Business Commons^™

An Empirical Investigation Into The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Use Of Knowledge Transfer Methods, And Project Performance, Brent Michael Decker

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Increasingly, the use of project teams is becoming commonplace within organizations as the primary means to accomplish complex tasks. While the literature has long acknowledged that the knowledge transfer process is a key component in achieving organizational success and ultimately sustaining a competitive advantage, very little has been written that specifically examines the knowledge transfer process at the project team level. In an attempt to increase the understanding of knowledge transfer processes at the project team level, the effect that a relatively new construct, termed emotional intelligence, has on the use of knowledge transfer methods is examined. The relationships between …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2006, James V. Koch, Vinod Agarwal, Adrianne Barrett, David Basco, John R. Broderick, Chris Colburn, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Susan Hughes, Marshall Hutto, Elizabeth Janik, Mark Koch, Feng Lian, Terry Lindvall, Sharon Lomax, Janet Molinaro, John A. Sokolowski, Ray White, Gilbert Yochum

Economics Faculty Books

This is Old Dominion University's seventh annual State of the Region report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, or it's president, Roseann Runte.

The report maintains the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make Hampton Roads an even better place to live. We are proud of our region's many successes, but realize that it is possible to improve our performance. In order to do so, we must have accurate information about "where we are" and a sound …

Teamwork In Chinese Organizations: A New Concept And Framework, Ying Liu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Teamwork has always been a challenge in China, and the importance of teamwork has not been well recognized. This study was designed to explore the underlying definition of teamwork that Chinese people use to describe their teams, to identify variables related to teamwork, to develop a new framework and measure of teamwork in Chinese organizations, and to test the psychometric properties of the measure as well as the structural relationships of the new framework of teamwork in Chinese teams. This study also examines the influence of guanxi---an important Chinese cultural value that emphasizes exchange and reciprocity in relationships---on teamwork in …

Lagu And Belu: The Semiotics Of Bottled Water Packaging, Daniel Fusch

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

There has been considerable recent criticism of the bottled water industry from professional and popular as well as scholarly sources. This criticism disputes the veracity of a brand's claim to a pure and natural source, as well as the standards for regulation. This paper adds another factor to the criticism of bottled "natural springs" water, emphasizing the magical operation implicit in the rhetoric for the packaging of bottled water. The paper examines the natural and supernatural semiotics of the commercial packaging for bottled "natural springs" water, and identifies a correlation between the semiotic function of the ancient Germanic rune lagu …

Crisis Management In Projects, Senol Nazikkol

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation is to identify the processes, benefits and important tools of crisis management in projects. Crisis management is a system that helps managers to prevent and overcome crises. In this research, a general review about crisis, crisis management processes and tools are discussed. The research was done by using the information in the literature and expert judgment. This paper can be used by academics as a foundation for further research and development in the area of crisis management in projects. Managers of projects can use this study for improving their projects and project-based organizations' crisis management …

Collegiate Employers Preferred Characteristics In Potential Job Candidates, Amber S. Landis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify specific characteristics collegiate employers prefer in potential athletic training job candidates. A secondary purpose was to determine any relationships or differences in employer preferences based on characteristics of the employer or demographics of the institution. A survey instrument was developed to gather background information about the employer and hiring institution, rate the preferences of employers and collect information about the candidate who was actually hired. The instrument was piloted among survey experts and employers who had recently hired an athletic trainer at the college setting and the survey was considered reliable. Email …

The Analytic Hierarchy & The Analytic Network Processes In Multicriteria Decision Making: A Comparative Study, Ali K. Taslicali

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation is to identify the critical benefits and factors of decision making models in a changing technological environment. Decision making models are helping tools for the managers or decision makers to make future plans by using qualitative or quantitative data. In this research, a general idea about decision making models and, comparison between the two important models, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Analytical Network Process (ANP), are introduced. The research was done by using the information in the literature and expert judgment. This paper can be used by academics as a foundation for further …

Analyzing Faulty Knowledge Systems In Project-Based Environments: An Empirical Investigation In A R&D Organization, Rafael E. Landaeta, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Timothy G. Kotnour, William R. Peterson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This investigation contributes a framework of the relationships among the faulty elements of a knowledge system in a project-based organization. The framework was developed during an applied research project at a R&D organization. A knowledge system can be defined as a series of inputs, processes, and outputs that interact with each other with the purpose of enhance the performance and capabilities of an organization or work unit through knowledge. The framework was developed using literature, our experience as applied researchers, and data collected from members of a R&D organization. Data was collected through a survey, interviews, and group meetings. The …

Intra-Firm Specialization, Income Distribution, And International Trade, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

The impact of international trade on a firm’s degree of specialization and income distribution is studied in a general equilibrium framework in which firms engage in oligopolistic competition. International trade increases a firm’s degree of specialization, but the number of goods a country produces may not change. Trade may lower the welfare of the scarce factor of production. Sufficient conditions for a country’s welfare to increase with trade are provided.

