Business Commons^™

Assessing The Need For The Development Of Standardized Life Skills Measures, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt

Faculty Publications

Youth practitioners often select life skills as intentionally targeted program outcomes. While research findings suggest the efficacy of program experiences to positively influence a variety of life skills, it remains difficult to compare these findings due to measurement incongruities. Individual life skills (e.g., leadership, decision making, etc.) often lack standardized conceptualizations and measurement approaches. The purpose of the study reported here was to gather data about practitioners' perceptions of those life skill domains most in need of measurement development. Based on the results of the study, 10 life skill sub-domains are recommended for future measurement development efforts.

Anchoring Change In Higher Education : Narratives From Senior Executives At Malcolm Baldrige Award-Winning Institutions, Cheryl H. Kisunzu

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to explore Kotter’s (1996) eighth stage for leading change. Specifically, it is to identify strategies for anchoring planned change in institutions of higher education.

Design. This is a qualitative multiple case study. Each of the participating organizations is an institution of higher education uniquely distinguished as a recipient of the United State’s highest recognition for progressive excellence—the Malcolm Baldrige Award. A narrative design is used to conduct in-depth exploration of leading planned change, specifically anchoring this planned change into the culture of academic institutions of higher learning. Purposeful sampling was used to identify …

Development Of A Gis Fiber Optics Assetmanagement System For The City Of El Paso, Luis Fernando Quintana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The GIS Fiber Optics Asset Management System (GFOAMS) was developed for the City of El Paso, to manage the public fiber optics infrastructure. Using a map-driven interface, the GFOAMS is composed of three modules: inventory, documents, and images. Its interactive multilayer data structure contains information for Junction Boxes, Conduit Runs, and Cables for twelve fiber optic systems across the city. The fiber optics network stored in the GFOAMS connects city buildings and facilities such as police departments, fire departments, municipal courts, health administration building, public transportation facilities/Sun Metro, libraries and others. Applications of the GFOAMS include tools to easy access …

Equity Valuation Methods Of Analysts In Malaysia : A Study Of Financial Analyst Coverage Of Airasia Berhad 2007-2011., Intan Suraya Hashim

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study examined the valuation methods used by sell-side financial analysts to value AirAsiaBerhad’s (AirAsia) shares. Using content analysis methodology and a survey of analysts who were covering the share, earningsbased valuations appeared to be dominant when AirAsia reported a profit and asset-based valuations appeared to be dominant when AirAsia reported a loss. Our results suggested that the Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio is analysts’ preferred earnings-based valuation method. However, we could not conclusively identify their preferred asset-based valuation method. Our results also indicated that analysts changed valuation methods during their coverage of AirAsia’s shares, switching between earnings-based and asset-based valuations as …

The Shift In Coaching Dynamics During Long-Term Business Coaching Relationships, Axel Meierhoefer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The focus of this dissertation was on the changes in long-term external business coaching relationships (defined as more than 4 months). The current study intended to answer two questions: (a) how does the relationship between a coach and a coachee change in long-term coaching engagements? and (b) how do these changes impact the coaching process dynamics and results? The phenomenon that was discovered through this research is called the shift moment. It exemplifies the transition from skill or problem oriented issues, which often represent the original cause of the coaching relationship, to the holistic transformation of the coachee. A qualitative …

Three Essays On Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Carole Louise Cangioni

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The association between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth appears to be robust: the source of half of job creation emanates from new ventures which, in addition, are a source of technical and market innovation as well as higher labor productivity (Gartner, Shaver, Carter, & Reynolds, 2004). Also, there is a growing percentage of ethnic entrepreneurship in immigrant receiving metropolitan areas, and marginal economic conditions, often experienced by immigrants, increase self-employment. According to the U.S. Census Bureau: "By 2010, Hispanics will be the largest minority group in the U.S with more than 20% of the nation's population" and "minorities, now roughly …

Quality Of Work Life Orientation : Antecedents And Effects On Organizational Commitment In The Malaysian Public Service., Rosslina Ahmad Mokhtar

