Business Commons^™

Topic Modeling Based Cross-Source Consumer Opinions Discovery & Integration, Fan Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Online reviews can easily be accessed from e-commerce websites, dedicated web portals, blogs, discussion groups, forums, and other social media. It provides affluent information about products or services for consumers, merchants, and business analysts. It brings convenience, and also confusion. People feel overwhelmed by the information they receive from online reviews. "Is this product real good, or just so so? What are the opinions of the other consumers who had experience on the item? Why the reviews from different sites read different?" These questions are frequently asked by the review readers. This dissertation answers the above questions by first investigating …

Financial Conflict Messages And Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role Of Financial Communication Satisfaction, Samantha Josephine Shebib

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores how methods of handling financial disagreements contribute to, or detracts from, marital satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction with communicating about financial obligations in marriage is predicted to contribute to marital satisfaction.

Faktorët Që Influencojnë Kënaqësinë Klientore Në Sektorin E Hotelierisë, Leoranda Arapi

Theses and Dissertations

Hulumtimi i realizuar në kuadër të punimit të diplomës kishte si objektiv përcaktimin e faktorëve te shërbimeve hoteliere të cilët janë vlerësuar nga klientët e anketuar. Vlerësimet e dhëna ofrojnë orientime drejt kaheve dhe pikave ku kualiteti i shërbimeve përkon me nevojat dhe preferencat e klientëve. Metodologjia e përdorur në këtë hulumtim është analizimi i pyetësorëve, shqyrtimi literaturës, vrojtimi direkt dhe metodat krahasuese. Objektivi kryesor i pyetësorëve të shpërndarë është për të kuptuar nevojat, të mbledhur opinionet dhe komentet e klientëve mysafireve, si dhe më e rëndësishmja, për të vlerësuar ata se sa janë të kënaqur me shërbimet e ofruara. …

Aligning Strategic Interests: Business Perspective On Partnership Dynamics With Nonprofit Organizations In The Context Of Corporate Social Responsibility In Egypt, Reem Bassem Fouad Mikhail

Theses and Dissertations

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) gained considerable hype both on practical and academic plateaus in recent decades. While, nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in specific have been active in their quest to offer alternative or complimentary services to the public, especially at times when governments fall short in delivering adequate social duties. CSR as a research arena remains untapped in a country like Egypt despite the potential of business and NPOs partnerships as one aspect. In spite of the common perception that CSR is philanthropic in nature in Egypt, this research aims to seal this gap through studying partnership mechanisms and dynamics of …

The Application Of Lean Six Sigma To Improve A Business Process: A Study Of The Order Processing Process At An Automobile Manufacturing Facility, Sherrian Francina Ellis

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to explore the application of Lean Six Sigma to determine root causes of process inefficiency and make recommendations for improving the order processing process at an automobile manufacturing facility. State of the art process quality improvement initiatives Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma are used to explore literature and provide a strong theoretical background for this study. Since the study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data, the study’s methodological approach is classified as mixed methodology. The study is empirical in nature, and single case study is strategy chosen to complete the study. The …

Organizimi Efektiv Dhe Kontrolli I Aktiviteteve Të Marketingut, Flamur Kadriu

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë temë diplome trajtohet funksioni i marketingut konkretisht koncepti i marketingut, historiku, rëndësia si dhe roli i menaxhimit dhe aktivitetet e marketingut . Në fillim kemi një shqyrtim të literaturës ku shpjegohet në përgjithësi marketingu, fazat e zhvillimit si dhe organizimi , kontrolli dhe revizioni i aktiviteteve të marketingut . Në punim janë të pasqyruara format e organizmit të aktiviteteve të marketingut sipas funksioneve, produkteve, tregjeve, blerësve dhe formave tjera të kombinuara, njëkohësisht do të shtjellohet edhe kontrolli i marketingut, aktivitet i organizuar krahas së cilit reflektohen sukseset, të metat, kryerja dhe realizimi i detyrave të planifikuara të marketingut …

