Business Commons^™

Identifying And Prioritizing Essential Healthcare Services For A Private Start-Up Healthcare Hub In Laxmipasha, Bangladesh, Ferdous Ara Mostofa

Dissertations

This quantitative study identifies and prioritizes essential healthcare services for developing a private start-up healthcare hub in Laxmipasha, Bangladesh, a rural community with significant gaps in healthcare access. Using secondary data from national and international sources, the research analyzed disease burden, population characteristics, and service availability to determine the most urgent health priorities. A structured, evidence-based framework was used to evaluate services based on mortality and morbidity, service gaps, and potential health impact. The findings indicate that Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) management, and infectious disease control represent the most critical priorities for initial implementation. The study …

Leadership Studies In The Master Of Divinity (M.Div.) Curricula Of The Southern Baptist Convention (Sbc) Seminaries, Todd Stinnett

Dissertations

This dissertation chronicles the pursuit of an answer to the following question: In what ways have Southern Baptist Conventions (SBC) seminaries incorporated leadership studies into the curricula of their Master of Divinity (M.Div.) programs? This dissertation is a qualitative, multi-site case study that utilized a descriptive method of research. The research also utilized a qualitative interview that asked seminary administrators about their understanding of leadership studies and the place of those studies in the leadership courses that each seminary provided. One administrator from each of the six SBC seminaries was interviewed for this research. Content analysis was used to discover …

Transformational Leadership And Employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Examining The Role Of Perspective-Taking, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Trust, Marie A. Smith

Dissertations

The study surveyed employees in the service and helping professions (for example retail, healthcare related, hospitality), to examine the impact of transformational leadership on employee organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Specifically, it tested job satisfaction and organizational trust as possible mediators to the transformational leader to employee OCB relationship and evidence of perspective-taking as a possible moderator to either of these mediated relationships. The study employed PLS-SEM as the method of analysis and examined the influence of transformational leadership, and employee job satisfaction and trust, on employee OCB. The social exchange theory’s reciprocal nature and the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, based …

Beyond Words: A Systematic Multimodal Framework For Text, Images, And Extreme Helpfulness In Online Reviews, Alvaro J. Aguado Marin

Dissertations

Online product reviews have become increasingly multimodal, combining text with media-rich elements such as images. However, academic research has largely examined textual features in isolation, overlooking how visual content and its interaction with text shape perceived helpfulness. This dissertation addresses that gap by developing and empirically validating a comprehensive framework capturing how textual, visual, and contextual features collectively influence review evaluation. Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and extended through the Text-Image Elaboration Likelihood Model (TI-ELM), the framework advances understanding of how consumers process content from both user- and business-generated sources. It also lays the foundation for examining emerging …

Motivators And Work Role Satisfaction Among A Post-Pandemic Multi-Generational Sports And Entertainment Industry Workforce, Christopher J. Kinnan

Dissertations

This quantitative causal-comparative study explored intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and work-role satisfaction among a post-pandemic, multigenerational workforce in the North American sports and entertainment industry. Using an adapted version of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority’s (SGSA, 2022) Evaluation of Systematic Stewarding Challenges instrument, the study analyzed data from 560 participants representing safety, security, and service roles across sports and entertainment venues. The research examined generational differences in motivation, satisfaction, and barriers to retention within the framework of Human Capital Theory, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, and Self-Determination Theory.

Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses verified the reliability and validity of the adapted …

Impact Of Community College Size And Meeting Types On Leader-Member Conversation Quality In Career And Technical Education (Cte) Leaders: A Mixed Methods Study, Kenneth Wayne Kirkland Jr.

