Business Commons^™

Implementing The Malcolm Baldrige Process For A Financial Institution: An Insiders Perspective, Scott Murray

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Malcolm Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence outlines best practices for strategic and operational processes. Enterprises that achieve the award do so not for the award itself – but for the transformation that takes place along the way. Although the fifty-page summaries of Malcolm Baldrige award winning organizations are posted on the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) (https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/award-recipients), the process and effort used to create such applications has not been documented. This project documents and provides an internal perspective and lessons learned from the early stages of the Malcolm Baldrige journey for a medium size financial institution. The …

The Influence Of Facebook Social Interaction On Healthy Eating Behaviour And Work Productivity / Wong Wen Yin, Wen Yin Wong

Student Works (2020-2029)

In the current competitive global environment, one of the core determinants of the business success lies in the foundation to workplace productivity amongst the employees. The rise of social media in the health domain can have it play the role of an alternative channel for the promotion of healthy eating behaviour. Literatures outlined that social interaction on Facebook seems relevant towards the promotion of positive health behaviour(s). However, details pertaining to the interaction and its subsequent impact on health remains unexplored. This research examines the influence of Facebook social interaction on healthy eating behaviour and its subsequent impact on work …

Board Of Directors’ Characteristics And Corporate Sustainability Performance: A Mediating Role Of Internal Control Mechanisms, Fakir A N M Asaduzzaman

Student Works (2020-2029)

The purpose of this study is to propose a framework and thereafter examine the relationship among the board of directors’ characteristics, internal control mechanisms, and corporate sustainability performance. In particular, it aims to uncover how the board specific characteristics influence internal control, which, ultimately, would enhance the sustainability performance of publicly listed companies. The premise of the resource dependence theory is utilized to identify the board characteristics that may influence the sustainability performance; namely, size, composition, leadership, ownership, diversity, and expertise. Inspired by the fit as mediation notion of contingency theory, the mediating role of internal control mechanisms, proxied by …

Investigating Lifecycle Costs Of Optimized Battery-Photovoltaic Systems On A Forward Operating Base, Neal S. Fennell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the total life-cycle cost of using utility-scale battery systems to increase the energy efficiency of forward operating bases, thereby reducing the burden of diesel fuel logistics. Specifically, this thesis answered three research questions addressing optimal sizing for various battery types connected with photovoltaic grids, logistical parameters directly impacting total cost, and the cost of increasing the energy resilience of the network. The research questions were answered through a review of literature, modeling, and data analysis. The model determines an optimal size and area for a Vanadium redox flow, Lithium-ion, or Lead-acid battery …

Developing Standard Production Cost Factors For Major Defense Acquisition Program (Mdap) Platforms, Jordan S. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

Cost estimators commonly use the analogy and factor method when developing Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) estimates. Previous studies discussing and developing factors for the production lifecycle phase have been limited in scope and statistical analysis efforts. This research significantly expands the currently available toolkit for Department of Defense cost analysts by updating the current database of historical data and exploring potential relationships through statistical testing. Specifically, 3,462 unique factors were created across nine level II Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements broken down into four categories; commodity type, contract type, contractor type, and service. The production cost factors were created …

A Comparison Of Sbir Investment Methods: Afwerx Vs Legacy, Evan A. Gist

Theses and Dissertations

The AFWERX Open Topic (AOT) program uses funding from the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) budget to adapt commercial technology to USAF needs. The AOT approach to small business investment is markedly different from that of legacy SBIR investment methods. This research is a comparison of processes and outcomes for AOT and legacy SBIR. The first axis of comparison is on commercialization rates. Applying a legacy definition of commercialization on a sample of AOT contracts, we found AOT’s commercialization to be 37% (compared to an 8.8% for legacy SBIR). We caveat this finding by …

Preliminary Study Of Communication Network Characterization Towards Improved Organizational Behavior, Taylor F. Flaxington

