Business Commons^™

The Role Of Leaders In Implementing Effective Leadership Strategies Towards The Educational Barriers Of Us-Based Refugee Students: A Qualitative Case Study Of Congolese Refugee Students, Faustin Busane

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This qualitative research study explored the experiences of three families of refugee school students, two school officials (a Superintendent and a Principal), three teachers, and one humanitarian agent all living in a Southeastern U.S. city. The results of the study revealed that the language barrier is the main academic challenge that refugee students encounter when they enroll in U.S. schools. The study also found that educators conceptualize their responsibilities toward refugee children by emphasizing the importance of high-quality teaching, and establishing through establishing strong relationships between parents, school officials, and exercising patience in the process. This study poses important implications …

Preliminary Evaluation For Lean Implementation In A Small Manufacturing Company, Ronald Lynch

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Lean management and tools have many positive effects on a company including increased profitability, and efficiency. Lean tools can be implemented in any type of company with a proper evaluation through the creation of Value Stream Map. This paper will demonstrate how a Value Stream Map (VSM) will provide an easier transition to a lean environment. A local company of about 100 employees will be analyzed to create a current and a future VSM. The areas of opportunity for improvement in a lean environment includes recommended lean implementations and the future VSM. Functions of the company that will be analyzed …

Leaders' Virtual & In-Person Communication: The Impact Of Employee Preference On Job Satisfaction, Adalin Mcdaniel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Communication between supervisors and subordinates has consistently been viewed as a primary element of leadership, and a factor that is important in the leader-subordinate relationship via Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory. Recently, with the massive shift to virtual working, leadership communication has gained greater prominence in research and practical settings. Therefore, examining the role that virtual leadership communication plays in employee job satisfaction is an important first step in beginning to understand the shift to predominant work settings from home. I examined the influence of employee perceptions and preferences of leadership communication on job satisfaction via a panel design in which …

An Investigation Of Perceived Authenticity Of Diversity And Black Lives Matter Statements And Their Influence On Applicant Attractiveness, Shelby Nicole Davis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (i.e., organizations’ diversity and social justice [Black Lives Matter] statements) influences applicant attractiveness to organizations. Using Fortune-500 companies’ diversity and Black Lives Matter statements as indicators of CSR activities, I examined the relationship between CSR activities, perceived authenticity, organizational attractiveness, and person-organization fit. It was hypothesized that diversity statements that specifically mention race and actions taken to promote diverse workplaces (i.e., strong) will be seen as authentic and those organizations will be the most attractive. Additionally, it was hypothesized that social Black Lives Matter (BLM) statements that specifically mention systemic racism/ racial inequality and/or actions to …

The Impact Of Gemba Walks On Preventative Maintenance Productivity, Jake Donald Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Gemba Walks are a tool to get management involvement in areas where the work is taking place. Gemba Walks allow individuals involved first-hand to voice and reduce waste within the process and general operations. This research measured the benefits and improvements Gemba Walks had on the availability of equipment. For example, reducing the number of events that equipment is down for maintenance and its duration to repair these events, therefore improved availability. Maintenance is a critical aspect of keeping a company running, and making improvements found during this research significantly impacted the company by creating lean improvements. The improvements focused …

Changes In Consumer Market Preference And Purchase Frequency In Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sean Thomas Dial

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research literature throughout 2020 indicate consumer behavioral changes in response to the systemic effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but these studies investigate transient adaptations in consumer behaviors during the early quarantine period of the pandemic. This study intends to investigate lasting or permanent changes in consumer market preference and purchase frequency between BAM and online retail due to the effects of the pandemic. The principal investigator designed a survey for participants to estimate purchase frequencies and market preferences for apparel, electronics, groceries, and general purchases before and after the pervasive effects of the pandemic (N = 1195; n = …

Visual Management In Engineering Can Improve Resource Utilization And Reduce Administrative Non-Value Added Time, Brian Kirby Trent

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research has demonstrated how Visual Management (VM) can be used in an engineering environment to improve engineering resource utilization. Furthermore, it reduces the administrative time associated with unclear project scope, schedule, budget, and task alignment amongst engineers and project leadership. The research references a case study in which low engineering utilization was directly impacting overall project success. Inconsistent visibility of scheduled engineering activities, changes in tasking, and project metrics created uncertainty and resulted in greater than appropriate administrative time. The methodology used was to implement visual project management tools and track engineer utilization over two years. Quarterly utilization results …

