Business Commons^™

Effects Of Group Support Systems On United States Air Force Strategic Planning Efforts, Bryan K. Hasty

Theses and Dissertations

Strategic planning at an Air Force wing is a team based activity that offers many advantages to the Air Force. But, it is clear there are still questions about how to properly conduct strategic planning to produce the highest quality plans in the most effective and efficient manner. To answer this question, the Air Force created a research project aimed at discovering new methods to improve strategic planning at Air Force wing levels using a computer-mediated communication system. The research project's goal is to apply collaborative processes and technologies, such as Group Support Systems (GSS), to improve the quality of …

Meeting U.S. Defense Needs In Space: Effects Of A Shrinking Defense Industrial Base On The Satellite Industry, Ronald B. Cole

Theses and Dissertations

U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) deterioration and increased DOD interest in space exploitation highlights the U.S. satellite industry as one DIB sector requiring analysis. Despite DIB problems, this industry must maintain the capability to produce advanced satellites for the DOD. Commercial Military Integration (CMI) will, according to experts, eliminate problems inherent with a separate DIB. This research focused on investigating satellite industry capability to meet DOD space requirements. Through literature review, case study analysis and interviews, effects of a shrinking DIB on the satellite industry were determined. A model for DIB strength was developed and analyzed through literature review. General …

Registration Of Apprenticeship Programs And The Turnover Of Skilled Trade Employees, Dennis J. Bona

Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study is to provide empirical evidence that refutes arguments made by employers who resist registering an apprenticeship program because they believe it will increase turnover of their skilled trade employees. To do this, data were collected to test the hypothesis that companies that have a registered apprenticeship program experience less turnover of their skilled trade employees compared to companies that do not. Secondary hypotheses were also developed to compare turnover ratios with union orientation, size, and wage structure of employers to help validate the results and demonstrate alternative explanations for turnover of skilled trade employees. …

The Impact Of Director Interlocks On Interorganizational Imitation In Germany, Elke Reuning-Elliot

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

In the 1980s, Germany saw a significant increase in the number of corporate acquisitions. This study deals with the role that director interlocks play in gathering and disseminating information about corporate acquisitions. Specifically, it explores the possibility that acquisitions may result from interorganizational imitation. Hypotheses that relate a German firm's acquisition activity with its own acquisitions and the acquisition history of interlocking firms are tested on 1982-1989 acquisition data for a sample of 193 German firms. The results from the negative binomial and logistic regression analyses indicate that there is no significant evidence for interorganizational imitation. Instead, the number of …

Ibm's Os/2 Warp And Its International Strategy, Manuel A. Matienzo

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

It is my intention, through the research in this thesis to present problems and solutions to normal business and marketing decisions that take place on a day-to-day basis in IBM Corporation. Also, OS/2 new version named Warp will be studied to an extent. OS/2 version 3 is not only a multitasking, multiprocessing operating system, but is also is IBM's most recent and advance piece of software they have ever produce.

It is a world of choices. Just as IBM hopes OS/2 warp will fulfill users operating systems needs, I will try to fulfill the needs of IBM to release a …

A Study Of The Structural Limitation Affecting Implementation Of The Government Performance And Results Act In Air Force Materiel Command Logistics, Darwina M. Liguori

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an in-depth discussion of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. The GPRA is a new law that mandates strategic management be conducted in all federal government agencies. Soon all federal government agencies will be directed to comply with the requirements of the law and implement strategic management within their organizations. This study selected Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters (AFMC) logistics organizations and subordinate units as the test organization. Interviews were conducted with headquarters AFMC logistics and strategic planning personnel, as well as 88th Logistics Group personnel to evaluate several issues within their organization: (1) …

Strategic Planning, Performance Measurement, And The Government Performance And Results Act Of 1993: An Exploratory Study Of Aeronautical Systems Center, Miro Skrodzki

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates strategic planning and performance measurement within Aeronautical Systems Center (AS C) to determine if these processes are conducive to effective implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (OPRA). OPRA is a law that will soon affect every federal government agency, and is intended to redirect government attention from internal activities, processes, and products to external outcomes and results. A review of literature allowed the researcher to identify two elements of strategic planning and performance measurement that are critical to effective implementation of OPRA: measurable strategic goals and objectives related to outcomes; and measurement of …

Poland: An Opportunity For Investment, Tara Monteleone

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The fall of Communism marked a new era for Eastern European countries. The events that followed the 1989 revolutions brought about new economic reforms within this region. However, only a few countries have managed to successfully overcome the shroud their communist predecessors had on their approach to business and industry. Poland is one country that is rapidly overcoming its history.

