Digital Commons Network^™

The Secret Service Industry: Reimagining Trade Secret Protections To Curb Exploitation In The Hospitality Industry, Caleb Graham

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

This paper observes and analyzes the current discussion around the exuberant use of non-compete clauses in the business world by placing a focus on the hospitality industry and why, in an time where we are witnessing the demonization of non-competes it might be prudent to revisit and enhance trade secret laws to make them better equipped to handle the caseload that would inevitably come should non-competes be banned by the FTC. While the near-ban or complete ban of non-competes would certainly affect other industry fields and bodies of law, the hospitality industry is one that has been particularly scrutinized as …

Canadian Small And Medium Enterprises Use Of Social Media To Improve Brand Awareness, Margaret Blackburn Kay Shepherd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must grow their brand awareness to attract and sustain business. This study delves into the social media marketing strategies SME managers use to improve brand awareness. Guided by Aaker’s brand equity model as the conceptual framework, the study was to identify key elements SMEs can leverage to strengthen their social media presence. This qualitative multiple case study across sectors included six participants who were managers of SMEs in Ontario, Canada, who had proven their ability to leverage key elements of social media marketing for brand awareness. Data analysis relied on Yin’s five-step process and the …

The Impact Of Sec Deadline: Does Accelerated Sec Filing Deadlines For Publicly Traded Companies Increase Restatements Of Financial Statements?, Angela Sutton

Honors Projects in Accounting

This paper examines the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) requirement of the 10-K filing deadlines and how the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) regulations can cause an increase in the likelihood of misstatements in financial reporting by publicly traded companies. The SEC shortening the deadline time frame had a negative impact on smaller companies since auditors were focusing more on larger companies to get the report done in an effective and timely manner. Investors, in turn, perceive smaller companies as having internal control weaknesses due to being late to file their reports. Data will be collected from all 10-K filing deadlines …

The Influence Of Advertised Social, Academic, And Athletic Life On Decision-Making Across Different College And University Community Sizes, Elizabeth Hall

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study aims to understand how colleges use social media advertisements to promote different aspects of their school and appeal to potential students. The literature explores the impact of social media marketing by colleges and universities on students’ decision-making processes regarding their attitudes based on student life aspects and the size of the school. It emphasizes the need for targeted strategies and highlights the importance of understanding audience demographics, brand image, and effective promotion tactics to optimize resources and foster personal connections. A 3x3 experiment was conducted with the categories being campus sizes (small, medium, and large) and different aspects …

Assessing The Long-Term Impact Of Initial Market Performance On Investors’ Risk-Taking Behavior, Drew Mahoney

Honors Projects in Finance

Since World War II, financial markets have been traditionally analyzed through quantitative models, yet these approaches often fail to account for the psychological and behavioral tendencies of investors. This study examines how investors’ initial experiences with market conditions shape their long-term risk-taking behavior. Findings suggest that individual market experiences, personal background, demographics, and other factors all influence how investors perceive risk. For instance, those who enter the market during periods of volatility may develop a more risk-averse mindset, while investors who experience strong bull markets early on may become overconfident in their future decisions. These insights have significant implications for …

A Relational Approach To Workplace Leadership, Nathaniel J. Hunt

M.S. in Leadership

This research project examines relational leadership as an ethical and strategic foundation for fostering effective workplaces. Motivated by the growing importance of human connection in leadership, the study integrates philosophical insights, particularly Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics of the face of the Other, with empirical evidence on workplace relationship-building. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a structured survey of 32 professionals with thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Results confirmed that strategies such as encouraging knowledge-sharing and cultivating positive relational climates significantly enhance employee well-being, psychological safety, and organizational performance. Knowledge-sharing emerged as the most effective strategy, while relationship-building was found to be …

2025- The Twenty-Ninth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the 29th Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 16-18, 2025. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

The Moderating Effect Of Organizational Culture On The Relationships Between Job Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, And Employee Turnover Intentions, Irene N. Agbodjah

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Retaining top talent is a growing challenge in the United States. High employee turnover, as highlighted in the study, is a significant concern for many organizations. A recent Gallup survey, revealed that nearly half of U.S. workers are actively seeking or monitoring employment prospects, with approximately 48% of U.S. workers being in this category. This quantitative, nonexperimental, and correlational study involved the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument, Organizational Engagement Scale, Job Satisfaction Survey, and Turnover Intent Questionnaire, drawing on the experiences of 120 participants to examine the moderating role of organizational culture in the relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and …

Who’S More Likely To Do Science Philanthropy? Research On The Factors Influencing Chinese Private Entrepreneurs’ Willingness To Do Science Philanthropy, Tsz Ho Tony Lau

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

China’s investment in scientific research funds feature relatively small amount and unitary structure of source. In recent years, the Chinese government has constantly issued policies to encourage social capital to participate in scientific research, especially fundamental research, by charitable donations or the like, but no significant results have been achieved. China's private entrepreneurs are the main force behind charitable giving. Therefore, it is imperative to engage these private entrepreneurs.

