Digital Commons Network^™

Empowering Lifelong Choice: Supporting Older Individuals With Idd To Thrive At Work, Transition To Retirement With Dignity, And Maintain Community Connections, Leslie Quarles

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis addresses the need to support older individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their engagement in continued work. The project traces the journey from an initial focus on supporting older individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work as long as they wish to an eventual shift toward a phased retirement approach. It considers issues such as a reimagined visualization of the support team structure, integration of tailored job supports and Community Life Engagement (CLE). The author's familial history sparked a sense of injustice that would not stay buried, shaping a career path in disability services and access. …

Investment Decision Making, Muhammad Yaseen, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

A newly established commercial bank, founded in 2021, has accumulated excess capital reserves. The bank is evaluating long-term investment options to deploy this capital in a way that balances growth and risk. The investment committee is considering two primary strategies: investing in a diversified technology-focused ETF, QQQ, or investing directly in selected individual technology stocks.

The bank's senior management wants capital growth, but it also needs to manage risk exposure. A bank cannot treat an investment decision only as a search for the highest return. It must also consider volatility, concentration risk, liquidity, downside periods, and whether the strategy fits …

German Energy Crisis, Liomar Jimenez, Malachy Mclaughlin, Muhdee Nawab, Mouhamed Sarr, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

For most of the twentieth century, nuclear energy was the quiet backbone of Germany's electricity system. At its peak in 1997, nuclear power supplied over 31 percent of all electricity generated in the country. It was a reliable, low-cost source that kept German industries competitive across Europe. The country's industrial base, including automakers, chemical producers, and heavy manufacturers, depended on affordable, stable power. Nuclear delivered exactly that.

The political climate changed in the late 1990s. After years of advocacy based on concerns about nuclear waste and reactor safety, the Green Party joined the Social Democrats to form the Red-Green Coalition …

Ai-Augmented Financial Advisors: Comparing Ai And Human Analyst Investment Recommendations In Agreement, Performance, And Firm Size Effects, Crystal Chen

Honors College Theses

This study examines the level of agreement and performance between artificial intelligence (AI) generated investment recommendations and human analyst recommendations across U.S. publicly traded firms. Using a sample of twelve companies categorized by firm size (large, mid, and small), the study collects buy, hold, or sell recommendations from generative AI systems and human analysts. Agreement between AI-to-AI and AI-to-human recommendations is measured using Cohen’s Kappa agreement. Portfolio performance is evaluated by constructing equal-weighted portfolios for each recommendation source and size category. Risk-adjusted returns are measured using the Sharpe ratio over 1-, 2-, and 3-month periods. Furthermore, the study tests whether …

Pipelines And Power: Governance, Conflict, And Hybrid Political Orders In Nigeria's Niger Delta, Nkasiobu Wodu

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Many conflict-affected states in the Global South can be described as Hybrid Political Orders—governance arrangements where informal authority and formal state institutions coexist, overlap, and contest for power. In Nigeria's Niger Delta, this phenomenon is clearly evident. In this context, the exercise of governmental authority extends beyond the Weberian State. Local and non-state actors such as ethnic-based organizations, former combatants, and traditional authorities routinely perform government-like functions within their spheres of influence.

This study analyzes how extractive corporations, informal authorities, and the Nigerian state co-produce governance and shape patterns of conflict and cooperation in the Niger Delta. Its central …

Credit Card Analysis, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

A credit card business unit at a bank is facing a retention problem. More customers are leaving the bank's credit card services, and the retention manager wants to identify which customers are most likely to churn so the bank can intervene before the account is lost.

The bank has customer demographic, relationship, and transaction data for more than 10,000 credit card customers. The data includes age, gender, education, income category, card category, months on book, customer inactivity, contact frequency, credit limit, revolving balance, transaction amount, transaction count, and whether the customer attrited.

You are a business analyst on the bank's …

Smartphone Usage, Charles Howard, Josiah Nkele, Berner Hernandez, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

A major smartphone company is studying how smartphone usage affects users' stress, productivity, and sleep habits. As part of the product development team, you have been assigned to analyze user behavior data to help create digital wellness features that improve the overall user experience.

The company has collected behavior data from over 50,000 users to better understand how smartphone habits may influence focus, stress, and performance. By exploring this data, the team hopes to discover patterns that can guide healthier digital usage and create a better balance between daily life and technology use.

Senior product managers are considering several possible …

Airbnb Studies, Fatoumata Diabate, Maria Estevez, Jaliah Fabre, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

In the high-stakes world of short-term rentals, Homeland Sellers serves as an advisory firm for property buyers navigating the global Airbnb market. Historically, investors in the sector have often been led by intuition and gut feeling. That is a dangerous strategy in an increasingly regulated environment. To protect capital, Homeland Sellers is transitioning to a more rigorous, data-driven investment model.

