School of Management (capstones)
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Item THE ROLE OF CORPORATE VENTURE CAPITAL IN FOSTERING INTRAPRENEURSHIP(Manuscript, 2026-05) Barchuk, IrynaThis study examines how Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) influences intrapreneurship in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics within technology services firms. Although CVC is increasingly used to access external innovation, limited research explains how it generates internal entrepreneurial capabilities and organizational value beyond financial returns. The study combines benchmark cases of Accenture Ventures and Globant Ventures with a qualitative multi-case analysis of six firms representing investor, operator, and hybrid roles in the Ukrainian and global technology ecosystem. Grounded in Dynamic Capabilities Theory, Open Innovation Theory, and Absorptive Capacity, the research draws on interviews with 7 senior leaders and secondary quantitative data. Qualitative coding was used to examine transmission mechanisms, enabling conditions, organizational barriers, and success metrics. The findings identify three organizational archetypes - Financial-First, Strategic-Hybrid, and Venture Builder - each demonstrating distinct pathways for converting CVC investments into intrapreneurial outcomes. Structured initiatives, including Founder-in-Residence programs and Shared Service Center ecosystems, are the most effective mechanisms for capability development, whereas informal talent-exchange models are less effective. Key barriers include billable-hour pressures, cultural resistance, intellectual property conflicts, and the absence of dedicated innovation budgets. Important enablers are problem-led investment strategies, strategic alignment, management support, legal structures, and protected innovation time. The study also shows that success is assessed through capability acquisition, client development, brand positioning, speed of pilot implementation, talent integration, and spin-off outcomes rather than financial return alone. Based on these findings, a practical three-phase framework is proposed to guide technology service firms in strengthening the internal impact of Corporate Venture Capital programs.Item OBJECT-ORIENTED LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT IN THE ACTIVITIES OF LOGISTICS COMPANIES IN THE UKRAINIAN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN AN UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT(Manuscript, 2026-05) Lesnikov, PavloThis study examines the adoption of object-oriented logistic management (OOLM) within Ukraine's agricultural sector and provides actionable managerial guidance for organizing logistics management in supply chains of enterprises. The study explores the present situation of logistics relationships between agricultural businesses and logistics providers in Ukraine, pinpointing significant issues concerning integration, coordination, and adaptability amid wartime and economic uncertainty. Special focus is placed on the function of object-oriented logistics management in improving supply chain agility, clarity, and responsiveness. This research aims to evaluate the application of object-oriented logistics management (OOLM) within Ukraine's logistics and agriculture sector and to formulate actionable recommendations for enhancing the organization and effectiveness of logistics management in supply chains of enterprises. The research seeks to assess the impact of the object-oriented approach on supply chain integration, delivery performance, and operational flexibility during times of economic instability and to suggest a structured framework for enhancing logistics processes in agricultural firms. This framework method allows for the recognition of inefficiencies and chances to enhance collaboration among supply chain members. Furthermore, the study suggests a model for creating a cohesive logistics strategy that connects production, distribution, financial, and innovation efforts, guaranteeing synergistic outcomes throughout business operations. The research broadens organizational, economic, and informational aspects of logistics management by incorporating object-oriented principles in supply chain governance. The study emphasizes the significance of digitalization and institutional backing in enabling coordinated decision-making and enhancing overall supply chain efficiency. Ultimately, the study shows that adopting an object-oriented logistics management strategy speeds up delivery times during economic instability, enhances operational efficiency and customer relations, and boosts the economic resilience of agricultural businesses. The suggested recommendations offer actionable insights for Ukrainian logistics and agricultural firms aiming to improve supply chain efficiency amid unstable economic risks.Item THE IMPACT OF RELATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING AND BURNOUT IN AN IT DEPARTMENT UNDER PROLONGED EXOGENOUS STRESS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Bondar, TetianaThis study examines the impact of direct supervisors’ relationship management practices on the levels of emotional burnout and psychological well-being among IT department employees amid prolonged wartime stress in Ukraine. To achieve the study’s objective, the following tasks were formulated: to determine the current level of burnout and