Dissertations

Community colleges are complex institutions with the primary mission of workforce preparation and academic transfer. In many cases, community colleges produce the majority of their local workforces. Political influences upon workforce priorities, increased national calls for transparency in higher education training, complicated infrastructure, and technical expertise requirements for faculty have created substantial challenges for career and technical education (CTE) leaders. These complexities require the 21st-century CTE leader to be as externally focused as their presidents, highlighting the importance of communication effectiveness in both leaders.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the influence of community college enrollment levels …

Exploring Internship’S Role In Non-Virtual Social Capital Development: A Gen Z Student Perspective, Christina M. Galli

Dissertations

Gen Z students often complete internships as they prepare to enter the workforce (Maloni et al., 2019; Shtembari & Elgün, 2023). However, because the population relies heavily on digital technology to develop social relationships, Gen Z students may not have the social skills to develop non-virtual social capital (Fernandez et al., 2023; Henry & Shannon, 2023; Osorio & Madero, 2024). Existing research focuses on Gen Z individuals as students (Maloni et al., 2019; Pichler et al., 2021; Shtembari & Elgün, 2023). However, existing literature lacks specifications about Gen Z students’ strategies for gaining non-virtual social capital through internship experiences. This …

Exploring Hiring Managers’ Strategies For Recruiting Diverse Educators In A Southeastern State, Keisa K. Davis Ma

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the strategies applied by hiring managers within one state in the southeastern United States to recruit diverse teachers. The purpose of the study was to explore hiring managers’ experiences and knowledge of minority teacher recruitment. The primary research question for this study was: What strategies do hiring managers in the school district under study find most effective in overcoming barriers to recruiting minority educators, and how do they measure their success? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and thematic coding was used to arrive at emerging themes, patterns, and perceptions. The findings revealed that while hiring managers …

Patriarchal Logics In Entrepreneurial Ecosystems And Outcomes For Female Entrepreneurs, Alexandria Krause Matlack

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how patriarchal logics shape the efficiency of funding for female entrepreneurs by comparing two U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) within the same state: Kansas City and St. Louis. Although these EEs are geographically proximate and structurally comparable, St. Louis has nearly twice as many women-led ventures as Kansas City receiving institutional capital. Drawing on 31 semi-structured interviews, the study includes 20 entrepreneurs, 11 from Kansas City (5 women, 6 men) and 9 from St. Louis (4 women, 5 men), of whom are CEOs of startups founded between 2014 and 2022 and recipients of institutional funding (e.g., grants, angel, …

The Psychology Of Telework, Emily K. Lane

Dissertations

The growth of telework has reshaped the modern workplace, changing how employees experience connection, fairness, and satisfaction. This dissertation examined the psychological dynamics of teleworking by exploring how the extent of remote work influences job satisfaction through feelings of professional isolation. It also investigated how perceptions of procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice, as well as employee choice and telework normativeness, shape these relationships. Grounded in organizational justice theory (Colquitt, 2001), the study used a two-wave, pseudo-cross-sectional survey of 506 teleworkers. Results indicated that professional isolation did not mediate the relationship between telework extent and job satisfaction when fairness perceptions were …

Trailblazing Pathways: Personal Traits Fueling Success For Underrepresented Minority Entrepreneurs, Rebecca P. Wilson

Dissertations

This study examines how entrepreneurial personality traits influence business outcomes among underrepresented minority entrepreneurs in the United States. Specifically, it investigates the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, locus of control, risk tolerance, and extraversion on entrepreneurial performance, as well as the moderating role of grit and the mediating role of business networking. Although underrepresented minority entrepreneurs contribute significantly to innovation and economic growth, they continue to face persistent barriers, including limited access to capital, mentorship, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Guided by Trait Theory of Entrepreneurship and Social Cognitive Theory, this study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with embedded open-ended questions …

The Effects Of Learning Environment Resources And Psycap On Student Burnout And Outcomes, Elisandra Rodriguez Moreno

Dissertations

This study examined links between learning environmental resources (i.e., social support and feedback environment), burnout, and student outcomes (i.e., satisfaction and academic performance) among 198 graduate healthcare students. The study also investigated whether Psychological Capital (PsyCap) moderated these relationships. Social support and feedback did not predict overall burnout, but both were significantly linked to the burnout dimensions, specifically: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and academic efficacy. PsyCap did not moderate most relationships, yet it was consistently associated with lower levels of burnout and higher satisfaction. One exception emerged—for social support and depersonalization, PsyCap served as a compensatory resource, where students with lower …