Psychosocial Work Influences On Adaptive Performance, Eli Alvin Dickinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study sought to understand why some employees may be more or less able to adapt to the changing work environment. Adaptive performance can help employees to be resilient to technological advances, economic factors, and/or cultural shifts, making it an important form of extra-role performance. According to conservation of resources (COR) theory, one reason employees may fail to adapt is because they lack resources that are required in order to be adaptive. I proposed that the resources needed for adaptive performance aggregate in a resource caravan. Job embeddedness is a proposed resource caravan that may facilitate more adaptive performance …

Supply Chain Analysis To Determine E-Commerce Distribution Center Locations, Fatima Chebchoub

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Supply chain management is the key success for each business. Having a robust supply chain will help the business to improve service, quality, reduce the costs, improve the speed, and be more flexible. Organizations need to look at data and deploy plans to move the product from operation to logistics to manage a global chain. In this paper we will use E-Comm shipment data to identify the best locations to build a new distribution center (DC).

Western Kentucky University Psychological Sciences Faculty Bars Revision, Brian Coyne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In any organization, universities included, the development of quality personnel to perform work is of paramount importance. Thus, the ability to identify individual employee strengths and weaknesses and provide constructive feedback is vital. In this thesis I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various performance appraisal formats, before suggesting behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) as an optimal tool in evaluating the performance of university faculty. I discuss BARS development in depth, as well as highlight BARS strengths as a performance appraisal tool. I further outline the process used and results obtained in updating the BARS used in the performance evaluation …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Thorndike's Indirect Range Restriction Correction Equations, Michael Thomas Pelayo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Employee selection is an important process for organizations. Organizations seek to select the best employees for their available positions. Testing is key to many selection efforts. The results of studies assessing the criterion-related validity of a selection test are affected by a number of statistical artifacts, one of which is range restriction. Range restriction has the effect of attenuating the correlation coefficient. Statistical equations exist to correct for the effects of range restriction, and they enable researchers to obtain a more accurate estimate of the validity coefficient. Thorndike (1949) developed the best known and most frequently used of these correction …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Standard Error-Based Methods For Computing Confidence Intervals, Elayna Wichert

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The objective of this study is to empirically test existing techniques to calculate the likely range of values for a Classical Test Theory true score given an observed score. The traditional method for forming these confidence intervals has used the standard error of measurement (SEM) as the basis for this confidence interval. An alternate equation, the standard error of estimate (SEE), has been recommended in place of the SEM for this purpose, yet it remains overlooked in the field of psychometrics. It is important that the correct equation be used in various applications in personnel psychology. Monte Carlo analyses were …

Online Shoppers Spending On Fresh Produce; Do Those On Government Assistance Spend Less?, Wyatt Tucker Lucas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study applies an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model to explain differences in the amount that online shoppers might spend per month on fresh produce, given specific consumer characteristics. It also uses a multinomial logit model to determine the relative probability of online shoppers spending more or less, given specific consumer characteristics. The independent variable of interest in both models is whether or not the respondent is a recipient of a government assistance food program. These analyses used data from a stratified random sample of 1,205 online shoppers residing in the southern region of the United States. “Online shoppers” in …

Unpacking The Burnout Phenomenon: Understanding Daily Influences On Burnout, Emily Houk

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Burnout is a work-related phenomenon that is not bound to the work domain. As such, experiencing burnout can be particularly detrimental for employees because effects of burnout can spill over into other life domains. The present study serves to examine the burnout phenomenon; specifically, I examined the direct effect of daily job stress on perceptions of burnout, as well as explored daily work-related affective rumination as a mediating effect in the relationship between daily job stress and burnout. Work-related affective rumination is a mechanism that potentially helps to explain how buildup of daily job stress influences the development of burnout. …

Further Understanding Of The Spillover Process: Work Influences On Family Disengagement And The Mediating Effects Of Flexible Work Arrangements, Alexandra Myers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizations have long sought to determine methods in reducing the work family conflict employees experience in order to improve overall morale as well as producing more efficient and effective employees. My study examined the spillover process from the work to family domain. Specifically, I examined the influence of work related affective rumination on family disengagement, mediated by strain-based work-to family conflict. I also examined the buffering effects of flexible work arrangements on the relationship between strain-based work-to-family conflict and family disengagement. Utilizing a sample of employees recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and working full-time outside the home, I analyzed the …

The Kentucky Cabinet For Health And Family Services’ Response To The Hepatitis A Virus Outbreak In Kentucky: An Idea Model Analysis, Rachel Leigh Cato

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The hepatitis A crisis in Kentucky is unprecedented compared to other states. With thousands of hospitalizations and over 60 deaths in the state of Kentucky alone, there is a need to evaluate the government’s response to the hepatitis A virus (HAV) epidemic. Therefore, the instructional risk communication messages that are being conveyed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (KCHFS) are instrumental in the education and action plans of Kentuckians who are at risk of contracting HAV.

