UWEC CERCA 2025

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have gained significant attraction in recent years, emerging as a popular alternative to traditional initial public offerings (IPOs). These blank-check entities raise capital solely to acquire and take private companies public through de-SPAC transactions. The appeal of SPAC lies in their speed, pricing certainty, and reduced regulatory burden compared to traditional IPOs. SPACs provide flexibility in structuring deals and optimizing post-merger capital. Using hand-collected SPAC and IPO data, we find that SPACs are more likely to be sued than traditional IPOs. SPACs face more litigation risks due to their limited regulated oversights, conflicts of interest, and poor post-merger performance. This project examines the ways SPACs are exposed to more litigation risk. We use statistical data analysis to understand those reasons. SPACs are not subject to intense U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations before going public like traditional IPOs are. Due to the lack of legal oversight, financial projections fail to meet expectations and cause investors to frequently file class action lawsuits. This study investigates the litigation risks associated with SPACs and examines the structural factors that cause investor lawsuits in de-SPAC transactions.

The study explores the perspective of important stakeholders in nursing home care to better understand the difficulties and opportunities for improvement regarding care and quality of life for residents living with dementia and comorbidities. The research can guide interventions to address these challenges and enhance care. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 13 stakeholders from a family-run nursing home in 2024. Participants included care assistants, well-being companions, a registered nurse, the manager, the owner, a general practitioner (GP), and informal caregivers. Interviews were conducted online via Microsoft Teams, and thematic analysis was used to identify key challenges and factors involved. Five key challenges emerged, including managing the consequences of dementia, addressing staff knowledge gaps, creating inclusive services, compensating for an under-resourced healthcare system, and understanding caregiver responsibilities. Eight facilitating factors were also identified, such as a holistic approach to care and ensuring continuity and personalization. The findings suggested that psycho-educational interventions to improve clinical care and geriatric knowledge, in addition to basic psychological training for staff, can help to address these challenges. These suggestions try to improve interactions with families, enhance the quality of care, and ultimately improve the quality of life for nursing home residents with dementia and comorbidities.

This study investigates the challenges and potential solutions in caring for nursing home residents in the U.S. who have dementia and other comorbidities. Data was gathered from 35 staff members—Directors of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistants, physicians, administrators, and social workers—across eight nursing facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Participants completed a four-question open-ended survey that explored the challenges in managing dementia and comorbidities, their causes, and potential solutions. Key issues identified include difficulties in managing mental health conditions and chronic diseases, staffing shortages, communication barriers, and unrealistic family expectations. The study recommends strategies to improve care quality, such as increasing state funding for dementia programs, ensuring adequate staffing, providing comprehensive dementia training, maintaining consistent caregivers, and offering support resources for families. These interventions aim to enhance the quality of life for residents with dementia and comorbidities.

Experiential Learning in Lean Manufacturing: Measuring Student Perceptions of Innovative Assignments The purpose of this project was to measure the student perceptions of the improvement in student learning in the Lean Manufacturing Systems and Concepts course by introducing innovative assignments and projects which connect course concepts to students' personal lives. Through a novel waste identification assignment and a 5S assignment applied to daily tasks, and a semester-long project at a local manufacturing company, students can bridge theoretical knowledge with practical applications. This study, which was conducted in a Lean Manufacturing course at a public university in the upper Midwest, uses surveys to assess the student perception of the impact of this application of using experiential learning methods. After using these experiential learning methods, students reported feeling more prepared to apply Lean concepts in real life and identified additional areas where these methodologies could be used to enhance processes in their lives. We found that these assignments led to students gaining a better understanding of the course material and how to apply their knowledge in a professional and personal capacity. Through this study, we hope to provide inspiration for future Lean Manufacturing courses in other universities, leading to a future of more knowledgeable and prepared students entering the workforce.

Work engagement is a significant factor influencing employee performance, well-being, and organizational commitment. Given these valuable outcomes, it is essential to investigate antecedents of engagement. This research seeks to understand how the imposter phenomenon (IP) and irritability contribute to engagement. Following the conservation of resources theory (Hobfall, 1989), we hypothesize that IP is positively related to irritability, irritability is negatively related to engagement, and finally, IP is related to engagement via irritability. We collected data from 164 participants with a snowball sampling technique (Grant & Mayer, 2009). Utilizing Preacher and Hayes’ (2008) mediation procedure, our results provide support for our hypothesized relationships between IP and irritability (B = 0.3392, p < .05) and between irritability and engagement (B = -0.1784, p < .001). Furthermore, we found support for our mediation hypothesis with a significant effect of IP on engagement through irritability (b = -0.0605, SE = .0377, 95% CI [-.1480, -.0007]). Findings suggest those with IP experience irritability, leading to lower levels of engagement. To combat this, we suggest organizations prioritize constructing a positive work culture, implementing Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), and encouraging leaders to enhance their social perception and emotional awareness skills.

