Business Commons^™

Bank Lending Channel And Changing Credit Standards In The Residential Mortgage Market, Salman Tahsin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation examines the relationship between bank conditions and the residential mortgage market. The first essay investigates the effect of bank distress on the residential mortgage market during the 2007-09 financial crisis. We use the county-aggregated change in the ratio of jumbo to nonjumbo mortgage acceptance rate as an instrumental variable to control for endogeneity between bank distress and county economic conditions. The median decrease in the instrumental variable explains an additional 1.5 percentage point decline in county home prices and a 20 basis point rise in the county unemployment rate, which represent 15% and 5%, respectively, of their median …

Assessing The Current Efficiencies Of Farm Credit Of Western Arkansas, Hailey Paulsen

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Farm Credit is a unique banking structure, as it is a cooperative which pays patronage dividends to its members. As such, the rates for loans (nominal interest rates) that Farm Credit offers can be slightly higher than larger commercial banks because the patronage payment can offset some, all or more of interest rate difference, which results in an effective rate. Farm Credit, like other globally evolving industries, must continuously look for ways to differentiate themselves to compete for new customers and retain existing ones. Thus, this study sets out to survey the members of Western Farm Credit of Arkansas to …

Profitability Analysis Of Varying Herd Sizes Based On Price Signals In Cow-Calf Operations, Colson Tester

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The third most consumed meat around the world is beef. Despite global growth in demand, cattle markets experience price cycles related to biological production lags causing variability in cash flow and profitability for producers. Price-driven herd size management strategies thus have received attention. This study adds to that literature by analyzing both price and production risk using three herd size management strategies: i) steady state – holding herd size constant; ii) dollar cost averaging – keeping reinvestment constant by varying the number of replacement heifers retained at a constant long run average dollar total; and iii) moving average – using …

Performance Evaluation And Risk Management: Time Series Bootstrap Analysis Of The Mutual Funds And Banking Sectors, Lifa Huang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (“Act”), repealed a regulatory proscription in the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 that prohibited commercial bank holding companies (BHCs) from underwriting most bonds, equities, and insurance policies. After the passage of the Act in November 1999, BHCs that converted to financial holding companies (FHCs) were allowed to engage in securities underwriting without restrictions. The first paper examines whether the removal of barriers to securities underwriting had an adverse impact on the overall stability of the financial sector, and thereby, contributed indirectly to the financial crisis of 2008. The …

An Analysis Of Scholarship Distribution By Division I Softball Coaches, Donovan James Nelson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore fairness factors used by NCAA Division I head softball coaches in scholarship distribution. Research by Hums & Chelladurai introduced Distributive Justice principles to intercollegiate athletics; indicating need was a popular distribution principle. Continued research by Mahony, Hums, & Riemer determined need as a common distribution principle in athletics. Prior to this study, no research has been done to examine distribution principles by NCAA Division I softball coaches based on distributive justice principles. This study used a single scenario of grant-in-aid distribution with six possible decisions coaches make to determine fairness of grant-in-aid …

Protecting The Viability Of The Small Donor In Modern Elections, Ben Miller

Arkansas Law Review

Campaign finance reform stands as one of the most important issues in today’s modern elections. From national to municipal contests, the influx of large donations places wealthy individuals—and interests—at odds with the average voter. Over the years, volumes of academic and legislative reforms have been proposed that encompass a wide range of electoral subject matter. From Citizens United to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) control mechanisms, solutions on how to change our campaign finance regulatory regime cover a large and diverse area of law and policy. However, the central theme throughout these reforms is maximizing transparency and curbing the undue influence …

Decision Support System For Container Port Selection Using Multiple-Objective Decision Analysis, Rivelino De Icaza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ports are essential for maritime transportation and global supply chains since they are nodes that connect the sea- and land-based modes of transportation. With containerization and supply chains stimulating global trade, ports are challenged to adjust to changes in the market to create value to their customers. Therefore, this dissertation research focuses on the container port selection decision analysis to provide information to help shipping lines select the best port for their shipping networks. Since the problem is complex, dynamic, and involves multiple and conflicting criteria, the research proposes to use the multi-objective decision analysis with Value-Focused Thinking approach. The …

Hedge Fund Performance And Derivative Hedging, Yongjia Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of three essays which focus on hedge fund performance and derivative hedging. The first essay uses ETF returns as proxies for tradable risk factors in hedge fund performance evaluation and identifies contemporaneously relevant risk factors from the entire universe of ETFs. The model provides more informative estimates of alpha and beta coefficients for predicting hedge fund out-of-sample performance compared with other widely used hedge fund factor models. Portfolios of top alpha hedge funds selected by the model generate statistically significant out-of-sample performance that is substantially higher compared with portfolios selected by other models. In addition, the …

