Digital Commons Network^™

Empirical Program Evaluation In Operations Management, Kai Tian

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation focuses on advancing and applying empirical program evaluation methodologies in Operations Management (OM), defining it not as mere prediction but as rigorously establishing causal effects of interventions. Chapter 2 lays the theoretical groundwork, defining empirical program evaluation within OM, detailing its alignment with causal inference, and outlining both classical econometric techniques and emerging Causal Machine Learning (CML) approaches for mitigating endogeneity. Building on this foundation, Chapter 3 presents an empirical application, evaluating the causal impact of a customer targeting strategy using live-streaming advertisements, employing Propensity Score Matching (PSM) in conjunction with linear regression models to derive actionable insights …

Which Offer Should I Take? The Impact Of Various Recruiting Factors On Accounting Students' Internship Choice, Matthew Hart, Joleen Kremin

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigates factors in the recruiting process that influence accounting students’ choice of internship offers, especially when multiple internship offers are present. We surveyed 254 graduate students over several years after being recruited for busy season internships; 196 students received multiple offers and form our primary participant group. We find that students’ perceptions of seniors and staff personalities is the most influential factor during the recruiting process. Personality perceptions of other firm personnel, office visits, and internship location were also among the most influential factors in recruiting when students had to choose among multiple offers. We also find that, …

Exploratory Study On Factors That Impact Job Embeddedness For Northeast Government And Commercial Aerospace Procurement Specialists, Nicholas Alaimo

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined job embeddedness theory and its impact on commercial and government aerospace procurement professionals in the Northeast United States. The research sought to understand the factors that influence why these professionals remain in their positions and what elements contribute to improved job performance. Job embeddedness theory explains employee retention through three key factors: perceived fit within their role, perceived links to organizational culture, and perceived sacrifices that would result from leaving.

The study identified six main themes. First, the research found both similarities and differences in how aerospace procurement specialists connect with aerospace culture in government subcontracting …

Integrating Blockchain Technology Into Telemedicine: A Framework For Enhancing Data Privacy And Security, Harsha Sammangi, Aditya Jagatha, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

This paper presents a blockchain-based framework designed to enhance data privacy, integrity, and security in telemedicine systems. The proposed architecture employs distributed ledger technology to ensure transparency, traceability, and immutability of patient data exchanges among healthcare providers. Smart contracts automate access permissions and auditing processes, reducing the risks of unauthorized data sharing. The study evaluates the framework’s performance in secure data handling, highlighting blockchain’s role in fostering patient trust and resilience against cyberattacks in remote healthcare environments.

Life Cycle Analysis Of Cosmetic Products -- Assessing Environmental Sustainability And Potential Impacts, Karina Magro Machado

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The cosmetic industry has a significant environmental footprint due to its reliance on water, energy, petrochemical-derived ingredients, and plastic-based packaging. This study performs a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of three cosmetic products: CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion, bareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush, and Gillette Foamy Regular Shave Cream. The analysis was conducted using OpenLCA software and free databases, modeling each product across raw materials, packaging, manufacturing, transportation, use and end-of-life phases. The results showed that the shave cream had the highest environmental burden to three out of the four categories, especially in consumption and carbon …

Immersive Influence: Examining The Impact Of Virtual Reality On Brand Perception Among The Innovation Generation, Holden Gaylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Now more than ever, brands must create innovative and engaging experiences to enhance perception and build consumer trust. Virtual reality (VR) offers an opportunity for brands to achieve these goals by providing immersive, interactive experiences that, when done right, can strengthen key brand metrics. Despite the growing use of VR in experiential marketing, research on VR’s effectiveness in shaping brand perception and influencing authenticity remains limited. Grounded in media richness theory, this study examined how VR impacts brand perception and whether media richness influences authenticity.

