Databases and Information Systems Commons^™

Secured Data Masking Framework And Technique For Preserving Privacy In A Business Intelligence Analytics Platform, Osama Ali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The main concept behind business intelligence (BI) is how to use integrated data across different business systems within an enterprise to make strategic decisions. It is difficult to map internal and external BI’s users to subsets of the enterprise’s data warehouse (DW), resulting that protecting the privacy of this data while maintaining its utility is a challenging task. Today, such DW systems constitute one of the most serious privacy breach threats that an enterprise might face when many internal users of different security levels have access to BI components. This thesis proposes a data masking framework (iMaskU: Identify, Map, Apply, …

Enhancing The Design Of A Cybersecurity Risk Management Solution For Communities Of Trust, James E. Fulford Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research into cybersecurity risks and various methods of evaluating those threats has become an increasingly important area of academic and practitioner investigations. Of particular interest in this field is enhancing the designs and informing capabilities of cybersecurity risk management solutions for users who desire to understand how organizations are impacted when such risks are exploited. Many of the cybersecurity risk management solutions are extremely technical and require their users to have a commensurate level of technical acumen. In the situation evaluated during this research project, the founders of the company being researched had created a highly technical risk management solution …

Analytics For Novel Consumer Insights (A Three Essay Dissertation), Utkarsh Shrivastava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Both literature and practice have investigated how the vast amount of ever increasing customer information can inform marketing strategy and decision making. However, the customer data is often susceptible to modeling bias and misleading findings due to various factors including sample selection and unobservable variables. The available analytics toolkit has continued to develop but in the age of nearly perfect information, the customer decision making has also evolved. The dissertation addresses some of the challenges in deriving valid and useful consumer insights from customer data in the digital age. The first study addresses the limitations of traditional customer purchase measures …

Is Information Systems Misuse Always Bad? A New Perspective On Is Misuse In Hospitals Under The Context Of Disasters, Dheyaaldin Alsalman

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Although the extant literature has investigated how individuals engage in inappropriate behaviors based on the rational choice theory (RCT) (e.g., computer misconduct), the neutralization theory (e.g., IS security policies violation), and workarounds under normal situations, it has given little consideration to how individuals are involved in misuse of information systems with a good intention under the context of disasters. To fill this research gap, we propose a selfless misuse model, which offers a theoretical explanation for the concept of individuals’ selfless misuse intention under uncertainty caused by disasters. In this study, we show why employees make decisions to misuse the …

Hybrid Recommender For Online Petitions With Social Network And Psycholinguistic Features, Ahmed Elnoshokaty

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The online petition has become one of the most important channels of civic participation. Most of the state-of-the-art online platforms, however, tend to use simple indicators (such as popularity) to rank petitions, hence creating a situation where the most popular petitions dominate the rank and attract most people’s attention. For the petitions which focus on specific issues, they are often in a disadvantageous position on the list. For example, a petition for local environment problem may not be seen by many people who are really concerned with it, simply because it takes multiple pages to reach it. Therefore, the simple …

Virtual Smarts - Optimizing The Coalescing Of People For Collective Action Within Urban Communities, Stephen Thomas Ricken

Dissertations

Despite the importance of individuals coming together for social group-activities (e.g., pick-up volleyball), the process by which such groups coalesce is poorly understood, and as a consequence is poorly supported by technology. This is despite the emergence of Event-Based Social Network (EBSN) technologies that are specifically designed to assist group coalescing for social activities. Existing theories focus on group development in terms of norms and types, rather than the processes involved in initial group coalescence. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature through four studies focusing on understanding the coalescing process for interest-based group activities within urban environments and …

Three Essays On Trust Mining In Online Social Networks, Gelareh Towhidi

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research consists of three essays on studying trust in online social networks. Trust plays a critical role in online social relationships, because of the high levels of risk and uncertainty involved. Guided by relevant social science and computational graph theories, I develop conceptual and predictive models to gain insights into trusting behaviors in online social relationships.

