Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Ncaa Football Bowl Subdivision Reclassification On Universities, Kyle Shaffer

Student Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly universities are leaving the lower Football Championship Series (FCS) for the potentially greener pastures of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), but are they really greener? Is bigger always better? Since 2008, there have been 17 universities that have reclassified to the NCAA FBS subdivision. The purpose of this study was to study NCAA FCS to FBS reclassification from 2008 to 2023 to research the athletics and non-athletics related impacts that occurred and what factors most influenced the universities in the sample to choose to pursue reclassification. The study used a quantitative approach to more holistically research the impact of …

Hiring Trends In The Hotel Industry Post-Covid-19: Human Resource Professionals’ Perspectives, Anthony Liu

JWU Dissertations & Theses

The U.S. hotel industry experienced severe workforce disruption following the COVID-19 pandemic, including layoffs, employee exits, persistent labor shortages, and shifting employee expectations (Baum et al., 2020; Ghani et al., 2022; Kwok, 2022; Liu-Lastres et al., 2023). Although hotels increased wages, expanded scheduling flexibility, and improved benefits, many hotels continued to experience staffing shortages that affected recruitment, retention, operational efficiency, and service delivery (AHLA, 2024b; Aksoy et al., 2022; Ghani et al., 2022). Existing research has examined employee outcomes and organizational responses; however, limited empirical attention has been given to hotel HR professionals’ experiences and perspectives on post-pandemic hiring …

Corporate Eldercare Responsibility: Forging A Strategic Approach To Sustaining Work–Care Balance, Kazunori Kobayashi, Gabriel Eweje, Mayowa Babalola, Tazeeb Rajwani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – Population ageing is intensifying pressures on employees with eldercare responsibilities, yet eldercare remains weakly addressed within corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business strategy research. This study aims to examine how firms strategically respond to these emerging pressures and develops the concept of corporate eldercare responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on qualitative interviews with senior managers in large Japanese corporations. The analysis focuses on how firms interpret eldercare-related challenges and translate them into organisational responses within existing employment and CSR strategy frameworks. Findings – The findings identify two distinct CSR logics shaping organisational responses. Provision-focused practices extend supports …

Wearable Technology For Depression Assessment: A Scoping Review Of Datasets, Ml Tlachac, Hayley K. Elsbree, Michael V. Heinz

Information Systems and Analytics Department Faculty Journal Articles

As wearable technology continues to develop, wearable devices are becoming more common and being increasingly used to collect datasets for depression assessment. Documenting the collection procedures, recruitment strategies, and demographics of these datasets is important to allow for synthesis across the datasets and uncover common limitations. As such, in this scoping review, we identify 80 observational datasets collected by wearable devices through the start of 2025 that can be used for depression assessment. Of the 80 datasets, 50% used an actigraph and 47.5% used other wristbands. These wearable devices were used to collect activity, sleep, and heart rate for 87.5%, …

Surviving And Thriving: The Indigenous Migrant, Danna Guzman-Rodriguez

Honors Theses

This literature and cultural study highlights the generation of children of indigenous immigrants and the relationship with their indigenous identity and culture. This unique experience is complex and encapsulates issues such as indigenous cultural survival, homogeneity, globalization, and lack of cultural identity. Exploring the Totonac community in La Chaca, Veracruz in Mexico, allows for a deeper explanation of this experience. Speakers of Totonac and other indigenous languages often migrate to countries such as the United States and carry such cultural ties with them. What happens to these ties after moving to a Western-dominated country where globalization favors English and Western …

The Lived Experience Of Inconsistent Legal Recognition: A Phenomenological Study Of Job Burnout And Moral Injury In Florida Correctional Officers, Jeffrey A. Snipes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of Florida correctional officers (FCOs) regarding inconsistent legal recognition and the divergence between functional mandates and legislative definitions. Utilizing Dr. Jonathan Shay’s moral injury framework, this research explores how statutory marginalization functions as a precursor to burnout. A transcendental phenomenological research design was employed; 21 officers were screened using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) followed by semi-structured interviews with a nine-participant subsample.

Data analysis followed Creswell’s spiral procedures to identify themes describing the essence of these experiences. Findings suggest that inconsistent recognition as first responders catalyzes moral injury, exacerbating burnout and …

Aligning Sport Management Programs With The Evolving Needs Of Hopeful Intercollegiate Athletic Administrators., Kelly P. Elliott, Don Rockey

The COSMA Journal

Pathways to becoming an Athletic Director (AD) vary considerably across intercollegiate athletics, highlighting the need for sport management programs to better align academic preparation with evolving professional expectations. While prior research has explored AD roles across NCAA divisions, limited attention has been given to how academic curricula and experiential learning opportunities support students pursuing these careers. This study examines differences in sport management curricula and experiential offerings across programs affiliated with Division I FBS, Division I FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA institutions. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What differences exist in required coursework across divisions? and …

Adaptive Intervention Strategies In Co-Evolving Multiplex Networks: A Reinforcement Learning Approach To Real-Time Misinformation Containment, Anjali Ashokrao Bhadre Dr., Harshvardhan Prabhakar Ghongade Dr.

