Digital Commons Network^™

Reducing Systemic Bias In Behavioral Targeting Using Explainable Ai: The Harmonia Complex Systems Approach, Ruchira Deokar, Preethi Nanjundan, Jossy P. George, Carlos Gershenson

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Behavioral targeting is a key part of the modern advertising web's algorithmic engine. However, it is unclear whether optimization processes worsen bias, promote unchecked spread in filter bubbles or lower overall users' trust levels. This paper introduces HARMONIA (Holistic Adaptive Regulatory Model for Optimizing Non-transparent Intelligent Advertising), a comprehensive, data-driven Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) framework aimed at transforming behavioral targeting via transparency, interpretability, and adaptive ethical regulation. This paper conducted a comprehensive Explorative Data Analysis (EDA) on the public Criteo Display Advertising Dataset, which contains over 45 million records, to identify patterns in high-dimensional user-ad interaction space. This analysis uncovered …

Reproducing Advantage: Inequality In Ncaa Leadership Programming, Jessica K. Brougham, Elizabeth A. Taylor

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Leadership programming in NCAA Division I athletics is designed to support holistic athlete development, including career readiness, financial literacy, and personal growth. However, participation in selective initiatives like the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is often limited, raising concerns about equality and access. Through the theory of social reproduction, our study examines how these programs reflet and reinforce structural inequalities. Interviews with athletic staff reveal selection procedures (or lack thereof) privilege athletes who already possess social and cultural capital and therefore reproduce existing hierarchies rather than serve as a developmental tool. The findings highlight the importance of transparent selection criteria, intentional …

Examining The Influence Of Organisational And Leadership Knowledge On Resilience During Economic Downturns-A Case Study For Sme Success, Dr. Aloma Jayasundera, Dr. Rubhesh Jha

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study investigates how organisational and leadership knowledge impacts the resilience of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) during economic downturns, focussing on a foreign-owned business processes and Information Consulting (IT) consulting company in Bahrain. This is a mixed-methods approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative data, including thematic analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). This study shows that an emphasis on external problems caused the company to disregard important internal challenges. The findings highlight the need for better crisis management and digital strategies to strengthen the organisation from within and create a better workplace culture. This study contributes new insights into …

Servant Leadership & Navigating The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study On Port Tampa Bay, Laura M. Holland, Deirdre Dixon

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, many supply chain companies found themselves facing increased demand, labor shortages, and low capacity. Due to complex relationships in the supply chain industry, it was difficult for ports to manage these challenges and continue to operate efficiently. For ports to successfully navigate these challenges, they needed to implement leadership across all levels. We examined the leadership of Port Tampa Bay to see if Servant Leadership was present. Port Tampa Bay was Florida’s largest port that handled major cargo. Through 2020–2022, the port had not seen any of the congestion …

From Philosophy To Performance: Empirical And Practical Applications Of Servant Leadership, Kevin Hurt

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

No abstract provided.

Bridging Economic Growth And Literacy: Mediation–Moderation Pathways Linking Agriculture, Environment, And Poverty Reduction Across Asian Economies, Muhammad Abubakar, Wasim Abbas Shaheen, Umair Umer

Business Review

In the framework of reducing poverty, this study explores the numerous connections between economic, environmental, and agricultural aspects, paying particular attention to the moderating role of literacy. The Study aims to assess how agricultural employment, arable land, forest area, fertilizer usage, and ecological resources shape poverty outcomes in Asia. Utilizing panel data from 46 nations between 2000 to 2023, sourced from the World Development Indicators, the analysis applies advanced econometrics such as FMOLS and DOLS, alongside a panel co-integration framework validated through panel unit root and cointegration tests. Results indicate that agricultural employment significantly reduces poverty, arable land has mixed …

Beyond The Badge: How Internal Culture Contradicts External Service In Urban Police Departments, Rowan Bari Eiselman

Educational Studies Student Papers and Posters

This ethnographic study examines how gendered workplace culture and mental health culture shape officer retention in two urban police departments: the Orange Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th District. Through ride-alongs, observations, and informal interviews with nine current and retired officers (four female, five male) across various ranks conducted between March and April 2026, this research reveals a troubling contradiction: departments tasked with serving diverse communities struggle to support diversity within their own ranks. Female officers navigate professional isolation, prolonged competence-proving expectations, and implicit career-versus-motherhood choices, with experiences varying significantly between the more supportive Orange PD and …

Relationship Between Change In Unrealized Gains Or Losses Of Afs Securities And Credit Spreads Of U.S. Life Insurance Companies, Kwang Liang Yeo

