Business Commons^™

The Belt And Road Initiative In Kenya, As Represented By The Standard Gauge Railway (Sgr), Its Effects And The Response Of Kenyans To It., Kiplangat Arap Yegon

Master's Theses

China has sought to strengthen ties with many countries in the Global South, and many African countries have signed Memorandum of Agreements(MoU) with China leading to trade treaties, foreign direct investments, loans and grants flowing into the African continent from China. This aggressive push by China into Africa has come under intense scrutiny with different actors, scholars and powers having mixed takes on the move. In my thesis, I look at the ways in which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been undertaken in Africa. I use Kenya as a main case study in looking at the ways in which …

Becoming A More Empathetic Leader And Person, Rachel Shellstrom

Undergraduate Honors Theses

When defining empathy, the most common definition is “stepping into someone else’s shoes.” Along with this definition, many also share that it is important to have empathy and be an empathetic person. Yet, when thinking about its importance and this definition, a few questions arise: can we actually step into someone else’s shoes? Can we truly understand what someone else is feeling and experiencing if we are not them or do not hold the same identities that they do? Through a deeper exploration of existing empathy building certificate programs and empathy research, this thesis project explores these exact questions and …

The Effect Of Management’S Focus On Sasb Measures On Financial Performance: A Study Of The Health Care Supply Chain Sector, James C. Morell

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

Publicly traded companies are coming under increasing pressure from investors and the media to demonstrate their commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) sustainability, and there are many ESG models competing for the attention of the board and senior management team (Burke, 2020, Fatemi, 2017, and Jebe, 2019). In response to this pressure the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has prepared a “Directors’ Guide to the SASB Standards” for eleven industries (Value Reporting Foundation, 2021). The objective of this study was to provide evidence to support the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s claim that organizational adoption and strategic focus on its …

Jonny Boy Cookies' Event Campaign Targeting College Students, Ye'senia L. Agosto-Rivera

Honors College Theses

The evaluation of data from social media sites can offer valuable decision-making data for small businesses. Generally, college students are dependent on the Internet and social media sites precisely to connect with others socially. Can small businesses with limited finances and limited technical knowledge compete in this new social media-driven market to develop more in-person events? This paper discusses a detailed event campaign for Jonny Boy Cookies to expand their college student demographic beyond their current middle-aged women demographic. Quantitative approaches will be used to guide the research and implementation of new methods.

Labor Unions In The United States, Argentina, And The United Kingdom: A Comparative Study, Jake Mozeleski

College Honors Program

Since major neoliberal financial reforms occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, labor unions’ membership numbers and political influence have waned. While this is true of labor unions in most countries, these changes are incredibly notable in the United States. Scholars from a multitude of disciplines and with varying critical lenses have attempted to understand this phenomenon, but some arguments seem much more convincing than others. This thesis analyzes the validity of various proposed hypotheses, especially the influence of corporatist traditions, the formal and informal links between labor unions and political parties, and the fundraising sources of political parties, using the …

Nefariously Selling Muscle By The Supplement Industry, Nick Prechel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Essays On Strategies For Increasing Repayment Rates Of Digital Microloans, Alain Rutayisire Shema

Dissertations - ALL

Access to credit can act as a highly effective tool for poverty reduction and economic growth. The ability to borrow increases the propensity of low-income people to start and maintain businesses, educate their children and withstand financial shocks. These factors, in turn, can help them to move out of poverty and lead to more sustainable economic development. However, traditional financial institutions have inherent limitations that have impeded their ability to serve the poor.

Digital lenders are able to leverage the widespread adoption of mobile phones and mobile money to extend credit quickly and conveniently to more people, especially in developing …

A More Efficient And Effective Objective Measure Of Financial Disclosure Quality: Omissions Of Seven Key Financial Statement Variables, Ying Zhang

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation research includes three Chapters. Chapter One proposes a new and simple measure of financial reporting quality. Chapter Two and Chapter Three apply this new measure to examine the association between financial reporting quality and firms' internal governance issues, such as internal control quality and a possible outcome of internal control weakness (ICW), financial restatements.In Chapter One of the thesis, I propose a parsimonious, theory-based and empirically-supported measure of missing variables, REPORT. Chen et al. (2015) proposes a measure of disclosure quality, DQ, based on missing financial statement variables. DQ includes hundreds of items and is complex to program. …

Essays In Financial Intermediation, John Michael Dooley

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation focuses on two broad questions. First, how does access to income affect the credit decisions of households? Second, how do individuals affect the behavior of financial institutions and financial contract terms?