An Empirical Examination Of Humble Leadership And Employee Career Adaptability, Elizabeth Michelle Murray

Dissertations

This study examined the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) and mentoring in the relationship between leader-expressed humility and employee career adaptability, and the moderating impact of an internal talent mobility program (ITM). The theoretical basis for the research was social learning theory and social exchange theory. Data were collected from employees across multiple organizations in the U.S. Results showed that leader-expressed humility was positively related to LMX, which in turn enhanced mentoring, and mentoring was positively associated with employee career adaptability. The moderating effect of ITM on the mentoring-employee career adaptability relationship was significant, suggesting that a comprehensive internal …

Evolution Of A New Strategic Orientation In The Ai Era: Exploring The Determinants Of Ai Orientation, Sreelakshmy Geethakumari

Dissertations

The field of AI has undergone significant evolution over the past few decades. While AI is heralded as one of the most transformative technologies, scholars caution that its strategic impact may still not be fully realized. Given the strategic importance of AI in today's firms, it is essential to consider AI as a strategic orientation and understand its determinants in detail. Our study examines AI Orientation, defined as a firm's deliberate application of AI technologies to achieve its strategic objectives. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, this study investigates the determinants that shape a firm’s AI orientation. This study employs a …

Domestic Inter-Sectorial Network Topological Evolution And Industrial Policy: A Comprehensive Network Analysis, Mahanad Ali Al Sabahi

Dissertations

While controversial, industrial policy propose a compelling argument for the government role in stimulating economic growth. The “new industrial policy” approach proposes a shift from a “Why” to “How” should industrial policy be implemented. Building upon this, in line with the increased utilization of network theory in economic research, this research examines network analysis as an econometric diagnostic tool asking, “How network analysis could be utilized in understanding the domestic economy and designing industrial policy?”. The study utilizes country input-output tables to calculate centrality measures corresponding to different connectivity concepts, and explore the dependency between domestic industries. The research demonstrated …

Regional Lending Market Structures And Cross-Class Social Capital’S Impact On Small Business Outcomes In The United States, Karl Guenther

Dissertations

This study examines whether regional lending market structures—specifically, the availability of capital from local credit unions—affects the success of small businesses in U.S. metropolitan areas. It investigates whether greater local credit union market share of lending capacity improves small business outcomes and whether this relationship is moderated by levels of economic connectedness, a form of cross-class social capital. The analysis further explores whether these moderating effects are especially pronounced for Black-owned small businesses. The study focuses on business outcomes in regions in 2021. Regression models are estimated using cross-sectional data from across 135, 301, and 375 metropolitan statistical areas based …

Examining Nonprofit Social Service Sector Burnout And Turnover: Trait Mindfulness As A Moderator Of Work-Life Balance And Compassion Fatigue, Melissa L. Brown

Dissertations

Nonprofit burnout and turnover surpass all national industries, specifically in the social services subsector. In contrast to their for-profit counterparts, nonprofit turnover rates remain on the rise. While literature indicates that one of the primary drivers of nonprofit turnover is burnout, more granular research proposes that nonprofit social service employees encounter a distinct form of burnout generated by the exposure to secondary traumatic distress known as compassion fatigue. This study investigated the antecedents of this phenomenon by examining trait mindfulness as a moderator of work-life balance and compassion fatigue among nonprofit social service providers. To sustain a workforce that provides …

Investigating The Use And Acceptance Of Information And Communication Technologies By University Faculty In Liberia And Its Implications To Sub-Saharan Africa, Michael K. Gray

Dissertations

This descriptive, non-experimental, correlational quantitative study examines the relationship between components of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Human Capital Development (HCD) in determining the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among university faculty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). With the increasing importance of ICT in educational transformation across developing regions like SSA, understanding the underlying factors that influence ICT acceptance is essential for effective policy and implementation strategies. The researcher surveyed 336 university faculty in Liberia using a questionnaire designed to capture perceptions related to TAM constructs (perceived usefulness …

