Business Commons^™

A Study Of The Success Of Group Formation In Virtual Teams Using Computer-Mediated Communications, Eliel Melón-Ramos

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

In the digital domain, virtual teams within organizations and corporations are becoming common. Restructuring an organization or corporation is vital because competition and globalization are increasing. In this era of globalization, distributed working groups need to develop a competitive advantage in these ever-changing environments. Historically, teams had experienced problems stemming from geographical and temporal limitations. With the increase of technology in telecommunications, organizations are increasingly forming virtual teams, which have become critical to the survival of nearly any corporate entity.

Virtual teams have some of the same problems that regular teams have. One of the key challenges is the method …

An Investigation Of Socio-Technical Components Of Knowledge Management System (Kms) Usage, Noel Wint Jr.

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Existing literature indicates that although both academics and practitioners recognize knowledge management (KM) as a source of competitive advantage, users are not always willing to use a knowledge management system (KMS). Because of the social nature of knowledge transfer, a KMS can be considered a socio-technical system. Many explanations have been presented for this failure to utilize the KMS. These explanations include a number of the socio-technical factors relating to people, processes, and technologies. While these factors may have significant explanatory power when examined independently, existing studies have not sufficiently addressed the interactions among all three socio-technical factors or their …

Patient Portals: Achieving Technology Acceptance And Meaningful Use In Independent Physician-Managed Practices, Kimberly W. Bartholomew

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

As the bulk of medical health records shift from paper-based file systems to electronic formats, the promise of the transformation process called healthcare reform included adding efficiencies to medical practice workflows, lower costs, improved quality of care and most important, and the freeing of patient information from traditional propriety silos. With this incoming largess of protected health information data now viewable through online patient portals, patients can be empowered to become educated and active in their own health care decisions, but only if they have admission to their information. A digital divide currently exists in many medical practices where only …

Understanding The Impact Of Hacker Innovation Upon Is Security Countermeasures, Sean M. Zadig

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Hackers external to the organization continue to wreak havoc upon the information systems infrastructure of firms through breaches of security defenses, despite constant development of and continual investment in new IS security countermeasures by security professionals and vendors. These breaches are exceedingly costly and damaging to the affected organizations. The continued success of hackers in the face of massive amounts of security investments suggests that the defenders are losing and that the hackers can innovate at a much faster pace.

Underground hacker communities have been shown to be an environment where attackers can learn new techniques and share tools pertaining …

Automatically Defined Templates For Improved Prediction Of Non-Stationary, Nonlinear Time Series In Genetic Programming, David Moskowitz

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Soft methods of artificial intelligence are often used in the prediction of non-deterministic time series that cannot be modeled using standard econometric methods. These series, such as occur in finance, often undergo changes to their underlying data generation process resulting in inaccurate approximations or requiring additional human judgment and input in the process, hindering the potential for automated solutions.

Genetic programming (GP) is a class of nature-inspired algorithms that aims to evolve a population of computer programs to solve a target problem. GP has been applied to time series prediction in finance and other domains. However, most GP-based approaches to …

Legitimacy Of Local Food In The U.S. Market: Comparative Consumer Perspectives, Ali Asgari

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Measures of legitimacy have been described in terms of four legitimacy types, regulatory, normative, cognitive, and industry. This study provides one of the first and only empirical examinations of legitimacy, particularly with an application to local foods and sheds light on how consumers view various types of legitimacy related to local food. To apply the concept of legitimacy to local foods marketing, we take an empirical survey asking about consumer perspectives of local food, along with different shopping behavior questions.

Using cumulative logit models, results of the legitimacy models suggest that core consumers are more likely to place a high …

The Decision-Making Processes Of Nontraditional Or For Sale By Owner (Fsbo) Home Sellers Engaged In The Listing And Sale Of Their Homes, Valentin Demarco Jr.

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In spite of promises that the Internet would allow people to buy and sell their homes without intermediaries, real-estate agents still control approximately 90% of the transactions made in the 2.5-trillion-dollar residential real-estate industry. Existing literature has yet to provide conclusive arguments as to why the expected disintermediation has not occurred. Tentative arguments include claims that policy is biased in favor of agents, or that agents have a broader social network than their customers which helps them sell faster and for a better price. Most studies make the assumption that agents matter. They analyze the real-estate market from the perspective …

Who Feels Included At Work? : Intersectionality And Perceptions Of Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace, Courtney J. Dallaird

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There is a difference between diversity and inclusion in the workforce. More specifically, there is a difference in the understanding and experience that the U.S. cultural meaning of these words creates when interpreted and applied in a workplace setting. Understanding this difference is essential to the work businesses do in actualizing human capital as well as in creating and interpreting methods of providing access, recognizing diversity, and now, increasingly, moving towards a rhetoric of inclusion in the workplace (Roberson, 2006). This research looks at the existing body of knowledge around historical disenfranchisement and the evolution of diversity and inclusion research …

Does The Way We Measure Fit Matter? : Predicting Behaviors And Attitudes Using Different Measures Of Fit, Jennifer A. Cavanaugh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The literature on person-organization (P-O) fit has been plagued with inconsistencies in the conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of P-O fit. Despite numerous studies examining the relationship between P-O fit and outcomes, these inconsistencies in measurement and operationalization have led to mixed findings concerning specific individual outcomes. The goal of this dissertation was to address some of these inconsistencies by examining the relationship between P-O fit, using perceived and subjective measures of fit, and attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. In addition, previously unexplored mediators of the P-O fit-outcome relationships were examined.