Investigating The Impact Of Corporate Social Responsibility On Conative Loyalty In Collegiate Sports, Sunyoong Kim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been an important topic in business and other disciplines due to its various benefits for both society (e.g., contributing to public health, safety, education, human rights, community well-being, environment) and organizations (e.g., attracting new customers, enhancing sales of products, developing positive brand image or reputation) (Inoue, 2011; Kim, 2015; Kotler & Lee, 2005; Smith & Westerbeek, 2007). Many consumers expect corporate organizations to demonstrate their commitments and contributions to the community (Marin, Ruiz, & Rubio, 2009; Walker & Heere, 2011). Thus, it is important to satisfy their expectations through social activities since consumers are considered …

Essays In Measuring, Controlling, And Coordinating Supply Chain Inventory And Transportation Operations, Payam Parsa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Supply chain collaboration programs, such as continuous replenishment program (CRP), is among the most popular supply chain management practices. CRP is an arrangement between two partners in a supply chain to share information on a regular basis for lowering logistics costs while maintaining or increasing service levels. CRP shifts the replenishment responsibility to the upstream partner to avoid the bullwhip effect across the supply chain. This dissertation aims to quantify, measure, and expand the benefits of CRP for the purpose of reducing logistics cost and improving customer service. The developed models in this dissertation are all applied in different case …

Creating Sustainable Supply Chains: Influencing Sustainable Practices In The Supply Chain, Saif Mir

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations worldwide are reporting their commitment to create sustainable supply chains. Ultimately, supply chain professionals are the drivers of change within their respective organizations, so this dissertation examines the role of communication as a tool to persuade supply chain professionals to create sustainable supply chains. The three studies within this dissertation employ different methodologies to examine the role of communication in the development and implementation of sustainability initiatives. The first study, a grounded theory investigation, highlights the network, communication, and structural factors that provide a strong business case for the development of sustainability initiatives. A strong business case influences the …

The Inner Dynamics And Long-Term Value Creation Potential Of Operational Excellence, Issam Moussaoui

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Operational excellence is an executional competency that reflects a firm’s ability to run its day-to-day operations efficiently, effectively, and profitably. Differing views have been expressed regarding the inner dynamics and value creation potential of operational excellence. From an inner dynamics perspective, the competency’s dimensions of efficiency and effectiveness are viewed by some as conflicting and difficult to reconcile (the tradeoff model), and by others as synergistic and mutually supportive (the cumulative model). From a value creation perspective, operational excellence is portrayed by some as an effective cash-flow generator and a potent enabler of firm growth, and by others as a …

Effects Of Upward Football Reclassification On Revenues, Football Attendance, And Enrollment, Charles Bell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With an ever increasing chasm between the have and have nots in college athletics, athletic directors and university administrators view reclassification as a way to increase financial standing and gain valuable exposure for their school despite mixed findings by recent studies. The process of reclassification costs schools sizable financial and labor investments detracting from their academic endeavors. The schools at the highest level of collegiate football competition enjoy constant national television exposure for their school resulting in many direct and indirect benefits. A repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to assess the change in athletic department revenues, student enrollment and football …

Personalized Decision Modeling For Intervention And Prevention Of Cancers, Fan Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Personalized medicine has been utilized in all stages of cancer care in recent years, including the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Since prevention and early intervention are particularly crucial in reducing cancer mortalities, personalizing the corresponding strategies and decisions so as to provide the most appropriate or optimal medical services for different patients can greatly improve the current cancer control practices. This dissertation research performs an in-depth exploration of personalized decision modeling of cancer intervention and prevention problems. We investigate the patient-specific screening and vaccination strategies for breast cancer and the cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV), representatively. Three popular …

A Social Marketing Plan For The Children's Safety Center, Morganne Kaylyn Rhodes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Children’s Safety Center (CSC) is a nonprofit organization in Springdale, Arkansas, that advocates for child abuse victims in Northwest Arkansas. This thesis project includes a social marketing plan that aims to increase the overall awareness of the CSC and its new prevention programs used to decrease the number of child abuse victims in Northwest Arkansas. The social marketing plan also aims to create behavioral changes that increase participation in prevention programs and social media engagement, in addition to volunteers and donors. The plan was developed based on research on effective nonprofit social marketing plans, research on efficient communication efforts …

