Digital Commons Network^™

Zasto: Belgrade And The Remains Of The Nato Bombing, Drew Adamek

Landscapes of Violence

The 1999 NATO bombings are an omnipresent specter in Belgrade. Nearly seventeen years after the bombings, all the buildings in the city center hit by air strikes still stand as stark daily reminders of the injury Serbs feel.

Witnesses And The Changing Goals Of Memorialization, Braden Paynter, Mofidul Hoque, Hadi Marifat, Elena Monicelli

Landscapes of Violence

Violence is experienced by many people first hand. While some of these people are later allowed to serve as witnesses through memorialization, many are not. Often, those excluded encompass whole categories of people: victims, perpetrators, soldiers, women, etc. Who is allowed to serve as a witness during memorialization often depends on a range of factors, such as timing and context. But the very definition of a witness also shapes what outcomes are possible from memorialization. This article looks at three members of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience from three different contexts (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Italy), and examines how …

Notes From The Field: Rebuilding Lives Among Memories Of Violence, Sanne Weber

Landscapes of Violence

Colombia has been the site of one of the world’s longest internal armed conflicts. Its population has been trapped between different armed groups, who in their struggle for control over land and resources have uprooted millions of people. After the demobilization of the country’s paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) in 2006, many people have started returning to the land from which they were displaced. A land restitution and reparation program was adopted in 2011 that is now, slowly, returning land to its original owners and assisting people in the difficult process of resettling. This paper describes how people …

The Troubled Past And Contested Future Of Northern Ireland's Maze Prison/Long Kesh, Jill Dwiggins

Landscapes of Violence

As Northern Ireland's landmark Good Friday Agreement approaches its 20-year anniversary, one site looms particularly large in the memories and perspectives of men and women who lived through the civil conflict known as the Troubles. The remains of HM Maze Prison stand unoccupied and unused while Northern Ireland debates how this polarizing historical landscape figures into the population's recovery from historical violence.

The Maze Prison/Long Kesh housed paramilitary prisoners from 1971 to 2000. A brief review of the prison history suggests that far from being placed "out of site, out of mind," its prisoners, employees, and administration retained an active …

Islands Of The Abject: Absence, Trauma And Memory In The Cemetery Island., Emma A. Sheppard-Simms Ms

Landscapes of Violence

Cemetery islands–islands of death–are simultaneously real places as well as symbols of the ways in which death has been marginalized in the modern city. Since the nineteenth century, cemeteries on islands have tended to be quietly invisible places, reserved for the bodies of those who, in life, occupied the margins of human society: the deviants, the forgotten, the diseased and the insane.

Places such as Hart Island, the vast potter’s field of New York City and Poveglia, the island where Venice’s plague victims were sent to die, remain resolutely out of sight and mind, hidden behind the shiny …

Heritage Of Violence: Editor's Introduction, Heidi Bauer-Clapp

Landscapes of Violence

No abstract provided.

2016 – A Year In Review For Hotel Industry Firms, Atul Sheel

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

No abstract provided.

Conditions Associated With Increased Risk Of Fraud: A Model For Publicly Traded Restaurant Companies, Elizabeth Yost, Robertico Croes

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

Many restaurant industry examples provide evidence that as a firm’s internal control structure weakens and deficiencies are found, the opportunity for fraud increases significantly. Thus, the central focus of this study is to understand the factors that contribute to increased risk of fraud to determine which conditions promote an increased risk of fraud for publicly traded restaurant companies. The main premise of the study tests the application of the fraud triangle framework constructs to publicly traded restaurant companies during the time period of 2002–2014, using proxy variables defined through literature. The proxy variables selected were company size, amount of debt, …

Financial Impact Of Leed And Energy Star Certifications On Hotel Revenues, Spencer Robinson, A. J. Singh, Prashant Das

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study examines the topline performance of a cross-section of hotels in the United States from 2009 to 2013 to test whether eco-labeled (LEED or Energy Star, in particular) properties generated revenue performance premiums over noncertified hotels. In other words, does it pay to acquire these labels? Regressions included regional, class, chain scale, size, and location controls. Custom comparable clusters were also separately tested. Results show that LEED-labeled hotels experience higher average daily rate but lower occupancy rates, resulting in a statistically insignificant difference in RevPAR. Energy Star labeled buildings consistently showed higher occupancy.

