Business Commons^™

Reappraising International Business In A Digital Arena: Barriers, Strategies, And Context For Internationalization Of Digital Innovations, Noman Ahmed Shaheer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation builds on the eclectic paradigm to explore internationalization strategies in the burgeoning digital economy through a rigorous empirical analysis of a unique big data archive tracking international penetrations of more than 1.5 million mobile apps across 58 countries. While traditional firms internationalize by internalizing physical assets to reap location advantages from foreign markets, many digital businesses internationalize by orchestrating networks of information flows across borders. Such digital internationalization may not be constrained by cross-national distance or lack of resources as digital businesses leverage globally disperse knowledge and innovation networks to develop scale free digital innovations and seamlessly transmit …

Self-Affirmation And Perspective Taking In Organizations: An Integrated Framework For Examining Process-Oriented Phenomena As Trajectories Of Change, Patrick J. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals’ perceptions of their fit within in an organization unfold as a process over time that is subject to influence and change. This dissertation is a program of research that takes a process-oriented approach to understanding change from patterns of outcome trajectories and trajectory changes. Appendix A presents a study that introduces a conceptual framework for a temporal approach to change. Appendix A showed that strong events serve to change the trajectory of individuals’ affective commitment. Appendix B presents a first intervention study with surprising results where instead of self-affirmation, perspective taking appeared to facilitate positive trajectory changes in individuals’ …

Crowdfunding In The Music Industry And Its Impact On The Business Models Of Industry Stakeholders, Ryan M. Carter

Selected Honors Theses

Challenges currently facing the music industry have led many key players to reevaluate their business models in order to survive the changing environment. Crowdfunding has become a popular way among musicians and artists to finance creative projects and/or careers. Crowdfunding works by collecting investments from a pool of people in order to raise funds for a venture, idea, or project. In recent years, crowdfunding has gained significant traction in the music industry, especially among independent artists. The introduction of crowdfunding into the mix of business models has not only impacted artists but record labels and live sector companies as well. …

Leadership In Christian Higher Education: The Impact Of Different Leadership Styles On Students, Montana Lynn Hancock

Selected Honors Theses

This is an expanded literature review of leadership in Christian higher education institutions, and how leaders and their leadership style, servant, transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant, impact developmental factors of students such as academic excellence, professional development, ethical and moral development, faith, and spiritual development. This paper is looking directly at the components of colleges and universities that are members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). The expanded literature review analyzed research previously conducted and determined that transformational leadership is the most impactful leadership style on the developmental factors of students that were looked at include academic excellence, …

Using Consumer Personality To Direct The Creation Of More Effective Advertisements, Connor Keith

Selected Honors Theses

Advertising is one of the most pervasive forces in business and culture today. All advertisers are seeking ways to be more effective in order to reach consumers better. One of the ways they can do this is by targeting certain personality types in their advertisements. This thesis seeks to find the differences in responses to advertisements from consumers with different personality types. A survey is used in conjunction with a personality test to study if consumers are most influenced by advertisements targeted toward their personalities. Suggestions are given for how to create and distribute advertisements to be most effective for …

Underlying Factors Behind Generation Of Different Types Of User-Generated Content - Impact Of Individual And Brand/Product Level Factors In Generation Of Brand-Oriented Content And Community-Oriented Content, Kemal Cem Soylemez

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Defined as groups of people who communicate with each other about brand and product via internet without restricted by geographical and ethnic origin constraints to accomplish collective goals, express mutual sentiments & commitments and entertainment, online brand communities are valuable source for marketing practitioners. Although content generation is heavily used in the literature, earlier studies assumes that user-generated content is monolith, and all aimed to brand. However, our experiences tell us that reality is far different from that. This study categorizes user generated content based on target audience, namely brand-oriented content and community-oriented content. Although both types of content are …

Waiting Time And Patients’ Satisfaction, Haleema Mohamed Hasan Mahmood Al Hammadi

Dissertations

In line with Vision 2021, the UAE’s National Agenda has six pillars: providing world-class healthcare is one of them. It is hence not surprising that the UAE healthcare industry is allocating substantial weight to the element of quality. Patient-centered care is internationally becoming part of the quality domain. Patient-centered quality may be defined as “providing the care that the patient needs in the manner the patient desires at the time the patient desires”. This requires substantially more attention to learning about patients’ preferences. One of the main dimensions of patient-centered quality is timely access to care, which includes shorter waiting …

The Antecedents Of Individuals’ Creative Behaviour In Government Organisations: Exploring The Roles Of Personality, Educational Background, Social Networks And Organisational Culture, Adel Rashed Yousef Soufa Al Zaabi

Dissertations

Employees’ creativity in any organization is vital to its successful performance and growth. Most researchers have studied creativity using a uni-dimensional approach like work culture, and leadership support. With the new vision of the UAE and its strategy of development in the coming years, more studies about creativity and creative behavior are needed in this region. This research is unique as it studies the creative behavior of government employees from a holistic view within work and outwork factors.