Event Risk : Three Essays Exploring Nonprofit Organizations' Finances After The September 11 Attacks, Santiago Guerrero

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The three essays of this dissertation explore the experience of nonprofit organizations after the September 11 attacks to gain a better understanding of one specific type of risk nonprofit organizations face— “event risk” — which I broadly define as the risk of a negative impact on the operations of a nonprofit organization as a result of unexpected events. Essay One finds that overall nonprofit sector revenues were not reduced after the September 11 attacks and identifies characteristics of the revenue mix that make nonprofit organizations less susceptible to event risk. Essay Two identifies characteristics of nonprofit organizations’ financial conditions that …

The Effect Of Competitive Advantages On Corporate Tax Avoidance: A Determinant Or Excuse?, Andrew Dale Almand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, managers of U.S. corporations have explained the motivation behind engaging in extreme and public forms of tax avoidance (i.e. corporate inversions) as addressing the inability to gain or maintain global competitive advantages (Security 2014, 1). While prior research explores how a corporation’s overall business strategy can affect tax avoidance behavior (Higgins et al. 2015) and measures the effects of different components of competitive advantages on tax avoidance (Kubick et al. 2015; Gao et al. 2015), how total global competitive advantages impact tax avoidance remains an unanswered empirical question. Therefore, this study considers the following research questions: 1)How does the …

An Examination Of Ceo Reputation Decline And Repair In Response To Deviant Actions, Jennifer Marie Palar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite increasing interest in managerial reputation, little research in the management field has attempted to theorize and empirically examine reputation as a dynamic construct. This paper synthesizes prior reputation literature across disciplines to develop a model of reputation change. Using the context of executive termination it is hypothesized that the same managerial outcome (i.e. termination) carries varied meaning to stakeholders depending on the actions leading to and reason for termination and such meaning impacts the level of executive reputation decline and repair. Additionally, drawing on four established theoretical mechanisms in the reputation literature it is hypothesized that various traits, relationships, …

Finding The Sweet Spot Of Cause-Related Marketing: Consumer Response To Campaign Tactics, Katharine Michelle Howie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cause-related marketing is an effective promotional tool that connects with consumers’ emotions and increases sales. Two essays are presented that explore how consumers respond to different marketing tactics. The first essay presents two studies that examine cause-related marketing (CRM) promotions that require consumers’ active participation. Requiring a follow-up behavior has very valuable implications for maximizing marketing expenditures and customer relationship management. Theories related to ethical behavior, like motivated reasoning and defensive denial, are used to explain when and why consumers respond negatively to these effort demands. The first study finds that consumers rationalize not participating in CRM by devaluing the …

Three Essays On Retail Branding, The Makings Of A Great Retail Brand: Antecedents, Outcomes, And Retailer Ad Spending Strategies, Chi Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Brands are valuable intangible assets with long-term benefits. In the retail industry, branding is of particular importance because of the highly competitive nature of the industry. Even though many of the important branding principles apply, retail brands are distinct from product brands. This dissertation aims to clarify the nature and dimensionality of retail brand equity and explore the effect of retail advertising on its market and financial performance. In the first essay, the primary antecedents of retail brand equity are examined using both functional and experiential dimensions of retail brand association. The results illustrate the salient role of the consumer …

Donor Motivation To Ncaa Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Athletic Departments, Daniel White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Are Tax Exemptions For "Churches" A Blessing Or A Curse For Taxpayers?, Hannah Bauman

Honors Theses

This paper focuses on the rules and requirements governing the participation of religious organizations as defined in IRC § 501(c)(3) in the political process. Included in this is a study of historical events and case law both for and against the participation of religious organizations in politics.

