E-Commerce Commons^™

Strategic Information System Leadership And Information System Function Performance In Universities In Kenya: A Pls-Sem Analysis, Joseph K. Muchina, James M. Njihia Prof., Agnes N. Wausi Prof.

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Information systems as enablers have evolved from an efficiency and effectiveness focus to enterprise-wide performance, placing strong demands on information system leadership. Emerging leadership models call for collaborative practices. Information systems leadership in higher education is a challenging task. Universities' top management team members and their information system executive counterparts lack a common and shared vision and understanding of information systems capabilities and roles. As the highest-ranking officers in organizations, they make strategic IS decisions. Yet, noting that existing approaches are ineffective, there is a growing concern about the kind of leadership needed to guide the institutions. Four sets of …

Early Stem Impressions, Student Engagement, And Readiness For Digitalization, Myron Sheu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines how early impressions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) shape business students’ learning behaviors and, ultimately, their readiness for organizational digitalization. Focusing on gender differences, subgroup identities, and perceived obstacles, the analysis uses survey data processed through correlation matrices, regression models, and subgroup heatmaps to trace the relationship between initial attitudes toward STEM and subsequent engagement patterns. The findings reveal consistent links between positive early impressions and active participation in structured STEM activities, along with gender-based distinctions in action preferences. Subgroup analyses further uncover nuanced patterns where stereotypes or perceived barriers correspond with reduced engagement. Collectively, …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Amazon Strategic Audit, Trinity L. Hansen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Amazon.com, Inc., also known as Amazon, is a global e-commerce company that provides online retail, digital streaming, and cloud services. Since 1995, Amazon has grown to encompass a variety of diverse markets while maintaining leadership and competition in each. Although Amazon competes in several industries, this strategic audit mainly focuses on its pivotal role in the e-commerce industry and how Amazon has maintained its competitive advantage over the years. This report will start by overviewing Amazon’s history and business model and exploring the e-commerce industry overall and the various competitors in Amazon’s e-commerce market. Diving deeper into Amazon's competitive analysis, …

A Strategic Audit Of Instacart, Taylor Durbin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Instacart is an online grocery delivery and pick-up service that allows users to order groceries and other household items from local and large stores and retailers through its website or mobile app. Apoorva Mehta founded Instacart in 2012 with the intent to help people conveniently access the food they enjoy, and the service now reaches over 14,000 cities across the United States and Canada. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the company as its rise to becoming a prominent player in the online grocery delivery industry has skyrocketed demand for the service and presented numerous operational challenges for the …

Applicable Mitigation Strategies And Technology Propositions: Preventing Scamming In Marginalized Populations, Grace Nicole Sandhofer-Adams

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This essay serves as a proposal for new technology and mitigation against the scamming of marginalized individuals (i.e., those over the age of 65). Research supports this outline, giving background to the types of scams, and prevention strategies currently seen in the cybersecurity landscape. It is evident that the methods we currently use to combat scamming attacks are not effective, therefore, I propose a new solution. This proposed telecommunications strategy is necessary to prevent scamming of all internet users, no matter the device. This telecommunication strategy would use artificial intelligence and machine learning to constantly improve its detection over time, …

Information, Communication, And Technology In Developing Countries: The Impediment To Nigeria Economic Growth, Fatima Ali Muhammed

Dissertations and Theses

Technological revolution has shifted the world to a post-industrial society as information communication and technology (ICT) govern the centrality of human interaction. ICT has become widely influential at all levels of life, especially socially and economically.

In the 21st century, innovative technologies have become a crucial element of accelerating all factors of production to deliver rapid and effective results in every sector of the economy. The Internet, as a component of ICT, has become the global computing network that facilitates the access, analysis and dissemination of infinite information rapidly using advanced technology.

Policy makers, researchers, business leaders, academics are all …

Fedex Ground Strategic Audit, Samantha Gates

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

FedEx Ground is an operating segment of the parcel carrier giant FedEx Inc. The company, known for shipping products via delivery truck, has remained one of the largest parcel carriers in the country, despite drastic changes in its environment. This report seeks to understand the changing operating environment of FedEx Ground, its competitive advantages, and the future challenges it may face. The analysis uses PESTEL and Porter's Five Forces analyses to evaluate the changing external environment and industry FedEx Ground operates in. Additionally, challenges and recommendations are offered to navigate the future of this company.

