Business Commons^™

Product Market Competition And Corporate Mergers And Acquisitions, Yen-Chih Liu

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Conventional models assume competition improves corporate efficiency as firms strive to outperform competitors. In the context of agency models, the link between competition and managerial behavior becomes fuzzy. Hart (1983) and Schmidt (1997) posit that competition reduces managerial slack. Scharfstein (1988) argues that competition might increase managerial shirking. Recent studies on the relation between managerial compensation and competition further document conflicting evidence. In this study, I examine the effect of product market competition on corporate mergers and acquisitions. My initial results suggest that the definition of competition is critical in evaluating corporate mergers and acquisitions. Using three new dimensions (product …

Regional Emergency Response Teams: Case Studies In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Thomas E. Poulin

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The majority of local governments lack sufficient resources to respond effectively in an independent manner to a disaster or large-scale emergency. To achieve success, they must work closely with other organizations. The research problem is that regional emergency response relationships are not well understood, which could lead to ineffective or inefficient practices. The research purpose was to describe and analyze regional emergency response in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The research methodology involved a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews and archival research. Organizational leaders of the Hampton Roads Marine Incident Response Team and the Southside Tidewater Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team were interviewed …

Investigating The Relationship Between An It Project Manager's Emotional Intelligence And The Customer's Perception Of Success, William Jacob Lamarsh Ii

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research focuses on the intersections of Project Management, Information Technology (IT), and Emotional Intelligence. The Project Management Institute (PMI) created the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which is one of the most highly regarded and sought after professional certifications (Project Management Institute 2005, p. 15-18). This certification acknowledges the holder as a knowledgeable practitioner in Project Management. The purpose behind Project Management is to obtain requirements, sometimes fluid at best, and develop solutions that are traceable by schedule and cost controls. This approach allows a Project Manager to monitor and control the project through successful completion. However, the PMI …

Operational Knowledge Transfer In Municipal Utility Organizations, G. Christian Guvemator Iv

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Municipal water and wastewater utility systems experience several challenges related to maintaining an experienced operations workforce. One of these issues is the loss of operational knowledge as the current experienced workforce reaches the age of retirement. The future success of system operability depends upon a process that transfers the knowledge of the experienced employee into the organization before he or she retires. Recent investigations highlight the importance of, and the methods for, knowledge transfer; however, current literature does not include significant information on the municipal utility industry. The objective of this investigation is to identify how operational knowledge is being …

Retention And Job Satisfaction Among Local Law Enforcement, Lisa N. Parron

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an exploratory study which examines the retention of police officers in the Norfolk Police Department. Focus group interviews with nine police officers provided the data for this study. Participants described aspects of their job that they enjoy and aspects of their job that could be improved. Themes identified include working conditions, supervisor relationships, interpersonal relationships, pay, responsibility, achievement and recognition, and appeal of the job.

This research was aimed at revealing what officers like and dislike about their job in order to reduce voluntary turnover and increase retention.

The findings from this study indicate that job satisfaction …

Implementing A Functional Iso 9001 Quality Management System In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Andres Sousa-Poza, Mert Altinkilinc, Cory Searcy

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This conceptual paper provides guidance for the implementation of a functional ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To help a SME understand its starting point, four initial states for QMS implementation are defined. Five paths for moving the QMS from the initial state to the desired state are described. To support the transition from the initial to the desired state, some key considerations in implementing a QMS in SMEs are discussed. The paper is based on site visits and implementation assistance the authors have provided to several SMEs. It is anticipated the paper will …

A Study To Examine Differences Between In Person And Online Survey Data Collection Methodologies, Robert Case, Weiming Yang

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between the results of an in person or face-to-face direct spending survey and a post-event online direct spending survey. Participants in a large annual marathon held in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States were used as subjects for the study. The research methodology selected for this study included an in person survey instrument administered to out-of-town marathon participants prior to the start of the event during the race number and race timing chip pick-up period. The same survey instrument was administered online four days after the conclusion of the marathon …

An Integrated Probability-Based Approach For Multiple Response Surface Optimization, Okay Isik

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nearly all real life systems have multiple quality characteristics where individual modeling and optimization approaches can not provide a balanced compromising solution. Since performance, cost, schedule, and consistency remain the basics of any design process, design configurations are expected to meet several conflicting requirements at the same time. Correlation between responses and model parameter uncertainty demands extra scrutiny and prevents practitioners from studying responses in isolation. Like any other multi-objective problem, multi-response optimization problem requires trade-offs and compromises, which in turn makes the available algorithms difficult to generalize for all design problems. Although multiple modeling and optimization approaches have been …

