Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Antecedents And Outcomes Of Customer Engagement: Bridging Customer Value Co-Creation Behavior And Customer Psychological State Engagement, Samaneh Torkzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on service-dominant logic and reviews the engagement literature to explore the antecedents and outcomes of two multi-dimensional customer engagement constructs: psychological state engagement (PSEngagement) and value co-creation behavior. PSEngagement is a precursor to value co-creation behavior, with the latter also known as behavioral engagement in prior research.

The model proposed in this dissertation was tested in two service contexts: higher education, with a sample size of 454, and fitness, with a sample size of 122. To minimize the common method variance typical of survey research (Podsakoff, et al. 2003), the model was tested twice per context, once …

Equity Mispricing, Firms' Innovation And Institutional Investors, Hamid Sakaki

Theses and Dissertations

First essay has two primary objectives. First, I investigate the relation between institutional investors and firms’ innovation activities and second, the impact of different types of institutional investors on firms’ innovation by classifying institutional investors into five groups. After controlling for other determinants of innovation, the results show that higher institutional ownership stability boosts innovation activities measured by the number of patents and citations. The results also indicate that banks, insurance, and investment companies have a positive and significant effect on firms’ innovation, while investment advisors could affect innovation activities negatively. Moreover, when I classify the institutional investors based on …

Three Essays On Shareholder Activism, Khoa Huu Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three separate studies related to shareholder activism campaigns. The first study, presented in Chapter II, examines the question whether shareholder activism creates value for the targets’ shareholder. I find positive and significant abnormal returns on a day of the targeting announcement, 1.55%, and one day after, 1.33%. For Buy-and-Hold return analysis, I find that stock prices of the targets start to decrease 24 months before activism campaign announcements. Further results indicate that the targets are also underperforming to the market and to their matchings at pre-announcement periods. For post-announcement periods, however, targets’ stock returns recover and outperform …

The Impact Of A Millennial Business Leader’S Emotional Intelligence On Turnover In The Multigenerational Sales Occupational Field, William Michael Park

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore if emotional intelligence has an impact on a millennial leader’s efforts to reduce turnover in the multigenerational sales occupational field. Ben Peterson, CEO of BambooHR, hypothesized “replacing talent runs as high as two times’ annual salary” (Maurer, 2015). Among the highest risk for workforce turnover, salespeople were estimated to leave an organization twice as often as individuals in other professions. A critical field of study on a method for reducing workforce turnover and primary source in defining the employee emotions leading to turnover is the emotional intelligence concept. This study identified …

Workplace Bullying: Proven Methodologies To Mitigate The Issue Within The Government Contracting Workplace Environment, Wendy Jan Kirk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to ascertain proven methods to adopt within the workplace to mediate workplace bullying in organizations in a specific region of north Alabama, with emphasis given to organizations whose workforce is mixed, consisting of federal government employees as well as contracted staffers. At the theoretical level, this study aims to consolidate knowledge from Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) in the field of workplace bullying and outline concrete steps and implementable plans for area corporate leadership to implement within their organization. At the practical level this study aims to bring attention to the issue of workplace …

Exploring Effects Of Organizational Culture Upon Implementation Of Information Security Awareness And Training Programs Within The Defense Industry Located In The Tennessee Valley Region, Robert Luther Grant

Theses and Dissertations

Data breaches due to social engineering attacks and employee negligence are on the rise. The only known defense against social engineering attacks and employee negligence is information security awareness and training. However, implementation of awareness and training programs within organizations are lagging in priority. This research used the constructivist grounded theory methodology to explore the effects organizational culture had upon the implementation of information security awareness and training programs and to discover why those programs were lagging in priority within the defense industry located in the Tennessee valley region.

A Qualitative Study Of Millennials In The Workplace: Gaining Their Long-Term Employment In News Media Firms In North Alabama, Harry L. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to understand why millennials are not remaining long-term in news media firms located in North Alabama. Long-term is defined as three or more years of employment in the news media firm where they are currently employed (Deal et al., 2010; Deloitte, 2014; Gedeon, 2013 & Saiidi, 2014). There is a lack of understanding as to why millennial generation employees in North Alabama news media firms, on average, fail to remain employed long-term. As of March 2015, millennials are the largest working generational cohort in the U.S. workforce (Feeney, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). The …

Business Practices Which Have The Greatest Influence On Retention As It Relates To Wired Boomers In The Aerospace Industry In Huntsville, Alabama, Karen L. Newsom