well-being among IT professionals; to assess the relationship between a manager’s leadership practices and the psychological state of the team; and to verify whether the protective effect of relationship quality remains stable regardless of the level of war-related stress. The study includes 83 employees and 10 immediate supervisors from the IT departments of Ukrainian companies. Validated psychometric scales were used to measure key constructs: MBI-GS (burnout), WHO-5 (well-being), LMX-7 (quality of relationships), SPS-3 (supervisor support), and PSS-4 (perceived stress). Data analysis included scale reliability testing, Pearson’s correlation analysis, multiple linear regression, and moderation analysis. The results revealed a critically low level of well-being in the sample: the average WHO-5 score was 43.2 points, and 63.9% of participants were below the clinical threshold for depression risk. The quality of leader-member exchange (LMX-7) proved to be the strongest predictor of both well-being (r = +0.743; β = 10.255, p < 0.001) and burnout (r = −0.713; β = −0.356, p < 0.05). At the team level, the manager's LMX quality explains approximately 75% of the variation in team well-being (r² = 0.754), while RMP correlates with the team's average burnout level at r = −0.873. The hypothesis regarding the moderating effect of combat stress was not confirmed (β = 0.042, p = 0.846), indicating the stability of the protective effect of high-quality managerial relationships regardless of the external context. The results confirm that investing in the development of relational leadership skills is one of the most accessible and effective tools for preserving teams’ psychological well-being during wartime.Item EXPANDING UNDER PRESSURE: INTERNATIONALIZATION OF UKRAINIAN COMPANIES AFTER THE FULL-SCALE INVASION(Manuscript, 2026-05) Kopchuk, VolodymyrThis study examines the post-February 2022 foreign expansion of six Ukrainian companies: Aurora, Kormotech, Lviv Croissants, Nova Post, Farmak, and Liki24. Drawing on business media sources and founder interviews, it uses a qualitative multiple-case design to assess how far these firms' internationalization behavior supports, modifies, or departs from the predictions of the Uppsala model in its 1977 and 2009 versions. Four patterns appear across the cases. First, the war accelerated pre-existing internationalization plans rather than initiating them from scratch. Second, market selection was shaped less by geographic or cultural proximity than by competitive conditions and the destinations of displaced Ukrainians. Third, the learning and commitment logic central to the Uppsala model was present in every case, although it was often compressed, reordered or both. And fourth, local teams and partner relationships were more important in reducing outsidership than any formal market-research phase. Overall, the evidence aligns more closely with the 2009 network revision than with the original stage model. The central claim of the study is that the war should be understood not as a cause of internationalization, but as the context that reshaped how internationalization unfolded, and the cases show why that distinction matters.Item THE NATURE OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS IN ELECTRONICS RETAIL: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RETAIL NETWORKS AND INDEPENDENT STORES(Manuscript, 2026-05) Hrebyniuk, OlhaThis research investigates customer complaints in electronics retail in Ukraine. It aims to identify the dominant complaint categories, compare complaint patterns across store types, and derive operational insights. Specifically, it examines which complaints are most common, how patterns differ between retail chains and independent stores, and what these differences reveal about service and operations. The study employs a quantitative approach by analyzing negative Google Maps reviews collected over one year from six retail chains and nine independent stores in Kyiv. Reviews were manually classified into seven complaint categories and compared across stores and store types. The research is grounded in the concepts of customer loyalty, customer experience, and Social Exchange Theory, which explain how customer behavior is influenced by service quality, operational experience, and perceptions of mutual value. The findings show that Customer Service Behavior is the dominant complaint category in retail chains, while no single category prevails among independent stores. This indicates greater standardization in retail chains and stronger store-level variation among independent retailers. The study contributes to the literature by improving the understanding of complaint patterns in electronics retail.Item PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF VETERAN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT PROGRAMS: EVIDENCE FROM NGO "DOLADU"(Manuscript, 2026-05) Chubyk, MaksymThis capstone thesis examines the integration of project management mechanisms and financial sustainability models in veteran mental health support programs in Ukraine, using NGO "Doladu" as the primary case study. Driven by the unprecedented scale of psychological trauma among Ukrainian combat veterans since February 2022, the research addresses the applied management challenge of how civil society organizations can sustain high-quality psychosocial services under conditions of financial volatility, donor