Business Commons^™

Cold Chain Logistics Optimization: Integrating Iot And Data Analytics To Reduce Post-Harvest Loss In The United States Perishable Food Supply Chain: A Case Study Of Dole Food Company, Sarah Onyeche Usoro, Elizabeth Ramatu Galadima, Onyeche Helen Adogwa

Student Publications

Food spoilage in the United States is not simply a logistical inconvenience. It is one of the most underappreciated sources of economic and environmental waste in the country's food system. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat are routinely lost during storage and transport not because operators lack the will to prevent it, but because conventional cold chain management has historically lacked the tools to detect and respond to deteriorating conditions before damage becomes irreversible. This paper examines how the convergence of Internet of Things (IoT) sensing networks and data analytics platforms is reshaping what cold chain operators can know, predict, …

Developing A Successful Pr Campaign With Crisis Management And Competitive Positioning, Anna V. Gutierrez

Marketing

This senior project examines the key elements that contribute to the success of a public relations campaign and how these elements can be leveraged to help a company effectively respond to and recover from a crisis. By analyzing high-profile campaigns like Spotify to Wicked, the project identifies best practices in brand communication, audience connection, and narrative control. Marketing research and a professional interview provide additional insight into real-world applications of PR strategies, offering a deeper understanding of how brands maintain trust and visibility during challenging times. Ultimately it provides a framework for how businesses can craft compelling PR campaigns that …

From Classroom To Career: My Digital Marketing Journey With Disney And Grc, Hailey Jones

Graphic Communication

This senior project highlights my work as a Digital Marketing Intern with The Walt Disney Company from June 2024 to January 2025. It features key projects and accomplishments that show the development of fundamental marketing and their applicability in the workplace. Besides, this project incentivizes students in Cal Poly on how co-op internships could be extremely advantageous. It touches on internships' benefits of having real-world experience coupled with the development of highly-wanted skills and networking. This project to be hosted on the Graphic Communication Department's website speaks about flexible options within the major and the competitive advantages offered by the …

Advanced Variable Data Publishing: Vdp Application For Selkirk Sport, Natalie L. Barnes

Graphic Communication

Personalization acknowledges each customer's uniqueness by offering tailored products that match their preferences. It creates relevant, individualized interactions that enhance the customer experience. Selkirk Sport began as a small startup specializing in pickleball paddles and accessories, founded by my family members—Jim, Mike, and Rob Barnes. Their passion for the sport quickly became my own! As Selkirk has grown, there is an opportunity to enhance personalization in its messaging to better engage recipients and drive stronger responses. For my senior project, I analyzed Selkirk’s past marketing efforts and developed a campaign that leverages consumer data and personalized Variable Data Publishing (VDP) …

Why Ai’S Role In Advancing Sustainability Is Underestimated, Lipika Bhattacharya

CCX Research

AI has quietly, but powerfully, woven itself into the fabric of our everyday lives. Yet, AI's potential impact on creating a more sustainable world is undervalued. The author examined artificial intelligence's (AI) role in advancing sustainability. She outlined how AI can be applied in various domains such as agriculture, water management, industry, urban planning, and biodiversity conservation for transformative effects.

A New Measure Of Non-Parametric Correlation For Variables In The Likert Scale, Shubhabrata Das

Working Papers

We propose a new measure of nonparametric correlation that is especially suited for measuring association between variables measured in the Likert scale where data is ordinal and tied observations are extremely common. The proposed general structure of the measure is based on graded level of concordance and discordance between the pairs of metrics. The general form of the measure has all the desirable properties except the measure is not necessarily zero for independent variables. This limitation is acceptable given only ordinal nature of the metrics. Three versions of the measure are studied. The first is based on simple equi-distant weights. …

Gendered Differences In The Implementation Of A Rice-Based Enterprise Program In Sariaya, Quezon Province, Philippines, Imelda Dg Olvida, Nico Jayson C. Anastacio, Paul Jersey G. Leron

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study examined gendered differences in the experiences of local farmers in Sariaya, an agricultural municipality in Quezon Province, Philippines. Using the Harvard Analytical Framework, this paper aimed to provide insights into how gender influences the experiences of local farmers under the Rice Business Innovation System (RiceBIS) Community Program of the Department of Agriculture - Philippine Rice Research Institute (DAPhilRice). A qualitative approach was employed using data from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes on the different gendered differences in the roles, resource access, needs, and challenges of local farmers in …

Sustainability Orientation, Sustainability Implementation, And Brand Image In Service Firms, Sandeep Jagani, Vafa Saboori-Deilami

