Business Commons^™

Firms’ Non-Reliance Judgment, Restatement Venue Choice, And Litigation Risk, Keunho Philip Chung

Theses and Dissertations--Accountancy

This paper examines the determinants of firms’ non-reliance judgment and the effect of restatements disclosure venue choice on future litigation risk. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires firms to disclose any error that will undermine investors’ reliance on previously issued financial statements in Item 4.02 of Form 8-K starting on August 23, 2004. The requirements for non-reliance judgments lack clear guidelines; raising concerns that firms are cloaking errors and mistakes through opaque disclosure venues instead of the more prominent Form 8-K.

This paper is the first to investigate the quantitative and qualitative criteria that firms use for non-reliance judgments …

The Impact Of Food Recall On Third-Party Certification Adoption, Hongyi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Food safety problems have gained national attention, and food recall is one of the most important indications of this concern. Third-party certifications have become a popular way to improve the safety and quality of products for consumers. Publications related to third-party certification usually focus on the motives and benefits of a particular certification. However, to date, no existing research investigates the effects of food recalls on certification adoption.

This study uses Probit models with a binary endogenous explanatory variable to examine the relationship between food recalls and third-party certification, based on recalls occurring between January 1, 2015 and February 18, …

Legitimacy Of Local Food In The U.S. Market: Comparative Consumer Perspectives, Ali Asgari

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Measures of legitimacy have been described in terms of four legitimacy types, regulatory, normative, cognitive, and industry. This study provides one of the first and only empirical examinations of legitimacy, particularly with an application to local foods and sheds light on how consumers view various types of legitimacy related to local food. To apply the concept of legitimacy to local foods marketing, we take an empirical survey asking about consumer perspectives of local food, along with different shopping behavior questions.

Using cumulative logit models, results of the legitimacy models suggest that core consumers are more likely to place a high …

Determining The Value Of Birthrank And Parent Age In Thoroughbred Racehorses, Xiurui Cui

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Thoroughbred racing is referred to as “the sport of Kings”, because historically it was a leisure activity of the upper-class. Thoroughbred breeding on the other hand has transformed from a hobby of the upper-class to a worldwide agricultural industry. With the deep involvement of the royal and rich in the Thoroughbred industry, the auction prices of horses are raised significantly at the top end of the market.

Research in the biological sciences suggests there exits correlations between dam age, foal birthrank, and the racing performance of Thoroughbred horses. This study first investigates how the market values these biological factors and …

Quality Evaluation Of Jeans At Three Price Categories, Behnoosh Ghaani Farashahi

Theses and Dissertations--Retailing and Tourism Management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the specifications, appearance and performance characteristics of jeans at three price categories and to evaluate the relationship between price and product quality. Three brands; Lucky, Gap, and Faded Glory represented men’s jeans in the price categories of better, moderate, and mass merchant (budget). Jeans were inspected and the design, material, and construction specifications were identified and compared. The appearance and performance characteristics of jeans were evaluated initially and compared to the initial characteristics after one and five launderings. ASTM and AATCC test methods were used to evaluate color difference, colorfastness to dry …

How The Prospect Of Fault Influences Managers' Compliance, Matthew T. Sooy

Theses and Dissertations--Accountancy

The SEC relies heavily on ‘no-fault’ settlements in its enforcement, where targets avoid costly litigation by accepting sanctions without admitting or denying fault. This policy is argued to enable the agency to pursue greater numbers of violators. However, opponents argue that no-fault sanctions may be less effective, reducing fines to a ‘cost of business’. In an experiment, I examine the effects of fault assignment on managers’ cost perceptions, ethical framing and compliance. I manipulate the presence of fault assignment in prospective sanctions, and additionally manipulate sanction strength and sanction target - attributes that commonly vary in sanctions and which may …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Effects Of Contract Frame And Discretion In Performance Evaluation On Effort, Robert Ewing

Theses and Dissertations--Accountancy

The design of incentive compensation plans is critical to a company’s success. This study develops and validates a theoretical model to examine how incentive contract framing affects effort. This study uses an experiment to observe the effect of the manipulation of incentive contract frame and the presence or absence of principal discretion in performance evaluation on effort. The results of the experiment show that when principal discretion in performance evaluation is absent, penalty contracts induce greater effort than bonus contracts. The results of the experiment also demonstrate that the interaction of principal discretion in performance evaluation and contract frame influences …

