Digital Commons Network^™

A Message From The Managing Editor, Carissa Bayack

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

A message from the 2025-2026 Managing Editor of the Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, Carissa Bayack.

The Freedom Myth: How Ski Culture's Hidden Conformity Reveals The Unconscious Power Of Brand Belonging, Isabel R. Phillips

University Honors Theses

Purpose: Ski culture sells freedom and enforces conformity. This review asks what unconscious behavioral patterns hold that contradiction in place, and how brands capitalize on it to manufacture belonging.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A narrative literature review across consumer psychology, behavioral neuroscience, sociology, and ski industry research. No primary data were collected. Four accounts of consistency-seeking are synthesized into one framework, then applied to three ski industry cases at ascending scales and tested against a comparative case from Spanish football.

Findings: Belonging is a conditioned response, and conditioning requires a stable stimulus. Consistency is therefore the precondition of belonging rather than a constraint …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Firm Value: A Critically Appraised Topic, Shinika L. Byrd

Engaged Management ReView

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important component of strategic management, yet whether it enhances firm value remains a debated question. This Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) synthesizes the most recent peer-reviewed evidence to examine the relationship between CSR and the firm value of U.S. publicly traded companies. The guiding research question is: Does corporate social responsibility improve firm value? Findings indicate that CSR does not consistently improve firm value. Rather, its impact depends on factors such as strategic alignment, governance quality, transparency, stakeholder perceptions, and market conditions. Evidence suggests that strategically integrated, employee-centered CSR initiatives are more likely to …

Exploring The Motivations Of Undergraduate Sport Management Students, Kyle J. Brannigan, Tyler J. Hajek

The COSMA Journal

This study explored the motivations of undergraduate sport management in four university programs. Convergent mixed-methods research through the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory was incorporated with an adapted questionnaire of the Academic Motivation Scale and semi-structured interviews through Thematic Analysis. Ninety-six surveys with nine interviews were deemed usable across four regionally focused, vocationally minded, and accessible universities. Overall, students reported higher levels of extrinsic motivation than intrinsic motivation. The findings suggested intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation through regulation for identification scored highest with the participants. No significant differences were found between classes and ethnicities. However, male students experienced …

Shock-Absorption Capacity In Menaap: A Regional Diagnostic Using The Policy Space Index, Alexei Kireyev

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This paper assesses the short-term shock-absorption capacity of the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) using the Policy Space Index (PSI). The PSI integrates fiscal, monetary, and reserve indicators and adjusts them for institutional constraints to measure nominal and effective shock-absorption capacity. The key finding is that MENAAP effective policy space averaged about 11 percent of GDP in 2024, roughly half the global average and heavily concentrated in oil exporters. The constraints lie in MENAAP's institutional arrangements and insufficient fiscal discipline. Easing them requires fiscal consolidation alongside structural reforms to address the institutional bottlenecks.

A Philosophy Of Communication Response To Bullying In Corporate America, Chris A. Phillips Dr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This philosophy of communication response to bullying in corporate America follows the structure of posing research questions, synthesizing relevant literature, and offering advice to practitioners. It invites the reader to have hope in continuing the conversation through a constructive hermeneutic approach to the problem. By building on literature in oppression, silencing, bullying, incivility, and communication ethics, this dissertation reveals how (rhetoric) and why (philosophy) the problem occurs in corporate America today. This dissertation offers a new angle to an old problem, or, a rhetoric and philosophy of bullying. It responds to the following questions:

RQ 1: As a destructive communication …

“No Te Metas, Eso Es De Hombres”: How Gendered Barriers Shape Women’S Income And Success In Rural Mexico’S Livestock Sector, Sofia Gaeta Garcia

McNair Summer Research Program

Women play a significant role in Mexico’s livestock sector, contributing to production, breeding, animal care, and local market activity. However, their labor is often overlooked and undervalued. Women’s work is often treated as “help” rather than recognized as real labor. The calls for “No te metas, eso es de hombres” and “La mujer ayuda, el hombre decide” reflect the gendered ideas this project examines. This research argues that financial, structural, and cultural barriers limit women’s participation in rural Mexico’s livestock industry by restricting their access to income, resources, decision-making power, and financial independence. Using a qualitative research design, this project …

C.S.A. Assessment - Tamp Family Health Center Portal, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

This C.A.S. assessment evaluates how the Tampa Family Health Centers website influences userattention, cognitive processing, information accessibility, navigation efficiency, and digital user experience.The assessment examines whether the platform supports intentional engagement and informed decision-making while minimizing cognitive overload, distraction, confusion, and unnecessary attentional demands.

