Business Commons^™

A Research Proposal: Does The Glass Ceiling Show Signs Of Breaking In The 21st Century?, Sally A. Wilson

MBA Student Scholarship

Unfortunately, today women are still trying to prove themselves equal to men. Women are often over looked in many industries just due to the fact of being a woman. There are many negative assumptions regarding women. Some examples are: women cannot do a job meant for a man, women cannot work late hours due to children, women are too soft and don’t represent a strong leader in a top level position. It’s hard to even think that in the 21st century the glass ceiling is continuing to block women from entering and advancing in managerial and supervisory roles. Women have …

Applying Lean Six Sigma At Nordson Efd, Kristen Harvey

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) gives a company a competitive advantage over its competitors. On average, LSS cuts down on unwanted waste and cost by 25% ("What Is Lean Six Sigma?"). Additionally, LSS allows businesses to move beyond fixing defects or perfecting their processes to focus on the quality of their products. It also fosters a continuous improvement culture within companies’ operations and administrative offices. LSS is a proven methodology used to reduce all types of waste in businesses. Although lean six sigma started in the manufacturing industry, it has been adapted for use across all industries, public and private ("Six …

Indian Millennials: Are Microchip Implants A More Secure Technology For Identification And Access Control?, Christine Perakslis, Katina Michael

Technology

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Upscale/Fine Dining Sector In The Restaurant Industry, Volha Ban

MBA Student Scholarship

Upscale segment of the restaurant industry makes up approximately 10% of total U.S. restaurant sales (Trends in Fine Dining, 2011a). Severe impact of the economic downturn on the fine-dining segment demonstrated the 13% decline in customer visits in 2009 what triggered steep decline in sales.

In 2011 industry experienced positive tendency and renewed interest to high-profile steakhouse chains and upscale seafood restaurants. As National Restaurant News stated “…fine-dining restaurants will remain popular as long as they continue to offer individuality, food quality and more casual setting …”(Trends in Fine Dining, 2011a). Trend of casualization in fine dining led to the …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Fallacies And Flaws, Christina Blundin

MBA Student Scholarship

Over time, the ideals of business and society have become discordant from one another. When exactly this occurred is not as important as the effects it has had. When society began asking more from business, it voiced its concerns over companies solely existing to create profits, as well as their lack of responsibility to society. Consequently, businesses were coerced into performing acts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and philanthropy, to justify the profits they receive. However, in the pursuit of CSR, both business and society got short changed. They misconstrued the tenants of CSR. Each thought that it was the …

Using Skype As An Academic Tool: Lessons Learned, Martin Sivula

Technology

Several years ago I witnessed a graduate student speaking to person on his laptop screen. I asked, “who are you talking to?” He said to his wife in Turkey. I asked what software are you using? He said Skype, and it is free. Thus began my entry into the world of Skype. At first chance I downloaded Skype onto my personal computer. Since that time I have used Skype as a communication and instructional tool for academic purposes. Skype software allows communication (audio, video, and text) between and among various electronic devices (computers, mobile phones, smartphones, I pods, etc.) over …

Experiential Education And The Work Environment Abroad: Student Work Abroad Program, Mark Goudreau, Paul Zwolenski, Frank Duchala

College of Business Faculty Publications and Research

Johnson & Wales University College of Business provides students with curricula that incorporate both industry experience and classroom learning. One example of this complementary approach, known as the SWAP program, is predicated on the idea that students who participate in experiential learning activities develop an increased knowledge and understanding of organizational function, professional networking, management and leadership responsibilities, organizational and professional performance expectations and initiatives, and the ability to examine and analyze classroom learning in a real, not simulated, business environment.

