Business Commons^™

Two Essays On Out-Of-Town Home Buyers, Kamrul H. Talukdar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation analyzes the price premia paid by Out-of-Town (or non-local) home buyers. The first essay investigates the role of social connectedness in the price premia paid by non-local buyers in the residential housing market. Using over 74,000 residential transactions from Orange and Seminole counties, Florida between 2016 and 2019 and exploiting the Social Connectedness Index (SCI) constructed based on Facebook friendship links, I show that non-local buyers who come from regions which are more socially connected to the purchase location pay about 1.8% to 2.1% lower premia compared to those coming from less connected regions. This effect is attributed …

Two Papers Exploring Cognitive Fit Theory And Data Visualization In Accounting, Kelly Wellman

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examines how data visualization design influences judgment and decision making in accounting using cognitive fit theory as a unifying framework. As visualization tools such as dashboards, Excel, Tableau, and Power BI become increasingly prevalent, understanding which design choices improve performance has become critical. The first paper provides a structured literature review of cognitive fit theory from 1991 through 2025, synthesizing research across accounting and related disciplines and tracing its evolution from early graph vs tables comparisons to mor recent work incorporating task complexity, individual differences, and design-specific features. The review identifies key gaps, including limited attention to difference …

Switching Things Up: Investigating The Costs Of Switching Between Tasks Of Varying Interdependence And Factors That Influence These Transitions, Taylor A. Wilhelmy

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Though researchers have indicated that there is a high probability teams will transition between tasks of varying interdependence (Benishek & Lazzara, 2019; Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2016), there is a need to further examine this idea (Smith-Jentsch, 2015; Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2016) as few have actually studied it. Expanding upon Moon et al. (2004), this study examines the costs associated with transitioning between two tasks of varying levels of interdependence (i.e., pooled and team interdependence; Saavedra et al., 1993), how these costs vary depending on the order the tasks are engaged while examining how team cognition (i.e., transactive memory systems) and/or …

Human And Ai Support In Business Simulations: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study Of Performance At Scale, Sara Willox

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large classes change what instruction looks like. In hybrid business courses with high enrollment, it becomes harder to respond to individual students, and performance can suffer as a result. This study looked at what happens when that gap is addressed in different ways during an eight-week business simulation at the University of Central Florida. Six course sections were divided into three study groups. One group worked without support, one received instructor guidance, and one used AI tools that included a course search system and generative responses. Student outcomes were based on weekly profit and loss recorded in Sim Companies. The …

Two Essays On Geopolitical Risk And Investment Decisions, Jie Hu

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

My first essay studies how global institutional investors adjust cross-country equity allocations in response to rising geopolitical risk. Using quarterly equity holdings of institutional investors over 1997–2023, combined with news-based global and country-specific geopolitical risk indices, I find that following increases in geopolitical risk within a country, foreign institutions actively reduce their allocations in that country and the nearby region. Elevated global geopolitical uncertainty triggers both a flight-to-home response toward domestic equities and a flight-to-safety effect toward U.S. equities. Investor responses are heterogeneous: Institutions with higher geopolitical risk sensitivity respond more aggressively, whereas larger or better-performing hedge funds often maintain …

Gratitude As Social Information: How Leader And Follower Gratitude Expressions Influence First-Level Supervisors’ Work Experiences, Meghan E. Kane

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Gratitude is an important other-oriented, moral emotion known to promote individual well-being, strengthen social relationships, and foster positive workplace outcomes. Yet, organizational research has largely focused on gratitude as an individual trait or internal emotional state, with limited attention to its interpersonal signaling functions. Drawing on Emotion as Social Information (EASI) theory, this dissertation conceptualizes gratitude expressions as social cues that shape how others feel, think, and behave in the workplace. Focusing on first-level supervisors, an underexamined yet critical role in organizations, and integrating insights from leadership and followership research, this work examines how the source of gratitude expressions (leader …