Student Works (2010-2019)

The primary objective of this study is to examine the antecedents and effects of quality of work life (QWL) orientation on organisational commitment. The framework examines certain organisational aspects and individual characteristic that are associated with the QWL orientation and their contribution towards organisational commitment. The four antecedents are identified as: organisational culture, organisation structure, social capital and leadership behaviour. The QWL orientation dimensions used are namely job characteristics and work environment. The study also examines the direct effect of the antecedents on organisational commitment and further explored whether organisation‟s orientation towards QWL mediated the relationship between the antecedents and …

Investigating The Mediation Effect Of Satisfaction On Relationships Between Service Quality And Perceived Value To Loyalty : Empirical Evidence From Telecommunication Service Centres In Malaysia., Nor Ilyani Zainal

Student Works (2010-2019)

In the telecommunication business, running telco service centres is very important and central to the business operations. Telco service centres play a very important role in the telecommunications service industry as they serve as the primary connector between the telcos and their customers. Therefore, an assessment of service quality and customer satisfaction with services received at the telco service centres in Malaysia is essential. It is imperative for telcos in Malaysia to continue to address core needs of existing and prospective customers in order to drive growth and build an outstanding reputation in the industry within the region. Customer satisfaction …

Determinants Of E-Commerce Adoption Among Malaysian Smes., Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki

Student Works (2010-2019)

The use of electronic commerce (e-commerce) enables Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to improve their efficiency and competitive advantage. Although researchers have been increasingly exploring and predicting ecommerce adoption among SMEs in other developing countries, there is still a limited understanding of the behaviour of Malaysian SMEs towards e-commerce technologies adoption. As in many other countries, the SME sector constitutes the majority of business activities in Malaysia, and their contribution to Malaysian economy is very significant. Yet, very little research on Malaysian SMEs has taken a holistic view of the e-commerce adoption factors, from technological, organisational and environmental contexts. This …

Personality Characteristics As Antecedents Of Word Of Mouth In Travel Industry : Comparison Of Online Versus Offline Environment., Mina Borhani

Student Works (2010-2019)

Word of mouth marketing has recently generated much attention from scholars due to its criticality for businesses to succeed. Many companies are now trying to create buzz and generate positive word of mouth (WOM), since that is one of the most influential factors on consumer purchase decision. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of personality characteristics as a driver of word of mouth behavior. Five personality dimensions including self-confidence, conservativeness, assertiveness, risk taking attitude, and sense of justice, are chosen as independent variables of the model. Attitude towards word of mouth as mediator and behavior of …

Outcomes Of Adaptive Sports And Recreation Participation Among Veterans Returning From Combat With Acquired Disability, Neil Lundberg, Jessie Bennett, Shauna Smith

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in quality of life, mood states, and sports related competence for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who participated in a therapeutic adaptive sports and recreation program. The researchers hypothesized that participation would lead to increases in physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL, increases in sports related competence, and reductions in mood disturbances such as depression and anger. A total of 18 veterans participated in one of three week-long therapeutic and adaptive sports programs in Sun Valley Idaho. Veterans responded on a pretest and posttest questionnaire. Because no …

The Role Of Gender In Negotiation, Elizabeth Layne Paddock, L. J. Kray

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Australian Family Leisure: Modelling Parent And Youth Data, Raymond A. Poff, Ramon Zabriskie, Jasmine A. Townsend

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to test a recently developed broad structural model which examines the relationships between family leisure involvement, family functioning, family communication, family leisure satisfaction, and satisfaction with family life among a large sample of families from Australia (n = 1014). participating families provided responses to family variables from both a parent (n = 902) and an adolescent child (n = 810) in the household. Structural equation modelling was employed and the fit indices from the parent and youth structural equation models were quite similar to each other, with both exhibiting a reasonable fit of the …

