Business Commons^™

Air Force Cadet To Career Field Matching Problem, Ian P. Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the Cadet to Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) Matching Problem (CAMP). Currently, the matching problem occurs annually at the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) using an integer program and value focused thinking approach. This paper presents a novel method to match cadets with AFSCs using a generalized structure of the Hospitals Residents problem with special emphasis on lower quotas. This paper also examines the United States Army Matching problem and compares it to the techniques and constraints applied to solve the CAMP. The research culminates in the presentation of three algorithms created to solve the CAMP and …

Feasibility Of Funding Construction-Related Projects With Cryptocurrencies, Farbod Pourdehmobed

Construction Management

The current method of acquiring funds for construction projects consists of loans and/or a board of investors. With the emergence of the cryptocurrency industry in the past five to ten years, an influx of cash has been inserted into the market and is simply being held captive by government regulations. With development and construction being an attractive investment for most anyone, these "crypto billionaires" are insistent on financing possible projects. The issue lies within the construction industry and the possibly outdated financial system and whether it is capable of adhering to certain requirements that come with the usage of crypto …

Parental And Family Leave In The California Construction Industry, Hailee Malins

Construction Management

Struggles between work life balance often result in lower levels of job and life satisfaction, and higher rates of inefficiency and employee turnover, with varying impact on employees based on seniority, gender and parenthood. Policies such as paid parental leave have shown positive effects on work life balance, but there is a lack of information on leave policies within the American construction industry. Focusing on California, this research aimed to determine employee's understanding, use and acceptance of these leave policies. Using a survey, we gain a better understanding of these goals. Rates of confidence in knowledge of paternal and family …

The Effect Of Nondiagnostic Information On Internal Auditor Skepticism: Capturing The Dilution Effect, Joseph Anthony Giordano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Internal auditors assigned to assess internal controls over financial reporting incorporate irrelevant information into their judgment, showing decreased skepticism when irrelevant information contradicts preconceived stereotypes of management, known as the dilution effect and attributed to the representativeness heuristic. Irrelevant information consistent with preconceived stereotypes does not decrease skepticism. In this experiment practicing internal auditors are provided an irrelevant description of the Chief Information Officer portrayed as either gregarious or introverted then subsequently receive relevant internal controls information. When the Chief Information Officer is described as gregarious, counter to common stereotypes, internal auditors assess risk as less likely to occur compared …

Exploring Diversity And Depth Of Knowledge, Metacognition, And Individual Ambidexterity, Deddi Tedjakumara

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Recent data show that the average lifespan of a company listed in the Standard and Poor's 500 (S&P 500) Index has declined from 32 years in 1965 to 21 years in 2020 (Clark, 2021), and it is estimated that 75% of the companies listed in the S&P 500 today will disappear from the list by 2027 (Hillenbrand, 2019). Organizational theory holds that for a company to be sustainable, it must strike a balance between exploring new possibilities and exploiting old certainties (March, 1991). The ability to manage the tension between exploration and exploitation is important at both organizational and individual …

Why And How Leaders Differentiate?, Srishti Banerjee

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

A key tenet of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory is that leaders treat followers differently, referred to as leader-member exchange differentiation (LMXD) (Yu et al., 2018). When leaders treat followers differently, they develop a varying quality of relationships within the team referred to as LMX quality (LMXQ). LMXQ has received the vast majority of research with findings being largely consistent that higher quality relationships benefit followers (Yu et al., 2018). In contrast, surprisingly, much less research has focused on how this actual differentiation (LMXD) impacts employee reactions and there are no conclusive findings regarding its effects (Bauer & Erdogan, 2015; Chen …

Family Wealth Advisory Services In China – What Kind Of Advisors Can Be More Competent And Successful?, Yang Shen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

High net worth wealth owners generally need various advisory services to meet their wealth management needs, such as investment / global asset allocation, intergenerational succession planning, personal and family tax planning, next-generation education, health management, immigration arrangement for family members, etc.

At the current stage, this paper tries to answer below central research questions for Chinese wealth advisors:

1. From the Perspective of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) in China, what characteristics should their wealth advisors bear to be considered competent?
2. Which key competency factors are mostly important in making the wealth advisor successful (reflected through performance rating of wealth advisors)?