Did They Think I Was Rude? The Emotional And Relational Consequences Of (In)Congruence Between Perpetrators’ Self- And Meta-Perceptions Of Workplace Rudeness, Nicholas C. Andriese

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Workplace rudeness negatively impacts employees and costs organizations millions of dollars each year. Although much is known about the consequences of workplace rudeness, little is known about how perpetrators make sense of and respond to their (potentially) rude behavior. In this dissertation, I propose that perpetrators consider not only their self-perceptions of rudeness, or how rude they believe their actions were, but also their meta-perceptions of rudeness, or their beliefs about how rude another person perceived them to be. Because rudeness is subjective and people vary in their perceptual accuracy, self- and meta-perceptions of rudeness are unlikely to consistently …

Multihoming And Single-Homing Complementors' Responses To Intensified Between-Platform Competition: Evidence From The Youtube–Twitch Rivalry, Niloofar Abolfathi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research Summary: This paper examines how heterogeneous YouTube content creators-specifically, single-homing and multihoming channels-respond to a sudden increase in the exposure of the rival platform, Twitch. Contrary to expectations, I find that multihoming channels reduce their content creation efforts and underperform relative to single-homers. To make sense of these surprising results, I develop a formal model that characterizes the strategic behavior of different types of complementors operating across two platforms with varying levels of user exposure. The model offers a plausible explanation for the observed empirical patterns, suggesting that intensified competition between platforms, as a consequence of their changing exposure, …

Policy Uncertainty Reduces Green Innovation, Mengyu Wang, Jeffrey Wurgler, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Policy uncertainty can undermine the power of government subsidies to stimulate environmentally friendly research and development. We show that Chinese firms’ green R&D falls as the uncertainty of environmental subsidies rises: Exogenous, weather-driven air pollution variability induces subsidies to fluctuate, and firms in areas with high weather-driven subsidy variability undertake less green R&D and hire fewer technical employees, controlling for the average level of subsidies. Heavy emitters and environmental technology firms are more affected. The results also illustrate how policy uncertainty can arise when policymakers are influenced by conditions that are salient but with causes that are difficult to disentangle.

Large Owner Expropriation Threat And Stock Option Pay's Effect On Firm Risk-­Taking Behaviors In Weak Institutions, Cuili Qian, Lipeng (Gary) Ge, Xuesong Geng, Jiatao Li, Maria Hasenhuttl

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research Question/Issue: This study investigates the impact of managerial stock option pay on firm risk-­ taking behaviors in aweak institutional context, a critical question that has been overlooked by the literature. Specifically, we build on the comparative corporate governance perspective that emphasizes the implications of large shareholders' expropriation threat in weak institutions to develop predictions about their impact on the stock option's incentive alignment effect. We further explore the boundary conditions of such a relationship.Research Findings/Insights: Based on a sample of Chinese listed firms between 2006 and 2016, we find that a high level of large shareholders' expropriation threat weakens …

The Actor, The Character, And The Audience: The Impact Of Racial Alignment On Theater Audiences, Conwell Worthington Iii

Open Access Dissertations

Broadway represents the pinnacle of live theater in the USA, generating billions of dollars in revenue and serving as an international cultural icon. Despite Broadway’s prominence, it faces challenges stemming from its reliance on a relatively homogeneous audience base and a changing market. One determinant of both financial and critical success is casting. Casting also significantly impacts audience perceptions and acceptance. The recent success of Hamilton: An American Musical and Six: The Musical juxtaposed with the failure of 1776 have sparked discussion and interest into how to best utilize non-traditional casting as a strategy to broaden Broadway Audiences. This dissertation …

Moral Outrage To Market Impact: A Multi-Level Analysis Of Corporate Cancel Culture, Sayan Gupta, T. Andrew Poehlman

