Business Commons^™

Industry Implications Of Value Creation And Appropriation Investment Decisions, David R. King, Rebecca J. Slotegraaf

Management Faculty Research and Publications

As managers weigh their resource investment decisions, we argue that these investments have a direct impact on the growth and volatility of the firm’s industry. With data covering 377 industries across 16 years, we investigate relationships for aggregate firm investments on the growth and volatility of industry profit and sales. Results reveal important, complex relationships between investment in value creation and appropriation and different elements of the industry environment.

Customer Loyalty, Repurchase And Satisfaction: A Meta-Analytical Review, Tamilla Curtis, Russell Abratt, Dawna L. Rhoades, Paul Dion

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between customer loyalty, repurchase/repurchase intent and satisfaction in order to attempt to resolve the mixed views on these concepts. A quantitative review of loyalty-repurchase satisfaction constructs was conducted to identify the strength and direction of the researched relationships and the influence of possible moderating factors affecting those relationships. The Hunter and Schmidt (1990) meta-analytical technique and software were employed. The results demonstrate that loyalty and satisfaction indicate strong positive relationships (0.54). Repurchase and satisfaction display a complicated relationship, which confirmed the view that satisfaction does not explain repurchase behavior. Repurchase …

Determinants Of Corporate Cash Holdings, Yun Lai (William) Li

CMC Senior Theses

The paper explores the driving forces behind corporate cash holdings by analyzing past literature and extending this research to the behavior of firms after the 2008 recession. I look at the cash to assets and net debt to assets ratios from October 1980 to October 2011 to obtain an understanding of the past and current state of cash holdings. A comprehensive literature review is done on agency costs and transactional motives to give the reader an overview of the costs and benefits of holding cash. This provides the foundation for the precautionary motives for companies today to keep cash as …

Take Me Out Of The Ball Game: The Efficacy Of Public Subsidies In The Success Of Professional Sports Stadiums, Jonah Chodosh

CMC Senior Theses

This paper weights the relative advantages of multiple factors that lead to the success of professional sports stadiums in major markets, though a discussion of the arguments for and against public subsidies towards these projects. Using a logit statistical model, the paper determines that the two factors determining the highest likelihood of venue success include multiple tenants and access to mass transit. The analysis demonstrates that public subsidies towards stadiums don’t generate sufficient economic returns, and that successful stadiums can be created without using taxpayer funds.

The Next Catalyst For Change: How Corporate Shared Value Is Reshaping Capitalism, Emily Davenport

CMC Senior Theses

Both corporations and their global conglomerates are looking into the face of an evolving idea of capitalism.  As businesses become more intertwined with society, this special relationship is becoming increasingly deterministic of the condition of the world.  This paper explores the possibility that if businesses integrate shared value -- a way to combine economic and social value -- into their long-term business plans, that not only will society be better off, but the businesses themselves may be able to explore previously unrecognized potential for profits.

Public Dollar Private Owners; Tax Subsidies For New Stadiums In Professional Sports, Grant J. Bunnage

CMC Senior Theses

The growing popularity of North American professional sports over the last twenty years directly coincides with the recent trend of urban communities using tax dollars to publically subsidize professional football, baseball, and basketball stadiums. Communities across North America invest substantial amount of public tax dollars in private facilities in light of a consensus among policy analysts that the economic impact of the new stadium is greatly exaggerated. The economic impact of new stadiums has been extensively researched, the focus  of this paper rather, is to examine the impact publically subsidized facilities built in the last twenty years have on the …

Exploring Increased Productivity Through Employee Engagement, Wayne K. Richards Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in lowered productivity, a cost which has been compounded by the difficult economic situations in the country. The potential for increasing productivity through increased employee engagement was examined in this study. Using personal engagement theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of salaried aerospace employees affected productivity and the financial performance of an organization. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 aerospace employees whose responses were codified and analyzed to identify themes. The analysis indicated that (a) …

Leadership Styles And Nursing Satisfaction Rates, Wilma Lee Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this project was to translate evidence-based literature into policy and practice guidelines in order to improve leadership standards and skills among nurse managers and improve patient outcomes and the quality of care. Guided by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Model and Lewin's change theory, which sets the framework for creating exceptional nursing leaders, a literature search was conducted from studies ranging from 2010 to 2012 from several databases. Inclusion criteria were based on the presence of one or more leadership styles discussed in the articles and the impact of leadership style on nursing satisfaction. A total …

