Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of Performance Management Practice In The Republic Of Ireland, As Influenced By Its Expansion From The Private Sector To Its Public Equivalent., Kevin Paul Corbett

Masters

This is a study of performance management (PM) that examines its comparative practice in the Republic of Ireland, as influenced by its expansion from the private sector to the public equivalent. The research objectives of this study are to establish the level of incidence of PM practice in both sectors, to consider how PM is practised, including the mechanisms employed, to determine the objectives of the PM processes for these organisations and to ascertain the comparative perceived impact and effectiveness of PM. It was established that there was a gap of nine years since the last quantitative analysis of the …

Nevada Gaming Revenue: A Comparative Analysis Of Slots And Tables, Scott Boylan

Occasional Papers

Throughout much of its existence, Nevada’s gambling industry has been dominated by table games. Historically, slot machines were of secondary importance because they did not generate much revenue and were costly to maintain and operate. Starting in the late 1970s, a series of technological milestones improved the form and function of slot machines, and fueled replacement cycles on casino floors. Nevada gaming revenue data provides evidence of the economic effects of these improvements. Since 1984, slots generally have produced larger revenue gains than tables, although those gains are distributed neither uniformly over time nor across gaming markets. In addition, slots …

The Microfinance Industry In Bolivia, Jorge J. Eguino

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the international context, and particularly in Bolivia, microfinance and microcredit have been the subject of innumerable analyses. The arguments rely on the attributions of these two ways of intervention in financial services, as well as their impact with respect to poverty, their input, and their incidence on economic growth. Bolivia has contributed to the debate in these fields due to its experience with the microfinance system and its relevance to the country’s economy.

The purpose of this project is to describe the process of development and consolidation of the microfinance system in Bolivia. From a description to an analysis …

The Relation Between Social Responsibility And Exit Performance Of Vc-Backed Entrepreneurial Firms, Kaita Albanese

Business/Business Administration

This study analyzes the probability of successful exit by venture capital (VC)-backed en-trepreneurial firms that focus on “clean energy” initiatives. Such initiatives include generation from renewable sources as well as conservation. The empirical analysis, for ventures between 1990 and 2014, documents that clean energy investments have a higher probability of successful exit than do non-clean energy ventures. In addition, the results show that both solar and alternative energy VC-backed entrepreneurial firms allow their investors a shorter duration to exit.

Are Government-Sponsored Pension Privatization Efforts Leading To Better Beneficiary Outcomes?, Dylan Iadanza

Business/Business Administration

This paper seeks to inform readers on the history and the performance of tying state-sponsored retirement plans to the market. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s, many Latin American university students participated in an exchange program affiliated with the University of Chicago. After completing their studies under notable free-market economists such as Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger, these students returned home and took prominent positions in governments- mainly in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. In Chile, the students developed a plan known as el ladrillo (“the brick”). In 1981, their retirement system was completely privatized. Mutual funds, called Administradoras de Fondos …

A Conceptual Assessment Of The Uncertain Future Of The Personal Computer, Patrick J. Mccann

Business/Business Administration

In this thesis, I investigate the chances that the personal computer (PC) becomes a thing of the past in the near future. PC sales have seen quite the downturn, while smartphones have thrived in the technology space. I also consider how affects not only firms in the technology sector, but in almost all fields. Since the world today revolves around technology, specifically computers, it goes without saying that a change in the way we depend on PCs would change how we do almost everything. After diligently analyzing various sources on the matter, as well as consulting my own experiences, I …

How Do They Do It? Legislators As Leaders: A Quantitative Study Of The Influencers Of Legistators' Decision-Making, Alison J. Battaglia

Student Scholarship

The purpose of this research is to explore quantitatively how legislator's decisions are influenced and values impact their decisions. Specifically, we examined how religious values, financial contributions and reach or impact of the policy issue affect both leadership decision-making performance and decision-making confidence and leadership attributes. Data was collected as part of an electronic survey and included current and former state and federal legislators from both the, Democratic and Republican parties. Results show that religion impacted leadership decision-making performance and decision-making leadership attributes. Additionally, as participants scored higher on the religion scale, they tended to be more confident in their …

