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Columnas: The Honors Program Newsletter At Bentley University, Clara Williams, Micaela Corzo, Naeelah Desanges, Alyssa Galin, Isabella Ramirez

Honors Program

Page 1: WHY ARE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS SO HARD TO KEEP? By Sahil Raut ’27

Page 2: THE CAPITALIST INFLUENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION By Kevin Heintz ’26

Page 3: THE IMPORTANCE OF MENSTRUAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT By Sid Goel ’24

Page 4: CAN TECHNOLOGY SOLVE EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY? By Ariana Ramirez ’27

Page 5: DATA PORTABILITY CAN CHANGE THE DIGITAL WORLD By Kassidi Thompson ’27

Page 6: THE POWER OF VULNERABILITY By Peter Epp ’24

Page 7: THREADS OF BELIEF By Yudao Song ’26

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 65 Number 1, Spring 2024, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - A CAMPUS ON THE RISE Six new buildings on campus aren’t the only changes brought by a successful $1 billion fundraising campaign. Lauren Loftus & Leslie Griffy

20 - HUMAN AT HEART How Santa Clara University is distinguishing itself as a leader in human-focused health care innovation. Lauren Loftus

26 - SHEPHERDING INNOVATION How wonder, and God, can make us better scientists. Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J.

30 - THE CO-OP Santa Clara University has long been a bastion of interdisciplinary learning. A new fund is taking cross-collaboration to new heights. SCM Staff

34 - MAKE AI THE BEST …

The Role Of Inward Fdi And Family Firm Heterogeneity On Foreign Location Choice: Evidence From India, Arindam Mondal, Somnath Lahiri

Faculty Publications – Management

The purpose of this study is to examine the internal and external factors that influence the location choice decision of family firms. Drawing on two streams of literature—family firm and international business—we investigate the role that inward FDI (IFDI) and firm’s heterogeneity (ownership structure and management type) play in the location choice of family firms. Our analysis of a large sample of family firms (N = 278) from India suggests that IFDI is positively associated with a greater likelihood of advanced economy location choice compared to the choice of emerging economies. Our results also reveal that the relationship between …

2024- The Twenty-Eighth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the 28th Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 17-19, 2024. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Personality Trait Theory And Combat Performance: A Retroactive Study Analyzing Combat Performance And Resilience Among Usaf Eod Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan, Michael C. Pasley

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The United States' national security depends upon high-performing leaders within select high-stress and high-risk military functional communities. However, research into the personality traits needed to perform well in these communities is lacking. This quantitative, retrospective, nonexperimental, correlational research aimed to determine whether relationships existed between the personality traits of Air Force EOD Team Leader Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their combat performance and resilience. The theoretical foundation of this study encompassed personality trait theory, theories of human resource management and performance, and criterion measurement theories. The TAKE5 FC, a commercially available forced-choice five-factor model personality assessment, measured personality traits. …

Reduced Audit Quality Acts: A Review And Organizational Model, Troy A. Hyatt, Douglas F. Prawitt, Kyle M. Stubbs

Accountancy Faculty Publications and Presentations

With increasing regulatory focus on improving audit quality, research on drivers of audit quality remains important to academics, professionals and regulators. One compelling branch of this research focuses on auditors' intentional actions that reduce audit quality, often referred to in the literature as reduced audit quality acts (RAQAs). This paper provides a review and synthesis of the RAQA literature, including a unifying definition for RAQAs and a model for organizing past and future RAQA research. With the model, we explore antecedents to RAQAs as well as the discovery of, responses to and subsequent consequences of RAQAs. We also discuss potential …

“Njangi Never Dies”: The Social Impacts And Non-Financial Benefits Of Njangis In Batoufam And Yaoundé, Cameroon, Georgia Schaefer-Brown

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Rotating Credits and Savings Associations (ROSCAs) are present in much of the developing world and are incredibly common in Cameroon. The financial impacts of ROSCAs have been researched extensively, but there has been less research on the social impacts and non-financial benefits. This research aims to fill this gap and add to the discussion of ROSCAs in Cameroon (called njangis), as well as demonstrate how njangis are social institutions. This project is in the specific context of njangis in Batoufam and Yaoundé, Cameroon. Interviews and observations informed the conclusion that there are extensive social impacts and non-financial benefits within the …

Zeitgeist Of The 2010s And Impact On Fashion Trends, Sophie Scott Anderson

Senior Theses

The zeitgeist of the 2010s can be examined through shifts in technology, politics, economy, environment, religion, and entertainment. This research explores how fashion serves as both a mirror and a driver of societal change during this transformative decade. Trend diffusion itself evolved from the traditional theories of trickle-up and trickle-down because of the prominence of influencer culture, giving average consumers the platform to influence numerous like-minded consumers. Defining the 2010s zeitgeist requires an analysis of the significant patterns in the technological and sociocultural environment through as many sources as possible for a holistic approach. Sociologically, fashion has been accepted as …

