Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Strategies For Achieving Sustainability Of Small Business Restaurants, Tanisha Thomas-Beard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business restaurant owners perform unprofitably and fail within 5 years of opening. Small business restaurant owners are concerned about sustainability as approximately 50% of small businesses that start up do not last beyond the fifth year. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small business restaurant owners use to grow and maintain profitability to sustain business beyond 5 years. The participants were five small business restaurant owners in the Southeastern region of the United States who sustained their business beyond 5 years. The data were analyzed using …

Strategies For Cybercrime Prevention In Information Technology Businesses, Sophfronia G. Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cybercrime continues to be a devastating phenomenon, impacting individuals and businesses across the globe. Information technology (IT) businesses need solutions to defend and secure their data and networks from cyberattacks. Grounded in general systems theory and transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies IT business leaders use to protect their systems from a cyberattack. The participants included six IT business leaders with experience in cybersecurity or system security in the Midlands region of South Carolina. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of government standards documents; data were analyzed using thematic …

Strategies Small-And Medium-Sized Enterprise Leaders Use For Sustainability Beyond 5 Years In Rivers State, Olawe Alaba Tula

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders lacking sustainability strategies experience high rates of business failure through loss of profit. A high rate of SME failure is linked to a lack of competitive advantage, resulting in decreased productivity and profitability. Grounded in resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that three SME leaders in Rivers State used to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company documents, including employee handbooks and annual reports. The three themes that emerged through thematic analysis were strategic management, stakeholder management strategies, …

Employee Training Strategies For New Technology Implementation In Small Business, Eddy Varela

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to implement new technology creates a barrier to success for small businesses. Small business owners must create competitive advantages by implementing new technology as there is a need to maintain an advantage when competing in the local market economy. Grounded in the human capital theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the employee training strategies small business owners use to implement new technology. The participants were five small business owners in Central Florida who used employee training strategies to implement new technologies Data were collected using (a) semistructured interviews, (b) member checking interviews, (c) …

Strategies For Implementing Critical Success Factors For Improving Information Technology Information Systems’ Performance In Financial Organizations, Sherri L. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) business leaders lack strategies for implementing critical success factors (CSFs) to promote organizational effectiveness and project success. As a result, ITIL leaders may experience less project success if CSF strategies are not effectively implemented. Grounded in the balanced scorecard (BSC) theory, this qualitative multiple case study aimed to explore strategies ITIL business leaders use to implement CSFs successfully to improve organizational efficiency for project success. The participants comprised five ITIL business leaders in the financial industry located in the southwestern region of the United States who successfully implemented strategies to implement CSFs to improve organizational …

Exploring Implementation Strategies Of Iot Technology In Organizations: Technology, Organization, And Environment, Khanhhung Hoang Pham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfter organizations successfully adopt the internet of things (IoT) technology, many corporate information technology (IT) leaders face challenges during the implementation phase. Corporate IT leaders' potential failures in implementing IoT devices may impede organizations from integrating IoT solutions and promoting business benefits. Grounded in technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory, the purpose of this qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies that corporate IT leaders use to implement IoT technology in their organizations. The participants were six corporate healthcare IT leaders who successfully used implementation strategies for implementing IoT solutions for their organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and industry security …

Strategies For Catalyzing Supply Chain Innovation In Midsized Manufacturing Firms, Matthew J. Szukalowski Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supply chain inflexibility results in reduced efficiency and profitability. Without supply chain flexibility, supply chain managers in manufacturing firms risk the loss of competitive advantage due to reduced efficiency and profitability. Grounded in business process engineering conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies supply chain leaders in manufacturing organizations use to achieve supply chain flexibility. The participants were five supply chain leaders in the manufacturing industry in the midwestern United States and successfully implemented innovative solutions to achieve supply chain flexibility. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents …

Business Planning Strategies To Sustain Hair Salons, Charity T. Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses employ most Americans in the workforce; however, more than half of small businesses fail within the first 5 years of operation. Small business owners who lack business planning strategies are at a higher risk of failure. Grounded in the sustainable activity model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies hair salon owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years. The participants comprised seven hair salon owners in the Southern region of the United States who successfully sustained their business beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and reviews of organization documents …

