Business Commons^™

Teacher Mindset: An Investigation On The Influence Of Teachers’ Transformational Leadership On Growth Mindset, Rodolfo Reyes

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Identifying transformational leadership as a predictor of a growth mindset can be useful in developing teachers’ growth mindset. This nonexperimental quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ growth mindset and transformational leadership, and how the dimensions of teacher transformational leadership styles predict teachers’ growth mindset. The current study examined 63 participants in a school district in Florida. Using Dweck’s growth mindset survey (2006) and a researcher-created instrument to assess teachers’ perceptions of growth mindset and transformational leadership, the study resulted in a statistically significant finding of the association and prediction of transformational leadership on growth mindset. Demographics, such as teachers’ …

Forecasting Supply Chain Disruptions And Reducing Costs Through Data Science, Kayla Ahrndt

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The timely and cost-effective distribution of antiretroviral (ARV) and HIV laboratory commodities, particularly in over-exploited and low-resource settings, is imperative through effective Supply Chain Management.This project uses a comprehensive supply chain dataset to analyze pricing trends, predict lead times, forecast demand, and optimize costs for ARV and HIV lab shipments across multiple countries. Through data science, we can predict future demand, detect unusual pricing patterns, assess risks of supply chain disruptions, examine how commodity prices fluctuate over time and across regions, identify key factors influencing shipment lead times, and develop predictive models for future demand. Through anomaly detection techniques, we …

Smart Strategies: The Impact Of Social Media And Ai In Modern Marketing, Waverly O. Smith

Student Publications

In recent times, social media and artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly popular in the world of marketing. With these technologies, companies can more efficiently and effectively find consumers and create tailored product advertisements. AI has helped companies segment consumers, identify trends, and predict consumer needs. Social media has created a platform in which companies can connect with consumers and gain direct feedback. Additionally, it has created a space in which anyone can become an influencer or market a product. With the evolution of technology and digital marketing, it has also become increasingly important for companies to use high quality …

Mobile Hyflex & Lessons Learned, Irene Neville

Case studies: Digital Education

My first Mobile HyFlex lecture was an insightful endeavour with 15 enthusiastic postgrad students on board, engagement was high, and their willingness to participate made for an energising experience. The high-spec hardware kit provided a solid foundation but an unstable Wi-Fi connection led to intermittent signal drops. If there is to be more widespread adoption of video camera over Wi-Fi going forward, the bandwidth requirements of the Wi-Fi network would need to be addressed and validated to ensure it can support multiple lecturers using the technology simultaneously, as this could be a bottleneck. Additionally, the camera, while impressive, seemed more …

The Board Committee Chair Effect: How Much Does It Contribute To Firm Performance?, Kalin Kolev, Donald J. Schepker, David B. Wangrow, Vincent L. Barker Iii

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Boards of directors rely on committees to perform important specialized monitoring and advising tasks. While there is general consensus that committees and their chairs influence board outcomes and, thus, firm performance, we know little about the magnitude of these effects on firm performance. Using variance decomposition, we show that audit, compensation, and nominating committee chairs explain a significant portion of variance in firm financial performance. Some of the performance variance attributed to committee chairs comes from the increased explanatory power of adding an important level of strategic leaders. However, most of the committee chair effect seems to stem from performance …

Behind The Curtain: The Influence Of Tourism And Production Costs On Broadway Success, João Branco Chaves, Alice M. Brawley Newlin

Management Faculty Publications

This study explores the relationship between Broadway's financial success, NYC tourism, and production costs. By analyzing data from 1980 to 2023, the study finds that tourism plays a crucial role in Broadway's performance, while cost management, particularly cotton prices, also influences its financial outcomes.

How Does Frugal Innovation Help Young Firms In The Us? The Moderating Roles Of Venture Capital Investment And Debt Financing, Zafrin Rahman, Wanying Shi

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the effects of frugal innovation on firm performance among young firms located in the U.S. Though frugal innovation is a concept that originated from innovation practices among emerging market firms, firms in the developed economies have absorbed a frugal mindset and are regularly exercising frugal innovation. We develop a framework for frugal innovation by building on entrepreneurial bricolage theory. One of our research findings shows that young firms in the U.S. find frugal innovation useful in gaining firm performance. In addition, interaction effects on firm performance are tested; those between frugal innovation and venture capital (VC) equity …

Book Review: Justice Batted Last, Darlene A. Kluka, Aaron Livingston

Global Sport Business Journal

Book Review of Don Zminda's (2025) Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago's Major League Teams

