Business Commons^™

What’S Inside The Mind Of A Ceo? The Effects Of Discretionary Slack Resources On R&D Investment, Seunghye Lee, Won-Yong Oh, Young K. Chang

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effects of discretionary slack resources on a firm’s R&D investment. Specifically, we examine whether and how a CEO’s psychological traits play a role in the relationship between discretionary slack and R&D investment. Using a panel sample from U.S. manufacturing firms in 2006–2010, we found that slack resources lead to an increase in R&D intensity. Furthermore, this positive effect is stronger when CEOs have a strong promotion focus and perceive an addressable negative attainment discrepancy. Thus, our findings show how (a) the level of discretionary slack and (b) CEOs’ promotion focus and aspiration level jointly shape R&D …

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Student Research

Workforce development has been a keystone in the discussion of economic diversification of Las Vegas for decades. The leisure and hospitality industry is the lifeline for the Southern Nevada economy due to the reliance on tourism as the city’s main economic driver. The leisure and hospitality industry requires physical labor and more face-to-face customer interaction than other employment sectors. Thus, these jobs often do not require high educational attainment, but rather sharp soft skills like effective listening, nonverbal communication, and negotiation strategies. While these are valuable traits, the lack of educational attainment within the leisure and hospitality workforce suppresses employees’ …

Profit Or Purpose: What Increases Medical Doctors’ Job Satisfaction?, Young Kyun Chang, Won-Yong Oh, Sanghee Han

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

This study integrates two competing views to examine whether medical doctors are satisfied with their jobs when they perceive their hospitals as being oriented toward profit (i.e., rational choice theory) or purpose (i.e., public service motivation). Using a sample of 127 doctors from 70 hospitals, this study tests these competing views. The results show that doctors who perceive their hospitals as purpose-driven are likely to experience job satisfaction, and this pattern still holds even if they also perceive their hospitals to be emphasizing profits. However, only the purpose-driven orientation results in job satisfaction via a sense of meaningfulness. Thus, this …

Race Equity In Management Occupations In The Mountain West, Kristian Thymianos, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

In a recent report, “From commitments to action: How CEOs can advance racial equity in their regional economies,” Amy Liu and Reniya Dinkins of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program highlight racial equity issues in private sector management occupations. The authors use these data to propose strategies to close equity gaps. This fact sheet examines data for the Mountain West metropolitan areas included in the original report.

Top Management Incentives And Financial Flexibility: The Case Of Make-Whole Call Provisions, Melvin Jameson, Tao-Hsien Dolly King, Andrew Prevost

Finance Faculty Publications

Consistent with the premise that make‐whole call provisions enhance value‐creating financial flexibility, we find that higher sensitivity of managerial wealth to stock price (delta) increases the likelihood that corporate bonds contain make‐whole provisions. Building on the results of related research, post‐issue financial performance of make‐whole callable bond issuers increases in delta. In line with prior findings that demonstrate financial flexibility can be costly to bondholders, we find that managerial equity incentives impact the incremental effect of make‐whole provisions on the pricing of corporate debt securities. Consistent with the flexibility explanation, we also find that the market response as measured by …

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

Hospitality Faculty Research

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 …

Sustainability Standards And Stakeholder Engagement: Lessons From Carbon Markets, Hans Rawhouser, Michael E. Cummings, Alfred Marcus

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

Stakeholders play an increasingly active role in private governance, including development of standards for measuring sustainability. Building on prior studies focused on standards and stakeholder engagement, we use an innovation management theoretical lens to compare stakeholder engagement and standards developed in two carbon markets: the Climate Action Reserve and the U.N.’s Clean Development Mechanism. We develop and test hypotheses regarding how different processes of stakeholder engagement in standard development affect the number, identity, and age of stakeholders involved, as well as the variation and quality of the resulting standards. In doing so, we contribute to the growing literature on stakeholder …

