Business Commons^™

Innovative Strategies That Enhance Competitiveness And Profitability Within Global Economies, Nadine Elestina Mcclain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Changes in customer expectations, technological advancement, and intense competition exacerbate uncertainty, and executives are motivated to develop strategies for implementing innovative solutions to gain a competitive advantage. Anchored in the conceptual lens of the resource-based view and transformational leadership theories, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies five c-suite executives in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas used to remain competitive and profitable. Data were collected using semistructured interviews via Zoom videoconferencing, observations, human resource manuals, publicly available materials from government websites such as financial records, and journal notes. Through thematic analysis, five themes emerged: (a) …

Exploring Cyberterrorism, Topic Models And Social Networks Of Jihadists Dark Web Forums: A Computational Social Science Approach, Vivian Fiona Guetler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This three-article dissertation focuses on cyber-related topics on terrorist groups, specifically Jihadists’ use of technology, the application of natural language processing, and social networks in analyzing text data derived from terrorists' Dark Web forums. The first article explores cybercrime and cyberterrorism. As technology progresses, it facilitates new forms of behavior, including tech-related crimes known as cybercrime and cyberterrorism. In this article, I provide an analysis of the problems of cybercrime and cyberterrorism within the field of criminology by reviewing existing literature focusing on (a) the issues in defining terrorism, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism, (b) ways that cybercriminals commit a crime in …

In Search Of Unicorns: An Analysis Of Japan's Startup Ecosystem, Kaito Komoriya

CMC Senior Theses

While Japan previously dominated global consumer markets in innovative electronic products, the economy has failed to live up to this performance since the burst of the asset price bubble in 1992 and the subsequent lost decades. In the modern economy, startup companies have become synonymous with innovation. Most of these companies have emerged from Silicon Valley, as well as other startup hubs around the globe. However, critics have criticized Japan for the limited number of notable startup companies from the country.

My thesis seeks to answer the two following questions: First, what is the current state of Japan’s startup ecosystem? …

How A Supply Chain Stumble Changes A Company’S Policies And Progress 20 Years Later: A Case Study Of Gap Inc., Alexandra Futterman

CMC Senior Theses

Gap Inc. is the third-largest American retailer. Founded in 1969, Gap Inc. holds four brands, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. In the late 1990s and early 2000s Gap Inc. made headlines for child labor abuses along with many other large brands. After this negative attention, Gap Inc. began developing policies and practices to combat ethical supply chain issues. These policies included a Human Rights Policy, a Code of Vendor Conduct, working conditions standards, and even capacity building programs that boarded company reaches into communities they touch. In conjunction with the policies Gap Inc. has published several social responsibility …

An Organizational Model Design For A Personnel Department In Petroleum Industry In The United Arab Republic, Amir K. Rizk

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Port Development Under The Background Of One Belt One Road, Shiao Lin

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Building Relationships As An Expat In China: An Observation On How To Successfully Build And Manage Business Relations In China, Lauren Saunders

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since opening itself to free trade in 1979, China’s economy has doubled in size on average every 8 years. With sustained growth across forty years, China now controls the second-largest economy, just behind the United States by an ever-thinning margin. Seeing opportunity, American businesses moved operations into China immediately. As China’s economy grew, America’s reliance on supply chains across China grew. 2020 U.S. trade value in goods with China surpassed 500 billion USD, with the majority trade value coming from imports to the United States. However, starting in 2018, trade war disputes, geopolitical disruption, and the largest pandemic of the …

Water Elites’ Perceptions Of Water Security In The Middle East And North Africa Region, Ghaleb Akari

Dissertations

The Middle East and North African region continues to face significant water security challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a deeper understanding of water elites’ perceptions of water security in the MENA region. It is not meant to generalize the findings. Instead, the intention for the research is to identify, explain, and analyze by national elites' contrasting perceptions in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Tunisia.

The study examines water elites’ perceptions in four areas: current knowledge level of water security, water resource management, water service delivery, and water-related risk mitigation. These elites’ perceptions of water security will help …

Microfoundations Approach To Risk And Uncertainty In The Uppsala Internationalization Process, John P. Merli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study answers rising calls in International Business to employ a microfoundations approach for greater insight on differences in managerial cognition for entering business in high-risk locations. Consequently, findings challenge the Uppsala model’s longstanding stance concerning the risk-internationalization association governed by strict firm-level analysis. I examine CEO decision-making through the lens of their values, represented by their political ideology score along the liberal-conservative continuum, to offer greater predictability for rationalizing strategic choices. Accordingly, political ideology proved a significant predictor for explaining the circumstances in which CEOs elect high-risk locations based on their political ideology’s degree of liberalism. Additionally, its interactions …

