Business Commons^™

Implementation Of A Wellness Program For Nurse Leaders, Ericson A. Fernando

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: The setting for this study is the implementation of a wellness program for nurse leaders at Hospital A, a healthcare organization servicing the South Sacramento area in California. Healthcare is a challenging and high-demand profession, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an issue of burnout and unwavering job-related stress for physicians and employees. This remains true for nurse leader professionals who take on the responsibility to ensure safety and quality always remains at ideal measures for any facility.

Problem: During the past several years of the pandemic, the nurse leader role has had to endure several unknowns, placing significant …

Interest Convergence And Neoliberalism: Effects On Entry-Level Staff Of Color Who Perform Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Higher Education, Jesse N. Avila

Master's Theses

Higher education was not originally built to benefit people of color. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are many ways in which universities seek to change higher education. However, higher education has a staff retention problem and is at risk of losing more than half of its current workforce. Retention problems also impact entry-level staff of color who perform DEI in universities. Through a lens of interest convergence and neoliberalism, this qualitative study gathered the experiences of entry-level staff of color who perform DEI in student affairs, looked at how their experiences are shaped by the structures of the university, and …

Brain Waste Among Highly Skilled Immigrants In The United States, Kimberly Alva-Chavers Gardner

Master's Projects and Capstones

The issue of brain waste and underemployment among highly skilled immigrants is a key issue facing the United States today. This problem of equity has turned into an issue of economic stability in a country with a waning population whose workforce will soon depend on immigrant and international workers. Multiple agencies, including government programs and nonprofits, are attempting to address this issue from a language learning perspective. Using the theoretical framework of Cultural Capital and Community Cultural Wealth, this research project suggests that the key to reducing brain waste and underemployment among highly skilled immigrants is to take the focus …

The Rise Of American Food In China, Shiyan Wang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Over the years, American food has become more and more popular in China. Today, the Chinese are more open to trying new cuisines. To fully understand the forces that have catalyzed the growing presence of American foods in China, my research project demonstrates the complex web of factors that shape how American food businesses’ presence in China has changed over the last decade. Examining a diversity of sources, including existing trend data, my analysis focuses on the domestic and global factors that have facilitated the growing presence of American food restaurants in China. Using this research as a jumping off …

A Proposed Theoretical Foundation For The Information Systems Discipline (Version 1. 1), Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

“Rethink the theoretical foundations of the IS discipline” is one of the grand challenges for IS research identified in a Delphi study in Business Information Systems Engineering (Becker et al., 2015). This draft addresses that challenge directly through an integrated approach to the operation and evolution of systems. Almost any attempt to articulate a theoretical foundation for IS (a TFIS) would need to cover that topic although other attempts might emphasize other topics and other viewpoints.

The proposed Theoretical Foundation for IS (TFIS) has three main goals:

1) Integration. Build outward from an integrated core. Do not accept the excuse …

Chief Nurse Executive Work Engagement: System Leadership Through A Natural Disaster, Strike, And Pandemic, Ryan Fuller

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Problem. In a 21-hospital region of a 39-hospital integrated health system, CNE turnover peaked at 63% (12 CNEs) in 2015. Interviews were conducted in 2019 with 12 CNEs across the region to understand potential issues related to CNE job satisfaction. Responses revealed concerns regarding empowerment, alignment, work-life balance, information transparency/sharing, and recognition. While identifying a solution to address CNE concerns, the organization experienced successive crisis events during a 12-month period that included a record-setting wildfire, multiple labor union strikes, and a novel pandemic. The regional leadership team (RLT) required new approaches to facilitate effective communication during a crisis between the …

Market Viability Of An Avoided Wildfire Ghg Emission Accounting Framework For California, Justine Bui

Master's Projects and Capstones

Forests in California and elsewhere are under an increasing threat of uncharacteristically large and severe wildfires. Fuel treatments, such as tree density reduction or prescribed burns, can alter wildfire behavior and potentially reduce risk. An environmental consulting group is currently developing a probability-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting framework that would provide tools to quantify GHG benefits of fuel treatments and help fund said treatments through carbon offset credits. This framework is being developed in collaboration with key stakeholders (such as public agencies, carbon offset registries, non-profit organizations, and the private sector) in the western United States. A market assessment …

Oer Project: Bsba Capstone Refresh Materials, Monika Hudson

USF OER Faculty Grant

Slideshow presented by Dr. Monika Hudson for USF's Open Access Week, 2020.

