Business Commons^™

Portfolio Optimization Methods: The Mean-Variance Approach And The Bayesian Approach, Hoang Nguyen

Honors Theses

This thesis is a discussion on the mean-variance approach to portfolio optimization and an introduction of the Bayesian approach, which is designed to solve certain limitations of the classical mean-variance analysis. The primary goal of portfolio optimization is to achieve the maximum return from investment given a certain level of risk. The mean-variance approach, introduced by Harry Markowitz, sought to solve this optimization problem by analyzing the means and variances of a certain collection of stocks. However, due to its simplicity, the mean-variance approach is subject to various limitations. In this paper, we seek to solve some of these limitations …

Authentic Csr In Professional Sport Organizations: Application Of A Theoretical Framework, Yoseph Mamo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Within the present dissertation, determinants for authentic CSR, process and outcomes are explored. A three-paper multiple method examination has been conducted, including a conceptual paper framework (Chapter 2), a structural equation model (Chapter 3), and MANOVA analysis (Chapter 4). Chapter 2 extends literature on when, why, and how professional sport organizations (PSO) can develop authentic CSR activities that can have a long-term positive impact on stakeholders. Chapter 3 advances literature on identifying the relevant dimensions of CSR that are supported by the fans rather than using a more holistic approach will advance our understanding of the relationships between different types …

Doing From Being: Creating Organizational Integrity Through Mindful Self-Leadership, Adam Stonebraker

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Mindfulness in the workplace is a subject that has seen significant growth in recent years. Mindfulness, which is rooted in ancient contemplative practice, has gained much traction among Western audiences over the last few decades. The application of Mindfulness practices is prevalent now in workplaces, where its efficacy has been well-documented, and impact has included the reduction of employee stress, increased productivity, and enhancement of one’s well-being.

The principles of mindfulness can be applied across disparate workplace settings and in nearly any situation to help bolster employees’ presence and focus in the day-to-day and retain them in the place of …

Gradyear: From Ideation Through Product Delivery, Laura A. Salvador

Honors Theses

This thesis will serve to document the first year of GradYear, from ideation through product delivery. GradYear is a Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) Senior Capstone Project; the GradYear team is comprised of five students with academic disciplines ranging across business, accountancy, and engineering. The goal of the team was to design and manufacture a high-quality, classic wooden picture frame for college or university graduates that highlights their graduating class year. Under the direction of Dr. Jack McClurg, Dr. Matthew O’Keefe and factory floor technician Mr. James McPhail, the team designed the GradYear Classic using principles of DFMA and implementing …

Children Of Milagros: Bringing Aid To A Community Center In Need, Matthew Ashley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Children of Milagros, Inc. (COM) was organized for the charitable purposes of providing tuition for educational and developmental services to underprivileged children in the Dominican Republic. Currently COM offers aid to a sole beneficiary, Espacio Infantil Madison (EIM). EIM is a community center in Gurabo, Dominican Republic that provides a safe, educational environment for young children of low-income families. To establish a rationale for funding the space, this project explores the needs of the community as well as the present and future benefits of early childhood education and socialization for individuals. The remainder of this project discusses the founding of …

Expanding Business To Harrisonburg, Graham Maguire

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This study will attempt to determine whether Harrisonburg is a viable option for expanded retail options. Fifteen stores will be examined that have performed well throughout the United States over the past several years based on several different metrics. Data used to compared these stores will be collected via a survey distributed to James Madison University students and public census data. Additionally, several stores that are already in operation in Harrisonburg will be assessed to serve as a comparison group. By the end of this study, I will offer recommendations on which of the 15 stores in the study would …

Cause Campaign For Dating Abuse In College, Isabel Elaine Kerr

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Through a cause campaign and partnership with the James Madison University (JMU) Health Center (UHC), this project confronts the widespread social issue of intimate partner violence (IPV), or dating abuse, in college-aged relationships. Encompassing all forms and subsets of dating abuse, the campaign intends to initiate conversation, facilitate awareness, and express support within the university community. The campaign is scheduled for implementation in October 2019, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, in conjunction with the UHC’s other awareness efforts.

