Business Commons^™

Gravity Models And Casino Gaming: A Review, Critique, And Modification, Clyde W. Barrow, David R. Borges

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Gravity models have been widely used in expanded gaming debates to persuade investors that proposed casinos will be financially successful and to persuade state and local government officials, as well as a skeptical public, of the economic and fiscal benefits of casino gaming. However, most people involved in the decision-making process understand very little about the internal mechanics of these models and how they generate financial forecasts, estimates of customer visits, and projections of new job creation. In fact, the gravity models used in market feasibility studies for the casino industry are proprietary models that remain closely guarded secrets of …

Diffusion And Learning: Twenty Years Of Sports Betting Culture In Finland, Matias Karekallas, Pauliina Raento, Taina Renkonen

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

How did people learn to bet on sports and how did a sports betting culture develop in Finland? How has this setting evolved over space and time? The answers contribute to the growing understanding of learning, socialization, and contextualization in the study of gambling and may inspire service providers, regulators, and harm preventers alike. We argue that broad structural patterns and micro-cultural processes should be investigated jointly and qualitative information should complement quantitative monitoring of human behavior. We approach the spread of sports betting to, and within Finland, from the perspective of innovation diffusion. We rely on this theory’s space- …

Water Use On The Las Vegas Strip: Assessment And Suggestions For Conservation, Suzanne H. Trabia

Honors College Theses

Due to stresses on the water supply in southern Nevada, which include an average of three million tourists per month and an ongoing drought since the year 2000, water conservation is imperative in order to sustain the growing urban area of Las Vegas. The purpose of this study is to assess water use in fourteen casinos on and off the Las Vegas Strip (the main boulevard of the largest casinos in Las Vegas) in order to suggest approaches for water conservation, such as reducing, reusing, and modifying the current system. Since data on water consumption is not publicly available, five …

Family-Friendly Las Vegas: An Analysis Of Time And Space, Diana Tracy Cohen

Occasional Papers

This paper explores the rise and fall of the “family-friendly” Las Vegas marketing era. Through analysis of casino advertisements, internal and external building infrastructure, and qualitative in-depth interviews with industry insiders, this work investigates the city’s reinvention of the early 1990s. Key factors that set the stage for the emergence of targeted family marketing are identified, addressing why this advertising approach ultimately did not sustain. Unique marketing case studies are identified throughout.

Should Las Vegas Pursue Establishing An Online Gaming Cluster? An Exploratory Study, Laimonas Gubista

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to determine whether (1) clustering benefits cities, (2) Las Vegas is a cluster of the worldwide gaming industry, and (3) online gaming cluster is forming in Las Vegas in spite of unfavorable business environment. The exploratory study should be useful to lawmakers and business leaders in shaping Nevada’s future. It could provide essential information focusing on whether Las Vegas should actively pursue an online gaming cluster.

Examining The Effects Of Casino Lottery Promotions, Maria Colin Magaña

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Casinos employ marketing and promotional activities to attract and retain customers within the competitive industry. Promotions awarding players thousands of dollars are not uncommon. To capitalize on this investment, the success of these promotional activities is crucial. The effectiveness of casino promotions has been scarcely examined within research. Only a few studies have directly examined the impact of casino lottery promotions (Lucas & Bowen, 2002; Lucas et al., 2006; Suh et al., 2014). Literature on promotional games can be used to fill the gap in knowledge regarding casino lottery promotions and to provide a starting point for future research. This …

Integrating Start-Up Companies Organizational Structure In A Business Intelligence Team Environment, Patrik Balint

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Lattice Methods For The Valuation Of Options With Regime Switching, Atul Sancheti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis, we have developed two numerical methods for evaluating option prices under the regime switching model of stock price processes: the Finite Difference lattice method and the Monte Carlo lattice method.

The Finite Difference lattice method is based on the explicit finite difference scheme for parabolic problems. The Monte Carlo lattice method is based on the simulation of the Markov chain. The advantage of these methods is their flexibility to compute the option prices for any given stock price at any given time. Numerical examples are presented to examine these methods. It has been shown that the proposed …

Table Games Revenue Management: A Bayesian Approach, Daryl F. Boykin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With growing competition for casino floor space, the Table Games department is under increased pressure to improve revenues. Current systems in the department rely upon a supervisor's intuitive knowledge about business trends hourly to respond to business levels. By using Bayesian analysis, it is possible to develop a functional revenue management system for making optimal business decisions in the Table Game Departments.

Work And Home-Life Balance: A Comparative Study Of Hotel Employee Satisfaction In The West And Midwest, Amanda Connick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was conducted in the Western and Midwestern United States at mid-scale hotels with no food and beverage services regarding hotel employee satisfaction of work and home-life balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing employee perceptions of work and home-life balance, and to determine whether the regional locations of the work influence those perceptions.

