Business Commons^™

Dyadic Trust Congruence And Asymmetry: The Mediating Role Of Psychological Needs On Trust And Performance, Hongyin Cai

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This thesis examines how trust congruence and trust asymmetry shape leader-subordinate relationships and how these dynamics influence LTS and subordinate job performance. Trust congruence and trust asymmetry are defined by the degree of alignment between STL and SFT. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this study investigates these processes from the subordinate’s perspective using a mixed-method design that integrates qualitative interviews and quantitative analysis.

Results show that subordinate trust in leader (STL), subordinate felt trust (SFT) and leader trust in subordinate (LTS) are three distinct constructs. Trust asymmetry is prevalent, with subordinate often trusting more than they feel trusted. Asymmetry meaningfully shapes …

Enterprise Digital Transformation: An Analysis Of Value Creation From An Operational Perspective, Weiguo Ling

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Digital transformation has become a critical pathway for the manufacturing sector to break through growth bottlenecks and reshape its core competitiveness. However, in practice, a large number of enterprises are trapped in the transformation paradox of a “discrepancy between perceived consensus and actual outcomes”. The core issue lies in the fact that traditional investment evaluation methods struggle to effectively measure the multi-dimensional value created by digitalization. From the perspective of operational management, this study focuses on the mechanisms and evaluation methods of digital value creation in different manufacturing contexts. A four-dimensional Value Evaluation Framework is proposed, comprise of Value Identification, …

Governance-By-Support: Non-Financial Incentive, Agency Costs, And Performance In Overseas Projects, Jixiang Lyu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As the Belt and Road Initiative continues to advance, multinational corporations from emerging economies have become increasingly reliant on expatriates to oversee overseas project execution, facilitate technology transfer, and manage on-site coordination. However, in contexts characterized by financial constraints, information opacity, and significant geographic and cultural distance, traditional Western models of expatriate management, which emphasize high compensation and tight monitoring, often prove difficult to sustain in practice. In reality, some firms are able to maintain high levels of expatriate commitment and stable overseas project performance even when expatriate compensation is below market levels. This seemingly anomalous phenomenon poses an interesting …

The Impact Of Service Model Innovation Of Woodworking Machinery Equipment Suppliers On Downstream Furniture Industry Enterprises' Competitiveness, Wenquan Jing

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study examines the impact of service model innovation by woodworking machinery equipment suppliers on the competitiveness of downstream furniture enterprises, focusing on evolving competitive dynamics in equipment manufacturing within the context of service-oriented manufacturing and digital transformation. In the digital economy era, industrial competition is transitioning from traditional product-centric approaches to a value co-creation-oriented paradigm centered on customer value and service capabilities. As a typical equipment manufacturing subsector, the woodworking machinery industry has long relied on equipment sales and after-sales maintenance models that fail to meet downstream furniture enterprises" demands for flexible production, intelligent operation and maintenance, and end-to-end …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Cognitive And Affective Trust In Wealth Management: Impacts On Wealth Manager Selection And Asset Under Management (Aum) Growth, Ting Hsi Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Trust is key to wealth management decision-making; there is little empirical clarity on the relationships between different dimensions of trust and client behavior at each stage of the relationship. Previous works differentiated Cognitive trust, based on perceived competence, and Affective trust, based on relational and emotional connections. Nevertheless, the mechanisms under which these trust dimensions act during the pre- and post-account-opening phases have not yet been thoroughly studied. This research addresses this gap by exploring the stage-dependent influence of Cognitive and Affective trust on the central behavioral outcomes in wealth management.