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study evaluates the transmission of unrealized fair value accounting losses to credit default risk within the United States life insurance sector during a period of unprecedented monetary tightening. Integrating a pre-specified confirmatory econometric framework with a text-based exploratory analysis of regulatory filings, we examine how changes in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) and benchmark interest rate dynamics shape market perceptions of insurer default probability. Our findings reveal that credit default swap markets do not price OCI variations contemporaneously; instead, they reflect a structural one-quarter pricing lag that aligns with the regulatory timeline of financial disclosures. Furthermore, the relationship between interest …

A Study On The Capital Market Valuation Effects Of Corporate Ai Adoption: An Empirical Analysis Of Manufacturing Firms In China's A-Share Market, Libin Ma

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation examines whether and how corporate adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) affects capital market valuation in manufacturing firms. As AI is increasingly embedded in R&D design, production organization, supply chain coordination, and operational management, its value implications depend not only on whether firms adopt AI, but also on how AI is deployed within business processes. Existing research has mainly focused on productivity, innovation, labor substitution, and digital transformation, while the enterprise value consequences of differentiated AI application strategies remain insufficiently examined.

Using Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2015 to 2024 as the sample, this study identifies firm-level AI …

From Suppliers’ Esg Performance To Corporate Bargaining Power With Customers: A Supply Chain Advantage Transmission Perspective, Minghao Du

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the growing awareness of sustainable development, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices has increasingly become a critical source for firms to meet stakeholder demands and gain new competitive advantages. In particular, under the backdrop of rising supply chain risks, stakeholder concerns are no longer confined to the ESG performance of individual firms; rather, they have expanded to encompass the entire supply chain, attaching equal importance to the ESG performance of both focal firms and their supply chain partners. With the continuous tightening of ESG regulatory requirements, customers may move beyond managing the ESG practices of first-tier suppliers to paying …

Research On The Impact Of Industrial-Financial Cooperation On Corporate R&D Investment, Jiayin Yin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The national industrial-financial cooperation pilot policy represents a key strategic initiative to implement China's strategy of building a "financial powerhouse" and guide financial resources toward empowering high-quality development in the real economy. In December 2016, four central government departments in China jointly announced the first batch of national industrial-financial cooperation pilot cities. Leveraging this quasi-natural experiment, this study comprehensively evaluates the impact of the pilot policy on corporate R&D investment activities using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2019.

Research findings indicate: (1) The industrial-financial cooperation pilot policy significantly increases enterprises' R&D investment levels. Specifically, compared …

Aggressive R&D Consulting Companies Fail To Align With The Purpose Of R&D And R&E Tax Incentives., Emily Belanger

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

Research and development (R&D) credits and research and experimentation (R&E) tax incentives have recently experienced legislative changes and litigation related to the questionable methods deployed by R&D consulting firms. Proponents of research tax incentives tout their potential to produce positive externalities and innovation. Critics have pushed back, questioning whether research tax incentives are successfully achieving their purpose. The shifting landscape, litigation over aggressive tax claims, and debatable success of tax incentives signal a need to reassess whether research tax incentives are properly claimed in the United States. This paper proposes stronger regulation of R&D consulting firms to ensure research tax …

Buckeye Property Consulting, Stephen Manning

Distinguished Student Scholarship Collection

This business plan outlines the creation and strategic development of Buckeye Property Consulting, a startup firm specializing in compliance consulting for affordable housing property management companies. The plan addresses the growing demand for expert support in navigating complex regulatory requirements associated with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs. Through industry and market analysis, the document identifies a service gap faced by small to mid‑sized property management firms that lack sufficient in‑house compliance resources but cannot afford large national consulting firms. The plan details the company’s mission, value proposition, service offerings, competitive …

Information Sharing, Quality Management, And Firm Performance: The Mediating Role Of Supply Chain Agility, Aamir Rashid, Rizwana Rasheed, Syed Babar Ali

Publications and Research

The fashion industry’s business is becoming increasingly complicated and active. This industry is expected to be highly competitive, particularly in the retail sector. Therefore, this research aims to examine the impact of supply chain information sharing and quality management on firm performance, with supply chain agility as a mediating variable, in the Asian fashion industry. A total of 169 participants from the fashion sector in a developing country were surveyed. The proposed hypotheses were examined using a quantitative approach, employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS to assess and validate the measurement model. The results indicate that …

Phresh, Diego Gomez, Thomas “Kane” Perry, Lela Schuler, Olivia Cox, Sofia Rueda

Business Core Student Work

pHresh is a sustainable food safety solution created to help low-income communities in New Delhi, India detect spoiled food before it reaches consumers. The project responds to the serious risk of foodborne illness in informal markets, where limited refrigeration, high temperatures, and inconsistent inspection make contamination more likely. pHresh offers affordable, biodegradable pH testing strips that provide fast and easy-to-read results for vendors, households, and market inspectors. Through local production, accessible distribution, and eco-friendly materials, the project aims to improve public health, support small vendors, and build safer food systems.