Accordingly, this research identifies and examines the impact of four antecedents on the government employee’s creative behavior. It examines out work antecedents …

Using Personal-Type Relationships (Guanxi) To Attract And Retain Customers In Small Business Enterprise (Sbe): An Empirical Study In Uae, Abu Dhabi, Hadi Saif Albadi

Dissertations

Very few researchers have investigated the underlying socio-cultural formulas in the aspects of culture that affect relationships around the globe. Middle Eastern cultures give great importance to personal-type relationships (akin to the Chinese concept of Guanxi), in many different spheres of life. This research identifies the factors composing the unique forms of such relationships that are found in the context of Abu Dhabi city. The research focuses on the significant role and the effect of the cultivation in business contexts of personal-type relationships, characterized by the presence of personal trust, empathy, reciprocity, bonding, face, and affection. The aim of this …

The Impact Of Push & Pull Factors And Political Stability On Destination Image, Tourist Satisfaction And The Intention To Re-Visit: The Case Of Abu Dhabi In The Uae, Muzoun Ali Darwish Almulla Al Ansaari

Dissertations

Taking into consideration Abu Dhabi 2030 vision, the tourism sector is considered to be a significant sector in its contribution to the long-term economic growth of the UAE. Abu Dhabi has many of the push and pulls factors that attract tourists. By illuminating tourists’ behaviors, the results of this study will enable decision-makers to understand why tourists choose Abu Dhabi over other destinations, what type of experience they are looking for, and the variety of activities that they want. Meanwhile, taking into account the political stability of the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular, insufficient attention has hitherto …

The Impact Of Management Control Systems On Innovation Performance In Healthcare Organizations, Abdel-Haleem Iyad Al-Kade

Dissertations

The healthcare sector is one of the largest industries in the world, at close to 10 percent of global GDP. Healthcare providers are facing complex challenges arising from advances in medical treatment, an increase in patients’ demands, and decreasing resources to fund and support their activities. Healthcare organizations have resorted to innovation as a means to achieving a balance between cost containment and healthcare quality. While innovation is believed to be a critical element of business productivity and competitive survival, its implementation comes with risk. A systematic approach to managing and controlling the innovation process is therefore required in order …

Knowledge Sharing And Creative Confidence In Promoting Employees’ Creative Behavior, Elnaz Dario

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of knowledge sharing and creative confidence on the relationship between organizations’ creative environment and employees’ creative behavior. This study individually assesses the relationship between factors from heterogeneous survey participant data and compares the result for two groups; engineers and non-engineers. A theoretical framework is adopted to explain how a creative climate stimulates an individual’s creative behavior and how this relationship is moderated and mediated by knowledge sharing and creative confidence. This is a relatively unexplored concept in the current literature. The results demonstrated that knowledge sharing and creative confidence significantly …

Customers’ Goal-Related Behavior In Loyalty Programs, Junzhou Zhang

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Goal plays a vital role in the purposive behavior of consumers, and goal pursuit represents an important psychological mechanism under loyalty programs. The purpose of my dissertation is to understand loyalty program members’ goal pursuit behavior and uncover the underlying psychological mechanisms.

The first essay examined how success or failure to achieve a tier goal affects consumers’ subsequent goal pursuit behavior. Specifically, utilizing two lab experiments and 5,719 customers’ flight activities data from a major airline’s multi-tiered frequent flyer program, this essay studied the effect of goal completion magnitude on individuals’ effort toward achieving subsequent goals, and how goal type …

“Mixed Up In The Coal Camp”: Interethnic, Family, And Community Exchanges In Matewan During The West Virginia Mine Wars, 1900-1922, Lela Dawn Gourley

History Theses & Dissertations

The West Virginia Mine Wars are etched in the popular memory of West Virginians, who view these events as an important part of their identity as Mountaineers; yet, there is still much historians do not know about the Mine Wars, especially when concentrating on the perspectives and experiences of the working-class miners. These everyday miners and their families are the topic of this thesis. Using oral histories from the Matewan Development Center Records housed in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, this thesis argues that community-building across ethnic and racial lines within Matewan’s …

