Business Commons^™

Interview With Richard Pine, O'Neill Pine Company, 2006 (Audio), Richard Pine

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Richard Pine by Margie Crawford in Salem, Oregon on August 3rd, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Triple Bottom Line: A Business Metaphor For A Social Construct, Darrell Brown, Jesse F. Dillard, Scott Marshall

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The triple bottom line is emerging as a popular conceptualization and reporting vehicle for articulating corporate social, environmental, and economic performance and is receiving significant attention in connection with its efficacy and sufficiency as a means for reporting the extent to which an organization meets its societal responsibilities. By preparing and disseminating triple bottom line statements, an organization conveys an image of concern and sensitivity to the three dimensions of societal responsibility: economic, environmental, and social. However, as currently conceived and operationalized, we question whether the triple bottom line reports actually provide information relevant to accessing corporate responsibility and enforcing …

Is Lean Necessarily Green?, Kumar Venkat, Wayne Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper investigates the environmental performance of lean supply chains using carbon dioxide emissions as the key performance indicator. Lean is based on the premise that compressing time reveals hidden quality problems and that their resolution leads to more efficient, cost-effective business processes. If time compression always implies lower emissions, then a leaner system is always greener as measured by emissions. If time compression does not always lead to lower emissions, then further changes to the lean system may be required in order to make it greener. We use a simulation model of a generic supply chain as well as …

An Agent-Based Model Of Trade With Distance-Based Transaction Cost, Kumar Venkat, Wayne W. Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes an application of agent-based modeling to investigate the effect of a distance-based transaction cost on trade. Long-distance trade is rapidly increasing, but may ultimately be constrained by our ability to move material goods between sellers and buyers. Unlike information exchange, trade in material goods is dependent on the price of oil and vulnerable to future scarcities of oil. In addition, there are growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance transportation. Our purpose in this study is to take the first step in understanding the impact of a distance constraint on free global trade using a simple …

Acceleration Management: The Semiconductor Industry Confronts The 21st Century, Melissa M. Appleyard, C. N. Berglund, Craig Peterson, Richard W. Smith

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the recent generations of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor industry has been accelerating towards the limits of the physical sciences. As a consequence, technology managers in that industry face seven major challenges, which will threaten progress: process, complexity, performance, power, density, productivity, and quality / reliability. We believe that confronting these challenges requires a new approach to technology management both within organizations and between organizations that form the backbone of the industry. We call this new approach Acceleration Management. Acceleration Management first requires that firms cultivate deep technical knowledge and inspire creative solutions to seemingly insoluble technical problems. The second …

Hotels: Differentiating With Design, Madeleine E. Pullman, Stephani Robson

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

It wasn't that long ago that most people would describe a hotel by talking about its location, or the level of service they received during their last visit, or the nice views of the beach or mountains from their room. But in recent years, the design of the hotel itself has been gaining a great deal of attention both from customers and from the press. More and more hotels use design and style as a way of differentiating themselves from other properties or brands, and as a way of attracting an affluent and socially active clientele. This makes sense; hotels …

An Environmentally Enlightened Accounting, Jesse Dillard, Darrell Brown, Scott Marshall

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Environmental stewardship must become a primary concern if management is to adequately fulfill its societal responsibilities. Management and accounting information systems must aggressively respond to these emerging requirements in order to support adequately the associated information needs as well as to design organizational systems that motivate and facilitate desired behavior. Our purpose here is to consider a framework useful for developing environmentally enlightening management and accounting information systems that take into account alternative environmental perspectives. The framework can be used to develop prototypes representing different levels of environmental enlightenment and, as such, can provide general guidance for moving collectives and …

Third Extrusion Project: Project Analysis, Ingrid Suarez

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

This paper uses a case study approach to analyze the Third Extrusion Project (TEP) in Cerro Matoso S.A (CMSA). The TEP was chosen to be analyzed because of the importance to the company, the quality of the project management, and the impact in CMSA’s business. The analysis was focused on the managerial and organizational aspects, rather than on technical topics. It was based on the Strategic Project Leadership framework proposed by Dr. Aaron Shedar.