Generational Cohort Differences In Types Of Organizational Commitment Among Nurses In Alabama, April Lavette Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In hospitals in the United States, the ratio of nurses to patients is declining, resulting in an increase in work demands for nurses. Consequently, organizations face challenges with nurses' organizational commitment. Studies have revealed generational differences, as determined by birth year, in employee levels of organizational commitment in a number of organizational settings. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of generational cohorts on the organizational commitment of nurses. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional design was to address whether generational cohorts of nurses differed in their levels of organizational commitment, and to investigate whether …

Corporate Governance And The 2008-09 Financial Crisis, Martin Conyon, William Q. Judge, Michael Useem

Management Faculty Publications

The financial crisis of the late 2000s resulted in enormous costs to the economies of many countries and the fortunes of millions of families, and it challenged a host of our conceptions and theories of corporate governance. The governing boards of many financial-services firms seemed unable to prevent the risky and ill-fated decisions that jeopardized their firms, devastated their investors, and helped precipitate a financial meltdown that morphed into global recession. Company boards were also directly responsible through their compensation committees and consultant advisors for a sharp rise in executive compensation during the 2000s that may have contributed to undue …

Why They Stay: Individual Factors Predicting Career Commitment For Woman Engineers, Kathleen R. Buse

Student Scholarship

Women remain underrepresented in the engineering profession comprising only 10% of the employed engineers in 2009 while in that same year− according to the US Bureau of Labor statistics − women exceeded more than half of those employed in professional, managerial and related occupations. While others have studied the reasons women leave engineering careers, this study focused uniquely on women who persist in a career in engineering. A quantitative research study was conducted which surveyed 495 women ages 21 to 60 with engineering degrees to develop a model of the individual factors that lead women to commit to a career …

Managing (Detecting, Preventing, And Mitigating) The Unexpected: How Banks Managed The Financal Meltdown, Ronald W. Eastburn

Student Scholarship

Managing the unexpected is relevant for all organizations and banks experienced this bitterly during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. In this study we argue that the organizational mindset driving unexpected results within the banking sector stemmed from an inability to anticipate and detect the early warning signals. The goal of this study was to gain insights into how successful banks are continuously "adaptive" in that banks with higher levels of absorptive capacity (ACAP) - the mechanisms used for sensing and experimentation of knowledge- are more likely to screen and acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit knowledge to positively influence performance. We …

Nonprofit Performance During The Great Recession: Damned If You Do And Damned If You Don't - Mission-Defensive Paradox, Kathleen Roche

Student Scholarship

During the recent Great Recession and its aftermath, from 2007 - 2010, nonprofit organizations had to carry out their charitable missions to larger and needier constituencies despite endowment erosion, dwindling contributions, reduced staff, and severe funding cuts. Findings from our qualitative research guided this quantitative study, which used PLS to analyze results from 351 online surveys to discern how executive nonprofit leaders and their boards influenced organizational resiliency during this critical period, by employing protective / anticipatory measures and defensive / containment practices, as well as coping strategies. In this exploratory study, leaders' previous experience and external task focus, and …

School Leadership, Collective Mindfulness And Mathematices Achievement In Kenya, Renson Muchiri Mwangi

Student Scholarship

In spite of the long instituted government initiatives to improve mathematics performance in Kenyan secondary schools, students’ performance in the subject at the secondary school level in Kenya continues to be poor. Studies on mathematics achievement in Kenya have primarily focused on teachers’ classroom practices neglecting the potential influence of school leadership. Using data collected from 273 schools involving 607 mathematics teachers we examined how school leadership could impact schools’ mathematics performance in Kenyan public secondary schools. We found school leadership behaviors – principal’s visibility, inspiration and influence – to have weak but significant indirect effect on mathematics achievement through …

Identification Of Patterns In Genetic-Algorithm-Based Solutions For Optimization Of Process-Planning Problems Using A Data Mining Tool, Dowluru Sreeramulu

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

This paper presents a novel use of data mining algorithms for extraction of knowledge from a set of process plans. The purpose of this paper is to apply data mining methodologies to explore the patterns in data generated by genetic-algorithm-generating process plans and to develop a rule set planner, which helps to make decisions in odd circumstances. Genetic algorithms are random-search algorithms based on the mechanics of genetics and natural selection. Because of genetic inheritance, the characteristics of the survivors after several generations should be similar. The solutions of a genetic algorithms for process planning consists of the operation sequence …