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Corporate cancel culture is often dismissed as “just social media noise,” but for managers the real stakes show up in markets. This paper develops and tests a three-level framework linking moralized social-media discourse, online brand reputation, and firm-level financial outcomes. Using three canonical cancellations—Dolce & Gabbana’s China controversy, Tesla’s politicization via Elon Musk, and Bud Light’s backlash after its transgender influencer partnership—we first show that these events are organized around spikes in moral-emotional language and structural virality, not generic negativity. We then document how this moral outrage predicts shifts in brand sentiment, associations, and engagement across platforms, before examining corresponding …

Ai In The Workplace: Understanding The Path Between Ai Adoption Intensity And Ai-Induced Job Insecurity, Joanna J. Frieske

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more embedded in organizational workflows and is reshaping work environments, changing how we work, make decisions, stay engaged, perform, and learn. While AI adoption is associated with a wide range of benefits, it also presents negative aspects that may affect employee experiences and influence the future of work. Drawing on extant literature and on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, this research proposes a model in which psychological safety mediates the relationship between AI adoption intensity and job insecurity, while procedural justice and AI self-efficacy act …

The Differential Impacts Of Internal And External Corporate Social Responsibility Activities On Consumer Trust After Covid-19, Kennadi C. Mccoy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the strategic role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in helping small businesses recover from crises, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Different from many traditional studies that highlight the ethical or reputational aspects of CSR, this research will examine its practical effects: how CSR initiatives during crises influence business success by enhancing consumer trust, particularly by examining the differential impact of Internal CSR versus External CSR. The study suggests that, compared with internally focused CSR, external CSR activities will have a greater impact on consumer trust. In addition, the dissertation suggests that this effect is …

The Impact Of Ai Service Workers On Opportunistic Complaint Behavior, Chelsi J. Baker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Consumer complaint behavior research has traditionally focused on interactions between customers and human employees, leaving open questions about how these behaviors may change when the service agent is artificial intelligence. This research looks at whether customers are more likely to engage in opportunistic complaint behavior when interacting with AI service agents and explores what might explain that behavior. The results show that customers are more likely to behave opportunistically when interacting with AI service agents than with human employees. Perceived morality helps explain this relationship, as more human-like service agents increase the extent to which exaggerating a complaint is seen …

Back To The Office Or Out The Door: The Impact Of Return-To-Office Mandates On Employee Well-Being And Turnover Intention, Charlotte Renee Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The widespread adoption of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered traditional workplace arrangements. As organizations increasingly implement RTO mandates, questions have emerged about how these changes affect employee well-being and turnover intentions. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources framework, this study examined the relationship between RTO mandates and two employee outcomes: employee well-being and turnover intention. The study also tested whether work engagement mediated these relationships and whether perceived organizational support and work stressors moderated the relationship between RTO mandates and work engagement.

A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from 229 U.S. employees working …

Agentic Ai As A System Within Systems: A Process Model Of Organizational Embedding., Aravindh Sekar, Deb Tech

Research & Publications

The emergence of Agentic AI systems is reshaping organizational processes through continuous adaptation, autonomous coordination, and real-time operational execution. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence applications focused on discrete decision-making tasks, Agentic AI systems operate continuously and interact dynamically with organizational environments. Existing AI ethics literature has primarily emphasized issues such as fairness, bias, transparency, and accountability within static or decision-centric AI contexts. Similarly, traditional AI alignment research has largely focused on ensuring that AI systems pursue intended goals and remain controllable under specified operational conditions. However, these approaches may be insufficient for explaining how ethical risks evolve with continuously operating autonomous …

Exploring Shared Experiences As Citizen Sport Diplomats: A Collaborative Self-Ethnography, Randall J. Griffiths, Jacob K. Tingle, Angela Breidenstein

School of Business Faculty Research

Research purpose: This study was a critical analysis of the lived experiences of three American university professors who served as volunteer citizen diplomats in a bi-lateral U.S. State Department sport exchange program with North Macedonian volleyball coaches.

