Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2017, Management

Effective strategy execution depends on the organization's capacity to understand the dynamics around strategy execution and to shape its strategy. The body of knowledge around strategy formulation is well established, but there is less clarity as to how organizations are to implement strategy to close the execution gap between their intent and reality. Although literature suggests that most successful organizations adapt significantly their strategy during implementation and ultimately realize a different strategy, we find that understanding the role of dynamic strategy process, which connects the firm's strategic intent with the observed velocity of change and competitiveness within the environment is crucial but less understood. This calls for firm level dynamic capabilities and ambidextrous strategy implementation. Yet most studies of dynamic strategy processes focus less on connecting the interactions between volatility and strategy with the theory of dynamic capabilities to explain how this dynamic is expressed in the implemented strategy. Research largely ignores three important considerations: 1) how volatility and related variations in strategy jointly influence the effectiveness at closing the gap between strategic intent and implementation. 2) the mechanisms through which these factors interact and 3) how such interactions are expressed in the implemented strategy in relation to dynamic capabilities. We pose three related research questions: 1) how does volatility influence the configurations (molar structure) of the implemented strategy? 2) how does volatility affect the strength of each strategy orientation (operational, core expanding, core transforming) in the implemented strategy (Strategy variation)? and 3) to what extent does the presence of each of the strategy orientations mediate the effects of volatility on reducing strategy execution gaps? We study these questions using a sample of 557 companies in the US and Nigeria operating in several indus (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, History (Arts and Sciences)

The change in U.S. naval strategy from 1989 to 1994 was the most significant of its kind since the end of the Second World War. The end of the Cold War, the provisions of the Goldwater Nichols Act of 1986 and the effects of the First Gulf War of 1991 combined to radically alter U.S. and naval strategic thinking. The end of the Cold War brought about a review of U.S. naval strategy, but the personalities involved created a new process that greatly hampered the re-creation of strategy designed to combat peer competitors. The provisions of the Goldwater Nichols Act of 1986 indirectly affected the Navy staff where strategy documents had heretofore been produced. Talented officers that had sought service on the Navy Staff gravitated instead toward the Joint Staff and regional Commander Staffs as these positions offered better chances for promotion and advancement. Finally the First Gulf War caused a crisis of confidence among the Navy's senior leaders in that they did not get to validate traditional naval warfare concepts against Saddam Hussein's limited Iraqi naval forces. This feeling seems to have further convinced leaders to leave behind traditional concepts and the service staff structures that created them in favor of Army and Air Force methods of organization for combat. Those services appeared to have confirmed their warfare doctrines in the 1991 conflict. Congress agreed and the Navy was concerned that vital funding in the post-Cold War-era required the seagoing service to also adjust to a warfare organization more favorable to legislative support. These factors combined to produce a different kind of new naval strategy in the form of the “From the Sea” white paper. It eschewed blue water naval operations for those in the coastal regions of the world know as the littorals. U.S. Marine Corps forces, which had almost always had a secondary role in naval strategic planning in the past, were in many cases given the leading role in From the Sea with the regular Na (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Heavy-duty trucks idling during the hoteling cycle consumes millions of gallons of diesel a year, which creates negative impact on economy and environment. Researchers have been taking efforts to avoid idling by finding alternative energy sources for HVAC and auxiliary loads during the hoteling cycle: SuperTruck 2 project aims to save fuel by hybridizing a class-8 truck with a transmission mounted 48V electrical charging system, which regenerates power from road loads to charge the battery. All the auxiliaries, including HVAC for the hoteling cycle, are electrically connected to and supported by the battery. The previous research studied on this powertrain and analyzed drivers' usual driving cycle and electric loads and conducted a backward simulation with dynamic programming strategy to calculate for the optimal control inputs. Finally, there was a proposed solution: an ideal energy management strategy controlling the hybrid mode and EM torque for the desired battery's State of Charge (SoC). Such solution, however, is more valuable as an ideal benchmark, rather than an implementable real-time based controller on real trucks. To test the optimal solution in a ”driver-to-wheel” schematic, new control strategies should be applied to a forward simulator, which is the work presented in this thesis. The control strategies developed and analyzed in this thesis are tested on a forward simulator created in MATLAB Simulink, which is customized for the same class-8 48V ii mild-hybrid powertrain. In contrast to backward simulator, the forward simulator starts everything with the driver's action to keep the vehicle speed at the prescribed velocity profile, and then the simulator responds with the actual speed as a result of the control inputs. The forward simulator is in the form of a feedback loop, where the driver is reacting to the difference between actual and desired speeds. Besides the driver, a mode switch controller signals for mode changes and enables the (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, History

