Business Commons^™

Resilient Maintenance Infrastructure: Dynamic Repair Network Designs To Effectively Manage Supply Chain Disruptions, David W. Wallace Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Supply chains are facing numerous changes contributing to their increase in complexity and vulnerability to disruptions. Subsequently, decision-makers lack a transparent, generalizable tool to quantify supply chain resilience and assess additional resilience investments. This research facilitates a more profound understanding of the intricacies and interrelation of supply chain nodes and constructs. It integrates the Area under the Curve (AUC) metric to quantify performance or any organizational measure of competitive advantage amid a disruption. Due to its structural resemblance to various organizational platforms, the subset United States Air Force (USAF) F-16 engine repair and supply network is modeled employing discrete-event simulation. …

Net-Zero Homes, The Homes Of The Future, Primo Guseppi Facchini

Construction Management

Net-Zero homes are the homes of the future (Holmes, 2018). What makes Net-zero homes unique is they rely on solar power, opposed to all standard housing that relies on the power grid. These homes use solar instead of other forms of energy generating technology because it is more affordable and better for the environment. California has blazed the trail for the rest of the United States and the world to follow with their Net-Zero housing proposition. Starting January 2020 California will require all residential buildings to be net-zero homes. Net-Zero homes are important because it is no secret that our …

The Impact Of Covid - 19 On The Student Experience: A Wmu Student Survey And Study, Henry Thiry

Honors Theses

Over the past year it has become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed college students’ everyday lives. Students are less likely to be employed or rely less on wage income and are also less likely to get very ill and die because of COVID-19. Moreover, courses moving online, loss of social connection, and drastic changes in the lives of students’ parents and other family has negatively impacted many students' ability to thrive. In order to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the student experience at Western Michigan University, I conducted a survey of students based on a survey …

Moderating Role Of Gender Diversity Over The Nexus Between Board Characteristics And Earnings Management In Malaysia, Tonoy Roy

Student Works (2020-2029)

In a large number of studies, it has been found that accounting manipulation is more prone to exist among the financially distressed companies. The manipulation moves were taken by the top management to portray a rosy picture of the firm

Assessment Of The Blockchain Technology Adoption For The Management Of The Electronic Health Record Systems, Saeed Mohammed Alzahrani

Dissertations and Theses

Blockchain is an emerging technology that holds great promises in healthcare despite slow adoption and previous unsuccessful implementation projects. Blockchain adoption in healthcare has been slow, partly because healthcare is a heavily regulated and complex industry. Blockchain applications span various areas of healthcare such as patient data management, health information exchange, health supply chain management, financial and insurance claims, clinical trial, biomedical devices tracking, and pharmaceutical counterfeit. The main challenges with blockchain technology in healthcare are: scarcity of real applications, the high level of failing projects, and the need for various parties to function together. There is, however, a lack …

Stakeholder Experiences With Arts-Based University-Community Partnerships In General Education, Veronica Leone Matthews

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

University-community partnerships (UCPs) have significant potential as a way for universities to connect with communities and provide students with High Impact Practices (HIPs). Despite over 20 years of literature calling for increased community engagement, institutions of higher education have been slow to integrate UCPs into the General Education curriculum. Certain components have been identified as necessary for the effectiveness and sustainability of UCPs. However, little is known about the experiences and perceptions of key stakeholders including students, faculty, and community partners who participate in arts-based UCPs. This study investigated these stakeholders’ perceptions regarding participating in arts-based UCPs as part of …

Safety Climate And The Use Of Personal Protective Equipment By Petroleum Refinery Workers, Mark Zapp

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of peer and supervisor influences of task risks associated with refinery workers’ use of PPE while working in an industrial environment. The study focused on the safety climate model to discover the perceived value workers placed on safety and Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior’s roadmap for understanding their use of PPE.

Methodology: This study used phenomenological qualitative methodology to collect responses from 16 petroleum refinery contractor workers from Los Angeles, California, regarding the influences peers, supervisors, and task risk have on their use of PPE. Respondents …

Phenomenological Study On The Lived Experience Of Black Women In Positions Of Leadership In California State Government, Tonia Burgess

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women in their roles as leaders in the California state government with respect to support received and barriers encountered.