This thesis works on the characteristics of private entrepreneurs who are more likely to donate to scientific research. It can be divided into two parts/studies of research: 1) the impact of …

On The Borders: Black Women’S Multiple And Competing Social Identities And Expectations, And The Impact On Their Intragroup Leadership And Relational Experiences, Clover Baker-Brown

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Black women in the United States are often portrayed as a monolithic and unified group—defined primarily by racial identity and expectations of a shared understanding of common experiences. However, while racial identity is frequently foregrounded in public discourse, this framing often overlooks the overlapping of Black women’s multiple identities and the influence on their sense of belonging in their various groups. This omission can be subtle yet misleading. How Black women choose to self-identify may result in competing expectations or intragroup mistrust, which can impact their overall leadership and relational experiences. Black women's social identities are diverse, vibrant, and transcend …

Sex & Startups, Jens Frankenreiter, Talia B. Gillis, Eric L. Talley

Faculty Scholarship

Private law offers a unique solution to the problem of long-term fiscal commitment. When Congress enacts a spending program that will take many years to reach fruition, there is a risk of a subsequent Congress or President cutting off funding in the interim. There is no escape from the problem within appropriations law itself. One solution, however, is to entrust private sector allies as vessels of long-term commitment. As a matter of political economy, that solution draws on policy-feedback theory. As a matter of law, the solution rests on a mechanism that Congress already uses but has not recognized its …

Analyzing Stability Of Estimates At Completion For Long Duration Development Efforts, Bradley Vuu, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Brandon M. Lucas, Edward D. White

Faculty Publications

Defense program managers utilize Earned Value Management (EVM) methodologies to measure, report, and predict the cost and schedule performance of their programs. Previous research conducted by Christensen (1996) and Kim et al. (2019) has shown varied results in the stability of EVM Estimates at Completion (EACs). Stability is defined as a 10% or less deviation from the final EAC at a specified percent completion point of the program. The Christensen (1996) and Kim et al. (2019) studies also noted that program-specific factors, such as phase, can impact the accuracy of EVM metrics. This study builds upon those works by assessing …

Aggregate Earnings And Global Equity Returns, Yigit Atilgan, K. Ozgur Demirtas, A. Doruk Gunaydin, Aynur Dilan Tosun, Duygu Zirek

Department of Accounting and Finance Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper compares the predictive power of aggregate earnings for equity returns in international markets. We rank 51 non-US countries based on the time-series averages of their price synchronicity and market concentration measures, calculated at the firm level using daily data. We find that aggregate earnings negatively predict one-quarter-ahead stock returns in country groups that contain less synchronous and concentrated markets, as opposed to country groups that contain more synchronous and concentrated markets. We attribute the negative predictive power of aggregate earnings to a business cycle effect because high (low) corporate earnings correspond to economic expansions (contractions) that tend to …

Interactive Worksheets For Self-Study, Alice Luby

Case studies: Digital Education

Students can be intimated when attempting exam style questions in modules that require computations and numeric content. The large volume of numbers and the need for computations in Accounting can be very challenging for students, especially for those who don’t intend on becoming an accountant when they graduate. Some don’t have the confidence to get started or fear that if they get the first part wrong that they are wasting their time. It can be very difficult for students to get started on a question and to develop the skills they need to pass the end of year examination.

Capital Formation, The Sec, And Accredited Investors, Neal F. Newman, Lawrence J. Trautman, Brian Elzweig

Faculty Scholarship

Protecting the investing public, while simultaneously facilitating the efficient flow of capital needed by all new and growing businesses continues as a primary responsibility of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Enhancing the capital formation process is a necessary step in the creation of jobs and growth of any economy. Central to the SEC’s regulatory schematic is the proposition that some particularly sophisticated and wealthy investors require less protection than those with less knowledge, experience, and resources. During December 2023, for just the third time, the SEC staff issued a report examining the status of the natural person accredited …

Going Non-Par: What Are Your Options?; With Sidebar: One Dentist’S Experience With Going Non-Par, Alan Laing Dds, Mba, Greg Maxson Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The article discusses the considerations for dental practices contemplating dropping insurance participation (going non-par). It emphasizes the importance of analyzing practice objectives, patient demographics, competition, and financial policies before making this decision. The transition to non-par status can impact patient relationships and requires a strong financial and collection policy. Ultimately, the decision should be based on a thorough understanding of the practice and its goals.

