Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Combat And Trajectories Of Physical Health Functioning In Us Service Members, Ben Porter, George A. Bonanno, Paul D. Bliese, Christopher J. Philips, Susan P. Proctor

Faculty Publications

Introduction

Previous research has demonstrated that different forms of mental health trajectories can be observed in service members, and that these trajectories are related to combat. However, limited research has examined this phenomenon in relation to physical health. This study aims to determine how combat exposure relates to trajectories of physical health functioning in U.S. service members.

Methods

This study included 11,950 Millennium Cohort Study participants who had an index deployment between 2001 and 2005. Self-reported physical health functioning was obtained 5 times between 2001 and 2016 (analyzed in 2017), and latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify longitudinal …

Toward A Temporal Theory Of Faultlines And Subgroup Entrenchment, Alyson Meister, Sherry Thatcher, Jieun Park, Mark Maltarich

Faculty Publications

A wealth of scholarship shows that faultlines drive important outcomes for groups. However, despite mounting calls for incorporating time in the group literature, our understanding of faultlines is bound by assumptions that constrain our ability to incorporate the crucial role of time as it relates to faultlines and their effects. Drawing together guidance for exploring temporal phenomena, with the faultline and group literatures, we embark on an understanding of the temporal nature of faultlines. We distinguish faultlines from specific subgroup configurations by introducing the concept of subgroup entrenchment – the agreement among group members about the existence and composition of …

When To “Make” And When To “Buy”: A Contingency Theory Of Making Versus Buying Managerial Human Capital, Dhuha Abdulsallam

Theses and Dissertations

When should firms build talent, and when should they buy? There is theoretical consensus that internal hires would exceed externals in performance because of their firm-specific human capital. However, by integrating the creativity and innovation literature, I present a non-traditional theoretical view which argues that in creative environments with a time-lag on related expectations and outputs, externally hired managers would exceed internally promoted managers in several different performance- related outcomes. I also explore the social influence associated with the hiring origin of middle managers by integrating psychology and economic rationale to study the impact of managerial hiring origin decisions on …

Human Capital Resource Development In Teams: Antecedents, Consequences, And Scale Development Of Human Capital Resources, Jieun Park

Theses and Dissertations

Although a large body of human capital research supports the critical role of human capital resource (HCR) in unit performance, very little research has paid attention to how to measure HCR, where HCR originates, and how HCR influences team performance. Given the lack of a measure that reflects the unique characteristics of HCR (e.g., transformation of individual KSAOs through emergence processes), I develop and validate a new comprehensive HCR scale. I test a 14-item scale with a sample of 97 undergraduate students in 24 teams. Results show this scale is internally consistent, reliable, and valid. In addition, drawing on human …

Three Essays In Firm Financing Decision, Gerard Savio Pinto

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of three essays on financing decisions by firms. The first essay examines the cost of borrowing in the syndicated loan market for recent IPO firms. We find evidence of informational rent extraction by IPO underwriters that lend to firms after going public. The (informed) lender affiliated to the IPO underwriter on average earns a 5% higher abnormal payoff (interest) than an unaffiliated lender. When these loans commence trading on the secondary market, loans originated by affiliated lenders increase by 97 bps more than loans originated by unaffiliated lenders. Thus, the primary and secondary market evidence supports …

Two Essays On Market Entry And Exit: Empirical Evidence From Airline Industry, Sina Aghaie

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of low-cost competitors has increasingly eroded incumbent firms’ market shares and profitability in recent decades. However, incumbents are still uncertain about how to handle this new challenge. The two essays in this dissertation aim to contribute to the marketing strategy and competitive dynamics literature by exploring the link between incumbents’ marketing-mix activities and low-cost rival’s market entry, exit, and the threat of entry decisions.

In the first essay, I study a common and important phenomenon – the marketing tactics that incumbent firms employ to drive new low-cost entrants out of the market. Specifically, I investigate how incumbents’ price, …

Two Essays On Limiting The Negative Impact Of Product Recalls, Seyyed Amirali Javadinia

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation is composed of two essays. In the first essay, authors conceptualize recall environment, test its effect on post-recall stock returns and identify the role of recall and product characteristics in moderating this relationship. The authors test their hypotheses on a sample of 90 recall announcements in the automobile industry from 2011 to 2016. The results show that on average, announcing a recall in an intense environment aggravates negative stock returns accruing from the recall. Further, while low reputation brands are mostly prone to this negative impact of recall environment, high reputation brands are less susceptible to this negative …

Multiple Concurrent Framing Effects: Evidence From A Risky Tax Decision, Ethan Gregory Lamothe