Using a mixed-methods approach, 20 participants engaged with the “Wendyverse,” a branded VR environment. Pre-, …

Diversity In Beauty Brand Marketing On Instagram: The Case Of Fenty Beauty, Julia K. Narh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diversity in beauty brand marketing is increasingly important as platforms like Instagram shape consumer perceptions. This study analyzes how Fenty Beauty, MAC Cosmetics, and L’Oréal represent diversity, particularly skin tone, in their Instagram content, using source credibility theory and social identity theory. A content analysis was conducted to evaluate how visual elements relate to engagement, measured by likes, comments, and shares. Findings show that Fenty Beauty features more dark-skinned models than its competitors. However, posts with darker-skinned models do not receive higher engagement. Instead, factors like model attractiveness and hair type, especially curly hair, drive interaction. Although Fenty’s posts generally …

Foreign Direct Investment And Political Freedom: Causes And Correlations In Panel Data, Colton N. Atha

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Analyzing correlates between political freedom and foreign direct investment through regressions of panel data in order to ascertain the effects a host nation can realize in a globalizing economy by changing their political systems.

A Qualitative Study: Patients' Expectation Of Private Hospitals, Sarah Jada, Jessy Jacob, Ahmad Nasrallah

Patient Experience Journal

Objectives: This study was conducted to explore patients' expectations and perceptions of private healthcare facilities, understand the key factors influencing their choice of such facilities, also identify elements that enhance patient satisfaction and loyalty, enabling the development of actionable recommendations to improve patient-centered care in private healthcare settings. Method: A qualitative study using thematic analysis was conducted with 29 patients from various nationalities and backgrounds who received services in private hospitals in Kuwait, including Dar Al Shifa Hospital. Insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Results: The study delved into the significant correlation between patients' experience of their healthcare encounters and …

Escuchame: A Story Of Patient Resilience, Daniel Murillo Armenta, John Paul Braun

Patient Experience Journal

This article is a narrative following a patient's experience through the American Healthcare system. This article is written by a second-year medical student. During this time the individual repeatedly engaged in different specialties of medicine such as neurology, neurosurgery, oncology, emergency medicine, gynecology, and primary care. This narrative demonstrates how certain issues such as healthcare access, patient demographics, defective communication, and general mistrust of the healthcare system negatively impact patient outcomes. As an uninsured immigrant, the patient was in a disadvantaged position when her health problems first began. Due to her lack of insurance, she did not have an established …

Re-Recruitment: An Essential Aspect Of Human Experience, Thom Mayer, David Fessell, Amy Young

Patient Experience Journal

Healthcare staffing is a major issue facing leaders at all levels and is affected by turnover rates in ``The Great Resignation,'' as well as the issue of burnout, moral injury, and turnover. In seeking to deal with defining and making human experience as reality, these factors affect every level, from patient experience to workforce experience to community experience, all of which are related to not just adequate staffing and preventing turnover but doing so with our highest performing ``A Team'' members. Using the tool of re-recruitment of these high-level professionals and team members can be critical to retaining talent, while …

Mortgage Default Classification Modeling For Variable Analysis, Brendan R. Goggins

Honors College Theses

The financial crisis of the early 2000’s is a prime example of the severe consequences that mortgage default and borrower insolvency can have on economies at large. Mortgage default specifically is a prime case with the popularization of mortgage backed securities and the commonality of this loan structure. Multiple hypotheses and models have been formed to understand the reasons, causes, and consequences of mortgage default. This paper uses both machine learning and statistical classification models to inform an understanding of the variables most significant and impactful to the default outcome of mortgages. Consideration is given to both loan-level microeconomic variables …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Religiosity And Violence Prevention Programs On Violence Amongst Adolescents In The U.S., Ngoc Nguyen, John Paulson, Quentin Maynard, Thu T. Ha

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Youth violence is a societal concern in the United States due to its negative consequences on individuals and communities. The current study aimed to examine the potential mitigating factors of violence prevention programs and religiosity in reducing youth violence among African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian American adolescents in the United States. It also tested the moderation effects of sex on religiosity and violence prevention programs with youth violence. Results of the main effects revealed that adolescents who attended violence prevention programs were generally less likely to engage in violence than those who did not; and that adolescents who were …

