Business Commons^™

Pyramids To Players Clubs: The Battle For Competitive Advantage In Las Vegas, Oliver Lovat

Occasional Papers

The evolution of the Las Vegas casinos from owner operator to the institutionally financed and corporately managed casino-resort has been the predominant feature of the evolution of the US Gaming market in the past 30 years. This paper examines the strategic frameworks used by Las Vegas casino resorts and identifies the drivers for competitive advantage moving forward.

Using Lean To Teach The Technical Services Value Stream: An Online Continuing Education Course, Tamera Hanken

Library Faculty Presentations

Lean Principles:

• Identify steps in the process that add customer defined value

• Identify waste in transportation, wait, overproduction, defect, inventory, motion, or extra processing

• Eliminate the steps in the process that don’t add value or are unnecessary

• Make sure the steps flow in an efficient sequence

• Establish pull, i.e., make sure the steps in the sequence don’t create bottlenecks

• Continue to improve the process

Evaluating And Implementing Web Scale Discovery Services: Part Two, Jason Vaughan, Tamera Hanken

Library Faculty Presentations

Part Four: Quick Tour of the Current Marketplace:

• "The Big 5"
• Similarities and differences

Part Five: It's Not All Sliced Bread:

• Shortcomings of web scale discovery

Part Six: Implementation (pre launch steps):

• Selecting and preparing implementation staff
• Preparing and communicating process/decisions with all staff
• Working with the vendor (roles, expectations, timeline)
• Workflow changes and implications (technical services)

Part Seven: Specific implementation tasks, issues, and considerations:

• Record loading and mapping (catalog content)
• Harvesting and mapping digital/local content
• Working with central index data (internal & external content)
• Web integration and customization
• Assessment and continuous improvement

Evaluating And Implementing Web Scale Discovery Services: Part One, Jason Vaughan, Tamera Hanken

Library Faculty Presentations

Preface: Before Web Scale Discovery

• A very brief overview

Part 1: What is Web Scale Discovery

• Content
• Technology

Part 2: Why is Web Scale Discovery important?

• What’s the need?
• How is it different from earlier attempts at broad discovery?

Part 3: A Framework for Evaluating Web Scale Discovery Services

• What we did at UNLV
• Other options

Clean, Green, And Not So Mean: Can Business Save The World?, Andy Spackman, Celia Ross, Christy Donaldson, Louise Feldman, Patrick Griffis, Elizabeth Stephan, Laurie Bridges, Baseema Krkoska, Tony Lin, Mark Siciliano

Library Faculty Publications

No matter how you define it, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a hot topic. From community investing to business ethics to environmental sustainability and beyond, proponents of CSR view the business landscape through a lens that focuses less on profitability and more on the greater good.

“Doing well by doing good” is the business world’s new mantra. Concepts of CSR, green business, social entrepreneurship, and peace through commerce have become a focus of research and are inspiring the next generation of businesspeople. The 2010 BRASS Program gave attendees an expert’s view of certain niches within the broader realm of ethical …

Strategic Management Of Three Critical Levels Of Risk, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The financial crisis that erupted in 2007 revealed a major gap in the management systems of government and business. For the most part, governments focused on revenue growth, productivity, cost control and quality. There were many interrelated factors involved with the failures but two in particular stand out in my mind: a failure to explicitly account for risk when formulating organizational strategies and a failure to monitor and manage the risks that they had identified and assumed. Organizations face many different types of risk but often they can be categorized into three types based upon their predictability, controllability and management. …

Strategic Management In A Networked World, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article provides guidelines to an effective approach of managing employees in the U.S. These include the ability to both detect a problem and to effectively respond to it. It is also considered important when strategies are adopted, where a collaborative action among network partners can be promoted. The author also stresses the importance of valuing and nurturing organizational learning and development.

Managing In A Time Of Crisis, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Some managers shine during a major crisis, while others don’t. As a strategic manager, one must follow a comprehensive protocol that includes the implementation of teams, systems and tools to respond to a crisis. It also requires having an action plan in place to react quickly, manage rumors and respond to victims and stakeholders sincerely while recovering from the crises’ impact. It starts with being willing to ask and answer important questions like: What is the worst that could happen? It then requires addressing how to plan for and avert crises by securing the workplace and the proper management of …

Organizational Credibility Counts, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

As economic stressors increase and voting participation decreases, it is important for public administrators to find ways to minimize the negative consequences of distrust in government and to rebuild credibility by making the necessary changes to organizational culture, improving business practices, working with the media to build new more positive relationships, and by accentuating the good news about progress made. Events like Hurricane Katrina tragically teach us how long lasting one negative event can truly be because it is truly a disaster not only for those directly affected but also for those indirectly involved due to its negative affect on …

Strategic Management Of Crises, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article discusses the duties and responsibilities of managers in assessing workplace threats. Managers should care when someone causes harm in the workplace. It is a duty of the managers to warn through a collaborative discussion about the advantages or drawbacks in a small group meeting. It is also an obligation of managers to act when an employee indicates that he or she is being harassed or threatened.