Fringe Lending: The Case For A National Minimum Standard, Don Loos

Senior Honors Theses

In the American financial sector, the liberalization of usury laws and legal complexity has allowed for controversial fringe financial products to become widely available. Payday loans, car title loans, and short-term, high-interest installment loans, also referred to as fringe loans, have often been classified as “predatory” and unconscionable. The central question in this controversy is whether increased regulation of fringe loans, or their complete prohibition, is effective to protect consumers from a harmful cycle of debt, or whether regulation will cause more harm than good. Since state legislation is ineffective to limit the negative externalities associated with fringe loans, a …

Humanitarian Aid Worker Retention: Is General Motivation Theory Enough?, Gabriella Lee

Senior Honors Theses

In the socially impactful realm of humanitarian business, job dissatisfaction has led to high turnover and low retention, causing many organizations to struggle and sometimes fail. To increase motivation and satisfaction, the differences between general motivation theories and common humanitarian motivations should be analyzed. These analyses can then be applied to increase retention. While most general motivation theories like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs point to internal or personal needs being met, humanitarian employees are mainly motivated altruistically. Therefore, this research will demonstrate that altruistic motivations have a greater role in humanitarian retention than traditional motivation theories. Existing human resource policies …

The Development Of A Social Media Strategy For The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights, Natalie Ritter

Senior Honors Theses

In this thesis, an examination is conducted on the design, development, process, and execution of a social media strategy for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights, a junior hockey team composed of 16-20 year old players based in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The strategy takes into consideration not only the extraordinary role that social media can play in the success of a team’s overall development and marketing plan, but also the team’s specific mission and objectives as well as the intricacies that come with media within the sports industry. An in-depth literature review discusses the importance of a social media strategy and how an …

The Feasibility And Acceptability Of A Diabetes Survival Skills Intervention For Persons Transitioning From Prison To The Community, Louise Reagan, Rick A. Laguerre, Sarah Todd, Colleen Gallagher

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Community evidenced-based diabetes self-management education (DSME) models have not been examined for feasibility, acceptability, or effectiveness among persons transitioning from prison to the community to independent diabetes self-management (DSM). In a non-equivalent control group design with repeated measures, we examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effect of a 6-week, 1-h per week Diabetes Survival Skills (DSS) intervention on diabetes knowledge, distress, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy for transitioning incarcerated males. Of the 92 participants (84% T2D, 83% using insulin, 40% Black, 20% White, 30% Latino, 66% high school or less, mean age 47.3 years, 84% length of incarceration ≤4 years ), …

How Does The Degree Of Remote Work Impact Perceptions And Productivity For Undergrad Accounting Workers?, Jonah Hauf

ALL - Honors Theses

A recent development in the field of accounting is the concept of working remotely and being able to be part of a company without ever setting foot inside its doors. This concept has been accelerated by the recent pandemic that prevented companies from surviving financially if they did not adapt to allow employees to work remotely. As companies have recently been opening their doors back up to employees working in person, there is increasing dialogue about whether or not remote work should be embraced as a tool for success or rejected as a potential distraction.

This study will explore literature …

From The Editors: Mobilizing New Sources Of Data: Opportunities And Recommendations, Denis A. Gregoire, Anne L. J. Ter Wal, Laura M. Little, Sekou Bermiss, Reddi Kotha, Marc Gruber

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In June 2008, the U.S.-based website Glassdoor.com began posting anonymous company reviews and salary data from current and former employees of various organizations. Doing so not only brought to the world information that had hitherto been restricted to private circles, it spontaneously prompted some organizations to alter their workplace practices (Dineen & Allen, 2016; Dube & Zhu, 2021). At the same time, Glassdoor’s very activities gave rise to a completely new source of data for exploring a wealth of management and organizational phenomena (e.g., Bermiss & McDonald, 2018; Rhee, 2024). As this example illustrates, new data sources can not only …

Artificial Intelligence In Business, Mallory Marsac

Honors Projects

The central focus of this project is to research different types of artificial intelligence that are present and emerging in the world. By looking into the current and future possibilities of artificial intelligence in a business setting, a better understanding of the technology itself, along with the potential benefits and costs associated, can be gained.