Employee Commitment And Turnover: Literature And Data Analysis Of Correlations, Jean-Paul M. Arnaout, Gamze Karayaz, Andres Sousa-Poza

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Due to the current turbulent environment, companies had to evolve form their traditional rigid structures to flexible and efficient ones, in order to better adapt to the continuous changes in the environment. New practices have emerged in the workplace, particularly the large layoffs of employees due to budget cuts, leading to an increase in the organizations' turnover. Thus, in today's world, a company is subject to high turnovers at any time of its life cycle; a suggested approach for reducing this turnover is through the improvement of organizational commitment. This paper addresses the following question: "Do all forms of employee …

Using Rfid Technology In Collaborative Design Of The Assembly Systems, Stevan Stankovski, Gordana Ostojić, Vukica Jovanović, Branislav Stevanov

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Modern production conditions require the application of the concept of distributing production. This approach means coordinative production in a number of small and middle size companies. Multiplex products, consisting of a number of parts, components, and modules are assembled in one function unit in one company, but they may not be manufactured in one place. Huge factory and production complex, which existed in our country, comprised all phases of product lifecycle, from the development of a concept solution to the assembly. Technology of product manufacturing, resource logistics, quality control, product testing and verification of product function characteristics all represented activities …

Divergent Opinions And Value Stock Performance, John A. Doukas

Finance Faculty Publications

Those who believe that capital markets—that is, markets for stocks and bonds—operate efficiently and asset prices fully reflect all publicly available information are engaged in an ongoing debate about the exact interpretation of the “value premium” with those who reject this view. Value premium refers to the superior returns generated by the purchase of value stocks relative to growth, or glamour, stocks. Rationalists, the group believing in market efficiency, argue that because value stocks are fundamentally riskier than growth stocks, the value premium is compensation for bearing risk. Behavioralists, the group arguing that market asset prices don’t reflect all publicly …

Rfid Technology Use In Assembly And Disassembly Processes, Gordana Ostojić, Milovan Lazarević, Vukica Jovanović, Stevan Stankovski, Ilija Ćosić

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Modern production conditions demand the application of the concept of distributed production. Today companies are specialized for partial technology processes. Hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of collaborative processes depend on workers’ interaction and communication in product assembly and disassembly phases. RFID technologies can be really helpful in identifying objects in terms of sustainable development, regarding disassembly, recycling and reuse. In this paper we presented VCDE system architecture and the realization method of RFID technology as well as the data acquisition using RFID technology during the product lifecycle from the design process, production, assembly, usage, and an special example is given regard- …

A Dyadic Composition To Foster Virtual Team Effectiveness: An Experimental Study, Gamze Karayaz

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The importance of effectiveness for virtual teamwork continues to gain momentum as technology and globalization of work accelerate. The implementation of virtual teams provides one approach to enhance competitiveness, overcoming the disadvantages of space and time differences through collaborative technologies. The influence of structure to virtual team performance has not been clearly established in the literature. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effectiveness of a dyad structured approach for virtual teams using a quasi-experimental research design.

This research investigated four questions related to the influence of structure on virtual team effectiveness related to task performance, communication …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2005, James V. Koch, Vinod Agarwal, John R. Broderick, Edward Card, Chris Colburn, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Susan Hughes, Kristine Karlsen, Feng Lian, Sharon Lomax, Linda Mcgreevy, Janet Molinaro, Kenneth Plum, Qian Sun, Gilbert Yochum

Economics Faculty Books

This is Old Dominion University's Sixth Annual State of the Region Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, or it's president, Roseann Runte.