Research methods: With the aim of capturing the experience of serving as citizen sport diplomats and making sense of it to inform future practice, this research utilized a collaborative self-ethnography approach. This reflexive approach brings together: (a) analytic autoethnography as individuals themselves are engaged in the ethnography and study, and (b) collective ethnography as a team collects and makes sense of shared data …

Revisiting Dependency In The Twenty-First Century: A Critical Analysis Of Africa-China Relations, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This research assesses the characteristics of today’s Africa–China relations using dependency theory, world systems theory, neocolonialism, and South-South cooperation, using comparisons between historical African dependence on European colonial powers and recent reliance on China in terms of trade, infrastructure, debt, and technology. This research identifies how contemporary cooperations either continue previous patterns of economic and political subordination or create a transformation of those relationships or provide a challenge to them. Using qualitative comparative historical analysis, along with specific case studies and secondary sources (academic journals, speeches, government publications, etc.), the research demonstrates that while Africa-China relations exhibit fewer structural features …

Honors Project In Business Admin Group 2, Matt R. Howell, Richard W. Black, Kale R. Kochman, Anthony J. Mast

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our team is performing a strategic analysis on Project Learn, Summit County's non-profit that provides resources to adult learners to complete their GED. Our goal is to provide recommendations for them to expand their market and improve the product that they currently offer. This includes exploring new partnerships, adding additional services, and various other initiatives that we hope will improve the organization's wellbeing.

[Abstract For] Bond Pricing Mechanics Beyond Yield-To-Maturity Based Calculations, Maura Alexander, Tom Arnold, Xiu (Summer) Liu

Finance Faculty Publications

Three methods for pricing bonds are presented: using a constant yield to maturity, using the yield curve with discount factors, and using implied forward rates from the yield curve with backward induction.  By moving beyond the first method, more dynamic duration and convexity analyses emerge.  Further, logical connections and extensions are made in regard to pricing bonds with embedded options, the calculation of a swap rate, and the “bond bootstrapping” process for building a yield curve.

James Stone & Sons Ledgers Collection

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

Two ledgers which document the financial transactions in the Oxford, Mississippi law firm James Stone and Sons between June 1939 and August 1954.  The attorney Phil Stone was a friend of the young William Faulkner, sharing an intense interest in literature as well as serving as Faulkner’s attorney in later years.

From Monasteries To The Market: The Legal And Spiritual Economies Of Himalayan Art In China, Hengshi An

MA Theses

In recent years, the Himalayan art market in China has shown a remarkable transformation, emerging as one of the most dynamic segments within the broader Asian art economy. While much of the global and domestic art market has stagnated, Tibetan and Himalayan artworks have achieved sustainable growth and high auction price with major collections been published, showing structural strength rather than speculative enthusiasm. This paper examines the drivers behind this phenomenon through a qualitative analysis of auction data, dealer networks, and collector behavior across key hubs in China such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The findings suggest that …

Project Management For Blockchain: Strategic Guidance And Lessons From Practice., Cherie Noteboom, Aravindh Sekar, Deb Tech

Research & Publications

Blockchain technology (BCT) offers powerful solutions to long-standing enterprise challenges such as inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and low stakeholder trust. By enabling secure transaction tracking and real-time data sharing, BCT can improve operational accuracy, streamline workflows, and build confidence across organizational ecosystems. However, the implementation of BCT significantly transforms conventional project management strategies and practices. We propose practical recommendations for each stage of the process group of the project life cycle- Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing to meet the demands of decentralization, interoperability, and continuous ecosystem coordination inherent in the implementation of BCT projects. Grounded in practitioner …

From Ai Ethics To Ethical Misalignment: Understanding Emerging Risks In Agentic Ai Systems, Deb Tech, Aravindh Sekar

