Business Commons^™

Retention Prediction And Policy Optimization For United States Air Force Personnel Management, Joseph C. Hoecherl

Theses and Dissertations

Effective personnel management policies in the United States Air Force (USAF) require methods to predict the number of personnel who will remain in the USAF as well as to replenish personnel with different skillsets over time as they depart. To improve retention predictions, we develop and test traditional random forest models and feedforward neural networks as well as partially autoregressive forms of both, outperforming the benchmark on a test dataset by 62.8% and 34.8% for the neural network and the partially autoregressive neural network, respectively. We formulate the workforce replenishment problem as a Markov decision process for active duty enlisted …

A Case Study Of The Efficacy Of Model-Based Requests For Information, Kyle J. Arruda

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) has encouraged the transition to digital engineering, yet there are limited guides for how to transition and there is limited data to show where an organization like a program office can reap the most benefit from the transition. To identify areas where potential benefits may be realized, this thesis compares two Requests for Information (RFIs), one document-based and one model-based, from generation to response. A survey was developed and administered to 7 members of a single program office to grade the RFI responses. The survey was based on the 43 benefit categories identified in the …

Using Blockchain To Track Dod Funding And Auditing, Prithvi Prasanna

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) currently faces a significant problem when it comes to auditing and tracking financial transactions. The DoD has failed every audit since 2017 although it is gradually improving its auditable rating year after year. Concurrently, Blockchain is an emerging technology that has typically been used for cryptocurrencies but has slowly been adapted by private enterprises for their auditing and invoicing problems. This study investigates the value proposition of blockchain technology to improve DoD financial tracking and auditing. To test the hypothesis that blockchain is the optimal option for the DoD, this paper employs an industry blockchain …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Saudi Land Bridge Project, Faris J. Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

Projects are the backbone of economic thrive of nations, especially infrastructure projects. It’s counted as the base layer of allowing economic trade between beneficiaries. Railway projects have always been a huge element in increasing trade operations between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world, by providing an efficient and environmentally friendly way that is capable of hauling large loads of exports all the way to the seaports and from there to the rest of the world. The Saudi land bridge project will cost about $11 billion and will provide a new link between the existent railway in the eastern …

A Rule-Based Automatic Data Validation Framework For Enterprise Asset Management In The Power And Utilities Industry, Kennedy O. Oyoo

Theses and Dissertations

Every industry has significant data output as a product of its working processes. Power and utilities (P&U) are no exception. Power and utilities organizations generate a lot of data from different business operational systems that provide diverse inputs to a central enterprise asset management (EAM) system tasked with supporting management of physical assets over their life cycles. Physical assets which cover a range of asset types are used in the generation, transmission, and distribution of power. Asset data quality is one area which is often overlooked during the implementation of EAM systems because the focus is primarily on the final …

Essays On Insider Trading, Innovation, And Political Economy, Jiawei Chen

Theses and Dissertations

I study how insider trading interacts with the political economy, regulators, and other corporate governance mechanisms. In the first section, I examine the impact of insider trading restriction enforcement on firm innovation. U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions are intended to protect investors and limit expropriation by firm insiders, but enforcement could impact insiders’ incentives to contribute to value enhancing activities. Therefore, I explore how corporate innovation and performance respond to insider trading restrictions imposed by firms and regulators. Using manually collected data on SEC indictments against corporate insiders, I document more innovative activity following external insider trading …

Three Essays On Insider Trading, Haoyang Xiong

Theses and Dissertations

In the first essay we study whether and how personal off-the-job managerial indiscretions impact corporate insiders’ trading behavior. We find that executives accused of personal indiscretions earn significantly higher abnormal returns from their insider purchases and sales in a 15-day window around each trade. The results are robust to matched sample analyses. Further, insiders’ historical trading pattern or corporate culture has less explanatory power than personal attributes. We also document that exposure of these indiscretions to the public provides a disciplinary effect, as insider trading profits significantly drop following the announcement of an indiscretion, despite this drop being temporary. Corporate …

Essays On International Banking Regulation, Wenqing Gao

Theses and Dissertations

The first chapter analyzes the impact of macroprudential policies on bank systemic risk worldwide. Using data from 63 countries over 2001-2017, I find strong evidence that macroprudential policies are effective in reducing systemic risk at the country level. The effectiveness of macroprudential policies differs across countries in the sample. Macroprudential policies are more effective in reducing systemic risk in countries with more advanced economic development, with a higher degree of concentration in the banking sector, and with less stringent micro-prudential regulations. Bank-level evidence suggests that bank size matters. The impact of macroprudential policies on constraining bank systemic risk is more …

