Business Commons^™

Diversity Strengthening Companies In The Economic Downturn, Shandrea Daniel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to provide examples of companies using diversified strategies to advance in a competitive market and withstand the economic downturn. This paper will explain the benefits of the strategies and how one can implement them in their own business. The variety of strategies and examples will be presented in a literature review and a case study about the Los Angeles Clipper franchise. The goal is to present diversified strategies as an alternate response to the decline, so companies will gain ideas about how to develop cost saving initiatives that will increase long term revenue. Furthermore …

Safety Committees: Their Role In Preventing Employee Accidents In Hotels And Resorts, Sheila Tabeling

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Employee accidents have a powerful and negative affect on the bottom line and profitability of a hotel or resort. In this professional paper, a literature review will be used to analyze the frequency and severity of injuries in hotels and resorts. Then, a guideline for a hotel safety committee will be established in an effort to help hotels and resorts decrease the amount, severity, and ultimately the cost associated with employee accidents. This professional paper aims to establish and implement guidelines for hotel and/or resort safety committees in order to increase the percentage of safe work practices on and off …

A Case Study Of Pay-For-Performance Compensation Programs, Eric Berman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A well conceived pay-for-peformance program that aligns measurable financial and non-financial results with the companies publicly stated goals can create synergy in regards to productivity, efficiency and competition. The problem with some pay-for-peformance programs is that they can be poorly conceived, measure outcomes improperly, administered inconsistently or reward an unethical result. A balanced scorecard approach to pay-for-peformance programs can measure both hard and soft metrics that lead to both company and manager/employee success.

A Study Of Internship Programs In The Bed-And-Breakfast Industry, Pamela Frazier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Effective internship programs can offer both interns and employers significant benefits. For the college student or mid-career changer seeking entrance into an industry, an internship offers practical experience in an area of interest while providing valuable skills, bolstering a professional resume, and increasing a worker’s marketability. For the employer, internship programs can support operational success and reduce employee recruitment costs. Specific to the highly labor-intensive hotel industry, internship programs have been instrumental in filling labor shortages during peak seasons, which allow hotel organizations to consistently provide optimal guest service. An industry known for their high employee-turnover rates, internship programs have …

Change Capacity As A Determinant Of Sustainable Roi Implementation In Human Resource Development Practice, Hollis Jo Ann Burkett

Dissertations

The demand for accountability through measurement continues to heighten application and use of the ROI (return-on-investment) Methodology™ as an essential part of human resource development (HRD) and program evaluation in both private and public sector organizations. Although progress has been made towards identifying best practices in ROI process implementation, sustainability of the process is an aspect of implementation that is often overlooked and under-estimated.

This research identifies characteristics of sustainable ROI process implementation in HRD practice and offers a framework for ROI process maturity, along with practical guidelines to enhance evaluation process and practice maturity. The target population was drawn …

An Analysis Of Supervisor’S Gender And Subordinate Employees’ Job Satisfaction Within The Casino-Entertainment Industry, Nicholas J. Thomas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates supervisor gender and various dimensions of employee job satisfaction within the casino-entertainment sector of the hospitality industry. Specifically, these dimensions were analyzed from the perspective of three variables related to individual employees: (1) satisfaction with company; (2) satisfaction with department; and, finally, (3) satisfaction with the supervisor. The data for this study was obtained from an employee survey administered to employees in three separate Nevada casino-entertainment properties and their corresponding corporate office. The results of this study fill existing gaps in the academic literature related to job satisfaction and the role of supervisor gender. There are implications …

The Antecedents And Consequences Of Salesperson Deviance: A Question Of Fit, Mahmoud Darrat

Doctoral Dissertations

The linkages between salesperson-organization fit and salesperson deviance behaviors have not received adequate attention in the marketing literature. Salespeople can be viewed as either a tremendous asset for the realization of an organization's long term goals or as a potential threat to its overall success. This research addresses the importance of managing salesperson-organization fit in mitigating subsequent anti-normative behaviors. The study employs a conceptual model of sales-specific organizational congruence factors (work/nonwork demands fit, compensation structure fit, and values congruence) which drive salesperson deviance behaviors. The study examines how deviant behaviors are employed as a coping mechanism by salespeople who do …

A Case Study On Contracted Seasonal Workers And Farm Labor Contractors In The Stockton Area, Cristal Verduzco

Agribusiness

This study was conducted to define the current situation between contracted seasonal workers and farm labor contractors in the Stockton area. Specifically, this study focuses on the perception workers have of farm labor contracted employment. It also addresses the perception farm labor contractors have on the contracting business.

