Digital Commons Network^™

Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility Activities By Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises And Business Profitability, Oluwabunmi Afolashade Olujobi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) positively impacts performance and profitability for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Small and medium-sized enterprise leaders are reluctant to engage in CSR activities because of the assumed high-cost implication and possible impairment of profitability. Grounded in social capital theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between workforce-based CSR activities, society-based CSR activities, market-based CSR activities, regulation-based CSR activities, and SMEs’ business profitability. The participants were 109 SME owners in Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected using questionnaires administered online through google forms. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, …

Teacher Perspectives Regarding Low Teacher Retention In Rural Primary Schools In Tanzania, Tumaini Urio Morgan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tanzania, similar to other nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been experiencing a severe teacher shortage. The problem that was addressed is that factors influencing rural primary school teachers’ decision to continue teaching in Northeast Tanzania are unknown. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions on teaching in rural primary schools in Northeast Tanzania and the reasons why they remain. This study was guided by self-efficacy theory, a subset of Bandura's social cognitive theory. This descriptive qualitative study explored how rural primary school teachers in northeast Tanzania describe the challenges that cause them to consider abandoning …

Offshore Wind Industry Leaders’ Operations And Maintenance Management Strategies, Heather Louise Shimp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The difficulties offshore wind leaders have in managing operations and maintenance (O&M) costs threaten the ability to operate offshore wind farms profitably, diversify the energy supply, and reduce dependence on imported fuels. Grounded in the frameworks of Lean Six Sigma and McKinsey 7-S, the purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore offshore wind farm leaders’ strategies to manage O&M costs in Europe. The participants were six offshore wind leaders who implemented strategies to successfully manage O&M costs for offshore wind farms located in Europe. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, participant observation, and reviewing public and participant-supplied documents. …

Leadership Strategies To Initiate And Reinforce Knowledge Sharing Among Employees, Morufat Olajumoke Oshineye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge loss due to the exit of experienced employees with critical knowledge results in significant financial and nonfinancial impacts on employees and organizational competitiveness. Business leaders are interested in finding strategies to initiate and reinforce employee knowledge sharing to prevent business failure. Grounded in social cognitive theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies business leaders in Nigerian oil and gas public sector agencies use to initiate and reinforce knowledge sharing among employees to prevent knowledge loss. The participants were five business leaders in Nigerian oil and gas public sector agencies who successfully initiated and …

Perspectives On Instructional Barriers To Inclusion At Primary Schools In Jamaica, Marcia Hillary Peak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractInclusive education, which is a global practice in schools, recognizes the rights of all children to equal educational opportunities, including those with special needs or disabilities; however, educators in low-income countries like Jamaica struggle with its implementation. This basic qualitative study explored teachers’ and principals’ perceptions toward instructional and curricular barriers to inclusion in primary level schools. The theory supporting this study is Bronfenbrenner’s development ecology model. Research questions focused on educators’ perspectives of instructional barriers to inclusion. Twelve participants from seven mainstream schools in a single region were interviewed. Data were analyzed using open coding to determine patterns, and …

Barriers To Effective Public Secondary Education In Rural Areas In Haiti, Marjorie Calixte-Hallworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The limited access to public secondary education in rural regions of Haiti has impacted children who want to pursue their education beyond the primary level. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of informed Haitian educators and other educators who were knowledgeable about the lack of access to public secondary education in rural Haiti, specifically through the framework of polarities of democracy theory. Data were gathered by conducting semistructured interviews with 20 educators who were situated in both Haiti and the United States. NVivo 14 was used to organize, code, and analyze the data. Thematic …

African American Men’S Lived Experiences Of Stigma Regarding Use Of Mental Health Services, Leon M. Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican American men are disproportionately more likely to live with untreated mental health challenges; the incidence of mental illness in African Americans is, per capita, 30% higher than among non-Hispanic Whites. African American men experience significant barriers and deterrents to psychological help seeking, which are primarily due to internalized stigma. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe African American men’s experiences that influenced internalized stigma regarding seeking and using traditional mental health services. The theoretical framework included the theory of social stigma and minority stress theory. Nine purposively selected African American men from the Mid-Atlantic …

Branding Strategies For Owners Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Johnson Chibuzor Ugwuoke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Non-implementation of branding strategies can hinder small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) financial success and business performance. Owners of SMEs who implement appropriate branding strategies can remain solvent beyond the first 5 years of operation. Grounded in the customer-based brand equity model, this qualitative multiple case study explored the branding strategies owners of SMEs use to survive beyond the first 5 years of operation. The participants were six owners of SMEs from three SMEs located in Nigeria’s southern region who have successfully used branding strategies to survive beyond the first 5 years of operation. Sources for data collection were semistructured interviews …

