Digital Commons Network^™

Marketing Budgeting In The Upper Echelons, Junqiu Jiang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Marketing professionals and academics frequently highlight the challenges of obtaining and protecting the marketing budget. However, prior academic research predominantly focusses on the optimal allocation of a given marketing budget, with little attention directed towards understanding the organizational process of securing approval for the marketing budget. Accordingly, this dissertation addresses this gap with two essays examining the marketing budgeting process by drawing on the theories-in-use (TIU) of both Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) seeking approval for the marketing budget, and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) approving the marketing budget. In Essay 1, I explore the objectives of both CMOs and CEOs …

The Effect Of Culture On Paying And Playing Free-To-Play Mobile Games: A Comparative Study Between China And The Usa, Erik Eugene Ford

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In this dissertation, the effect of culture on consumers’ desire to pay for and play free-to-play (F2P) mobile games was examined. Culture can be defined as the “collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group of categories of people from others” (Hofstede, 2011). The study compared consumers in China and the United States who completed an online survey. Cultural scientists such as Hall and Hofstede defined these two countries as the two largest gaming markets in the world with very different cultures. The research method included a questionnaire. The sample size was 201 people in China …

Risk Analysis In Financial Statements, A Comparative Study Of Ai Vs Human Risk Assessment, Andre Denegri

University Honors Theses

This theses explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the auditing industry, focusing on its implications for audit quality, efficiency, and the evolving role of human auditors. A comprehensive review of relevant literature highlights the integration of AI-driven tools such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing in audit processes, emphasizing their capabilities in enhancing risk assessment, fraud detection, and data analytics.

The experimental design features an innovative approach to compare the efficacy of AI and human auditors in conducting risk analysis for three companies--Blockbuster, Enron, and Lehman Brothers--presented anonymously with pre-bankruptcy financial information. The findings …

Business Capstone Review: Team Dynamic Effects On Business Decision-Making, Lauren Mann

University Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on team dynamics and how they affect business decision-making when finding solutions collectively. It analyzes new team dynamics in relation to Tuckman's model of the five stages of team development. While much-existing research measures team dynamics and leadership styles, the purpose of this study is to highlight the characteristics and processes created in teams that lead to the strongest results. The constructive cohesion of team members comes from building a specific culture based on attitudes and guidelines. This knowledge is valuable because it can lead to the success or failure of decisions. This thesis argues that relationship-building …

Implicit Commitments To Workplace Environment And Corporate Information Production: Evidence From Indoor Environment Quality, Summer Rui Huang, Leonard Leye Li, Louise Yi Lu, Rencheng Wang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study investigates the effect of a firm’s indoor environment quality (IEQ) on its information production. Leveraging a third-party sustainability building rating system that provides IEQ scores for office buildings, we first show that employees in a firm’s headquarters with better IEQ scores are more likely to leave positive building-related feedback on Glassdoor, indicating employees’ recognition and appreciation of a workplace with superior IEQ. Next, we find robust evidence that firms headquartered in buildings with better IEQ issue more frequent and more accurate management forecasts. Furthermore, we show that a firm’s commitment to better IEQ (1) enhances occupational wellbeing of …

Job Insecurity And Well-Being: Integrating Life History And Transactional Stress Theories, Nina Sirola

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The current research proposes and tests a novel model explaining how job insecurity shapes well-being and has consequences for stratification and inequality. I draw on evolutionary life history theory, which proposes that growing up in a poorer versus wealthier environment impacts the sense of control people feel when exposed to threat in adulthood. I integrate this perspective with transactional stress theory to propose that job insecurity has a disproportionately negative effect on employees from poorer backgrounds, leading to lower engagement and higher emotional exhaustion among such employees, while those from wealthier backgrounds are buffered against these effects. These responses to …

Does Generative Ai Facilitate Investor Trading? Evidence From Chatgpt Outages, Qiang Cheng, Pengkai Lin, Yue Zhao

