Business Commons^™

Bekizine: A Zine Featuring Selected Queer Artists And Narratives, Daniel D. Sullano, Alex Ayson, Arianna Atas, Renee Sophia Caponong, Merix Kobi Blancaflor, Fernando R. Lacson

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

Media serves as a powerful medium for shaping cultural norms and self-perception. Despite increasing visibility in Philippine media, LGBTQ+ representation remains dominated by metropolitan-centric narratives and reductive tropes that overlook the nuanced realities of provincial queer life. The study explored how BEKIZINE, a community-centered zine created by and for LGBTQ+ individuals aged 18–30 in Cavite, can serve as alternative media for self-expression, community building, and historical preservation. Adopting a practice-based, mixed-methods approach, the study integrates Queer Theory, Safe Space Theory, and Alternative Media Theory through semi-structured interviews with local queer artists and individuals, followed by zine launch evaluation surveys. Qualitative …

Budol-Budol Time: A Perspective From The Global South On Generation Z’S Digital Status Consumption Through An Interactive Video, Luis Angelo Francisco Lopa, Kateleen Claire Malabag Gonzales, Jaedon Tongol Santos Jats

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This research critiques the contemporary digital landscape, as social media influencers shape Gen Z's consumer behavior, often driving "status overconsumption," the repetitive purchase of trending goods to enhance social standing. The study investigates the complex relationship between social media exposure and consumption patterns among affluent Gen Z (ages 13 to 28) in Laguna, Makati, Taguig, and Quezon City, Philippines. Its objective is to address the environmental consequences of these behaviors, including excess waste and carbon emissions from production and related industries, which consumers often overlook. Grounded in social comparison and status consumption theories, the research utilizes a sequential mixed-methods triangulation …

Drawn For A Brighter Tomorrow: A Functional Art Workshop As A Path To Livelihood And Skills Development Under The Pasay Social Welfare And Development Department (Pswdd), Liane Oxana V. Estuesta, Giana Margaux D. Bustos, Anne Kirsten Cerish S. Gamayo, Julia Patrish P. Go

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This study examines how functional art workshops, where creativity results in usable, real-world objects, can be a tool for livelihood and skills development among children in need of special protection aged 7-17 under the Pasay Social Welfare and Development Department (PSWDD). Specifically, grounded in arts-based and qualitative research, the study seeks to understand how exposure to functional art-making can support participants’ confidence, agency, and practical competencies. Data was gathered through primary sources, including a needs assessment survey, semi-structured interviews with youth participants and administrators after the program, and visual documentation of completed artworks. Secondary sources were also used, including published …

Bikolearn: Enhancing Bicol Language Proficiency Among Heritage Learners, Nathalie T. Lim-Cheng, Mark E. Abergos, Joshua H. Baccaro, Edward E. Tab, Christian A. Dela Peña

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

Heritage learners are individuals with cultural ties to a language but also who lack proficiency in them, therefore often struggling to maintain their linguistic heritage. This is a common challenge for Filipino Bicol Language learners, especially those who grew up outside the region. This paper presents BikoLearn, a new web application designed to help heritage learners acquire the Bikol Language starting at the A1 beginner level. The application, which is designed first for mobile phones, mixes gamification features with relevant cultural content to make learning accessible. Through formatted lessons, interactive quizzes, and progress tracking presented in a gamified format, BikoLearn …

Phantoms Of The Self: An Art Installation On The Commodification Of Anik-Anik Culture, Vito Lomod, Minuet Deniña, Jaihzel Failana, Joshua R. Marcial

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

The practice of anik-anik culture remains relevant and prominent among Filipinos, especially among Gen Z. Decorating, collecting, and preserving miscellaneous items as an extension of one’s identity and memory exemplifies the Filipino maximalist aesthetic. In context, Filipinos are naturally inclined to be maximalists, driven by the desire to connect and the tendency to fill empty spaces, hence the aesthetic of Filipino maximalism. Usually, this is evidenced in, but not limited to, consumption and fashion practices. Correspondingly, its current practices have also sparked discussions about the effects of consumerism and the dilution of the origins of anik-anik, which is deeply rooted …

“Shh!” Bleaching As An Auto-Destructive Art Method Of Representing The Silencing Of Women, Kristelle Tenero De Leon

