Digital Commons Network^™

A Narrative Discourse On Large Global Corporations And Modern Slavery In Complex Supply Chains, Bonnie Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation asks to what extent, if at all, large global corporations are addressing modern slavery in their complex supply chains. Many companies publicly report that they are addressing human rights topics such as modern slavery in their complex supply chains using traceability, transparency and accountability frameworks and tools, public communications, stakeholder dialogue, auditing, etc. The researcher explored narratives in academic, governmental, corporate, and non-governmental organization reports, media publications, websites, and videos to determine whether the corporations are addressing modern slavery in complex supply chains. Using systematic review methods and tools, the researcher also analyzed medical and engineering profession ethical …

Professionalism In Culinary Arts: An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Mature Part-Time Degree Students In Industry And Academia In Ireland Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Orla Mc Connell

Doctoral

The purpose of the research is to explore the experiences of mature part-time culinary arts degree students in Ireland to examine the phenomenon of professionalism. While other researchers have sought the views of culinary arts educators and practitioners, the student voice is underexplored. The research focuses on a particular context: a major transition in the participants’ lives: their return to education, while working full-time as chefs. Their experiences are considered unique since they, as a group, navigate between two worlds: industry and academia. Notably, a recent study in Ireland found that professionalism is an important career success factor for chefs. …

Framing A Feminist Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Lived Experiences Of Women Entrepreneurs, Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

Purpose – This article aims to explore the potential of feminist phenomenology as a conceptual framework for advancing women’s entrepreneurship research and the suitability of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to the proposed framework.

Design/methodology/approach – The article critically examines the current state of women’s entrepreneurship research regarding the institutional context and highlights the benefits of a shift towards feminist phenomenology.

Findings – The prevailing disembodied and gender-neutral portrayal of entrepreneurship has resulted in an equivocal understanding of women’s entrepreneurship and perpetuated a male-biased discourse within research and practice. By adopting a feminist phenomenological approach, this article argues for the importance …

Impact Of Organizational Culture And Leadership In Professional Environments, Eli Wolman

Capstone Showcase

This paper addresses the importance of a strong organizational culture and effective leadership in a professional working environment. Leadership has been shown to profoundly impact a professional working environment's performance, productivity, mental well-being, and goal attainment. Organizational Culture is the set of values and norms a group shares. As influential organizational culture proves to be effective, leadership may come in the form of several styles, including transformational leadership, directive leadership, or empowering leadership, which also play a pivotal role in the success of a group. Ultimately, even though this paper primarily prioritizes the implications of leadership and culture on professional …

How Company Age Affects Esg Ratings, Jonathan Thomas

Honors Program Theses

As environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, has only gained prominence in the 21st century, a great host of data has become available from company’s sustainability reports which have yet to be fully analyzed. This paper examines the ESG ratings of publicly traded companies based on the different ages of the companies, Using company founding dates from FactSet Research Systems Inc. and ESG ratings from HIP Investor Inc. on companies that the agency evaluates, the average ESG ratings of companies were compared between four groups of companies divided based on their ages to determine whether results vary for the different …

Enhancing Inclusive Entrepreneurial Activity Through Community Engagement Led By Higher Education Institutions, Emma O'Brien, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

While supporting entrepreneurship through government intervention has become a global phenomenon, the OECD (2021) has identified that several communities (including women, youth, seniors, unemployed and immigrants) remain under-represented in terms of entrepreneurial activity. Inclusive entrepreneurship policies seek to enhance economic and social inclusion and emphasise the significant contribution that people from within these communities could make to local and regional development if appropriate support was offered. The purpose of this study is to examine how higher education institutions (HEIs) can co-create inclusive entrepreneurial training initiatives with local communities that support economic and social inclusion.

Helping Consumers Weather The Storm: The Impact Of Consumer-Targeted Resiliency Programs On Firm Value, Navid Bahmani, Atefeh Yazdanparast Ardestani

School of Business

Purpose: With the goal of helping consumers bounce back from the financial challenges they faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many firms developed and announced consumer-targeted resiliency programs (e.g. Walgreens waived delivery fees, Associated Bank allowed deferred mortgage payments). However, there is a paucity of research examining the unique features of these programs, and whether firms' investors (the first external stakeholder group to provide them with feedback regarding their strategies) were receptive to these programs during a period of time in which firms themselves were suffering financially. Drawing on resilience theory and stakeholder theory, the present research incorporates …

