Business Commons^™

Competing In Innovation-Intensive Environments: The Role Of Soft Power, Learning, And Ceo Heuristics, Cristina O. Vlas, Bruno Barreto De Góes, Radu E. Vlas, Eugene See

Management and Decision Sciences

We start by exploring how the interplay of soft power and learning levers helps firms address competitive uncertainty in innovation-intensive environments (IIEs). We then theorize that firms’ motivation to pursue a specific combination of soft power and learning tactics in IIEs is shaped by CEO regulatory focus. The analysis of a panel of IIE firms supports our theorizing and reveals that accounting for CEO regulatory focus is elemental to the understanding of firms’ performance heterogeneity in such environments. We conclude that a perspective focused on a combination of soft power and learning tactics is better fitted to explain firms’ performance …

A Model Of Information Visualization Interpretation, Michael Gene Hilgers

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since the groundbreaking work by Cleveland and McGill in 1984, studies have revealed the difficulties humans have extracting quantitative data from visualizations as simple as bar graphs. As a first step toward understanding this situation, this paper proposes a mathematical model of the interpretation effort of a bar graph using concepts drawn from eye tracking. First, three key areas of interest (AOIs) are identified, and fixations are modeled as random point clouds within the AOIs. Stochastic geometry is introduced via random triangles connecting fixations within the adjacent key visual regions. The so-called landmark methodology provides the basis for the probabilistic …

Analyzing Market Dynamics: Effects On Quality Grade Premiums And Discounts For Alfalfa Hay, Colby Wilkins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This paper looks at how market strength affects the price premiums and discounts associated with alfalfa hay quality grades. Previous research has mainly focused on how attributes of alfalfa hay influence the price received. In this study, we use ordinary least squares linear regression and visual data representations to examine the effects of market strength on price received in conjunction with hay quality. The results demonstrate that during periods of relatively high average prices of alfalfa hay there is no significant impact on the average premiums and discounts associated with hay quality. However, during periods of relatively low average prices, …

Balancing The Scales: Evaluating Variables Of Greatest Impact To Profit Margins When Finishing Cattle, Ryan Bake

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines the risk associated with finishing cattle in a feedlot, specifically in the context of historically high cattle prices and quality grade grid marketing systems that have not adjusted to these elevated prices. The analysis also looks at performance factors that drive profitability differences in pens of cattle in a commercial feedlot, and how market factors also impact profitability. Regression analysis determines the significance of performance variables such as days on feed, average daily gain, feed conversion rates, and carcass characteristics on pen profitability. The impact of cattle breeding and pre-feedlot management of the cattle are also considered …

How Supply Chains Respond To Disruptions: Three Essays On Responses To Operational, Geopolitical, And Natural Disaster Disruptions, Travis Kulpa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability to respond to supply chain disruptions efficiently and effectively is a highly sought after capability, particularly in light of recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and major natural disasters. These events have led researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ask: how can we better use our resources to respond to supply chain disruptions? This dissertation examines responses to the three main types of supply chain disruptions: operational disruptions, geopolitical disruptions, and natural disasters. The first study examines how US importers adjust between air and containerized transportation in response to shipment delays and abnormally high demand from …

Staff Matters: Assessing Health Benefits For Lgbtq+ Employees, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

To support LGBTQ+ employees, understand your health benefits by asking key questions about domestic partner coverage, mental health benefits, transgender healthcare, IVF, and surrogacy coverage, and identifying LGBTQ+-friendly providers. Regularly check in with staff to ensure benefits meet their needs and consider making changes if necessary. Proactively share benefit information throughout the year to enhance employee recruitment, retention, and engagement.

Mda Foundation Mission Of Mercy: Transforming Lives, Relieving Pain, Anne Berquist

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The MDA Foundation's Mission of Mercy (MOM) dental clinic in Flint provided free dental care to 659 patients over June 14-15, delivering 6,678 procedures valued at $1,156,285. The 120-chair clinic, set up by volunteers, saw patients from 35 Michigan counties and neighboring states. Patients, many of whom queued overnight, received an average of ten procedures each. Volunteers, including retired dentists, performed a wide range of services, from cleanings to complex surgeries. Translators were available to assist non-English speakers, and patients were informed about ongoing free or reduced-cost care options. The event, supported by local donations and community services, will continue …

Locum Tenens Dentists: You May Need One, Or You May Be One, Angie Kanazeh

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Locum tenens dentists temporarily fulfill the duties of an absent or short-staffed dentist. This practice is beneficial for both hiring dentists and those serving as locum tenens. For hiring dentists, considerations include ensuring the locum tenens dentist is properly licensed, credentialed with insurance networks, and adequately insured. For locum tenens dentists, benefits include flexible schedules, diverse experiences, networking opportunities, and potential higher earnings. Both parties should have clear agreements and consult with healthcare attorneys. The demand for locum tenens dentists is growing, offering valuable support in the dental community.