Conduit Bond Financing Of Local Governments—Perspective From The U.S. And China, Zihe Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

As an alternative way to issue bonds, conduit financing has been widely used by local governments and nonprofit organizations. Conduit financing allows one entity to issue debt on behalf of single or multiple borrowers. In the state of California in the U.S., a local agency is allowed to issue municipal bonds in compliance with law, but can also borrow through a joint powers agency (JPA). In this case, the JPA serves as a conduit. Conduit financing is preferred by local agencies in certain circumstances because it is more convenient or fixed issuance costs can be split between several conduit borrowers …

Web Of Ties: The Effect Of Relationship Ties On Government Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Anthony Heath Rico

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Chapter 1 raises the research question guiding this study. Do relationships that board members of nonprofits have to officials in other agencies affect the likelihood of acquiring grants? The objective of this study was to examine the role that relationship ties played in the nonprofit sector’s ability to receive grants.

Chapter 2 ties the research agenda to existing research. Nonprofit organizational and financial behavior was explained in terms of resource dependence. Since nonprofit organizations face uncertainty in resource allocation, the behavior of the organization and the board members change in reaction to uncertainty. The relationships that board members possess serve …

Characteristics Of United States Seafood Consumers, Suliman Almojel

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

In this thesis, I conducted an analysis of the consumption patterns associated with demographic and socio-economic characteristics, using Tobit and double-hurdle models. Data were collected for 11,574 households from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year of 2014. Specific determinants included household size, age, income, gender, education, race, region, marital status, and whether the household lived in a coastal state. The results reveal that seafood expenditures are sequential decisions. Asian racial groups, households headed by married couples, a large number of members in households, higher income households, and households residing in the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts were variables …

Home Cooking And Willingness To Pay: Local Blueberry Pancake, Muffin, And Banana Bread Mixes In A Take-And-Bake Experiment, Yves T. Ilunga

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This study explores measurable factors that influence consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for locally produced blueberry mixes: pancake mix, muffin mix and banana bread mix. The innovative aspect of this study is that the experiment took place at participants’ home. The post-preparation survey used a payment card approach to elicit WTP for each product tried as well as for the hypothetical third product not tried. A total of 101 out of 102 participants (99.01%) completed the process and returned the survey. Participants were instructed to prepare the products at home, sample the prepared product, and then evaluate the product and …

Why Supplier Integration Fails: A Salesperson’S Perspective, Jae-Young Oh

Theses and Dissertations--Business Administration

In a traditional relationship, a salesperson is the sole gatekeeper in the supplier’s relationship with a buying firm. Supplier integration (SI) suggests that each domain expert (e.g., engineering) of a buying firm should directly communicate with the supplying firm personnel, without passing through the traditional boundary spanner—a salesperson. Existing literature argues that such a multichannel relationship generates significant degrees of benefit (e.g., better product design, product innovation). However, SI may fail unless the salesperson accepts the disintermediated communication. The multichannel communication structure of SI may limit his/her role of the sole gatekeeper thereby causing his/her behavioral constraints.

This dissertation aims …

Economic Considerations Of Aggressively Treating The Influenza Virus In Equines, Charlotte R. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The equine influenza virus is a significant cause of respiratory disease in horses. Even though horses generally recover from this virus, sometimes horses with equine influenza develop secondary bacterial infections which can cause severe pneumonia, thereby increasing recovery times. Owners and managers are faced with the decision of whether to delay preventative treatment in hopes of the horse avoids contracting a secondary bacterial infection (“wait and see”) or aggressively treat the horse with an antibiotic in hopes of avoiding a serious infection (“treat now”). From a decision making standpoint, the economic considerations include explicit treatment costs as well as nonmonetary …

Price Analysis Under Production Differentiation In Green Coffee Markets, Xi-Le Li

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

To better understand the world green coffee market especially from the perspective of the coffee producing countries, I study three topics to overview and identify a puzzle: why growing differentiation of the coffee industry in final product markets has not been reflected in a similar pattern of differentiation to coffee farmers.