Role Of Personality Traits For Entrepreneurial Intentions Of Young Entrepreneurs: A Case Study Of Higher Education Institution, Yuanyuan Cao, Muhammad Mujtaba Asad, Lu Wang, Aisha Naz Ansari, Norah Almusharraf

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Pakistan being a young country is struggling to provide employment opportunities. However, entrepreneurship is a perceived strategy for reducing unemployment. The trend of entrepreneurship is also emerging among university students. Thus, the ratio of entrepreneurial intention and start-ups is also increasing among university students and graduates. Therefore, this study aims to examine the role of personality traits in the entrepreneurial intentions of young entrepreneurs. Considering this, qualitative methodology was employed with the case study as the research design. A single case of a university with three different departments was taken. In total, n = 9 entrepreneurs were purposely selected from …

Muslim Fashion Influencers Shaping Modesty In The Twenty-First Century On Social Media, Awa Sanno

Student Theses and Dissertations

The depiction of Muslim women in Western media has been a long-running joke, as they are framed to be oppressed by the burdens of their religion and the hijab. However, Muslim women have used the power of social media to counter that narrative through their large followings as fashion influencers, digital creators, food bloggers, makeup artists, lifestyle bloggers, musicians, and so much more. Specifically, Muslim fashion influencers are changing and redefining the notion of modesty throughout their posted content on social media. Many people in Muslim communities see this redefinition of modesty as a conflict with the "proper" ways of …

From Strategic Goal To Reality: The Development Of The Myrtle Beach Invitational Basketball Tournament, Mark Mitchell, Dennis Edwards, John Marcis

The Coastal Business Journal

The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area was selected to serve as one-time hosts for two tournaments in 2017: the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Men's College Basketball Tournament, when circumstances required those events to relocate on very short notice. Following the success of these two one-time events, the region sought to become a permanent host of an annual men's college basketball tournament to be played in November or December. This manuscript examines the development process of this tournament and illustrates how tournament organizers addressed the most common elements found in such events.

A Risk-Based Approach To Cybersecurity: A Case Study Of Financial Messaging Networks Data Breaches, Xiang Michelle Liu

The Coastal Business Journal

With banking becoming increasingly global and largely digital, a magnitude of data breach incidents resulted from cyberattacks have been observed and can be frequently traced to ineffective security practices and procedures. Cyberattacks do not require physical proximity, nor are they deterred by national borders. Cybercriminals can remain undetected for a long period of time. Such breaches inevitably result in losses of reputation, customer confidence, and in some instances, productivity. The purpose of this study is to take a deeper look into various breaches of the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) messaging network to illuminate vulnerabilities inherent in the …

Understanding Residents' Opinions And Support Toward Sustainable Tourism Development In The Caribbean: The Case Of Saint Kitts And Nevis, David Mc.A Baker, Ramaprasad Unni

The Coastal Business Journal

Saint Kitts and Nevis are two islands forming one nation in the Caribbean. This paper examines differences in the perceived economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism between residents of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the residents' attitudes about the pace and direction of tourism development. A self-administered household survey was used to assess perceptions of these impacts from tourism among residents. After excluding 53 non-residents, effective sample size was 269. ANOVA was used to analyze differences between the two islands. Residents of both islands shared similar perceptions about the pace and direction of tourism development in their islands. However, …

Promoting Ecotourism To Millennials Through Social Media, Melissa Clark, Paul Clark, Michael Latta

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper explores how coastal ecotourism marketers can utilize social media to effectively market to millennials. Coastal Tourism is one of four types of ecotourism identified by Honey and Krantz (2007) in their study Global Trends in Coastal Tourism sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. An online survey of university students from the millennial generation was utilized. Findings indicate that millennials are interested in ecotourism and gather information about it from friends and social media. They check their accounts several times a day and usually from their smartphones. They would choose an ecotourism destination if money were not an issue. …

The Strategic Problem Of Information Security And Data Breaches, Michael Dinger, Julie Terrill Wade

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper considers the strategic uncertainties and impacts created by high-profile data breaches and discusses the unique strategic problem presented by information security breaches for organizational executives. Based on theory regarding strategic uncertainties, we develop a framework depicting a strategic perspective on breaches within and outside the firm. Then, within the major categories outlined by the framework, this research evaluates instances of 17 public disclosures of high-profile data breaches over the past four years. Based on our discussion of these 17 cases, we identify six major issues complicating strategic decision-making regarding security breaches and discuss guidance for managers.