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research finds an individual’s end of year tax position is framed by expectations (e.g., prior year tax position) and withholding position (i.e., refund vs additional taxes due), and suggests individuals concurrently maintain and are influenced by multiple reference points. In this study, I examine a theoretical explanation for how multiple reference points can influence an individual’s decisions even though the shape of the prospect theory value function is based on a single reference point. Specifically, I predict expectations influence decisions through a risky choice framing effect which is caused by diminishing sensitivity in the prospect theory value function while …

The Effects Of Product Feature Complexity, Market Activity, And Update Scheduling On Mobile App Life Cycles, Moonwon Chung

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid advancements in telecommunication devices and the emergence of the mobile app ecosystem have immensely impacted our lives. Innovative apps have helped improve market efficiency in agriculture, contributed to environmental sustainability through peer-to-peer sharing services, and stimulated financial inclusion in developing economies. However, mobile app developers have to deal with challenges that can hinder the app to reach its full potential. In order to achieve commercial success in the hyper-competitive business landscape where freemium business models are dominating, developers need deep understanding on how non-price operational levers such as product design, delivery, and continued service lead to user adoption.

From …

The Influence Of Consumer Inference About A Company’S Motive On Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) Evaluation, Taehoon Park

Theses and Dissertations

The author investigates the roles of consumer inferences and consumer suspicion in responses to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities by companies.

Chapter 1 examines how consumers infer a company’s motive for its prosocial activity when the same company is also involved in a socially harmful accident. When a company is involved in both CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and CSI (Corporate Social Irresponsibility), consumers can infer the motive for the CSR campaign from the temporal order of these two events. The author further proposes that this effect will be moderated by perceived invested effort in CSR campaign. Specifically, high effort invested …

Reappraising International Business In A Digital Arena: Barriers, Strategies, And Context For Internationalization Of Digital Innovations, Noman Ahmed Shaheer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation builds on the eclectic paradigm to explore internationalization strategies in the burgeoning digital economy through a rigorous empirical analysis of a unique big data archive tracking international penetrations of more than 1.5 million mobile apps across 58 countries. While traditional firms internationalize by internalizing physical assets to reap location advantages from foreign markets, many digital businesses internationalize by orchestrating networks of information flows across borders. Such digital internationalization may not be constrained by cross-national distance or lack of resources as digital businesses leverage globally disperse knowledge and innovation networks to develop scale free digital innovations and seamlessly transmit …

Self-Affirmation And Perspective Taking In Organizations: An Integrated Framework For Examining Process-Oriented Phenomena As Trajectories Of Change, Patrick J. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals’ perceptions of their fit within in an organization unfold as a process over time that is subject to influence and change. This dissertation is a program of research that takes a process-oriented approach to understanding change from patterns of outcome trajectories and trajectory changes. Appendix A presents a study that introduces a conceptual framework for a temporal approach to change. Appendix A showed that strong events serve to change the trajectory of individuals’ affective commitment. Appendix B presents a first intervention study with surprising results where instead of self-affirmation, perspective taking appeared to facilitate positive trajectory changes in individuals’ …

Three Essays On Banking, Xinming Li

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation includes three essays related to banking. In the first essay, I identify an important channel through which stronger legal enforcement boosts the real economy – by increasing bank liquidity creation. Results suggest that effective enforceability of contracts increases total, asset-side, liability-side, and off-balance sheet- side liquidity creation, implying favorable causal real economic effects.

In the second essay, we conduct the first broad-based international study on bank- level failures covering 92 countries over 2000-2014 and investigate national culture values as bank failure determinants. We find individualism and masculinity are positively associated with bank failure but operate through different channels. …

A Model Of Impression Formation In Recruitment, Jonathan Levi Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations

Applicant impressions of organizations are a critical antecedent to applicant decisions within the recruitment process. Recruitment research has examined how applicant perceptions are influenced by organization-specific information within a given industry. However, current recruitment models fail to describe the process of impression formation during recruitment, which inhibits understanding of the recruitment process. Specifically, only limited research has considered how applicants integrate context- related associations (such as perceptions about an industry) with recruitment materials in forming initial perceptions about the organization. Over the course of two experimental studies, I integrate social cognitive research on impression formation into recruitment models to develop …

Does Economic Policy Uncertainty Strengthen Peer Effects On Investments?, Jiawei Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The paper demonstrates that firms are more likely to follow their peers when they face economic policy uncertainty. Using a newly developed economic policy uncertainty index and the financial data from COMPUSTAT of US firms, I find evidence that economic policy uncertainty strengthens peer effects on investments. In this paper, I propose a reputation-based theory and information-based theory to support the findings. Peer effects are stronger for less successful firms and financial constrained firms during periods when economic policy uncertainty is notable. Accordingly, I use four standards (i.e. firm profitability, financially constrained status, growth rate and market to book ratio) …