Nested Identities: A Concept For Improving Banker Engagement, Glen Weaver

Student Scholarship

The financial crisis served as an interesting backdrop for this study of the impact of identification upon banker engagement. Studies have shown that leadership style influences employee engagement, but little research reflects the impact of various levels of identity (nested identity) upon engagement. A survey of 511 mid-level bankers displayed the significance of career, organizational, and industry identity upon vigor, dedication, and absorption. Further, it was determined that organizational identity mediated the relationship between leadership and engagement. This research suggests that bank leadership would be wise to enact management tactics that elevate the level of career, organizational, and industry identity …

Capital Structure, Credit Ratings, And Sarbanes-Oxley, Kelly E. Carter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) is an exogenous shock to the information environment of U.S.-listed firms, those firms might adjust their capital structures to reflect the new information environment. Using univariate and multivariate tests, including differences-in-differences, I examine SOX's effect on the capital structure of U.S.-listed firms relative to Canadian firms listed in Canada, which are treated as control firms since they are not subject to SOX. The results indicate that, after the passage of SOX, U.S.-listed firms raise their long-term debt ratios by two to three percentage points, relative to the control group. U.S. firms listed in the U.S. drive this …

Assessing Business Students' Sensitivity To Diversity Issues Within In A Msi: Implications For Continuous Curriculum Improvement, Dianna Blankenship, Gerald Hollier, Irma S. Jones, Marvin Lovett

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Demonstration of cultural context diversity in business programs is essential to obtain and maintain AACSB accreditation. For minority serving institutions (MSI) knowledge of business students' awareness of and sensitivity to diversity issues is crucial in order that a wide variety of perspectives may be included in all business courses and activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the existing levels of awareness among MSI business students toward issues of diversity. Study results are presented, implications for AACSB “continuous improvement” through microcurriculum revisions are discussed, and suggestions for including diversity in MSI business courses are also provided.

Stories Of Resistance: Black Women Corporate Executives Opposing Gendered (Everyday) Racism, Cheryl D. Jordan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

For this research, I explored contemporary resistance strategies that Black women executives in the corporate world use to oppose negative behaviors by others associated with their race and gender. The dissertation reviews scholarship about the major role the convergence of race and gender play in the day-to-day existence of Black women. Historically, negative images and beliefs have influenced the treatment of Black women in society. These same thoughts and images affect Black women executives in today’s workplace. African-American women continue to see limited advancement to senior levels within the corporate organization, even though diversity programs abound. As leaders in the …

How Leaders Think: Measuring Cognitive Complexity In Leading Organizational Change, Iva Vurdelja

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The ability to lead complex organizational change is considered the most difficult leadership responsibility. Habitual linear thinking based on sequential procedural decision making is insufficient when responding to ambiguous and unpredictable challenges and interpreting systemic variables in the context of unforeseen problems, risks, and invisible interrelationships. The purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to expand our understanding of the structure of the thinking employed by executive leaders as initiators and enablers of complex, large-scale organizational change. The researcher integrated knowledge of adult cognitive development and organizational leadership to examine the higher forms of reasoning abilities required for dealing …

Network Drivers Of Intercustomer Social Support, Hulda G. Black

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Customers in a service setting sometimes seek support from other customers; recent research has demonstrated this phenomenon. This research also found that intercustomer social support has a positive impact on consumer health, as well as the financial returns for the company. Given these positive effects for firms and customers, organizations can benefit from fostering social connections among their customers. While past research has investigated the positive consequences of intercustomer social support, little research to date has investigated the firm’s strategic role in fostering intercustomer social support. The current research seeks to understand key tactics a firm can use to promote …

Order Acceptance And Scheduling: A Taxonomy And Review, Susan A. Slotnick

Business Faculty Publications

Over the past 20 years, the topic of order acceptance has attracted considerable attention from those who study scheduling and those who practice it. In a firm that strives to align its functions so that profit is maximized, the coordination of capacity with demand may require that business sometimes be turned away. In particular, there is a trade-off between the revenue brought in by a particular order, and all of its associated costs of processing. The present study focuses on the body of research that approaches this trade-off by considering two decisions: which orders to accept for processing, and how …