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the business practices which have the greatest influence on retention as it relates to wired boomers (born 1956-1964) in the aerospace industry in Huntsville, Alabama, and was directed toward maintaining technical expertise, job skills, experience, and knowledge within the organization. Baby boomers (born in 1946-1964) represent the largest generation in U.S. history to reach the traditional age of retirement and prepare to leave the workforce, vacating approximately 152 million jobs by 2030. Researchers have suggested the baby boomer cohort is actually two separate groups, with the second half (1956-1964, presently 53-61) …

A Comprehensive Study Of Intrapreneruship As A Cultural Form Of Innovation And Sustainable Competive Advantage, Timothy Charles Mcdowell

Theses and Dissertations

Intrapreneurial activity within the firm varies within the contexts of employee perception and motivation. The problem explored in this study is to better understand complex internal workings of organizational dynamics, discovering what factors energize employees to perform intrapreneurially in the aerospace industry. This study examines antecedents and consequences of intrapreneurial activity within firms leading to innovation as a sustainable competitive advantage. The need for specific research is evident from limited data available regarding intrapreneurial motivation from the individual perspective within the aerospace community. The phenomenon of intrapreneurship within the aerospace industry often occurs over multiple years. This study examines the …

Factors Contributing To Millennial Turnover Rates In Department Of Defense (Dod) Organizations, Christine Danielle Schaefer

Theses and Dissertations

According to research, Millennials are becoming the predominant generation in the workforce with only 7% of them working for Department of Defense (DOD) organizations. It is critical for DOD organizations to recognize and understand the strengths and challenges in a multigenerational workplace to maximize performance and reduce turnover. DOD organizations need to be able to attract and retain Millennials to build a strong workforce to prepare for a global, technological, changing, and a connected future. This study examined the factors that contributed to turnover among Millennials in DOD organizations within the Tennessee Valley region. The researcher’s intentions were to find …

Analysis Of Factors Related To Turnover Intentions Within The Financial Management (65fx/65wx) Career Field, Virginia L. Galbraith

Theses and Dissertations

There is currently a shortage of field grade officers within the United States Air Force’s Financial Management and Cost Analysis (65Fx/65Wx) career field. A questionnaire was distributed to all officers within the career field (N = 618) in order to identify the values and career intentions of the career field’s current officer workforce. Constructs such as organizational commitment, burnout, and perceived availability of civilian job opportunities were analyzed to determine their impacts on an officer’s turnover intentions. Demographics such as commissioning source, current job type, current job location, and time in service were also analyzed to see how they may …

Forecasting Traditional Vs Blended Retirement System For Individual Service Members, Kevin M. Dwyer

Theses and Dissertations

Starting January 1, 2018, the Department of Defense new Blended Retirement System (BRS) will go into effect. Military members with less than twelve years of service will have the option to either remain in the current High 3 Retirement System or opt into the BRS. This decision will have a lasting impact on their lives well beyond their military careers. With this in mind, we have developed a Decision Support System that will enable service members to compare the two retirement choices in terms of annual and total lifetime expected value. There were three phases to the development of the …

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 …

Toward A Theory Of Full Life Cycle Recruiters, Michael C. Campion

Theses and Dissertations

Despite their operational and strategic importance to their firms, recruiters remain virtually invisible within management scholarship today. In this dissertation, I draw on research from a variety of theoretical perspectives and use role theory as a foundation for developing a theory intended to generate insight into the major individual, social, and contextual factors that underpin their behavior and performance. I define full life cycle recruiters as quasi-agentic brokers of resources among parties internal and external to a firm who operate at the intersection of social systems, are involved in recruiting, assessment, and onboarding processes, and adopt multiple micro roles with …

The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Shoplifting, Christopher Ling

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of social exclusion on shoplifting. Shoplifting is a serious problem for marketers, yet surprisingly little attention in the literature has been paid to its underlying social factors. The current research therefore seeks to document conditions under which, and the process through which, consumers may engage in aggressive behavior in the form of shoplifting. Supporting the proposition that shoplifting is an antisocial response to social exclusion that depends on prior shoplifting experience, four studies provide evidence that prior shoplifters (vs. nonshoplifters) are more likely to shoplift again when they are socially excluded because they expect that …