Getting Reticent Young Male Participants To Talk: Using Artefact-Mediated Interviews To Promote Discursive Interaction, Susanne T. Bahn, Llandis G. Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2011

During a pilot study that used interviews to collect data from young male apprentices about construction site safety, we were confronted with limited verbal responses. This article is about how we explored this research problem of ameliorating unresponsive interview interactions. The article reviews the options that previous researchers have trialled and developed, and specifically focuses on artefact-mediated interviews conducted with young male participants. We focus on the use of images within artefact-mediated interviews to draw out data from less communicative subjects. Our reflection upon this process proposes that the use of both abstract and concrete images within an artefact-mediated interview …

Eliciting Data From Participants Using Visual Mapping As A Collection Technique, Susanne T. Bahn, Pamela J. Weatherill

Research outputs 2011

This article uses the project evaluation of the School-Aged Therapy Service for children with disabilities in Western Australia as an example of alternative ways to gather qualitative data from participants. The purpose of the evaluation was to pave the way for considerable and quick developmental operational change in order to stem the complaints from users of the service and to provide more effective service delivery. With this in mind the research team determined it was necessary to ‘map’ the current model of operation as there was inconsistency from the staff as to their understanding, and their ideal model of operation …

When A Promotion Is Denied: The Effects Of Decision Stage On Perceptions Of Promotion And Price Fairness, Monika Kukar-Kinney, Lan Xia, Kent B. Monroe

Marketing Faculty Publications

Marketers frequently use promotions to enhance sales and increase consumers' perceptions of value. However, most promotions usually come with restrictions, such as time expiration, quantity or product model restriction, etc. In the present research, the effect of the stage in the purchase process when the consumer finds out about the restriction is investigated. The findings indicate that the later in the purchase process the consumer discovers the restriction, the greater is the perception that the effort invested into the purchase is wasted, consequently resulting in lower promotion and price fairness. This effect is mediated through the feeling of entitlement to …

Data-Driven Decision Making As A Tool To Improve Software Development Productivity, Mary Erin Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The worldwide software project failure rate, based on a survey of information technology software manager's view of user satisfaction, product quality, and staff productivity, is estimated to be between 24% and 36% and software project success has not kept pace with the advances in hardware. The problem addressed by this study was the limited information about software managers' experiences with data-driven decision making (DDD) in agile software organizations as a tool to improve software development productivity. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how agile software managers view DDD as a tool to improve software development productivity and …

Stakeholder Orientation, Managerial Discretion And Nexus Rents, Robert A. Phillips, Shawn L. Berman, Heather Elms, Mechael E. Johnson-Cramer

Management Faculty Publications

A firm's orientation toward its stakeholders determines how it will use the discretion accorded to it by external and internal circumstances. The interaction between these two factors affects a firm's ability to create value in the short term and influences the level of discretion available to the firm in the long term. We argue that the interplay of discretion and orientation create a vicious (or virtuous) cycle, in which the firm either creates or destroys goodwill with stakeholders, thereby making it more or less likely that stakeholders will grant discretion in the future. This argument suggests an account of stakeholder …

Economic Development Incentives And The Legal And Economic Issues Of Open Versus Sealed Bids, Sherry L. Jarrell, J. Neal Robbins, Gary L. Shoesmith, Brendan A. Fox

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

No abstract provided.

Emerging Issues Of Management Education In The 21st Century, Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, Cristina M. Giannantonio, Bruce Dehning

Business Faculty Articles and Research

There is a need for the development of international course material studying corporations outside of the United States. The development of these materials is going to require new forms of cooperation between universities and corporations. Little research exists which examines whether practitioners read, understand, or use the material contained in academic journals. This paper examines the relationship between universities and corporations by reporting the results of a study which surveyed executives about their relationship with academic research. The paper then discusses methodologies for improving collaboration between the two constituencies and offers suggestions for the development of international course materials.

The Ronald Reagan Paradigm, Taylor Evenson

Whittier Scholars Program

This project is centered on the Ronald Reagan Paradigm, a pervasive ideology that has dominated politics and the U.S. Government for approximately the last 30 years. The pervasive ideology is a neoliberal agenda aimed at increasing the power of corporations within the United States. The ideology is legitimized by Ronald Reagan's Presidency. Furthermore, the ideology is legitimized by think-tanks and few educational institutions. The ideas are disseminated through publications and media outlets. This paper highlights the author’s understanding of this ideology and its creation.