My dissertation explores the influence of British and American grand strategy on the Anglo-American military alliance from 1981-1991 and analyzes the notion of a “Special Relationship” between the two states. Drawing heavily on primary source documents from British and American governmental archives, I analyze the alliance's performance in the Polish Solidarity crisis, the Falklands War, the second deployment of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, the American invasion of Grenada, the American bombing of Libya in 1986, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and, of course, the Cold War. I argue that, while there is a Special Relationship, its nature is generally misunderstood. At the time, for instance, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher worried that the bonds of the Special Relationship were weakening. Instead, she simply failed to understand how it actually worked. It did not make the American and British governments more likely to agree on a common course of action than any other pair of allies. It instead made them more effective when they happened to agree, and helped ensure that disagreements did not fester or escalate into larger problems. The most important variable for determining the effectiveness of American-British cooperation was whether or not they shared strategic aims—which was hardly unique to the Anglo-American alliance. Finally, I argue that the true value of the “Special Relationship” lay in the cooperation between the lower levels of government, and not in the relations between the heads of state.

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Biology

The “mycobiome" refers to the composition of both bacterial and fungal communities in the human gut microbiome and has been the focus of disease-state correlations investigated by researchers and pursued with commercial interests by biotech startups. A microbiome startup currently sells direct-to-consumer at-home microbiome sequencing kits and probiotics that aim to balance the gut biofilm that contributes to the dysbiosis-associated conditions. This company has expressed an interest in developing new business strategies to leverage their intellectual and technical strengths. This thesis is composed of two parts: The first section is a scientific and technical investigation of the micro- and myco-biome, sequencing techniques and strategies (16S, ITS, WGS, and Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing) that play a role in the characterization and identification of fungal and bacterial colonies in the gut. These strategies aim to overcome challenges in characterizing and quantifying microbiota composition. Next, this sequencing data can form a robust database of patient data that plays a role in disease identification, and this thesis identifies some of the bioinformatic analyses to achieve this goal. The section concludes with how insights derived from patient data can be used in the optimization of cohort design in clinical trials for various diseases. The second section investigates three different business models that a microbiome startup has expressed interest in exploring for future development: (1) medical foods; (2) a therapeutic pipeline; and (3) a data-licensing and discovery platform for drug development. A detailed analysis of the market dynamics, competitive landscape, regulatory issues, and other nascent concerns was performed for each potential vertical as a foundation to develop future business strategy of a microbiome-related startup. The thesis is concluded on a holistic analysis of the scientific and technical assets and business opportunities and str (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2019, Latin American Studies (International Studies)

This thesis strives to analyze the fast casual food market in order to understand if Chipotle would be successful in Brazil and what the concerns would be if the American chain decides to internationalize its operation to Brazil. This thesis has developed as a prospective case study based mainly on business and cultural analysis. The study analyzed Brazil by using the theory of market assessment, and also analyzed the fast casual, fast food, and food service industries and products by applying other business theories such as PESTEL, Porter Five Forces and VRIO. Furthermore, the study interviewed one entrepreneur in the fast casual industry in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil to understand the local industry dynamics. Regarding all the information analyzed, this thesis creates a business model that consists on explaining how Chipotle would operate in the country. Brazil is an attractive market for Chipotle, there is room for rapid growth, and Chipotle could provide a positive impact for Brazilians.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Economics