TFHC serves as a healthcare access portal providing appointment scheduling, patient resources, providerinformation, healthcare services, MyChart access, payment services, and community health resources.These functions make attention management and information clarity critical to successful user outcomes.

Plan Of Day | Plan Of Stay: How Inter-Disciplinary Communication Improved Patient Experience And Hospital Throughput, Theresa Jean Dionne, Felicia Hurst, Danna Qunibi, Lauren Lazar, Sydney Mccurdy, Ashlyn Coenraad, Brittney Ward, Whitney Black, Ashley Nelson, Judd Salem, Luisa Restrepo

Patient Experience Journal

Background: Effective communication among healthcare team members is critical for delivering high-quality, patient- and family-centered care while optimizing hospital operations. This case study examines the implementation of a structured ``Plan of Day | Plan of Stay'' model, leveraging bedside whiteboards to enhance inter-disciplinary communication in a pediatric hospital setting. By providing a clear, visual summary of daily care plans, care team members, and discharge goals, whiteboards foster transparency, empower patients and families, and facilitate coordinated clinical decision-making. Purpose: This quality improvement initiative evaluated the implementation of a standardized Plan of Day | Plan of Stay communication model on a pediatric …

Patient-Centred Care: An Integrated Bibliometric And Structural Equation Modelling Approach, Japheth Nuhu Ahmed

Patient Experience Journal

This study investigates how communication and service quality in Patient Relationship Management impact patient satisfaction through trust. The literature in this field is predominantly in developed countries, whereas it is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. Combining bibliometric analysis and structural equation modelling, the study highlights emerging research trends and provides empirical evidence to guide healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in improving patient care. To strengthen its theoretical foundation, the study integrates the Social Exchange Theory and Expectancy–Disconfirmation Theory to explain the model. The study retrieved quantitative data from the Scopus database for bibliometric analysis. A questionnaire was used to collect data …

Trust Earned Through Relational Care: How Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Patient Trust In Their Inpatient Physicians—A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study, Marlise Jeanne Pierre-Wright, Ibrahim Badreldin Mokhtar, Uma Thachapuzha, Yashoswini Chakraborty, Revika Singh, Rachel O'Conor, Jing Song, Julia Lee, Maria E. Theodorou, Christine Schaeffer, Kimberly Collins, Muriel Jean-Jacques

Patient Experience Journal

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common, with approximately 60% of the population reporting at least one exposure. Despite well-established links between ACEs and adverse health outcomes, little is known about how ACE exposure shapes hospitalized patients' trust in inpatient physicians. Objective: To examine the association between ACEs and hospitalized patients' trust in inpatient physicians and to explore how trust is formed among patients with high ACE exposure. Methods: In this convergent mixed-methods study, 86 patients admitted to a general internal medicine teaching service at a large urban academic medical center were surveyed across six data-collection sessions (January–July 2024). Participants …

Navigating Uncertainty: Patient Experiences Of Birads 0 Mammogram Results, Petranea Smith, Jasmine Warren, Marina Demas, Roberta Goldman, Joanne E. Wilkinson

Patient Experience Journal

Objective: Describe experiences of patients receiving BIRADS 0 (inconclusive) mammogram results in electronic health portals. Methods: Recruited eighteen patients who had received BIRADS 0 results via the portal in the last 5 years.Semi-structured interviews yielded qualitative data, analyzed sequentially using the immersion crystallization method to identify content and then iterative coding both individually and in groups. A team of 4 researchers coded and analyzed the transcripts, using repeated meetings and a shared spreadsheet to organize codes and develop thematic elements via visual organization. Results: Themes included baseline comfort/trust with healthcare and how it interacted with anxiety about the uncertainty of …

From Hospital To Home After Lower-Extremity Open Reduction And Internal Fixation: Patients' Experiences Of Pain Self-Management And Trust-Building Discharge And Follow-Up Support, Sahrudi Sahrudi, Achmad Fauzi Kamal, Masfuri Masfuri, Kasiyah Junus

