Digital Commons Network^™

Employing Ai To Enhance In-Class Role Playing Scenarios, Eric Fournier

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Role playing can deepen student’s engagement with course content and help them develop skills while learning course material. Students will use AI to develop their characters and help them craft compelling arguments in the role-play scenarios

Recruitment And Retention: The Role Of Flexibility And Benefits In Shaping Gen Z Employee Attitudes And Behaviors, Dennis Field

Honors Projects in Management

To stay competitive, corporations need to find ways to attract and retain employees, especially the youngest generation entering the workforce, known as Generation Z or Gen Z. Born between 1995 and 2012, Gen Z differs from previous generations. This generation puts a stronger emphasis on flexibility in the workplace and the perks of being able to do work remotely; however, remote work is not perfect. It can lead to counterproductive work behavior and a lack of needed personal interaction with colleagues. Other expectations Gen Z has for the workplace are sustainable business practices, mental health benefits, and support from their …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Project Managers & Their Work, Devahya Townsend

Honors Projects in Management

Project management and project managers have been affected by COVID-19 in drastic ways. Whether it be the way they had to complete their work or the demand for their expertise, the effects left a lasting impact. This research will investigate how project managers' work was affected due to covid and how the demand for them changed. Since this area of study has been overlooked, this research could be helpful for any student or individual looking to go into the project management field. In order to complete this research, interviews were conducted, and a secondary data analysis was completed. These interviews …

How The Current Economy Will Affect Generation Z'S Ability To Retire In The Future, Connor Stahl

Honors Projects in Finance

As Gen Z is moving into the workforce, it is becoming more evident that they are going to have a tough time being able to retire. Generation Z, born from 1995 to 2008 is one of the youngest Generations that has seen the most financial strife in their developing years, than any other generation. Even so, this generation has seen a lot of financial struggles they will continue to see them into the future. This study looks at a variety of different factors to help determine the severity of retirement for Generation Z. Some factors that will be looked at …

Business As Ministry In The Us Rural Midwest For The Common Good, Eric Zhong-Ming Ma

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

The rural Midwest region of the United States serves as a significant locus for American history, culture, and faith, in addition to being renowned as the nation’s primary agricultural hub for maize and soybeans production. Nevertheless, the prevailing body of literature pertaining to the integration of business and Christian ministry for the common good predominantly represented the viewpoints of individuals engaged in international missions or those involved in urban settings regarding the underlying purposes of business. Limited knowledge existed regarding the practices and perceptions of business as ministry stakeholders in the rural Midwestern United States concerning the concept of the …

Equity Fund Monthly Report, April 2024, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

Understanding Global Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence In The Workplace, William Medeiros

Honors Projects in Business

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved over the years, emerging as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionize various industries as well as the way humans work and live. With its ability to mimic human cognitive processes and perform complex tasks, this technology is becoming a powerful tool for automation, decision-making, and problem-solving. Despite these major advancements, several challenges still exist which need to be addressed in order to unlock its full potential. The goal of this research is to gain a better understanding of global attitudes towards AI in the workplace. The purpose is to expand upon existing …

The Landscape Of Gender Lens Investing In The United States And Performance Analysis, Sarah Monsini

Honors Projects in Finance

This study aims to analyze the performance of environmental, social, and governance mutual funds and ETFs, particularly those composed of companies that prioritize the gender diversity pillar of ESG. This method of investing, known as gender lens investing, involves selecting securities with a high social ESG score attributable to strong gender diversity throughout all levels of the company, or in this case, companies that an ETF or mutual fund is invested in. I expect to find that gender diverse ETFs and mutual funds perform better than their benchmarks, promoting the inclusion of policies that facilitate this aspect of ESG in …

Implementing Universal Design For Learning In Financial Literacy Education, Andreas Kotsironis

Honors Projects in Finance

The purpose of the study is to understand what students currently know regarding financial literacy, what learning style they use in the classroom, and how to fuse the two into a simple and informational version of financial literacy education. Financial literacy education can be used to increase household savings for retirement, personal financial goals, and risk management purposes. By joining the concept of UDL and Financial Literacy Education, each obstacle listed can be improved upon. Learning styles focus attention onto three different approaches to teaching that are based in auditory, visual, and kinesthetic pedagogies. UDL focuses on curating individual learning …

Optimizing Oncological Care: The Influence Of Ai On Insurance Approvals, Brian Cox, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Within the United States, oncological treatments represent a considerable portion of the health care landscape, in terms of both their prevalence and associated costs. The year 2022 witnessed 1.9 million new cancer cases and over 600,000 cancer-related deaths, signaling the pressing need for efficient strategies in managing and addressing challenges in oncology. Studies suggest that using AI-based systems to standardize clinical data submissions and integrate electronic health records using the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources data standard can optimize these processes further.

