Digital Commons Network^™

Mindset Matters: How Growth And Fixed Mindsets Shape Consumer Adoption Of Ai, Myungjin Smale, Yuri Martirosyan, Hui Zhang

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines how individuals’ mindsets shape their use of generative AI (gen AI). In a study with 348 undergraduate students, participants imagined writing a graduate school Statement of Purpose and indicated whether and how they would use AI tools. Among participants who indicated they would use AI, fixed-mindset students were more likely to rely on AI for brainstorming tasks, such as idea generation, whereas growth-mindset students were more likely to use AI for writing aids, such as grammar or spell checking. A significant interaction emerged between mindset and AI use type on anticipated guilt: growth-mindset students anticipated greater guilt …

Selling The Self: Personal Branding And Impression Management On Linkedin, Matthew A. Gilbert

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Drawing on Erving Goffman's self-presentation theory, this study examines how professionals construct personal brands on LinkedIn through strategic identity performance. Using qualitative content analysis, the research analyzes 250 publicly available posts from 50 professionals across five occupational categories. The analysis employs deductive coding guided by Goffman's concepts of front-stage performance and impression management, examining visual elements, linguistic strategies, content themes, and engagement tactics. Data is analyzed using NVivo software. This study contributes to marketing theory by conceptualizing personal branding as both a communication practice and economic behavior, illuminating how professionals balance authenticity, visibility, and strategic positioning on career-focused platforms where …

The Impact Of R&D Team Diversity On Ambidextrous Innovation In Srdi Smes, Cheng Zhan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As a vital organizational form of R&D teams in specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative (SRDI) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), distributed teams have gradually emerged as a dynamic source of innovation for such enterprises. Against the backdrop of the (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) era, markets have imposed higher demands on enterprises' innovative and sustainable development capabilities, exerting substantial impacts on the growth of SRDI SMEs. Although the distributed R&D team model, developed through continuous exploration in=132=132enterprises' innovation practices, has drawn practical and scholarlyattention for its role in shaping ambidextrous innovation in SRDI SMEs, the internal mechanism underlying the relationship …

Framing Emirati Womanhood: Heritage, Modernity, And Soft Power In Tourism Discourse, Valerie Priscilla Goby

All Works

This paper examines how Emirati womanhood is framed within the tourism discourse of the United Arab Emirates, analysing how gendered representation operates as both a cultural and political instrument in nation branding. Drawing on framing theory and informed by feminist perspectives on tourism and media representation, this study explores the visual and textual portrayal of women on official online platforms, including Visit Dubai, Visit Abu Dhabi, Emirates Airlines, and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth. These materials constitute a state-sanctioned narrative of national identity that integrates cultural heritage with modernity. Through qualitative framing analysis, four recurrent interpretive frames were …

Ai Models As Cultural Beings: Investigating Ai Cultural Biases And The Impact Of Cultural Alignment On Human-Ai Creative Collaboration, Choon Ngee Tan, Meng Han, Roy Y. J. Chua, Chi-Ying Cheng

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Existing research on AI cultural biases predominantly focuses on Western models, overlooking critical gaps in non-Western models. We conduct a comparative analysis of AI models – ChatGPT (U.S. developed) and ErnieBot (China developed) – from different cultures to investigate how corresponding cultural biases manifest in their outputs. Additionally, we examine how cultural alignment between human users and AI models impacts their collaborative creative performance and the underlying psychological mechanisms. In Study 1, multi-choice prompt with zero-shot technique was used to evaluate cultural biases in four widely used AI models – ChatGPT-3.5/4, ErnieBot-3.5/4 – comparing their responses to established cultural psychometric …

What It Means To Be Latino: Exploring Identity Among U.S.-Born Gen Z Youth, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli Peschiera, Melany Sarcevic, Tatiana Garcia, Leen Tlanepantla

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study explores how U.S.-born Hispanics and Latinos define their identity within a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse demographic group. As the Hispanic population expands, traditional labels such as Hispanic and Latino often fall short of capturing the community’s cultural, linguistic, and generational complexity. With most growth now coming from U.S.-born generations, identity is shaped by a blend of American influences and heritage traditions, making it more fluid and context-dependent. Guided by Social Identity Theory and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, this research uses focus groups with Gen Z participants to examine how they describe themselves, what characteristics they associate with being …

