Technology Systems

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/10342/45

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Open Access
The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Consumer Buying Behavior: A Study of Millennial Preferences in the Digital Age
(East Carolina University, July 2025) Mavroudara, Argyro
The research investigates how social media influencers influence purchasing decisions among millennial consumers who demonstrate exceptional virtual platform involvement. The demographic of millennials who were born between 1981 and 1996 shapes itself through digital growth since they spent their lives during the online digital era which changed how people make purchasing decisions. Research focuses on analyzing the ways social media influencers modify brand reputation and consumer trust while they interact with culturally varied individuals who belong to the millennial generation. The research uses meta-analysis to bring together multiple secondary sources from published studies for a comprehensive investigation of influencer and millennial consumer relations. The study analysis primarily consists of reviewing existing literature about the subject to uncover major trends despite initially planning first-hand data acquisition. Research demonstrates that millennial consumers develop more trust in influencers whose character and background matches their own suitability pancultural profile. Changes in millennial attitudes and behaviors toward influencers depend heavily on the cultural and regional background they belong to. The last part stresses the necessity for businesses to develop marketing methods that adapt to cultural differences when they aim to connect with millennial consumers. Brands need to build sustained authentic relationships with influencers because authenticity together with credibility serve as fundamental factors for influencing successful consumer interaction and buying choices. The findings improve the comprehension of influencer marketing because they emphasize why brands should modify their digital plans to match changing consumer patterns. Social media influencers represent a substantial component of contemporary marketing strategies since they influence the outcome of future marketing campaigns targeting millennial audiences.
Open Access
AI Innovations and Cybersecurity Challenges in Autonomous Vehicles
(East Carolina University, May 2025) Mavroudara, Nancy
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are transforming transportation by improving road safety through advanced technologies. Technologies such as deep learning, computer vision, and reinforcement learning enable AVs to perceive their surroundings, navigate complex environments, and make critical decisions in real-time. However, their reliance on interconnected systems introduces significant cybersecurity challenges, exposing them to threats that could compromise safety and functionality. Addressing these risks requires robust solutions, including encryption, secure communication protocols, and real-time intrusion detection systems. This thesis analyzes how artificial intelligence developments in autonomous vehicles evolve while analyzing the increasing cybersecurity threats these vehicles encounter. The examination analyzed the use of AI for enhancing intrusion detection by evaluating the Car Hacking Dataset utilizing machine learning models. In addition, this thesis assessed the present autonomous vehicle security practices to determine their compatibility with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Research shows that AI intrusion detection systems deployed with NIST-derived security standards significantly advance the security of AV networks and strengthen their capability to defend against changing threats.
Open Access
Recreation of the Chancellor's Residence in the French Colonial Architecture Style
(2025-04-10) Caleb Goodwin, Cesar Cruz, Makilah Williams
In this project our group was assigned with creating a French colonial themed recreation of the chancellors residence off of 5 street. With over 7000 sq ft of livable space and enough room to fit 6 cars in total. We went for a mainly open concept to encore rate the use of breezeways, heavy usage of single and double casement windows as well as broad columns were used to really bring out that French colonial feeling, let’s not forget the dormer and eyebrow dormer windows these are located above the garage and top of the house on the northern elevation.
Open Access
The Impact of Alcohol Misuse and Intellectual Disability on Occupational Safety
(East Carolina University, December 2024) Eickemeyer, Mary
In the United States, people with disabilities have the right to live and work in the least restrictive environments possible based on their needs. However, workers with intellectual disabilities struggle with shortcomings in both intellectual ability and adaptive capacity which can put them at higher risk for occupational injury particularly if they also cannot recognize how their own behaviors such as binge drinking might impact that risk at work. The objective of this research was to discover if disability status and/or disability type had an effect on binge drinking in the state of Minnesota when controlling for age, sex(m/f), and race. Data from the 2018 Minnesota Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was utilized for this study. Negative binomial regression analysis revealed that there was no statistical significance related to disability status or disability type. However, both sex and age were statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. Similar to other research, this result found that younger men in general including those with disabilities were more likely to binge drink than women and people in any other age group. Occupational safety implications include offering alcohol misuse counseling services in the work setting, screening for off-hours alcohol use routinely as a part of occupational accident investigations, and encouraging workers to seek support when feeling pressured to binge drink during social situations.
