Business Commons^™

The Evolution Of The Nonprofit Sector In Nepal, Charles Harrington, Davis Jones

SC Upstate Research Symposium

The nonprofit sector in Nepal has grown exponentially over the last decade. Significant growth in the areas of education, economic development, health and human services, tourism, and environmental conservation has created a demonstrable need for nonprofit organizational support and development to address these emerging needs. This paper and accompanying oral presentation will address the underlying factors that have driven the growth of the nonprofit sector in Nepal, including, but not limited to the history of national philanthropy and community service, early formulation of the nonprofit sector, development of civil society, non-government organizational proliferation, earthquake response and resilience, the emergence of …

Proposed Charlotte To Atlanta High-Speed Passenger Rail Line: An Economic, Infrastructural, And Developmental Analysis In The Upstate Of South Carolina, Ian C. Macurda, Kimberly Whitehead

SC Upstate Research Symposium

This research paper is an in-depth analysis of the high-speed passenger rail line proposed between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA and its impact on the economy, infrastructure, and future development of the Upstate of South Carolina. Currently, passenger rail service between Charlotte and Atlanta is offered on Amtrak at late hours throughout the night on its long-distance passenger rail line The Crescent from New York City, NY to New Orleans, LA. The train is often delayed and is operating at a deficit for Amtrak, like most of their long-distance routes. Traffic on Interstate 85 through the Upstate is another issue …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

The Ethical And Legal Implications Of Iot Data In Business Organizations, Kennedy Bellamy

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed how our day to day lives by implementing and evolving technology that allows data to be exchanged between interconnected devices without the need for human involvement. This paper investigates the implications of IoT expansion and development in corporate organizations, focusing on both the opportunities and challenges it brings. IoT encompasses a wide range of data kinds, from sensor readings to user interactions, across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. However, greater connection raises ethical and legal challenges, especially over data privacy, ownership, and control. Potential breaches of privacy and illegal data access …

The Financial Impact Of Correct Status Within Health Systems, Davin Evanson, Arveen Asghar, Eugene York, Michael S. Weingarten, Walter Bohnenblust

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

Financial Toxicity In Genitourinary Cancer: Insights From Cdc National Health Interview Survey, Steven Leonard Bs, Emma Helstrom Bs, Andres Correa Md, Mohit Sindhani, Nicole Uzzo, Angela Y. Jia Md Phd, Alexander Kutikov Md, Robert Uzzo Md Mba, Sarah P. Psutka Md, Adam Calaway Md Mph, Zachary Klaassen Md, Michael Staehler Md Phd, Marc Smaldone Md Mshp, Christopher Jd Wallis Md Phd, Laura Bukavina Md Mph Msc

Tower Health Research Day

No abstract provided.

How To Increase Sfasu Enrollment?, Nathan Brown, Jared Manos, Sakina Mundrawalla, Stephanie Ruvalcaba

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Regression: A Deep Dive Into Truck Prices, Alura Lovell

Undergraduate Research Conference

This regression analysis examines variables affecting used truck pricing and offers insight into the automotive demand factors. This study dives into the process of determining the prices of Ford F150 Supercabs and comparable Chevrolet Silverados. The primary objective is to develop a model that looks at the pricing dynamics, considering factors such as age, mileage, accidents, and brand.

Interest In Masters Programs At Stephen F. Austin State University, Tatum Liles, Ngoc Dang

Undergraduate Research Conference

We noticed SFASU has a substantially lower Masters program enrollment rate when compared to other Universities of similar size. To improve the post-graduate enrollment rates at SFA, primary research must be completed to understand why students choose to enroll or not to enroll in master's programs at SFA.

Examining Volatility Spikes In The Financial Sector Etf, Ethan Johnston

Undergraduate Research Conference

I used the GARCH to detect if the financial sector ETF, XLF, exhibits return volatility spikes following Federal Reserve interest rate announcements.