China And The Us- The Behemoths Trade War, Mingwei Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

China and the US are the world’s largest economies and the largest mutual trade partners. The US has also held the position of the world’s largest economy for most of the current fiscal age. However, China is rising, largely bolstered by a great population, resource repository and government support in its quest to become a leading global powerhouse. As a major trading partner with the US, the rise of China impedes some of the growth potential of the US economy. One of the largest areas is the manufacturing sector where China is an emerging force that seeks to establish its …

Homeless Veterans In San Francisco / Housing Our Heroes, Raymond Gray

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

This paper will review the homeless population, including homeless veterans, in San Francisco, ways the city has tried to handle the situations with the homeless and project a path forward with ideas to help end homelessness for good. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, San Francisco had an increase of homeless veterans of 8%, but the pandemic has caused these numbers to increase.

San Francisco has lined a path forward to house the homeless during these difficult times, by placing them into hotels. Creating an endless game of hiding the homeless will only create other issues; this must end. With partnerships …

A Review Of The Literature On Corruption In Healthcare Organizations, Vincenzo Sforza, Riccardo Cimini, Alessandro Mechelli, Taryn Vian

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

This paper provides a systematic and bibliometric review of 80 research articles on corruption in healthcare published in peer-reviewed journals between 2006 and 2017. Findings suggest that the number of studies has increased over time with a focus on low- and middle-income countries; academic researchers have published papers in a large variety of journals and have investigated different types of corruption with various methodologies. The interest is especially focused on low- and middle-income countries where corrupt behaviors are more common. The paper suggests future research directions to a dynamic research community to facilitate anticorruption actions by public authorities.

Coaching Nurse Leaders In Conflict Management And Team Building To Improve Retention, Jeanette Black

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Problem: Retention of assistant nurse managers (ANMs) was identified as a concern from interviews with executive leadership and ANMs employed at a large hospital within a Northern California integrated health system. The nurse leader orientation training was reviewed, with gaps identified in conflict management and team building.

Context: The attrition rate of U.S. nurse managers in 2010 was 8.3%, higher than executive nurse leaders, with replacement costs equal to 75% - 125% of a nurse manager’s salary (Loveridge, 2017). Employee turnover and dissatisfaction due to conflict can have detrimental effects on retention, productivity, morale, and quality of patient care. …

Navigating Chinese Culture And Politics: The Destinies Of Companies In China, Vicki Chen

Master's Projects and Capstones

It is generally accepted that the colossal Chinese market offers great opportunities for dynamic entrepreneurial businesses, as well as individuals, but it also means that there are more potential obstacles to be aware of and to overcome than in smaller countries. This study will show how successful businesses in the Chinese market are directly influenced by China’s unique culture, religious beliefs, codes of behavior and political policies. It will also show ignorance or unawareness of these influences can lead to a loss of business or even total failure.

Indeed, a lack of understanding of these influences has been the downfall …

Entrepreneurship In Silicon Valley: The Road To Sustainable Prosperity, June Y. Lee

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy

No abstract provided.

Clock As A Mediating Technology Of Organization, Melissa Gregg, Tamara Kneese

Media Studies

The clock has long been a social technology, or a way of authorizing a singular source to propel collective activity. This chapter explores whether this social function continues in quite the same way in the wake of digital technology. It investigates the particular role of the clock in the workplace—how a predictable relationship to time accrued value for The Organization as an institutional form. The chapter traces the history of the clock, from factories to the contemporary digital workplace, asking how new technologies have changed the status of the clock as a way of organizing labour and productivity.