Aspiring hosts face a minefield of financial and legal hurdles. Ignoring local HOA restrictions, fluctuating property tax structures, or strict licensing requirements can create serious risk for net operating income. Beyond regulatory compliance, investors must also account for guest appeal …

Staffing Decisions At Gabriana Cup, Ana Jimenez, Edith Oblitas, Gabriela Pena Guzman, Adriana Valdivia, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

Labor costs are one of the largest operational costs in the service industry. Overstaffing increases expenses unnecessarily, and understaffing reduces service quality and customer satisfaction. You are a business operations analyst working for Gabriana Cup, a local coffee shop. The owner has observed that certain hours appear significantly busier than others, creating operational pressure during peak times. The owner would like to reduce unnecessary labor costs and optimize Gabriana Cup's staffing practices.

Staffing schedules are currently based on assumptions rather than historical sales patterns, costing the coffee shop owner through wasted inventory, overstaffing, understaffing, and unnecessary labor costs. The coffee …

Netflix Content Strategy, Di Wu

Open Educational Resources

Netflix operates in a highly competitive streaming market where content strategy directly affects subscriber acquisition, retention, brand positioning, and international growth. A streaming platform cannot simply add more titles indefinitely. Content licensing, production budgets, regional demand, maturity ratings, and genre balance all shape which titles should be prioritized.

You are a content strategy analyst on Netflix's global catalog planning team. Senior management is preparing the next annual content review and wants a data-supported recommendation about how the catalog should be positioned. The team is especially interested in whether Netflix should continue emphasizing movies, expand TV shows more aggressively, prioritize specific …

Developing A Framework For Mooc Dropout: The Role Of Utilitarian And Hedonic Values In Student Retention, Bipllab Roy, Mave D'Souza, Madhura Laghane

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have expanded access to higher education but continue to face persistently high dropout rates, raising concerns about their long‑term effectiveness and sustainability. This study develops and empirically tests a structural framework that links utilitarian values (perceived usefulness, certificate value, time flexibility), hedonic values (enjoyment, variety and novelty, personal interest alignment), and individual characteristics (goal orientation, self‑efficacy, motivation type) to MOOC student retention. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 200 MOOC learners from Christ University, Lavasa Campus, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS. The results show that goal orientation, self‑efficacy …

When God Lifts The Veil: Transformational Leadership And Political Skills Model As Counters To Machiavellianism And Organizational Politics In The Los Angeles City Council, John Sandy Campbell

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This paper examines how Machiavellianism and Organizational Political Behavior contribute to destructive organizational politics and applies Transformational Leadership Theory and the Political Skill Model as countervailing frameworks to the Dark Triad. Grounded in leadership and organizational behavior research, this theory-based conceptual paper provides a theory-driven analysis that synthesizes established models to explore how power and unethical governance erode public trust. This paper examines the relationship between leadership behavior and power dynamics in a contemporary political context. Rather than relying on empirical data collection, it draws on Transformational Leadership Theory, the Political Skills Model, the Dark Triad, Organizational Politics, and Organizational …

Online Shopping Non-Adoption In South Africa: A Distrust-Centric Framework Integrating Social Exchange, Trust Transfer, And Social Presence Theories, Cleopatra Moipone Matli, Jeevarathnam P. Govender

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Online shopping non-adoption remains critically underexplored, especially in emerging markets. Addressing this gap, the authors develop and test a distrust-centric framework that applies the inhibitory logic of social exchange, trust transfer, and social presence theories to explain pre-emptive avoidance. Focusing on South Africa, where only 18.16% of the population engage in e-commerce, data was collected from 414 consumers who have never shopped online. Structural equation modelling reveals that perceived lack of reciprocity directly increases the intention of non-adoption. Moreover, distrust in online payment systems transfers to broader channel scepticism, which in turn drives avoidance. Perceived lack of social presence further …

Unveiling The Power Of Credibility: How Virtual Influencers Shape Consumer Attitudes And Purchase Intentions In Fashion, Danita Van Heerden, Jade L. Verbeek

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of influencer marketing, particularly in the fashion industry. Consequently, brands are using virtual influencers (VIs) to engage consumers in this space. Yet little is known about VIs’ credibility and their influence on purchase intentions, especially in an emerging market where they are less prevalent. This study examines the influence of VIs’ credibility (i.e., trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise) on consumers’ attitudes towards VIs and the subsequent impact on purchase intention for fashion products in South Africa, grounded in the Source Credibility Theory. Data were collected from active social media users using non-probability convenience and …

