Business Commons^™

Accounting Implications Derived From Consumer Big Data, Benjamin E. Boehrns

Honors Thesis

Consumer big data is changing the traditional framework of business by providing an unprecedented amount of information regarding consumer behaviors. Technological advances of the twenty-first century have enabled businesses to collect these behaviors within automated processes. The ease of data creation has led to companies creating, storing, and analyzing voluminous subsets of data in order to achieve a higher degree of competitive advantage. These datasets not only derive value from the physical information technology systems that provides the storage and the ability of analysis, but also contains an intrinsic value that is rarely captured within traditional accounting methods. The unique …

Is It Risky To Make The World A Better Place: A Study On The Association Between Environmental, Social, And Governance (Esg) Operational Risk Management And Market Derived Volatilities, Kelly L. Johnson

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Investors and firms are increasingly concerned with their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk exposures. Awareness of firms’ ESG policies by investors has grown substantially over the past five years. This growth led to the creation of company ratings for ESG operational risk exposure from third parties. We will analyze six years of ESG rankings, accounting and return data for S&P 500 firms and test whether ESG risk management ratings are associated with market derived measures of risk.

Capital Allocation Imbalance And The Effects On Monetary Policy, Peter G. George

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

This paper examines the association between liquidity injections and capital allocations in the United States. In the analysis, liquidity injections are proxied by monetary base and the capital allocations are reflected by excess reserves, vault cash, total bank credit, and M2-M1. Monthly data are utilized for all variables for the sample period March 1984 – June 2020. Four Bai-Perron multiple breakpoint regressions and Markov switching estimations are employed to examine changeable patterns and interactions. The results indicate that liquidity injections are imbalanced and are allocated to total bank credit prior to quantitative easing, excess reserves prior to QE through post-QE, …

Get Ready For Future Education: A Phenomenological Study On Artificial Intelligence, Son T. H. Pham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (A.I.) brings new opportunities for social construction. This phenomenological research attempted to analyze the phenomenon of artificial intelligence in education, grounding in American philosophy, with a review of the history of A.I. in education, its promise, and possible futures. The primary purpose of the study was to share voices and lived experiences of educators, philosophers, industrialists and politicians toward the coming high-tech society. Fundamental to this philosophical inquiry was Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology. The findings from eight intellectuals participating in this study elucidated five themes of the investigated phenomenon. Together these empirical indicators, and an outline of philosophy of …

The Impact On Organization Behavior In A Telecommuting World And The Potential Impacts On The Business, Jerrilynn Dvorak

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Local and national COVID-19 restrictions have caused many organizations to transition their employees to working remotely, a practice previously not considered or widely adopted. Global pandemics happen so infrequently that much of the world's population has not lived through or experienced such an event. There were little to no protocols to prepare organizations and individuals mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially for the challenges that the pandemic would bring. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity for more employees who previously did not have that opportunity to work from home. This shift created a much larger sample size to study the …

Honor Societies’ Constitution And Bylaws: The Track To Achs Accreditation, Jenna R. Jansen

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The number of predatory honor societies continues to rise, with organizations asking students to pay a membership fee while offering virtually no benefit. The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), an accreditation body, combats this by evaluating societies on numerous criteria. This project aimed to investigate the structure of accredited honor societies to see their similarities. Areas where accredited societies differed from ACHS guidelines were also discovered. This research was conducted using content analysis of a sample of accredited honor societies. This project aims to show how honor societies can structure themselves to be on track for ACHS accreditation. Additionally, …

Transformational Leadership: The Roles Of Leader's Fromal Education And Professional Training, Ahmet Shala

Dissertations, 2020-current

Abstract

Transformational leadership is a popular leadership theory that instigates extraordinary changes in individuals, teams and organizations. Transformational leaders motivate, enhance and transform their direct subordinates’ and followers’ actions, and their ethical aspirations are beyond their immediate self-interest. The current literature and research is focused on the transformational leadership outcomes, but little is known about the antecedents of transformational leadership. This research is an attempt to discover the impact of leaders’ formal education and professional training on transformational leadership and leadership effectiveness.