dependency, and operational uncertainty. The study aims to develop an integrated project management and financial sustainability model for Ukrainian NGOs delivering veteran mental health support programs, drawing on an empirical analysis of NGO "Doladu" and grounded in PMI project management standards, Resource Dependence Theory, and Nonprofit Financial Sustainability Theory. The research examines the theoretical foundations of veteran psychosocial support program management and nonprofit financial sustainability, analyzes the organizational, project portfolio, and financial structures of NGO "Doladu" to identify key managerial and financial vulnerabilities, and develops a revenue diversification model tailored to the funding environment of Ukrainian veteran-focused NGOs. It further proposes a 12–24 month rolling financial planning framework as an alternative to reactive grant-cycle budgeting, designs a composite Sustainability KPI Dashboard integrating financial health and program impact indicators, and formulates practical implementation recommendations applicable to NGO "Doladu" and comparable civil society organizations. The study focuses on the financial sustainability and project management practices of social projects implemented by Ukrainian non-governmental organizations in the field of veteran mental health and psychosocial support, with NGO "Doladu" serving as a representative case of a veteran-focused civil society organization operating under conditions of financial volatility, donor dependency, and active armed conflict.Item ORGANIZATIONAL AND DIGITAL CONDITIONS FOR FARM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ADOPTION IN UKRAINIAN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Berezovskyi, OleksandrThis capstone project examines the organizational and digital conditions affecting Farm Management System (FMS) adoption in Ukrainian small and medium-sized farms. The central research question is: What organizational and digital conditions affect Farm Management System adoption in Ukrainian small and medium-sized farms? The study uses a qualitative exploratory design based on semi-structured interviews with eight participants, including farm owners, managers, agronomists, and agricultural distributors. Interview data were analyzed by identifying recurring themes and comparing responses across participant groups. The findings show that FMS adoption is influenced by both organizational and digital conditions. Organizational factors include centralized decision-making, limited process formalization, seasonal workload, and the presence of an internal implementation driver. Digital factors include fragmented digital tools, weak system integration, limited data use, and insufficient digital skills. The study finds that the main challenge is not initial adoption but achieving regular system use. FMS delivers the greatest value when integrated into daily routines, planning, control, and decision-making. It also concludes that organizational readiness for FMS can be developed during implementation rather than existing beforehand. The findings offer practical recommendations for farms, FMS providers, distributors, and AgTech consultants, including gradual implementation, clear initial use cases, assigned internal responsibility, post-sale support, and communication focused on tangible managerial benefits.Item ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE-SEEKING PRACTICES, COLLABORATION, AND AI TOOLS ON TICKET ESCALATION IN HEALTHCARE IT SUPPORT: A LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Lahus, ValeriiaThis study investigates the factors influencing the escalation of support tickets to programmers in a healthcare IT environment. It focuses on three factors: knowledge-seeking practices (use of requirements and documentation), cross-team consultation, and the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Besides escalation frequency, the study examines valid escalation, defined as cases where escalation is justified and confirmed as a system defect, deficiency, or enhancement. A quantitative research approach was applied using logistic regression on a dataset of 150 support tickets to evaluate the main and interaction effects of these factors on escalation outcomes. The results show that knowledge-seeking practices have a statistically significant impact on both escalation and valid escalation. The use of requirements increases the likelihood of escalation while improving the accuracy of escalation decisions. Cross-team consultation and AI chatbot use do not have statistically significant independent effects. However, the interaction between requirements and AI chatbot is significant, indicating that AI can reduce escalation when combined with structured documentation. The findings suggest that effective technical support depends not only on reducing escalations but also on improving their accuracy and justification. The study recommends strengthening knowledge management, improving documentation quality and accessibility, and integrating AI tools with system requirements to optimize support operations in healthcare IT systems.Item EVALUATING THE OPERATIONAL IMPACT OF AI CHATBOTS AND OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE IN HEALTHCARE IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT(Manuscript, 2026-05) Klimocych, AnastasiiaThe increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in