Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Career Satisfaction For Culinarians Through The American Restaurant 2000 A.D., Paul Sorgule

Theses

Not listed.

An Examination Of Service Quality: An Internal Study, Andrea Wolak

Theses

Customer service has been the focus of companies for the past decade. In Rochester, New York, businesses large and small have demonstrated concern for service excellence. Quality of service is defined by the customer. For one Rochester company, this case study will set parameters to determine whether gaps are present between corporate client expectations and employee perception. Tabulated gaps can be identified and narrowed to secure the company as a stronger competitor of customer satisfaction.

General Managers And Four-Year Students Evaluate Attributes, Qualities, Competence And Skills For Hotel Management Entry-Level Positions: A Case Study, Po-Fen Chen

Theses

The issues of curriculum relevancy and attitudinal learning outcomes in preparing hospitality management students to meet industry needs are the focuses of this study. This study attempts to assess whether or not attitudes and values offour-year hospitality program students change as a result of the learning processes in their curricula. A 40 item questionnaire was developed and used to survey the three populations in the study; freshmen and seniors of a four-year hospitality management program and hotel general managers who have hired Co-op students and graduates from the program. The survey results were compared between the groups as follows: Freshmen …

Tourism, Transportation And Accomodation: Case Study Of Two Cities In Southern India, Garani Chitra

Theses

The problem investigated here is the characterization of tourism in the southern Indian cities of Bangalore and Mysore. To generate the characterization, inputs were obtained from three types of sources. These are tourists, hotel operators and tour operators in both cities. Separate questionnaires were prepared and administered to the three input sources. Twenty two questions were asked in the tourist questionnaire. The tour operator and hotel operator questionnaires contained twelve and nine questions respectively. Questions to tourists pertained to factors such as point of origin of tourists, purpose of visit, length of stay, etc. Questions to tour and hotel operators …

The Identification Of Work-Environment Factors Effecting Dysfunctional Employee Turnover At A Resort Property: A Case Study, Christopher Menna

Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify a list of work-environment factors present at a resort property that participant employees feel effect employee turnover, and consequently interfere with good customer service. This was accomplished through extensive in-depth interviews conducted with 28 systematically selected employees from all departments of the property studied. The interview schedule utilized was primarily unstructured to provide the respondents with the greatest latitude in expressing their impressions. The results of the interviews revealed specific patterns of responses relating only to the various departments of the participants. The results also revealed two general patterns of responses present …

A Study To Evaluate The Permeation Characteristics Of Black Tea Flavors And Linalool In Four Different Plastic Films, Cheong Soon Aw

Theses

The use of plastic films has seen tremendous growth during the past decades. The US Flexible Packaging Association 1994 Annual Report revealed that flexible packaging sales are predicted at US $13.2 billion and 50% of the flexible packaging is produced for food items. It is also realized that polymeric films interact with their environments differently than do glass or metal containers. Volatile flavor compounds from food items can dissolve and diffuse in the polymeric membrane. These movement is especially important when the loss of these flavors results in the lowering of the product quality and acceptance. The permeation characteristics of …

The Impact Of Videoconferencing On The Corporate Travel Industry, Mary Elizabeth Grieco

Theses

The wave of the future for businesses is technology. New technology is evolving everyday and in particular, the videoconferencing industry is steadily growing. The corporate travel industry may be influenced by videoconferencing. The focus of this study was to identify the impacts of videoconferencing on management decisions for employee travel. A review of literature, focusing on information technology and videoconferencing was completed. Information was gathered by studying industry journals and current publications. A questionnaire was used to collect further research. The survey was sent to decision makers for employee travel. The questionnaire was designed to capture both present and future …

Customer Satisfaction Measures As Indicators Of Sevice Performance, Jon Kemp

Theses

This document contains a study of customer satisfaction measures that indicate service performance. The study was performed with the customers of a facilities maintenance service company and focused specifically on janitorial/ cleaning services provided on a contract basis. A discussion of quality and specifically service quality involving both importance and measurement is provided to set the framework for the study. Dimensions of service quality and customer perceptions of service quality are discussed in detail. Methods used to guide the research, to gather and to refine customer data include the critical incidents technique, focus groups, and item analysis surveys. One final …

