Business Commons^™

Factors Impacting Supply Chain Performance During Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response Operations, Walter Ismael Diaz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the factors that affect supply chain performance during humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations. We examined the following theoretical coordination nodes, resource sharing, standardization of operations, joint logistics effort, and postponement on humanitarian supply chain performance. We collected survey data from 207 military and civilian logistics practitioners. Data were used to test a conceptual model, using linear regression with each direct effect relationship and moderating relationship tested. Results reveal the positive direct effect of standardization of operations and joint logistics effort on supply chain performance. However, standardization of operations’ effect on supply chain performance is weakened by …

Perceived Entrepreneur Quality And Company Performance: A Study Of Accelerator Impact On Startups., Henry Canfield

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When talking about entrepreneurship, an immense ecosystem appears, from startups success and funding, to public policies and the entrepreneur itself. This applied research study the entrepreneur’s characteristics, using as guide the Traits, Skills and Motivation model from Baum and Locke (2004), within a selected group of entrepreneurs that are part of Accelerator programs, focused to understanding the accelerator contribution to the entrepreneur and its company growth. The study was developed by a qualitative phase with semi-structure in-depth interviews with these entrepreneurs and accelerator’s executives, resulting in rich data coded using Nvivo software, and serving as base for the model design …

Adaptive Delivery As A Means To Increase Student Engagement And Learning Outcomes, Juan M. Pinera

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The process of education involves at its core level the support of Learning, which leads to the acquiring of skills, knowledge, values, and habits. Technology has allowed educators and learners to move to a digital platform. These electronic learning platforms, previously classified as distance learning, have their advantages but also their pitfalls. The adaptive modification of learning systems can provide the student's needs by educators even when the student is outside of the classroom. Community colleges are faced with a dilemma of funding and mission. To survey they to need act as agents to find their own solution. This research …

The Role Of Dispositional And Situational Factors In Assessment Of User Response To New It – A Coping Theory Perspective Of User Adaptation From It Implementation To Job Outcomes., Amin Shoja

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New IT-related disturbing events remain a significant challenge for organizations as individuals could perceive what is at stake for them as an opportunity or a threat. Furthermore, they assess the resources available while engaging in these situations. Therefore, it is essential to study the contextual and dispositional factors which affect specific adaptation behaviors that individuals undertake to cope with an IT and the antecedents and consequences of these appraisals. By utilizing the coping model of user adaptation, we theorize users' IT adaptation behaviors as a coping process performed by individuals and investigate their coping appraisals that could affect job outcomes. …

Three Essays In Volatility, Yu Hu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a typical firm, idiosyncratic volatility is as sensitive to the relative value of assets in place as to growth options. However, for firms dominated by assets in place (growth options), idiosyncratic volatility is more sensitive to the relative value of assets in place (growth options). Binding irreversibility constraint (uncertainty) makes the effect of assets in place (growth options) more pronounced.

The institutional ownership in China’s (the U.S.) stock market is positively (negatively) related to idiosyncratic volatility. Our dynamic tests show two-way Granger-causality between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in the U.S. and one-way Granger-causality in China. It indicates that …

Three Essays On Us Pension Plans, Robinson Reyes Pena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the concerning funding situation of US State Pension Plans.

In the first essay we explore the conflict between pension plan managers and financial theory pertaining to the discount rate of future liabilities. Pension plans currently use overstated discount rates, achieving a seemingly healthier funding at the cost of future underfunding. Conversely, during periods of zero-interest-rate policy (ZIRP), the proposals of a US Treasuries discount rate would result in overstated funding gaps and stylized contribution increases. We resolve such a limitation of Treasuries by proposing an alternative discount rate set by the most conservative risk assessment among risky …

Me, Myself And My Future-Self: How Self-Motives Impact Personal Financial Decision Making, Patricia Torres

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of self-motives on consumer behavior has been a subject of interest for researchers in the fields of marketing and psychology. With regard to consumer well-being, most of studies have focused on health-related issues (diet, physical activity, tobacco use, substance abuse). However, there is a specific area that is of significant interest in the American context: financial decision making, specifically, personal savings and debt (mis) management. Both the 2008 financial crisis and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic exposed Americans’ lack of savings and its devastating consequences. A record-high consumer debt (Federal Reserve, 2018) combined with a lack of savings (Northwestern …

Three Essays In Corporate Governance, Dung Thanh Nguyen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines exploring how a board structure protects and creates shareholder value. The main responsibilities of a board of directors are to enhance the shareholder value by setting a strategic direction for the firm, monitoring, and advising managers. A structure of a board of directors could range from board size, independent board ratio to gender diversity, inside-outside chairperson, committee designs. How exactly a board structure could create value and through what channels are one of the biggest challenges in corporate finance.