Analizë E Investime Të Huaja Ne Kosovë, Rron Jolla

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë temë diplome trajtohet dhe shqyrtohet roli i investimeve në Kosovë se si ndikojnë ato në ekonominë e Kosovës. Në fillim të këtij punimi e kemi shqyrtimin e literaturës në të cilën shpjegohen përkufizimet e investimeve të huaja, klasifikimet e investimeve të huaja si dhe avantazhet dhe disavantazhet e saj. Po ashtu paraqitet se sa ka pas investime në Kosovë, cilat janë problemet e saj si dhe rezultatet e tyre. Gjendja në Kosovë e cila e ka papunesinë shumë të madhe është trajtuar po ashtu në këtë temë se si ajo ndikon në IHD duke i përdorur të dhënat …

Ndikimi I Marketingut Digjital Në Sektorin Privat Të Kosovës, Kastriot Kabashi

Theses and Dissertations

Kohëve tё fundit është rritur ndjeshëm interesimi mbi çështjen e marketingut digjital e sidomos nё sektorin privat nё Kosovё. Me të kuptuar vlerën dhe përfitimet që sjell kjo fushё e re e marketingut shumë kompani i janë nënshtruar këtij sistemi që sjell efekte pozitive brenda një biznesi. Konsiderojë që çdo biznes çfarëdo qoftë ai në kuadër të departamenteve që posedon duhet të përmbajë një degë të posaçme pёr transformimin e marketingut tradicional nё atё digjital. Kjo pikëpamje vjen si pasojë e sukseseve tё ndërmarrjeve private nё aplikimin e sistemeve digjitale tё marketingut pёr shpërndarjen, promovimin dhe reklamimin e produkt/shërbimeve online. …

Improving Cooling Tower Chemistry Control And Cost Savings Through Automation, Ryan Matthew Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations

Proper chemistry control of cooling towers reduces corrosion, biological growth, and precipitation of solids. Therefore, improving control can lead to increased equipment life, operating efficiency, and safety. Chemistry of cooling towers is highly dependent on loading, weather, and time. As such, cooling tower chemistry varies day to day and even hour to hour, requiring either continuous controls or large operating bands. Through automation, 24/7 monitoring and control can be achieved, allowing for deliberate operation within tight operating bands. As a direct result of automation water consumption has been reduced by 9.1 million gallons per year, CL-49 use has been reduced …

Divergence In Stakeholder Perceptions Of Security Policies: A Repgrid Analysis For Norm-Rule Compliance, Ahlam Almusharraf

Theses and Dissertations

Many organizations have a problem with synchronizing individual values regarding information security with expectations set by the relevant security policy. Such discordance leads to failure in compliance or simply subversion of existing or imposed controls. The problem of the mismatch in understanding the security policies amongst individuals in an organization has devastating effect on security of the organization. Different individuals hold different understanding and knowledge about IS security, which is reflected on IS security policies design and practice (Vaast, 2007). Albrecthsen and Hovdena (2009) argue that users and managers practice IS security differently because they have different rationalities. This difference …

Three Essays On Institutional Sensemaking Of Political Connectedness, Tolga Ulusemre

Theses and Dissertations

Through a collection of three integrated essays, this dissertation investigates how institutional logics shape the way firms and their decision makers perceive, interpret, and respond to political connectedness. More specifically, it elaborates on the cognitive mechanisms through which institutional logics affect responses to political connectedness. Essay 1 provides a fresh perspective to studying political connectedness by showing how the differences in the interplay between multiple institutional logics generate opposing logics – bureaucratic logic in developed countries vs. patrimonial logic in emerging countries –, which lead to two dissimilar forms of firm-government interaction across countries. Essay 2 proposes a new conceptual …

The Structural Choice Of A Senior Marketing Executive In The Top Management Teams In Mncs In Usa, Uk And Germany: Antecedents And Impact On Firm Performance, Kurt John Gleichauf