Length Of Stay In A Homeless Shelter And Mitigating Homelessness, Uwemedimo S. Etteyit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHomelessness is a major public health issue in the United States. Every night, thousands of people have no residence to call their own. Most homeless persons turn to homeless shelters for help. Despite the homeless shelters, the problem of homelessness persists. This study examined the concept that the length of time spent at a homeless shelter is related to the homeless persons mitigating their homelessness through home placement, jobs, and healthcare access. Homelessness was examined using the socioecological model with its attendant levels of influence. On the intrapersonal level, socioeconomic status, education, old age, veteran status, and disability were factors. …

Examination Of Strategies To Implementing Chip-And-Personal Identification Number Credit Card Authentication Infrastructures, Neville Arthur Gallimore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chip-and-Personal Identification Number (PIN) technology is seen as a game changer in many e-commerce industries and a transformational technology in the 21st century. However, security concerns have made chip-and-PIN adoption relatively slow. Massive unauthorized card payment transactions in the United States (U.S.) cost victims an estimate totaling billions of dollars. Information Technology (IT) managers are concerned with credit card fraud's financial loss and liability cost. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic study was to explore strategies used by IT managers to transition their e-commerce organizations to chip-and-PIN credit card authentication infrastructures. The participants …

Website Accessibility Strategies, Gary W. Hrezo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most websites cannot be readily used by people with disabilities, despite the internet being an essential component for people to be part of a community. Applying web accessibility strategies means that people with disabilities can better interact with the web. Grounded in Davis’s technology acceptance model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine strategies used by web designers to make websites accessible for people with disabilities. The participants were experienced web developers from organizations in Florida with websites that have a Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Level 2 of three levels, i.e., AA- rating. The data collection …

Analyzing Secure Access Strategies To Protect Clinical-Information Systems In The Healthcare Industry, Manjit S. Kang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Securing patient health records within cloud-based health records is a critical security challenge for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Some information technology (IT) leaders working in the U.S. healthcare industry or hospitals are concerned with their patient cloud-based health records due to data breaches in their healthcare systems. Grounded in the task technology fit theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies healthcare information leaders use to implement security procedures to protect patient health records on private cloud-based clinical information systems (CIS). The participants were six IT managers in metropolitan San Francisco Bay healthcare facilities. The …

Forward-Looking Strategies For Safely Adopting Digital Transformation In Aviation, Melissa King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Aviation leaders in the U.S. federal government face challenges in adopting technical evolution and advancing modernization while adhering to the rigor of a deeply entrenched safety culture. The purpose of this qualitative modified Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 21 aerospace experts based in Washington, DC viewed strategies for adopting to new technologies while ensuring safety. The management concepts that framed the study were safety culture and digital transformation. The study addressed the research question of how a panel of aviation experts viewed the desirability, feasibility, and importance of forward-looking strategies for adopting digital transformation while adhering …

Exploring Cyber-Physical Systems’ Security Governance In The Oil And Gas Industry, Soliman Mahmoud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which utilizes modern communication-dependent technologies, including cyber-physical systems (CPS), has made exploration and production operations more efficient in the oil and gas industry. CPS in this industry should be secured against operational threats to prevent interruption of critical oil and gas supplies and services. However, these systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and many oil and gas companies have not incorporated effective cybersecurity measures into their corporate management strategies. This qualitative, multiple-case study, which was guided by the routine activity theory, explored how cybersecurity governance was applied to develop controls that stopped or mitigated the consequences of …

Exploring The Integration Of Corporate Sustainability Into Small-Scale Business Activities, Olushola O. Odutola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-scale enterprises contribute 49% of the gross domestic product in Nigeria. The lack of research studies on how small and medium-scale enterprises integrate corporate sustainability into their business operations might present challenges for policymakers in achieving Nigeria’s sustainable development goals (SDG). The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore how managers of small and medium-scale enterprises integrate the corporate sustainability dimensions into their business operations based on the concepts of the corporate entity, corporate nature, and corporate obligations. The central research question of this study was how managers of small and medium-scale enterprises integrate the economic, …

Successful Strategies For Adopting Electronic Medical Records Systems At Hospitals, Vazi Okhandiar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some healthcare leaders lack strategies to successfully implement electronic medical record (EMR) systems to improve patient care efficiency and effectiveness. Grounded in the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to implement EMR systems. The participants comprised five healthcare leaders who implemented EMRs in U.S. hospitals. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, government websites, and relevant documents and analyzed using Yin’s five-step data analysis method. Three themes emerged: (a) adequate training, (b) workflow analysis, and (c) technical support. A key recommendation is for management to provide customized training to …