To gather the information needed to compare perceptions, interviews with twelve contracted seasonal workers and two farm labor contractors were conducted in Stockton. The analysis process consists of a detailed account of the problems workers and farm labor contractors encounter in the farm labor contracting business.

The results of these interviews concluded …

Impact Of Lean Practices On Printing Companies, Jenna Bodolay

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to bring understanding to what Lean and sustainable practices are most efficient and popular within printing companies. The information and data collected provides insight into what companies are doing to be Lean. The data exhibits what Lean and sustainable techniques that provide positive effects for companies and identifies potential pitfalls for why companies have not been able to be productive with Lean strategies.

This study collected and analyzed data on Lean and sustainability efficiency through historical case studies and descriptive research surveys. Case studies in the printing industry were studied and compared on the …

Simulating Business Team Assembly With Network Models, Kevin Zdancewicz

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Many business organizations utilize team structures as a way to organize their personnel and integrate the diverse backgrounds and competencies of their employees. As a result, team assembly strategies are important to an organization’s productivity and should be evaluated by managers. This thesis utilizes network modeling and simulation to explore and assess various team assembly strategies that incorporate the concept that some people energize their teammates, whereas others de-energize them. Research in this area of energy networks studies the impact that energizing and de-energizing employees have on the performance of their co-workers and, as a result, the success of business …

Predicting Turnover Intent: Examining The Effects Of Employee Engagement, Compensation Fairness, Job Satisfaction, And Age., Mary L. Berry

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study assessed the moderating effects of Age and the mediating effects of Job Satisfaction on the relationship between antecedents Employee Engagement and Compensation Fairness and the outcome variable Turnover Intent. The theory of reasoned action and a theoretical framework for examining age-effects on employee attitudes were used as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. The study utilized a secondary data set with surveyed population including faculty (n = 1,229) from a land-grant institution holding the doctoral/research-extensive classification from the Carnegie Classification and serving about 42,000 students each year with graduates totaling more than 9,000 per year. Findings confirmed …

Generational Perceptions Of Productive/Unproductive Information Received From Management Through Different Communication Channels, Eva Lynn Cowell

Doctoral Dissertations

This exploratory study identified generational preferences for receiving information from management through different communication channels and determined if age predicted productivity for productive and unproductive information received through different communication channels. This is the first study to empirically examine the relationship between age cohorts, communication channel preferences, information categories, and productivity. Sample participants worked as Extension agents at a major land-grant university. The four generations represented in the sample utilized multiple communication channels and were geographically dispersed throughout the state. The survey was administered electronically and completed by 204 (74%) of the eligible 275 employees in the organization. Independent Samples …

Illegal Substance Abuse In The Full-Service Restaurant Industry: An Evaluation Of Pre-Employment Drug-Testing, Miranda Kitterlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to assess the effect of pre-employment drug-testing policies on employee attitudes and aspects of work performance in the full-service restaurant industry. Specifically, this study attempts to compare the rate of absenteeism, turnover, and work-related accidents and injuries in full-service restaurants with pre-employment drug-testing policies against the aforementioned aspects of work performance in full-service restaurants without pre-employment drug-testing polices. This research also attempts to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of full-service restaurant hourly employees and management staff in regards to pre-employment drug-testing policies in the full-service restaurant industry. For the purpose of this study, …

Employee Theft: Determinants Of Motive And Proactive Solutions, David Langner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Theft in the workplace, specifically performed by the employees, is a daunting situation for American business - both corporate and small proprietorships. This paper calls upon available literature to provide an in-depth analysis that focuses on employee's motive to steal from their employer and the potential proactive solutions organizations can implement to deter theft by improving morale and trust in the workplace. The topic will be examined from a linear fashion that looks at the concept of employee theft and common motivational determinants such as employer resentment, animosity, and the perception of fairness. Next, numerous organizations have adopted theft detection …

How Corporate Social Responsibility Influences Employee Job Satisfaction In The Hotel Industry, Chia-Chun Saprina Chiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether strategic CSR programs in the hotel industry influence individual job satisfaction. Based on Valentine and Fleischman’s study in company ethics programs and employees’ perceived CSR, job satisfaction is related to many significant organizational factors and is usually a major concentration of business research that investigates employee-based phenomena (Valentine & Fleischman, 2008, p. 160). In addition, this paper will seek for the literature supporting the positive correlation between a company’s strategic CSR activities and its employees’ job satisfaction. In other words, this study will identify whether and how employees’ perceptions of their …

