Business Commons^™

Sit Back, Relax, And Tell Me All Your Secrets, Sarah Kirk, Daniel Foreman, Cody Lee, Shannon W. Beasley

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The goal of this research is to describe an active learning opportunity that was conducted as a community service offering through our Center for Cybersecurity Education and Applied Research (CCEAR). As a secondary goal, the participants sought to gain real world experience by applying techniques and concepts studied in security classes. A local insurance company tasked the CCEAR with assembling a team of students to conduct penetration testing (including social engineering exploits) against company personnel. The endeavor allowed the insurance company to obtain information that would assess the effectiveness of employee training with regard to preventing the divulgence of sensitive …

Innovation Strategies For A Global Manufacturing Business, Sachin Kakaji Ramteke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some global manufacturing businesses fail to reach an adequate level of financial

performance within 5 years. The purpose of this single case study was to explore

innovation strategies that business leaders of a global machinery manufacturing company

in northwestern Illinois used to increase profit margins. The conceptual frameworks for

this study included the holistic innovation model and the disruptive innovation theory. A

purposeful sample of 9 business leaders who had more than 5 years of experience in the

manufacturing industry and more than 2 years of experience using innovation strategies

participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth …

Retention Strategies For Oil And Gas Industry Managers, Faye Gerard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover cost of specialized employees in the oil and gas industry can exceed 400% of an employee's annual salary. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful strategies that oil and gas company managers used to retain specialized employees. The specific population for the study was 8 managers from 4 oil and gas companies in a metropolitan city in the southern United States, which included 5 hiring managers and 3 engineering managers who had demonstrated success in retaining specialized employees. The conceptual lens used in this research study was the job embeddedness theory. Study data were …

The Alchemy Of Sustaining New Business Ventures, Alicia R. Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high failure rates of new business ventures (NBV) negatively affect employment and potential contributions to the economic health of communities. The high NBV failure rate is essential, as NBV sustainability influences job creation and increases employment rates in communities surrounding the NBV. The purpose of this qualitative single case study, using the effectuation conceptual framework, was to explore strategies organization leaders in the state of Missouri used for sustaining NBV operations beyond 5 years. The sample consisted of 6 NBV consultants from a single Missouri NBV consulting firm who have sustained NBVs beyond 5 years. The 6 NBV consultants …

Incorporating Data Governance Frameworks In The Financial Industry, Tarlochan Singh Randhawa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data governance frameworks are critical to reducing operational costs and risks in the financial industry. Corporate data managers face challenges when implementing data governance frameworks. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that successful corporate data managers in some banks in the United States used to implement data governance frameworks to reduce operational costs and risks. The participants were 7 corporate data managers from 3 banks in North Carolina and New York. Servant leadership theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Methodological triangulation involved assessment of nonconfidential bank documentation on the data governance framework, …

Strategies For Using Information And Communication Technologies To Improve Profitability, Rodney Mciver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners in a range of industries continually adapt to take advantage of technological developments in accounting, marketing, and communication. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that small business owners operating in the central region of North Carolina used to implement information and communication technology (ICT). Roger's diffusion of innovation theory grounded the study. Data collection included face-to-face semistructured interviews with 6 owners of small businesses who successfully implemented ICT, field notes from site observations, and reviews of participant websites. Interviews were transcribed and participants were engaged in member checking. Data were analyzed using …

Successful Strategies For Implementing Health Information Technology In Primary Care Practice, Samuel O. Otoo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health information technology (HIT) owner-practitioners who adopt effective strategies for HIT implementation can improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. However, some HIT owner-practitioners have ineffective implementation strategies, so they have not realized the total revenue increases of more than 8%. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful strategies primary care practitioners (PCPs) use to implement HIT to improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. The participants included 6 owner-practitioners located in Queens County, NY, who successfully implemented HIT to improve facility care delivery and profitability. Data were collected through face-to-face …

Enterprise Risk Management Strategies For Organizational Sustainability, Kaleb Matthew Wyma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to explore enterprise risk management strategies that nonprofit business leaders used to maintain and improve organizational sustainability. The study population included 3 executive leaders from a rehabilitation and social services nonprofit agency located in the northeastern United States. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations integrated enterprise risk management framework was the conceptual lens used in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 3 executive leaders of the client organization and review of internal, external, and publicly available documents. Data and information from documents and interviews were manually coded. Findings were …

Ua66/8/3 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Geography & Geology Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about the Geography & Geology department.