Communication As Constitutive Of Organization: Practicing Collaboration In And English Language Program, Ariadne Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is about collaboration as an organizational practice that is communicatively constituted. Specifically, I examine how members of a team in an English language program located in a large southeastern university in the United States make sense of what they define as a collaborative work environment and materialize it in their meetings in spoken and written discourse, and in their mention and use of organizational artifacts. Though the study examines the practices of one organizational setting, the insights generated illuminate broader organizational and discourse dynamics and speak to important issues in the discipline of communication such as authority, leadership, …

How Digital Versus Non-Digital Modes Of Food Ordering Influence Menu Healthfulness Perceptions And Food Choices, Annika Abell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Do digital devices change the way we think? Recent news reports and studies in education and psychology suggest that using modern internet technology affects our cognitive abilities. Modern technology is part of our daily lives and has facilitated communication. As technology has also changed the ways consumers order foods, the present research aims at investigating how the presence of different types of technology in a food choice context might influence food perceptions and choices. Touch-screen tablets or kiosks are becoming widely available in casual dining and fast-food restaurants. In addition, through collaborations with tech-giants like Uber Eats and Amazon, an …

The Convergence Of Engagement Leadership And Leader-Driven Retrenchment Business Strategies: A Phenomenological Approach, Larry Mitchel Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scholars and practitioners have studied employee engagement extensively since the late 1990s. Because engaged employees can create a competitive advantage for business enterprises, academics and practitioners have emphasized the need for further research into the relationship between leadership, context, and engagement. There is a gap between knowledge of employee engagement and leaders’ ability to directly engage employees through decisions, actions, and behaviors. Researchers have suggested that employees’ situational assessment also influences their engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore how leader-driven retrenchment strategies during a severe and protracted economic downturn interacted with business leaders’ ability to engage their …

Financial Analysis On Macy's, Inc., Emma Swenson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Macy’s, Inc. is recognized as one of the nation’s leading Omni channel retailers that operates department stores, websites and mobile applications to sell finished goods. It is the parent company of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury.

In this report, I have examined the past five years and current year’s financial statements – balance sheet, income statements and cash flow statements. A completed ratio analysis has been conducted with these data. Further, I used a discounted cash flow model to forecast future free cash flows. With my projections and valuations, the model estimates Macy’s stock price at USD 45.79 per share almost …

Impact Of The Chief Data Officer On Firm Performance, Yu Nie

Theses and Dissertations

With the advent of the Big Data era, Chief Data Officers (CDOs) take on the task of managing all types of data. However, as an emerging position, the roles and responsibilities of CDOs in the organization, and the relationship between the CDOs and firm performance are not yet completely clear. The research in this dissertation provides an analysis of the CDO development stages, the different types of CDO roles and responsibilities, and explores the relationships among the CDO’s presence, the CDO’s characteristics and the firm performance. First, the research shows the development of the CDO can be divided into five …

Exploring Workplace Spirituality And The Benefit It Has On Teams, Tracey Kimberly Johnson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the perception of nonprofit leaders on how spirituality in the workplace fosters a positive workplace culture.

Methodology: In this phenomenological qualitative study, data were collected using interviews of 12 nonprofit leaders. The essential data collection method for this study was in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interview questions, key informant interviews, and pilot study data interviews. After the data were collected and transcribed, the coding process began, and themes were identified.

Findings: The research on spirituality in the workplace and spiritual intelligence of nonprofit leaders has been completed. There is still …

Knowledge Gap: Supply Chain Students And Employers, Kathryn Bules

Honors Theses

This thesis project aims to identify the gap(s) between supply chain students and employers for both the preparedness and relative importance of the critical job skills employers seek in graduating students. This research is relevant because students view college as an investment that will pay off through better job placement and higher pay upon graduation. The problem is that some employers feel students do not have the skills necessary to be successful on the job. While there has been extensive research regarding a skills gap in graduating students and common criteria employer’s use to rank these students, there is minimal …

Humanitarian Logistics: Shipping Designs For The Post Disaster Cargo Surge, Nicholas L. Green

Theses and Dissertations

In 2017 Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The humanitarian aid community scrambled a response to support the 3.4 million people affected by the disaster. In response, thousands of shipping containers filled with supplies were sent to the island. Numerous reports surfaced regarding significant delays in receiving the shipments. This research reviews the historical account of cargo throughput into Puerto Rico following Maria. A computer simulation built in ARENA compares various what-if scenarios based on empirically collected data and interviews with FEMA, port authorities, and commercial cargo carriers to determine how the humanitarian supply chain could improve for future disaster planning. …

Applying The Multiple Multidimensional Knapsack Assignment Problem To A Cargo Allocation And Transportation Problem With Stochastic Demand, Jocelin S. Maus

