Business Commons^™

A Narrative Inquiry Exploring The Experiences Of Latina Entrepreneurs In South Central Texas, Alma Fernández Villanueva

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. The U.S. Hispanic population is the second-fastest-growing group followed by Asian Americans (Krogstad & Noe-Bustamante, 2019) and is the largest minority group in the United States (Duffin, 2020). In addition, the population of Latina women in the United States is rapidly growing and is projected to double by 2050 (Martinez-Restrepo & Stengel, 2017). On a microeconomic level, 40% of women in the United States are the primary economic source of income for their families, while on a macroeconomic level, almost 50% of women are in the workforce (DeWolf, 2017). Specifically, Latina women are becoming business owners through entrepreneurial …

The Effect Of Faculty Leadership Style On The Results Of Student Evaluation Of Teachers, Sadeq Sohrabie

Theses & Dissertations

Higher education administrations use Student Evaluation of Teacher (SET) frequently as a performance metric for instructors and professors. Many decisions are being at least partially made based on SET results such as recruiting, retention, and promotion decisions. SET has been subject of many studies but just recently leadership style is being studied as a factor affecting SET. Research shows instructors’ transformational leadership in classrooms can lead to more effective and efficient classrooms, which in turn yields higher student satisfaction and academic gains. In this Study, the relationship between SET and transformational/transactional leadership style has been examined using structural equation modeling. …

Understanding Effectuation Theory As An Entrepreneurial Cognitive And Behavioral Process In Firm Creation And Expansion To Create Local, Contextual Knowledge In Morocco, Ada Gonzalez

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this 2-year case study in the Kingdom of Morocco was to understand the entrepreneurial cognitive and behavioral processes expressed in the creation and expansion of a venture by American owners and Moroccan and American team members. The study used an interpretative design and narrative analysis methodology to develop themes. In the first phase of the study, I interviewed the co-founders and associates to learn to what extent the five principles of effectuation theory and other entrepreneurial cognitive processes played a role in the first few years of the school’s creation. In the second phase, I worked in …

Understanding Employee Engagement: A Mixed-Methods Study, Joren M. Scharn

Theses & Dissertations

For over 4 decades businesses around the world have been conducting employee satisfaction surveys at regular intervals and this surfaced a strong positive relationship between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and overall company performance. In recent years however, academics and researchers have reopened the debate on whether employee or job satisfaction metrics are in fact reliable indicators of productivity, suggesting that employee engagement has a far stronger correlation to productivity. This study addresses two interrelated problems that are associated with a practice that is common in working environments all over the world. According to literature, it is generally accepted that (a) …

The Role Of Mentoring In The Development Of Minority Faculty In The Texas State Higher Education System, James Onyeneke

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. The purpose of this study was to explore the role that mentoring played in the professional development of minority faculty in the Texas State higher education system.

Research Methods. A phenomenological qualitative research design was employed for this study. Data was collected using open ended in-depth interviews with eight minority faculty purposefully selected from across the Texas State institutions of higher learning.

Research Results/Findings. Minority faculty in the Texas State higher education system often experienced cultural taxation, marginalization, discrimination, isolation, and lack of mentoring. The study indicated that mentorship boots minority faculty support, retention, promotion, empowerment, trust, accountability, …

The Initial Planning Process Of An International Service-Learning Pilot Initiative Under Development, Denise P. Krohn

Theses & Dissertations

This research explored the initial planning process of an international service-learning (ISL) initiative under development that involved a collaboration among a south-central Texas private university, a ministry of Catholic Sisters in Peru, a U.S. non-profit organization, and a Peruvian optometry school. Three collaborators were founded by the same religious order. An overlapping in mission and values influenced the context. By delving into the expectations of higher education and its pedagogical practices, ISL’s history and conceptualizations, and concepts of program planning and designing related to the fields of ISL and adult learning, this study presented significant program development aspects. Furthermore, the …

Factors Impacting The Intent To Use An Interactive Visual Aid On A Tablet Pc Platform By A Biotechnology Sales Force, Tom Dotter

Theses & Dissertations

The interactive visual aid on a tablet PC technology platform is a relatively new marketing tool. The interactive visual aid was developed to replace the visual aid brochure, also known as pharmaceutical promotional literature. The interactive visual aid is used by biotechnology area business managers to promote their respective medications directly to a healthcare provider. Biotechnology corporations are equipping their sales forces with tablet PCs to leverage customer relationship management tools, adhere to compliance and Food and Drug Administration regulatory policies, and to launch marketing tools such as the interactive visual aid. Do these companies know the factors contributing to …

The Sport Commitment Model’S Effect On The Participation Frequency And Purchase Behavior Of Golfers, Kevin Rubel