Ua6/2/4 Lost River Cave & Valley - Property, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Unprocessed property files created by and about Lost River Cave.

Supply Chain Managers' Reverse Logistics Strategies To Control Cost Through Risk Mitigation, Lawrence A. Reeves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain managers in the food and beverage industry face significant challenges regarding the use of effective reverse logistics strategies to reduce supply chain disruptions, control risk, and reduce costs. Through the lens of resource dependence theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore reverse logistics strategies used by supply chain managers in the United States to control cost through risk mitigation. Participants in this study included 5 supply chain managers in the food and beverage distribution industry in the state of Georgia who implemented successful reverse logistics strategies to control cost through risk mitigation. Data were …

Strategies To Lower Information Technology Employee Voluntary Turnover, Nelson Velez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For information technology (IT) professionals, the average turnover rate of voluntary employees is approximately 21.5% and occurs in fewer than 5 years. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies IT outsourcing business executives used to retain key IT employees in the New England region of the United States. Three IT business leaders from a single organization were selected to participate because they had implemented strategies to retain key IT employees. Herzberg's 2-factor theory of motivation was used as the conceptual framework for this doctoral study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and review of company policies …

Digital Transformation Through Internet Of Things Services, Tayfun Keskin, Frederick J. Riggins

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Internet of Things (IoT) have been disrupting industries through shifting novel services, and business models. Organizations should also redesign their business service models to navigate this disruption. A holistic understanding of digital transformation through IoT requires the cooperation of multiple disciplines ranging from engineering to economics. This paper utilizes a conceptual model to develop an analytical framework to investigate a number of pricing strategies enabled by different business models. Our findings demonstrate that the Internet of Things phenomenon has the potential to disrupt the way we do business by connecting markets and enabling new business models.

Therapeutic Delivery Technology And Its Economic Impact, Paul E. Savas Jr.

Senior Honors Theses

Therapeutic delivery technology is a current area of high interest in both university and industrial settings. These technologies are being developed in order to deliver therapeutic agents, such as genes, proteins, and drugs, to patients more efficiently. Nanoscale delivery vehicles have proven to be useful for these applications; these vehicles may either be naturally produced or chemically synthesized. The physical properties of these nanomaterials must be characterized correctly using instrumentation that evaluates their size, morphology, and potential for agglomeration. These technologies represent a high-growth economic area that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation. Because of this innovative spirit, research and economic interest …

Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Victor K. Adoukonou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses represent more than 99% of all employers in the United States, but more than 50% of small businesses have failed before 5 years. Climate change, digitization, and social media contribute to a paradigm shift in consumers' habits, as more consumers have become environmentally and social justice conscious. Business leaders who are unable to follow the consumers' trends and changes of habit may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of small businesses in the District of Columbia use to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years …

The Changing Moral Mirror Of Society: From Human To Artifical Intelligent Systems, Gary Langford, Teresa Langford

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Management of technology and its development carry along the responsibility and consequences for interactions between Human and Artificial Intelligent Systems (AIS). In spite of all good intentions, the effects and repercussions of conflicts between Human and the systems built with intent to assist Human may be proceeding along the path that will recognize a dismal mistake in judgment. Dreadful and intolerable impositions on Human behavior may arise regardless of how AIS is designed. That is not to say progress should cease, but rather to make the case that intensely determined efforts need to delve into the uses and implications of …

