ROAR: Repository for Open Access, Archives, and Research (Univ. of North Alabama)
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Naked in the Buckle of the Bible Belt
Get PDFIn March of 2020 I was working on a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of North Alabama when they sent us home due to the Covid lockdown. I won first place in a juried student exhibition that year, with one of my celebrations of the nude fem form, so I thought that I would spend the pandemic lockdown working on my photography series or making paintings of my photographs. Instead, I started writing poetry that reflected the experiences of the wem that posed naked for my art and the many ways in which Alabama has changed the way I see the world
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Real Estate Market in Florida: Insights from Opportunity Recognition Theory
No full textThis paper applies Opportunity Recognition Theory to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Florida’s real estate market, highlighting how real estate professionals identified and capitalized on new opportunities. The study analyzes state-level data on migration trends, housing prices, and policy impacts, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess market shifts. Key drivers, such as migration, remote work, and the shift to suburban living, are explored. The research shows how Florida’s favorable tax policies and government programs, like the Affordable Housing Coronavirus Relief Initiative, helped real estate professionals adapt. The findings reveal a significant surge in home prices during the pandemic, with suburban housing and affordability challenges becoming especially critical in 2023. The paper also lays the groundwork for future studies on long-term trends in Florida’s real estate market, including housing affordability, migration patterns, and sustainable development, providing practical insights for professionals to navigate future disruptions
Valence Matters: An Exploration of Small and Large Value Extra Credit Assignments to Incentivize College Students
No full textExtra credit homework can be a supplemental pathway for professors to reinforce course content and encourage students to engage in co-curricular activities (e.g., career fairs). For extra credit to be effectual, it must have valence or be attractive to the intended audience (Vroom 1964). This paper explored the valence of extra credit through two distinct assignments—one small value and the other large. Students could earn up to five bonus points or a late pass as a reward for completing an extra credit assignment. The authors expected 20% would select a late pass, but only 2% did. There was a second extra credit assignment; students could earn 20 bonus points for completing a career badge with four separate career activities. The authors anticipated that 25% of the sample would finish the assignment, but only 2% succeeded. This study reaffirms that valence matters and suggests that timing and frequency of extra credit are also relevant considerations. The results provide an informed route for professors to contemplate finetuning their existing extra credit practices based on student preference and the desired emphasis on career preparation
THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ON UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE: ENHANCING DECISION MAKING AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY THROUGH A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH
Get PDFBackground: The increasing complexity and demands of Unemployment Insurance (UI) systems necessitate innovative approaches to enhance Decision Making (DM) and Operational Efficiency (OE). Business Intelligence (BI) offers potential solutions by providing data-driven insights that can transform the administration of UI. This study examines the impact of BI on UI, focusing on DM as a mediator and OE as a moderator, within the framework of the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys were administered to UI professionals to collect quantitative data, which were analyzed using regression, mediation, and moderation techniques. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews and focused on a valuable approach. These qualitative methods allow us to explore participants\u27 perspectives, experiences, and opinions in depth. into BI applications in UI operations. Results: The findings indicate that BI significantly enhances DM capabilities, leading to improved administration of UI. DM was found to mediate the relationship between BI and UI effectiveness. Furthermore, OE was identified as a significant moderator, strengthening the positive impact of BI on UI outcomes
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that BI can be a strategic resource for public sector services, particularly in enhancing the performance of UI systems. By investing in BI tools and training, UI agencies can leverage data-driven DM to achieve greater efficiency. The approach enriches the analysis, providing a comprehensive view of BI\u27s transformative impact. Future research should explore longitudinal effects and broader applications across different public service domains
Policy change in the Deep South: An analysis of three states
