Business Commons^™

Spiritual Awakening For Christ's Church: A Strategic Leadership Approach To Equipping Believers Through Discipleship And Encounter In A Christian University Context, Luke R. Rachels

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Project Overview: This presentation examined the spiritual wilderness as a critical environment for genuine formation in the life of a believer. Drawing from your doctoral capstone, it explored how confronting what you described as “Carnival Cruise Ship Christianity” becomes necessary for believers who desire depth rather than ease, conviction rather than comfort, and spiritual fire rather than passive faith. The session highlighted how practicing the presence of God in hidden seasons produces authentic Pentecostal identity marked by hunger, holiness, and continual encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Project Themes: The central theme of the presentation was that the wilderness is not …

A Meta-Narrative Of Consumer Journeys In Access-Based Consumption: A Case Of Fashion Rentals, Swapnil Saravade, Mohammad Ali Zolfagharian, Reto Felix, Lorena Garcia Ramon, Jacob Almaguer, Hazel Husne Dadanlar

Marketing Faculty Publications

Purpose – The current research aims to identify a meta-narrative that depicts a big picture of the consumer journey with access-based consumption (ABC). Specifically, this research reveals the points of engagement and disengagement with ABC, as well as the transitions between them.

Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research methodology is applied wherein online reviews and blogs pertaining to Rent the Runway (RTR), an access-based fashion company that enables consumers to rent designer dresses and accessories, are analyzed. Specifically, individual textual narratives of users’ experiences with RTR are analyzed, and a meta-narrative is identified that depicts an overarching story of the …

Aligning Pay With Purpose: Esg-Linked Compensation And Esg Decoupling, Yasser Eliwa, Ahmed Saleh, Ahmed Hassan Ahmed

All Works

This study investigates the relationship between ESG-linked executive compensation and ESG decoupling and examines the moderating role of CSR committees in this association. Using a global dataset of 36,055 firm-year observations across 40 countries and 32 industries from 2005 to 2023, we find that ESG-linked executive compensation is associated with a significant reduction in ESG decoupling, thereby strengthening the alignment between ESG disclosure and actual practices. The presence of a CSR committee further enhances this effect, with the interaction between ESG-linked compensation and CSR committees leading to a more pronounced reduction in decoupling. Robustness tests using propensity score matching, instrumental …

Latino Or Hispanic-Owned Businesses In The Mountain West, 2017-2022, Anthony Arroyo, Cason Noll, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines the growth of Latino or Hispanic-owned businesses in the largest metropolitan areas in the Mountain West between 2017 and 2022. The data are derived from the Brookings Institution’s “Charting the surge in Latino or Hispanic-owned businesses in the US” report, which highlights data on Latino or Hispanic-owned businesses in metropolitan and micropolitan areas across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This fact sheet focuses on data for the following metropolitan areas in the Mountain West: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO; Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV; Albuquerque, NM; and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.

Relational Realities Of Readiness: What Managers Wish Colleges Knew About Business Communication, Karen Mccullough, Laura N. Miller

Applied Business Faculty Publications

This grounded theory study, informed by Communication Accommodation Theory, explores how frontline managers (n = 11) support early-career employees’ communication development. Findings identify three support strategies—structured scaffolding, adaptive leadership, and onboarding for cultural fit—and suggest colleges emphasize verbal and intercultural communication, applied learning, and professional presence. These insights reframe communication readiness as a relational process shaped by emotion, power, and organizational norms. The study calls for stronger collaboration between higher education and employers.

When Does The Tick Size Help Or Harm Market Quality? Evidence From The Tick Size Pilot, Yashar H. Barardehi, Peter Dixon, Qiyu Liu, Ariel Lohr

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Tick sizes affect market quality through a tradeoff between pricing fidelity and undercutting. The U.S. Tick Size Pilot (TSP), which raised the minimum tick from 1¢ to 5¢, provides a natural experiment to study this tradeoff. We find that the TSP harmed liquidity for stocks with spreads below 10¢ but improved liquidity for stocks with spreads above 15¢. These opposing effects explain the mixed results across prior studies which pool together stocks with very different prevailing spreads. We recommend researchers using the TSP for causal inference should, at minimum, split samples at 10¢-spreads to account for these heterogeneous liquidity effects.

Stock Market Reaction To Outbreak Of Covid-19: An Empirical Study Of Indian Sectoral Indices, Ruchita Verma, Dhanraj Sharma, Pranav Raghavan

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

The study examines COVID-19’s effect on the Indian stock market. According to the study’s findings, the pandemic significantly smashed Indian sectoral indices. The highest abnormal loss is observed in the Private Bank Index (-14.62 per cent) and the lowest in the Pharma Index (-6 per cent). The results of panel regression analysis depict that real return, profitability, and size have a substantial impact on the abnormal returns of the sectoral indices. The findings provide valuable insights to policymakers, to navigate market volatility and develop effective risk management strategies during pandemic.