Theses & Dissertations

Golf has a multi-billion dollar impact on the U.S. economy. Golf course revenues have flattened since the industry peaked in 2005. Many golf courses have closed as fewer and fewer golfers continue to play. Golf course managers must develop effective marketing plans to retain customers. This means developing effective systems to retain golfers who have a large variety of playing and equipment options. Determining what factors are related to the reasons a golfer continues to play would help in the development of needed programs. Commitment to golf could be one of the factors related to the purchase intention and participation …

Motivations Of Ncaa Student Athletes In Community Service, Karen Boleska

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. Research is ongoing around the United States on volunteer motivations; however, NCAA student athletes remain an understudied population. This quantitative study investigated the motivations of NCAA student athletes in community service to determine if the importance of motivational functions differ demographically. The specific purpose of this study was to examine and determine the order of the motivational function of importance for NCAA student athletes in connection to their participation in mandatory community service. Determining if the importance of motivational functions differ demographically by gender (male, female), academic classification (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate students), and by sport type …

How Decision Makers Learn To Choose Organizational Performance Measures, Annemarie N. Hooge

Theses & Dissertations

This study, framed by decision making, program theory, and performance measurement theory, explored the knowledge and experience that enable decision makers to identify organizational performance measures. It used a mixed method, exploratory sequential research design to discover the experience, knowledge, and skills (EKS) senior decision makers felt were important in learning to choose organizational performance measures. From the analyzed interviews, a survey was designed to measure the importance of the EKS characteristics. Qualitative analysis identified 55 life, work, or educational experience; knowledge; or skill characteristics and 23 effective measure characteristics. Regression analysis and PCA were used to extract 6 components. …

Call Center Experience Optimization: A Case For A Virtual Predictive Queue, William Pugh

Theses & Dissertations

The evolution of the call center into contact centers and the growth of their use in providing customer-facing service by many companies has brought considerable capabilities in maintaining customer relationships but it also has brought challenges in providing quality service when call volumes are high. Limited in their ability to provide service at all times to all customers, companies are forced to balance the costs associated with hiring more customer service representatives and the quality of service provided by a fewer number. A primary challenge when there are not enough customer service representatives to engage the volume of callers in …

The Impact Of Lean Startup Theory Upon Local Business Entrepreneurs, Gary Boyd

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the entrepreneurs in South Texas are aware of the Lean Startup Methodology, and have utilized its principles in their business startup decisions. If so, how have these Lean Methods impacted their ongoing operational management? Additionally, this study ascertains the degree of satisfaction these entrepreneurs have with their startup processes. Finally, this study determines whether selected entrepreneurs would recommend a Lean Startup approach to other entrepreneurs. The research focused only upon selected business entities formed since 2000.

Research Methods. This study utilized a survey methodology. In particular, …

The Impact Of Culture On Hispanic Entrepreneurs As Mediated By Motivation, Challenge, And Success, Valerie V. Ballesteros

Theses & Dissertations

In the modern economic environment, demographic shifts in U.S. population resulting from changing immigration, changing economic policies and environments, and growing socioeconomic disparity, scholarly research examining the business behavior of specific groups and the impact of behavior on the broader marketplace is valuable and necessary. Hispanic entrepreneurs, when compared to both minority and non-minority business-owners, started and flourished in successful business ownership at a greater growth rate than any other group (Davila, Mora, & Zeitlin, 2014). Since the beginning of the 21st century, Hispanic entrepreneurs have become a measurable economic force. The cultural experience of the Hispanic entrepreneur is important …

The Roles Of Product Type And Product Newness In Consumer Value Co-Creation For Luxury Brands, Qi Lu

Theses & Dissertations

The study examines the effect of consumer co-creation in different new product development stages on consumer loyalty, purchase intention and word-of-mouth. It also examines (a) the mediating role of consumer perceived value, (b) the moderating effect of product type (search goods vs. experience goods) and (c) the influence of product newness (high-level vs. low-level) on the moderating effect of product type. Two scenario-based experiments on real luxury buyers in China were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.

The findings show that co-creation at the early (vs. late) stage have a greater positive impact on consumer loyalty, purchase intention and word-of-mouth. …

Informed Institutional Shareholding : Evidence From Political Promotion, Chi Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Are institutional investors informed to the political promotion events? This paper examines the informed trading of institutional investors in the context of political promotion. Institutional investors have superior information environment compared to retail investors. It can establish private information channel with firm management, financial analysts, regulatory bodies and other types of institutions. Since contemporary economic activities are more or less influenced by politics, promotion of important officials can bring favorable local economic development opportunities to companies. If institutional investors are informed to the political promotion events, they are supposed to react in advance of the occurrence of promotion events. We …