My first essay is a descriptive overview of the world coffee market, based on the framework and definition of competitiveness to understand both the demand and supply side of the coffee market. This paper then focuses on product differentiation as the source of competitiveness in the industry. Coffee as …

The Evolving Role Of Electric Cooperatives In Economic Development: A Case Study Of Owen Electric Cooperative And Jackson Energy Cooperative, Whitney Prather Duvall

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In recent years, there has been a shift in among Kentucky rural electric cooperatives in regard to their stance on economic development. With this has been the employment of electric cooperative staff to help attract new industries and forge relationships with other local economic development-geared groups to facilitate growth. Cooperative businesses have historically proved their resilience and deep-rooted connections within the communities they serve. In exploring two similar-sized electric cooperatives in Kentucky located in two very different regions of the state, considering socio-economic status, and interviewing key informants with local affiliated economic development groups, it becomes evident that electric cooperatives …

The Impact Of Increased Cigarette Prices On Cigarette Consumption, Bohyun Yoo

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The objective of this study examines whether the way to raise cigarette prices drastically and discontinuously is effective in reducing cigarette consumption. We use monthly data for cigarette consumption to measure the price elasticity of cigarettes’ demand and adopt real cigarette prices, real individual income, education level, and unemployment rate as independent variables. We consider how consumers adjust their consumption practices in response to the increased prices. After examining the result of regression, we conclude that cigarette real price has a significant association with the reduction in cigarette consumption. If we divide the last twelve years into periods when prices …

The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective: An Ongoing Experiment In Musical Self-Governance, Julian D. Bryson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective and Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective are the first choirs to explore collectivity as a method of ensemble organization. While more traditional ensembles have a single artistic director, C4 and Triad share and rotate leadership responsibilities among the full membership. Artistic and logistical decisions develop through conversation, consensus, and/or voting.

This monograph draws primarily on interviews with thirteen current and former members of the two ensembles as well as the author’s personal experiences with Triad’s inaugural concert cycle to present a narrative description of member characteristics, governance, and operational processes. Interview responses are compared to relevant …

Brokers And Investment Advisors, Nathaniel Phillip Graham

Theses and Dissertations--Finance and Quantitative Methods

Brokers and investment advisors are a large and important part of the financial industry. Using a novel data set that includes the majority of the financial advisory industry, in this dissertation I document the size of the financial advisory industry and the prevalence of customer complaints in the industry, which I use as a proxy for misconduct. I then test for two potential drivers of advisors’ misconduct: professional standards in the form of fiduciary responsibilities and influence from social networks. I find that variation in fiduciary duties—specifically fiduciary versus suitability standards— does not appear to affect advisors’ propensity for misconduct. …

The Effect Of A Risk-Based Deposit Insurance Program In Korea, Youngil Oh

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Countries introduce a deposit insurance system to prevent bank-run and stabilize the financial market by protecting depositors. However, deposit insurance with a flat-rate system induces the insured banks to take more risky activities, an example of moral hazard. To deal with this problem, the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation ('KDIC') adopted a Risk-Based Insurance Program ('RBIP ') for the Savings Banks ('SBs') on July 1, 2013, by charging a higher rate for the weak SB s and a lower rate for the healthy SBs. To mitigate the initial drastic impact on the SBs in an economic regression, the KDIC had reduced …

The Determinants Of Successful Angel Investors, Hu Guen Sohn

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Angel investors are wealthy individuals who provide capital for business start-ups in return for an ownership stake. The outcomes of angel investments are not high for all angels and not evenly distributed among all investors. I examine what characteristics of angel investors affect the outcome of their investments.

This research is based on a North American survey data set. I use the internal rate of return to measure the performance of angel investments. More specifically, I use three different standards to code it as success or failure: median standard, mean standard, and higher standard. Then, I use OLS and a …

Social Media Analytics − A Unifying Definition, Comprehensive Framework, And Assessment Of Algorithms For Identifying Influencers In Social Media, Shih-Hui Hsiao

Theses and Dissertations--Business Administration

Given its relative infancy, there is a dearth of research on a comprehensive view of business social media analytics (SMA). This dissertation first examines current literature related to SMA and develops an integrated, unifying definition of business SMA, providing a nuanced starting point for future business SMA research. This dissertation identifies several benefits of business SMA, and elaborates on some of them, while presenting recent empirical evidence in support of foregoing observations. The dissertation also describes several challenges facing business SMA today, along with supporting evidence from the literature, some of which also offer mitigating solutions in particular contexts.

The …