Nevada Gaming Revenue: A Comparative Analysis Of Slots And Tables, Scott Boylan

Occasional Papers

Throughout much of its existence, Nevada’s gambling industry has been dominated by table games. Historically, slot machines were of secondary importance because they did not generate much revenue and were costly to maintain and operate. Starting in the late 1970s, a series of technological milestones improved the form and function of slot machines, and fueled replacement cycles on casino floors. Nevada gaming revenue data provides evidence of the economic effects of these improvements. Since 1984, slots generally have produced larger revenue gains than tables, although those gains are distributed neither uniformly over time nor across gaming markets. In addition, slots …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2013, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM notified UNLV on Nov 7, 2012 that they had cancelled the WBR solicitation for a general contractor and that they were reconsidering the scope of the project. BLM and UNLV met on Nov. 22, 2012 and BLM updated UNLV on their decision to terminate the task agreement for the field and research station, and to modify plans for interpretation at the future WBR Visitor Center. BLM and UNLV will meet Feb. 7, 2013 to discuss the path forward regarding interpretation and the Visitor’s Center.
• UNLV is continuing to work with direction from Carolyn Shelton, BLM interpreter, to collect interpretive …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM and UNLV met with AECOM on 7/12/12 to review Walking Box Ranch (WBR) project progress, timing of posting of project bid documents, and the anticipated project calendar through December 2012.
• BLM and UNLV met on 9/25/12 to update Mark Spencer, BLM’s new Field Manager for the Red Rock/Sloan Field Office, to brief him on UNLV participation at WBR, and to discuss the status of the operating agreement and major concerns that include timely completion of the operating agreement, which will allow completion of business plan and release of $500K for IT and security by UNLV’s president.
• UNLV is continuing …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that after investigating a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner, they have concluded that an operating agreement is the preferred document and they are proceeding to complete such an agreement as soon as possible.
• Following a visit to the ranch with BLM, UNLV has completed temporary repairs to ranch house windows, which should mitigate deterioration of the ranch house from water
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to review Condit’s Extended Content Package #1. As a result of the lack of progress by Condit, UNLV was requested to …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending April 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• BLM informed UNLV that the type of operating plan that was identified in June, 2011 as the appropriate instrument for future operations, and which was to have been completed by May 2012, prior to beginning construction, would not work for BLM. BLM informed UNLV that they are now considering a concession contract as the appropriate BLM document for the future operating partner.
• BLM and UNLV visited the ranch for a day to examine the continuing deterioration of the ranch house from water, and to discuss how to address this on-going problem. The group reviewed damage owing to water coming into …

Financial Stability And Casino Debt, David G. Schwartz, Eugene M. Christiansen

Library Faculty Publications

Casino operators have always borrowed money to construct and improve their resorts. Beginning in 1999, however, the Las Vegas-based companies that dominate gambling in Nevada and many other jurisdictions began taking on unprecedented levels of debt. This debt load escalated from 2005 to 2009, and, though it has since leveled off, it has left casino operators more highly leveraged than ever before. Companies with such high levels of debt have consequently high interest payments, which leads to less money available for capital investment; it also makes them susceptible to default, should revenues weaken (as casino revenues did from 2008 onward). …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV’s President Smatresk has reiterated his commitment to the WBR project and has further committed full funding for IT and security costs.
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to discuss the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV; UNLV participated in a 1.5 day meeting to review the 100% Design drawings.
• UNLV continues to wait on BLM for direction on how to mitigate the continuing deterioration of the ranch house.
• Weather station research continues and has produced the following this past quarter. 1) Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) Vs Photovoltaic (PV) technology: A detailed analysis comparing these …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in two meetings with BLM regarding updating the current Task Order, obtaining a two-year no-cost extension for the two Assistance Agreements, and to develop the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV.
• Weather station progress included: 1) A study to review the recent developments in various building envelope components and their effects on the energy sustainability of a building has been completed and published, 2) Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) Vs Photovoltaic (PV) technology: A detailed comparison of ground source heat pumps and photo voltaics has been initiated, 3) A study to identify the most suitable and economically …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in several meetings with BLM regarding updating the current Task Order, obtaining a two-year no-cost extension for the two Assistance Agreements, and to develop the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV
• UNLV met with Sara Moffatt, one of Senator Reid’s staff, to provide an update on project progress. UNLV also requested the Senator’s support in obtaining additional funding for the project for construction, and also for UNLV to bridge the transition from construction through the first two years of operation.
• UNLV held several internal meetings to advance planning for a July VA meeting with BLM to …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending April 10, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in the two-day 65% Design Development project meeting and assisted in planning and design of the future WBR museum and field/research station.
• UNLV held several internal meetings to advance planning for IT and security at the ranch.
• UNLV (Cline) and BLM (McAboy) have begun a series of meetings regarding updating the current Task Order, requesting a two-year no-cost extension for the two Assistance Agreements, and to develop a concept plan for the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV.
• Weather station progress included adding a Pyrheliometer that measures solar radiation received to the station. Progress was made …

Unleashing Innovation In Public Agencies, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Nurturing continuous innovation and renewal in public agencies is not only important but critical to successful public management in an environment of change. Innovation is a tool for transforming the entire culture of organizations and there is a growing recognition that fostering a culture of innovation is critical to success. It is even as important as mapping out competitive strategies, maintaining good profit margins in revenue areas or meeting statutory requirements. There are fifteen types of teams and individuals that fuel innovation inside organizations: five outsiders and ten insiders. By developing and supporting some of these innovation personalities that often …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in three project workshops and one additional meeting to assist in planning and design of the future WBR museum and field/research station.
• Weather station progress included design of programming software that will provide past weather information to website user, two abstracts have been submitted to an energy sustainability meeting, and a paper reviewing energy efficient building envelope components has been prepared and submitted for publication.
• Work has begun on a new education project titled “Multimedia Field Guides for Public Engagement at Walking Box Ranch, Mojave Desert.” The project will develop and disseminate a modern geological and environmental field …

