Business Commons^™

Understanding Logistics Airmen’S Risk Information Seeking And Processing During The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role Of Organizational Meetings In An Extended Prism Framework, Christopher T. Price

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this survey-based research was to understand how organizational workplace meetings surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic impacted logistics Airmen across the United States Air Force and subsequently played a role into their risk seeking behavior on social media. Specifically, this research tested an expanded Planned Information Risk Seeking Model with organizational meetings as an antecedent to determine if current meetings influenced an Airman's perceived behavioral control, attitude toward seeking, subjective norms, knowledge sufficiency an intentions to seek information regarding COVID-19.

Analysis Of Cost And Schedule Estimation Trends For Major Defense Acquisition Programs, Sammantha J. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses both descriptive and inferential techniques to investigate trends in cost and schedule estimates created by the Department of Defense for their Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) throughout the last five decades. For schedule growth percentages, we did not identify any statistically significant trend regarding increasing or decreasing schedule changes or variances of schedule estimates throughout the five decades analyzed. Examining the overall cost growth of MDAPs, a statistically significant difference between the Cost Growth Factors (CGFs) calculated between the 1990s and the 2010s was found, with the 2010s exhibiting lower CGFs. A downward trend in the variances …

An Analysis Of Telework Performance During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Patrick J. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to shift from an atmosphere of face-to-face work to the digital work environment known as telework. Telework is an effective mitigation tool that ensures the continuity of operations. However, maximized telework may not be effective for all individuals. Many individual, organizational, and group level factors influence one’s telework performance and this study examines four of the most influential antecedents. Using linear regression analysis, conscientiousness, overload, communication, and non-distractibility were found to be significant predictors that account for over half the variance explained in telework performance. Supported by self-regulation theories, both conscientiousness and non-distractibility contained …

Exploring The Value Of Training System Alternatives Through Methods Technologies, And Relevant Attributes, Brian R. Novitsky

Theses and Dissertations

Skilled maintainers are being lost at a higher rate than average of all enlisted career fields within the Air Force. Although incentive programs can provide some retention, attrition rates may continue to vary, placing the readiness of the warfighter in jeopardy. Additionally, the technologies used to train maintainers have evolved substantially, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) solutions, among others. These technologies have recently gained notoriety as novel ways to increase training effectiveness, providing avenues for maintainers to achieve greater skill levels at a faster rate than traditional platforms. Through semi-structured subject matter expert (SME) interviews, this qualitative …

Construction Management Students Using Technology In The Field, Anthony D. Bongi

Construction Management

This research paper examines the affect technology has had on the desire for college graduates to pursue a career in the field. The idea of college graduates entering directly into a field leadership position was contemplated and discussed. Historically, soft skills such as leadership and communication have been the predominate attributes of any worker expected to run construction in the field. While the importance of these skills hasn’t changed, the importance of technological skills has increased to be considered alongside soft skills. Through an anonymous survey of industry professionals with 10+ years of experience as well as interviews of two …

Hope's Village Of San Luis Obispo Charging Cabinet, Jackson S. Thomas, Payton E. Strout

Construction Management

This paper will review the steps the students took to provide Hope's Village of SLO with a new charging cabinet. Hope's Village of SLO is a local non profit that provides support for the central coast homeless community. Becky Jorgensen, who leads the organization, reached out to the students expressing her want for a new cabinet that people could use to charge their phones and tablets. The students then conceptualized the design with the help of an architecture student, applied for and received funding from the Alliance Group, purchased all materials and built the cabinet. This paper will walk you …

Consumer Search And Marketing Actions In Retailing, Yi Peng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation seeks to gain insight into the critical roles of consumers and marketers in a retail context using a variety of unique and rich data sources (e.g., tracking data, retail scanner data, ad intel data and publicly available data). The main aim of the two essays is to focus on unique aspects of retail analytics. The first essay examines how consumers conduct haptic search to make purchase decisions using a unique dataset collected by the state-of-the-art sensing technology. This research contributes to the literature by defining key attributes of the shoppers’ speed, consideration set, and shopping path at the …

