Business Commons^™

Multivariate Nonnormal Regression Models, Information Complexity, And Genetic Algorithms: A Three Way Hybrid For Intelligent Data Mining, Minhui Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation develops a novel computationally feasible intelligent data mining and knowledge discovery technique to select the best subset of predictors in multivariate re- gression (MR) models under the assumption that the random error terms of the model follow a general nonnormal family of distributions. Our approach builds an easy-to-use three way hybrid approach by integrating clever statistical modeling procedures based on the information-theoretic measure of complexity (ICOMP) criterion with genetic algorithm (GA) and multivariate nonnormal regression models with Power Exponential (PE) and fam- ily of elliptically contoured (EC) error distributions. This dissertation is composed of four major parts.

First, …

Stochastic Optimization Models For Contingency Allocation In Project Management, Barbara Maria Thibadeau

Doctoral Dissertations

In many cases, risks that threaten successful project completion can be mitigated (or eliminated) with a proper contingency allocation strategy and exacerbated by an improper one. Yet, despite this importance, there is a dearth of research on the cost contingency allocation problem in academic literature. This thesis looks at the cost contingency allocation problem from two different perspectives and two distinct solutions are introduced: a stochastic linear programming model that addresses a short term strategy and convex-concave utility model that provides a long-term planning solution.

The project manager’s ability to approve random requests for contingency is dependent on several constraints, …

Relational Leadership Theory: Exploring The Social Processes Of Leadership And Organizing, Mary Uhl-Bien

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

Relational leadership is a relatively new term in the leadership literature, and because of this, its meaning is open to interpretation. In the present article I describe two perspectives of relational leadership: an entity perspective that focuses on identifying attributes of individuals as they engage in interpersonal relationships, and a relational perspective that views leadership as a process of social construction through which certain understandings of leadership come about and are given privileged ontology. These approaches can be complementary, but their implications for study and practice are quite different. After reviewing leadership research relative to these two perspectives I offer …

Management And Self-Activity: Accounting For The Crisis In Profit-Taking, Stefano Harney

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The crisis in measurement identified by those working in the tradition of Italian autonomia has consequences for the critique of accounting and management. If both capitalist work and the commodity are today communicative and overtly political, a critique that merely points to these characteristics will have no transformative effect. This paper uses the Trinidadian Marxist theorist C.L.R. James’s notion of self-activity to suggest that the crisis in measurement is a symptom of the separation of work and value. The institution of forms of self-management and what might be called wars of command begin to replace the governmentality of the wage …

Complexity Leadership Theory: An Interactive Perspective On Leading In Complex Adaptive Systems, Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, Mary Uhl-Bien, Russ Marion, Anson Seers, James Douglas Orton, Craig Schreiber

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Traditional, hierarchical views of leadership are less and less useful given the complexities of our modern world. Leadership theory must transition to new perspectives that account for the complex adaptive needs of organizations. In this paper, we propose that leadership (as opposed to leaders) can be seen as a complex dynamic process that emerges in the interactive “spaces between” people and ideas. That is, leadership is a dynamic that transcends the capabilities of individuals alone; it is the product of interaction, tension, and exchange rules governing changes in perceptions and understanding. We label this a dynamic of adaptive leadership, and …

Enhancing Decision Analysis Models With Web Agents, Jeffrey M. Keisler, Wei Zhang

Jeffrey Keisler

No abstract provided.

Public Healthcare: Changes Introduced When Implementing E-Procurement, Tommaso Federici

Federici Tommaso

The large and growing size of the healthcare public spending for goods and services worries the institutions of many European countries, including Italy, and asks for rationalization initiatives. In parallel, e-procurement solutions spread into Public Administrations (PA's) and introduce innovative processes, primarily in the purchasing phase.

In this scenario, e-procurement has the potential to enable significant efficiency improvements in the public healthcare sector, with the reduction of purchasing and administrative costs. However, most e-procurement initiatives met difficulties and did not fully delivered the expected benefits so far. This is mainly due to the healthcare procurement complexity, specific characteristics and peculiar …

Implied Binomial Trees In Excel Without Vba, Tom Arnold, Timothy Falcon Crack, Adam Schwartz

