Business Commons^™

Analyzing The Social Media Presence Of Nike, Adidas, And New Balance Using Social Listening, Sean P. Fontaine

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Just Post It: A Critical Discourse Analysis On Nike’S Instagram, Jillian Cataldo

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Tax Breaks & Incentives For Corporations On Local Economies, Chad Supranowicz

Honors Theses and Capstones

One of perhaps the most pressing political debates since the 2016 Presidential election has been centered around the impacts of the many tax breaks and incentives given to large corporations. These breaks, used most often to draw a company to a certain geographic area, are typically granted with good intention. For example, a local or state government will pursue a company by enticing them to relocate to their area in order to help boost their economy because people, jobs, and money will come with them. This can also lead to spin-off development, meaning even more people could flock to the …

The Effect Of University Sales Education On The First After-College Sales Job, Ilya Feldman

Honors Theses and Capstones

This research investigates the relationship between the amount of sales education and the job performance of the recent UNH graduates on the first after-college sales job. The overarching hypothesis suggests that more sales education leads to better sales job performance. The results of the research found this correlation to be positive and significant. Also, this research found that job performance indicators that are affected the most significantly by the amount of sales education are confidence, passion, commitment, and on-target earnings. Moreover, it identifies the categories of sales education that were determined to be the most crucial in better first after- …

Predicting Gross Revenue Using Online Movie Reviews, Cara J. Small

Honors Theses and Capstones

Today, many people check the ratings and reviews of a movie before they watch it. A review can be easily published online and seen by thousands of people, and this can change a person’s opinion on whether or not they see the film. With the increasing presence of online platforms, it has changed the way people express their thoughts and feelings. There are many different platforms people can go to find varying opinions on a particular movie. This research will consider the problem of predicting a movie’s overall gross revenue. We focus on ratings, reviews and information given on the …

Knowledge Management In The Pharmaceutical Industry: Between Academic Research And Industry Regulations, Ahmed Ramy, Mohamed Af Ragab, Amr Arisha

Articles

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the pillars of the world’s economy. A significant proportion of its value lies in intellectual assets generated through continuous innovation and lengthy development cycles within a strictly regulated environment. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap between knowledge management (KM) as an expanding academic discipline in the pharmaceutical industry and at the same time a growing regulatory expectation. A systematic review of 137 refereed KM articles revealed six empirical research themes in the pharmaceutical industry. In a subsequent step, the discovered themes and subthemes were compared with the extant regulatory expectations …

Rethinking Research Methods In Operations And Supply Chain Management, Roberto Sarmiento, Garvan Whelan, Jan Sprenger

Practitioner Journals

A few years ago, a group of Operations Management scholars (MacCarthy et al. 2013) authored a thought-provoking paper entitled ‘The same old methodologies? Perspectives on OM research in the post-lean age’. Noting that the OM field is, by its very nature, close to practice and that the world is changing economically, technologically, politically and socially, they follow up with a pointed question (934): ‘Are our OM research methods fit for purpose for the new age?’ Amongst their many interesting views and opinions, they conclude that the OM profession must not make assertions regarding the supremacy of qualitative empirical studies over …

Supporting Academic Synergies Through Co-Evolution Of Teaching And Research Excellence From Evidence-Based Practice., Roisin Donnelly, Deirdre Mcquillan

Papers, presentations and other resources

Ireland’s first Technological University(TU) came into existence in January2019, mergingthree existinghigher education institutions. This work is set in the context of thisnew TU, and explores how teaching, learning and educational research can co-evolve to generate synergies supported by evidence-based practice of the core activity sets of the lecturer. In thedisciplinarydomain ofBusiness Education, theHead of Learning Development and Head ofResearch haveidentified thebenefits of aligningaspects oftheir work in supporting academic staff to plan and undertake structured inquiry into their teaching. This is predicated on our belief that the range of work involved in supporting teaching and research are not mutually exclusive. Having …

Supporting People From Marginalised Communities Into Employment, Thomas M. Cooney