healthcare IT Service Management (ITSM) is often framed as a broadly applicable approach for improving efficiency and reducing operational workload. However, limited empirical evidence exists regarding how organizational ownership structures and global time‑zone separation influence the realized value of such technologies. This study examines the operational impact of AI chatbot deployment within a globally distributed healthcare IT support environment, focusing on investigation‑phase support for specialized genetics systems. Using a quantitative, quasi‑experimental design, the study analyzes task‑level metadata from an internal ticket management system across two six‑month periods before and after AI implementation. The analysis combines longitudinal comparison of ticket volume, temporal latency modeling using Total Resolution Latency (TRL) and Lost Day Share of TRL, and interaction analysis using factorial ANOVA to assess the moderating role of ownership structure. The results show that AI chatbot deployment is associated with reduced manual workload and lower asynchronous coordination delay. However, these improvements are not uniform. While average coordination costs are similar across ownership models, hierarchical structures exhibit greater variability and higher exposure to extreme delays. Direct ownership models derive greater operational benefit from AI by converting structured diagnostic input into faster resolution. The study concludes that AI is not a universally effective intervention; its operational value is contingent upon alignment with ownership architecture and coordination pathways, with implications for healthcare ITSM design and global support strategy.Item DEVELOPMENT OF A MODEL FOR MARKET ENTRY DECISIONS AND REALLOCATION STRATEGY: A CONSULTING PROJECT FOR IT SERVICE FIRMS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Diachkova, MariiaInternational delivery-center decisions are becoming more complex for IT service firms serving clients in the European Union and North America. Beyond labor cost and talent availability, firms must assess whether they are internally ready to expand, which locations best fit their delivery model, and how digital governance conditions affect operational efficiency and regulatory risk. This study addresses this challenge by developing a practical three-gate framework for international delivery-center expansion and reallocation. The framework combines firm-level readiness assessment, comparative country evaluation, and a digital governance filter calibrated to the firm's regulatory exposure. The framework is developed and illustratively assessed using publicly disclosed annual report data from four multinational IT service firms (EPAM Systems, Infosys, Capgemini, and Globant) selected as delivery-model archetypes for 2020–2025, together with a seven country dataset covering Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil, India, and Uzbekistan for 2020–2024. These firms and countries are used as illustrative analytical cases rather than statistically generalizable samples. The study finds that delivery-center decisions can be structured as a sequential signal-based protocol using public data and clear stopping rules. It shows that digital governance operates as a dual-channel signal: it both reduces administrative friction for foreign firms and increases compliance complexity for those with high EU client exposure. Signal convergence across firms helps distinguish market-wide shocks from firm-specific operational issues. When applied prospectively to the sample firms, the framework produces outputs broadly consistent with observed decisions while identifying clear scope boundaries. The project contributes a structured, managerially applicable decision tool and extends the international business discussion of digital governance by showing that it should be assessed not as a generic country advantage, but as a firm-conditioned factor shaped by client geography, regulatory exposure, and delivery model.Item VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND BRAND DIFFERENTIATION: A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR PRIVATE LABEL OF ELECTRIC BLANKETS IN OMNICHANNEL RETAIL(Manuscript, 2026-05) Shevchenko, AnastasiiaCapstone investigates the strategic development of a vertically integrated Private Label (PL) within the Ukrainian electro-textile category, focusing on brand differentiation and omnichannel efficiency. The purpose of this study is to formulate a resilient market-entry framework that leverages localized agility to bypass the “commoditization trap” among global horizontal competitors. The relevance of the chosen topic is underscored by the structural volatility of the Individual Heating Electronics, especially Electric Blankets, which catalyzed a shift from a concentrated monopolistic baseline toward a highly competitive and multi-polar market. This transition created a distinctive “supply-side vacuum” for specialized heating solutions that prioritize verified technical reliability over traditional brand heritage. To ensure both strategic depth and statistical foundation, the study employs a mixed-methods approach. In order to create a data-driven hierarchy of technical requirements, a primary consumer survey and a longitudinal analysis of market share evolution over 2021 - 2025 fiscal cycles carried out, as quantitative analysis. SWOT and