Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

A mutually-collaborative phenomenological action research study, rooted in the organizational values of the Catholic Marianist tradition, which engages empowerment concepts and positive organization theories to create a framework for the evaluation and iterative improvement of student-employing organizations. This study addresses a lack of intentional connectivity within student-employing organizations at the University of Dayton, which results in an organization's inability to capitalize on the successes of their peers. Student employees participated in a series of surveys, focus groups, and interviews, by which qualitative and quantitative data was gathered and reviewed. The results provided insights into the construction of empowering spaces for student employees. Through the student voice, these insights were distilled to create a series of best practices, which have been formatted into documents which will allow organizations to leverage University-wide high performing elements to construct policy and procedures that most fully empower student employees. These documents are customized to the needs of the organization in such a way that they will facilitate the planning and development of next steps, allowing for inherently flexible, iterative, process change.

Committee: Matthew Witenstein (Advisor); Peter Titlebaum (Committee Member); Corinne Daprano (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Educational Leadership; Higher Education Administration; Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Management, Case Western Reserve University, 2010, Weatherhead School of Management

Over time enterprises have woven together a fabric of processes, information structures, and computer tools to conduct their day-to-day business. Many of the components of this patchwork of systems cannot work together effectively, as the underlying models are incompatible. There is however, a strong business case to be made for ensuring that end-to- end business processes are interoperable, both across the enterprise, and with other enterprises. Qualitative research demonstrates that distinct cultures and non-overlapping knowledge between IS development (ISD) team members impedes system development success. It also identifies Boundary Spanning mechanisms as a significant mitigator. We develop these ideas further by exploring the mechanisms of knowledge sharing in project teams covering overlapping competence, and the presence of knowledge integration mechanisms - acculturation, boundary spanning roles- in how they affect ISD success. We utilize survey data derived from 139 ISD projects in a global US automotive OEM, completed between 2006 and 2009. We show that boundary spanning roles, acculturative processes, and cross-domain knowledge affect in significant ways IS development success. In particular, we demonstrate that facilitative boundary spanning roles - ambassador, coordinator, and scout - moderate the relationship between accumulated IS business domain knowledge and ISD success, and that IS business competence is partially determined by acculturation among IS team members, and the technical competence of the IS team. Teams with low levels of business domain knowledge may be able to mitigate their business knowledge deficit by engaging in boundary spanning behaviors as to enhance the flow of information across the team's knowledge boundaries.

Committee: Kalle Lyytinen, Ph.D. (Advisor); Nick Berente, Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Information Systems

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Toledo, 2011, College of Engineering

This study examines what factors facilitate or inhibit the success of ERP projects. The study proposes that worked with functionality, maintained scope, project team, management support, consultants, internal readiness, training, planning, and adequate testing are critical to a successful ERP project implementation and also dealing with organizational diversity, development, and budgeting are other important factors that are contributing to a successful implementation.

Committee: Matthew Franchetti PhD (Committee Chair); Udayan Nandkeolyar PhD (Committee Member); Yong Gan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Computer Science; Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Information Systems; Mechanical Engineering; Operations Research

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Accounting and Management Information Systems

We explore the question of how IT could enhance firm performance and value, drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, by proposing and testing an integrated structural framework in which IT serves as an antecedent to customer-service performance. Recognizing that IT is most likely to affect a firms performance through its impact on intermediate processes, hypotheses regarding the differential and complementary role of various IT resources and capabilities, and non-IT (Human and Business) resources were developed. These hypotheses are empirically tested in the context of the third party logistics (3PL) industry, in which customer service is widely perceived as strategically important, with IT playing a significant, if not pivotal role. Achieving the fundamentals of customer-centrism has long been regarded as the true nexus for successfully gaining and retaining market share, a prerequisite for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Our level of analysis is the firm as a configuration of cross-functional business processes and customer service, in this instance, refers neither to any distinctive department of the firm, nor IT-deployment strategy, but to the overall orientation of the firms business-processes configuration. This perspective is an established supply chain management (SCM) paradigm, believed to better focus the firm towards anticipating and attempting to surpass customers expectations. Two underlying research objectives are pursued: first, we examine one possible transformation process by which IT can contribute to enhancing the value of the firm via its strategic role as an antecedent to the customer-relating dimension of the firm performance. Second, factorial regression hypotheses were tested that suggest positive interaction between IT resources and the other firm-specific resources namely its human, and business process-related resources, and IT managerial capability. Evidence suggests that the customer-centric perspective is a v (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Waleed Muhanna (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration, Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Accounting and Management Information Systems

