Business Commons^™

Strategic Analysis Of Mirror: The Gym, Neeti Verma

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The home gym equipment market has many local and global manufacturers competing for a higher market share. The market for gym equipment has traditionally been composed of commercial fitness facilities, hotels, and offices. The home equipment market has been rising amid COVID-19 pandemic. There have been a few new entrants with high technology in the home gym equipment market.

This paper looks at one such company and performs a strategic analysis of its product and would analyze the strategies used by the company to gain market share, performs external on the industry, and tries to propose a path forward for …

Effects Of Employee Monitoring Notification Policies On Hr Manager Opinions, Gundars Kaupins

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a variety of electronic monitoring methods such as global positioning systems are available, monitoring employees without notice is a consideration even though several laws ban it and ethical questions remain. Monitoring without notice has risks that Human Resources (HR) managers should consider when they set monitoring policies to enhance knowledge management. A total of 174 HR managers were asked about their top reasons to electronically monitor employees with or without notice. About half received information that a company did not notify employees of electronic monitoring and the other half received the opposite information. Prospect theory was the basis for …

Effects Of The Needle Exchange Program Implemented In West Virginia, Amber Graves, Anthony B. Uriarte, Katherine Duty

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: West Virginia has had a recent spike in infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis due to increased rates of injectable drug use. The rising costs associated with such diseases have been a cause for concern in the sector of healthcare and public health. In the state, the exchanging of dirty needles has resulted in the spread of bloodborne pathogens, however, the implementation of needle exchange programs has sought to decrease the rates of infection, improve health outcomes, and lower healthcare costs. However, there is a question as to the effectiveness of such programs.

Purpose of Study: …

Are Entrepreneurial Capabilities And Prior Knowledge The Silver Bullet For The Generation Of New Digital Venture Ideas In A Digital Context?, Meifang Yao, Dan Ye, Gao Yang, Hui Shi, Xianrong Zheng

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Digital technology has had an important impact on entrepreneurship. It has changed the uncertain nature of the process of new venture idea generation, and it has also brought unprecedented opportunities for the generation of new digital venture ideas. In order to explore how startups can deal with major challenges brought by digital technology and create new digital venture ideas, this paper focuses on micro level entrepreneurial actions and constructs a theoretical model of the relationship among networking capabilities, IT capabilities, prior knowledge, and new digital venture ideas. Furthermore, through the hierarchical linear regression analysis of 278 sample data, the paper …

The Role Of Premium Subsidies In Crop Insurance, Charalampos Mavroutsikos, Konstantinos Giannakas, Cory Walters

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This study develops a novel framework of heterogeneous producer attitudes towards risk to analyze different, stated and revealed, roles of crop insurance premium subsidies and underlying policy objectives of the government. The analysis reveals a strong connection and a complementarity between the roles of premium subsidies in increasing producer participation in crop insurance, inducing a desired separating equilibrium in the presence of asymmetric information, and transferring income to agricultural producers participating in the program. Developing an alternative design of premium subsidies that can achieve the stated government objective of increased producer participation and induce any desired separating equilibrium at significantly …

Consumer Valuation Of And Attitudes Towards Novel Foods Produced With New Plant Engineering Techniques: A Review, John C. Beghin, Christopher Gustafson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

We follow the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews to review the emerging international body of empirical evidence on consumers’ attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for novel foods produced with New Plant Engineering Techniques (NPETs). NPETs include genome/gene editing, cisgenesis, intragenesis, and RNA interference. These novel foods are often beneficial for the environment and human health and more sustainable under increasingly prevalent climate extremes. These techniques can also improve animal welfare and disease resistance when applied to animals. Despite these abilities of NPETs, evidence suggests that many, but not all, consumers discount these novel foods relative to conventional ones. Our …

What Determines The Success And Failure Of Environmental Crowdfunding?, Takahiro Kubo, Diogo Veríssimo, Shinya Uryu, Taro Mieno, Douglas Macmillan

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Online crowdfunding can help address the perennial financial shortfalls in environmental conservation and management. Although many online crowdfunding campaigns fail to collect any funds due to not achieving their targets, little is known about what drives success. To address this knowledge gap, we applied a mixed-methods approach to data from 473 successful and failed campaigns hosted on the online crowdfunding platform Readyfor. We found that fundraising performance varied by topic, with campaigns on pet animal management outperforming those focussed on landscape management and sustainable use. We also found that marketing strategies associated with online findability and increased reach through social …

Relative Valuation Of Food And Non-Food Risks With A Comparison To Actuarial Values: A Best–Worst Approach, Kayode Ajewole, Elliott James Dennis, Ted C. Schroeder, Jason Bergtold