Ansoff Matrix are two examples of strategic analytical frameworks that used in qualitative analysis to assess the competitive environment and create a customized business plan, as a part for Differentiation strategy. The primary contribution of this work is to design a Private Label Implementation Plan. This framework integrates vertical sourcing with business model innovations, including installment-based ownership programs and seasonal risk-mitigation trials. This strategic approach provides a scalable model for establishing the Private Label as a “trust bridge” between high-priced legacy manufacturers and low-quality generic disruptors, facilitating a sustainable rise to a leading market position.Item MANAGERIAL STRATEGIES FOR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO REBALANCING IN TURBULENT ENVIRONMENTS: AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE UKRAINIAN HOME APPLIANCE MARKET(Manuscript, 2026-05) Borodko, ViktoriiaThis research investigates the strategic adaptation of product portfolios by managers within the Ukrainian home appliance retail sector amidst extreme macroeconomic turbulence. The study addresses two primary research questions: first, how price segments are rebalanced during structural economic shifts, and second, what organizational capabilities define managerial response speed and operational agility. Utilizing a comprehensive longitudinal dataset of 97 months of transactional data integrated with National Bank of Ukraine indicators, the study employs a rigorous mixed econometric methodology. This includes the Chow Test for structural break detection, Income Elasticity analysis and Lag Correlation for agility auditing. The findings mathematically confirm a significant structural break in 2022, resulting in a tripled demand sensitivity to currency fluctuations. The study concludes that navigating high-velocity emerging markets requires a transition from intuitive heuristics to algorithmic management and flexible supply agreements. The research provides a strategic roadmap through 2026, advising a pivot toward value added mid-range products as the market stabilizes. These findings offer a methodological foundation for ensuring long-term retail sustainability during periods of systemic economic recovery.Item AI ADOPTION AND THE AUTONOMY-AUTHORITY GAP: EVIDENCE FROM A UKRAINIAN MARKETING FIRM(Manuscript, 2026-05) Kosenko, MykolaI would like to express my sincere gratitude to the American University Kyiv, the School of Management for providing an inspiring academic environment and the opportunity to pursue my studies under challenging circumstances. I am especially thankful for the opportunity to continue my education while serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This support has been invaluable and reflects the importance of accessible education for active-duty service members and veterans. I am grateful to the faculty for their guidance, professionalism, and commitment to academic excellence, which contributed significantly to my personal and professional growth. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the broader importance of supporting veterans’ education and development, as it plays a critical role in both individual growth and the future recovery and advancement of Ukraine. This experience has reinforced my belief in the value of continuous learning, resilience, and responsible leadership in times of uncertainty.Item STRATEGIC RISKS OF UKRAINIAN DRONE MANUFACTURERS RELATED TO CHINESE COMPONENTS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Mazur, KyryloThis capstone project analyzes the strategic dependence of Ukrainian drone manufacturers on Chinese components and the challenges of transitioning to a NATO compliant component base. Given that drones have become a critical element of the Russian Ukrainian war and modern warfare in general, Ukrainian manufacturers now face a trade-off between short-term efficiency (Chinese components) and long-term integration into Western markets (NATO-compliant components). Using a mixed-methods approach, this research combines qualitative insights from industry experts and suppliers with quantitative data from a Ukrainian manufacturer on costs, lead times, and volume comparisons between Chinese and NATO-compliant supply chains. This capstone project develops a navigation map of components for different drone clusters, based on the Ukrainian drone ecosystem, describes the up-to-date drone component market dynamics in Ukraine and globally, and provides practical strategic recommendations for the Western (including Ukraine) governments and Ukrainian drone manufacturers, with a clear roadmap and mitigation plans for several clusters.Item AI-AUGMENTED PRE-SALES: DESIGNING AND EVALUATING AN AGENTIC RFP WORKFLOW IN HEALTHCARE AND LIFE SCIENCES(Manuscript, 2026-05) Budnichenko, SvitlanaThis study investigates the design and evaluation of an AI-augmented Request for Proposal (RFP) response workflow within the Healthcare and Life Sciences (HC&LS) pre-sales practice of a global IT services firm. Using a Design Science Research methodology combined with a quasi-experimental before-and-after evaluation, the study develops a Minimum Viable Prototype (MVP) comprising three coordinated AI layers — Research Agent's Cluster, Prototype Brief Writer, and Proposal Narrative Writer agent — embedded within a multi-agent full architecture and orchestrated