Geographic Distance And The Impact Of Investor Sentiment On Stock Prices, Yan Yang

Theses & Dissertations

Based on China’s stock market, this study investigates how firms’ geographic distance from a financial center affects the sensitivity of stock prices to investor sentiment. I find that firms located closer to a financial center are more affected by investor sentiment than firms located far from a financial center. This distance effect holds for different geographic cutting boundaries and after excluding firms located in financial centers. Besides, using China’s High Speed Railway (HSR) as an exogenous shock, I find that HSR connection significantly decreases the effect of geographic distance on the sentiment-driven stock price relationship. In addition, firms with shorter …

Managing Sales And Product Returns Under The Word-Of-Mouth Effect : Pricing, Quality, And Restocking Fee Decisions, Sun Yuen Hui

Theses & Dissertations

This paper considers a two-echelon supply chain involving a manufacturer and a retailer who make their pricing, quality, and restocking fee decisions under the word-of-mouth (WOM) effect. To investigate the decision-making problem for the sales and product returns, we construct a leader-follower game model in which the manufacturer first determines his quality effort and the wholesale price and the retailer then decides on her retail price and the restocking fee. Our results show that the wholesale and retail prices under no WOM effect are smaller than those when the WOM effect exists; and, as the WOM has a higher impact …

Insurance And Self-Protection For Increased Risk Aversion, Jian Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

We re-examine the classic problem of risk aversion and self-protection in this paper. In the beginning of this paper, we conduct comparative statics of risk aversion and prevention efforts based on the mono-periodic two states model of choice under risk. We show this new condition is effective with self-insurance-cum-protection model (Lee, 1998), in which the decision maker's activities to prevent the risk can sever both as self-insurance and self-protection. We suggest a new condition that increased risk aversion induces more prevention activities. This new condition requires only one assumption concerning fear of ruin coefficient, marginal effect of SICP activity on …

A Simulation Experimental Study On The Utility Of Pay Changes, Liu Ye

Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we conduct an experimental simulation of 131 students from a university in Hong Kong and investigate the relationship between pay changes and the perceived values (i.e., utility). Applying traditional psychophysical methods, we measure the utility of pay changes (i.e., pay raises and pay cuts) of different sizes by individual responses (i.e., happiness/unhappiness). Drawing on utility theory and expectancy theory, we examine the function that best fits this relationship by considering common function forms including linear, quadratic, logarithmic, and power functions. Using regression techniques, we find that a quadratic function best fits the data, and the utility function …

Relationship Between Generations Of Entrepreneurs And Entrepreneurial Traits, Ihsan Eken

Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative descriptive study investigated the relationship between 3 different generations of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship traits. The specific purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and generations of U.S. entrepreneurs in Southwest (San Antonio), Northeast (Dallas), Center (Austin), and Southeast (Houston) Texas, to see whether generational differences are associated with entrepreneurial traits. 3 different generations of entrepreneurs were investigated in the study: baby boomers, generations Xers, and millennials. The research aimed to contribute beneficial insights to their understanding in enterprising potential and differentiate themselves in entrepreneurial traits in (a) need for achievement, (b) need for …

Evaluating A Chaplain Corps Change Initiative: Examining The Relationship Between Change Beliefs And Job Satisfaction, Steven Thomas Sill

Theses & Dissertations

The Air Force Chaplain Corps is experiencing a period of rapid change that challenges traditional approaches to providing ministry for Air Force personnel. The need for an effective chaplaincy has never been greater; the Air Force’s critical manning shortages and worldwide duty requirements are adding stress and uncertainty to the lives of Airmen (Losey, 2015). To better support these Airmen the Chief of Chaplains directed a change initiative aimed at increasing the effectiveness of unit-based ministry, including aggressive goals for the amount of time spent in direct unit engagement. This study utilized a survey to explore beliefs of Chaplain Corps …

A Case For Spiritual Change Readiness: A Correlational Study, Wanita Nicole Mercer

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between spirit at work and attitudes towards organizational change among adults working in various industries. The Spirit at Work Scale (SAWS) measured the independent variable and the Attitudes Towards Organizational Change (ATOC) scale measured the dependent variable. Four factors (engaging work, sense of community, mystical experience, and spiritual connection) measured spirit at work. Three factors (cynical attitudes, fearful attitudes, and accepting attitudes) measured attitudes towards organizational change. Three hundred and ten responses were collected via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk online workforce and analyzed. A Pearson’s correlation test …

Alumni Commitment: Exploring The Process Of Transition From Participants To Donors, Tina Siller

