Business Commons^™

Navigating Study Abroad: Improving Western Michigan University Students' Understanding Of University-Approved Provider Programs Through A Website Redesign, Gillian Gold

Honors Theses

Study abroad is a valuable opportunity for students' personal and professional development and is offered in various study abroad models and frameworks, including university-run or externally-run. Western Michigan University offers various options, including Faculty-Led Programs, WMU Exchange Programs, Partner Study Abroad Programs, University-Approved Provider Programs, International Internships, and Independent Study Abroad Opportunities. The University-Approved Provider Programs option at WMU allows students to study abroad through a provider that could more directly meet their interests and goals due to the personalized options available. Despite the benefits of the University-Approved Provider Programs, participation in these programs is low. The information about this …

The Evolution Of Accounting: Historical Bookkeeping And Double Entry, Linda N. Moua

Research & Creative Achievement Day

In present-day accounting, technology  has transformed the efficiency and effectiveness of transaction recording.  Microsoft Excel has become a standard tool since its launch in the 1980s and has  quickly replaced handwritten work. This research aims to analyze the origins  of accounting, specifically in bookkeeping and double-entry, and how it has  proven to be the language of business from the beginning. This research will  initially look at stone tablets from the Mesopotamian Era and into the  development of double entry, with how its evolved origins are still similar  and different today. Other than the history of bookkeeping and double entry,  there …

Organizational Agility And Performance: A Case Study On Road And Transport Authority - Dubai, Fatma Tarish Saeed Butubair Almheiri

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Agile methods have become greatly popular because of their ability to help organizations, especially service-oriented ones, to react quickly to changing environmental conditions. This responsiveness enables the meeting of customer requirements and the improvement of customer satisfaction and makes Agility a determining factor in the modern-day high-intensity competitive business environment characterized by a dynamic and unpredictable environment. The application of the agile principles simultaneously enhances the capability of an organization to adapt quickly to the changes in the market, which includes the changes in the preferences of the consumers, the competition and technology changes. As a result, the agility framework …

Emily Worthmore Receives 2026 Easton Award, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Ai Readiness, Skill Gaps, And The Future Of Marketing, Trey Thomas, Angela Galaviz, Amanda Evert, Mihaela Roxana Ifrim

Student Research

This presentation explores how artificial intelligence is changing workforce readiness in marketing. It focuses on the growing gap between employer expectations and student preparation, showing how AI driven marketing now requires stronger analytical thinking, practical digital skills, and ethical decision making. The research also examines how learner feedback can help evaluate AI supported education and how responsible AI use affects trust, privacy, and long term marketing success. Overall, the project argues that future marketing readiness depends on practical, inclusive, and ethically grounded AI skill development.

Blockchain Technology In Supply Chain, Travis Thorhaug

Honors Theses

The global supply chain has become increasingly complex and important in recent years. As businesses try to make more money, they are searching every aspect to save costs. This study aims to evaluate whether blockchain technology such as the XRP Ledger (DLT) paired with RippleNet can improve cross-border payments within a company’s supply chain. Using a qualitative research approach of analyzing current systems like SWIFT and the correspondent banking network, new technology, and present-day case studies, we can see that businesses have been experiencing an old system that is costly, slow, and inefficient. Additionally, the findings show the significant advantages …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The World’S Largest Entertainment Conglomerate: The Walt Disney Company, Brendan Finnery, Judah Davis, Matt Mossinghoff, Rebecca Sims

2026 Student Academic Showcase

This project presents a comprehensive strategic and operational analysis of The Walt Disney Company to identify key gaps within its current business model. Using an integrated management policy approach, the study evaluates external and internal influences on Disney’s competitive position through the application of established analytical frameworks, including PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, the VRIO framework, and SWOT analysis. Peer-to-peer comparisons of the company’s financial health and capacity for growth were then assessed utilizing liquidity, leverage, efficiency, and profitability ratios. In compiling such strategic and financial insights, this analysis aims to inform the development of a purposeful SMART goal recommendation, addressing …

An Exploratory Analysis Of A Regional Nonprofit & Family Services Organization, Alison Schrumpf, Eleri Tye, Hailey Veninga

