Digital Commons Network^™

Innovation Adoption In Industrial Sales Organizations: A Field Study Of The Post-Adoption Phase In The Case Of Telemarketing, Judith Joy Marshall

Digitized Theses

Telemarketing is an increasingly popular innovation in industrial salesforces in North America. In spite of rising popularity, the incidence of problems severe enough to cause discontinuance has been estimated at about 40%. The purpose of this study was to formulate and test a model of organizational factors leading to successful adoption of the telemarketing innovation. Data to test the model were collected by interviewing two key informants in each of 110 industrial salesforces that had adopted telemarketing in the recent past. Structural equation modeling as implemented by LISREL was used to test the fit of the model to the data …

Joint Venture Performance In Developing Countries, Paul William Beamish

Digitized Theses

Given the predominance of joint ventures over wholly owned subsidiaries in less developed countries, the issue of joint-venture performance is an important one. An analysis of the literature, plus a pilot survey conducted as a first step in this research, indicated a weakening of the link between dominant management control and satisfactory performance when the focus shifted from developed to developing countries. This survey of the experience of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in 34 manufacturing joint ventures with local, private firms in developing countries also indicated that many characteristics of joint ventures in developed and developing countries differ significantly. More important, …

Returns To Canadian Straight Preferred Stocks (1957-1980), Andre Thibeault

Digitized Theses

1. Research Problem. The general aim of this research is to provide investors and academics with a better understanding of TSE traded straight preferred stocks as an investment vehicle. More specifically, the thesis describes the major market characteristics of preferred stocks traded on the TSE over the period 1957-1980; it examines the overall risk-return characteristics for these stocks and it analyzes the effect of preferred stock features and the taxation of preferred income on the risk-return characteristics of preferred stocks.;2. Research Methodology. This research required three stages: Stage I involved the identification of the information necessary to answer specific research …

A Contingency Model Of Dss Success: An Empirical Investigation, Henri Barki

Digitized Theses

The importance of contingent relationships between variables influencing MIS implementations has often been emphasized. This study tests ten propositions regarding the contingent relationships influencing the implementation of a certain class of information systems, generally called Decision Support Systems (DSS). These propositions are derived from a contingency framework that groups the variables relevant to DSS implementations into four categories. These are the characteristics of: the decision maker/user, the DSS, the decision environment, and the implementation process. It is posited that the successful implementation of DSS depends not only on the direct effects of variables in each category, but also on the …

A Stochastic Analysis Of Group Long-Term Disability Insurance Programs From The Plan Sponsor's Perspective, Ozhand Ganjavi

Digitized Theses

The rapid growth in the number of people insured against the economic consequences of disabilities and the recent excitement generated by the concept of risk sharing as an alternative to the purchasing of group insurance coverage, has resulted in new frontiers for research in the field of risk management. To contribute to this field of study, this research is aimed at providing tools and techniques for the assessment of the risks involved in group long-term disability plans. To this end the research attempted to determine the probability distributions of the aggregate benefits and the reserve requirements of long-term disability plans.;Two …

Productivity Measurement In A Canadian Trust Company, John Walsh

Digitized Theses

The problem of selecting a measurement method for productivity evaluation is one faced by many managers. There are many approaches advocated and used in firms today. As firms adopt productivity oriented management practices, and compare operating units in terms of performance, it becomes important to understand whether there are significant differences between alternative measurement procedures.;In this thesis the definition and measurement of productivity is explored from a number of disciplinary bases. Three different measurement methods, one of which is a new approach developed in part by this author, are applied to a sample of 125 branches of a Canadian financial …

Consumer Patronage Behaviour Toward Shopping Areas: A Modification And Extension Of Huff's Probabilistic Model Of Retail Gravitation, Chow Hou Wee

Digitized Theses

With the increasing construction and expansion of shopping centres, and the emergence of integrated downtown shopping retail cores, consumers are likely to be attracted more and more to such organized shopping areas. The need to understand consumer spatial shopping behaviour toward shopping areas is apparent.;Huff's model of retail gravitation has been commonly used to predict consumer patronage patterns. This thesis focuses on modifying Huff's model to include the concept of choice set in the competitive system. The new model, called a proposed model, is also extended to include the effects of specific products/services, specific store, and shopping area image.;Data for …

Semantic Segmentation Of Print Advertisements, Clifford James Cox

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to construct a comprehensive model of advertisement perception. The model's relationship to persuasion, recall and recognition measures of advertisement effectiveness was explored. The research demonstrated that print advertisements are perceived primarily across three general semantic dimensions. These dimensions were named Evaluation, Potency and Activity. The relationship between the three dimensions and similar semantic dimensions reported in the Semantic Differential literature is discussed.