A Profile Of Executives From Hotel Management Companies, Dohee Kang

Theses

This project is focused to identify desirable characteristics of hotel executives from hotel management companies. Research is conducted by studying articles in industry periodicals, journals and those involving business management. A questionnaire to 13 hotel management companies is used to obtain objective data as a practical source for this study. The study identified desirable personal and professional characteristics of hotel executives and other related information from the analysis of responses. The findings of this study are the most part accordance with previous studies and with widely held beliefs in the industry. These may be used for reliable criteria in selecting …

Feasibility Of A Cook-Chill System For Medium Sized, Multi-Site Healthcare Facilities, Nancy Leonard

Theses

This research study examined the variables that a hospital foodservice director would analyze when considering the possibility of a Cook-Chill food production system for their facility. Data collection from 84 directors who had been involved in the decision making process, was obtained through the use of a specifically designed survey. Directors were asked questions regarding demographics, employee relations, customer satisfaction, manufacturer preference, and financial data. Results indicated that the foodservice directors maintained or increased the level of customer satisfaction after implementing Cook-Chill . The financial aspects showed a return on investment in a relatively short period of time and in …

Puerto Rico 2000: Building A New Future, Griselle Boria-Marcano

Theses

This study focuses on the identification of limiting conditions affecting the tourism industry in Puerto Rico. In order to provide a clear understanding of the tourism situation of the island, a broad outlook of the tourism performance is presented. It includes an economic background of Puerto Rico and the tourism activity, as well as a discussion of the areas involved and their problematic issues. The information gathered for this study was developed through personal interviews and primary data sources. While searching for problematic issues affecting the tourism industry, eight limits to growth were identified as most relevant: High Hotel Room …

A Model: An Organization That Fosters Internal Motivation, Sheila Barber

Theses

This thesis provides a model of an organization that can maintain a continuous level of employee internal motivation. It does this by comparing the current situation with a model of a new conceptualization. It then compares the current situation and the modeled perspective to decipher what gaps are preventing the model from being implemented. From here it defines action strategies that can be used to eliminate the gaps and make it a baseline to structure the model so that the tasks completed and the organization are able to enhance the members internal motivation. The model begins with motivated leaders and …

A Decision Making Environment The Healthcare Industry, Terry Ovenshire

Theses

This was a pilot study on the decision making environments in the health care industry. A critical incident questionnaire which was developed by Boone & Kilmann (1988) and later used by Janet Barnard (1992) in her research "Decision Environments of Small Firms" was adapted. The questionnaires were sent to 201 employees at the facility in the first sampling. A response of almost 50% was received, but the food service department was only represented by 3 respondents. It was decided that a second sampling would be sent to that department to assure a large enough set of respondents to use as …

The 1995 Corporate Travel Index In Taiwan, Mei-Hsiang Yu

Theses

With the growth of its economy. Taiwan has also become more of a business travel destination. In 1994, the Taiwan's government and the tourism industry have made great efforts in promoting the tourism trade. In addition, hotel capacity and airline accessibility into Taiwan have increased. These factors have generated new opportunities and competition in Taiwan's travel industry. Business travel is indeed a controllable expense, but efficient corporate travel management requires companies to do research in the marketplace, to negotiate effectively with travel suppliers, to plan their travel arrangements carefully, and to organize the payment reports and reimbursement. The Corporate Travel …

An Analysis Of Organizational Concepts And Trends As Related To Team And Matrix Structures, Victor A. Finazzo

Theses

This thesis will focus on an analysis of organizational trends in the United States, and the move away from functionally based organizational structures toward team structures .

Increased domestic and international economic pressures have forced many U. S. companies to seek out new methods of operation in order to stay competitive and maintain market share . A major emphasis has been placed on organizational streamlining in an effort to become leaner and more productive . Many companies have taken the slow and cautious approach, carefully calculating the impact of organizational change, and others have leaped head first into new and …

The Eden Alternative, Jennifer Ellen Gettman

Theses

The purpose of this study and program implementation was to integrate animal, plants, and teamwork philosophy into the nursing home environment. The focus of measurement was to identify the therapeutic value of the Eden Alternative in nursing home residents.