Vibrotactile Feedback In M-Commerce: Stimulating Perceived Control And Perceived Ownership To Increase Anticipated Satisfaction, Jiayun Li, Kirsten Cowan, Atefeh Yazdanparast Ardestani, Jake Ansell

School of Business

Consumers increasingly purchase through m-channels, including apps. Accordingly, marketers have enhanced immersive, sensorial aspects of m-channels, such as including vibrations while making in-app purchases. Given discrepant findings, it remains unclear whether adding such vibrotactile feedback affects consumer decision making. The present research addresses: (1) Whether adding vibrotactile feedback influences consumers' anticipated product satisfaction and purchase confidence, and (2) if so, how? Through an online pilot survey, two online experiments, and one lab experiment, this research finds that adding vibrotactile feedback to m-channels increases consumers' anticipated product satisfaction, but not purchase confidence. Moreover, perceived ownership mediates this effect, because the vibrations …

Giving Up Learning From Failures? An Examination Of Learning From One's Own Failures In The Context Of Heart Surgeons, Sunkee Lee, Jisoo Park

School of Business

Research Summary: We reassess existing theories on individual failure learning and propose an inverted-U-shaped relationship between an individual's accumulated failures and learning, based on a theoretical framework that jointly considers the opportunity, motivation, and perceived ability to learn. Using data on 307 California-based cardiothoracic surgeons who performed coronary artery bypass graft surgeries in 133 hospitals between 2003 and 2018, we find compelling evidence that individuals reach a threshold at which they discontinue learning from their own failures. We also find that this threshold is higher for surgeons who had higher perceived ability to learn. This article aims to shed new …

The Phenomenology Of Success: Women Who Made It To The C-Suite Despite Barriers, Bettye H. Smith

Dissertations

Multiple researchers have explored avenues to achieve gender diversity in leadership, primarily by studying the barriers to success for aspiring women leaders. Despite barriers, a small group of women have risen to the top positions of US corporations, demonstrating that there is a path to success and highlighting an opportunity to address leadership diversity differently. Whereas most research on gender diversity in leadership focuses on the barriers women encounter, this qualitative phenomenological study focused on how women can succeed. By leveraging Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to explore systems that enabled a phenomenal group of women to advance to the C-suite, …

Cloud-Native Systems Implementation In The Polish Sme Enterprises, Patryk Morawiec, Anna Sołtysik-Piorunkiewicz

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The main purpose of the article is to examine the needs and the attitudes of small and medium enterprises sector regarding cloud computing usage in implementation of Management Information System in cloud-native strategy. Other objectives of the study are to examine the state-of-the-art of cloud computing models and cloud-native approach in SMEs and the willingness of SMEs to develop cloud-based solutions such as MIS software.

Design/methodology/approach: Methods used in research are critical analysis of scientific literature and reports and publicly available statistical data analysis. A literature review about cloud computing, implementation methodologies, security needs and concept of building …

Typology Of Urban Silver Singles In Selected Cities In Poland, Tomasz Zalega

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The article presents the results of empirical research on the typology of urban silversingles’ households in Poland. The study concerned the financial situation, structure of expenditure, home infrastructure, consumer behaviour, and selected consumer trends such as sustainable consumption, smart shopping, cocooning, consumption virtualization, and consumer ethnocentrism.

Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a survey questionnaire administered in two stages in 2018–2022. In the first of the planned stages, a survey was carried out on a sample of 3,167 silver singles in the period from February 1st to October 30th, 2018 and from May 1st to October 30th, 2019. The …

Patent Activity Of Countries And Sectors In Graphene-Based Technologies, Piotr Nawrocki

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The aim of this article is to analyse the patent activity of various countries, regions, and sectors (academic, private, governmental) from 2000 to 2018, identifying global leaders in graphene-based technologies.

Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on an analysis of patent filings from the PATSTAT (EPO) database covering the years 2000-2018. Bibliometric techniques were employed to quantify trends in patent filings, combined with statistical analysis to identify areas with the highest growth dynamics. The data was segmented by countries and sectors, enabling a statistical examination of regional and sectoral diversity.