No full textThis chapter uses Kingdon’s (2003) multiple streams framework (MSF) to explain policy changes that brought home rule to South Carolina, a modern constitution to Georgia, and the Judicial Article in Alabama. Policy change in the Deep South is rare, but it can happen. Short et al. provide a comparative study between three states in the Deep South to illustrate how policy changes can occur in traditionalistic political cultures. In every case, unusual events came together just at the right time. In Alabama and Georgia, ambitious politicians pushed their pet policies to attain policy change. In South Carolina, a confluence of events came together to allow some forms of local-level democracy in the state. Finally, this chapter applies the MSF to the 2022 recompilation of the Alabama Constitution of 1901. The voter-approved recompilation deleted the most racist and embarrassing parts of the document and reorganized it. These changes, though, have left the obstructionist spirit of the 1901 Constitution intact, as the Alabama constitution is still the longest, most statutory state constitution in the United States (McMillan, 1978)
Preface
No full textIn 2002, A Century of Controversy: Constitutional Reform in Alabama was published to reflect on the problematic history of Alabama’s Constitution. From its inception, the 1901 Constitution was a document that sought to codify white supremacy (Jackson, 2002). It created a system where election rules were actively tilted toward the affluent while disenfranchising Black voters and poor whites (Webb, 2002). The collection illustrated how Alabama’s tax code is overwhelmingly dependent on sales tax revenue and extremely regressive. The over-reliance on sales tax revenue, which are highly variable from year to year, puts Alabama’s institutions into crisis mode whenever the national economy slows, making service delivery unpredictable (Williams, 2002). Alabama competes with other states and nations for businesses and investments. The tax structure, which is embedded in the constitution, makes raising revenue for education, roads, bridges, and telecommunications difficult – all of which are important to industries that are looking to relocate. Ultimately, the 1901 Constitution undermines Alabama’s future and its ability to remain competitive in a global economic environment
The System Works As Intended: Alabama’s 1901 Constitution and Financing Public Education
No full textFrom 1990-2014, Alabama fought against improving the property tax system for the benefit of public schools in Knight v. Alabama (2007) and Lynch v. Alabama (2014). Knight and Lynch charged the State with upholding a racially discriminatory property tax system that served to keep public school systems, particularly in rural, predominately Black counties, severely underfunded. Brown v. Board compelled Alabama to desegregate its school systems with “all deliberate speed,” but school systems remained unequal due to funding disparities from the state’s overly complicated tax system. Despite over 700 amendments by 2014, Alabama’s constitution left the property tax system created in 1901 nearly unchanged. The system created in 1901 worked to keep property taxes low and profits for large landowners high, while disenfranchising Black citizens and demolishing the public school system. To protect the system created in 1901, the Alabama Legislature, during Governor George Wallace’s administration, responded to Brown and the 1965 Voting Rights Act by removing the responsibility of funding public schools from the state and removing the power to change property taxes from local officials. While the courts acknowledged the racially discriminatory intent behind Alabama’s property tax system, they refused to amend the systems created by the 1901 and 1963 state governments. The rulings in Knight and Lynch highlight the contentious relationship between property rights and civil rights deeply embedded in Alabama’s history of state-sanctioned racism
Forced Family Separation at the U.S.-Mexico Border Examined through Narrative Theory
Get PDFAn essential argument in grasping the negative impacts of forced family separation, a border policy upheld during the Trump Administration, follows this idea: to better understand the damage of the approaches taken during the Trump Administration\u27s zero-tolerance policy, scholars must look at the narratives of those who experienced it.In my thesis, I use narratology to examine 18 nonfictional personal narratives of family separation enforced throughout the Trump Administration
Government Debt on Money Growth, Inflation, and Real GDP Growth
No full textThis study examines the question: how does government debt affect economic growth over time? The results of this research show that low-income countries use inflation, money growth, and borrowing to manage debt. As a group, high-income countries do not, or perhaps cannot, use any of these methods systematically. Theory indicates that countries may turn to money growth and inflation to manage debt levels, and that this in turn decreases growth of gross domestic product. The results of this paper are significant because they suggest that low-income countries use money growth and inflation as an alternative to taxation while simultaneously borrowing to finance government expenditures. This study also finds evidence that, in the short-run of five years, there is a negative relationship between the change of debt/GDP and growth of GDP in the following years, but the size of the impact is relatively small
An Insurance Case that Develops Problem-Solving, Statistical Analysis, and Excel Skills
No full textGood Faith Insurance, a thriving hometown insurance company, has established itself by building strong, trust-based relationships within its community. After nearly a decade of consistent profitability, the company implemented three strategic initiatives to expand its footprint and enhance its brand as a high-quality regional insurer. This case study invites students to assess the financial impact of these strategic decisions, offering a valuable opportunity to refine their decision-making and problem-solving abilities. It is particularly well-suited for undergraduate courses in statistics or insurance