Stock Market Valuation Of Hotel Firms’ Sustainable Initiatives, Tarik Dogru, Ercan Sirakaya-Turk

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study aimed to examine stock price reactions to announcements of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified hotel openings. Using an event study method, the authors analyze news related to 15 hotel openings between the periods of 2009 and 2013. The results show that abnormal returns on stocks are significantly negative after the announcements of LEED-certified hotel openings, suggesting that stock market investors perceive sustainable investments to be value-decreasing projects in the short-term. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed within the framework of the microeconomic theory of pollution abatement.

Activity-Based Costing In The Restaurant Industry: What’S Past Is Prologue, Carola Raab, Dina Marie Zemke

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

Restaurant managers often do not have a comprehensive understanding of all of the costs involved in operating a successful restaurant, leading to inaccurate, and potentially unprofitable, menu item pricing. One trend in cost analysis is to explore techniques used in other industries, including activity-based costing. A body of work exploring the application of activity-based costing in the foodservice industry has gradually evolved. A review of previous research on activity-based costing in various restaurant segments validates it as a consequential approach that is capable of reducing waste, preserving employment, and producing maintainable profitability in the restaurant industry.

International Association Of Hospitality Financial Management Education (Iahfme) Academic Member 2015 Total Annual Earnings, Raymond S. Schmidgall

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study uses survey research to determine the 2015 annual earnings of hospitality financial management educators. Of the International Association of Hospitality Financial Management Education (iAHFME) members affiliated with educational institutions who were invited to participate, 58%responded. Survey results show that for 2015, annual base salaries of iAHFME members ranged from $75,000 to $264,000. The lowest-paid member was an assistant professor and the highest-paid member was a full professor. Many respondents supplemented their base salaries by teaching during summer school or consulting or both. The total annual earnings of iAHFME members ranged from $81,000 to $264,000. Survey results also show …

Business, Technology, And Marketing Trends Infl, Mathilda Van Niekerk

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

In today’s world, hotel organizations contend with a highly competitive environment—an environment that is saturated with new technologies, customers who expect superior service, a drive toward innovation, and the challenge of ever-increasing costs. The survival of these organizations often depends on their overall financial performance, their ability to adapt to the changing environment, and the way in which they transform and expand their services to meet their customers’ needs. Remaining abreast of the newest trends in the hotel industry can be costly to hotels and may influence their overall financial performance. In this article, the director of finance of a …

Abstracts Of Presentations At The 2015 Annual Ahfme Research Symposium

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

No abstract provided.

Review Of Catalogue Des Inscriptions Étrusques Et Italiques Du Musée Du Louvre, Edited By Dominique Briquel, Theresa Huntsman

Rasenna: Journal of the Center for Etruscan Studies

No abstract provided.

2016 – A Year In Review For Restaurant Firms, Atul Sheel

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

No abstract provided.

International Association Of Hospitality Financial Management Education (Iahfme) Academic Member 2014 Total Annual Earnings, Raymond S. Schmidgall

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study uses survey research to determine the 2014 annual earnings of hospitality financial management educators. Forty-three percent of iAHFME members affiliated with educational institutions responded. Survey results show that for 2014, annual base salaries of iAHFME members ranged from $70,000 to $258,000. The lowest-paid member was an assistant professor and the highest-paid member was a full professor. Many respondents supplemented their base salaries by teaching during summer school or consulting or both. The total annual earnings of iAHFME members ranged from $71,000 to $270,000. Survey results also show that hospitality financial management educators appear to be more highly compensated …

Risk-Sharing As A Long-Term Motivation To Franchise: Role Of Franchising Experience, Kyung-A Sun, Seoki Lee