Determinants Of The Probability Of Ship Injuries, Wayne K. Talley

Economics Faculty Publications

This study investigates determinants of the probability that an individual onboard a ship of a given shipping line will be injured (given that the ship is not involved in an accident). A Probit regression statistical model is used to investigate such determinants when ships are in port and on given types of containerships. Probit estimation results suggest that an individual is less likely to be injured in port onboard a ship that is larger in size and underway, but more likely to be injured if involved in a fall. An individual is less likely to be injured onboard a containership …

Risky Asset Substitution In The Insurance Industry: An Historical Example, Brenda Wells, Karen Epermanis, Larry A. Cox, Michael Mcshane

Finance Faculty Publications

In the 1980s, life insurers sold guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) to pension plan sponsors, then backed these contracts with portfolios heavily weighted with higher risk assets such as common stocks and junk bonds. Ultimately this caused considerable loss, and history has repeated itself in many respects in recent years via holdings of equities and mortgage-backed securities. We evaluate the risky asset substitution in the life insurance industry from an historical perspective to determine if organizational form or other factors might be rationale for managerial decisions to engage in asset substitution. We find evidence that stock insurer managers are more likely …

Asian Corporate Governance Or Corporate Governance In Asia?, Shaomin Li, Anil Nair

Management Faculty Publications

Corporate governance has become an important issue for Chinese and Indian firms as they increasingly interact with regulators and investors from developed markets. For instance, tapping into global capital markets to raise funds to finance their domestic and international growth requires firms from China and India to demonstrate strong corporate governance credentials, so that investors do not discount their stock (LaPorta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer, & Vishny, 2000). The swift action of Chinese and Indian authorities in response to recent corporate scandals – such as the one at Satyam Computers – reveals that even governments in emerging countries such as China and …

Transformation Paradox: A Framework For The Analysis Of Politics In Enterprise Transformations, Cindy S. Miller

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of politics in enterprise transformations using a dialectical analysis approach (Hegel, 1989; Heraclitus, 1979; Pinkard, 1988; Skinner, 1978a, 1978b) and conduct an evaluation of the framework validity. The framework is constructed using a dialectical analysis of concepts stemming from the work of Alford and Friedland (1992) and considers four theoretical perspectives: autocratic, bureaucratic, pluralistic, and cognitive. The framework is then validated by means of qualitative metrics and adherence to critical ideology.

This research addresses the problem that there is no holistic theoretical framework for the analysis …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2008, James V. Koch, Vinod Agarwal, John R. Broderick, Grace Chen, Chris Colburn, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Susan Hughes, Elizabeth Janik, Terry Lindvall, Sharon Lomax, Janet Molinaro, Ken Plum, Gilbert Yochum

Economics Faculty Books

This is Old Dominion University's ninth 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, John R. Broderick. 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 …

Engineering Management Framework In Support Of Modeling & Simulation Application For Domain Specific Procurement, Thomas Guy Litwin

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A strategic process is desirable for project-based organizations in order for them to be efficient and effective when developing Modeling & Simulation (M&S) systems. This thesis proposes an overarching process that combines traditional M&S and Engineering Management methodologies in a new framework to support M&S organizations during the procurement process.

This thesis proposes both a Strategic Project Management Process (SPMP) and a systems engineering process for M&S federation development projects. The systems engineering process utilizes the artifacts of Model Driven Architecture (MDA) to support building M&S federations driven by operational requirements. Detailed research of this systems engineering process revealed a …

A Social Relational Model For Firm-Hosted Virtual Communities: The Role Of Firm Support, Tung Duy Cu

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Since the ease of participation and the usefulness of information provided by online groups continue to proliferate in the World Wide Web, people increasingly participate in different forms of virtual community (i.e. online forums, bulletin boards, message boards, chat rooms) for their purposes, such as solving problems, building social relationships, sharing passions, developing professionals.