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This paper discusses the artistic representation of the muffling of women’s voices and the culture of silence through a theoretically auto-destructive method of artmaking—bleaching using mark-making on textile. Through studio art research, the reductive and erasing properties of bleaching agents are used by bleaching printed images of women in fabric to metaphorically represent and articulate the existence of silencing imposed upon women. Guided by the lens of feminism and Gustav Merger’s manifesto of auto-destructive art, this work presents the artistic images of 13 women across Philippine history—from the babaylans to Maria Ressa—on textile, imbued with bleaching effects. Moreover, the work …

Kapwa Beckett: Co-Performance, Pakikipagkapwa, And Relational Meaning-Making In Philippine Stagings Of Samuel Beckett, Christian Gabriel Tolentino

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

This reflective-practice study examines how kapwa and pakikipagkapwa emerged through translation, rehearsal, staging, and reception in three Philippine productions of Samuel Beckett: Endgame (2016), Happy Days (2019), and the devised classroom piece Beckett, Godot & Us Waiting (2023). Using comparative production analysis and a dialogical co-performance orientation drawn from Dwight Conquergood, I analyze rehearsal exercises, adaptation notes, production materials, staging decisions, and remembered performer-audience encounters. The analysis identifies distinct relational practices across the productions: collaborative localization and sensory dramaturgy in Endgame; negotiated media adaptation and mediated intimacy in Happy Days; and devising, Meisner repetition, physical trust, and shared post-pandemic waiting …

Atomos Komiks - Making Learning Fun With Science Entertainment, Jerome Aizpuro Suplemento Ii, Julius Noah Hernandez Sempio

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

With portable digital devices imposing themselves on the already precarious attention span of the Filipino youth, and with raising concerns about degrading literacy of schoolchildren, it is imperative to find creative and entertaining means to inspire the young studentry to engage in dedicated educational materials. This paper explains the methods being used by a small group of artists, scientists and writers to create content for “science entertainment” in comics format. By combining principles of conceptual compression, knowledge indexing and low-elaboration persuasion techniques to develop knowledge “anchors”, the team aims to generate participatory engagement among readers and stimulate their cognitive innovation. …

Indigenous Pedagogies As An Arts-Based Framework For Education 4.0, Andylyn Simeon

DLSU Arts Congress Conference Proceedings

While Education 4.0 promises to cultivate 21st-century skills like creativity and critical thinking, the reality often falls short. Current frameworks are heavily technocentric, prioritizing digital tools and measurable data over the communal, emotional, and spiritual depth that true learning requires. This paper argues that we can restore balance to this digital shift by looking toward Indigenous Pedagogies (IPs). Far from being “obsolete” relics of the past, these are sophisticated, arts-based systems rooted in storytelling, ritual, and land-based creation that can offer a creative blueprint for the human-centered goals that Education 4.0 claims to value. Through a qualitative synthesis, I deconstruct …

Impact Of After-School Care On Maternal Income: Evidence From Canadian Administrative Data, Ailin He, Laetitia Renée, Nagham Sayour

All Works

This paper estimates the average causal effect of access to subsidized before- and after-school care on the labour market outcomes of mothers. Specifically, we analyze a major policy reform implemented in Quebec (Canada) in 1998, which required all public primary schools to provide before- and after-school care at a low fixed fee, thereby reducing costs and expanding availability for families. We identify the intent-to-treat effect of the reform on service use and maternal labour market outcomes using administrative tax return data and a triple difference design. We find that, 7 years after implementation, the policy led to a substantial increase …

From Homogeneous To Heterogeneous Adaptive Bounded-Confidence Opinion Dynamics On Networks, Sally Hafez, Fatma R. Farag, Amira S. N. Tawadros

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Adaptive bounded-confidence models (ABCMs) elucidate the coevolution of agent states and network structure via local interactions and rewiring mechanisms. Traditional formulations assume uniform interaction parameters, leading to distinct regime shifts encompassing fragmentation, polarization, and consensus. A symmetric heterogeneous extension of the adaptive bounded-confidence model is introduced, in which interaction parameters vary according to whether agents belong to the same or different groups. The model retains the original update and rewiring protocols but integrates within-group and between-group confidence bounds alongside tolerance thresholds. Initially, the classic homogeneous model is replicated to establish a reference point. Subsequently, the heterogeneous extension is assessed under …