via the n8n workflow automation platform. The workflow incorporates Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) using a Supabase pgvector knowledge base constructed from 192 classified HC&LS proposals from the organization's knowledge base, of which 32 are fully enriched with ten structured fields and indexed via cosine similarity search. The MVP reduced the active effort required to produce a first reviewable draft by approximately 80–85%, compressing the elapsed cycle from a typical 5–7 day process to same-day draft availability, while achieving a proposal quality score of 25/30 (83%) on a six-dimension evaluation rubric. Findings show that AI creates the greatest pre-sales value when embedded in a redesigned end-to-end workflow as an augmentation layer, not when applied as isolated task automation. Six design principles are derived: augmentation over automation, RAG-based knowledge grounding, early-stage AI prototyping, modular agent architecture, human-in-the-loop validation, and incremental adoption. The study contributes both a functional prototype and a generalizable framework for AI-enabled workflow redesign in pre-sales contexts.Item AI INTEGRATION FOR TEST CASES GENERATION AND MAINTENANCE: OPTIMIZING TEST TEAM WORKFLOW(Manuscript, 2026-05) Stepaniuk, TarasManual quality assurance workflows in fast-paced software delivery increasingly struggle to keep pace with rapid code evolution, with QA teams spending disproportionate effort on interpreting requirements and maintaining test documentation. This research investigates whether an Artificial Intelligence-driven middleware can optimize this workflow by automating the synthesis of requirements, design, source code, and existing test documentation into actionable testing artifacts. A middleware solution was designed and implemented on the Fastlane framework, integrating data from Asana, Figma, GitLab, and TestRail, and leveraging the OpenAI GPT-4.1 model through a structured Chain-of-Thought prompt. The evaluation combined quantitative KPI tracking across 24 production tasks with qualitative feedback from three QA engineers. The results demonstrate a 68% reduction in the test documentation effort ratio, a decrease in the median number of dev/test iterations from three to one, and a doubling of the single-iteration resolution rate. Qualitative analysis confirmed accelerated feature comprehension and reduced cognitive load. The study validates a hybrid human–AI model of quality assurance and defines a roadmap toward autonomous test maintenance.Item EVALUATION OF MULTI-BRAND STRATEGY EFFECTIVENESS IN NICHE E COMMERCE UNDER SPONSORED SEARCH AUCTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM CONTRIBUTION MARGIN ANALYSIS(Manuscript, 2026-05) Shukhrov, DmytroThe growth of digital platforms allows e-commerce firms to scale via multi-brand models. This study empirically evaluates the financial effectiveness of Company X’s intuitive launch of three custom-printed wallpaper brands with overlapping catalogs but distinct price positioning. It analyzes whether these brands cannibalize each other's demand across three geographic markets. The research addresses four key questions regarding financial impact, source of growth, cannibalization risks, and market-size moderation, testing two main hypotheses (H1 and H2). Key Findings and Contributions: H1 confirmed: Co-owned brands do not experience demand cannibalization due to algorithmic audience segmentation (distinct seed audiences from different launch timing) and natural price sensitivity differences. H2 confirmed: The multi-brand model generates an additive, not substitutive, increment in total contribution margin. New Concept: Strategy effectiveness depends on the incumbent brand's maturity stage. Launching a second brand prematurely in early-stage markets with increasing marginal returns reduces short-term efficiency. Managerial Recommendations: Company X should use maturity indicators (advertising slope, YoY margin dynamics) to trigger new launches and invest in content differentiation.Item THE IMPACT OF SEARCH QUALITY ON E-COMMERCE SALES(Manuscript, 2026-05) Myropolskyi, MarkThis capstone project examines the impact of internal search performance on customer behavior and e-commerce outcomes using real search data from EVA.UA. Internal search is treated not only as a navigation tool, but also as a mechanism that shapes product discovery, customer experience, and the allocation of economically valuable traffic. The study aims to understand whether query popularity, query characteristics, platform differences, or traffic concentration across demand segments drive search-related business performance. The empirical analysis is based on a large real-world dataset that includes more than 42 million search events and more than 6 million unique queries, as extracted from the original raw data. After data cleaning, the study applies query-level and event-level analysis to evaluate search demand distribution, conversion patterns, add-to-cart behavior, platform differences, weighted and unweighted performance metrics, frequency deciles, and revenue concentration proxies. Numeric SKU-like queries and low-quality noise were filtered out to reflect genuine customer intent better. The results show that search traffic is highly concentrated in a small subset of high frequency queries. The top frequency decile accounts for a disproportionate share of