Patient Experience Journal

After lower-extremity open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), patients often return home while pain, wound care, mobility restrictions, medication routines, and follow-up needs are still evolving. During this transition, trust in discharge information may shape how patients interpret symptoms, use analgesics, mobilise, involve family members, and decide when to seek help. This qualitative descriptive study explored patients' experiences of pain self-management after lower-extremity ORIF in an Indonesian public hospital context, with attention to trust-building needs across discharge and early follow-up. Eighteen adults participated in individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews at an orthopaedic outpatient clinic. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Medical Services In Acute Care Hospitals In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Yoko Nakano, Tomoya Yokotani, Rika Nakajima, Hidemi Yoshii

Patient Experience Journal

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify nurses' perceptions of healthcare services in acute care hospitals. Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymous, web-based questionnaire was conducted using SurveyMonkey. Participants were selected using convenience sampling. The survey included questions about the participants' basic attributes and the 22-item M-SERVQUAL scale (a modified multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of medical service quality). Data analysis involved age-based comparisons using the Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni method. The significance level was set at p < 0.01. Results: The survey was distributed to 1,542 participants, yielding 566 valid responses, with an effective response rate of 36.7%. …

Pathways To Patient-Provider Conflict In Nigeria: A Structural Equation Model Of Expectations, Communication, Trust, And Organizational Constraints, Akaninyene O. Unaam, Christie Divine Akwaowo, Edidiong A. Unaam

Patient Experience Journal

Objective: This study empirically investigated the drivers of patient-provider conflict and tested a conceptual model linking treatment expectations, communication, trust, and organizational constraints to conflict intensity in Nigerian tertiary care. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 400 patients (response rate 82.3%) and 150 healthcare providers (response rate 71.2%) from three Nigerian tertiary hospitals was conducted using stratified random sampling. Validated, culturally adapted scales measured unrealistic treatment expectations, communication barriers, organizational constraints, trust, and conflict intensity. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrapping for mediation testing. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis established measurement invariance across samples. …

Centering Community Voices To Address Healthcare Inequities In Underserved Utah Populations, Karishma Shah, Jazmine Abril, May Shaaban, Silvia Soule, Sonia Sehgal, Rawad Farhat, Jeannette Villalta, Oreta Tupola, Valentine Mukundente, Cathy Wolfsfeld, Ivana Holiday, Walter Watchman, Carrie Olvera, Lauren Gleave, Kamaile Tripp, Alexander Sperber, Rita Osborn

Patient Experience Journal

Persistent disparities in health outcomes across the United States are often driven by systemic inequities and social determinants of health. In Utah, these inequities are particularly pronounced among racially, ethnically, and geographically underserved populations. Community healthcare workers (CHWs) who share lived experiences with these communities are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between patients and a fragmented healthcare system. This study aimed to explore how underserved communities in Utah perceive and interact with the healthcare system, centering their lived experiences to inform more equitable care models. We conducted eight focus groups with 73 participants from six medically underserved communities: African …

Caring But Still Hurting: Uninsured Patients' Illness And Healthcare Experiences At A U.S. Free Clinic, Danaya Amornnimit, Eda G. Christensen, Adelaida Salmeron, Kian Robison, Sofia Ampudia Arroyo, Jessica Benelli, Brenda Spearman, Akiko Kamimura

Patient Experience Journal

While free clinics provide essential healthcare to socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, patients' lived experiences in these settings remain underexplored. This qualitative study examined how uninsured patients at a U.S.-based free clinic perceive their illness experiences and interactions with healthcare providers. From October to December 2024, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 adult patients (ages 18–72; M = 49.14), most of whom were non–U.S.-born and primarily Spanish-speaking. Participants described illness as entangled with emotional distress, social isolation, stigma, and disruptions to identity and family roles—revealing a psychological burden that extends beyond physical symptoms. These findings highlight the need to integrate psychosocial and …

From Drifting To Anchored: How Online Health Communities Can Transform Care For Complex Chronic Illness, Mads Eggerding

Patient Experience Journal

This personal narrative recounts a 25-year diagnostic odyssey with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, defined by medical fragmentation, dismissed symptoms, and profound isolation. It illustrates how Online Health Communities (OHCs) bridged the chasm between lived experience and a clinical system ill-equipped for complex chronic illness. For patients like me, these digital forums provide the peer validation, practical knowledge, and self-advocacy tools necessary to navigate a disjointed healthcare landscape. For providers, this story underscores a critical opportunity: proactive, non-judgmental engagement with OHCs is not a threat to expertise but a foundational strategy for patient-centered care. By acknowledging and constructively partnering with these patient-led spaces, …