Economic Efficiency Of End-Guns On Center Pivot Irrigation Systems For Utah Alfalfa Production, Sophia Moss

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study looks at whether using an end-gun on a center pivot irrigation system is financially worthwhile for Utah alfalfa producers. End-guns are used to water extra acreage beyond the end of a pivot, they can also apply water less evenly, which may reduce production on those outer acres. To examine this tradeoff, the study compares farm returns with and without an end-gun using historical Utah alfalfa price and yield data along with estimates of irrigation cost, added acreage, and possible yield loss. The results suggest that end-guns can improve profitability in many cases, mainly because they bring more acres …

The Economics And Viability Of Organic Forage And Grain Production In Utah, Mackenzie Lee

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah farmers face significant financial and agronomic challenges when transitioning into organic forage and grain production. The state’s high-desert climate, alkaline soils, and limited irrigation water make organic production more expensive and riskier than in many other regions.

This study evaluates a ten-year rotation built around alfalfa, which acts as a natural nitrogen engine for the system. Because alfalfa fixes large amounts of nitrogen, it reduces fertilizer costs for later crops such as organic corn. However, farmers must first survive the three-year transition period, during which they must follow organic rules but cannot sell their crops at organic prices.

Using …

Validating Valuation: How Statistical Learning Can Cabin Expert Discretion In Valuation Disputes, Andrew C. Baker, Jonah B. Gelbach, Eric L. Talley

Faculty Scholarship

This article challenges conventional methods used in financial valuation across transactional and litigation domains. We show that conventional valuation methods allow for considerable discretion, making it possible for each side’s experts to submit dramatically varying valuations simply by choosing among facially reasonable values of parameters that must be selected to carry out conventional valuations. We use large-scale empirical simulations powered by real-world data to demonstrate the scope of such discretion. We next consider several alternatives based on data-driven machine learning approaches, and show that they offer both approximately unbiased estimates of valuation and substantially reduced variability in valuation results. Consequently, …

Reliability Generalization Of The Learning Transfer System Inventory, Ashlee Tolliver

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine variability in coefficient alpha estimates across the 16 Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) constructs and evaluate reliability-reporting practices within the literature using a reliability generalization meta-analysis. Studies published between 1997 and 2025 were identified through database searches and a review of Academy of Human Resource Development conference proceedings. Following screening and listwise deletion, 118 studies were included in the final analyses. Unweighted mean coefficient alpha estimates were calculated, and ordinary least squares regression and commonality analyses examined the influence of instrument version, translation status, and full or partial use. Reliability estimates …

The Startup: Critical Perspectives On Technology Entrepreneurship And Digital Labor, Kochav Koren

All Duquesne Faculty Scholarship

Communication and media studies are rapidly reshaped by socio-technological forces within the framework of informational capitalism, where startups emerge as key drivers of the global creative economy. This study critically examines the global startup movement through political economy, classical sociology, and Southern perspectives to assess whether digital entrepreneurship fosters genuine, decentralized innovation or perpetuates speculative financialization and labor precarity. Employing a multi-layered theoretical framework—including Schumpeterian creative destruction, Marxist commodity fetishism, and Weberian charismatic authority—and qualitative fieldwork across North and Latin American tech hubs, the analysis reveals startups as network enterprises that both disrupt markets and reproduce structural inequalities. The findings …

Ai You Can Trust: Understanding The Role Of Structural Assurance And Situational Normality In The Use Of Generative Ai, Olushola Bunmi Abayomi

Dissertations

The rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has increased its use in productivity, content creation, and decision support; however, adoption depends on user trust, as GenAI performs tasks that are often associated with human judgment. Drawing on the Trust in Technology Model, this dissertation examines how structural assurance and situational normality influence Trust in GenAI, and how Trust in GenAI affects trusting intentions and users' willingness to depend on GenAI. Structural assurance and situational normality, captured through several factors, were modeled as antecedents of Trust in GenAI and, in turn, trusting intentions. The model was tested using survey-based experimental …

Identifying The Threshold: Using Regulatory Focus As A Predictor Of Ceo Adaptibility During Environmental Changes, George B. Constantine Iii