Methodology: The phenomenological qualitative study involved exploring the lived experiences of 12 Black women in positions of leadership in northern California state government with regard to the supports they received and the barriers they encountered during their careers in California state government. Patton (2015) asserted that phenomenology's philosophical interpretation occurs when individuals only know what they experience. Additionally, "to fully understand the phenomenon, it must be …

Ndikimi I Nvm-Ve Në Zhvillimin Ekonomik Të Komunës Së Podujevës, Minire Namani

Theses and Dissertations

Kërkesat për punësim janë të vazhdueshme për të përmbushur nevojat dhe kërkesat tona. Këto kërkesa sa vijnë e shtohen me rritjen e familjes e si pasojë edhe rritja e konsumit. Këto nevoja nuk mund plotësohen në qoftë se nuk kemi të ardhura, rrjedhimisht nëse nuk jemi të punësuar. Por, kush janë punëdhënësit më të mëdhenj dhe si duhet qasur ekonomisë së një vendi ndërlidhet me vet faktin dhe rëndësinë që kanë punëdhënësit më të mëdhenj, e që janë Ndërmarrjet e Vogla dhe të Mesme. Pra ekonomia e një vendi varet pikërisht nga numri i NVM-ve, sepse ato punësojnë numrin më …

Gatishmëria Për Investime Financiare (Rast Studimi: Situata Investuese Gjatë Pandemisë Në Kosovë), Enur Pakashtica

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i punimit të seminarit është me i shfaqë aftësitë hulumtuese në lidhje me tregun si dhe të shfaqë ambientin investues, po ashtu punimi të seminarit ka për qëllim të shfaqë kompanitë me përformancën më të mirë po ashtu të tregohet se cila kompani nga bursat ndërkombëtare ka ambient më të mirë investimi. Metodat e hulumtimit të punimit të seminarit janë përmbajtur ngjarjeve me temën, strukturës së punimit dhe pyetjeve tona që i kemi parashtruar për punim. Ajo se çfarë përmes punimit të seminarit kamë dashur të arrijë është të ofrojmë ngjarje për ambientin investues në tregun global. Rezultatet gjatë …

Place Branding As A Mode Of Urban Governance And Verticalisation: The Case Of Tokyo And New York, Z. Ruya Yuksel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis explores how place branding activities are amalgamated into the urban governance policies and how skyscrapers are weaved into this process by studying two of the top ten most vertical cities in the world: Tokyo and New York.

Fascination with building up towards the sky is nothing new. Yet what is new is that skyscrapers are becoming as part of place branding strategies which are seeping into urban governance practices. Concepts of place branding, urban development, spatial planning and governance are now being discussed and understood as significant elements of the same process where branding informs configurations and development …

The Antecedents And Consequences Of Electronic Invoice In China From A Tax Perspective, Qi Yu Lan

Student Works (2020-2029)

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect the adoption of electronic invoice and in return the consequences of these factors on tax compliance process efficiency of companies in China. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 276 users who adopted electronic invoice and partial least squares regression was used to analyze the data. This study found that perceived benefits and trust in e-government had a positive influence on the adoption of electronic invoice. Furthermore, we also found that the adoption of electronic invoice have a positive impact on the efficiency of the tax compliance process. Moreover, …

The Impact Of The Capital Market, The Insurance Sector And The Mortgage Finance Sector On Economic Growth In Egypt, 2005-2019, Hana Anis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to explore the relationship between financial markets and economic growth in Egypt for the 15 years period, starting from 2005 to 2019. The study concentrates on the non-banking financial sector which includes the stock market, the debt market, the mortgage and the insurance sectors. The Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model is utilized to describe the relationship between GDP growth rate, as a proxy for economic growth, and a number of variables from the financial sector. Results of the analysis show that there is a significant relationship and statistical causality between the growth rate and the debt market, represented …

The Role Of Exchange Rate Policy In Trade Balance Adjustment: Investigating The Industry-Level Bilateral Trade Between Egypt And Italy, Nervan Elmasry

Theses and Dissertations

The study in hand attempted an empirical test for the impact of exchange rate policy on Egypt’s persistent trade balance (TB). To address the issue of “aggregation bias,” the study employed quarterly disaggregated trade data over the period 2007Q1-2019Q4 to capture the recent foreign exchange rate evolution in Egypt. The study applied a bounds test based on an Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) in its linear and non-linear form to empirically examine the long-run co-integrating relation between the variables and an error correction model (ECM) to estimate the short run dynamics of the adjustment process. The study compared the symmetrical against …