Utilizing the Yesavage Geriatric depression scale, 196 residents of a St. Louis based nursing home were studied. Fifty-five percent of the residents were identified of having some depression. Utilizing the long form of the Yesavage tool, residents were questioned to establish a base level of minimal, moderate, and severe depression. In a six-month follow-up, 22% of the severely depressed were reassessed. …

The Downsizing Of American Corporations: Have They Gone Too Far?, Patricia A. Sturm

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of corporate downsizing and its impact on Americans and American businesses. Has it really been the cure-all that most top executives believe it to be, or is it simply a temporary fix that creates additional problems? Whatever the answer, this phenomenon, which began in the early eighties and still exists today, has changed the way corporations do business and the way Americans feel about their jobs.

Over the years executives have made many mistakes as they took a slash and burn type of approach toward eliminating jobs. They found that although this method …

Electrical Power Dispatch To Motors Using Digital Modulating Techniques, David Michael Canny

Theses

The trend towards digital and microprocessor based control of power electronic converters has increased the level of research into digital modulating techniques. This thesis examines the inherent digital nature of Binary Rate Modulation with particular attention concentrated on its suitability for dispatching power to three-phase loads. The circuit topology of a three-level inverter is also examined and its performance aspects are compared with those of the more conventional two-level inverter.

Integral cycle Binary Rate Modulation is applied to an ac voltage controller and this method of power dispatch, which displays an optimal ac cycle positioning property, is compared with Pulse …

The Analysis And Isolation Of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins, Seán S. Kelly

Theses

This research was initiated to examine the Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxin profiles in mussels (Mytilus edulis) in south-west Ireland. Extensive sampling and testing of shellfish was conducted during the toxic periods of 1991 to 1994. This was the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of toxin profiles in shellfish from a single cultivation area.

A new toxin named dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX-2), which is an isomer of okadaic acid (OA), was the major toxin during prolonged DSP episodes. This toxicity in shellfish occuired soon after high cell counts of Dinophysis acuta were observed. As well as seasonal variability in toxin levels, substantial …

Lindenwood College Football 1990: A New Tradition, Jay Keith Murry

Theses

This LCIE Culminating Project will exhibit the skills that I have gleaned from my courses in the LCIE Master of Science degree program in Mass Communication. My project will incorporate the fundamentals of video production, documentary journalism, photojournalism, documentary film/ video production, and what I learned from my internships at KMOV-TV and KMOX-AM.

I have completed a videotape presentation depicting the highlights of Lindenwood College's first varsity football season. This topic was chosen for three reasons: (a) I was able to combine my acquired skills with my interest in sports broadcasting and journalism, (b) I still was able to display …

The Use Of The Federal Concept On The Before And After Techniques In Partial Takings For Privatization, James Lamantia

Theses

The concept of valuation is legally supported in the Constitution of the United States. The federal area of Eminent Domain has created a field of use through case law and federal administrative policies and requirements. The federal case law and court decisions have created a whole field of legal terminology. The areas of Eminent Domain and its Just Compensation requirements have developed legally accepted methodology. One of the required methodologies for partial federal takings is the "Before and After" concept. The "Before and After" methodology is used to measure the difference between two sets of valuation facts. This concept when …

Administrative Quality Planning, Carolyn Joan Costello Baker

Theses

The quality movement in American businesses is becoming increasingly popular. American businesses are now competing internationally for market and the Japanese are winning. American businesses have adopted various quality systems to help them become customer driven, assisting in the regaining of lost market share. Some companies have been successful in implementing a quality system, but most have fallen short of achieving the desired a quality operation.

