Business Commons^™

How Covid-19 Has Accelerated The Shift Towards A More Sustainable Fashion Industry, Samantha Frances Casey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sustainability in fast fashion is a pertinent issue as the fashion industry is one of the most environmentally damaging industries. Fashion retailers have started to integrate sustainability initiatives, but consumer preference is vital to making firms change their practices. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, worldwide lockdowns exposed the fragility of the consumer-driven fast-fashion business model. This thesis will examine how COVID-19 has and will continue to impact sustainability in the fashion industry. More specifically, this thesis will examine the implications of consumer sustainability preferences brought about by the pandemic. These implications accelerate the preexisting sustainability trends …

Leadership Development In Saudi Arabia’S Private Sector: A Mixed Methods Approach, Khaled Hanaky

Dissertations

There is currently a proliferation of business-focused leadership development programs in Saudi Arabia. These programs represent a reaction to the shortage of qualified leaders who can drive and sustain both recent and future advances introduced by Saudi Vision 2030, the national transformation program that is introducing social and economic reforms. Importantly, business leadership development has not been studied in this context of contemporary Saudi Arabia.

This study examined the state of Saudi leadership development programs by employing an explanatory sequential case study design that focused on a particular leadership development program. Through the use of surveys and participant interviews, results …

Enhanced Data Science Methods For Freight Optimization At Kelly-Moore Paints, Lance Dacy, Reannan Mcdaniel, Shawn Jung

SMU Data Science Review

Kelly-Moore Paints is a paint manufacturing company founded in San Carlos, California in 1946 by William Kelly and William Moore. It has stores located in California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada. They currently own 11 42’ trailers, contract 4 distinct drivers, and service 44 stores Monday-Thursday from its Texas Distribution and Manufacturing Center in Hurst, TX. Given that transportation costs are typically the highest in the supply chain costs, this study will employ data science techniques to ensure the transportation routing, store ordering mechanism, and trailer utilization are at the best efficiency possible given the current ordering patters of the stores. …

Strategies To Improve Financial Profitability In The Banking Industry, Khalid Said, Yvonne Doll

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

More than 50% of business failures in the United States are because of leaders’ inability to manage working capital. This qualitative, multiple case study is grounded in the cash conversion cycle theory. The purpose is to explore the strategies bank leaders have used to improve working capital management in three banks in Kentucky to increase bank profitability and improve financial stability. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with three different banking leaders who have implemented successful working capital strategies. Using methodological triangulation and Yin’s five-step data analysis resulted: (a) risk and liquidity, (b) top-down approach, and (c) investment approach. The …

The Initial Public Offering Quandary: Is There A State And Time Dependency?, Michael D. Herley

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

Initial public offerings (IPOs) continue to play a critical role in the capital markets and the overall economy. With the total number of IPOs remaining considerably below historic levels, developing a more thorough understanding of their drivers and how they vary under different conditions could benefit market participants and regulators. In this dissertation, I consider the relevant academic literature and extend the paradigm that stock market growth positively influences IPO activity, and market volatility tempers IPO volume—while also accounting for the present instability in the data through a regime-switching3 approach.

I will show that the interplay of the Chicago Board …

Digital Disruption In The Financial Services Industry: The Emergence Of Fintech, Alex Guenther

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Financial services, traditionally consisting of banking, asset management, lending, insurance, and payment systems, are facing a perfect storm brought on by technological innovation and shifting customer expectations. Such changes have exposed a gap in the financial services space between those who have access and those who do not. Traditional financial institutions have been hindered in pursuing strategies of financial inclusion to large underserved and underbanked populations. There is a major opportunity for financial technology companies to alter the competitive dynamics in an industry that has long been dominated by major banks and other large financial institutions. ‘Fintech’, as it is …

A Study On Differing Generational Values And Expectations In Corporate America, Abigail Grella