The research …

How Do Values Matter In The Relation Between Organizational Trust And Performance? The Case Of China, Lu Jiang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Trust in organizations has been demonstrated and discussed widely in research in Western cultures. With China’s rapidly developing economy, more and more Western managers work in China now, while an increasing number of Chinese managers work overseas. This makes research on the way trust in organizations operates in Chinese culture an important topic. This study contributes to the literature from the perspective of the way values matter in the relation between organizational trust and performance in China. This research proposes that in the context of China, employees’ and supervisor’s Confucian value system affects the trust in the supervisor positively, which …

A Study On The System Of Influential Factors For High-Quality Development Of Chinese Cultural And Tourism Small Towns: Insights From W Town, Yu Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Under the dual support of the government and market, the number of cultural and tourism small towns in China has increased rapidly in recent years. However, many small towns have encountered problems such as poor performance, disputes over interests, and operational deficiencies during their rapid development. As China's economy gradually enters a phase of high-quality development, how to promote the high-quality development of cultural and tourism small towns has become a concern for experts in the industry and academia. Currently, research on the high-quality development of cultural and tourism small towns in China is relatively fragmented and lacks a comprehensive …

Humanized Management, Fairness Perception And Health Of Merchant Ecosystem: Driving Mechanisms Of The Digital Age, Zeyong Zhuang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the era of digital transformation, the competition among individual enterprises has evolved into competition of business ecosystems, and the merchants in shopping malls have evolved from atomistic competition to ecological competition. Therefore, merchants must ensure the health of business ecosystems to establish competitive advantages. This study uses the survey data of merchants in five shopping malls in Guangzhou to empirically test the mechanism of the effect of humanized management on the health of business ecosystems in the context of digital transformation.

The empirical results show that: 1. Humanized management of shopping malls helps to build trust and loyalty, promote …

Aligning Dod Cost Analysis Competencies To Third Party Standards, Helga D. Leite-Evora

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to improve certification training programs, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2020 mandated changes to certification requirements for all acquisition related career fields directing the implementation of certification programs based on nationally or internationally accredited third-party standards (NDAA, 2019). This research focused on DoD’s Defense Acquisition University’s (DAU) Business Cost Estimating (BUS-CE) Program’s compliance with the NDAA. The study has one major research question that focuses on determining how well aligned the Defense Acquisition University’s (DAU) BUS-CE certification program’s competency model is to its relevant third-party standard, the International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association's (ICEAA) Cost …

Predicting Bear Trend In The Uae Stock Markets Using Macro-Financial Variables, Hamood Abdulla Alyasi

Dissertations

Understanding the effects of macroeconomic and financial variables on stock market trends, especially bear markets, can help different stakeholders and concerned parties to react according to their goals and tasks. Investors can make better investment decisions and allocate assets in their portfolios based on trend expectations. Regulators and decision-makers can adopt adequate precautious regulations to protect the stock market and economy in general from any negative consequences in the case of a stock market recession.
/="/">The purpose of this study is to investigate whether it is possible to predict UAE stock market bear states through the use of macro-financial …

Laguna Love: A Sustainable Bikini Collection, Aubrianna L. Davenport

Graphic Communication

Graphic Communication can be applied to various industries of design. As a Cal Poly student I had the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy. During that time I studied fashion and product development, which sparked my desire to become a textile designer one day; I specifically hope to work in the surf apparel industry. Whilst taking textile design classes abroad, I learned that I could apply my love for graphic design to the fashion industry quite seamlessly; I am thankful that Graphic Communication has provided me with the skill sets in Adobe Creative Cloud, especially, when applying my knowledge …

The High Tide Inn Rebrand, Caroline Turnbull

Graphic Communication

For my Senior Project, I found a small Inn in Maine that was just purchased by a new owner. The previous owner of The High Tide Inn was very old and had owned the Inn for a long time, running on word of mouth and the quaint charm of the location. Their website was not a priority and had not been updated in decades. It was not mobile friendly, up to date, or easy to navigate. The logo reflects a charming sign on the property, but does not translate well digitally. In addition to this, there is no vector file …

The Effects Of International Defense Sales On Aerospace Prime Contractor Profitability, Gregory T. Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

Faced with declining defense budgets following the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, US defense contractors needed to explore other sources of revenue outside of typical domestic defense sales to survive. Expansion into the international defense sales market was one of the avenues pursued by defense contractors attempting to capture profits (Deutch, 2001). However, not many studies have been found assessing the relationship between international defense sales and profitability since then. This research examines the relationship between international defense sales and profitability using data collected on the top five US defense contractors from 1994-2021. Time-series analysis is …

