Digital Commons Network^™

Economic Competences Of Secondary School Students Based On Research In The Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Magdalena Ruiz Trillo, Waldemar Grzywacz

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The article presents the results of a quantitative study of the economic competencies of secondary school students in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The research aimed to verify whether the financial knowledge of the respondents was related to their gender, type of school, grade level, parents’ professional situation, students’ work experience, self-assessment of economic knowledge, and the need for further education.

Methodology: Economic competencies were tested using a developed knowledge test. The adopted research model is Pearson’s correlation analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc analysis (Tukey’s test). The research was conducted on a small group (n …

The Entrepreneurs Handbook: A Practical Meets Academic Guide For Both Current And Budding Business Owners And Risk Takers, Howard J. Friedman

Open Educational Resources

This work has been created with the intention of being used as a practical guide for the budding entrepreneur. The concepts are presented to optimize creative thinking and find a path to a fully realized business. From idea through funding, the company life cycle. This work is meant to provide the reader with all the materials that will be needed to make a real-world decision. Effort has been made to combine academic and practical data to offer a straightforward guide to finding, funding, and realizing your dream.

Time Is On Story’S Side: Story Development Impacts Daily Shares Of Viral Advertising Videos, Keith A. Quesenberry, Michael K. Coolsen

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

Past research on viral advertising videos has studied what factors contribute to total shares and views, but little has focused on how videos are shared over time. A previous content analysis of YouTube viral advertising videos found that more fully developed stories on a 0 to 5 act drama scale increased total shares and views. From that previous study’s data, a growth curve model of 105 videos regressed daily video shares and views over a 23-day period. Results found a significantly sharper linear decline (dropout rate) for videos that tell a less developed story (lower number of acts) compared to …

When Does Top Management Team Diversity Matter In Large Organizations?, James M. Plecnik, Shan Wang, Frances Fabian

Accounting Faculty Works

Top management teams (TMTs) drive strategic leadership, but there is little clarity on when the composition of these upper echelons most impacts organization performance. Drawing from the categorization-elaboration model, we study an 18-year sample of approximately 4500 organizations and over 32 000 executives and find a positive relationship between TMT functional diversity and organization performance, but only for the smaller organizations. We tested how organization size (and correlates of age/complexity) negatively interacts with functional diversity. Testing for TMT integration proxies, top management tenure counteracted the negative impact of size, making functional diversity beneficial in large organizations as well. Additionally, CEO …

“I Know More About What We Can’T Do Than What We Can”: Division I Women’S Sports Athletes’ Perceptions Of Name, Image, And Likeness, Jalyn Jimerson, Courtney Jones, Quinn Lukens, Marina Miller, Sarah Stokowski, Michael Godfrey, Trevor Bopp, Chris Corr

The COSMA Journal

This study investigated women’s sport athletes’ perceptions of their ability to profit off name, image, and likeness (NIL) as current participants in collegiate athletics. Researchers conducted comprehensive semi-structured interviews with eight women’s sport athletes representing four NCAA Division I member institutions. Participants explained how institutionally organized programmatic educational initiatives primarily codified impermissible forms of NIL compensation while often omitting information about permissible NIL opportunities. Furthermore, participants considered themselves minimally involved in the NIL space, feeling on the low to average side of NIL engagement compared to their athlete-peers competing in men’s sports. The findings of this study are informative for …

The Reclassification Of Sport Management, Robyn Lubisco, Kerry Fischer, Genevieve F.E. Birren, Kathleen Burke

The COSMA Journal

Institutions of higher education use Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes to categorize and track academic programs. Developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), CIP codes are used for various purposes, including data collection, analysis, and reporting (NCES, 2010). Academic administrators can use CIP data to initiate or revise academic curriculum, develop market research for new programs, and reallocate programs. Institutions can establish benchmarks in the form of teaching, research, qualifications, and funding (Knudson, 2016). A survey distributed in November 2022 to members of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) revealed less than one percent of …

