Digital Commons Network^™

Bringing Acquisition Reform Into Focus, Steve G. Green, David R. King, Neal J. Rappaport

Management Faculty Research and Publications

The response of our defense industrial base to major changes, such as the collapse of the former Soviet Union, emphasize the need to continue to improve the way the United States buys weapon systems. By looking through a historical lens, this paper addresses predicting the long-term success of acquisition practices and reform initiatives for the cost community. A literature review identifies acquisition reform legislation and initiatives since World War II. Looking at past acquisition reform and their long term impacts leads to the conclusion that acquisition reform efforts must be viewed skeptically. Given a dynamic environment, estimating costs may actually …

Data Mining In Health-Care: Issues And A Research Agenda, Monica Adya

Management Faculty Research and Publications

While data mining has become a much-lauded tool in business and related fields, its role in the healthcare arena is still being explored. Currently, most applications of data mining in healthcare can be categorized into two areas: decision support for clinical practice, and policy planning/decision making. However, it is challenging to find empirical literature in this area since a substantial amount of existing work in data mining for health care is conceptual in nature. In this paper, we review the challenges that limit the progress made in this area and present considerations for the future of data mining in healthcare.

The Distributed User Modeling Shell System (Dumss): A Conceptual Framework For Eliciting User Models, Thawatchai Piyawat, Monica Adya, Anthony F. Norcio

Management Faculty Research and Publications

With the advances in communication technology, large volumes of information can transfer across continents within a fraction of a second. Nevertheless, computer users still suffer from unpleasant situations when they interact with systems and are required to adapt to systems rather than the other way round. User modeling aims to overcome this problem by enabling computer systems to interact with users according to the users’ models, i.e., goals, knowledge, and preferences of users. Although, user modeling has shown invaluable benefits, methods of capturing user information to build precise and useful user models are still in their early states. This paper …

Multidimensionality Of Entrepreneurial Firm-Level Processes: Do The Dimensions Covary?, Phil E. Stetz, Roy Howell, Alex Stewart, John D. Blair, Myron D. Fottler

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Covariance (or not) among the first-order dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial processes underpins a fundamental and non-trivial difference between the entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial posture constructs. Utilizing a typology developed for multi-dimensional constructs, we operationalized each construct according to its specific conceptualization (relationships among the dimensions) and compared and contrasted each construct in an identical nomological network. Although we found support for both theories, the entrepreneurial orientation construct was more robust in explaining additional variance in growth. Additionally, our findings suggest that the means through which the first-order dimensions are operationalized—latent vs. summates— significantly affect the analysis.

Student Withdrawal: Test Of An Integrated Model, Gary A. Adams, Ron Marks, Jeff Allen

Management Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined a model of student withdrawal that integrated the major elements of Tinto's (1975) Student Integration Model and Bean's (1982, 1983) Industrial Model of Student Attrition. In a sample of 315 college freshman, the results of a path analysis indicated that both social and academic integration were related to satisfaction but only academic integration was related to commitment. Neither social nor academic integration had significant direct effects on intention to withdraw. Further, of the two attitudinal variables, satisfaction was related to intention to withdraw, however, commitment was not. These findings support the integrated model of student withdrawal.

Relationships Between Time Management, Control, Work–Family Conflict, And Strain, Gary A. Adams, Steve M. Jex

Management Faculty Research and Publications

This article incorporates recent research regarding time management into a model of work–family conflict. The authors hypothesized that 3 types of time management behavior would have both direct and indirect (through perceived control of time) relationships, with work interfering with family and family interfering with work. It was also hypothesized that both of these types of work-family conflict would be related to the strain outcomes of job dissatisfaction and health complaints. This model was tested with a sample of 522 workers. In general, the hypothesized relationships were supported.