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

The Use Of Catastrophe Bonds As A Means Of Economic Development In Emerging Economies, Lauren Mattucci

Honors Theses and Capstones

Catastrophe bonds offer a way for entities located in natural disaster prone regions to safely and efficiently transfer the risk of insuring property to the financial markets and subsequently, create a financially attractive environment for insurers and investors. The opportunity for investors to utilize modeled loss analytical platforms such as those created by AIR, Risk Management Solutions, and EQECAT, could be used to bridge the growing gap in emerging economies between economic losses created by natural disasters and insured losses. Bridging this insurance gap in emerging economies could have positive global implications for the insurance industry, global trade, foreign direct …

San Francisco Bay Area School Districts Contracted With California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) And The Impact Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2010, Michael David Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations

San Francisco Bay Area school districts contracted with California Public Employees’ Retirement system (CalPERS) and the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

This qualitative study examined the impact of high cost CalPERS medical plans on the participant’s school district in regards to the 2020 Cadillac Tax, the types of administrative action the participants have taken to comply with the mandated reporting to the IRS, and the types of administrative measures the participants have taken to comply with the offer of coverage to employees working a minimum of 30 hours per week. The theoretical framework used …

Strategies Independent Coffee Shop Owners Require To Survive Beyond Five Years, Bruce Higdon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful independent coffee shop owners in Washington struggle to compete with the larger coffee shop chains. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to investigate what strategies owners of independent coffee shops in Washington use to survive beyond the first 5 years. Five independent coffee shop owners in Washington participated in the study and shared their practices and observations. Systems theory directed the study exploring the perspectives of successful independent coffee shop owners in Washington. Using communication skills and personal availability to answer questions and remain in contact throughout the research process built a rapport with participants. Data …

Three Essays On Institutional Sensemaking Of Political Connectedness, Tolga Ulusemre

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

Are Our Values Being Measured Adequately? Creation Of A More Comprhensive Work Values Scale, Daniel Ryan Krenn

Wayne State University Theses

Personal values are essential components in organizational climate and culture, leader-follower relationships, as well as other variables frequently investigated in I/O and management. Even though understanding values is vital to organizational research, the scales that assess these constructs have many problems. Depending on the scale that is used, the value taxonomy may vary significantly. There are also problems with the measurement of these values. Some scales assess the degree to which each value is important individually. Other values scales assess the order of importance of values. However, no scale has been created that assesses the extent of importance and the …

The Effects Of Pain Interference On Exhaustion At Work And The Mediating Role Of Negative Affect: A Diary Study Of Workers With Chronic Pain, Zachary Fragoso

Wayne State University Theses

Chronic pain is prevalent, affecting an estimated 116 million Americans (Jensen & Turk, 2014), and it is one of the leading causes of work-related disability in the U.S. (Sprigg, Stride, Wall, Holman, & Smith, 2007). Therefore, pain interference at work is an important topic for organizational researchers, yet there is currently a lack of research in this area. Drawing on theory related workplace stress and the chronic pain literature, I proposed a model in which fluctuation in pain interference with work is related to negative affective responses, above and beyond daily fluctuations in pain severity, which, in turn, manifests in …

The Role Of Disruptive Innovation, Personality Characteristics, And Business Models On Entrepreneurial Success, Will Shannon

CMC Senior Theses

Disruptive Innovation, according to the term’s founder Clayton Christensen, is defined as a specific type of innovation that is able to capture the lower-end of the market through quality, feature, or cost differences and leverage this position to achieve higher market share. Entrepreneurs who utilize disruptive innovation strategies have been historically able to create products and services that achieve massive financial and cultural success. Theories of personality characteristics have been previously applied to entrepreneurial activities, but not used to bridge the gap between developmental experiences and market success. Cross-industry analysis of ten top entrepreneurial business leaders from retail, food services, …

Player Performance And Team Revenues: Nba Player Salary Analysis, Tyler Stanek

CMC Senior Theses

The National Basketball Association (NBA) generated well over $4 billion in revenues during the 2014-15 season. I analyze the value of a win to a team in terms of revenue and examine the potential underpayment or overpayment of players and superstars throughout the league relative to their marginal revenue product (MRP). My findings suggest that players are overpaid, especially superstars. However, it is important to consider the fixed-revenue streams a team receives before assuming a player is simply overpaid compared to his MRP. In congruence with previous literature, I find that veterans are overpaid at the expense of younger players’ …

Who Will Be The First To Buy Autonomous Vehicles? An Application Of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Reilly Jackson Umberger

CMC Senior Theses

Autonomous, otherwise known as self-driving, vehicles represent the future of transportation. Vehicles that drive themselves offer far reaching benefits from increased leisure and productivity for individuals to significant improvements in congestion and infrastructure for governments. The autonomous car will radically change the way we look at transportation, and they are right around the corner. However, the question remains: are we ready? Are we, as a society, ready to hand over the steering the wheel and trust autonomous vehicles with our safety? This paper predicts how the autonomous car will spread through society by analyzing and applying the product qualities and …

The Effect Of Increased Regulation On Option Use Within The Information Technology Industry, Ahmed H. Eltamami

CMC Senior Theses

Exorbitant executive compensation packages have drawn large criticism from the public eye and with the recent financial crisis and the previous tech bubble opinion on executive incentives has forced government institutions to respond. Over the past two decades the SEC and FASB have aimed to respond to the public and with three large regulation changes in the 2000s, pay for performance compensation has gone through many changes. In this study I build on previous work in an attempt to answer whether or not executives within the Information Technology industry have seen a larger decline in option compensation when compared to …