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly one third of the Air Force acquisition system’s large programs are over cost and half are over budget; performance must improve. This research applies a systems perspective to this challenge and frames the acquisition system as a complex system of systems. It is a system composed of people in multiple organizations; organizations interacting with one another to develop, acquire and sustain weapon programs. The system’s performance is an emergent behavior of its components (people), structure and processes. Communication networks are a view of a system’s structure, revealing the flows and interactions between components (people) as the system accomplishes its …

An Investigation Into Subject Matter Expert Elicitation In Cost Risk Analysis, Christopher W. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This research compares the efficacy of subject matter expert (SME) elicitation methods to other cost estimation methods using a development and production dataset provided by AFLCMC/FZC. First, by using descriptive statistics to evaluate low versus high amount of the respective cost estimation methods by analyzing the means of percent cost growth for both groups. Next, this research involved using a statistics-based approach to investigate whether SME based cost estimating methods have an associated relationship to percent change of Program Acquisition Unit Costs (PAUC), which will be our proxy variable to cost growth. Using a pooled cross-sectional OLS regression analysis model …

Three Views For Explaining And Resolving The Recruitment And Retention Challenges Of The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (Eod) Career Field, John A. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Retention among the Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) career field has been a concern since the start of the war on terror. Now, as recruiting quotas are not being met, that concern is growing for senior leaders. In the coming years, retention and recruitment will be of the utmost importance to ensure full mission capability. This research analyzes two streams of data, 15 years of manpower information and the results of a survey administered to first-term Airmen, to identify the variables that have the greatest impact on turnover. An additional dataset, personnel data from more than 2,000 EOD candidates, …

Improving Acquisitions In Science And Technology Programs Through Factor Development And Program Analysis, Eric A. Plack

Theses and Dissertations

This research involves a study of Air Force science and technology (S&T) programs which includes the creation of standard factors and a program analysis. There has been little prior cost research on S&T programs, which occur very early in the acquisition lifecycle. This leads the cost analyst to utilize estimating techniques such as analogy, factors, and parametric in order to develop budgets with minimal information. The absence of formal S&T cost reporting requirements and common cost elements necessitate a segregated two phased data analysis. The Factor Development phase accomplishes the development and creation of two new standard cost factors along …

The Impact Of Changing The Size Of Aircraft Radar Displays On Visual Search In The Cockpit, Justin R. Marsh

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in sensor technology have enabled our fighter aircraft to find, fix, track, target, engage (F2T2E) at greater distances, providing the operator with more data within the battlefield. Modern aircraft are designed with larger displays while our legacy aircraft are being retrofitted with larger cockpit displays to enable display of the increased data. While this modification has been shown to enable improvements in human performance of many cockpit tasks, this effect is often not measured nor fully understood at a more generalizable level. This research outlines an approach to comparing human performance across two display sizes in future F-16 cockpits. …

Inherent Jeopardy Of Performance Based Contracting Metrics: A Simulation Experiment, Daniel Cherobini

Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing trend across the world to adopt Performance Based Contracting strategies to support logistics systems. Using these policies, contract payments are strongly related to the performance achieved compared to prespecified metrics. However, managers are not always confident on what are the most suitable performance goals to use in these agreements. As a consequence, contractors struggle to deliver the desired performance results, while aircraft fleets experience an increase in support costs. And when the results are inadequate, leaders are tempted to impose even more performance targets to contractors, willing to exercise more control over the support organization. In …

Undergraduate Pilot Training Attrition: An Analysis Of Individual And Class Composition Component Factors, Christina M. Akers

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force is working hard to reduce the shortage of nearly 2,000 pilots that threatens the Air Force’s core mission. Officials have focused on increasing retention and training throughput. Despite this, the first Pilot Training Next class graduated in August of 2018 with 13 of the initial 20 students (65.5% graduation rate). The purpose of this research is to explore attrition reduction by understanding how class composition of individual abilities and personalities affects the class graduation rate. Using AFOQT scores, SDI+ scores, PCSM scores, flight hours, and college GPAs, correlations were studied and a simple linear regression was run …