Ah, You’Re One Of Those Entrepreneurs: An Investigation Into Investors’ Evaluations And Support Of Typecasted Entrepreneurs, Jonathan C. Preedom

All Dissertations

Chapter 1: In this qualitative study, I examine how entrepreneurial investors assess and decide which early-stage ventures to support based on the entrepreneurial pitch. These decisions are made in highly uncertain environments where the risk of incorrect evaluations is significant. Drawing on the literature on categorization and sensemaking, I induce a typology of five common ways investors typecast entrepreneurs based on salient auditory and visual cues from the pitch. This work provides an important foundation for understanding biases in the investor-entrepreneur dynamic, as well as the implications of such typecasting for entrepreneurial resource support.

Chapter 2: In this quantitative study, …

Ceo Career Variety And Corporate Entrepreneurship, Shuang Liu

All Dissertations

Corporate entrepreneurship enables more nimble, responsive, effective and efficient corporate response to increasingly demanding competitive conditions. To fill the gap in the literature concerning the role of CEO experiences on CE, this study, based on upper echelons and ambidexterity theory, examines the influence of CEO career variety on CE by classifying CEO industry and function experiences into four categories: Functional Orchestrators, Focused Experts, Industry Navigators, and Holistic Polymaths. Utilizing a dataset with 22,544 observations from the S&P 1500 index, spanning from 1992 to 2024, ANCOVA analyses are used to assess the impact of each CEO type on CE. The findings …

Value Of Transportation Information Systems: Implications Of Digital Platforms, Third-Party Forecasting, And Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems, Ali Shirzadibabakan

All Dissertations

This three-essay dissertation focuses on understanding the impacts of IT, or IT enabled business models, on transportation and supply chains. Specifically, it empirically examines the market and societal implications of digital freight platforms, third-party forecasting, and cyber-physical systems in the transportation and supply chain sectors. Leveraging the entry of the Amazon Freight platform into the trucking freight industry as an exogenous shock, the first essay finds that adding a digital platform-enabled spot marketplace addresses the prevalent problem of the performance (rejection) of nonbinding contracts in the trucking industry. Specifically, the platform’s effect manifests through two primary mechanisms: increasing suppliers’ transportation …

Buy Now Pay (Pain?) Later, Ed Dehaan, Jungbae Kim, Ben Lourie, Chenqi Zhu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

“Buy-now-pay-later” (BNPL) is a relatively unregulated FinTech innovation that provides consumers with easy access to credit for retail purchases. BNPL spending is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2025, but we know little about its effects. Using banking data for10.6 million U.S. consumers, we investigate the effects of BNPL on leading indicators of users’ financial health. We find that new BNPL users experience rapid increases in bank overdraft charges and credit card interest and fees compared with nonusers, consistent with BNPL facilitating overborrowing. An instrumental variable exploiting consumers’ pre-BNPL shopping habits bolsters our inferences. Our results inform regulatory investigations into …

Linking Risk Preference, Women’S Empowerment, Farm Investment And Household Well-Being, Samuel Olusesi Olumide

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A nuanced understanding of intra-household dynamics can inform the design of more effective empowerment and agricultural investment policies. By integrating household risk preferences and empowerment dynamics, this work offers valuable insights into the complex mechanisms driving household welfare and provides a framework for future interventions to promote gender equality and economic development in rural settings. This thesis addresses three core hypotheses: first, that the spouses of risk-seeking male heads are more likely to be disempowered compared to those of risk-averse male heads; second, that households with risk-seeking male heads and disempowered spouses are likely to invest more in farming activities; …

Towards A Privacy-Preserving Healthcare Analytics For Neurological Diseases Management, Gabriel Owusu, Qinyu Liao, Bright Frimpong

Information Systems Faculty Publications

This study explores the integration of Differential Privacy (DP) in healthcare analytics, particularly focusing on enhancing data privacy in Machine Learning (ML) applications. We examine the effectiveness of differential private ML in managing sensitive medical data and the trade-offs between privacy and model performance. We use data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to develop a predictive ML model that classify patients into different stages in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease whilst maintaining privacy in patient data. We contribute to growing literature of healthcare analytics and privacy by demonstrating the feasibility of implementing privacy preserving models on healthcare data …

Essays On Esg, Trang Pham

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay examines the effect of local corruption on a firmâ??s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance by taking into account the role of liberalism in each state. I propose that since liberals are generally more environmentally and socially concerned than conservatives, ESG performance of firms located in states with liberal views will be less negatively impacted by the local corruption than conservative-leaning states. The results provide some support for my projection. I find that for a particular level of corruption, firms located in states with liberal leaning views exhibit better ESG performance …

