Business Commons^™

Effects Of Ceo Social Networks On Firm Innovation Strategy, Jinxin Yang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prior research studying the effects of CEOs on innovation are primarily based on Upper Echelon Theory, which indicates the intrapersonal characteristics among executives in their experiences, values, and personalities could be indispensable antecedents for firm innovation, while the implications of their interpersonal differences have hardly yet received enough attention they deserve. To advance CEO social networks and innovation research, therefore, we attempt to provide some insightful findings through this dissertation series with two papers. In the first paper, we examine the general relationships between two important CEO social network characteristics (network centrality and structural holes) and firm exploratory innovation, and …

Who Is Willing To Speak Up And Why? Examining Individual And Organizational Predictors Of Employee Voice Behavior In Higher Education Institutions, Jessie Socorro Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Employee voice behavior is central to the effectiveness, the development, and the adaptability of organizations to their environments. However, there is currently limited organizational research and knowledge on the factors that influence employee voice behaviors, especially in the context of higher education institutions. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of employee voice behaviors in institutions of higher education. Specifically, this study examines the impact of key individual and organizational factors such as alumni status, organizational commitment, work motivation, communication climate, and organizational politics on employees' expression of promotive and prohibitive voice in higher education …

Credit Union Loan Rate Determinants During The Post-2009 Expansion, Esmeralda Patricia Muniz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Credit union deposits have grown substantially in recent years. Given that, an increasing number of consumers and small businesses are joining credit unions as members. This study investigates the determinants of credit union loan rates during a period of economic expansion in the United States using fourth quarter 2015 data for 5,942 credit unions. Five different interest rate categories are analyzed using nine potential loan rate determinants. The results indicate that credit union loan rates tend to be lower when economies of scale exist, while high ratios for net charge-offs and operating costs cause interest rates to increase. Opposite of …

Corporate Sponsorship And The Consumer Socialization Of African American Women Athletes: A Qualitative Study, Tahla Monique Wade

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

African-American consumption is a unique feature of the American consumer market. A characteristic of African American consumers is their participation in conspicuous consumption. A look into the sociological concept of consumer socialization can drive insight to what initiates purchases of this group. However, this is not studied as an evolving process. Over time, individuals may encounter several new influences that affect their consumer socialization and purchase behavior, including the possibility of corporate sponsorship. To explore this evolution, I examine if corporate sponsorships affect the consumer socialization of African-American women collegiate athletes. Fifteen NCAA Division I African-American women athletes from a …

Instilling Positive Beliefs About Organ Donation: An Information Processing Approach, Gerardo Jose Moreira

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The number of those seeking a kidney donation in the United States continues to increase while the number of donors is not growing at the same rate (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services USDHHS, 2010). The lack of donations is more prevalent in low health literate communities which suffer from misinformation and ultimately negative beliefs toward organ donation. Thus, it is important to understand how marketing efforts can effectively change individuals' beliefs about organ donation.

Drawing on the Self-Determination Theory and Schema Theory, I proposed that the effectiveness of health education programs, which is to motivate individuals to be …

Financial Decision-Making And The Normalization Of Deviance, Dilata Ranadive

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Two perspectives have dominated the discourse on the causes of the financial crisis of 2008. The first attributes the financial crisis to intentionally malevolent behaviors, whereas the second attributes it to the natural market fluctuations. However, there is still a third, possible perspective. While the first two perspectives focus on the intention of the actors, the third perspective focuses on the response of the observers. This is what Vaughan (1996) refers to as "normalization of deviance". In normalization of deviance actions or decisions that are initially regarded as aberrant or atypical are re-conceptualized and adopted as the new criterion. The …

Beneath The Kiss: Unearthing The Ideological Underpinnings Of Kay Jewelers Advertisements, Chelsea Nedlyn Hill

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Advertising is a frequently used influential and persuasive means of communication, such as Kay Jewelers, a corporation whose advertising methods have been superficially appealing to a female audience. However, this study sought to investigate the ideological underpinnings associated with Kay Jewelers advertisements, employing an ideological criticism to argue through feminist theory that Kay Jewelers utilizes key elements of heteronormative love as a means to persuade and influence men to purchase their jewelry products. Through this underpinning of heteronormative romance, Kay Jewelers emphasizes the notion that an artifact, like a piece of jewelry, is necessary in order to properly express …

Waiting For The Confidence Fairy: An Analysis Of European Sovereign Bond Spreads Before And After The Financial Crisis, David Uresti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The 2008 Financial Crisis that began in the United States caused widespread panic throughout the financial sector which resulted in the collapse of some companies and large losses for others. The availability of credit declined even as investor confidence continued to deteriorate. The European periphery concluded that the Financial Crisis would be relegated to the American economy. However, in 2009 Greece suffered a credit downgrade that signaled that the financial shock entered European shores. Shortly thereafter Spain suffered a credit downgrade followed by Italy in 2010. Suddenly the threat of default by a number of European countries became very real. …

Reits And Stock Market Cointegration, Jessie E. Felix

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Real Estate is popular among investors looking for attractive total returns, predictable price movements, and low correlations to the general equity markets. The financial crisis of 2007 led by real estate mortgage defaults led to a universal bear market, and a credit freeze which impacted REITs ability to raise capital. REITs long viewed perception as a distinct asset class was questioned as a result. Research analyzing REITs long run trends find evidence of an existing long run relationship between REITs, and the S&P. This paper employs the same cointegration framework of prior studies using a longer sample period, and favors …

Acculturation Effects On Preference For English And Spanish-Language Tv Commercials Among Hispanic Audiences Of Mexican Descent, John Burton

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The growth of the U.S. Hispanic population and its purchasing power over the past twenty years continues to be monitored closely by corporate interests anxious to gain market share and brand loyalty of the segment that now represents the largest minority group in the country. Marketers continue to look for competitive advantages in effectively communicating targeted messages to Hispanics in order to increase revenues and profits.

This study focused on the historically dominant mass-reach medium of television and explored concepts of acculturation theory to examine the effects of acculturation sub-dimensions on TV commercial language preference and attitudes among Hispanic audiences …

The Effect Of Incubator Participation In Developed Market Direct Entry By Emerging Market Firms, Ebetuel Pallares-Venegas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Motivated by the increased resurgence of emerging markets, this dissertation draws from a milieu of academic disciplines and professional experiences to study a previously undocumented phenomenon. This study empirically measures the increase in emerging market firm (EMF) absorptive capacity obtained during their developed market entry by participating in incubators in the United States. This study lays out both a theoretical and an empirical model of product commercialization focusing on absorptive capacity and the moderating effect of incubator participation. The study employs a sample of high-technology firms from Mexico entering the United States during the time period from 2009 to 2011. …