Poland constitutes one of the largest single markets in Eastern Europe and has the highest growth rate of Central and Eastern Europe (4.1%), as well as the highest GDP of $180.4 billion. It offers direct access to both the former …

Strategic Planning Within Air Force Materiel Command: A Focus On External Stakeholders' Involvement, David B. Coomer, Mary E. Moynihan

Theses and Dissertations

This research study used case and cross-case analyses to determine what Air Force Materiel Command can learn from leading business practices to produce maximum stakeholder involvement in their strategic planning process. A literature review revealed five essential elements of stakeholder involvement establishment of communication processes for multiple stakeholders, appropriate interaction policies, active CEO involvement, measurement processes, and balanced stakeholder strategies. These elements were incorporated into a model to provide a benchmark against which to evaluate AFMCs stakeholder awareness programs. The six stakeholder awareness programs selected for study were identified through a process of interviews with AFMCs senior-level strategic planners. The …

Scenario Analysis: An Integrative Study And Guide To Implementation In The United States Air Force, Jamey B. Cihak, Steven A. Mozel

Theses and Dissertations

With the uncertainties in the current Air Force environment, extrapolated forecasting methods are no longer sufficient for meeting the Air Forces strategic planning needs. The Air Force could benefit from using a more sophisticated method to determine the opportunities and obstacles it will face in the future. The key characteristics that distinguish scenario analysis from other forms of forecasting are the qualitative, contextual descriptions of the future environment, and the identification of several possible futures. This thesis discusses the concept of scenario analysis and its relevance to the Air Force as a strategic planning tool. It begins with an overview …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of State Regulation Of Commercial Income Tax Preparers On The Quality Of Income Tax Returns, Jeanie Grace Sumner

Dissertations and Theses

Occupational regulation of many professions has grown in magnitude and complexity in the past fifty years. Statutes relating to occupational regulation are often implemented by state legislatures without sufficient quantitative analysis.

Prior studies have analyzed the need for regulation to protect consumers. Some research has been published which addresses the differences in the quality of services offered by regulated and unregulated professions. Due to lack of data, the effect of state regulation on commercial income tax preparers has not been quantified.

Recently data from the 1979 cycle of the Taxpayer Compliance Measurement Program (TCMP) has been made available by the …

Decision Making Of Chief Executives In Relation To Strategic Issues: An Empirical Study Of The Impact Of Industry Stability And Industry Complexity Upon The Complexity Of Decision Making Behavior Of Chief Executives Of Manufacturing Firms In The Southeastern United States, Charles Steven Arendall

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent studies on the organizational level of strategy have concluded that environmental factors have a significant impact on the strategic decision processes of organizations, and that the contingent nature of this relationship has implications for the performance of firms operating under various industry conditions. In addition, studies on individual decision making have shown that characteristics of the decision task affect the type of decision making behavior utilized by the individual. This study integrates these two bodies of literature in examining the decision making behavior of chief executives in relation to the strategic issues which face their organizations.

The sample used …

An Inquiry Into The Buildings And Grounds Department Of The University Of New Mexico, Raymond P. Lutz

Anderson School of Management Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Buildings and Grounds Department of the University of New Mexico. This examination will consist of two major facets. The first will be a broad evaluation of the maintenance program as it presently exists and a comparison of this program with those of other universities around the country. The second major section will be an investigation of the feasibility of subcontracting some of the maintenance functions now performed by the Buildings and Grounds Department to see whether this would be advantageous to the University.