Honing The Craft Of Qualitative Data Collection In Extreme Contexts, Payal Sharma, Madeline Toubiana, Kisha Lashley, Felipe Massa, Kristie M. Rogers, Trish Ruebottom

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Over the past several years, there has been ongoing dialog within our academic journals and the profession regarding the value of examining extreme, unconventional, or unsettling contexts in management research. These conversations have highlighted that perhaps more than ever, we as a society are facing unprecedented grand and perplexing challenges, and conducting research in unconventional or extreme settings can reveal complex dynamics or relationships that we may not understand otherwise. Less discussed, however, are methodological considerations for conducting research in unique contexts. As such, we aim to extend the explicit discussion of effective strategies for scholars who consider the perspectives …

Accounting For The Gift: Theology And Ethics In Accounting, Daniel Sebastian

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Accounting is often assumed to be a neutral presentation of the facts of economic activities and actions. Its double-entry system means that it is always in balance and comports to the rigor of mathematical formulas, and it is taken to be a matter of empirical counting that lends it certainty as well. The dissertation argues that this description of accounting is inadequate. Accounting is better seen as a political tool and technology for producing trust that can help resolve social conflicts. As such, accounting is not value-neutral but carries within it a particular sociality that has moral implications. These moral …

How Does Big Data Affect Organizational Financial Performance In Turbulent Markets? The Role Of Customer-Linking And Selling Capabilities, Omar S. Itani, Ashish Kalra, Amin Rostami

Marketing Faculty Publications

The information age provides vast opportunities for organizations to improve their efficiencies by relying on big data-AI empowered analytics (BDA). The purpose of this study is to address the critical question of how BDA-fit affects organizational financial performance, taking into consideration differences between markets and customer change caused by technology turbulence. Using data collected at the firm level and building on Task- Technology Fit Theory and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, empirical results indicate that BDA-fit is important to drive organizational financial performance through the development of customer-linking and selling capabilities. These results vary across markets, with BDA-fit having stronger effects on …

Meme Stocks, Robinhood, And Wall Street: Retail Investors And Changing Market Dynamics, Nick Murray, Spencer Brosnan

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the rise of retail investors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they have changed the landscape of financial markets. We outline the full timeline of the GME and AMC social media craze that exemplified the power of retail investors in the market and investigate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on this group. Through the use of VandaTrack, a software that tracks retail investors’ trading activity, we were able to quantify the impact that retail investors have on US equities and ETFs and compare them to the market as a whole. We utilized this …

The Fallacy Of Auditor Independence And A Possible Solution, Harrison Hall

Senior Honors Theses

The goal of this paper is to analyze present research for the importance of independence to the auditing profession, determine the greatest threats to auditor independence today, the problems these threats have caused and to explore a possible solution to these problems. For many years, audit professionals have been considered the gatekeepers of the public market. Since the passing of the Securities Acts in the 1930’s, the structure of the privatized audit industry has made it incredibly difficult for auditors to remain independent from their clients. Client fees, the rise of non-audit services and the complexity of audit-client relationships pose …

The Important Role Of System Dynamics Investigation On Business Model, Industry And Performance Management, Lina Gozali, Teuku Yuri M. Zagloel, Togar Mangihut Simatupang, Wahyudi Sutopo, Aldy Gunawan, Yun-Chia Liang, Bernardo Nugroho Yahya, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Agustinus Purna Irawan, Yuliani Suseno

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Purpose: This research studies the development of the evolving dynamic system model and explores the important elements or factors and what detailed attributes are the main influences model in achieving the success of a business, industry and management. It also identifies the real and major differences between static and dynamic business management models and the detailed factors that influence them. Later, this research investigates the benefits/advantages and limitations/disadvantages of some research studies. The studies conducted in this research put more emphasis on the capabilities of system dynamics (SD) in modeling and the ability to measure, analyse and capture problems in …

First-Generation College Students And Sense Of Belonging At School: The Moderating Effect Of Remote Learning, Christina Su Ju

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the effect of first-generation college student status on students’ sense of belonging, and whether remote learning moderates this effect. Specifically, this study examines whether first-generation college students’ sense of belonging at university differs from their continuing-generation college student counterpart, and whether taking remote courses impacts that relationship. It was hypothesized that first-generation college students would report lower sense of belonging than continuing-generation college students, and that remote learning would moderate the relationship such that the negative effect of first-generation student status on sense of belonging is strengthened when the student takes more remote courses. Survey data from …

Examining The Role Of Access To Capital, Social Capital Networks, And Education In Supporting Black Founders And Investors In Technology-Based Entrepreneurship, Akosua Acheamponmaa

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, a report from the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity shows that 540,000 Americans launch businesses each month (Fairlie et al., 2017). However, the number of women-owned and minority-owned businesses in the United States (U.S.) is disproportionately less than the proportion of women and minorities in the U.S. Although women slightly outnumber men in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019), new women-owned businesses represent only 39.4% of all U.S. businesses, while new male-owned businesses represent 60.51% (Fairlie et al., 2017). While Blacks or African Americans comprise approximately 13.4% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019), only 9.24% …