Faculty Publications – Management

This paper uses legitimacy theory and cognitive dissonance theory to explore the relationship between sustainability orientation, sustainability implementation, and brand image in the service sector. Specifically, we examine the mediating role of implementation—the translation of strategic intent into actionable practices—on customers' perceptions. Using multilevel analyses of 31 US service firms and a survey of 6891 customers, we find that sustainability implementation is a strong positive predictor of brand image. However, sustainability orientation alone has a negative direct effect on brand image, suggesting that stated commitments without corresponding action can harm perceptions. Crucially, sustainability implementation positively mediates the relationship between orientation …

Csr As Hedging Against Institutional Transition Risk: Corporate Philanthropy After The Sunflower Movement In Taiwan, Yishu Cai, Lori Yue, Fangwen Lin, Shipeng Yan, Haibin Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Firms with political connections to a regime with an authoritarian history face a dilemma when the regime undergoes a democratic transition. Such connections provide an essential competitive advantage when the regime is in power but become a liability when an institutional transition brings democratic change. This study theorizes that when mass protests expose a regime’s distorted policies favoring elites over others and signal a high probability of regime turnover, firms may hedge against the risks associated with their political connections by engaging in philanthropy. We further contend that this effect is stronger for firms located in regions characterized by the …

The Regenerative Future Of Loyalty: A Guide For Green Loyalty Programs To Engage Eco-Consumers, Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx, Ryan Merrill

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Loyalty programs are challenged to attract and retain consumers who increasingly value purpose-driven engagement and environmental impact alongside traditional rewards. With growing awareness of climate issues, many customers expect brands to integrate sustainability and eco-conscious actions into their loyalty offerings.
 71% of consumers believe loyalty programs should support sustainable practices, and this expectation is particularly strong among younger demographics like Gen Z and Millennials. As companies respond by integrating eco-conscious actions — like recycling incentives, carbon offsets, and donations to green causes — these efforts foster emotional loyalty, drive repeat purchases, and ensure long-term retention. Loyalty programs that align with …

Sell-Side Analysts’ Rating Systems, Ohad Kadan, Leonardo Madureira, Rong Wang, Tzachi Zach

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Different brokers employ a variety of stock recommendations rating systems. There are five- and three-tier systems, as well as different mappings from the economic meaning of recommendations to numerical values in popular data sets such as IBES. We show that the rating systems and their mappings have important implications on the distribution of stock recommendations, investors’ reactions to stock recommendations, the consensus and dispersion of stock recommendations, and measures of analysts’ herding and boldness. We demonstrate how one can control for the variation in rating systems in order to separate the true economic impact of recommendations from the mechanical, non-economic, …

Forgive Me Not? Racial And Institutional Disparities In The Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness, Vladimir Kotomin, Wyatt Frere, Ruby Morr

Faculty Publications – Finance, Insurance, and Law

Existing research establishes that minority borrowers, particularly Black small business owners, faced significant challenges in accessing funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), especially in its early stages. We find that institutional and racial disparities persist during the PPP loan forgiveness stage. Controlling for various loan- and borrower-level characteristics, we demonstrate that relationship lenders – community banks, credit unions, and farm credit institutions – are associated with higher rates of PPP loan forgiveness. In contrast, automated lenders – fintechs and fintech banks – exhibit the lowest forgiveness rates. Black borrowers experience the poorest outcomes, except for loans issued by non-depository …

Unexpected Defaults: The Role Of Information Opacity, Aytekin Ertan, Yun Lee, Regina Wittenberg-Moerman

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Bond defaults are undesirable yet natural outcomes of risky investments. What is also crucial but hitherto underexplored is the unexpectedness of defaults. We develop a parsimonious measure of default unexpectedness and highlight its economic importance by demonstrating that unexpected defaults are associated with unfavorable recovery outcomes and adverse price changes in peer firm bonds. We then examine how default unexpectedness relates to information opacity. We find that firms with opaque financial reporting and weak voluntary disclosure experience more unexpected defaults. Defaults also occur more unexpectedly when the external information environment is opaque—when rating agencies disagree on a firm’s credit risk …

The Spillover Effects Of Environmental Lawsuits On Industry Peers, Xia Chen, Qiang Cheng, Xuefan Peng, Ziliang Zhan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the spillover effects of high-profile environmental lawsuits on industry peers. We find that compared with control firms, industry peers experience a decrease in chemical releases and an increase in pollution-related disclosures after the lawsuits. These results are more pronounced for the industry peers who have higher levels of chemical releases in the pre-lawsuit period and who are the peers of firms sued for damage to human health. Lastly, we provide confirmatory evidence that industry peers increase abatement activities after the lawsuits and experience a decline in financial performance, likely due to the increase in abatement costs.