In this research, 32 liquor, jewelry and perfume advertisements were studied. The relationship between the advertisements' persuasion, recall and recognition scores, and the advertisements' Evaluation, Potency and Activity scores is assessed. The …

Client Strategies In The Management Of The Audit Process, Jean Nollet

Digitized Theses

An audit is the process used by independent professional accountants to gather evidence to express an opinion on the financial statements of an entity, usually a company. Even though audits are customarily done for shareholders, they are often conducted for third parties such as lenders and potential investors. Companies that require audited financial statements need annually to purchase audit services.;A substantial amount of research has focused on the way auditors perform their tasks but this thesis focuses on the way clients manage the audit process. The audit process consists of work which is done by the auditors, the client and …

Parent Control And Joint Venture Success: The Case Of Mexico, Jean-Louis Francois Schaan

Digitized Theses

Managers in multinational companies face a strategic dilemma. They generally want to have full management control over their foreign subsidiaries, at a time when host governments, responding to social and economic forces in their own countries, are enforcing more and more arrangements which require sharing ownership and control.;By comparing successful and less successful joint ventures operating in Mexico, this dissertation attempts to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between parent control and joint venture success. More specifically, it examines how managers in parent companies ensure that their joint ventures meet their expectations.;The study focussed on ten joint ventures (five in …

User Developed Computer-Based Applications: A Model Of The Factors Of Success, Suzanne Rivard

Digitized Theses

The development of computer-based applications by Data Processing (DP) end users is a relatively new phenomenon, which is said to have the potential of solving some of the problems inherent in application development by DP professionals. User developed computer-based applications (UDA) is said to relieve DP application development and maintenance workload, and to eliminate communication problems which often lead to difficulties in the development process.;While UDA is spreading rapidly little research has been done on it and organizations considering its introduction face the issue of what to do so as to make it a successful endeavor. The purpose of this …

A Preliminary Empirical Examination Of The Impact Of Probabilistic Data On Decision Processes, Decisions, And Performance In An Experimental Game, Norman Lloyd Eckel

Digitized Theses

The general purpose of this thesis research was to assess the impact of probabilistic data on decision behaviour. The vehicle used to examine the impact of probabilistic data on decision behavior was the operating budget, undertaken both probabilistically and deterministically in an experimental business gaming environment.;Despite the uncertainties that are inherent in the planning and estimates that lead to the development of an operating budget, the typical operating budget provides only deterministic data to the decision-makers that act upon the budget. This practice has conveyed to users of the operating budget the impression of perfect certainty in the plans and …

The Effects Of Information On Consumers' Decisions To Retrofit Their Homes, Hugh James Munro

Digitized Theses

The effectiveness of the information environment surrounding the decision to conserve heating energy in residential dwellings was examined in a survey of homeowners in a Southwestern Ontario community. The data indicated that respondents engaged in extensive efforts to acquire information from the environment. These efforts were a product of both a strong need for additional information and favourable perceptions of the costs/benefits associated with accessing the information available. Furthermore, the amount of information search conducted was positively linked to the number of alternatives and criteria considered in the decision process and to the amount of conservation behaviour.;While the above findings …

The Export Performance Of Manufacturing Firms In Developing Countries: A Jamaican Study, Christopher A. Ross

Digitized Theses

There is a great deal of published research on the economic factors and policies which influence the export performance, in manufactured products, of developing countries. Yet, for these countries, there are few systematic reports which illustrate how these factors and policies affect the manager of individual manufacturing firms. Also, there are few reports which attempt to explain the differential export performance of these enterprises, both from the point of view of the firm and of the manager. The objective of this study, therefore, was to identify and assess the relationship between the firm's export behaviour and the characteristics of the …

The Impact Of Cultural Differences On Budgeting In A Multinational Company, Marie-Solange Perret

Digitized Theses

The objective of this research was to explore some concrete implications of operating in different cultures for controlling operations in multinational companies.;The hypothesis tested is that cultural differences between subsidiaries of a company limit the degree of standardization which can be achieved in a worldwide budgeting system and, more specifically, that even when the multinational corporate management standardizes budgeting practices: (1) actual practices differ among subsidiaries, and (2) a number of significant differences are related to cultural differences. It was meant to be a first step toward providing multinational management with a framework to analyze which currently successful control techniques …

Domestic And Foreign Take-Overs Of Canadian Business Corporations, 1962-1973, Udayan Purushottama Rege

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of The Performance And Development Of The Canadian Newsprint Industry, 1920 To 1970, John Halcot Church

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Centralized Control In A Varied Environment: A Test For Contingency Theory, Randolph Parris Kudar

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Forecasts Of Earnings: Empirical Studies Of Effects On Investment Analysts And Incidence In Canadian Annual Reports, Carson Michael Duncan

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Planning And Resource Allocation With Goal Programming In A Structured Management Decision Environment: The Case Of An Ontario General Hospital, Charles Mugambi Kirudja

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Technology And Product Characteristics On The International Sales Of New Canadian Industrial Products: A Diffusion Analysis, Norman William Mcguinness

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Study Of The Effects Of Premium Advertising On Cereal Choices By Parents And Children, Louise Annette Heslop

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Consumer Information Seeking For A Durable Product, Charles Dennis Anderson

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Test Of A Theory Of Consumer Behavior In A Shortage Situation, James Benjamin Graham

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Business Managers' Influence On Government: Case Study Of Participation In Three Processes Of Government Policy Formulation In Manitoba, Brian Edward Owen

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Scanning The Canadian Business Environment: The Government Sector, Robert William Archibald

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Change In Corporate Financial Disclosure In Canada: An Empirical Study Of The Use Of Notes To Financial Statements And Supplementary Financial Data Schedules For Disclosure In Corporate Annual Reports In Canada, Claude Peter Lanfranconi

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Manufacturing Under Licence In Canada, John Peter Killing

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

Long Range Strategic Planning And Its Relationship To Firm Size, Firm Growth, And Firm Growth Variability: An Explorative Empirical Investigation, Gary Andrew Sheehan

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Major Departmental Chains On Adoption Rates And Developing Patterns Of Trade Inflows Of New Consumer Products To The Canadian Market, William Albert Ingledew

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.