Manipulation of Online Reviews: Analysis of Negative Reviews for Healthcare Providers

There is a growing reliance on online reviews in today’s digital world. As the influence of online reviews amplified in the competitive marketplace, so did the manipulation of reviews and evolution of fake reviews on these platforms. Like other consumer-oriented businesses, the healthcare industry has also succumbed to this phenomenon. However, health issues are much more personal, sensitive, complicated in nature requiring knowledge of medical terminologies and often coupled with myriad of interdependencies. In this study, we collated the literature on manipulation of online reviews, identified the gaps and proposed an approach, including validation of negative reviews of the 500 doctors from three different states: New York and Arizona in USA and New South Wales in Australia from the RateMDs website. The reviews of doctors was collected, which includes both numerical star ratings (1-low to 5-high) and textual feedback/comments. Compared to other existing research, this study will analyse the textual feedback which corresponds to the clinical quality of doctors (helpfulness and knowledge criteria) rather than process quality experiences. Our study will explore pathways to validate the negative reviews for platform provider and rank the doctors accordingly to minimise the risks in healthcare

The Lesson of Strategy: A Case Analysis of An E-Commerce Commercial Food Services Equipment Retailer

Literature on strategy is reviewed and applied directly in comparison to an e-Commerce company in the South Florida area. Practical managerial implications are discussed and laid out in an easy to follow format which provides insight to entrepreneurs and business leaders who are in need of a greater understanding of strategy. A comprehensive review of the company\u27s current strategies, industry position, internal and external forces, GAP analysis, and plans for action preempt a conclusion that puts it all together; a conclusion which has led the company towards significantly greater financial and operational success

Design flexibility in complex engineering systems under multiple uncertainties

Master'sMASTER OF ENGINEERIN

Senior Marketing Executives\u27 Strategies to Implement Multicultural Marketing Campaigns

The population in the United States is expected to increase an estimated 42% by the year 2042; ethnic minorities will become the majority group. Marketing executives must understand the environment in which consumers from diverse cultures respond to marketing stimuli. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies senior marketing executives use to implement successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The target population consisted of senior marketing executives from 3 profitable companies in the state of Michigan with experience in the implementation of successful multicultural marketing campaigns. The conceptual framework was the critical multicultural marketing theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5 stages of analysis: compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, interpreted for meaning, and conclusions were drawn. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to validate the trustworthiness of data interpretations. The findings showed 3 emerging themes: marketing using diversity and inclusion strategies; segmentation, target marketing, and positioning strategies; and cultural competence strategies. The information gathered in this study is valuable to current and future marketing managers with an interest in marketing to multicultural consumers. The implications for positive social change include creating and sustaining an environment of inclusion that proactively and strategically engages underrepresented populations of consumers

Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams

Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater eco-systems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold-water refuges. We review current understanding of cold-water refuges, identify gaps between science and management, and evaluate policies aimed at protecting thermally sensitive species. Existing policies include designating cold-water habitats, restricting fishing during warm periods, and implementing threshold temperature standards or guidelines. However, these policies are rare and uncoordinated across spatial scales and often do not consider input from Indigenous peoples. We propose that cold-water refuges be managed as dis-tinct operational landscape units, which provide a social and ecological context that is relevant at the watershed scale. These operational landscape units provide the founda-tion for an integrated framework that links science and management by (1) mapping and characterizing cold-water refuges to prioritize management and conservation actions, (2) leveraging existing and new policies, (3) improving coordination across jurisdictions, and (4) implementing adaptive management practices across scales. Our findings show that while there are many opportunities for scientific advancement, the current state of the sciences is sufficient to inform policy and management. Our proposed framework pro-vides a path forward for managing and protecting cold-water refuges using existing and new policies to protect coldwater organisms in the face of global change. behavioral thermoregulation, climate change adaptation, lotic ecosystem management, refugia, salmonids, temperature, thermal heterogeneity, thermal refugespublishedVersio