Unravelling The Nexus Between Corporate Governance And Sustainability Performance: Evidence From India, Malaya Ranjan Mohapatra, Chandra Sekhar Mishra

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This research investigates the influence of Corporate Governance (CG) practices on the Sustainability Performance (SP) of Indian non-financial firms. The study, utilizing a balanced panel of 1550 firm-year observations, demonstrates that overall corporate governance score and CEO duality improve sustainability performance. However, the moderation effect indicates that the positive effect of CG practices on SP is compromised when the same person holds both CEO and chairperson positions in a firm. Additionally, the relationship between CG and SP varies based on ownership structure, i.e., group-affiliated and non-group affiliated firms, as well as different industrial sectors, i.e., manufacturing, service, and diversified sectors.

Editorial: 1st Asia Pacific International Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage Conference (Apirtp), Tran Huu Tuan, Lien Tran Thi Ngoc, Jaeyeon Choe, Giang T. Phi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Editorial: 1st Asia Pacific International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conference (APIRTP)

Best College/University: Lindenwood Named A 2025 Stl Headliner, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Ijrtp Volume 13(Iii) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes, Tran Huu Tuan, Lien Tran Thi Ngoc, Jaeyeon Choe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

IJRTP Volume 13(iii) Table of Contents

Incorporating papers from the first Asia Pacific International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage conference in Hue University, Vietnam

Organizational Memories Of Extreme Events: Evidence From Us Public Transit Agencies, Mattia Caldarulo, Ignacio Pezo, Elizabeth A. Corley, Shaika L. Islam, Eric W. Welch

Articles

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events require organizations to effectively manage the threats these phenomena pose. To respond to these challenges, public agencies often turn to their organizational memories for guidance. Organizational memories support information processing capacity, facilitate sensemaking, and legitimize and speed up decision-making processes. While memories influence different aspects of organizational life, little is known about their antecedents and the mechanisms behind the retrieval of past events. This study contributes to the broader literature on organizational memory by investigating the elements shaping public agencies’ retrieval of extreme weather events. Integrating weather data from the National …

Cost Of Living For Older Adults (65+) In Mountain West Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2024, Anirudh Polagani, Annie Vong, Mohit Pande, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet explores 2024 cost of living data for adults over the age of 65 in the largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are sourced from the “Elder Index,” a dashboard that focuses on housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses that collectively reflect the monthly expenses for those over the age of 65. This fact sheet focuses on five MSAs in the Mountain West: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO; Las Vegas-Henderson- North Las Vegas, NV; Albuquerque, NM; and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.

Ada News - 10/6/2025, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Static Malware Analysis For Incident Response: Developing A Tactical Aid With Ember, Joel Meoak, Shengjie Xu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Incident responders face a variety of challenges when identifying malware using existing solutions, particularly when rapid tactical decisions are needed. Traditional malware detection methods are often signature-based, limiting their effectiveness to previously known threats detected by anti-virus (AV) engines. Online analysis tools introduce confidentiality risks, potentially alerting adversaries that their actions are under scrutiny. While free sandbox environments offer useful capabilities, they often require substantial setup time and hardware resources that may not be available in the field. This research leverages the Elastic Malware Benchmark for Empowering Researchers (EMBER) dataset to develop a lightweight, portable tactical decision aid that enables …

Native American Tribes And Federal Grant Funding In The Mountain West, Fy2023-2025, Isabelle G. Graham, Maisoon Faris, Dre Boyd-Weatherly, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Elections & Governance

This fact sheet presents state-level data on the impact of a federal government-wide funding freeze affecting Native American Tribes, focusing on the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are derived from the Brookings Institution’s “A federal grant freeze could disrupt over $24 billion to Native American communities and undermine US obligations to Tribes” brief, which reports data from USAspending. The original report provides data on the federal government’s obligations, outlays, and remaining balances owed to Native American Tribes for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

The Role Of Employee Relationship Orientation In The Value Co-Creation – Firm Performance Link, Perry L. Parke, Prachi Gala, Pramod Iyer, Stefan Sleep, Mona Sinha

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose – This paper links employees’ relationship orientation, or their sense that the organization respects their contribution, to value co-creation and overall firm performance. It also measures the effects on innovation and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 301 US product and marketing managers participated in a survey. Measurement and structural models were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings – Main findings suggest that increased value co-creation (VCC) activity has a significant effect on employee relationship orientation. This study also finds that employee relationship orientation plays a mediating role in the relationship between VCC and firm …

