Business Commons^™

Religious Commitment, Job Satisfaction, And Social Acceptability Among Religious Groups, Kathryn E. Dozier

Honors Theses

This study seeks to develop a better understanding of the relationships between religious commitment, social support, and job satisfaction. This research specifically investigated the correlations between religious commitment and social support, religious commitment and job satisfaction, and social support and job satisfaction. After surveying undergraduate students from a southern university, there was no statistical evidence supporting the idea that the indicated combinations contributed to job satisfaction. The research did demonstrate, however, a correlation between religious commitment and social support. In addition, groups were tested for significant differences in levels of religious commitment, social support, and job satisfaction; the groups based …

On The Right Track: Exploring Influences Contributing To Successful Track-Switching Of Indians Working For A U.S. Company, Rose-Marie Speck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how Indian managers assessed the influences leading to their transition from technician to manager when working for a company in the U.S. This study was based on interviews with fifteen Indian managers who had track-switched from a technical job to a management position in the U.S. in a U.S. company. The interviewees were asked five questions about what they believed made them successful in track-switching, and the consensus among interviewees was that for a technician to track-switch effectively, the technician had to have excellent technical skills. In addition to technical skills, the …

A Multi-Period Facility Location Model For Service Organizations Operating In A Competitive Environment., Sven W. Brose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a multi-period, mathematical programming location model for facilities operating in a competitive environment. The objective is to maximize the profit in a variable demand environment. The solution of the problem can either be done in a robust or in a dynamic manner. A robust solution methodology forecasts the demand for all the periods in the planning horizon and provides a robust solution that may be suboptimal for any given period, but optimal when all the periods are taken into consideration. A problem with this approach is that it requires accurate forecast of demand for multiple periods into …

Coupling Mobile Technology, Position Data Mining, And Attitude Toward Risk To Improve Construction Site Safety, Khandakar Mamunur Rashid

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Construction sites comprise constantly moving heterogeneous resources that interact in close proximity of each other. The sporadic nature of such interactions creates an accident prone physical space surrounding workers. Despite efforts to improve site safety using location-aware proximity sensing techniques, major scientific gaps still remain in reliably forecasting impending hazardous scenarios before they occur. In the research documented in this thesis, spatiotemporal data of workers and site hazards are fused with a quantifiable model of an individual's attitude toward risk to generate proximity-based safety alerts in real time. In particular, two trajectory prediction models, namely polynomial regression (PR) and hidden …

Price Prediction: Determining Changes In Stock Pricing Through Sentiment Analysis Of Online Consumer Reviews, Daryl F. Boykin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rapid growth of technology has changed the dynamics in which consumers socialize and make their purchasing decisions. The volume of online reviews has grown rapidly over the past decade, leading the peer groups of consumer to carry a disproportionate weight in the purchasing decision process. The sheer volume of reviews can be a daunting task for an operator to attempt to incorporate the reviews in their analysis. Sentiment analysis allows for large volumes of consumer reviews to be processed in a relatively easy, and time sensitive manner. The information contained in these reviews, the sentiment score, is the same …

Volunteer Management In Faith-Based Organizations, Cheryl Regina Coleman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) rely heavily on volunteers to carry out their mission, making volunteer labor fundamental to an organization’s business operations and outcomes. A review of the literature revealed a significant gap in managing volunteers effectively in a nonprofit, faith- based setting. The standard business management practices typically employed when managing volunteers lack effectiveness in nonprofit FBO environments. Employing for-profit management practices to managing volunteer labor in nonprofit settings is especially challenging given the uniqueness of nonprofit organizations that rely on volunteer over paid labor. Challenges include the organization’s values, mission, identity, social goals, outcomes, and ideological characteristics. The purpose …

Examining The High-End Gaming Segment: Toward A Shift In Market Focus, Jiaqi Wu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Las Vegas gaming and hospitality industry has seen many changes over the last two decades. For the longest time, casinos were illegal everywhere except in Nevada, and gambling was viewed as a vice. It was not until the 1970s when attitudes started to shift. The Nevada Gaming Control Board was established to oversee and govern many aspects of the business, in order to promote the industry and reduce the perceived negative social impacts. LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) also strategically promotes the city as the ideal tourist destination. Las Vegas has now become a highly competitive tourist …

A Case Study On The Emergence Of Boutique And Lifestyle Hotels, Tiffany M. Braun

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lifestyle and boutique hotels entered hospitality landscape twenty years ago. When they arrived, they were competing with the larger brands and chains and at first struggled to stay competitive (Sears, 2016). However, these hotels were eventually able to survive, and then compete, and then excel in the hospitality industry. Over the last five years, the supply of lifestyle hotel rooms has now increased at a double-digit annual rate (Skinner, 2016). And in 2015, both segments of hotels generated room revenues of over $13.7 billion (Skinner, 2016).