It Leader Knowledge: Dimensions, Measurement And Outcomes, Jess Shoop

Student Scholarship

This research develops a new scale to tap into higher order factor of IT Leadership Knowledge. We articulate new scales for four first order knowledge constructs--Breadth, Depth, Complexity and Currency--capturing IT leadership knowledge. Scales for these sub-constructs are generated, evaluated and validated through established steps for scale validity testing. Additionally, we show that these four constructs constitute a second order IT leadership knowledge factor. We use a mixed methods approach to build the new scales including a thorough review of the literature, qualitative investigation and sampling of scale dimensions and creation of face validity as well as a consequent statistical …

The Threat Of Innovation: Tactics To Improve Small Team Creative Outcomes In Risk-Averse Organizations, Paul Gaylo

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explores the paradox that creativity is generally viewed as a positive force and is a desired trait or characteristic, yet when faced with the true cost of creativity, individuals and organizations may purposefully or inadvertently suppress creativity. Real world examples are used to frame the applicability of this project to the typical large and complex technical product organization. The project includes a review of creativity scholarship in the context of organizations and a discussion to establish the foundational science behind this paradox. The project introduces the new creativity readiness level index, and a survey strategy to gauge organizational …

A Correlational Study Of Mid-Level Managers Examining Emotional Intelligence And Coaching Dimensions, Christopher Berg

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative correlational case study was to explore how mid-level managers’ emotional intelligence, as established through the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EIA), correlates with their executive coaching dimensions as revealed by the Extraordinary Coach Self-Assessment (ECSA). This study used the Talentsmart Inc. (EIA) tool to evaluate retail telecommunications (telecom) managers’ emotional intelligence competencies and Zenger Folkman’s (ECSA) tool to evaluate retail telecom managers’ coaching dimensions anonymously through the survey instrument. The need for this specific research is evident because of the limited number of quantitative studies regarding the importance of emotional intelligence and its relationship to coaching in …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Universal Effectiveness Of Quality Management Practices: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Young Sik Cho, Ramin Maysami, Joo Y. Jung, C. Christopher Lee

Management Faculty Publications

Institutional theory argues that the isomorphic nature of quality management (QM) practices leads to similar QM implementation and performance among QM-embedded firms. However, contingency theory questions such 'universal effectiveness of QM practices'. Considering these conflicting arguments, this study tests samples from the U.S. and China to examine whether the 'universal effectiveness of QM practices’ across national boundaries actually exists. First, the confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the validity of the survey instruments developed in this study. Then, the hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The SEM test results indicated that the positive effect of …

The Indulgence And Restraint Cultural Dimension: A Cross-Cultural Study Of Mongolia And The United States, Rentsenkhand Enkh-Amgalan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research focuses on one of the least studied cultural dimension, “indulgence versus restraint” (IVR) and how it affects consumer behavior, international marketing, and global business operations in the U.S. and Mongolia. This project is the first research on IVR in Mongolia since the country is rarely studied and there is no available data for this cultural dimension. Samples of undergraduate business students (as consumers) from both countries were studied through surveys. The findings support that Mongolians and Americans are different regarding the “indulgence” cultural dimension. This paper has a significant contribution to the cross-cultural literature regarding the indulgence cultural …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Job Demands, Job Resources, And Personal Resources On Employee Engagement And Exhaustion Of Juvenile Probation/Parole Officers, Danilo Estuardo Chavarria

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Organizations should constantly strive to improve their levels of employee engagement, because improving employee engagement influences the well-being of both employees and organizations (Bakker, 2011, p. 268). In today’s workplaces, organizations need employees who are psychologically connected to their work, who are willing and able to invest themselves in their roles, and who are proactive and committed to high quality standards.” (Bakker, Albrecht, & Leiter, 2011, pp. 4-5). This is important; not only for private organizations but for public organizations as well, especially organizations in the criminal justice system who continuously strive to keep the peace, have constant contact with …