The approach is a quantitative research based on a …

Gen Z Employees’ Characteristics And Their Impacts On Work Motivation And Outcomes: A Comparative Study Of Private Firms And State-Owned Enterprises In China, Yanfang Zheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study examines the characteristics of Generation Z (Gen Z) employees and investigates how these traits influence work motivation and job-related outcomes within the Chinese organizational context. Specifically, the research compares employees working in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private firms, two dominant but structurally distinct organizational forms in China. Drawing upon self-determination theory, generational cohort theory, and organizational behavior literature, the study proposes a conceptual model in which Gen Z characteristics influence job outcomes both directly and indirectly through intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with organizational type acting as a moderating variable. A quantitative, multi-source survey design was employed. Data were …

The Impact Mechanism Of Low-Carbon Circular Development On Comprehensive Performance: Evidence From Manufacturing Firms, Xuejun Hu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The advancement of the dual-carbon goals and the deepening of green transformation have positioned the impact of low-carbon circular development on firm performance as a central issue in corporate sustainabilityresearch. Taking Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms from2007 to2022 as the research sample, this study constructs an indicator systemof firms’ low-carbon circular development from two dimensions—resource utilizationefficiency and emission control efficiency—and assesses comprehensive performance from financial and non-financial metrics. On this basis, the combined weighting–TOPSIS method is employed to measure the levels of low-carbon circular development and comprehensive performance. Amultidimensional fixed-effects panel model is used to examine their relationship. Furthermore, total …

The Impact Of Corporate Social Responsibility On Employees' Work Attitudes And Behaviors, Qian Yuan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Why do some new employees voluntarily leave within a short period after joining a corporation, while others do not? Drawing on information asymmetry theory and adverse selection theory, this dissertation argues that information asymmetry and adverse selection between job seekers and firms before organizational entry, or during the job search process, are important reasons for new employees’ short-term voluntary turnover. Because corporate social responsibility (CSR) can provide people with information about a firm’s capabilities, willingness, and intentions, this dissertation proposes that firms’ CSR activities can provide job seekers with information about various aspects of the firm. In doing so, CSR …

The Impact Of Job Demands On Work And Family Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers In China: The Moderating Effect Of Gender And Professional Identity Integration (G-Pii) And Communal Orientation, Wei Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Long work hours, emotional strain, and stress are just a few of the high demands placed on healthcare workers in China, which have led to occupational burnout, tension between job and family, and worse health. This research investigates the relationship between job demands and burnout via the lens of the Job Demands-Resources model and social identity theory, work-family balance, subjective well-being, and career commitment among Chinese healthcare workers. We focus on the moderating roles of gender and professional identity integration (G-PII) and communal orientation. In a two-wave investigation, 317 medical professionals from different Chinese hospitals took part. Hierarchical regression studies …

Research On Characteristics Of The Subsidiary, Business Environment, And Group Control, Xiaoning Yu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

As a crucial pillar in the development of China’s national economy, corporate groups play an irreplaceable role in driving economic growth and promoting industrial upgrading. However, in the management practice of subsidiaries, they have long faced the control dilemma of "tight control leads to stagnation, while excessive decentralization leads to chaos." This study focuses on the fit between subsidiary characteristics, the business environment, and the degree of group control as its core research issue. It aims to uncover the underlying logic of group control in different contexts, providing scientific theoretical support and practical guidance for corporate groups in the new …

How Product Innovation And Process Innovation Impact Product Performance, Wei Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In an increasingly competitive global market characterized by accelerating technological iteration and rapidly evolving consumer demands, innovation has become a critical means for firms to adapt to dynamic changes and achieve competitive advantage. Grounded in dynamic capabilities theory and the resource-based view, this study empirically investigates the mechanisms through which product innovation and process innovation affect product performance, drawing on survey data from 215 products. It further examines the mediating role of product flexibility and the moderating effect of product positioning. The results indicate that both product innovation and process innovation have a significant positive impact on product performance. Product …

A Study On The Relationship Between Traffic Spillover And Rental Rates Of Shopping Centre Stores Based On Consumer Movement Data, Hongjun Zhang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study is based on consumer movement trajectory data and examines the relationship between traffic spillover among stores within shopping centres and their rent ratios, responding to the practical limitation that traditional rental pricing mechanisms often overlook the dynamic structure of customer flows. Using micro-level consumer movement data and store rental data from three shopping centres in Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Chongqing, this paper constructs a store transition network reflecting customer movements between stores. Social network analysis is employed to measure stores’ network influence indicators (such as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and structural holes) as well as traffic spillover indicators derived …