Accordingly, an increasing number of companies are now attempting to exploit this phenomenon by hosting and supporting their own online community for commercial and non-commercial purposes, such as building relationships with their customers, getting their feedback, strengthening the brand, and reducing customer service costs by enabling …

The Impact Of Collective Animosity And Collective Guilt On The Judgments Of And Preferences For Japanese Products, Amro Maher

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Collective animosity and its effects on consumers' perceptions of and preferences for foreign products from the perpetrators' country of origin has received considerable attention in the marketing literature (Ettenson and Klein 2005; Klein, Ettenson and Morris 1998; Klein 2002; Nijseen and Douglas 2005). Collective animosity however is only one possible emotion that might be experienced towards other groups (Smith 1993; Smith 1999; Mackie, Devos and Smith 2000). Collective guilt is one of these possible emotions that have received considerable attention in the social psychology literature. Collective guilt refers to the distress that one might feel due to moral transgressions performed …

Compartmentalizing The Other: Nineteenth-Century Englishwomen, Travel, And English Identity, Amanda E. Williams

History Theses & Dissertations

The nineteenth century was an age of travel. The English traveled the globe for a variety of reasons. When not traveling for military, political, religious, or scientific reasons, they also traveled a great deal simply for pleasure. Regardless of reason, travel brought the English into contact with the Other. As a construction, the Other became an important part of English identity.

Englishwomen were particularly famous for travel. Although they were disenfranchised Others themselves in English society, Englishwomen did not identify with the Other they encountered in travels, but rather chose enfranchisement in an elite "imagined" England. This community (or the …

How Personal Nostalgia Influences Giving To Charity, Altaf Merchant

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Charitable organizations in the U.S. have found it increasingly difficult to raise funds from donors. With a decline in the number of donors and with the number of charitable organizations increasing, there is a greater need than ever to engage the giver and encourage him/her to increase their giving to charitable organizations. NPOs (not-for-profit organizations) can facilitate this engagement through the identification of emotional constructs that can drive donor commitment to the NPO and increase charitable giving. In a recent study, Sargeant et al. (2006) have shown that charities which engage the giver emotionally are able to create stronger commitment …

Effect Of Household Structure On Family-Friendly Benefit Utilization: Implications For Organizational Attraction And Workplace Withdrawal Behaviors Of Federal Government Employees, Sharyn J. Aufenanger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of household structure on utilization of family-friendly benefits in organizations, as well as the impact that family-friendly benefit utilization has on organizational attraction and workplace withdrawal behaviors among Federal government employees with children. Results showed that alternative work arrangements (e.g., compressed and flexible schedules) were popular among all employees who have children. Family-friendly benefit utilization rates were highest among single parent employees and lowest among traditional family employees. Single parent employees were more likely to use flexible schedules, part-time, compressed schedules, telework, and sick and annual leave. Dual income employees were more likely to use …

Performance Of Funds Of Hedge Funds, Hung Duong

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The studies of hedge fund performance are hindered by the lack of quality returns data and the complicated nature of hedge fund returns. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, I reinvestigate the performance of hedge funds from different aspects. Second, I develop a new framework to evaluate fund of hedge funds managers' skills. Finally, I exam the performance persistence of funds of hedge funds by using various performance measures.

In the first study, I find that the annual survivorship and backfilled biases for funds of hedge funds are 0.66% and 0.21%, respectively, during the period 1994-2004. …

Configuration Of Market Oriented Culture, Organizational Structure And Business Strategy Types And Their Performance Implications In Service Organizations, Omer Gokus

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Understanding how organizations in service sectors create and sustain a competitive advantage in today's highly dynamic environment is of interest to both researchers and managers. It has been suggested that competitive advantages are achieved either by placing a renewed emphasis on delivering superior quality services to customers or by seeking efficiency through standardized practices aiming at the lowest overall cost for superior performance. This dissertation investigates how these strategies are implemented to produce enhanced organizational performance by utilizing both market oriented culture and organizational structure simultaneously. The model and the hypotheses are tested with data collected from 151 service businesses. …

Integration Of Market And Entrepreneurial Orientations; And Their Impact On Export Performance: A Contingency Approach, Ayse Nilgun Kaya

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Globalization has promoted worldwide exporting levels to soar and to account for more than 10% of global activity. Technological advances in information and communication technologies, production methods, transportation, and international logistics have led to the increase in the exporting activity. However, these advances have also resulted in highly competitive and turbulent markets, and sophisticated and demanding customers, which in return has required exporting firms to be both entrepreneurial- and market-oriented.