Human Resource Management And Black Teachers’ Employee Experience In K-12 Urban Public Schools, Danielle Renee Cooper-Williams

Dissertations

National teacher data indicate that publicly funded schools in the United States struggle to retain Black teachers in high-need urban areas and in comparison to other groups (Carver-Thomas & Darling Hammond, 2017). This qualitative investigation employed case study methodology. The case study focused on one school within a charter management organization (CMO), exploring interactions among Black teachers and their supervising administrators at the site and management organization levels. The study was organized around concepts articulated at the nexus of teacher retention scholarship and human resource management theory, two bodies of literature yet to be substantially integrated to understand Black teachers’ …

The Impact Of Culture And Language On Internal Communication And Patient Care In Small To Medium-Sized Black Immigrant-Owned Healthcare Practices In Texas., Chisom Nwosu

Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how cultural competency in small to medium-sized Black immigrant-owned healthcare practices in Texas affects internal communication and patient care. Through semi-structured interviews with nine clinical and administrative leaders in Dallas and Houston, five themes emerged: culturally competent leadership, intentional communication structures, language and interpretation practices, patient-centered cultural sensitivity, and the use of technology for adaptation. Findings suggest that culturally aware leadership and inclusive communication strategies foster team cohesion and improve patient trust and care. Participants reported adapting workflows to meet religious, language, and communication needs through human and technological tools. The study underscores embedding cultural …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Cost Competitiveness Of Chinese And U.S. Fine Chemical Exports To Europe Under Europe’S Energy Crisis, Lin Luo

Dissertations

The European energy crisis, driven by geopolitical conflicts, has created a significant supply-demand gap in Europe’s fine chemical sector, necessitating reliance on imports from the United States and China. This quantitative study examined how energy, labor, and logistics costs interacted to shape the cost competitiveness of U.S. and Chinese fine chemical exports to Europe, using a Monte Carlo simulation parameterized with historical data from 2015-2023, to provide a probabilistic forecast of competitive outcomes. The findings revealed that while China holds a 76.55% probability of being the lower-cost supplier, its advantage is characterized by high volatility primarily due to its logistics …

Guardrails For Growth: Governing Open-Source Software Risk In Healthtech Startups, Tonya Humphrey

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how healthcare software startups manage the risks associated with open-source software (OSS) use. Using a qualitative multi-site case study approach and thematic analysis, the study draws insights from interviews with developers, security professionals, and technology leaders in early-stage healthtech companies. Six key themes emerged: Strategic Governance and Oversight, Security and Compliance Practices, Operational Foundations and Standards, Risk Awareness and Technical Due Diligence, Technology Choices and Ecosystem Tools, and People and Culture. The findings reveal that, even in resource-constrained environments, effective OSS risk management is possible through lightweight governance, automation, and shared cultural responsibility. Practical implications include guidance …

The Effect Of Cognitive Biases And Organizational Constructs On Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Success In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Pls-Sem Approach, Michael Davidson

Dissertations

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are crucial to enhancing organizational performance, efficiency, and strategic competitiveness in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ERP adoption in SMEs has been known to fail, with more than 75% of the implementations considered failures. These barriers are compounded by cognitive biases, such as temporal discounting (TD) and optimism bias (OB), which skew the strategic decision-making process. The framework suggested in this paper explains the relationships between top management support (TMS), information quality (IQ), system quality (SQ), user satisfaction (US), optimism bias (OB), and temporal discounting (TD) and their impact on ERP implementation success (EIS) and …

Development And Validation Of The Informal Safety Leadership Measure, Ashley L. Gill

Dissertations

This research develops and validates a measure of the emerging concept of informal safety leadership (ISL), which integrates elements of safety leadership and informal leadership to address a significant gap in organizational safety literature. Despite extensive research on formal safety leadership, there remains limited understanding of how non-managerial employees influence safety practices and culture within organizations. This dissertation develops and validates a comprehensive measure of informal safety leadership through a sequential mixed-methods approach incorporating a pilot study and two additional studies. First, a pilot study employed focus groups with health, safety, and environmental professionals to identify key dimensions of ISL. …