Management Of Change To Ensure Is Success: A Longitudinal Study, Pauline Ash Ray, Wenli Wang, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Geoffrey Hubona

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

This paper aims to understand the effect of management of change on the success of information system (IS) implementation. Drawing on change management research and self-determination theory, a research model is developed. Data collected from a longitudinal field survey before, during, and after an enterprise-wide IS implementation are analyzed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that management of change can be used to increase readiness for change and end-user computing satisfaction during and after the implementation. Readiness for change positively impacts satisfaction during an implementation but not after. Contrary to the literature, No significant relationship exists between resistance …

Strategic Recovery Requires Leadership, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

As public managers work toward a successful recovery post-midyear elections, we all must deal with system-wide problems arising from the recession. This requires first recognizing that the crisis continues and must be addressed not just by increasing revenue but by fixing system-wide structural and operational issues.

To do so involves developing the skills required in a recovery, identifying the causes of the crisis so that future crises can be better managed and concentrating on the key areas of leadership expertise needed to effectively communicate and deliver better outcomes.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV Public Safety is assisting in identifying security methods needed to guarantee safety and security at the ranch after project completion. This effort will involve the assistance of Metro CPTED program officers as design proceeds.
• UNLV IT is determining the extent to which they can assist with networking and technology issues as project design moves forward. They may assist in identifying consultants to hire to assist with technology.
• We have solicited research/education proposals from UNLV faculty for projects to be initiated in the coming year. The goal is to provide seed funding for projects that will expand as the facilities …

Unlv Magazine, Tony Allen, Shane Bevell, Donna Mcaleer, Ched Whitney, Cate Weeks

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Making The Most Of Opportunities During A Recession, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The best public managers know that conventional thinking won’t get them through tough times and that a recession is a rich opportunity to reinvent their organization and to lay the groundwork for future successes. Good times are when managers experience their greatest success. But bad times provide the greatest opportunities to rethink how the organization will persist through the inevitable up and down economic cycles so as to be successful in the future. Smart managers today that I have engaged regarding this process say that they plan for both the good and bad times by continually focusing on six processes: …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending June 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV has purchased weather equipment, established a weather station at the ranch, and has begun collecting weather data and conducting preliminary research. The station collects hourly data on temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and insolation that is transmitted wirelessly to UNLV and captured and projected on the PLI WBR website. A database of weather information will be maintained for further analysis. Research quantifying solar insolation at the ranch will be conducted.
• UNLV has begun preparing informational brochures that will be available to the public at the ranch in the future and will provide information on biology, geology, anthropology, and …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending April 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV and Dornbusch and Associates have signed a contract for Dornbusch to conduct a “Visitor Services Feasibility, Compatibility, Market Study, and Business Plan” at the ranch, including all future museum and research center activities. This effort is kicking off in April 2010.
• UNLV is in the process of purchasing and installing a weather station at the ranch, and will conduct preliminary research using this equipment. Funding for a dual axis solar tracker was obtained from the UNLV sustainability initiative.
• Bill Wood, UNLV Real Estate Management, is continuing to work with Rex Bell to create an inventory of items that Rex …

Going Global: An Information Sourcebook For Small And Medium-Sized Businesses, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Publications

Awe (Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque) has produced a wonderful resource for entrepreneurs and business owners interested in expanding their companies to the international market.

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• To advance educational and research goals at the ranch UNLV will fund the purchase and installation of a weather station at the ranch, and preliminary research using this equipment. PI Dr. Suresh Sardineni, Mechanical Engineering, will assess the renewable energy resources at the ranch and find methods to integrate them into existing and proposed new buildings at the site. The planned facilities will monitor beam and global solar radiation, wind speed and direction, temperature, and realative humidity. UNLV will provide funding to support two graduate students and partial salary for Dr. Sardineni.
• Bill Wood, UNLV Real Estate Management, is working …

Strategic Management Of Three Critical Levels Of Risk, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The financial crisis that erupted in 2007 revealed a major gap in the management systems of government and business. For the most part, governments focused on revenue growth, productivity, cost control and quality. There were many interrelated factors involved with the failures but two in particular stand out in my mind: a failure to explicitly account for risk when formulating organizational strategies and a failure to monitor and manage the risks that they had identified and assumed. Organizations face many different types of risk but often they can be categorized into three types based upon their predictability, controllability and management. …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV has finalized a scope of work with Dornbusch and Associates to conduct a “Visitor Services Feasibility, Compatibility, Market Study, and Business Plan” and is now working with purchasing to sole source this contract.
• UNLV is continuing to work with BLM and Viceroy Mining to obtain rhyolite from the Viceroy Castle Mountain deposit to use for building stone in the new construction.
• UNLV submitted an EPSCoR proposal requesting ~$2.67M over three years to conduct sustainable energy research at WBR, which would include design and installation of green energy technologies.
• UNLV is working with Condit to finalize the WBR brand.
• UNLV …