The target population of this research were the top leaders of the organizations from different sectors (education, production, …

International Opportunities And Innovation Between Australia And The United States In A Post Pandemic Economy, Amanda Meegan, Scott Delanty

Honors Thesis

A 15-hour flight and 7,500 miles of water separate these two countries, but innovative ideologies and opportunities unite them. Combined, the investment relationship between the US and Australia is worth more than $1.14 trillion USD, about the size of Australia’s entire GDP. It positions the United States as Australia’s largest foreign direct investor. These two major players in the Asia Pacific Economy have forged an alliance that champions democracy and fortitude.

COVID-19, however, interrupted many investment opportunities across the Pacific. Both countries had to impose border restrictions and put many business processes on hold, forcing governments and industry alike to …

Honors Accounting Thesis, David Falkenheiner

Honors Theses

During the fall and spring semesters of the 2019-2020 University of Mississippi school year, I had the privilege of taking Dr. Vicki Dickinson’s Honors Accounting class and benefit from it greatly. This course was based around challenging its participants throughout various aspects of not only accounting coursework but real scenarios that arise as an accounting professional. Dr. Dickinson did an outstanding job at preparing her students not only for their internship experience in the spring of their senior year but also for interviewing for those positions. This class gives its participants a drastic advantage over the normal accounting undergraduate through …

The Effects Of At-Home Remote Work Environments On Human Cognitive Performance And Work Task Performance Based On Current Societal Conditions, Angela Arias

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Home-based remote work systems present a unique set of cognitive performance and work task performance challenges to employees without remote work experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies into transforming their work system structures, and their employee roles, without the preparation or education of the dynamics that surround home-based remote work systems. This thesis benefits the Human Factors community by investigating the effects of at-home remote-based work environments on cognitive performance, and work task performance, of employees who currently work remotely from home. A multimethod approach was employed to carry out this research. A survey was administered to home-based remote employees, …

Community Foundations As Community Leaders, Colton Strawser

Dissertations

Community foundations claim to play an integral role in fostering philanthropy at a community level all across the United States. Community foundations have three distinct operational roles, including asset building, grantmaking, and community leadership. While asset building and grantmaking have methods available to quantify and measure their impact, community leadership has remained an elusive concept for community foundations for many years.

This study investigates the idea of community leadership in the context of 81 community foundations based in California. The first part develops a conceptual framework of community leadership based on existing studies and practical guidelines, including the use of …

The Comparison Between Social Media Marketing Strategies In The United Kingdom And United States Professional Soccer Teams, Lerol Parchment

Honors Theses

Communication is a lot different today than it was 20 years ago. People today spend hours on their social media where they receive the majority of the information about the world. Thus, social media is one of the most influential platforms in the professional sports industry to market sports and engage with fans. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the common and different social media strategies adopted by professional soccer teams in the UK soccer leagues, and United States soccer league to market their products to consumers all over the world. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, …

Fakes, Forgeries, And Value Perception, Pearson Moore

Honors Theses

Fakes and forgeries generate a false sense of value in the art market that changes the perception of authentic works. Understanding the difference between a fake and a forgery is essential for explaining the schemes of deceivers who have fooled the art market into believing their work is of grandiose value and prestige. The creation of a forged piece or fake provenance documents requires immense artistic skill and a talent for breaking the rules. Examining famous figures and the criminal cases against them is a great way to work backwards from their “successes,” tracing the alleged origins of the piece’s …

A Survey Of Financial Accounting Reporting, James H. Robbins

Honors Theses

This thesis takes a survey of key accounting issues and concepts addressed in financial accounting reporting. Accountancy majors of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College were given an opportunity to complete their thesis before their internship during senior year by taking two classes over junior year. This thesis was constructed under the guidance of Dr. Vicki Dickinson. The thesis itself is a compilation of twelve different cases, and each case studies various areas of the accounting and business environment.