Pension Participation Among Different Migrant Groups In China: Job Type, Regional Disparities, And Cross-Provincial Mobility, Boxia Xu

Dissertations

As China undergoes rapid economic transformation and urbanization, the migrant population has grown significantly. Although migrants play essential roles in the labor market, they face persistent structural barriers to pension access. Regional disparities, occupational segmentation, and cross-provincial mobility constraints affect the probability of their pension participation. While policy efforts aim to expand coverage, the fragmented nature of China’s pension system continues to hinder equitable access for migrants. As a result, ensuring pension participation among migrant groups remains a pressing challenge.

Using data from the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this dissertation employs logistic regression models to investigate how job …

The Battle Is Not Ours!: The Impact Of Racial Battle Fatigue On The Career Trajectory Of Black Women Administrators At Predominantly White Institutions, Tonishea M. Jackson

Dissertations

This qualitative narrative inquiry examines the impact of Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) on the career progression of Black women administrators at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). While RBF has been studied extensively among students and faculty, there has been little research exploring its influence on Black women leaders who navigate both racial and gendered power structures in organizations where they are often underrepresented and unsupported. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Intersectionality, this study explores one primary research question: What is the relationship between RBF and the career paths of Black women administrators at PWIs, including the stages in their careers …

Restricted Access: Structural Gatekeeping And The Black Student Experience In Accounting Education, Richard W. Hurt Iii

Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of Black accountants as they reflect on their memories of the pipeline to their profession and the affective dimensions of their educational experiences as accounting majors in college. Grounding into Unapologetic Black Inquiry (UBI), a framework rooted in critical race theory, this investigation integrates narrative inquiry as a tool to capture rich descriptions from participant interviews and written reflections. Furthermore, this descriptive qualitative study explores how the structures and values of accounting education are rooted in a form of professionalism that prioritizes technical proficiencies over cultural knowledge, thus ignoring community forms of assets related to …

Exploring A Holistic Conceptualization Of Destructive Leadership: Perspectives From The Lived Experiences Of Latino Law Enforcement Command Staff Officers, Carmelin Rivera

Dissertations

Recently, there has been an increased interest in destructive leadership or what is characterized as the dark side of leadership. There is, in fact, no consensus in the literature about the definition of destructive leadership, and this murkiness has led to two somewhat different approaches to understanding this phenomenon: 1) a leader-centric approach that emphasizes the bad behaviors and traits of so-called toxic leaders and 2) a much broader, holistic approach, often discussed as the toxic triangle (Padilla et al., 2007), that focuses on how destructive leadership is co-created by a toxic system of bad leaders and susceptible followers …

Striking The Balance: The Relationship Between Government Funding And Nonprofit Financial Health, Mehrnoush Jamshidi

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The nonprofit sector plays a vital role in society, partnering with the government to provide essential services across various fields, including education, healthcare, social services, arts and culture, and environmental protection. Salamon (1987) highlighted the cooperative relationship between nonprofits and the government, where nonprofits contribute expertise and community-based knowledge, while the government offers financial stability. Through this partnership, the government helps address “voluntary failures,” such as philanthropic insufficiency, particularism, and paternalism, which can limit a nonprofit’s ability to serve the public effectively. Given this close working relationship, understanding the financial health of nonprofits is crucial for ensuring …

Self-Perceived Employability And Employer Expectations Of Community College Students' Skill Gap In Industry 4.0, Cherri Wells

Dissertations

Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, is reshaping job competencies and careers through technological integration, impacting global competitiveness, information security, and skill requirements (Jackson & Tomlinson, 2020). This shift has heightened job uncertainties, competition, and the role of institutional policymakers in aligning higher education with labor market demands (Kornelakis & Petrakaki, 2020; Tan et al., 2023 Tomlinson, 2012). However, inconsistencies persist between employer expectations and graduates’ skills, making employability, a graduate’s ability to secure and sustain employment, more crucial than ever (Fugate et al., 2004; Otache & Edopkolor, 2022).

This study aims to conduct a sequential explanatory mixed-method study by …