Business Commons^™

Examining The Impact Of Control Systems On The Implementation Of Market -Oriented And Customer-Oriented Strategies, Tara Burnthorne Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examined the notion that firm control systems for managers and salespeople might impact the degree to which market oriented and customer oriented strategies are implemented throughout a firm's activities. In other words, the firm's control systems might facilitate or mitigate the execution of these particular strategies. This dissertation empirically addressed this concern by examining the impact of the management control system on the level of firm market orientation, and the impact of the salesperson control system on both salesperson customer orientation and the level of firm market orientation. In addition, it replicated previous research by testing the relationship …

External Labor Markets: Job Inclusion Structures And Processes, Jeffrey Jon Snell

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to consider the determinants of external labor markets from a multilevel frame of reference. Specifically, the likelihood of a job's inclusion in an external labor market was examined in relation to environmental constraints, power and technological characteristics of the job and demographic features of the jobholder.

The sample frame consisted of a national survey conducted by the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS collected data from over 92,000 respondents relating to their having a job in an external labor market. Logistic regression and nonparametric tests were used in the statistical analyses. Statistical analysis revealed …

The Importance Of Communication Skills: Perceptions Of Is Professionals, Is Managers, And Users, Ruth A. Spurlock Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Information systems (IS) research has shown that communication skills tend to be more important than technical skills to IS staff in project development activities. Yet, research findings indicate that IS staff are lacking in the communication skills they need to interact successfully with users and managers during systems development. Thus, the two purposes of this research were (1) to determine whether IS staff, IS managers, and IS users differ in their perceptions of important communication skills that IS staff need and (2) if differences do exist, to assess the impact of the differences on user satisfaction with IS product and …

Religious Involvement And Dispositional Characteristics As Predictors Of Work Attitudes And Behaviors, Tami Leigh Knotts

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to empirically examine the effects of (1) religious involvement on job attitudes, (2) dispositions on job attitudes, and (3) religious involvement on workplace behaviors. This study also assessed whether job attitudes mediated the effect of religious involvement an workplace behaviors or the interaction effect of religious involvement and dispositional characteristics on workplace behaviors.

Higher levels of religious involvement were hypothesized to lead to more positive work attitudes and behaviors. Conservative and self-transcendent values along with positive well-being were expected to lead to positive attitudes at work. The effect of religious involvement on work behaviors …

An Empirical Analysis Of Taxpayers' Attitudes And Behavioral Intentions Regarding Compliance With Federal Income Tax Laws, Stanley Wayne Hays

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze variables that potentially affect taxpayers' attitudes about income tax compliance. Phase one of the study focused on the relationships between four groups of variables and ethical perceptions of compliance behaviors. The four groups of variables follow: demographic variables such as age, education, and household income; personal characteristic variables such as idealism, relativism, conservatism, and religiosity; situational variables including an overall attitude about paying federal income taxes and impressions of the effectiveness of a number of law changes intended to make the IRS more responsive; and, consequential variables comprised of five dimensions of …

A Social-Cognitive Approach To Salesperson Work Motivation, Lawrence Scott Silver

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to apply a social-cognitive model of motivation, used extensively in educational psychology, to a sales setting. The topic pertaining to work motivation and its importance is evidenced by the amount of research devoted to the topic. The literature examined for this study was selected from the fields of industrial/organizational psychology, educational psychology, and marketing/sales. Specifically, this study addressed the following research questions: (1) To what extent is salespeople's goal orientation determined by their implicit personality theory? (2) Do salespeople's goal orientation determine their behavior pattern? (3) Does optimism moderate the relationship between salespeople's implicit …

Determinants Of Other Post -Employment Benefit Plan Reductions And Terminations In The Post -Sfas No. 106 Adoption Era, Bruce Kinloch Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine which variables help identify firms that have reduced or eliminated postretirement benefits other than pensions (OPEBs). Mittelstaedt et al. (1995) found that the adoption of SFAS No. 106 was one of the major determinants in OPEB reduction decisions. Those authors also found that financial weakness was a determinant in such reductions. This study attempts to determine the possible factors involved in such decisions, including both financial weakness and the OPEB liability, now that its disclosure is mandated by SFAS No. 106.

The theoretical backbone of this study was traced back to the …