Business Commons^™

The Effects Of Corporate Diversification And Control On Division Risk-Taking Strategy And Performance, Hae Ryong Kim

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This research explored two major functions of corporate strategic management, corporate diversification (core-business relatedness) and corporate control, and their implications for divisional strategic management. Four research questions were raised to address these issues: (1) does core-business relatedness matter to division performance? (2) how does core-business relatedness influence corporate control? (3) how does core-business relatedness influence division risk-taking strategies and performance? and (4) how does corporate control influence division risk-taking strategies and performance?

Adopting the resource-based view and organizational learning theory, this study proposed that core-business related divisions would outperform unrelated divisions and that core-business related divisions would have higher commitment …

General Agreement On Tariffs And Trade (Gaff) And The World Trade Organisation (Wto): The Major Provisions And The Implication For Nigeria, O. A. Ogunlana

CBN Occasional Papers

This paper shall review the major provisions of the GATT with respect to the Multilateral Agreements on Trade in Goods only and the likely implications for Nigeria. The review of the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the Agreement on Trade - Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights shall be covered in another exercise. The rest of the paper is, therefore, organised into five parts. Part I discusses the GATT’s basic principles and the major agreements of the latest multilateral trade negotiations otherwise known as the Uruguay Round. The World Trade Organization, its major functions, structure and the decision-making …

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, And Other Characteristics: An Examination Of Managerial Perceptions Of Effective Contracting Officers, Todd S. Joyner, Brian V. Ucciardi

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the attributes contracting managers perceived to be most critical in effective contracting officers. Questionnaires were used to gather relevant data from managers in the operational, specialized, and systems contracting specialty areas. The resultant data was classified and weighted in accordance with the formula defined in the methodology. Additionally, some respondents provided comments via the follow-up interviews. The resultant data was analyzed qualitatively in order to determine the extent of concurrence in managerial perceptions. In addition, the researchers attempted to seek answers in three additional areas. First, they examined the degree to which critical attributes varied by specialty …

Military Members Responses To Sexually Harassing Behavior: Response Types And Efficacies, Michael W. Braucher

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses four sexual harassment response constructs and evaluates the efficacy of the responses. The constructs are built based on individual or joint/collaboratory responses and whether or not the harasser is confronted with his or her behavior(s) perceived as harassing by the victim. The constructs are applied to the 1995 Department of Defense survey of Harassment. Results include each response's effect on the harassing behavior, whether the behavior is ceased or not. A second result is the victim's perception of improvement or worsening of the situation based on the response type used. Tests for proportional differences were used to …

Aspects Of Profession And The Military Perspective, Jody B. Dow

Theses and Dissertations

The term "Profession" does not have a consistently applied definition within society. In the military, the ambiguity of the definition places military members in a situation where understanding their professional responsibilities is difficult. This thesis examines the characteristics of traditional professions and draws parallels to the military. This study identifies critical characteristics of professional behavior that military members should be aware of in pursuing professionalism. Data were gathered from academic and popular literature for evaluation. Sufficient evidence exists in literature to identify the factors of special knowledge and service orientation of a profession as critical to professional status. The military, …

An Economic/Demographic Comparison Of Air Force And Other Service Families, John C. Glover

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to compare economic, attitudinal and demographic variables for families in all branches of service to see in which areas the Air Force is ranked/rated higher and lower than other services. Analysis is broken out by officers and enlisted personnel in all main branches of service (Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines). Two testing methods are employed to determine if there is a difference between the services: Tukey's multiple comparison procedure, and pair-wise comparisons of proportions for the different services. Results indicate that Air Force officers rate the Air Force higher for lower number of …

A Descriptive Study Of Information Operations And Information Warfare Awareness In The United States Air Force, Ryan D. Hollman

Theses and Dissertations

Information has always been important in military affairs, conflicts, and wars. Information warfare is an important new concept that is emphasized by the significance of computer and information technology. The United States Air Force has educated and trained individuals in information warfare since recognizing the importance of information warfare in 1995. The Air Force Information Warfare Center and the information warfare squadron were also created to address information warfare concerns. Information warfare is important to the entire Air Force. How familiar are Air Force people generally in information warfare? This thesis addresses awareness of information warfare and information operations concepts. …

Full Integration Of Women In The Air Force: Myth Or Possibility?, Helen M. Newell

Theses and Dissertations

The full integration of women in the military, particularly the United States Air Force, has been an ongoing effort. Based on the definition of "full integration" as allowing all qualified military personnel the opportunity to hold any position and accomplish any mission, given that they are in possession of the required capabilities and training, without restriction, certain issues have arisen during the course of the integration process. These issues include sex, as defined by gender and function, the capability of women to accomplish the same tasks as men, and the combat issue. To support and establish the full integration of …

