Business Commons^™

Revman: Revenue-Aware Multi-Task Online Insurance Recommendation, Yu Li, Yi Zhang, Lu Gan, Gengwei Hong, Zimu Zhou, Qiang Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Online insurance is a new type of e-commerce with exponential growth. An effective recommendation model that maximizes the total revenue of insurance products listed in multiple customized sales scenarios is crucial for the success of online insurance business. Prior recommendation models are ineffective because they fail to characterize the complex relatedness of insurance products in multiple sales scenarios and maximize the overall conversion rate rather than the total revenue. Even worse, it is impractical to collect training data online for total revenue maximization due to the business logic of online insurance. We propose RevMan, a Revenue-aware Multi-task Network for online …

Portfolio Diversification Using Shape-Based Clustering, Tristan Lim, Chin Sin Ong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Portfolio diversification involves lowering the correlation between portfolio assets to achieve improved risk–return exposure. It is reasonable to infer from the classic Anscombe quartet that relying on descriptive statistics, and specifically, correlation, to achieve portfolio diversification may not derive the most optimal multiperiod portfolio risk-adjusted return because stocks in a portfolio can exhibit different price trends over time, even with the same computed pairwise correlation. This research applied a shape-based time-series clustering technique of agglomerative hierarchical clustering using dynamic time-series warping as a distance measure to aggregate stocks into like-trending clusters across time as a portfolio diversification tool. Results support …

Moral Hazard And The Market-Based Method: Does Using Renewable Energy Attributes In Emissions Reporting Affect Corporate Emissions Performance?, Francisco Ascui, Matthew Brander, Theodor Florian Cojoianu, Qian (Jan) Li

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

An increasingly widespread accounting practice for electricity (scope 2) emissions, known as the ‘market-based method’, is problematic as it allows companies to use purchased renewable energy attributes (REAs) to report lower emissions, which therefore no longer reflect the actual location-based electricity generation emissions resulting from the company's electricity consumption. Using REAs therefore may create a moral hazard, as companies using these arrangements are insulated from the consequences of their actions and may thus have less incentive to genuinely reduce their emissions. We construct a year-on-year matched sample of firms using/not using REAs (2,716 firms with 12,700 firm-year observations from 2006 …

Analysis Of The Commercial Real Estate Market In A Post Covid-19 World, Brandon Croom, Sean Kennedy, Sandesh Ojha, Justin Sparks

SMU Data Science Review

The volatility in the commercial real estate market has been greatly influenced by the new societal practices brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has added additional factors to already complex modeling to value and predict commercial real estate prices. Although multiple methodologies have been applied to commercial real estate valuation, these methods have not yet taken the COVID-19 pandemic factor into account. The main contribution of this article lies in developing an application for commercial real estate valuation which includes the COVID-19 pandemic factor. Thought this article a Hedonic model was developed to compare the impacts of …

Gophish: Implementing A Real-World Phishing Exercise To Teach Social Engineering, Andy Luse, Jim Burkman

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Social engineering is a large problem in our modern technological world, but while conceptually understood, it is harder to teach compared to traditional pen testing techniques. This research details a class project where students implemented a phishing exercise against real-world targets. Through cooperation with an external corporate partner, students learned the legal, technical, behavioral, analysis, and reporting aspects of social engineering. The outcome provided both usable data for a real-world corporation as well as valuable educational experience for the students.

Applying High Impact Practices In An Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Program, Brian K. Payne, Lisa Mayes, Tisha Paredes, Elizabeth Smith, Hongyi Wu, Chunsheng Xin

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research at Old Dominion University has expanded its use of high impact practices in the university’s undergraduate cybersecurity degree program. Strategies developed to promote student learning included learning communities, undergraduate research, a robust internship program, service learning, and electronic portfolios. This paper reviews the literature on these practices, highlights the way that they were implemented in our cybersecurity program, and discusses some of the challenges encountered with each practice. Although the prior literature on high impact practices rarely touches on cybersecurity coursework, the robust evidence of the success of those practices provides a sound …

An Assessment Of Internet Use And Cyber-Risk Prevalence Among Students In Selected Nigerian Secondary Schools, Adeola O. Opesade Dr, Abiodun O. Adetona Mr

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The use of the Internet has become highly pervasive among adolescents. While these people derive numerous benefits from their use of this technology, they are also faced with a challenge of being exposed to many cyber risks. Nigeria is a developing country with a teeming population of adolescents who are regular users of the Internet, but with inadequate research on adolescent Internet safety. There is therefore, a need to conduct studies on child online risks in Nigeria, to help evaluate the enormity of child online abuses. The present study investigated Internet use and cyber-risk prevalence among four hundred secondary school …