An Examination Of Compressed Natural Gas For Use In Municipal Fleets: Would Cng Work For Lexington, Ky?, Robert Kahne

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is an alternative fuel source which could replace diesel as a fuel for municipal fleets. This paper seeks to examine the viability of CNG and its potential to power Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s fleet of waste removal trucks. This paper takes into account financial and environmental factors in determining CNG’s potential, but gives priority to financial considerations. The results of this analysis are mixed—under some future scenarios, compressed natural gas would be a favorable option for the fleet, but given other future scenarios, CNG would not be viable. In terms of environmental benefits, a switch to …

The Implementation Of Web-Based Project Management Systems By The General Contractor: Transferring From Hard-Copy To Digital Format., Jason A. Miller

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Abstract

The construction industry is undergoing a transition from being paper based to a digital one.  This transition puts a document management challenge on all members of the construction team, but most specifically the general contractor which has to ensure that the appropriate information reaches the intended party in a usable format.  The submittal process has historically been very paper intensive with multiple copies begin distributed to various parties.  Transitioning to a digital format will decrease the amount of paper copies, but presents challenges to the general contractor.  The first is the traditional method of noting documents will not be …

The Role Of Organizational Climate And Culture In Service Encounters, Beth Ann Heyart

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study explored the link between culture and climate with respect to customer service ratings. Two hospital units, one with high customer service ratings and one with low customer service ratings, were identified for analysis. A mixed-method design was implemented to assess climate and culture on each unit. Climate was assessed with a survey that combined elements of Schneider, White, and Paul's (1998) Assessment of Service Climate Instrument and Litwin and Stringer's (1968) Organizational Climate Questionnaire. An ethnographic approach using observation, interviews and archival data analysis was completed to understand each unit's culture. Findings indicate high customer service environments rated …

A Mediated Model Of Trust And Its Antecedents In The Client-Consultant Relationship, William L. Solomonson

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study seeks to improve the contributions of performance consultants, instructional design consultants, and training consultants by explaining the effect that several variables have on trust as a mediator to relationship commitment within the context of the client-consultant relationship. The participants were 521 college students from two 4-year universities. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight scenario-based questionnaires which measured the effect of three manipulated variables - perceived level of expertise, shared values, and sharing of meaningful information - on trust as a mediator to relationship commitment. The ability to trust, the comparison level of the alternative, and dependence …

Examining The Effects Of Realistic Recruitment On Work-Family Conflict: A Test Of The Mediating Role Of Expectations., Russell Clayton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research considered how the realistic recruitment practices of Realistic Job Preview (RJP) and Expectation Lowering Procedure (ELP) may assist employees in reducing perceptions of Work-Family Conflict (WFC). This relationship was theorized as indirect, with Met Expectations mediating the relationship between realistic recruitment and WFC. As such, the current research sheds new light on a protective antecedent of WFC. Furthermore, the disposition of work-family centrality was tested also hypothesized to moderate the relationship between realistic recruitment and Met Expectations. Three studies were conducted in order to empirically test the hypothesized relationships. Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey utilizing a broad …

Strategic Global Human Resource Management: An Analysis Of Liability-Of-Foreignness Issues Associated With Inpatriate Managers, Miriam Moeller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Essay 1: This manuscript addresses the strategic role of an inpatriate staffing approach in the development of a global mindset within global organizations. The premise lies in the development of the liability-of-foreignness concept from the individual level of analysis in the context of global assignments. I first provide arguments relative to the utility of inpatriate managers in global organizations by advocating what appears to be a shift to a strategic global human resource management paradigm. Drawing upon reference point theory, the manuscript highlights potential hardships faced through an analysis of managerial and contextual liability-of-foreignness as may be perceived by inpatriate …

An Empirical Study On User Acceptance Of Simulation Techniques For Business Process, Olurotimi Adeboye Ladeinde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Non acceptance of technology may result in serious damages to organizations. For example, non acceptance of simulation technology cost Merrill Lynch Bank over {dollar}50 billion in 2008, while statistics in 2 separate studies showed that non acceptance of technology was responsible for a 57% decrease in performance level for physicians practicing in public tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong, and a 39% decrease in productivity for hotel workers in Seoul, Korea. The problem addressed in this research was non acceptance of simulation technology by project managers. This research investigated the correlation among personal innovativeness, organizational innovativeness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of …