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study aimed to examine a long-term motivation for franchising by considering the influence of experience franchisors gain through conducting the franchising strategy. The study mainly investigates the moderating effect of franchising experience on the relationship between three main motivations for franchising (derived from agency theory, resource scarcity theory, and risk-sharing theory) and firms’ degree of franchising in the restaurant context. Dynamic panel data model was employed and the findings suggest that not only do restaurant companies’ franchising experience positively affect firms’ degree of franchising, but also that those experiences positively moderate the relationship between risk sharing motivation and the …

Abstracts Of Presentations At The 2015 Annual Ahfme Research Symposium

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Service Quality On Business Performance In Qatar-Based Hotels: An Empirical Study, Girish K. Nair, Nidhi Choudhary

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study focuses on the impact of service quality on business performance in Qatar-based hotels. The study tests fifteen hypotheses built on existing theoretical models. The research adopts survey sampling method and uses the structural equation modeling approach. Empirical data were collected through the tourists of ten 5-star hotels in Qatar using the simple random sampling technique (n ¼ 243). The findings revealed significant interrelations of tangibles, reliability, and empathy with financial, non-financial, and operational performance of the surveyed hotels. Responsiveness and assurance had a significant interrelation with non-financial performance and operational performance respectively. Based on the findings of this …

Corporate Governance, Ownership Structure, And Credit Ratings Of Hospitality Firms, Mehmet Altin, Murat Kizildag, Ozgur Ozdemir

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study examines interrelated connections of corporate governance, ownership structure, and credit ratings. From the agency relationship perspective, the study analyzes this multiple association by accounting for firm-specific and ownership characteristics for the period between 1990 and 2007. In this context, logistic functions are used in regression models to predict the probable outcomes of these multiple relationships. Primary findings of this study revealed that hospitality firms with higher anti-takeover provisions (less shareholder power) enjoy higher credit ratings. Findings also revealed high coefficients of Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick (2003) index (the GIM index), suggesting that hospitality firms have strong governance provisions, …

2014: Club Financial Performance, Raymond S. Schmidgall, Agnes Defranco

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

Financial results play a very important role in the club industry. Percentages and numbers are the representative indicators of the financial performance of any company. In clubs, these numbers denote to management and members the financial strength and viability of their clubs. This study surveyed clubs regarding their financial performance in 2014, reporting averages for demographic data and medians for financial data. The results of the top performers (fifth or top quintile) and the bottom performers (first or lowest quintile) were compared. In 2014, the median profit margin was at 1.65% with the top quintile reporting at 17.43% and the …

Credit Availability And Capital Structures: Does Size Matter? An Analysis Of The U.S. Lodging Industry, Dipendra Singh

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

Capital structure composition decisions are considered as very crucial for the overall success of firms. Lodging industry warrants an even greateremphasis on these decisions for the nature of this industry. This study empirically investigates the effect of credit availability on the leverage of large and small lodging firms in the United States using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). This study uses the Case-Schiller home price index to identify the three time points of differing credit availability to businesses in the United States. Leverage, net leverage, and short-to-long-term debt ratios of large and small U.S. lodging firms were analyzed at these …

Hidden Beauty, Nikki Grossfeld

mOthertongue

Photography.

どれくらい？ / How Long?, Naomi Chiba

mOthertongue

Japanese poem.

At The Darkest Moment, To You, Seung Ah Rebecca Han

mOthertongue

Korean poem.

Fortunata Vix / Only So Fortunate, Brinna Michael

mOthertongue

Latin poem.

Las Llaves / The Keys, Jonatán Martín Gómez

mOthertongue

Spanish poem.

Qui Suis-Je? / Who Am I?, Professor Rhonda Tarr's Spring 2016 French 126 Class

mOthertongue

Collaborative French poem.

Ave, Colonia Veraniega, Sol / Bird, Camp, Sun, Professor Carole Cloutier ’S Spring 2016 Spanish 240 Class

mOthertongue

Collaborative Quintain style poem.