The sidebar presents supplementary content and includes a call for MDA members to share their experiences with non-participation in insurance plans and features Dr. Greg Maxson's personal account of going non-par. Dr. Maxson emphasizes that …

Is More Always Better? An Experimental Examination Of The Effects Of Feedback Frequency, Narcissistic Oversensitivity, And Growth Mindset On Performance Accuracy, Joseph A. Johnson, Khim Kelly, Wioleta Olczak

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

The provision of more frequent feedback to employees is increasing, although prior research has found mixed results as to the effect of increased feedback frequency on employee performance. Narcissism research identifies narcissistic oversensitivity as a key narcissistic subdimension that may result in particularly strong responses to performance feedback. We predict and find in an experiment that increased performance feedback frequency has a more negative impact on the performance accuracy of individuals with higher levels of narcissistic oversensitivity and that this negative interactive effect of feedback frequency and narcissistic oversensitivity is mitigated by the priming of a growth mindset. These results …

The Effect Of Narcissism And Contract Frame On Employee Performance In The Presence Of An Ex Ante Target, Theresa Libby, Wioleta Olczak

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Incentive contracts containing ex ante targets are prevalent in organizations. Although prior research indicates that contract frame has no significant impact on employee performance when an ex ante target is assigned, we provide a more nuanced view by examining the role of narcissism in this relationship. Results indicate when an ex ante target is assigned, less narcissistic employees perform better than more narcissistic employees regardless of contract frame. In addition, target difficulty plays a role. When narcissism is lower, employees working under a less difficult target perform better than those working under a more difficult target, but there is no …

Augmented, Not Replaced: The Impact Of Ai On Equity Research Analysts, Lawrence Carrea

Senior Theses

The adoption of AI tools into professional workflows has the chance to revolutionize major industries such as the financial services industry. Because equity research is a space that is heavily dependent on data aggregation, forecasting, and report generation, there is a threat of AI replacing human analysts in the next five years. The goal of this study is to determine how the adoption of AI tools will affect the equity research career field. To achieve this goal, a mixed-method approach is employed through a quantitative and qualitative survey. Results from the survey indicate that most finance professionals are already using …

An Analysis Of Burnout In Owner-Operated Businesses, Leslie Madison

M.S. in Leadership

This project explores what professional burnout is in the context of owner-operated businesses. The topic was selected based on my own experiences of burnout in my business. After just a few years of working without boundaries, I began to feel the lingering symptoms of stress. Pushing through the stress of running a creative business on my own eventually led to a state of debilitating burnout that caused me to stop all operations and allow my business to run on auto-pilot. Results of this study show a potential beginning of modern-day professional exhaustion which dates to the 17^th century when …

Internal Control And Urban Investment Bond Issuance, Feixiong Zhu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the rapid growth of China's economy, the financing needs of local governments are increasing, and municipal investment bonds, as animportant financing tool for local governments, play a pivotal role in the capital market. However, the rapid development of the municipal investment bond market has also brought about problems such as inadequate informationdisclosure and accumulation of market risks, which has aroused widespreadconcern about potential financial risks. Against this background, the state has strengthened the regulation of municipal bonds, emphasized the importance of compliance management, and introduced a series of policies and measures toimprove the transparency and standardization of the market. …

Who’S On First, What’S On Second An Analysis Of Major League Baseball Fans And Multiple Points Of Attachment, Ryan W. Dastrup

Theses and Dissertations

Need to write

Reducing Information Asymmetry: Economic Value Of Airbnb Signals In A Small College Town, Hatice Sena Akkurt

Theses and Dissertations

Trust is the backbone of platform operations. Airbnb platform designers implement various methods including trust-building mechanisms, user interface (UI) artifacts, and reputation management systems. Previous research has explored trust in Airbnb, yet little is known about the economic value of trust indicators in smaller cities and rural areas. Thus, this thesis investigates the economic significance of User Interface (UI) artifacts, including the “Superhost” badge, star ratings, and listing photographs, within the peer-to-peer accommodation sector in the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Drawing on signaling theory, we conducted quantitative analysis, to examine the relationship between trust indicators and listing prices, controlling factors like …