In the first essay, I propose a conceptual model of trust formation in online social networks. This is the first study that integrates the existing graph-based view of trust formation in social networks with socio-psychological theories of trust to provide a richer …

Supporting User Evaluation Of Messaging Interactions With Potential Romantic Partners Discovered Online, Douglas Zytko

Dissertations

Online dating systems have transformed the way people pursue romance. To arrive at a decision to meet for a face-to-face date, users gather information about each other online pertinent to romantic attraction. Yet sometimes they discover on the date that they made the wrong choice. One aspect of online dating system-use that may be a contributing factor, but is largely overlooked in the literature, is interaction through text-based messaging interfaces. This dissertation explores how messaging interactions inform face-to-face meeting decisions through two qualitative studies, and explores through a mixed methods field study how innovative messaging interfaces that embody theory from …

Black Business Owners Overcoming Barriers In Texas, Henry Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black entrepreneurs in the state of Texas reported that they did not achieve the same level of success as nonminority enterprises. Many Black entrepreneurs have obtained education from top tier institutions and have the managerial experiences, skills, and working knowledge that facilitate business success, but they are not able to sustain business growth. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black Texan entrepreneurs. This research was established using the conceptual framework of human capital. The overarching research question concerned the lived experiences of Black Texas entrepreneurs who were not as successful in business as …

Equity Trading Evaluation Strategies In Switzerland After The European Mifid Ii, Linn Kristina Karstadt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Swiss bank traders are affected by technological and regulatory challenges, which may affect their broker voting process and may result in a change of trading and evaluation behavior in 2018. Compounded challenges exist when broker evaluation strategies are not effective or Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II compliant. This qualitative, single case study, built on efficient capital market hypothesis and innovative disruption theory, was focused on effective broker evaluation strategies after MiFID II in Switzerland. The sample consisted of 4 buy-side traders, who shared their unique perspectives. Methodological triangulation was achieved through semistructured interviews, a review of the institution's …

Educational Manager Perceptions Towards Integrated Management Information System Implementation In Yemen, Mahfood Hussain Alkaabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The government of Yemen has been developing government offered services designed to improve the quality of education management. Yemen's managers of education and managers of higher education in the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) have sought to improve quality of education, reduce costs, and provide timely information for decision-making processes by implementing an integrated management information system (IMIS). The problem was the lack of understanding the barriers that hinder successful IMIS implementation by the MOE and MOHE, and the role that lack of collaboration has played in prior unsuccessful attempts. The purpose of this …

Effective Strategies For Managing The Outsourcing Of Information Technology, Marsha N. Hopwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than half of information technology (IT) outsourced projects fail, primarily due to a lack of effective management practices surrounding the outsourcing end-to-end process. Ineffective management of the IT outsourcing (ITO) process affects organizations in the form of higher than expected project costs, including greater vendor switching or reintegration costs, poor quality, and loss of profits. These effects indicate that some business leaders lack the strategies to effectively manage the ITO process. The purpose of this single-case study was to apply the transaction cost economics (TCE) theory to explore strategies 5 business professionals use to manage an ITO project in …

Strategies For Achieving Profitability In The Music Streaming Service Business Model, James Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the rapid growth of the music streaming industry has led to record levels of global music consumption, many leaders in the music streaming industry have not developed a financially sustainable business model for music streaming. This descriptive single case study focused on strategies that some global music streaming service leaders used to generate sustainable profits through their business models. Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation served as the conceptual framework for this study. Semistructured interviews with the chief executive officer and 4 senior managers of a leading music streaming service in southeastern Asia were analyzed to identify themes. Secondary data …

Risk Management Strategies To Prevent And Mitigate Emerging Operational Security Threats, Nancy Page Larrimore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dependence on technology brings security compromises that have become a global threat that costs businesses millions of dollars. More than 7.6 million South Carolinians incurred effects from the 162 security breaches reported in 2011-2015. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the risk management strategies small business leaders use to prevent and mitigate operational security threats that produce financial losses. The population for this study consisted of 6 business leaders in South Carolina who have demonstrated successful experience in preventing and mitigating operational security threats. Transformational leadership theory provided the conceptual framework for exploring the overreaching research …