Findings: The findings reveal a diverse level of …

Examining The Synergy Between The Marketplace And The Church In Ghana: Strategies For Enhancing Socio-Economic Development, Grace Opuni-Darko

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores the complex relationship between the marketplace and Church in Ghana, seeking to identify collaborative strategies that lead to sustainable socio-economic development. The study aims to unravel the complexities of this relationship and identify effective strategies that can foster sustainable growth and development within the Ghanaian context. At the core of this research is an in-depth historical analysis, tracing the evolution of the Churches' role in the Ghanaian economy from colonial times to the present day. This historical perspective provides a critical backdrop for understanding current dynamics and trends. The study employs a multifaceted approach, incorporating both qualitative …

The Effects Of Esg On The Financial Performance Of Aerospace & Defense Companies, Cooper Trimble

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the relationship between Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) activity and financial performance in the context of firms operating in the Aerospace & Defense industry. As societal pressure increases for companies to adopt ESG and related corporate sustainability practices, it is crucial to understand the repercussions of such adoptions. As the Aerospace & Defense industry continues to grow and capitalize on post-COVID travel booms, military modernization efforts, and increased demand for advanced aerospace technology, it is essential to understand the consequences of ESG implementation. By examining data from 2012 – 2023, this study produced results regarding the …

Examining The Influence Of Adoptability, Alignment, And Agility Approaches On The Sustainable Performance Of Aviation Industry: An Empirical Investigation Of Supply Chain Perspective, Sonia Nazeer, Hassan Mujtaba Nawaz Saleem, Muhammad Shafiq

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In a continuously changing environment, the aviation sector faces the challenge of balancing adaptability to technological changes, alignment with environmental and social considerations, and agility in responding to unforeseen challenges. Keeping in view these challenges this study has explored the impact of the adaptability, alignment, and agility approaches on the sustainable performance of the aviation industry operating in Pakistan. Applying the empirical and quantitative methods the data has been collected from the professionals of the aviation industry supply chain and operations field and assessed the influence of Adoptability, Alignment, and Agility on sustainable performance indicators, including environmental stewardship, social responsibility, …

Exploring Airport Navigation Challenges Faced By Airline Travelers With Hidden Disabilities, Aliyu Mohammed Tata, Dr Matthew Ebbatson, Christopher Fluke Professor

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In this paper, the Servicescape theory was employed as the conceptual framework to (a) investigate the live airport experiences of passengers with an HD and (b) understand the negative experiences of passengers within the airport's physical environment. The authors collected the electronic word-of-mouth statements of 203 travelers from the TripAdvisor website. The data generated were analyzed using thematic analysis. Common themes found from the analysis included (1) human interaction, (2) services, and (3) terminal design. This paper offers insight into airport navigational challenges faced by travellers with an HD at various stages within the airport. These findings have practical implications …

Initial Financial Assessment Of The Fraport Greece Cluster A Concession, Dimitrios V. Siskos, Alexander Maravas, Ronald Mau

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

There is a worldwide trend in the privatization of transport infrastructure and airports. Likewise, the Greek government launched an extensive privatization program that granted Fraport AG the right to operate 14 airports for the next forty years. The two separate concessions for clusters of seven airports each are named "Cluster A" and "Cluster B." The financial assessment of privatization contracts is crucial so decision-makers can accurately assess the value of aviation enterprises. This paper applies the Economic Value Added (EVA) methodology and enterprise valuation on Cluster A by assessing the concession company's balance sheets and income statements. We concluded that …

When Ballots Are Blank: Write-In’S Serving Local Government And The Implications For A Healthy And Vibrant Democracy, Thomas J. Ruter

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Our democracy depends on having a supply of candidates running for elected office, but in some instances, no one wants to run. This phenomenological study asks what the effects on a healthy and vibrant democracy are if ballots are blank and the seat is filled through write-in or appointment. Rooted in democratic theory, this study explores small, rural city elections where write-ins won election. Understudied, local governments are responsible for decisions affecting the lives of millions of people each day. Workforce scarcity, the alienation of young Americans from politics, government bashing, nasty campaigns, threats of physical harm, and other barriers …

The Role Of Interpersonal Conflict As A Cause Of Work-Related Stress In Construction Managers In Ireland, Patrick J. Bruce, Victor Hrymak, Carol M. Bruce Dr, Joseph Byrne

Articles

Construction is a project-driven industry that places a high premium on product delivery on time, within budget and to required standards. Modern construction projects have become more complex in nature, the complex relational and lengthy process of designing and building makes construction a process in which conflict is virtually ensured (Jaffar et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2023). These characteristics of the industry contribute to workplace stress. Therefore, it is not surprising that research has confirmed a strong presence of workplace stress within the industry, (Lingard and Francis, 2004; Vaux and Dority, 2020). Many construction managers experience excessive levels of …