Intergenerational programs in long term care settings, which connect older adults to younger generations, have been recognized for combating social isolation, promoting empathy and understanding across age groups, and challenging ageist stereotypes. With the increasing popularity of these programs, this research aims to study the implementation process and development of these initiatives, identifying best practices and challenges in order to promote successful strategies for the future. This study compiles data from 21 intergenerational programs conducted by undergraduate healthcare administration students during their residency in a nursing home from 2020 to 2024. We conduct an in-depth review of the projects, investigating facility demographics, methodologies, and results, and evaluate the effectiveness of these programs in various dimensions, including care quality, social isolation, and the psychological well-being of nursing home residents. Furthermore, we examine the most common barriers students encountered, such as limited resources and community engagement, as well as factors that promoted success, including teamwork and communication. By exploring these projects, we seek to offer recommendations for future program implementation, supporting the health and well-being of older adults and encouraging meaningful interactions across age groups.

This research project aims to explore the characteristics of long-term care professionals in various career stages through the use of the Long-Term Care Administrator (LTCA) Self-Assessment Tool (Johs-Artisensi et al., 2016). In previous research, differences were found when comparing the LTCA characteristics of freshman/sophomores with their results as emerging leaders (1-2 years postgraduation). This project will analyze differences and/or similarities of LTCA results of current residency students from when they were freshman/sophomores in the UWEC Health Care Administration (HCAD) program against their results four months into administrative residency (~1-3 years later), as well as the results of current residency students’ preceptors. This study will demonstrate how 10 LTCA characteristics of students progressing through their academic career may change over time, while also allowing for the comparison of results in three different career stages. Results will either confirm previous findings, explore differences, and/or provide further insight on leaders in long-term care.

This study examines the impact of goal orientations (results-oriented vs. process-oriented) on team dynamics and performance evaluations within global virtual teams, challenging traditional assumptions about team efficiency. Drawing on Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory (1959), Locke's Goal-setting Theory (1967), and intrinsic motivation frameworks, we analyzed data from the X-Culture Project, encompassing 3,660 undergraduate business students in 925 global virtual teams during Fall 2020. Our research specifically investigates how different approaches to incentive mechanisms and goal orientations influence team member perceptions and evaluations. Through multivariate regression analysis, we found that while both results-oriented (focused on monetary rewards and certificates) and process-oriented (valuing collaborative experiences and relationships) team members reported similar levels of subjective satisfaction, their peer evaluations differed significantly. Results-oriented members received lower peer evaluations, being perceived as less creative, less effortful, and less task-compliant. Conversely, process-oriented members were evaluated more positively, demonstrating stronger leadership qualities, active thinking, and perceived work ethic. This favorable evaluation of process-oriented members may be attributed to their stronger focus on team relationships, communication, and collaborative learning, which are particularly crucial in virtual environments where building trust and maintaining engagement require extra effort. Their emphasis on the journey rather than just the destination likely leads to more consistent participation, better communication patterns, and stronger relationship building – all qualities highly valued by peers in virtual collaborative settings. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about incentive structures in global virtual teams and suggest that process orientation may offer a competitive advantage in virtual collaborative environments. The study contributes to our understanding of team dynamics and has important implications for designing effective incentive mechanisms and managing diverse goal orientations in virtual team settings.

The primary objective of this project is to provide comprehensive education on insurance markets within Spanish-speaking countries. This project is particularly aimed at students who are considering traveling to Latin American countries or other international destinations. Understanding the intricacies of insurance in these regions is crucial for students to ensure they are well-protected against potential risks.

This research proposal investigates the communication tool preferences of native English speakers (NES) and English as a second language (ESL) learners within global virtual teams, focusing on the interplay between communication frequency (CF), communication tools (CT), team conflict (TC), and identification (ID). The study posits three hypotheses: (H1) communication frequency is negatively correlated with team conflict, suggesting that increased CF reduces TC; (H2) higher communication frequency positively influences the use of information-dense communication tools, such as Zoom, over less dense tools like text messaging; and (H3) communication tool preferences differ based on identification—NES members shift from low-density tools (e.g., texts) in low-frequency settings to high-density tools (e.g., Zoom) in high-frequency settings to minimize conflict, while ESL members consistently prefer text-based tools across all frequencies to mitigate interaction tension and reduce conflict. Based on the data collected from 153 global virtual student teams which participated in the X-Culture project, we found that higher communication frequency will reduce team conflict across both groups, with NES members not showing any preferences on communication tools, while ESL members exhibit a persistent reliance on text-based tools to address linguistic and social challenges. These findings aim to deepen insights into effective communication strategies in linguistically diverse virtual teams, providing actionable guidance for enhancing collaboration in globalized educational and professional settings.