Dissertations

Building on research on CEO turnover and strategic leadership, this study examines how decision makers' regulatory focus shapes strategic decision-making and how this can contribute to performance decline, often resulting in CEO replacement. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, the study theorizes that measurable chronic regulatory focus attributes influence decision makers’ capacity to adapt to environmental change—conditions under which prior research suggests executives may become rigid and persist with established strategies. Despite its relevance for strategic adaptation, such chronic trait behavior has received limited attention in the current business literature. To address this gap, effectuation theory is integrated into a simulation-based …

Drivers Of Employee Success And Productivity: Analyzing The Role Of An Executive Recruiting Intern, Hayden Raycher

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

For an experiential thesis over an internship experience in collaboration with the University of Arkansas and my advisor, Dr. Michael Popp, I collected data over a 9-month period relevant to my internship at Stout Executive Search, an executive recruiting firm. The purpose of the research was to explore the factors that influence productivity in a recruiting environment and provide quantifiable insights into the impact of different job-related achievements towards overall employee success. The research was initially designed to encompass evidence and commentary on training regimens and company culture, as well as job experience, with the latter becoming the sole focus …

Exploring Factors Related To Retention Of Young Soccer Officials, Jacob K. Tingle, Lynn L. Ridinger, David J. Hancock, Joseph Foran, Lucas Ribeiro

School of Business Faculty Research

Purpose/Rationale

The purpose of this study was to examine factors (needs and motivations) that contribute to retention of young soccer officials.

Design/Methodology/Approach

An online survey was distributed to soccer referees who received their first USSF officiating license as a juvenile.

Findings:

Correlational and regression analyses yielded five key findings: (1) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) principles are salient to retention; (2) Intrinsic Motivation and Sense of Community significantly impact retention; (3) variables across scales were highly correlated and had large effect sizes; (4) findings were similar across demographic variables; and (5) small increases to Relatedness and Choice had a large impact on …

Socially-Minded Investors And Corporate Behavior, Merritt B. Fox, Menesh S. Patel

Faculty Scholarship

Many equity investors are concerned with the world’s worsening social and environmental problems and are losing faith in the capacity of political institutions to respond. Corporate behavior is often contributing to these problems. Some investors, at least if fully informed as to costs and benefits involved, would favor corrective changes to corporate behavior even where that would lessen their investment returns. Two important questions arise: (1) given existing law, are such willing-to-sacrifice equity investors currently affecting firm behavior; and (2) should there be legal reform that makes firms more sensitive to these willing-to-sacrifice investors’ preferences? This Article seeks to answer …

Managing Inventory In The Supply Chain, Matthew J. Drake

Open Education Materials

Inventory represents a significant investment for most organizations and enables its operations to fulfill customer requirements. Effective inventory management frees critical working capital that the organization can use elsewhere while making sure products and services are available for customers. This book discusses the fundamental concepts of managing inventory within the supply chain and also describes methods for making inventory decisions in a variety of business scenarios.

A Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework For Dynamic Order And Rack Scheduling In Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems, Lingjun Wang, Bayi Cheng, Zhiguang Cao, Aldy Gunawan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Robotic mobile fulfillment systems play a vital role in modern e-commerce, but their efficiencydepends on overcoming a critical challenge: coordinating orders and racks effectively under dynamicorder arrivals, diverse delivery deadlines, and resource sharing among multiple stations. This papertackles the resulting dynamic order and rack scheduling problem and proposes an intelligentscheduling framework centred on deep reinforcement learning. At its core is TriNet-PPO, whichtrains a scheduling policy using TriNet, a tripartite graph neural network encoder tailored to capturethe many-to-many relationships among orders, racks, and items. Furthermore, we introduce IPCSA,an integer programming-based cooperative scheduling algorithm that maps station-level actionpreferences to conflict-free joint decisions …

Definitions And Mathematical Models Of Op Variants, Pieter Vansteenwegen, Aldy Gunawan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We have described the basic orienteering problem (OP) in Chap. 2, as one known variant of the single vehicle routing problems with profits (VRPP). In this chapter, we introduce the best-known variants of the OP. The first one is the team orienteering problem (TOP). In the TOP multiple routes can be composed to visit a subset of customers. In the context of the game of orienteering, the TOP corresponds to several players of the same team, each collecting profits in parallel, during the same time span. Another well-known variant of the basic OP is the OP with time windows (OPTW), …