Testing Multiple Index Models To Predict The Returns Of Fixed Income Etfs, Ngoc Hoang

Undergraduate Research Conference

Objectives: Models of different complexities can explain asset return. This study: a) examines how variants of index models predict results in 6-month and 12-month periods out of sample b) examines how variants of index models whether their predictions are biased

Basketball For South Africa: An Examination Of The Business Landscape In South Africa And The National Basketball Association's Venture Into The South African Market, Anaya Freeman

Undergraduate Research Conference

This research paper was completed as an Honors Project for an SFASU International Management course in the fall of 2023. The paper covers the National Basketball Association's (NBA) overall business strategy and its expansion into the state of South Africa. The study introduces South Africa and its business environment, including its government structure, economic environment, trade environment, and political risks. Then, an analysis of how the NBA works in the international arena is done. The analysis examines the creation of NBA Africa and why the league targeted that area. The results of the research found that the N BA's Basketball …

Spring & Prince Boutique, Maxine Brown, Leah Powell

Undergraduate Research Conference

Broad Statement: Does social media directly impact the sales of the company?

Beverage Effect On Events, Kayleigh Orth

Undergraduate Research Conference

The intent of this project is to research and analyze how an event and the beliefs systems of an individual can affect what type of beverages are served. For this research, I analyzed information of two different religions and investigated what goes into planning an event. The event chosen was a wedding. To accomplish this task, I had done research over popular beverages served, Catholic and Islamic diets and wedding traditions, as well as, interviewed six people that fell into the Catholic and Islamic beliefs who had weddings.

Development Of An Excel Tool For Retirement Planning, Avery Johnston

Undergraduate Research Conference

Preparing for retirement is a difficult and intimidating process that requires a great deal of planning and preparation. I developed a user-friendly Excel tool that illustrates the balance of a retirement account over time. The user can manipulate key variables by using the sliders. The tool performs all the calculations and displays the running balance in a graph.

2021 American Housing, Hana Roers, Toby Sherman

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Janet Howieson - Wa Food Waste Management, Janet Howieson

Turning The Dial conference

No abstract provided.

Barbara Albert - Net Zero And Esg Strategies, Barbara Albert

Turning The Dial conference

No abstract provided.

Removing The “I” Factor: Examining The Barriers To Career Progression For Black Women, Anthony Sites, Jay O’Toole

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This research aims to advance theory concerning career progression barriers for Black women. It introduces and advances critical race theory and theories of identity blindness and consciousness as important mechanisms that impact the Black women’s career trajectories. Identity blindness is a tendency to overlook or ignore an individual’s unique racial and gender identity in professional settings can create systemic barriers for professional advancement. Conversely, identity consciousness purposely acknowledges and embraces racial and gender identities and can create more inclusive workplaces that support diverse individuals. This study will use secondary data from the US Census Public Use File (PUF). The dataset …

Historical Perspectives In Volatility Forecasting Methods With Machine Learning, Zhiang Qiu, Clemens Kownatzki, Fabien Scalzo, Eun Sang Cha

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Volatility forecasting in the financial market plays a pivotal role across a spectrum of disciplines, such as risk management, option pricing, and market making. However, volatility forecasting is challenging because volatility can only be estimated, and different factors influence volatility, ranging from macroeconomic indicators to investor sentiments. While recent works suggest advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence for volatility forecasting, a comprehensive benchmark of current statistical and learning-based methods for such purposes is lacking. Thus, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the historical evolution of volatility forecasting with a comparative benchmark of key landmark models. We …

Mindset, Virtue Signaling And Volunteering, Corinne Novell, Steven Bauer, Alice Labban, Yingfan Zhu

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Virtue signaling, or publicly showing off one’s good character or actions to others, has been studied in many contexts. This research expands on previous work and focuses on investigating the impact of fixed vs. growth mindsets on virtue signaling in a volunteering context. Mindsets, in the context of this research, are the beliefs people hold about the consistency of human’s personality as well as their moral characteristics. We hypothesize that given the different goal orientations of people with growth vs. fixed mindsets, the impact of obligatory virtue signaling on volunteer behavior will be stronger among people with a growth (vs. …

Compressed Natural Gas And How It Works, Ryan Lisek

Purdue Road School

Join us for a discussion about compressed natural gas (CNG) and how it works. Attendees will learn safety measures, where CNG works and where it doesn’t, cost and operation comparisons, fuel efficiency, infrastructure, emissions, and garage modifications.

Local Income Tax: An Evolving Resource, Andrew O. Mouser, Tom Dermody

Purdue Road School

Local income tax (LIT) has become an increasingly important resource for Indiana communities. Each year, many Indiana counties adopt new or reallocate existing LIT rates to meet ever-changing needs. The 2023 legislative session added additional LIT flexibility for jails, EMS, fire protection, courts, and other needs. A new LIT rate may free up funding for roads, but getting it adopted may require cooperation among the county and its municipalities. Join us for a discussion.