Evaluation Of Pre-Hajj Multimedia Training Tools: A Case Study Of Prospective Australian Pilgrims, Kholoud M. Munshi, Mustapha Taibi Dr., Kate Richards Ms., Khushnoor Khan Mr.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims gather in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) for Hajj. These pilgrims come from different parts of the world, with diverse language and cultural backgrounds. Managing such a large and diverse congregation for a successful completion of Hajj requires effective planning, which depends on two important antecedents—knowing the background information of the pilgrims and developing effective pre-Hajj training tools for dissemination of Hajj information for non-Arabic speaking pilgrims. This study evaluates the perceptions of potential Hajj pilgrims regarding community translation usability (CTX) and medium usability (MX) of two existing pre-Hajj media tools developed by Mnask Academy (Booklet …

Religious Festivals In The Age Of ‘Lockdown’ And ‘Social Distancing’: A Comparative Study Of Easter, Eid, Passover, Rama Navami, And Vaisakhi., Irfan Raja, Rev. Ruth Dowson, Abdul Basit Shaikh, Ivan Cohen, Nasser N. Alotaibi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious practices can conjure distinctive ideas and images for different groups of people, especially religious festivals, which are signs of congregations, celebrations, and contentment, usually to mark the completion of religious obligations. All major religions celebrate notable festivals to mark important events and religious obligations that bring together followers of that faith. The year 2020 will be remembered as unique in the history of all faiths. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, governments across the world announced compulsory measures such as ‘social distancing’ and ‘lockdown’ to avoid the spread of Coronavirus. Thus, all major religions either cancelled or reduced …

Evaluating The Religious Experience Of Pilgrims At Kartarpur Corridor: A Qualitative Analysis, Farooq Haq, Anita Medhekar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This exploratory study analyses experiences of pilgrims from India and all over the world to Kartarpur Peace Corridor for religious tourism. The historic Kartarpur Corridor, the holiest place for the Sikh religion, in Pakistan, was opened for Sikh pilgrimage in November 2019, after 72 years since partition. The qualitative research method of cultural ethnography and netnographic research, was applied to collect secondary data by watching 78 YouTube interviews from November-2019 to March-2020, at the Kartarpur complex by private bloggers. Interview comments by pilgrims relevant to this exploratory research were selected, analysing experiences of pilgrims and spiritual tourists traveling from India …

From Meditation To Magic: The Spectrum Of Buddhist Tourism In Thailand, Brooke Schedneck

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Buddhism can conjure distinctive ideas and images for different groups of people, especially travelers to a Buddhist majority country like Thailand. Discussing three different modes of Buddhist tourism— meditation, magic, and mega statues— this article illuminates the varieties of Buddhist tourism in contemporary Thailand. While foreign visitors from Western countries are assumed by Thai Buddhist practitioners to favor engagement with Buddhism related to meditation, Chinese and Thai Buddhists are seen to appreciate Buddhism for its magical protective powers. Chinese tourists in particular are now being targeted to purchase products and experiences related to mutelu, which is a term for objects …

Promotion Of Religious Tourism In Pakistan Through Destination Marketing Strategies, Noor-Ul- Huda, Musa Khan, Noman Ahmed Ansari

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The aim of this study is to identify the key factors that attract religious tourists to Pakistan and the strategies that are effective in promoting religious tourism. The paper takes a comprehensive approach to guide Pakistan’s development by evaluating international literature, focusing on religious tourism as a pivotal source of revenue. The study explores diversification prospects, aiming to equip policymakers and tourism authorities with actionable insights. This research establishes the groundwork for realising the economic, social, and cultural potential of religious tourism in Pakistan by studying marketing techniques using a qualitative methodology, examining revival approaches, and investigating cutting-edge communication technologies. …

The Cannabis Conundrum: Persistent Negative Alphas And Portfolio Risks, Davinder K. Malhotra, Sheetal Gupta

School of Business Faculty Papers

This study investigates whether publicly listed cannabis shares provide enough risk-adjusted returns to warrant their incorporation into diversified portfolios. An equally weighted portfolio of cannabis companies is constructed using monthly data from January 2015 to December 2024. Risk-adjusted performance is assessed using the Sharpe, Sortino, and Omega ratios and compared to the Russell 3000 Index and the FTSE All-World ex-US Index. In addition, we estimate both unconditional and conditional Fama–French five-factor model enhanced by momentum. The findings indicate that cannabis stocks persistently underperform U.S. and global benchmarks in both absolute and risk-adjusted metrics. Downside risk is elevated because cannabis portfolios …

Interdisciplinary Narratives On Artificial Intelligence & Personnel Selection Systems, John Hunter, Melissa Intindola, Neil Boyd, Thiago Serra Azevedo Silva

Faculty Journal Articles

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly and persistently become a daily presence in our lives, and its omnipresence has eclipsed the speed with which scholars can fully assess its efficacy and pitfalls. AI’s ubiquity and the lack of a clear understanding of its implications for humanity has spurred scholars across disciplines to action, and scholars in the field of Human Resource Management (HR) have certainly joined the fray. As scholars with a variety of experience and scholarship across disciplines, we believe that the burgeoning conversation in the HR literature would significantly benefit from a greater presence of interdisciplinary knowledge.