How Do Monetary Incentives Affect Prosocial Behavior Among Gig Workers?—Behavioral Experiments Based On Flashex, Peng Xue

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The gig economy has reshaped labor markets. Motivating mobile, loosely contracted gig workers to engage in prosocial behavior is critical for platform governance. This paper uses a randomized field experiment on FlashEx in comparable Chinese cities to examine how monetary incentives affect delivery workers’ prosocial behavior and related economic outcomes.

The main findings of this study are as follows. First, monetary incentives significantly promote gig workers’ prosocial behavior, effectively increasing both the likelihood and frequency of their participation in altruistic acts. This effect is primarily driven by the “instrumental value” mechanism in the gig economy: the platform’s gold coin rewards, …

Does Ethnicity Similarity Affect Analyst Forecasts?, Zichen Tian

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

I examine whether ethnicity similarity between sell-side analysts and corporate senior officers shapes analysts’ forecasting behavior. The baseline results show that ethnicity similarity is associated with higher forecast frequency and larger initial forecast errors. Importantly, I find that the larger initial forecast error associated with ethnicity similarity comes from overestimation and disappears for analysts’ last forecasts, consistent with bias coming from innate favoritism and dissipating as public information accumulates within the fiscal year. However, the market does not discount coethnic analysts’ first forecast revisions and reacts more strongly to their last forecast revisions within the fiscal year, suggesting that investors …

Business Capstone Review: An Analysis Of A Local School Foundation, Emily Carlile

University Honors Theses

This capstone review thesis analyzes a school foundation in the Portland Metro Area. The capstone project was designed to conduct research to support the local school foundation, specifically the 18-35 demographic, and to increase overall funding. The project required navigating a compressed ten week timeline and coordinating a large, eleven member team to meet our client’s complex expectations. Beyond our hurdles with research, we managed multiple clients' expectations during the presentation, which were not part of the original consulting process. To maintain the project workload, we communicated with the client through a weekly email, four presentations, and a final recommendation …

How Does Communication Breakdown Impact Group Cohesion Over The Lifespan Of A Team?, Hannah Dyche

University Honors Theses

Communication is one of the main determinants of whether a team or group achieves a successful outcome; when it starts to erode, the team's overall goal often erodes with it. Communication breakdown within teams directly impacts group cohesion, causing small misunderstandings to escalate into larger conflicts. Every team experiences ups and downs, but maintaining a strong foundation of communication and continually strengthening it will prevent this breakdown.

Most of the existing research on team dynamics focuses on corporate environments. By shifting the focus to a short-term academic team, this thesis shows how communication breakdown impacts group cohesion over the lifespan …

Digital Technology Adoption And Esg Performance In Malaysia: The Role Of Board And Top Management Team, Qin Yue

Student Works (2020-2029)

Against the backdrop of advancing global sustainable development, corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance has become a key indicator of firms’ long-term sustainability and value creation. As digital transformation accelerates, leveraging digital technologies to enhance ESG performance has become a critical issue for both academia and practice. Integrating Information Asymmetry Theory and Resource Dependence Theory, this study establishes an analytical framework and empirically examines the impact of digital technology adoption on corporate ESG performance. Using a sample of non-technology listed firms in Malaysia from 2018 to 2023, this research employs a fixed-effects model. The study also investigates the moderating …

Strategies For Reducing Fraud In Corporate Organizations, Tarshall Horton Mccauley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial statement fraud has been a persistent problem that poses risks to corporations globally. Business leaders are concerned about financial statement fraud due to its potential to weaken financial stability, erode stakeholder confidence, and create conditions that may lead to significant financial distress or organizational collapse. Grounded in the fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research was to explore internal control strategies corporate leaders use to reduce financial statement fraud risk. The participants were 11 financial leaders in North Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Virginia who practiced effective internal controls to minimize financial fraud. Data …