Downside Risk Optimization Of The Thrift Savings Plan Lifecycle Fund Portfolios, Matthew C. Beck

Theses and Dissertations

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the defined benefit contribution plan for the US Government, introduced the asset allocation Lifecycle (L) Funds in August 2005. These funds seek to minimize risk and maximize expected portfolio return via mean-variance optimization (MVO). The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and examine the efficiency of the TSP L Funds and create alternative L Fund portfolios via downside risk optimization (DRO). Whereas MVO minimizes the portfolio variance (standard deviation), DRO seeks to minimize the risk below an investor’s minimal acceptable return in the market, defined as the Co-Lower Partial Moment (CLPM). The research team …

A Linear Programming Approach For Determining Travel Cost Minimizing Ecss Training Locations, Jason S. Boerboom

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is currently operating in a fiscally constrained environment, and Air Force leaders are pressured to minimize spending while pursuing mission critical objectives. Personnel travel usurps a significant portion of the Air Force’s annual operations and maintenance (O&M) budget each year, but receives little attention with respect to cost saving strategies. During the Air Force’s implementation of the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), in which over 250,000 end-users will require training, it is vital that the Department determine the training locations that minimize costs incurred through personnel travel. This thesis seeks to determine which potential ECSS training …

A Study Of Formal And Informal Mentoring In The United States Air Force, Russell H. Gheesling

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been identified as a significant contributor to employee performance and development. Debate has come about as result of implementation of formal mentoring programs where mentors are assigned to protégés as opposed to informal relationship formed out of mutual respect and liking. Secondary data, including measures of leader member exchange, similarity, contact time, and others, were used from a 1998 survey of company grade officers (protégés) and their formal and informal mentors. Analysis of Variance compared mean values between formally and informally mentored protégés. Additionally, a logistic regression was used to understand the impact that different measures had on …

Understanding The Effectiveness Of Performance Management Practices, Ross T. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Effective employee management is an essential element for achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage. Through a variety of performance management practices organizations can translate competitive strategies into individual performance expectations and transform employee potential into desired organizational outcomes. Despite the promise of robust performance management practices, a significant research gap exists between the scientific research in Organizational Behavior (OB) and the performance management practices espoused by the “practitioners.” The purpose of this thesis research is to explore a set of performance management practices as an initial step toward providing direct, empirical support for the linkages between performance management practices, the …

Motivations For Camp Staff To Work At Camp, Jessica M. Cresci

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Camp staff are the heart of summer camps and can affect how the summer runs. The purpose of this study was to identify the motivations for staff to work at residential summer camps with special regard to any differences in motivations between staff who attended camp as a camper and staff who never attended camp as well as between international and national staff. This study used cluster sampling measuring 21 possible motivations. A link to an online survey was sent to eight camps as identified on the American Camp Association website. The top six motivations for staff to work at …

School Gardens: Effects On Low Socioeconomic First Grade Students, Margo Lynn Castro

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are any effects of school gardens on low socio-economic first grade classroom located in the Southern Region of the United States. It is crucial for students to understand food sources and where it originates. Data was gathered through interviews using qualitative research methods. Analysis consisted of examining data from themes and discriminate cases. Personal interviews were done with teachers and students involved in the garden project. Permission was received to interview the students at school. All participants will remain anonymous. The results of the study found that the garden project …

Cultural Diversity In The Hotel Industry: A Study Of Performance Management Systems, Deirdre O'Donovan

Theses

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the numbers of people immigrating to Ireland, making Irish society much more culturally diverse than in previous decades. At present, there are approximately 420,000 migrants living in Ireland, of whom approximately 350,000 individuals are of an age to work (Central Statistics Office 2006). Consequently, Irish workforces are now more culturally diverse.