Analysis Of Container Shipments For Ustranscom, John N. Campos Y Campos

Theses and Dissertations

USTRANSCOM (United States Transportation Command) sends containers to various overseas destinations, mainly commercial container shipping companies. Delivering the containers to the destinations on time is important to support the United States (US) Forces deployed in foreign countries. This study analyzes container shipment records for two years from 2019 to 2021 and prepares insights for USTRANSCOM. This study utilizes descriptive statistics, data visualization, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to the records, almost half of the containers (41.25%) were delivered late for one day or longer. The container with the longest delay took 408 days. Major reasons for delays included …

Air Force Specialty Code Assignment Optimization, Rebecca L. Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

Each year, the Air Force Personnel Center determines which career field newly commissioned officers will serve under during their time in the Air Force. The career fields are assigned while considering five priorities, dictated by Headquarters Air Force, Manpower and Personnel: target number of cadets, education requirements, average cadet percentile, cadet source of commissioning, and cadet preference. A mixed-integer linear program with elasticized constraints is developed to generate cadet assignments according to these priorities. Each elasticized constraint carries an associated reward and penalty, which is used to dictate the importance of the constraint within the model. A subsequent analysis is …

The Effect Of Company Financial Health On The Likelihood Of Cost Overruns, Brady C. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Financial ratio analysis has long been used to determine the financial health of firms and project business performance. Despite the usefulness of financial ratio analysis, risk analysis in defense acquisitions largely ignores these indicators of company financial well-being. This research performs contingency table statistical analysis to determine if a relationship exists between company financial ratios and their future cost performance on Air Force contracts. The general findings are that poor financial ratios at the time of contract start are related to increased likelihood of cost overruns on that contract. Specifically, recent trends of a company’s current ratio in comparison to …

Social Media And Marketing As A Means Of Planning And Promoting The 2022 Camp Polyhacks Hackathon, Amy Gillham, Olivia Gerraty, Elizabeth Anderson

Communication Studies

The recruitment of attendees and promotion of Camp PolyHacks, an annual Hackathon hosted by Cal Poly, required marketing strategies which were informed by relevant communication theories applied to event marketing campaign strategies. The theories utilized included Social Marketing Theory (SMT), Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT), Consistency Theory (CT), and elements of persuasion and visual communication. The marketing strategies used by the Camp PolyHacks 2022 Marketing and Social Media team included social media marketing in the form of Instagram posts, stories, and direct messages, and external marketing in the form of presentations, emails, booths, and posters. This paper examines the utility of …

Fortnite Crew Subscription Box Process Book, Eleanora M. Gravert

Graphic Communication

Expand Epic Games’ “Fortnite Crew” monthly subscription service to incorporate a deluxe edition which will include physical merchandise as opposed to digital merchandise only. This project will help Epic Games create a more mainstream output of physical products and will help simplify the gamers’ search to find and purchase products that are connected with accuracy and quality to the game they enjoy playing. This opportunity is important to me because it allows me to explore my interest in both the gaming industry and the marketing, production, and design field.

Tech-Sheet Infographics Designed For Tolosa Winery, Jennifer A. Craddock

Graphic Communication

Wineries produce thousands of wines that are individually altered by each growing season and conditions that Mother Nature presents, which vary year-by-year. From increased rainfall and fog conditions, to soil composition and vineyard proximity to the ocean, there are countless factors that go into each bottle’s unique taste and aroma. In order for consumers to understand the details of their wine they must know what aromas, growing conditions, and notes go into each bottle, hence the importance of having readily accessible “tech-sheets.”

For my senior project, I chose to revamp the informational tech sheets at Tolosa Winery during an 8-month …

Number Of Authorized Suppliers And Supplier Delivery Performance, Beau D. Messenger

Theses and Dissertations

Every year, federal agencies spend over $500 billion to buy a wide variety of products and services, ranging from cutting-edge military aircraft to common office supplies. Supplier performance and sourcing strategies within the Air Force are distinctively complex due to the wide array of weapon systems and limited number of suppliers available within the marketplace. Academics and industry experts agree that the foundation for strong buyer-supplier relationships is a means to achieving superior performance. However, this dynamic can yield varying results when there are a limited number of suppliers available. One of the problems which emerges from the critical need …

Analysis Of Task Performance During Radiological Surveillance By Means Of Discrete Event Simulation, Michael H. Ames