Beyond The Disaster Zone: How Disruptive Climate Event Shape Epa Oversight And Firm Behavior, Grace Fan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine how experiences with disruptive climate events impact the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) monitoring activities and subsequent firm behaviors. Using plausibly exogenous variation in the exposure of EPA regional offices to major hurricanes, we find that exposed EPA regulators increase their monitoring efforts, measured by both inspection frequency and length, at facilities located in their jurisdictions but outside the disaster zone. This effect diminishes over time and is stronger for regulators located closer to the disaster area or experiencing the disaster for the first time. Importantly, the heightened regulatory monitoring following disasters has real effects on regulated facilities–they face …

Artificial Intelligence Will Never Feel What We Feel, Michelle C. Dziurgot D.D.S.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The editorial discusses the fundamental difference between human emotions and artificial intelligence, using "The Jetsons" character Rosie as a metaphor. While acknowledging AI's superior performance in certain tasks and its growing industry presence, the author emphasizes that AI lacks true feelings and cognitive common sense. The piece argues that while AI is a valuable tool for enhancing productivity and bridging skill gaps, it should be embraced as an aid rather than a replacement for human emotional intelligence.

Staff Matters: Help! I’M Struggling To Handle The Hr Function In My Practice, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The article addresses the HR management challenges faced by small dental practices, specifically focusing on practices with around 10 employees. It provides practical solutions for handling HR functions, including delegating basic HR duties to existing staff, outsourcing payroll, and engaging external HR consultants for specialized needs. The piece emphasizes that while owners can delegate tasks, they must remain actively involved in leadership and setting workplace culture.

Mda Services: Protect And Maximize Your Practice’S Finances With Help From These Vendors, Reva Darling

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The article outlines various financial services and solutions available to MDA members through endorsed vendors. These offerings include PPO negotiation services, embezzlement protection, practice financing, employee benefits solutions, credit card rewards programs, precious metal refining, and student loan refinancing options. Each vendor provides specific member discounts or preferential terms, designed to help dental practices optimize their financial operations and profitability.

J Mich Dent Assoc March 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. This month’s issue offers an insightful article on general-purpose AI to boost creativity and efficiency in dental practice. Helpful tips on protecting your reputation are provided in an article on Myths, Tips, and Tricks to manage online reviews. Readers then learn that ADA Commons provides much more than access to current and past articles and issues of the Journal of the Michigan Dental …

Mda Foundation: Mda Foundation Grant Helps Keep U.P. Free Clinic’S Doors Open, Anne Berquist

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The article highlights the CareFree Dental Clinic of Dickinson and Florence Counties, a volunteer-run free dental clinic in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Founded by the Fornetti family in 2010, the clinic received a $12,500 MDA Foundation grant in 2024. The clinic has served 1,878 patients over 12 years, providing emergency dental care to uninsured individuals and veterans. Despite challenges including COVID-19 and volunteer recruitment, the clinic continues to provide comprehensive care through an appointment-based system.

Harnessing General Purpose Ai In Dental Practice: Strategic Solutions For A Burdened Workforce, Christopher J. Smiley D.D.S.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping dental practice administration by enhancing efficiency and providing solutions to address workforce shortages. Free-to-use generative AI (GenAI) tools, such as ChatGPT and Claude, can streamline routine tasks, support creative workflows, and reduce the burden on office teams. However, dental professionals must understand AI’s limitations and ethical boundaries, including risks to patient confidentiality and the potential for inaccurate or misleading outputs. Proprietary dental-specific AI systems demonstrate a safer approach by providing specialized diagnostic support and practice analytics in more secure environments to meet HIPAA standards. Yet even these dentistry-based AI solutions carry a risk of bias …

Online Reviews: Myths, Tips, And Tricks, Anish Gupta D.D.S.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Online reviews are a source of reputation marketing which are valuable to the practice of dentistry. Reviews bring patients in and provide social proof for your practice. We discuss what makes a good review, tips to get reviews, and dispel certain myths regarding online reviews.

Build Your Practice With Dental Revenue Cycle Management, Robert Mcdermott

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article explores the essential role of Dental Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) in ensuring the financial success and sustainability of a dental practice. Many dentists, especially those new to solo practice, struggle with managing the business side of dentistry, particularly the complexities of RCM. The article outlines the key steps of RCM, including patient scheduling, insurance verification, claims submission, and payment processing, emphasizing how a well-managed system ensures steady cash flow and enhances patient experience. Key challenges in RCM include lack of formal business training, evolving insurance regulations, and the risk of delayed reimbursements, which can threaten a practice’s viability. …

Earnings Myopia And Private Equity Takeovers, Paul Hribar, Todd Kravet, Trent J. Krupa