This study utilizes the IDEA Model Thematic Analysis Codebook as a guide to analyze the KCHFS’ risk communication regarding the hepatitis …

Application Of Critical Chain Project Management To The Production Part Approval Process, David Podolak

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Daicel Safety Systems Americas, INC has traditionally utilized various methods to manage project completions including the Critical Path Method (CPM). Though these methods have led to successful project completions, they often come with adverse effects. Due to the amount of literature and advancement in the project management discipline, alternative options such as Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) have gained popularity. CCPM seeks to perfect the CPM approach by recognizing resource constraints and the critical chains dependency on them while safeguarding completion dates with buffers. CCPM offers project managers an option to remove resource inefficiency and stalling while meeting deadlines.

The …

Making ‘The Ask’ To Internal Stakeholders: The Influence Of Organizational Identification On University Faculty And Staff Giving, Lora Haley Ashley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore faculty/staff identification with their employing university and how that, in turn, may influence their decision to financially support the institution, or not. This study employed a case study approach and a mixed methods research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. An online survey using Cheney’s (1982) Organizational Identification Questionnaire measured faculty/staff members’ identification with the organization and with their specific departments. The survey also collected data on faculty/staff past charitable giving. Following the survey, qualitative focus groups and interviews were conducted with faculty/staff members to explore what factors contributed to their …

Impacts Of Leadership On Tqm In Food Industry In India, Abhir Anil Joshi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To improve an organizations competitive edge, leadership has adopted a conventional and organized approach known as TQM to improve the quality of its products and services. Implementation of TQM varies from one organization to another. This study determined the various impacts of leadership on TQM in the food industry in India. The continuous decrement of India's economy has led organizations to hire nonskilled people who lack the basic knowledge of the process and thus do not work efficiently and thus ensuring failure of TQM. Another problem faced was the lack of a healthy management which ensures a positive environment and …

Impact Of Leadership Styles On Employee Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment – A Study In The Construction Sector In India, Akhila Nidadhavolu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Leadership plays a vital role in any industry. Therefore, a positive relationship between the management and the employees is very crucial for any organization to get better turnover and recognition. The current study discusses the leadership styles used in the Construction Industry in India. The development of construction industry in India requires suitable leadership approaches of the management. In the condition of such requirement, this research paper has three-fold objectives: first, to study the leadership styles used by the higher-management levels of Indian construction companies, and second, to examine the impact of leadership styles on job satisfaction, and third, to …

Justice Perceptions Of Team Disciplinary Actions In The Workplace, Austin Lee Rettke

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This scenario study examined fairness perceptions of rule violations and punishment in an organizational team setting. Participants read one of 16 scenarios in which an integral team member violates an organizational rule and subsequently is punished. Participants then answered 12 items assessing perceptions of fairness for the punished employee and for the non-punished team members, and the likelihood the punishment will deter future misconduct for the punished employee and for the teammates. This study examined two levels of misconduct severity (moderate and severe), two levels of punishment severity (moderate and severe), two types of punishment distribution (consistent and conditional), and …

Perceptions On The Status Of Lean-Manufacturing In Thermoplastics-Manufacturing Industry, Ning Jin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study gathers thermoplastics professionals’ perceptions on the implementation of lean-manufacturing in the Thermoplastics-manufacturing industry through Qualtrics, which is a survey website. From the professionals’ perceptions, the current study infers the current status of lean-manufacturing implementation in the thermoplastic-manufacturing industry and identifies the best lean theories and tools for the industry. However, the results of the current study are not generalizable to the entire thermoplastic-manufacturing industry.