Essays On The Performance Of Option Trading Strategies, Zhuo Li

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two parts. In the first chapter, we examine the relative performance of four options-based investment strategies versus a buy-and-hold strategy in the underlying stock. Specifically, using ten stocks widely held in 401(k) plans, we examine monthly returns from strategies that include a long stock position as one component. These strategies are long stock, covered call, protective put, collar, and covered combination. Ignoring early exercise for simplicity, we find that the covered combination and covered call strategies generally outperform the long stock strategy, which in turn generally outperforms the collar and protective put strategies regardless of the …

La Asignación De Género De Los Préstamos En El Sureste De Tejas [The Gender Assignment Of Loans In Southeast Texas], Elsa Guadalupe Magana Orozco

Theses and Dissertations

En esta investigación se examina la asignación de género de préstamos del inglés al español en el Valle del Río Grande de Tejas basándose en 32 entrevistas sociolingüistas del Corpus bilingüe del Valle (Christoffersen y Bessett, 2019). Se han llegado a reconocer tres posibles factores que determinan la asignación de género (masculino o femenino) de los préstamos, tales como el sexo biológico, el género fonológico y el género analógico (Poplack, 1982; DuBord, 2004; Montés-Alcalá y Lapidus Shin, 2011). Los resultados muestran un total de 692 préstamos la mayoría fue asignado el género masculino un 50%, mientras 33% fue asignado el …

Financial Literacy And Consumer Well-Being: Examining The Role Of Gender Role Ideology, Lorena Garcia Ramon

Theses and Dissertations

Financial literacy, or the ability to process economic information and make informed decisions about financial planning, wealth accumulation, debt, and pensions, has been linked to beneficial financial behaviors that support financial well-being. Despite these benefits, consumers tend to underperform in financial literacy tests with women generally faring worse than men. This dissertation draws from gender roles literature and Expectancy-Value Theory to examine how, why, and when traditional attitudes regarding societal gender roles (i.e., gender role ideology) hinder women’s financial literacy and willingness to acquire financial knowledge. Moreover, it examines how financial literacy and willingness to …

Conspicuous Asceticism: Collapsing Consumers' Hungry Ghosts, Ash Zareian

Theses and Dissertations

The author investigates an emerging construct called conspicuous asceticism expositioned from a narcissism-centric view. The understanding of this construct is approached by drawing an idiomatic semantic parallel in opposition to conspicuous consumption and by utilizing its current theoretical framework of narcissism. Moreover, this paper seeks to extend conspicuous consumption’s theoretical framework as synonymous with the construct of compulsive consumption. Furthermore, I illustrate that consumers must transcend narcissism through engaging in treatment modalities requisite to operationalize a pioneering effort in which consumers can engage in marketing campaign efforts to advertise conspicuous ascetic contexts. This dissertation gleans from extant literature in sociology, …

The Examination Of Psychophysiological Effects Of Multisensory Imagery Marketing Strategy. A Triangulation In 3 Studies, Sasawan Heingraj

Theses and Dissertations

Multisensory imagery marketing strategy has been extensively suggested to be one of the advertising strategies that can generate long-term brand awareness, brand image, and authentic experience in a highly competitive market condition. This dissertation explored the psychophysiological effects of multisensory imagery marketing strategy on consumers' attitudes. Results from study 1 suggested that consumers’ masculine-feminine self-concept played an important role when evaluating multisensory imagery marketing messages. Specifically, consumers who exhibited a lower degree of masculine self-concept and those with feminine self-concept were likely to evaluate multisensory imagery marketing messages more positively than their higher masculine self-concept counterparts. We also found that …

Essays On Individuals’ Information Assessment, Information Disclosure, Participation, And Response Behaviors In Online Health Communities, Joseph Ade Manga

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of online health communities (OHCs) has enabled the use of information technologies to address some social and health needs including but not limited to emotional, social, and health-related issues. This information age has encouraged user generated (UG) content, which facilitates both peer-to-peer and business-to-peer interconnections. This rich and active information epoch (i.e., OHCs) is distinct in that value is generated when peers or participants—who may be content generators and/or content consumers—interact together by exchanging information and receiving supports aimed at addressing their specific needs; and this is made possible through the online platforms or support groups acting as …

Self-Service Technologies That Appear Human Interacting With Customers: Effects On Third-Party Observers, Ross Paul Murray

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effects of viewing and hearing service failure and recovery interactions between self-service technologies (SSTs) and customers on third-party observers. Third-party observers are those that observe the actions of other customers as they interact with a firm in some way. These observations could occur in the present (face-to-face) or past (watching a video or listening to an audio recording). Third-party observers provide a unique perspective as they can provide a more neutral perspective of a failed service transaction and recovery as compared to the involved customer and firm.

