Business Commons^™

The Conservative And Liberal Debate Over The Success Or Failure Of Welfare Programs In The United States, John L. Rhoads

Theses

This thesis will focus on the debate between liberal and conservative authors concerning the success or failure of the welfare state in the United States of America .

During the 1960's, government involvement expanded greatly through President Lyndon Johnson's great society programs . These programs were designed to alleviate poverty and promote self reliance amongst the poorest segments in society. Overall these programs were accepted by both the general populus and those in government as the morally "right" thing to do.

As time went by, and expenditures and involvement increased, debate surfaced as to how well these programs were doing …

Leadership: Changes Necessary To Remain Globally Competitive In The Twenty-First Century, Donna M. Ludewig

Theses

Ibis thesis will focus on the study of leadership, and modifications a leader must make in leadership direction so that corporations' leaders will empower their employees to perform each task successfully.

Research has suggested many people do not understand the meaning of the term leadership, because it is difficult to measure objectively and define. Leaders normally are not born with leadership skills, but leadership is learned through classroom studies and monitors who possess excellent leadership talent. Organizations must develop new leaders who enhance new ideas. Leaders must communicate effectively, manage the performance of others, analyze situations and use good judgement. …

Empowerment Through Motivational Tactics, Kathleeen M. Bruno

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of empowerment and motivation tactics that are used to increase the action and interest of employees to improve performance. Empowering and motivating others in the pursuit of organizational objectives is one of the most challenging roles of management in today's workforce. A look into past. present. and future methods will be traveled to provide a better understanding of which motivators are the most successful and what tactics are most useful in empowering employees from management's point of view, while at the same time fulfilling the physical and psychological requirements of the employer.

Empowerment …

Healthcare Reform Through Redesign, Alanna D. Runge

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of a complex redesign plan that healthcare organizations can utilize through healthcare reform.

Research has indicated that there are numerous individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. In addition, research has supported the rising costs of healthcare today . Because of these two elements, the federal government has launched a healthcare reform campaign. Therefore, healthcare facilities must be able to reengineer the way they currently conduct business.

There have been several redesign plans developed through research. However, the five common components are the delivery services, financial management and cost containment, marketing development, physician relations, …

A Fund Raising Program For An Under Or Non Insured Critically Ill Child, John O'Mara Thompson

Theses

Research shows that fund raising for public or private uses has existed for centuries. Since the 1900's, fund raising efforts have become more organized with specific goals, plans, and time limits, yet they still generally serve the public and not individuals.

Life saving medical treatments that were once regarded as experimental are now readily available yet are not without financial constraints. Unfortunately, the very people who need health insurance to support such treatments find themselves unable to get insurance at any price. Thus, an urgent need for fund raising by private families to finance non compensated health care bills are …

Using Public Relations To Effectively Communicate A Desired Corporate Image Of The United States Postal Service, Dianne Holloway Williams

Theses

The United States Postal Service is a 219 year old American institution that for the majority of those years enjoyed the approval and confidence of the American people. Now, newspaper articles regularly ask whether this public service would be better managed as a private industry.

Sometime after World War II Americans began to lose faith in big business and in the government. The Postal Service was included among those institutions that began to lose public trust. More recently, numerous news reports point to an agency delivering poor service through unconcerned, perhaps even violent employees . This general distrust of government …

Child Care: A Contextual Study And Comparison Of Parental Anxiety At Corporate And Off Site Facilities, Patricia Turner Marsh

Theses

The purpose of this study was to discuss some developmental aspects and trends in day care and to compare the anxiety levels between parents for whom the center was on the work site with those for whom the center was off the work site. The rationale for this study came from the suggestion in the literature that work site day care might be a viable solution to many difficulties dual income families encounter. Thirty-seven individual parents were sampled as they presented their children to a day care center at a hospital in a large midwestern city. The parents were from …

The Development Of A Pollution Prevention Plan, Bruce H. Litzsinger

Theses

This study focuses on the reasons for implementing a pollution prevention program, and the format that such an effort should take . The numerous laws and regulations created by government place a significant burden on the manufacture, handling, and use of hazardous substances, and significant resources are required of industry as a result.