In the first essay, I use board structure changes brought by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX; 2002) and subsequent …

Salespeople's Role In Offering Innovative Solutions To Business Customers: The Importance Of Design Thinking, Mohammed Alzanbagi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Salespeople play important role in selling products and services of their companies. One of the important parts of the Business to Business (B2B) salespeople’s role is to offer innovative solutions (i.e., a complex mix of products and services) to meet their business customers’ needs. Innovation is an important individual factor to prepare B2B salespeople to sell solutions. Additionally, collaboration between different functions of the organization is important for the success of the solution selling.

The primary purpose of this dissertation to explore how a well-accepted innovation method, which is Design Thinking (DT) can predict the readiness of B2B salespeople to …

Canadian Banks And Imperialism In The English-Speaking Caribbean, Tamanisha J. John

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canadian banks have been important components of an imperialist system since at least the 19^th century. However, their long and rich history of operating as purely exploitative entities in the English-speaking Caribbean region is often overlooked— leading to many incomplete and conflicting narratives about Canada’s role within the global system. I argue that Canada is an imperial actor that exerts agency in supporting a Canadian banking oligopoly both within Canada and in the English-speaking Caribbean. Insufficient attention is given to these Canadian banks, especially considering the power they have wielded in the Caribbean over the centuries. By analyzing the …

The Impact Of Family Member Ceo Demographics On Entrepreneurial Orientation And Financial Performance In Family Firms, Jaly Vibeth Chea Menéndez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on the upper echelons theory, this study investigates how entrepreneurial orientation is impacted by the family member CEO's demographic characteristics (age, gender, educational level, tenure, and generation) and how entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking) influences the family firm's financial performance. The model was empirically tested with survey data of 1314 family firms CEO respondents from 33 countries worldwide using data from the "Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices Project" (STEP Project) applying Partial Least Squares analysis.

Moreover, it was considered the moderating effect of national culture (uncertainty avoidance and gender egalitarianism). The findings highlight no significant relation from any of …

The Relationships Between A Benevolent Paternalistic Managerial Behavior, Employee Perceptions Of A Caring Ethical Organizational Climate And Affective Organizational Commitment In Mexico, Alejandro Miguel Delaney Dr.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing upon social exchange theory and extant literature on climate and leadership, the goal of this research was to look at the role of employee perceived ethical organizational climate as a potential mechanism through which a benevolent paternalistic leadership style relates to employee affective organizational commitment in Mexico. The research is guided by the following major question: What is the relationship, if any, between benevolent paternalistic managerial behavior, employee perceptions of ethical organizational climate, and affective organizational commitment in Mexico? The study sample consisted of 152 retained subjects, all of whom had a confirmed substantial working experience within Mexico. The …

The Influence Of Effective Communication And Interpersonal Trust On Employee Engagement: The Role Of Employee Involvement, Ligia Trejo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Employee Engagement has become a more frequent area of organizational study. Engaged Employees are believed to raise performance, customer satisfaction, and overall growth to the organizations (Hough, Green, & Plumlee, 2015). This dissertation aims to investigate how effective communication, broadly defined to include the quality of feedback, and interpersonal trust relates to employee engagement through the influence of employee involvement. The dissertation uses employee voice theory as theoretical foundation to explain the direct and indirect effects of effective communication and trust on employee engagement through employee involvement. An online survey was conducted using MTurk with about 250 employees from different …

Is Price Why Students Don't Get Their Books? Undergraduate Acquisition Of Class Materials, Joseph Todd Patton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A study of the acquisition of assigned textbooks and materials was conducted among 1,333 active undergraduates, exploring the widely reported phenomenon of two-thirds of students not getting all the books and materials assigned to them in their college classes. Current research focuses on high textbook & materials prices as the reason why students do not get assigned materials, and government policies are focused on bringing down these prices. This study’s major focus was investigating whether it is true that high prices explain why undergraduates do not get their assigned class materials. The findings suggest that price is not the reason …

Fixed Effects Estimation Of Private Health Insurance Influence On Factors Affecting Workplace Outcomes: Survey Of Income And Program Participation Analysis, Scott Phillips

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a critical component of thriving administrative culture and management, I find the need to improve workplace outcomes by better understanding factors that influence worker demographics and employment characteristics influenced by private health insurance. As such, I conducted this quantitative longitudinal, panel survey analysis on Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) variables. Fixed effects regression is employed to analyze the factors among the two predictors and one outcome variable. The interactions among the thirteen variables tested and mediation from private health insurance are examined and substantiated via a series of Sobel tests. Results showed that independent variables of employment …