Mechanism Design Theory, introduced by 2007 Nobel laureates Hurwicz, Maskin, and Myerson, has guided economic institutions worldwide to achieve desirable goals in allocating scarce resources. However, most of the literature on Mechanism Design Theory that guides its application, in reality, assumes that people are fully rational; this omission of people's bounded rationality raises doubt over the reliability of the theory's empirical implications. To bridge this gap between theory and reality, we introduce new formalizations to characterize new types of boundedly rational behavior that is missing in existing models but supported by experimental evidence. NLK, the first formalization we propose, is a new solution concept in Game Theory that connects two existing ones, Nash Equilibrium (NE) and Level-K model. Of these two, NE, introduced by 1994 Nobel Laureates John Nash has revolutionized the economics of Industrial Organization and has influenced many other branches such as the theories of monetary policy and international trade. However, there is mounting and robust evidence from laboratory experiments of substantial discrepancy between the predictions of NE and the behavior of players. Among all the alternative models that retain the individual rationality of optimization, but relax correct beliefs, Level-K model is probably the most prominent. Absent in NE, Level-K model explicitly allows players to consider their opponent as less sophisticated than themselves. But Level-K does not allow players to use an important element of strategic thinking, namely, “put yourself in the others' shoes” and believe the opponent can think in the same way they do. Bridging NE and Level-K, NLK allows a player in a game to believe that her opponent may be either less- or as sophisticated as they—a view supported by various studies in Psychology. We compare the performance of NLK to that of NE and some versions of Level-K by applying it to data from three experimental papers pub (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Educational Studies

Writing is a crucial skill that people need to successfully communicate thoughts and information. Writing proficiently is essential to function in many activities of every day life, including school, the workplace, relationships, and the community at large. In school, students are regularly asked to demonstrate their academic knowledge through written communication. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of a strategy instruction approach, GO 4 IT…NOW!, in an inclusive secondary Language Arts classroom. Specifically, this was a descriptive study using multiple probes across participants to assess the quality of participants' writings after implementing GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy instruction. All students demonstrated strong improvement in paragraph writing skills after the implementation of the GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy. Limitations, future directions, and implications for practice are provided in the discussion.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Mathematics

We investigate whether a dispersal strategy resulting in ideal free distribution (“IFD strategy”) is convergent stable. Species compete using fixed dispersal strategies in a patchy habitat with spatially varying but temporally constant carrying capacities. Population growth in each patch is governed by a function which is assumed only to be monotone decreasing and differentiable. For two-patch habitat, we give a complete description of outcomes when any two strategies compete. We show that there is selection toward IFD strategy, but such a strategy is not convergent stable because selection may be disrupted by emergence of a joint IFD between two species. We show also that IFD strategy is not convergent stable in an n-patch habitat. We derive some extensions of the model to allow for species-specific carrying capacities and analyze those extensions in the context of unconditional dispersal in a two-patch habitat. We present some numerical results for the case of time-periodic carrying capacities.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2014, History (Arts and Sciences)

This dissertation examines the importance of geopolitics in developing an Australian strategy during a transitional, but critical, period in Australian history, and it questions what effect the changing global environment had on the informal English-speaking alliance during the late Cold War. During the late 1960s, the effects of British decolonization, Southeast Asian nationalism, and American foreign policy changes created a situation on Australia's doorstep, which the government in Canberra could not ignore. After World War II, strategic planning in Canberra emphasized the importance of British and American presence in the Asia-Pacific region to ensure Australian security. The postwar economic challenges facing Great Britain contributed to the decision in July 1967 to withdraw forces from 'east of Suez' by the mid-1970s. This decision had far-reaching implications for British allies in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. Britain's decision, along with President Nixon's 1969 announcement of plans to withdraw forces from Asia after Vietnam, created a power vacuum in Southeast Asia and eliminated the basis of Australia's long-standing strategy of forward defense. As the 1970s began, officials in Canberra took a more proactive approach in determining Australian strategy for the decade ahead. Australia's isolation from centers of global conflict reduced the number of threats to national security, and the relative stability established through detente allowed officials in Canberra to develop gradually a strategy for the defense of Australia in the absence of its traditional allies. Officials in Canberra recognized that Australia did not have to choose between its traditional allies and its Asian neighbors in order to fulfill long-term objectives. Instead, Australia adopted an approach to foreign policy in the 1970s that emphasized independence and self-reliance, ultimately expressed through a nascent grand strategy, while incorporating traditiona (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2012, Biomedical Engineering