This dissertation contributes to the SST literature and to …

“No Tits In The Pits!”: An Exploratory Analysis Of The Experiences Of Female Decision Makers In Motorsports In The United States, Alexia Pedo Lopes

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the lived experiences of sixteen women who have decision-making roles in motorsports in the United States. The purpose was to shed light on the experiences of women who broke the glass ceiling in this unexplored male-dominated industry (Glass & Cook, 2016). The challenges these women encountered along with the mechanisms they employed to navigate those, and finally their motivation to continue pursuing a career in this industry, were assessed via in-depth semi-structured interviews and then the data was analyzed following a constant comparison thematic analysis. Challenges and coping mechanisms were classified according to the four levels, namely …

Customer Touchpoint: Conceptualization, Index Development, And Nomological Validation, Hyunsu Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Business executives across a wide variety of sectors, including retail, education, banking, healthcare, as well as hospitality and tourism, have increasingly realized that offering a superior customer experience is vital to a firm’s long-term success. Due to the experience-based nature of hospitality and tourism offerings in terms of heterogeneity, inseparability, intangibility, and perishability, providing exceptional CXs has long been recognized as essential to gaining a competitive advantage and establishing a foundation for brand loyalty.

To better understand what CX entails, hospitality and tourism scholars have conceptualized different forms of experiences, including flow experiences and memorable dining experiences. However, little attention …

Affective Risk Perceptions Toward Travel In A Covid Era: Policy And State Political Influences, Chloe Riley

Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to analyze the influence of state political affiliation and policy on affective risk perceptions, in the context of COVID-19. The study of risk perceptions in the travel literature is important because it can help industry leaders predict tourist decision-making and ensure feelings of safety for travelers. The relevance of risk perceptions has become even more apparent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzes three policies put into place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19: mask mandate, cancellation of public events, and school closures. Affective risk perceptions were measured by the Tourism Crisis Management Initiative’s …

Reconceptualizing Informal Learning In An Online Learning Environment, Silvia Clark

Theses and Dissertations

In 2020, many organizations moved their formal training programs to an online learning context due to COVID-19. Informal learning, which refers to activities that are self-guided and occur independently outside of formal learning contexts has gained significant interest among researchers and practitioners in the past two decades as it has been identified as the primary type of learning in today's organizations. Despite the increasing interest in informal learning, no attempt has been made to examine and understand informal learning in an online learning environment.

This dissertation provides an integrative review of prior work on formal and informal learning in online …

The Most Important Human Capital Resource: A Strategic Human Resources Perspective On Top Management Team Effectiveness, Spenser Michael Essman

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises two studies that theoretically and empirically examine a critical human capital resource, the top management team (TMT). In the first chapter, I propose a conceptual model that focuses on the context in which TMTs are embedded, by building on recent theory suggesting that the TMT is embedded within a multiteam system, referred to as a strategic leadership system. Specifically, I suggest that functional leadership teams – decision making groups responsible for managing firm functions and business units (e.g. finance; human resources) – are likely to be a part of the strategic leadership system, and develop theory regarding …

Entrepreneurial Orientation Impact On Micro And Small Enterprises In Egypt, Fayrouz Negm

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the proposed study is to test and analyze the impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) on micro and small enterprises’ growth in Egypt, measured by three growth indicators: sales revenue, profit margin, and employment. The growth rates are measured over four periods (past three years, past year, next year, and next three years) to examine the historical and potential impact of EO on growth rates.

EO is defined as the process which organizations use to renew themselves and their markets by innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking (Miller, 1983). While EO is considered one of the crucial factors in determining …

Can Blockchain-Supply Chain Announcements Create Shareholder Value? Evidence From An Event Study For International Initiatives, Alyaa Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how Blockchain based Supply chain (BC-SC) announcements impact the stock market performance of the announcing firms. Using a sample of 104 news and firm announcements between 2016 and July 2021, we conduct an international event study to determine the effect of BC-SC announcements on the market performance. We find that an overall significantly positive market reaction of 1.45% to all BC-SC announcements on the announcement day. In addition, we find that the stock market reaction slightly differs when different SC challenges are targeted by the announcing firm. When blockchain is used for traceability purposes, the market response …

The Critical Role Of Ethical Leadership In Employees’ Information Security Behaviors: A Two-Study Approach, Botong Xue

Theses and Dissertations

Employees’ information security policy (ISP) related behaviors have been paid attention by previous studies in the past decades. Among different factors that are influential on employees’ ISP behaviors, different leadership styles have been tested under the information security context; however, as one leadership style that is highly related to employees’ positive organization behaviors, the role of ethical leadership has been largely overlooked under the information security context. In addition, most research in the past decades overly focused on employees’ performance on ISP in-role behaviors, including ISP compliance and violation behaviors, where extra-role behaviors – security behaviors that are beneficial to …