total search traffic and revenue proxy. However, conversion differences across frequency segments are relatively small, which suggests that revenue concentration is driven more by traffic allocation than by substantially better query performance. The analysis also shows that query length has a non-linear relationship with conversion: medium-length queries tend to perform best. In contrast, very long queries yield unstable results due to a low sample size. Platform analysis reveals meaningful behavioral differences: web demonstrates the highest purchase conversion, iOS shows the highest add-to-cart rates, and Android underperforms on both conversion and downstream funnel efficiency. The findings suggest that the major business opportunity is not limited to further optimizing already dominant queries, but also to improving the exposure and handling of underutilized demand, especially on mobile platforms. These results contribute to understanding how internal search influences e-commerce performance and offer practical implications for search optimization, product discovery strategy, and customer experience management.Item ISO 13485:2016 IMPLEMENTATION AND INTERNAL AUDIT READINESS IN A UKRAINIAN MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURER(Manuscript, 2026-05) Zabroda, DarynaThis capstone examines the implementation of ISO 13485:2016 quality management systems and internal audit readiness within a Ukrainian medical device manufacturer. The research addresses the problem of the gap between formal certification and actual operational effectiveness of quality management systems in emerging regulatory environments. This research is guided by the following research questions: how the level of ISO 13485 implementation affects regulatory readiness and compliance performance; how internal audit practices influence the recurrence of nonconformities; and how management involvement impacts CAPA effectiveness. The aim of the research is to evaluate the relationship between implementation depth, audit performance, and the effectiveness of corrective action. A mixed-methods single-case study design was applied. Quantitative data were collected through a clause-based gap analysis and internal audit metrics, while qualitative data were obtained through structured document analysis of QMS documentation. The sample consists of one Ukrainian medical device manufacturing organization in the pre-certification stage. The results indicate a moderate level of ISO 13485 implementation (70.5%), with stronger performance in documentation and weaker integration in monitoring and improvement processes. Internal audits effectively identify nonconformities but have a limited impact on preventing recurrence (32% repeat rate). CAPA processes demonstrate moderate effectiveness, with delays and incomplete closure. The findings suggest that implementation depth, rather than certification status, determines regulatory readiness and quality performance. Management involvement is critical for improving CAPA effectiveness and reducing recurring issues. The research contributes to theory by emphasizing implementation maturity and provides practical recommendations for improving QMS effectiveness in Ukrainian medical device organizations.Item FOUNDER VISIBILITY, REPUTATION, AND TRUST IN STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT DURING BUSINESS CRISIS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WARTIME B2B CASES(Manuscript, 2026-05) Shcherbyna, AlinaThis research aims to examine how founder visibility and reputation influence partner support during crisis situations in B2B contexts. The study focuses on understanding the mechanisms through which reputation acts as a key driver of partner behavior, particularly in high-uncertainty environments such as operational disruptions caused by external shocks (e.g., war-related damage to business infrastructure). The research explores how visibility contributes to reputation formation and how, in turn, reputation affects partners’ willingness to provide support, including financial flexibility, continued collaboration, and accelerated decision-making. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study seeks to develop a conceptual model linking founder visibility, reputation, and partner support in crisis conditions. The object of the research is B2B partnership relationships in crisis situations, particularly in cases of sudden operational disruption affecting companies’ ability to deliver products or services. The subject of the research is the role of founder reputation, shaped in part by public visibility, in influencing partner support behaviors during crisis situations. This includes trust formation, perceived credibility, risk tolerance of partners, and decision-making regarding continued cooperation or withdrawal. Research Results: Research Results: the study revealed significant differences in the scale and mobilization of partner support during business crises depending on the founder’s visibility, reputation, communication style, and embeddedness in business networks. Analysis of the interview responses from both cases produced more than 100 initial codes, which were consolidated into seven major themes: depth of relationship, reputational trust, personal communication, founder visibility and personal brand, founder leadership and influence, trust formation mechanisms, and support decision drivers.