BHP Billiton, the parent organization of CMSA, is one of the world’s premier mining companies. Its project management office aims to ensure that the project management …

Simulation As A Tool For Evaluating Strategic Policies For Flexible Supply Chain Systems, Janice L. Forrester, Wayne W. Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The emergence of flexible supply chain systems (FSC) has sparked increased interest in real-time planning, scheduling, and logistics--with particular consideration for strategic implications and overall cost control. Important aspects of an FSC include forecasting, production, materials handling, transportation, and distribution center inventory. There exists a variety of software applications for addressing tactical issues, such as adaptive scheduling, and short term forecasting. However, these programs typically do not permit the user to assess the strategic implications of different policies for flexing capacity and making alternative commitments to manufacturing plants. Recently there has been increased interest in the use of simulation models …

Creative Accounting: Are We A 21st Century Greenwich Village?, Michael Mcgregor

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Examines the rise of the "creative class" in Portland, and attempts to answer the question of what makes Portland alluring to young creative people. Also looks into the economic and social impact of the creative class, and what the future may hold in store, and examines Portland's future as a creative services center.

The Strategy Of Sustainability: A Systems Perspective On Environmental Initiatives, Scott Marshall, Darrell Brown

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article presents a systems perspective on environmental initiatives as they relate to the efforts of firms looking to become environmentally sustainable. To achieve environmental sustainability, firms need to implement principles, policies, and practices (such as budgeting systems, job design, recruitment and selection, and organizational structures) from the standpoint of long-term ecosystem viability. Because this process requires firms to establish challenging goals, managers are often confronted with significant conflicts between the financial and the environmental and social considerations when introducing socially or environmentally oriented decision making. The author recommends the adoption of a commonly shared corporate vision to allow for …

Human Genomics Of Biotechnology, Brian Bluelake, Bob Wang, Serin Hudson, Fatih Ersan, Aaron Freier

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Biotechnology is the term for the techniques of managing biological systems for human benefit. A biological system can range from a single cell organism to different types of plants, animals, and to the very complicated human being. Biotechnology includes a great range of scientific and technological disciplines and has a great variety of important applications in biology, medicine, agriculture, and various industries. In our report, we shall only focus on one of the most active frontiers of today's biotechnology-human genomics.

Testing Hypothesis Of Customer Satisfaction Factors By Statistical Method, Wichan Wannalertsri

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

This paper is a part of evaluation and development of customer satisfaction factors for the Peter Stott Center Gymnasium research paper written by a group of graduate student in summer 2001. The purpose of this paper is analysis the information after developed hypotheses, (7 hypotheses), and collected the data. We use the statistic method (Regression Analysis Method and Microsoft Excel 2000 software) for testing and figuring out which hypotheses or factors are significant and relate with customer satisfaction. Some of data in this paper are referred to the evaluation and development of customer satisfaction factors for the Peter Stott Center …

Ebay Strategic Analysis And Recommendation, Jerry Compton, Aaron Freier, Archie Patdu, Nantachai Phuvasate, Farhad Rostami

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The Internet has seen its share of success and failures as businesses try to understand how this new medium is going to be used in the 21st century. The eBay corporation has defined itself as not only a player on the Internet but as founders of a new business concept: online bidding and selling for the masses.

Being first to market gives eBay some of the key strengths to make the most of this new medium. The key success factors such as a large customer base and a compelling environment online are allowing eBay to be profitable and be seen …

Freightliner Llc Manufacturing Optimization, Jerry Compton, Ryan Jefferis, Hasnah Mat-Amin, Felix Ngoussou

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Freightliner LLC has been producing innovative products since 1942 for the trucking industry. Following a 1981 acquisition by Daimler-Benz AG, Freightliner has steadily gained market share through acquisition and fleet sales. Following record production in 1999 at maximum yield levels, year 2000 hit the heavy truck market especially hard. High diesel fuel prices, low used truck values, and a slowing economy were just a few reasons for reduced truck sales.