Finance Faculty Publications

We implement a Rubinstein-type (1994) implied binomial tree using an Excel spreadsheet, but without using VBA (Visual Basic Application). We demonstrate both the optimization needed to generate implied ending risk-neutral probabilities from a set of actual option prices and the backwards recursion needed to solve for the entire implied tree. By using only standard Excel spreadsheet functions, and not resorting to VBA, this complicated option pricing technique is now immediately transparent to academics, students, and practitioners alike. The intuition gained from our simple spreadsheet can be applied directly to the estimation of more complicated implied trees using more advanced software. …

An Empirical Investigation Into The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Use Of Knowledge Transfer Methods, And Project Performance, Brent Michael Decker

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Increasingly, the use of project teams is becoming commonplace within organizations as the primary means to accomplish complex tasks. While the literature has long acknowledged that the knowledge transfer process is a key component in achieving organizational success and ultimately sustaining a competitive advantage, very little has been written that specifically examines the knowledge transfer process at the project team level. In an attempt to increase the understanding of knowledge transfer processes at the project team level, the effect that a relatively new construct, termed emotional intelligence, has on the use of knowledge transfer methods is examined. The relationships between …

Perceptions Of Leadership In Undergraduate Fraternal Organizations, Peter D. Harms, Dustin Woods, Brent W. Roberts, Dan Bureau, A. Michelle Green

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

An essential component of the culture and stated purpose of fraternities and sororities is their commitment to leadership. This is highly espoused as a prerequisite to joining and an outcome of membership. With this in mind, it is important to evaluate what leadership means in the context of a fraternity or sorority. This article concludes that leadership can be perceived as exercising power, holding formal positions, and serving as a positive role model for other members. Through understanding the multiple approaches to leadership, the culture and effectiveness of undergraduate fraternal organizations can be evaluated to verify the authenticity of claims …

Nshe/Ymp Nuclear Waste Cooperative Agreement, Raymond E. Keeler, Sherry Marks, Administrative Audit Report Team

Publications (YM)

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) have established a Cooperative Agreement (Co-op) entitled: “Scientific & Engineering Studies of the High-Level Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain (DE-FC28-04RW12232). The Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) administers the Co-op under project activity ORD-FY04-001. In accordance with 10 CFR 600.150, the HRC conducted an audit for the purpose of managing and monitoring project activities supported under the Co-op. The audit was limited to an investigation of technical productivity and schedule. Financial compliance and quality assurance compliance issues were outside the scope of this audit. …

The Relationship Between The Value Effect And Industry Affiliation, John C. Banko, C. Mitchell Conover, Gerald R. Jensen

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine industry affiliation and the relationship between stock returns and book‐to‐market equity (the value effect). The robustness of the value effect is supported as a significant value premium is shown to exist in 15 of 21 industries. Both industry and firm‐level value effects are identified; however, the firm‐level effect is the more prominent of the two. Further, the value effect is shown to be strongest in value industries and weakest in growth industries. Finally, we show evidence consistent with the claim that the value premium is due to investors requiring higher returns from firms in distressed conditions.

Essays On Quantitative Analysis Of Supply Chain Structures, Contracts And Coordination, Xinjie Shi

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis consists of three separate, but related, essays that deal with the topic of how supply chain structure as well as the use of contracts impact performance of a supply chain. The main focus is the analysis of behavior of indirect-sale supply chains in terms of relative bargaining power and decision rights of the participants. Modeling as Stackelberg games, this thesis explores the existence of Nash equilibriums and the issues surrounding supply chain coordination.

In Essay one, “The Role of Decision Structure in Supply Chain Coordination with Stochastic Demand”, the analysis focuses on how different supply chain structures affect …

Use Of A Classroom Response System To Enhance Classroom Interactivity, Keng Siau, Hong Sheng, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Classroom interactivity is a critical component of teaching and learning. This paper reports on the use of a classroom response system to enhance classroom interactivity in a systems analysis and design course. The success of the project was assessed using both quantitative and qualitative data. A pretest/posttest design was used to examine the effects of a classroom response system on interactivity. The results show that a classroom response system can significantly improve classroom interactivity. Qualitative data was also collected to identify the strengths and weaknesses of using a classroom response system to enhance classroom interaction. Based on the quantitative and …

Applying Altman's Z-Score In The Classroom, Tom Arnold, John H. Earl Jr.

Finance Faculty Publications

Altman's Z-score is introduced in an Excel framework to produce a quick calculation of the Z-score with actual financial data available through the Internet. The lesson plan developed is easily introduced with topics covering ratio analysis, financial risk, bond rating changes, and bankruptcy. Given the wide use of the Z-score in practice to evaluate credit risk (or bankruptcy risk), the lesson plan produces a skill set that is very marketable.

