Business Analytics Commons^™

Evaluating Event Effectiveness Across Alternate Platforms, Kristin Malek, Sarah Tanford, Seyhmus Baloglu

Hospitality Faculty Publications

Organizations are rapidly adopting new technologies and have justified their return on investment by examining new attendee rates, “click throughs” on links, and company-specific metrics. Despite advances in technology and growing consumer dependence on electronics, the meeting and events industry has been slow to adopt IT advances for fear of cannibalization. The purpose of this study was to gather foundational knowledge of how various event platforms, such as face to face and online, can affect overall event effectiveness. Variables examined include attendee satisfaction, loyalty, and content retention. This research used a multimethod approach in which one experimental study and one ...

An Optimal Airline Revenue Management Seat Pricing Plan Model, Constantine M. Koursaris, James W. Marion Jr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The goal of an airline is to sell tickets at the highest fare possible, thus yielding maximum profit for the stakeholders. As airline seat pricing is divided into different fare classes, a revenue management system is created and maintained to identify opportunity costs where the airline may sell an optimum number of available seats in both discounted fare and full fare classes. Ideally, under perfect conditions, the airline will sell all available seats at full capacity for each leg of a trip. Under non-ideal conditions for the airline, not all available seats may sell at either full fare or discounted ...

Project Management And The Temporary Relocation Of The Decoupling Point: Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study, Christopher Hicks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates, understands, and describes the value of engaging a project manager to support a customer-driven project that creates a random supply chain demand event. Specifically such an event would require the temporary re-positioning of the decoupling point between the supply push and demand pull within the supply chain. In response to the challenges of this type of event, this study will focus on two specific project manager roles. First, the project manager would act as an extension of a customer-driven project and serve as a conduit for the voice of the customer (VOC) into the supply chain. Secondly ...

Determining Theme Park Attraction Attributes: An Analysis Of Factors That Impact Theme Park Attraction Popularity And Success, Danica Dvorachek

Senior Honors Theses

Theme parks have some attractions that are more popular than others, referred to as main ticket attractions (MTA). The purpose of this thesis is to create a model which can successfully predict whether or not theme park attractions are considered MTA. Data from leading USA theme park attractions has been recorded and analyzed for this thesis. A neural network model has been created using Matlab that categorizes attractions with up to 85% accuracy. However, some of the inputs are considered unstable once run through SAS JMP. To create a comparative study, a decision tree has been created in Matlab with ...

An Exploration Of Internal Controls And Their Impact On Employee Fraud In Small Businesses, Kent Lachney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain greater understanding of the current practices of the internal control systems of small businesses and to explore the effectiveness of their systems in comparison with anti-fraud activities recommended by forensic accountants. The researcher selected five small businesses that were members of the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce and had fewer than 100 employees. The researcher interviewed the owners and/or managers of the businesses, reviewed and analyzed company documentation, interpreted data, made observations, and offered recommendations. The researcher asked each participant to respond to questions related to the five elements ...

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim ...

Effects Of Extreme Heat On Aviation, Brandon T. Carpenter

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Weather is a common cause of flight delays and cancellations. However, the vast majority of the time we think about weather and its effect on aviation, winter conditions, such as snow, come to mind. Heat is usually one of the last types of weather we associate with airline challenges. Recently, the Bomb Cyclone has made headlines for the headaches it caused with travel, especially at The John F. Kennedy International Airport. Interestingly, the exact opposite of winter weather conditions can cause just as many challenges. Over this past summer, a number of flights at various airports such as Phoenix Sky ...

Supply Chain Sustainability: Understanding The Financial Impact, Matthew J. Guinn

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a differential impact on the financial performance of a company between environmental and social events.

This study uses a randomization of publicly traded companies within specific, pre-determined SIC codes, which is a collection of 66 companies, split between manufacturing and retail, to get the most accurate representation.

This study utilizes multiple regression models via STATA to analyze data compiled from the Wharton Research Database Services (WRDS) utilizing the MSCI ESG KLD, and Bloomberg, to analyze the percent increase in stock price which is the overarching models independent variable. Then ...

The Value Of The Global Supply Chain & Operations Management Capstone Consulting Course On Graduates Careers, Ashley Kathleen Hannon

Senior Theses

The University of South Carolina’s Global Supply Chain & Operations Management [GSCOM] program in the Management Science Department has witnessed incredible growth and success throughout its first ten years as a major in the Darla Moore School of Business. The crown jewel of the GSCOM program is the Capstone project, a consulting course offered for program seniors. This thesis paper examines the value of the Capstone program through analysis of results from a graduate survey. The survey was administered to graduates from the 2013-2017 classes, and aims to capture the value that Capstone had on the first year of each ...

Cultural Disparity And The Impact On Work Life Balance, Bryan Campbell

Senior Theses

This research examines the differences in work life balances between varying countries around the world. In order to do so, a proxy index was created by investigating a portion of questions from respondents of the World Values Survey. Comparing this to Hofstede's Insights on National Culture allowed for a unique perspective as to whether the country individualism ratings could then be used to assert a relationship between these metrics.

