Business Commons^™

Key Competencies For Project Managers: An Empirical Study, Sahil Sandhu

Dissertations and Theses

Extant project management literature on the factors that impact the success of projects suggests that the traits, competencies and leadership style of project managers positively impact project success. Despite this understanding, the key competencies and personality traits of projects managers is an under-researched area. While some studies are available that examine whether a particular behavioural trait of the project manager improves his / her efficiency, few studies prepare a list of the key competencies/traits of successful project managers. Given this consideration, the present study aims to prepare a comprehensive list of the traits/qualities of a project manager crucial for project …

If The Slipper Fits: The Relationship Between A Cinderella Appearance In The Ncaa Division I Men’S Basketball Tournament And Institutional Financial And Admissions Factors, Kelly A. Childs

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the relationship between a non-Power Five Cinderella team in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament and institutional financial and admissions factors. The purpose of this study was to examine what, if anything, changes for a non-Power Five school who makes the March Madness tournament as compared to those similar schools who do not. This was a unique study because it looks at the variables of percent admitted, applications, enrollment, SAT/ACT, and donations together, different from the current body of research which has looked at many of these institutional factors separately. Additionally, many of these studies are …

Investigating Elearning Continuance Through Expectation Disconfirmation Theory, Susana Reyes Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study set out to investigate the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) eLearning participation and completion phenomenon of learners and to explore motivation of CPD eLearning intentions and completions. This study focused on why learners choose CPD eLearning and why they continue in CPD eLearning. Based on the Expectations Disconfirmation theory (EDT) and the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model (1992), a survey was developed and then sent to a cross-section of registered CPD eLearners from the first responder community. After the data was collected 217 responses were analyzed with SPSS correlational techniques and through PROCESS which is a modeling …

Data Analytics In An Audit: Examining Fraud Risk And Audit Quality, Sondra Smith

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DATA ANALYTICS IN AN AUDIT: EXAMINING FRAUD RISK AND

AUDIT QUALITY

by

Sondra Smith

This study is comprised of two papers which examine, through interviews and an experiment, the current practices of data analytics of CPA firms, whether and how fraud risk impacts the usage of data analytics in an audit, and the effect data analytics has on the efficiency and effectiveness of an audit. The implementation of data analytics in an audit is relatively new, and there is not a good understanding of how it is currently being used in practice. Although historically the auditing profession has been …

Assessment Of Policy Alternatives For Mitigation Of Barriers To Ev Adoption, Bilgehan Yildiz

Dissertations and Theses

Electric Vehicle (EV) has become an increasingly important topic in recent years due to energy and environmental concerns. Governments started to focus on remedies to the upcoming climate change threat and seek solutions through policies and regulations. The negative impact of carbon emissions along with pressure from governmental and social organizations force automotive manufacturers to shift to alternative energy sources. However, EV transition is a complex problem because its stakeholders are very diverse including governments, policy makers, EV manufacturers, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Consequently, the barriers to EV adoption are not only consumer oriented, rather exist under many categories. The …

The Impact We Can Make Through Investment: Securing Financial Freedom By Serving Others, Miles A. Flett

Honors Projects

Wage disparity is a major political issue in the United States, but it has far more to do with the health of the economy as a whole. Statistically speaking, it is very difficult for women to participate equally in an economy where they are systematically marginalized. This hurts businesses, it hurts global markets and it damages overall GDP. Statistical data drawn primarily from the Bureau of Labor Statistics underline the differences that women face from various standpoints. Race is a primary influencer, but across the board all women make significantly less than men of the same background for the same …

The “Perfect Parent” Campaign’S Failure: Applying A Job Market Model For Successful Foster Family Recruitment And Retention, Alexis N. Collins

Honors Projects

Since 2014, Washington state’s Department of Child and Family Services (DSHS) has seen a dramatic drop in foster care providers. From 2005 to 2015, only 102 of 1,100 foster families licensed in 2005 were still providing care. As of 2015, the number of available homes has dropped to more than 1,000 below the normal level (at 4,600. homes.) Many issues are cited as contributing to these numbers, such as problematic administrative practice, unbearable social worker caseloads, and a sluggish system unresponsive to change. Other problems include an increase in behavioral problems amongst children coming into the system. This project seeks …