The data was collected using an online survey from several hotels in the Western U.S. and Midwestern U.S. A total of 120 surveys were completed, 78 were usable. There were 45 respondents from the Midwest and 33 respondents from the …

A Model Of Hospitality Employee Engagement, Hee Jung Kang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on employee's state-like psychological resources by investigating individual and organizational antecedents to employee engagement and valued human resource outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a theoretical model that explains the interrelationships among six constructs and to explore the mediating effects of employee engagement. Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS (18.0) statistical software was used to test the full structural model (measurement and structural model) of the hypothesized relationships among the variables with a sample of hospitality employees. The findings supported all hypothesized relationships except the direct relationship between employee engagement and turnover intention. …

Revenue Management In A Multi-Channel Environment: The Effect Of Pricing Strategies On Perceived Fairness, Lan Jiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rapid development of technology has made the hotel booking process become easier and more convenient, but it has also made hotel revenue management practices become more complex. Researchers have noticed the issues caused by perceived fairness. Yet, only a few studies have examined the impact of the pricing strategies over perceived fairness. Furthermore, no previous research study has examined Best rate guarantee (BRG), rate disparity, and rate frame together and investigated the interaction effects among these strategies on perceived fairness.

This study aims to examine the potential effects of three revenue management pricing strategies (BRG, rate (dis)parity, and rate …

Golf Tourists At Two Courses In Las Vegas: A Demographic Profile, Brian Milford Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study focuses on the motivations and practices of tourist golfers at two Las Vegas, Nevada area golf courses: Rhodes Ranch Golf Club and Tuscany Golf Club.

Data was collected from tourist golfers at these two results and they report the amounts of money spent on golf, the motivations to visit Las Vegas for golf the amounts of money normally spent to play golf at home. The study also provides evidence regarding other activities of these golf tourists while in Las Vegas, including where they stayed and courses played. This is an exploratory study. However, results show that further research …

The Role Of Self-Concept In Consumer Behavior, Marisa Toth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the influences underlying consumption has become an increasingly important goal for marketers. This study examined the role of self-concept in consumer behavior, specifically product evaluation. The influences of various dimensions of the self-concept are examined in regard to four product dimensions: public luxury, public necessity, private luxury, and private necessity. Differences due to variations in individual levels of self-monitoring are also measured. Overall, results showed that the more conspicuous a product is (higher on luxury/public dimensions) the greater the relationship between evaluation and ideal self-images (ideal self and ideal social self) for both high and low self-monitors.

Adapting An American Non-Profit Model To An International For-Profit Model: A Case Study Of Clean The World Business Model In Hong Kong, Yun Guan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The non-profit sector in the United States had grown at a fast pace in the recent decades, partially as a result of the economic development and the influence of social and political factors. By pursuing mission rather other bottom line, nonprofit organizations faced fierce competition for government grants and private donations. Limited financial resources constrained their efforts to create social and environmental value. The emerging hybrid nonprofit business model offered a new approach for nonprofits to pursuing self-sustainable development both domestically and internationally. However, adapting a unique American nonprofit model into an international for-profit model could be challenging because of …

Walt Disney And The Propaganda Complex: Government Funded Animation And Hollywood Complicity During Wwii, Amanda Cunningham

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Walt Disney’s work as an animator during World War II had a measurable impact on culture and in the development of government produced messages. It is important to examine this understudied area of Disney’s life and his studio’s efforts to produce wartime training and propaganda films during WWII. Government agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, contracted Disney to produce 32 animated shorts between 1941 and 1945 (Gabler, 2007).

Employing a semiotic approach of cinema, this study focuses on the cartoons The New Spirit (1942), Der Fuehrer’s Face (1943) and Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi (1943). While American wartime …

The Role Of Self Concept In Consumer Behavior, Marisa Toth

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Understanding the processes that underlie consumer behavior has become an increasingly important area of research, especially for businesses and marketers. One of the most commonly studied variables believed to impact consumer behavior is self-concept.

The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of self-concept in consumer behavior and identify factors that influence the relationship. Specifically, what is the relationship between different aspects of the self-concept and the consumption of publicly and privately consumed luxuries and necessities? Furthermore, how will this relationship be affected by the level of self-monitoring an individual displays?

