Business Commons^™

The Logic Of Movement: Consumption Logistics On The Las Vegas Strip, Robert Dean

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The omnipresence of consumption in advanced societies is indisputable; spaces designed to facilitate consumption (or means of consumption) are one aspect of that presence. On the surface, these spaces appear to be quite harmless dreamworlds full of possibilities, but at another level they are highly instrumental, composed of various mechanisms that work to sell commodities through the manipulation of consumer behavior. I argue that consumption spaces express a logic of movement, and a consumption logistics, that is based on the commodity form and relatable to warfare that works to domesticate consumers into the commodity system. I engage in an exploratory …

Last Minute Travel: Anomaly Or Opportunity? A Case Study Of An Online Travel Agency’S Product Evolution, Cady Wolf

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to Jupiter Research, Online Travel is expected to reach $128 billion by the year 2011. It is estimated that sales of online packages will reach $7.6 billion by 2011; with one segment of this market, last minute travel, estimated to reach $1.8 billion during the same period. The growth potential of the last minute market segment is substantial, as the number of consumers who purchase travel online will grow from 34 million in 2005 to 55 million in 2011 (Cannizzaro, Carrol, Offutt, and Quinby, 2007).

Beverage Operations Pricing Strategies, Jeffrey M. Yedlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A study of pricing strategies implemented in food and beverage operations that are focused on beverage operations. This is conducted through literature review and then a real time study of operations for the Luxor Casino and Hotel. Data over a period of three months is then analyzed to ascertain practical and realistic pricing strategies facing Las Vegas in the current economy.

Strategic Management Of Crises, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The article discusses the duties and responsibilities of managers in assessing workplace threats. Managers should care when someone causes harm in the workplace. It is a duty of the managers to warn through a collaborative discussion about the advantages or drawbacks in a small group meeting. It is also an obligation of managers to act when an employee indicates that he or she is being harassed or threatened.

City Of Las Vegas Human Resources Promotional Selection Process Program Evaluation, Rik Holman, Cecil Johnson, April Thomas, Steve Weber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The City of Las Vegas Human Resources Department requested the evaluation team examine the perception of fairness in the promotional selection process as demonstrated by the results of the 2007 Diversity and Inclusion Survey and related complaints from some of the employees. Based on discussions with the Human Resources department and subsequent interviews with other stakeholders, the main focus of the evaluation team covered the strengths and weaknesses of the promotional process and determining the reasons for the perceived preferential treatment in the promotional process as expressed by city employees who responded to the 2007 Diversity and Inclusion Survey. While …

Development Of A Student Ambassador Program, Heather James

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The need for colleges to explore alternative methods of increasing enrollment provides new opportunities and challenges in the quest to attract students. These challenges and opportunities can be addressed with the development of a Student Ambassador Program. This work presents the creation of an ambassador program consisting of current and former students who reach out to local high schools, career seminars, and industry related venues in order to both increase awareness of the program while also answering questions and being a point of contact for potential students. The implementation of the program involves a targeted recruitment strategy, coupled with training …

Greening In The United States Hotel Sector: An Exploratory Examination, Adam Kaplan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of greening in the U.S. hotel sector. Much of the existing research on the topic of greening is relegated to the European and Asian hotel sectors. Within the literature review, the paper will examine what industry leaders and scholars have reported about the progress of greening in the global sector. Given the scant research domestically, the paper will attempt to generalize some of the findings to the situation in the U.S. hotel sector. The paper’s methodology section will build on European research on greening and develop a blueprint for U.S. …

Higher Education Event – A Case Study And Special Event Approach, Matthew J. Muldoon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the present paper is to gain a better understanding of hospitality management literature in order to improve higher education event management strategies. The resulting professional paper intends to bring forward relevant literature and practical trends in event management. In addition, the paper intends to take a useful approach in examining the role of university conference and event standards in coordinating successful university development events. Moreover, this review expects to identify trends in higher education event programs as they relate to the hospitality industry. Events are important development initiatives and when properly planed can become a true cultivation …

Strategically Managing Resources And Revenue, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The author reflects on the use of strategic management in the success of the United States Postal Service. She states that the U.S. Postal Service has used the breakthrough productivity scheme to reduce mail-processing costs and address retail locations and bulk-mail areas. She believes that the service is committed in gaining sustained success through the scheme and in serving its customers effectively.

An Assessment Of The World Wine Auction Marketplace, Michael M. Bowden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fine wine marketplace has exploded in recent years, especially within the United States. Driven from super-heated prices this year [2007], American and European wine auctions sponsored by English-language houses realized at least US$333,209,438 in revenues this year, up from last year’s [2006] US$242,803,251 (Goldberg, 2007). It should also be noted that Peter D. Meltzer, from Wine Spectator magazine, stated that “worldwide auctions of fine and rare wines rose 25 percent over 2006 to hit a record $301 million in sales, according to figures just released by the major auction houses” (Meltzer, 2008, P. 128). This charge, especially in the …

Ecotourism Sustainability, Lori W. Hedrick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ecotourism is defined by the Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people”. The effect of this type of tourism poses both negative and positive impacts on the tourist and society. The importance of true ecotourism is to conserve and improve the environment, but the sustainability of this type of tourism can face ecological and economic challenges.