How Positive Practices In Organizations Are Associated With Employee Engagement Via The Moderating Effects Of Generational Cohorts In U.S. Customer Service Organizations, Deborah A. Poole

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating role that the respective workforce generational cohorts may have on the relationship between positive practices in organizations and levels of employee engagement of U.S. based adult customer service representatives of all races. Studies show that higher employee engagement positively affects employee motivation, satisfaction, productivity, and ultimately the financial success of the organization. However, the levels of engagement for front line customer service positions are some of the lowest of occupations measured by Gallup and have actually declined in recent years. The broaden and build theory of positive emotions shows that …

Barriers And Enablers To Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems As Perceived By Change Agents In The Workplace, Shanda Barrett

Dissertations

This study explores factors that influence entrepreneurial ecosystems. Clifton (2010, 2015) recommends entrepreneurship, better business models, and new business startups as a solution for economic renewal in the United States and specifically identifies disengaged workers and low-energy workplaces as the starting point. The recommendation does not address how to make workplaces conducive to entrepreneurial activity, nor does the recommendation address how to engage entrepreneurial employees.

Existing literature outlines the known tensions between theory, anecdotal evidence, and the professional practice of building entrepreneurial ecosystems. To date, the term entrepreneurial ecosystem exists as a metaphor in the extant literature. While scholars have …

Higher Education Business And Technology Leaders’ Behaviors That Drive Outcome Alignment, Katherine Lynch-Holmes

Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEIs) face unprecedented challenges, including capacity alignment, financial sustainability, and even public confidence (Grajeck & Brooks, 2020; Grawe, 2019; Oblinger, 2019; Simone, 2020, Wheeler, 2020, Witt & Coyne, 2019). Financial challenges force HEIs to reduce costs by making decisions like cutting programs, laying off staff or merging institutions to reduce operating costs (Chen et al., 2019; Sellingo, 2017; Witt & Coyne, 2019). Higher education leaders (HELs) must act as trusted partners and broker technology to align processes, support, and outcomes (Luftman 2000; Petkovics, 2018; Reinitz, 2019). Unfortunately, higher education’s business-technology (BITA) alignment remains lower than other national …

Water Elites’ Perceptions Of Water Security In The Middle East And North Africa Region, Ghaleb Akari

Dissertations

The Middle East and North African region continues to face significant water security challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a deeper understanding of water elites’ perceptions of water security in the MENA region. It is not meant to generalize the findings. Instead, the intention for the research is to identify, explain, and analyze by national elites' contrasting perceptions in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Tunisia.

The study examines water elites’ perceptions in four areas: current knowledge level of water security, water resource management, water service delivery, and water-related risk mitigation. These elites’ perceptions of water security will help …

Business Analysis Of Flexpacer: The Viability And Profitability Of Rechargeable Pacemakers, Bailey Arnold

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heart disease being as prominent as it is in the United States enables medical technology manufacturers to create lucrative businesses and products for cardiothoracic and cardiovascular physicians and patients. As a proposed rechargeable pacemaker (PM) that uses piezoelectric energy harvesting technology, FlexPacer has the chance to eliminate the need for battery replacement surgeries. This paper aims to outline the current issues in PM products and technology, identify the potential risks and benefits of FlexPacer, and discuss FlexPacer’s potential for profitability.

The Human Services Workforce Crisis: Moving Forward With Intention In Massachusetts, Suzanne Gray Henderson

School of Professional Studies

The human services field is growing rapidly in Massachusetts as it is across the country, and the Commonwealth does not have enough qualified staff to fill vacancies. The workforce shortage has risen to crisis levels due to high turnover, insufficient training, low wages, and a lack of recognition and appreciation for direct support professionals. The individuals receiving services in Massachusetts deserve quality and stability. The state budget – strained by inefficient service models and reactive fixes – also demands systemic change. The human services workforce crisis impacts a variety of stakeholders. Individuals served are directly affected, as are the direct …

Neural Network With Nlp, Harshita Sharma, Tinkle Jain

School of Professional Studies

This thesis is about neural networks and how their algorithmic systems work. Neural networks are well-suited to aiding people with complex challenges in real-world situations. Thesis topics include nonlinear and complicated interactions between inputs and outputs, as well as making inferences, discovering hidden links, patterns, and predictions, and modeling highly volatile data and variations to forecast uncommon events. Neural networks have the potential to help people make better decisions. NLP is a technique for analyzing, interpreting, and comprehending large amounts of text. We can no longer evaluate the text using traditional approaches due to the massive volumes of text data …