The report maintains the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make Hampton Roads an even better place to live. We are proud of our region's many successes, but realize that it is possible to improve our performance. In order to do so, we must have accurate information about "where we are" and a sound …

The Effects Of Local And Global Risk Factors On Industry Stock Returns: Across Country Analysis, Mahdy Farag Elhossiny

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation studies the local and global sources of risk and industries stock returns across national equity markets. We examine several local and global economic risk factors and ask whether and to what extent these risk factors can explain the variation in the industries' stock returns of five countries, namely Canada, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. Specifically, the main objective of this dissertation is to find answers for three main questions: First, whether and to what extent do returns on local industries respond to changes in local macroeconomic risk factors? Second, whether and to what extent do returns …

Essays On Currency Risk Management, Nehad Elsawaf

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

In recent years a growing number of corporations have committed considerable resources to risk management, indicating the potential for risk management to protect and increase firm value. One can argue that most prior attempts to directly link the value of the firm to its hedging strategies are rather scant. Moreover, several questions with regards to firms' risk management activities remain unanswered. This study consists of two essays dealing with a series of questions regarding corporate risk management in modern U.S. multinational corporations.

In the first essay we first, test the valuation effects of currency hedging policies of firms around extraordinary …

Valuation Effects Of Earnings Restatements Due To Accounting Irregularities, Tan Xu

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation studies three financial topics using earnings restatement data. In the first topic, we discriminate between the market efficiency hypothesis and the underreaction hypothesis by examining their predictions on the stock performance of restating firms in the post-announcement period. Three approaches are used, namely, the cumulative abnormal return (CAR), buy-and-hold abnormal return (BHAR), and calendar time portfolio approaches. Consistent with the market efficiency hypothesis, we do not find significant abnormal performance in the post-restatement period. In the second topic, we test the extrapolation model (LSV, 1994) by examining the relationship between stock price reaction to earnings restatement and the …

Overreaction, Seasonality And Relationship Among Middle East And North Africa National Stock Markets, Yaser A. Al-Kulaib

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation examines overreaction, seasonality, and relationship among Middle East and North Africa (MENA) stock markets. The dissertation is organized in five chapters. The first chapter is introduction to the dissertation and its importance. The second chapter will discuss the MENA capital market developments in the last few years, examine the human and economic development for countries in MENA, and try to find similarities and differences between them. Then the discussion will shift to an overview of the GCC, Levant, and NA regions. Finally, there will be a discussion about economic reform and development in MENA capital markets.

Then, the …

Operating Measures, Ipo Valuation, And After Market Performance-Perspective From Internet Bubble Period, Yuhong Fan

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Internet related firms experienced an extremely high degree of underpricing in the year 1999 and 2000; 40 percent more than underpricing of Non-Internet firms. Two explanations for this phenomenon are examined: the changing-risk composition hypothesis and overreaction hypothesis. Empirical tests are conducted in three stages: first trading day, short-term, and long-term performances. The results are consistent with both hypotheses, and the high initial returns for Internet firms are explainable by investors' overreaction and the firm's high uncertainties.

Who Owns The Medium Owns The Message? The Ambiguity Of The Right To Communicate In The Age Of Convergence, Aliaa Ibrahim Dakroury

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In her essay on The Ambiguity of the Right to Communicate in the Age of Convergence, Aliaa Dakroury frames the issue mediation in terms of media ownership and control. The question asked in the title -- Who Owns the Medium Owns the Message? -- in its rhetorical rather than literal form, indicates the skepticism with which Dakroury approaches too narrow a vision of determination. In the terms of his case study, this means questioning the apparent incommensurability of the economic convergence of multi-national media conglomerates and the right to communicate. To do so, Dakroury offers substantial analyses of both the …

The Role Of Interfunctional Market Orientation In New Product Program Success: An Exploratory Empirical Analysis, George Grady Gresham

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

A central tenet of the market orientation construct is the need for virtually all departments, not just the marketing department, to participate in gathering, disseminating and responding to market intelligence. Previous academic research provides empirical support for a positive relationship between market orientation and superior business performance. Superior business performance, for many firms, depends upon a continuous stream of new products emerging from their product development programs, yet few studies have demonstrated the link between market orientation and new product development program success. This dissertation conceptualizes market orientation below the strategic business level as interfunctional market orientation (IFMO) for cross-functional …

The Role Of Inferential Accuracy In Performance Rating Accuracy: A Field Study Of Teacher Performance Appraisal, Cynthia L. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study first assessed the accuracy of performance appraisal ratings of high school teachers in comparison to the achievement of their students as measured by Virginia's Standard of Learning (SOL) tests. The overall performance rating scores of 145 teachers were compared to the pass rates of their students on SOL end-of-course tests. The rating sub-scores in each of four domains of performance were also compared to the SOL pass rates.