Jamaican College Administrators’ Perceptions Of Providing Accommodations For Students With Disabilities, Tracey Ann Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was explored in this study was that many students with learning disabilities are enrolled in Jamaican teachers’ colleges but were not provided with accommodations. The purpose of the study was to determine the perceived and barriers that Jamaican college administrators experience in facilitating the accommodation of students with disabilities. The conceptual framework for this study was social exclusion theory, which helped analyze the insufficiencies in integrating persons with disabilities. The research questions addressed Jamaican college administrators’ perceptions of barriers in providing accommodations for students with learning disabilities. A basic qualitative design was used for this study. Data …

Perceptions Of Teachers In A Private Residential Juvenile Treatment Facility, Douglas E. Stevenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem for this study was the lack of research about what teachers consider to be the successes, the risks, and the potential dangers of working in a school prison setting. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teacher perceptions about successes, risks, and potential dangers of teaching in a prison school setting. This research study was guided by Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, which presents a framework for the study of human motivation and personality. The research question examined teachers’ perspectives about the successes, the risks, and dangers of working in a private residential juvenile treatment facility. …

Improving Financial Resiliency To Provide Accessible Community Services During Emergency Conditions Through Strategic Planning, Maria Elisa Colmenares

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study site organization lacked financial resilience to ensure the provision of social services to populations reliant on these services, including before, during, and after emergency conditions. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to provide strategic planning recommendations to increase financial resilience and describe the unique partnership between the client agency and the nonprofit arm. The study addressed strategies to increase the financial resilience needed to sustain the organization’s core mission, and strategies the agency can use to provide community services before, during, and after emergencies such as COVID-19, hurricanes, or severe storms. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and …

The Effectiveness Of The Ethics Officer’S Influence: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Exploration, Cheryl K. Douthitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The position of ethics officer was created to watch over corporate behavior. However, scandals have continued to demonstrate unethical leadership involving government officials, sports heroes, religious organizations, and corporate leaders. The research problem was that despite the adoption of corporate ethics programs and government oversight, there is a lack of understanding of ethics officers’ experiences, perceptions of effectiveness, and whether they effectively influence executive-level ethical conduct. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of ethics officers regarding their interactions with executives. Shaped by Brown and Treviño’s ethical leadership theory, the research question concerned the …

Improving Access To Diagnostic Medical Services For Children With Autism: Caregiver Perspective, John Nkemakolam Nkwocha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe rising prevalence of autism among children in the United States has remained a challenge to caregivers, researchers, and healthcare providers. Medical diagnostic services struggled with inaccurate outcomes, misdiagnosis, inaccessibility, long waitlists, poor coordination, and a lack of expertise and knowledge for early intervention. There are limited studies on problems associated with diagnosing children with autism and the caregivers’ perspective on improving the services. In this qualitative phenomenological study, 10 caregivers’ perspectives on barriers to accessing medical diagnostic services, treatment, and management of children with autism and possible improvement of the services were explored. Resilience and health utilization models provided …

How Government Organizations Can Sustain Remote Work Post Covid-19, Chikwendu Pius Nweke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractGovernment organizations are unprepared to sustain remote work post-COVID-19. Even though COVID-19 seems to be under control, organizations are still struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic and the need to sustain remote work. Challenges include lack of necessary information technology tools, software, technological skills, strategies for remote work, leadership skills, real-time communication; activity planning and program implementation, scheduling meetings, organizing child care, managing caseloads, fostering team work, and effective supervision. A conceptual framework based on organizational adaptation theory was used to guide this qualitative case study. Since the study was to ascertain how government organizations can sustain remote work …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Value And Motivation To Complete Professional Development, Andrea Paige Vitch Dorsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are inconsistent completion rates of professional development among elementary school teachers in a school district in the rural southeast. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers’ perceptions of the value of professional development to improve teaching and what motivates them to complete the professional development that is offered. The study was guided by Knowles’ theory of andragogy of how adults learn and Eccles’ expectancy value theory of motivation. The first research question explored how elementary teachers in a rural school district described the value of professional development offered to improve teaching. The second research …

How Gender And Victim Blame Impact The Identification Of Human Trafficking Victims, Rudee Colleen Hanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking is a worldwide phenomenon that uses fraud, force, or coercion to subjugate human beings into a modern form of slavery. Male and transgender victims have been excluded from previous research and as a result, the numbers of victims identifying as male, and transgender is unknown. This study examined the impact of gender and victim blame on the identification of human trafficking victims, particularly male and transgender. The theoretical frameworks of feminist theory and belief in a just world theory supported the study and supported the hypotheses. The research questions focused on the impact of gender and victim blame …