A Capability Maturity Model For Artificial Intelligence Integration In Supply Chain Management, Lordt Becklines

Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming Supply Chain Management (SCM), yet many organizations struggle to assess their readiness for AI adoption and to understand how AI capabilities develop across maturity stages. This dissertation addresses this gap by developing a Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for AI integration in SCM, grounded in Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT), the Resource-Based View, and related capability frameworks. The model provides a structured approach for evaluating an organization's information-processing requirements, resource configurations, and alignment needed for effective AI-enabled supply chain operations.

Using a design science research approach, the AI-SCM CMM and its associated assessment instrument were derived …

Bank Finance And Private Sector Development: A Comparative Study Of Sub- Saharan Africa And The Oecd Economies, Raymond Asamoah

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

The study examines bank credits to the private sector and the factors driving bank decisions in 25 Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries and 25 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, which are considered both developing and developed countries by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, with comparative stabilized economies. It focuses on the factors that influence banks to offer credit to the private sector. Domestic credit to the private sector as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is used as the dependent variable. 8 determinants or explanatory variables are used to explain Bank credit decisions. …

Exploring The Impact Of Team Culture In High-Pressure Jobs, Such As Investment Banking And Consulting, And How Project Management Can Be Applied, Mayavathi Lal

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Toxic team cultures remain a pressing issue in high-pressure environments such as investment banking and consulting, where long hours, and hierarchical norms often undermine employee well-being and compromise project delivery. Previous studies have documented how workplace stress, exclusionary leadership, and cultural rigidity fuel burnout and turnover. However, limited research has explicitly examined these cultural dynamics through the lens of project management frameworks such as resource management, stakeholder engagement, and agile practices. This study employs a qualitative research approach by leveraging semi-structured interviews with analysts and associates, to capture the lived experiences of culture and its impact on team coordination and …

The Role Of Stakeholder Management In The Adaptive Reuse Of Historic Buildings: Balancing Social, Economic, And Community Interests, Karina G. Iavarone

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The adaptive reuse of historic buildings has emerged as a vital strategy for sustainable urban development. While such projects can preserve cultural heritage, revitalize communities, and stimulate economic growth, they often face significant challenges due to competing stakeholder priorities. The central problem addressed in this study is the lack of effective stakeholder management in adaptive reuse initiatives, which can result in project delays, inflated costs, and outcomes that overlook social sustainability.

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore how stakeholder management practices influence the success of adaptive reuse projects by balancing social, economic, and community interests. Three …

Transformation From Sap Ecc To Sap S/4hana Finance Erp In The Usa: Investigating Human-Centric Challenges And Strategic Benefits, Muhammad Kamran Mirza Mr.

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the human-centric challenges and organizational strategic benefits associated with migrating from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Finance in U.S.-based organizations. The motivation behind this ERP transformation is that the company aims to automate its business processes and achieve operational efficiency. The success of ERP migration is shaped by user experience. Human barriers such as cognitive load, burnout and reluctance to change, insufficient user training, and work stress can threaten the success of ERP migration. This study aims to examine human-centric issues and organizational dynamics to propose effective ERP migration strategies that can help future ERP migrations and …

Environmental And Social Strategies, And Sustainable Performance: The Mediating Role Of Management Control Systems, Zheng Siqi

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study investigates how environmental and social (E&S) strategies influence enterprise sustainability performance (SP), with a focus on the mediating roles of Environmental Management Control Systems (EMCS) and Social Management Control Systems (SMCS). Anchored in the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualizes E&S strategies, EMCS, and SMCS as internal organizational resources that support the implementation of sustainability-related strategic intent. Although Chinese manufacturing enterprises face increasing regulatory and societal expectations regarding environmental and social responsibilities, prior research has primarily examined the direct association between sustainability strategies and performance outcomes or has treated sustainability control systems as aggregated constructs, providing comparatively less …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Stock Market Volatility In The Eurozone: Evidence From Sectoral Structure And Climate Policy, Toulin Mohamed Albostany