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the Chief Marketing Officer (senior marketing executive) has received minimal attention in the literature. Only recently has academic research investigated the position of the senior marketing executive. This dissertation uses neo-institutional and contingency lenses to extend prior theory and add cross-national perspectives on marketing management structural choices. An analysis of secondary data sources is used to clarify the key antecedents involved in the organizational choice of a senior marketing executive as a structural response in both one-tier and two-tier board governance systems. Possible mechanisms for the hypothesized effects are presented. Further, gaps in the prior literature on …

Life-Cycle Analysis Of A Cement Manufacturing Plant Co-Firing Hazardous Waste In The Usa, Stephen P. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to determine the overall environmental impacts associated with the co-firing hazardous waste by burning in a cement kiln to replace the use of coal in the cement manufacturing process. This environmental assessment was conducted using LCA methodology. Understanding the environmental impacts associated with burning hazardous waste in a cement factory could help shape national environmental policy, regulations and the need for site specific human health risk assessments in the environmental regulatory permitting processes. Accordingly, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts from the hazardous waste burning for energy recovery …

Business And Security In The Age Of Terrorism: The Long-Term Effects Of The September 11 Terrorist Attacks On Seaport Governance And Control, Daniel J. Ostergaard

Theses and Dissertations

The primary research goal of this dissertation is to improve our theoretical understanding of the longterm effects of major transnational terrorist events on securityrelated institutional changes for business. To accomplish this goal, the September, 11, 2001, terror attack was chosen as the starting point for this research. The research context is the governance of seaport security. Using grounded theory to develop comparative case studies of several major security initiatives in the maritime industry after 9/11, this dissertation shows that a terrorist event initiates a process of institutional change that emerges over time as initial securityrelated ideas cascade into concrete actions. …

An Investigation Of Mannequins’ Effect On Consumer Attitude And Intention, Hannah Shealy

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effect of mannequin type on consumers’ purchase decisions. Data was collected from a convenience sample of 165 respondents through an online survey to measure the variables of envisioning, consumer attitude toward the display, and purchase intention in their relationship to mannequin type. Hypothesis 1, 2, and 3 were confirmed, confirming the conceptual model and the overall investigation into whether mannequin type effects consumer purchase decisions. Mannequin type was found to have a significant effect on envisioning, and the relationships between envisioning and consumer attitude toward the display and between attitude and purchase intention were found to …

Implementation Of Agile Project Management In The Classroom, Michael Jerrod Myers

Theses and Dissertations

The world of engineering and engineering practices is advancing rapidly. In response to this rapid change, engineering education practices have to advance to ensure students are properly trained for the workforce. The purpose of this report is to address and substantiate the hypothesis that if engineering instruction incorporated Agile project management methods, then students will be challenged by professors to accomplish course objectives with a systematic and timely approach that will improve assessment performance metrics and present the framework of how agile methods of project management can be integrated into the classroom. The agile methods incorporated will also encourage the …

Investigating The Role Of Internal Hospital Factors And The External Environment On Healthcare Quality Outcomes And Patient Choice, Deepa Wani

Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare landscape has been changing rapidly with changes in the reimbursement system, financial incentives for using information technologies, pay for performance programs for quality improvements and increased demand for hospital services from millions of newly insured patients. Understanding the impact of these policy changes in an operations management context has been an understudied area. We contribute to the literature by incorporating research streams from healthcare, economics, marketing and quality management. This dissertation consists of three studies. The first study examines the impact of the mandated use of electronic health records, and finds that such records not only improve the …

Articulating The Balance Of Power: Comparing The Relative Weights Of Human Capital Resources And Organizational Capabilities, Michael D. Ulrich

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have argued the importance of human capital to organizations for many years. Recent theoretical developments have distinguished between human capital, which is owned by individuals, and human capital resources, which are available to units for performance and competitive advantage. This distinction calls attention to different types of human capital, generic or specific. Studies have found positive unit-level effects emanating from both human capital resource types yet few studies have considered multiple types simultaneously, making it challenging to know which has greater explanatory power. Additionally, studies have also not considered the impact of organizational capabilities in conjunction with human capital …