Through Ql of 2001, heavy vehicle production was down 54% compared to 2000 in attempts of lowering inventory amounts. In this new market, capacity is no longer the overall manufacturing …

Erps And Strategy: First, Do No Harm, Kristi Jane Yuthas, Catherine Banbury, Darrell Brown

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

ERP and other systems projects are now commonly preceded or accompanied by reengineering efforts. Traditional reengineering projects use a 'clean sheet' approach, in which companies attempt to design ideal processes without being bound to existing processes and constraints. When reengineering is associated with information technology (IT) implementation, the more common approach is known as 'tool-driven' or 'system-enhanced' reengineering. Under this approach, the new processes are designed with explicit attention to the opportunities and constraints presented by the capabilities of the new information system. Although IT-related reengineering approaches have matured through time, they have not kept pace with current perspectives on …

Role Playing And Cooperative Learning In The Ais Course, Dennis F. Togo, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The accounting information systems course is often viewed as difficult to teach because it contains topics that are less quantifiable and structured in comparison to courses in financial or managerial!cost accounting. Yet, many AIS instructors have developed successful teaching techniques that are suited to the AIS course. A creative teaching approach for the AIS course is that of role-playing organizations and their operations, especially for transaction cycles. In addition, cooperative learning can be nicely coupled with role playing because of their common emphases on social interdependence and shared learning. The benefits and guidelines for cooperative learning and role playing are …

A Data Dictionary Approach To Meeting User Requests For Accounting Information, Kristi Jane Yuthas, Dennis F. Togo

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this era of massive data accumulation, dynamic development of large-scale databases and inteifaces intended to be user-friendly, there is still an increasing demand on analysts as actual user access to databases is still not a common practice. A data dictionary approach, that includes providing users with a list of relevant data items within the database, can expedite the analysis of information requirements and the development of user-requested information systems. Furthermore, this approach enhances user involvement and reduces the demands on the analysts for systems development projects.

The Evolving Role Of Semiconductor Consortia In The United States And Japan, Rose Marie Ham, Greg Linden, Melissa M. Appleyard

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines the interactions between public and private actors as cooperation in the semiconductor industry becomes increasingly international. The latest manifestations of multilateral collaboration are two consortia: I300I based in the United States and Selete based in Japan. Through an analysis of their structures and their origins, this article provides a deeper understanding of the complexities facing industry-wide consortia, the role of the government in promoting or inhibiting cooperation, and the lingering rivalries that impede truly global cooperation in a dynamic, high-technology industry.

Household Travel/Activity Decisions: Who Wants To Travel?, Catherine T. Lawson

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Researchers are using activity-based survey data to better understand the nature of the derived demand for travel. However, a strong theoretical construct for derived demand has yet to be developed. In order to understand the ramifications of considering travel as a derived demand, it is necessary to review some of the basic tenets of economics.

Some activities require travel (i.e. shopping or picking up children from daycare), while others are conducted entirely within the confines of the home. There is a set of activities that can be conducted either in or out of the home. A need to travel arises …

The Role Of Skill Upgrading In Manufacturing Performance, Melissa M. Appleyard

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This section examines the industry-wide trend of upgrading the skills of production workers in the semiconductor industry. This analysis discusses the industry characteristics driving this trend, the human resource policies that support skill upgrades, and the payoffs associated with such upgrades. To provide a deeper understanding of the process of skill upgrading, two fabs from our sample are analyzed in detail. One fab is located in Japan (pseudonym Jfab) and the other fab is located in the U.S. (pseudonym USfab).

As a central part of their manufacturing strategy, these fabs have emphasized the upskilling of operators particularly for equipment maintenance …

Software Engineering And Tqm, Fernando E. Rivera

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Quality cost, quality management, quality assurance, quality control, quality improvement, personnel for quality, employee involvement, and statistical process control are all issues in TQM that can be implemented in Software Engineering Organizations. In this research, the author tries to show different techniques, methodologies and tools that today are in use by many organizations to address the necessity of excellence in software development. In order to organize the work, the author has divided it in three sections. The section Team Building presents a framework to help Information System Managers ISM) to build a software team. The second is a series of …

Cost And Benefit Elements Of A Tailored Application Versus An Off-The-Shelf Package And The Manager's Role., Fernando E. Rivera

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

The author of the paper performs a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether to make or buy a software package. If a program is developed in house, whatever the organizational Software Department could have accomplished during the time it spent developing the system is determined. However, adoption of an off-the shelf package means that the benefits of having a "perfect" package will be lost. The opportunity cost would be an estimate of those benefits lost over the period the software packaging is to be used, minus the additional expenses involved in developing a "perfect" package.