Investigating Equity Sensitivity As A Moderator Of Relations Between Self-Efficacy And Workplace Attitudes, Bonnie S. O'Neill, Mark A. Mone

Management Faculty Research and Publications

This study integrated measures of equity sensitivity and self-efficacy in an effort to better understand how these variables may affect job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to leave. Equity sensitivity denotes how sensitive people are to overreward and underreward situations and has recently enhanced the accuracy of equity theory in predicting job satisfaction in social exchange situations. Self-efficacy, or task-specific self-confidence, is a central component of Bandura's social cognitive theory, and its influence on individuals' goals, efforts, and task persistence is well documented. Results from a field study of 242 employees in a health care firm support the moderating role …

Resilience–Recovery Factors In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Female And Male Vietnam Veterans: Hardiness, Postwar Social Support, And Additional Stressful Life Events, Lynda A. King, Daniel W. King, John A. Fairbank, Terence M. Keane, Gary A. Adams

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Structural equation modeling procedures were used to examine relationships among several war zone stressor dimensions, resilience-recovery factors, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in a national sample of 1,632 Vietnam veterans (26% women and 74% men). A 9-factor measurement model was specified on a mixed-gender subsample of the data and then replicated on separate subsamples of female and male veterans. For both genders, the structural models supported strong mediation effects for the intrapersonal resource characteristic of hardiness, postwar structural and functional social support, and additional negative life events in the postwar period. Support for moderator effects or buffering in terms of …

Can The Us Minimum Data Set Be Used For Predicting Admissions To Acute Care Facilities?, Patricia A. Abbott, Stephen Quirolgico, Roopak Manchand, Kip Canfield, Monica Adya

Management Faculty Research and Publications

This paper is intended to give an overview of Knowledge Discovery in Large Datasets (KDD) and data mining applications in healthcare particularly as related to the Minimum Data Set, a resident assessment tool which is used in US long-term care facilities. The US Health Care Finance Administration, which mandates the use of this tool, has accumulated massive warehouses of MDS data. The pressure in healthcare to increase efficiency and effectiveness while improving patient outcomes requires that we find new ways to harness these vast resources. The intent of this preliminary study design paper is to discuss the development of an …

Leaving College: Why Students Withdrew From A University, Ross J. Rapaport, Sharlon L. George, Gary A. Adams, Susan E. Clarkson

Management Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the reasons why students withdrew during a semester from a mid-sized, comprehensive university located in the Midwest. Six hundred forty-five students were asked to complete the ACT "Withdrawing/Non-returning Student Survey" during the 1992-93 academic year and summer semester. Three hundred sixty-five completed surveys were returned for a 57% response rate.

Respondents indicated many different reasons for leaving which varied by year in school and whether or not the respondent was a graduate or undergraduate student. There was no typical withdrawing student and there were many reasons students withdrew over which the university …

History Of The F-15 Program: A Silver Anniversary First Flight Remembrance, David R. King, Donald S. Massey

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Self-Assessment And Planned Change Of Placement And Career Services Center, Gary A. Adams, Ross J. Rapaport, Julia B. Sherlock, Joellyn S. Malmquist, Tina C. Elacqua, Rosemary Stanek Dinello

Management Faculty Research and Publications

In the 1990s, college and university career services and placement units face many challenges which may influence their success including (a) increased budgetary constraints, (b) changing student demographics, (c) increased availability of computer technologies, (d) new service delivery models, and (e) changing employer recruitment practices. In an effort to address these issues and examine its role within the university (Roth, 1994), the Placement and Career Information Center (PCIC) at Central Michigan University undertook a program of applied research, self-assessment and planned change. The purpose of this article is to briefly report our experiences in conducting this program of applied research. …

Heuristic Solutions For Loading In Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Bharatendu Srivastava, Wun-Hwa Chen

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Production planning in flexible manufacturing system deals with the efficient organization of the production resources in order to meet a given production schedule. It is a complex problem and typically leads to several hierarchical subproblems that need to be solved sequentially or simultaneously. Loading is one of the planning subproblems that has to addressed. It involves assigning the necessary operations and tools among the various machines in some optimal fashion to achieve the production of all selected part types. In this paper, we first formulate the loading problem as a 0-1 mixed integer program and then propose heuristic procedures based …