The study then tested the influence of Inferential Accuracy, a model proposed by Jackson (1972), on rating accuracy overall and of individual raters in the study. Inferential Accuracy is comprised …

Production Research In China, S. Chaudhry, S. Feng, H. Li, H. Sui, J. L. Zhang, Z Zhang, Li Xu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) China is the world’s largest emerging economy. In recent years, China has moved to an increasingly market-oriented economy that opens to international trade and investment. At the same time, the popularity of China as a manufacturing base, assembling goods for sale worldwide is growing. In addition to global manufacturers who have built their own plants in China, many manufacturing companies are outsourcing production to Chinese subcontractors and branding the products with their own logos. In today’s China, production research is becoming more and more important; advanced production research becomes an important enabler to make its manufacturing industry competitive. …

Multi-National Project Team Communications And Cultural Influences, Morgan E. Henrie

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory case study dissertation examined multinational project teams' communication satisfaction as influenced by the project team's cultural attribute of power distance. Utilizing a exploratory case study, semi-guided interview research approach, ordinal scale data and open-ended contextual based question responses was obtained. This data was gathered from United States---Russia and Canada---Angola multi-national, complex, high technology oil transportation project teams. Triangulation data gathering techniques were utilized to obtain empirical data from multiple sources of data and multiple data types. Subsequent data analyses combined descriptive statistical analysis, graphical analysis, cluster analysis, and content analysis techniques to derive a theoretical construct of multi-national …

Investment Of Resources To Become Competitive: A Survey Of Polish Manufacturing Companies, Mark Wermus

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

In view of unprecedented transition of the Polish economy, the privatization of manufacturing organizations and the investment of foreign funds in Polish companies, we wanted to learn about manufacturing practices in Polish companies during the period of transition. Analyzing how the companies use forecasts and then where they allocate limited resources may help us to better understand the transition economy and estimate if the way they have chosen may lead them to become world class manufacturers. Poland is a gateway country to other countries in the Eastern European region and many companies in those countries will use the experience of …

Employment Restructuring In Polish Companies During Economic Transition: Some Comparisons With Western Experience, Tomasz Mroczkowski, Mark Wermus, Linda D. Clarke

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the results of a survey of downsizing practices in 90 Polish manufacturing companies. Unlike Russia, where very few employment reductions have been carried out, downsizing in Polish companies is pervasive and appears to be accelerating. The factors that drive downsizing in a transition economy like Poland are not the same as those in the west. Nonetheless, the results of this study indicate that downsizing in Poland has had mostly beneficial effects on company functioning.

Review Of An Exeter Mis-Guide, By Stephen Hodge, Simon Persighetti, Phil Smith, Cathy Turner, And Tony Weaver, 2003, Davin Heckman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Complex System Transformation: A System Of Systems Engineering (Sose) Perspective, Charles B. Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to develop a perspective for complex system transformation from a System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) viewpoint. This is a first attempt to make explicit a SoSE viewpoint on complex system transformation. As such, the formulation is intended to escalate the dialog and integrate the current state of understanding with respect to the nature, utility, and implications of complex system transformation in SoSE terms. To achieve our purpose we will: (1) present a short introduction that provides an essential background for SoSE, (2) provide five fundamental systems concepts that underlie a SoSE perspective of complex …

Using A Web-Based Supply Chain Management Simulation As An Experiential Learning Tool Across The Business Curriculum, Russell Haines, Jill Hough, Douglas Haines, Scott Metlen

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

A web based version of the common "Beer Distribution Game" that facilitates experiential learning was developed and tested for use across the business curriculum. While the fundamental elements of the original paper based game were preserved, the web-based on-line multiplayer version offers refinements to game play, administration and debriefing that allow more focus on the learning experience and open possible applications beyond the traditional one-time demonstration of the bullwhip effect. The web-based supply chain management simulation was tested and refined in Strategic Management courses and Integrated Business Curriculum courses at two widely separated universities. Students responded favorably to the on-line …