The Role Of Forensic Accounting In U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts, Amie L. Haun, Madison Gaither, Joanie Sompayrac

The Coastal Business Journal

The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center directed international attention to the financial component of terrorist operations. The demand for forensic accounts has continued to increase because of a growing intolerance for fraud and terrorist activity. Forensic accountants have and will continue to have a vital role in United States' counterterrorism efforts in the post-9/11 era by detecting acts of fraud and money laundering. Comprehensive review of relevant literature including books, peer-reviewed articles, government databases, court records and news media confirms that forensic accountants are equipped with special skills and analytical tools that make them valuable members of …

Extraordinary Item Classification Eliminated From The Income Statement: Some Supportive Evidence, Mark G. Mccarthy, Dennis O'Reilly, Douglas K. Schneider

The Coastal Business Journal

Accounting Standards Update 2015-01 formally eliminated the reporting of "extraordinary items" in the income statement for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015. Gains and losses previously reported as extraordinary items and presented separately below income from continuing operations, are now reported as other gains and losses and included in income from continuing operations. The use of the extraordinary item classification fell sharply after 2002 when gains and losses from the early extinguishment of debt were no longer required to be reported as extraordinary items. By 2003 less than 100 publicly traded firms reported extraordinary items and in 2011 the …

The Impact Of The Carrollton Greenbelt On Residential Housing Prices: A Spatial Approach, Heather R. Bono, Lisa L. Gezon, William J. Smith, Macy D. Walker

The Coastal Business Journal

The Carrollton GreenBelt is a linear park encircling the City of Carrollton Georgia. The GreenBelt differs from other linear parks in that it is an entirely new construction and was not built upon existing rail lines, as was the Atlanta Beltline and the nearby Silver Comet Trail. Using GIS, data from the Carroll County Tax Assessor's office and spatial econometric techniques, we estimate local fair-market housing values within the hedonic framework to measure the relationship between home prices and access to the GreenBelt. We find the expected positive effects from the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage, but access …

Small Business Identity And Entrepreneurial Identity In A Destination Resort Town: Are Birds Of A Feather Flocking To The Beach?, Janice A. Black, Carol Megehee, Frances H. Fabian

The Coastal Business Journal

Identities can be considered an intangible resource when they support the competitive advantage of a firm. Some work has shown that the context of an organization matters but will that hold true at a beach location filled with large numbers of micro-businesses and small businesses where entrepreneurs and small business owners engage their world both as individuals and as organizations? We examine the literature on identity and utilize a zoomorphic metaphor to elicit unbiased understandings of the coherence or dissonance of entrepreneurial and organizational identities. We found some intriguing results showing unexpected similarities and an affinity for coherent identities.

A Preliminary Examination Of Gender Differences In Graduate And Undergraduate Reading Engagement: Using Books To Supplement Students' Learning, Suzanne Clinton, Lee Tyner, Robert Epstein, Abbie Lambert

The Coastal Business Journal

As America's universities advance the use of technologies, including learning management systems, videos, PowerPoint, "clickers," virtual classrooms, and everything else "i" and "e," students may become over sensitized and yearn for a missing component: The focused study of reading a book. This study analyzes differences in graduate and undergraduate students, and male and female attitudes and perceptions of reading engagement involving non-textbook reading in academic courses, especially among business students. This research is based on the experiences of four professors who have incorporated (auto)biographies and practitioner books to support the growth and development of students' study of human resource management …

An Active Learning Exercise To Help Students Discover How To Model A Third Decision, Julie Ann Stuart Williams, Randall Reid, Kristine Gallamore

The Coastal Business Journal

In this paper, we describe an active learning exercise for a fictitious business producing sea turtle bamboo beach towels. The students are asked to assume the role of a junior analyst at a company as they are led through a series of business memos, directed questions, nutshell summaries, and class discussions. In this role, students have the opportunity to discover how to review business communications to identify a new third decision, what additional data will be needed, and what changes will be required to reformulate the existing product mix model for sea turtle bamboo beach towels.

Shared Leadership In A Department Of Defense Acquisition Project Management Team, Valentin Novikov

The Coastal Business Journal

Integrated product teams (IPTs) manage the acquisition of modernized military equipment. Since acquisition processes are complex and multi-functional, product management team leaders are not experts in every phase of their projects. Therefore, team leaders rely on member expertise by serving as social architects to orchestrate collaborative work group cultures required to accomplish the teams' missions through shared leadership (Stagnaro & Piotrowski, 2013). Since a comprehensive search of literature revealed a lack of published field studies on shared leadership in product management teams, an in-depth qualitative study was conducted on a successful acquisition IPT that suggested the team portrayed the characteristics …

Estimating Modified Duration And Convexity For Income Properties, Frank Handforth, Eugene M. Bland, Neil F. Riley

The Coastal Business Journal

Some institutions hold income producing properties directly as part of an investment portfolio. These properties are subject to interest rate risk. The two widely used measures of interest rate risk are modified duration and convexity. These measures can be difficult to calculate directly for income properties when net operating income and cash flows are not constant or when they are functions of the underlying yield. A numerical technique using sensitivity analysis is developed to provide estimates of modified duration and convexity. These estimates can then be used, along with corresponding values for debt, to determine the modified duration and convexity …