Making Sense Of Supply Disruption Risk Research: A Conceptual Framework Grounded In Enactment Theory, Scott C. Ellis, Jeff Shockley, Raymond M. Henry

Business Faculty Publications

The rich stream of supply disruption risk (SDR) literature incorporates several different theories and constructs across studies, but lacks a unifying decision-making framework. We review 79 SDR studies and advance a comprehensive framework, grounded in enactment theory, which integrates the disparate elements of SDR research and offers new insights into the SDR decision-making process. Enactment theory posits a three-stage, closed-loop process, consisting of enactment, selection and retention, through which individuals process and make sense of equivocal environments. We suggest that this sense-making process also underlies SDR decision-making, and provides the theoretical underpinnings for the environmental, organizational and individual factors that …

Global Outsourcing: A Study Of Student Attitudes, Michael P. Mcdonald, Darrell Parker, Angela M. Leverett, Sara J. Grimes, John Leaptrott

Management: Faculty Publications

The practice of global outsourcing by U.S.A. companies is frequently the source of heated debate. Recently a Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll found that 86% of Americans believe that outsourcing is the number one factor contributing to the country’s continuing economic distress. This study presents the results of a survey designed to assess the attitudes toward global outsourcing among business students and non business students at a large regional university in the Southeast U.S.A. A survey of attitudes toward global outsourcing was administered to 284 undergraduate and graduate students. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and MANOVA methods were used to analyze the …

القياس والإفصاح المحاسبي للمسؤولية الاجتماعية في الوحدات الاقتصادية (دراسة تطبيقية في شركة أور العامة للصناعات الهندسية), سعود جايد شاكر, علي نعيم جاسم

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تحديد إطار مفاهيمي للقياس والإفصاح المحاسبي عن المسؤولية الاجتماعية من حيث المفهوم والمتغيرات ومجالات التطبيق، والتعرف على أساليب ومداخل القياس والإفصاح عن معلومات المسؤولية الاجتماعية في القوائم الختامية التي تعدها الوحدات الاقتصادية. كذلك تهدف الدراسة إلى إمكانية تطبيق نماذج للمحاسبة عن المسؤولية الاجتماعية تتفق مفاهيمها ومتغيراتها مع ظروف وتركيبة البنيان الاجتماعي والاقتصادي للشركات العاملة في القطاع الصناعي العراقي، وذلك بهدف تقويم الأداء الاجتماعي لتلك الشركات. تم تطبيق هذه الدراسة من خلال اختيار إحدى شركات القطاع الصناعي في العراق (شركة أور العامة للصناعات الهندسية) بوصفها عينة لإعداد القوائم الختامية الاجتماعية مثل قائمة التدفقات النقدية وقائمة النشاط الاقتصادي/الاجتماعي …

وسائل القياس والإفصاح في المحاسبة البيئية (دراسة تطبيقية في محطة توليد الطاقة الحرارية في الناصرية), علي نعيم جاسم

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

تهدف الدراسة الى بيان دور الوحدات الاقتصادية في المحافظة على البيئة واعتبارها جزءاً رئيسياً من اهدافها التي تسعى الى تحقيقها للارتقاء بمستوى الخدمات المقدمة لما لهذا الدور من أهمية في الحياة وخاصة في العراق الذي يعاني في الوقت الحاضر من بيئة ملوثة نسبياً. فقد وضع الباحث حلولاً لعملية القياس والافصاح عن التكاليف البيئية وخاصة في الشركات العامة التي تعمل في ظل ظروف صعبة وقاسية تفرضها اللوائح والقوانين. وفي اطار سعي الباحث لتحقيق هدف الدراسة استند الى الفرضية الرئيسية الاتية ((هناك علاقة وثيقة بين تحمل الوحدات الاقتصادية للكلف البيئية وبين المساهمة الكبيرة لها في مجال المحافظة على البيئة لتحقيق جزء من …

