International Business Commons^™

Fueling Ukraine’S Future: Using Microfinance As A Tool For Reducing Energy Dependency And Changing Lives, Justin Cole

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Ukraine is a country heavily dependent on other countries for its natural gas supply, leaving it vulnerable to interruptions in supply. One of its largest suppliers, Russia, has twice taken drastic means of physically closing the pipelines, thereby cutting off this supply and illustrating to Ukraine and the world the leverage that it can exercise. While at the present time the cut-offs have lasted no longer than a few weeks, future cut-offs could become more common and longer in duration. When compounded with the troubled history between the two countries, one can quickly see the precipitous situation that has the …

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Global And Domestic Implications Of The Rise Of A New Major Player In International Finance, Michelle Sollod

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The subject of petrodollar recycling has frequently captured the interest of academics, politicians and the media. Specifically, the issue typically boils down to one central question: where exactly are the petrodollars—revenue earned from the sale of oil—flowing? According to traditional scholars like Bernard Mommer and Terry Lynn Karl the recurring argument is that in oil-exporting nations, oil revenues are channeled directly into the hands of a few government officials resulting in corruption, inequality and economic decay.

However, the main limitation of this traditional argument is that it tends to focus solely on the dynamics between the national level and local …

Under The Surface: The United States’ Failure To Effectively Communicate And Gain Credibility With Iraqis, Julia Dunlea

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In the short term, the United States negatively impacted the relationships among the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The United States’ lack of communication and credibility led to this negative impact. Six variables: the United States’ lack of knowledge about Iraq, the preexisting anti-western political culture, removal of local elites and army, inadequate media outreach, impact on reactionary violence, and the inability to fulfill all their promises to the Iraqi population expanded problems in credibility and communication. Although the United States brought democracy to Iraq by enforcing equality for Shiites and Kurds, and expanding Kurdish autonomy in the north, this lack …

Bond Volatility Transmissions Between United States And European Markets, Seth Kulman

Senior Honors Projects

Bond Volatility Transmissions Between United States and European Markets

Seth Kulman

Faculty Sponsor: Gordon Dash, Finance and Decision Sciences

Recent events have illustrated the degree of connection between the world’s economies.  Economic events occurring in one country are felt in countless others, most vividly demonstrated by the onset of a worldwide recession following the financial collapse in the United States.  Volatility no longer stays contained within one local economy.

The purpose of this study is to examine volatility spillovers between the United States and European bond markets.  To identify volatility effects in a given country, we will be using a …

Development For The Past, Present, And Future: Defining And Measuring Sustainable Development, Max Cantor

Senior Honors Projects

In 1987, the United Nations released the Brundtland Report, which defined sustainable development as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While this definition provides a relatively stable theoretical base from which development economists and political scientists can begin to tackle issues surrounding sustainable development, the inherently amorphous nature of this definition has also created a fair amount of ambiguity in both the economic literature surrounding sustainable development and the subsequent attempts by economists to measure it.

Historically, those interested in the science of development have typically …

Identifying Resources For Going Global, Stephen Tallman

Management Faculty Publications

Business firms have been described as bundles of resources and capabilities (or assets and skills, or a variety of other terms indicating a combination of hard, or at least clearly identifiable, components and soft, or at least somewhat undefined, abilities and processes), bound together by ownership, contracts, common management, organizational culture, identity, and a variety of other processes. This chapter focuses on resources and capabilities, and considers how such component parts can enhance or discourage globalization, and how the firm's stock of resources and capabilities is altered by processes of globalization.

An Analysis Of Starbucks As A Company And An International Business, Lauren R. Roby

Senior Honors Theses

The researcher examines a detailed synopsis of the specialty coffee industry and the role that Starbucks plays in it.  Starbucks is in a growth market, and it has a good relative overall position.  The researcher will examine the business structure of Starbucks and the future implications of its current business strategies.  By examining the strategic imperatives such as how to expand abroad and understanding the international context, the researcher will determine strong and weak business strategies of the company.  Starbucks has overcome organizational and managerial implications that will serve as a strong model for international businesses.  The researcher will then …

China And The New Asia: Policy Recommendations, Tasha N. Haug

Senior Honors Theses

The People’s Republic of China is an indispensable political and economic force in Asia. With the majority of the United States’ foreign economic interests invested in the Asia-Pacific region, the leading role that China is taking is a major concern. The Asia-Pacific region is strategically important to the US. How US policy makers craft foreign policy toward Asia has a direct impact on US involvement in the region. Unless the US becomes more invested in Asia, develops a comprehensive understanding of China’s role in the region, and proactively pursue strategic relationships, US influence in Asian affairs will become a thing …

Relationships In Fast Moving Consumer Goods Markets: The Consumers’ Perspective, Rose Leahy

Dept. of Marketing & International Business Publications

Purpose: This study explores relationship marketing and the existence of relationships in mass consumer markets from the consumers’ perspective, with the focus on the Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) sector.

Methodology Approach: A total of 10 focus groups were conducted with consumers from a broad range of demographic and socio-economic backgrounds to enable in-depth exploration of the research issue.

Findings: The study highlights the dominant negative attitudes that exist among consumers to relationship marketing as it is operationalised in FMCG markets. It is found that from the consumers’ perspective relationships do not and cannot exist in these markets and that …

Big Bank, Small Country: Switzerland, The Financial Crisis And The European Union, Justin Thomas Schubert

Inquiry Journal 2011

No abstract provided.