The Benefits Of Evidence Based Practices In Public Administration: Does Therapeutic Listening Training Increase Emotional Intelligence To Affect Change Management Outcomes In Public And Private Sector Organizations, John Sillup

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation considers change management as it relates directly to evidence-based practices in public administration. The problem under study was the lack of scholarly research on the effect of an administrative leader’s emotional intelligence (EI) has on follower self-efficacy during change management. This study provided findings on the effect of therapeutic listening training as a means to increase emotional intelligence to potentially affect change management outcomes in public and private sector organizations. Change management is a systematic and structured process of developing and implementing strategies and interventions for organizations transitioning from current state to a desired state. The …

Strategies Required For Complying With North American Free Trade Agreement, Daniel Arthur Chavez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure of U.S. small home textile business owners to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regulations can have adverse business outcomes. Small U.S. textile owners must comply with NAFTA regulations to sustain business operations. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore strategies small home textile owners use to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regulations when trading with Mexico. The participants were four owners of SMEs located in the greater New York City area who use successful strategies to export to Mexico. The data were …

Corporations And The American Polity, Patrick Labossiere

Student Theses and Dissertations

Research on corporate communications’ effects on politics presents an acknowledgement of a relationship between the two topics, leaving a void in the explanation and examination of this topic. The void presents an opening to introduce a conceptual process for how corporations are able to craft communications to influence the American Polity, the democratic social organization within the United States. This research begins with a historical review of how corporations gain prominence in American society, capturing the ability to participate in the democratic social organization of the polity. A qualitative analysis of several conceptual frameworks serves as data, to establish an …

Kofifi/Covfefe: How The Costumes Of "Sophiatown" Bring 1950s South Africa To Western Massachusetts In 2020, Emma Hollows

Masters Theses

This thesis paper reflects upon the costume design process taken by Emma Hollows to produce a realist production of the Junction Avenue Theatre Company’s musical Sophiatown at the Augusta Savage Gallery at the University of Massachusetts in May 2020. Sophiatown follows a household forcibly removed from their homes by the Native Resettlement Act of 1954 amid apartheid in South Africa. The paper discusses her attempts as a costume designer to strike a balance between replicating history and making artistic changes for theatre, while always striving to create believable characters.

Merchants Without Borders: Qusman Traders In The Arabian Gulf And Indian Ocean, C. 1850-1950, Mansour Alsharidah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a history of the economic, social, and political life in Arabia, the Arabian Gulf, and the Indian Subcontinent from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. It draws on materials from al-Qasim, Kuwait, Bahrain, Karachi, Bombay, Calcutta, and London, in addition to travelers’ accounts. These materials and accounts are used to explore the extent and significance of al-Qasim’s international trade between Arabia and India through the Arabian Gulf. It further examines how Qasimi merchants mobilized commodities and traded in the port cities of the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of changing regional and global political …

The Past And The Present: Two Paradigms Of The Sino-African Investment, Emma Weirich

International Political Economy Theses

Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has obvious economic and political connections between the recipient and donor countries. Such investment can benefit both sides and carry certain costs to both, whether through global scrutiny or domestic struggles. This these seeks to add to the ongoing discussion of China's OFDI to Africa by comparing China's investment during its socialist period (1949-1976) and its post-socialist era (1977 – present). This comparison reveals that China's foreign policy has transitioned from a socialist paradigm to a capitalist one in the last seven decades, which brought significant changes in its OFDI policies and practice. In the …

Building For Culture: How Municipal Ownership Of Cultural Facilities Influences Annual Arts Funding In American Cities, Adam M. Sachs

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis explores how local government support for arts and culture varies across 24 American cities. It has proven to be challenging for researchers to accurately measure municipal arts support. Research on cultural policy has also often focused on the federal level, despite total city expenditures far exceeding national or state government support. This thesis attempts to take an accurate pulse of city expenditures in 2017 and correlates those spending levels to the variation in city ownership of arts facilities. Rooted in the historical perspectives of the ‘new institutionalism’ and path-dependency, this paper argues that past decisions about taking ownership …

Imitators To Creators: The Emergence Of A Confident National Identity In Contemporary Korea As Observed Through K-Pop And Masculinity, Kaitlyn Diane Read