Organization Global Software Development Challenges of Software Product Quality

Leaders of global software development (GSD) processes in organizations have been confronting low software product quality. Managers of these processes have faced challenges that have been affecting customer satisfaction and that have resulted in negative social impacts on public safety, business financial performance, and global economic stability. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to discover a common understanding shared by managers in Canadian GSD organizations of how to meet software product quality goals and enhance customer satisfaction. The conceptual framework for the study was based on Deming\u27s 14 principles of quality management. The purposeful sample included 30 knowledgeable participants who worked in Canada as GSD managers. Semistructured interviews conducted through telephone and audioconference tools, along with the review of related documents, were used to gather data. Eight themes emerged from the data analysis: developing a clear purpose and work principles, improving processes and employee skills, developing adequate personnel management strategies, promoting autonomy and personal worker development, formulating life cycle and development techniques, identifying challenges, formulating solutions, and focusing on product quality. The research findings have implications for positively influencing social change through the provision of methods and process knowledge to GSD organizational leaders. This information consists of best management and industry practices that can be applied to achieve software product quality and customer satisfaction, create management systems, maintain a competitive advantage, and prevent global software development project failures

Inclusion of Knowledge Communities in Planning Processes : An Analysis of Green Infrastructure Planning in Maryland, USA.

Throughout the United States many natural areas are facing tremendous threats due to increases in population and haphazard development patterns. Recently, green infrastructure planning initiatives have emerged, providing a proactive approach to conservation planning. One area under particular stress is the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland. Several counties within Maryland have created countywide green infrastructure plans that are based upon a larger state initiative. Although there is a guiding framework for developing these plans, little is known about how these plans are being created in practice and how the integration of knowledge held by the various knowledge communities, commonly involved in environmental planning practices, are included in the process. This dissertation fills this gap with an analysis of how knowledge communities are involved throughout the green infrastructure planning process as well as the role of the planner within planning practice. Qualitative methods are used to analyze each process whereby themes are presented based on inductive procedures. The cases are analyzed based on the inclusion of expert and experiential knowledge and each case is analyzed within the broader context of statewide green infrastructure planning. Although there is no "one size fits all" approach to green infrastructure planning, the research finds that scientific data alone is not sufficient to create adoptable and implementable plans. The study recommends the (1) establishment of a guiding committee comprised of expert and experiential knowledge communities prior to goal setting and linking goals with those within the comprehensive plan; (2) inclusion of knowledge communities early and often in the process to foster support and establish measurable and attainable goals; (3) utilization of principles of landscape ecology and conservation biology to guide network identification while using the feedback gathered from experiential knowledge communities to lead to better integration of knowledge and more informed decision-making; (4) collaboration with agencies and neighboring jurisdictions to increase discourse and ensure the appropriate knowledge communities, possessing relevant data, are included in the process. Ultimately, the planner functions as the catalyst for this process and shapes how the knowledge held by these essential experiential knowledge communities is integrated within the planning process.  Ph.D

CHARACTERIZING ENABLING INNOVATIONS AND ENABLING THINKING

The pursuit of innovation is engrained throughout society whether in business via the introduction of offerings, non-profits in their mission-driven initiatives, universities and agencies in their drive for discoveries and inventions, or governments in their desire to improve the quality of life of their citizens. Yet, despite these pursuits, innovations with long-lasting, significant impact represent an infrequent outcome in most domains. The seemingly random nature of these results stems, in part, from the definitions of innovation and the models based on such definitions. Although there is debate on this topic, a comprehensive and pragmatic perspective developed in this work defines innovation as the introduction of a novel or different idea into practice that has a positive impact on society. To date, models of innovation have focused on, for example, new technological advances, new approaches to connectivity in systems, new conceptual frameworks, or even new dimensions of performance - all effectively building on the first half of the definition of innovation and encouraging its pursuit based on the novelty of ideas. However, as explored herein, achieving profound results by innovating on demand might require a perspective that focuses on the impact of an innovation. In this view, innovation does not only entail doing new things, but consciously driving them towards achieving impact through proactive design behaviors. Explicit consideration of the impact dimension in innovation models has been missing, even though it may arguably be the most important since it represents the outcome of innovation