Making The "Growing" Trend A Reality: Proof That The Organic Lifestyle Is Worth The Money And Is In The Reach Of Even A College Student's Budget, Mary E. Allen

Honors Theses – Charlotte Campus

Although organic foods may be the answer to solving a number of environmental, societal, and nutritional issues that are prevalent in our world today, many people do not understand what the term “organic” means and its implications for our future as an intelligent species. Recent surveys show that up to thirty-five percent of consumers would not purchase organic foods even if they were the same price and as readily available as their conventional counterparts (Duram 99).This statistic proves that people do not understand what it means for food to be organic and do not know the major negative impact that …

Red Lion Hotel Corporation, Yin-Chia Shao

MBA Student Scholarship

This paper is a strategy executing research project of Red Lion Hotels Corporation. The research content includes the nature of the business, environmental analysis, strategy position within the industry, competitive advantage, strategic history, evaluate strategy and a conclusion. The company grew from a focused differentiation strategy to a broad differentiation diversification. Examining the business environment analysis, the external environment has a moderately strong impact on the company and the internal environment has a moderately weak position. The inferior position is a disadvantage to the Red Lion Hotel Corporation's growth. In addition, compared the company with Choice International Hotels, Inc and …

A Study Of Outcomes-Oriented Student Reflection During Internship: The Integrated, Coordinated, And Reflection Based Model Of Learning And Experiential Education, James E. Griffin Jr, Gregory F. Lorenz, David Mitchell

University Office Publications

Student reflection in experiential education is recognized as a valuable tool in learning and development (Moon, 2006). InCoRe, an acronym for integration, coordination and reflection, is a model for reflective teaching and learning intended to encourage student reflection prior to, during, and after an internship experience. InCoRe operates through the strategic integration of experiential education within a program of study, the coordination of student advising between faculty and the administrators and staff members who manage and support experiential education and student-based reflection oriented toward fulfillment of student learning outcomes. The model employs several theoretical constructs including a derivative of Bruner’s …

Carnival Corporation & Plc, Ye Zhou

MBA Student Scholarship

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world. This paper researches the company by analyzing environmental factors, strategic position within the cruise industry and competitive advantages. After reviewing company's strategic history, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of the company's present strategies (Carnival Corporation and PLC, 2010b).

Do Interesting Things Increase Behavioral Intentions? A Test Of The Appraisal Structure Of Interest And Relationship Between Interest And Behavioral Intention: Applications In The Hospitality Industry, Min Gyung Kim, Anna S. Mattila

Hospitality and Tourism

The emotion of interest has significant implications for human behavior. However, prior research in interest is limited to the domain of psychology. This study applies the appraisal theory of interest to test the inducers of interest, and the relationship between interest and behavioral intentions. An experiment with hypothetical scenarios in a restaurant setting is to be completed. Stimuli appraised as new and complex and with information about them are proposed to cause interest, and interest is expected to increase behavioral intention. Implications for hospitality managers are briefly discussed.

An Investigation Of A Methodology To Assess District Performance, Peter Simpson, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

School Finance and Student Achievement

This study investigates a resource-based methodology to assess district performance as an indicator of student achievement on standardized assessments. The problem that this investigation addresses is that performance measurement and the associated decision-making is indeterminate. There is a lack of empirical research that relates decision-making about resource utilization to performance.

The study utilizes structuralism to assess the relationship between the independent variable of resource utilization and the dependent variable performance. Complex Adaptive System theory is used as a framework for Concept Mapping methodology. The study is grounded in theories from Complex Adaptive Systems and Microeconomics that state that performance is …

Utilization Of Robotics In Higher Education, John Drew, Michael Esposito, Dr. Christine Perakslis

Technology

The use of technology in the classroom has evolved from the most primitive to the widespread use of personal computers. One of the trends in technological advancements to enter the classroom is the use of robotics. The relationship between robotics and education spans many years. This paper details Papert’s Constructionism theory defining learning as being more effective when students are “constructing” or “doing” activities that are personally meaningful. Research includes assessment of experiences of this method of teaching Information Technology through robotics at such institutions as West Point, Reykjavik University and University of South Florida. Based on the experiences reported …