Relationship Between Information System Success Model Dimensions And Electronic Health Records Use, Gloria Oshegbo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rise in the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in health care facilities necessitates a standardized tool for evaluating their effectiveness. Delone and McLean’s information system success model (ISSM) was the theoretical foundation, which consists of seven dimensions namely system, information, service qualities, user satisfaction, use, system usefulness, and net benefits. The purpose of this study was to examine EHRs’ efficiency and identify ISSM dimensions that influenced net benefits, the dependent variable. The research questions examined the relationship between dimensions of ISSM and the dimensions that affect net benefits. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling via social media and …

Exploring Implementation Strategies Of Iot Technology In Organizations: Technology, Organization, And Environment, Khanhhung Hoang Pham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfter organizations successfully adopt the internet of things (IoT) technology, many corporate information technology (IT) leaders face challenges during the implementation phase. Corporate IT leaders' potential failures in implementing IoT devices may impede organizations from integrating IoT solutions and promoting business benefits. Grounded in technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory, the purpose of this qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies that corporate IT leaders use to implement IoT technology in their organizations. The participants were six corporate healthcare IT leaders who successfully used implementation strategies for implementing IoT solutions for their organizations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and industry security …

Exposing And Fixing Causes Of Inconsistency And Nondeterminism In Clustering Implementations, Xin Yin

Dissertations

Cluster analysis aka Clustering is used in myriad applications, including high-stakes domains, by millions of users. Clustering users should be able to assume that clustering implementations are correct, reliable, and for a given algorithm, interchangeable. Based on observations in a wide-range of real-world clustering implementations, this dissertation challenges the aforementioned assumptions.

This dissertation introduces an approach named SmokeOut that uses differential clustering to show that clustering implementations suffer from nondeterminism and inconsistency: on a given input dataset and using a given clustering algorithm, clustering outcomes and accuracy vary widely between (1) successive runs of the same toolkit, i.e., nondeterminism, and …

Model Checks For Two-Sample Location-Scale, Atefeh Javidialsaadi

Dissertations

Two-sample location-scale refers to a model that permits a pair of standardized random variables to have a common distribution. This means that if X₁ and X₂ are two random variables with means µ₁ and µ₂ and standard deviations ?₁ and ?₂, then (X₁ - µ₁)/?₁ and (X₂ - µ₂)/?₂ have some common unspecified standard or base distribution F₀. Function-based hypothesis testing for these models refers to formal tests that would help determine whether or not two samples may have come from some location-scale …

On Performance Optimization And Prediction Of Parallel Computing Frameworks In Big Data Systems, Haifa Alquwaiee

Dissertations

A wide spectrum of big data applications in science, engineering, and industry generate large datasets, which must be managed and processed in a timely and reliable manner for knowledge discovery. These tasks are now commonly executed in big data computing systems exemplified by Hadoop based on parallel processing and distributed storage and management. For example, many companies and research institutions have developed and deployed big data systems on top of NoSQL databases such as HBase and MongoDB, and parallel computing frameworks such as MapReduce and Spark, to ensure timely data analyses and efficient result delivery for decision making and business …

Coherent Control Of Dispersive Waves, Jimmie Adriazola

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses some of the various issues which can arise when posing and solving optimization problems constrained by dispersive physics. Considered here are four technologically relevant experiments, each having their own unique challenges and physical settings including ultra-cold quantum fluids trapped by an external field, paraxial light propagation through a gradient index of refraction, light propagation in periodic photonic crystals, and surface gravity water waves over shallow and variable seabeds. In each of these settings, the physics can be modeled by dispersive wave equations, and the technological objective is to design the external trapping fields or propagation media such …

Private And Federated Deep Learning: System, Theory, And Applications For Social Good, Han Hu

Dissertations

During the past decade, drug abuse continues to accelerate towards becoming the most severe public health problem in the United States. The ability to detect drug­abuse risk behavior at a population scale, such as among the population of Twitter users, can help to monitor the trend of drug­abuse incidents. However, traditional methods do not effectively detect drug­abuse risk behavior in tweets, mainly due to the sparsity of such tweets and the noisy nature of tweets. In the first part of this dissertation work, the task of classifying tweets as containing drug­abuse risk behavior or not, is studied. Millions of public …

Hydrophobically Modified Isosorbide Dimethacrylates As Biomaterials For Bisphenol A Free Dental Fillings, Bilal Marie

Dissertations

Amalgam and Bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BisGMA) are the main dental filling materials in use today. Because of the negative perception of amalgam and its lower esthetic appeal, as well as the desire to replace the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A, which is the building block of BisGMA, there has been a critical need to search for safer alternatives to these dental filling materials.