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The growing transmission of misinformation via social media creates serious challenges to public health, democracy and social cohesion. To date, methods used to contain misinformation rely upon static representations of networks and set rules for interventions. In contrast, this study presents the first Multiplex Adaptive Reinforcement Intervention Network (MARIN), a framework for real-time adaptive intervention in the context of dynamic misinformation transmission using co-evolving multiplex networks and deep reinforcement learning. Unlike past studies that have assumed static network structures, MARIN has the ability to allow for dynamic changes in network topology as a result of both misinformation transmission and intervention …

Book Review - Violent Impacts: How Power And Inequality Shape The Concussion Crisis, Samuel M. Clevenger

Global Sport Business Journal

Kathryn Henne and Matt Ventresca’s Violent Impacts critically examines how narratives surrounding CTE, TBI, and the concussion crisis are constructed across sport, the military, law, media, and science. Drawing on intersectional feminism and science and technology studies, the authors show how dominant concussion discourses privilege the experiences of White male athletes while marginalizing other groups. Based on extensive fieldwork, the book makes an important contribution by exposing representational inequalities and highlighting the intersectional gender politics of concussion research and public debate.

From Centrality To Sustainability: How Connected Boards Shape Waste Management Outcomes, Irfan Haider Shakri, Anh Tuan Nguyen, Fnu Pratima

Faculty Publications

The escalating climate crisis has elevated waste management from an operational concern to a critical issue of corporate governance. However, the role of board connectedness in shaping firms' waste practices remains largely unexplored. Drawing on resource dependency and social capital theories, this study examines how board network centrality influences waste management practices. Employing pooled OLS on 4948 firm- year observations from US- listed firms during 2004–2023, we find that higher board connectedness leads to a significant reduction in waste generation. Economically, a one standard deviation increase in DEGREE centrality is associated with a 3.4% decrease in total waste generation. Our …

Beyond The Classroom: Leveraging Community Engaged Learning To Teach Corporate Social Responsibility In Sport Management, Amanda Greene Dr., Charles Jones, Natalie Smith

The COSMA Journal

This manuscript presents a case study exploring the use of community engaged learning (CEL) to teach corporate social responsibility (CSR) in an upper-level sport management course. The purpose of this study is to examine how participation in a semester long community engaged learning experience influences student understanding of corporate social responsibility, civic identity, and theory-to-practice application. Students partnered with a local nonprofit affiliated with a professional sport organization to design and execute a donor engagement event addressing youth needs in the community. Guided by experiential learning theory, the course emphasized out-of-classroom learning, industry mentorship, and reflective practice. A longitudinal qualitative …

The Dynamics Of Educational Change: A Complex Systems Perspective, Preethi Nanjundan, Lijo Thomas, Abith K. Sunil

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The perception of university teachers toward educational reforms plays an important role in determining the success of changes introduced in the education sector. This study focuses on teachers’ attitudes toward change, their emotional responses, and their overall views on educational reforms. Across the world, many educational reforms have failed to achieve their expected outcomes in improving teaching practices and student learning. As education systems are highly complex, the approach toward implementing reforms has also changed over time. Some reforms are introduced gradually, while others involve major innovations within the system. Complexity theory provides useful insights and tools that help educators …

Balancing Our Capacity To Serve: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Women Navigating Personal, Professional, And Community Leadership Roles, Shemeka K. Brathwaite

Student Theses

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Black women community leaders as they navigate a balance between their professional, personal, and community leadership roles. The research design uses the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Intersectionality and Role Theory, specifically addressing the cultural burdens imposed by the Strong Black Woman archetype, which adds additional role strain. The study began with a questionnaire completed by 54 Black women community leaders, followed by 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews selected from this pool. The study’s key findings are illustrated in a Black Women’s Sustainable Community Leadership Framework. Black women community leaders exude high self-efficacy, …

Child Sexual Abuse: What Utahns Need To Know, Brie Sparks, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Child sexual abuse is a serious and often hidden issue affecting children, families, and communities in Utah. It is frequently misunderstood and underreported, leaving many children without the support they need. Misperceptions about who is at risk and how abuse occurs can make prevention more difficult. Addressing child sexual abuse requires greater awareness, education, and a shared commitment to creating safe environments where children are protected and supported. Preventing abuse and reducing its long-term impacts is a critical responsibility for individuals, families, and communities in Utah.

