Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Quality Of Sme Audits In The Uae, Ahmad Abdul Fattah Odeh

Theses

[Purpose: The aim of this dissertation is to investigate audit quality in the UAE for small and medium sized companies, using the Framework for Audit Quality proposed by the IAASB]. [Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology used was to describe the laws and regulations now in place in the GCC and to review some of the existing authorities that are working to regulate the audit industry in the country‟s private sector. Next, questionnaires were used to measure the perception of audit quality in SMEs, which was analyzed by means of factor analysis. A number of interviews were also conducted over the same variables …

The Effect Of The Introduction Of The Euro On The Stock Price Volatility In The Belgian Equity Market, Hanne Zmierczak

Theses

This study serves to research the effect of the introduction of the Euro as a currency on the volatility in the equity market in Belgium. It particularly looks at the Bel20 index volatility, which includes the twenty largest companies listed in the Belgian stock exchange. This study incorporates ordinary least squares regressions with a time series component. Various models with a timeframe between January 1992 and December 2013 are run. The dependent variable of this research is Bel20 volatility, while the independent variables include inflation, consumer confidence, change in industrial production, GDP growth, Euro dummy variables, and a financial crisis …

This Thesis Is Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Science In Information Technology Management, Farhan Mohammed

Theses

A large number of recent advancements in the technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have enabled them to be very useful and effective in many applications in today’s society. They demonstrate a high degree of stability and agility in the air. A few years ago military applications were the main driving force behind the development of UAVs and UAV systems. Many of their applications included monitoring, surveillance, data transmission and communication. Recently, several opportunities have emerged and participated in driving the development of UAV technology further ahead. Such opportunities include integration of UAVs with smart cities, disaster recovery, military and …

Antipodean Owenite Or Colonial Socialist: Charles Harper, Economic Development, And Agricultural Co-Operation In Western Australia, 1890 To 1910, David J. Gilchrist

Theses

Charles Harper (1842-1912) was a Western Australian pastoralist, newspaper proprietor and influential politician. The central hypothesis advanced in this thesis is that Harper was instrumental in establishing co-operatives in Western Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a pragmatic means by which to overcome the economic constraints that normally confront a settler population in a frontier economy. Specifically, Harper believed that co-operatives were an important means by which to build the type of private and public physical capital that was needed to settle colonists on the large, low-yielding Western Australian landmass, and, further, to provide the required …

Are Employee Assistance Programs An Effective Mechanism For Preventing, Managing And Alleviating Stress In The Workplace?, Carol O'Keeffe

Theses

According to the EAP Institute (2015), the rise in litigation related to occupational illnesses in the 1980’s has spurred companies to take employee health and well-being more seriously, which, subsequently, led to a growth in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). In particular, the employers' liability for workplace stress continues to be one of the growth areas in Irish employment law (CIPD, 2012), ultimately placing very substantial obligations on employers (Gorry, 2015). This includes the employer’s obligation to identify risk factors, and put in place remedial mechanisms for, preventing, managing and alleviating stress in the workplace.

This dissertation focuses on examining whether …

Do Non Management Employees Value The Performance Management System, Especially The Performance Appraisal System Within A Cork Call Centre?, Caroline Mehigan

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the topic of Performance Management, especially focusing on the non-management Performance Appraisal. The value associates place on the performance appraisal is assessed along with the views from both management and non management on performance appraisals. Organisations are very mindful of the important role employees can play in the success of their business and of course, in the reputation within the local market, therefore developing associate is vital for a number of reasons.

For this thesis, semi structured interviews took place with 23 associates, which consisted of management and non-management associates. The main …

The Impact Of Relevant Work Experience On Third Level Accounting Students' View Of Learning, Terese Deehan

Theses

The benefits of work experience in accounting education have been examined extensively in the academic literature. Extant literature cites skills development, putting knowledge into action, improved academic results, increased focus on study and career path and enhanced employability as the main benefits to students. Other than research on the impact on academic results, there is a dearth of research on the impact of work experience on students’ view of learning. In research conducted in Ireland, Byrne and Flood (2004) concluded that the majority of third-level accounting students only have a surface-level view of learning and that this will not be …

An Exploratory Study Of Customer Services Focusing On Customer Engagement - An Irish Perspective, William Ryan

Theses

This research study is an exploratory examination of customer services, which traces its developments to the modern day, evaluates its impact on corporate strategy, and analyses its effect on organisations performance. This study also investigates customer engagement to ascertain if technological changes has impacted on it, causing it to evolve, and the effect if any, these changes have had on customer services. The research explores the loyalty status of a customer, the availability of best practice models to aid organisation employing these concepts, and to evaluate if components are transferrable from large organisations to small to medium enterprises.

A qualitative …

The Affect Of Employee Engagement Among Support Staff In Cork University Maternity Hospital, Marion Josephine Cottrell

Theses

In recent years the academic research relating to employee engagement has flourished. Despite the increase in engagement literature, there is a gap concerning employee engagement regarding support staff categories. This dissertation focuses of the minority grouping, support staff

The research methodology for this study is a quantitative method. In addition, questionnaires were administrated to ninety support staff working in Cork University Maternity Hospital, with seventy contributing to the data for this study. Analysis of questionnaires resulted in the identification of a number of findings.