Reports

Diversity means hiring difference rather than choosing the people whom you find ‘comfortable’ and who mirror your own experience and background. It means working against conscious and unconscious bias, educating yourself and proactively finding merit in people different to you. Inclusion means recognising intersectional identities – the sum of the whole person – that greatly improve the workplace with the different perspectives they bring to an organisation. You recognise the value of that person, equal to all others who work for and with you, and you treat them as equal in all respects. This is all more than box ticking …

Women On Boards Of Philippine Corporations: Quantitative Explorations, Maria C G Bautista, Marlene De Leon, Rudyard Jose R. Nano Iv

Graduate School of Business Publications

This inductive study explored the likelihood and correlates of gender diversity in corporate boards in the Philippines. The improvement of gender diversity on boards is of advocacy and policy interest as the country emerges to middle-high income status. Logistic regression analyses from individuals' (in a directors' talent pool) responses to an online survey showed that females had a likely odds of 0.10 to be on the boards, compared to males. For every one female getting onto boards, 9 would be unable to. Females with advanced degrees were 7x likely to be on boards than female and male counterparts. The odds …

Impact Of Sanctions And Awareness On Intention To Comply With Information Security, Kevin Fitzgerald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees in higher education are likely to violate information security policies because of the open nature of academic institutions. Policy violations can lead to data breaches and identity theft that can cause harm to businesses and individuals. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study based on general deterrence theory and neutralization theory was to analyze the relationships between the independent variables, severity of sanctions, vulnerability to sanctions, and awareness of consequences, and the dependent variable, intention to comply with information security policy. Participants (n=100) who work in a higher education institution with an information security policy completed an online …

Gdom: Granulometry For The Detection Of Obfuscated Malware, John A. Aruta, N. Paul Schembari

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

We describe the results of a master's thesis in malware detection and discuss the connection to the learning goals of the project. As part of the thesis, we studied obfuscation of malware, conversion of files into images, image processing, and machine learning, a process of benefit to both the student and faculty.

Malware detection becomes significantly more difficult when the malicious specimen is obfuscated or transformed in an attempt to avoid detection. However, computer files have been shown to exhibit evidence of structure when converted into images, so with image processing filters such as granulometry, it is possible to generate …

An Analysis Of Millennials And Their Interactions With Financial Institutions, Fallon Endsley, Lucy Matthews, Cheryl Ward

Atlantic Marketing Journal

As the largest generational cohort since the Baby Boomers of the mid-20^th century, Millennials hold significant power over the future. This is especially true in business; therefore, consideration of the environment and the target market should be lucrative. Millennials seem to fit this role more every year. This project investigates the Millennial age cohort and creates a social media portfolio to create a short social media campaign for Ascend Federal Credit Union to market their financial services and education to people ages 23 – 37. This project seeks to better understand how to utilize social media in a business …

Sculpting The Public Land Base Of Northern Minnesota: Past, Present And Future, Lori A. Dowling-Hanson Dr

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Sculpting the Public Land Base in Northern Minnesota Counties: Past, Present and Future. This 3-article dissertation addresses the large public land base in the Arrowhead Region of Northern Minnesota. One fourth of all lands in the state are public lands, with the overwhelming majority located in the Arrowhead Region. These counties have anywhere from 30% to 92% public lands. The region relies heavily on a natural resource economy. Methodology for research includes secondary data analysis from several preexisting research projects and studies. Data was acquired from state auditor government costs of maintaining and managing public lands. Data was also collected …

Perceptions Of The Value Of Financial Education In African American Creditworthiness, Melvin Thomas Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests a disparity for African Americans within the banking system, as they are denied credit at a higher rate than other ethnic groups. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of African Americans financial training in regards to qualifying for consumer loans. The conceptual framework was based on seminal theories on credit risk assessment and critical race theory. The research questions were designed to address banking officials' perceptions of financial training and the effectiveness of training in improving African Americans' credit. A phenomenological design was employed with the purposeful sample of 9 banking officials within …

Working Capital Management Strategies To Increase Bank Profitability, Khalid Makki Said