Domain Process Model Overcome Limitations Of Engineering Models For Developing Artificial Intelligent Systems, Gary O. Langford, John Green, Daniel P. Burns, Alexander Keller, Dean C. Schmidt

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The integrated set of prognostic domains (ISPD) of technology presented here provides a normative means to construct a wholly new process model for guiding Technology Management of Artificial Intelligent Systems (AIS). Seventeen domains represent all-inclusive stakeholder perspectives that encapsulate lifecycle analyses, evaluations, feasibilities, and tradeoffs with the domain contexts. Following Systems Model-Based thinking (SMBT), a postulated focal point interaction is the entry condition from which each domain is considered and thereafter traversed. Domains are interactive with each other through concurrent, iterative, recursive, and non-recursive processes. This interactive work continues until the completion milestones of each domain are satisfied. Techniques such …

Successful Strategies For Retaining Profitability In An Education-Sector It Project, Cassandra Romae Middleton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many information technology (IT) project managers (PMs) and other business leaders lack effective strategies for enhancing communication among their project team members, thereby reducing profitability and organizational cohesion. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore communication strategies that IT PMs used to successfully complete IT mobile device projects. The conceptual framework for this study was McQuail's mass communication, Craig's communication, and Deming's profound knowledge theory. Purposive sampling method was used to identify 6 successful IT PMs and leaders who worked at 2 leading educations settings located in southeastern South Carolina. Data gathered from the semistructured interviews and …

Effective Revenue Diversification Strategies In Nonprofit Organizations, Jennifer R. Niswonger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organization leaders increasingly encounter social burdens and financial difficulties, jeopardizing ongoing success and organizational sustainability. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore revenue diversification strategies used by 3 leaders of a small nonprofit organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States through the conceptual lens of modern portfolio theory. Data were collected via in-depth semistructured interviews, and member checking was used to facilitate accuracy, consistency, and integrity. Methodological triangulation included a document review and analysis of financial statements, tax returns, strategy objectives, the organizational website, social media, and nonprofit data reports. Data from documents and interviews …

A Note From The Executive Editor, Yolander Youngblood

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Management Overview Of Feature Selection Problem In High-Dimensional Financial Data: Cooperative Co-Evolution And Map Reduce Perspectives, A. N. M. Bazlur Rashid, Tonmoy Choudhury

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The term "big data" characterizes the massive amounts of data generation by the advanced technologies in different domains using 4Vs volume, velocity, variety, and veracity-to indicate the amount of data that can only be processed via computationally intensive analysis, the speed of their creation, the different types of data, and their accuracy. High-dimensional financial data, such as time-series and space-Time data, contain a large number of features (variables) while having a small number of samples, which are used to measure various real-Time business situations for financial organizations. Such datasets are normally noisy, and complex correlations may exist between their features, …

Regression Tree Construction For Reinforcement Learning Problems With A General Action Space, Anthony S. Bush Jr

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Part of the implementation of Reinforcement Learning is constructing a regression of values against states and actions and using that regression model to optimize over actions for a given state. One such common regression technique is that of a decision tree; or in the case of continuous input, a regression tree. In such a case, we fix the states and optimize over actions; however, standard regression trees do not easily optimize over a subset of the input variables\cite{Card1993}. The technique we propose in this thesis is a hybrid of regression trees and kernel regression. First, a regression tree splits over …

Impact Of Framing And Base Size Of Computer Security Risk Information On User Behavior, Xinhui Zhan

Masters Theses

"This research examines the impact of framing and base size of computer security risk information on users' risk perceptions and behavior (i.e., download intention and download decision). It also examines individual differences (i.e., demographic factors, computer security awareness, Internet structural assurance, self-efficacy, and general risk-taking tendencies) associated with users' computer security risk perceptions. This research draws on Prospect Theory, which is a theory in behavioral economics that addresses risky decision-making, to generate hypotheses related to users' decision-making in the computer security context. A 2 x 3 mixed factorial experimental design (N = 178) was conducted to assess the effect of …