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In this paper, we use ChatGPT outages to investigate whether investors rely on generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to perform trading-related tasks and the associated impact on stock price informativeness. We first document a significant decline in stock trading volume during ChatGPT outages and find that the effect is stronger for firms with corporate news released immediately before or during the outages. We further document similar declines in the short-run price impact, return variance, and bid-ask spreads, consistent with a reduction in informed trading during the outage periods. Lastly, we use trading volume changes during outages to construct a firm-level measure …

Empirical Essays On Retail Investors, Institutional Investors, And Anomalies, Yuqing Yang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of five chapters on market efficiencies through retail and international mutual fund investors.

Chapter 1 This chapter briefly introduces this dissertation.

Chapter 2 This chapter Anomalies Never Disappeared: The Case of Stubborn Retail Investors delves into the “stubborn” retail investors and finds that anomalies traded against by retail investors never disappear in the long run, defying the conventional wisdom that anomalies are disappearing in recent years as market efficiency improves. Incorporating retail trading, I develop asset pricing models that surpass existing prominent models in explaining these long-run alphas. I hypothesize that retail investors exacerbate anomalies: the more …

The Effects Of Social Media Attention On Retail Investors’ Non-Gaap Trading, Huy Nguyen Do

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The SEC has long been concerned about the impact of non-GAAP earnings on investors’ perceptions of firms, particularly retail investors. This concern is amplified by the surging number of retail investors in recent years, a trend likely fueled by greater access to brokerage firms, commission-free trading, and investment-related content on social media. In this paper, I investigate social media as an alternative information channel that facilitate the dissemination of non-GAAP earnings news for retail investors. Despite years of regulatory and media scrutiny, the association between non-GAAP earnings surprises and retail trades is positive and even stronger for firms with higher …

Uncovering The Mimicry Of Online Review Breadth And Depth And Its Subsequent Effect On Consumer Responses, Andrea Pelaez Martinez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Word-of-mouth (WOM) in marketing occurs when consumers discuss a company's product or service or any consumption experience with their friends, family, and others with whom they have any relationship. With the advent of social media, this phenomenon has expanded rapidly into virtual environments where consumer conversation is enabled through chats, forums, social media posts, and online reviews. In response to this rapid growth of online WOM, academics and practitioners have focused their interest on this phenomenon and its implications on consumers, firms, and society. So far, the evidence of the critical role that online WOM plays in helping consumers make …

Evaluating Climate Sentiment In Sec 10-K Filings: S&P 50 Companies, Ruby Chu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Evaluating Climate Sentiment in SEC 10-K Filings: S&P 50 Companies investigates how climate sentiment is portrayed in corporate financial reporting, focusing on SEC 10-K filings from leading S&P 50 companies. These filings offer detailed insights into financial performance, risks, and management discussions, providing a rich dataset for analyzing corporate behaviors with sustainability and environmental concerns. This study aims to shed light on the extent to which companies address environmental issues and the implications for environmental stewardship by analyzing how these topics are portrayed in their SEC 10-K filings. Drawing inspiration from established greenwashing indicator frameworks, the study develops a climate …

Empirical Essays On Corporate Financing Behaviors, Joonsung Won

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation provides an investigation into how external factors influence corporate financing decisions and examines the nature and extent of their impact. To address this, I explore three key external factors: the financial market, financial institutions, and regulatory environment. The chapters explore how the financial market risk perception, financial institutions, and regulatory environment affect corporate financing decisions such as capital structure, bank borrowing, and regulatory capital issuance.

Chapter 1. This chapter presents the motivation and structure of the dissertation.