Optimizing Operation Processes And Supply Chain Management For Enhanced Service And Product Quality In Quick Service Restaurants, Joel Mark Rodriguez, Hanna V. Reambonanza, Lourdes Palallos

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Research Aims: The research aimed to identify the relationship between operational processes, supply chain management, and their impact on the quality of service and products in Quick Service Restaurants in the Philippines. It addresses a very critical research gap by providing empirical evidence on how these factors collectively influence business performance.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research design was used – structured questionnaires were administered to 392 QSR employees and managers working in different locations of the Philippines. Data analysis used correlation, regression, and SEM for robustness.

Research Findings: The research proved that sound operational management and supply chain practices improved the …

Enforcement In Human Rights Due Diligence Laws: A Comparative Analysis, Ryan Schmidt

Pepperdine Law Review

This Comment embarks on a comparative analysis of a variety human rights due diligence (HRDD) laws. It examines six different laws related to human trafficking and supply chains. These laws originate from five different countries and fit into two categories: (1) laws requiring a company to report what, if any, human rights due diligence it engages in and (2) laws that require more than just reporting. By surveying a wide sample of HRDD laws, this Comment provides a broad overview of this area of the law. It also describes the range of legal obligations that multinational enterprises face in different …

The Tax Adviser, Volume 16, Number 3, March 1985, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Trends, Nicholas J. Fiore

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Washington Report: Meeting With Irs Associate Commissioner (Operations), Kenneth F. Thomas, Edward S. Karl

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Clinic, Gerald W. Padwe

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Dra Changes Affecting Charitable Contributions, Estate And Gift Tax Valuations And Appraisers, James E. Merritt, Tony M. Edwards

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Reconsidering Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Associations Under The Dra, Thomas M. Porcano

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

The Tax Adviser, Volume 16, Number 2, February 1985, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Trends, Nicholas J. Fiore

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Clinic, Thomas Ochsenschlager

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Estate Planning, Bernard Barnett

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Trends, Nicholas J. Fiore

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Are All Sports Betting Losses Created Equal?, Dylan M. Hollick

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This study investigates how the cash out feature in sports betting influences bettor reaction to loss and short-term bet likelihood. The cash out changes the mechanics of a sports betting loss outcome in several ways. By getting some of the bet’s stake back through a cash out loss, the transaction mimics a larger loss-smaller gain joint outcome as opposed to a single loss at the time of the bet’s placement. The cash out also introduces the opportunity for regret or positive counterfactuals depending on the cash outs “correctness”. Using survey data from college students responding to hypothetical betting scenarios, it …

Cover Cropping: How Sustainability & Economics Can Work Hand In Hand (Pt. Ii), Emma Reyes

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Research finds that while the average rate of soil erosion under natural conditions occurs at less than 1.9 Mg per hectare per year, the current rate of erosion for United States agricultural soils occurs at 6.7 Mg per hectare per year (Nearing et al., 2017). This problem is further heightened by the fact that many farmers are concerned about the added expenses that may come from the use of sustainable practices. As a result, this may lead to an increase in the practice of more harmful conventional agricultural techniques if they continue to be considered more economically beneficial in comparison. …

Decade-Long Deals: The Forces Driving Mlb’S Lengthening Contracts, Benjamin Cuccolo

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This study investigates the economic and institutional factors that influence lengthening contracts in Major League Baseball. Using a dataset of 652 free agent position players that signed for two years or longer from 1991 to 2025, this paper explores how factors such as age, relative player performance, collective bargaining agreements, and risk management strategies affect contract length. Results from the regression model show that younger players that are higher performing are more likely to receive long-term deals. Additionally, those that are extended a qualifying offer also typically sign for longer term deals as suggested by the regression results. A separate …