Honors Theses

South Korea’s national narrative has evolved from one familiar with destruction and outside control to one that can now afford to be more challenging and confrontational. Korea’s ascent to both economic and political prominence on the international landscape in record time is well established. The rapid transformation currently impacts Korean society with the country choosing to concentrate on strengthening its soft power and nation brand exporting. This thesis aims to reveal how Korea’s recently acquired position of significance on the global stage permits the Korean national identity to be assured and stimulating, in contrast with a derivative narrative once perceived …

The Political Preferences Of Arkansas Farmers And Ranchers, Rachel J. Barry

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research was conducted to evaluate where farmers and ranchers find political information and assess their political preferences. By conducting a survey of Arkansas farmers and ranchers we were able to determine that they prefer face to face interaction as a source of information by large margins. They typically consult friends, peers, and extension agents where appropriate. Depending on the type of political information they are seeking (information about candidates as opposed to information about policy topics), they often used other types of information sources such as the internet and broadcast media. We also ascertained that farmers and ranchers have …

Hello Girls On Strike: Telephone Operators, The Fort Smith General Strike And The Struggle For Democracy In Great War Arkansas, Kyra Schmidt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In September 1917, Fort Smith telephone operators formed a local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Soon after, company leaders dismissed two of the women who were instrumental in the formation of the union. After many attempts to meet and negotiate with the company leaders, the remaining operators walked out and began striking on September 19. This strike lasted almost four months and brought chaos into the city including the indictments, trials, and convictions of the mayor, J. H. Wright, and chief of police, Jim Fernandez. The election after Wright’s conviction saw the first female votes in Arkansas history. …

The Decline Of American Entrepreneurship: An Analysis Of Causes Of Macro Market Trends And A Changing American Economic System, Owen Flomberg

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Cultural Integration Following Cross-Border Mergers And Acquisitions, Kimihiro Iwao

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) strategies can negatively impact value creation. Global information and communications technology (ICT) company leaders who do not effectively manage M&As risk eventual divestiture of their acquired targets. Guided by Haspeslagh and Jemison’s acquisition integration approach model and Hofstede’s 5 dimensions of national cultural theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that leaders of global ICT companies use to integrate diverse workers following cross-border M&As. The participants were 8 IMs from low context cultures who supervised acquired foreign workers primarily from high context cultures. Data were collected through semistructured …

United States Department Of Defense Acquisition Of Leading-Edge Information Technology Services And The Impact Of Public Market Research On Efficiency And Effectiveness, Thomas Denning

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation examines the acquisition of leading-edge IT services (LEITS), like those associated with cyber, agile software development, and cloud migration. In an effort to build on previous research, the purpose of this dissertation is twofold: to examine how Public Market Research impacts the LEITS acquisition process in the DoD and to discover strengths and value-added components that exist in the current government acquisition process leading to greater efficiency and effectiveness. Through a mixed methods approach, this dissertation provides recommendations for how to conduct the most efficient and effective LEITS acquisitions, striving to maximize a constrained budget, minimize time to …

The Impact Of California Senate Bill 826 On Employee Perspectives And Stock Performance On California Tech Firms, Kimberly M. Kaneshina

Scripps Senior Theses

On September 30, 2018, California Senate Bill 826 (CA SB 826) was passed. This Bill requires a quota for women to serve on California headquartered and public corporate boards. This study focuses on California tech firms, which I define as firms that are reliant on technology to create their main product or platform; but, are not aerospace or telecommunication firms. My thesis is a two-part analysis: exploring employees’, who worked at companies that were impacted by this Bill, perspectives, as well as, discovering if there is a relationship between percentage of female directors and stock price performance. Most employees were …

Sculpting The Public Land Base Of Northern Minnesota: Past, Present And Future, Lori A. Dowling-Hanson Dr

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Sculpting the Public Land Base in Northern Minnesota Counties: Past, Present and Future. This 3-article dissertation addresses the large public land base in the Arrowhead Region of Northern Minnesota. One fourth of all lands in the state are public lands, with the overwhelming majority located in the Arrowhead Region. These counties have anywhere from 30% to 92% public lands. The region relies heavily on a natural resource economy. Methodology for research includes secondary data analysis from several preexisting research projects and studies. Data was acquired from state auditor government costs of maintaining and managing public lands. Data was also collected …

Injerencia De Estados Unidos Como Un Cambio En La Política Exterior Colombiana Con Respecto Al Conflicto Armado Interno, Juan Sebastián Narváez Arciniegas, Harold Iván Villamarín Rozo

