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

From Access To Accountability: Closing The Nonprofit Data Gap In Fintech Lending, Oluwatomisin Olubakinde

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Financial technology is often treated as a promising path toward financial inclusion. Mobile banking, alternative credit scoring, and AI-assisted underwriting have expanded access to financial products, but access alone does not guarantee fair outcomes. This piece frames fintech accountability as a nonprofit data accessibility issue. Nonprofits working in financial inclusion cannot fully evaluate fintech referrals or partnerships when the data behind approval decisions, pricing patterns, denial reasons, and appeal pathways remain inaccessible. Drawing on research in fintech lending and algorithmic fairness, the paper shows how data inputs, model design, and approval thresholds shape who benefits from fintech and who may …

Batujaya Sebagai Destinasi Wisata Edukasi Sejarah, Retno Raswaty

Multikultura

The Batujaya site in Karawang Regency is a National-level Cultural Heritage Area that houses the oldest Buddhist temple complex on Java Island. However, its potential as an educational tourism destination has not yet been optimally developed. This article examines the educational value of Batujaya through experiential learning, historical thinking, and episodic memory approaches. It demonstrates that direct learning at historical sites delivers a stronger cognitive and affective impact compared to textual learning in the classroom. Based on archaeological findings, Batujaya is identified as having a dual function as both a center of worship and a center of learning in the …

Summary & Discussion On United Nations Preliminary Report On Ai: Benefits And Harms Of Artificial Intelligence For Civil Society, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

In July 2026, the United Nations' newly formed Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence released its first Preliminary Report, offering the first global, scientific assessment of AI's capabilities, risks, and impacts. This article examines the report's findings through the lens of civil society, organizing the Panel's evidence around three questions of direct relevance to nonprofit leaders and researchers: how rapidly AI capability is advancing, who controls its development, and where its benefits and harms are concentrated. Drawing on the Panel's data across societal applications, economic implications, human rights and information integrity, cultural flourishing and child safety, and AI governance, …

Marketing Strategies To Enhance Awareness And Attract International Patients In The Medical Tourism Industry Of Trinidad And Tobago, Natasha Rachel Rochford-Chance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disseminating inadequate service information can limit a business's market appeal and hinder its growth. Business leaders must include comprehensive service information in their marketing strategies, as inadequate service information can make a business seem unappealing to potential clients, undermine competitive position, reduce market share, and diminish profitability. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the marketing strategies used by medical tourism business leaders in Trinidad and Tobago to attract international patients and increase profitability. The participants were eight medical tourism business leaders with experience in implementing marketing strategies. McCarthy's marketing mix theory of product, price, place, and …

The Impact Of Mandatory And Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) On Firm Value (A Study On Lq45 Index Companies During 2021–2024), Carissa Cetta Dravita, Nanny Dewi Tanzil, Runita Arum Kanti

Journal of Accounting Auditing and Business

This study examines whether mandatory and voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure have different associations with firm value among companies included in Indonesia's LQ45 index during 2021–2024. Using a balanced panel of 25 consistently listed and reporting firms (100 firm-year observations), the study constructs two non-overlapping, binary content-analysis indices: a mandatory disclosure index based on POJK 51/POJK.03/2017 and SEOJK 16/SEOJK.04/2021, and a voluntary disclosure index based on additional GRI Standards 2021 items. Firm value is measured using Tobin's Q. The pooled Main Model includes firm size and return on equity as controls and reports firm-clustered robust standard errors, with year-effects, …

Who Bears The Burden: Tax Incidence And Water Governance In The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (Mrgcd) Within Bernalillo County, Michael W. Wilson

Economics ETDs

This study examines how property-value-based assessments within a large western irrigation and flood-control district distribute fiscal burdens across property owners. The empirical analysis is restricted to Bernalillo County within the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD), using parcel-level administrative data from fiscal year 2025 merged with 2021 irrigation service records and geospatial information. The analysis classifies 34,397 parcels by irrigation status, agricultural valuation enrollment, and primary use to evaluate whether non-irrigating residential and commercial parcels, including renter-occupied properties that lack direct irrigation access, bear a disproportionate share of financial responsibility for a district whose first listed priority under their primary …

The Dynamic Interplay Between Agency Costs And Whistleblowing: Evidence From West African Banks, Titilayo Moromoke Oladejo Dr.