In Chapter 1 with Emily Gallagher, we provide the first study of how access to plasma donation as a source of discretionary income affects households financially. In the United States, households donate plasma for compensation at a higher rate than they use payday, auto-title, rent-to-own, or pawn loans. Plasma donors are young, poorly educated, and financially vulnerable with limited access to households. We use the dramatic growth …

Refund Psychology, Tianjiao Yu

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Consumers frequently receive refunds from prior purchases. In this research, I examine if money refunded from previous purchases is more likely to be spent than money that does not go through a refund process. Across eight fully pre-registered studies, I test how consumers’ willingness to spend depends on the transaction history of their money. I find that money refunded from a previous purchase is more likely to be spent on items unrelated to that purchase than non-refunded money that is otherwise identical in its source. I suggest that this pattern arises because the refunded money is earmarked as “spending money” …

Optimization And Information Problems In Operations, Puping Jiang

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this dissertation is to study the optimization problems and the value of information in various commercial settings, especially in the emerging platform economy.

Chapter 1, “Data-Driven Asset Selling”. Motivated by online asset selling marketplace business (e.g., used cars and real estate), we formulate a data-driven asset selling dynamic pricing framework which utilizes platforms’ access to customers’ online behavioral data. With mild assumptions on the demand model, careful characterization of the problem structure shows that the model admits some ideal properties that facilitate our regret analysis under our dynamic programming setting. Instead of studying the policy performance …

On The Value Of Operational Flexibility In Anheuser Busch Inbev’S Trailer Loading And Shipment Problem: Data-Driven Approaches And Reinforcement Learning, Yunsi Yang

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This paper introduces the Anheuser Busch Inbev (ABI)'s trailer shipment problem and suggests data-analytics methodologies to deal with it. The problem is to determine the proper weight of products loaded on a trailer (a transporting container) owned by ABI, which is delivered by a tractor (a motor vehicle) owned by third-party logistics (3PL) providers. ABI must meet a regulation that restricts the gross weight of the truck on the road. However, the challenge comes from the fact that the tractor weight is uncertain and unknown to ABI when it determines the load size on the trailer. We suggest machine learning-based …

The Application Of Dynamic Models In Operations Management, Yunzhe Qiu

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The dynamic program is a principal method for analyzing stochastic optimization problems. This dissertation studies three operations management problems that arise in the dynamic environment. The principal motivation behind these comes from the applicability in three areas: the agricultural supply chain, the container shipping industry, and supply chain financing. In the first chapter, we consider the hog production industry, where the hog raising farm should decide the selling strategy among several selling options. The farm also faces the uncertain yield of different weights of hogs and spot price volatility from other interactive markets. In the second chapter, we formulate a …

Times Of Uncertainty: The Psychological And Behavioral Impact Of Employment Uncertainty On Furloughed Workers And The Moderating Effect Of Work Orientation, Jack Haoyue Zhang

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Although furloughs have been used by organizations for some time, their use increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. They differ from layoffs in the uncertainty they involve around the employment relationship. However, the phenomenon has received little attention from research on involuntary job loss, and the impact of the employment uncertainty it involves is largely unknown. Furthermore, the moderating factors that differentiate the impacts across employee populations are also unclear. In this dissertation I report a mixed-method field study examining the impact of employment uncertainty on furloughed workers and the moderating role by their work orientation. To guide the development …

The Critical Role Of Ethical Leadership In Employees’ Information Security Behaviors: A Two-Study Approach, Botong Xue

Theses and Dissertations

Employees’ information security policy (ISP) related behaviors have been paid attention by previous studies in the past decades. Among different factors that are influential on employees’ ISP behaviors, different leadership styles have been tested under the information security context; however, as one leadership style that is highly related to employees’ positive organization behaviors, the role of ethical leadership has been largely overlooked under the information security context. In addition, most research in the past decades overly focused on employees’ performance on ISP in-role behaviors, including ISP compliance and violation behaviors, where extra-role behaviors – security behaviors that are beneficial to …

Essays In Behavioral Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance, And Higher Purpose, Kingsley Wabara

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Does individual financial risk-taking behavior indeed vary by gender? If yes, how exactly? Moreover, what happens when individuals with differential tendencies (e.g., risk-taking, sense of higher purpose, et cetera) come together in small groups such as the corporate board to decide on financial risk-taking or conduct intense board oversight? What role does group or board structure play in all of these? In effect, how does the within-group power and influence asymmetry affect the manifestation of the individual tendencies in boards’ decisions, corporate behavior, and financial outcomes? The lack of conclusive answers to these questions is at the core of several …