Do Foreign Direct Investment And Trade Openness Accelerate Economic Growth?, Donna Chan Wah Hak

Honors Projects in Economics

This research investigates the impact of trade openness and foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth. Using a framework proposed by Barro (1991), panel data regression analysis is performed on 5-year time periods between 1985 and 2005. A sample of 89 countries is analyzed using data collected from the World Development Indicators (WDI), Penn World Table, Barro and Lee (2010), and Polity IV Project datasets. The empirical analysis shows that conditional convergence occurs among the countries in the sample and that FDI net inflows per worker slightly increases the speed of conditional convergence. This study also finds evidence that FDI …

Stock Exchanges In The Middle East: Risky Business Or Smart Investing?, Jed A. Haddad

Honors Projects in Finance

The goal of any investor is to obtain the highest possible return for his or her money. However for years, the debate has continued; stocks, bonds, mutual funds; which of these financial instruments will produce the greatest gain to give the investor the highest profit? Historically, stocks have been known to provide investors with high returns. With the world becoming increasingly globalized, international markets have proven to offer investors more options to help diversify their portfolios. The Middle East has been known as a region of recent economic growth and stability. Three prominent examples of such are Kuwait, Israel, and …

Getting The Sharks To Bite In Your Ocean: A Look At Regional Differences In Funding Components In China And The United States, Jennifer Ashley Schwall

Honors Projects in Finance

This study explores the relationship between a venture capital firm’s geographic region and the investment traits that it values. This study’s results will help determine whether venture capital firms, by geographic region, emphasize certain investment traits over others when funding new companies.

The study examines three regions (the East Coast of the United States, the West Coast of the United States and China, specifically Beijing and Shanghai). By surveying available firms in each region, I collected data on which funding components, or investment traits, the sampled respondents valued. To increase the usefulness of my findings, I held constant the stage …

Qualitative Methods In International Sales Research: Cross-Cultural Considerations, Rajshekar G. Javalgi, Elad Granot, Thomas G. Brashear Alejandro

Business Faculty Publications

As the global marketplace continues to change owing to the proliferation of global brands, changing international trade policies, and the rise of consolidated buyer power, the need for cross-cultural sales research continues to increase. International sales research differs from its domestic counterparts because its application to a multitude of cultural environments where comparable, relevant data are oftentimes nonexistent. In a similar vein, the roles, activities, and approaches to sales may vary across markets, which injects bias and confounds the results. Because of this complexity, conducting international sales research requires flexibility and creativity on the part of the researcher. The complexity …

Mexico Consensus Economic Forecast, Volume 14, Number 2, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Carlos Morales, Francisco Pallares

Departmental Papers (E & F)

No abstract provided.

Getting To The Real Story: What Vietnamese Business People Wish Foreigners Understood About Doing Business In Emerging And Transition Countries Like Vietnam – Before They Start, Nancy K. Napier, Vuong Quan Hoang

International Business Program

Knowledge sharing typically examines organizational transfer of knowledge, often from headquarters to subsidiaries, from developed country sites to emerging country sites, or from host to local employees. Yes, recent research, such as Prahalad's Bottom of the Pyramid, raises the question of reverse transfer of knowledge, or whether knowledge could and should be transferred from local sites to home country sites within an organization. As several emerging economies build their capabilities in knowledge, research and development, marketing, and the like, it only makes sense to consider what type of knowledge and how to transfer it in reverse or bi-directional manners. …

Made In Oman: Promoting Manufacturing And Export In The Sultanate Of Oman, Tyler Philip Eldridge Mcwilliam

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Oman’s manufacturing sector has shown promising growth during the past decades. This paper analyzes the role of the manufacturing and export sector in economic growth and development. Then, after analyzing government policy toward manufacturing in Oman, this paper uses research gathered from companies in Rusayl to determine the biggest problems currently facing manufacturing in Oman and the effectiveness of government policy toward the sector. Problems found included excessive bureaucracy, Omanization, and transport costs. These findings were then presented to the appropriate public institutions, with their reactions documented. Recommendations for change include streamlining government services, expediting the construction of the Gulf …

The Effect Of Cultural Intelligence On Employee Performance In International Hospitality Industries: A Case From The Hotel Sector In Egypt, Hadia Fakhreldin

Business Administration

This study highlights the importance of cultural intelligence in international business. Employees with high levels of cultural intelligence (CI) achieve high performance levels, therefore CI should be a screening criteria and a training goal within multinational companies. A five stars hotel is chosen as the field for testing/examining the theoretical framework identified in the literature. The cultural intelligence level of employees in this hotel is first determined through a questionnaire technique using a valid and reliable test (the Cultural Quotient Scale). Then the performance of these employees is identified through examining selected criteria in their performance review. To verify the …

2011 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Identify Key Business Strategies To Target The Mass Market In Macau, Chia-Li Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to examine Macau’s present gaming environment and identify factors that will contribute to the success of a mass gaming market in Macau. The study intends to provide economic justification and tourism policy considerations which support the growth of Macau’s mass gaming market by taking advantage of the booming Chinese economy and the fast growing popularity of gaming in China. In addition, this study will examine literature supporting Macau’s transformation from a simpler gamblers’ destination into a Las Vegas style international gaming, entertainment, and tourism destination, as well as arguments for sustaining …