Military Recruiting Crisis: A Qualitative Study On The Motivation Of Generation Z, Ruth D. Kane

PhD in Organizational Leadership

This qualitative study investigates the declining motivation of Generation Z to join the U.S. military, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework. Despite significant investments in recruitment, enlistment rates continue to decline, revealing a gap between military structures and the psychological needs of potential recruits. SDT provides a useful perspective by emphasizing the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in motivating and promoting well-being. Through in-depth interviews with eight Gen Z individuals eligible for service, this study explores how social, cultural, and institutional factors influence perceptions of military service and career decisions. Results indicate that motivation to enlist increases when …

Post-Covid Update: Magic Can Still Happen, Michelle C. Dziurgot

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In this editorial, Dr. Michelle Dziurgot addresses the persistent staffing shortages in dentistry six years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares personal insights on managing a leaner practice by utilizing virtual assistants, cross-training existing staff, and emphasizing the "TEAM" philosophy—Trust, Education, Accountability, and Magic. Dziurgot discusses the transition to new practice models and the importance of patient communication during times of limited personnel. Ultimately, the piece encourages practice owners to find innovative ways to maintain high standards of care and team morale despite a difficult labor market.

Your First Hire: Building Your Team From The Ground Up, Amrita Patel Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Dr. Amrita Patel offers strategic guidance for new dentists entering practice ownership, focusing on the critical decision of the first team hire. The article describes the initial employee as a "brand ambassador" who establishes the practice’s culture and patient expectations. Patel advises against rushed hiring and suggests seeking candidates with complementary strengths rather than matching personalities. The piece emphasizes that while clinical skills can be trained, integrity and empathy are innate. Consistent leadership and clear protocol reinforcement are presented as essential for turning the first hire into a stabilizing force for long-term success.

Ethical Issues Of The Advancement Of Artificial Intelligence, Primo G. Moreno

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

Artificial intelligence has rapidly become integrated into our modern society, allowing for new streamlined methods to reign supreme. These methods raise concerns about control, privacy, and the shifting boundaries between human and machine decision-making. This paper examines how AI has developed, how it is currently being used, and the ethical dilemmas that arise as societies integrate it into systems such as healthcare, law enforcement, and businesses. Through the expansion of historical, technical, and philosophical perspectives, this paper argues that society must prioritize having set guidelines and systems for monitoring newly created AI systems. Without them, the implementation of AI models …

An Austrian Approach To Accounting Regulation: How Policy Intervention Distorts The Market For Assurance Services, Kyan Howe

Student Scholarship

This thesis applies the causal-realist method of the Austrian School of Economics to the market for assurance services in the United States. The central argument is that post-crisis accounting regulation has systematically distorted the incentive structures of independent public accounting firms in ways regulators do not predict and cannot fully control. Financial crises, properly understood through Austrian Business Cycle Theory, originate in monetary distortions rather than market failure. Post-crisis regulatory responses nonetheless target the profession rather than the underlying distortion, introducing rules that alter the institutional constraints within which auditors exercise professional judgment.

The thesis develops a judgment-based equation of …

Determinants Of Future Suas Adoption: An Empirical Analysis Of Organizational And Behavioral Factors Within The Commercial Aviation Maintenance Enterprise, Jordan Baus

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The adoption of small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) represents a significant technological shift within the commercial aviation maintenance enterprise, offering the potential to improve inspection accuracy, enhance operational efficiency, and reduce maintenance-related risk. Despite these anticipated benefits, adoption intentions remain vague, influenced by a complex interplay of organizational structures, behavioral factors, and workforce perceptions. Limited empirical research has examined how these dynamics shape the willingness to adopt sUAS within highly regulated and institutionalized aviation maintenance environments. This study investigates the determinants of future sUAS adoption through an extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT …

Data Tracking And Analytics Within Inventory Management: Coffee Shop And Retail Store Optimization, Mateo J. Moyon

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the application of inventory management theory in the small and medium-sized business context, with a specific focus on the food and beverage industry. Drawing on the foundational academic literature spanning from Harris’s EOQ formula in 1913 through stochastic inventory theory, ABC analysis, and just-in-time strategy, this paper establishes the mathematical and operational bases for modern inventory management practice. Although there are proven value to these frameworks, research demonstrates that small to medium sized businesses adopt inventory management systems at lower rates citing cost and implementation as barriers. This thesis argues that the emergence of low-cost inventory and …