A Comparison Of 8-Hour Vs. 12-Hour Shifts On Performance, Health And Safety In A Usaf Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kelly J. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting a large USAF aircraft maintenance squadron from an 8- hour shift system to a 12-hour shift system. In 1996, the squadron converted its 24-hour operations from three 8-hour work shifts, to two 12-hour work shifts with compressed work weeks. The squadron maintained 12-hour shifts for 19 consecutive months. A comparison was made of organizational performance, worker health and safety measures before, during and after 12-hour shift implementation. Findings indicated that changing from 8- to 12-hour shifts resulted in a slight increase in aircraft Mission Capability rates. However, this benefit appears to have come …

A Pilot Study Of Space/Missile Crews And Crew Resource Management, John E. Varljen

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a first step in formalizing CRM training as part of Undergraduate Space and Missile Training (USMT) and individual Unit Training thereby capitalizing on techniques already developed and in place for pilots. We evaluated the usefulness of two modified versions of existing CRM measures. Because an attitude measure is easier to implement, this study analyzes the use of an established flight crew attitude measure, the Cockpit Management Attitudes Questionnaire (CMAQ), and a modified version of the Air Force Mobility Command AMC Form 128, March 1995. We conducted the study in two phases. Phase 1 dealt only with Space …

The Effects Of Internet Misuse On Productivity, Scott A. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

The Internet has become one of the most used technological devices in the United States. Air Force members too, have become dependent on the Internet to complete their work. The Internet offers many features that are important to the members of the Air Force, but the Internet also offers features that may interfere with the member completing their assigned duties. This thesis will address the misuse of the Internet by Air Force personnel and how the Internet affects the productivity of the members within their work environment. This thesis also looks at the problem of personal use of the Internet …

An Evaluation Of Characteristics And Practices Associated With Effective Mentoring Within The United States Air Force, Sharon Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

The US Air Force has recently implemented a policy of assigning supervisors as the mentors of company grade officers. This study investigated the differences in mentoring effectiveness and perceived barriers to mentoring reported by Air Force company grade officers (CGOs), their organizationally assigned mentors (assigned), and CGO selected mentors (voluntary). Results indicated that junior officers believed they had effective mentoring relationships from both assigned and voluntary mentors, but as officers progressed to the rank of captain, they were more likely to seek out mentors outside of their chains of command. Junior officers indicated work related contact time spent on career …

Determining The Characteristics Of The Air Force Telecommuting Program, Joseph L. Wolfkiel

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores advantages and disadvantages to be realized from telecommuting, along with developing a linear regression model that identifies factors correlated with preference for telecommuting among Air Force personnel. This thesis uses a stated preference model derived from existing telecommuting research to characterize the factors impacting the preference for civilian, officer, and enlisted Air Force personnel. The regression models developed showed that factors affecting telecommuting preference were different among different sub-samples. Two factors were universal across the sample. Those were "Amount of Telecommuting Job Allows," and "Allow More Work Done." These two factors gave R-squared values of over .39 …

A History Of The Developments Of Fraternization Policies, Jeffrey C. Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Criticisms of the Air Force's fraternization policy predominantly conclude that the prohibition of fraternization is based upon a caste system, which evolved from the class divisions of the Middle Ages and is designed to maintain those social divisions. The Air Force maintains that fraternization policies are necessary because fraternization adversely affects morale and discipline. This study uses qualitative research methods, ethnography and grounded theory, to consider the impacts of military customs, military structure, and societal structure to analyze the evolution of fraternization policies through Western military history as they relate to the development of the current Air Force policy. This …

An Assessment Of Factors That Affect The Performance Of Air Force O-3 (Captain) Logisticians Working In A Joint Operations Environment, Jeffrey C. Bergdolt, Ty K. Sills

Theses and Dissertations

Joint operations will likely continue to become more prevalent in the future due to defense spending cuts and the nature of modem warfare. Currently, Air Force O-3 (Captain) logisticians, working in the joint operations environment, receive little if any initial training. Exploratory research, by the authors, indicated that these members felt uncertain about their jobs and how they related to the organization, which has been described in the literature as role ambiguity. Consequently, this research project was designed to determine if AF O-3 logisticians serving in the joint operations environment experience more role ambiguity than their counterparts serving in the …

Effects Of Shiftwork On Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Personnel, Craig A. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting a large aircraft maintenance squadron from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts. The squadron studied converted its 24- hour maintenance work force from three 8-hour work shifts to two 12-hour work shifts incrementally, with one section converting to 12-hour shifts in January, 1996, and the remaining section converting in July, 1996. Both sections remained on 12-hour shifts until September, 1997, when both sections converted back to a three shift 8-hour operation. Health and well being, on- and off-duty accident rates, day shift vs. night shift accident rates, and the effects of stress and fatigue …

Ua3/9/5 Opening Faculty/Staff Meeting, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at his first fall convocation. He discusses priorities, strategic planning, institutional peer group, programs of distinction, campus construction and improvement, traffic and parking, information technology, student compensation, athletics, employee benefits and policies, community relations, fund raising and student recruitment.

Ua25/2 Connections, Wku Human Resources

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Human Resources for the faculty and staff of WKU regarding personnel issues and benefits.