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This paper examines the most common factors that lead to voluntary employee turnover, and the implications employee turnover has on an organization. Additionally, this paper will consider the varying values and workplace expectations of different demographic groups such as Millennials, Generation X, Generation Y, and Baby Boomers and how such factors could influence voluntary turnover. A study is conducted from survey results gathered across a large span of generations that are currently employed. Using statistical analysis employing t-tests and a Mood’s Median test, the results show that different generations have differently weighing values for specific organizational offerings. The results show …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Iso 9000 Research From 2015 To 2020 Using Vosviewer Application, Ilham I

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aims to map scientific publications in the field of ISO 9000 visually at the global level indexed by scopus using bibliometric analysis. This study focused on articles of ISO 9000 at the international level. Research data were obtained from the Scopus database in Januari 2021 through the publish or perish software. All the discussions and analysis in this paper is based on the 46 papers consisting of 35 article, 4 conference papers, 3 reviews, 3 chapters and 1 book. Then the paper will be analyzed using the VOSviewer application for viewing and creating the desired bibliometric maps. In …

Iso 14000 Publication: A Bibliometric Analysis (2011-2020), Ilham M.Said

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explain about ISO 14000 itself is an international standard that discusses environmental management systems in general. This study aims to visually map publications in the field of ISO 14000 at the global level indexed by Scopus using Bibliometric analysis. This research utilizes the analysis features on the Scopus website and visualizes the bibliometric network using VOSviewer. The research data used is to use indicators in the form of keywords related to ISO 14000 in the Scopus database with the results obtained as many as 136 academic documents that have been published from 2011 to 2020 at the global …

Board Of Trustees Minutes, May 7 2021, Indiana State University Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees

No abstract provided.

2021-05-06 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from May 6, 2021.

The Impact On Organization Behavior In A Telecommuting World And The Potential Impacts On The Business, Jerrilynn Dvorak

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Local and national COVID-19 restrictions have caused many organizations to transition their employees to working remotely, a practice previously not considered or widely adopted. Global pandemics happen so infrequently that much of the world's population has not lived through or experienced such an event. There were little to no protocols to prepare organizations and individuals mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially for the challenges that the pandemic would bring. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity for more employees who previously did not have that opportunity to work from home. This shift created a much larger sample size to study the …

2021-05-06 Confidential Understanding Commendation, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate commends the administrators that did not sign the Morehead State University Confidentiality Understanding as submitted to the Senate on May 6, 2021.

2021-05-06 Confidential Understanding Resolution, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate resolution regarding the Confidentiality Understanding required by the University submitted on May 5, 2021.

2021-05-06 Faculty Senate Newsletter, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate newsletter from May 6, 2021.

Abusive Supervision, Leader-Member Exchange, And Creativity: A Multilevel Examination, Changqing He, Rongrong Teng, Liying Zhou, Valerie Lynette Wang, Jing Yuan

Marketing Faculty Publications

Despite the growing attention on the topic of abusive supervision, how abusive supervision affects individual and team creativity have not yet been thoroughly investigated. Drawn from the perspective of leader-member exchange (LMX), the current study develops a multilevel model to describe the relationships between abusive supervision and creativity at both team and individual levels, with a focus on the roles played by team-level leader-member exchange (TLMX) and LMX differentiation (DLMX). Based on data collected from 319 team members and their team leaders in 71 teams, the results show that abusive supervision has a negative relationship with TLMX, a practice that …

Adapting To A Health Crisis: A Case Study Of A Real Estate Brokerage Team’S Crisis Communication And Management, Brielle Labonte

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The Covid-19 crisis was a foreign crisis to societies worldwide. Since its introduction in December 2019, businesses had to adapt to major societal changes, as new restrictions were implemented on societal functions worldwide. The real estate industry, in particular, experienced significant changes in the market, as well as their overall practices of business. This study will use qualitative research, specifically a case study approach, to study how the Lori Seavey Realty Team of North Attleboro Massachusetts, mitigated the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). The significance of this thesis in the field of communications …

Priming In Leadership: Applying Communication Theory To The Speeches Of Ronald Reagan, Katherine Sakai