Harnessing The Power Of Cliftonstrengths®: How Multinational Corporations Can Use Deep-Level Diversity To Enhance Organizational Inclusion, Trapper Kay Pace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explicitly investigated how multinational corporations can enhance workplace inclusion through the novel use of the CliftonStrengths® assessment as a dimension of deep-level diversity. The study gleaned insights from employees’ perspectives, employing a constructivist grounded theory approach to explicate their experiences in rich qualitative narratives. Through open-ended surveys and intensive interviews, participants were selected using purposeful sampling to ensure meaningful data collection from the study organizations’ three global regions. The researcher conducted the analysis systematically through the constant comparison of data utilizing the NVivo14 software to assist in constructing codes, themes, and a theoretical schema. Results highlighted the significance …

Research On Futures, Profit Hedging, And Enterprise Price Risk Management In The Bulk Commodity Industry Chain — A Case Study Of Hot-Rolled Coil Industry Chain, Shengxi Liu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Traditional hedging strategies usually center around a single product, commonly involving companies hedging against the price of their endproducts or essential production materials. At present, traditional hedgingstrategies are no longer sufficient to address the production and management requirements of physical enterprises. There is a need to develop hedgingstrategies aligning with the significant changes in both domestic andinternational markets.

The thesis presents a new profit hedging model based on product manufacturing processes within the industry chain. This method involves hedging production profits by buying (selling) end products and selling(buying) raw materials according to the proportional relationships in the production process on …

Learning To Outsmart A Crisis: A Strategic Management View On Managing Aviation Crises With Machine Learning, Kok Yew Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In strategic management literature, a crisis is public, unexpected, interferes with the norm, has negative impact on organizations, and generates widespread negative perceptions among stakeholders. Among crises, aviation crises are complex and present multiple vulnerabilities due to their scale, and the involvement of numerous stakeholders. With the high visibility of aviation crises due to the potential for mass injuries, deaths, and collateral damage, it could be seen as a full spectrum crisis – one of the worst among crises. The magnitude of each aviation crisis decides and allows the world to assess the efficacy of an airlines or aviation firm’s …

When I Know Your Taste: Retail Customers’ Environmental Preferences And Firm Pollution, Mengjie Yang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

I examine whether and how firms incorporate retail customers’ environmental preferences into their pollution decisions. Leveraging the staggered revelations of firms’ environmental negative news and the granularity of household grocery shopping records, I quantify local customers’ heterogeneous environmental preferences based on the extent of product sales declines following the news events. In line with the conjecture that firms factor in rewards and penalties from customers and strategically reduce their pollution, I find a significant improvement in air quality near event firms’ facilities located in markets where local customers reveal the strongest environmental preferences. This effect is more pronounced when news …

Dentistry’S Cdt Code: Its Origins, Use And Future, Frank J. Pokorny Ii, Mba, Facd(Hon)

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Today’s version of the Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature – commonly referred to as CDT 2024 -- is the latest iteration of the code set first published in 1969. The CDT Code is ADA intellectual property that serves dentists and the dental community at large as the HIPAA standard for documenting and reporting services delivered to patients. CDT supports multiple needs: e.g., documentation; billing and reimbursement; revenue; data analytics. The code set’s maintenance is an open process overseen by the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs’ Code Maintenance Committee. Any dentist or interested party may submit a maintenance request. …

Leading Change During Crisis: Nonprofit Leaders’ Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jose A. Diaz Jr.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover which experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic led to leadership and organizational changes within nonprofit organizations located in southern Florida. Data for the study were collected by interviewing leaders of five nonprofit organizations that provided human and social services to individuals and families before, during, and after the pandemic. The participants discussed some of the challenges they experienced with social distancing protocols, service delivery continuity to service users, and the concerns among staff and volunteers. Four themes were common among the participants of the study: operational restrictions, technological adaptations, staff morale and …

Barriers To Baseball: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Factors That Impact Contract Value In Major League Baseball, Ryan A. Crowl

Senior Theses

The landscape of Major League Baseball’s free agency is an evolving one with numerous factors impacting negotiated contracts as player salaries escalate and teams adopt new strategies of luring players to their organizations. This study delves into the intricate dynamics of this free agent market, exploring the factors that influence contract values and negotiating power. Through empirical analysis and mathematical regressions, we explore the enduring significance of multiple factors on contract value, encompassing demographic indicators as well as on-field performance. Subsequently, we propose our own explanations of any observed inequities or significance and provide rational approaches for players and their …