Conversation Analysis Of Public-Servant And Persons-Of-Interest Face-To-Face Talk Via Llm‑Supported Ai Script Mapping Tools, Arch G. Woodside, Suresh Sood

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Professional public servants (PSs) including police officers, postal workers, and government tax office and DMV employees interact face-to-face with citizens/persons of interest (POIs), in encounters that are frequently recorded using mobile phones and publicized on platforms such as YouTube.com. Building on our observations about recurrent PS–POI scripts and LLM-supported analysis, we develop five grounded propositions linking enacted scripts to existing theory. The propositions focus on describing early turn-taking asymmetry, the importance of sequential detail beyond-shallow analysis, the predictive role of script recurrence, the value of rich, script-based role-play, and the potential of narrative-intelligence databases for institutional learning. Instead of treating …

Does Short-Termism Pay? National Short-Termism, Investment, Innovation, And Equity Returns, Andrew H. Cohen

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

We examine whether national short-termism, inferred from corporate language, predicts future real activity, equity returns, risk, and risk-adjusted performance. Using large-scale textual analysis of issuer-linked disclosures and earnings transcripts from the largest firms in twenty major equity markets, we construct country-quarter and annual Short-Termism Scores (STS) capturing the relative emphasis on short- versus long-horizon language.

Higher short-termism predicts lower subsequent gross fixed capital formation, lower research and development intensity, and lower multi-year equity index returns across horizons of up to sixteen quarters. In addition, higher short-termism is associated with greater future market volatility and lower Sharpe ratios, indicating a deterioration …

Price Endings Of Online And Offline Retailers: Round And Just-Below Pricing, Kwanho Suk, Gaeun Kim, Dongwon Lee, Xuanting Jin

Asia Marketing Journal

This study investigates and compares price-ending strategies employed by online and offline retailers. Analyzing 210,456 prices from retailers in US, South Korea, and China reveals significant differences in price-ending between online and offline retail formats. Online retailers exhibit a lower propensity to utilize round prices (e.g., ending in 0) and just-below prices (e.g., ending in 9) than offline retailers. This research discusses potential explanations for these observed discrepancies, focusing on the distinct price-setting environments and consumer purchasing behaviors of online and offline retail.

Internal Public Relations Influence On Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: Integrating Social Identity Perspectives In Organizational Contexts, Daewook Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examined how internal public relations encourages employees to participate in organizational citizenship behaviors. Using a national survey of employees (N = 339), we tested a conceptual model that proposed linkages among dialogic internal communication, organizational social capital, communal relationships, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The results suggest dialogic internal communication can enhance organizational social capital and encourage internal publics to participate in organizational citizenship behaviors. Additionally, organizational social capital mediated the effects of dialogic internal communication on communal relationships and organizational citizenship behaviors. The findings highlight a critical connection between public relations and social identity perspectives within organizational …

Does Ai-Driven Empathy Work In Healthcare Marketing? The Impact Of Cognitive And Affective Empathy In Chatbots And The Moderating Role Of Illness Type, Jee Won Kim, Yeonsoo Kim, Jino Chung

Asia Marketing Journal

Recognizing the growing potential of AI-generated chatbots in healthcare and healthcare marketing, this study investigates how different types of chatbot-expressed empathy influence user responses in stigmatized versus non-stigmatized health contexts. Perceived authenticity is introduced as a key mediator. Drawing on Mind Perception Theory, a 3 (empathy: none, cognitive, affective) × 2 (illness type: stigmatized, non-stigmatized) online experiment was conducted. The findings show that affective empathy reduced perceived authenticity, which subsequently decreased user satisfaction, perceived understanding, reuse intention, and follow intention. These indirect effects varied by illness type: in stigmatized contexts, non-empathetic communication was viewed most favorably, whereas in non-stigmatized contexts, …