Strategically Managing Resources And Revenue, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The author reflects on the use of strategic management in the success of the United States Postal Service. She states that the U.S. Postal Service has used the breakthrough productivity scheme to reduce mail-processing costs and address retail locations and bulk-mail areas. She believes that the service is committed in gaining sustained success through the scheme and in serving its customers effectively.

Final Report: Nevada System Of Higher Education Quality Assurance Program, Nevada System Of Higher Education

Publications (YM)

The principal purpose of the cooperative agreement was to develop and continue providing the public and the Office of Repository Development (ORD) of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) with an independently derived, unbiased body of scientific and engineering data concerning the study of Yucca Mountain as a potential high-level radioactive waste repository. Under this agreement, the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), formerly the University and Community CollegeSystem of Nevada (UCCSN), performed scientific and engineering research, and maintained and fostered collaborative working relationships between government and academic researchers. In performing these activities, …

Strategic Management In Action, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article discusses the significance of a strategic management in achieving an organization's future initiatives in the U.S. In order for the strategic management process to work, relevant criteria must first be used to make decision and then a consistent management process needs to be agreed. Strategic actions are programs outside an organization's operational activities that are meant to help the organization achieve its strategy.

Managing With Foresight And Insight, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

As we begin the New Year, it is important to look at the trends that need to be considered in the future and how or if these driving forces will define what strategic management means in 2008. It is also important to understand that looking to the past alone for guidance may skew our view of present facts even when those facts are supported by sound data. Strategic managers make sense out of what is going on around them and what is possible in the future by looking and listening to forecasts for the future, to what is critical for …

Managing Through Strategic Agendas, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The author discusses the development of the Balanced Scorecard and strategic agendas on solving social and economic problems by the government. She stated reasons why organizations or countries choose to establish strategic agendas, such as it helps develop a vision, serves as a framework for monitoring government and nonprofit performance, and develops political platform. She concluded that its establishment is vital to success in developing countries and in the federal system of government.

Putting A Face On Organizational Innovation, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article discusses the author's view on the importance of fostering continuous innovation and renewal in public agencies for the success in public management. The author shares that she has come to understand that there are 15 types of teams and individuals that feed innovation inside organizations, outsiders and insiders. She said that by developing such innovation personalities, public managers have the chance to support new concepts in improving processes.

Final Report: Second Generation Waste Package Design Study, L. S. Armijo, Mano Misra, Piyush Kar

Publications (YM)

The objectives of this project activity are: to review the current YMP baseline environment and establish corrosion test environments representative of the range of dry to intermittently wet conditions expected in the drifts as a function of time. to demonstrate the oxidation and corrosion resistance of A588 weathering steel and reference Alloy 22 samples in the representative dry to intermittently dry conditions. to evaluate backfill and design features to improve the thermal performance analyses of the proposed second-generation waste packages using existing models developed at UNR.

Communication Counts, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The author discusses the necessity of communications in a business setting. She cited the implementation of Plain Talk by the Annie E. Cassey Foundation which proves the fact that policy works best when decision makers, community residents and citizen customers communicate effectively. She also revealed that to surely achieve success in the business, it is suggested to never underestimate the emotional power of human nature and build a sense of community through continual communication.

Nshe/Ymp Nuclear Waste Cooperative Agreement, Raymond E. Keeler, Sherry Marks, Administrative Audit Report Team

Publications (YM)

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) have established a Cooperative Agreement (Co-op) entitled: “Scientific & Engineering Studies of the High-Level Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain (DE-FC28-04RW12232). The Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) administers the Co-op under project activity ORD-FY04-001. In accordance with 10 CFR 600.150, the HRC conducted an audit for the purpose of managing and monitoring project activities supported under the Co-op. The audit was limited to an investigation of technical productivity and schedule. Financial compliance and quality assurance compliance issues were outside the scope of this audit. …

Managing Conflict To Build Consensus, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article discusses views on dealing with conflict to build consensus in strategic management. Fostering conflict to improve decision making while building consensus so essential to effective implementation demands the stimulation of debate, keeping conflict constructive, ascertaining that the process is fair and legitimate and being able to reach closure.

Strategic Partnerships In Public Service, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Presents the process to a successful strategic partnership in public service. Importance of trust between the partners; Definition of mission, goals and objectives in the partnership; Establishment of relationship boundaries.

Task 3: Quality Assurance Program, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN) is qualified as a supplier of scientific and engineering studies as well as software development. Quality Assurance Procedures (QAPs) comprise the upper tier of the UCCSN QA Program, written in accordance with QAP-2.0, “Quality Assurance Program – Preparation, Approval, and Revision of Procedures”, to meet the requirements of DOE/RW-0333P, OCRWM Quality Assurance Requirements and Description (QARD). The UCCSN Quality Assurance Requirements Matrix is provided to DOE specifying where in the QAPs OCRWM QA requirements are met, as well as exceptions to the QARD, due to scope of work.