Generating A Bond Option Binomial Tree Model In Excel, Tom Arnold, C. Mitchell Conover, Joseph Farizo, Nancy Tran

Finance Faculty Publications

We demonstrate how to adjust the Katolay, Williams, and Fabozzi (1993) binomial tree model for pricing option-embedded bonds to have separate binomial trees for the forward rate process and for the component bond prices (actual bond prices or derived from a yield curve).  This reduces computational complexity at a given node within a single binomial tree.  Further, the calibration method is performed on “spine” values for the forward rate binomial tree, which is more consistent with the actual forward rates that are utilized as initial values in the calibration process.  The entire model is produced in Excel and uses new …

The Statistical Distribution Of U.S. Corn And Soybean Futures Prices, Chiamaka D. Osigwe

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the best-fit empirical distribution for daily U.S. corn and soybean futures price changes and examines how distributional choices affect Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) estimates. The dataset comprises daily nearby futures prices for corn (11/16/1994–04/23/2025) and soybeans (10/16/1979–02/15/2023), yielding 7,626 and 10,853 observations, respectively. An ARCH-LM test confirms the presence of Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (ARCH). Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models were estimated, and to account for potential asymmetric effects, an EGARCH model was used. EGARCH (1,1) estimation reveals an inverse leverage effect, where positive price shocks generate higher volatility. Six heavy-tailed distributions were evaluated, and …

Ceo Succession Planning Challenges In Hospitality Industry Smes: A Conceptual Framework And Literature Review, Denise Mazzei

Journal of Fundamental & Applied Business Research

In small to medium enterprise (SME) hospitality organizations, some CEOs overlook succession planning as a strategic imperative. This article presents a conceptual framework and literature review of a study that identified issues and potential contributors to the problem of challenges some leaders face with CEO succession planning in hospitality organizations. Currently, in the leadership literature, there is not a study that examines the problem especially as it relates to the hospitality industry. The literature was examined in alignment with three concepts that cascaded from the problem: a) succession planning leads to organization sustainability, b) SME CEOs manage organization strategic vision, …

Exploring The Role Of Emotional Intelligence Within Effective Leadership And Employee Empowerment, Angelique Limongelli

Journal of Fundamental & Applied Business Research

The following research concept was selected to examine the role and impact emotional intelligence has in conjunction with the challenges leaders face in reaching mission objectives. These roles and aspects were examined within the context of the United States Coast Guard, specifically how that plays out within both enlisted and officer leadership. The participants were grouped into three categories: junior enlisted personnel, senior enlisted personnel, and officers of various types of commissions. Many similarities were established based on categorization. For example, junior enlisted members largely favored teamwork, while officers largely felt unsupported and unempowered over the course of their careers. …

The Lack Of Employee Financial Wellness Programs, Janell Symone Elliott

Journal of Fundamental & Applied Business Research

This applied research was conducted to fill a gap in knowledge between research studies that show how financial stress can impact productivity and the use of employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) as an opportunity to promote financial well-being. The research used a single case study design. A research question and three sub-questions were drawn to provide a basis for inquiry to attempt to answer how EFWPs play a role within the workplace and how they relate to productivity and morale. A conceptual research framework was created to define the problem’s clear conditions and determine how this case study was connected …

Virtual Workplace And Employee Engagement, Victoria Cox, Alisa Allen

Journal of Fundamental & Applied Business Research

This article examined virtual workplace employees and employee engagement challenges and solutions. Employees who work remotely often feel disconnected from coworkers, organizational missions, and have a feeling of emotional isolation. This article examined the problems organizations face when not prioritizing virtual socialization for remote workers, leading to employee turnover, disengagement, and loneliness. The systematic review consisted of conducting a review within the Liberty University Jerry Falwell Library, encompassing empirical studies sourced from ProQuest, EBSCO, Emerald, and Gale databases. Studies published in peer reviewed journals, and the BibleGateway online between 2021 and 2026. A total of 33 journals were synthesized to …

Generation Z At Work: Generational Differences In Workplace Motivation And Satisfaction, Tammy Brown, Euclid Tan

Journal of Fundamental & Applied Business Research

Although Generation Z is rapidly entering the workforce, organizations often lack empirical data on satisfaction and motivational drivers and instead rely on subjective assessments that limit strategic insight. This study examines whether workplace satisfaction and motivation differ meaningfully across generations or whether these patterns are better explained by demographic factors such as race and values-based identity. Using two repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 (N = 323), respondents completed 14 items from the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire along with demographic and compensation related measures. Results revealed that race and the age × race interaction were stronger predictors …

Businesses Entering The Latin American Market, Valeria Rangel

Honors Capstones

This study examines the strategies global companies use to successfully enter and compete in Spanish-speaking markets in Latin America. As the region continues to experience economic development and growing demand for infrastructure and energy-efficient technologies, it presents important opportunities for multinational organizations. However, companies expanding into these markets must consider cultural differences, regulatory environments, and regional economic conditions when designing effective market entry strategies.