Mobilizing Social Capital In Social Entrepreneurship: Strategies, Networks, And Growth In The Egyptian Context, Doaa Alaa

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how social entrepreneurs in Egypt strategically mobilise social capital to access resources, legitimacy, and opportunities within a fragmented and institutionally ambiguous ecosystem. Drawing on qualitative case studies of eight legally registered, mission-driven for-profit enterprises, the study analyses how founders build and leverage offline and online networks through practices such as emotional bonding, community formation, knowledge sharing, symbolic positioning, ecosystem engagement, and digital presence. Through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and secondary data, the research identifies a set of relational strategies that function as core mechanisms for entrepreneurial growth in contexts where formal support structures and legal definitions …

Return Dimensions And Employees’ Work Effort In Power Supply Organizations: Does Gender Really Matters?, Patrick Christopher Singogo

Business Management Review

This study investigated the effect of return dimensions i.e. tangible and intangible returns on employees’ work effort, as well as gender differences. The study was guided by Conservation of Resources Theory and Expectancy Theory, together with pertinent literature. Four hypotheses were formulated to investigate the direct effect of tangible and intangible returns on employees’ work effort and the moderating effect of gender. The study drew its sample from 171 employees at the headquarters of Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) in Ubungo, Dar es Salaam. Respondents were stratified into managerial and operative levels, and then systematic sampling was used within …

Narrative, Identity, And Liminality Of Player Development Personnel In Ncaa Power 4 Conferences: Supporting Athlete Identity Development And Navigating Role Evolution In The Nil Implementation Era, Joseph L. Herman Ii

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Derived from a larger study, this article examines Player Development Personnel (PDPs) in NCAA Power 4 (P4) conferences as they support athlete identity development and navigate role evolution during the NIL implementation era. Although academic advisors and support staff have long contributed to athlete development, limited scholarship has examined how PDPs understand their professional identities, responsibilities, and institutional constraints in NIL-era athletics. Guided by the Narrative, Identity, and Liminality Model (NILM), MNF, and institutional logics, this study situates PDP work within an ecosystem shaped by commercialization, racialized narratives, and organizational expectations (McLean & Syed, 2015; Southall et al., 2008). Semi-structured …

Educating Ncaa Student-Athletes To Mitigate Social Media Risks: Results From An Intervention Pilot Program, Ksenia Power, Nataliya Bredikhina, Bomin Paek

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

With the introduction of the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy in July 2021, student-athletes have become increasingly reliant on social media for personal branding and monetization. However, prior research suggests that excessive social media use can negatively impact student-athletes’ well-being, highlighting the need for targeted digital literacy education. Addressing these concerns, this study designed and evaluated an online intervention, “Student-Athlete Training for Online Resilience Management” (STORM), aimed at improving student-athletes’ perceived knowledge and confidence in navigating social media-related risks. Using two waves of survey data (N = 117), the study assessed changes in perceived knowledge of social …

Online Harassment And Mental Health Among Collegiate Student-Athletes: Findings From An Ncaa Division I Conference Survey, M. Courtney Hughes, Michelle K. Demaray, Emily A. Skiba, Sarah E. Warriner

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Social media is central to college athletics, yet public visibility can expose collegiate student-athletes to online harassment, a risk the NCAA has recently highlighted by documenting sizable volumes of abusive, discriminatory, and betting-related content directed at athletes and officials. This study surveyed 85 NCAA Division I student-athletes from ten universities across the Mid-American Conference and assessed social-media behaviors, online harassment exposure, depression, and anxiety. Most athletes used social media 1–3 hours/day, 78% enabled name-mention alerts, and platforms commonly used included Instagram (98.8%) and X (65.9%). Online harassment was reported via social posts (9.4%), direct messages (4.7%), and texts (3.5%), with …

Understanding Parents Perceptions Concerning Division I Student-Athlete Mental Health, Jonathan M. Casper, Jason Bocarro, Marie Amidon

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Collegiate student-athletes (SAs) frequently underreport mental health concerns and are less likely to seek professional support compared to their non-athlete peers. Given the substantial emotional and academic support parents provide, this study examined NCAA Division I parents’ perceptions of their student-athletes’ mental health and overall well-being, as well as their awareness and perceptions of available mental health services. An online survey (N = 178) was administered across two Division I universities. Parents reported considerable concern regarding mental exhaustion, anxiety, academic pressures, and future planning. They also identified sport-specific stressors, including relationships with coaches, playing time, team dynamics, and injuries. Although …

The Growth Of Green Marketing Studies In Southeast Asia: A Bibliometric Review, Muh Erwin Syah, Nuryakin Nuryakin