College Football Free Agency: The Transactional Nature Of Big-Time College Football Recruiting, Chris Corr, Branden Johnson, Amanda L. Paule-Koba

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This study explored how the transfer portal has transformed college football recruiting by disrupting traditional relationship-based practices and accelerating the shift toward a transactional performance-driven model. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and capital, the research examines how recruiting coordinators navigate evolving pressures around talent acquisition, NIL compensation, and compressed recruiting timelines. Findings from comprehensive interviews with five Power-4 recruiting personnel reveal that relationships are increasingly leveraged for short-term gain. The findings of this study indicate the transfer portal has created an opaque high-stakes marketplace where trust is limited, valuation is speculative, and institutional pedigree/resources heavily influence opportunities. The …

Connectivity And Tourism Flow In Small Island Developing States, Edmir Luciano Dos Santos Ferreira, João Paulo Madeira

International Journal of Islands Research

Tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) faces unique sustainability challenges, with connectivity emerging as a critical factor. These nations, often situated in remote locations, encounter significant accessibility constraints and limited infrastructure, which restrict tourist flows and adversely affect economic development. The primary aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between connectivity and tourism flows in SIDS, exploring how connectivity, proxied by geographical and cultural-political distance, influences tourism in these regions. Furthermore, the study seeks to determine whether belonging to different SIDS regions or exhibiting varying levels of development helps destinations attract greater tourist flows, by examining several …

Deinfluencers As Institutional Actors: Dramaturgical Work And The Embedded Contestation Of Consumerism, Gokcen Coskuner-Balli, Charlene Chu, Niklas Myhr, Cristina Nistor

Business Faculty Articles and Research

"In the sections that follow, we develop theoretical scaffolding for our analysis. We begin by reviewing the literature on institutional work, focusing on how embedded actors engage in purposive actions to disrupt taken-for-granted norms. Next, we examine theoretically how influencers operate, setting the stage for understanding how deinfluencers leverage and subvert these roles. We then review scholarship on anti- consumption and consumer resistance, highlighting how deinfluencers depart from conventional activist modes by adopting culturally embedded, everyday practices. Collectively, these literatures inform our conceptualization of deinfluencing as a dramaturgically enacted form of institutional work. Subsequently, we present our methodology, followed by …

Challenging The Deliberative Consensus: Participatory Strategies, Transparency And Citizen Trust Across Municipal Contexts, Fadel Al-Marsoumi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationships between participatory governance strategies and multidimensional citizen trust in municipal contexts. Although local governments have implemented deliberative forums, digital platforms and hybrid participation approaches to restore declining public confidence, inconsistencies between theoretical predictions and empirical outcomes have raised questions about participatory governance effectiveness. Motivated by this gap between deliberative democracy theory's optimistic predictions and limited empirical support, the study investigates the psychological, political and contextual mechanisms that shape trust formation through civic engagement. Drawing on an integrated framework combining organizational trust theory and deliberative democracy frameworks, the research conceptualizes trust as a multidimensional construct involving …

Transformational Leadership In Higher Education, Dr. Jewel Hale, Jr., Kristi Apostel

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

A crisis can highlight the critical need for resilient leadership within higher educational settings. Educational leaders encounter extraordinary difficulties, ranging from different learning options to prioritizing the well-being of both staff and students, necessitating flexible and innovative methods. By exploring how school leaders apply transformational techniques in actual educational environments, this article addresses the impact of the four I’s of transformational leadership, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration, on building educator resiliency, sustaining school effectiveness, and promoting student achievement in higher education.

Fierce Leadership-Perspectives Of Black Women Educational Leaders: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Janice Taylor, Dianne Reed

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

The authors of this transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of Black women based on their perceptions, values, and beliefs about the complexities of leadership and the kind of leadership required to succeed in their respective roles, as educational leaders. This study was framed by the adaptive leadership theory. Adaptive leadership recognizes the need for leaders to stay flexible and resilient in fast-paced environments (Nelson & Squires, 2017). The three Black women leaders in this study were fierce adaptive leaders. The information acquired from this study is significant and highlights how Black women educational leaders developed the …

Research Literacy And Research Production Skills As Core Competencies In Leaders, Kk O'Byrne

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

No abstract provided.