Exploring Perceived Value Attributes Toward Spiritual Tourism In Vietnam: A Qualitative Approach, Lan Thi Huong Ho, Cuong Khoa Phan, Lien Tran Thi Ngoc, Rodney W. Caldicott

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Customer Perceived Value (CPV) has recently attracted a lot of interest in the tourism industry, both academically and empirically. To succeed in the tourist business, managers in the sector need a comprehensive understanding of how visitors’ perceptions of value dimensions connect to trip outcomes, such as overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study aims to explore the tourists’ perceptions of the value of spiritual tourism services in Vietnam. A qualitative method was employed, which included nine in-depth interviews with tourism providers and representatives of spiritual sites, as well as a brief survey of 127 travellers who had already experienced spiritual …

Halal-Friendly Wellness Tourism In Non-Muslim Countries: Perceptions Of Muslim Tourists, Ann Suwaree Ashton, Rasmee Islam

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study explores the perceptions of Muslim tourists regarding wellness-related activities while travelling in non-Muslim countries. Although halal tourism has witnessed significant global expansion, there remains a notable gap in the literature concerning the development of halal-compliant wellness products and services in destinations outside the Muslim world. Employing a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were undertaken with 40 Thai Muslim participants who travelled to non-Muslim countries between 2022 and 2023. The investigation centres on four primary categories of wellness activities: spa, therapy, and massage services; sports, leisure, and adventure experiences; spiritual well-being practices; and the slow food movement. The findings underscore …

Enhancing Mindfulness Through Communities Of Practice In Buddhist Spiritual Tourism: A Study Of Transformative Experience At Plum Village, Giang T. Phi, Trang Huong Pham Phd, Nam Vu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Despite the growing interest in Buddhist spiritual tourism, there is a clear gap in the literature regarding the role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in fostering transformative tourism experiences. This study investigates how CoPs at Plum Village retreats in France and Thailand facilitate transformative experiences and enhance mindfulness among participants in Buddhist spiritual tourism. Utilising qualitative methods, the study combines autoethnography—drawing on the lead researcher’s personal experience through daily reflexive journals—and participant observation of a focal ‘retreat family’ group of 15 participants at each retreat. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data, guided by two frameworks: Kirillova et al.’s …

Religious Reinterpretation In The Pilgrimage Experience To The Ganges River, India Of Balinese Ethnic Hindus, I Gede Sutarya, Thanakorn Chooksukhserm

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The interaction between Balinese ethnic Hindus and India in the modern era is reestablishing a connection between Balinese local knowledge with Hindu religious destinations in India. Balinese folklore mentions various holy places, including the Ganges River, which is considered part of Bali's sacred worship domain. This ceremonial tradition causes the ethnic groups to worship the Ganges and request for holy water, eliminating the need for the direct pilgrimage to the holy place. In the modern era, the tradition of seeking holy water has evolved into a driving force behind the interest in the pilgrimage to the Ganges River. This leads …

Exploring The Drivers Of Tourist Satisfaction At Religious Sites: A Study Of Lumbini In Nepal, Bhim Bahadur Khadka, Prof. Anjani Kumar Malviya, Dipak Singh Rawat

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a religious destination attracting millions of tourists annually from Nepal and abroad, Lumbini offers a rich cultural and historical heritage. This study is, therefore, significant in exploring drivers of tourist satisfaction and the religious significance of Lumbini. This study employs a correlational research design and a quantitative approach to examine relationships among variables using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Data are collected using a survey questionnaire, yielding 403 valid responses after excluding incomplete data and outliers out of 500 returned questionnaires. Purposive sampling ensured the relevance of …

Analysis Of Pilgrimage To The Evangelical Lutheran Church In Zimbabwe (Elcz) Mission Centres, Rabson Hove

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is usually a sacred journey undertaken by religious adherents to holy places associated with their own traditions. As religions grow, religious pilgrimage also expands as the members of the religious traditions continue to influence each other. These holy religious centres influence religious enrichment, enhancement, strength and growth. Members get in touch with their origins and the history of the expansion of their religion as they encounter their holy sites or centres. In the case of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ), their important holy sites are missionary centres which are commonly located in rural Zimbabwe. The majority …