Arab Economic and Business Journal

Agency issues have been a significant issue of governance in banks, particularly in the emerging economies where information asymmetry and ineffective monitoring mechanisms allow managerial opportunism. In West Africa, banking crises are common and are associated with excessive insider lending, ineffective board supervision and internal controls, which highlights the importance of more effective governance mechanisms. This paper examines the two-way relationship between the agency costs (AGC) and whistleblowing (WBH) in listed banks in Nigeria and Ghana. The analysis is based on panel data from 2017-2024 and a two-step System GMM, which adjusts the endogeneity and dynamic effects and estimates the …

“It’S Its Own Toxic”: Occupational Opportunities And Barriers For Lgbq+ Collegiate Athletic Administrators, Colleen S. O'Connell, Michelle E. Moosbrugger, Jill Kochanek, Elizabeth M. Mullin

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Athletic administrators hold positions of influence within intercollegiate sport, yet their experiences, especially in relation to sexual identity, remain underexamined. The purpose of this study was to explore the occupational experiences and environments of LGBQ+ intercollegiate athletic administrators using a narrative inquiry qualitative design. Sixteen administrators, who occupied various positions across all NCAA levels, were interviewed. Guided by Sexual Stigma and Prejudice Theory and Poststructuralism Theory, collected data were analyzed at the semantic and latent levels using reflexive thematic analysis. Two distinct themes were generated: LGBQ+ administrators described both positive and negative aspects of their workplaces. Inclusive environments were committed …

Stop Blaming My Users: Illumination Of The Technocentric Mythos Bias, Ervin H. Frenzel, Richard Lightcap

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

 Abstract -This conceptual essay addresses the need for systemic and systematic transdisciplinary analytical techniques within cybersecurity and technical security. This conceptual essay is contingent upon recognition that cybersecurity is not simply technical in nature, it does not need an adversary, and more importantly it is based upon systems engineering and systems thinking.  The essay contributes a socio-technical attribution chain and field-specific ontology/taxonomy which distinguish user-triggered events from root causes, latent conditions, technical debt, validation failures, governance failures, and attribution bias before assigning responsibility to end users. It systematically defines an ontology inclusive of developer technical debt, organizational debt arising from …

The Tragedy Of The Cognitive Commons: How Ai Could Disrupt The Regeneration Of Professional Expertise, Nolan C. Lovett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence is reshaping cognitive work, but Human Resource Development scholarship has treated this transformation as an organizational training challenge, leaving the collective regeneration of professional expertise unexamined. This conceptual paper introduces the Cognitive Commons framework, integrating commons theory, HRD scholarship, and distributed cognition to explain how rational AI adoption decisions can deplete the shared expertise pool professions require for renewal. The framework distinguishes Internalized Mastery (deep domain knowledge from sustained practice) from Distributed Mastery (orchestrating human-AI systems), and develops the Validation Tether: effective AI oversight depends on the expertise AI adoption may undermine. Early labor market and clinical evidence …

International Student Athletes And The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: Disruption, Uncertainty, And Coping, Isabella M. Franks, Trent A. Petrie, Whitney G. Moore, Carmyn Hayes

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

COVID-19 and its ripple effects (e.g., social distancing, sport cancellations, quarantining) negatively affected the careers of collegiate student-athletes. The disruption to university systems and collegiate athletics and the stress and uncertainty felt globally likely increased international student-athletes' (ISAs) risk for distress. Yet, ISAs also possessed unique characteristics and were immersed within supportive sport environments, which may have shaped their psychological responses in distinct ways. The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to understand how ISAs, as individuals navigating both athletic and international identities, responded and coped. To date, no study has examined the initial coping experiences of international collegiate athletes, even …