Preventing pollution makes economic sense by increasing operating efficiencies and reducing the costs associated with pollution . Congress and the EPA have made pollution prevention a current priority. The EPA is incorporating pollution prevention into all aspects of the Agency's activities . With regard to industry, the …

The Divestiture Of At&T: Financial Benefit Or Financial Harm To Its Owners, Marla S. Martin

Theses

This thesis examines the history of AT&T, the divestiture of its operating companies in 1984 and the subsequent impact on the parent company, its offspring and the telecommunications industry. The focus is on the impact to AT&T's original owners.

The Bell Telephone Company which spawned AT&T was formed in 1877 with Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. AT&T became the largest telephone company in the world and one of the most powerful economic forces within the United States. However, over the course of its history, it fought three separate antitrust suits filed by the U. S . Justice Department …

An Analysis Of Outsourcing And A Comprehensive Guideline To A Successful Transaction And A Smooth Transition, Robert H. Moss

Theses

Information Services (IS) outsourcing is a new industry. Beginning in the late 1980's, corporations began to view the in-house IS departments as being excessively expensive due to the difficulty in controlling costs, the constantly changing technology, and a general unfamiliarity with inner workings of the systems and processes that made IS delivery work. Other corporations began to see that this niche could be filled by establishing large processing centers and selling the capacity to those corporations whose core businesses did not include IS and to those who believed costs could be reduced by simply getting out of the IS business. …

Worker's Compensation: Difficulties, Causes, And Remedies, Joseph G. Newman

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of the Missouri workers' compensation system. its difficulties, the causes, and possible remedies. Current research reveals that the rising cost of workers' compensation is causing industry. labor. and government to consider major reforms to the system. These reforms might be directed toward curtailing rising medical costs. Workers' compensation costs have increased significantly through the 80's, and continue to rise. Excessive litigation 1s another factor influencing the cost of workers' compensation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the difficulties found in administering a fair and equitable workers' compensation system. It is hypothesized …

Labor Unions: Losing Ground To Non-Union Rivals, Gary R. Watson

Theses

This paper will begin with an overview of the development of trade unions in the United States construction industry. It will discuss the development of various labor organizations, labor laws, and their effect on construction trade unions.

Based on these developments, trade unions' rise to tremendous power was rapid. With power came large wage increases and benefit packages. Jurisdictional lines were strictly adhered to. Because owners were forced to operate with cost constraints, trade unions were beginning to negotiate themselves out of a job.

The major point of this paper will be the ramifications of these developments as it affects …

Valley Wide Health Services, Inc. Fy 93/94 Marketing Plan Development, Jan C. Vest

Theses

This culminating project develops a marketing plan for a Community and Migrant Health Center in southern Colorado. The need for marketing plans for large multi-specialty group practices is becoming more and more evident. Increased competition for patients and the anticipated national and state health care reform suggests that the provision of physician services will continue to become more competitive in the future.

Community and Migrant Health Centers have not traditionally had to compete for patients. They have occupied a special niche in most markets, they were created to provide services to the medically underserved, and they very often are the …

Networking And Disaster Planning As Influences On The Attitudes Of A Small Business After A Flood, Jennifer J. Bredell

Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of disaster plans and communications networks on the level of optimism in small businesses after a riverine flood. Business survival under any conditions depends upon the application of resources to meet demands . A disaster simultaneously reduces available resources and increases demands upon businesses to such a degree that many fail. A number of factors have been shown to contribute to business survival after disaster . Managerial optimism, disaster plans, and prior contact with outside agencies have been identified as factors which are associated with improved business recovery and reconstruction. …

An Analysis Of Management Philosophies: The Economic Benefits Of Job Enrichment And Proactive Management Techniques, William C. Slizewski

Theses

This thesis examines the various managerial philosophies active in the American corporate environment in the late 1900's, their roots, and diverse influences. The management philosophies employed by an organization greatly influences the perceptions held by that organization's employees, the public, and other firms.