The Unwritten Rules About Breaking The Rules: Collective Frames And The Legitimation Of Contested Practices Within Consumption Communities, Nicholas J. Pendarvis

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the legitimation of contested consumption practices in the context of a highly competitive online gaming community. Building on prior research, which has relied on an institutional perspective to shed light on how perceptions of legitimacy form and evolve in the marketplace, this research explores the role of legitimacy at the level of consumption communities to highlight the ways in which consumers socially construct “collective frames” which give meaning to action and organize these communities. In the empirical context studied here, online gamers have incorporated user-created modifications (e.g., modified game accessories, or "mods") into game play over the …

Provision Of Hospital-Based Palliative Care And The Impact On Organizational And Patient Outcomes, Marisa L. Roczen

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital-based palliative care services aim to streamline medical care for patients with chronic and potentially life-limiting illnesses by focusing on individual patient needs, efficient use of hospital resources, and providing guidance for patients, patients’ families and clinical providers toward making optimal decisions concerning a patient’s care. This study examined the nature of palliative care provision in U.S. hospitals and its impact on selected organizational and patient outcomes, including hospital costs, length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and transfer to hospice. Hospital costs and length of stay are viewed as important economic indicators. Specifically, lower hospital costs may increase a hospital’s profit …

Campus Knowledge Of Esports, Kenny Sugishita

Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigates private college and university admission’s officers levels of familiarity of the electronic sports (eSports) industry along with determining the level of emphasis universities place on academics and co-curricular activities. A thorough examination of the professional eSports space is extensively detailed providing information about the history of video games, the development of professional eSports, and the development of collegiate eSports. Additionally, examination of trends in higher education, especially as it relates to private institutions, is explained in detail. With the eSports industry continuing to expand, this study is timely as small private colleges and universities are searching …

An Integrative Model Of Muslim Students' Religiosity And Travelling Behavior To Gaming Destinations, Dawood Sulaiman Al Jahwari

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars in the tourism industry are continuously looking for new knowledge related to travel behavior, motivations, and the preferences of the main tourist segments. Demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural variables can all influence the demand for travel. Despite numerous studies on most of the demographic and socioeconomic variables, scholars have paid very little attention to religiosity with regard to travel decision-making. Specifically, no researchers have investigated the role of Islamic religiosity in predicting Muslims’ destination choice decisions. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of attitudes, subjective norms, travel motivations, Islamic religiosity, self-efficacy, travel constraints, constraints negotiation strategies, …

Media Effect On Resident Attitude Toward Hosting The Olympic Games: A Cross-National Study Between China And The Usa, Qiulin Lu

Theses and Dissertations

News media helped individuals think about and understand the impacts of hosting the Olympic Games, enabling them to clarify or construct their own opinions toward an Olympic bid. The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent the public opinion of hosting the Olympic Games was affected by the newspaper media content to which the public was exposed. Based on social exchange theory, social representation theory, and agenda setting theory, two research questions were proposed: (1) Do different news media contents about the impacts of hosting the Olympic Games lead to different attitudes among the local residents? (2) …

Three Essays On Corporate Governance And Corporate Social Responsibility, He Wang

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, which are firms actions that go above and beyond the interests of the firm to further the social good, have become common practice. While extant literature on CSR largely investigates the consequences of CSR activities, only a few studies identify the determinants of CSR. This dissertation extends a growing literature on the determinants of CSR by exploring the impact of corporate governance on CSR activities in three related essays. The first essay investigates the impact of family control on CSR performance. Using newly collected data on the ultimate ownership structure of publicly …