Financing Transition In A Hydrocarbon Economy: The Uae Case, Suzanna Elmassah, Mahmoud Elrefai

All Works

The objective of this paper is to examine the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a test case of Gulf energy transition finance by analyzing how a hydrocarbon-dependent economy is constructing the financial, regulatory, and institutional architecture required to move from net-zero pledges to climate finance flows. Rather than treating climate finance as a set of isolated instruments, the paper conceptualizes the UAE’s approach as a state-led transition-finance model shaped by Gulf state capitalism, sovereign wealth accumulation, national oil company strategy, financial regulation, and post-COP28 climate diplomacy. Using a qualitative policy and institutional review, the paper maps the UAE’s transition-finance architecture …

Blueprints For Resilience: A Delphi Study Of Architects' Competencies In Gulf Coast States, Richard J. Cantu

Dissertations

This study identifies and defines core competencies for licensed architects practicing in Gulf Coast states, emphasizing their critical role in protecting health, safety, and welfare (HSW) amid the region’s unique environmental challenges. Hurricanes, flooding, climate-induced risks, and other coastal hazards demand specialized expertise that existing architectural competency models do not adequately address. Leveraging Delphi’s research design, this study engaged Gulf Coast experts to develop and refine a region-specific competency framework across four iterative rounds. The findings highlighted the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities required for resilient and sustainable architectural practice. The study advances architecture’s human capital development (HCD) by addressing …

Ai, Market Place Trends, & Job Search Strategy, Juan Santillan

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping the labor market, workplace expectations, and job search strategies. It explores the changing nature of work in the age of AI, including the automation and augmentation of workplace tasks, the growing importance of AI literacy, and the increasing value of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and other human-centered skills. The presentation also considers emerging AI-related career opportunities and changes to entry-level work as routine tasks become increasingly automated. In addition, it provides practical strategies for using AI throughout the job search process, including professional branding and networking, researching prospective employers, reviewing and …

Ai-Powered Personal Branding: How To Use Ai Intentionally To Pursue A Fulfilling Career, Tra Mai (Camellia) Hoang

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores how students at different stages of their career development can use artificial intelligence intentionally to build a strong personal brand and pursue fulfilling career opportunities. It examines personal branding from beginner through expert levels and demonstrates how AI tools can support career exploration, resume development, job and internship searches, professional networking, interview preparation, and portfolio building. The presentation introduces practical applications of tools such as Google AI Studio, Gemini, and Claude, including an AI-powered resume match builder, interview coach, and portfolio builder. Through tutorials, case studies, and activities, participants learn how AI can complement career advising and …

Business Responsibility And Sustainability In India : A Comprehensive Analysis Of Brsr Disclosures Of India’S Top 1,000 Listed Companies For Fy 2024–25, Rajeev Ranjan Tripathi, Aditya Gupta, Mohan Krishna, Sonika Gandhi

Monograph and Other Reports

The intersection of capital markets, corporate governance, and sustainable development has, over three decades, given rise to a transformative shift in management practice: the systematic disclosure and evaluation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Once confined to niche ethical investment circles, ESG reporting has evolved into a mainstream imperative, shaping investment decisions, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder expectations across both developed and emerging economies. Today, ESG performance is no longer an addendum to financial reporting but a substantive dimension of enterprise value and long-term organisational legitimacy. India’s ESG reporting journey reflects a trajectory of incremental but decisive policy evolution. The …

The Impact Of State Insulin Copayment Caps On Diabetics In The United States, Ryan C. Meyer

All Theses

Insulin is a life-saving medication for people with diabetes that helps regulate blood glucose levels throughout the body. A Type 1 diabetic cannot survive without insulin, and a Type 2 diabetic’s quality of life greatly diminishes without access and use of this drug. Currently, many diabetics skip, ration, or abstain from insulin due to financial barriers. As of June 2026, 29 states have enacted insulin copayment caps for state-regulated commercial health insurance plans to reduce the financial burden of insulin costs. This study examines the impact of these caps on all commercially insured diabetics in the United States, particularly on …