Relationships Of Job And Family Involvement, Family Social Support, And Work–Family Conflict With Job And Life Satisfaction, Gary A. Adams, Lynda A. King, Daniel W. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

A model of the relationship between work and family that incorporates variables from both the work-family conflict and social support literatures was developed and empirically tested. This model related bidirectional work-family conflict, family instrumental and emotional social support, and job and family involvement to job and life satisfaction. Data came from 163 workers who were living with at least 1 family member. Results suggested that relationships between work and family can have an important effect on job and life satisfaction and that the level of involvement the worker assigns to work and family roles is associated with this relationship. The …

Public Sector Labor Law: An Update, John Lund, Cheryl Maranto

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Belated Recognition For Work Flow Entrepreneurs: A Case Of Selective Perception And Amnesia In Management Thought, Leonard R. Sayles, Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Recent trends, such as reengineering, require work flow entrepreneurship. Important principles about these practices were recognized in post-World War II field research, but by the 1970s this work suffered neglect. Amnesia was caused by deeply held assumptions of scientific management, and by a search within business schools for academic legitimacy at the expense of praxis, which skewed the perspectives with which organizations were viewed.

Does Ai Research Aid Prediction? A Review And Evaluation, Monica Adya, Fred Collopy

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Despite the increasing application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to business over the past decade, there are mixed views regarding their contribution. Assessing the contribution of AI to business has been difficult, in part, due to lack of evaluation criteria. In this study, we identified general criteria for evaluating this body of fiterature. Within this framework, we examined applications of AI to business forecasting and prediction. For each of the seventy studies located through our search, we evaluated how effectively the proposed technique was compared with alternatives (effectiveness of validation) as well as how well the technique was implemented (effectiveness …

Principles For Examining Predictive Validity: The Case Of Information Systems Spending Forecasts, Fred Collopy, Monica Adya, J. Scott Armstrong

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Research over two decades has advanced the knowledge of how to assess predictive validity. We believe this has value to information systems (IS) researchers. To demonstrate, we used a widely cited study of IS spending. In that study, price-adjusted diffusion models were proposed to explain and to forecast aggregate U.S. information systems spending. That study concluded that such models would produce more accurate forecasts than would simple linear trend extrapolation. However, one can argue that the validation procedure provided an advantage to the diffusion models. We reexamined the results using an alternative validation procedure based on three principles extracted from …

Entrepreneurial Capabilities And Resources: Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Innovation And Opportunism, Kevin E. Learned, Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Firm resource theory specifies the conditions under which resources and capabilities may lead to sustainable competitive advantage. Using the emerging organization as an example, we use firm resource theory to identify some of the resources important to the entrepreneurial capabilities of innovation and opportunism.

Using 4gl Tools In Project-Oriented Courses, Linda Salchenberger

Management Faculty Research and Publications

The widespread availability of fourth generation languages (4GL's) and CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tools has presented students with the opportunity to design and implement real-world systems as class projects within the span of a one-semester course. The use of these tools during the systems development life cycle is discussed based on experiences with a microcomputer-based system which was developed by students in an upper division MIS class. The methodology used for directing student projects and some particular problems faced when using 4GL's as development tools are addressed.

The Bigman Metaphor For Entrepreneurship: A "Library Tale" With Morals On Alternatives For Further Research, Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Melanesian Bigmanship (a meritocratic, enacted career of political-economic leadership) is recounted as an anthropological metaphor for entrepreneurship. This “library tale” has two purposes. The first is a demonstration of conceptual uses of ethnographies for developing grounded theory. Propositions are generated on entrepreneurial orientations and opportunity structures. Opportunities are seen to arise in the creation of linkages between spheres of exchange, or fields in which an object exchanges at different values. Entrepreneurial tactics, such as converting between spheres, call for skills in informal planning, astute use of timing, and networking. These “tactical” skills coexist with “moral” skills, in persuasiveness, the manipulation …

The Avon School District, Chalmer E. Labig, Timothy J. Keaveny

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Anthropology And The Practice Of Entrepreneurship Research, Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

“Territorality” And Bilingualism: A Note On Jackson’S "Community And Conflict", Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.