Achieving Organizational Ambidexterity: An Exploratory Model, Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, Yasser Alizadeh

Dissertations and Theses

Over the course of three to four decades, most well-established companies lose their dominating position in the market or fail entirely. Their failure occurs even though they have resources for sensing shifting market trends, skills and assets to develop next-generation technologies, and the financial means to fill skill gaps and afford risky investments. Nevertheless, incumbents obviously find it very difficult to invest in innovation that takes attention and resources away from a highly successful core business. A solution to this "innovator's dilemma" is the concept of "organizational ambidexterity," which has garnered considerable attention among researchers in organization and innovation. According …

Perception Of The Online Degree By Accounting Hiring Gatekeepers Of Mid-Size Firms In The Northwestern U.S., Domanic Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

The latest research shows over 2.8 million higher education students or one-in-seven are enrolled in fully online programs. In fields such as accounting, students are able to complete their degree, pass a standardized exam, and enter the workforce with little to no work experience. Accounting firm human resources managers are primarily responsible for the recruitment and selection of candidates. Prior studies conducted show that these hiring gatekeepers prefer candidates with earned degrees in a traditional classroom environment when holding constant for all other factors. While many students invest in online degrees as an ideal pathway to employment, career advancement, and …

Understanding Humor In Female Leadership, Lillian Hollar

Honors Projects

This research investigates the relationship between humor, gender, and leadership effectiveness. To explore the relationship between these factors, I asked individuals what they thought about the relationship between humor and their experiences with female leaders. For this research, female is defined as a person who identifies as a woman. Humor is defined as the act of making jokes to elicit a response. My research focuses on the relationship between humor and female leadership as measured by individuals’ attitudes. The results show that some people believe there is a correlation between humor and female leadership, but does not prove conclusively that …

A Comparison Of Causal Inference Methods And Their Application In Big Data Analytics, Xuan Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the rise of Big Data analytics, the new field of causal inference (Pearl, 2009) has received more attention in business research fields such as Accounting (Lawrence, Minutti-Meza, & Zhang, 2011) and Marketing (Manganaris, Bhasin, Reid, & Hermiz Keith, 2010). Traditional statistics focuses on correlation which may lead to misleading conclusions because the estimates can be severely biased even when data sets are large. The objective of causal inference is to obtain estimates from observational data that are unbiased and can thus be interpreted as causal. This study provides a systematic comparison of the performance of four causal inference methods …

Hosting The Third Annual Young Women In Agriculture Career And Leadership Seminar, Emma E. Morris, Madyline J. Braught

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture has traditionally been a male-dominated industry; however, recent years have shown a significant growth in female presence. Women are beginning to take leadership roles both on the farm and within advocacy, lobbying, and business entities in the industry. According to the latest agricultural census data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2012, women farmers controlled seven percent of the nation’s farmland (Census, 2014). Additionally, women held leadership roles in 14 percent of the nation’s two million farms (Census, 2014). This data is several years old, and likely the numbers have grown since the last census was …

Analysis Of Potential Vermicompost Market In California, Jason Alan Thomas

Master's Theses

Vermicompost transforms agricultural waste into a high quality soil amendment, though market acceptance remains in its infancy. This study examines how growers’ willingness to pay for vermicompost is affected by grower’s crop, region, income per acre, knowledge level of vermicompost and compost, previous use of compost, and the willingness to pay for compost. The survey results pulled together 223 responses from California growers. It was discovered growers’ had less knowledge of vermicompost than compost but were willing to pay more for vermicompost. There was statistical difference amongst the responses. It was shown the market value per ton of vermicompost lies …

Natural Disaster Animal Evacuation, Nicole Amanda Booten

Agricultural Education and Communication

In the past 20 years there have been massive natural disasters that have devastated communities and states across America. In Southern California and on the Central Coast, there have been widespread fires with the largest fires being: in 2003, the Cedar Fire affected San Diego, in 2007, the Zaca Fire impacted Santa Barbara, and the Witch Fire devasted San Diego, and in 2017, the Thomas Fire affected Ventura County (Cal Fire, 2018).