The Cultural Diet Behaviors Of African Immigrants In California For Preventing Chronic Health Conditions Including Obesity, Jahswill Ukagumaoha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican immigrants to the United States face many challenges when diagnosed with obesity and other chronic health conditions. However, research concerning the role of cultural diets in preventing or ameliorating chronic health conditions including obesity has rarely focused on African immigrants. The purpose of this study was to explore the opinions, perceptions, and experiences of African immigrants on cultural diet preferences in the prevention of chronic health conditions, including obesity. Using the theory of assimilation and acculturation theory as a framework for the inquiry, the research questions focused on exploring the experiences, opinions, and perceptions of African immigrants concerning chronic …

The Relationships Between Multidimensional Sleep Health And Work Productivity In Individuals With Neurological Conditions, Mitchell Turner, Manja Laws, Madeline Griffiths, Kate Turner, Leah Dempsey, Simon M. Laws, Travis Cruickshank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Numerous studies have reported the negative impacts of poor sleep on work productivity in the general population. However, despite the known sleep issues that individuals living with neurological conditions experience, no study has explored its impact on their work productivity. Sleep health is a concept that includes multiple domains of sleep, measured with a combination of objective and subjective measures. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain the associations between sleep health and its domains and work productivity in individuals with neurological conditions. Sleep health domains were determined through actigraphy data collected over 1 week and sleep questionnaires. Work productivity was …

Annual Report 2022 (Pillar Securitisation), Pillar Securitisation

Documents

No abstract provided.

Discount Window Primary Credit Rate, Federal Reserve System: Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis

Documents

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impact Of Racist Incidents On The Community In Plymouth., Chris Pac-Soo, Emma Taylor

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This report details the findings of research, funded by the University of Plymouth, to evaluate and assess the impact of racist incidents on the community in Plymouth. It has been acknowledged by Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council (PDREC) that since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, they have recorded an increase in racist incidents within Plymouth, particularly in the postcode PL1 area. This research aims to provide a resource for PDREC, the local authority, agencies, and communities to address racist incidents and to provide a platform to help build resilience towards racism. The research was a …

Revisiting Plant Defense-Fitness Trade-Off Hypotheses Using Solanum As A Model Genus, Sakshi Watts, Satinderpal Kaur, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plants possess physical and chemical defenses which have been found to deter herbivores that feed and oviposit on them. Despite having wide variety of defenses which can be constitutive or induced, plants are attacked and damaged by insects associated with different mouthparts and feeding habits. Since these defenses are costly, trade-offs for growth and defense traits play an important role in warding off the herbivores, with consequences for plant and herbivore growth, development and fitness. Solanum is a diverse and rich genus comprising of over 1,500 species with economic and ecological importance. Although a large number of studies on Solanum …

Laboratory Bioassays Of A Native Arkansas Isolate Of Metarhizium Robertsii (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) And The Biopesticide Met52® For The Control Of Amblyomma Americanum (Anactinotrichidea [=Parasitoformes]: Ixodidae)., Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is the predominant human-biting tick in Arkansas and a vector of multiple pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Increasing concerns over acaricide resistance and environmental contamination have prompted evaluation of alternative control strategies. We assessed the pathogenicity of a native Arkansas isolate of Metarhizium robertsii (Savoy P10N1) against laboratory-reared adult and nymphal A. americanum under controlled conditions. Ticks were immersed in a conidial suspension (1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml) and monitored for mortality and fungal sporulation for 77 days post-inoculation. Cumulative mortality followed a time-dependent logistic pattern, with significant fungal-induced mortality beginning at 14 …

Biology, Genetic Diversity, And Conservation Of Wild Bees In Tree Fruit Orchards, Olivia Mae Kline, Ngoc T. Phan, Mitzy F. Porras, Joshua Chavana, Coleman Z. Little, Lilia Stemet, Roshani S. Acharya, David J. Biddinger, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Edwin G. Rajotte, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the most economically important agricultural pollinator in North America, as well as being the most frequently studied bee species. Many agricultural systems, such as fruit tree orchards, benefit from having a diversity of bee species present. In this article, we present information about the types of bees that can be found in orchards and explore their mating behaviors, life cycles, genetic differences, flower preferences, and foraging activities. Many orchard-pollinating bees, including bumble bees (Bombus spp.), mason bees (Osmia spp.), and mining bees (Andrena spp.), are often less studied than honey …