Is It We Or They? The Effect Of Identity On Collaboration And Performance In Buyer-Supplier Relationships, Siqi Ma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today’s scale-driven and technology-intensive global economy, collaboration becomes the supply chain’s core capability (Liker and Choi, 2004). A well-developed ability to create and sustain fruitful collaborations gives companies a significant competitive advantage (Kanter, 1994). Retailers are increasingly relying on their suppliers to reduce costs, improve quality, and develop new processes and products faster than their rivals’ vendors can. On the other hand, suppliers benefit from retailers that they are able to monitor store-level demand in real time in order to ensure the top-selling items are in-stock or the accuracy and timeliness of retailer’s demand forecast. Previous literature has shown …

An Investigation Of Sport Sponsorship Antecedents And Outcomes Through Levels Of Sponsor Prominence, Benjamin Colin Cork

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, global sport sponsorship is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to show strong year-to-year growth (IEG, 2016). Additionally, the current body of sport sponsorship literature has reported the effects of salient attitudinal and behavioral constructs on sponsorship effectiveness. For example, previous studies have indicated that the perceived sincerity and attitude toward a sponsor do positively effect a consumer's behavioral intentions toward a sponsor (Speed & Thompson, 2000; Biscaia, Correia, Rosado, Ross, & Maroco, 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure consumer attitudes and behavioral intent toward sponsor, through experimental design, when exposed to one of three …

Does Industry-Level Information Affect Auditors’ Assessment Of Client-Level Risk?, David Rosser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates auditors’ consideration of industry-level information in their assessment of client-level risk. Auditing standards suggest that industry-level information is likely to be important in the assessment of client-level risk, but the standards provide few specifics about how auditors should use industry-level information in the risk assessment process. I argue that industry norms serve as a benchmark for evaluating the risk of the client and that deviations from industry norms could indicate increased audit risk. I create measures that capture the extent to which clients deviate from industry norms using proxies for client-level risk factors. In my primary tests, …

The Effects Of Calorie Information Disclosures On Food Choice And Retailer-Related Outcomes, Christopher Berry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Federal legislation will begin requiring the provision of calorie information on the menus and menu boards of restaurants and other retail food establishments with 20 or more locations in May 2018. Food retailers not included in this mandate can choose to voluntarily provide calorie information to consumers. However, there are concerns that this major policy change will not have the desired widespread positive effects on consumer choice behavior. Further, although proponents of calorie labeling argue that consumers have the right to know the calorie content of their food orders, many food retailers have argued that calorie labeling is too expensive …

Marksburg: The Evolution Of Administration, Trade And Economics From 12-15th Centuries, A.D., Claire E. Beach

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Between the fifth and eighth centuries AD, central Europe experienced large amounts of migration. Known as the Völkerwanderung, an estimated 750,000 people moved in bands of 10,000-20,0002 across Europe. As these bands moved across Europe, many established settlements on tribal or village systems. These new peoples created a hierarchy, setting themselves above those they defeated. Despite being socially marginalized, the original peoples remained technically free and retained full rights to their lands under the allodium system. The word allod is of Frankish origin and indicates property inherited along family lines. The right to allodial lands could not be revoked by …

An Assessment Of Economic Considerations For Industrial Hemp Production, Luke T. Lane

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Farm Bill now allows for the legal production and research of industrial hemp as long as it meets the standards outlined in the Farm Bill. The bill passed by the House of Representatives states, “To amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes” (House of Representatives, Bill 525). Prior to the passing of this bill, farmers were not allowed to produce industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is defined as, “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of …

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Genetic Markers In Cattle, Josh Crystal

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Genetic sequencing in beef cattle (L. Bos Taurus) is expected to aid producers select cattle with traits that enhance profitability. Using data from experimental trials conducted with Angus, Brahman, and their reciprocal cross, this project analyzes the profitability of grazing endophyte infected tall Fescue (L. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) vs. Bermuda grass (L. Cynodon dactylon) pasture. The study is unique in the sense that actual cow-calf breeding failure rates (open cows were not culled) were tracked from 1991 to 1997 on herds that were bred to calf in spring and either exposed to fungal endophyte (L.Acremonium coenophialum Morgan-Jones …

Exploring The Impacts Of Study Abroad On Hospitality Student’S Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence, Diversity And Sustainability, Jordan Glynn Griffin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated if there was a significant difference in hospitality students who did and did not participate in a study abroad program to determine if study abroad had an impact on their emotional intelligence, diversity, and sustainability awareness. The results of this study will assist both hospitality education and study abroad by providing information.