Nextlevel Grants And Project Funds Management, Paul Reed, Karen Hicks, Aaron Potter

Purdue Road School

NextLevel Grants Management is an initiative from the OMB and the State Budget Agency (SBA) to improve how Indiana manages federal grants. Under IC 4-3-24-5, approval must be granted by SBA to apply for federal grants administered by the state on behalf of the local and/or in conjunction with Local call funds. This session will provide you with an understanding of the new NextLevel Grants initiative and how to effectively manage your project funding.

Autonomous Roadside Mower Testing And Evaluation In Digital Twin Environments, Michael Mardikes, Ethan Brown, Timothy Wiegman, Nathan Sprague, Shreyas Supe, J. T. Evans

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Modern day roadside mowing operations in Indiana are performed by contractors operating tractors that pull flex-wing mowers. These mowing operations span over 11,000 miles of road across the state and create serious risk for human operators. Autonomous mowers can provide a safer alternative, but a replacement system must demonstrate an acceptable level of trust before large-scale deployment. A high-fidelity digital-twin environment can facilitate the capability to rapidly test and evaluate platforms in their desired application, while enabling zero real-world risk, a wide range of test variables, and repeatability of a test setup. The simulation environment must be at a level …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Copper Production, Xiaohan Wu

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Copper demand will surge significantly in the context of global renewable energy technology implementation, but its production is an energy-intensive process. It is crucial to choose the best production method to reduce environmental damage in terms of the enormous copper supply. This research develops a multi-criteria life cycle assessment model for the three main copper production routes- pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and bioleaching. We complied material and energy flow data to assess each route's life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cost, and resource efficiency. Results indicate bioleaching emits the least GHG emissions (4.09 kg-CO2 eq/kg copper) among the three routes. Hydrometallurgy is …

Green Skies Over Akron: “Revolutionizing Cak With A $20m Sustainability Blueprint", Oluwasemilore A. Akintelure, Kyle Rediger, Katie Horn

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Our groundbreaking research at Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) proposes a transformative $20 million electrical master plan, designed to revolutionize the airport into a sustainable aviation hub and an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) leader - a unique stance compared to similar airports in its economic corridor. This initiative, poised to impact millions of travelers, integrates cutting-edge solar panel installations and infrastructure for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Our comprehensive analysis, encompassing energy consumption, economic impacts, and risk assessments, underpins this ambitious project. The implementation of green energy solutions is projected to substantially reduce CAK's carbon footprint, leading to a healthier …

Athletic Recruitment Analysis In Higher Education, Landon Palmer

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Since athletic programs are often viewed as the front porch of the higher education institutions, recruiting talented student-athletes is vital and challenging task under the unreasonable demand of high performance, limited and decreasing budget, and dwindling student enrollment. Additionally, the increasing use of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and transfer portal across the nation have made administrators and coaches worried about their effect on recruitment and program retention. These practices make the recruiting process even more competitive. Through the responses of 106 student-athletes of a regional state university in Eastern Kentucky, the researchers identified respondents’ perception concerning these newly …

Towards Assessing Cybersecurity Posture Of Manufacturing Companies: Review And Recommendations, John Del Vecchio, Yair Levy, Ling Wang, Ajoy Kumar

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

With the continued changes in the way businesses work, cyber-attack targets are in a constant state of flux between organizations, individuals, as well as various aspects of the supply chain of interconnected goods and services. As one of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors, the manufacturing sector is known for complex integrated Information Systems (ISs) that are incorporated heavily into production operations. Many of these ISs are procured and supported by third parties, also referred to as interconnected entities in the supply chain. Disruptions to manufacturing companies would not only have significant financial losses but would also have economic and safety …

Quantum Computing: Computing Of The Future Made Reality, Janelle Mathis

KSU Proceedings on Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Abstract—Quantum computing is an emerging new area focused on technology consisting of quantum theory aspects such as electrons, sub-atomic particles, and other materials engineered using quantum mechanics. Through quantum mechanics, these computers can solve problems that classical computers deem too complex. Today the closest computing technology compared to quantum computers are supercomputers, but similarly to classical computers, supercomputers also have faults. With supercomputers, when a problem is deemed too complex, it is due to the classical machinery components within the computer, thus causing a halt in solving the task or problem. In contrast, these problems could be solved with a …