Senior Honors Theses

The study of priming gained traction in the 1990s when researchers such as John Bargh demonstrated the nonconscious activation of ideas, often through repeated related words or activated schema. Since then, researchers have studied the effects of priming on self-view, achievement, and teamwork. While the concept of priming has just recently begun to be applied to leadership in the workplace, no research has yet been done in finding examples of priming theory in the speeches of well-known leaders. In this study, Ronald Reagan’s persuasive tactics were analyzed and found to use similar methods of repetition and schema used in priming …

Higher Education Business And Technology Leaders’ Behaviors That Drive Outcome Alignment, Katherine Lynch-Holmes

Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEIs) face unprecedented challenges, including capacity alignment, financial sustainability, and even public confidence (Grajeck & Brooks, 2020; Grawe, 2019; Oblinger, 2019; Simone, 2020, Wheeler, 2020, Witt & Coyne, 2019). Financial challenges force HEIs to reduce costs by making decisions like cutting programs, laying off staff or merging institutions to reduce operating costs (Chen et al., 2019; Sellingo, 2017; Witt & Coyne, 2019). Higher education leaders (HELs) must act as trusted partners and broker technology to align processes, support, and outcomes (Luftman 2000; Petkovics, 2018; Reinitz, 2019). Unfortunately, higher education’s business-technology (BITA) alignment remains lower than other national …

Rural Coopetition: A Consumer Perspective Of Marketing Activities Involving Smes, Cassandra A. Ritzen

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are central to global and domestic economies and are a significant factor in rural economic development. Rural SMEs face unique challenges of geographical location and limited resources requiring strategies that can create an enduring competitive advantage. This study explores market-oriented coopetition as a competitive strategy that forms collaborative relationships between competitors to create value for consumers. Through the analysis of a small cluster of rural SMEs, the focus of this study addresses the underexplored consumer perspective of coopetition events based on quantitative analyses of customer satisfaction and market share.

Small Business And Sustainability: How The Back Bone Of America And The Buzz Word Of The 2010s And 2020s Can Be A Powerhouse For Change, Raleigh Woods

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the years phrases like “going green” or “reduce, reuse, recycle” have been the war cries of environmentalist conservationists. Now, a new word has begun to heavily circulate among the environments communities and beyond: sustainability. However, the concept of sustainability has been around for centuries. According to the World Energy Foundation sustainability was “coined in German, the original term was Nachhaltigkeit, meaning ‘sustained yield.’ It first appeared in a handbook of forestry published in 1713, and was used to mean never harvesting more than the forest can regenerate.” (The World Energy Foundation, 2014). Since then, the word and concept has …

Her Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Resume Photos And Perceived Morality, Hannah Daab

Honors College Theses

It was once believed that a woman’s physical appearance benefited her in many aspects of life, including her career. Following the progression of the #MeToo movement, society has seen beauty become a liability for women in the workplace. This investigation dives into this phenomenon and redirects the focus to an earlier point in the timeline of a female’s professional career: the hiring process. Specifically, this paper begins to uncover an answer to the long- standing question of whether or not a woman should include a photo of herself on her resumé or CV. Across two quantitative studies, I investigate whether …

The Relationship Between Religious Freedom In America And The Current And Future Workplace, Liz Spence

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

In regards to religious freedom, the current climate in America is ambiguous and sensitive. This has carried over into the workplace and will continue to affect the way that leaders must manage their employees. This study contains a survey that addresses historical cases dealing with religious freedom, personal experiences in the workplace, and finally, questions regarding the ideal workplace and leadership. This study also includes in-depth interviews of current employees in a variety of careers that adhere to a religion. The paper concludes with a summary that explores how managers should react in the future to the findings in this …

Social Media Preferences Of Individuals Seeking Graduate Business Degrees, Peyton N. Boxberger, Hannah C. Lee