Managing Change: The Challenges Faced At Cne, Brandon Hill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cherokee Casino Resort (CCR) is relatively new in the gaming industry compared to other casino resort locations such as the resorts in Las Vegas. From its inception less than ten years ago, when legalized gambling was passed in the state of Oklahoma, Cherokee Casino has gone from two bingo halls to seven casinos and a horse track. Included with the seven casinos are truck stops, outposts, motels, and hotels located throughout the state. It has grown from approximately 50 employees to over 3,000 companywide. Along with the rapid growth of casinos and employees, Cherokee Nation Enterprises (CNE) has been able …

Creating, Sustaining, And Growing The Learning Culture Of A New Luxury Hotel, Andres F. Vargas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper uses exploratory, qualitative research to study the development of an organizational learning culture at a new luxury hotel. In the service industry, human resources represent the most valuable asset in the organization. Simply put, employees embody the brand as they interact with guests at every touch point. Internal and external guests evolving expectations, global competition and product commoditization, have forced lodging companies to look for ways in which to remain competitive and appealing to all stakeholders. A new property that joins a renowned hospitality management company, faces the challenge to deliver service that is up to its existing …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 6 - April 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The Interagency Anti-Litter Team received new direction concerning the recycling plan deliverables.
• The Phase II media plan was completed.
• One hundred fifty nine (159) people signed the anti-litter pledge this quarter.
• The anti-litter team participated in 14 different clean up events this quarter.
• The anti-litter team participated in four community outreach events this quarter.

Premier, Robyn Campbell-Ouchida, Gian Galassi, Judy A. Nagai, Angela Sablan, Roy Jones, Brian Soulé, Michelle Mouton

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Developing A Software For Pharmaceutical Promotional Meeting Planning, Michele S. Brouse

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

“How wrong I was!” This admission from John H. Young (Young, 2006, p. 340) relates to his first exposure to pharmaceutical marketing more than 20 years ago. Young states he had been “sent to represent the medical group at a planning meeting of the launch of a new non-steroidal.” He felt competent he could hold his own at the meeting. At the planning meeting, however, as competition, inventories, market segments, inventories, formulation issues, opinion leader development, and public relations campaigns highlighted discussions, Young learned he would out of his depth. He needed to, Young determined, learn about marketing and production …

Building An Effective Marketing Model For Native American Casinos, Jeffery M. Pletcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that, as sovereign political entities, federally recognized Native American tribal entities could operate gaming facilities free of state regulation. Soon after, Congress introduced the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which maps out the conditions under which Native American tribal entities are permitted to operate casinos and bingo parlors (Kilby, Fox, & Lucas, 2005). These terms and conditions for Native American casinos under IGRA regulation are Class II gaming methods. Class II gaming is defined as the game of chance commonly known as bingo (regardless of electronic, computer, or other technological aid) (Kilby …

Measuring Gaps In Customer Service At Spas: Are We Offering Our Customers What They Want?, Patricia Mittelstadt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Currently, there is no academic standard or format that spas use to rate themselves against other spas, not is there one for spas to rate themselves on improvements based on previous surveys. This paper will offer a format for each individual spa and groups of spas, to find what the clientele’s expectations are. It will also determine if the spa is meeting or exceeding these expectations, and will create a format for all spas to use, based on the SERQUAL analysis developed by Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1991). This tool will allow spas to survey their customers to see if …

A Review Of The Hotsos Implementation At The Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino, Sarita Noyola

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this professional paper is to develop a case that analyzes the implementation of a guest service response system at a full service hotel resort. The term implementation will refer to the following: the start to completion process and steps utilized to install a new method into hotel operations. The definition of system, for the purposes of this report is a technological solution that utilizes limited manual processes and relies upon computers, mobile devices and computer programming. For the purposes of this report the term full service hotel resort will refer to a casino resort and hotel that …

Incentive Program For The Cherokee Nation Enterprise Floor Staff, Justin Teel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many promotions at Cherokee Casino Resort are mass marketed and are not designed for a specific guest. Often guest are unaware of the promotions that are taking place while they are visiting the resort. The Floor staff is not making the effort to promote products that Cherokee Casino Resort invests in. Floor staff can increase the amount of participants with their day-to-day contact with the guest. The purpose of this paper is to create an outline, structure, and implementation timeline for an incentive program that can be effect in motivating the staff as well as increase revenue for the casino. …