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And The Practice Of Program Evaluation In Human Service Organizations, Lorraine Marais

Dissertations

There are many obstacles for human service organizations in evaluating programs. Some of these barriers are the difficulty in defining human behavior and the change that needs to be evaluated, human service programs that take a long time to show results, agency capacity to do evaluation, and cost (Young, Hollister, Hodgkinson, & Associates, 1993). Another subtle yet powerful influence on the practice of evaluation in nonprofit organizations may be organizational culture (Schein, 1990). If an organization is going to employ self-evaluation, an organizational culture may be needed that will support such efforts. This study was designed to assess the relationship …

Emerging Technology Companies In India: Equity Compensation As A Strategy, Simon G Zinger

IIMB Management Review

Liberalisation has seen many economies, especially in Asia, opening their hitherto sheltered domestic markets to global competition and providing greater opportunities to trade and foreign investment. The spinoffs of liberalisation bring in new implications, opportunities and challenges for the governments as well as the organisations involved. Round Table features some of the issues discussed in the conference on 'Managing Economic Liberalisation in South Asia : Directions for the 21st Century' held in Chennai, India, from August 10 -13. Selvarajah examines the realignment of economies towards globalisation as a development of regionalism. The shift in economic forces away from multilateral arrangements …

Measuring And Evaluating Sales Force Training Effectiveness: A Proposed And An Empirically Tested Model, Ashraf Magdy Attia

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Recent reports show that 95% of organizations conduct some form of sales training and organizations spend more than $30 billion dollars annually on sales training programs. According to {\it Sales \& Marketing Management\/} (1993), the average estimated field training costs for a sales trainee is \$37,000. Due to the accelerating investments in sales training, Honeycutt, Ford, and Rao (1995) found that 57% of sales training executives said that the major area in greatest need of additional research is determining sales training effectiveness.

The research contained herein addresses a gap in the marketing literature by: (1) proposing and testing a model …

Ua25/2 Connections, Wku Human Resources

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by WKU Human Resources for the faculty and staff of WKU regarding personnel issues and benefits.

Empowerment Of A Uaw Workforce, Paula L. Hughel

Theses

This thesis will investigate whether empowerment of a workforce has a positive correlation on employee job satisfaction.

Research supports that the automotive industry is continuously focusing on the reduction of structural costs. One area that is commonly focused on is the reduction of manpower, specifically management. As the number of managers are reduced some of the work is being redistributed to the employees. Along with the additional work comes decision making responsibilities.

Although research supports that empowerment has a positive correlation on business results and working environments, it is inconclusive that empowerment has a positive correlation relative to job satisfaction. …

Assessment Of The Job Posting Procedures At The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga, Sharmelle J. Thomas

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess employee and supervisor perceptions of the job posting system used by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as an internal recruiting mechanism for non-faculty employees.

Office Of Human Resources News - Spring 1998, Nova Southeastern University

Office of Human Resources News

No abstract provided.

Degree Of Manufacturer Readiness For Skill-Based Pay Programs, Michael R. Willett

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of readiness of manufacturing companies in Black Hawk County, Iowa, to adopt a skill-based pay plan. Readiness, or change orientation, will be determined by comparing current characteristics of companies in this sample to those characteristics of American companies that have already implemented successful skill-based pay plans.

The Relationship Of Saudi Managers’ Characteristics And Their Support Of The Transfer Of Training To The Workplace, Khalid M. Alhazmi

Dissertations

Many HRD professionals have pointed out that one of the most important elements for transfer of training to the workplace is management support. However, there is little discussion concerning management characteristics that support the transfer of training to the workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate management characteristics that inhibit or promote the transfer of training to the workplace and to provide information regarding those characteristics to companies.

This study focused on one main question: Do management characteristics have an effect on management support of the transfer of training to the workplace? To answer this question, a study …

Security Bureaucracies: The Psychology Of Keeping And Divulging Secrets, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes aspects of the psychology of keeping and divulging secrets to inform policies of security bureaucracies' human resource managers.

Using Simulation To Model Time Utilization Of Army Recruiters, James D. Cordeiro Jr., Mark A. Friend

Theses and Dissertations

It is a well-known fact Army recruiters work very long hours in a demanding environment. In many cases, recruiting stations are geographically isolated from military bases, with recruiters often tolerating a high cost of living, crime, and other such adverse conditions that characterize the communities they work in. The job itself demands self-starting, motivated individuals with a wide range of skills, from street-savvy to salesmanship, in order to succeed. A number of factors in recent years have made military recruiting more difficult, which include scandals involving highly-placed soldiers and changes in attitudes towards military service among eligible men and women. …

A Vft Approach To Allocation Of Manpower And Budget Cuts, Thomas G. Boushell

Theses and Dissertations

The National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC), like many Department of Defense (DoD) and civilian organizations, has been forced to undergo budget and manpower reductions. This year's resource allocation decision requires NAIC to identify both contracts and personnel to be cut. In order to reduce the amount of time and subjectivity involved in this important decision, a resource allocation model was developed to compare different alternatives. This model uses decision analysis with value-focused thinking to quantify the resultant impact of the chosen cuts. The impact was quantified based upon the NAIC Commander's values and preferences, which were used to build a …