ASEAN Marketing Journal

Research Aims: This study maps the intellectual structure and development of green marketing research in Southeast Asia. It identifies dominant research clusters and knowledge gaps and provides directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach: The method used in this study is qualitative research with a literature study approach. The method used in this study is qualitative research with a literature study approach. The data source used in this study was taken from the Scopus database on May 25, 2025, with a publication timeframe (2014–2024). As for the data found, 3,872 publications were obtained and analyzed. Finally, this dataset was converted to RIS …

Consumer Spontaneous Purchases Under Pressure! Do The Roles Of Time Pressure And Stock Pressure In Flash Sales Differ Between Hedonic And Utilitarian Products?, Anthony E. Hendra, Karto Adiwijaya

ASEAN Marketing Journal

The development of the digital world has driven changes in the live streaming commerce sales method, which is a combination of e-commerce with social media live streaming features. Flash sales are one strategy that is often used in marketing a product in live streaming commerce to increase sales quickly. Time pressure and stock pressure are components of flash sales that effectively force consumers to make impulsive purchases. By causing a scarcity effect on consumers, pressure can make consumers go through a long decision-making process and make unplanned purchases. In this study, researchers used the stimulus-organism-response theory to explain the role …

The Palm Farm Next-Door: Land Concessions, Livelihoods, And Nutrition In Plantation-Adjacent Communities, Julia Entwistle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large-scale land concessions have reshaped agrarian landscapes globally, yet their implications for community land tenure, livelihoods, and nutrition remain unevenly understood. This dissertation examines how plantation agriculture and foreign investment have transformed land access, labor relations, and food systems in Liberia, a country with one of the highest proportions of land under concession globally. Guided by a political ecology framework, the study employs a mixed-methods design integrating policy analysis, in-depth interviews, and household surveys across two palm oil concession sites. The findings show that ambiguous land policies historically facilitated dispossession, while recent legal reforms have enabled communities to strategically mobilize …

2026-06-12 Agenda Booklet, Morehead State University. Board Of Regents.

Morehead State Board of Regents Agenda Books and Meeting Minutes

Agenda booklet for the Board of Regents meeting of June 12, 2026, held in Prestonsburg, which includes the meeting minutes of the meeting held on March 27, 2026.

The Style Of Decision: Consumer Wisdom And The Mediating Role Of The Heuristic-Systematic Model Of Information Processing In Clothes Shopping, Nourane Sakr

Theses and Dissertations

Rationality and emotions are often treated as opposing forces in decision-making. Yet what if the more productive question is not which one prevails, but how a balance between the two might be achieved? Wisdom offers precisely this kind of integrative paradigm. Wisdom is a central trait for self-development; yet, little has been explored on Consumer Wisdom from a communications perspective. The theory has been initially examining ecology principles with an extensive space in consumer behavior and marketing practices. This research approaches consumer wisdom in online fashion advertising context whilst understanding the common information processing modes; evoked by the mediation of …

Shaping Egypt’S Transition To Sustainable Electric Transport: Current Policies And Future Directions, Noha A. Ragab

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt has enacted policies to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in order to reduce their overall carbon footprint. However, the pace of transition remains limited, so the research aims to answer the following question: “How do current policies shape Egypt’s transition towards sustainable electric transport, and what additional measures can support this transition?" The study employs a qualitative analysis methodology, based on diffusion of innovation theory and conceptual framework, to analyze current policies in Egypt and identify challenges and gaps in their implementation. It also analyzes responses from 23 interviews with experts in the field, manufacturers, dealers, EV …

Jordyn Dearth ’26 Builds Career Path Through Weightlifting And Nutrition, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Expands Its Role In The St. Louis Geospatial Ecosystem, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Project Managers And Pmp Principles In Improving Operational Efficiency In Healthcare Organizations, Karan Thakkar

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Healthcare organizations operate in increasingly complex, regulated, and resource-constrained environments while managing a growing volume of projects tied to digital transformation, process improvement, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure development. Despite the project-intensive nature of healthcare operations, many organizations do not formally employ trained project managers or consistently apply Project Management Professional (PMP) principles; project responsibilities are frequently absorbed by clinical or administrative leaders whose primary expertise lies outside formal project management. This qualitative study examined how the project manager role and PMP principles contribute to operational efficiency in healthcare organizations. The study was conducted as a qualitative document analysis and thematic …

Predicting Cybermindfulness With The Cyber-Health Belief Model, James Robinson, Yan Tian, Thomas Skill

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study describes the development of a Cyber-Health Belief Model (CHBM). The health belief model (HBM) is a message strategy that is widely and successfully used in public health research [1] and has been extended into phish training. Most phish training programs assume  end users are victimized because they have insufficient information to defend themselves. While near-term training effectiveness has shown to be effective, evidence for sustained behavioral change is thin [4]-[7].  This problem indicates that the traditional approaches need to be reconsidered and that new models are needed.  Recent research suggests attentional deficits, cyber-fatigue and fatalism and a sense …