The current study reviews thermoplastic-manufacturing processes from the house of lean’s perspective. The foundations of the house are stability and standardization, the pillars are Just-In-Time (JIT) and Jidoka, the roof is customer focus, …

Comparing Critical Chain Project Managemenet With Critical Path Method: A Case Study, Behzad Montazeri

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Scheduling is a major task in project management. The current scheduling technique, Critical Path Method (CPM), has been widely applied for several decades, but a large number of projects fail to be completed on time and schedule delays occur in many projects. This raises question about the validity of the current project scheduling system. Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), derived from Theory of Constraints, is a relatively new alternative approach toward scheduling projects. This study compared CCPM and CPM to determine which scheduling method delivers a shorter project duration and has a better usage of resources. A scheduling software called …

An Examination Of The Incremental Validity Of The Serve-Specific Core Self-Evaluation Scale Over The Core Self-Evaluation Scale In Predicting Serve Performance, Joshua S. Bowman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the relationship of the serve-specific core self-evaluation scale (SS-CSES) with serve performance of inter-collegiate volleyball athletes. The SSCSES is a modified version of the core self-evaluations scale (CSE). It was hypothesized that SS-CSES would be related to serve performance, that SS-CSE would be more related to serve performance than CSE, and that SS-CSE would have incremental validity over CSE when predicting serve performance. Responses to the two scales and selfassessments of server performance were collected online through self-report questionnaire. Additionally, NCAA serve statistics were collected by the researchers. Results indicated that SS-CSE was a stronger predictor of …

Intercollegiate Athlete Perceptions Of Justice In Team Disciplinary Decisions, Jared M. Diaz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study examined justice perceptions of an intercollegiate athlete who was punished for a team rule violation outside of competition. This scenario study is a modified replication of Severs’ (2009) study on justice perceptions of intercollegiate athletes; one additional factor, importance of the next competition, was examined in the current study. Perceptions of fairness and perceptions of likelihood of deterring future misconduct were examined using a factorial design with two levels of punishment severity (severe and moderate), two levels of misconduct severity (severe and moderate), two types of punishment distribution (consistent and conditional), and two types of game importance …

Examining The Effect Of Expatriate Narcissism Levels On Cultural Adjustment And Global Leadership Effectiveness, Emily M. Martin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between narcissism, cultural adjustment, and leadership of expatriates. Specifically, it was predicted that cultural adjustment would partially mediate the relationship between narcissism and selfperceptions of leadership effectiveness such that narcissism would be negatively related to cultural adjustment, and cultural adjustment would be positively related to selfperceptions of leadership effectiveness. It was also predicted that cultural adjustment would partially mediate the relationship between narcissism and LMX perceptions such that narcissism would be negatively related to cultural adjustment, and cultural adjustment would be positively related to LMX perceptions. Fifty-three participants completed an …

Management And Leadership Style: Is Style Influenced By Engineering Education?, Arsalan Khan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Leadership Development Programs (LDPs) programs are employed by firms globally in different multiple manners that are aimed at accelerating the development and growth of highly capable candidates. Among these candidates, depending on the particular LDP, may be those possess engineering skills typically afforded through engineering education as measured by completion of an engineering degree. Infrastructure reductions might be afforded corporations if multiple LDPs could be supplanted with one program such as an Engineering Leadership Development Program. In practice, however, economic constraints limited the total sample population of this category to 67 (48 with engineering degrees and 15 without). Employing SPSS …

Adapting Critical Chain Project Management To Army Engineer Construction Projects, Eric E. Rohr

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

For decades, Army Engineers have utilized the systems of the Critical Path Method (CPM) and multi-level Gantt chart planning system for its construction projects. While these methods are well accepted, they are not without their flaws. Research and literature in project management has given weight to several viable alternative options to planning projects. One such option, Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), was developed to address the flaws of CPM by offering a holistic approach to project management based on strict resource control and the use of time buffers. This method attempts to eliminate multitasking and procrastination that can plague efficiency …

What Is Professionalism? The Validation Of A Comprehensive Model Of Professionalism, Andrew W. Rowland

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Professionalism is a term frequently used in organizations yet perceptions of what it means differ from person to person. Given its frequent use and its link to various job outcomes, such as organizational commitment (Bartol, 1979), there is a need to have a universal definition of professionalism. While there are existing models of professionalism these models are typically developed for a specific field or industry. Thus, there is also a need for a comprehensive model of professionalism that can be used across multiple fields and industries. This study worked to develop a model of professionalism that creates a comprehensive model …

Using Building Information Modeling (Bim) And The Last Planner System (Lps) To Reduce Construction Process Delay, Zaid K. Ai Hussein

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The construction industry suffers from many practical problems and challenges; most being related to construction management. One of the most common recurring problems in construction projects is delay. Delay is a primary factor that can have an effect on project duration, scheduled delivery date, as well as the overhead cost of the project. This study investigated the problem of delays in construction projects. The research focused on the combination of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Last Planner System (LPS) together to measure the execution time of construction projects. The aim of this study was to determine whether using BIM and …