In recent years many management "gurus" have touted their programs as the key to the establishment of profitable managerial procedures. While a few programs have succeeded in turning organizations around, some enterprises are still in the development stage of their newfound philosophies and time will tell whether or not the programs will be successful. And then there …

Kid's Kab: A Distinctive Service Company Helping Busy Parents Cope With Their Many Daily Responsibilities, Marie M. Hollander

Theses

Unavailable.

Hotel Front Desk Management And The Role Of Information Technologies, Michael A. Jarzewiak

Theses

This thesis will focus on Hotel Front Desk Management and the role of Information Technologies.

Recently, with the advancement of information systems, the hotel industry is changing as necessary. Property Management Systems--known in the hospitality field as PMS--have changed the way hotels operate.

Other technologies discussed are keyless lock systems, and computerized time card systems, along with other high-tech systems.

The major concern of this thesis is to research various Property Management Systems and to see what is the most important criteria hotel executives or operators seek before implementation.

Managing The Diverse Workforce, Kevin W. Williamson

Theses

This thesis will focus on the changes that are occurring in the composition of the population of the U.S. - how diverse it has become - and diversity's impact on the U.S. business entity.

Research has indicated that the largest percentage of new growth in the labor market will minorities and women. By the year 2000 the workforce will become more heterogeneous from a race, skill and experience standpoint. With the population of the U.S. shrinking, the pool from which employers have to select prospective employees from is also shrinking. The issue is employer demand. Companies that strive to remain …

A Study Of The Effects Of A Career Counseling Seminar On Self-Efficacy In Displaced Homemakers, Mary B. Knopf

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate issues relevant to divorced displaced homemakers and to measure the effects of a career counseling seminar (Seminar for Success) on levels of self-efficacy. The design was Quasi-experimental pretest-post test with a nonequivalent control group. The control group consisted of 30 adult female students attending Lindenwood College (Masters of Counseling Program) in June, 1994. Levels of self-efficacy were tested and re-tested with a one week interval between testings with no intervention. The experimental group included 30 adult females attending "Seminar for Success" at Florissant Valley and Meramac Community Colleges in St.Louis, Missouri in …

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 …

Managing Change Driven By Environmental Regulations: Can Industries In The United States Eliminate The Use Of Chloroflurocarbons (Cfcs) In Insulating Foam Plastic Products And Maintain Global Competiveness?, M. Boake-Danquah

Theses

Chemicals emitted into the atmosphere which contain chlorine have been identified as ozone-depleting compounds for several years. These chemicals generally described as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and chlorinated solvents, are used in a wide variety of applications. International agreements and government regulations in the United States are mandating a ban, and requiring industries to seek CFC and chlorinated solvent replacements. The substitutes which are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contain less or no chlorine, and hence, are less damaging to the earth's ozone layer.

The provisional chemicals are not drop-in replacements for existing products and processes which employ CFCs. There …

Successfully Investing In Renovation Real Estate, Linda J. Weaver

Theses

In order to successfully invest in real estate, investors must become the basics that govern real estate investments. It is important to become familiar with the target market and its upward and downward trends. Also, evaluation of the neighborhood area is imperative in order to determine the desirability of the overall area. The investment property itself also needs to be evaluated for marketability, potential repairs and resale. Once, these basic evaluations are performed, the cost analysis of investment and potential profitability must be reviewed. A combination of all of these items will enable an investor to make sound investment choices. …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Settlement Process In The Securities Industry, Woody D. Johnson

Theses

This thesis will focus on the settlement process in the securities industry and the different methods and frequencies by which securities firms disburse payments to their customers.

Many brokerage firms have realized the value of technological advancements in cash management services and have invested large dollars in their systems capabilities to remain competitive . Other firms do not have the resources to invest in such systems. To stay competitive, many firms are now looking at customer service, focusing on customer payments as a marketing tool.