This research analyzes the key factors that influence global market expansion, including regional economic conditions, trade policies, and marketing strategies. Particular attention is given to the importance of localization, customer relationships, and digital communication when engaging …

Assessing Youtube Finance Influencers: Guidance Or Hype For Generation Z?, Alyse Alfred

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This study evaluates the content of YouTube finance influencers (finfluencers) to assess whether they provide overly promotional advice or can help improve the low financial literacy of Generation Z. A total of 407 videos sampled using the nine knowledge areas tested in the TIAA Institute Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) were analyzed using Structural Topic Modeling (STM). Eight topics were observed in the videos, ranging from general literacy to emergency planning. Comparing the observed topics to the P-Fin Index categories showed that finfluencers address six of the nine key areas of financial literacy, with gaps in the coverage of long-term …

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Sophia Wismar, Henry Staats, Allison Metzler, Chloe Puckett, Rachel Levine, Christa Kilpatrick, Scott Wolf, Joe Walsh, Grace Doolittle, John Engebreston, Zoe Lopez, Christopher Aaby, Audrey Duff, Timothy Sisk, Katelyn Lamberton, Angela Narayan, Gilkah Argueta, Habiba Samir, Girena Tesfazghi, Genet Kenore, Sinit Tesfamariam, Effley Brooks, Abi Newell, Megan Doherty, Natalie Baer, Lexi Blood, Talya Riciputi, Jessica Jimenez, Devin Hernandez, Lynn Clark, Taj Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Allen Rutman, Mira Pronobis, Tess Carson, Anna Sher, Frankie Stroud, Tamra Pearson D'Estree, Alyssa Wilson, Emily Melnick, Jenalee Doom, Yihang Gao, Gwendolyn Geiger, Noah Gettle, Scott Nichols, Clare Ayoub, Cara Dienno, Sunny Walker, Zoe Hansen, Maya Wheeler, Addison Rice, Patrick Martin, Sanjana Acharya, Daniel Mcintosh, Amanda Mckellips, Calli Cain, Justin Blake, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Natalie Miller, Max Weisbuch, Sophia Dellota, John Macikas, Charlotte Snow, Mark Siemens, Zoe Lynch, Alex Huffman, Prachi Shah, Jason Roney, Halcyon Levi, Nicole Herzog, Andrea Koly, Daniel Linseman, Annie London, Xi Yang, Avery Zwisler, Jane Smith, Chaz Contag, Michael Kerwin, Lucy Rand, Grace Schroeder, Michelle Rozenman, Nissa Tapper, Guiming Zhang, Mateo Mazariego-Halpern, Keith Meyer, Julie Do, Dakota Park-Ozee, Travis Herink, Kara Neu, Jonathan Plomin, Eve-Odine Duchaufour, Debbie Gale Mitchell, Tennyson Anderson-Stricklin, Lily Treitz, Samantha Rosenberger, Sierra Griffith, Finley Joseph, Daniel Sampson, Emmy Davis, Skyler Kasnoff, Evon Lopez, Vivian Nguyen, Cassy Young, Franklin Sellner, Martin Tobon, Ila Graham, Zach Billings, Holden Hedit, Decatur Boland, Paul Kosempel, Cory Chandler, Jay Mahoney, Sam Dragan, Susan Dagget, Yarrow Ator, Heidi Vuletich, Owen Weber, Andrew Kloeppel, Petersen Gray, Mandi Schaeffer-Fry, Razleen Bassra, Bryanna Rodriguez, Christina Blue, Taubie Sanders, Rachel Epstein, Luke Milburn, Camryn Evans, Ezra Martinez, Mary Westwood, Gabri Notov, Robin Tinghitella, Lilou Cabrol, Eli Barbour, Juliet Mendik, Selma Myers, Zac Wise, Noah Fahlin, Michelle Knowles, Abigail Hopper, Michael Greenberger, Romi Laclair, Sarah Watamura, Sabrina Efroymson, Casey Barker, Sydney Seltzer, Bryn Yehle, Jennifer Hoffman, Sara Garcia, Ryuka Nagamine, Trevor Briggs, Remy Le Boeuf, Elena Krone, Eileen Farrell, Regan O'Rourke, Elena Roel, Greg Mortimer, Ali Ayoub, Stefani Langehennig, Caitlin Turk, Logan Scmid, Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, Karen Kim, Tatiana Peccedi, Courtney Cassidy, John Sebesta, Rhianna Lewis, Janice Bening-Lacek, Vivian Lawless, Mckenna Hanson, Jeffrey Amidon, Riya Joshi, Ram Ambre, Brady Worrell, Perrin Schneider, Ali Azadani, Brooke Agulnek, Lyndsie Salvagio, Elise Siemanowki, Yan Qin, Andre Allen, Melodie Nguyen, Megan Livengood, Abby Reams, Saffron Hartreeve, Bri Wylie, Sarah Brookman, Mariah Loiacono, Green Russo, Abhia Lodhi, Gabrielle Welsh, Nika Spehar, Shahked Levin, Evrim Baykal, Kimberly Chiew, Jocelyn Torres, Kailey Hicks, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Bellows, Akam Chahal, Madeline Tepper, Shannon Murphy, Alexa Fonseca, Deborah Han, Cassandra Perez, Oluwatoyin Alaba, Julia Roncoroni, Vy Nguyen, Nana Burn, Sarah Sasse, Rubin Tuder, Anthony Gerber, Nancy Lorenzon, Christine Vohwinkel, Camryn Gunter, Tristan Weber, Sam Rommel, Brian Michel, Muskan Fatima, Alannah Oleson, Kira Frey, Edward Garrido, Beckett Morris, Kerstin Haring, Drew Middleton, Abigail Walpert, Liam Dee, Gabby Ishaw, Cole Carnes, Maddie Weiser, Claire Fox, Valeriia Vlasenko, Kateri Mcrae, Riley Smith, Abigail Templin, Kushani Rajapaksha