The Effects Of Food Security On Socioeconomic Mobility In The United States: A Case Study In Allendale County, South Carolina, Taylor St Clarke

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between food security – defined as accessibility to an affordable, nutritious, and sustainable source of food – and socioeconomic mobility in the continental United States. This thesis is primarily focused on the effects of food insecurity on both individuals and communities, examining the chronic long-term effects of such insecurity on areas known as “food deserts,” which are often given status as areas of persistent poverty. This research further examines the effects of a sustained poor diet, brought about by food insecurity, on the individual and overarching community in a food desert and how such a …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Examining The Effects Of A Lean And Green Supply Chain On Bottom Line Costs And Market Valuation, Sharon Maskin

Senior Theses

This paper examines the link between a firm’s adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and the resulting monetary benefits. Specifically, it addresses four major areas of business operations that present great opportunities for supply chain cost reduction and a simultaneous decrease in environmental impact. These four areas include traditional/open-loop supply chains, product packaging waste, pollution at the manufacturing site, and logistics inefficiencies. The paper then identifies several business cases in which companies have addressed several environmental issues and driven down bottom-line costs in each of the four areas through innovation and increased resource productivity. Along with cost benefits, it …

Cultural Disparity And The Impact On Work Life Balance, Bryan Campbell

Senior Theses

This research examines the differences in work life balances between varying countries around the world. In order to do so, a proxy index was created by investigating a portion of questions from respondents of the World Values Survey. Comparing this to Hofstede's Insights on National Culture allowed for a unique perspective as to whether the country individualism ratings could then be used to assert a relationship between these metrics.

The Value Of The Global Supply Chain & Operations Management Capstone Consulting Course On Graduates Careers, Ashley Kathleen Hannon

Senior Theses

The University of South Carolina’s Global Supply Chain & Operations Management [GSCOM] program in the Management Science Department has witnessed incredible growth and success throughout its first ten years as a major in the Darla Moore School of Business. The crown jewel of the GSCOM program is the Capstone project, a consulting course offered for program seniors. This thesis paper examines the value of the Capstone program through analysis of results from a graduate survey. The survey was administered to graduates from the 2013-2017 classes, and aims to capture the value that Capstone had on the first year of each …

Indah: The Unorthodox Rise Of A Columbian Staple, Will Helms

Senior Theses

Over the course of several weeks, I conducted a series of observations at Indah Coffee Co. in order to better understand its marketing and interaction with the neighborhood. After observing the coffee shop several times, I consulted outside sources, a process that is considered to be in the psychological realm of “grounded theory”, constantly comparing them to my own observations. After an interview with Indah’s owner, I began compiling my findings. The following paper is an outline of my findings, including the importance of the product in the coffee industry versus other industries, the power of successful grassroots marketing, and …

Effectiveness Of “Good” Governance Policies Across Contexts: A Test Of The Universal Vs. Embedded View, Sabrina Ferdous Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to examine the effectiveness of “good” governance principles that are commonly benchmarked in shaping the Corporate Governance (CG) policies. Specifically, I examine the firm level internal mechanisms of Monitoring CG and Incentive CG and the country level external mechanisms of legal rules and disclosure provisions. The origin of these CG policies is rooted in the Anglo-Saxon countries, where stand-alone firms are mostly owned by the dispersed shareholders, and Type I agency problem is common between company owners and top managers. For precisely examining the generalizability of “good” CG principles, I have conducted my investigation in an empirical …

Altering Time: The Effect Of Feedback Frequency On Employee Behavior, Nate Waddoups

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in technology have made it possible for employers to provide performance feedback to employees on a more frequent basis. This study investigates how different feedback frequencies can alter employees’ perceptions of time and subsequently how these altered perceptions influence employee productivity. I predict and find that feedback frequency alters the way employees break up or segment their work time—a process that I refer to as feedback-driven time segmenting. Ultimately I find that this process causes feedback frequency to have opposing effects on employee productivity. Specifically employees who receive more frequent feedback find fewer task efficiencies than employees who receive …

Antecedents To The Selection Of Ceos With Higher Levels Of Narcissism And How Ceos With Higher Levels Of Narcissism Affect The Ceo Succession Process, Ormonde R. Cragun