Informativeness Of Key Audit Matters: Evidence From China, Beng Wee Goh, Kiat Bee Jimmy Lee, Dan Li, Muzhi Wang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines whether the key audit matters (KAMs) disclosed in expanded audit reports as a part of recent regulatory reforms are informative for investors in an emerging economy setting. Using the recent adoption of expanded audit reports for firms listed exclusively in Mainland China, we find robust evidence that the abnormal trading volume and earnings response coefficients (ERCs) are higher and that stock price synchronicity is lower during the postadoption than preadoption period. In additional tests, we find evidence that KAMs are more informative for non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs), smaller firms, and firms with a smaller analyst following. Finally, we …

The Role Of Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits In Accounting: Impacts On Corporate Information Quality And Audit Fee Determination, Md Zubair Zuven

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on shareholder derivative lawsuit issues in accounting. In the first essay, I investigate the causal effect of shareholder litigation rights on information quality by using the staggered adoption of universal demand (UD) laws as an exogenous variation in litigation risk. My empirical findings from the difference-in-differences methodology align with the theory that shareholder litigation risk plays a deterrence role and acts as a corporate governance mechanism. I find a significant drop in information quality measures for firms incorporated in states that adopted UD laws, which is consistent with the notion that higher (lower) shareholder …

A Multimodal Foundation Agent For Financial Trading : Tool-Augmented, Diversified, And Generalist, Wentao Zhang, Lingxuan Zhao, Haochong Xia, Shuo Sun, Jiaze Sun, Molei Qin, Xinyi Li, Yuqing Zhao, Yilei Zhao, Xinyu Cai, Longtao Zheng, Xinrun Wang, Bo An

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Financial trading is a crucial component of the markets, informed by a multimodal information landscape encompassing news, prices, and Kline charts, and encompasses diverse tasks such as quantitative trading and high-frequency trading with various assets. While advanced AI techniques like deep learning and reinforcement learning are extensively utilized in finance, their application in financial trading tasks often faces challenges due to inadequate handling of multimodal data and limited generalizability across various tasks. To address these challenges, we present FinAgent, a multimodal foundational agent with tool augmentation for financial trading. FinAgent's market intelligence module processes a diverse range of data-numerical, textual, …

Ai-Driven Cybersecurity Threats And Organizational Consequences, Apeksha Kale

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This project used a case study research strategy to investigate the impact of AI-driven cybersecurity threats on organizations. The research questions are: Q1: How can different types of organizations improve their defenses against AI-driven cybersecurity attacks? Q2: How will future hackers most likely access AI tools, and what AI tools will they use? Q3: What strategies can organizations implement to enhance resilience against phishing emails? Three Case Studies were selected and analyzed to answer the three research questions. The findings are Q1: AI-driven cyberattacks pose significant risks, but organizations can improve defenses by investing in AI technologies like Vectra …

Challenges The Sporting Industry Faced During Covid-19 On Fan Attendance: The National Football League, Tinika Hughes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

When COVID-19 struck, the world was in disarray for any sporting event. The Culminating Experience Project investigated the impact of COVID-19 on the National Football League (NFL). The research questions were: Q1: How were the NFL stadium attendances impacted before the COVID-19 closures (2016 – 2019)? Q2: How were the NFL stadium attendances impacted due to closures during the COVID-19 stadium closures (2019 – 2021)? Q3: How were the NFL stadiums impacted post-COVID-19 (2021 – 2023)? The data collected covers all 32 NFL teams from 2019 to 2023, including attendance rates on and off the field influencing factors.

The findings …

Understanding The Relationship Between Festival Making Practices And Place : An Investigation Into The Making Of Two Community Arts Festivals In Ireland, Danielle Lynch

Doctoral

Although the importance of arts festivals for places is acknowledged in the literature, there is surprisingly limited understanding of festival making as creative practice, and the manner and extent to which place influences this practice. In recent decades, the global proliferation of art festivals has not been met with a commensurate increase in scholarly or critical examinations regarding their form, function, or content (Merrington, 2016). Indeed, existing studies largely focus on the events themselves and their aftermath rather than the processes underpinning their formation and making (Mair & Smith, 2022). This qualitative study addresses this gap and investigates the dialogical …

How Variations In Health Status Influence Retirement Decisions?, Elham Parvizi Cherri

All Theses

Retirement date decisions are crucial for seniors. It is influenced by financial situation, health status, family conditions, planning for the rest of the life, etc. While some literature emphasizes economic well-being as a critical determinant, recent research suggests that health status is a more significant factor in retirement decisions. This thesis explores how variations in health status influence retirement decisions using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Building on the extensive use of HRS data in previous studies, this research expands their approaches and methodologies. Both subjective and objective health variables are utilized to address the potential …

Exploring The Motivations And Determinants Of Farmer’S Market Consumers And Organic Specialty Crop Producers, Jane Arnold