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This study empirically tests the relative importance that U.S. consumers place on immediate and long-term food and non-food risks. We use a best–worst survey method to elicit relative rankings and weights for each risk in terms of its perceived cost and likelihood. Immediate food risks are perceived to be more costly but less likely than long-term food risks. Immediate non-food risks are perceived to be both more costly and likely than long-term non-food risks. Overall, food risks are perceived to be less expensive than non-food risks. The combination of perceived cost and likelihood is used to define a measure of …

High Bmi Predicts Attention To Less Healthy Product Sets: Can A Prompt Lead To Consideration Of Healthier Sets Of Products?, Christopher Gustafson, Kristina Arslain, Devin Rose

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

While the food environment has been implicated in diet-related health disparities, individuals’ ability to shape the food environment by limiting attention to a subset of products has not been studied. We examine the relationship between BMI category and consideration set—the products the individual considers before making a final choice—in an online hypothetical shopping experiment. Specifically, we focus on the healthiness of the consideration set the individual selected. Secondly, we examined the interaction of a health prompt (versus a no-prompt control) with BMI category on the healthiness of the consideration set. We used linear probability models to document the relationship between …

Impacts Of The Pandemic In Metropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Metro Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Most metropolitan Nebraskans felt various impacts from the pandemic. While many metropolitan Nebraskans had someone in their household that quarantined because of possible coronavirus exposure or who contracted COVID-19, most have friends or family in their community that quarantined or contracted the virus. Many metropolitan Nebraskans also have friends or family both inside and outside their community who were hospitalized as a result of COVID-19.

Most metropolitan Nebraskans say the following were affected a fair amount or a great deal by the pandemic: their socialization with others, their life overall, their company/ workplace and their mental health. Conversely, most rural …

Trust In Media, Institutions, And Health Information In Metropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Metro Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Overall, most metropolitan Nebraskans have confidence in their local institutions (public safety agencies in their community, public schools in their community, and voting and election systems in their county). However, many have very little confidence in many national institutions (the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Presidency) as well as the Governor.

Metropolitan Nebraskans most trust information received from friends/family/ acquaintances, local news sources (TV and newspapers), public sources (PBS and public radio) and state newspapers. They least trust information from social networking sites, Internet blogs, and Fox News.

Most metropolitan Nebraskans trust local health professionals for …

The Effects Of Intrinsic Cognitive Load On Student Learning In Managerial Accounting, Reginald Wilson, Stephen Jackson, Amber Hatten

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

This study investigates whether reducing students’ Intrinsic Cognitive Loads (ICL) improves student performance in Managerial Accounting, a core introductory accounting course. The purpose of the study is not to compare accounting and non-accounting majors’ learning. The goal of the study is to determine whether overall student learning improves by only focusing on instructional material that is needed by non-accounting majors in the course. Intrinsic Cognitive Load refers to the innate level of difficulty associated with an instructional topic. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) posits that high levels of ICL negatively affect learning. To date, empirical research supports this premise for novice …

تأثير فيروس كورونا على إدارة رأس المال البشري في الشركات الناشئة في مصر, Shahjahan Bhuiyan, Fayrouz El Dabbagh, Mariam Walid, Shorouk Fouda

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

إن الشركات الناشئة شركات تتسم بالهشاشة على المستوى المؤسسي وتتعامل مع درجات عالية من المخاطر وعدم اليقين، وخاصة أثناء الصدمات قصيرة الأجل مثل فيروس كورونا (كوفيد- 19)، ويسعى موجز السياسات هنا إلى تحديد التطور المطلوب في النظام البيئي الداعم للشركات الناشئة في ظل جائحة فيروس كورونا (كوفيد- 19)، مع التركيز بشكل خاص على إدارة رأس المال البشري والعمل اللائق ومرونة سوق العمل في الشركات الناشئة في مصر. والسؤال الأساسي الذي يطرحه الموجز هو: كيف أثرت جائحة فيروس كورونا (كوفيد- 19) على ممارسات إدارة رأس المال البشري في الشركات الناشئة المصرية وما هو المطلوب لي تتعافى الشركات الناشئة في مصر من …

الشركات الناشئة وإدارة رأس المال البشري في مصر: رحلة البحث عن وظائف لائقة, Maryham Madgy Abdelmalak, Fayrouz El Dabbagh, Ibrahem El Sayed Hassan, Laila M. El Baradei

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

تُعد الشركات الناشئة أحد العناصر التي من الممكن أن تساهم في النمو الاقتصادي في مصر، إلا أنها تواجه تحديات عديدة تعرقل قدرتها على تحقيق إمكاناتها، واستدامتها في السوق، وقدرتها على توفير فرص عمل لائقة. وتشمل التحديات: صعوبة تحديد مصدر التمويل، واستدامته وتعقد الإطار القانوني والتنظيمي الذي ينظمها, بالإضافة إلى المعايير الاجتماعية، والثقافة المحافظة، ونقص البيانات والمعلومات المتعلقة بديناميات السوق والفرص المتاحة. وقد أوضحت نتائج البحث أن العديد من الشركات الناشئة تواجه تحديات في إدارة رأس المال البشري لديها فيما يتعلق بمهام التخطيط ،أو اجتذاب الموارد البشرية أو التطوير ،أو الجزاءات. وتتناول هذه الورقة النظام البيئي الحالي للشركات الناشئة في مصر …

Empowering Women For The United Nations Decade Of Ocean Science For Sustainable Development, World Maritime University

Reports

No abstract provided.