An Information Theoretic Framework For Exploratory Multivariate Market Segmentation Research, Jamshid C. Hosseini, Robert R. Harmon, Martin Zwick

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

State-of-the-art market segmentation often involves simultaneous consideration of multiple and overlapping variables. These variables are studied to assess their relationships, select a subset of variables which best represent the subgroups (segments) within a market, and determine the likelihood of membership of a given individual in a particular segment. Such information, obtained in the exploratory phase of a multivariate market segmentation study, leads to the construction of more parsimonious models. These models have less stringent data requirements while facilitating substantive evaluation to aid marketing managers in formulating more effective targeting and positioning strategies within different market segments. This paper utilizes the …

Methodological Disclosure: The Foundation For Effective Use Of Survey Research, Bruce L. Stern, Ray Ashmun

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

A survey of marketing executives and a content analysis of their most recent survey research repon reveals that most methodology descriptions are sketcliy, at best. lmponant details about the sampling plan and other procedures are often omitted or loosely presented, leaving the reader insufficiently informed about the foundation that the study was built upon.

Systems Integration Analysis And Alternatives Identification For Facilities Planning Branch, Bpa: Task 1: Background Analysis And Data Gathering, Kenneth Dueker, Ric Vrana

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Portland State University has been engaged by the Facilities Planning Branch, Division of Engineering, Bonneville Power Administration, to collect background information, analyze current activities, and provide recommendations for greater Branch efficiencies, and the most timely service to its customers, based on current and projected resources and financial responsibilities. This information is to extend and compliment the efforts of an in-house systems integration team which initially addressed these issues. This study is intended to assist Branch management in its effort to identify Branch strengths and increase productivity.

The Facilities Planning Branch is one of three Branches in the Division of Facilities …

Evaluation Of Vertical Equity In Residential Property Assessments In The Lake Oswego And West Linn Areas, James G. Strathman, Dirce Toulan

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This report presents a statistical evaluation of vertical equity in the pattern of residential property assessments in the Lake Oswego, West Linn and nearby unincorporated areas based on an application of the Paglin-Fogarty method to a sample of recent sales. A vertically regressive pattern of inequity in assessments, which is characterized by systemmatic under-assessment of higher-valued properties and overassessment of lower-valued properties, was found. Based on the entire sample, it was estimated that a typical $75,000 property was overassessed by about $4,700, and a typical $175,000 property was underassessed by $8,800.

Tax Equity Effects Of Creative Financing: Empirical Evidence, James G. Strathman, Morton Paglin

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper argues that tax inequities are produced when property assessments fail to account for the effects of creative financing . Changes in equity resulting from the capitalization of creative financing in housing prices are estimated from a sample of properties in Portland, Oregon using the Paglin-Fogarty model. The principal findings of the analysis indicate that : 1) on average, creatively financed houses have a higher mean assessment ratio than conventionally financed houses; 2) the assessment penalty for creative financing is systematically related to the market value of houses, and is both absolutely and relatively larger for houses with lower …

User Needs Assessment And Technical Issues For A Multipurpose Cadastre For Multnomah County, Oregon, Kenneth Dueker, Larry Conrad, Daniel Kjerne

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

The objectives of this study are: 1) to provide the County Assessor with a survey of the current usage of the assessor's mapping system ; 2) to assess the future data needs of the users based upon implementation of the assessor's plans for a computerized cadastral mapping system, or multipurpose cadastre (MPC}; 3) to identify the locational accuracy requirements of the proposed mapping system; and 4) to identify a strategy to facilitate gradual improvement in accuracy of locational data.

Issues In Design Of A Multipurpose Cadastre, Kenneth Dueker, Daniel Kjerne, Lawrence M. Conrad

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper summarizes a discussion of some of the technical issues which appeared in a report prepared during January-July 1985, by a team of researchers from Port.land State University's Center for Urban Studies under a contract for the Department of Assessment and Taxation of Multnomah County, Oregon. The complete report also covered user needs as identified through a series of interviews of agencies making use of assessor maps.

At some time in the next two or three years, Multnomah County will be eligible for assistance from the Oregon State Department of Revenue (DOR) in reconstructing its cadastral mapping system. Both …