Estimating Climate Risk In Financial Markets, Olanrewaju Oluwadamilare Olaniyan

Masters Theses

The growing impact of climate change on financial markets necessitates a rigorous approach to climate risk assessment. This thesis examines methods for quantifying climate-related financial risks, with a focus on distinguishing climate risk from broader market movements (represented by S&P 500). Using a factor model, we isolate climate risk factors to better understand sector-specific volatility. The insurance sector is used as a proxy for climate risk exposure, given its sensitivity to climate-related losses and regulatory changes. We apply Extreme Value Theory (EVT); the Block Maxima Method and the Peaks Over Threshold Method, to identify excess risk patterns in financial portfolios. …

Comparative Performance Analysis Of Cryptographic Workloads Across Cloud Providers: A Multi-Language Study On Faas And Iaas Platforms Dataset, Jeremiah Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Cloud computing has become a relatively new paradigm for the delivery of compute resources, with key management services (KMS) playing a crucial role in securely handling cryptographic operations in the cloud. This paper presents the microbenchmark of cloud cryptographic workloads, including SHA HMAC generation, AES encryption/decryption, ECC signature/verification, and RSA encryption/decryption, across Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) in conjunction with KMS offerings from Ama- zon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure to conduct a comparative performance analysis. The methodology involves the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) and the Bicep language to deploy AWS Lambda Functions and Azure Functions, respectively, to …

Is More Always Better? An Experimental Examination Of The Effects Of Feedback Frequency, Narcissistic Oversensitivity, And Growth Mindset On Performance Accuracy, Joseph A. Johnson, Khim Kelly, Wioleta Olczak

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

The provision of more frequent feedback to employees is increasing, although prior research has found mixed results as to the effect of increased feedback frequency on employee performance. Narcissism research identifies narcissistic oversensitivity as a key narcissistic subdimension that may result in particularly strong responses to performance feedback. We predict and find in an experiment that increased performance feedback frequency has a more negative impact on the performance accuracy of individuals with higher levels of narcissistic oversensitivity and that this negative interactive effect of feedback frequency and narcissistic oversensitivity is mitigated by the priming of a growth mindset. These results …

The Effect Of Narcissism And Contract Frame On Employee Performance In The Presence Of An Ex Ante Target, Theresa Libby, Wioleta Olczak

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Incentive contracts containing ex ante targets are prevalent in organizations. Although prior research indicates that contract frame has no significant impact on employee performance when an ex ante target is assigned, we provide a more nuanced view by examining the role of narcissism in this relationship. Results indicate when an ex ante target is assigned, less narcissistic employees perform better than more narcissistic employees regardless of contract frame. In addition, target difficulty plays a role. When narcissism is lower, employees working under a less difficult target perform better than those working under a more difficult target, but there is no …

Graduate School Blog - April 2025 Volume 1, Cynthia Haynes

UofM Grad School Blog

The April 2025 UofM Graduate School Blog highlights a month full of events, stories, and celebrations, beginning with Dr. Deborah Tollefsen’s personal graduate school journey, shared during the “Is Graduate School Right for Me?” virtual workshop an inspiring narrative of resilience, mentorship, and finding purpose through education. This edition also spotlights Graduate Student Appreciation Week, featuring a robust lineup of events such as a virtual town hall, resume and job market workshop, student social and awards ceremony, study session, and social dinners all designed to support, celebrate, and connect the UofM graduate student community. With opportunities to hear from …

The Evolution Of Tyler's Housing Market: A Decade Of Transformation, Manuel Reyes-Loya, Cecilia Cuellar

Hibbs Brief

This brief reviews recent trends in the Tyler, Texas, housing market, noting a shift from rapid post‑pandemic price increases toward greater market balance in early 2025. With more homes for sale and longer selling times, housing conditions are stabilizing, though high mortgage rates continue to challenge affordability. Ongoing population growth and economic activity support continued demand for housing.

The Use (And Misuse) Of Tariffs In North America: A New Trade War?, Maroula Khraiche, Armando R. Lopez-Velasco, Jean-Baptiste Tondji

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Trade wars may have started. At the time this report was published, the Trump administration had threatened, then paused, a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods. Before the pause, Mexico and Canada were preparing retaliatory tariffs. After the pause, Trump ordered a 25 percent import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the United States to start in March 2025 and announced a plan for tariffs on US trading partners. In this brief, we document the different perspectives and economic consequences of North American trade wars and beyond.