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

Lindenwood To Host St. Charles County Executive Debate, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Incidental Emotions On Self-Control: An Examination Using A Need-Based Choice Model, Shruti Koley

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that examines the effects of incidental emotions on choices in self-control dilemmas. The framework predicts that the effect of emotions depends on the hedonic and non-hedonic needs they activate and the extent to which emotional consumers expect the virtuous and gratifying options in the choice dilemma to facilitate these needs (i.e. their instrumentality toward the activated needs). The framework helps develop propositions for the self-control effects of six commonly experienced emotions: happiness, sadness, pride, guilt, anger and anxiety. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses a choice model to develop …

Bridging The Justice Gap: A Comparative Study Of Legal Aid Marketing In Canada, Australia, And The United States, Farah O. Haq

Student Theses and Dissertations

Access to justice remains a central challenge across legal systems, particularly for immigrants and refugees, Indigenous communities, and survivors of domestic violence. While legal aid organizations play a critical role in bridging this gap, their effectiveness increasingly depends on how clearly and compassionately they communicate legal information online to their target audience. This thesis conducts a comparative content analysis of nine nonprofit legal aid organizations in the United States, Canada, and Australia, three countries united by a common law tradition but divided by the communication barriers their communities face, examining 180 social media posts and nine websites through the lens …

Do Complex Models Matter? Evidence From Multiclass Machine Learning Models In Credit Outlook Prediction, Rashmi Malhotra, Davinder K. Malhotra, Robert Nydick, Nathan Coates

College of Business Faculty Papers

This research explores whether boosting model complexity enhances the forecasting of corporate financial outlook in a multiclass credit outlook setup. Instead of viewing distress as simply a yes-or-no result, companies are divided into negative, neutral, and positive outlook categories to better reflect shifting credit conditions. The study evaluates a parametric baseline against several nonlinear classifiers—including ensemble, kernel-based, and similarity-driven approaches—while applying a consistent validation process and statistical testing. On average, nonlinear models outperform the linear specification in terms of out-of-sample accuracy and provide more homogeneous classification across the three outlook categories. Importantly, they substantially improve the identification of firms with …

Burning Bridges? Conflicting Advice In Early Job Reneging And Implications For Practice, Amanda Leigh Bisson, Jo-Louise Huq

Engaged Management ReView

The time between early talent offers and students’ graduation dates is increasing. Although students are strongly encouraged by their universities not to renege on accepted early job offers, reneging is not uncommon in practice. In this paper, we explore how students approach the reneging decision, specifically examining the questions they ask and the advice they receive from peers and professionals. Using an interpretivist approach and reflective thematic analysis, we analyzed 25 Reddit posts by accounting students navigating reneges. Our findings offer novel insights into the student experience and the advice students are receiving from social network contacts. We find that …

Ruby Leigh To Perform At The J. Scheidegger Center, May 29, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.