Business Commons^™

Effectively Implementing Project Based Learning In The Business Classroom, Leasha Henriksen

Graduate Research Papers

Far too many of our students are leaving high schools unprepared to routinely engage in these thought processes in order to sustain our innovative, economic edge in the economy. These concerns put the United States at risk for losing our competitive advantage in the marketplace. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are far too important to be ignored. This realization leads to an important question: How can project based learning be implemented effectively in order to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and understanding? For the purpose of this paper, research will be focused primarily on controlled studies; however, valuable insight …

The Role Of Method: Some Parting Thoughts From A Departing Editor, David Stewart

Marketing & Business Law Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Regenerative Patterning In Swarm Robots: Mutual Benefits Of Research In Robotics And Stem Cell Biology, Michael Rubenstein, Ying Sai, Cheng-Ming Chuong, Wei-Min Shen

Finance Faculty Works

This paper presents a novel perspective of Robotic Stem Cells (RSCs), defined as the basic non-biological elements with stem cell like properties that can self-reorganize to repair damage to their swarming organization. "Self" here means that the elements can autonomously decide and execute their actions without requiring any preset triggers, commands, or help from external sources. We develop this concept for two purposes. One is to develop a new theory for self-organization and self-assembly of multi-robots systems that can detect and recover from unforeseen errors or attacks. This self-healing and self-regeneration is used to minimize the compromise of overall function …

A Comparison Of Two Types Of Rough Sets Induced By Coverings, Ying Sai

Finance Faculty Works

Rough set theory is an important technique in knowledge discovery in databases. In covering-based rough sets, many types of rough set models were established in recent years. In this paper, we compare the covering-based rough sets defined by Zhu with ones defined by Xu and Zhang. We further explore the properties and structures of these types of rough set models. We also consider the reduction of coverings. Finally, the axiomatic systems for the lower and upper approximations defined by Xu and Zhang are constructed.

Social Competence Of Women Entrepreneurs: Moderating The Effect Of Social-, Human-, And Reputational Capital On Entrepreneurial Success, Monica Zimmerman, Crystal Jiang

Management Department Faculty Journal Articles

Women entrepreneurs and the business(es) they own face many challenges. However relatively little research has addressed the performance correlates of these women and their businesses (Lerner & Almor, 2002; Jiang & Zimmerman Treichel, 2008). In this paper we use the resource based view (RBV) to address performance correlates of women entrepreneurs and their business(es). Three specific resources that appear to be especially important to entrepreneurs and their businesses are: social-, reputational-, and human capital. Research suggests that the RBV does not, however, fully explain how and why certain firms possess competitive advantage in rapid and unpredictable conditions (Eisenhardt & Martin, …

Generating Opportunity From Uncertainty, David R. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Learning to deal with uncertainty makes organizations more robust. Leaders can take steps to help their organizations take advantage uncertainty. When continued success transitions from informed decision to luck, small differences in the ability of organizations to handle uncertainty can have a large impact. An example from military history is used to outline current day lessons for military and business leaders.

Risky Decisions And Decision Support: Does Stress Make A Difference?, Gloria Phillips-Wren, Monica Adya

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Studies of human decision making have demonstrated that stress exacerbates risk taking. Since all decisions involve some element of risk, stress has critical impact on decision quality. Decisions are found to improve with stress up to an optimal threshold beyond which deterioration is observed. However, few studies have examined the psychological experiences underlying risk-taking behavior in conjunction with stress creators. In this paper we propose a research framework that integrates pre-conditions of stress (perceptions of high gain/loss, risk, complexity, and organizational pressure) with observed psychological experiences (time pressure, uncertainty, information overload, and dynamism) that potentially result in risky decision making. …

Achieving High Performance Outcomes Through Trust In Virtual Teams, Bonnie S. O'Neill, Todd Nilson

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Developing trust among team members is critical for achieving high performance outcomes. Recently, global business operations necessitated working in a team environment with colleagues outside traditional organizational boundaries, across distances, and across time zones. In this article, we discuss how human resource practices can support organizational initiatives when business operations mandate increased virtual teamwork. We examine the role of HR in enhancing relationship building and the development of trust among workers who may rarely, if ever, meet face-toface. Using research from teamwork, social exchange theory, and knowledge sharing, we discuss how four areas of human resources management—recruitment, training, performance appraisal, …