The Multiple-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) is composed of four simultaneously running components to which a human operator responds. A prior report has quantified information content as a machine input baud rate using the Hick-Hyman and Fitt's Laws for three of the four components and defines a strategy function. This report covers methods to quantify information content of the fourth component, creating a single metric which describes overall task complexity and evaluates human performance and strategy. Six MATB task-scenarios (combinations of two, three, or all four MATB components) each at two input baud rates are evaluated. Subjects were also provided with a chart that shows information weighting of each MATB component. Results show a change in strategy paradigm between medium input baud rate and high input baud rate for the six task-scenarios collectively. This likely occurs because subjects only refer to the component weighting chart for strategy formulation when performing more challenging task-scenarios. Advancements made with this thesis give a better understanding of how humans process information during multitasking, provide a simpler and more effective metric for analyzing MATB human performance, and create a foundation for further model development.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2010, Manufacturing Management

Over the past decade, an important focus of researchers has been on supply chain management (SCM), as many organizations believe that effective SCM is the key to building and sustaining competitive advantage for their products/services. To manage the supply chain, companies need to adopt an SCM strategy (SCMS) and implement appropriate SCM practices. However, different SCM strategies and practices require support from appropriate information technology (IT) applications and their usage. To effectively manage the supply chain, there is therefore a need for aligning these applications and their usage with the supply chain strategy and practices of the firm. While the literature on IT-business alignment has mainly focused on various aspects of the alignment between information systems (IS) strategy (ISS) and business strategy, it is largely deficient in offering an understanding of how specific supply chain strategies should be aligned with relevant IS strategies. Similarly, prior studies on SCM have developed considerable detail on supply chain strategies, without enunciating the implications of these strategies for the use of IT. Additionally, many studies have examined the importance of implementing SCM practices and their impact on supply chain and firm performance without identifying the corresponding IS usage that might be required for executing those practices in a more effective manner. Thus, there are no studies that explore the alignment between SCMS and ISS and between SCM practices and the usage of IT. This study contributes to the literature of SCM and IT by examining the alignment between the supply chain and information systems (SC-IS) at two levels. First, it looks at different SCM strategies and assesses appropriately- aligned information strategies that would enhance their effectiveness vis-a-vis their effect on the supply chain and firm performance; this is what this study refers to as alignment at the planning/strategic level. Second, the study look (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, East Asian Languages and Literatures

The opening of China's domestic market in the late 1980's and the internationalization and rapid development of its market not only provided new technological innovations and foreign capital, but also opened the market to foreign competition. This competitive rivalry often resulted in the purchase, loss of controlling shares and/or the eventual disappearance of many well-known Chinese domestic brands. China's admission to the World Trade Organization further exposed the country's internal market to intense competition from world-class international brands. Increased competition and strict international standards has forced China to examine its own international competitive position, as well as strengthen the international competitiveness of domestic brands. In recent years, numerous quality issues with Chinese- made products has attracted the attention of global consumers, and has negatively influenced international consumer opinion towards “Made in China.” China can no longer passively remain at the lowest end of the Value Chain, as the “World's Low-Cost Factory”, but rather must encourage and promote the transformation of private enterprises from low-cost Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM), to the producers of competitive brands with highly recognized quality standards.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1980, Educational Policy and Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Communication

The media industries play a major role in the trend of globalization today. Western transnational media corporations (TNMCs) have been actively expanding their businesses around the world for maximized profits. China's accession to WTO in 2001 demonstrated further openness of the economy to international competition. This study aimed to examine Western TNMCs' risk and strategies in the Chinese media market after WTO in an attempt to provide insights into the global media giants' perceptions, positions, and plans regarding the market. International business theories highlighted the effect of a firm's external conditions on its strategy. Examination of Western TNMCs' strategic behavior in transitional and emerging markets revealed that their equity ownership differs by location as affected by the level of risk they perceive in the market. Based on its external conditions, a firm's perception of risk in terms of uncertainties about the market affects its control strategy in terms of equity ownership. Employing this innovative theoretical model, the study aimed to determine whether China's WTO entry would lead to Western TNMCs' lowered uncertainty perceptions and higher equity ownership in China as compared to before WTO, and a. The primary research method used in this study was interviews. A total of 15 informants from Western TNMCs and 17 from Chinese media organizations and government agencies constituted the final sample. Results of the study suggested that Western TNMCs' risk perceptions showed no major discontinuity in China's post-WTO era. In addition, their perceptions were basically consistent with the actual conditions of the Chinese media market, as well as those of the Chinese media professionals and policy makers. These findings reflect the Chinese government's gradualism strategy in economic reforms and development, and in regulating the media industries. In response to the risk they perceive in a long run, Western TNMCs have plans for increasing control. (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Business Administration