One significant finding of this research study was the discovery of an extra dimension affecting employee …

Is It Feasible For The Port Of Cork Company To Integrate A Port-Centric Logistic Supply Chain For Its Container Traffic?, Kevin O'Callaghan

Theses

As a consequence of globalisation, port performance and integrated port logistics have become increasingly important. Ireland as an Island nation depends on ports for the import and export of 99% of its goods. The only way that Ireland can remain competitive with worldwide markets is to have an efficient logistics supply chain. This research has examined the feasibility of introducing a port-centric logistics supply chain for containers in the Port of Cork. A port-centric logistics supply chain is a futuristic logistics process whereby the port becomes a logistics hub rather than the traditional role as a simple gateway pier for …

Adding Value For An Organisation Through Employee Engagement: A Case Study Of A Temporary Workforce, Hannah O'Shea

Theses

Over the last 10 years, the requirement for temporary workers has shown significant increases. Casual and part-time workers, on the live register, have increased during this period from 20,752 to 71,744. In March 2013 the numbers rose to 89,798, an all-time high in Ireland (Central Statistics Office, 2014). Consequently, it is becoming increasingly important to observe how organisations undertake engagement with temporary employees. This research study focusses on the employee engagement levels of a temporary agency workforce, working in an e-commerce organisation, on behalf of a third party agency. Questionnaires were completed by 55 temporary agency workers and three direct …

Workplace Well-Being: Examining The Mental And Psychological Health And Safety Of Non-Unionised And Unionised Employees, Peter O'Mahony

Theses

A quantitative case study was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the mental and psychological health and safety of non-unionised and unionised employees within the researcher's organisation, a multi-national pharmaceutical company based in Ireland. One hundred and sixty-seven employees and seven senior managers were surveyed to explore their perspectives of psychological health and safety risks in the workplace across thirteen different psychosocial factors which are known to either have positive or negative effects on the psychological health and well-being of an employee.

The Guarding Minds at Work (GM@W) online survey resources were considered appropriate methods to collect the necessary …

Impact Of The Agency Worker Directive In Ireland, Laura Harney

Theses

The use of temporary agency workers in Ireland has increased consistently in Ireland over the last 20 years. They provide a readily available, flexible and skilled resource that can help businesses to meet market demands quickly and effectively.

On December 11th 2011 the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Worker) Act 2012 came into effect in Ireland. This Act transposed the Directive on Temporary Agency Work (2008/104/EC) and it stated that all temporary agency workers must have equal treatment, in relation to their basic working conditions, as if they had been directly recruited by the hirer to do the same job. …

Suitable Financing: A High-Tech Semiconductor (Photonics) Start-Up Context, Sarkar Mahbub Akhter

Theses

This research investigates the financing options available to a "High-Tech Start-up" when a technical person seeks to start a business from innovations emerging from his or her daily work. In seeking to understand the different factors which might influence the choice of a particular type of financial source, firstly a thorough literature survey has been performed. In the main part of the study, a qualitative research approach was considered to be the most appropriate one and as part of it, a number of interviews with entrepreneurs, CEOs and CTOs have been conducted. Findings from these people with financial experiences are …

Which Craft? An Investigation Into The Irish Craft Brewing Industry - Exploration And Co-Operative Context, Oliver Blackwell

Theses

This study investigates and explores the Irish craft brewing industry with a specific focus on the attitudes, experiences and perceptions of Irish craft brewers to exportation and cooperation. This rapidly growing, niche sector could be considered a microcosm or subset of the Irish brewing industry and it is a valuable contributor of diversity, innovation, creativity, employment and revenue to the Irish economy as an indigenous industry. A quantitative and qualitative mixed methods approach was adopted to triangulate data from various sources. The research comprised of a survey questionnaire to Irish craft brewers, seven semi structured one-to-one interviews and one focus …

Generation Y Perceptions Of The Traditional Career Model, Aoife Kelliher

Theses

Generation Y will be expected to play the most significant role in the work place as their careers develop and older generations retire. Much of the research carried out on their work related values and career progression to date has relied on the viewpoints of Generation Y as undergraduates, prior to gaining substantial experience in the work place. This study responds to Ng and Gossett’s (2013) call for further research into the values, attitudes and expectations of young people as they will emerge as leaders of tomorrow. The purpose of the study is to examine if the traditional career model …

Sustainability In Business: A Study On Marketers' Attitudes Towards Sustainable Practices In The B2b Environment, Natarajan Arunachalam

Theses

Green marketing has an important role to play in supporting sustainable development. Marketers have a vital responsibility to communicate on relevant products and services, creating awareness on environmental issues among consumers. They could also play a role in promoting sustainable consumption. However, previous research has also suggested that, as yet, green marketing and indeed marketing’s broader influence on attitudes towards sustainability, are yet to be fully mobilised. Considering the important role of marketers in achieving sustainable development, this research focuses on marketers and studying what the attitude of marketers regarding sustainability and green marketing actually is. Additionally, given the extensive …