Business Commons^™

Promoting Investments In Intangible Organizational Assets Through Aligned Incentive Compensation Plans, Susan Hughes, Craig Caldwell, Kathy Paulson Gjerde

Craig B. Caldwell

Why I Quit The Railroad, Linda Niemann

Linda G. Niemann

The article presents the author's reasons for leaving her job in the railroad industry. She wasn't thrilled to be force-assigned to the foreman's spot on Union Pacific's Lawrence switcher. Being the junior switchman on the California coast for years, she was used to jobs that weren't so plum. What made it tough were a difficult yardmaster and her help, a switchman who outranked her but didn't want the responsibility of the foreman's spot.

Externality Effects Of Residential Property Values: The Example Of Noise Disamenities, David Clark

David E. Clark

Studies conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration in the 1990s reveal that train whistle bans lead to higher accident rates at train crossings. However, advocates of these bans argue that they eliminate noise externalities that have a detrimental effect on residential home values. To assess this latter claim, an event study is conducted and hedonic models are estimated for three different areas in which Conrail unilaterally began ignoring local whistle bans. While the findings consistently show that proximity to rail lines has a negative and statistically important influence on home values, there is little evidence that the Conrail decision had …

The Lord Of The Night, Linda Niemann

Linda G. Niemann

The article presents the author's reflection on the management of Southern Pacific after it was acquired by Union Pacific (UP). The year preceding the UP merger, 1995, everyone tried to earn the maximum they could in preparation for whatever union-negotiated guarantee would come down the pike. Downsizing hit this system hard. The union contract did away with the system seniority that provided trainmen the freedom to work anywhere on the railroad.

Generic Skills For Hospitality Management: A Comparative Study Of Management Expectations And Student Perceptions, Michael Raybould, Hugh Wilkins

Michael Raybould

Tertiary providers of hospitality management degree programs must fulfil the needs of student, industry and academic stakeholder groups. The students attracted to this type of program tend to be motivated primarily by the anticipated vocational outcomes. As a result, hospitality management curriculum needs to meet both industry and student expectations by delivering the skill sets needed in the workplace and the institutional demands for academic rigour. This article reports on research that aimed to compare hospitality managers' expectations of graduate skills with student perceptions of the skills that hospitality managers valued. In contrast to previous research on this topic, this …

Patents As A Source Of Competitive Intelligence Information.Pdf, Jan Comfort

Jan Comfort

No abstract provided.

Inflation Monitor, Muhammad Arby, Fida Hussain, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Although inflationary pressures persisted in the economy for the second year in a row, the headline inflation fell to 7.6 percent year-on-year in June 2006 that was 1 percentage point less than inflation in corresponding month last year.1 The inflation containment was more visible in the last six months of FY06 as compared to first six months (Jul 05 to Dec 05): the average CPI inflation during the first half of the year was 8.4 percent which declined to 7.4 percent in the second half primarily due to fall in food inflation. Inflation measured by sensitive price indicator also …

Phenotypic And Genetic Relationships Between Vocational Interests And Personality, Julie Harris, Philip Vernon, Andrew Johnson, Kerry Jang

Andrew M. Johnson

Relationships between personality and vocational interest factors were examined at the phenotypic and genetic levels. Twins and siblings (N = 516) completed self-report personality and vocational interest scales. Following factor analyses of each scale, five personality and six vocational interest factors were extracted. At the phenotypic level, correlations between personality and vocational interests ranged from zero to .33. Heritability estimates of the scales showed that genetic components accounted for 0–56% of the variance for the vocational interest factors and 44–65% for the personality factors. Genetic correlations between the two areas ranged from zero to .50. The results suggest that personality …

A Non-Credit Model For Real-Life Technology Transfer Experience For Cross-Disciplinary Student Teams, Paul Swamidass, Brian Wright

Paul Swamidass

This paper addresses several major issues of interest to ASEE’s Entrepreneurship Division. It covers (1) university technology transfer; (2) introducing technology IP protocol management to students; and (3) a model of working relationship with university technology transfer officers for the mutual benefit of university technology transfer and the training of university graduates with real-life technology transfer problems. Student reported benefits are included.