Controlling Neocortical Epileptic Seizures Using Forced Temporal Spike-Time Stimulation: An In Silico Computational Study, Joseph Schmalz, Rachel V. Quinarez, Mayuresh V. Kothare, Gautam Kumar

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Epileptic seizure is typically characterized by highly synchronized episodes of neural activity. Existing stimulation therapies focus purely on suppressing the pathologically synchronized neuronal firing patterns during the ictal (seizure) period. While these strategies are effective in suppressing seizures when they occur, they fail to prevent the re-emergence of seizures once the stimulation is turned off. Previously, we developed a novel neurostimulation motif, which we refer to as “Forced Temporal Spike-Time Stimulation” (FTSTS) that has shown remarkable promise in long-lasting desynchronization of excessively synchronized neuronal firing patterns by harnessing synaptic plasticity. In this paper, we build upon this prior work by …

Carbonate Compensation Depth Drives Abyssal Biogeography In The Northeast Pacific, Erik Simon-Lledó, Diva J. Amon, Guadalupe Bribiesca‐Contreras, Daphne Cuvelier, Jennifer M. Durden, Sofia P. Ramalho, Katja Uhlenkott, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, Noëlie Benoist, Jonathan Copley, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Adrian G. Glover, Bethany Fleming, Tammy Horton, Se Jong Ju, Alejandra Mejía-Saenz, Kirsty Mcquaid, Ellen Pape, Chailinn Park, Craig R. Smith, Daniel O.B. Jones

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Abyssal seafloor communities cover more than 60% of Earth’s surface. Despite their great size, abyssal plains extend across modest environmental gradients compared to other marine ecosystems. However, little is known about the patterns and processes regulating biodiversity or potentially delimiting biogeographical boundaries at regional scales in the abyss. Improved macroecological understanding of remote abyssal environments is urgent as threats of widespread anthropogenic disturbance grow in the deep ocean. Here, we use a new, basin-scale dataset to show the existence of clear regional zonation in abyssal communities across the 5,000 km span of the Clarion–Clipperton Zone (northeast Pacific), an area targeted …

The Ali Principles Of The Law Of Family Dissolution: Addressing Inequality Through Functional Regulation, Linda C. Mcclain, Douglas Nejamie

Faculty Scholarship

As part of a volume commemorating the American Law Institute on its centennial, this Essay reflects on the ALI Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution. We show how the Principles’ drafters intervened in cutting-edge issues at a time of flux in family law in ways that elaborated a progressive agenda that would continue to gain traction in the years after the Principles’ publication in 2000. Beginning from the assumption that family law should reflect how people actually live, the drafters developed a functional, rather than formal, approach to legal regulation. Such an approach, they believed, could vindicate commitments to …

Ambivalent Advocates: Why Elite Universities Compromised The Case For Affirmative Action, Jonathan Feingold

Faculty Scholarship

“The end of affirmative action.” The headline is near. When it arrives, scholars will explain that a controversial set of policies could not withstand unfriendly doctrine and less friendly Justices. This story is not wrong. But it is incomplete. Critically, this account masks an underappreciated source of affirmative action’s enduring instability: elite universities, affirmative action’s formal champions, have always been ambivalent advocates.
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/="/">Elite universities are uniquely positioned to shape legal and lay opinions about affirmative action. They are formal defendants in affirmative action litigation and objects of public obsession. And yet, schools like Harvard and the University of …

Unmasking Aall’S Idea Special Committee: A Closer Look At The Committee’S Process For Creating Aall’S New Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy, Ronald E. Wheeler

Faculty Scholarship

The goal of this column is to describe the process used by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Awareness (IDEA) Special Committee, which provided the foundation and resources for AALL to create the new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy. The committee, initially appointed and charged by the 2020 AALL President Emily R. Florio, began meeting in 2020, and started its work with discussions aimed at defining and narrowing the scope of its charge and finding consensus on what we were setting out to accomplish. During this initial stage, our discussions helped us find commonality to …

Stability Properties Of A System Of Receptors In The Presence Of Attractive Domains, Basim Mohammed Al-Maliki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I use mathematical modeling to understand aspects of molecular processes in living cells. Specifically, we look at the first few steps in cell signaling. Signal initiation requires that receptors located on the cell membrane bind together to form dimers. Microscopic imaging of receptors on the cell membrane revealed that receptors tend to accumulate in small areas (clusters). Studies also show that the membrane has a complex landscape consisting of domains and barriers of various origin.

Here we study the way receptor dimerization is influenced by domains on the cell membrane. Our underlying hypothesis is that the physical and chemical properties …