Supplier Performance Scorecard Utilization In The Medical Device Manufacturing Healthcare Supply Chain, Justin Cardisco

Theses and Dissertations

The medical device manufacturing industry has a deficiency in determining how to improve supplier performance for the components and systems they purchase. Many complex medical devices require components from superb suppliers. But how does a medical device manufacturer (MDM) impartially assess supplier performance to know which suppliers to continuing with (or even boost purchase volumes) and which suppliers they should exit? This study describes which supplier-specific metrics are most important to medical device manufacturers (MDMs) so they can utilize this supplier performance scorecard backed by real-world inputs. This research will focus on five categories to measure MDM supplier performance (Quality, …

The Role Of Personal Disposition And Preference Matching In Information Security Message Persuasiveness, Feng Xu

Theses and Dissertations

How to design effective persuasive information security messages to motivate individuals’ engagement in recommended protective security behaviors has become a top priority in the information security field. Although fear appeals have been shown to be an effective means to influence individuals’ security-related protective behaviors, recent information security research has called for a deeper understanding of recipients’ information processing of messages to design effective fear appeals. Previous IS security research has explored two individuals’ information processing routes of security messages, the central route, and the peripheral route, and has investigated the impacts of central variables, perceived argument quality, and peripheral variables, …

The Dark Side Of Artificial Intelligence: Understanding The Role Of Perceived Algorithm Unfairness On Ride-Hailing Driver Discontinuance, Zhenya Tang

Theses and Dissertations

Ride-hailing platforms (RHP) are sharing economy platforms that connect passengers who need to order a private ride or to share a vehicle with drivers who want to share a ride. However, after rapid growth, major RHPs (e.g., Uber, Lyft, and Didi) have begun to face severe driver shortages. Attracting and maintaining a large driver base is critical to the survival and success of any RHP no matter its size. While practitioners are urging to seek suggestions from academia to prevent driver loss, limited research attention has been paid to RHP drivers’ discontinuance. To fill this gap, this dissertation aims to …

Getting Ahead And Getting Along In Entrepreneurial Networks: Network Effects Of The “Dark” And “Light” Sides Of Personality In New Venture Performance, Victoria Antin Yates

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how dark and light personality traits influence venture performance via mediating effects of social structure. Because entrepreneurship is an inherently social process, theoretical perspectives of social network theory and social comparison theory are used to examine how entrepreneurs’ dark and light personality traits interact with personality traits of socially proximal others to influence venture performance via network structure. These perspectives are drawn together using socioanalytic theory. This dissertation argues that agreeableness and narcissism interact with the personality traits of network others at the group-level to influence structural hole positioning within entrepreneurial networks; in turn, structural holes are …

Organizational Digital Agility: Strategic Imperative For Digital Transformation And Firm Performance, John Willard Hill

Theses and Dissertations

A firm’s ability to achieve a competitive advantage through the creation of digital capabilities is affected by a firm’s organizational digital agility (ODA). At their heart, both the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities provide vehicles for describing the ‘what’ regarding the role of resources in executing firm strategy. However, these two theoretical foundations do not address the ‘how’ and the manager's role in deploying those resources to achieve a competitive advantage. Resource orchestration theory begins to address this gap and advocates for the manager’s role in deploying these resources. Yet, despite this theoretical foundation, little research has been conducted on …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Investigating Adjourning Phase Behavior In A Sample Of The Product Development Teams In The Light Metal Forming Industry, Pawel Kazanowski

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to integrate existing literature, research, and thinking about team interactions during and after significant events like joint ventures, mergers, or technological changes exhibiting adjourning-like conditions in the team development process. The study of the product development teams representing the light metal forming industry followed the mixed-methods sequential design, including the Straussian approach to grounded theory during the qualitative phase of the study. The quantitative phase of the study included the creation of the Team Interactions Scale, followed by the Exploratory Factor Analysis. Successful verification of the proposed framework stimulated the introduction of the Team Interactions Score, capable …

Paralinguistic And Rhetorical Capabilities Of Emojis In Marketing Communication, Jacob Christopher Almaguer

Theses and Dissertations

Consumers and social media marketers have over 3,000 emojis at their fingertips. Despite the popularity of emojis on social media, marketing research on emojis remains limited. Extant marketing research on emojis that does exist primarily focuses on the emotional and reinforcement capabilities, a remnant of the limitations of the emoticon ancestor, and largely ignores the additional paralinguistic and rhetorical potential of emojis. In this dissertation, emojis as a paralanguage are explored with a particular focus on the creation of meaning on social media (Essay 1), and emojis as a full (Essay 2) and partial (Essay 3) substitute for text in …