This thesis focuses on the implications of cultural diversity on performance management practices in a number of Irish hotels. Due to the large number of culturally diverse employees in the hospitality industry, the hotel sector was chosen as the focus of …

Evaluating The Presidential Management Fellows Program: Has The Implementation Of A Standardized Assessment Test Altered Student Selection?, Graham Drake

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program aims to attract high-performing graduate students into federal service. Given the measured performance of past participants, or Fellows, many Federal agencies use the PMF Program as a cornerstone of their succession planning. Since its inception in 1977, the PMF Program has used a variety of selection mechanisms to identify and assess candidates. The most recent alteration in the PMF Program‟s selection mechanism in 2007 has raised questions of efficiency. While the implementation of a single standardized test has reduced costs and allowed more candidates to be evaluated, it is unknown if this assessment test …

Developing And Building Collaborations Between A Cooperative Extension Service And A Local School And Its Community, Robin Boudreaux Landry

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationships and collaborations that have been established between a southern Louisiana parish Cooperative Extension Service and a low socio-economic school and its community as measured by the number of collaborations created and new programs launched, that has created a school and community partnership with the school with the planning, implementing and planting of a school garden. A qualitative study using the interview method was used to gather data. Analysis consisted of examining data for themes and discriminate cases. Guiding questions that centered on specific data were developed. Personal interviews were conducted …

Sensitivity To Diversity In The Workplace, Kelly Robinson

All Capstone Projects

Since the early 1990s, the construct of diversity training has been diligently examined as it relates to managing a diverse workforce. Employers have been faced with the daunting task of figuring out how groups of dissimilar people can work collaboratively in the workplace without incident. Differences have to be addressed in the arena of gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and religious views without prejudice, so that we can form more cohesive work groups in the labor force. In an effort to deconstruct negative attitudes and ideals towards differences, we must explore, with employees, differences that may cause friction in the …

Explaining And Predicting Suggested Relationships Between Human Social Capital, Citizen Political Trust, And Citizen Political Engagement, James A. Gilmore, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The United States of America was built on the foundation of a representative democracy. Citizens engage in various political activities to elect representation to create policies and programs that may benefit individuals, groups of individuals, and special interests. A citizen’s type of political engagement and level of political engagement may be influenced by the individual and group resources a citizen possesses, as well as the citizen’s level of trust in government to respond to their individual or group needs. This study contributes to the literature on political engagement by suggesting factors that predict political engagement in the United States. The …

Does Choosing To Live In A Discipline-Based Residential College Make A Difference In The Engagement Of University Freshmen?, Jody Allen Hammett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of housing arrangement and selected personal and academic characteristics on the engagement of full-time university freshmen. A sample of 1,119 full-time freshmen was used in the study. A 14-item Likert-type scale, the Student Academic/Social Interaction Questionnaire, was used to measure the engagement level of the students. Housing information was also self-reported, but all ther demographic and academic information was obtained from the institution’s registrar’s office. When compared to the overall mean engagement score, there were five significant findings. Significant differences were found between living off-campus, living off-campus with family, living …

The Influence Of A State Law Enforcement Training Academy On Future Performance Of Law Enforcement Officers In A Southeastern State Of The United States, Cary Allen Caro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the influence of the state police law enforcement academy on the performance of commissioned officers in the field training officer (FTO) program in a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The law enforcement training academy is paramount in preparing cadets for the roles, responsibilities, and activities that graduates assume independently in the field. As such, it is important to understand the value added to future performance in the field through adequate preparation in the training academy. This dissertation analyzes a sample of officers in the Southeastern region of the United States and explores the …

The Influence Of Program Participation In Business Education Courses On Standardized Test Performance Among Secondary Students In Louisiana, Debra A. Wilkerson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement, as measured by scores on the English and math portions of the Graduate Exit Examination (GEE), of public high school students in Louisiana by whether or not they were identified as business education students. The GEE is a high-stakes test that is administered to high school students in Louisiana. Students must pass specific portions of the test to obtain a diploma. Academic achievement data on the GEE was obtained from the Louisiana Department of Education. The sample for the study was all 10th and 11th grade students enrolled …

The Influence Of Self-Esteem And Selected Demographic Characteristics On The Academic Achievement Of Freshman Students In The College Of Agriculture At A Research-Extensive University, Mae Blanchard Gaspard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between self-esteem and academic achievement among students at the freshman level in the College of Agriculture at a Research-Extensive University in the Southern Region of the United States. The sample of the study was all students at one selected Research-Extensive University enrolled in the Introduction to Agriculture course which was a requirement for agriculture students at the freshman level. Three instruments were used for data collection. The Adult Form of the Coopersmith Inventory was administered at two data collection points at the beginning and end of the …