Drivers And Barriers Of Diversity And Inclusion In Business: Interviews With Nine Field Experts, Alana Aragon, Sung Soo Kim

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

In an ever-diversifying world, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategies must exist in organizations to achieve the potential of positive business and employee outcomes. Businesses must understand how to get diversity and inclusivity in their organization, and how to mitigate the barriers they will face in doing so. Inclusion, “the degree to which individuals feel a part of the critical organizational processes”1 is crucial for employees and organizations to receive the benefits of diversity. In a climate where inclusion is valued, employees show better affective states (e.g. engagement and belonging) and higher organizational commitment2 leading to improved business outcomes. To address …

The Business Of Education: The New Role Of Education In The Globalized Knowledge Economy, Tatiana Follett, Libbi Levine Segev

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

The globalized knowledge economy has altered the nature of work such that employees in almost all fields and positions must have strong STEM, global competency, and critical thinking skills. A lag in the American education system has created a skills deficit for companies. Many employers report an inability to find workers with the skillset required for knowledge-economy positions. This skills deficit is detrimental to both American workers and corporations, ultimately negatively affecting the American economy. This paper uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam and other subject-specific data to analyze American high school students’ performance in the areas …

Effects Of Demography On Opportunistic Product Return Behaviors In E-Commerce, Nikhila Anand

Honors Undergraduate Theses

College student consumers are an increasingly important segment for marketers and scholars, particularly with the advent of online shopping. This research aims at exploring the effect of college students' decision-making styles on online purchase and return behavior. An online questionnaire survey was conducted on 1100 college students at the University of Central Florida to understand how respondents' return behavior changed with various scenarios and demographic factors. Analysis shows that scenarios involving late arrivals are the highest drivers of returns, while guilt and post- purchase regrets drove far fewer returns. Statistically significant differences in return behavior were found between demographic groups. …

Small Business Risk In The Context Of A Pandemic: A Simulation, Ashlyn Sperry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this thesis, I consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses, as they are acutely at risk due to the lack of implicit government insurance that would be available to larger corporations. I will discuss insurance's characteristics using the basic theory of insurance, analyze pandemic insurance's viability in the private market, and critique alternative solutions. While the theory suggests that pandemics are not insurable in the private market, I will perform specific analysis to determine if this is the case or not. Using a simulation of the economic landscape firms face, business owners with varying levels of …

Effects Of The Covid-19 Economic Downturn On Central Florida Nonprofits, Tiffany C. Chinwuba

Honors Undergraduate Theses

COVID-19 has had significant impacts on society, both in lifestyle and commerce, especially in Central Florida where the economy is centralized around tourism. While local and state governmental agencies are distributing aid to meet the needs caused by high unemployment, the nonprofit sector mobilized to help fill the gap in assistance by providing resources and services. However prior research into the nonprofit sector finds that prolonged economic downturn may eventually affect the nonprofit force by reduced funding to programs as it did during the 2008 economic recessions. Hence, many nonprofit organizations may be at risk of insolvency in the coming …

Cultivating Early Career Teachers’ Purpose: A Mechanism To Sustain Early Career Teachers’ Commitment To The Profession, Neesha Yatin Daulat

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The attrition rate of early career teachers is high. In fact, the government spends $2 billion annually to replace teachers in the first five years of their tenure (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005). The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: 1) to test the relationship between purpose, psychological well-being, and affective commitment to the profession, and 2) to design and examine the impact of a purpose-centered intervention in a sample of early career teachers in their first or second year of teaching, in the northeast. Study 1 examined the relationship between early career teachers’ purpose, psychological well-being, and commitment to …

Effective Project Management And The Role Of Quality Assurance Throughout The Project Life Cycle, Monier Madison Ouabira, Hengameh Fakhravar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Quality is a fundamental requirement in effective project management. Effective project management entails a steady focus on quality management as well as achievement of all user requirements as defined during the requirements engineering phase of project implementation. Quality assurance must be executed throughout the project development cycle as a new normal in reducing errors and challenges during project development. Conducting quality assurance throughout the project development cycle has many benefits to both the project as well as the project development team. Understanding the research approach to use is critical in achieving high-quality findings in projects. There is a need to …