مخاطر التدقيق واثرها على جودة الاداء ومصداقية النتائج (دراسة تطبيقية في الشركة العامة للتجهيزات الزراعية ), ناظم شعلان جبار

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

مع التطور المتزايد أصبحت مخاطر التدقيق أمراً يهدد نتائج عمل مدقق الحسابات لذا أستوجب الأمر دراسة هذه المخاطر والعوامل المؤثرة فيها من خلال تحديدها وتقدير مستوياتها واحتمالات حدوثها واخذها بالحسبان عند التخطيط والتنفيذ لاجراءات التدقيق بهدف تقليل أثرها، لذا ينبغي التعرف عليها بفاعلية ودراسة العوامل المؤثرة فيها بغية تقدير درجات المخاطر والتعرف على المجالات التي ترتفع فيها واخذ المستويات المقدرة لها في الاعتبار واتخاذ كل ما من شأنه تخفيض حدة تأثيرها في القوائم المالية ومن ثم تقليص مخاطر إبداء رأي تدقيقي غير مناسب إلى أدنى مستوى ممكن ومقبول، ذلك لان رأي المدقق يتسم بالأهمية والخطورة وله تأثير في جهات عديدة، …

Knowledge-Salvage Practices For Dormant R&D Projects, Oya I. Tukel, Tibor Kremic, Walter O. Rom, Richard J. Miller

Business Faculty Publications

Most successful firms have an abundance of new and old knowledge in their research and development laboratories, and only a fraction is being put into use in new product development. This knowledge is left over from projects that have been killed at different development stages and may actually carry considerable value. In this article, we propose a knowledge bank as a possible solution to preserve and possibly grow this knowledge. It is a self-sustaining institute with minimal or no ongoing effort from the donor company, yet manages the knowledge in a way that protects proprietary interests and actively fosters communication …

Optimal And Heuristic Lead-Time Quotation For An Integrated Steel Mill With A Minimum Batch Size, Susan A. Slotnick

Business Faculty Publications

This paper presents a model of lead-time policies for a production system, such as an integrated steel mill, in which the bottleneck process requires a minimum batch size. An accurate understanding of internal lead-time quotations is necessary for making good customer delivery-date promises, which must take into account processing time, queueing time and time for arrival of the requisite volume of orders to complete the minimum batch size requirement. The problem is modeled as a stochastic dynamic program with a large state space. A computational study demonstrates that lead time for an arriving order should generally be a decreasing function …

Double The Outcomes: Employing Sensory Based Approaches To Improve The Quality Of Care And Reduce The Use Of Restraints On Inpatient Behavioral Health Units, Mary Ellen O'Connell Rn, Bsn, Msn, Mba, Jennifer P. Maloney Ms, Otr/L, Stephanie Lenhart Mba, Cphq

Administration & Leadership

No abstract provided.

Capacity Rationalisation And Exit Barriers In The Irish Printing Industry, Kathleen Hughes

Conference papers

Decisions regarding capacity and capital investment are among the most critical for firms, as reflected in the extensive literature devoted to this subject. However, substantially less work has been carried out on the decision to disinvest. This is unfortunate as in some situations, such as recessionary times, the main competitive moves pertain to disinvestment, rather than investment. This study aims to contribute to this subject, in particular it aims to identify why industries with a concentrated structure can when proactively rationalise when required, while fragmented ones cannot. Research methodology a case study approach, comprising in-depth interviews with six industry experts …

An Integrated Framework To Assess ‘Leanness’ Performance In Distribution Centres, Amr Mahfouz

Doctoral

The theory behind lean philosophy is to create more value with less. Effective lean management enables organisations to exceed customer expectations while reducing costs. Despite the fact that numerous practices and approaches are used in the process of implementing lean philosophy and reducing waste within supply chain systems, little effort has been directed into assessing the leanness level of distribution and its impact on overall performance. Given the vital role of distribution units within supply chains, this research aims to develop a comprehensive lean assessment framework that integrates a selected set of statistical, analytical, and mathematical techniques in order to …