Organizational Alignment And Supply Chain Governance Structure: Introduction And Construct Validation, Bryan Ashenbaum, Arnold Maltz, Lisa Ellram, Mark A. Barratt

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to introduce and validate two new constructs with the potential to sharpen our understanding of how and why firms integrate their internal supply chains and assess the governance structure of their supply chains. The first construct, organizational alignment (OA), is a reflective scale measuring the extent to which upper management attempts to foster integration between internal supply chain functions. The second, supply chain governance structure (SCGS), is a formative index, and is a first attempt at developing a measurement instrument to assess SCGS along multiple dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Following a literature review, …

Postscript: Preserving (And Growing) Brand Value In A Downturn, Randle D. Raggio, Robert P. Leone

Marketing Faculty Publications

We have taken the opportunity provided by the current worldwide recession to further explore the implications of the relationship between brand equity and brand value that we proposed previously,^1,2 and our analysis reveals that companies have one of two strategic options for surviving. The “Just Good Enough” strategy maximizes current value, potentially hurting brand equity and appropriable value (or potential future value) in the process, while the “Altered Amortization” strategy offers an opportunity to chase current value while maintaining brand equity with current prospects and activating latent equity with potential prospects, which may increase appropriable value. Anything between these …

Owens & Minor: Growth Plan For "Expansion" Products, Roger R. Schnorbus, Littleton M. Maxwell

Robins School of Business White Paper Series, 1980-2022

E. V. Clarke, the Executive Vice President, Distribution of Owens & Minor (O & M) faced a complex strategic challenge in 2009—the organization and growth of the "Expansion" products business. This business comprised several existing product categories (Radiology—Contrast Media, Surgical Instruments, Electrosurgical, Endoscopy and Dialysis), in which O&M had a presence but lacked a clear cut growth strategy. Revenue growth in categories had averaged 15% per annum from 2003 to 2008 without a customer focus; the growth had been achieved through supplying such products to existing customers through existing distribution channels.

Job Loss And The Fraying Of The Implicit Employment Contract, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Most workers have one employment contract that is explicit and another one that is implicit. The explicit employment contract specifies working hours, compensation, and job tasks. The implicit contract involves expectations about the extent to which the employment relationship is not just a payment for labor on the spot market but instead is likely to continue over time. The possibility of a longer-term commitment between an employer and its employees in turn has a number of implications: for example, whether firms will seek to avoid mass layoffs unless or until absolutely necessary; whether firms may cushion the wages and compensation …

Automated Fixture Design For A Rapid Machining Process, Wutthigrai Boonsuk, Matthew Frank

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Rapid prototyping techniques for CNC machining have been developed in an effort to produce functional prototypes in appropriate materials. One of the major challenges for rapid machining is to develop an automatic fixturing system for securing the part during the machining process. The method proposed in this paper is the use of sacrificial fixturing, similar to the support structures in existing rapid processes like Stereolithography. During the machining process, sacrificial supports emerge incrementally and, at the end of the process, are the only entities connecting the part to the stock material. This paper presents methodologies for the design of sacrificial …

Algorithms To Automate Estimation Of Time Codes For Captioning Digital Media, Daniel Harvey, Peter Liu

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Procedures were developed to partially automate the captioning process by estimating caption time codes using plain-text transcripts and audio recordings. Signal analysis is performed on the audio to measure pause location and duration, zero crossing rate (ZCR), and obtain frequency domain data. Algorithms were developed to match pauses in the audio to the ends of sentences in the transcript based on the observation that pause durations are greater at ends of sentences than within sentences. We have observed that ZCR peaks correspond to consonants in speech and that continuous wavelet transforms (CWT) work well for distinguishing between groups of consonants. …

Algorithms To Automate Estimation Of Time Codes For Captioning Digital Media, Daniel P. Harvey Ii, Peter Ping Liu

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Procedures were developed to partially automate the captioning process by estimating caption time codes using plain-text transcripts and audio recordings. Signal analysis is performed on the audio to measure pause location and duration, zero crossing rate (ZCR), and obtain frequency domain data. Algorithms were developed to match pauses in the audio to the ends of sentences in the transcript based on the observation that pause durations are greater at ends of sentences than within sentences. We have observed that ZCR peaks correspond to consonants in speech and that continuous wavelet transforms (CWT) work well for distinguishing between groups of consonants. …

Ua62/3 January Newsletter, Wku Small Business Development Center

University Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Small Business Development Center.