The Power Of Nostalgia In Creating Lovemarks For Brands, Sandy Philip

Theses and Dissertations

Brand loyalty is a destination that most brands exert tedious attempts to achieve. Nostalgia, on another note, is encountered by most people worldwide in different contexts. Despite the vast research on nostalgia, little is known about the effect of nostalgia in creating authentic Lovemarks for historic places. Previous literature granted a clear and detailed understanding of the Lovemarks concept and the different forms and effects of nostalgia in various settings. To investigate the relationship between Lovemarks and Nostalgia, this study discerns the factors of Lovemarks in historical (Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes) HORECA in Egypt to test their relation with Nostalgia …

The Moderating Roles Of Ownership Concentration And Foreign Ownership On Enterprise Risk Management And Firm Performance, Zhang Lan Jun

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study examines the relationship between enterprise risk management, firm performance, and the moderating role of ownership concentration and foreign ownership on the relationship between enterprise risk management and enterprise performance. The study uses 6015 listed firms in the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) from 2016 to 2018. The results indicate that enterprise risk management significantly influences both short-term and long-term firm performance based on multiple regression and panel data analysis. The study also found that ownership concentration positively moderates the relationship between enterprise risk management and both short-term and long-term firm performance. However, foreign …

Online Shoppers’ Priority Attributes In Egypt, Sally Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

E-commerce and online shopping have been among the world's fast-growing trends in the past few years. Each year the number of e-commerce deals grows enormously. Furthermore, the tendency will continue because many people are constricted by work and household duties. Simultaneously, the Internet saves much time and allows having a full shopping experience from the comfort of one's home. With the improvement of technology and the continuous progression in web development, retailers are not only seeking e-commerce to expand their sales, but the trend of full online retailing with no physical existence is becoming widespread. Given the expansion, it is …

Dames Paving Pathways To Directorships. A Study About Female Leaders In Art Museums In The United States, Mechele Manno

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine and describe the career pathways of female art museum directors in the United States

Methodology: This phenomenological study described lived experiences of eight female art museum directors with over five years of directorship experience from museums with operating budgets over $10 million and in states that receive the highest private funding: CA, DC, IL, MA, NY, OH, PA, and TX. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews using a scripted interview guide in research categories: a) motivation; b) career advancement; c) barriers; and d) support.

Findings: All major findings were …

Ai Stock-Screening Methodology For Portfolio Construction, Omar Ahmed Khater

Theses and Dissertations

Selecting profitable stocks is crucial in constructing an all-equity portfolio. Investors need to rely on screening mechanisms to aid investment decision making. New stock selection methods are highly desired, and existing methods are constantly improved. In this research, we investigate the potential of relying on artificial intelligence to guide the stock selection process. The developed model employed genetic algorithms to optimize the selection of screening rules from among a set of widely accepted fundamental indicators. The model robustness and performance are tested using stock market real data over a 14-year period from 2006 till 2019. Based on portfolio quality factors …

Ceo Political Ideology: Implications For Firm Innovation, Samira Fallah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine the influence of CEO political ideology on firm’s innovation strategy and outcomes. In my theorizing, I draw on upper-echelons theory that underscores the role of executives’ personal orientations on their decisions as well as the scholarship in political psychology that demonstrates the different values and psychological needs of liberals and conservatives. Given liberals’ lower need to manage uncertainty and their openness to new experiences, I propose that a firm with a more liberal CEO is likely to develop more innovations, pursue exploratory innovations and develop innovations with extreme quality (high and low). I also build …

Critical Success Factors Of Malaysian Armed Forces Digital Library System, Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman

Student Works (2020-2029)

Digital Library System (DLS) refers to an online database that collects, creates, stores, distributes, and preserves digital objects, including text, images, video, and audio over a network. The present study aims to understand the critical success factors affecting user satisfaction and their continuous usage intention behaviour. This study employed updated DeLone and McLean IS Success Model (ISSM) and incorporated additional construct, namely perceived instrumental support to predict the critical success factors of Malaysian Armed Forces Digital Library System (MAFDLS). This study employed survey questionnaires to examine the research model and hypotheses developed. Five hundred twenty-four usable responses from military members …

Similarity Measure Selection And Optimization For E-Commerce Product Matching, Maryetta Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Since its birth in 1979, e-commerce has grown to become a generation-defining phenomenon. There are millions of platforms from which online transactions can be made, and billions of products available for purchase. As these numbers continue to grow, there is an increased need to exchange, process, and store data about these products. There are also services such as review aggregators and price comparison sites that rely on collecting and integrating data from all over the web. When combining data from multiple sources, it is important to be able to identify which references refer to the same real-life product. Product matching, …