The State Of #Digitalentrepreneurship: A Big Data Leximancer Analysis Of Social Media Activity, Violetta Wilk, Helen Cripps, Alexandru Capatina, Adrian Micu, Angela-Eliza Micu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examined online sentiment, key themes and patterns evident in social media activity about digital entrepreneurship. It provides a snapshot-in-time, visual-first perspective on social media user-generated-content (UGC) to better understand the topic of digital entrepreneurship. Global data consisting of 31,017 publicly available UGC which used the #digitalentrepreneurship (hashtag) and the keywords ‘digital entrepreneurship’ were collected. A computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), Leximancer, was used for an automated text-mining analysis. There is positive online sentiment surrounding digital entrepreneurship technology, ecosystem and industry, and one which promotes women transformation of digital entrepreneurship globally. Negative sentiment pointed out that future …

Contextual And Organizational Factors In Sustainable Supply Chain Decision-Making: Grey Relational Analysis And Interpretative Structural Modeling, Zhaojun Yang, Xiaoting Guo, Jun Sun, Yali Zhang

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Sustainable supply chain emerges as a major business trend essential to long-term competitive advantage. Relevant corporate decisions concern a broad range of factors and require novel analytical models for critical control. This study conducts mathematical analyses to identify the factors that are vital yet receiving insufficient attention from researchers and practitioners. Valid survey observations were collected from 113 enterprises in China, the biggest emerging economy that faces the dilemma between development and sustainability. Grey relational analysis (GRA) and interpretative structural modeling (ISM) assess the importance levels of contextual and organizational factors and explore their joint effects. Validated with conventional expert …

Hybrid Models As Transdisciplinary Research Enablers, Andreas Tolk, Alison Harper, Navonil Mustafee

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Modelling and simulation (M&S) techniques are frequently used in Operations Research (OR) to aid decision-making. With growing complexity of systems to be modelled, an increasing number of studies now apply multiple M&S techniques or hybrid simulation (HS) to represent the underlying system of interest. A parallel but related theme of research is extending the HS approach to include the development of hybrid models (HM). HM extends the M&S discipline by combining theories, methods and tools from across disciplines and applying multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary solutions to practice. In the broader OR literature, there are numerous examples of cross-disciplinary approaches in …

Measurement Study Of Energy Impact On Blockchain Technologies: Cryptocurrency Mining, Qaylin Holliman

Cybersecurity: Deep Learning Driven Cybersecurity Research in a Multidisciplinary Environment

Blockchain technology facilitates the flow of information and the speed of information through a faster and more decentralized network. It has its advantages as compared to more centralized networks and legacy networks. With the evolution of mainstream technology, blockchains is predicted to be more effective and sufficient to consumers and commercial companies. In this paper, blockchains will be scaled to cryptocurrency mining, where cryptocurrencies utilize blockchain technology to record transactions and orders. Mining will also be examined through energy consumption, the algorithms behind some cryptocurrencies, their sustainability issue, and resolutions to combat high energy consumption. While the pace of energy …

Technical Efficiency Of Milkfish Production In The Province Of Iloilo, Philippines, Lylve Maliz L. Zeller, Salvador P. Catelo, Nora Dm. Carambas

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

The Philippine aquaculture sector is primarily dominated by milkfish, with the province of Iloilo as one of the key producing areas. However, the production in the province has exhibited a decreasing trend since 2011. In this light, this study is undertaken to determine the technical efficiency of milkfish production in the province of Iloilo and identify the factors that significantly affect such efficiency. Utilizing the maximum likelihood estimation method, a Cobb-Douglas production function was specified to estimate farm-level efficiency using the data from 181 milkfish producers interviewed. The technical efficiency scores ranged between 12.38% to 90.00%, with a mean of …

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2021 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Provost's Message
• Awards
• Terrance Brown Named Dean of Potter College at WKU
• David N. Brown Named Dean of Ogden College at WKU
• Announcing New Dean of Ogden College of Science & Engineering
• Student Ombuds Announcement
• Message from the Provost, 9/7/2021
• Commons at Helm Library Update
• Update - Food Pantry
• WKU Help
• Tornado Relief Effort

An Ardl Approach In Studying The Impact Of Asf And Selected Factors On The Philippine Pork Market Retail Price, Lara Paul A. Ebal