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stock market volatility in the Eurozone from 2000 to 2023. The analysis is driven by increasing concerns regarding climate related financial risks, investigating whether various types of emissions induce financial market instability and whether this relationship is influenced by the economic frameworks and climate policy contexts. Utilizing annual panel data from 20 Eurozone countries, stock market volatility is assessed by a Dynamic Conditional Correlation Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (DCC-GARCH) framework, which accounts for time-varying volatility and inter-market dependence. The empirical strategy integrates pooled OLS, fixed-effects models, and instrumental-variables Generalized …

What Are The Factors Affecting The Financial Sustainability Of Social Enterprises In Egypt?, Mina Atta Ghaly

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates what factors affect the financial sustainability of social enterprises (SEs) in Egypt, situating them within a constrained MSME, legal and sectoral context marked by informality, weak innovation and recurrent shocks. Drawing on global and Egyptian literature, it identifies ten candidate factors—business model, financial management, founders’ skills and mindset, revenue structure, sector and mission, legal framework and innovative finance, capacity building, investment mechanisms and “the right investor”, adaptability to shocks, and ecosystem conditions—and integrates them into an extended Social Enterprise Model Canvas. Using a qualitative, exploratory design with semi‑structured interviews of social enterprise founders, incubators/accelerators, investors and experts, …

Effect Of Fintech Adoption On Commercial Banks’ Stability: Evidence From Gcc And North Africa, Ibrahim Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at how financial technology (FinTech) adoption affects bank stability, measured by distance to default. It uses a unbalanced panel of listed banks from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and North Africa over the period from 2010 to 2024. To consider differences in bank risk and institutional traits, the study uses random-effects panel regressions along with quantile regression models and interaction specifications. These methods allow the effects of FinTech to change depending on the level of bank risk and the size of the bank. The results indicate that FinTech development does not have the same effect on banks’ …

Assessing Public-Sector Readiness For Artificial Intelligence In Egypt, Renad Ahmed Anwar

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly adopted in public-sector contexts, yet successful implementation depends on organizational readiness, particularly in developing countries. This study assesses the readiness of Egypt’s public sector for AI adoption using a qualitative expert opinion methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior professionals from global technology firms with extensive experience working with public-sector entities in Egypt.

Guided by by an integrated framework combining organizational readiness theory, the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, and public value and governance perspectives, the study examines strategic, organizational, human, technological, societal, and governance dimensions of AI readiness. The findings indicate that while Egypt demonstrates strong …

Designing Inclusive Planning, Collaboration, And Communication Practices For Neurodivergent Individuals In Project-Based Environments, Siddhanth Janakiraman

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

In a knowledge-driven economy where project-based work structures dominate, project management methodologies have become central to how organizations plan, collaborate, and communicate. However, these frameworks are often built around neurotypical assumptions of communication fluency, executive functioning, and time perception—creating systemic barriers for neurodivergent professionals. This study, Designing Inclusive Planning, Collaboration, and Communication Practices for Neurodivergent Individuals in Project-Based Environments, investigates how project management methodologies and tools can be adapted to foster more inclusive participation and performance. Grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm and informed by principles from Project Management and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the research adopts a qualitative, exploratory approach. Through …

Can Blockchain-Adoption Announcements Create Market And Operating Value In Banks? Evidence From An Event Study For Global Banks Initiatives, Nourhan Said

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis offers quantitative work in exploring the market value and operation advantages associated with blockchain initiatives in listed banks. We utilized an event study approach to analyze the market value added to banks adopting blockchain technology on a short term. The sample consist of 126 event observations spanning 30 different countries in the period between 2016 and 2024. The study also focuses on the signals and cues that drive the changes in the banks’ abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns. Different project attributes like the blockchain type, blockchain application, and objective as well as bank characteristics like the bank …