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

El conflicto armado en Colombia, encabezado por diferentes grupos subversivos, pero principalmente por las FARC como fuerzas revolucionarias en oposición a las decisiones y posiciones del Estado, lleva desarrollándose alrededor de cincuenta años. Debido a la no existencia de una alternativa de solución, algunos gobiernos como de los expresidentes Andrés Pastrana y Álvaro Uribe han planteado distintos proyectos tales como el Plan Colombia y el Plan Patriota, encaminados a finalizar de forma definitiva con la masacre en donde la población civil ha sido el principal afectado, así como la paz y seguridad internacionales, generando un interés por parte de Estados …

Políticas Públicas De Turismo Sostenible En Costa Rica Durante El Periodo Presidencial De Laura Chinchilla 2010 2014, Nicolás Fierro Chaves, Paula Andrea Leiva Rodríguez, Luisa Fernanda Rodríguez Camacho

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

El gobierno de Laura Chinchilla en Costa Rica (2010-2014) tuvo un modelo de desarrollo económico, estrategias de promoción turística del país, enfocadas hacia los recursos naturales. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar las políticas públicas de turismo sostenible en Costa Rica en los años 2010 - 2014. Para esto, se seguirá una metodología cualitativa, la cual permite construir un marco conceptual de turismo y de políticas públicas para la promoción de este ; en segundo lugar, se efectúa una revisión en la literatura para conocer las políticas públicas del turismo sostenible en este país; finalmente, se realiza una comparación …

Las Comunidades Locales En La Integración Regional: Perspectivas Del Desarrollo En Relación Con La Construcción Del Corredor Vial Pasto-Mocoa Del Megaproyecto Iirsa, Jhon Sebastián Mejía Ferro, Yair Eduardo Otero De La Espriella

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

Las perspectivas en relación con el desarrollo de las comunidades locales en los procesos de integración regional se han expuesto desde dos puntos de vista: el primero, una visión neoextractivista en América del sur, según la cual, el desarrollo se genera a partir de la infraestructura, la conectividad y la extracción de recursos naturales (Stiftung, 2014). Por otro lado, la visión y experiencias de las poblaciones locales, en este caso de los indígenas de la región Amazónica, las cuales están estrechamente relacionadas con la perspectiva de desarrollo del buen vivir, que argumenta que el progreso se gesta a partir de …

La Configuración De La Política Exterior China Desde El Nuevo Concepto De Seguridad: Análisis De La Nueva Ruta De La Seda, Gabriela Oviedo Moreno, Cindy Lorena Vera Pinzón

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

En las últimas décadas el gobierno chino ha tenido un rol protagónico en la Sociedad Internacional que implica la modificación de su estrategia de política exterior. Al hacerlo redefine el concepto de seguridad transnacionalmente, involucrando a la par de la dimensión militar, dinámicas económicas, sociales y culturales. Un ejemplo de dicha reconfiguración es la emergencia del proyecto mega regional desarrollado en el año 2013, denominado la Nueva Ruta de la Seda (CYR), iniciativa que retoma un proyecto histórico de carácter estratégico donde se visualiza el tránsito de una potencia de alcance regional a una de transcendencia global. La presente investigación …

Comunidad Ticuna (2007-2017): Una Década De Migraciones En El Territorio Del Trapecio Amazónico, Jennifer Pamela López Moreno, Luisa Fernanda Pérez Moreno, Eliana Lizeth Valero Ríos

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

Los indígenas Ticuna son una etnia establecida en la división de la triple frontera conformada por Colombia, Brasil y Perú, situación que facilita diversas movilidades según sus necesidades. Durante la última década la movilidad de los Ticuna ha tenido un incremento considerable, tanto hacia zonas urbanas como dentro de la misma etnia, pero con fluctuaciones dentro de los países del trapecio amazónico (Brasil-Colombia-Perú). Teniendo en cuenta que tanto Brasil, Colombia y Perú cuentan con normativas de protección indígena diferentes, el proyecto busca analizar la influencia de las normas de cada país frente a las dinámicas de movilidad de los Ticuna …

La Teoría Feminista En La Literatura De Relaciones Internacionales En El Tercer Mundo, Valeria Acosta Salina, Milady Ángel Culma

Negocios y Relaciones Internacionales

La teoría feminista de Relaciones Internacionales nació en la década de los ochentas como respuesta al mainstream de la disciplina, buscando incluir nuevos temas en la agenda internacional y analizar la coyuntura desde una perspectiva que incluyera a las mujeres y los feminismos; sin embargo, la producción académica respecto a este tema se ha desarrollado mucho más desde el Primer Mundo y los asuntos más concernientes a este, dejando de lado los aportes del Tercer Mundo. En este sentido el objetivo de esta investigación es analizar los aportes que hay en la literatura de la teoría feminista desde el Tercer …