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of business failures in the United States are because of business leaders’ inability to manage working capital. Some bank leaders lack strategies to improve working capital management. Grounded in the cash conversion cycle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies bank leaders used to improve working capital management. The participants consisted of 3 managers from 3 different U.S. banks in Kentucky, who successfully implemented working capital management strategies to increase bank profitability. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and company documents provided by the participants. Data were analyzed using …

Information Systems Strategies For Small And Medium Size Enterprise Sustainability, Oluseyi Solomon Awotayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium size business owners who do not use information systems effectively degrade business models, reduce customer value, and diminish the prospects for business stability, profitability, and growth. Grounded in the resource based view framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the information systems strategies small business owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years. A purposeful sample of 5 owners of 5 different small and medium sized businesses in the state of Texas participated in the study. Data were collected via semistructured, face-to-face interviews, company documents, and member checking. Data were analyzed using …

Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover In Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Tijani Mohammed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover leads to increased operational costs and workloads and affects sales performance. Reducing employee turnover is essential for managers of small and medium sized enterprises to minimize costs and increase sales performance. Grounded in the job embeddedness theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies managers of small and medium sized enterprises use to reduce employee turnover that negatively affects sales performance. The participants consisted of 3 managers of small and medium sized enterprises in the Bronx, New York. Data were collected using semistructured, face-to-face interviews, and a review of organizational documents. A thematic …

Organizational Capacity-Building To Battle Addiction In The Oneida Community, Anita F. Barber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oneida Nation community members created a new and developing organization The Healing Society (fictious name) operated by a volunteer board. The board needed strategic direction to build organizational capacity and sustainability to address the lack of awareness in the community about the increase in opioid and heroin abuse after a well-known community member died from an overdose. The purpose of this postpositivist constructionist qualitative case study was to gather empirical data from the perspectives of internal and external stakeholders through a SWOT analysis focused on their perspectives. Their answers addressed: (a) the organizational strengths and weaknesses of The Healing Society …

Strategies To Manage Quality In Outsourced Manufacturing Processes, Claudia Elizabeth Contreras

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Offshore outsourcing operations that involve high risks of noncompliance with quality specifications have been studied among scholars. Researchers have demonstrated that organizations pursue offshore outsourcing to reduce costs and to remain competitive; however, noncompliance with quality specifications increases product costs. Grounded in the total quality management model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore business managers’ strategies used to ensure compliance with quality standards when outsourcing manufacturing processes internationally. The participants consisted of 3 managers of companies in Riverside County, California, who successfully outsourced offshore manufacturing operations. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and validated with …

Implementation Of An Electronic Health Record-Keeping System, Deborah Jean Kilgore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, only 15% of behavior health hospitals in the United States had been converted from paper charting systems to electronic health records (EHRs) systems. Healthcare managers are concerned about the lack of EHRs because they need to meet mandated federal requirements to implement EHR systems. Using the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to identify strategies behavioral healthcare managers use to adopt their EHR system. The participants consisted of 5 behavioral healthcare managers working in a chemical dependency treatment facility located in the U.S. Midwest. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, a review …

Leadership Strategies For Improving Mergers And Acquisitions Performance, Alon Ben Jacob

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a critical process business leaders use to increase profitability and grow their business. Still, the majority of M&As fail to deliver the expected value to the acquirers. Grounded in Sarasvathy's effectuation theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies to conduct successful M&A processes. The participants were 8 individuals from a global healthcare company who acted as the company's presidents and had experience conducting M&As. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The following themes emerged: leadership focus, value creation, …

Strategies U.S. Coal Railroad Company Leaders Use To Remain Profitable, Jonathan Tomlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of coal railroad companies in the United States have experienced significant losses in profitability. Loss of profitability is of concern to railroad company leaders because it can lead to business closure. Through the lens of the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies leaders of U.S. coal railroad companies use to remain profitable. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company documents from 4 railroad leaders in the Southeastern United States who successfully implemented strategies to remain profitable. Yin’s 5-step process was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged: an equipment …