We explore the question of how IT could enhance firm performance and value, drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, by proposing and testing an integrated structural framework in which IT serves as an antecedent to customer-service performance. Recognizing that IT is most likely to affect a firm's performance through its impact on intermediate processes, hypotheses regarding the differential and complementary role of various IT resources and capabilities, and non-IT (Human and Business) resources were developed. These hypotheses are empirically tested in the context of the third party logistics (3PL) industry, in which customer service is widely perceived as strategically important, with IT playing a significant, if not pivotal role. Achieving the fundamentals of customer-centrism has long been regarded as the true nexus for successfully gaining and retaining market share, a prerequisite for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Our level of analysis is the firm as a configuration of cross-functional business processes and “customer service,” in this instance, refers neither to any distinctive department of the firm, nor IT-deployment strategy, but to the overall orientation of the firm's business-processes configuration. This perspective is an established supply chain management (SCM) paradigm, believed to better focus the firm towards anticipating and attempting to surpass customers' expectations. Two underlying research objectives are pursued: first, we examine one possible transformation process by which IT can contribute to enhancing the value of the firm via its strategic role as an antecedent to the “customer-relating” dimension of the firm performance. Second, factorial regression hypotheses were tested that suggest positive interaction between IT resources and the other firm-specific resources – namely its human, and business process-related resources, and IT managerial capability. Evidence suggests that the customer-centric perspecti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Muhanna Waleed (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration, Management

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2010, Leadership and Change

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of the individual who spontaneously produces humor during conversation. Although a broad humor literature exists, very little research addresses the experience of the spontaneous humor producer. This study represents an early step toward filling this gap in the literature. I gathered data by videotaping organizational meetings and conducting subsequent Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) interviews with individuals who produced humor during the course of the meetings. I analyzed data from the IPR interviews using an emergent thematic analysis. Most humor producers in this sample were consciously aware of specific external cues, thoughts, and feelings when they produced humor. Sometimes, participants were aware of what they hoped to accomplish by interjecting humor and, at other times, they recalled their intentions only upon reflection. Producers' tacit assumptions, or underlying beliefs about humor and/or about themselves, as well as certain aspects of the context affected their humor production as well. The study also uncovered three themes about the experience of humor production. First, humor producers were fully engaged in the dynamics of the current interaction when they contributed humor. Second, many humor producers reported having a sense of other group members' internal experiences. Third, participants' roles within the group often led to different experiences of humor production. Leaders tended to initiate humor in hopes of influencing others and/or creating change. Team members who did not hold formal positions of leadership were especially tuned into their managers' actions, thoughts, and feelings. This study adds meaningfully to the humor literature, especially to research on humor functions, tacit knowledge, humor and social sensitivity, and humor and hierarchical relationships. The results of this study also have important implications for leadership. In addition, I propose a connection between th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Member); Elaine Gale PhD (Committee Member); Cecily Cooper PhD (Other) Subjects: Communication; Organizational Behavior; Psychology; Social Psychology

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This research aimed to investigate how important it is to embed business education into undergraduate industrial design curriculum and help design students understand the financial aspects of their design ideas, particularly in the areas of cost and profit. To respond to this question, a user-centered design approach was applied to understand design students' perceptions towards business education. Later on, the research findings were synthesized into a list of design requirements for developing a financial assessment tool. After rounds of ideation and looking into other frameworks from business related disciplines, a financial assessment tool was developed. Consequently, this tool was prototyped and piloted in a senior industrial design class in order to test its effectiveness. At last, students who had participated in the experiment evaluated the tool. Their positive feedback proved such methods could be successfully integrated into undergraduate design curriculum and help industrial design students gain a better understanding of the business aspects related to their ideas.

Committee: Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Chair); Steven Doehler M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design