Lifestyle and boutique hotels have brought back the elements of architecture, design, and authenticity …

Leadership And Performance In Various Group Dynamics, Jonathan Fedczuk

Business/Business Administration

This thesis will begin by providing a summary of the differences between flat and tall organizations. The bulk of the research will aim to explore leadership styles and demands that are effective in flatter organizations. More specifically, it will examine several aspects of autocratic and participative leadership in relation to managerial success. It will also assess certain need satisfactions of managers in flat organizations and the extent to which they have achieved success. The second portion of this thesis is intended to explore whether structural differences influence performance. A number of laboratory studies are evaluated to measure performance in tall …

Changefest: Creating Significant Positive Change In Just One Day, Elana Rivkin

Senior Honors Projects

Upon getting involved with, and eventually becoming the President of, the student organization, Thrive, I felt a spark of innovation within me. Thrive is an entrepreneurial organization centered around helping students create socially impactful projects. While each member initially worked on their own individual projects, we capitalized on the connections and resources we had mutually to create something bigger than ourselves as a group. That is where the idea for ChangeFest came about. ChangeFest is a day-long event where students have the power to make substantial change on their campuses. Many college students lack the intrinsic motivation to push themselves …

The Impact Of Duty Cycle Workflow On Sign-Out Practices: A Qualitative Study Of An Internal Medicine Residency Program In Maryland, Usa, Soo-Hoon Lee, Sanjay V. Desai, Philip H. Phan

Management Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Although JCAHO requires a standardised approach to handoffs, and while many standardised protocols have been tested, sign-out practices continue to vary. We believe this is due to the variability in workflow during inpatient duty cycle. We investigate the impact of such workflows on intern sign-out practices.

DESIGN: We employed a prospective, grounded theory mixed-method design.

SETTING: The study was conducted at a residency programme in the mid-Atlantic USA. Two observers randomly evaluated three types of daily sign-outs for 1 week every 3 months from September 2013 to March 2014. The compliance of each observed behaviour to JCAHO's Handoff Communication …

Mcdm Method For N-Wise Criteria Comparisons And Inconsistent Problems, Florentin Smarandache, Azeddine Elhassouny

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The purpose of this paper is to present an e[xtension and alternative of the hybrid method based on Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method (AHP-TOPSIS), that based on the AHP and its use of pairwise comparisons, to a new method called α -D MCDM-TOPSIS( α -Discounting Method for multicriteria decision making-TOPSIS). The new method overcomes limits of AHP which work only for pairwise comparisons of criteria to any-wise (n-wise) comparisons, with crisp coefficients or with interval-valued coefficients. α-D MCDM-TOPSIS is verified by some examples to demonstrate how it allows for consistency, …

Perceived Entitlement Among Amillenials Versus Baby Boomers: A Cross-Generational Examination, Eliza Comer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As the Millennial workforce grows, understanding how Millennials are viewed- specifically in terms of entitlement-is an issue that merits attention, since perceived entitlement could negatively impact the extent to which an individual's contributions are valued in the workplace. While prior research suggests that Millennials are entitled (Allen 2015; Fisk 2010; Myers 2010), it neglects how perceptions of entitlement may differ across generations. We aim to address this gap by examining whether Baby Boomers and Millennials differ in their perceptions of what constitutes entitled behavior. Specifically, we test whether an individual's age, together with situational factors, may influence the extent to …

The Sandwich Approach, Tomas Klvana

Asian Management Insights

‘Doing good’ requires execution of sound strategies that effectively engage stakeholders.