Pre-Disaster Planning And Mitigation And Its Impact On Comprehensive Emergency Management And The Nation: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (Pdm) Program And The Population Protected, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

A Project for a Professional Degree submitted to The Faculty of School of Engineering and Applied Science of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Applied Scientist of Engineering Management May 21, 2006

On October 10, 2000, The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000 or DMA 2K) (Public Law 106-390) was enacted, amending the Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and established new requirements for the national for hazard mitigation planning. States, Tribes, territories, and local governments now must have an approved mitigation plan in place prior to receiving certain …

Homeland Security: Engaging The Frontlines - Symposium Proceedings, George H. Baker, Cheryl J. Elliott

George H Baker

The rise of the American homeland security endeavor under the leadership of the new Department of Homeland Security has been heralded by several major national strategy documents. These documents have served to organize efforts at top levels within the government and industry. However, the national strategy guidance is not getting to many organizations and people at the grass-roots level who can make the most difference in preventing attacks, protecting systems, and recovering from catastrophic events, viz. the general citizenry, private infrastructure owners, and local governments. To better understand grass-roots issues and solutions, James Madison University, in cooperation with the Federal …

Swallowing An Elephant, Michiel E. Moll

Michiel E Moll

Predating the major higher education mergers, the Cape Technikon Library Service was faced with the incorporation of the Mowbray College of Education and Boland College of Education libraries in 2000. The actual stock of these two libraries was larger than that of the Technikon, and in addition, an institution that had a monolithic library structure was suddenly faced with coping with a more dispersed structure. Both Mowbray and Boland College (which was at Wellington, some 65 km away) were functioning libraries and the challenges were therefore to maintain functionality while changing and to keep the best from each library while …

O*Net Tools And Technology: A Synopsis Of Data Development Procedures, Erich Dierdorff, Donald Drewes, Jennifer Norton

Erich C. Dierdorff

Learn about the "tools and technology" (T2) now included in O*NET Online and as supplemental files in the O*NET database. T2 development focuses on collecting machines, equipment, tools, information technology, and software that are important to occupational performance. Emphasis is placed on cutting-edge technologies and emerging workplace practices. T2 data will be valuable for O*NET applications such as workforce development, employee training, and vocational and career guidance.

Evaluating The Long-Run Impacts Of The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks On U.S. Airline Travel, Scott Blunk, David Clark, James Mcgibany

David E. Clark

Although the US airline industry began 2001 with 24 consecutive profitable quarters, including net profits in 2000 totaling $7.9 billion, the impact of the 9/11 event on the industry was substantial. Whereas the recession that began in early 2001 signaled the end of profitability, the 9/11 terrorist attacks pushed the industry into financial crisis after air travel dropped 20% over the September-December 2001 period compared to the same period in 2000. Given the decline in domestic air travel, an important question is whether the detrimental impact of the attacks was temporary or permanent. That is, did airline travel return to …

Ex Parte Of Peter Cramton, Peter Cramton

Peter Cramton

Ex parte communication on various auction rules for the AWS auction.

Dynamics Of Energy Consumption, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Dynamics of Energy Consumption Pakistan has been facing severe imbalances in energy demand and supply for the last couple of decades. During early 1980s domestic supply of energy was fulfilling almost 86 percent of total domestic energy demand; a gap of 14 percent was being filled by imports. However, the demand – supply gap started increasing since then and reached to almost 47 percent by the year 2000 (see Figure S2.1).

Group Differences And Measurement Equivalence: Implications For Command Climate Survey Research And Practice, Erich Dierdorff, Eric Surface, Adam Meade, Lori Foster Thompson, Don Martin

Erich C. Dierdorff

Military organizations use survey methodology to assess attitudes related to command climate. Many commands are staffed with both military and civilian personnel. However, no previous research has examined the equivalence of a command climate survey’s measurement properties across these types of personnel. Differences in the personnel systems and organizational socialization could lead to different views of various facets of a command climate survey, making direct comparisons or aggregations of group-level data inappropriate. Furthermore, men and women may also view aspects of command climate surveys differently. Using two administrations of a command climate survey in a U.S. Major Army Command, our …

Management Of A Diverse Workforce: Meanings And Practices, Grace Lemmon

Grace Lemmon

No abstract provided.

Markov Chain Analyses Of Communication Processes In Negotiation, Mara Olekalns, Philip Smith, Laurie Weingart

Mara Olekalns

Markov chain analysis provides a way to investigate how the communication processes in dyadic negotiations are affected by features of the negotiating context and how, in turn, differences in communication processes among dyads affect the quality of the final settlement. In Markov models, the communication process is represented as a sequence of transitions between states, which describes how tactics are used and how they are reciprocated during the course of a negotiation. This article provides an introduction to Markov chain analysis and shows, using simulated data, how Markov chain models may be analyzed using widely-available loglinear modeling software. Model selection, …

Closed End Fund Discounts As Sentiment Indicies, Thomas Berry

Thomas D Berry

No abstract provided.