Antwerp-Opedia: A Microsoft Sharepoint Site, Catherine Susco

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

As my Honors Capstone project, I implemented a Microsoft SharePoint site where JMU study abroad alumni from the College of Business Semester in Antwerp program can share their experiences and travel tips with other JMU students preparing to go to Antwerp. The goal of this project was to develop an online portal to host a collaborative, centralized site where students can find information regarding the Semester in Antwerp program. Resources on the site include information about the Antwerp program, tourist information and general international travel information. The Microsoft SharePoint site developed throughout this project includes a Wiki general information page, …

Learning How To Learn, Kyle Duffie

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and create a discussion regarding the human science of learning. For the last two semesters, I have been involved in tutoring students in the principles of accounting. The key difference between these two semesters was my mindset towards learning. My first semester tutoring I taught “firing from the hip.” Simply answering questions or working problems myself and explaining them as I went along. And yes, I do believe this style of tutoring helped these students. Looking back however, I can’t help but think of myself as someone living in the 17^{th …}

Group Culture In Successful Organizations, Courtney Cybert

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Eta Delta chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and determine whether its group culture is enhancing or diminishing its success. Daniel Coyle, in his book, The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, examined several successful organizations including the U.S. Navy’s Seal Team Six, IDEO, the San Antonio Spurs, and Google. From his observations, he classified the characteristics of successful group culture into three traits: build safety, share vulnerability, and establish purpose. Through these traits, he places an emphasis on the idea that the interaction of group members, rather than …

A Comprehensive Review Of Accounting Through Case Studies, Ellen Duncan

Honors Theses

As a student of both The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and The Patterson School of Accountancy, I have the opportunity to pursue an alternative thesis, comprised of a study of technical accounting through case studies. I compiled this research of accounting theories, principles, and data analytics systems over the course of two semesters, while simultaneously seizing bi-weekly opportunities to network with professional firms and interview for accounting internships. The opportunity to pursue an alternative thesis not only impacted my academic growth, but also my professional success. With the help of Doctor Victoria Dickinson, I was able to put the …

Athletic Advantage: Employers’ Views On Applicant’S Involvement In Student Athletics, Jonathan Wenning

Honors Projects

I have always been told that because of my involvement in athletics, recruiters will be more interested to hire me over other candidates because of the skills I have learned as a student athlete. By completing this honors project, I had the ability to survey hiring managers and recruiters targeting Bowling Green Business Students to see if and why they have a preference of hiring a student athlete.

Are We There Yet? Racial Diversity In Digital Retail Advertising, Riley O'Keefe, Julian Saint Clair

Honors Thesis

How are African Americans represented in advertisements? Although prior research is very thorough, it focuses almost exclusively on print and broadcast, leaving a significant gap in the literature with respect to diversity in digital advertisements. This focus on print and broadcast media has also left a gap in analysis of advertisements by small businesses who often lack budget for mass media placements. Using a comparative analysis, the authors hypothesize that the representation of African Americans in digital advertisements by large companies will follow the same trends previously found in print and broadcast media, but digital advertisements by smaller companies will …

How Small Business Owners And Managers Make Marketing Decisions Based On The Success Of The Local College Football Team, Sarah L. Rychlak

Honors Theses

Existing literature suggests that while many people, especially business owners, believe that their local economy suffers when the nearby sports team is not performing well, that is not the case. Student enrollment can take a dip when this occurs in college towns, but economic growth and prosperity is not dependent on a successful sports team. Studies have explored these effects in large cities, but less attention has been paid to the cities that would be more affected by the performance of sports teams, which is small college towns. This research explores the relationship between college football team success and small …

Examining The Relationship Between Technostress And The Effectiveness Of Organizational Communication, Lisa K. Hajdasz

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Research has shown that organizational communication plays a pivotal role in both employee engagement and commitment to the organization. However, in today’s business world, employees are required to process ever increasing amounts of information through a growing number of communication channels using various information and communication technologies (ICT). This leads to a phenomenon termed technostress. The purpose of this study was to determine if the quantity of communication disseminated by James Madison University (JMU) had any impact on the stress levels of its faculty and staff. The study utilized an anonymous online Qualtrics survey which was disseminated to all active …

Failure To Launch?: Advancing The Case For Financial Literacy Interventions In Postsecondary Education, Cathleen Snyder

Dissertations, 2014-2019

For college undergraduates, the thought of managing money is often new, exciting, and terrifying in the same breath. Some students have learned well from their parental and prior academic influences, and yet others may be overwhelmed by a lack of those same resources. As postsecondary institutions endeavor to level the proverbial playing field, helping college graduates launch into meaningful, financially independent lives, it begs additional consideration on the intervention methods that might be most impactful.