The Effects Of Availability Heuristic Cues On Restaurant Purchase Decisions, Nadia Hanin Nazlan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation applied the theory of judgment heuristics to investigate the influence of availability cues on restaurant purchase decisions. Two studies were conducted in which respondents made food choice decisions. In the first study, respondents evaluated menu items in a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design that manipulated scarcity cues, bundling, and price. In the second study, respondents evaluated restaurant appeal and menu choice in a 3 × 2 × 2 experiment that manipulated information vividness, message frequency, and price. The results of Study 1 suggest that respondents’ evaluations and purchase intentions can be influenced by scarcity …

Exploring Effects Of Organizational Culture Upon Implementation Of Information Security Awareness And Training Programs Within The Defense Industry Located In The Tennessee Valley Region, Robert Luther Grant

Theses and Dissertations

Data breaches due to social engineering attacks and employee negligence are on the rise. The only known defense against social engineering attacks and employee negligence is information security awareness and training. However, implementation of awareness and training programs within organizations are lagging in priority. This research used the constructivist grounded theory methodology to explore the effects organizational culture had upon the implementation of information security awareness and training programs and to discover why those programs were lagging in priority within the defense industry located in the Tennessee valley region.

A Qualitative Study Of Millennials In The Workplace: Gaining Their Long-Term Employment In News Media Firms In North Alabama, Harry L. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to understand why millennials are not remaining long-term in news media firms located in North Alabama. Long-term is defined as three or more years of employment in the news media firm where they are currently employed (Deal et al., 2010; Deloitte, 2014; Gedeon, 2013 & Saiidi, 2014). There is a lack of understanding as to why millennial generation employees in North Alabama news media firms, on average, fail to remain employed long-term. As of March 2015, millennials are the largest working generational cohort in the U.S. workforce (Feeney, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). The …

Workplace Bullying: Proven Methodologies To Mitigate The Issue Within The Government Contracting Workplace Environment, Wendy Jan Kirk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to ascertain proven methods to adopt within the workplace to mediate workplace bullying in organizations in a specific region of north Alabama, with emphasis given to organizations whose workforce is mixed, consisting of federal government employees as well as contracted staffers. At the theoretical level, this study aims to consolidate knowledge from Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) in the field of workplace bullying and outline concrete steps and implementable plans for area corporate leadership to implement within their organization. At the practical level this study aims to bring attention to the issue of workplace …

A Comprehensive Study Of Intrapreneruship As A Cultural Form Of Innovation And Sustainable Competive Advantage, Timothy Charles Mcdowell

Theses and Dissertations

Intrapreneurial activity within the firm varies within the contexts of employee perception and motivation. The problem explored in this study is to better understand complex internal workings of organizational dynamics, discovering what factors energize employees to perform intrapreneurially in the aerospace industry. This study examines antecedents and consequences of intrapreneurial activity within firms leading to innovation as a sustainable competitive advantage. The need for specific research is evident from limited data available regarding intrapreneurial motivation from the individual perspective within the aerospace community. The phenomenon of intrapreneurship within the aerospace industry often occurs over multiple years. This study examines the …

Business Practices Which Have The Greatest Influence On Retention As It Relates To Wired Boomers In The Aerospace Industry In Huntsville, Alabama, Karen L. Newsom

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the business practices which have the greatest influence on retention as it relates to wired boomers (born 1956-1964) in the aerospace industry in Huntsville, Alabama, and was directed toward maintaining technical expertise, job skills, experience, and knowledge within the organization. Baby boomers (born in 1946-1964) represent the largest generation in U.S. history to reach the traditional age of retirement and prepare to leave the workforce, vacating approximately 152 million jobs by 2030. Researchers have suggested the baby boomer cohort is actually two separate groups, with the second half (1956-1964, presently 53-61) …

Factors Contributing To Millennial Turnover Rates In Department Of Defense (Dod) Organizations, Christine Danielle Schaefer

Theses and Dissertations

According to research, Millennials are becoming the predominant generation in the workforce with only 7% of them working for Department of Defense (DOD) organizations. It is critical for DOD organizations to recognize and understand the strengths and challenges in a multigenerational workplace to maximize performance and reduce turnover. DOD organizations need to be able to attract and retain Millennials to build a strong workforce to prepare for a global, technological, changing, and a connected future. This study examined the factors that contributed to turnover among Millennials in DOD organizations within the Tennessee Valley region. The researcher’s intentions were to find …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment In Small Business Employees In The Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, Tammy Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has an average turnover that exceeds the national and regional average. Organizational turnover unfavorably influences productivity and has the potential to adversely affect, not only the Lynchburg MSA, but also the regional, state, and national economy. This quantitative non-experimental, correlational research examined the relationship between perceived job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the Lynchburg MSA. The results of this research supports earlier research and demonstrated a statistically significant positive relationship existed between perceived job satisfaction and organizational commitment in small business employees in the Lynchburg MSA. The results may serve as beneficial to small …