Forensic Accounting Education, Practice, And Career Path In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Alzahrane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The various high-profile cases of financial fraud that threatened to or led to the downfall of high ranking companies have reinforced the need to equip accounting professionals with the skills necessary to detect and investigate fraud. This study aims to evaluate forensic accountants' effectiveness in Saudi Arabia in meeting the needs of the judicial system and their clients. The study also seeks to explore forensic accounting in depth through the opinions, thoughts, concerns, conceptualizations, and experiences of Saudi judges who are routinely involved in forensic accounting cases. These cases often require expert testimony (i.e., cases involving, but not limited to, …

A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study Of Chief Nurse Executives On Creating A Culture Of Inclusiveness, Toloue Aria

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe the leadership strategies that exemplary chief nurse executives use in inpatient acute care hospitals located in Southern California to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness using Kennedy’s (2008) 5 leadership qualities of cultural differences.

Methodology: A sequential mixed methods research design was selected to answer this study’s research questions. The researcher was a part of a thematic group of 10 peer researchers and 7 faculty advisors. Through purposeful sampling, the researcher selected 18 exemplary chief nurse executives for survey data collection using instrumentations developed …

A Qualitative Study On Grooming Talent For Higher Education, Christine Holt

Dissertations

A vast number of higher education leaders and staff have reached the age and service requirements to be eligible for retirement. In the modern workplace, higher education institutions have become more complex and have to adapt to technological advances. As a result of these occurrences, the skill level of employees must keep pace and continue to evolve. Higher education institutions must prepare and sharpen the skills and competencies of employees through leadership development programs.

In this qualitative case study of 24 participants representing three universities and two search firms, the focus was on designing and implementing succession planning and leadership …

Factors That Influence Nonprofit Sector Employees’ Motivation: A Case Study From Egypt, Nada Shaaban Miry

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of employee motivation received much attention in the last few decades. That attention came from its significant practical and theoretical role in the field of management. To understand how motivation influences employees’ behavior, we have to know that every employee is motivated differently based on their preferences and characteristics. Therefore, it is essential to discover individual motivation factors for each employee. This study examines the factors that stimulate employees’ motivation and explain how to use those motivational factors to improve employees’ performance and engagement. It focuses on three non-profit organizations in Egypt and provides empirical evidence of the …

Influencing Employee Retention Through Recruitment, Selection, And Onboarding Practices, Monica Gillette

Education Projects

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (2019), 47% of human resource managers cite employee turnover as their biggest organizational challenge. This is a critical issue within most organizations and can directly affect overall business effectiveness as teams lose internal knowledge centers and see a decrease in productivity when they have vacancies. Moreover, employee turnover can cost the organization as much as three times the employee’s salary (Maurer, 2019) in recruitment efforts and lost productivity. There are three key areas in which hiring managers can proactively influence employee retention: employee recruitment methodology, the interview and selection process, and employee …

Mission Possible– Engaging Partners, Participants, And Patrons, Jewel Harrington

Education Projects

The purpose of this project was to lead the Tall One Outreach Ministries through a strategic revision of its mission statement. The revision yielded the organization to Mission Possible–Engaging Partners, Participants, and Patrons. Our goal was to serve and expand the purpose of Tall One Outreach Ministries. In addition, our goal was to seek to align the mission with result-driven outcomes of the three-fold outreach pursuits categorized as arts and entertainment, educational outreach, and business services. The focus of the consultancy project devoted time to the Arts and Entertainment sector as initiatives were established for Wilson Idol, Spare the Rod …

Driving Sustainable Change In The Fashion Industry, Christina Pasqualicchio

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

Climate change is a threat to global sustainable development and the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. This thesis explores how fast fashion and consumerism have contributed to an overabundance of clothing, an increase in greenhouse gases, fibers and fabrics that don’t disintegrate properly, and water pollution; all of which create negative environmental and social issues. Through detailing each of these problems, it can be seen that there needs to be internal changes within the fashion industry and external changes made by consumers. In order to create these changes, the fashion industry needs to adjust …

The Episcopal Church Of Liberia Gravitating Towards Financial Independence: Strategies And The Way Forward, Slewion P. Lewis

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis project sought to solicit and find strategies and the way forward as to how the Episcopal Church of Liberia can be financially independent and sustain itself as a diocese. The Episcopal Church of Liberia, a faith tradition of which I am a member and an ordained clergy, continues to a large extent rely on support from the Episcopal Church in America for the running and operation of the church. This has and continues to be the practice and trend of successive leadership dating as far back as the days of the church under missionary bishops. With the church …