Spatial Narrative Beyond The Proscenium: Set Design As A Tool For Wellness, Christina Griffey

LSU Master's Theses

Inspired by a health crisis that led to spending time in medical settings, this thesis examines how our surroundings impact our well-being. By developing a framework that explores the topics of storytelling, space, place, theatre, and expanded scenography, I propose that set design can be used as a tool for wellness. I explore several disciplines through the lens of set design and highlight the disciplines, professionals, and designers that are contributing to the creation of therapeutic environments using scenographic practices.

Enhancing Cyber Hygiene Among Communities Through Experiential Cyber-Security Awareness Programs, Dr Atul Bamrara, Partha Roy, Vishwanath Gargote, Khandu Thungon

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Human error remains the most frequently exploited vulnerability in the cyber-security ecosystem. Despite substantial investments in technical safeguards, cybercriminals increasingly rely on social engineering, misinformation, and emotionally manipulative tactics to compromise users. This study examines behavioral changes among participants who underwent structured cyber-security workshops addressing both conventional cyber hygiene practices and emerging digital threats. The training modules covered digital arrest scams, identity theft, sextortion, fake technical support fraud, fake social media profiles, online gaming related risks, and deep fake manipulation. The workshops were designed using interactive simulations, real world case studies, and hands on problem based exercises, with the explicit …

Reviews That Reveal Return: When Guest Feedback Becomes A Predictor Of Future Visits, Jeong-Yeol Park, Wookjae Heo, Jongwon Lee, Shinyong Jung

Rosen Research Review

The research by Park, Heo, Lee, and Jung reveals how online hotel reviews do more than express opinions—they predict whether guests will return. By blending the Theory of Planned Behavior with machine learning, the study uncovers how attitudes, social influence, and perceived control embedded in review language shape actual revisit behavior. This innovative approach transforms unstructured text into actionable insights, offering hospitality professionals a powerful new lens on customer loyalty.

A Spiritual Passage From Santiago To Sligo: Celtic Pilgrimage From St. John’S Eve To Queen Maeve’S Procession, Nichole Lariscy Ph.D.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the spiritual dimensions of Celtic pilgrimage through a comparative analysis of two journeys: the Celtic Camino, primarily known as the English Way to Santiago, in Galicia, Spain, and the pilgrimage to Queen Maeve’s Cairn in Sligo, Ireland. It examines how invented traditions and mythological narratives contribute to a sense of ancestral connection and spiritual homecoming. The study employs autoethnographic narrative and theoretical frameworks including Simon Coleman’s concept of laterality and Jenny Butler’s observations on neo-pagan re-sacralisation of the landscape. Field observations, personal reflections, and literature review inform the analysis. The paper identifies ritual, festival, and storytelling as …

Mundane Or Mystical: Journeying From An Islamic Perspective, Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Within Islam generally, and Sufism in particular, journeying (safar) takes on a great importance. From the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) to the vertical night journey (almiraj), the well-trodden path (shari’ah) to the narrow path (tariqa), there are many kinds of journeying, all of which are ultimately understood as being in the path of Allah (fi sabillillah). Common to all types of journeying is an engagement with Allah’s signs (ayat) ‘on the horizons and within themselves’ so that, correctly understood, this will support the realisation of Truth (Qur’an 41: 53). For …

The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper responds to pilgrimage scholar George Greenia’s assertion that meaningful intersections exist between pilgrimage and various forms of displacement, such as migration or involuntary exile due to famine, war, or political unrest. Greenia proposes that vulnerable, displaced individuals might find shelter, both conceptually and emotionally, within the framing of pilgrimage. By extending concepts of pilgrimage, it can be understood as a deliberate and intentional journey, simultaneously emphasising the transformative potential inherent in migratory movement. By adopting a working definition of pilgrimage as ‘any form of travel that is intentional, purposeful, or transformative,’ the paper considers how migrancy, particularly within …

Application Of Open-Source Small Large Language Models For Finance Report Analysis, Tue Vu, Mark Austin, Marcel Tuijn