Examining And Exploring Social Constructs, Conflict Management Style, And Workplace Conflict Among Workers In The United States, Keith Boyd

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explored social constructs, conflict management style (CMS), and workplace conflict among workers in the United States. Workers do not understand the connections between social constructs, CMS, and workplace conflict. A lack of information on workers' experiences and representation in conflict literature supports the gap in understanding (Aquino, 2000; Bourdieu, 1986; Hayes, 2008; Herr & Anderson, 2005; Lin, 2001; Long, 2007; Meng et al., 2019; Mertens, 2003, 2009, 2018; Sosa, 2019). The study used a transformative-emancipatory explanatory sequential design focused on workers. There were 82 convenience sample participant surveys and 12 purposive sample low-level cooperativeness CMS participant interviews …

Examining Workplace Elearning Programs Using Persuasive Learning Design: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, David Akanbi

Dissertations

eLearning platforms have become the primary method for employee development in organizations (Dellagiacoma et al., 2020). This shift from the in-person approach has increased resources and budget allocation for authoring software applications needed to develop interactive eLearning programs (Kshirsagar et al., 2020). Despite spending a considerable amount of money on eLearning authoring software, there are concerns that most workplace eLearning programs do not achieve the desired outcomes (Jones, 2016; Patel, 2017; Sidhu, 2019). Although studies show that eLearning programs have effectively enhanced learning transfer, the same studies suggest that employees do not retain information in some eLearning programs (Dellagiacoma et …

Living A More Sustainable Lifestyle: Brand Recommendations And Product Reviews, Alison L. Kramer

Honors Capstones

While current studies are done on individual products, there isn’t a consolidated paper for consumers to use when purchasing everyday items. Consumers don’t have time to do research on things they buy weekly or even monthly. To understand what products are truly sustainable and good for the environment, consumers would have to spend hours researching what products or materials are better than what they currently buy. This paper outlines a set of criteria that will help consumers make informed decisions when it comes to buying everyday products. Consumers can also find a list of product recommendations in this paper.

Digital Equity: Difficulties Of Implementing The 1:1 Computing Initiative In Low-Income Areas, Demetric D. Williams

Dissertations

Successful One-to-One Computing Initiative implementation requires educators to communicate and collaborate effectively with everyone in the learning community. However, other factors such as teacher’s professional development, student’s perception, and parent’s perception often affect the implementation of the One-to-One Computing Initiative. School districts, which serve low-income areas in Mississippi, have difficulties ensuring students and communities have access to the information technology they need to participate outside the school setting. The concept is often called digital equity. However, when officials do not address the capacity, there is a vital threat to the participants’ civic, cultural, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential …

Marcus Corporation Financial Statement Analysis, Leticia Esteves Rodovalho

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This financial statement analysis of Marcus Corporation is focused on historical financial performance. In this analysis, I will discuss how the firm is performing and compare their financial results to one of their major competitors. Marcus Corporation is based in Milwaukee, WI. The benchmark that will be presented is AMC Entertainment, which is also a company based in the Midwest, with its headquarters in Leawood, KS.

A Historical Analysis Of Brand Activism And Its Impact On Company Success, Katy Sharon

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Corporate activism is a growing area of study that has become more important as the political climate becomes increasingly divided. This project evaluates how corporate activism affects company success. Four significant political events were chosen and within each event two to three companies with varying responses were analyzed to determine best practices for organizations looking to engage in corporate activism in the future. Going forward, companies should deliberate with employees and upper-level management to determine the best course of action, respond to the event in a timely manner, acknowledge previous company actions that may contradict its current position, and lastly, …

Where The Rainbow Ends: The Hidden Humanitarian Crisis For Members Of The Lgbtqia+ Community In International Business, John R. Krendel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Before pursuing an international career, members of the LGBTQIA+ community must be aware of the hardship that may be exacerbated by living and working abroad. This study addresses the trends in laws, including employment and anti-discrimination laws, that provide and restrict certain rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community in eight countries. These nations, both progressive and discriminatory, include the United States, England, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Kazakhstan. Eight LGBTQIA+ business professionals spoke on their experiences living and working in each of these countries and provided advice to members of the community wishing to pursue an international …

The Relationship Between Leader Composure And Career Derailment Potential, And The Moderating Effect Of Race, James D. Krauss