Navigating The Future Of Healthcare: Big Data's Impetus For Inpatient Quality Enhancement, Lakyn Hyre, Brian Cox, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This study aims to explore the impact of big data utilization on quality improvement in inpatient facilities, specifically assessing its influence on readmission rates, patient outcomes, and potential cost savings. This study utilized mixed methodologies with a literature review complemented by semi-structured interviews to gain perspectives about big data utilization on quality improvement in inpatient facilities. The Marshall University Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the interview. This study’s conceptual framework (Figure 1) was adapted from the research framework of Yao, Chu, and Li (Yao et al., 2010). The framework displays the reasoning of and approach to big data and machine …

Rural Hospital Closures Unraveling The Socioeconomic, Healthcare Access, And Community Impact On Local Communities, Jake Lestitian-Howard, Chase Ooten, Jay Poindexter, Colette Martin, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This study aimed to analyze the effects of rural hospital closures on employment level, economic indicators, and availability of care for communities. The research showed that rural hospital closures negatively impacted community economies and access to healthcare.

Analyzing Deaths From Extreme Weather Events And Their Relevance To The Life Insurance Industry, Erika Roof

Honors Projects in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

This study aims to discover the effect of extreme weather events on the life insurance industry. As climate change progresses and global temperatures increase, extreme weather events, which are separated into drought, freeze, severe storms, tropical cyclones, wildfires, and winter storms are expected to occur more often. Extreme weather events not only impact the local economies but increase local death rates as well. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI), this study uses regression analysis to examine the correlation between extreme weather and mortality data. Time series regression analysis suggests that …

Climate Change: An Existential Threat To Humanity, Brayden Asher Roy

Honors Projects in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

According to President Joe Biden, "Climate change is an existential threat to humanity" (Biden, 2020), one that requires the fullest attention from leaders within the international community. Research into the impacts of anthropogenic behavior on the climate began as early as the 1870s. When the clean energy movement generated support in the 1980s, fossil fuel companies responded to protect their existing business model that a transition to renewable energy would dismantle. Within the United States, through the suppression of information and lobbying of politicians, fossil fuel companies turned the concept of climate change into a partisan issue. Based on scientific …

How Spending Patterns Of Different Groups Affect Long And Short-Term Savings, Peter Misiaszek

Honors Projects in Mathematics and Economics

Many young Americans are concerned whether they will have sufficient savings as they age. This paper will explore the factors that influence the spending habits of young Americans and how those patterns correlate to lifetime savings. There is a plethora of psychological and sociological factors that contribute to different patterns of spending which ultimately affect long-term savings. Savings rates have dropped significantly over the past few decades, and this decline is leaving many Americans without sufficient wealth for retirement. Data that will be collected will be used to run a regression model, ultimately to conclude what the most important factors …

Health Equity Innovation To End Clinicians’ Unconscious Bias When Caring For Emergency Department Patients, Kenneth Forte, Adam Chess, April Alfano, Keri Bill, Cheryl Green, Mary Christoffersen, Joubin Bavarian

Posters

Bridgeport Hospital has successfully improved patient care by implementing Individualized Clinical Bias Scores (ICBS) for triage nurses in our emergency department (ED). Through the use of data analysis, we identified that patients of color were being assigned less urgent acuities when presenting with the same complaints as white patients. By addressing this implicit bias and implementing a new system of ICBS for our ED Triage Nurses, we have seen a significant improvement in the equitable treatment of all patients regardless of race or ethnicity.

Health And Healthcare: Designing For The Social Determinants Of Health And Blue Zones In North Nashville, Rebecca Tonguis, Honor Thomas, Olivia Hobbs

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Owned by North Nashville’s First Community Church, a now empty site in the Osage-North Fisk neighborhood of North Nashville has been identified as a potential site for a new location of The Store, in addition to a community-centric architectural development based on the social determinants of health and informed by the principles behind Blue Zones, the locations with the highest lifespans in the world. Opened by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, The Store is a free grocery store that “allow[s] people to shop for their basic needs in a way that protects dignity and fosters hope”, for which North Nashville …

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

Honors Program

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

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

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

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

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

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

Page 7: THREADS OF BELIEF By Yudao Song ’26

Newgen Surgical: Reimagining Health For People And Planet [Case], Sarah Lee, Vafa Saboorideilami, Xiaotian Zhang, Yung-Jae Lee

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

The case study draws on structured interviews with Rob Chase, Founder and CEO of NewGen Surgical, as well as secondary data sources to analyze the effectiveness of these solutions in mitigating the risks and enhancing the company’s competitive advantage.