Initiating Factors Affecting Information Systems Project Success, Jonathan Olubunmi Afolabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information systems (IS) projects are complex and costly, but only a 3rd of IS projects are successful; the Standish Group reported that 32% of IS projects were successful in 2012. Although investments in research have led to improvements in practice, there is a general perception that management failures are responsible for the low rate of IS project success. The effects of initiating factors on project outcome had not been sufficiently explored; few IS researchers have explored the initiation phase. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore project initiation factors, including relational, as well as decision-making aspects, and …

Exploring Management Practices Of The Health Care System For Contractors, Gary L. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that military members serving in war experienced changes in physical and mental health. Military members' healthcare is managed by the Department of Defense. The problem was that management practices of the system for providing long-term healthcare for employees of a contracting company working in foreign combat zones is either minimal or nonexistent. The purpose of this case study was to explore ways that contractor managers and government managers can work together to provide healthcare for those contract employees who will be deployed with the U.S. military. The primary research question was to determine what managers of contractors …

Effect Of Early Exposure To Technology On Student Satisfaction With Online Education, Mohamed Boudalia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. student enrollment in online classes in the higher education sector has grown rapidly since 2001. Researchers have found that student satisfaction often leads to higher student retention, yet more research was needed to understand reasons for student satisfaction with online education. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between students' early exposure to technology (i.e., before college) and their satisfaction with online education in college. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology were the theoretical framework. A convenience sample of 103 participants from the population of online students at colleges and universities in …

Strategies For Applying Electronic Health Records To Achieve Cost Saving Benefits, Daniel Kanyi Ngunyu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 authorized the distribution of about $30 billion incentive funds to accelerate electronic health record (EHR) applications to improve the quality of care, safety, privacy, care coordination, and patients' involvement in healthcare. EHR use has the potential of saving $731 in costs for hospitals per patient admission; however, most hospitals are not applying EHR to reach the level at which cost savings are possible. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that IT leaders in hospitals can use to apply EHR to achieve the cost saving benefits. The …

A Study Of Groupthink In Project Teams, John Reaves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project teams advance a common goal by working together on projects that require a diverse set of skills and are difficult for 1 person to complete. In this study, there was an exploration of the antecedents to groupthink in project teams from the perspectives of project managers. Many companies use project managers to complete critical objectives; avoiding groupthink is crucial to their success. The purpose of this research was to understand why project teams are susceptible to groupthink and what precautions managers can take to avoid it. The conceptual framework utilized in this study was Janis' concept of groupthink, which …

Effective Strategies For Managing Continuous Consultant Turnover In It Project Teams, Nicholas K. Jury

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information Technology project managers have found that collective turnover of consultants lowers code quality, increases knowledge loss and negatively impacts team performance. Within the last decade, companies have begun to see that offshore consultants have a turnover rate greater than 26%, more than double the rates for the rest of the IT consulting industry. Collective turnover also puts additional pressure on the project team, causing work exhaustion and thus additional turnover. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that 6 successful project managers utilized to limit and reduce the impact of collective turnover of their hybrid …

Digital Strategies Senior Bank Executives In Mauritius Use To Improve Customer Service, Sailesh Sewpaul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Customers' use of digital banking has reshaped traditional banking, and senior level bank executives must know how to leverage this innovation to improve customer service to increase profitability. Using the technology acceptance model as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective digital banking strategies that senior level executives used to improve customer service to increase profitability. The target population for this study included senior-level executives from 3 banks in Mauritius possessing successful development and implementation experience in digital banking strategies to improve customer service. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and organizational documents, …

Relationship Between Software Development Team Structure, Ambiguity, Volatility, And Project Failure, Dominic Martinelli Saxton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Complex environments like the United States Air Force's advanced weapon systems are highly reliant on externally developed software, which is often delivered late, over budget, and with fewer benefits than expected. Grounded in Galbraith's organizational information processing theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between software development team structure, ambiguity, volatility and software project failure. Participants included 23 members of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association in the southeastern United States who completed 4 project management surveys. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated the model as a whole was able to predict software project …