Theses and Dissertations

The US military relies on airlift to not only deploy and sustain U.S. armed forces anywhere in the world but also to rapidly mobilize humanitarian efforts and supplies. Operations already impacted by the limited capacity of aircraft also fall prey to dynamic requirements and differing priorities of multiple global locations. A growing concern for the modern military budget is how to provide airlift functions expediently and economically while mitigating the costs of shortfalls and overages. Utilizing fiscal year 2017-2018 cargo data published by the 618th Air Operations Center and modeling this problem as a multiple multidimensional knapsack assignment problem (MMKAP), …

Examining The Express Supportability Module: Implementing An Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach With Air Force Maintenance Data, Troy J. St Peter

Theses and Dissertations

Launched in 1996, EXPRESS (Execution and Prioritization of Repairs Support System) is a program integral to the Air Force reparable supply chain. Daily, EXPRESS relies on a number of data sources and individual modules like the Supportability Module to determine which necessary repairs can and should be made. The Supportability Module examines the prioritized list of repairs and checks four constraints in order to decide whether each repair can be made given current resources. According to the logic of the module, a single constraint failure means that subsequent resource checks are not made before evaluating the next repair. Unfortunately, this …

Developing Standard Emd Cost Factors For Major Defense Acquisition Program (Mdap) Platforms, Matthew R. Markman

Theses and Dissertations

This research involves the creation of standard factors that more accurately reflect observed outcomes in the development stages of major programs. Traditionally, estimation techniques such as analogy, parametric, engineering build-up, and factors are utilized to develop budgets and serve as the baseline for measuring project progress. This effort accomplishes the development and creation of 443 new standard cost factors that are delineated by five categories: commodity type, contract type, contractor type, development type, and service. The factors are developed for those elements that are "common" in a wide array of projects such as program management, systems engineering, data, training or …

An Analysis Of Defense Contractor Profit Margin Percentages, Sara K. O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

Profit earned by defense contractors is a controversial issue among government officials and the defense industry. It is recognized that profits earned by defense contractors are not strictly the product of the dynamics of a competitive market, but of federal profit statutes, contractual incentive schemes, the quality of government oversight, and in a market of less than full competition. As such, there is always concern of whether contractors are earning “excessive" profit -- through policy or failed oversight. The purpose of this research is to investigate the question of reasonable profits from one particular angle -- whether profit margins differ …

Selecting A Construction Contract Acquisition Strategy To Support Foreign Military Sales Facility Construction, Robert H. Shuler

Theses and Dissertations

“Strengthening Alliances and Attracting New Partners” is one of the three Department of Defense’s primary lines of effort as outlined in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. The Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate (AFSAC) aides in the execution of this line of effort through the execution of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases. FMS cases vary in complexity depending on the type of end-item and the capabilities of the purchasing nation. AFSAC must balance multiple objectives and criteria to ensure the needs of the purchasing nation, the end-item, and U.S. government entities are met. A decision analysis model using …

U.S. Air Force Maintenance Group Aerial Ports: Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, And Threats, Parker H. Alford

Theses and Dissertations

In 2005 the Base Closure Realignment Commission and Secretary of Defense recommended joint basing; as an indirect result starting in 2009 and culminating the following year, Charleston, Dover, McChord, McGuire, and Travis maintenance groups (MXG) took command of aerial port squadrons (APS). Various entities have discussed at length the impact; however, there did not appear to be a documented hard look into the strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats (SCOTs) which emerged. This study utilized the Delphi method to flesh out MXG APS SCOTs by anonymously surveying MXG and APS experts through three panel rounds. This study discovered and documented 24 …

Turbojet Range, Loiter, And Altitude Tradeoff Estimations In Efficient Modeling And Optimization Formulations, Lauren M. Bramblett

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying accurate tradeoffs between loiter time, range, and loiter altitude for jet aircraft are critical for mission planning, but current methods are cumbersome and time and labor intensive. This research introduces a new method for determining tradeoffs between loiter time, range, and loiter altitude for jet aircraft utilizing specific aircraft performance characteristics and the Bréguet range and endurance equations. Results from this new methodology are compared to the existing model used by the National Air and Space Intelligence Center for flight planning. This method is then extended and applied to several routing assignment problems, taking advantage of the incorporation of …

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Pilot Training Next, Talon M. Pope

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (USAF) is currently facing a 2,400-pilot shortage in an increasingly constrained budgetary environment. Without pilots to engage the enemy, deliver weapons, and provide logistics support for operations, the USAF could lose the ability to fly, fight, and win global engagements and defend the homeland. This study focused on Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) as a means of producing the USAF’s pilots to offset the current shortage. Specifically, this study compared UPT to the recently initiated Pilot Training-Next (PTN) program through a cost-benefit analysis. Like any new technology integration, PTN’s virtual reality training will require further study …