Secondary Infertility: A Personal Story Of Loss And Grief, Ben Hughes

Patient Experience Journal

An increasing number of people worldwide are experiencing fertility and this trend is reflected in the data from the United Kingdom. However, most research focuses on the experiences of women and so the male perspective is largely missing from the literature. This narrative is an account of my personal journey of secondary infertility. Presenting a male perspective of infertility provides a point of view which is rarely explored and is about a topic which feels largely a societal taboo. I chart how infertility has changed me, what it has meant to me through my years of trying to come to …

Supporting The Human Experience: Why Compassion Outperforms Empathy In Care Delivery, Katelyn Carey

Patient Experience Journal

Healthcare professionals are often taught that empathy, defined as imagining oneself in the emotional experience of another, is essential to providing excellent care. Yet in high-stress, high-stakes clinical environments, the very tool given to increase patient and employee connection can contribute to disengagement, burnout, and diminished resiliency. This research review article examines the longstanding conflation of empathy and compassion in healthcare and argues that the distinction between the two is not merely semantic but critical to provider well-being and patient outcomes. Drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology, and communication studies, the piece outlines how emotional, perspective-taking empathy activates the brain's …

Same-Day Cancellation Reduction In An Ambulatory Surgery Unit, Anthone Dalit Vengersammy

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Same-day surgical cancellations in the outpatient surgery setting remain a significant operational and patient care challenge. Preventable cancellations negatively affect patient experience, operating room efficiency, staff productivity, and healthcare costs. 

Context: A microsystem and organizational culture assessment identified several factors contributing to same-day cancellations, including unclear preoperative instructions, incomplete medical clearance, inconsistent patient education, lack of standardized workflows, unclear staff responsibilities, and communication gaps among interdisciplinary teams. SWOT and gap analyses were used to identify opportunities for improvement and guide intervention planning.

Interventions: Quality improvement interventions were implemented through iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Strategies included revising preoperative patient instructions, …

Bekizine: A Zine Featuring Selected Queer Artists And Narratives, Daniel D. Sullano, Alex Ayson, Arianna Atas, Renee Sophia Caponong, Merix Kobi Blancaflor, Fernando R. Lacson

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

Media serves as a powerful medium for shaping cultural norms and self-perception. Despite increasing visibility in Philippine media, LGBTQ+ representation remains dominated by metropolitan-centric narratives and reductive tropes that overlook the nuanced realities of provincial queer life. The study explored how BEKIZINE, a community-centered zine created by and for LGBTQ+ individuals aged 18–30 in Cavite, can serve as alternative media for self-expression, community building, and historical preservation. Adopting a practice-based, mixed-methods approach, the study integrates Queer Theory, Safe Space Theory, and Alternative Media Theory through semi-structured interviews with local queer artists and individuals, followed by zine launch evaluation surveys. Qualitative …

Bikolearn: Enhancing Bicol Language Proficiency Among Heritage Learners, Nathalie T. Lim-Cheng, Mark E. Abergos, Joshua H. Baccaro, Edward E. Tab, Christian A. Dela Peña

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

Heritage learners are individuals with cultural ties to a language but also who lack proficiency in them, therefore often struggling to maintain their linguistic heritage. This is a common challenge for Filipino Bicol Language learners, especially those who grew up outside the region. This paper presents BikoLearn, a new web application designed to help heritage learners acquire the Bikol Language starting at the A1 beginner level. The application, which is designed first for mobile phones, mixes gamification features with relevant cultural content to make learning accessible. Through formatted lessons, interactive quizzes, and progress tracking presented in a gamified format, BikoLearn …

Kapwa Beckett: Co-Performance, Pakikipagkapwa, And Relational Meaning-Making In Philippine Stagings Of Samuel Beckett, Christian Gabriel Tolentino

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This reflective-practice study examines how kapwa and pakikipagkapwa emerged through translation, rehearsal, staging, and reception in three Philippine productions of Samuel Beckett: Endgame (2016), Happy Days (2019), and the devised classroom piece Beckett, Godot & Us Waiting (2023). Using comparative production analysis and a dialogical co-performance orientation drawn from Dwight Conquergood, I analyze rehearsal exercises, adaptation notes, production materials, staging decisions, and remembered performer-audience encounters. The analysis identifies distinct relational practices across the productions: collaborative localization and sensory dramaturgy in Endgame; negotiated media adaptation and mediated intimacy in Happy Days; and devising, Meisner repetition, physical trust, and shared post-pandemic waiting …