Chatbots Selling Condos: Generative Artificial Intelligence In Real Estate, Alec Kriegbaum

Honors Program Theses

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become a hallmark of the 21st century's technological revolution, allowing users to answer questions instantly through an automated conversation. Although GenAI has controlled news narratives and captivated technology companies, minimal academic research exists regarding GenAI’s impact on the real estate industry. We interviewed 13 real estate professionals and completed a thematic analysis to understand how they use GenAI and their sentiment toward it. Professionals highlighted GenAI’s ability to quickly create marketing materials as a catalyst for using the technology. Thematic analysis revealed sentiments regarding efficiency, human intervention, ethics, generational adoption, relational business, and GenAI’s future …

Student Mental Health Crisis: A Study In Stress, Cara Steere

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

This research project explores the question “Why are mental health issues increasing in high school and college students and why are the issues they are dealing with so different from one another?” A literature review was conducted to understand the difference between high school and college stress. 61% of students have said that performing well and getting good grades deemed satisfactory has "put them over the edge". To further understand the plague of mental health issues, 1:1 interviews peer interviews were conducted to compare the stress of high school and college. These interviews showed that high school and college stress …

Ceo Marital Status And Corporate Cash Holdings, Ahmed M. Elnahas, Md Noman Hossain, Siamak Javadi

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine the effect of CEO marital status on corporate cash holdings. Consistent with the classical agency framework, we find that firms with single CEOs hold more cash compared to otherwise similar firms with married CEOs and that the excess cash held by single CEOs is significantly discounted by shareholders. Our findings survive a battery of tests to ease endogeneity and selection bias, confirming that results are not simply reflecting innate heterogeneity in preferences. Overall, our findings indicate that a variable outside the common firm- and macro-level determinants, CEO marital status, can significantly influence corporate policies.

A New Hope? Restoring Self-Compassion In Response To Abusive Supervision, James P. Burton, Brittany C. Buis, Larissa K. Barber

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Given the persistent financial and psychological costs of abusive supervision in organizations, a greater understanding of the mechanisms that employees can use to cope with abuse is warranted. In the present study, abusive supervision is expected to be negatively related to a key employee coping mechanism – self-compassion – and this hindered mechanism would lead to higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of hope. However, a written meditation targeting self-compassion could break the link between abuse and employee anxiety or hope. The hypotheses and the written self-compassion meditation were tested across two studies incorporating both a highly controlled laboratory …

Emotional Intelligence And Its Influence On Burnout From Surface Acting In A Seasonal Service Industry, Jeremy Fishman

Dissertations

In the world of customer service, it is commonly believed that the customer is always right, even when they may not be or may be. Roles that carry immediate interaction with the consumer have certain expectations that employees must fulfill, necessitating both surface acting and deep acting; tenets of emotional labor (Diefendorff et al., 2006). Previous research has revealed that relying solely on surface acting can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout, impacting individuals and even spreading through emotional contagion (Mawritz et al., 2012; Totterdell & Holman, 2003). Leaders turn to emotional intelligence to address these challenges, which can potentially …

Regulatory Innovation And (De)Legitimisation: Accountability Challenges In The Healthcare Field, Kazeem Akinyele, Lisa Baudot, Jared Koreff, Steve Sutton

School of Business Faculty Research

Accounting research examines accountability in the healthcare field but little attention is paid to how contemporary regulatory innovations (e.g. AI-driven data algorithms) impact accountability objectives. We address this concern through a study of how regulatory innovations may appropriate accountability by (de)legitimising healthcare actions. This is examined in the case of a regulatory innovation enacted in the US healthcare sector. Specifically, we employ a field study of a healthcare provider subject to oversight to highlight how actors (de)legitimise the provision of healthcare services. Our findings show that regulatory innovation generates debates around illegitimate services as determined by healthcare oversight contractors. These …

Developmental Pathways From Player To Coach For Volunteers In An American Football Organization In Germany, Gary Cramer

Dissertations

The leadership style of organizational leaders is a key factor affecting volunteer coach recruitment and retention; yet the examination of developmental pathways from player to coach is lacking in the literature, especially as viewed from the perspective of those who are followers. The study addressed the following research question: How do volunteer coaches in an American football organization in Germany, who once played for the same head coach in the organization they currently coach, describe their pathway of development from player to coach? The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to inductively investigate the developmental pathways of volunteer sport …