Intergenerational Care: A Strategic Approach To Senior Care, Amanda Lundholm Stadel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Our society has become increasingly segregated between generations, specifically with senior adults. During the last years of a senior adult's life, he or she may often feel socially isolated which is closely correlated to depression, mental health challenges, and physical decline. These challenges may likely increase considering the number of adults age 65 and older is predicted to double within the next 25 years.

Intergenerational care is an innovative model that combines both child and senior care in a way that bridges the gap between generations. Studies have shown that implementing this model can benefit residents in ways that other …

Profitability And Financial Characteristics Of U.S. Publicly Traded Health Services Companies, Alessandra Rios

Theses and Dissertations

The health industry is affected by economic factors like income and prices. From 2007 to 2013, two turning points affected the healthcare industry, the financial crisis and the Affordable Care Act. This study is an attempt to measure the effects these turning points had on profitability of health services firms. To examine the potential changes the two events had on profitability, quarterly financial data was used to create a basic model that measures the Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Total Margin and Operating Margin of the firms. OLS regressions were run and results indicate that both ROA and ROE …

Creating A Learning Laboratory For Urban Sustainability: Consulting Project For The Blackstone River Corridor Living Systems Laboratory, Jacquelyn Dayle Burmeister

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Blackstone River Corridor Living Systems Laboratory (“LSL”) is a newly formed nonprofit organization with a broad and compelling mission to engage people with local history and water so as to improve public heath though bioremediation. It has evolved from a non-centrally administrated coalition of research institutions and municipalities interested in water quality to a multidisciplinary partnership, requiring consistent coordination. The broad organizational mission with such varied stakeholders requires a stable administrative platform, as well as funds to continue development of novel model process for wastewater treatment. The purpose of this project was to provide long term administrative and project …

The Impact Of Learning Curve Model Selection And Criteria For Cost Estimation Accuracy In The Dod, Candace Honious, Brandon Johnson, John J. Elshaw, A. B. Badiru

Faculty Publications

The first part of this manuscript examines the impact of configuration changes to the learning curve when implemented during production. This research is a study on the impact to the learning curve slope when production is continuous but a configuration change occurs. Analysis discovered the learning curve slope after a configuration change is different from the stable learning curve slope pre-configuration change. The newly configured units were statistically different from previous units. This supports that the new configuration should be estimated with a new learning curve equation. The research also discovered the post-configuration slope is always steeper than the stable …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Implications For Businesses Operating In The United States And The European Union, Kaitlyn Sapp

Honors Scholar Theses

The expectations of what businesses should be responsible for has changed more and more as the consumer consciousness has evolved. For many businesses, especially those in the United States, change in their approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is necessary in order to satisfy customers and stay competitive. This paper will discuss and compare the history and current practice of CSR between the United States and the European Union. I find that since the European Union has a history of holding companies to higher CSR standards, European-based companies have an advantage in various consumer markets with growing consciousness. Meanwhile, companies …

The Tides Of Life (Convene Ceo Summit), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Delivered at the Convene CEO Summit, this speech asks how Christian business leaders might apply their faith in work settings. In particular, Pollard notes that servant leadership -- while not always overtly Christian -- is oftentimes the primary means of actualizing Christian values in the corporate firm.

Grant Writing In Higher Education, Amos Bean

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The primary aim of this capstone was to elicit feedback from public health and grant writing practitioners and funders in order to gather data that can be used to supplement teachings and readings for a course in the Muskie School of Public Service Masters in Public Health (MPH) graduate program. Two overarching questions served as the basis for this endeavor. The primary question for public health and grant writing practitioners was, “What are the most important lessons you have learned that you think graduate students who are writing their first proposals should know?” The primary question for funders was, “What …