2026 Student Academic Showcase

Nonprofit organizations are essential in supporting youth's mental health in their communities, and the data they collect allows us to evaluate program effectiveness and how services can be improved to better support their communities. This project aims to evaluate program and provider outcomes, client demographics, and assessment scores for a regional nonprofit and family services organization to better understand client success, program effectiveness, and the impact of COVID-19. The dataset includes client demographic information, programs, zip codes, first and last session assessment dates and scores, discharge types, and provider IDs. To investigate score changes, we are analyzing the correlation between …

Predicting Telecom Customer Churn: A Statistically Validated Kpi Framework With Machine Learning And Revenue Impact Modeling, Moeez Islam Malik '27, Amy Ehinomen Eremionkhale

Student Research

This capstone project addresses a core business problem in the telecommunications industry: how to detect, measure, and prevent customer churn before it occurs, using a KPI framework validated by statistical analysis and machine learning. Applied to 7,043 customer records across 37 variables from a California-based telecom operator, the analysis integrates descriptive KPI computation, Pearson correlation analysis, chi-square tests of independence, and logistic regression churn prediction. The research confirms that customer tenure (r = −0.352, p < 0.001) and contract type (Cramér's V = 0.410, p < 0.001) are the dominant predictors of churn, and that a logistic regression model achieves AUC-ROC = 0.8307 — sufficient for proactive deployment. A 5-percentage-point churn reduction preserves $273,670 in annual revenue and $1.55M in customer lifetime value. The project delivers an integrated analytical framework, a predictive retention model, a 16-chart visualization suite, and a 12-page Power BI executive dashboard.

Factors That Affect African American Representation In Cybersecurity Academic Programs In The United States, Damon Walker

Dissertations

The U.S. cybersecurity workforce continues to experience a critical talent shortage alongside persistent inequities in racial representation, particularly at the faculty level within higher education. This mixed-methods dissertation examines African American representation among faculty in cybersecurity academic programs designated by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) and investigates the factors that influence recruitment, retention, and advancement. Grounded in a transformative research framework, the study integrates quantitative analysis of national institutional data with qualitative interviews to illuminate structural patterns and lived experiences shaping representation.

Quantitative findings revealed pronounced underrepresentation: African American faculty comprise 2.57% (130 of 5,051) of …

Distilled Identities: The History And Gender Politics Of The Perfume Industry, Emma Shaffer

Honors Projects

This paper analyzes the use of gendered perfume marketing in the West. Drawing upon the work of Joe Schwartz, Sarah Evrett, and others, I examine the history of this phenomenon and the politics keeping the perfume market segregated by gender. How long has perfume existed? Has it always been so strict on who wears what fragrance? My results found that perfume has only been gendered since the Victorian era, dispelling the myth that gendered fragrance is the only way to market perfume. However, I also found that when gender neutral fragrances have been introduced, they have not had much staying …

Lindenwood Earns Military Friendly® Gold Designation For 2026-2027, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Does Moneyball Still Win Games? A Twenty Year Analysis Of Mlb Success, Kevin Wright

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates whether the core principles of the Moneyball ideology continue to predict team success in Major League Baseball in the modern analytics era. In the last two decades, the widespread adoption of advanced statistical methods across all franchises has raised the central question of whether the original inefficiencies Moneyball exploited may no longer exist. To address this, this study analyzes twenty years of team‑level data from 2005-2025 (excluding 2020), incorporating seven performance metrics historically or conceptually tied to Moneyball which include OBP, WHIP, FIP, DRS, SB%, clutch, and wins per dollar, alongside demographic controls. Success is measured across …

The Effect Of State-Level Antitakeover Laws On Entrepreneurial Activity, Trevor Knotwell

Economics Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Second-Hand Consequences: Who Bears The Cost Of Fast Fashion?, Juliana Dominguez

Economics Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Pilattes; A Campaign With Prickly Pear Coffee Co., Grace Elizabeth Lappenga, Karis Grace Joe, Abigail Brooke Encalade

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The Prickly Pear Coffee Co. campaign sought to build awareness and community engagement around the brand’s new mobile camper location in Franklin, Tennessee. Founded by Annika Baylis, Prickly Pear Coffee Co. is a Christ-centered brand that began as a mobile espresso cart during the COVID-19 pandemic and grew into a Nashville staple with multiple storefronts.