Historically, securities firms exploited the financial success in their customers' accounts to offset the lack …

A Plan To Integrate Cockpit Resource Management Into Training Programs Of Non-Automated, Transport Category Aircraft, C. H. Meyerholtz Jr.

Theses

Pilot error has been listed frequently as the probable cause of aircraft accidents. In most cases this does not refer to an error in piloting skills, but rather an error in judgment or inept use of resources available to the pilot. Researchers found that the skills required to effectively use all resources and encourage a team spirit in the cockpit had not been sufficiently developed. Further, according to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, these resource management skills are just as necessary as flying skills in order to effect safe flight. In the mid-1970's, cockpit resource …

Women In The Workforce: The Voice Of Change, Susan J. Cerny

Theses

This study presents a review of the current literature that pertains to the experiences of women in the male dominated working world. The specific focus of this study is the barriers that prevent women from advancing where men succeed.

When. women enter the workforce they tend to be naïve about the organizational culture that surrounds them. Women bring with them their natural feminine instincts and behaviors, which are not considered as valuable in the corporate world as male instincts and behaviors.

Because they are entering a "man's world," women are unaware of the subtle and underlying rules of the corporate …

The Self-Concept And Symbolic Consumption; Their Effect On Consumer Behavior, Cory L. Dobbs

Theses

A major issue confronting consumer researchers and other investigators of social-psychological phenomena is whether individuals are motivated to purchase products that symbolically are congruent with their self-concept.

This issue is of particular importance to consumer and marketing researchers, since much of their data and resulting actions depend on the decision processes leading up to the consumer's choice of product for consumption. Examining the relationship between the self and consumption through congruence of self-images and images of owned or desired products reveals that the consumer regards his or her consumed products as expressive of themselves.

Perception plays a critical role in …

The Effects Of Video-Based Sales Training Methods And Feedback On Field Sales Performance, Michael T. Simorka

Theses

This thesis focused on the effects of video-based sales training methods on field sales performance. The study also evaluated the effects of feedback systems on performance.

Research in the field of training methodology presents a positive review of "high technology" methods . Most of the studies focus on the benefits of easy administration , reduced cost or improved performance . However, most reviews are anecdotal . There is little empirical data which studies the use of these medium and their effects on field sales performance.

In reviewing the research on feedback systems, the studies have shown that feedback can have …

The Use Of High-Tech Sales Recruitment In The Data Communications Industry, John J. Speraneo

Theses

The purpose of this study is to conduct a research investigation of the use of executive recruitment. While corporate America automates and downsizes in order to compete in the worldwide market, workers try to find creative ways to market themselves and use the best means to locate jobs in this competitive environment.

The main focus of this study is to determine the primary means used to locate high-tech sales positions in the data communications industry. This could vary from executive recruiters, classified ads, personal referrals, and other miscellaneous methods.

The following paper is an empirical study, designed to provide an …

Workplace Drug And Alcohol Testing: A Blueprint For Employee Acceptance And Success, Charles Edward Martin

Theses

Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace is a highly emotional and complex issue. Society's drug and alcohol abuse problem has become so pervasive that employers are obligated to act to protect themselves, their businesses and their employees .

Business costs have risen dramatically due to lost productivity resulting from drug and alcohol abuse. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and rehabilitation efforts have been somewhat successful but are extremely expensive.

Many businesses have chosen to protect themselves by implementing pre-employment drug screening. Some businesses drug test current employees randomly and "for cause". "For cause" has generally been defined as reasonable suspicion …

Image Is Reality, Sarah Louise Meininger

Theses

How individuals perceive a business is reality. It doesn't matter if these perceptions are true or false. This paper explores aspects of corporate image and identity and the importance of shaping an image for a company.

We will focus on the importance of research and how initial research should determine how people perceive a company in and outside the organization itself. We will also discuss the CEO' s impact and his/her role. The CEO oversees current perceptions, shapes and molds an image for the company, guides the image for the future and should also be a communicator within the company. …