Esg Federalism: How State Regulations Shape Esg Performance, Kameron Eck

All Master's Theses

This thesis examines how state-level environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations influence corporate ESG performance in the United States. Using a panel dataset that combines state ESG legislation, firm-level ESG scores from S&P Global, and financial data from Compustat (2019–2024), I employ fixed-effects regression models to analyze the relationship between state ESG regulations and corporate ESG performance. The analysis incorporates firm and year fixed effects to account for unobservable heterogeneity across companies and time, while controlling for firm-specific characteristics. Additionally, the study investigates whether board gender diversity moderates this relationship. The findings contribute to the understanding of ESG policy effectiveness …

A Second Glance, Madeleine Gould

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Success in retail is designed, not discovered. This project followed the challenge of designing a comprehensive business model for a hypothetical retail store, Second Glance. The objective of this project was to accurately simulate the real-world complexities that retail businesses face. It required significant research as well as the application of everything the presenter learned in the Fashion Merchandising and Retailing major curriculum. To start, a situation analysis was conducted to establish marketing positioning as a retailer that specializes in preloved clothing. The target market consisted of 18–25-year-old fashion-forward college students with a low income. Primarily operating as an ecommerce …

Recipient Experiences Of Donor-Funded College Scholarships: “I Don't Know What You Want To Know About Me. I Don't Know What I Know About You.”, Teresa Waddle Gotthardt

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This qualitative study explores the experience of receiving donor-funded scholarship support facilitated through a higher education institution, especially when the recipient has interacted with the donor of the funding. This recipient-and-donor-interaction is common at American post-secondary institutions in the form of written thank you notes and attendance at donor recognition events. This research addressed the following questions: How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience this funding? How do donor-funded scholarship recipients experience interaction with the donor of the scholarship? These questions were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 recent alumni from five private universities and colleges who received donor-funded scholarships …

Growing Together: Strategies For Attracting And Retaining Community-Reflective Early Learning Professionals, Tonya Jo Coker

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

The recruitment and retention of a diverse early learning workforce remains a critical challenge in special education. This study explores the multifaceted issues of workforce shortages, turnover rates, and the disparity between the demographics of educators and students in the Department of Early Learning within an education service district in Oregon. Through a detailed analysis of historical and current data, this study identifies systemic challenges contributing to the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified staff, especially those who are representative of the communities they serve. Using improvement science as a methodological framework, the study tested change ideas focused on recruitment, …

Ceo Social Media Activity And Insider Trading, Zhichuan Li, Claire Y.C. Liang, Zhenyang Tang

School of Business

This article studies the relationship between CEOs' social media activity and their insider trading behavior. Drawing on psychological evidence linking online activity to risk-taking, we find that active CEOs on social media exhibit higher risk preferences and engage more in insider trading—particularly in terms of incidence, intensity, and profitability. The effects are primarily driven by insider buys (rather than sells), which are more likely to involve material non-public information, and such opportunistic trades may increase firm reputational risk. Further analysis reveals that certain corporate governance mechanisms, such as blackout policies and compensation structures, help mitigate the negative impact. © 2025 …

Consumer Experiences In The Secondhand Market: Finances, Frugality, Fashion, & Fun, Melissa Chasko Turner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Secondhand apparel refers to clothing and accessories that have been previously owned, handed down, donated, or resold to others. They are a sustainable product because they are reused instead of being discarded into landfills. Consumer experience refers to the emotional and psychological responses individuals have during their interactions with products and services across all touchpoints. In the secondhand apparel market, consumer experience plays a significant role in product purchasing, and the unique aspects of retail entertainment serve as key motivators. Consumer-perceived risk refers to the uncertainty of adverse outcomes associated with purchasing a product. Purchasing secondhand apparel poses similar yet …

Our Findings In Marketing Research For Hartville Potato Chips, Elena Kozma, Abbie Ford, Tamia Henderson, Corey Keim, Ashley Whitten

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

To conclude the 2024 Spring semester, we will present primary and secondary research to our client (Hartville Potato Chips). This presentation will support the proposition and promotional strategy to add three more local partnerships for Hartville Potato Chips based on our research findings.