A Decadal Analysis Of Factor Trends In Production Data For Department Of Defense Acquisition Programs, Scott A. Reilly

Theses and Dissertations

This research involves the analysis of standard parametric cost factors across decades within the Production phase of Department of Defense (DoD) acquisitions. DoD cost estimators utilize factors to develop budgets, build cost estimates, measure program progress, and crosscheck for other estimating methodologies. This research analyzed contract data from 732 cost data summary reports (DD Form 1921) across seven decades and eight common work breakdown structure (WBS) elements. In addition to analyzing differences in these WBS elements, this research also provides analysis across decades for several commodity types, contract types, contractor types, and service branches. The statistical tests conducted in our …

Analysis Of Oregon Multi-Family Housing In Relation To Covid-19 Pandemic, Conor Paterson

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine notable metrics of multi-family housing markets before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary locations for the analysis of this issue were Portland, Oregon and other cities located near Portland. This paper attempts to demonstrate the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the landscape of multi-family housing options and affordability since the year 2020. A literature review was first conducted to obtain a better understanding of what the discourse community surrounding housing changes has stated about the pandemic's role in the housing market. After drawing conclusions from the prior literature, …

How Organizations Approach Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons From The Best And Worst, Diego Mullin

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been growing in popularity. Companies that do not engage in CSR or that engage in CSR incorrectly can face scrutiny and lose competitiveness. The current study will analyze CSR initiatives and communications in the context of the contemporary social environment, and how they can benefit or harm a company. This will be achieved by reviewing CSR motivations and communication methods through examining these factors in examples of actual CSR efforts by organizations. The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations on how to strategically approach CSR management and communications to maintain …

A Phenomenological Study On The Informal Learning Experiences Of Female Mid-Level Administrators, Kathryn L. Curameng

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identifies and describes the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education institutions in California. Respondents were selected based on specific criteria and recommendations of a sponsor. The researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews and observations of participants.

Findings: Examination of the qualitative data from interviews with 16 female mid-level administrators working in private nonprofit higher education yielded nine major findings. These included 2 unexpected …

Factors Affecting Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Towards Recycled Products, Sherine Esmat

Theses and Dissertations

The work executed addresses the status of recycling industry in Egypt and its relation to the current sustainability trends as well as climate change issues. It also identifies the main concerns of consumers when purchasing recycled products. Consequently, identifies the key pillars that need to be applied or communicated with the target consumers to enhance the concept of selling recycled products and increase its market share. Since this industry is significantly broad, the focus of the study was only on recycled PET plastic bottles (rPET), this is to ensure attaining accurate and reliable results.

An interview and a site visit …

The University Look: How Sun Belt Conference Athletic Officials View Their Standing In The Collegiate Sports World, Jake Williamson

Student Theses and Dissertations

It is a beautiful Saturday morning in October. You wake up and turn on your television to ESPN. It’s football season, and you have on your team’s gear, knowing that kickoff is just a couple hours away. As you begin to search for your team’s channel, you discover that your team won’t be airing on television today. Your team has been off to a great start, and today’s game might push you into the Associated Poll (AP) top 25 rankings. You then go to the team’s official website to figure out what channel is airing their game. The website says …

Covid-19 As An Industry Accelerant, Betty Huang

Honors Theses

The coronavirus pandemic, declared as a national emergency on March 13th, 2020, has caused extreme social and economic disruption all over the world, forever leaving a distinct imprint on history. Although many companies struggled immensely, either barely pulling out of the pandemic alive or having to completely shut down, several other companies have found ways to flourish during this unprecedented time.

The beginning of the pandemic brought lowered advertising rates. Several companies made the marketing decision to run campaigns during this time to take advantage of these lowered rates while creating a company response to the pandemic itself. The world …

U.S. Department Of The Interior: Sharing Fair Data Fairly, Jason Earl Duke

Theses and Dissertations

Thousands of scientists, researchers, students, and organizations consume government-produced data daily that are often difficult to locate because they are collected and stored in multiples at varying levels of quality, inhibiting their usefulness for data science investigations and analysis. To address these challenges, United States Government agencies and bureaus have been implementing Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) Data Principles into their data-sharing strategies since 2016. However, differing interpretations of the FAIR Data Principles lead to data that must be documented uniformly and adequately integrated for reuse. Select datasets have been analyzed with peer-reviewed FAIR assessment tools to establish a …