Comparing And Contrasting Diversity And Inclusion Concepts: An Identity-Blind And Identity-Conscious Application, William Ward

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation systematically investigates the differences between diversity and inclusion concepts. Notably, this dissertation focuses on exploring the differences between diversity and inclusion climates and recruitment messages. This paper first explores the theoretical traditions that are often applied to diversity (social identity theory) and inclusion climate (optimal distinctiveness theory) and offers guidance on why individuals may react to diversity and inclusion climates differently from the basis of these theoretical foundations. Additionally, this dissertation expands existing theory by promoting a more novel approach of differentiating diversity and inclusion through exploring their relationships with identity-blind and identity-conscious human resource practices. The first …

Do Bank Ceos Learn From Crisis Experiences?, Gloria Yang Yu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Does the early-career exposure of bank CEOs to the 1980s savings and loans (S&L) crisis affect the outcomes of banks they subsequently managed? We measure the S&L crisis exposure by the bank failure rate in the states where CEOs worked during the S&L crisis. Armed with this measure, we find that banks managed by CEOs with higher S&L crisis exposure took on less risk and that these banks better survived the financial crisis of 2008. In particular, CEOs adjusted risk attitudes in areas causing the S&L crisis: their more intense crisis experience reduced banks’ interest rate risk, exposure to risky …

Pedagogical Approaches For Marketing Ethics And Legal Issues, Ellen Raineri, Erin Brennan

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Lapses and violations in marketing ethics and law can result in employee turnover, revenue losses, decreased customer loyalty, criminal prosecution, and civil liability. Although these topics are addressed in some marketing classes, students noted insufficient coverage. Also, inadequate discussion of legal topics can stem from new regulations and faculty lacking legal acumen and experience. To supplement teaching of marketing ethics and law, eight learning activities were developed: marketing ethics audit to identify organizations’ ethical lapses, vulnerabilities, and illegal activities; deceptive marketing campaigns; podcast analysis of marketing and branding legal issues; analysis of photography privacy and property issues within a …

The Use (And Misuse) Of Tariffs In North America: A New Trade War?, Maroula Khraiche, Armando R. Lopez-Velasco, Jean-Baptiste Tondji

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Trade wars may have started. At the time this report was published, the Trump administration had threatened, then paused, a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods. Before the pause, Mexico and Canada were preparing retaliatory tariffs. After the pause, Trump ordered a 25 percent import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the United States to start in March 2025 and announced a plan for tariffs on US trading partners. In this brief, we document the different perspectives and economic consequences of North American trade wars and beyond.

Network Analysis Of Sociotechnical Systems, Siva Kadiresan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Sociotechnical networks have become integral frameworks in the accomplishment of organizational objectives by increasingly diverse, cross-functional, and technology-enabled modern teams. In cross-disciplinary teamwork, multiple mediating and moderating factors appear to lend context to the effects of team diversity faultlines on team outcomes. In the several decades of research into teamwork from a network perspective, there has been a paucity of empirical studies that examine how team transition processes and cross-disciplinary connections influence the impact of faultlines on team performance. This study investigates the association among perceived teamwork effectiveness, transition processes, cross-functional team connections, and faultlines in the context of sociotechnical …

Assess As You Progress, Alice Luby

Case studies: Brightspace

Many of our programmes have incorporated a high level of continuous assessment. This can be useful for encouraging more diverse assessment methods and group work, it can be a challenge for those delivering modules that are numeric, and skills based. Brightspace Quizzes delivered at the end of each topic as a continuous assessment tool help prevent students from falling behind in their studies and provide them with early and timely feedback on their performance. Once the questions are delivered randomly, navigation backwords prevented, arithmetic questions use randomly generated figures, and a time limit set, the quiz can be made available …

The Impact Of Sustainable Urban Development On The Issuance Of Urban Investment Bonds, Xinglin Shou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Investment, export, and consumption have been viewed as the three driving forces behind economic development in China. Among these, investment has remarkably contributed to the urbanization in the context of China's sustained growth and development. Urbanization involves the mergingof large and medium-sized cities with surrounding areas, renovation of shantytowns and aging urban neighborhoods, and transformation of rural regions into urban areas, culminating in the establishment of a unified market. Such advancements have promoted infrastructure projects that are spearheadedby local governments and aligned with urbanization, thus catalyzing the growth of China's real estate industry, stimulating the Chinese economy, andextending the urbanization-related …