Teaching Aggregate Planning In Operations Management, Johnny C. Ho, Francisco J. López, David Ang

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper describes some unique characteristics of Aggregate Production Planning, which make the teaching of this topic in Operations Management courses somewhat different than other topics. A challenge when teaching Aggregate Planning is to make students understand the need to apply trial-and-error approaches to test, evaluate, and improve Aggregate Plans. In other words, do not just learn how to do the computations needed to develop an Aggregate Plan under certain conditions, but to actually analyze it and try to modify it with the objective of producing an improved plan. We recommend that in operations management courses, Aggregate Planning is taught …

Finishing Or Winning? The Variables That Impacted The Nascar Championship In The Chase I Format (2004-2013), Tracy D. Rishel, Elizabeth W. Baker, C. Barry Pfitzner

The Coastal Business Journal

Since 2004 NASCAR has evolved its championship format in an effort to put more emphasis on wins, thus encouraging drivers to take more risk to get the race win. Past research has shown that drivers taking a conservative approach, by completing laps rather than going for wins, results in championships. This research attempts to determine if previous models are robust in predicting factors that influence individual points accumulation towards winning the championship and if driver consistency, rather than winning, remains the dominant factor in predicting NASCAR's championship standings.

A Comparison Of Core Competencies Of Women And Men Leaders In The Manufacturing Industry, Daniel R. Tomal, Kevin J. Jones Jr.

The Coastal Business Journal

This study compared the rankings of fourteen leadership core competencies for women and men managers in middle management and women and men in first-line supervisory positions in five manufacturing companies in the Midwest. Surveys were completed by the respondents and follow-up interviews were conducted. Results indicated that there were no significant differences in the rankings of core competencies between women and men supervisors or women and men managers. However, all supervisors (women and men combined) ranked mentoring and coaching employees higher than all managers (p<.05), and all managers ranked managing finances and employing strategic leadership higher than the supervisors (p<.05). It appears that the role of the leader position may be a more determinant factor in selecting core competencies than the gender of the leader. Including these core competencies in leadership professional development is recommended.

Assessment Of Essays In A Management Science Course, Julie Ann Stuart Williams, Claudia J. Stanny, Randall Reid, Christopher Hill, Maxwell Rankin, Katie Martin Rosa

The Coastal Business Journal

The ability to communicate a problem statement and an appropriate quantitative business method are important professional skills. This paper presents an analysis of student skill in writing a final exam essay that describes how a specific organization can improve decision making using mathematical programming, the business modeling approach that was the focus of the course. Although performance on assessments of professional writing and the description of a mathematical programming model averaged less than 80% across all essays written, improved writing when students received formative feedback in 2013 suggests that teaching students to identify and articulate the development and use of …

Distribution And Movements Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Along The Northern South Carolina Coast: A Research Partnership With Ecotourism, Courtney N. Dunn, Dani C. Silva, Emily P. Deborde, Robert F. Young

The Coastal Business Journal

Assessments of bottlenose dolphin stocks rely on current information about the distribution and abundance of specific populations. We partnered with two ecotourism dolphin watch businesses to investigate bottlenose dolphins along the northern South Carolina coast. The temporal and spatial distribution of dolphins was examined by comparing dorsal fin images from research-based surveys with photo-identification efforts from commercial dolphin watch groups. Matches between survey locations and times revealed patterns of seasonal residency, potential migratory dispersal between seasons, and variable patterns for home range size. An enhanced understanding of the structure of local populations will contribute to the management of local fisheries, …

Playing The Lottery Games?, Johnny C. Ho, David Ang, Tzu-Liang (Bill) Tseng

The Coastal Business Journal

The lottery is a huge business. In 2011, $57.6 billion worth of lottery tickets were sold in 43 states and the District of Columbia. There are three major parties (governments, lottery players, and retailers) involved in the lottery industry, plus many more stakeholders. This paper examines the lottery from the viewpoints of these three primary parties. From the lottery players' viewpoint, we show how to statistically determine the expected value of a lottery ticket and discuss when to conclude it is profitable to buy lottery tickets. We explore the question of whether lottery players are rational. State governments have, for …

Economic Convergence: Evidence From Counties In The Carolinas, C. Barry Pfitzner, Steven D. Lang

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper applies a common empirical methodology in testing for convergence of per capita incomes across the counties in North and South Carolina. Decennial census data on per capita income for the 46 counties of South Carolina and the 100 counties of North Carolina are used to test for two types of income convergence over the 1959-2010 time span. The results indicate that both beta and sigma convergence occurred across the counties for the full period, but there were sub-periods (the 1980s, and the 2000s) over which neither measure of convergence was evident. In fact, measured by the beta method, …