Theses & Dissertations

Traditionally, the mission and values of institutions of higher education tend to be positioned around nurturing students to realize their full potential. This includes growing students holistically as whole people, through their academic, social, and emotional interactions while enrolled. Through this focus, institutions hope to connect with students and build an emotional connection or affiliation that will last beyond the student years and into the alumni years. Alumni play a pivotal role in institutional advancement in that they serve as sources of support through their active participation, networking representation, serving as community liaisons, and their charitable contributions. The 2 most …

Personal Decision Factors Considered By Information Technology Executives: Their Impacts On Business Intentions And Consequent Cloud Computing Services Adoption Rates, Marcus Lee Smith Jr

Theses & Dissertations

During its infancy, the cloud computing industry was the province largely of small and medium-sized business customers. Despite their size, these companies required a professionally run, yet economical information technology (IT) operation. These customers used a total value strategy whereby they avoided paying for essential, yet underutilized, resources (e.g., full-time IT personnel and computing equipment with excess capacity) by outsourcing most, if not all, of their entire IT function. Since that time, the cloud industry has expanded the breadth of its service offerings greatly and the economies of scale have reduced the unit price point. In addition, research suggests other …

Blended Learning: Institutional Frameworks For Adoption And Implementation, Anida Duarte

Theses & Dissertations

Blended Learning in education is the future for higher education. The rapid changes in technology combined with a demand for a more agile environment is transforming the traditional classroom and challenging learning models. Higher education has been adapting by moving classroom time into purely online environments. However, the literature suggests the new wave of learning is extracting the best practices from traditional and online models and infusing them into a blended environment. The agility and use of technology allows the non-traditional student to balance a professional career and life demands while still gaining the benefits of face-to-face time in the …

Assessing The Effect Of Mobile Word-Of-Mouth On Consumers : The Physical, Psychological And Social Influences, Juanyi Jiang

Theses & Dissertations

Mobile technologies enable users to discover and research products anytime, anywhere. Mobile devices allow consumers to create and share content based on physical location, facilitate seamless interactions, and provide context-relevant information that can better satisfy users’ needs and enhance their shopping experience. As consumers increasingly rely on mobile devices to search information and purchase products, they need immediate, updated, informative and credible opinions in concise forms. Meanwhile, marketers face unprecedented opportunities for mobile marketing, making ever important for them to understand the mobile word-of-mouth and its effect on the purchase behaviors of consumers on the mobile platform vs. those on …

Will Analysts Learn From Other Analysts Who Possess Superior Private Information, Hangyuan Shi

Theses & Dissertations

Based on a valuable testing venue in China where listed companies are required to disclose corporate site visit records of financial analyst to the public, this study examines whether analysts will learn from visiting analysts' forecasts that contain superior private information. I find that visiting forecasts tend to attract more analysts to issue forecasts in their aftermath than the prior forecasts issued by the same analysts but without conducting corporate site visit (non-visiting forecasts). The following effect is weaker when the visiting forecasts are more informative. In addition, other analysts’ forecasts following the visiting forecasts tend to move closer to …

An Improved Model For Trust-Aware Recommender Systems Based On Multi-Faceted Trust, Peihu Zhu

Theses & Dissertations

As customers enjoy the convenience of online shopping today, they face the problem of selecting from hundreds of thousands of products. Recommender systems, which make recommendations by matching products to customers based on the features of the products and the purchasing history of customers, are increasingly being incorporated into e-commerce websites. Collaborative filtering is a major approach to design algorithms for these systems. Much research has been directed toward enhancing the performance of recommender systems by considering various psychological and behavioural factors affecting the behaviour of users, e.g. trust and emotion.

While e-commerce firms are keen to exploit information on …

The Integrative Effects Of Promotion Attributes : Implications For Effective Promotion Design, Suntong Qi

Theses & Dissertations

Promotion attributes, such as giveaways, time limitation and exclusivity, are commonly studied separately. Previous studies may focus on how individual attributes (e.g. time pressure or price discounts) affect sales, but seldom consider the integrative effect of them. As individual attributes are often found to have a bilateral effect (both positive and negative) on sales, in this thesis, we explore how different attributes can be aligned with each other and integrated with different level of brand strength according to fit logic. That is how promotion elicits sales and generates word-of-mouth impact in terms of the configuration of promotional attributes and brand …

Breaking Television News: Is Social Media Coverage You Can Count On?, Eileen Canosa Teves

Theses & Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored how 10 television journalists and photojournalists handled social media’s integration and its impact on television news. A quantitative survey modeled after Moore and Benbasat’s (1991) instrument using the Diffusion of Innovations theory as a foundation measured how participants adopted social media in newsgathering and dissemination. Through qualitative one-on-one interviews, data revealed that participants believed social media was advantageous in collecting and reporting television news. Television journalists were able to locate sources, experts, and visual images. Social media allowed participants to report live from the scene and deliver news quickly. The innovation enabled participants to connect …