Business Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Soft Skills Amongst African American Women Navigating Barriers To Achieving Corporate Leadership, Latoya Newell Burke

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore the role of soft skills in African American women's ascension to corporate leadership as they navigate and overcome barriers. The disparity of African American women in corporate leadership is longstanding. African American women's corporate American experience is distinct and often fraught with difficulties. In order to overcome the obstacles they encountered while pursuing executive leadership, this study investigated if soft skills were thought to be a crucial skill required. The study fills a gap in research that addresses African American women specifically. Previous studies have addressed the barriers that African American women face in corporate …

High-Functioning Virtual Team Members & Quality Of Work Life: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Subgroups, Performance, And Standard Occupational Classification Factors, Kate Ashley Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Historical events such as industrialization, the advent of computers, and the dawn of the internet have consistently impacted the employee workforce and created risks and opportunities for increased performance and quality of work life (QWL) (Guest, 2014; O’Halloran, 2015). Modern worldwide businesses are increasingly turning to virtual team members (VTMs) to create efficiencies, lower costs, and adapt to the changing implications of the COVID-19 and worker environment (Garro-Abarca, Palos-Sanchez, & Aguayo-Camacho, 2021). At this intersection between global change and altering work practices, the VTM faces changing societal views on QWL. Therefore, the individual VTM is the unit of analysis and …

Themes And Participants’ Role In Online Health Discussion: Evidence From Reddit, Massara Alazazi

Theses and Dissertations

Health-related topics are discussed widely on different social networking sites. These discussions and their related aspects can reveal significant insights and patterns that are worth studying and understanding. In this dissertation, we explore the patterns of mandatory and voluntary vaccine online discussions including the topics discussed, the words correlated with each of them, and the sentiment expressed. Moreover, we explore the role opinion leaders play in the health discussion and their impact on participation in a particular discussion. Opinion leaders are determined, and their impact on discussion participation is differentiated based on their different characteristics such as their connections and …

Human Capital Advantage From Fortitude, Resilience, And Perseverance Of Minority Ceos In Stem Organizations: A Phenomenological Study, Torin Mordel Malone

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored how the inherent lived experiences of minorities can foster the attributes of strength and stamina, collectively referred to as the fortitude, resilience, and perseverance (FRP) of minority executive-level leadership. Specifically, this research considered the lived experiences of ten minority CEOs and assessed the influence of how they lead and communicate within their organizations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover if and how the attributes of FRP could distinctively serve as a human capital advantage for organizations to consider with regard to utilizing minority executive-level leadership. The implication is that the greater understanding …

Artificial Intelligence Superteams & Augmentation Strategies: Increasing Performance Of High-Functioning Virtual Team Members Via Human Machine Teaming Enhancements, Eric Lawrence Demirjian

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) can impact future workforce business operations in extraordinary ways through human-machine teaming. A human-machine teaming revolution will unleash enormous change upon businesses by merging humans and AI. For years, scholars and mainstream thought leaders have argued that firms must embrace AI and human-machine teaming to advance employee performance and deliver a high-performance, cost-effective, comprehensive business strategy (Raisamo, Rakkolainen, Majaranta, Salminen, Rantala, & Farooq, 2019). The era of human inadequacy, human-only teams, and human performance ceilings is disappearing as AI rapidly augments work and teams (Ashley & Sahota, 2019). AI augmentation and human-machine teaming will drive tomorrow’s blended …

Essays On Consumer Returns And Environmental Sustainability In Operations Management, Aditya Balaram

Theses and Dissertations

Consumer returns and environmental sustainability greatly impact the operational decisions that firms make. Focusing on consumer returns, lenient return policies aid consumers with resolving uncertainty but impose additional reverse logistics costs on retailers. The current retail landscape has largely eliminated the possibility of offering more stringent return policies since consumers have come to expect such policies as a given. This has driven retailers to look for innovative solutions while still offering costly free return policies. With respect to environmental sustainability, a number of operational decisions have been examined in the academic literature. These have ranged all the way from examining …

Experiencing The Formalness: The Role Of Contextual Cues In Consumers’ Luxury Perception And Lifestyle Preference, Zhenyu Jin

Theses and Dissertations

Formalness, which refers to the sense of seriousness, importance, and significance, is a commonly-encountered experience in consumers’ daily lives and can influence consumer behavior in wide domains. Despite its ubiquitous nature, research on consumer experiences of formalness in marketing settings is limited. This dissertation investigates the sense of formalness in consumer behavior, exploring its antecedents and consequences in sensory marketing, luxury consumption, and consumer lifestyles.