Safehaven Security System, Natalie Gardner, Megan Valloric, Anya Vankirk, Lance Woods, Jack Kelley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For the Honors Research Project, we were told to take a concept of a business and product and transform it into a successful business with 100 employees within five years.

Our product is called SafeHaven and is an alarm for houses that requires no monthly subscription. This product will be perfect for people who are renting and cannot make permanent changes to their home.

SafeHaven will come in two parts. The customer will put one on the door and one on the door frame. When these two are connected, it automatically sets the alarm unless told otherwise by a smartphone …

The Leadership Pivot: How Labor Market Dynamics And The Ncaa Transfer Portal Impacts Leadership, Evan Wilson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will cover a multitude of topics specific to my major, and also will use my in depth knowledge and connections within a collegiate sport to analyze how labor market changes effect the leadership styles of leaders within a given industry. This project is going to challenge me as a student because of the in depth research and data collection that will be necessary to not only educate myself about labor markets and leadership styles, but also educate myself enough to be able to present the information in a way that is digestible to readers. The other aspect of …

Artificial Intelligence And Digital Technologies In Finance: A Comprehensive Review, Soudeh Pazouki, Mohamad Jamshidi, Mirarmia Jalali, Arya Tafreshi

Finance Faculty Publications

This study explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies on the financial technology (FinTech) industry, highlighting their role in fostering business growth, operational efficiency, and enhanced customer engagement. AI-driven strategies have unlocked new avenues for streamlining workflows, boosting productivity, and expanding financial inclusion by reaching underrepresented populations. However, these advancements also pose challenges, including navigating complex regulatory frameworks and adapting to the rapidly evolving technological landscape. This paper delves into the macroeconomic effects of AI, examining its influence on labor markets, consumer behavior, and organizational success. Furthermore, the paper discusses blockchain applications and their potential to …

Are Csr Incidents Truly Bad News?, Chen Chen, John A. Doukas, Rongyao Gloria Zhang

Finance Faculty Publications

We revisit whether disclosures of negative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) incidents adversely affect firms' stock prices. While univariate tests reveal significant negative abnormal returns around incident announcements, the effect disappears once firm characteristics, industry, and time‐fixed effects are controlled for. We find no robust evidence that CSR incidents or firms' Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments influence stock price reactions on the event day or across broader windows. These results suggest that previously documented negative market responses may be attributable to endogeneity. Our baseline results are consistent with informed trading behavior: short‐sellers do not increase activity in incident‐related stocks relative …

Digital Battlegrounds: The Power Dynamics And Governance Of Contemporary Platforms, Richard A. Hunt, David M. Townsend, Joseph J. Simpson, Robert Nugent, Maximilian Stallkamp, Esin Bozdag

International Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The ubiquity of digital platforms is undeniable, as is their transactional efficiency and world-flattening possibilities. Yet, these platforms are contested battlegrounds where stakeholder power struggles reflect and influence broader societal turbulence. In the emerging era, alongside the blinding speed and global reach of the gig economy are looming specters of rentier capitalism, digiserfdom, misinformation, data exploitation, digital addiction, and near-ungovernable algorithmic agents. To date, scholarly focus on digital platforms has been on their transactional features and impacts, dimensionalizing governance mechanisms as emanating from old economy conceptions of bottom-up or top-down checks and balances, or incentives and efficiencies. These emphases, while …

From Normal To Disaster Response Mode: How Can Virtual Communities Reconfigure Themselves To Respond Effectively To A Disaster?, Mahmudul Hasan, Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Michael David Myers, Varqa Shamsi Bahar