Open Access
Type II Workplace Violence in the Service Providing Industries: An Exploratory Study
(East Carolina University, July 2024) Ranger, Tavia
Type II workplace violence is any form of threat or physical violence between an employee and clients/customers on the job site. The aim of this thesis is to investigate and highlight workplace violence in service providing industries. This study began when it was evident that there was not enough literature review on this sector and different types of workplace violence are encountered or the effects withing the service providing industry. Considering this topic may be sensitive and personal, qualitative analysis was used to collect data in a space where voluntary participation that were recruited from TikTok felt comfortable to share their experiences. Transcribed data from interviews were analyzed by NVivo 14 software and Shepperd et al. (2022) systems thinking workplace violence framework based off Rasmussen’s Risk Management Framework (Rasmussen, 1997). Results indicated that the service providing industry is exposed to constant verbal, physical, and sexual harassment which can be influenced by age, gender, and/or assumed socio-economic status. Hence, some employees not only expect these behaviors from customers but think it is a norm in the respective work sectors of customer service, hospitality, educators, and public sector. With the hopes of future research this study aims to contribute to develop safer environment, proactive measures to protect employees from violence, and its possible adverse effects.
Open Access
Artificial Intelligence-based Access Management System
(East Carolina University, 2023-04-27) Adenola, Victoria
The foundation of cybersecurity is identity and access management (IAM). Its methods, procedures, and guidelines control identity access to digital resources and define the scope of identity permission over the resources. Every week, a new data breach or cyber threat is reported. A significant number of data breaches are caused by ineffective security features, software vulnerabilities, human error, malicious insiders, and the misappropriation of access and privileges. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can upgrade the access management system. As a result, research into artificial intelligence in IAM is required to enable organizations to take a more detailed and flexible approach to authentication and access control to mitigate cyber threats and other IAM challenges. This study explores the relationship between access management systems and artificial intelligence with regard to AI applications in identity and access management, specifically the monitoring, administration, and control of access privileges. The objective of this study was to provide evidence from the relevant literature to help understand how AI works in mitigating identified IAM challenges. The findings in this study demonstrate how artificial intelligence strengthens identity and access management in mitigating growing cyber threats, automating processes, and keeping up with technological advancements.
Open Access
Safety Climate Assessment: a Survey in an Electric Power Distribution Company
(2022) Kiani, Moien
Open Access
A Global Supply Network Design Model: A Resilient Management Approach
(2021) Das, Kanchan; Annand, Adarsh; Ram, Mangey
Restricted
EVALUATION OF PHISHING ATTACKS AGAINST A HIGHER EDUCATION PUBLIC INSTITUTION
(East Carolina University, 2022-04-22) Olson, Craig
While security vendors have documented trends in phishing attacks across numerous industries, there remains a gap in available data for phishing attacks against higher education institutions.  This researcher studied phishing attacks delivered over the course of one year against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Research questions include: What were the component characteristics of phishing attacks against the university?  Which phishing attacks were successful? What possible countermeasures can be implemented to prevent such attacks? A Phishing Susceptibility Framework is proposed; the framework has two main sections – the Attacker Gambit that exhibits motivation and methodology, and the Victim Profile that reveals victim susceptibility and root weaknesses. Each section has three main elements that illustrate core components affecting the efficacy of a phishing attack. The purpose of this framework is to identify vulnerable end user segments as risk flash points for management to be aware of when safeguarding against phishing attacks. Results of the study determined attacker motivation skewed heavily toward financial gain and Business Email Compromise gift card attacks were most effective. Multivariate analysis determined Authority, Kindness and Urgency stressors all had positive correlation with compromised users and we concluded that a combination of these stressors indicated an improved efficacy of BEC gift card gambits against susceptible end users within the organization. This research contributes to the overall body of knowledge specific to phishing attacks against a higher education institution and provides valuable information for other higher education institutions which are likely to see similar attacks.