Examining The Relationships Between Factors Of Employees’ Perceptions Of Knowledge Worker Productivity, Psychological Well-Being, And Performance, Walter Liu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peter Drucker, known as the “father of modern management”, suggested that the most valuable asset of a 21^st-century institution would be knowledge workers and their productivity. Since then, there has been a steady shift from manual work to knowledge work over the past several decades and with it, an interest in knowledge worker productivity. A 2013 study identified six factors with the highest association regarding the performance of knowledge workers. Drawing on insights of relational cohesion theory, social exchange theory, transactive memory systems theory, goal setting theory, social network theory, and Fredrickson’s (1998, 2001, 2004) broaden-and-build theory, the …

The Effect Of Socialization Practices And Onboarding On Newcomer Adjustment And Turnover Intention, Alex George Vilayil

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New employee (newcomer) turnover is a severe problem in many organizations and inevitably leads to both operational and financial concerns. The hospitality industry, in particular, faces this challenge and struggles with acquiring and retaining talent. Studies have suggested that many newcomers leave their job due to inadequate socialization efforts on the employer’s part. While several researchers have explored the relationship involving newcomer onboarding and turnover intention, the hospitality domain lacks research investigating the effect of socialization practices on turnover intention. This study attempts to fill this void by exploring the effectiveness of four different socialization practices on onboarding success and …

Construction And Corruption In Latin America: The Role Of Megaprojects Abating Government Legitimacy, Juan M. De Leon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corruption has always been present in construction on different levels and scales, no matter where building infrastructure occurs. In Latin America, the cultural context emanating from the consolidation of democracies appears to have avoided the provision of good governance and the stability of institutional Legitimacy. This research intends to show that when there are large-scale construction projects or megaprojects, there is an augmentation in the activities that conduce to government corruption. The question is, what are the conditions that contribute to increasing government corruption in Latin America? Furthermore, a purpose equally important is to demonstrate that politicians sometimes abuse institutional …

Predictors Of Fraudulent Monday Effect Workers Compensation Claims Filing, Sharla St. Rose

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monday Effect Claims refer to workers compensation claims filed on Mondays for easy to conceal injuries such as strains, sprains, and back injuries. Researchers and industry experts have long believed that there is an element of fraud in these claims, resulting from individuals who were injured during the weekend, while not at work, looking to take advantage of the medical benefits available through workers compensation insurance. Fraudulent Monday Effect Claims (FMEC), as presented in this study, specifically refer to workers compensation claims filed for injuries that occurred while an individual was not at work, presumably during the weekend.

A study …

A Grounded Theory Study Of Leadership Mechanisms For Customer-Orientation Organizational Change, Maria C. Gonzalez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organizational leaders are spearheading change as an engine to reshape corporate cultures for novel purposes, redefining the significance and meaning of generating value through customer-oriented companies, emphasizing what is most important and relevant to customers. Capitalizing on the value of customer-orientation entails attention toward continuously improving it. The purpose of this study is to explore and explain the dynamics of increasing customer-orientation as an organizational change in a business-to-business technology company setting from the perspective of organizational leaders.

By engaging change leadership experts through a grounded theory qualitative research approach, the study resulted in a substantive theory with a set …

Gen Z And Millennials In The Workplace: How Are Leaders Adapting To Their Short Attention Span And How Will They Keep Them From Leaving A Qualitative Study, Maribel Rachel Diz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a new type of employee entering the workforce that is a true digital native with allegedly the shortest attention span known as Generation Z. Coupled with millennials, they will dominate the workforce. The problem investigated is the effects of short attention spans in the workplace and how this is being magnified by the incoming Generation Z cohort and existing millennials. Companies will need to adapt to short attention spans, along with what will engage and retain these two cohorts. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore both generations as there are no current studies with this …

How Does Stakeholder Engagement And Social Capital Influence Project Performance Outcomes?, Jesus J. Arias

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Institutions achieve organizational objectives through the legitimization of projects, project organizational culture, and its project actors. These objectives can either mitigate against risk and/or create advantage or opportunities for the organization. This paper reveals how relationships between project actors such as project team members, project managers and project sponsors, influence project performance outcomes. Stakeholder engagement and social capital between project actors are crucial contributors to project performance outcomes as well as completing projects on time, on budget, and within scope. Research also indicates that organizations continue to fail to achieve project outcomes when not taking into consideration the importance of …