A Discourse Analysis Of Diversity And Inclusion Terminology In The High-Tech Industry, Michelle Nader

Master's Theses

The field of Diversity and Inclusion is a growing interest within the High-Tech industry, particularly within the San Francisco Bay Area of California. To combat misconceptions of Diversity and Inclusion, this thesis aims to define and analyze the language used at 20 companies in the High-Tech sector. The trends, nuances, and practices of how companies use language in their programming and data dictates the direction of the company. This thesis investigates the underlying complexities of where Diversity and Inclusion is within the industry today and goals for the future. Findings from this research suggest that companies can strengthen their Diversity …

China’S Sharing Mobility Economy, Yifan Zhou

Master's Projects and Capstones

Evolution in the urban landscape is key for sustainable development in the world because people have progressively moved from rural areas to live in urban cities. The mobility and transport industry offer the greatest potential to reduce carbon emissions in cities. The arrival of application-based and intelligent-sharing systems into the shores of China has been disruptive to local and international businesses. These has led to a liberation of an automobile sharing economy at a much deeper and greater level: a rise in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), car-pooling, and the utilization of bike-sharing models. Integrating the pre-existing but under-utilized …

Improvisation And Leadership Development: Understanding Improvisational Theater Arts As Leadership Skills, Jack Skalican

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership development is immersed in a philosophical struggle. Past efforts at developing leaders have missed a set of skills important to the role of today’s leaders. Since Frederick Taylor invented the practice of scientific management, the study of management and leadership has largely focused on traits, practices, and behaviors that conform to this model such as planning, analysis, control, and monitoring. Missing in this focus, however, are less transactional leadership skills like intuition, improvisation, and creativity. As a result, organizations have begun drawing on improvisational theater skills as one answer to fill this leadership development gap.

This case study focuses …

Service System Fundamentals: Work System, Value Chain, And Life Cycle, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

Service systems produce all services of significance and scope, yet the concept of a service system is not well articulated in the service literature. This paper presents three interrelated frameworks as a first attempt to define the fundamentals of service systems. These frameworks identify basic building blocks and organize important attributes and change processes that apply across all service systems. Although relevant regardless of whether a service system uses information technology, the frameworks are also potentially useful in visualizing the realities of moving toward automated service architectures. This paper uses two examples, one largely manual and one highly automated, to …

Social Loafing Construct Validity In Higher Education: How Well Do Three Measures Of Social Loafing Stand Up To Scrutiny?, Jacquelyn Deleau

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of social loafing using convergent and discriminant validity principles. Three instruments that purport to measure social loafing were factor analyzed: A ten-item instrument by George (1992), a 13-item instrument by Mulvey and Klein (1998), and a 22-item instrument by Jassawalla, Sashittal, and Malshe (2009) for a total of 45 items that were compiled into a single instrument with which data were collected, correlated, and factor analyzed.

One hundred and sixty graduate and undergraduates enrolled in management courses at a small private Northern California university were surveyed. Thirteen classes were …

Proactive Environmental Strategies: Managing A Corporate Culture Shift Toward Sustainability, Mark E. Calub

Master's Projects and Capstones

The roles and responsibilities of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) professionals have expanded over the last several decades. Initially focused solely on reducing a firm's ecological impact, many EHS professionals are now tasked with managing a firm's cultural shift towards sustainability. EHS professionals need to develop proactive environmental strategies that further interconnect the environmental, social, and economic performance goals of the firm. Using a concept analysis and integrative literature review approach, the research examines the evolving role of corporate environmental management and evaluates strategic management tools for environmental compliance, environmental performance, and corporate sustainability. The research reveals that the role …

Tracking The Dollars: How Economic Impact Studies Can Actually Benefit Managerial Decision Making, Daniel A. Rascher, Michael M. Goldman

Sport Management

Almost every month brings another attention-grabbing headline about a city or country considering a bid for a major sporting or entertainment event. Politicians, business executives, and excited fans weigh in about the possible costs and benefits, with limited numbers provided about the possible economic impact, and even less said about how these numbers were calculated. Most recently, LeBron James’ return to Cleveland was estimated by Bloomberg to boost the city’s economy by $215 million annually, while Cuyahoga County’s projections were more than double this number. A concert of Jay-Z and Beyonce in Baltimore in 2013 was estimated by the local …

A Case Study Of E-Leadership Constructs: An Assessment Of Leadership In A Healthcare Organization, Kevin James Lovelace

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify the components of e-leadership theory and how it can be used to teach healthcare leaders to develop virtual teams in a healthcare organization. This study will define a way in which leaders can use e-leadership components to increase the efficacy of virtual teams. In particular, this study will examine the perceptions executive leaders have of e-leadership constructs.