Moving From Shelter To A Housing First Reponse, Robyn Kennedy

School of Professional Studies

Massachusetts is a right to shelter state for families who experience homelessness. Based on decisions made several decades ago, the state assigned the response to families who experience homelessness to the Department of Welfare (now the Department of Transitional Assistance) and a shelter, rather than a housing response was adopted. Following national best practice, the state has decided to transition the system to a Housing First response. Through this research, I will be evaluating the trends in the industry and assessing what Massachusetts needs to do to achieve a Housing First approach to serving families who are experiencing homelessness. Unless …

Rural Coopetition: A Consumer Perspective Of Marketing Activities Involving Smes, Cassandra A. Ritzen

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are central to global and domestic economies and are a significant factor in rural economic development. Rural SMEs face unique challenges of geographical location and limited resources requiring strategies that can create an enduring competitive advantage. This study explores market-oriented coopetition as a competitive strategy that forms collaborative relationships between competitors to create value for consumers. Through the analysis of a small cluster of rural SMEs, the focus of this study addresses the underexplored consumer perspective of coopetition events based on quantitative analyses of customer satisfaction and market share.

A Gateway To Economic Success, Nathan R. Boudreau

School of Professional Studies

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a leader in the United States, a gleaming example of the American dream and the way life should be. We are always at the forefront of world-class innovation, house arts and culture that rival some of the best cities in the world, and have high-class educational institutes rivaled by almost no other region. Massachusetts leads the way when it comes to progressive ideals that provide for the less fortunate and ensure equality for all while keeping taxes reasonable, unemployment down, and living wage jobs readily available. With all that said, I began to ponder why …

Group Living Environment Responses To Pandemic: A Case Study Of Advocates, And The Covid-19 Crises, Nicole K. Atchue

School of Professional Studies

The literature will take a deeper look in the personal lives of developmentally disabled members and their staff who experienced COVID-19 pandemic in a group living environments. The holistic approach of understanding will navigate the history of care and the level care needed as well as external factors that played a larger role in explanation for the support provided.

Sports Data Analysis – Application Of Sports Data In Athletics, Zhong Zhuang

School of Professional Studies

No abstract provided.

Willingness-To-Pay For Halal And Branded Poultry In Northern Mozambique, Alison Creasey

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

While price typically drives consumers’ food purchasing decisions in low-income countries, religious attributes associated with food production and corporate branding could influence buying patterns. In Mozambique more than 46% of people were living below the poverty line of ($0.31 USD) per day in 2018. That being said, in the Nampula Province (the location of this study), which is the second poorest province in the country, over 25% of the population is Muslim and may be willing-to-pay (WTP) a premium for Halal meat products to uphold Islamic beliefs. Like many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, poultry is the fastest growing source of …

What Were The Factors That Led To The Gamestop Short Squeeze?, Riley Burnette

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

The world of finance is rapidly evolving - for better or for worse. The introduction of social media in sentimental stock market trading, and new brokerage apps, combined with the new resurgence of retail investors, has led to some interesting results. These new factors in the stock market have challenged the status quo of the stock market. A group of retail investors has led this change on a Reddit forum known as /r/WallStreetBets

In early January 2021, a group of retail investors collaborated a short squeeze on GameStop stock, creating an attack against the hedge funds on a popular Reddit …

Examining The Strategies In Response To Crises In Major League Baseball, Jimmy Palmerino

School of Professional Studies

This paper analyzes the crisis response strategies of Major League Baseball (MLB) during the following events: the steroids scandal, the Houston Astros cheating scandal, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The hypothesis tested is as follows: MLB’s crisis response strategies are ineffective, as they are directly related to the league’s poor image in the public eye. Research includes a review of academic literature explaining crisis communication theories, as well as the relationship between crisis communication and public relations (PR). The paper concludes with recommendations for how the league can improve its crisis communication and crisis response strategies in the future to …

The Effects Of Social Media On Young People Through The Lens Of Covid-19, Molly Gammon

School of Professional Studies

This study looks at the relationship between social media and its effect on young people’s wellbeing by examining the available literature and research on the topic. Because Millennials and Generation Z do not remember a time before the internet and social media, it has become an influential and crucial part of their lives. Many suggest that social media is harmful to young people, while others argue that the benefits of the internet and social media outweigh the costs and risks. By analyzing the current research, it seems like there is still a lack of consensus on this debate. The goal …