Theses and Dissertations

The surveillance and detection of radioactive contamination on surfaces and in the environment are commonly investigated by surveyors utilizing portable detection equipment. The availability of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and Human Performance Modeling (HPM) allows for the analysis of physical and cognitive processes associated with these operations, as well as the effect that external environmental factors have on surveyor performance. This research uses the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT) to approximate the performance of a radiological detection task informed by the observation of six surveyors. The effects of chemical Individual Protective Equipment (IPE) use is evaluated along with the …

A Reference Architecture For Augmented Reality Maintenance Support, Daniel A. Cuellar

Theses and Dissertations

The current method of preparing Airman to perform tasks in their designated Air Force Specialty is to provide coursework-based initial skills training and on-the job training (OJT) for that specialty. Full qualification for a single Air Force Specialty is estimated to average seven years with OJT consisting of seventy-five percent of that timeline. OJT primarily consists of mastering the use of the Technical Order (TO), a governing document that provides step-by-step task instruction that must be followed explicitly. Though TOs have transitioned to an electronic format, employment of the information has remained the same. A proven aid in instruction and …

Improving Task-Operator Analysis For Training Through The Integration Of Human Learning Taxonomies And Systems Engineering Models, James M. Earley

Theses and Dissertations

Training is a critical part of force sustainment, but the life-cycle cost of recurring training can be quite high. Further, the promotion of the Multi-Capable Airman (MCA) concept leads to questions on how best to train airmen on tasks outside of their core career field. The MCA concept, coupled with continued increase of technology effectiveness, incentivize the replacement of formerly in-residence-only training with distance training that enables Just-in-Time (JIT) learning. However, effective implementation of the MCA concept may also require adaptive training which considers the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) developed by a trainee within their core career field when …

Measuring Seaport Performance And Congestion In The Republic Of Korea, Derrick J. Lohr

Theses and Dissertations

Companies continue to globalize their supply chain operations increasing cargo traffic and creating excessive shipping demand on ports across the globe resulting in port congestion. This increased congestion impacts USTRANSCOM’s cargo movement operations, which compete for use of the same port resources. While the DoD has organic transportation capabilities, most of the cargo is moved by commercial ocean liners. It is, therefore, necessary to understand port operations, identify excess capacity, and exploit it to avoid congestion at ports. The purpose of this study is to identify peak and idle periods by evaluating the comparative performance of seaports using data envelopment …

Bela Real Estate Company, Dallin G. Broussard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Disruptive Physician Behavior On Support Staff And Patients: A Quantitative Secondary Analysis, Michael C. Marino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this quantitative secondary analysis, the purpose was to examine the nature of disruptive physician behavior (DPB) from the support staff and patient perspectives. Healthcare staffing shortages existed prior to the global pandemic and have increased, creating importance for employee retention and recruitment. I wanted to understand the impact of physician behavior on staff turnover rates in a private oncology practice, its effect on patient satisfaction rates, and to compare these rates of physicians that display DPB with physicians that do not display this behavior in a private hematology oncology community outpatient setting in the Southwest United States. To answer …

A Phenomenological Study On How Exemplary Community College Chief Human Resource Officers Lead From The Heart To Accomplish Extraordinary Results, Angela Love

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe how exemplary community college chief human resource officers lead from the heart using Crowley’s (2011) four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological method to describe how eight exemplary community college chief human resource officers lead from the heart using Crowley’s (2011) four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish …

Easing The Postpartum Return To Work: Workplace Resources, Work Interference With Family, And Health Behaviors, Aashna M. Waiwood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While work-family matters continue to receive increasing attention, one group that faces considerable health, childcare, and work adjustment challenges has remained relatively ignored and understudied – postpartum mothers returning to employment. Driven by the work-home resources model as theoretical backing, I used path analytic methods to examine the mechanisms by which key workplace resources for postpartum women, including family-focused support from organizational stakeholders, flexibility availability, and breastfeeding resources, relate to their subsequent perceptions of work interference with family and engagement in physical activity and high quality/quantity sleep. Specifically, four waves of data were collected from a sample of 129 women …

Brand And Culture Fusion: How Marketing Directors Lead Brand And Culture Alignment At Private Non-Profit Higher Education Institutions, Erin Hales

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe, through the lens of activity theory (AT), the challenges and best practices of marketing directors at private, non-profit higher education institutions on how they lead brand and culture alignment.