Two Essays On The Impact Of Memory On Consumer Well-Being And Self-Definition, Kara Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Consumer memory is an important variable for marketers to study because it is well documented that memories influence consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions (Chattopadhyay and Alba 1988). In my dissertation, I focus on two specific types of consumer memories that are important for consumer well-being and self-definition – memories of shared (social) experiences and memories of special experiences. In my first essay, I contend that shared experiences are remembered better than individual experiences because of their positive impact on consumer well-being, while in my second essay, I investigate the manner in which memories of special experiences, which are inherently …

An Investigation Of Buyers’ Forecast Sharing And Ordering Behavior In A Two-Stage Supply Chain, Minseok Park

Theses and Dissertations

Profitably balancing demand and supply is a continuous challenge for companies under changing market conditions, and the potential benefit of collaboration between supply chain partners cannot be overlooked by any firm who strives to succeed. One of the key elements to successful collaboration is sharing of forecast information between supply chain partners. However, when supply shortage is expected, buyers may inflate order quantities and/or order forecasts to secure sufficient supply. An important question that arises is how the supplier should allocate inventory to customers when shortage exists. Literature shows that certain allocation policies can reduce buyers’ order inflation behavior. However, …

Sustainable, Operations-Enabled Solutions For Reducing Product Waste, Erin C. Mckie

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional linear production system where products are created, used, and then disposed of is no longer a viable business model for many firms. A combination of growing populations, increases in consumerism, and urbanization are placing unprecedented pressures on our world’s natural resources. In addition to these motivations, strong demands from consumers and governments are requiring companies to reevaluate and prioritize their environmental strategies. Fortunately, there are several opportunities for firms to engage in more sustainable business practices throughout their entire supply chain, particularly at the end of their products’ useful lives. However, moving from a linear model to a …

Innovative Revenue Management Practices With Probabilistic Elements, Övünç Yılmaz

Theses and Dissertations

Sale of products with a probabilistic nature, where customers do not know which product they will receive at the time of service, has become popular over the recent years. In the revenue management literature, there has been a growing interest in understanding these modern approaches using analytical techniques. On the other hand, customer-centric revenue management has been replacing the long-standing inventory-centric approach because of the availability of rich data sets by focusing on understanding and predicting customer behavior and then optimizing price and/or quantity related decisions. In this dissertation, we take a customer-centric approach and do not only provide analytical …

Three Essays On Relationships Among Financial Institutions, Chia-Chun Chiang

Theses and Dissertations

dissertation investigates relationships among financial institutions. I examine relationships from three different perspectives: relationships among affiliated banks and life insurers, correlated trading among life insurers, and relationships between insurers and bond dealers in the over-the-counter markets. The primary purpose of my research is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of relationships among financial institutions. The main findings are as follows. First, life insurers with bank affiliates had higher growth rates relative to other life insurers during the 2008 financial crisis. However, these Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies performed worse than Non-Bank-Life Financial Holding Companies during the same period. It indicates that …

Exploring Determinants And Consequences Of International Diversification: A Multi-Level Perspective, Ettore Spadafora

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores determinants and consequences of international diversification and consists of two essays. Essay I focuses on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance (ID-P). Drawing on the global strategy literature and the institution-based view of strategy, we propose that the mixed findings of extant research on the ID-P relationship can be explained by the contextual conditions in which this relationship exists, including home-country formal and informal institutions. The model is tested in a meta-analysis (HOMA, MARA, and HiLLMA analyses) of firm-, industry-, and home country-level factors driving the ID-P relationship. The sample consists of 359 primary studies …

Two Essays On Social Sharing Effects On Consumer Memories, Li Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Social sharing is universal in everyday life. Every day consumers share news, opinions, and personal experiences using different media, including face-to-face communications, cellphones, texting, email, and other social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter). Word-of-Mouth, a common type of social sharing has been found to be fundamental to marketing and has been shown to significantly impact firms’ sales and revenues. However little is known about the effects of WOM on consumer memories. Since consumer memory is an important variable in marketing due to its significant impact on consumer judgments and decisions, my dissertation addresses this gap and examines the effects of …

When Auditors’ Skeptical Judgments Do Not Lead To Skeptical Actions, Erin Michelle Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Auditors are required to maintain professional skepticism through the course of an audit engagement. Professional skepticism is maintained through both skeptical judgment and observable skeptical behavior (skeptical action). However, auditors who exhibit professional skepticism in judgment do not always exhibit professional skepticism in action. The present study examines whether social presence alters the likelihood of auditors acting on skeptical judgments by utilizing an experimental setting where participants interact with a hypothetical client using four different communication mediums varying in social presence. Results suggest that auditor-client interactions high in perceived social presence inhibit auditors from acting on skeptical judgments compared to …