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

During a disaster, many people seek information from virtual communities. However, information overload, falsehoods and unrelated topics hinder information flow in virtual communities, putting disaster victims at risk. Given many disasters are generally of a short duration, we explore how virtual communities can quickly reconfigure themselves to respond effectively to a disaster. Drawing on risk society theory, our findings suggest reconfiguration is done via a series of cycles initially involving community members and subsequently featuring both community members and moderators working together to mitigate risks. We contribute to virtual community discourse on disaster response by showing how a virtual community …

Impact Of Global Semiconductor Shortages On Toyota’S Supply Chain And Production Efficiency Due To Covid-19., Jadouane Dounia

Business ETD Collections

In recent years, the global automotive industry has faced significant disruption, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most critical challenges has been the global semiconductor shortage, which has severely impacted vehicle production and supply chains. Semiconductors, commonly known as chips, are essential components in modern automobiles, supporting functions ranging from vehicle control and infotainment systems to safety features and autonomous driving technologies. The shortage has led to delays in delivering cars to consumers, reduced production capacity, and difficulties in maintaining adequate inventory levels. As a result, many automakers have been forced to slow down or …

Investigating Subscriber Churn And Retention Strategies On Disney+., Maryam El Goss

Business ETD Collections

This study examines the challenges facing Disney+, a subscription-based streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company, in sustaining long-term growth following its rapid global expansion since 2019. While early success was driven by access to major franchises such as Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic, the platform is increasingly affected by high subscriber churn. Factors including price sensitivity, content saturation, and intensified competition from platforms such as Netflix, Max, and Amazon Prime Video have contributed to declining user retention. The phenomenon of “subscription cycling,” where users subscribe temporarily to consume specific content, further destabilises revenue streams and …

Retention Strategies Of Disney+ In Saturated Streaming Markets: A Case Study Of Ireland., Suelen Aleixo Matos

Business ETD Collections

The global streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) industry has undergone rapid transformation in recent years, with Disney+ emerging as a major competitor following its launch in 2019. Despite achieving exceptionally fast subscriber growth in its early stages, the platform now faces increasing retention challenges in mature and saturated markets such as Ireland, where competition and subscription fatigue have become key constraints on further expansion. Evidence from the Irish market indicates high levels of subscription penetration alongside stabilising or declining growth rates, with increasing patterns of subscription cycling and service cancellation driven by cost sensitivity, underuse, and the availability of multiple competing platforms. …

The Experience Of The “Too Good To Go” Platform In Ireland And Its Implementation Potential In Mongolia., Jargal Erdenebaatar

Business ETD Collections

Food waste presents a considerable challenge to global environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This study investigates the viability of replicating the “Too Good To Go” (TGTG) platform in Mongolia, informed by the experiences of the TGTG platform in Ireland. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research includes a secondary data analysis from Ireland, an online survey administered to 162 consumers in Ulaanbaatar, and semi-structured interviews with three entrepreneurs.

The findings suggest that the success of TGTG in Ireland can be attributed to several key factors: elevated consumer awareness, a supportive environment reinforced by government policies, and accessible technology. In contrast, the …

Ryanair And The Strategic Challenge Of Innovation., Jessyca Souza Damaso

Business ETD Collections

This study examines the strategic innovation challenges facing Ryanair, a Dublin-based low-cost airline that has long dominated the European aviation market through aggressive pricing and operational efficiency. While this cost-leadership model has historically driven success, evolving market conditions—including rising digital expectations and increasing environmental regulations—now require a broader innovation approach that extends beyond operational efficiency.