Methodology: This phenomenological study collected, analyzed, and triangulated data through 15 semi-structured interviews and the collection of artifacts. Data was then coded into themes, frequencies were calculated, and data was organized into the four categories of AT: tools, rules, community, and division of labor.

Findings: Examination of the data found that marketing directors experienced six challenges representing all four …

Employee Engagement, Brain-Based Psychological Safety, And The Sales Professional, Cheri Sherman

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this correlational study was to determine what relationship, if any, existed between employee engagement and psychological safety as measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Academy of Brain-based Leadership’s S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ Assessment and Pulse Survey domains of security, autonomy, fairness, esteem, and trust.

Methodology: A quantitative, correlational methodology was used for this study. The post-hoc sample comprised of 61 high-performing sales professionals working in California. Participants completed the three assessments online via SurveyMonkey. The data were analyzed using a Spearman correlation.

Findings: This study resulted in multiple findings, including a statistically significant relationship between …

Incorrect Athlete, Incorrect Woman: Ioc Gender Regulations And The Boundaries Of Womanhood In Professional Sports, Sabeehah Ravat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Professional sports are a cornerstone of mainstream capitalist society, a site where issuesof race, class, gender, nation, and religion amongst others are produced, contested, and negotiated. In particular, gender regulation policies serve to delineate the acceptable boundaries of racialised gender and create sanctioned opportunities to surveil transgressive bodies. In this thesis, I posit that professional sports rely on and protect uniformity of gender experience to regulate and exclude trans* and intersex participation and, furthermore, that gender regulation policies delineate the boundaries of gender and particularly womanhood in a way that further marginalises nonbinary athletes. Using critical discourse analysis, a methodology …

Three Essays On Behaviors In Crowdsourcing Communities, Ali Simaei Gargari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last decade, the interest in studying crowdsourcing platforms has dramatically increased among researchers in the information systems (IS) area. My dissertation includes three essays on crowdsourcing. The first essay provides an extensive literature review on crowdsourcing and shows several gaps in the literature. The second essay highlights the gaps in the literature on innovation contest platforms and draws on the organizational learning literature to fill the gaps. In this research, I draw on the organizational learning literature to study the undelying dynamics of specialization and variation in innovation contest platforms. Using data of nearly 35000 users' participation history …

Does A New Product Development Project’S Name Influence Internal Stakeholder Commitment?, Dianna Akin

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore whether a new product development project’s name and or charter effects commitment of senior management sponsors, product development team members and project leaders to the project. Leveraging signaling, internal marketing and imprinting theory to influence internal stakeholder project commitment, I executed three studies to 1) evaluate the validity of my research, 2) identify strong and weak project names, and strong and weak project charters, and 3) a 2x2 between-subjects experiment to test the main effect of project name, the main effect of project charter, and the interaction effect of project charter strength …

Promotion Denied! How Promotion Denial Impacts Turnover For Nonpromoted Employees, Michael Mordechai Hay

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research into the effects of promotion decisions has primarily focused on the outcomes for promoted individuals without much concern about employees who were denied a promotion. Additionally, there has been a lack of research about the factors which lead promoted individuals to turnover within the public sector when looking at actual turnover. The present study looked at what effect promotion decisions have on employees regarding their turnover behavior by looking at a longitudinal governmental dataset. In total, 1570 promotion decisions were analyzed, looking at 1570 employees, of which 107 ended up turning over within two years of the initial promotion …

Online Fraud By Way Of Phishing Emails, Alexis Nixon

Graduate Scholarly Works

With the rise of people using the Internet more since Covid-19 started, there has been an increase in fraud cases that occur on the internet as well. Some of these frauds occur by way of romance scams, inauthentic products or even investment fraud. The single type of fraud that was researched and discussed below is the use of phishing emails to commit fraud. Here the perpetrator sends out the same email in a mass quantity, with hopes of getting as many people to fall victim to as possible. The email usually looks like it is legitimate and coming from your …

Student Government National Network, Alexander Chiarelott

Honors Projects

My project is the creation and utilization of the Student Government National Network. This is a joint effort between many student leaders from around the country, but the idea for it was started by me and the former BGSU USG President Harrison Carter. My specific role in the development phase of this organization has been to bring in the student leaders in my network, as well as to consider the long-term marketing and financial routes we want the organization to take. I will be developing the marketing and economic plans for this organization, which have a major bearing on how …