This study examined a for-credit, curriculum-based intervention specific to personal finance topics. It attempted to answer several key questions: How knowledgeable are students relative to …

Artificial Intelligence And The Future Of Supply Chain Management, Christine Kinsey

Honors Projects

This paper discusses how artificial intelligence is being implemented in today's supply chain with a focus on the automotive industry. It looks at some of the challenges businesses are facing while implementing artificial intelligence, as well as a case study with a prominent automotive manufacturer. Lastly, it discusses the future of the supply chain industry with artificial intelligence's influence.

The Quality Of Xbrl Structured Financial Statements: An Empirical Examination Of Custom Tags, Aidana Razhap Kyzy

Theses and Dissertations

In 2009 the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) system to improve the process by which financial statements can be used. Interactive financial data filed with the SEC using XBRL provides easily readable and comparable financial data, thereby improving transparency and efficiency in the corporate market. SEC rules permit companies to use custom tags in their financial reports in cases when an appropriate element cannot be found in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) standard XBRL taxonomy. The inordinate use of custom tags may result in a reduction of financial report quality by …

Social Media Is Bananas: The Effect Social Media Has On Rebranding And Customer Attraction And Retention, Kara Heater

Honors College Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether social media had an impact on the rebranding of the Savannah Bananas baseball team. The study also focuses on the impact social media has had on the attraction and retention of customers. Interviews were conducted with full time staff members and customers of the Savannah Bananas. An online survey was distributed through social media to learn more about the connection between customers and the Bananas social media. The results of the study suggest that social media has had a positive affect on both the rebranding of the Savannah Bananas and …

The Application Of Paperless Processes To Improve Data Management Within Small To Medium Businesses, Kelley D. Nemec

Honors College Theses

Businesses are creating new value by implementing new processes built on modern tools. Small businesses, though, with much fewer resources than the most significant competitors, cannot follow the same path. How can these businesses use standard, widely available tools and techniques to improve their processes and create value within their business? This paper discusses the implementation of paperless processes using the electronic form technology, Google Forms, within the Honors Program at Georgia Southern University over two years. Action research methods were used to guide the research and implementation of new processes. Through the introduction of cloud-based electronic forms and process …

What Implications Can Be Made From The Interactions Between Finances And Violations For Division 1 Men's Basketball Schools?, Michael Burton

Sport Management Undergraduate

The purpose of this study was to find out what types of schools violated as well as the implications these violations had on internal finances. This research was practical and important because of it suggested possible motive for schools that want to increase revenue or win percentage. The NCAA could use this information to narrow their efforts on possible violators through the use of trends. Athletic departments could use this information to anticipate future violations and stop them before they occur.

What was already known was that schools that win, generate a larger profit than those who don’t. The method …

Supervisor-Subordinate Conflict Negotiation: Examining The Core Concerns In Light Of Communication Accommodation And Gender Roles, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined a supervisor-subordinate negotiation of an emotion-laden conflict from the lens of the core concerns framework, communication accommodation theory, and gender roles research. Results empirically support CCF that, by accommodating or attending to the employees’ core concerns, managers can stimulate employees’ positive emotion and integrative intention. However, under- and overaccommodating the core concerns can lead to distributive intention. Additionally, the employees’ perception of manager goodwill can strengthen or attenuate the positive effect of core concerns accommodativeness on outcome variables especially for male managers. Thus, moderate accommodation is recommended for male managers. For female managers, the results show …

Fan Identification In Professional Sport, James Murray

Sport Management Undergraduate

The purpose of this research was to find out the relationship between professional sport fans and either the team or player they most support. The goal of the research was to find out whether fans of professional sport go out to games or watch games at their house because of their support for their favorite organization or their idol player. The reason behind the research was because out of all the psychology and sociology studies surrounding professional sport, 95% of all those studies included an athlete, team, or coach. Only 5% of all those mentioned studies were involved with the …