Curating Attendee-Centered Corporate Event Experiences Through The Strategic Implementation Of Psychological Principles, Alexis G. Mullendore

Senior Theses

This thesis explores how psychological principles can inform event professionals’

decisions in the planning and execution of attendee-centered corporate events. In the modern

experience economy, corporations increasingly prioritize engaging, high-production events for

employees and stakeholders, while attendee expectations for immersive, spectacle experiences

continue to rise. Therefore, the importance of designing corporate events that balance clients’

fiscal and objective needs with attendees’ experience-driven expectations has become

increasingly recognized. This shift toward a human-focused approach prompted the researcher to

examine how psychological principles can inform the design and execution of events. The

project was conducted through a three-phase research process consisting of …

Can Argentina Overcome The Lithium Natural Resource Curse? A Case Study Into Argentina's Institutional Framework For Lithium Supply Chain Development And Innovation, Colby Greene

Senior Theses

Through the analysis of the natural resource curse, the development of institutional frameworks in societal contexts, the nature of natural resource-based industry value chains, and value creation through institutions and value chains, all in the context of Argentina’s lithium industry, this paper finds that Argentina has failed to implement the necessary institutions and promote proper policy to promote value addition and real economic growth through the conduit of the development of the lithium industry, yet it is not actively a victim of the natural resource curse. In the hierarchical nature of mining value chains, Argentina has permitted their vast lithium …

Conservation Communication In Web 2.0: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Alveus Sanctuary's Strategies On Twitch.Tv, Hope Denison

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how environmental creators can effectively transmit conservation messages in the evolving Web 2.0 media environment. The case of Alveus Sanctuary, a virtual sanctuary and education center on Twitch.TV, is used to explore the strategies currently used to engage audiences and raise ecological awareness online. Thematic analysis of interviews with the sanctuary’s founder revealed that Alveus combines traditional environmental education with an influencer business model to engage online audiences, leveraging parasocial behavior, interactivity, and collaboration to garner support. A quantitative content analysis of social media posts revealed that these strategies effectively induce parasocial engagement in online spaces. These …

The Impact Reporting Playbook, Julian Tang

Asian Management Insights

Ditch the proverbial laundry list and build impactful reports with evidence of change that leaders, partners and the public can trust and act on.

A Comprehensive Marketing Plan For Calvary Christian Academy, Emily Piwowarski

Senior Honors Theses

Marketing strategies have been implemented by companies for years. The outline of a marketing plan requires businesses to do extensive research on the industry they plan to enter, including evaluating the political, environmental, social, technological, economical, and legal factors that are affecting it. This research helps to form the marketing mix–the product, price, promotion, and place strategies-–which determine what the business will offer the industry and how it will make this offer. A business will then use marketing tactics to reach its target audience. Tactics that have risen along with the advancement of technology are social media marketing and search …

Implementing Blockchain Into Accounting Software, Noam Kimbro

Senior Honors Theses

Accounting has been fundamentally reshaped by the use of computational systems and digital information storage. This Honors Thesis seeks to research accounting software and to build upon it through the development of fresh software implementing blockchain into the accounting system. This Honors Thesis Proposal provides preliminary research into the field of accounting to allow for better understanding of the proposed software system. This Honors Thesis will further the body of knowledge by implementing blockchain into accounting data storage to allow transactions to be retroactively verified.

When Performance Is Not Enough: Managing Ngos In An Age Of Digital Mistrust, Christianna Sirindah Parr

Asian Management Insights

As NGOs lack formal authority, their influence depends on legitimacy, which can be contested at scale online. Leaders must treat social media as a governance decision, with clear scope, speaking authority and response protocols.

The Determinants And Consequences Of Green Credit In Commercial Banks: A Dual-Pillar Perspective Of Asset Quality And Esg, Jianmei Xia

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As China’s “dual carbon” strategy advances, green credit has increasinglybecome a crucial financial instrument driving the green transition of China’s industrial structure. From a dual perspective of asset quality and ESGperformance, this paper systematically examines the determinants andconsequences of green credit practices among commercial banks. Employing a multiple-method approach that combines comparative case study, in-depthinterview, and large-sample empirical analysis, this study aims to address twocore questions: First, what are the key factors driving commercial banks toprovide green credit, and what is the logic behind their differentiated decision- making? Second, how does green credit affect banks’ financial and non-financial performance? This …