Leadership In Action: Leading, Learning, And Reflecting On A Career In Academic Libraries, Patricia A. Iannuzzi

Library Faculty Presentations

The library literature is rife with books and articles about leadership, much of it derived or applied from the research external to the library profession. Our professional literature is also rich with surveys about the qualities of leadership. This opening session provides a counterpoint to the theoretical, academic approach to the study of leadership in libraries. Based upon more than 30 years of experience, including positions ranging from library assistant to dean, Patricia Iannuzzi provides a practical approach to leadership roles for academic librarians on campus, in our profession, and within the higher education arena. In this personal reflection, Iannuzzi …

E-Premier, Stowe Shoemaker, Katherine Jackson, Jeremy Aguero, Ericka Aviles, Christopher P. Cain

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Mountain Monitor - 4th Quarter 2013, Kenan Fikri, Mark Muro

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

The quarter’s Mountain Monitor finds that the pace of economic recovery in the Mountain West region’s major metropolitan areas converged toward that of the rest of the nation in the last quarter of 2013.

While quarterly performance on the Monitor’s four indicators of economic recovery—employment, output, the unemployment rate, and house prices—varied considerably across the 10 major metro areas of the region, their combined performance broadly slowed to track with the rate of national economic recovery. The quarter’s average job growth remained unchanged in the region at 0.4 percent as the national economy caught up. The gap between the national …

Runner Identity And Sponsorship: Evaluating The Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, Nancy L. Lough, Jennifer Pharr, Jason O. Owen

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

The economic value of participation sport has been reported to eclipse spectator sport significantly. However, scholars have acknowledged the relative lack of research on this important segment of the sport market. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between runner identity and race sponsor effectiveness. Surveys were sent to participants in the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. The survey was constructed to measure runner identity, and sponsor effectiveness as interpreted through rates of recognition, recall and purchase intention. Runners were divided into three groups based on their runner identity score. Of the predictive variables, only runner …

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy Executive Summary, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

Big Data Vs. Big Brother: The Fine Line Of Personalization And Privacy, Wanda Inthavong, John A. Schibrowsky

McNair Poster Presentations

Purpose – To review privacy issues surrounding Big Data and creating recommendations to aid in resolving these issues.

Approach - Reviews current literature regarding Big Data and its implication on privacy.

Findings – Regulation changes/additions not as beneficial as some researchers believe. Creating & streamlining one universal regulation to better protects consumer privacy information may gain back consumer confidence.

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

How The Mob (Museum) Was Won: Building A History Of Organized Crime In The U.S., Michael Green

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

No abstract provided.

Report On The 15th International Conference On Gambling & Risk Taking, Dean M. Macomber

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

No abstract provided.

Building The First Gaming Master’S Program: An Industry Perspective, Toni Repetti, Soyeon Jung

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The gaming industry has dramatically expanded not only domestically and internationally, but further to the online market. This growth has caused the industry to be more complicated than ever, and face massive challenges, competition, and opportunity. Consequently, there is a need for more qualified candidates in the gaming industry. Few gaming degrees are offered at a university level and more importantly, there is currently no master’s program in gaming management in the United States. Results of this survey of 201 industry professionals show that the majority would be interested in a master’s in gaming with most preferring an online of …

Casino Games And The Central Limit Theorem, Ashok Singh, Anthony F. Lucas, Rohan J. Dalpatadu, Dennis J. Murphy

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The central limit theorem, in simple terms, states that the probability distribution of the mean of a random sample, for most probability distributions, can be approximated by a normal distribution when the number of observations in the sample is 'sufficiently' large. Most applied statistics books recommend using the normal approximation for the probability distribution of the sample mean when the number of observations exceeds 30. It is commonly known in the discipline of statistics that larger samples will be needed when the underlying probability distribution is heavily skewed. However, the minimum number of samples needed for the CLT to yield …

Mapping The Online Gambling E-Servicescape: A Conceptual Model, Brett L. Abarbanel

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

A conceptual model is proposed that examines the potential influence of an online casino’s atmospheric cues and functional qualities on consumer behavioral response. A stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, often used to frame other servicescape research, is adapted as the basis of the theory that the online casino environment will influence the organismic effects of cognitive and affective states, which in turn influence gamblers’ approach or avoidance behavioral intentions. Theorized elements of the virtual stimulus include high and low task-relevant cues, financial trust, and gambling value. Personal and situational factors, as well as demographic characteristics, are proposed to moderate the relationship between …

Impact Of The 2003 Illinois Gaming Tax Rate Increase On Marketing Spending, Mikael B. Ahlgren, Sarah Tanford, Ashok Singh

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

The purpose of this research is to investigate a potential consequence related to the 2003 Illinois Gaming Tax rate restructuring. Specifically, did the assessment of a higher gaming tax rate in the state of Illinois negatively impact promotional spending by an Illinois riverboat operator in an attempt to limit revenues and avoid incurring a higher tax rate? Data were contributed by a major Illinois riverboat operator and the researchers utilized an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) method for analysis of the data. The findings demonstrate that this particular operator reduced promotional spending when confronted with increases in gaming tax rates. …