The Rise And Infiltration Of Pac-Man And Street Fighter, Angelic Phan

University Honors Theses

With the social, cultural, and economic influence of video games, it is important to examine why they have become such popular forms of entertainment. Particularly, why certain franchises have continued to persist among the growing industry. Two notable franchises are Pac-Man and Street Fighter, which are also most frequently discussed in scholarly texts. I supplement a literature review with an analysis of marketing texts to illuminate a series of shared factors that help explain both games' popularity despite the apparent dissimilarities of their content. First, my work helps us look across multiple scholarly papers to create a bigger picture …

Narrowing The Cognitive Distance Between Engineers And Customers: A Novel Approach, Based On Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, Byung Sung Yoon

Dissertations and Theses

During concept development, product developers consider product users and their future experience, cost, development and manufacturing efficiency, product function/quality, and differentiation of the product in the market. Development teams often struggle to adequately address all of these considerations, due to the following reasons: (1) Differences in technological and experiential knowledge, methods used, and communication styles that make it difficult for customers/user, marketing, and engineering to communicate effectively. As a result, important factors may not be sufficiently considered. (2) Product design factors, including technological alternatives, functions, features, benefits, and customer value are interdependent: in some cases, customers are willing to sacrifice …

Assessing The Impact Of Transition From Rules-Based To Principles-Based Accounting In The Recognition Of Revenue: A Study Of Public Companies Listed In The Russell 3000 Index That Elected The Full Retrospective Method Of Accounting, Foday Y. Deen-Conteh

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This research empirically assesses the impact on the financial statements for businesses listed on the Russell 3000 Index after the transition to FASB ASC Topic 606: Revenue from Contract with Customers. The study was focused on the 272 companies that elected the Full Retrospective Method of accounting after transition from rules-based accounting to principles-based accounting. The research applied Gray Comparability Index and Student t-Test to determine the significance of the difference between the ex ante and ex post revenues reported in the Form 10K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. The companies were divided into all adopters, early-adopters, and non-early …

Video Marketing Strategies For Generation Z, Tay R. Sauer, Carol S. Hall

Honors Projects

If Generation Z is the first generation of digital natives, what is the best strategy for marketing college recruitment to them? Video marketing has been proven to be the most profitable form of marketing, especially short videos that can easily be spread on social media. Generation Z connects with a university most when they are able to see themselves reflected back in a diverse student body. Generation Z doesn't like "fluff" in their university recruitment marketing; this money-minded generation wants to see that they will quickly be able to get a job, internship, or campus opportunities to advance their career. …

Efekti I Revolucionit Digjital, Si Dhe Përdorimi I Sistemit Erp Në Sektorin Bankar, Aurora Mustafa

Theses and Dissertations

Ky hulumtim ka për qëllim vlerësimin e efektit që posedon revolucioni digjital në përgjithësi, ndërsa fokusi kryesor është tek sektori bankar në Kosovë. Hulumtimi përshkruan ndikimin e teknologjisë digjitale siq është sistemi ERP, në performancën e përgjithshme, në cilësinë e shërbimeve të ofruara dhe në arritjen e objektivave strategjike bankare. Përparimet e jashtëzakonshme në teknologjinë digjitale kanë transformuar mënyrën e funksionimit të bankave. Mundësi të mëdha ekzistojn për përdorimin e infrastrukturës së epokës digjitale, për të krijuar mundësi si vendore ashtu edhe globale. Konkurenca e madhe dhe sfidat e ndryshme në sektorin bankar po nxisin bankat që të miratojn modele …

Rekrutimi Dhe Sistemimi I Stafit Në Ndërmarrjen Publike Qëndrore “Posta E Kosovës Sh.A.”, Zana Morina

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë punim do njoftoheni me menaxhimin e burimeve njerëzore në Kosovë, kryesisht me Postën e Kosvës, mënyrën e procesit të rekrutimit, mënyrat dhe metodat që përdoren në një proces rekrutimi, mënyrën se si bëhet seleksionimi i kandidatëve, rëndësia dhe metodat e procesit të seleksionimit në ndërmarrjet në përgjithësi dhe më konkretisht Posta e Kosovës Sh.A.

