Business, Dhillon School of

Permanent URI for this collection

https://opus.uleth.ca/handle/10133/3351

Browse

Browsing Business, Dhillon School of by Author "Bao, Yongjian"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Assessing energy policy for sustainability outcomes: a comparative study of different regulatory market structures across North America
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business, 2022) Raposo, Tristan James; University of Lethbridge. Dhillon School of Business; MacDonald, Adriane; Bao, Yongjian
    Our modern world runs on electricity, and electricity is often produced using fossil fuel sources that contribute to global climate change. In a world with increasingly ambitious climate goals, it is vital to understand the relationship of energy markets where electricity is bought and sold and the renewable energy policies that exist to reduce fossil fuel generation. This thesis compares policies implemented in the continental US and Canada to explore potential relationships between renewable energy policies and energy market types (regulated markets vs. restructured markets) based on outcomes for reduced CO2 emissions, increased renewable generation, and decreased fossil fuel generation. This research uses statistical techniques to explore said relationships including OLS regression and multi-variate analysis of variance. This research contributes to Energy Policy and Sustainability literature with various findings, such as results showing there are no significant statistical differences between energy market types for impacts on renewable energy policy effectiveness. Findings are limited by the exploratory nature of this research and highlight the need for further study into the effectiveness of renewable energy policies.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Incompleteness in digital public services: A case study of Lethbridge's construction permitting process
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business, 2024) McLeod, Bradley I.; University of Lethbridge. Dhillon School of Business; Bao, Yongjian
    This thesis examined the digitization of the permit application process at the City of Lethbridge. The findings focused on service delivery and the tension between operational efficiency and human-centric values by employing a grounded exploratory case study approach, interviewing eleven members of the public and nine staff members. The research identified significant time savings and efficiencies while highlighting challenges, such as accessibility issues, personal interaction loss, and trust degradation. The concept of incompleteness is introduced in complex and non-transactional public services, highlighting how digitization can negatively impact human-centric values such as connectedness, satisfaction, and trust. This research integrated design thinking with public value management theory to emphasize the need to balance operational efficiency and human-centric values. The case study revealed that while digitizing the permit application process increased accessibility for many users, it created new inequities. This thesis advocates for a hybrid model that combines digital service platforms with additional support to address the issue of incompleteness. This ensures that the digitized services remain accessible and legitimate. This research provides insights into the lived experiences of digitizing public services and emphasizes the need to balance technological efficiencies with human-centric values and proficiencies. It contributes to the theoretical discourse on public value management and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, service designers, and practitioners looking to implement inclusive digital public services.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The use of analytics in decision-making: the role of information processing capability and analytical-based culture
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business, 2022) Aruleba, Omotayo Anthony; University of Lethbridge. Dhillon School of Business; Bao, Yongjian
    This study examines the role of data quality, organizational analytical structure, and bigness of data in the quality of decision making. It investigates the mediating role of information processing capability in the association of data quality, organizational structure, and bigness of data with decision quality. Furthermore, the moderating role of analytical-based culture in the relationship of information processing capability and decision quality is investigated. Data was collected from 54 industry professionals within the field of analytics. Ordinal linear regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results support that data quality and organizational analytical structure have a positive effect on decision quality. Additionally, the results suggest that information processing capability is a significant and positive predictor of decision quality. Findings from this study contribute to the literature by providing understanding on the structural, process, and cultural view of the use of analytics within an organization.