Blockchain: Is It The Future Of Business?, Stuart Welsch

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

Blockchain is one of these new and disruptive technologies being developed; it is predicted to change the landscape of business in an extremely similar fashion as the Internet did. In lay terms, blockchain is a new technology designed to secure privacy (Collins, 2016), cut out unnecessary middleman costs (Eha, 2017), dramatically lower the cost of transactions (Iansiti & Lakhani, 2009), lower transaction time (Underwood, 2016), and assist in making assets become more liquid and appealing (like cash) because they are more easily transferable (Paech, 2016). Blockchain functions like a ledger; it is able to keep track of an asset’s ownership by recording transactions made. It is likely that this is the direction the businesses are heading towards. Blockchain’s many applications across nearly every industry is simply too good of an opportunity ...

Evolution Of Insurance: A Telematics-Based Personal Auto Insurance Study, Yuanjing Yao

Honors Scholar Theses

Insurance has been constantly evolving since its inception; nowadays, insurance has become an indispensable part of people’s daily life. Nonetheless, very few individuals understand the mechanism behind their insurance coverage. This paper focuses on the evolution of personal auto insurances. The first part of the paper summarizes traditional pricing techniques for personal auto insurance and discusses their deficiencies. The second part of the paper introduces telematics insurance, an innovative form of auto insurance. This new kind of insurance integrates telematics as well as other technologies in the premium calculation process. The study proceeds to evaluate the pros and cons ...

A Tale Of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study Of High-Road Versus Low-Road Strategies In Customer Service And Reputation Management, Donna L. Roberts, John C. Griffith

Publications

Customer surveys from Ryanair and Southwest Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions on customer service for the period of 2012-2013. Southwest Airlines (n=149) was rated significantly higher than Ryanair (n=165) in overall rating (p=.0228), seat comfort (p<.0001), cabin/staff service (p<.0001), and value (p=.0004). Additionally, passengers would recommend Southwest Airlines at a higher rate than Ryanair (p=.0006). Open area comments emphasized that customer service and policies had a large impact on the ratings. Specifically, 53% of Ryanair customers complained about inefficient or unwelcome processes and discourteous or unfriendly service compared to 29% for Southwest Airlines. Ryanair customers complained about check-in procedures, open seating policy, and fees ranging from oversized carry-on bags to fees for printing out boarding passes. The largest area of complaint for Southwest customers concerned how customers were treated for flight delays.

The Greatest Basketball Player Of All Time: Lebron Vs. Jordan, Austin Jacobson

Senior Honors Theses

LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of this generation. I am seeking to determine what he needs to do to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. Considering individual statistics, team success, and personal achievements as well as factors such as political and racial activism and involvement, media coverage (including social media), and generational difference, I am hoping to show what is left to accomplish for LeBron to reach and surpass Jordan.

The Future Of Radio, Samuel Murray

Senior Honors Projects

Since its inception and rise to popularity among major forms of mass media communication, radio has been thought to be the next technology to become obsolete. When television came out people thought radio was going to die out, but alas radio and television coexist to this day. When music videos, and eventually channels like MTV came out, radio was put into jeopardy as music would become more and more visual and the need for the radio would cease. This was not the case. When satellite channels came into being and started getting big name celebrities like Howard Stern to broadcast ...

Realistic Market Basket Data Simulation For Retail Marketing, Elizabeth N. Nichols

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

An Overview And Analysis Of The Impacts Of Extreme Heat On The Aviation Industry, Brandon T. Carpenter

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Strategic Implications Of Blockchain, William R. Adams

Marriott Student Review

This thesis introduces blockchain, the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and discusses how best to conceptualize it relative to other technologies. Following an explanation of the fundamentals of blockchain, also known as the distributed ledger, I identify the characteristics of the technology. Building upon blockchain’s inherent strengths and limitations, I explore potential business applications of blockchain. Finally, I recommend that leaders continue to track the development and adoption of blockchain technology, even if they decide that implementing it does not align with their organization’s strategy at present.

Strategic Audit On Tesla, Zitong Li

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

This paper evaluation the current situation that Tesla, Inc is in. Specifically, this paper provides a detailed analysis of the external and internal problems and strengths of Tesla and its current and past strategy that led to its success today. In conclusion, Tesla’s main advantages are its charging and battery technology and a strong brand name. The problem Tesla faces includes production bottlenecks, shortage of cash, high cost and competitions. Based on these analyses, the direction that Tesla should go for is to expand its market share and increase profitability. Several strategies are proposed to help achieve these goals ...

Delta Airlines: A Strategic Analysis, Erin Mckenna

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

Consisting of three parts, the first two reports provide an overview of Delta Airlines, their current strategy, their resources and capabilities, and the overall environment of the industry. In this final report I will be conducting a full SWOT analysis on Delta Airlines and look at their internal strengths and weaknesses as well as their external opportunities. After conducting this analysis I will be drafting some strategic questions that I feel Delta is facing as well as provide my recommendations to solve each question.