Rekrutimi është procesi nëpërmejt të cilës ndërmarrja tenton të tërheqë një numer kandidatësh, me të cilët ajo do të mundë të plotësoj vendet e saj të punës, ndërsa një seleksionim i mirë, nëpërmjet diferencimit të kandidatëve të aftë nga ata të paaftë, kontribuon në …

Fast Fashion And Sustainability - The Case Of Inditex-Zara, Tatiana Destiny Sitaro

Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Inditex’s business model of fast fashion and sustainability, specifically using Zara as a case study. The analysis focuses on the comparison of Inditex and their sustainability goals, against a fixed definition of sustainability split into three parts: profit, environment, and people. The methodology of the paper is analyzing Inditex’s 2018 Annual Report and their global sustainability goals against various scholarly articles and studies conducted of the company and sustainable fashion. Ultimately, I synthesized prior studies and added the most recent sustainability report published by Inditex. The findings show that …

Essays On Social Connectedness, Institutional Behavior, And Market Predictability, Yan Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three chapters that encompass social network, institutional investor behavior, financial market efficiency, and market return predictability.

Chapter 1: We use social network data from Facebook to show that institutional investors are more likely to invest in firms that are located in areas the investor is more socially connected to. This effect is particularly large for investments in small and informationally opaque firms. After controlling for social connectedness, investments do not vary with the geographic distance between investors and firms. We find no evidence that investors achieve higher returns when investing in firms located in areas that …

The Mediation Of Self-Efficacy Between Antecedents And Organisational Citizenship Behaviour In The Public Sector, Abdullah Meor Rashydan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) has become popular among scholars in organisational behaviour, psychology, and management studies since it significantly contributes to the success of an organisation. Organisational citizenship behaviour plays an important role in organisational settings for its effectiveness and the efficiency of the services or operation provided. Empirical studies on OCB in recent years were mostly conducted in a Western context. However, there is a limit of providing extensive information and in-depth understanding of employee’s citizenship behaviour in Malaysia settings. This study attempts to narrow the gap in the past literature. In the public sector, OCB is highly valued …

Csr, Corporate Reputation And Financial Performance Of Islamic Banks In Malaysia: Stakeholders’ Perceptions, Mohd Sofian Fatimah Noor Rashidah

Student Works (2020-2029)

A review of the extant literature established that the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI) needs to sustain its growth momentum. This is due to the downfall of the world’s largest banks in 2008, which has shaken the global financial industry. Besides, external challenges emerging in the global financial industry have affected the performance of Islamic banks in Malaysia. To overcome such problems, existing reports and several authors have suggested that Islamic banks should get involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and disclose such activities in the annual reports. It is argued that corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) can increase …

Challenges Of International Development Projects In Yemen: Perspective Of Public Work Project, Mohammed Lashuel Hassan Mohammed

Student Works (2020-2029)

International development projects are public projects that are created to support the economy and people’s life needs, mostly these types of projects target developing countries. These types of projects face challenges more than other projects due to many reasons. Accordingly, this research aims to explore the challenges that face international development projects in Yemen and conducted by the Public Work Project and highlight the most significant issues that face ID project as well to overcome these challenges. This research adopted the qualitative method by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with the PWP team and others stakeholders. The interview technique was selected …

The Influence Of Organisational Culture And Job Satisfaction On Emotional Intelligence And Organisational Performance Of Malaysian Administrative And Diplomatic Officers, Supramaniam Suganthi