Essay 1 identifies one of the antecedents and consequences of formalness sense by exploring how music used in marketing communications and retail environments can induce a sense of formalness in consumers, which in turn shapes …

An Examination Of Celebrity Product Involvement And Endorsement Effectiveness, Eric Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate celebrity product involvement and its relationship with endorsement effectiveness. Due to the increased leverage in creating their own brands, celebrity athletes are increasingly engaging in entrepreneurial endeavors such as collaborations on product development, an investment relationship, and outright ownership and creation of a brand or product. This paper also studied the extent which parasocial interactions and athlete identification may moderate endorsement effectiveness in the form of brand attitudes as well as what role product congruence may play.

Participants were recruited to complete an online survey that exposed them to manipulations of narrative …

Factors Affecting Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Towards Recycled Products, Sherine Esmat

Theses and Dissertations

The work executed addresses the status of recycling industry in Egypt and its relation to the current sustainability trends as well as climate change issues. It also identifies the main concerns of consumers when purchasing recycled products. Consequently, identifies the key pillars that need to be applied or communicated with the target consumers to enhance the concept of selling recycled products and increase its market share. Since this industry is significantly broad, the focus of the study was only on recycled PET plastic bottles (rPET), this is to ensure attaining accurate and reliable results.

An interview and a site visit …

Well-Being From Home To Work: The Role Of Mindfulness, Alisha Gupta

Theses and Dissertations

Considering the growing spillover of work and home and its impact on well-being, I draw from the Work-Home Resources Model and Attention Restoration Theory to examine the effects of evening recovery experiences at home on mindfulness at work and eudaimonic workplace well-being. Specifically, I focus on two indicators of eudaimonic well-being—one indicator of psychological functioning (work meaningfulness) and one indicator of social functioning (high-quality connections; HQCs). Further, I introduce a boundary condition, distance from work, of the relationship between evening recovery experiences and mindfulness. I suggest that due to alternative work arrangements in today’s workforce (i.e., that permit increased overlap …

Survive And Thrive: An Exploration Of Methods Implemented By Small Businesses In The Construction Industry To Sustain Their Business Beyond 5 Years, Tamar Barsoumian

Theses and Dissertations

Small businesses represent an influential portion of the American economy yet retain a high rate of closure especially in their early years, therefore; this study sought to address a lack of available research regarding small businesses in the construction industry, by investigating the methods and strategies existing small business owners use to support business survivability, in the regionally specific area of Southern California. The purpose of this study was to investigate strategies used by existing construction industry small businesses, identify the challenges experienced as a construction industry small business organization in Southern California, and determine how the small business owners …

The Trickle-Out Effect Of Prioritizing Well-Being, Kelsey M. Stout

Theses and Dissertations

This research builds upon previous studies of the effects of inequity theory on well-being at work. The purpose of this study was to understand the intersection of equity theory and well-being for US employees in modern corporate organizations. Specifically, the study aims to answer the research question-When one employee prioritizes their well-being, how does it affect their work teammates’ well-being? Twenty full-time corporate employees from various companies and industries each participated in a survey and an interview. Overall, this research found that prioritizing well-being at work generally positively impacts those around them. However, it has a negative impact when the …

Nivel De Adaptación De Los Empleados Del Gobierno De Puerto Rico Con Respecto Al Teletrabajo A Través De Su Desempeño Laboral, Ricardo Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

Esta investigación tuvo como propósito identificar el nivel de adaptación que ha tenido la modalidad del teletrabajo en el servicio público a través del desempeño laboral mostrado por un grupo de empleados que rinden funciones de manera remota en una agencia del gobierno de Puerto Rico. En la Isla, el tema del teletrabajo, tanto en el sector privado como en el público, no ha sido abordado científicamente por lo que no hay una referencia clara sobre el manejo de esta modalidad y la manera en la que los empleados la han acogido. Al tomar como fundamento el hecho de que …

Family Of Origin Influence On Workplace Dynamics: A Qualitative Study, Megan E. Malave

Theses and Dissertations

This study delves into the intricate interplay between Family of Origin influences and the professional practice of Organizational Development (OD) practitioners. Rooted in the recognition that Family of Origin experiences significantly shape individual perspectives and behaviors, this research investigates how OD practitioners leverage this understanding to navigate complex workplace dynamics. Grounded in the Use of Self framework, which emphasizes intentional utilization of one's complete being for enhanced effectiveness, this study explores the multifaceted connections between Family of Origin dynamics and common relational aspects such as leadership, influence, power, conflict, and belonging. Through qualitative analysis of OD practitioners' perspectives, the study …

(Re)Imagining Mindfulness In Workplace Settings: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Black, Indigenous, Person Of Color (Bipoc) Mindfulness Professionals, Bemi Fasalojo

Theses and Dissertations

Work and racial discrimination are common causes of stress for Americans (American Psychological Association, 2019). Stress is even more prominent among adults since the COVID pandemic, civil unrest, and social justice uprising that occurred in the summer of 2020. Businesses have responded to stress by incorporating mindfulness practices. As the concept of mindfulness gains popularity in the workplace, there is a need to understand how mindfulness implemented in workplace settings can be modified to integrate culture and diversity-related themes to cultivate inclusion for BIPOC employees. Few studies have examined culturally attuned mindfulness programs in the workplace. There is also limited …