A descriptive, four-section survey was distributed online via Qualtrics utilizing snowball sampling. A total of 110 respondents participated in the study; 72 nonstudy abroad and 38 abroad. The respondents completed the questionnaire that measured emotional intelligence, career longevity, perceptions of diversity, sustainability awareness, and demographic …

The Effect Of Floss Bands On Elbow Range Of Motion In Tennis Players, Kenna Hodeaux

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Floss bands have been used to improve ROM, restore joint mechanics, and break down adhesive tissue from previously injured musculature, however, there is limited research available and the few research studies have mixed results on the usefulness of floss bands. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of floss bands in increasing elbow range of motion (ROM) in tennis players. Twelve elite tennis players (6 female and 6 male) participated in this randomized crossover design study. Subjects attended two separate sessions. Passive ROM measures were taken with a standard goniometer for elbow flexion and extension and forearm …

The Disclosure Of Organizational Secrets By Employees, Danny Franklin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizational secrets enable firms to protect their unique stocks of knowledge, reduce the imitability of their capabilities and achieve sustained competitive advantages (Hannah, 2005). In today’s business environments, the loss of valuable proprietary organizational knowledge due to intentional employee disclosure represents a substantial threat to firm competitiveness. Anecdotal evidence suggests that firms in the United States lose more than $250 billion of intellectual property every year, with intentional employee disclosure accounting for a significant portion of these losses (Dandliker, 2012; Heffernan & Swartwood, 1993). Thus, understanding factors that influence such intentional secret disclosure is a key concern, especially in knowledge-intensive …

Measuring Racial Competence In Athletic Academic Support Staffs, Aquasia Thornhill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Critical Race Theory, a theoretical framework that has been gaining much recognition in sport literature, is a useful and beneficial tool in discussing race and racism. To better understand the context in which academic support staff appreciate the functionality and significance of race, the present study measures the racial competence of athletic academic support staffs. This research study explores the need to integrate a model such as Critical Race Theory that promotes “racial competency” among academic support staffs working closely with student-athletes of color, and measures Color-Blind Racial Attitudes that may have effects on the types of interactions individuals are …

Factors Affecting Intentions To Use Social Commerce In Shopping For Fashion Products, Tiffany Bounkhong

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting millennials’ attitudes and intentions to purchase fashion products through Social commerce. The current study adopted the technology acceptance model (TAM; Davis, 1989) to develop a theoretical framework. A total of 531 college students completed an online survey at a university. The sample was appropriate because millennials are a highly educated generation (Goodman, 2015) and most college students are Social media users (eMarketer, 2015). The sample was predominantly female Caucasian American students (71%) who are daily visiting Social media networking sites over four times.

Results of exploratory factor analysis with varimax …

Putting The Honey On The Table: A Business Plan To Create A Successful Part-Time Beekeeping Operation, Samuel L. Goll

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this thesis was to use a survey targeted at different niche markets to gain insights about different honey bee products and thereby to provide information for their economic feasibility when produced on a small, local scale for retailers that support such producers and cater to such consumer demand. Since cost of production information about operating an apiary is widely available, the focus of this work was on gaining marketing knowledge. One of the aspects of the survey was to develop a better sense of what potential resellers of honey bee products considered locally-produced. Another objective was to …

Image And Perception Of The Top Five American Tourist Cities As Represented By Snow Globes, Caitlin Malloy

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the connection between popular culture’s perception of place and the physical augmentation of reality. Focusing on the top five tourist cities in America, this disparateness is observed through the lens of a souvenir: the snow globe.

The presentation of the work is broken into two parts: the written portion and the book of diagrams. A total of 45 snow globes (9 for each of the 5 cities) were selected for the study, each carefully analyzed for content to include monuments, colors, text, dimensions, realism, and layout. This resulted in a series of diagrams which graphically express the …

Exploring The Abilities Of 3d Printing And Its Viability For Consumption In The Fashion Industry, Laura C. Corral, Kaitlyn J. Walker

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

With the ever-evolving state of today’s technology, designers and retailers in the apparel industry are seeking out new technological methods that have the capacity to revolutionize and individualize their brand, as well as meet consumer needs and preferences. An emerging technology is 3D printing, which utilizes computer-aided technology and a variety of filaments to construct an object. Though 3D printing technology offers the ability for rapid prototyping, a condensed supply chain, and a sustainable additive manufacturing process, there is question as to whether or not consumers are ready for 3D printed clothing to enter their wardrobes. In this creative …