Strategies To Mitigate Supply Chain Disruptions In Grocery Businesses, Gift Wilford Bondwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chains have become more complex in the global economy, which has made supply chain disruptions inevitable. Disruptions can cause loss of profitability and hinder business growth. The goal of this multiple case study was to explore strategies to mitigate the effects of disruption in grocery store supply chains. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource dependency theory, which stipulates that firms rely on other businesses in the external environment for critical resources to create a competitive edge. Four purposively selected participants from 4 grocery store businesses in Northwest Arkansas participated in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documentation …

Successful Strategies For Using Knowledge Management In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Josephine Kayaga Nsubuga-Mugoa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge management (KM) is vital for an organization to succeed in a highly dynamic and competitive world. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use to effectively integrate KM into business practices. The study population comprised 5 managers from 2 SMEs operating in Uganda. The eligibility criteria for this study were that participants had to be from Ugandan SMEs with a knowledge-intensive environment, managers with some responsibility of KM in the organization, and experienced with at least 1 year of successful KM practices. The conceptual framework for this …

Sustainable Supply Chain Management In The Nigerian Consumer Goods Manufacturing Sector, Ekpen Theophilus Owie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain practitioners in developing economies, like Nigeria, experience challenges in implementing sustainable supply chain management practices. Poor sustainability implementation engenders the negative effects of supply chain operations on people, the environment, and business continuity. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experiences of supply chain practitioners in the consumer goods manufacturing industry in Nigeria about sustainable supply chain management based on the theoretical foundations of stakeholder and general systems theories. The focus of the research question was to examine the experiences of supply chain practitioners to understand the challenges in implementing sustainable …

Exploring Information Technology Return On Investment Reports For Planning, Budgeting, And Implementation, Constantine Bitwayiki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure rate of new government information technology (IT) projects in developing countries is high, with 35% classified as total failures and approximately 50% as partial failures. The population for this study was 10 senior managers of a public sector organization in Uganda selected because of high IT project successes achieved through leveraging IT return on investment (ROI) reports. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore the strategies Ugandan senior public sector officials used to leverage IT ROI reports during planning, budgeting, and implementation of IT projects to reduce failure rates. The conceptual frameworks were the strategic …

Exploring Leadership Skills For The Sustainability Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Yvette Julianne Peters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to the stability and growth of economies by creating employment in rural and urban areas. More than 60% of SMEs do not survive for longer than 5 years; a lack of leadership skills is among the key problems. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the leadership skills owners-managers used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. Research participants were 4 owners-managers of SMEs from the manufacturing industry in Trinidad and Tobago that sustained their businesses for at least 5 years. The contingency leadership model and the skill-based leadership …

Factors That Predict The Adoption Of Online Shopping In Saudi Arabia, Momen Nachar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the increased numbers of online consumers, e-commerce growth is slow in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this correlational study, the technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as a theoretical framework to examine whether perceived ease of use of e-commerce platforms and perceived usefulness of e-commerce platforms could predict consumers' intention to adopt shopping online. A pre-existing TAM survey instrument was used to collect data from consumers (N = 95) who live in a City and have shopped at least once online. The regression analysis confirmed a positive statistically significant relationship between perceived ease of use of e-commerce platforms …

An Approach To Determining Customer Satisfaction In Traditional Serbian Restaurants, Florentin Smarandache, Dragisa Stanujkic, Darjan Karabasevic, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, F. Cavallaro

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The aim of this paper is to make a proposal for an easy–to–use approach to the evaluation of customer satisfaction in restaurants. In order to provide a reliable way to collect respondents’ real attitudes, an approach based on the use of smaller number of evaluation criteria and interactive questionnaire created in a spreadsheet file is proposed in this paper, whereby an easy-to-understand and simple-touse procedure is proposed for determining weights of criteria. In addition to the said, the proposed approach applies the simplified SERVQUAL-based approach, for which reason a simplified version of the Weighted Sum Method based on the decision …