Explore The Best Organizational Change Model For Chinese State-Owned Enterprises In The Financial Service Industry To Address Global Challenges, Chenyang Feng

Theses and Dissertations

Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) in the financial service industry has reached a tipping point of making changes to address incoming global competition. The unprecedented wave of policy shifts in the market will uncage powerful rivals worldwide and demand the SOEs to change. This study reviewed the best practices and unique challenges to the SOEs in the context of organizational change and strove to explore the best organizational change model for Chinese SOEs in addressing global challenges. This study began by reviewing the background and literature about Chinese SOE development and organizational change, then developed an instrument consisting of critical items …

Learning Through Business Unit Failure: A Study Of Individuals And Mid-Level Managers, Corinna Calhoun

Theses and Dissertations

Research on business failure focuses primarily on entrepreneurs and largely ignores individuals and mid-level managers who comprise most corporate populations. This study aimed to mitigate this gap by exploring how 15 individuals and mid-level managers working in a Fortune 50 technology company experienced failure and how their beliefs impacted their experience and learnings. Qualitative interview data were analyzed using a schema from the literature. The results suggested that emotional regulation, belief in personal agency, and separation of self from work supported learning and positive outcomes. Future research would create deeper insights into the social impacts on emotions and sensemaking and …

The Path To Success In Corporate America For Ethnic Minorities And Underrepresented Groups, Tina Garrett-Ragland

Theses and Dissertations

Workforce diversity continues to expand in organizations across the United States and globally. However, organizations struggle to retain and maintain diverse representation in the workforce. The focus for organizations to ensure they have an established success model for underrepresented populations, specifically ethnic minorities, is a critical strategy for organizations seeking to maintain diverse workforce representation and cultures. Ethnic minorities face many challenges to success, access to opportunities, and the same workplace experiences as their non-ethnic peers (Cole & Salimath, 2013). There have been steps taken to address the challenges created due to the inequities faced by ethnic minorities and underrepresented …

Work Life Balance: Organizational Leadership And Best Practices To Overcome Burnout For Female Realtors, Carmen Sarkis

Theses and Dissertations

Women Realtors in residential real estate have a difficult time avoiding burnout and are commonly ineffective in achieving work life balance (WLB). This qualitative, phenomenological research study focused on understanding the issues of WLB and burnout which female Realtors faced, and best strategies in overcoming these issues. There were four main research questions and a total of 12 interview questions which were used as a method to collect data for research purposes. Fifteen participants who met the criteria of inclusion as discussed in Chapter 3 participated in this study, and were located using LinkedIn, and the National Association of Realtors. …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Post George Floyd And Covid-19: Reflections From Global Business Leaders On A Changing Paradigm, Charles Edward Bray Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This global study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), encompassing the lenses of sixteen corporate executives with multi-country influence, examines efforts to address marginalization in the workplace based on identity characteristics such as race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability. Othering is a global phenomenon. Corporations were awakened to the magnitude of othering, shocked into reality by the murder of George Floyd and other acts of political and social violence, including femicide, globally. The COVID-19 global pandemic further exposed the impact of marginalization seen through wide health disparities across communities. The Russian invasion of Ukraine further augmented the corporate …

Evaluating The Effects Of Organizational Culture On Post-Merger Integration, John M. Rose

Theses and Dissertations

This doctoral research project examines the impact of organizational culture on post-merger integration in the travel and travel services industry for acquisitions valued under $5B. The study uses a mixed-method research approach to determine whether culture plays a critical role in the success or failure of M&A deals. The research focuses on 50 M&A transactions that occurred between three and five years ago at the time of the study. Participants from both sides of the transactions completed an integration outcomes survey, reporting on financial, cultural, and overall success. In addition, each side had five participants who completed the Organizational Cultural …

Interpersonal Conflict In The Workplace: The Role Of Self-Awareness In Constructive Versus Destructive Approaches To Conflict, Christine Allee

Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal conflict in the workplace is costly to employees, teams, and businesses. This study investigated the role of self-awareness in the effective handling of conflict and the efficacy of self-development training in raising self-awareness and conflict effectiveness. This mixed methods study utilized quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. Subjects reported their self-awareness and their conflict effectiveness via two self-assessment surveys. This study found a strong correlation between self-development training and conflict effectiveness, as well as a correlation between understanding the subjective construal of meaning and an ability to use that self-awareness during an interpersonal conflict at work. Given the enormous costs …

Effects Of Corporate Cultural Distance On Private Company M&A Outcomes, Court Carruthers