Although Cal Fire has information on helping lower the impact of a fire on your animals and property, there is currently no protocol or general plan of action …

Delegation Application, Erik Matthew Phillips

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Delegation is a cross-platform application to provide smart task distribution to users. In a team environment, the assignment of tasks can be tedious and difficult for management or for users needing to discover a starting place for where to begin with accomplishing tasks. Within a specific team, members possess individual skills within different areas of the team’s responsibilities and specialties, and certain members will be better suited to tackle specific tasks. This project provides a solution, consisting of a smart cross-platform application that allows for teams and individuals to quickly coordinate and delegate tasks assigned to them.

Menaxhimi I Riskut Përgjatë Zinxhirit Të Furnizimit, Artiola Hondozi

Theses and Dissertations

Ky studim është bërë në fushën e menaxhimit duke pasur parasysh rëndësinë dhe perceptimin që mund të kenë kompanit në zinxhirin e furnizimit nga produkte të ndryshme. Qëllimi është për të kuptuar se sa ka rëndësi zinxhiri i furnizimit nga kompanit të cilat shesin me pakicë e që furnizohen nga furnitorët e ndryshëm. Realisht duhet kuptuar që zinxhiri i furnizimit nuk është i thjeshtë pasi që kompanitë thuajse në 99% të rasteve nuk kanë të bëjnë vetëm me një furnizues dhe me një konsumatorë. Kështu, meqë zinxhiri i furnizimit mbulon gjithçka nga zhvillimi, bashkëveprimi, prodhimi, e logjistika madje edhe sistemet …

Problemet E Investitorëve Të Huaj Në Kosovë Dhe Rasti I Studimit Për “Starbucks”, Besnik Trepça

Theses and Dissertations

Vendi jonë i vogël për nga territori dhe popullimi por me probleme të mëdha. Njëri prej këtyre problemeve janë disa faktorë që po rrezikojnë dhe po pengojnë investitorët e huaj ose vendor për një të ardhme biznesore.

Duke pasur parasysh se Kosova si një shtet ende i ‘ri’ i pavarur vendosa qe te shkruaj për problemet dhe kufizimet qe i bëhen një investuesi që shprehë dëshiren të investojë në Kosovë por me një rast studimi të vecantë. Kohë pas kohe jemi dëshmitarë për problemet që hasim investitorët vendor si dhe ata të huaj e për këtë arsye pse mos të …

Implementimi Dhe Funksionaliteti I Shtëpive Të Mençura, Besart Musliu

Theses and Dissertations

Termat si smart homes, intellegent homes, home networking janë përdorur për më shumë se një dekadë për të prezantuar konceptin e pajisjeve të rrjetave dhe atyre shtëpiake. Sipas Smart Homes foundation definicioni më i mirë për këtë teknologji është integrimi i teknologjisë dhe shërbimeve përmes rrjetave për një jetë më të mirë. Kohëve të fundit, shumë smart house projekte janë realizuar në shtëpitë e të moshuarve. Qëllimi i prezantimit të smart teknologjisë nëpër këto shtëpi është që qiramarrësit të qëndrojnë të pavarur në shtëpinë e tyre sa më shumë që të jetë e mundur. Aplikacionet janë të fokusuara në siguri, …

Roli I Menaxhimit Të Operacioneve Dhe Logjistikës Në Menaxhimin E Sektorit Teknologjik Rast Studimi: Formon, Dren Hadri

Theses and Dissertations

Menaxhimi i operacionve është ajo se si një organizatë prodhon apo shpërdan një produkt apo shërbim (Slack, Nickel; Operation Managment 7th editon, 2013, p. 34). Ky punim diplome fokusohet në zhivillimet e teknologjisë dhe ndikimin e tyre neper proceset themelore të një kompanie. (Slack, 2015) Një sifdë kjo që kompanitë vazhdimisht përballen për të krijuar avantazh konkurues në treg. Me temat që trajtohen në këte punim shpjegohen metodat e rreja dhe zhivllimet e fundit që kompanit kanë filluar që ti perdorin në mënyre që shumë procese të digjitalizohen e që të krijohet një effikasitet më i lartë. Punimi po ashtu …

Ndikimi I Inovacioneve Në Përformancën Financiare Të Telekomit Të Kosovës Dhe Ipko Telecommunications Gjatë Vitit 2014-2015, Gentiana Latifaj