Raportet E Auditimit Dhe Rëndësia Në Vendimmarrje, Ardiana Krasniqi

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim ka si qëllim përshkrimin e raporteve të auditimit dhe rëndësinë e tyre në vendimmarrje. Duke u bazuar në literature dhe në publikime të ndryshme, janë bërë përpjekje që punimi të përshkruhet në mënyre sa më të mirë. Përmes auditimit arrihet procesi i mbledhjes dhe krijimit të argumenteve mbi veprimtarinë ekonomike. Auditimi është procedurë e vlerësimit dhe vërtetimit të raporteve financiare, në bazë të të cilave jepet mendim profesional dhe i pavarur mbi gjendjen reale objektive dhe financiare, rezultateve financiare dhe rrjedhës së parasë. Veprimtaria e auditimit ka rol të rëndësishëm në vendimmarrje, sepse vlerësohen rreziqe, dhe jepen rekomandime …

The Competitive Environment Of Community Banking And The Potential Impact On Microenterprise Entrepreneurs' Access To Bank Financing, Robert D. Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 35 years, Great Depression era regulatory restrictions on the geographic area of operation and the scope of financial services banks can offer have change significantly. These changes fueled a surge of merger activity and resulted in a 70% decrease in the number of bank charters by 2015. Currently, community banks hold only 14% of bank assets in the US; nonetheless, they play an important role in the US economy because they continue to provide the majority of funding to small businesses. This study finds that over 83% of bank failures occurred in metropolitan areas despite the distribution …

Identifying Elements Of A Climate For Sustainability, Rosemond A. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability as an area of research is growing in importance not only among academicians, but practitioners as well. A 2010 Accenture study of 700 CEOs found that 93% identified sustainability as important to the long term future success of their organizations. Utilizing CEO sustainability statements Content Analysis was conducted to understand and identify those key elements necessary for a climate for sustainability. A climate for sustainability is one in which sustainability policies, practices, and procedures drive behaviors that are rewarded, supported, and expected within an organization.

Content analysis of CEO statements from organizations recognized for both their sustainability practices as …

Authoritative Coaching: Building Youth Through Athletics, Christian S. Brinton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence and extent of the relationship of coaching styles and adolescent athletes in terms of Self Determination Theory (SDT). Specifically, this study adapted Baumrind’s parenting styles of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissiveness to coaching styles and examined the relationship between each coaching style and the tenets of SDT, namely competence, autonomy, and relatedness. This study also examined the effect of the number of years an athlete participated in a chosen sport, the number of years played on a specific team, and the number of years played for a particular coach. The sample …

Zhvillimi I Ndërmarrësisë Dhe Zbutja E Varfërisë Në Kosovë, Bujar Gosalci

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë temë diplome trajtohet roli i ndërmarrësisë në zbutjen e varfërisë në Kosovë. Fillimisht shqyrtohen shkaktarët e varfërisë në Kosovë duke u bërë edhe krahasime me vendet tjera të varfra në Botë. Duke konstatuar se shkaktari kryesor për varfëri është njeriu trajtohen format e edukimit të tij për të tejkaluar dhe evituar në të ardhmen varfërinë. Duke parë ndërmarrësinë si mjet kyç në luftimin e varfërisë është ndërtuar profili psikologjik i ndërmarrësit të suksesshëm. Janë trajtuar edhe institucionet e dijes dhe ato financiare në mbështetje të ndërmarrësve. Si rezultat i këtij punimi shpresohet të jetë ngritja e vetëdijes individuale …

Investimet E Huaja Direkte Në Vendet Në Tranzicion (Rasti I Kosovës) Rc44, Anesa Hoxha

Theses and Dissertations

Investimet e huaja direkte luajnë një rol jetik në ekonominë e vendit tonë. Ato janë një burim i rëndësishëm i flukseve të kapitalit dhe zhvillimit të ekonomisë. Në këtë temë, përmes shqyrtimit të literaturës, rezultateve të gjetura dhe përmes analizës së këtyre rezultateve do të ilustrohet rëndësia dhe roli i investimeve te huaja direkte në zhvillimin ekonomik. Fillimisht, do të shqyrtohen studime të ndryshme me fokus kundrejt faktorëve kyç që ndikojnë në nivelin e IHD-ve. Disa nga studimet më të theksuara që do të përmenden në këtë temë janë të përqendruaranë rëndësinë e madhësisë së tregut, infrastrukturës, stabilitetit politik dhe …