Leadership Strategies For Reducing Turnover Within Child Welfare Departments, Lace Shelise Whitten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover costs companies billions of dollars annually and can damage business sustainability. Childcare managers who lack leadership strategies may struggle to reduce employee turnover. Grounded in the motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore leadership strategies childcare managers in Polk County, Florida, use to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 purposively selected childcare managers who have used leadership strategies to reduce employee turnover. Data were also collected via field notes, observations, and company documents. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data: open communication, feedback …

High-Performance Organizational Culture And Corporate Success, Alexander Lapshun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some Singapore global corporation business leaders experience difficulties building a high-performance culture. Building a high-performance culture encourages high performance, promotes excellence, and nurtures a continuous improvement climate. Grounded in Gilbert's behavioral engineering model, the purpose of this qualitative mini ethnography single case study was to explore strategies midlevel managers in Singapore use to create a high-performance organizational culture. Six midlevel managers representing a Fortune 500 information technology firm in Singapore participated in the study. Data collection included semistructured interviews followed by member checking, direct observations, and a review of the company's documents. Marshall and Rossman's 5-step data analysis process identified …

New Venture Modeling Strategies For Information Technology Business Startups, Jude Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) startup owners often lack new venture modeling strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Information technology startup owners with backgrounds in software development, IT project management, and computer engineering need to know about the strategies discovered in the study to make operational, modeling, and project level decisions that ensure sustained organizational profitability. Grounded in Kim and Mauborgne's blue ocean theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore new venture modeling strategies some information technology startup owners use to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Study participants comprised 3 IT startup business owners …

Employee Motivation And Knowledge Transfer In Nonprofit Organizations, Heidi Keam Nors

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIneffective knowledge transfer strategies can negatively affect knowledge creation and employee motivation. Nonprofit business leaders who struggle with knowledge transfer among department staff are at a high risk of not improving employee motivation. Grounded in Kahn’s organizational theory on leadership and structure, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the knowledge transfer strategies used by nonprofit business leaders to transfer knowledge among departmental staff and to improve employee motivation. The participants comprised business leaders and staff, consisting of 2 executives, 2 managers, and 2 departmental staff members from a nonprofit charter school management company in North …

Relationship Between Virtual Employee Engagement, Self-Efficacy, And Productivity, Centelle St Aimee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low productivity in organizations can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue. Low productivity is important to organizational leaders because it can lead to lower profits for businesses. Organizational leaders who understand employee behaviors that increase productivity can reduce lost revenue from high turnover rates and low employee retention. Grounded in social cognitive theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between virtual employee engagement, employee self-efficacy, and productivity. Survey data from 81 virtual workers were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results indicated the full model containing 2 predictor variables (employee self-efficacy and employee …

What Impedes The Success Of Late Mover It Clusters Despite Economically Favorable Environments? A Case Study Of An Indian It Cluster, Harini Mittal, Punit Saurabh, Devang Rohit, Kathak Mehta

Publications and Research

The Information Technology (IT) industry in India, is one of the major contributors to the country’s growth story. It is organized in a few strong and dominant clusters across the country. Recent research focuses on the emergence, growth and success of the seven big IT clusters that account for 96.55  of total software exports from the country. Unlike the six successful late mover clusters, there are several other late mover IT clusters that have not experienced similar growth. Why do some of the late mover IT clusters in India succeed while others fail to take off despite favorable economic conditions? …

A Model Construction For Investigating The Impact Of Enterprise Social Media Affordances On Employees’ Perceived Creativity, Yuan Sun, Chunli Wang, Anand Jeyaraj, Kun Nie

Management Information Systems Faculty Publications

Enterprise social media (ESM) is increasingly applied in modern enterprises to promote knowledge sharing and social interactions among employees, and has an important potential for enhancing employees’ creativity. However, it is still unclear whether ESM can help boost employee creativity, and the technical design factors that cast ESM as a creativity support system needs investigation. To fill this research gap, this study constructs a research model based on the affordance lens to examine the influences of association and visibility affordances of ESM on employees’ perception of creativity. The moderating role of job autonomy in the relationship between ESM affordances and …