Open Access
SURVEY OF SOCIAL ENGINEERS AND THE VALIDITY OF DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
(East Carolina University, 2022-05-12) Austin, Adrian D
In the context of information technology, social engineering is a nexus of computers and humans. Defenders need to know how hackers and other deviant actors attempt to interact with users. Social engineers are sometimes the professionals who perform deviant behavior for a positive purpose to assist users in knowing what to look for when another actor performs a deviant act for fraudulent purposes. The purpose of this research was to ask questions of social engineers on both sides of the rule of law to determine if the current defensive techniques used to protect against deviant actors are having a positive effect on defense against said actors. The project utilized an Internet-based mixed methods survey sent to social engineers found using Reddit, a social media site. The project was begun with a series of questions devised to reduce the project's scope further. The questions were left with open-ended sections to allow for further research later. The questions were then placed in a survey created in Redcap, a program designed for distributing surveys included on the Internet. The social media site Reddit was chosen to distribute the survey. This was due in part to the Reddit being one of the world's top visited sites and the groups that were surveyed tended towards being more deviant than others based on the subject matter viewed. The survey was conducted for 2 months, and only 12 partial surveys were completed, at which point an interview was conducted with a person from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Per the interview, it was determined that the main reason the survey did not succeed was due in part to the lack of being known in the community. Paraphrasing Stewart (2003), Borum (2010), and Karlins & Navarro (2008), a person known in the community of social engineers would have had a better chance of getting completed surveys. Much of this interpersonal trust would have come due to in-group status and the theory of trust transfer. The idea behind in-group status is that one would interact with the group to be surveyed; the researcher would then be seen as part of the group and not an interloper. Trust transfer theory is a concept that has been used in the consumer market for a while. This idea is that if a party trusts another person or entity and the new person or entity is associated with something already trusted, some of the trust can be transferred to the new entity. Trust transfer theory and in-group status contributed to the potential responders not completing the survey. Future research on this topic should endeavor to obtain in-group status before continuing; for a future researcher, this may take months to years to achieve.
Open Access
Mobile Device Management Policy
(2022-04-08) Meadows, Sydney
The use of mobile devices in the workplace has grown significantly over the years. Most adults do not leave home without their phones, laptops, tablets, or other portable media devices. With this expansion, there needed to be a policy put in place to protect those devices from cybersecurity threats and threats that can occur. This is how the Mobile Device Management (MDM) Policy was created and has been implemented and most companies throughout the world. In this paper, I will go into depth about the MDM policy and why it is important in today's world of technology, especially within the workplace.
Open Access
The Dangers of Online Shopping
(2022-04-19) Meadows, Sydney
Online shopping has become a crucial part of society in today’s age of technology. Many of us face identity theft, credit card theft, and more just by putting our personal information on shopping websites. Downloading things like VPNs, Antivirus Software, and Firewalls is one of many ways you can stay safe while surfing the internet and buying things online. Even what we think are secure sites like Amazon, have hackers constantly looking for loopholes in their sites. For this project, I will explain what makes online shopping dangerous, what can help you stay safe while shopping, and ways to prevent information theft while shopping in the future.
Open Access
Is Digital Piracy a Crime?
(2022-04-19) Sutton, Raegine
Digital piracy is the unauthorized illegal copying and distribution of digital copyrighted content. Copyrighted content refers to Intellectual Property. Property that consist of intangible creations of the human intellect. Individuals that download songs, movies, and art from a website for free are committing digital piracy. For instance, watching a video on YouTube and transferring the URL to a MP3 converter on a different website and converting it to an MP3 music file for free is illegal. There are numerous names for digital piracy depending on the specific type of content being copied and distributed however this paper will examine digital piracy as a whole. The paper will begin with introducing digital piracy. Then the psychological aspects of digital piracy, why people choose to do it. The paper will then discuss the dangers and attacks associated with digital piracy. Lastly, it will discuss the consequences, solutions, and end with a conclusion on digital piracy.
Open Access
Protecting Yourself from Targeted Ransomware
(2022-04-19) Alston, Marcus
In the Dynamic Environment we live in today, there are many devices that are becoming obsolete. They are becoming ancient with the times and many new technologies are trending in a rapid rate. However, some of these new devices have threats that are advanced. One of these new threats is called targeted ransomware. Targeted Ransomware is a new cyber threat that could possibly create issues in a business or in an organization. In this essay we will be going over the effects of Targeted Ransomware, the Dynamic and Functionality of Targeted Ransomware and what are some preventive measures that are being created to prevent Ransomware.
Open Access
Integrating Lean, Green, and Resilience Criteria in a Sustainable Food Supply Chain Planning Model
(2019-04-01) Das, Kanchan
Open Access
Planning Environmental and Economic Sustainability in Closed-Loop Supply Chains
(2020-02-12) Das, Kanchan
Open Access
The Impact of Hands-On Simulation Laboratories on Teaching of Wireless Communications
(2017-01-01) Chou, Te-Shun, 1964-; Vanderbye, Aaron
Open Access
IPV6 Diffusion on the Internet Reaches a Critical Point
(2018-02) Chou, Te-Shun; Pickard, John; Angolia, Mark
Open Access
Integrating Sustainability in the Design and Planning of Supply Chains
(2018-08-19) Das, Kanchan
Open Access
Integrating Lean, Green, and Resilience Criteria in a Sustainable Food Supply Chain Planning Model
(2019-04-01) Das, Kanchan

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