This study used a mixed method concurrent triangulation design to examine perceptions of e-leadership theory which may be used to improve the efficacy of virtual teams. The e-leadership theory as a construct was first measured …

Value Blueprint And Service Design Space For Facilitating Value Creation, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

A new operational perspective on fundamental concepts related to customers, service, and value differs from service-dominant logic in its approach to service systems, value creation, value co-creation, service interactions, value facilitation, and value constellations. This perspective leads to two new tools for supporting service system design: 1) A “value blueprint” uses a swimlane representation to identify where value creation occurs, recognizing that parts of value creation may occur long after service providers have produced their contributions to customer value. 2) A multidimensional design space for value facilitation identifies design dimensions that can be used for characterizing current or proposed approaches …

Work System Theory: Overview Of Core Concepts, Extensions, And Challenges For The Future, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

This paper presents a current, accessible, and overarching view of work system theory. WST is the core of an integrated body of theory that emerged from a long-term research project to develop a systems analysis and design method for business professionals called the work system method (WSM). After discussing WST’s basic premises and its two central frameworks, this paper summarizes the relationship between WST and WSM. It shows how experience with early versions of WSM led to three extensions of WST that addressed limitations-in-use in one of the central frameworks in WST. After comparisons with related theories, this paper closes …

Work System Theory: Overview Of Core Concepts, Extensions, And Challenges For The Future, Steven Alter

Steven Alter

This paper presents a current, accessible, and overarching view of work system theory. WST is the core of an integrated body of theory that emerged from a long-term research project to develop a systems analysis and design method for business professionals called the work system method (WSM). After discussing WST’s basic premises and its two central frameworks, this paper summarizes the relationship between WST and WSM. It shows how experience with early versions of WSM led to three extensions of WST that addressed limitations-in-use in one of the central frameworks in WST. After comparisons with related theories, this paper closes …

Evidence-Based Management And Leadership, R B. Briner, Neil D. Walshe

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Organizations can be led and managed in many different ways and there is no shortage of perspectives, models, and frameworks for thinking about how such tasks can be accomplished. This chapter focuses on one such perspective: evidence-based management (EBMgt). At its core is the idea that when managers and organizations make decisions, evidence of various types should be collected, critically appraised, and taken into account. Put this way, EBMgt does not appear to be either new or radical. However, as we shall go on to discuss, recent attempts to elaborate and flesh out this idea show that while some of …

Long Live Design Science Research! .... And Remind Me Again About Whether It Is A New Research Paradigm Or A Rationale Of Last Resort For Worthwhile Research That Doesn't Fit Under Any Other Umbrella, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

There is broadening and increasingly unquestioned acceptance of design science research (DSR). Recently, DSR may have provided an important bridge for overcoming or bypassing artificial barriers to accepting the legitimacy of certain types of research, but in some cases it is not obvious how DSR actually contributed to the research. Perhaps it is time to retire the assumption that DSR is somehow a new and different paradigm for doing research and to move on. Recognizing that the information-systems discipline is quintessentially rooted in design, this panel examines whether we actually need DSR to legitimize research that produces interesting and valuable …

Exploring The Temporal Nature Of Sociomateriality From A Work System Perspective, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

This paper uses work system theory (WST) to explore the temporal nature of sociomateriality. It summarizes concepts related to WST and sociomateriality, and notes sociomaterial aspects of WST. It uses static and dynamic views of a work system toexamine six examples that can be classified in one of three time frames, minutes-to-hours, days-to-weeks, and months-to years. The result is a straightforward interpretation of systems and related events across all of the time frames, which exhibit different types of phenomena related to adaptations, workarounds, emergence of informal work patterns, and sequences of formal projects. After approaching sociomateriality from a perspective not …

Genuinely Service-Oriented Enterprises: Using Work System Theory To See Beyond The Promise Of Efficient Software, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

The concept of service-oriented enterprise has great potential. Taken literally, however, it raises many issues, including practical difficulties of creating a service-oriented enterprise in the computer science sense and the huge leap from flexible IT infrastructure to an enterprise that is genuinely oriented toward providing services for customers and employees. This paper is a conceptual contribution showing how work system theory can help in seeing analysis and design issues beyond technical architectures that have dominated research to date. After summarizing background concepts related to service, service systems, and the vision of service-oriented enterprises, this paper explains how work system theory …