The research identifies a key strategic limitation in Ryanair’s current innovation efforts, which remain primarily internally focused on cost reduction and operational improvements rather than customer experience or sustainability. Evidence suggests that passengers increasingly perceive the airline’s digital tools as outdated and lacking personalisation, while …

Booking.Com: What Drives Retention And How To Improve It., Otavio Lopes Dos Santos Rodrigues

Business ETD Collections

Online travel agencies (OTAs) have significantly reshaped the global tourism and hospitality industry by offering convenience, transparency, and extensive choice to consumers. Among these, Booking.com has emerged as a dominant market leader, operating on a global scale and serving millions of users. However, increasing competition and low switching costs present ongoing challenges in maintaining long-term customer loyalty. This study examines the evolving dynamics of trust, fairness, and conflict resolution in influencing user retention, alongside traditional functional benefits such as usability and price competitiveness. Using Booking.com as a case study, the research adopts a mixed-method approach, combining insights from a property …

Optimising Student Recruitment And Brand Awareness At Icot College Through Culturally Targeted Advertising And Social Media Strategies., Uchral Ganbold

Business ETD Collections

In today’s competitive higher education landscape, institutions increasingly rely on digital marketing strategies to attract and retain international students. ICOT College, an English Language Training provider in Ireland, faces challenges in recruiting and engaging a diverse international student base due to limited culturally tailored advertising and underutilisation of social media platforms. The global education sector has become more competitive following COVID-19, with students adopting more selective and research-driven approaches when choosing institutions. However, ICOT’s current marketing approach remains largely generic, lacking localisation, targeted messaging, and interactive digital engagement. This reduces its effectiveness in connecting with key international markets and weakens …

Algorithms And Intimacy: Millennials' Social Meanings From Their Experience Using Tinder., Yuka Gega

Business ETD Collections

In recent years, the way people form relationships has undergone a profound transformation, shifting from traditional, community-based interactions to global, technology-mediated connections. Dating apps have played a central role in this shift, using algorithms and limited user data, such as photos and profiles, to match individuals. While these platforms offer convenience and expanded opportunities to meet others, they may also prioritise selection and appearance over the development of meaningful connections. The widespread adoption of smartphones has accelerated the global reach of these services, making them highly accessible and widely used, particularly among millennials. However, algorithm-driven matching introduces new challenges, including …

Strategic Digital Transformation Of Internal Audit: The Microsoft Case Study., Maria De Jesus Marin Marin

Business ETD Collections

Internal audit functions are under increasing pressure to evolve amid rapid digital innovation and rising expectations for risk responsiveness and strategic insight. While tools such as data analytics, automation, and AI offer clear benefits, many audit teams still face inefficiencies and underutilised technology. This study explores how Microsoft’s internal audit function, a case within a digitally advanced yet operationally complex environment, can enhance efficiency, risk detection, and internal controls through digital tools, agile methods, and process redesign. Drawing on qualitative research, including interviews and surveys with internal audit, IT and compliance professionals, the study bridges academic theory with practical insight. …

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Employees' Psychological Safety, Minahil Khan

SSLA Culminating Experience

This study explored how psychological safety manifests in the workplace and how it is influenced by transformational leadership. Using quantitative survey data from 101 employees—pre-dominantly based in Karachi, Pakistan—the research investigated the relationship between psychological safety and transformational leadership. It also explored whether there is a gender difference in the employees’ perception of transformational leadership and psychological safety. Findings indicate that transformational leadership has a significant positive correlation of 0.734 with psychological safety, which in turn enhances employees’ willingness to speak up and engage in creative problem-solving. Additionally results also indicated that there is no statistically significant gender difference in …

Racial Minorities In Strategic Leadership: An Integrative Literature Review And Future Research Roadmap, Yangyang Zhang, Ann Mooney, Sibel Ozgen

Management Faculty Works

Bolstered by their slow but increasing representation, racial minority strategic leaders have started to capture significant research attention across disciplines. We review this emergent literature, synthesizing and integrating the research progress to date across the 147 articles we identified. Our review highlights a range of factors that have been found to influence racial minority representation in strategic leadership positions, including factors at the firm, board, individual, and environmental levels. We also summarize how such representation has been found to affect firm outcomes (e.g., firm performance, innovation) as well as the careers of the racial minority leaders (e.g., compensation, promotion). Despite …