Strategies For E-Commerce Adoption In A Travel Agency, Anita Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2016, online travel sales increased 8%, resulting in profits increasing to over 565 billion U.S. dollars. Traditional travel agencies in brick-and-mortar storefronts are facing challenges related to competing with online travel agencies (OTAs), attracting new customers, and retaining existing customers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the e-commerce processes, business models, and strategies that leaders of traditional travel agencies use to compete with OTAs. The study sample consisted of 8 travel professionals from 3 small travel agencies located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The conceptual framework for this study was Rogers's diffusion …

A Grounded Theory Of Emergent Leadership In Nonhierarchical Virtual Teams, Randall Fleming

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A Grounded Theory of Emergent Leadership in Nonhierarchical Virtual Teams

by

Randall David Fleming

MS, Colorado Technical University, 2008

BA, The Ohio State University, 1984

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Management

Walden University

November 2018

Complexity Theory Of Leadership And Management Information, Mark Aloysius Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implementing effective leadership strategies in management of information systems (MIS) can positively influence overall organizational performance. This study was an exploration of the general problem of failure to lead effectively in the current knowledge-based economy and the resulting deleterious effects on organizational performance and threats to continuing organizational viability. The specific problem was the lack of understanding regarding the interaction of leadership processes with MIS functions and the impact on organizational success. Managers' and employees' lived experiences of leadership in small- to medium-sized enterprises were explored, as well as how those experiences influenced the organization's adaptive responses regarding technology and …

Small Business Owners' Search For Profitability Under The Affordable Care Act, Alton Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care costs for small businesses have been rising annually for the past few decades. Congress voted to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to lower the cost of health care in 2010. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore small business owners' experiences in implementing ACA requirements and how the ACA affects small businesses as their owners work to make these organizations profitable. Complex adaptive systems theory formed the conceptual framework for this study Data were gathered during face-to-face and telephone interviews with a sample of 20 small business owners in the Philadelphia region. The research questions …

Strategies For Successfully Managing Organizational It Projects, Joseph Rathbun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 70% of information technology (IT) projects in large organizations in the United States run over budget or fail to reach completion primarily due to a lack of effective strategies. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that IT project managers used to successfully complete IT projects. Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory was the conceptual framework. Purposive sampling method was used to identify 2 successful IT project managers in Central Texas. Data gathered from semistructed interviews and collected from publicly available documents were analyzed using coding techniques, constant comparison, and key word phrases. Member checking …

Management Strategies For Adopting Agile Methods Of Software Development In Distributed Teams, Igor A. Schtein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 2003 and 2015, more than 61% of U.S. software development teams failed to satisfy project requirements, budgets, or timelines. Failed projects cost the software industry an estimated 60 billion dollars. Lost opportunities and misused resources are often the result of software development leaders failing to implement appropriate methods for managing software projects. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies software development managers use in adopting Agile methodology in the context of distributed teams. The tenets of Agile approach are individual interaction over tools, working software over documentation, and collaboration over a contract. The conceptual …

Organizational Information Security: Strategies To Minimize Workplace Cyberloafing For Increased Productivity, Hawazin Al Abbasi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Productivity loss occurs in organizations that experience high levels of personal Internet use by employees on company time, which includes employees using smartphones to surf without needing the firm's Internet connection. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore reliable ways for organizational leaders to monitor or limit their employees' use of smartphone technology for personal use (cyberloafing) while on the job to minimize wasted work time. Social cognitive theory, which includes an emphasis on human behavioral changes based upon the environment, people, and behavior, served as the conceptual framework. The general research question was as follows: How …

Estimating The Optimal Cutoff Point For Logistic Regression, Zheng Zhang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Binary classification is one of the main themes of supervised learning. This research is concerned about determining the optimal cutoff point for the continuous-scaled outcomes (e.g., predicted probabilities) resulting from a classifier such as logistic regression. We make note of the fact that the cutoff point obtained from various methods is a statistic, which can be unstable with substantial variation. Nevertheless, due partly to complexity involved in estimating the cutpoint, there has been no formal study on the variance or standard error of the estimated cutoff point.

In this Thesis, a bootstrap aggregation method is put forward to estimate the …