All Theses

This two-chapter thesis evaluates the motivations and determinants of the central figures in farmers’ markets and organic markets. The first chapter explores the rise of farmers’ markets popularity through an in-person survey that was designed and distributed to 274 farmers' market consumers. Logit and ordered logit regressions were used to identify the motivations and characteristics that affect the likelihood of being a frequent farmers’ market customer (visiting 5 times or more per season) and spending over $50. The second chapter investigates the organic markets for cucumber and kale, which are dominant specialty crops on today’s grocery shelves. To identify the …

The Moderating Role Of Cost And Convenience On The Relationship In The Utaut Model To Adopt E- Payment Services, Essia Ries Ahmed, Brahim Zirari, Imane Tabet Derraz

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Many emerging economies are on the brink of a major digital revolution as a result of the disruptive and game-changing wave of digitization that aims to create a financial ecosystem that will make the transition from a cash-based economy to a cashless (digital) economy the easiest way by making reliable and secure networks, Seamless payment solutions, ensuring large transactions at lightning speeds are a reality. Most studies using UTAUT are cross-sectional, capturing data at a single point in time. Longitudinal studies are needed to observe changes in behavioural intention and actual adoption of e-payment services over time, particularly in response …

Integrated Crop Recommendation System: Harnessing Machine Learning, Arun Kumar Reddy Saddikuti

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

To meet the increasing demand, for food while also reducing impact this study introduces an innovative "Integrated Crop Recommendation System" that combines advanced machine learning with sustainable farming methods. The goal of this system is to transform how crops are chosen by considering factors like soil quality, local climate and habitats for pollinators thereby enhancing the precision and effectiveness of crop suggestions. In contrast to agricultural decision support systems that often neglect the interconnectedness of soil health, weather conditions and biodiversity, this new approach aims to improve food security and sustainability. The primary research focus is on optimizing practices that …

Unveiling Key Features: A Comparative Study Of Machine Learning Models For Alzheimer's Detection, Cailean Bushnell

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis rigorously evaluates the application of an array of natural language processing (NLP) techniques and machine learning models to identify linguistic signatures indicative of dementia, as sourced from the DementiaBank Pitt corpus. Utilizing a binary classification paradigm, this study meticulously integrates sophisticated embedding methods—including Doc2Vec, Word2Vec, GloVe, and BERT—with traditional machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, ADA boost, KNN classifier, and Logistic Regression, alongside deep learning architectures like LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM. The efficacy of these methodologies is evaluated based on their capacity to differentiate between transcribed speech impacted by dementia and that from control …

Professional Development Experiences Aligned To The Ideal Self: A Positive Psychology Perspective On Individual Development, Udayan Dhar

Faculty Journal Articles

The purpose of this study is to use a positive psychology lens to broaden and refine our understanding of professional development experiences, and to construct a practical, but evidence-based framework for a developmental human resource management (HRM) system. Study 1 uses focus group interviews with 18 full-time professionals enrolled in a management education program to explore experiences that are likely to strengthen and clarify one's aspirational future professional identity, or the ideal self. In study 2, two separate professional samples (N = 204, 271) are used for measurement development and hypotheses testing. Overall, the two studies show that 15 …

Mda Insurance: At Last – A Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Policy That Can Help Pay For Catastrophic Care, Craig Start

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Families face tough caregiving decisions due to high custodial care costs, often resulting in financial and emotional strain. MDA Insurance offers an affordable whole life insurance policy with a catastrophic loss rider, providing $2,000 monthly for up to 12 months for those unable to perform daily living activities. This policy, issued by Boston Mutual Life Insurance, is available on a guaranteed-issue basis and accumulates cash value. Apply by Aug. 30 for an Oct. 1 effective date. Contact MDA Insurance for more information.

Mda At Your Service: My License Expired, And I’M Overwhelmed, Kristin Johnson Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The Michigan Public Health Code allows a 60-day grace period for license renewal with late fees and CE requirements. For health insurance options, MDA Insurance provides assistance and quotes. Attend the MDA Health Insurance Seminar on Oct. 25 for more insights. Engage in organized dentistry via local society meetings, the MDA Leadership Forum, and the LEAD Program. MDA Insurance offers Medicare support, including educational events on Sept. 13 and 27. For more details, contact relevant MDA representatives.

The New Professional: Mastering Those Awkward Moments With Patients, Amrita Patel Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Navigating awkward moments in a dental office is essential for positive patient experiences. Establish rapport with patients, use active listening, and avoid jargon. Prepare for common scenarios, communicate clearly, and address fears. Stay calm with difficult questions and provide honest answers. Train staff through role-play and feedback, and cultivate a positive, empathetic environment. Regularly solicit patient feedback to improve. These strategies ensure patients feel valued and supported.