The Disposition Effect And Individual Investor Decisions: The Role Of Regret And Counterfactual Alternatives, Thomas Berry, Suzanne Fogel

Thomas D Berry

Recent studies have documented a strong tendency for individual investors to delay realizing capital losses, while realizing gains prematurely (Odean [1996], Shefrin and Statman [1985], Weber and Camerer [1996]). This tendency has been termed the “disposition effect.” The disposition effect is inconsistent with normative approaches to stock sales, such as those based on tax losses (see, for example, Constantinides [1983]). We surveyed individual investors, and found that more respondents reported regret about holding on to a losing stock too long than about selling a winning stock too soon. This finding suggests that individual investors are consistently engaging in behavior that …

Foreign Exchange Intervention By The Bank Of Japan: Bayesian Analysis Using A Bivariate Stochastic Volatility Model, Michael Smith, Andrew Pitts

Michael Stanley Smith

A bivariate stochastic volatility model is employed to measure the effect of intervention by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on daily returns and volume in the USD/YEN foreign exchange market. Missing observations are accounted for, and a data-based Wishart prior for the precision matrix of the errors to the transition equation that is in line with the likelihood is suggested. Empirical results suggest there is strong conditional heteroskedasticity in the mean-corrected volume measure, as well as contemporaneous correlation in the errors to both the observation and transition equations. A threshold model is used for the BOJ reaction function, which is …

Uncertainty, Insurance, And The Learned Hand Formula, Peter Grossman, Reed Cearley, Daniel Cole

Peter Z. Grossman

Note: Final definitive version is available at Oxford Journals. http://www.oxfordjournals.org Law and economics scholars have written extensively about how insurance markets affect the tort system. They have noted the beneficial cost-spreading function of insurance, as well as the detrimental incentive-distorting affects of insurance, stemming from problems of adverse selection and moral hazard. Surprisingly, however, scholars have over-looked one of the most important salutary functions that insurance serves for the tort system: it provides much of the information courts need to apply the Marginal Learned Hand Formula. This paper explains precisely how insurance markets collect and disseminate information about the expected …

Incomplete Compensation And Migration Behavior: Has Anything Changed Between 1990 And 2000?, David Clark, William Herrin, Thomas Knapp, Nancy White

David E. Clark

Spatial equilibrium models rely on migration to arbitrage away differences in utility across locations net of moving costs, where remaining differences in wages and rents reflect the compensating differentials related to site-specific amenities. Recent refinements to the spatial equilibrium model focus upon the prospect of disequilibrium in amenity markets. Amenity market disequilibrium implies over- or under-compensation (incomplete compensation) across some locations, which suggests a role for these factors in subsequent migration. This paper follows the theoretical and empirical approach of Clark, Herrin, Knapp, and White (2003). An intercity wage regression is estimated where fixed effects capture the impact of site …

Macro Determinants Of Total Factor Productivity In Pakistan, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

No abstract provided.

Promoting Investments In Intangible Organizational Assets Through Aligned Incentive Compensation Plans, Susan Hughes, Craig Caldwell, Kathy Paulson Gjerde

Kathy A. Paulson Gjerde

African Sustainable Leadership Development: A Culturally Intelligent Leadership Model For Service Oriented Leaders And Organizations, Marco Tavanti

Marco Tavanti

As a new generation of African leaders is emerging, so is the need to create appropriate and effective leadership paradigms for personal and organizational development. Servant leadership and cultural intelligence are essential pillars for identifying, developing and sustaining value-based leadership practices. Drawing from the Service Leadership model that emerged from the Depaul Leadership Project (DLP); this article outlines the competencies, orientations, methods and strategies for establishing effective and culturally intelligent sustainable leadership development programs. The Depaul leadership development model proposes that a collaborative, value-centered, and service-oriented perspective be at the center of an effective and sustainable African leadership development program. …

Faculty And Male Football And Basketball Players On University Campuses: An Empirical Investigation Of The "Intellectual" As Mentor To The Student Athlete, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

No abstract provided.

A Dark Tourism Spectrum: Towards A Typology Of Death And Macabre Related Tourist Sites, Attractions And Exhibitions, Philip Stone Dr

Dr Philip Stone

Deaths, disasters and atrocities in touristic form are becoming an increasingly pervasive feature within the contemporary tourism landscape, and as such, are ever more providing potential spiritual journeys for the tourist who wishes to gaze upon real and recreated death. As a result, the rather emotive label of 'dark tourism' has entered academic discourse and media parlance, and consequently has generated a significant amount of research interest. However, despite this increasing attention the dark tourism literature remains both eclectic and theoretically fragile. That is, a number of fundamental issues remain, not least whether it is actually possible or justifiable to …

Channeling Buzz Or Bucks? Ethical Implications For Marketing, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Vahn Knight

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

Too often higher education officials equate successful enrollment management with determining the appropriate financial-aid package, assuming the student matriculates. However, there are competing theories as to why a student may be attracted to a particular college. Could it be the "buzz"? This study examines the relationship between buzz and bucks with respect to enrollment objectives. Research findings indicate that it is not an either-or proposition. Moreover, marketers are presented with an ethical responsibility to safeguard the public.