Theses and Dissertations

Despite nearly $5 trillion of annual global merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, the degree of shareholder value created by M&A remains a topic of debate. The historical view is that M&A does not increase value for acquiring firms, however recent public company financial research suggests that returns are highly variable, rather than uniformly negative. Cultural differences between acquiring and acquired companies, or corporate cultural distance (CCD), are noted as a potential cause of this variability, however, public company findings remain inconclusive. Although private equity (PE) is responsible for approximately 20% of annual M&A transaction value, nearly all prior research is …

The Relationships Among Financial Literacy, Financial Behaviors, Financial Attitudes, And Homeownership Within Low-Moderate Income Households In Los Angeles County, Aliyu Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how financial literacy, financial capability, financial self-efficacy, and future time perspective affect the likelihood of low-moderate income (LMI) households in Los Angeles County owning a home and holding a mortgage. It draws on existing literature on financial literacy, financial capability, financial self-efficacy, future time perspective, and homeownership to develop a theoretical framework that identifies the factors that influence LMI households’ access to homeownership. Using secondary data merged from six surveys conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) Understanding America Study (UAS) from 2015 to 2022, it analyzes the relationships among financial literacy, financial behaviors, financial attitudes, …

Psychological Safety In Startup Organizations, Jessica Barhydt

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological safety is an individually held belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Scholars have studied the concept primarily as a team-level construct. However, recent studies suggest that climates of psychological safety exist at the organizational level. An examination of the dynamism of the construct at the organizational level is needed: how it grows, changes, and declines. Startups, which grow and change quickly, are an excellent context to study organizational psychological safety. Through interviews, this study explored psychological safety as an organizational-level construct in startup organizations. Specifically, it examined potential commonalities between high and low psychological safety as …

Motivated And Determined & Making A Difference As Executives (Mad & Made) In The Entertainment Industry: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Female Entertainment Industry Executives’ Challenges And Paths To Elevation, Angela M. Killens

Theses and Dissertations

Since the birth of the United States and the enslavement of Africans in America, Black women have had to navigate challenges in various industries to elevate toward, and excel in, positions of power. From grade school to the workplace, Black women have had to contend with racism, discrimination, and inequities that have been impediments despite their level of education and experience. With little literature specifically documenting the experiences of Black women who work on the corporate side of the entertainment industry, the data acquired from this qualitative phenomenological study provides insight into these women’s lives. The study discloses some of …

The New World Of Onboarding: A Comparison Of Virtual And Hybrid Onboarding Experiences, Hannah Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The world of work has changed significantly due to the global pandemic of 2020. As a result, many organizations have shifted to remote or hybrid work models, requiring new ways of thinking about all aspects of the employee experience. This paper explored the impact of both remote and hybrid work models on the employee onboarding experience, focusing on employee sentiments toward the organization. The study occurred within a consulting organization and involved interviews with twelve new hires, to understand the successes and the challenges of their onboarding experiences. The results indicated that remote onboarding negatively impacted feelings of connection with …

An Examination Of The Saudi Arabian Citizens’ Perception On Leisure Tourism’S Impact On Culture In Saudi Arabia, Ihsan Bayaa

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand the perception of Saudi Arabian citizens on the impact of leisure tourism on culture in the country. Given that Saudi Arabia is the second most popular tourist destination in the Middle East, with more than 16 million visitors in 2017, and that the leisure tourism industry is rapidly expanding, it is important to examine the impact of this growing industry on the local culture.

This study is significant as it provides valuable insights into the perceptions of Saudi Arabian citizens on the impact of leisure tourism on their culture and ways it may shape their …

Exploring Prosocial Theories For Teaching Civility In Baccalaureate Level Business Communication, Mikelle Barberi-Weil

Theses and Dissertations

The paralysis of civility and the heightened acrimony in both public and private fora is considered a detriment to the health of a high-functioning and prosperous society. In the context of contemporary culture, the potential conflict between people with antithetical values and antithetical ideologies in a nonconsensual and neutral-ground locale is at a heightened level. When two people are obligated to each other in professional environments, they need to get along. Yet, as organizations have flattened and gone casual over recent decades, the boundaries of traditional politeness and respect have diminished (Andersson & Pearson, 1999). Leadership and organizational environments are …

Alaska Native Corporations: Participation, Purpose, And Performance In For-Profit Indigenous Businesses, Kimberly E. Mcginnis

Theses and Dissertations

Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) were established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 to extinguish Indigenous land claims in the state of Alaska, as well as to provide for the economic and social wellbeing of Alaska Natives. However, ANCs’ governance practices and performance record offer a mixed record of their ability to incorporate the voice of their Indigenous shareholders and to fulfill a broad mandate for economic and social wellbeing among Alaska Natives. This exploratory, sequential, mixed methods study examines the relationship between shareholder participation, purpose, and performance in ANCs. Synthesizing theories from multiple domains, this study clarifies …