In this dissertation I focus on how firms should buy resources in factor markets to create competitive advantages. When competing in factor or product markets to acquire resources or sell goods, firms often have to make strategic decisions whether to use spot market transactions with posted prices, negotiation markets with bargaining, or auction markets with bidding. Given these three different market mechanisms, what are the firm and industry specific factors that determine different selling/buying devices to occur simultaneously in the market? In the first essay I model dynamic resource acquisition in equilibrium, simultaneously taking into account the characteristics of factor markets from both the sellers' and the buyers' perspectives. Auctions, negotiations and spot markets are compared given heterogeneity of expectations, bargaining power of the participants, market thickness, risk propensity and search costs. In my second essay I empirically investigate and explain the optimal choice between market mechanisms in an entrepreneurial context. Two major markets exist for the sale of an entrepreneurial firm: initial public offering (IPO) versus mergers and acquisitions (M&A) markets. I find that all else being equal, entrepreneurial firms with high bargaining power are more likely to choose M&A versus IPO. Firms that represent high private values are more likely to be sold through auctions versus negotiations. As the market thickness increases, the likelihood of entrepreneurial firms being sold through M&A decreases. However, this finding is reversed for firms with higher private values. For firms with high debt ratios, the likelihood of M&A increases compared to IPOs. I find that as venture capital activity in the focal industry increases, the likelihood of M&As increases. In my third essay, I examine the business-to-business (B2B) industrial parts industry and the procurement practices of several firms by combining this business phenomenon with the auction theor (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Business Administration

Supply Chain Management (SCM) offers the possibility of increased customer service while minimizing costs. Before choosing what type of supply chain strategy to pursue, a firm must first evaluate the type of supply chain(s) in which it participates. The type of functional strategies chosen should complement the type of supply chain(s) in which the firm is a member. Certain manufacturing and logistics strategies are more appropriate given the characteristics of the supply chain. This thesis explores the relationships among supply chain characteristics, logistics and manufacturing strategies, and firm performance. In addition, this study proposes an alternative logistics strategy framework using the competitive priorities of cost, quality, delivery and flexibility. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicate limited support for the notion that successful firms participating in agile supply chains choose to emphasize different logistics and manufacturing strategies than less successful firms in agile supply chains. The same holds true for firms participating in lean supply chains. Results from the logistics strategy factor analysis demonstrated that the proposed framework is not only a feasible one, but one that is effective at describing the logistics strategy.

PHD, Kent State University, 2005, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

Although the topic of conflict has received much attention in communication literature, the topic of conflicts between students and teachers has not. The purpose of this dissertation was twofold: to examine what classroom conflicts exist between students and teachers, and to determine which of two existing model best predicts conflict strategy choices for students. In communication literature, there is a divide in how conflict resolution is examined. Some researchers do so using communication predispositions such as argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, communication anxiety, and communication competence as a basis for predicting conflict strategies. Other researchers predict strategies from the perspective of attributions made in conflict episodes. In this research, two studies were conducted. First, 710 students were asked to identify conflicts they had experienced with classroom teachers. These conflicts were coded and categories of classroom conflicts emerged around the themes of class/work conflicts and teacher personality conflicts. From these responses, a new instrument for studying conflict, the Student-Teacher Conflict Index, was developed. In the second study, 171 students were presented with the new index which contained several hypothetical classroom conflicts. The students were asked to identify how they would respond in each situation. Discriminant analyses were conducted to determine whether a communication predisposition model or an attributional model best predicted students' strategy choices. A mixed model was determined to best predict strategies with the trait of verbal aggressiveness, and attributions of responsibility, stability, and personal control being the strongest predictors. Additionally, it was determined that strategy choice seemed to influence channel selection: More students who chose distributive strategies selected mediated channels to communicate than did students who chose integrative strategies. Most of the hypotheses involv (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School