Chapter 2. Using a recently developed measure of financial market risk perceptions, I show that risk perceptions affect firm-level corporate financing …

Mandatory Esg Disclosure And Executive Compensation: Evidence From The Europe Union Non-Financial Reporting Directive, Dana Lacondre Nugent

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The European Parliament passed the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) with the intent to “encourage firms to identify and manage ESG risk” and “provide more transparent and relevant information …intended to empower stakeholders” (EU Directive 2014/95/EU). In my dissertation, I examine whether this change in the information environment is associated with a change in discretionary compensation as a result of decision-useful information conveyed in the mandated Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosures. While I expected that new ESG information (Resist) would experience cross-setting changes, my results show that the impact of the mandate is more nuanced. I find herein that …

The Effect Of Carbon Pricing On Firm Performance: Worldwide Evidence, Tinghua Duan, Frank Weikai Li, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Economists recommend combating climate change with carbon pricing; however, a major block to pricing emissions is concerns about economic costs. This paper examines the impacts of carbon pricing initiatives on the operating performance and market value of publicly listed firms around the world. Using the staggered enactment of carbon pricing initiatives across jurisdictions and a triple difference approach, we find a significant reduction in the profitability and value of carbon-intensive firms relative to low-emission firms after the enactment of carbon pricing policies. The reduction in firm profits is driven by both a decrease in sales growth and an increase in …

Politically Connected Emncs In A (De)Globalising World: A Review And Future Research Directions, Dongdong Huang, Lai Si Tsui-Auch, Marleen Dieleman, David Gomulya

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Emerging market multinational corporations (EMNCs) have emerged as significant global players, driven by their home country political connections that present both opportunities and challenges. Despite the insights gained from current studies, we still lack a clear conceptualisation of diverse political connections and the distinctiveness of politically connected EMNCs. Our study conducts a comprehensive review to bridge those gaps. We identify and compare two types of political connections, delve into major theories and highlight their main focus, key arguments, mechanisms and outcome predictions. Consequently, we propose a context-mechanism-outcome framework across three contextual levels, emphasising theoretical convergence and divergence between politically connected …

Ai Competency Acquisition Online? Engaging Undergraduate Students In An Ai 101 Course Through A Chatbot Workshop, Thomas Menkhoff, Lydia Teo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In recent years, digital transformation has dominated industries at an unprecedented rate. Alongside the proliferation of Artificial ntelligence (AI) technologies in the workplace, institutions of higher learning are experiencing an unprecedented push to integrate AI into the education ecosystem (Popenici & Kerr, 2017; Renz & Hilbig, 2020). AI in education (AIED) has the propensity to enrich teaching and learning in higher education by personalising students’ learning courses, automating assessment tasks, or providing24/7 access to learning resources (Karandish, 2021). According to estimates by the AI Market in the US Education Report, the AIEDmarket will grow at a CAGR of 47.77% during …

The Science Of Creating Brand Associations: A Continuous Trinity Model Linking Brand Associations To Learning Processes, Christilene Du Plessis, Serena D'Hooge, Steven Sweldens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Continuous Trinity Model (CTM) of brand associations integrates 50 years of consumer learning research with recent conceptualizations of consciousness. Three types of brand associations are proposed at the representational level (expectations, meaning, and affect), corresponding to three types of learning at the process level (predictive learning, referential learning, and direct affect transfer). A core proposition derived from research on automaticity holds that the operating conditions of the learning processes vary on a continuum from mostly System 2 for predictive learning to mostly System 1 for direct affect transfer, with referential learning as a mix of the two. The CTM …

Nonstandard Errors, Albert J. Menkeld, Shihao Yu, Et Al.