Essays On Bank Loans, Deposit Insurance, And Deregulation, Herman Saheruddin

Theses and Dissertations

In my first essay, using a novel dataset that merges the Dealscan database and 8-Ks between 1994-2014, I find that on average, only about 31% of bank loans are announced by firms. Among those loans announced, about 60% are cleanly announced and 40% are announced together with other events. The three-day Cumulative Abnormal Stock Return (CAR) following a loan announcement is positive and both statistically and economically significant, which on average about +39 b.p., in line with the theory of bank loan specialness. This finding is mainly driven by bank-dependent firms. Next, I find significant evidence of sample selection bias …

Institutional Brokerage And The Governance Of Global Value Chains: The Case Of The Us Apparel Industry., Alessandro Perri

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study of the apparel industry, I analyze the governance of buyersupplier interfaces in outsourced global value chains through an institutional theory lens. I set forth that transactional and relational cross-national barriers, linked to institutional distance between home and host country in outsourced production networks, and supplier capabilities are key determinants of variations in the governance mode chosen by lead buyers for their outsourced value chain. I further posit that lead buyers respond to the additional costs imposed by home–host country institutional distance and by structural supplier capability constraints, by means of governance modes that provide institutional brokerage, …

Multinational Foreign Affiliates In The Least Developed Countries: A Multilevel Approach, R. Scott Hibbs

Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have examined the country-level effects on multinational enterprises that go into the developing countries, including the least developed countries. Few studies have considered the firm-level effects. This study uses the multilevel modeling method as outlined by Klein and Kozlowski (2000), Raudenbush and Bryk (2002), and Bliese and Hanges (2004) to examine whether there are any systemic patterns of multinational enterprises across the least developed countries. This paper uses information on foreign affiliates in the least developed countries to examine the overall trends of multinational firms in the least developed countries. Using data from the United Nations’ most recent …

The Contextual Impact Of Innovation And Operational Spillovers On Firm Performance, Cherry Singhal

Theses and Dissertations

Extant literature across various research disciplines has investigated the influence of a firm’s technological innovation on its performance. However, the findings on this relationship remain inconclusive as it is subject to many strategic and environmental factors. In this dissertation, the relationship between a firm’s technological innovation and performance is evaluated. Additionally, this relationship is examined in the presence of various contextual factors.

In the first study, meta-analysis is utilized to quantitatively aggregate existing empirical research in this domain. Cultural and institutional aspects of the nation in which the firm operates are examined for their potential in explaining variability within the …

Three Essays On Privatization, State Ownership, And Corporate Policies, Ruiyuan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of state ownership on corporate policies in the context of privatization. The first essay provides new evidence about the agency costs of state ownership on corporate cash holdings and new insight into the corporate governance role of country-level institutions. Consistent with agency theory, we find strong and robust evidence that state ownership is positively related to corporate cash holdings. Moreover, we find that the strength of country-level institutions affects the relation between state ownership and the value of cash holdings. In particular, as state ownership increases, markets discount the value of cash holdings more in …

Mobile Appointment Reminders In Patient-Centered Care: Design And Evaluation, Ying Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Reminder systems have great potential to enhance healthcare outcome if it can facilitate collaborative appointment management with accessible mobile communication technology in patient-centered care. Yet, Current appointment reminder systems are effective but not optimal (McLean, et al. 2016). Following the design science process delineated by Peffers et al. (2007) and other requirements, this study proposes a design of reciprocal reminder system that automates the process of appointment rescheduling for healthcare providers and patients in addition to confirmation and cancellation. Based on the premises of media synchronicity theory, media naturalness theory and stakeholder theory as kernel theories, this study develops a …

Doing Well By Doing Good? The Case Of Magrabi Foundation, Mohammad Saeed Shalaby

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims at empirically investigating the business case of corporate social responsibility for private hospitals. The study attempts to explore the possible monetary and non-monetary business benefits for the Magrabi Hospital, in the Community Outreach Program carried out by the Magrabi Foundation. In addition, the study further attempts to understand the role of these potential benefits, on the deci- sion-making processes of the top executives in private hospitals. The study uses a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach through a three stages process for examining the qualitative and quantitative roles of CSR, as well as the evaluation of the strategic …