Reliability Generalization Of The Learning Transfer System Inventory, Ashlee Tolliver

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine variability in coefficient alpha estimates across the 16 Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) constructs and evaluate reliability-reporting practices within the literature using a reliability generalization meta-analysis. Studies published between 1997 and 2025 were identified through database searches and a review of Academy of Human Resource Development conference proceedings. Following screening and listwise deletion, 118 studies were included in the final analyses. Unweighted mean coefficient alpha estimates were calculated, and ordinary least squares regression and commonality analyses examined the influence of instrument version, translation status, and full or partial use. Reliability estimates …

0905: American Car And Foundry (Acf) Collection, 1916-2019, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The collection includes only documents that were found in the plant in 2021. These primarily consist of files on capital projects from the 1970s through the 1990s. Also included are notebooks with job descriptions and classifications; ledger books containing maintenance purchase orders; quality assurance manuals; visitors register books from 1973-2019; drawings of plant machinery and operations; slides and photographs; and miscellaneous materials.

The forerunner to ACF was Ensign Manufacturing Company, founded in 1871 at Huntington, West Virginia, by William H. Barnum and Ely Ensign, both from prominent families of Lime Rock, Connecticut. It was chartered (incorporated) on November 1, 1872, …

Exploring Factors Related To Retention Of Young Soccer Officials, Jacob K. Tingle, Lynn L. Ridinger, David J. Hancock, Joseph Foran, Lucas Ribeiro

School of Business Faculty Research

Purpose/Rationale

The purpose of this study was to examine factors (needs and motivations) that contribute to retention of young soccer officials.

Design/Methodology/Approach

An online survey was distributed to soccer referees who received their first USSF officiating license as a juvenile.

Findings:

Correlational and regression analyses yielded five key findings: (1) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) principles are salient to retention; (2) Intrinsic Motivation and Sense of Community significantly impact retention; (3) variables across scales were highly correlated and had large effect sizes; (4) findings were similar across demographic variables; and (5) small increases to Relatedness and Choice had a large impact on …

Business Responsibility And Sustainability In India : A Comprehensive Analysis Of Brsr Disclosures Of India’S Top 1,000 Listed Companies For Fy 2024–25, Rajeev Ranjan Tripathi, Aditya Gupta, Mohan Krishna, Sonika Gandhi

Monograph and Other Reports

The intersection of capital markets, corporate governance, and sustainable development has, over three decades, given rise to a transformative shift in management practice: the systematic disclosure and evaluation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Once confined to niche ethical investment circles, ESG reporting has evolved into a mainstream imperative, shaping investment decisions, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder expectations across both developed and emerging economies. Today, ESG performance is no longer an addendum to financial reporting but a substantive dimension of enterprise value and long-term organisational legitimacy. India’s ESG reporting journey reflects a trajectory of incremental but decisive policy evolution. The …

Building Careers In The Age Of Ai, Laura Bulkeley

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores how career advisors can support students navigating a rapidly changing job market shaped by artificial intelligence. It examines how students can reframe traditional career paths around transferable skills, adaptability, human connection, and continuous learning while considering what employers increasingly value in candidates. The presentation discusses the importance of developing high-agency professionals who can learn new technologies, communicate and collaborate effectively, and apply human reasoning alongside AI. It also provides a practical application of generative AI in the job search process, including customizing resumes, preparing for interviews, and receiving feedback on writing while maintaining ownership of one's experiences, …

Ai-Powered Personal Branding: How To Use Ai Intentionally To Pursue A Fulfilling Career, Tra Mai (Camellia) Hoang

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores how students at different stages of their career development can use artificial intelligence intentionally to build a strong personal brand and pursue fulfilling career opportunities. It examines personal branding from beginner through expert levels and demonstrates how AI tools can support career exploration, resume development, job and internship searches, professional networking, interview preparation, and portfolio building. The presentation introduces practical applications of tools such as Google AI Studio, Gemini, and Claude, including an AI-powered resume match builder, interview coach, and portfolio builder. Through tutorials, case studies, and activities, participants learn how AI can complement career advising and …