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

This study aimed to explore the impact of the farmgate price of hogs, the volume of hog production, the volume of imported pork, the market retail price per kilo of dressed chicken, the quantity of pork consumed by the population, the GDP per capita, and African Swine Fever (ASF) on the pork market retail price in the Philippines. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach was implemented to model the pork price using quarterly data from 2000 to 2020. The long-run model showed that farmgate price, hog production, and imported pork during the presence of ASF could affect pork price. Moreover, …

Investigating The Intention To Work Overseas Among Filipino Engineering Students By Testing A Structural Equation Model Based On An Extended Theory Of Planned Behavior, John Lester Remot, Maria Liezel P. Caroche, Alan Marco S. Mercado, Marc Joseph S. Villanueva

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

This study examined the antecedents of Filipino engineering students’ intention to work overseas, applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (involving attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) extended with migration push and pull factors (PPF) (involving salary and compensation, career prospects, and quality of life). Structural equation modeling using 1,706 questionnaire responses proved that the PPF dimensions were indistinguishable, while another factor distinct from attitude, evoking the perceived enjoyment of working overseas (PEJ), emerged. The TPB and PPF were identified as important antecedents of intention (R2 = 0.667). PEJ had no direct effect on it but was significant along …

Uk-India: Partnerships For Growth With Research And Innovation, Ukri, Ukri India, Newton Bhabha

Public Reports

UKRI India joint funding resulted in 258 projects. Over £150 million in funding from the UK was matched by Indian counterparts, bringing the overall joint investment to the equivalent of over £330 million.

The projects were funded by over 15 funding agencies, bringing together more than 220 lead institutions from the UK and India. These research projects have generated more than £450 million in further funding, mainly from public bodies but also from non-profit organisations and commercial entities.

The projects covered a wide range of subjects, from heritage to renewable energy, generating a large number of outputs in different formats …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2021, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2021. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

The Future Of Living: Exploring Sustainable Residential Developments Through A Case Study Analysis Of The Sustainable City Dubai, Carys Davidson-Huxley

Honors Program Theses

With population growth continuing on an upwards trend and urban living projected to increase in the coming years, a redesign of typical property development is required to ensure that housing demand not only has a lesser impact on the environment, but also meets the needs of communities. Through a combination of literature review, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, this paper presents a case study of The Sustainable City Dubai (TSC), a key sustainable development within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), taking into account its social, economic and environmental strategies and consequent impacts. Investigation has been conducted into the importance of …

Blockchain For A Resilient, Efficient, And Effective Supply Chain, Evidence From Cases, Adrian Gheorghe, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour, Unal Tatar, Omer Faruk Keskin

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In the modern acquisition, it is unrealistic to consider single entities as producing and delivering a product independently. Acquisitions usually take place through supply networks. Resiliency, efficiency, and effectiveness of supply networks directly contribute to the acquisition system's resiliency, efficiency, and effectiveness. All the involved firms form a part of a supply network essential to producing the product or service. The decision-makers have to look for new methodologies for supply chain management. Blockchain technology introduces new methods of decentralization and delegation of services, which can transform supply chains and result in a more resilient, efficient, and effective supply chain. This …

Strategies Project Managers Use That Reduce Information Technology Project Failures In The Insurance Industry, Jamarcus Snipes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The worldwide failure rate of information technology (IT) projects is approximately 65%. Insurance project managers who fail to successfully implement IT projects negatively impact organizational performance and profitability. Grounded in the management by objectives theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies project managers use to reduce IT project failures in the insurance industry. The participants comprised four IT project managers in Alabama who successfully used strategies to reduce IT project failures in the insurance industry. Data were collected from virtual semistructured interviews, company documents, existing literature, and journal notes. Thematic analysis was used to …

Leverage Psychological Factors Associated With Lapses In Cybersecurity In Organizational Management, Chad Holm

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

With computers being a standard part of life now with the evolution of the internet, many aspects of our lives have changed, and new ways of thinking must come. One of the biggest challenges in most cyber security problems is not related to the software or the hardware; it is the people that are using the computers to access the data and communicate with others, where the hackers could simply find a weak entry point that naturally exists and a weak link caused by human hands. The human factor as an “insider threat” will affect unauthorized access, credentials stealing, and …

A Monte-Carlo Analysis Of Monetary Impact Of Mega Data Breaches, Mustafa Canan, Omer Ilker Poyraz, Anthony Akil