Dissertations, 2020-current

African Americans are underrepresented in leadership positions in the United States. The relationship between leader composure and leader career derailment potential was assessed in the present study to determine if the relationship was stronger for African Americans than for Whites. Conservation of Resources Theory was utilized as a theoretical lens suggesting that composure is a resource for leaders that would be valuable in lessening career derailment potential. Assuming racial microaggressions are present in the workplace, and such microaggression could create added emotional labor for African Americans above that which Whites experience, it was hypothesized that leader race would moderate the …

Supplier Performance Scorecard Utilization In The Medical Device Manufacturing Healthcare Supply Chain, Justin Cardisco

Theses and Dissertations

The medical device manufacturing industry has a deficiency in determining how to improve supplier performance for the components and systems they purchase. Many complex medical devices require components from superb suppliers. But how does a medical device manufacturer (MDM) impartially assess supplier performance to know which suppliers to continuing with (or even boost purchase volumes) and which suppliers they should exit? This study describes which supplier-specific metrics are most important to medical device manufacturers (MDMs) so they can utilize this supplier performance scorecard backed by real-world inputs. This research will focus on five categories to measure MDM supplier performance (Quality, …

The Dark Side Of Artificial Intelligence: Understanding The Role Of Perceived Algorithm Unfairness On Ride-Hailing Driver Discontinuance, Zhenya Tang

Theses and Dissertations

Ride-hailing platforms (RHP) are sharing economy platforms that connect passengers who need to order a private ride or to share a vehicle with drivers who want to share a ride. However, after rapid growth, major RHPs (e.g., Uber, Lyft, and Didi) have begun to face severe driver shortages. Attracting and maintaining a large driver base is critical to the survival and success of any RHP no matter its size. While practitioners are urging to seek suggestions from academia to prevent driver loss, limited research attention has been paid to RHP drivers’ discontinuance. To fill this gap, this dissertation aims to …

The Role Of Personal Disposition And Preference Matching In Information Security Message Persuasiveness, Feng Xu

Theses and Dissertations

How to design effective persuasive information security messages to motivate individuals’ engagement in recommended protective security behaviors has become a top priority in the information security field. Although fear appeals have been shown to be an effective means to influence individuals’ security-related protective behaviors, recent information security research has called for a deeper understanding of recipients’ information processing of messages to design effective fear appeals. Previous IS security research has explored two individuals’ information processing routes of security messages, the central route, and the peripheral route, and has investigated the impacts of central variables, perceived argument quality, and peripheral variables, …

Frameworks Used To Measure The Societal Influences & Effectiveness Of Impact Investing, Mya E. Baptiste

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The purpose of this thesis is to learn how capital generates positive returns for society through impact investing. I address the different forms of impact investments along the spectrum and examples of companies that are grouped into each category. Afterward, I highlight the various pre-existing frameworks being used by the industry to properly measure their social returns and then provide insight into my personal experience working with Citigroup, Inc. Impact Fund. This paper includes an empirical study to address my hypothesis that companies who invest in producing social returns receive a positive impact on their financials. It was concluded that …

“Green” Marketing In The Apparel Industry: The Spectrum Of Veracity, Stephanie R. Keane

Honors Theses in Science, Technology, and Society

Apparel companies’ propensity for manipulation in their marketing of environmental initiatives contributes to immense environmental pollution from petrochemical textile material production. Public scrutiny pressures these businesses to adopt “green” initiatives to avoid losing devoted consumers. In some cases, these initiatives disguise the real operations of a company or claim benignity for the company when this is not the reality. Previous business ethics research analyzed the emergence of “greenwashing” in corporations and thus concluded that corporations market themselves as eco-friendly to portray commodification as sustainable. In the form of case studies, this paper scrutinizes four companies: Zara, Patagonia, Lululemon, and Pact. …

Beauty And The Beast: Plastic Pollution In The Personal Care And Cosmetics Industry, Olivia Frantzeskos

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper explores the history of plastic in the beauty and cosmetics industry, and how this toxic material is irreparably harming our ecosystems resulting from nonrecyclable packaging and a lack of microplastic management. Properly managing harmful plastics found in personal care and cosmetics products (PCCPs) is essential for minimizing toxic wastewater in raw sewage, landfills, and the ocean, as discussed in reports such as “Plastics in Cosmetics” by the UNEP. Furthermore, this paper presents an argument for why the personal care and cosmetics industry should be included in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which gives the EPA authority to …