An Introduction To The China Land Sales Data Set: The Universe Of Land-Use-Right Transfers In China 2000-2022, Yilin Hou, Lin Li, Qiang Ren

Center for Policy Research

The China Land Sales Data Set (2000-2022) includes the universe of land-use-right sales in China in the first 23 years of the 21st century, a period of the fastest mass urbanization and intense infrastructure construction in China’s history, that accompanied the rapid growth of China’s economy and household income. For this reason, this data set carries substance in many ways for anyone who needs to understand the occurrences in China of that period. The phrase “land sale” refers to the transfer of land-use right from the state as the sole owner of urban land to any individual, firm or entity …

Ai Adoption And Organizational Resilience In Turbulent Environments: The Mediating Role Of Employee Digital Literacy And The Moderating Role Of Innovation-Supportive Climate In The Iraqi Hospitality Sector, Hasan Mutashar Gbouri

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study examines whether adopting artificial intelligence (AI) strengthens organizational resilience when the operating environment is hostile, and identifies the internal conditions an organization must satisfy before an AI investment translates into resilience. Two mechanisms anchor the argument: employee digital literacy, which carries the effect, and an innovation-supportive climate, which conditions it. We surveyed 400 employees across three premium hotels in Baghdad, Iraq, sampled by operational level, and tested the model with structural equation modeling in AMOS 26.0. The results show that AI adoption alone yields only a modest direct gain in resilience. Slightly more than half of its total …

When Auditors Trust Ai: A Qualitative Study Of Professional Judgment, Data Quality, And Adoption Barriers In Lebanon, Joseph Serghani

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study explores auditors’ trust in AI in a limited-resource and turbulent context, namely Lebanon. Using semi-structured interviews with 14 junior and senior auditors in Lebanon, this study identifies the factors that make auditors either willing or unwilling to trust in AI-powered audit processes. The results indicate that auditors perceive the potential benefits of AI, such as increased speed, capacity, and ability to detect anomalies. Yet, trust in AI is limited by concerns about implementation costs, the erosion of professional judgment, blockchain complexity, data overload, and reliance on high-quality data. Instead of excluding AI from the equation, auditors perceive it …

The Influence Of Pestle Factors On Organizational Culture, Structures, And Operational Risks Within Multinational Enterprises In The East African Community: A Qualitative Study, Sherria Mcguire

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative multiple-case study investigated the impact of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTLE) factors on the structures, culture, and operational risks of multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating within the East African Community (EAC). Despite the recognized importance of macro-environmental analysis in international business research, limited empirical research had examined how PESTLE factors systematically shape operational risks in institutionally diverse and emerging markets. The study addressed the lack of a structured framework for evaluating these risks, which contributed to misalignment between host country conditions and organizational strategies. This study employed a pragmatic qualitative multiple-case study design, informed by research …

Effective Strategies To Improve Telemedicine Services For Veterans In Baltimore, Maryland: A Qualitative Single-Case Study, Dolapo Uthman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative single-case study investigated the inefficiency and limited accessibility of telemedicine services within a selected healthcare organization located in Baltimore, Maryland. The purpose of this study was to investigate how telemedicine services can be improved to enhance healthcare outcomes for patients and their overall quality of life. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 16 participants, supported by fieldnotes, and publicly available documents, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Methodological triangulation was used to validate the findings to ensure credibility and consistency. The research indicated that telemedicine enhances access to healthcare and supports continuity of care, especially for …

Banks' Conservative Lending Since Covid-19: The Effect On Trading Rates, Daniella Puig

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigated how bank’s conservative lending during the COVID-19 global pandemic affected trading rates, examined through a constructivist lens and established with a flexible, mixed-methods design. Rather than addressing bank behavior and market pricing in a mechanical way, this study contextualizes mortgage lending conservatism as a response to uncertainty derived from a socially constructed interpretation of risk, the financial narrative at the time, and regulatory policy. Using qualitative interviews with mortgage lenders, combined with a quantitative analysis of survey data, this research explores mortgage lending decision- making during the crisis. The flexible design enables the use of both qualitative …