Most of the successful quality programs have come in manufacturing plants, but quality in the support services of the administrative levels have fallen short. Many manufacturing organizations approach quality implementation for the plant and …

Quality Service In A Large Metropolitan Healthcare Facility's Cafeteria: A Comparison Of Customer Perceptions And Management Perceptions As Measured By Servqual, James Frederiksen

Theses

100% Customer Satisfaction is one of the most critical challenges management in large, metropolitan health-care facilities will face as they move into the next century. To achieve this goal, managers and administrators need to measure the quality of service they provide in their facilities, analyze the data collected to identify areas where improvements are necessary, and finally, develop appropriate actions to implement the necessary improvements. This study focused on determining what implications does a comparison of customer and management/employee perceptions have on a large, metropolitan health-care facility's cafeteria's quality service level? The project sought to answer this question by investigating …

Suicide In The Elderly: A Study Of Physicians Education, Training, And Resources, Garrett Glen Wood

Theses

In the United States, the suicide rate is highest among the elderly community. Moreover, studies have concluded that elderly individuals who commit suicide see a physician 75% of the time within a month of committing the act. Therefore, it is important for physicians to be aware of the high rate of suicide among this age group.

A questionnaire developed by the researcher was sent to 200 practicing physicians associated with a health center located in a moderate sized midwestern suburb 30 miles from a large metropolitan city. The questionnaire was based on a Rockwell and O'Brien (1973) study. Therefore, the …

Communication: The Vital Link Between The Sexes, Ruth A. Weber

Theses

Our ability to get along with the opposite sex is often directly affected by our inability to communicate. We believe we are communicating, only to realize that what we said is not what was understood. This is not the fault of any one person or sex but is a misunderstanding of the different ways women and men communicate. These differences begin in infancy and continue to thrive throughout our lives. Our culture, religion, history, language, stereotypes, sex, and other influences discussed in this study affect how and what we perceive others to be. We observe each other from our own …

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: Selling Lifelong Learning To Adults, Suzanne Walton

Theses

As St. Charles County continues to grow, more businesses and industries are locating here. Companies often require specialized training for their employees. When companies train their employees, firms will often utilize outside services or consulting firms. With many companies downsizing, many individuals face a mid-life career change. They need to learn new skills, but do not have the time or capital to return to school full time.

Both companies and individuals desire to gain knowledge of new technologies, but not necessarily in the traditional classroom setting with the pressure of homework assignments and tests. While St. Charles County Community College …

The Making Of A New Product Development Process, William Scott Robertson

Theses

The core process that almost all manufacturing organizations are built on is new product development. It is the new product development process that determines how the Technical Operations, i.e., Engineering, Manufacturing, etc., of a particular company will be organized.

In 1993, Michael Hammer and James Champy wrote a revolutionary book entitled 11Reengineering the Corporation." In this book, they tell businesses to forget most of what they know about how business should run -- because it is all wrong.

They say that businesses must learn to reinvent themselves in order to compete in the ever-changing business climate of the 1990s and …

Corporate Image: The Role Of Communications In Development And Maintenance, Michelle L. Warner

Theses

This thesis will focus on corporate image - what it is, what it does, why it is necessary and how to develop and maintain it.

The term "corporate identity'' was first coined in the 1960's by Walter Margulies. Corporate identity is the term most commonly used to define a corporation's "sense of self." Corporate image is a direct offshoot of identity. Corporate image is the picture that an audience has of an organization through the accumulation of all received messages.

The bridge between corporate identity and corporate image is corporate communications. The most effective way to manage corporate image is …

The Implementation Of Cellular Manufacturing On To A Functional Factory Floor, Todd E. Richter

Theses

This thesis will focus on the implementation of cellular manufacturing and the issues that must be addressed for the successful transformation from a traditional functionally partitioned manufacturing environment .

A large percentage of companies who attempt to transform a functionally partitioned factory into a cellular layout fail to obtain the benefits that it can bring. Research has attributed this to the lack of planning for all the issues involved in cellular manufacturing . It is necessary to address all the issues, not just one or two, or the negative effects of partitioning a factory floor (the loss of pooling synergy) …

Long Term Care Policy And Procedure Manual, Glynis Warters

Theses

This culminating project will focus on the changes that have occurred in the medical world and how those changes have, and will continue to impact the elderly, specifically in the long term care setting .

Over the years the main consideration of health care has changed from direct patient impact to direct dollar impact . With these changes has come the ethical dilemma of providing care for the elderly in a dignified and individualized manner while maintaining a positive cash flow . No longer will society accept mediocre care for the elderly, gone are the days of few and poorly …