Identifying Pre-Retirees For Bridge Employment: Factors That Influence Post-Retirement Employment Decisions, Sharon Kendrick, Melody L. Wollan

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

In a field study of 387 pre-retirees, four factors are demonstrated to be important as tools to aid Human Resource Managers and managers in predicting and influencing employees to consider participation in bridge employment: education levels of pre-retirees, training opportunities offered, role support from others (of particular importance supervisors and coworkers), and work family balance issues. Additionally, our findings draw attention to the importance of employment status (part-time versus full-time) and the number of years to retirement in predicting pre-retirees’ intentions to work in bridge employment.

Cause For Concern: Causation And Federal Securities Fraud, Jill E. Fisch

All Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s decision in Dura Pharmaceuticals dramatically changed federal securities fraud litigation. The Dura decision itself said little, but counseled lower courts to fashion new requirements of causation and harm modeled upon common law tort principles. These instructions have led lower courts to craft a series of confusing and inconsistent decisions that incorporate little of the reasoning upon which the common law principles are based. This Article accepts the Dura challenge and examines both common law causation principles and their applicability to federal securities fraud. In so doing, the Article identifies the failure of the federal courts properly to …

Top Cop Or Regulatory Flop? The Sec At 75, Jill E. Fisch

All Faculty Scholarship

In their forthcoming article, Redesigning the SEC: Does the Treasury Have a Better Idea?, Professors John C. Coffee, Jr., and Hillary Sale offer compelling reasons to rethink the SEC’s role. This article extends that analysis, evaluating the SEC’s responsibility for the current financial crisis and its potential future role in regulation of the capital markets. In particular, the article identifies critical failures in the SEC’s performance in its core competencies of enforcement, financial transparency, and investor protection. The article argues that these failures are not the result, as suggested by the Treasury Department Blueprint, of a balkanized regulatory system. Rather, …

Don't Give Grandma An Ipod For Christmas: An Expository Study Examining The Consumer Behavior Of Senior Citizens In The Digital Music Indistry, Joshua T. Coleman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Senior citizens are the fastest growing demographic today, and the digital music industry is one of the fastest growing aspects of our economy. This study explores the relationships and underlying correlations between these two facets. Three research methods were employed: field observation of a musician targeting his music to the elderly; data analysis of this musician’s sales records; and a questionnaire seeking the purchasing and listening preferences of baby boomers and senior citizens. The results reveal that, as age increases, senior citizens’ comfort purchasing and listening to music through digital methods decreases. A negative correlation between age, nostalgic marketing, and …

Supportive Communication, Sense Of Virtual Community And Health Outcomes In Online Infertility Groups, Jennifer L. Welbourne, Anita L. Blanchard, Marla D. Boughton

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Women are turning to online health groups to deal with the stresses and complications of infertility. Online groups may provide a resource that is potentially absent in their face-to-face communities. This study examines how the sense of virtual community (SOVC) that develops in these groups serves as a buffer between perceived stress and physical health symptoms. A sample of 122 women from two virtual communities completed an online survey. Results show that observing the exchange of emotional support was positively related to SOVC while observing informational support was negatively related to SOVC. Further, SOVC was negatively related to physical health …

An Examination Of The Use Of The Board Balanced Scorecard By Large Public Corporations, Qianhua Ling, Don Giacomino, Michael Browne, Michael D. Akers

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

While the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) developed by Norton and Kaplan has gained global prominence as a management tool and there is qualitative accounting literature that discusses the benefits of the Board BSC, there is limited empirical evidence that examines the use of the Board BSC. We surveyed Chairs of large public companies to determine the extent to which they use the Board BSC and the reasons why. Our findings suggest that the Board BSC is currently not a widely used technique by Boards of Directors. We also found that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 wasn't an influencing factor for those …