With the new Franklin location facing limited awareness and a reduced marketing budget following complications from the January 2026 ice storm, three students in Belmont University’s PR Campaigns class conducted a situation analysis that included audience research, social media audits, and influencer identification. These insights …

The Evolution And Impact Of Fashion Marketing In The Age Of Social Media, Lillie L. Warrington

Honors Theses

This research paper aims to analyze the effect of social media on consumer behavior in fashion marketing by investigating how fashion brands have adapted their strategies to leverage social media platforms effectively and exploring the role of social media influencers in shaping brand perception and consumer loyalty. By addressing these objectives, this research seeks to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on digital marketing in the fashion industry, offering valuable insights.

The study will be conducted through a comprehensive review of existing research and primary research, including a survey of 143 participants, to better understand how social media affects …

Beyond Detection: Drink Spiking And Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Prevention, Response, And Systems Gaps On College Campuses And Beyond, Neve Palmeri

School of Business Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Centralizing Communication Intake To Improve Workflow Visibility And Engagement: A Quality Improvement Project In A Cancer Center's Education Division, Menatalla El-Sharkawi, Mohamed Ait Aiss

Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement

Background: In large or complex organizations, multiple teams may be charged with managing different components of a project, initiative, or administrative assignment. When these teams have overlapping needs for information, the absence of a structured intake and tracking process can limit transparency, reduce efficiency, and hinder coordination across communication channels.

Methods: Drawing on principles of strategic communications and project management, we created a structured and centralized information sharing process for teams within the education division of a comprehensive cancer center. The intervention included workflow redesign, development of a standardized intake system, and use of real-time dashboard analytics to support operation …

Scientific Research In Cuba: A General Analysis With A Special Focus On Energy, Agriculture And Technology, Henri Dou, Pierre Fournie

International Journal of Islands Research

An analysis of science in Cuba is carried out using data from the OpenAlex database. Examples are developed: agriculture, rice, technology in relation to the current situation: national food supply, energy and medicine. The predominance of research in biology and medicine and the low commitment in the fields of agriculture, energy, medicinal plants and technology are highlighted. Various development schemes are proposed. The conclusion is that research must be directed towards strategic areas: food and energy, must be less dispersed and that technology must be better taken into account. Three proposals are made: the development of a chemical analysis platform …

When Metal Theft Becomes A Life Safety Crisis, Alan Saquella

Publications

By any traditional measure, scrap and metal theft has long been categorized as a property crime, costly, disruptive, and frustrating, but rarely viewed as an immediate threat to human life. That framing, however, no longer reflects reality. What was once considered a nuisance crime has evolved into something far more consequential, particularly when it intersects with critical infrastructure.

Building on the risks outlined in “Scrap Disposal: When the End of the Supply Chain Becomes a Brand and Public Safety Risk,” by Marcos Fontes, a more serious dimension comes into focus when essential systems are targeted. In these cases, the impact …

Sowing Imbalance From The Start: Power, Role Socialization, And Graduate Assistants In Ncaa Division I Power Four Athletic Departments, Kaitlin Pericak, Daniel Springer, Brittany Washington, Rachel Silva

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Graduate assistantships represent early entry points into intercollegiate athletics and serve as critical sites of professional socialization. Guided by Mead’s (1934) role theory and Foucault’s (1975/1977) concept of power, this study examined how graduate assistants (GAs) negotiated their dual roles as students and employees within Division I Power Four athletic departments. Semi-structured interviews with 10 current GAs revealed how organizational expectations normalized overwork, positioned the master’s degree as a compulsory credential, and sowed imbalance that shaped participants’ identities and well-being. Findings demonstrate how GAs internalized structured constraints and reproduced organizational norms, framing overwork as a necessary rite of passage. These …

Creating Strategy-Focused Universities Using The Balanced Scorecard And Accreditation Framework, Mohammed Fayazuddin, Balaji N, Sankar Ganesh

Journal of Global Management Research

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a versatile framework for performance measurement and strategic management. It has been widely successful in helping businesses and institutes of higher education (IHE) implement strategies and achieve their mission and vision by maintaining a balance between financial and non-financial metrics. Globally, numerous universities have adopted the BSC to enhance quality and address the needs of stakeholders effectively.This study explores the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard in universities, examining its advantages, prerequisites, and challenges. It also establishes a link between the four perspectives of the BSC—financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth—and the thirty-four key …

Foreign Pedagogy In Education: Theoretical Foundations, Cross-Cultural Dynamics, And Implications For Global Learning, Chitra Venugopal, Prabhakar Rontala Subramaniam