Market Feasibility Studies: Hospitality Decision Making, Kim Mangino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The specific purpose of this paper was to create a teaching case, while analyzing data that was collected in an effort to determine whether or not the particular organization had achieved “excellence.” The resulting teaching case aims to be an additional resource in organizational behavior and mainstream business classes across the globe, as it provides an example of a highly successful company that is facing basic, fundamental organizational issues. Ideally, this research will provide readers with an avenue for scrutinizing major issues in the hospitality industry and potential solutions. The case is most appropriate for upper division undergraduates or graduate …

Determining Organization Excellence, Elliott Moseley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hotel and hospitality industry are flourishing at a greater and more rapid pace in the global context than ever before and with each new projected location there is a certain inevitable risk faced by investors in that property. The level of risk varies from one situation to the next and such potential owners/investors must be able to act and plan with confidence when investing in hotel real estate. This confidence can be accomplished with full understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of economic and market analyses within any particular location. One important tool that these individuals use is market …

Boulder City, Nevada Revenue Generating Analysis, Mayra A. Castro, Dolores P. Leyva, Arnetta M. Meagher, Wade Zimmerman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Boulder City (City) is unique in the State of Nevada as being a non-gaming city, maintaining a controlled growth ordinance, and steadfastly holding to its “small town” values and character. The City has been facing budgetary challenges as future expenditures are anticipated to continually exceed revenues if current services levels are maintained. Indeed, fiscal reviews indicate the City has been transferring contingency monies between funds to cover overages for the past several fiscal years. This “robbing Peter to pay Paul” methodology may offer a temporary solution to the shortage but may be detrimental as a long term solution.

Telling Our Story — Case Study Of The Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism Initiative, Chad Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is a case study of the Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism initiative: planning began in 2005 and development began in 2008. This initiative resulted from the perceived need to create local employment, provide incentives to continue the culture and language of the Cherokee people, develop social and political good will in and outside of the Cherokee Nation area, enhance the brand of Cherokee Nation gaming and develop long term capacity in entertainment marketing. The opportunities identified included stimulating and reaching higher end Cherokee art and crafts market, encouraging development of more culturally authentic and fine Cherokee arts and craft, offering …

Final Report: Nevada System Of Higher Education Quality Assurance Program, Nevada System Of Higher Education

Publications (YM)

The principal purpose of the cooperative agreement was to develop and continue providing the public and the Office of Repository Development (ORD) of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) with an independently derived, unbiased body of scientific and engineering data concerning the study of Yucca Mountain as a potential high-level radioactive waste repository. Under this agreement, the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), formerly the University and Community CollegeSystem of Nevada (UCCSN), performed scientific and engineering research, and maintained and fostered collaborative working relationships between government and academic researchers. In performing these activities, …

Strategic Management In Action, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The article discusses the significance of a strategic management in achieving an organization's future initiatives in the U.S. In order for the strategic management process to work, relevant criteria must first be used to make decision and then a consistent management process needs to be agreed. Strategic actions are programs outside an organization's operational activities that are meant to help the organization achieve its strategy.

Formative Versus Reflective Measurement: Comment On Marakas, Johnson, And Clay (2007), Andrew M. Hardin, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Mark A. Fuller

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Research

In a recent issue of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Marakas, Johnson, and Clay (2007) presented an interesting and important discussion on formative versus reflective measurement, specifically related to the measurement of the computer self-efficacy (CSE) construct. However, we believe their recommendation to measure CSE constructs using formative indicators merits additional dialogue before being adopted by researchers. In the current study we discuss why the substantive theory underlying the CSE construct suggests that it is best measured using reflective indicators. We then provide empirical evidence demonstrating how the misspecification of existing CSE measures as formative can result …

Housing In The Nation’S Micropolitan Areas: A First Look, Robert E. Lang, Karen A. Danielsen

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Micropolitan area is a newly defined unit of analysis for examining housing affordability. Before the creation of micropolitan areas in 2003, U.S. counties were categorized as either metropolitan or nonmetropolitan. The category of micropolitan area allows for a more detailed analysis of housing affordability conditions in areas with populations less than metropolitan areas but more than nonmetropolitan areas. Variables examined in this analysis of micropolitan areas include demographic and housing characteristics. A policy section highlights how the findings from this analysis may be applied to micropolitan geography.

Managing With Foresight And Insight, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

As we begin the New Year, it is important to look at the trends that need to be considered in the future and how or if these driving forces will define what strategic management means in 2008. It is also important to understand that looking to the past alone for guidance may skew our view of present facts even when those facts are supported by sound data. Strategic managers make sense out of what is going on around them and what is possible in the future by looking and listening to forecasts for the future, to what is critical for …

Managing With Foresight And Insight, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The article shares the author's views on managing with foresight. According to her, strategically managing with foresight has always required with informed understanding. She stresses that one of the most effective disciplines for learning from experience is After Action Review (AAR). She expresses that AARs are examples of tools for foresight because it seeks to learn more from what have happened and apply the learning to an organization's understanding of the future.