SMU Data Science Review

The rapid integration of generative AI in finance introduces both opportunities and challenges, particularly when analyzing sensitive data such as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. This study investigates the use of open-source Small Large Language Models (SLLMs), deployed locally through the Ollama and LangChain frameworks, combined with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for extracting financial insights relevant to index performance and reporting quality. Two key objectives guide this work: (1) benchmarking multiple open-source SLLMs for sentiment analysis, multiple-choice reasoning, and financial question answering, and (2) assessing the feasibility of locally deployed SLLMs for domain-specific financial queries. A standardized set of 50 …

Leveraging Csr To Buffer Brand Challenges During Crises: A Saudi Arabian Perspective, Nouf Alrayes, Abdullah Alhidari

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Crises, such as economic downturns or global health pandemics, pose significant business challenges. Engaging in CSR initiatives that contribute to societal well-being can help mitigate the negative consequences of crises, reinforce customer gratitude, and minimize corporate hypocrisy. CSR is critical in shaping a company’s accountability and ethical responsibilities. Consequently, there is an opportunity for the firm to see the role of CSR and how it affects customers’ responses and attitudes during any difficult situation. Drawing upon attribution theory and the customer gratitude reciprocity cycle, a conceptual framework was developed to test the impact of CSR on the variables: corporate hypocrisy, …

To Swear Or Not To Swear: Exploring The Role Of Profanity In Influencer Marketing, Mahdi Niknejad Moghadam, Vijay Mahajan

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Influencers play a central role in promoting products and services on digital platforms. Understanding the impact of their linguistic choices, including the use of profanity, is therefore important for marketers seeking to engage target audiences. This study investigates how influencers’ profanity usage shapes user engagement. The authors analyze videos shared by influencers on a popular video-sharing platform and extract auditory, visual, and verbal features using a range of machinelearning tools. The findings indicate that profanity in focal content is associated with lower engagement, with a substantially larger effect in categories where profanity is less normatively expected. This negative effect is …

Beyond Words: Unraveling The Influence Of Rhetorical Structure On Information Sharing And Backers’ Support In Crowdfunding, Ehsan Ghasemi, Alireza Sheikh-Zadeh, Jaeki Song

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Effective communication is critical in crowdfunding, where information asymmetry poses a significant challenge. While prior research has emphasized the persuasive power of rhetorical content, less is known about how the structure of rhetoric—beyond its content—shapes backers’ cognitive and behavioral responses. This study examines the role of hierarchical rhetoric in crowdfunding and its impact on actual funding outcomes, backers’ elaboration, perceived information sharing quality, and their willingness to fund. Drawing on computational linguistics and dual-process theories of information processing, we conducted a multiphase investigation that combines observational data from the Kickstarter platform with controlled experiments. Our findings show that the use …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Cognitive And Affective Trust In Wealth Management: Impacts On Wealth Manager Selection And Asset Under Management (Aum) Growth, Ting Hsi Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Trust is key to wealth management decision-making; there is little empirical clarity on the relationships between different dimensions of trust and client behavior at each stage of the relationship. Previous works differentiated Cognitive trust, based on perceived competence, and Affective trust, based on relational and emotional connections. Nevertheless, the mechanisms under which these trust dimensions act during the pre- and post-account-opening phases have not yet been thoroughly studied. This research addresses this gap by exploring the stage-dependent influence of Cognitive and Affective trust on the central behavioral outcomes in wealth management.

The approach is a quantitative research based on a …

How Does Communication Breakdown Impact Group Cohesion Over The Lifespan Of A Team?, Hannah Dyche

University Honors Theses

Communication is one of the main determinants of whether a team or group achieves a successful outcome; when it starts to erode, the team's overall goal often erodes with it. Communication breakdown within teams directly impacts group cohesion, causing small misunderstandings to escalate into larger conflicts. Every team experiences ups and downs, but maintaining a strong foundation of communication and continually strengthening it will prevent this breakdown.

Most of the existing research on team dynamics focuses on corporate environments. By shifting the focus to a short-term academic team, this thesis shows how communication breakdown impacts group cohesion over the lifespan …