Women In Leadership: A Comparative Case Study On Successful Leadership, Christine Newcomb

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this report is to understand what makes a successful female leader. Since there are so few women in executive level positions, especially chief executive officer positions, I became interested in analyzing how successful leaders act in contrast with how unsuccessful leaders act. To analyze, I will focus on the leadership of two prominent businesswomen, one who has been successful in their tenure, and one who has been unsuccessful. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Inc. has been successful throughout her tenure, while Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo has been unsuccessful in turning the company around. I will …

Organization Restructuring And Leadership Development, Elizabeth Rogers, Danielle Wolf

Senior Honors Projects

The University of Rhode Island’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) has progressively grown as a student run organization throughout the past decade. During this period, the leadership team faced the challenge of engaging members and transitioning smoothly from year to year. These two issues were linked to the chapter organizational structure and the leadership transition processes, respectively. In order to improve and become competitive on a national level with other AMA collegiate chapters and marketing degree programs, it is important to continuously reevaluate the chapter’s strategy. This research aims to seek best practices that can be applied for …

#Keepvolunteeringcool - A Marketing Analysis Of The Uri Service Corps, Caroline L. Hacunda

Senior Honors Projects

Since 2009, the University of Rhode Island has offered Alternative Spring Break trips to students who are passionate about service and want to become more involved within the community doing meaningful and engaging volunteer work. These trips are completely student planned and fundraised with the guidance of a group of student leaders for each trip. Over the years, this program has exponentially grown, leading to our biggest year yet with two trips staying in Rhode Island and three out of state trips offered in 2017. In the past, the spring break trips were hosted by URI S.A.V.E.S and URI Habitat …

Mitigating An Energy Utility Death Spiral In The United States: Applying Lessons From Germany, Eric W. Hopf, Will O'Brien, Timothy Downs, Alistair Pim

Sustainability and Social Justice

The purpose of this paper is to present evidence that the United States is entering a "Utility Death Spiral" - a dramatic shift away from the utility based model of electricity supply to consumers. It also explores how U.S utilities can reposition themselves to best mitigate the economic losses associated with a Death Spiral. A Utility Death Spiral is currently taking place in Germany called the "Energiewende" and it is having immediate impacts on its energy landscape. The case study of the Energiewende is presented, its impacts, and the response taken by the country’s “big four” utility companies. After analyzing …

The Disclosure Of Organizational Secrets By Employees, Danny Franklin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizational secrets enable firms to protect their unique stocks of knowledge, reduce the imitability of their capabilities and achieve sustained competitive advantages (Hannah, 2005). In today’s business environments, the loss of valuable proprietary organizational knowledge due to intentional employee disclosure represents a substantial threat to firm competitiveness. Anecdotal evidence suggests that firms in the United States lose more than $250 billion of intellectual property every year, with intentional employee disclosure accounting for a significant portion of these losses (Dandliker, 2012; Heffernan & Swartwood, 1993). Thus, understanding factors that influence such intentional secret disclosure is a key concern, especially in knowledge-intensive …

Lcw Marketing Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 1, Touro College Lander College For Women, Lander College For Women

Yearbooks and Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Social Crm Applications And Impact In Small Businesses, Levi Bridge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present study explored the effect social customer relationship management (CRM) on. Small businesses typically have limited resources and thus use an informal CRM system causing them to not realize the full sales potential or customer engagement that could occur. The qualitative study consisted of 10 small businesses that utilize social media to engage with customers. The agency theory and resource based view served as the theoretical foundation for the study. One-on-one interviews were conducted with the employee responsible for managing the social media content. From the interviews, three themes emerged that are critical for social CRM success: visibility, interactivity, …

Restaurant Entrepreneurship: Theory And Practice, Margaret Leach

Selected Honors Theses

Mirroring its industry, restaurant entrepreneurship is an expansive, evolving topic. This thesis seeks to answer the question, “How do community-focused restaurants, operated by lifestyle entrepreneurs, launch and scale?” A case study approach is taken and literature regarding restaurant ownership, entrepreneurship, and social enterprise is reviewed. Interviews of ten different non-franchise restaurant owners were obtained and analyzed. The interviewees detailed the processing of launching the venture, scaling and growing the business, and supporting and partnering with the surrounding community.