Kingdom Economy Found In A Cup And On A Mat, Nicole J. Richardson

Doctor of Leadership

My NPO is: Churches struggle being relevant forces but could become restorative and thriving communities by rethinking traditional approaches to ecclesiology through reframing Biblical koinonia, mission, and worship. Curating a well-balanced “third space” that offers opportunities for people to engage in their spiritual pilgrimage will fill a void in our context. Additionally, it will offer the universal church another way to nurture community, define worship, and practice relational mission daily through radical hospitality. I serve a Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. The focus is to serve an 8-mile radius in the Piedmont Triad area focusing on the Nones and Dones …

Research On The Influence Of Management Practices On Hospital Performance: An Empirical Study Based On Hospitals In Eastern China, Zhihua Zhang

Fordham Dissertations and Theses

Since the beginning of the 21st century, a series of challenges have been confronting global health development, including significant factors affecting human health such as population aging, severe infectious diseases, and climate change. In particular, the COVID-19 that swept the globe in the past three years has posed a major comprehensive test to the global health governance system. As both the last line of defense for human health and the largest consumer of health resources, how the hospital can "improve quality and promote efficiency" based on limited resources is the core of the first priority. Previous studies have proven that …

Bearer Negotiable Instruments: Addressing A Financial Intelligence Gap And Identifying Criminogenic Weaknesses, Hollis B. Kegg

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bearer Negotiable Instruments (BNI) are a long-standing category of financial instruments used to transfer large amounts of money in ways that may not be subject to regulation, reporting, tracking, review, or oversight. There is limited information available on BNIs, and no evidence that any studies have been undertaken on BNIs alone, much less reported. Increasingly, BNIs are being used for illegal purposes including money laundering. This study gathers information about their characteristics, nature, purpose, legal status, and numbers. It also focuses on the crime risks associated with BNIs, the crime opportunities they facilitate, and the criminal weaknesses in the financial …

Social Impacts Of Robotics On The Labor And Employment Market, Kelvin Espinal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Robotics have been introduced into the workplace to perform tasks that human beings have traditionally fulfilled. Complementing or substituting human labor with robotics eliminates human involvement in functions attributable to hazardous environments, heavy lifting, toxic substances, and repetitive low-level tasks. On the other hand, they are meant to be more efficient and cost-effective, saving money, time, and labor. However, since the introduction of robotics in the workforce, societal opposition has been towards this branch of technology in fear of losing employment, wages, and purpose.

Previous studies have reported an overarching societal fear that adopting robotics in the workplace and industry …

Bozo The Clown: An Icon As American As An Apple Pie In The Face, Gregory Kent Oswald

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is no single path toward the creation of an American icon, a person or item with resonance to all in the country as well as having an ability to serve as a symbol of America itself for those outside the borders. This thesis considers certain elements that propelled the journey of the entertainment for children, Bozo the Clown, into a representational figure in the minds of young and old. Like all things American, his roots include many elements from outside the country: the name derives from foreign tongues mostly in derisory terms, but in at least one instance as …

Examining Past, Present, And Future Of Agricultural Labor: From The Bracero Program To The Coalition Of Immokalee Workers, Francesca Paradiso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis is a comparative study that examines the Bracero Program and the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The Bracero Program brought Mexican workers into the United States on temporary work visas from 1942-1964. The CIW is an organization of Mexican workers that was founded in 1992 as a response to the horrible working conditions that Mexican tomato pickers faced in Immokalee, Florida. In this thesis, I show that by putting these programs side by side, we can see the exploitation of Mexican farmworkers has relied on changing government tools—different forms of visas, different immigration regimes, different …

Remediating System Neglect In Judgmental Demand Forecasting, Srikant Vinakota

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Prior research has shown that individuals tasked with judgmental forecasting of demand based on time-series data overreact in stable environments and underreact in unstable environments. Kremer et al. (2011) attributed this to the system neglect hypothesis, which claims that forecasters emphasize forecast errors over the system parameters.

The present research investigates interventions that mitigate system neglect and address the causal factors for overreaction and underreaction. Given the desire by organizations to move towards touchless planning and automated decision-making, minimizing human judgment and understanding its drivers is of significant practical importance.

We tested four different interventions on an online subject pool …