Challenges To Effective Monitoring And Evaluation Systems: Lessons From Afghanistan, Qudratullah Jahid

Sustainability and Social Justice

How can monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems better support improving the aid effectiveness? What are the existing challenges to the M&E systems in Afghanistan? I try to answer these questions by briefly looking at the development aid in Afghanistan since 2001. I provide summary of attempts made at improving aid effectiveness through mutual accountability frameworks. I then try to briefly discuss the principles of Paris Declaration and provide brief insights from Afghanistan. I then discuss the status of monitoring and evaluation in Afghanistan by providing a picture functional M&E system and then discussing the existing challenges in Afghanistan. Finally, I …

Promoting Workplace Health Using Wearable Technology: A Mixed Methods Study In A Nonprofit Organization, Mitchell Tarver

Dissertations

Despite efforts to improve the designs and benefits of workplace wellness programs (WWPs), there are two major problems preventing employers from optimizing the human capital of their employees: (a) many WWPs are limited and do not include an exercise component, which increases the potential for chronic health conditions; and (b) more than 50% of employees are reluctant to participate in WWPs due to the common barriers of time, convenience, and location. A lack of physical activity is a problem because studies have shown that chronic conditions increase rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, both of which increase productivity loss. Additionally, low …

“Greening” Worcester: Municipal Best Practices For Sustainability, Erin Mckeon, Charline Kirongozi, Jared Duval, Antannia Greene, Qianshu Sun, Zewei Yao

School of Professional Studies

In response to the urgent threat posed by climate change, more and more cities, including Worcester, are attempting to become more environmentally responsible and sustainable. Worcester is attempting to develop ways to become more sustainable; both to strengthen their communities and to protect the planet. The Green Worcester Working Group (GWWG) tasked the Clark Capstone Team with researching best practices for municipal sustainability. The GWWG has set the following priorities: climate change mitigation, resilience, open spaces, sustainable resource management, education and awareness. Taking these into account, the Clark Capstone Team researched the sustainability practices of cities in New England, across …

Worcester Chamber Of Commerce: Recruiting Minority Business Owners, Ryan Dimaria, Alexander Hull, Xikun Lu, Haopeng Wang, Jiacheng Hou, Danning Zhao

School of Professional Studies

Our capstone project was to help the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce identify how to re-frame their marketing so it would be appealing to immigrant and minority owned businesses. Based on interviews and external research, our group was able to create a tangible and resourceful data set that provided justified recommendations and ideas on how the Chamber could make adjustments to their marketing plan to attract more businesses of this particular demographic in the city of Worcester. By implementing these recommendations, we believe the Chamber has the opportunity to create a more diverse group of Chamber members, add value to …

Service Now: Cmdb Research, Monika Patel, Smita Patil, Katerina Tzanavara, Manish Chauhan, Yuhao Wang, Houmin Xie, Lei Shi

School of Professional Studies

The MAPFRE Capstone team has been tasked with reviewing and recommending roadmap on the existing CMDB configuration. Paper discusses the team’s overall research on ServiceNow CMDB, Client’s deliverables and introduction to the latest technological innovations. Based on given objectives and team’s analysis we have recommended key solutions for the client to better understand the IT environment areas of business service impact, asset management, compliance, and configuration management. In addition, our research has covered all the majority of the technical and functional areas to provide greater visibility and insight into existing CMDB and IT environment.

Feasibility Of Custom Aquaponics For Home Use, Jesse Blanchard

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary goal of this research is to access the feasibility of implementing and operating small scale aquaponic systems in a home setting to serve as a means of producing high quality fresh produce and fish protein to supplement similar store-bought products. Factors such as system cost, skill level and management requirements will be addressed alongside customizable, educational and sustainable aspects of aquaponic systems to determine whether home aquaponic systems are a feasible option for the home grower. To elaborate, feasibility in this research will refer to both economic costs relative to costs of the system. Outlined in this short …

For One Child, Zion Bereket, Xin Huang, Yitong Lin, Ruobing Pei, Rachel White, Ziyuan Li

School of Professional Studies

The entirety of this project was completed on the foundation of the three focus areas, which were identified by our client as areas of high need. The client wanted to prioritize these three areas as they believed that these three areas were the most integral to the successful achievement of their mission, as well as to the overall health and longevity of the organization.