This case study examines how NewGen Surgical, a small- to medium-sized medical equipment manufacturer based in the USA, navigates a supply chain crisis caused by post-pandemic (COVID-19) supply and demand distress, trade restrictions, and the US–China trade war in 2022. It outlines the journey of CEO and Founder, Robert Chase, as he started, grew and is maintaining the company and its …

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

Santa Clara Magazine

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

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

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

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

34 - MAKE AI THE BEST …

2024- The Twenty-Eighth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

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

Dretske’S Internal Maps: A Critical Component Of Knowledge Management, Strategy, And Ai, Theodore J. Randles, Lisa A. Gardner, Zhe Zhang

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Over two decades ago, guided by Randles and Thachenkary’s (2002) four-stage model, a video analysis of medical diagnostic teleconsultations was conducted. From this analysis came the knowledge combustion analogy of Randles and Fadlalla (2004) and the knowledge chemistry approach. The first tool of knowledge chemistry was the knowledge spectrum, and Randles, Miller, and Blades (2011) proposed that the knowledge spectrum could provide a framework for defining and assessing organization knowledge requirements and knowledge resources. Dretske’ internal maps are the cornerstone of knowledge requirements fulfillment analysis (KRFA). In this paper, their central role is demonstrated using the sales process as an …

A Mixed-Method Inquiry Into Rural School Principal Perspectives Regarding Inclusion Through Social Justice Leadership, Amy J. Konz

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of school building leaders (SBLs), also referred to as principals, regarding their facilitation of social justice leadership (SJL) and culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) practices to support student inclusion and belongingness within the K-12 educational setting in NYS. This research study fills the knowledge gap related to student belongingness through the principal's perspective and illuminates how SBLs support inclusion. First, nine high-need rural school principals participated in semi-structured interviews, and second, 101 SBLs from across NYS completed a survey using the Social Justice Behavior Scale (SJBS). Findings …

Building A Professional Community Of Practice Through Collaborative Inquiry, Christopher E. Stevens

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Little if any research has been conducted to determine the dynamics of and meaning derived by a group of professionals using collaborative inquiry (CI) to create a values and behaviors (VB) statement in the early stages of forming a community of practice (CoP). This case study involved individual interviews and other observational techniques to determine meanings derived from the inquiry and identify the value individuals and the group as a community may have gained from the CI. The research questions for this study addressed how using CI to establish the VB statement affected the development of the CoP, the meaning …

Does Participation Matter? Exploring The Role Of Participation In Corporate Leadership Development Programs On The Intent To Stay Of High-Potential Employees In The Biotech Industry, Glenna M. Griffin

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The idea of leadership development programs for high-potential employees within organizations has long been a standard for driving employee retention within organizations. Yet, employee retention is different from employee intent to stay. Retention metrics measure historical data, looking back to determine how long an employee has stayed in the organization. Employee intent to stay measures, at that moment, data that contribute to an employee’s motivation to stay with the organization. Employers spend significant budgets on leadership development programs for high-potential employees and report on that participation in company retention metrics. Does the investment in these programs also support an employee’s …

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

PhD in Organizational Leadership

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

Exploring The Impact Of Workplace Spirituality On Millennials’ Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment Using The Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale, Nathan S. Gonzalez

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The aim of this research was to assess how meaning in life influences job satisfaction and organizational commitment among Millennials across diverse professions. Data were collected to examine these relationships comprehensively, employing the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. Despite extensive research in workplace spirituality, research on Millennials and meaning in life remains scarce. Methodologically, this research adopted a quantitative cross-sectional design involving 131 participants from 24 industries in the United States. Reliability analyses demonstrated the trustworthiness of the employed scales, with strong correlations observed between job satisfaction and organizational commitment with the dimensions of …

Do Eastern Religious Traditions Stifle Or Encourage Corporate Innovation? Evidence From China, Lihong Liang, Siyi Liu, Chunqiu Zhang

Accounting - All Scholarship

Although the relationship between Western religiosity and innovation is widely investigated, the effect of Eastern religious traditions on corporate innovation remains unexplored. Using a sample of firms listed in Chinese A-share stock exchanges, we find that firms registered in areas with stronger Eastern religious traditions (Buddhism and Taoism) are generally more innovative than firms registered in areas with weaker Eastern religious traditions. This result suggests that Eastern religiosity promotes rather than stifles corporate innovation. We find additional evidence suggesting that Eastern religiosity promotes corporate innovation mainly through the following three channels: (1) fostering nonexclusivity and openness to science and innovation, …

Is Asia On The Precipice Of A Currency Crisis? Exploring Regional Risks And Implications On The Global Economy, Hannah Deng

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the economic stability of Asia in the face of a potential currency crisis through drawing upon the historical context provided by the 1997 East Asian Financial Crisis. It systematically explores the characteristics and precursors of currency crises, analyzes the Asia-Pacific region’s response to past financial upheavals, and evaluates current macroeconomic vulnerabilities as well as policy frameworks. By juxtaposing the changes in Asia’s financial landscape from the late 20th century to the present, the study identifies persistent structural weaknesses and the region’s ongoing exposure to volatile global financial markets. It also considers the possibility of emerging markets establishing …

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

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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