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Duplicate record, see https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7633/. In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty - nonstandard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for more reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by …

A Systematic Literature Review Exploring How The Diversity Of National Cultures Impact The Transformation Success In Organisations, Mark Searing, A.Omar Portillo-Dominguez

Other

The purpose of this study is to investigate current academic thinking regarding how cultural differences impact transformation success. It analyses cultural dimensions and other factors and how they correlate to project management. Using SCOPUS as a search engine, peer-reviewed academic papers from the period 2019-2023 were analysed as part of a systematic literature review. Results were gathered and grouped into themes as well as cultural dimensions for in-deep analysis and discussion. The results of this study found consensus on the negative impact of cultural diversity on project outcomes, but a significantly lower level of agreement with respect to the specifics …

Towards Understanding The Post-Colonial In The Development Of Irish Economics, Joseph K. Fitzgerald Dr., Brendan K. O'Rourke

Conference Papers

This conference contribution is prompted by recent work where theories used to understand the economists in countries like France, Britain, Germany, and the USA (Fourcade, 2009; Maesse, 2015) were used to study the development of Irish economics profession. Work on Ireland (FitzGerald & O’Rourke, 2023), though using these frameworks, revealed the importance of Ireland’s colonial and post-colonial experiences in the social status of economics in today’s Ireland. Escobar (2011) points to the power of economists in development discourses focussing particularly on the case of Columbia and the interaction between USA economics with its southern neighbours in the period since the …

Esg Performance And Debt Financing Cost, Bo Shi

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation thematic model, I calculate the comprehensiveness score of corporate ESG report and examine how the score correlates with corporate debt financing cost. Based on the empirical analysis over a sample of Chinese listed A-share firms with available ESG reports. I find that more comprehensive ESG report reduces corporate debt financing cost. Specifically, an increase by one standard deviation in ESG report comprehensiveness can decrease corporate debt financing cost by 3.88%. In heterogenous analysis, I find that the effect of ESG input on reducing corporate debt cost is stronger for state-owned firms. Good financial performance of …

An Investigation On The Effects Of Fund Manager’S Narcissism On Fund Performance, Ning Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As the capital market continues to expand, the benefits of securities investment funds have become increasingly prominent. However, for investors, selecting the right investment fund from numerous options can be more challenging than directly choosing stocks. The process of seeking investment opportunities also involves selecting the right fund manager, a step often underestimated by investors. Research in behavioral finance indicates that fund managers tend to exhibit irrational decision behavior under immense pressure and uncertain investment outcomes. Narcissism as a psychological trait may influence fund managers’ decision-making behavior. This study, through questionnaires and empirical analysis, examines the narcissistic traits of Chinese …

The Impact Of Soft Skills Training On Guest Satisfaction In The Hospitality Industry, Lawrie Colaco Mr

Masters Projects

The hospitality industry has become immensely fast-paced, and prioritizing guest satisfaction levels has been one of the main objectives. While hard skills such as technical expertise and operational proficiency are important aspects which are required by the hospitality staff, soft skills also play a pretty significant role. Soft skills enable the staff to be adaptive and communicative, it raises their empathy levels and teaches them to control their emotions and perform under stressful working environments. The importance of soft skills in this sector cannot be overemphasized, not only does this help with harbouring a positive attitude among the employees but …

Assessing Impact Of Urban Densification On Outdoor Microclimate And Thermal Comfort Using Envi-Met Simulations For Combined Spatial-Climatic Design (Cscd) Approach, Shreya Banerjee, Rachel X.Y. Pek, Sin Kang Yik, Graces N. Ching, Xiang Tian Ho, Dzyuban Yuliya, Peter J. Crank, Juan A. Acero, Winston T. L. Chow

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Future urban planning requires context-specific integration of spatial design and microclimate especially for tropical cities with extreme weather conditions. Thus, we propose a Combined Spatial-Climatic Design approach to assess impact of urban densification on annual outdoor thermal comfort performance employing ENVI-met simulations for Singapore. We first consider building bylaws and residential site guidelines to develop eight urban-density site options for a target population range. We further classify annual weather data into seven weather-types and use them as boundary conditions for the simulations. Comparing such fifty-six combined spatial-climatic simulation outputs by analyzing Outdoor Thermal Comfort Autonomy, we report the influence of …

Digital Transformation: Two Sides Of A Coin, Tze K Koh

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

It is of paramount importance to examine the intersection of digital transformation and sustainability. At the same time, there is a growing imbalance between digitalisation within the workforce and the pace at which sustainability awareness is picking up. Addressing this gap is crucial.