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the antecedents to the selection of CEOs with higher levels of narcissism, as well as their impact on the CEO succession process. The first study predicts how and when boards select CEOs with higher levels of narcissism. I predict when firm performance is low, environmental dynamism is high, and when environmental munificence is high, the board is more likely to select a CEO with higher levels of narcissism. I further predict that environmental conditions (i.e., dynamism and munificence) have a moderating effect on the relationship between firm performance and the level of narcissism of the newly-selected CEO. …

The Impact Of Cmo Tenure On Brand Equity And Cost Of Capital: Insights From Business To Consumer Industries, Tracey A. Swartz

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the relationship between CMO tenure and firm risk as measured by cost of capital. The author develops a conceptual model linking the direct impact of CMO tenure on the firm’s cost of capital and indirect impact through brand equity. The hypotheses are tested using data on 125 public US-based firms between 2004 and 2013. The findings suggest that longer CMO tenure results in higher brand equity. Further, longer CMO tenure reduces cost of capital through its impact on brand equity. The author also finds that the impact of CMO tenure on brand equity is strengthened when the …

Three Essays On Corporate Finance: A Multilevel Inspection Of Target Capital Structure & Convertible Debt Issuance And Market Valuations Of Innovative Ability, Ashleigh Eldemire-Poindexter

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents empirical analysis of the capital structure, security issuance, value creation, and valuation concepts of corporate finance. Two analysis examine connections between firm capital structure and the use of convertible debt securities, which have mixed debt and equity attributes. The third analysis examines the valuation of implicit and explicit signals of firm quality.

Chapter 1, Convertible Debt & Target Leverage Adjustments, examines how does convertible debt affects advances toward target capital structure. Convertibles may improve leverage adjustments by providing capital that is less costly to issue and less expensive to service. However, convertibles can be risky liabilities with …

Mitigating Advocacy Bias: The Effect Of The Reviewer Role On Tax Professional Judgment, Mary E. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Prior literature finds tax professionals exhibit advocacy bias, a threat to tax professionals’ objectivity, which can expose accounting firms and their clients to penalties for overly aggressive tax reporting decisions. Mitigating this bias has been the topic of several prior studies; however, research thus far has focused on how reviewers identify bias within tax research memorandums (e.g., stylized writing or other obvious cues). In an experiment administered to seventy-five tax professionals, this study isolates the effect of the reviewer role and compares professionals’ evidence evaluation and conclusions by role (i.e., reviewer or preparer). I find professionals who occupy the reviewer …

Investor Reactions To Complex Financial Accounting Disclosures: Experimental Evidence From The Tax Disclosure Of Permanently Reinvested Earnings, Laura N. Feustel

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates how increasing the transparency of complex financial accounting disclosures affects investor judgments. The income tax disclosure of permanently reinvested earnings is the context of this investigation as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is currently evaluating income tax disclosures and has specifically identified the disclosure of permanently reinvested earnings as an area to be reevaluated. Current standards allow corporations flexibility in their disclosures that can lead investors to be surprised by changes in a corporation’s assertions regarding the reinvestment of foreign earnings. My study suggests that increasing the transparency of complex disclosures through the explicit reporting of …

Workarounds In Nonprofit Management: Counter Theory For Best Practices Innovation, Stuart C. Mendel

Journal of Ideology

One quiet aspect of the exercise of best practices in nonprofit operations settings is that managers typically must engage in creative problem solving to accommodate exceptions or unanticipated conditions. Problem solving may be perceived as situational until the frequency of the “workarounds” give pause to decision-makers, leading some to challenge the validity of the best practice. This essay uses inductive method inquiry drawing upon existing nonprofit management literature on best practices, workarounds and related topics. The essay posits that workarounds are an underappreciated component of nonprofit management theory.

Operational Challenges In Servicizing The Transportation Industry, Kelly Cavanagh

Senior Theses

As a result of declining consumer spending, more companies have been “servicizing” their business models, moving away from the typical product-centric model and offering their goods as services. This trend has been especially popular in the transportation industry, with cars and scooters now being rented by the minute, with no transfer of ownership. Apps like Uber and Lyft have disrupted the taxi service industry, effectively side-stepping expensive regulations due to their “car-sharing” business model. While this money-saving distinction has led to their success, it can also lead to their downfall, as they face many legal battles specific to ride-sharing services. …

Three Essays On Capital Structure And Product Market Interactions, Ying Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Capital structure can have important consequences for firm value. High leverage increases firms’ probability of bankruptcy, and is shown to be the primary cause of financial distress. As suggested by a strand of literature on capital structure and product market interactions, high leverage is costly because financial weakness could induce unfavorable actions by product market participants such as customers and competitors. While the costs of high leverage are well documented in the extant literature, little is known on the factors that influence the costs of high leverage. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining how the costs …