ความมั่นคงของมนุษย์ท่ามกลางการแพร่ระบาดของวิกฤตโควิด-19: การศึกษารายกรณีสามล้อถีบในเขตเทศบาลนครนครราชสีมา, เนติ ภูริทัตสิริ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์ (1) เพื่อศึกษาชีวิตความเป็นอยู่และการดำเนินชีวิตของผู้ประกอบอาชีพสามล้อถีบก่อนการเกิดสถานการณ์วิกฤตโควิด-19 (2) เพื่อศึกษาสถานการณ์ตามกรอบแนวคิดความมั่นคงของมนุษย์และการรับมือของผู้ประกอบอาชีพสามล้อถีบ และ (3) เพื่อเสนอแนะแนวทางการยกระดับความมั่นคงของมนุษย์ของผู้ประกอบอาชีพสามล้อถีบในพื้นที่เทศบาลนครนครราชสีมา โดยใช้วิธีการเชิงคุณภาพ ในรูปแบบการศึกษารายกรณี โดยมีกลุ่มตัวอย่างในการวิจัย 3 กลุ่ม คือ กลุ่มผู้ประกอบอาชีพสามล้อถีบ กลุ่มบุคคลแวดล้อม และหน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้อง จำนวนรวม 19 ราย โดยใช้เครื่องมือแบบบันทึกการศึกษาภาคสนาม แนวคำถามการสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึก และแบบบันทึกการถอดข้อมูลโสตทัศนูปกรณ์ เพื่อใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการการเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลทั้งใช้ในการสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึก และใช้การสังเกตแบบไม่มีส่วนร่วมเพื่อศึกษาปรากฏการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ผู้ประกอบอาชีพสามล้อถีบเป็นแรงงานสูงอายุและย้ายถิ่นเข้ามาในพื้นที่เพื่อทำงานระยะยาว ปัจจุบันประสบปัญหาเกี่ยวกับชีวิตความเป็นอยู่ อาทิ การมีรายได้น้อย การมีความเสี่ยงด้านสุขภาพ และเมื่อเกิดการระบาดของโควิด-19 ส่งผลให้อาชีพสามล้อถีบได้รับผลกระทบ 5 มิติ คือ (1) ผลกระทบมิติการมีงานทำและรายได้ (2) ผลกระทบมิติสุขภาพ (3) ผลกระทบมิติอาหาร (4) ผลกระทบมิติครอบครัว ส่งผลให้มีการปรับตัว และ (5) ผลกระทบมิติที่อยู่อาศัยและสิ่งแวดล้อม ทำให้เกิดการปรับตัวที่คล้ายกัน เช่น การปรับตัวด้านค่าใช้จ่ายและรายได้ การถีบสามล้อเพื่อรับอาหารและสิ่งของ การเรียนรู้เทคโนโลยีเพื่อเข้าถึงสวัสดิการของรัฐ และการใช้อุปกรณ์ป้องกันการติดเชื้อโควิด

An Accessible Life Sills Training Program: Mentoring An Individual's Internal And External Growth Simultaneously, Alana Hayes

Doctor of Leadership

Within Lubbock County there is not an accessible life skills training program that mentors an individual's internal (emotional) and external (financial) growth simultaneously. My focus is on mentoring at risk individuals with a hand up and not a hand out within my community. It is also applicable to individuals who want to help strengthen the lives of disadvantaged and/or at risk members in their community. It is most helpful to mentors as business owners, a manager, or a non-profit organization. However, it could also be useful to community members that would like to complete a long term service project. Ideally …

Project Control System (Pcs) Implementation In Engineering And Construction Projects: An Empirical Study In Saudi's Petroleum And Chemical Industry, Sahar Jawad, Ann Ledwith, Rashid Khan

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

Purpose

There is growing recognition that effective project control systems (PCS) are critical to the success of projects. The relationship between the individual elements of PCS and successfully achieving project objectives has yet to be explored. This research investigates the enablers and barriers that influence the elements of PCS success and drive project objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a mixed approach of descriptive analysis and regression models to explore the impact of six PCS elements on project outcomes. Petroleum and chemical projects in Saudi Arabia were selected as a case study to validate the research model.

Findings

Data from a …