Journal of Global Management Research

This conceptual paper examines foreign pedagogy as a critical lens for understanding how teaching philosophies, instructional strategies, and educational values travel across cultural and national boundaries. Drawing on comparative education, sociocultural theory, and postcolonial scholarship, the paper investigates the processes by which pedagogical models are borrowed, adapted, or imposed between educational systems. It argues that foreign pedagogy is not a neutral transfer of knowledge but a deeply ideological practice shaped by power, cultural epistemology, and institutional context. The paper identifies five central themes: the philosophical roots of major global pedagogical traditions, the mechanisms of pedagogical transfer and borrowing, the tensions …

Green Corporate Responsibility And Sustainable Human Resource Management (Hrm) Functions, Sundara Boopathi R, Shanmugam Sundararajan

Journal of Global Management Research

In order to encourage employee sustainability behavior and achieve long-term organizational success, Green Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM) departments place a strong emphasis on incorporating environmental principles into HR processes. Within the context of Green Corporate Social Responsibility (GCSR), this study investigates how Sustainable Human Resource Management (Green HRM) functions affect Organizational Sustainability through the mediating roles of Pro-environmental Behavior (PEB) and Pro-environmental Psychological Climate (PEPC). based on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Social Exchange Theory (SET), and Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory. By incorporating six essentials Green HRM practices-green hiring and selection, green training and development, green performance evaluation, …

Identifying Skill Gaps And Upskilling Priorities For C-Level Executives Using The Analytic Hierarchy Process (Ahp) Analysis, Mohamed Riyazhkhan, Mohsin Aziz, Krishna Murthy, Abdul Azeez K M, George Anthony Fernando

Journal of Global Management Research

C-level executives, or chief-level executives, play a significant role in corporate development, and their roles and responsibilities are essential for sustaining organizational effectiveness in an increasingly competitive business environment. They also constitute a fundamental component of organizational management systems (Julie & Emory, 2006). In this research, data were collected exclusively from C-level or C-suite executives (CEO, CFO, COO, and CHRO) from leading corporations in Oman and India. This study investigates three representative cases related to managerial functions across various corporate organizations. The first case examines the job descriptions associated with C-level executives, the second case explores the identification of skill …

A Critical Perspective On Artificial Intelligence's Energy Footprint And Future Research Questions For Accounting And Business Research, Dr Mansi Mansi, Rakesh Pandey

Journal of Global Management Research

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Analysis Of Household Liquidity, Austin D. Murray

Create@State

We use data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) to examine whether cross-sectional variation in household liquidity is explained by the precautionary motive. Household liquidity is measured using days’ liquidity held (DLH), defined as the ratio of liquid assets to daily expenditures. Descriptive evidence reveals substantial cross-sectional and time-series variation in household liquidity over the 2004-2022 sample period. Our multivariate results provide mixed support for the precautionary motive for household liquidity. Consistent with the investment dimension of the precautionary motive, household liquidity increases with expected future investment opportunities. However, contrary to the precautionary motive, household liquidity varies inversely with …

Future = Ai + Database: Educator’S Perspective On Ai Usage Within K-12 Classrooms, Seung Ho Jeon

Create@State

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in education is generating both opportunities and governance for K-12 systems across the United States. Conducted in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, this study examines educators’ perspectives on AI use in classrooms across multiple Arkansas school districts. The purpose is to inform the development of policy and oversight frameworks at the state and district levels. Educators completed an IRB-approved survey evaluating AI across five domains: instructional and administrative benefits, classroom concerns and potential downsides, trust and ethical considerations, governance and oversight structures, and professional support and training needs. Responses were …

How Rational Is Ai Investment Advice? Risk-Return Relevance In Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Investments, Oscar O. Gilbert, Tianxiang Chu

Create@State

Textbook finance theories indicate that investors demand risk premia from risky assets as compensation for risk and for hedging against future unfavorable economic states. We design a comprehensive study to examine whether investment advice generated by artificial intelligence (AI) reflects a coherent risk–return pattern in investment decision-making. We find that AI advises investors to increase stock investments when return increases and reduce stock allocations when stock volatility increases. However, AI ignores the hedging role of the stock market with consumption growth. A low risk aversion cannot explain this failure to respond to consumption-related risk. We further find that AI provides …