Student Works (2020-2029)

As a natural instinct of survival in a competitive environment, organisations inherently aim to achieve high organisational performance. Due to constant global challenges and the volatile environment, organisations are accosted with various challenges. An analysis of Malaysia’s ranking in the IMD World Competitiveness report secured a 12th position in 2014, which dropped to the 24th position in 2017. As public servants play a pivotal part in meeting the competitiveness challenge of a country, this highlights a potential issue in the performance of the public service in improving the nation’s productivity. Hence, this thesis explores the effects of emotional intelligence on …

Investigating Leadership Behavior Spawning Innovation Performance In Uae’S Telecommunication And Ict Industry, Ali Abdalla Saeed Khalfan Alnaqbi

Dissertations

The significance of leadership behaviours comes in creating a climate for innovation to support individual creativity within innovation performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between transformational and transactional leadership behaviours, climate for innovation, individual creativity and innovation performance. Additionally, this study explored the mediation role of climate for innovation perceptions to be supportive of individual creativity. Data were collected online from 139 staff and leaders who were working in various ICT and telecommunication industries in UAE, a developing country, and SLP- SEM were used to analyse the data. The results of this study revealed positive …

Examining Managerial Coaching Dyads And The Developmental Learning Outcomes For Managers Serving As Coaches And The Reverse Coaching Behaviors Of Their Subordinate Coachees, Beth Adele

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Scholars and practitioners have acknowledged that managerial coaching has been linked to positive outcomes for the coachee and organization and have begun to examine the dual developmental outcomes for managerial coaches as well as the concept of reverse managerial coaching. The purpose of this study was to explore how the facilitation of learning (coaching) occurs within manager/employee dyads, such that the behaviors, beliefs, and learning outcomes for the “manager as coach” are identified when exemplary managers are engaged in coaching their respective employees. It also explored the behaviors, beliefs, and learning outcomes of managers’ respective employees, who may have also …

Do We All Agree? A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Impact Of Climate Strength On Psychological Safety, Team Learning, And Team Performance, Taylor Harrell

Dissertations

The majority of today’s organizations rely on teamwork to drive innovation and achieve success. Evidence suggests that two constructs—psychological safety and team learning behavior—demonstrate significant predictive power on performance. Existing research posits that the more psychologically safe a team feels, the more it can learn, which enhances its performance. While organizational literature has established links among psychological safety, team learning, and team performance, the conditions under which these relationships are enhanced or diminished are less clear.

Recent studies indicate that climate strength is a factor that significantly influences the relationship between climate variables and outcomes. Climate strength refers to the …

Bad Things Happen To Those Who Wait: Nav Discrepancies Of Money Market Funds In Egypt, Kariman Karem Kordy

Theses and Dissertations

We conduct an experiment on the Egyptian money market by testing how volatility in interest rates and asymmetric (redemption-only) structure of money market funds (MMFs) affect investors who redeem after interest rate hikes, versus those who remain in the fund. We conduct simulations on MMFs with different durations. Given current MMF accounting treatment, results show that increasing interest rates, higher redemptions than subscriptions, and longer fund durations cause unfair treatment of investors who remain in the fund after disrupted periods. The findings of this research have policy implications to regulators of MMFs in Egypt to apply a rule similar to …

Performance Of Islamic Stocks Versus Conventional Stocks During Crisis And Non Crisis Period: Evidence From Mena Region., Eshraq Abou El Enein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the performance of both Islamic and conventional stocks, and to investigate whether the Islamic filtering criteria acts as a shield of protection for investors during crisis or not, based on a panel sample of 12 countries in the MENA region covering 10 different sectors from 1998-2018. Using panel fixed effect regression. We divided out sample into three periods; 1998-2006 pre-crisis period, 2007-2008 crisis period and 2009-2018 post crisis period. Our main finding is that the filtering criteria has a positive relation with the returns significant for the post crisis period and positive …