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to provide actionable insight to the Walton MBA Programs Office for a cohesive social media strategy that is inclusive of all audiences. This research hopes to help the Walton MBA program better understand potential and current students based on their social media behavior and learn how social media use has changed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This report will analyze the results of a survey crafted to better understand the social media preferences of individuals seeking graduate business degrees. From these, a social media marketing strategy can be created to tailor content to …

Comparative Job Skill Development Initiatives In Northwest Arkansas And Barcelona, Grace Davis

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social innovation strategies are being used around the world to create new avenues to meet the social needs of people that can vary from lack of jobs or food to deforestation and loss of wildlife. In the past, simple donations and corporate programs have made an impact, but there is a new way of creating sustainable and profitable impact through newly introduced strategies that consider society as a whole and allow the perceived obstacle to work as a solution. It is important to first note what social innovation is. Social innovation is the restructuring of philanthropic endeavors by creating sustainable …

Consumer Behavior And Coronavirus: How The Pandemic Transformed The American Shopper, Gina L. Riedell

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the changes in consumer shopping behavior resulting from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States as well as the effects on in-store and e-commerce sales and market share within the CPG industry. Most Americans faced some level of disruption throughout developments in the coronavirus outbreak. The study of their ongoing behavior changes in shopping preferences and purchasing decisions is revealed through CPG sales and offers insight into how it has affected the industry long-term. This paper analyzes the consumer behavior shifts in chronological order as new developments in the pandemic affected shopping decisions from January 2020 to …

Lean Production And Operational Performance: The Influence Of Organizational Culture, Rick Hardcopf, Gensheng (Jason) Liu, Rachna Shah

Management Faculty Publications

The use of lean production methods to drive sustainable competitive advantage has been a cornerstone of worldwide manufacturing strategy since the early 1980’s. Unfortunately, success from using lean has been mixed. Some researchers suggest that contextual variables play a central role in explaining the inconsistent results. This study evaluates the role of one critical contextual variable, organizational culture, in realizing operational improvements from lean. We investigate the influence of four distinct organizational cultures, as well as a hybrid culture and a firm’s ability to be culturally ambidextrous, on the relationship between lean and operational performance, as measured by cost, quality, …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Trader Joe’S: Exploration From National And Omaha Metropolitan Perspectives, Natalie R. Bauermeister

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Trader Joe’s started in 1967 when founder Joe Coulombe became inspired to provide local Pasadena residents a refreshing grocery store experience. Aimed at the young college student crowd, his idea quickly grew into a chain of successful grocery stores. The concept was simple: private label products cut out the middleman to keep prices fair, and the floor space compacted to feel like a local market experience. With a nautical theme to match the casual and outgoing feel of the stores, customers have flocked to Trader Joe’s stores around the country for the “wow” experience only found within those walls. Fast …

Debiasing A Decision Maker Facing Supply Uncertainties In A Newsvendor Setting, Alan William Zeller

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Companies must be prepared to manage uncontrollable events that will disrupt their supply chain and add uncertainty to their inventory models.

This thesis first studies the effect of different types of supply disruption risks on the ordering performance of profit-maximizing decision makers in a newsvendor setting.

Then, this thesis aims at extending the literature on the newsvendor model in studying the effect of a Decision Support System and the effect of a Secondary Task on the ordering performance of profit-maximizing decision makers who face supply uncertainties in a newsvendor setting.

Finally, implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.

Arbor Day Foundation Programs: Analysis And Recommendations, Justin Myers, Emily Alston, Cameron Claborn, Charles Erker, Braelyn Isernhagen, Jonathan Jameson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

We are proposing the enhancement of the current Tree City USA program to include a special recognition program for high-achieving communities. These “Golden Oak” tree cities will be recognized each year based on a variety of metrics detailed in a new and more comprehensive program application. Recommendations:

● Updated application to include more information about both quantitative and qualitative insights

● Special recognition program awarding “Golden Oak” status to communities in village, town, city, and metropolis categories based on either percentile or benchmarking system

● A cumulative “Golden Oak” award given to the State that achieves the highest percentage of …