Business Commons^™

"People Just Don't Seem To Be Listening": A Case For A Functional Approach To Reputation Management, Stephen E. Gustafson

Theses

This paper focuses on the growing study of corporate reputation management and the potential benefits of focusing management attention on building, sustaining, and defending the corporate brand's reputation. Specifically, the purpose of the paper is to provide a logical justification for major corporations to add the role of chief reputation officer to their organizational structures in order to properly manage this significant intangible asset.

Secondary research of print and electronic news media coverage was conducted to document a case history of the reputation crisis and ultimate demise of Big Five accounting firm Andersen (more commonly known as Arthur Andersen). The …

The Impact Of The Year 2000 Date Change On Corporations And Their Computer Systems, Michael O. Diggs

Theses

This thesis will focus on the year 2000 computer glitch and the impact it will have on corporations and their data processing systems.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, data storage for computers was expensive, so computer programmers routinely saved two bytes of memory by dropping the prefix 19 from the continuous date function. Thus, the year 2000 will bring a switch in the year indicator from 99 to 00. The business implications of this seemingly trivial technical event are potentially devastating. The simplest date comparison or arithmetic calculation could fail. It will foul up date critical calculation for loans, …

Self-Directed Work Teams: The New Wave For American Corporations, Janetta K, Cole

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of self-directed or empowered work teams and on preparing a plan to implement the empowered work team in the customer Contact Center in Wentzville, Missouri.

Self-directed work teams are a relatively new concept in the workforce and could be the 90s version of the total quality concept. The philosophy is that first line management takes a step backward and the workgroup virtually leads themselves. Employees are empowered to make the decisions and then act on those decisions to produce a better quality product than before. The concept is designed around teamwork both from …

Rational Bias And Its Relationship To The Glass Ceiling, Kelly A. Levengood

Theses

This thesis will focus on the affect of rational bias to the "glass ceiling." Research has suggested that a "glass ceiling" exists in corporate America . It attributes the lack of women in middle and upper management to the "glass ceiling."

Some theorists acknowledge that not all women want to be at the top in management due to the "mommy track" or general lack of interest for that position. However, for those women who desire a position in upper management, some theorists believe women are blocked from upper management positions by the "old boys network" . . . the "glass …

The Impact Of Outplacement On A Corporation's Reduction Of The Workforce, Betty E. Wendland

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of outplacement in the corporate world. Global businesses in the decade of the nineties have been faced with increasing their profits and providing stock holders with an increase in dividends. In this situation the answer is often to decrease personnel.

The purpose of the study is to investigate how companies handle restructuring and downsizings. It will show that companies should have a transition plan in place to handle such circumstances . Outplacement is a key to smoothly handle the process of the terminations that inevitably happen . This study examines the issues relating …

The Valuation Of Minority Interests In A Closely Held Corporation, Richard Houlihan

Theses

According to the 1990 Statistical Abstract of the United States, approximately 17 million businesses exist in the U.S. They are comprised of over 3.4 million corporations, 1.7 million partnerships, and more than 12 million sole proprietorships. Furthermore, the United Shareholders Association reports that there are approximately 47 million minority shareholders in approximately 10,000 U.S. public companies. It is logical to infer from this data that millions of minority shareholders also exist in closely held companies - that is, non-publicly traded companies.

A minority interest is an interest which has no meaningful control over the day-to-day operations of a business, as …

Management Decision Making And Political Viability Criteria In Large Corporate Organizations, Kalman J. Kovach

Theses

This thesis focuses on the magnitude of political viability in managerial decision making in large corporate organizations . Political viability ls defined as perpetuating shrewdness to flourish one's career within an organization.

Recent economic conditions and global competitiveness have forced corporations to examine their traditional managerial roles. As a result, many corporations have totally revamped goals and objectives in an attempt to present a clear and unobstructed vision of their mission.

Over the last decade research done by organizational psychologists, consultants, independent ·think· tanks, and decision experts have bombasted corporations with many management philosophies . Decision making is an integral …

The Way To Better Media Relations, Bruce Prator Epps

Theses

Unavailable.

The Impact Of Gender Differences On The Ethical Conduct Of Corporate Middle Management, Daniel W. Kemper

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of business ethics and the impact gender has upon the ethical decisions of corporate middle management .

Research has attributed the lack of ethics in businessmen to a decline in moral standards . Because this condition seems to be the rule rather than the exception, it becomes necessary to focus more clearly on the corporate system and the moral development of the individuals who make up this system.

Over the years moral development has been the subject of controversy as many theorists have developed their own ideas as to why people behave morally. …

The Effect Of Corporate Advertising On Stock Prices, Teresa M. Burke

Theses

Not available.

The Role Of Management In The Evaluation Of A Proposed Corporate Acquisition, Dianne O. Isbell

Theses

Unavailable.