Adding Depth To The Discussion Of Capital Budgeting Techniques, Tom Arnold, Terry D. Nixon

Finance Faculty Publications

The subject of capital budgeting generally encompasses a significant percentage of any beginning finance course with net present value (NPV) often receiving the most attention. Even after this substantial time allotment, critical assumptions and comparisons of the different techniques (such as payback period, discounted payback period, NPV and IRR) are frequently glossed over due to time constraints. Consequently, the goal of this paper is to present these non-NPV techniques in a manner that allows the beginning finance student to expeditiously see the intuition, inherent assumptions, and any connection with the more popular NPV calculation. A small portion of this paper …

Becoming The Harvard Man: Person-Environment Fit, Personality Development, And Academic Success, Peter D. Harms, Brent W. Roberts, David Winter

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The continuity and change of the needs and evaluations of the college environment and person-environment fit (PE fit) with the college environment were studied in a 4-year longitudinal study of students (N = 191). Perceptions of the environment changed more dramatically than corresponding self-perceived needs. PE fit demonstrated moderate levels of consistency over the 4-year span, but no significant increases in mean levels were found over time. Antecedents to PE fit in the college environment included both intelligence and openness to experience. Outcomes associated with PE fit included changes in personality traits linked to openness to experience and higher academic …

Perceptions Of Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Study In Singapore; Strategic Management Policy, Gilbert Yip Wei Tan, Rajah Vellan Komaran

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In Singapore, there is no doubt that there have been efforts by various local and foreign corporations to incorporate some CSR principles in their operations. Indeed, there was a national initiative modeled after the tripartite approach to industrial relations where national economic and industrial issues are collectively resolved by the government, employers and employees. Against the backdrop of this national initiative and the effort by some corporations to incorporate CSR principles, not much is really known about the state of affairs in Singapore.

Outsourcing To Non-Identical Suppliers Via Service Competition, Ehsan Elahi, Saif Benjaafar, Karen Donohue

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

In this paper, we consider a single buyer who wishes to outsource a fixed demand for a manufactured good or service at a fixed price to a set of N suppliers. We examine the value of competition as a mechanism for the buyer to elicit good service quality from her suppliers. In particular, we consider a scheme in which the buyer allocates a proportion of demand to each supplier, with the proportion a supplier receives increasing in the service level she offers. Suppliers compete for expected market share, which increases in the offered service level. The suppliers affect their service …

Effects Of Free Riders And Incentive Discrimination On Customer Acquisition And Retention Resource Allocation, Geng Wang

Managerial Sciences Dissertations

How should a company best allocate its spending between acquisition and retention? Under what condition should a company devote resources and money to analytics? The above questions are just examples of more general issues concerning many companies when managing their customer acquisition and retention programs. To answer the above questions, I will conduct a study on the allocation of financial resources between incentives that target different types of customers, and the allocation of resources between incentives and analytics spending. This research first distinguishes between customers and acquisition, between incentive and price discount, and between acquisition and retention. It then proposes …

Fads And Children: The Early Culture Of Consumption, Tamika S. Laldee

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Fads have the ability to consume our attention and cause us to defy our better judgments. They have the power to pervade society with an intensity that rivals the infectiousness of an epidemic. Despite the influence of this phenomenon, there is no systematic assessment of the emergence of fads and their impacts on society. This thesis, “Fads and Children: The Early Culture of Consumption,” examines the effects of fads on children and families. This project begins by highlighting the fundamental characteristics of fads and how fads differ from traditional products. Since a discussion of the entire subject of fads would …

Psychological Capital Development: Toward A Micro-Intervention, Fred Luthans, James Avey, Bruce Avolio, Steven M. Norman, Gwendolyn Combs

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

After first providing the meaning of psychological capital (PsyCap), we present a micro-intervention to develop it. Drawn from hope, optimism, efficacy, and resiliency development, this PsyCap Intervention (PCI) is shown to have preliminary support for not only increasing participants’ PsyCap, but also financial impact and high return on investment.