Accounting Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examine the role of private equity in alleviating earnings myopia induced by public markets. We first construct a measure of earnings myopia and show that this measure varies as predicted with determinants and effects of myopia. Then we show that public firms exhibiting earnings myopia realize an increased likelihood of takeover by private equity buyers. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that this relation is strongest when costs of earnings myopia are likely higher. Following private equity takeovers, firms exhibiting greater measures of earnings myopia realize improvements to R&D investment and productivity. The results add to the understanding of the role of …

Does Artificial Intelligence Bias Exist In Mortgage Underwriting Software? Investigating Bias, Regional Disparities, And Fair Ai Models, Dorian Cornelius

Dissertations

This quantitative study closely emulated Zou and Khern's (2022) analysis of AI Bias in Mortgage Applications. They used the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) dataset from the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council's (FFEIC) website to review mortgage loan data from 2019 to determine if there was bias in the AI mortgage application approvals. Those researchers concluded that bias does exist in the AI mortgage underwriting software. Since their study, research has demonstrated that discrimination continues to exist in AI software. Therefore, this research expands on Zou and Khern’s study to determine if there are differences in the mortgage loan approval …

High-Impact Practices (Hips) Spectrum: Introducing The High-Engagement Experiences (Hees) Taxonomy, Kathryn Marten, Dianne D. Murphy, Heather L. Kaminski, Mathew Dornbush

Management Faculty Research and Publications

High-Engagement Experiences, or HEEs, are introduced as part of a new classification taxonomy: The High-Impact Practices (HIPs) Spectrum. The introduction of the HIPs Spectrum is relevant because it expands educators’ definition of HIPs from binary to a more nuanced continuum, which lays the foundation for future research on HIPs and HEEs that can translate into practical implications for curriculum and student success. We propose a quantitative scale for measuring and classifying courses along the HIPs Spectrum, which ranges from ‘Neither HEE nor HIP’, to ‘HEE’, to ‘HIP’ based upon Kuh and colleagues' (2013) widely-used Universal Elements of HIPs. This scale …

Measuring Student Success Using The High-Impact Practices Spectrum: Evidence For The Value Of High Engagement Experiences, Heather L. Kaminski, Kathryn Marten, Dianne D. Murphy

Management Faculty Research and Publications

The High-Impact Practices (HIPs) Spectrum is a taxonomy for assessing and categorizing courses along a continuum based on elements of High Impact Practices (Marten et al., in press). This study provides quantitative evidence for the validity and impact of the HIPs Spectrum by analyzing seven years of enrollment data in a Midwestern regional comprehensive university School of Business. Along the HIPs Spectrum, courses are categorized as High Impact Practice (HIP), High Engagement Experience (HEE), or Neither. Labeling the medium-intensity HEE courses allows for a detailed analysis of their effect on students, which is a gap in previous literature. Results show …

Articulator Q1 2025

Metro Denver Dental Society Articulator Magazine

This issue features speakers from the 2025 Rocky Mountain Dental Convention (RMDC) and additional content including:

• A feature from Prof. Dr. Anne O'Connell on traumatic dental injuries in pediatric patients.
• A recap from Dr. Jack Nguyen of cutting-edge dental products and technologies presented at Innovation 360 during the 2025 RMDC.
• A feature from Drs. Karen Tindall and Laura Schwindt exploring science-backed strategies for stress management, mindfulness and fostering a positive workplace culture.
• An article from Mr. David Bashford detailing the ins and outs of Colorado's regulations on paid leave.
• An exploration of AI in dentistry from Ms. Laura Ramsey from …

“The Only Ones I Could Rely On”: An Exploration Of The International Athlete Experience At Ncaa Division I Institutions, Chris Corr, Nicole Sellars, Christopher Atwater, Charles Macaulay, Karina Jolly, Sarah Stokowski, Marek Taškár

Journal of Applied Sport Management

International athletes constitute a significant demographic within NCAA Division I athletics, offering diverse cultural perspectives and often enhancing team performance. Despite the documented importance of social support structures in facilitating their socio-cultural adaptation, the role of institutional and organizational support remains underexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the experiential satisfaction of international athletes competing in NCAA Division I sports, with a particular focus on their perceptions of institutional and organizational support. Utilizing a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 international athletes across multiple NCAA Division I institutions. The findings reveal varying degrees of dissatisfaction, …

Advancing The Mission: Highlights From The 2025 Asma Conference, Marshall Magnusen

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The Journal of Applied Sport Management (JASM) is the official publication of the Applied Sport Management Association (ASMA), which is a scholarly organization that builds research partnerships between faculty and students. ASMA also facilitates connections between sport management faculty and students studying sport and practitioners working in the sport industry. In 2025, the annual conference was hosted by the University of Cincinnati under the direction of Dr. Matt Huml. Highlights from the annual conference include Dr. Chad Seifried from Louisiana State University receiving the ASMA Distinguished Service and Mentorship Award and Dr. Lawrence Judge of Ball State University becoming an …