Complex System Governance As A Framework For Asset Management, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, James C. Pyne, Charles B. Keating, Dragan Komljenovic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Complex system governance (CSG) is an emerging field encompassing a framework for system performance improvement through the purposeful design, execution, and evolution of essential metasystem functions. The goal of this study was to understand how the domain of asset management (AsM) can leverage the capabilities of CSG. AsM emerged from engineering as a structured approach to organizing complex organizations to realize the value of assets while balancing performance, risks, costs, and other opportunities. However, there remains a scarcity of literature discussing the potential relationship between AsM and CSG. To initiate the closure of this gap, this research reviews the basics …

Blockchain For A Resilient, Efficient, And Effective Supply Chain, Evidence From Cases, Adrian Gheorghe, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour, Unal Tatar, Omer Faruk Keskin

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In the modern acquisition, it is unrealistic to consider single entities as producing and delivering a product independently. Acquisitions usually take place through supply networks. Resiliency, efficiency, and effectiveness of supply networks directly contribute to the acquisition system's resiliency, efficiency, and effectiveness. All the involved firms form a part of a supply network essential to producing the product or service. The decision-makers have to look for new methodologies for supply chain management. Blockchain technology introduces new methods of decentralization and delegation of services, which can transform supply chains and result in a more resilient, efficient, and effective supply chain. This …

Public Perceptions Of Hydrogen As An Energy Vector And Aid To Decarbonisation In The Republic Of Ireland, Colm Delaney

Masters

In the face of global commitments to decarbonise society by 2050, there is growing excitement surrounding the potential of hydrogen to emerge as a solution to many decarbonisation challenges. A transition to hydrogen as an energy vector in place of fossil fuels such as natural gas will require a significant transformation of existing energy policy, infrastructure, and regulations. While the technical aspects of a potential transition to hydrogen as an energy vector are undergoing large scale research, much of which is moving into the trial phase, it is widely presumed that a transition would be met with the widespread acceptance …

Is The Irish Immigration Policy Delivering The Best For Its Economy Through Its Non-Eu Dependent Immigrants. An Empirical Study, Pai M.J Arjun

Masters

The Emerald Isle is fast becoming the next big hotspot for highly skilled migrants aspiring to relocate to the last English-speaking nation within the European Union [EU]. The transition from the state of being an emigrant country to an immigrant nation poses complex opportunities for the country, its people, and the immigrants who relocate in making Ireland their home. Despite a consistent inflow of skilled immigrants migrating into the country since the last few decades, policy reforms adopted in Ireland towards dependent immigrants remain reactive, lacks the backing of studies in evaluating the utilization of available skilled dependent immigrants in …

Harvesting A New Synergy: Exploring ‘Smart And Green’ Hotels Within The Context Of The Irish Hospitality Industry, Yi Sheng Tan

Masters

Hospitality emphasizes the ability for exchange of friendly and generous reception between businesses, guests and strangers. The complex nature of future travel and tourism industry directs the converging forces towards the hospitality industry to develop progressive strategies in response to increasing economic turbulence. Within the hotel sector, particular emphasis on emerging opportunities like sustainability and digitization are quickly shaping the strategic agenda in this competitive sector. It is envisaged that the hospitality industry will differ completely from today, owing to developments in artificial intelligence and smart technology. This research has explored the key components of the overall ‘smart and green’ …

The Importance Of Foreign Direct Investment Within The Life Science Sector For Employment And Economic Development In Ireland., Gordon Matthews

Masters

From protectionism to globalisation, the success of the Irish economy over the last 100 years cannot be understated. At the centre of this growth has been a highly educated workforce employed by large volumes of foreign owned companies that have been attracted to Ireland for many reasons, including the country’s favourable Corporate Tax rate. Despite the success of the economy, Ireland’s approach to attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is often criticised and cited as one of the root causes for the financial imbalances in the world today. This new study examines Ireland’s unique relationship with FDI with a particular focus …

Understanding Successful Strategies Human Service First-Level Managers Utilize When Addressing Workplace Incivility, Mary Elizabeth Barlow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of workplace incivility is a well-researched issue that impacts employees, work groups, and organizations across the nation. The purpose of this study was to understand how first-level human service managers describe employee turnover in relation to workplace incivility and what first-level human service managers view as successful strategies they have used to address workplace incivility. The theoretical framework utilized for this study was incivility spiral theory, as described by Andersson and Pearson. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to gain an understanding of successful strategies that first-level human service managers utilize when addressing workplace incivility …

Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective financial decision-making has frequently led to nondenominational church failures and contributes to 4,000 to 8,000 churches closing each year in North America. Grounded in stewardship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective financial decision-making strategies in nondenominational churches that support long term sustainability. Participants were 10 church leaders who successfully used financial decision-making strategies to support long-term sustainability in Central North Carolina was used for this study. Data were collected from semi structured interviews and internal church documents relating to church leadership's financial decision-making and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: budgeting …