Subordinates’ Resistance And Managers’ Evaluations Of Subordinates’ Performance, Bennett J. Tepper, Mary Uhl-Bien, Gary F. Kohut, Steven G. Rogelberg, Daniel E. Lockhart, Michael D. Ensley

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The authors explored the validity of two perspectives as to how managers evaluate subordinates who resist downward influence attempts: a uniformly dysfunctional perspective (i.e., managers regard all manifestations of resistance as indicators of ineffective influence and rate subordinates unfavorably when they resist) and a multifunctional perspective (i.e., managers regard some manifestations of resistance as more constructive than others and rate subordinates more favorably when they employ constructive resistance tactics). The results of two studies provided support for an interactive model, which predicts that the uniformly dysfunctional perspective is characteristic of lower quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships and that the multifunctional …

Crisis Management In Projects, Senol Nazikkol

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation is to identify the processes, benefits and important tools of crisis management in projects. Crisis management is a system that helps managers to prevent and overcome crises. In this research, a general review about crisis, crisis management processes and tools are discussed. The research was done by using the information in the literature and expert judgment. This paper can be used by academics as a foundation for further research and development in the area of crisis management in projects. Managers of projects can use this study for improving their projects and project-based organizations' crisis management …

The “Moments That Matter” For Fred Luthans’S Academic Career, Steven M. Sommer, Fred Luthans

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

Fred Luthans is the George Holmes University Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln. He was president of the Academy of Management in 1986, received the Academy’s Distinguished Educator Award in 1997, was named in 2000 as a member of the Academy’s Hall of Fame for his numerous publications in AMJ and Academy of Management Review, and received an honorary doctorate from DePaul University and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa, from which he received all of his degrees. Currently, with John Slocum, he is coeditor-in-chief of the Journal of World Business, editor of …

Perceptions Of The Characteristics Of Good, Bad And Ordinary Workers On The Job: The Influence Of Work Experience And Culture, Chong W. Kim, Andrew Sikula Sr., Harlan M. Smith Ii

Management Faculty Research

As noted in Kim & Sikula (2003; 2004), there are three types of people in the workplace: people of Necessity, Common people, and Parasites. A person of Necessity is irreplaceable, crucial to the functioning of an organization. The Common person is a worker of average ability and talent who makes no significant difference to the success of an organization. Parasites are detrimental freeloaders, harmful to the functioning of an organization.

In the 2004 paper we analyzed the survey responses of 25 students in an MBA Organizational Behavior class, and of 13 working managers, all in the United States. In this …

Analysis Of Resource-Sharing Decisions In Dyadic Collaborative Knowledge Creation: A Game-Theoretic Approach, Savitha Namuduri

Managerial Sciences Dissertations

Knowledge is an asset that can give an organization competitive edge. However, knowledge creation is an expensive activity. One of the reasons organizations form knowledge creation collaborations is to share resources that are needed to create knowledge. This dissertation models the dyadic collaborations as games between the partners and arrives at resource-sharing schemes for them. Specifically, the collaborations are modeled as two games- Stackelberg Leader-Follower game and Partnership game. The types of collaborations are distinguished based on the nature of the marginal return functions with respect to knowledge creation investments for each of the collaborating organizations. Three essays are presented …

Radio Frequency Identification Technology: Applications, Technical Challenges And Strategies, Suhong Li, John K. Visich, Basheer M. Khumawala, Chen Zhang

Management Department Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technology behind RFID systems, identify the applications of RFID in various industries, and discuss the technical challenges of RFID implementation and the corresponding strategies to overcome those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach - Comprehensive literature review and integration of the findings from literature. Findings - Technical challenges of RFID implementation include tag cost, standards, tag and reader selection, data management, systems integration and security. The corresponding solution is suggested for each challenge.

Research limitations/implications - A survey type research is needed to validate the results.

Practical implications - This research offers useful …

Using Multiple Methods In Personality Psychology, Brent W. Roberts, Peter D. Harms, Jennifer L. Smith, Dustin Wood, Michelle Webb

Leadership Institute: Faculty Publications

In many ways, Campbell and Fiske’s (1959) article on multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) approaches to construct validity has stood like a Platonic ideal for personality psychologists since its publication. In the ideal study, and scientific world, our constructs should converge in a robust and coherent fashion across diverse methods. Moreover, we should all aspire to use multiple methods in both validating our measures and in investigating our ideas. Interestingly, that Platonic ideal is not realized as often as expected. If one looks closely at the empirical literature in personality psychology, the expectation that abstract constructs should converge across methods is seldom met …

Drawing Emerging Business Models For The Mobile Music Industry, Pavlos A. Vlachos, Adam Vrechopoulos

Pavlos A Vlachos

No abstract provided.