Exploring Accounting Fraud In The Subsidiary Environment, Carmelita J. Troy, Madeline Ann Domino, Steven P. Landry

Faculty Publications

This research explores accounting fraud in the subsidiary environment. Utilizing institutional theory, we propose that the subsidiary environment provides an opportune setting and vehicle for individuals to commit accounting fraud. While a growing body of literature exists on accounting fraud, minimal work has focused on the role of the subsidiary in accounting fraud, as reported by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We sample companies for which the SEC has documented accounting fraud in their enforcement releases. We then analyze the related SEC documents to determine to what extent, if any, a subsidiary is involved in the accounting fraud. Our …

Management Skills Of Iranians: A Comparison Of Technical, Human And Conceptual Differences Based On Gender, Age And Longevity In Management Ranks, Reza Tajaddini, Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, Mahzad Bandenezhad

HCBE Faculty Articles

In Iran, management and leadership trends can be traced back for thousands of years of experience. This study focused on the management skills of respondents from Iran to see if gender, age and longevity in management can be significant factors in their technical, human and conceptual competencies. The results of 421 respondents show that there are significant differences linked to gender, age, and management experience. Age and management experience are positively related to better technical, human and conceptual scores. Implications for educators, managers, and human resource professionals are presented.

The Bride Is Keeping Her Name: A 35-Year Retrospective Analysis Of Trends And Correlates, Richard E. Kopelman, Rita Shea-Van Fossen, Eletherios Paraskevas, Leanna Lawter, David J. Prottas

HCBE Faculty Articles

We used data obtained from wedding announcements in the New York Times newspaper from 1971 through 2005 (N = 2,400) to test 9 hypotheses related to brides’ decisions to change or retain their maiden names upon marriage. As predicted, a trend was found in brides keeping their surname, and correlates included the bride’s occupation, education, age, and the type of ceremony (religious versus nonsectarian). Partial support was found for the following correlates: officiants representing different religions, brides with one or both parents deceased, and brides whose parents had divorced or separated. There was mixed support for the hypothesis that a …

2009 Blue Foundation Report To The Community, Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Florida, Inc.

Florida Blue Archives Printed Materials

2009 Blue Foundation Report to the Community.

Offering Rss Feeds: Does It Help To Gain Competitive Advantage?, Dan Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Nowadays, many Websites have adopted the really simple syndication (RSS) technology to deliver online content to visitors. In this paper, I build an analytical model to examine how the offering of RSS feeds impact the number of visitors, total traffic load, and profit of Websites in a competitive setting. I show that although RSS can always attract more visitors, it may reduce the Website's profit. Interestingly, in a competitive market there are cases that the RSS feeds hurt the offering Website but benefit the competing Website instead. The conditions under which these will happen are derived. I also study the …

When Is It Beneficial For A Firm To Pursue A Unified Procurement Strategy For Enterprise Software Solutions?, Robert J. Kauffman, Juliana Y. Tsai

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The underlying structure of the enterprise software marketplace during the past ten years suggests that the arrangements that firms make with respect to the acquisition of such software capabilities will become increasingly concentrated. This article explores the multiple theoretical rationales and business cases for the move to a unified procurement strategy for enterprise software, reflecting some differences in terms of what might be expected from the predictions of the well known move-to-the-middle hypothesis. Our central argument is that a "move-to-the-middle" with more than just a single vendor is the likely outcome in unconsolidated industry markets. In industries experiencing consolidation, firms …

R&D Intensity, Export Activity, And Firm Performance: A Comparative Study Of American And Chinese Firms, Jooh Lee, Berrin Dosoglu-Guner

Rohrer College of Business Departmental Research

No abstract provided.

2009 Annual Reports And Resolutions, American Dental Association

ADA Transactions

This item is part of the Annual Reports and Resolutions subtitle of the ADA Transactions, a serial publication of the annual activities of the ADA House of Delegates (HOD)/Board of Trustees (BOT) made up of three separate subtitles: Annual Reports and Resolutions, Supplements, and Transactions. Generally, the ADA Transactions are published in multiple volumes throughout the year. Older versions include reports from all departments as subsections, while more recent versions include only those of councils, commissions, and committees.