Factors Affecting Online Consumers' Cultural Presence And Cultural Immersion Experiences In Live Streaming Shopping, Lifu Li, Kyeong Kang, Yafei Feng, Anqi Zhao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper conducts research on the interaction between ethnic minority group (EMG) live streamers and online consumers, aiming to present how EMG live streamers’ appearance and interaction factors affect online consumers’ cultural experience during live streaming shopping. Based on the social presence theory and the immersion theory, this paper explores how EMG live streamers impact online consumers’ cultural experience, and it designs personal EMG knowledge as a moderating variable under specific social and cultural backgrounds. Through analysing 325 online questionnaires based on the partial least squares path modelling and variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the study results support that both …

The Next 'Deep' Thing In X To Z Marketing: An Artificial Intelligence Driven Approach, Vincent Charles, Nripendra Rana, Ilias O. Pappas, Morten Kamphaug, Keng Siau, Kenth Engo-Monsen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The existing body of literature indicates a growing interest in research pertaining to the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on marketing strategies, processes, and practices. However, further studies are required to fully unravel its complete potential and the implications it holds for practical application. The aim of this special issue on “The Next ‘Deep’ Thing in X to Z Marketing: An Artificial Intelligence-Driven Approach” is to explore the next frontiers and delve into the various facets of AI-driven marketing, shedding light on cutting-edge research and practical insights that can shape the future of the field. It also focuses on novel …

Leader-Expressed Humility: Development And Validation Of Scales Based On A Comprehensive Conceptualization, Kraivin Chintakananda, James M. Diefendorff, Burak Oc, Michael A. Daniels, Gary J. Greguras, Michael R. Bashshur

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We introduce new leader humility scales capturing a theoretically rich conceptualization of leader-expressed humility aligned with traditional and ethically-grounded philosophies. These scales draw from recent inductive research (Oc et al., 2015) identifying nine dimensions of leader-expressed humility: (1) having an accurate view of self, (2) recognizing follower strengths and achievements, (3) modeling teachability and being correctable, (4) leading by example, (5) showing modesty, (6) working together for the collective good, (7) empathy and approachability, (8) showing mutual respect and fairness, and (9) mentoring and coaching. The first three dimensions overlap with the most prominent conceptualization of leader-expressed humility in the …

Nationalist Sentiments And The Multinational Enterprise: Insights From Organizational Sociology, Jesper Edman, Ilya R. P. Cuypers, Gokhan Ertug, Ruth V. Aguilera

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

International business scholars have recognized the impact of political and economic nationalism on the multinational enterprise (MNE). We complement these approaches by highlighting the sociological manifestations of nationalism and their implications for the MNE. We argue that nationalist sentiments, i.e. widely-shared assumptions of superiority over other nations and cultures, constitute an under-researched but critical element in international business (IB). Drawing insights from organizational sociology, we elucidate how nationalist sentiments manifest in the MNE’s external and internal environment. Specifically, we suggest that nationalist sentiments accentuate national institutional logics, generate status-based categorizations of foreign and domestic firms, and heighten emphasis on national …

What Drives Employers’ Favorability Ratings On Employer Review Platforms? The Role Of Symbolic, Personal, And Emotional Content, Christoph E. Höllig, Andranik Tumasjan, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Employer review platforms have changed the recruitment landscape by allowing current and former employees to post messages about an employer outside of direct company control. Therefore, they have emerged as an important form of third-party employer branding. However, we know little about how such open-ended comments relate to the key variable in employer reviews: employers’ favorability rating. Therefore, we start by situating this variable among other constructs in the employer branding space. Next, we build theory on how content in the open-ended comments of an employer review relates to the positivity or negativity of the reviews’ favorability rating. We test …