Towards A Model For Public Private Partnership (P3) Success: Understanding The Critical Success Factors Of Public Private Partnerships (P3s) For Local Government Services And Infrastructure Delivery, Antonio M. Lopez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the identification of factors that influence the success of Public Private Partnerships (P3) for local government service and infrastructure delivery. A framework is presented integrating economic, relationship, and project management P3 critical success factors (CSF) identified from previous literature together with public agency entrepreneurial orientation introduced as a potential critical success factor which has been absent in previous P3 CSF literature. Also, the framework examines how external stakeholder influence from the government, private sector, and the end user moderates these success factors. Public administrators from municipalities and counties in Florida provided their perceptions of these critical …

Understanding The Cultural Factors To Build Innovation In Organizations, Ranjeet Deshmukh Fiu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Radical innovation is the key for organizations to reinvent themselves and becoming successful in competitive international markets. Compared to other types of innovation such as incremental which focuses on customers’ immediate needs, radical innovation offers a company unprecedented customer benefits and the ability to create new businesses and markets. Research from literature has shown that cultural factors play an important role in the successful integration of radical innovation efforts. Using the Adhocracy and Market Orientation components within the Competing Values Framework, I developed a testable model of the relationship between cultural factors and radical innovation. The study involved 4 constructs …

What Factors Influence Municipality External Compliance Costs? A Focus On Connecticut Municipalities, Jacqueline T. Jamsheed

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As local governments assess the financial impact of recent pressures on their financial stability, identifying possible opportunities for cost avoidance is of interest to town management, elected officials and taxpayers. The cost of compliance, and the drivers contributing to this cost, have been largely overlooked in the study of local governments, resulting in little awareness of the cost to taxpayers for municipal assurance services. This study focuses on an area of expenditure that is linked to a required component of a locality’s daily operations, the financial statement external audit.

There is a paucity of databases capturing town finances, which would …

Managerial Control Effects On Information Security Policy Compliance Intentions: Considerations Of Formal And Informal Modes Of Control, Shaun Eric Stewart

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continued advancement in computer and digital technologies, companies, institutions, and organizations worldwide have leveraged new information technology to increase efficiency and effectiveness for all aspects of their business functions. Oftentimes, the information processed and stored on information systems poses an information security risk to the organization, employees, and clients alike. Therefore, a comprehensive and effective information security management program is essential to protecting data from accidental or intentional exposure to actors who wish to gain access to data to make a profit by selling the information to the highest bidder, utilize the stolen data for their own internal …

Mindful Brand: Development And Validation Of A Mindful Brand Scale (Mbs), Ellen Campos Sousa

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to conceptualize and to define a mindful brand from a consumer perspective, a novel contribution to marketing and branding literature. The secondary purpose of this dissertation is to identify a set of characteristics associated with a mindful brand and to develop and validate a mindful brand scale (MBS). Previous research has demonstrated that consumers tend to create relationships with brands they perceive to have similar characteristics or values as they possess. As the number of individuals seeking mindful elements in brands is growing steadily, consumers are looking for a mindful connection with brands …

The Effects Of Population Diversity On The Economic And Household Welfare Of Metropolitan Areas In The U.S., Liria M. Litano

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to understand the impact of population diversity on household and economic welfare in all the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States of America (U.S.). We focused on positive views concerning the relationships between population diversity and factors such as human capital, knowledge, and innovation. We established economic growth factors using the Endogenous Growth Theory, which stated that human capital, innovation, and knowledge were significant contributors to economic growth (Romer, 1994). We argued that population diversity affected these contributors; therefore, it helped to create economic growth.

From a human capital perspective, population diversity …

The Effect Of Cross-Functional Integration On Organizational Performance: A Look At Collaboration, Coordination, And Communication, Loraine A. Jackson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cross-functional integration (CFI) in organizations involves a sequence of integrated tasks and activities across multiple departments and units. Modern organizations are hierarchical and have separated functional departments. This may lead to limited reciprocal communication and poor coordination. Work is often divided, categorized, and poses a challenge for CFI personnel to be practical. This challenge continues as technology and organizational structures change.

This study is to investigate the effect of CFI on organization performance. The study also looked at CFI from a triadic level of analysis, a broader perspective involving several functional units and processes within the organization. Specifically, this study …

Strategic Capabilities Of Emerging Market Firms, Mohan Song

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strategic capabilities assist emerging market firms at the corporate level in developing and managing capabilities in the processes to better use resources and sustain competitive advantages. The umbrella of strategic capabilities includes ordinary capabilities and dynamic capabilities. Dynamic capabilities focus on change internally and externally (e.g., existing resource base, external environment). The dissertation is composed of three essays.

The first essay, titled “Dynamic Capabilities of Emerging Market Firms: A Multi-disciplinary Literature Review,” provides a critical summary of changing views of dynamic capabilities processes in recent decades. The review aims to identify possible avenues for future research in emerging markets.

The …