A review of the market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and exporting literature revealed three gaps that the dissertation sought to fill. First, the relationship between market orientation and entrepreneurship was not …

Eurobond Issue And Firm Value, Roya K. Ardalan

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

This study explores differences between US-bonds and Eurobonds and analyzes the effect of some Eurobond characteristics on firm value. First, it attempts to determine if investors view U.S. and Eurobonds similarly, especially after the change in tax laws that exempted U.S.-bond holders from paying 30 percent withholding taxes. Then, the paper analyzes the effect of some of the Eurobond issue characteristics such as issue size, issue frequency, yield spread, and maturity term on firm value. The results show that Eurobonds provide investors an alternative for portfolio diversification, and as a result, the bond market remained segmented. Also, the increase in …

Pools And Streams: A Theory Of Dynamic, Practice-Based Awareness Creation In Mediated-Communication, Kal Riemer, Russell Haines

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

In face-to-face contexts, information about the activities, context, emotions, etc. of others is typically available and often taken for granted. In mediated settings, this awareness information must be actively signaled by technology or users. In this conceptual paper, we offer a theory of the dynamic creation of awareness in mediated settings using a metaphor of pools fed by streams of communication. Pools of awareness are held within users and gradually fill via signals from others. Users desire different pools to be filled before others and direct the streams of interaction to feed those pools first. Furthermore, the desired pools are …

Differences In The Performance Of Knowledge Transfer Across Projects: A Study Of Gender And Role Of Key Project Stakeholders, Rafael E. Landaeta, Catherine Vergopia, Rey N. Diaz

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This investigation contributes empirical results of differences identified in key project stakeholders with respect to their use of knowledge transferred across projects. Gender and role were the two individual characteristics investigated. Project managers and members of project teams were the key stakeholders analyzed. Data was collected from 71 closed projects using a survey composed of closed-ended questions. The data collected was cross tabulated and statistically analyzed using Friedman's test and Spearman's correlation. The results provide evidence of the association of the performance of knowledge transfer across projects with (a) the individual factors of gender and role of key project stakeholders …

Challenge Course Effectiveness: The Impact On Leadership Efficacy And Work Efficacy Among College Students, Theresa Odello, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gomez

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Challenge courses have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many groups are turning to half-day challenge courses due to time and financial constraints. Yet, few studies have quantified the benefits of a half-day course. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in a four-hour challenge course on leadership efficacy and work efficacy of college students. Pretest, posttest, and follow-up questionnaires were utilized. T-test analyses found that participating in a challenge course has a significant positive effect on increasing one’s leadership and work efficacy from pretest to posttest, after participation in a four-hour challenge course. This …

The Theory Of The Growth Of The Firm, By Edith T. Penrose. Oxford: Blackwell, 1959 (Book Review), Anil Nair, Joseph Trendowski, William Judge

Management Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] A review (in the pages of this journal) of a book published nearly fifty years ago may appear unusual; not unless the book has become a “classic”. Indeed, many organizational scholars (e.g, Pitelis, 2002) view it as a seminal text for the resource-based view of the firm - arguably one of the dominant theoretical perspectives in strategic management research today.

Balancing Hamiltonian And Jeffersonian Contradictions Within Organizations, Anil Nair, David Ahlstrom

Management Faculty Publications

This article describes how institutions get infused with competing logics and analyzes how such competing logics might aid the design of contemporary organizations. It does so by exploring the contrasting views of American founders Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on the issues they confronted in the years leading up to and after the United States' independence from the British. Their views have had a lasting influence on the character and efficacy of the U.S. government. Although Hamilton and Jefferson contemplated issues related to the governance of the United States, the authors argue that their writings offer insights that can be …

Agent-Based Modeling And Possible Implications On Management And Engineering Management, Ipek Bozkurt, Jose J. Padilla, Andres A. Sousa-Poza

VMASC Publications

Engineering Management (EM) is a discipline that takes pride in bridging two major fields, namely engineering and management. It is clear from any basic research conducted within this field that both engineering and management tools and paradigms need to be used jointly. A mixture that encompasses quantitative and qualitative research, as well as theoretical and empirical research is found in literature, making Engineering Management, as a discipline, very complex in nature. As this complexity evolves, so should the tools of the craft. It is interesting, however, to see that Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) as a tool or as a topic of …

Continence Care: The Need For Creativity And Innovation, Karen A. Karlowicz

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) In April 2007, I attended a conference quite different from anything I had previously experienced. The conference, Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge, was hosted by the Simon Foundation for Continence. As the title implies, this was not your usual conference about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of urinary incontinence. Rather, it was a conference dedicated to exploring technological advances in continence care. The central question throughout this two-and-a-half day event was, "What can be done to simulate continence technology to ensure the most effective management for persons who suffer with this problem?"