Isosorbide is a sugar-based molecule generally recognized as safe. It has been extensively studied as a replacement to the Bisphenol A core in various materials. However, isosorbide is extremely hygroscopic, and water uptake in dental fillings causes …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes For Use In Energy Storage Devices And Membranes, Emine S. Karaman

Dissertations

Electrolytes with good interfacial stability are a crucial component of any electrochemical device. The development of novel gel polymer electrolytes (GEs) with good interface stability and better manufacturability is important for the development of the next generation electrochemical devices. Gel electrolytes are hybrid electrolyte materials, combining benefits of both liquid and solid systems. Compared with liquid and solid electrolytes, GEs open new design opportunities and do not require rigorous encapsulation methods. In this dissertation, studies on functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based gel electrolytes (GEs) are reported. The ionic conductivity and mechanical strength …

A Practical Approach To Automated Software Correctness Enhancement, Aleksandr Zakharchenko

Dissertations

To repair an incorrect program does not mean to make it correct; it only means to make it more-correct, in some sense, than it is. In the absence of a concept of relative correctness, i.e. the property of a program to be more-correct than another with respect to a specification, the discipline of program repair has resorted to various approximations of absolute (traditional) correctness, with varying degrees of success. This shortcoming is concealed by the fact that most program repair tools are tested on basic cases, whence making them absolutely correct is not clearly distinguishable from making them relatively more-correct. …

Parameter Estimation And Inference Of Spatial Autoregressive Model By Stochastic Gradient Descent, Gan Luan

Dissertations

Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is a popular iterative method for model parameter estimation in large-scale data and online learning settings since it goes through the data in only one pass. While SGD has been well studied for independent data, its application to spatially-correlated data largely remains unexplored. This dissertation develops SGD-based parameter estimation and statistical inference algorithms for the spatial autoregressive (SAR) model, a common model for spatial lattice data.

This research contains three parts. (I) The first part concerns SGD estimation and inference for the SAR mean regression model. A new SGD algorithm based on maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) …

Scalable Scientific Data Management On High-Performance Computing Systems, Zhenbo Qiao

Dissertations

As high-performance computing (HPC) is being scaled up to exascale to accommodate new modeling and simulation needs, I/O has continued to be a major bottleneck in the end-to-end scientific processes. To bridge the widening gap between compute and I/O, and enable data to be more efficiently stored and analyzed, simulation outputs need to be refactored, reduced, and appropriately mapped to storage tiers. Also, a major question that the community is striving to answer is how to co-design data storage and complex physics-rich analytics in a way that the time to knowledge can be minimized in post-processing. As HPC storage systems …

Hydrodynamic Characterization Of Laboratory And Production Equipment For Pharmaceutical Testing And Manufacturing Using Experimental And Computational Approaches, Chadakarn Sirasitthichoke

Dissertations

The hydrodynamics of process units used in pharmaceutical industry, i.e., the distribution of velocity profiles and shear stresses within the vessel, often controls the process performance, significantly affecting product quality. The hydrodynamics is strongly influenced by several factors such as the vessel shape, stirrer type, presence of internals and baffles, agitation intensity, and liquid properties. Most of these parameters can be varied by the process designers and the operators to achieve the desired process outcomes. The impact of the hydrodynamics on the process outcome can be profound in both large vessels (e.g., reactors) and smaller vessels (e.g., dissolution vessels), involving …

Mathematical Model Of Cholera Spread Based On Sir: Optimal Control, Noer Hidayati, Eminugroho Ratna Sari, Nur Hadi Waryanto

PYTHAGORAS : Jurnal Matematika dan Pendidikan Matematika

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the cause of cholera. Cholera is spread through the feces of an infected individual in a population. From a mathematical point of view, this problem can be brought into a mathematical model in the form of Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR), which considers the birth rate. Because outbreaks that occur easily spread if not treated immediately, it is necessary to control the susceptible individual population by vaccination. The vaccine used is Oral Vibrio cholera. For this reason, the purposes of this study were to establish a model for the spread of cholera without vaccination, analyze the stability of …