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i këtij hulumtimi është të hetojë ndikimin e shërbimeve/produkteve inovative në përformancën financiare të dy operatorëve më të mëdhenjë në Kosovë që janë Telekomi i Kosovës dhe Ipko. Përzgjedhja e kësaj teme ka qenë për arsye të rëndësisë që ka inovacioni në ditët e sotme për avantazhin konkurrues që jep ai, ku si përfitues të tij janë kompania dhe konsumatorët. Është me rëndësi të shikohet mënyra se si ndikon direkt në fitim apo në humbje të kompanive në fjalë. Ky hulumtim paraqet një hulumtim analitik dhe krahasues për arsye se janë studiuar pasqyrat financare të Telekomit të Kosovës dhe …

Barrierat E Investimeve Të Huaja Direkte Në Kosovë, Gentrit Latifaj

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim diplome trajton investimet e huaja direkte në Kosovë më saktësisht barrierat e investimeve të huaja direkte në vendin tonë. Kjo temë është aktuale në vendin tonë për arsye se këto investime kanë ndikim pozitiv në rritje ekonomike të një vendi dhe Kosova si vend në tranzicion i nevojitet një shtysë drejt kësaj rritje ekonomike. Me këto lloj investime kuptojmë investimet të cilat bëhen në nivel ndërkombëtar dhe të cilat kanë pasur një zhvillim të madh në të gjitha vendet e botës këto 20 vitet e fundit. Arsyeja se pse është zgjedhur kjo temë është identifikimi i barrierave të …

Roli I Shkollimit Në Ndërmarrësi: Analizë E Trekëndëshit Punëtor, Shkollë Dhe Ndërmarrje Në Kosovë 2010-2016, Rinor Retkoceri

Theses and Dissertations

Ndërrmrrësia shihet si një mjet i rëndësishëm në zhvillim ekonomik. Debati teorik mbi ndërrmarrësinë është shtrirë në shumë dimenzione individuale, strukturre dhe procedurale, Një nga prioritetet e rëndësishme për shqyrtim është ndikimi që ka shkollimi, cilësia dhe niveli, në ndërmarrësi. Ky punim trajton ndikimin e shkollimit në ndërrmarrësi. Punimet mbështetet në metoda sasiore dhe cilësore. Punimi nxjerrr që shkollimi është një input i rëndësishëm në stimulim të ndërrmarrësisë. Personat me shkollim më të lartë në Kosovë janë më të prirur të jenë ndërrmarrës dhe të punësuar. Këto gjetje janë me rëndësi në kuadër të promovimit të ndërrmarrësisë dhe shkollimit cilësir …

Ndikimi I Marketingut Digjital Në Zhvillimin E Nvm-Ve, Martin Berisha

Theses and Dissertations

Ky hulumtim analizon se si ndërmarrjet e vogla dhe të mesme përdorin marketingun dixhital për të promovuar biznesin dhe produktet e tyre. Gjithashtu investigon përdorimin e metodave të ndryshme të marketingut dhe menyrën se si bizneset shfrytëzojnë mjetet në dispozicion kur shqyrtojmë elemente të tilla si rritja e kompanisë, rritja e të ardhurave vjetore dhe parametra të tjerë të rëndësishëm.

Fushëveprimi i këtij hulumtimi bazohet nga literatura e mëparëshme ndërkombëtare mbi teoritë e marketingut dixhital. Megjithatë, për të pasur rezultate më të sakta dhe konkrete, hulumtimi bazohet në analiza të të dhënave nga intervista të bëra me drejtues të ndërmarrjeve …

Ndikimi I Krimeve Kibernetike Dhe Privatësia Në Internet, Besarta Pllana

Theses and Dissertations

Dita ditës avancimi i teknologjisë dhe përdorimi i internetit ka kufizuar privatësinë tonë. Ndarja e shumë informatave në internet është bërë e pashmangshme dhe në masë te madhe heq barrierat mes asaj se çka duhet të jetë private dhe çka publike. Pikërisht për këtë arsye kjo tematikë do të jetë si një lloj thirrjeje dhe përkujtimi i gjendjes aktuale të privatësisë në internet, si dhe rreziqet që mund të vijnë për shkak të kësaj gjendjeje.Si rezultat i internetit të dhënat tona private nuk janë më private. Ironikisht përdoruesit vazhdojnë të japin të dhënat e tyre personale kudo që ju kërkohen …