Do “Say-On-Pay” Votes Affect M&A Decisions?, Shantanu Dutta, Micah S. Officer, Ruixiang Wang, Pengcheng Zhu

School of Business

This paper demonstrates that firms receiving above-industry-average support in their “say-on-pay” (SoP) votes engage in more M&A transactions in the subsequent year. Our empirical findings suggest that high levels of SoP voting support may boost managerial confidence, thereby stimulating increased pursuit of acquisitions. Moreover, we observe that managers garnering higher SoP vote support are more likely to secure shareholders' backing in M&A votes, receive higher compensation in successful deals, and face a reduced likelihood of forced turnover following unsuccessful deals. Additionally, we find that both short-term and long-term M&A performance significantly improves in deals announced by managers receiving higher SoP …

An Analysis Of Burnout In Owner-Operated Businesses, Leslie Madison

M.S. in Leadership

This project explores what professional burnout is in the context of owner-operated businesses. The topic was selected based on my own experiences of burnout in my business. After just a few years of working without boundaries, I began to feel the lingering symptoms of stress. Pushing through the stress of running a creative business on my own eventually led to a state of debilitating burnout that caused me to stop all operations and allow my business to run on auto-pilot. Results of this study show a potential beginning of modern-day professional exhaustion which dates to the 17^th century when …

Dentistry And The Law: Yes, Dentists (And The Mda) Are Subject To Antitrust Law, Daniel Schulte Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This legal article explains how antitrust laws apply to dentists and dental associations. It clarifies that violations occur when competitors agree to activities that unreasonably restrain competition. The article distinguishes between "per se" illegal activities (price-fixing, group boycotts, allocation of territories) and those evaluated under the "rule of reason." Specific examples of prohibited activities include agreements on fees, discount limitations, or refusals to participate with dental plans. Enforcement can come from the DOJ, FTC, state agencies, or private lawsuits, with penalties including imprisonment, fines, and treble damages.

Behind The Curtain: The Influence Of Tourism And Production Costs On Broadway Success, João Branco Chaves

Student Publications

Broadway’s success is closely tied to the fluctuating dynamics of tourism and the rising costs of production. This paper explores how the growth in NYC tourism impacts Broadway’s profitability and the challenges producers face as production costs (lumber and cotton) continue to soar. Through an analysis of various sources, this study highlights the key role tourism plays in sustaining Broadway’s revenue and the vulnerabilities created by its unpredictability. It also examines the increasing financial burden of mounting Broadway productions, exploring how producers are adapting to stay financially viable. The paper identifies key strategies for managing these challenges, including innovative cost …

The Effectiveness Of Sms Marketing Campaigns Versus Email Marketing Campaigns, Akriti Nepal, Edward A. Porter, Eliza M. Hoover, Kyla G. Cordell

Student Publications

In the present study, we examine the effectiveness of using SMS marketing campaigns versus email marketing campaigns when marketing towards consumers. We used the e-commerce direct messaging multichannel from 2021 to 2023 to test our hypotheses. A random sample was taken of a messages-demo data set with 7,564 rows that contains 10 million messages to test our hypotheses. The effectiveness of purchasing rates in email and SMS marketing campaigns was tested using an independent samples t-test. The results demonstrate that email marketing messaging had a more positive customer perception compared to SMS marketing messaging, as measured by whether customers opened …

Navigating Challenges And Seizing Opportunities: The Transformative Impact Of Ai On Business Education And Teaching Strategies, Denada Ibrushi

Presentations - 2025

This article explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business education and teaching strategies, focusing on the instructor’s evolving role as a coach, the use of AI as a student assistant, and the development of AI-related skills. While AI cannot fully replace human instructors—lacking the capacity for existential reflection, value transmission, and societal context—it has significant potential to enhance efficiency, enabling instructors to prioritize student creativity and critical thinking. The study highlights various AI applications, such as ClassPoint AI for interactive quizzes, GradeScope for automated grading, and PowerPoint Speaker Coach for presentation skills, as well as tools like …

Economic Disparities In Financial Education: How Financial Literacy Varies By Socieoeconomic Status In The United States, Sergio Arguello, Megan Beach, Adolfo Duran, Gabriel Gomez

Posters - 2025

Financial literacy enables informed decisions, wealth building, and economic mobility.

• It is unevenly distributed across socioeconomic groups in the U.S.

• Key factors: parental income, education, occupation.

• Lower-income populations face greater financial vulnerability (Pew Research, 2024; FINRA Foundation, 2022).

• Improving literacy fosters stability, reduces welfare dependence, and boosts growth.

• Our study identifies barriers and recommends policies to close the literacy gap.

Advancing Devsecops In Smes: Challenges And Best Practices For Secure Ci/Cd Pipelines, Jayaprakashreddy Cheenepalli, John Hastings, Khandaker Mamun Ahmed, Chad Fenner

Research & Publications

This study evaluates the adoption of DevSecOps among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), identifying key challenges, best practices, and future trends. Through a mixed methods approach backed by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory, we analyzed survey data from 405 SME professionals, revealing that while 68% have implemented DevSecOps, adoption is hindered by technical complexity (41%), resource constraints (35%), and cultural resistance (38%). Despite strong leadership prioritization of security (73%), automation gaps persist, with only 12% of organizations conducting security scans per commit. Our findings highlight a growing integration of security tools, particularly API security …

Market Structure Evolution In The U.S. Automobile Industry: A Review Of Diversity And Concentration Metrics, P.V. (Sundar) Balakrishnan