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The monetary impact of mega data breaches has been a significant concern for enterprises. The study of data breach risk assessment is a necessity for organizations to have effective cybersecurity risk management. Due to the lack of available data, it is not easy to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the interactions among factors that affect the cost of mega data breaches. The Monte Carlo analysis results were used to explicate the interactions among independent variables and emerging patterns in the variation of the total data breach cost. The findings of this study are as follows: The total data breach cost …

Generic Design Methodology For Smart Manufacturing Systems From A Practical Perspective, Part I—Digital Triad Concept And Its Application As A System Reference Model, Zhuming Bi, Wen-Jun Zhang, Chong Wu, Chaomin Luo, Lida Xu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems and accelerated the evolution of manufacturing system paradigms, and smart manufacturing (SM) has become one of the most promising paradigms. The study of SM has attracted a great deal of attention for researchers in academia and practitioners in industry. However, an obvious fact is that people with different backgrounds have different expectations for SM, and this has led to high diversity, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terms of definitions, reference models, performance matrices, and system design methodologies. It has been found that the state of the art SM research is limited …

Image Source Identification Using Convolutional Neural Networks In Iot Environment, Yan Wang, Qindong Sun, Dongzhu Rong, Shancang Li, Li Da Xu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Digital image forensics is a key branch of digital forensics that based on forensic analysis of image authenticity and image content. The advances in new techniques, such as smart devices, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial images, and social networks, make forensic image analysis play an increasing role in a wide range of criminal case investigation. This work focuses on image source identification by analysing both the fingerprints of digital devices and images in IoT environment. A new convolutional neural network (CNN) method is proposed to identify the source devices that token an image in social IoT environment. The experimental results …

Improving Stock Trading Decisions Based On Pattern Recognition Using Machine Learning Technology, Yaohu Lin, Shancun Liu, Haijun Yang, Harris Wu, Bingbing Jiang

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

PRML, a novel candlestick pattern recognition model using machine learning methods, is proposed to improve stock trading decisions. Four popular machine learning methods and 11 different features types are applied to all possible combinations of daily patterns to start the pattern recognition schedule. Different time windows from one to ten days are used to detect the prediction effect at different periods. An investment strategy is constructed according to the identified candlestick patterns and suitable time window. We deploy PRML for the forecast of all Chinese market stocks from Jan 1, 2000 until Oct 30, 2020. Among them, the data from …

An Empirical Examination Of The Impact Of Organizational Injustice And Negative Affect On Attitude And Non-Compliance With Information Security Policy, Celestine Kemah

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Employees’ non-compliance with Information Security (IS) policies is an important socio-organizational issue that represents a serious threat to the effective management of information security programs in organizations. Prior studies have demonstrated that information security policy (ISP) violation in the workplace is a common significant problem in organizations. Some of these studies have earmarked the importance of this problem by drawing upon cognitive processes to explain compliance with information security policies, while others have focused solely on factors related to non-compliance behavior, one of which is affect. Despite the findings from these studies, there is a dearth of extant literature that …

Improving Employees’ Compliance With Password Policies, Enas Albataineh

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Employees’ lack of compliance with password policies increases password susceptibility, which leads to financial damages to the organizations as a result of information disclosure, fraud, and unauthorized transactions. However, few studies have examined what motivates employees to comply with password policies.

The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine what factors influence employees’ compliance with password policies. A theoretical model was developed based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), General Deterrence Theory (GDT), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Psychological Ownership Theory to explain employees’ compliance with password policies.

A non-probability convenience sample was employed. The sample consisted of …

From The Editors, Michael E. Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord, Hossain Shahriar

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A commentary from the editors, with an overview of the articles contained in this issue of the Journal.

Multigenerational Family Firm Succession Planning For Transgenerational Sustainability, Janine Michelle Moore-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFamily firm businesses represent 90% of the global economy and have a 70% first-generation failure rate; business sustainability could have a tremendous impact on the U.S. economy. Grounded in the sustainable family business theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by four California-based, multigenerational family firm leaders who successfully implemented succession planning processes to transfer leadership of their family firm. Data were collected by reviewing firm documents, public information, and semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and methodological triangulation, and five themes emerged: leader strategies to implement succession planning, strategies for …

Moving Beyond Sisyphus: Pursuing Sustainable Development In A Business-As-Usual World, Sarah Easter, Kim Ceulemans, Monty L. Lynn

Management Sciences

No abstract provided.