Research & Publications

The emergence of Agentic AI systems is reshaping organizational processes through continuous adaptation, autonomous coordination, and real-time operational execution. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence applications focused on discrete decision-making tasks, Agentic AI systems operate continuously and interact dynamically with organizational environments. Existing AI ethics literature has primarily emphasized issues such as fairness, bias, transparency, and accountability within static or decision-centric AI contexts. Similarly, traditional AI alignment research has largely focused on ensuring that AI systems pursue intended goals and remain controllable under specified operational conditions. However, these approaches may be insufficient for explaining how ethical risks evolve with continuously operating autonomous …

Learning Sustainability Under Tension: Experiential Learning And Reflexive Sensemaking In A Place-Based Simulation, Moon Kyung Cho, Nereu F. Kock, Nargis Sultana

Business Faculty Publications

This study examines how sustainability judgment develops in place-based experiential learning as learners navigate tensions between financial performance and environmental responsibility. Using a team-based, technology-enabled business simulation situated in a place-based context, participants managed a simulated company over eight quarters and subsequently reconsidered their decisions from the perspective of external auditors. The findings show that sustainability judgment developed iteratively through experience, reflection, and sensemaking. Participants distinguished sustainability practices according to their strategic and integrative potential and increasingly recognized that sustainability investments could support operational efficiency, innovation, and long-term financial viability rather than necessarily conflict with financial objectives. Place directed attention …

Modelling Nature? The Digital Twinning And Untwinning Of Urban Farms, Prerona Das, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Data-driven solutions and innovations have been extended to various industries, including agriculture, to increase efficiency. With the emergence of smart farming and agriculture 4.0, advanced technologies such as IoT, big data, machine learning, and cloud computing are increasingly integrated into farming. Among these, technologies such as digital models, digital twins and the metaverse are now used to control various farming activities remotely based on real-time data. However agricultural ecosystems, involving uncertain nature-based factors and complex human-nature interactions cannot always be accurately represented or predicted by digital models. Digital models aim to reduce natural environments into controllable game-like situations and undermine …

Evaluating The Use Of Machine Learning For Road Maintenance Cost Estimation, Shahla Shirinzad, David Enke

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurate estimation of highway maintenance costs is essential for efficient resource allocation and long-term infrastructure sustainability. This study evaluates the effectiveness of advanced machine learning models, including ResNet, Transformer, and other neural network architectures, for forecasting maintenance costs using historical data from the Highway Maintenance Improvement Program (HMIP) provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT). A comprehensive comparative analysis is conducted across multiple models using standard performance metrics, including R², MAE, RMSE, and MSE. The results demonstrate that advanced architectures, particularly ResNet and Transformer, consistently outperform traditional statistical approaches and baseline machine learning models, achieving …

Empathy And Human-Centered Leadership In Community Health Center Dental Clinics, Pamela S. Alston Dds, Mpp, Facd

Journal of the American College of Dentists

A person-centered approach, with empathy toward patients, can improve satisfaction among both patients and dental health professionals. A dental director with a human-centered leadership style can improve the well-being of oral health team members. This article describes the role that empathy, a core value of humanism and professionalism, plays in accomplishing these improvements in community health center dental clinics. This article also describes the risks of empathy, as experienced by the author in her role as a dental director and practitioner, as well as documented in the literature. It further focuses on dental directors’ human-centered approaches to supporting oral health …

Dental Professionalism In A Changing World: Challenges & Opportunities, Robert P. Iovino, Dds, Ma Dds, Ma

Journal of the American College of Dentists

This manuscript examines the erosion of traditional dental professionalism amid rising educational costs, declining membership in professional associations, and the growing influence of corporate ownership and private equity in dentistry. Drawing perspectives from economics, sociology, philosophy, law, and ethics, it traces the historical development of professional licensure and its role in safeguarding clinical autonomy, ethical integrity, and public trust. The analysis highlights how deregulation and profit-driven practice models challenge the profession’s social contract. The manuscript argues that preserving strong civic institutions, restrictive licensure standards, and humanities-informed education is essential to sustaining dentistry as a learned profession rather than a commodified …