College Choices Of Latina/O Students Attending A For-Profit College: Understanding Persistence And Retention, Cecilia Loftus Ornelas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Although Latina/os are the largest minority group in California and enrolling in higher education in record-breaking numbers (Zarate & Burciaga, 2010), the graduation rate of this group is very low (Kewal-Ramani, Gilbertson, Fox, & Provasnik, 2007). A phenomenological approach was used in this study to explore the lived experiences of Latina/o students at a for-profit college in the Inland Empire. Students from different major fields of study described how they explored and sought college information, how they experienced both community and for-profit colleges, and described their levels of sense of belonging in both community and for-profit colleges. Students shared their …

Communication And Trust In Virtual And Face-To-Face Teams, Anthony Lee Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Virtual teams (VTs) accomplish shared goals by relying on technology-mediated communication to counteract geographic disparities. Rapid advances in technology have led to the near-ubiquity of VTs within modern organizations, but gaps in existing research designs afflict extant empirical VT research. This experiment evaluates the constructs of trust, communication, and effectiveness in VTs. Two-hundred six participants (103 teams) completed an interdependent task either face-to-face, mediated by a videoconferencing telepresence robot, or mediated by a voice call. I collected measures of cognitive trust, trust propensity, communication quality, and team effectiveness, and conducted in-depth communication analyses. Results suggest that while virtual teamwork does …

Novel Wine Pouring Machine, Jacob N. Rardin, Erin Clark, Berkeley Davis, Julia Trenkle, Brett Wittmuss

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Report outlines the “Novel Wine Opener” senior design project completed by a team of mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The project was sponsored by Bill Swanson, owner of the Center of Effort vineyard and winery in Edna Valley, CA. The goal of the project was to produce a novel wine pouring machine for the Center of Effort. This device should be able to remove the foil cap from a wine bottle, uncork the bottle, and pour a glass of wine at the winery and at public events. The finished product should …

Next Generation Protocol: Innovating A Resilient Future, Andrew Steven Rudnick, Jamie Cannady, Joe Decesaro, Juan A. Ortiz Salazar

Materials Engineering

Conventional practices do not account for product life beyond end-of-sale – these practices are not sustainable. We have developed an end-of-life protocol that includes a metric that we call the Recovery Rating. The objectives of this Next Generation Protocol, beyond supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, are to encourage the production of goods designed for recovery and to promote the collaboration between consumers, the public, and the private sector to recover goods at their end-of-life. The Recovery Rating that we propose evaluates and quantifies recovery potential of products. The Recovery Rating, which is normed against embodied energy from the …

Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese: A Case Study Of Glocalization Through Shanghai Disneyland’S Brand Narrative, Chelsea Michelle Galvez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In 2016, the Walt Disney Company launched Shanghai Disneyland--the company’s first theme park in mainland China. Entering mainland China poses significant political and cultural challenges for American companies. To address these challenges, Disney pursued a “glocalization” strategy -- it accounted for local norms and values in launching Shanghai Disneyland. This paper examines how Shanghai Disneyland constructed its brand narrative to negotiate tensions in this glocalization process. A semiotic analysis of two Shanghai Disneyland commercials illustrates the ways in which Disney tapped into culturally meaningful themes of harmonic balance and collective identity to produce the park’s brand narrative--“China’s Disneyland.” A thematic …

Assessment Of The Potential Of Proposed Stations Of The California High-Speed Rail As Major Hubs For Physical And Economic Development, Seitu Akira Coleman

Master's Theses

This study investigated the potential for development of station catchment areas around the proposed California High-Speed Rail System. The study was prompted by a review of practices of Japanese railway company groups that engage not only in train operations, but also in business diversification and property development within the station areas of their lines. These actions allow the company groups to diversify their revenues streams, increase ridership on their lines, and operate as a whole with net profits. This is in contrast to transit agencies in the United States, which only focus on transporting passengers along their lines and do …