AMTP Proceedings 2025

I examine the evolution of market structure in the U.S. automobile industry from 1937 to the present, focusing on the application of both traditional and novel diversity and concentration metrics. I use the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), Comprehensive Concentration Index (CCI), and newer metrics from fields such as ecology and genetics to uncover insights into the shifting dynamics of market power, firm turnover, and industry stability. The U.S. automobile industry, characterized by consolidation and technological advancement, provides a unique case study for analyzing long-term market evolution. I contribute to the literature by synthesizing a broad range of diversity metrics and offering …

Susceptibility To Online Shopping Influence And Online Shopping Advocacy Behavior: Role Of Trust In Online Retailers, Ainsworth Anthony Bailey, Mojisola Tiamiyu

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Despite the significant increased pace of online shopping, there remains a lack of insights on individual personality factors that drive consumers’ online shopping behaviors and their online shopping advocacy. Consequently, this research project introduces the concept of consumer susceptibility to online shopping influence (CSOSI) and explores its role in driving consumer online shopping advocacy intentions and behavior. The conceptual model contends that CSOSI drives online shopping enjoyment and satisfaction, which in turn affect consumer online shopping disposition; this disposition leads consumers to engage in greater levels of online shopping advocacy. The proposed research study also investigates the moderating role of …

Corsets Of Empowerment, Dorsa Farzi

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This project explores the intersection of fashion and activism, using contemporary design to reflect on significant women’s rights movements from around the world. This exhibition presents four uniquely crafted corsets, each representing a pivotal movement, from the Suffragette era to the ongoing fight for gender equality in Iran. Through modern aesthetics, innovative construction, and symbolic details, this project transforms clothing into a medium for dialogue and advocacy. Fashion becomes more than just design—it becomes a powerful tool for storytelling, sparking awareness, and encouraging new perspectives on gender equality and activism.

This project was exhibited at the Robert Hillestad Gallery, University …

Combating Forced Labor In Global Supply Chains Through Modern Technology: A Case Study Of Uyghurs In Xinjiang, Samuel Donohue

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how modern traceability technologies can help combat forced labor in global supply chains, focusing on the case of Uyghur workers in Xinjiang, China. The research addresses the pressing challenge of verifying ethical labor practices in complex, multi-tiered supply networks, using the case study alongside an extensive literature review. It evaluates advanced technological solutions, including blockchain ledgers, isotope analysis, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging, and microbiome tracing as tools to improve supply chain transparency. Through qualitative case analysis and analysis of current research, the thesis assesses each technology’s capability to trace product origins and authenticate labor conditions. The findings …

Exploring The Web And Language Accessibility Of Medical Tourism Providers’ Websites: Implications For Online Marketing And Patient Recruitment Practices, Alicia Mason, Elizabeth Spencer, Kristen Livingston, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

Background: Web accessibility as an attribute of the digital presence of organizations has been studied across domains and contexts. Our study aims to add to existing lines of research inquiry by examining the web and language accessibility of medical tourism provider (MTP) websites commonly used to market and promote international medical tourism treatments and services globally.

Objective: This study aims to (1) systematically analyze the web and language accessibility of MTP online health messages and (2) discuss challenges and implications for medical tourists’ user experiences when seeking health information online.

Method: We conducted an exploratory quantitative content analysis of web …

Empowered Or Replaced? Ux Designers’ Perceptions Of Ai In The Workplace Through The Lens Of Self-Efficacy, Christine Lee

Executive DBA Dissertations

Designers navigate uncertainty and opportunity as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the UX landscape. This dissertation presents an exploratory study investigating how UX designers perceive the increasing prominence of AI in their professional work. It also applies Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory to organize the findings and examine how performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states influence their adaptation to AI. Findings indicate multiple perspectives in the sample interviewed: In this study, junior designers predominantly express anxiety over job security, while senior designers tend to embrace AI as a strategic partner that grants them a "seat at the table." Designers …

The Interplay Between Endothelial Glycocalyx Maturity And Both The Toxicity And Intracellular Uptake Of Charged Nanoparticles, Claire A. Bridges, Lu Fu, Jonathan Yeow, Xiaojing Huang, Miriam Jackson, Rhiannon P. Kuchel, James D. Sterling, Shenda M. Baker, Megan S. Lord

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nanoparticles are widely studied for delivering treatments to target tissues, but few have reached clinical use. Most nanoparticles encounter blood vessels on their way to target tissues. The inner surface of these vessels is lined with endothelial cells covered by a glycocalyx, an extracellular matrix rich in anionic glycans. The role of the glycocalyx in nanoparticle interactions is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that endothelial cells need extended culture times to synthesize a mature glycocalyx. Our research shows that branched polyethyleneimine functionalized gold nanoparticles bind to endothelial cells expressing either a developing or mature glycocalyx, with the interaction involving …