Business Commons^™

Mountain Monitor - 3rd Quarter 2013, Kenan Fikri, Mark Muro

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

The quarter’s Mountain Monitor marks the four-year anniversary of Brookings Mountain West's quarterly tracking of the uneven pace of recovery across the major metro areas of the Intermountain West and it finds that, although the region continues to outperform the national economy the rate of recovery slowed moderately in the region’s metro areas.

As a group, Mountain region metro areas advanced on all four indicators of economic recovery tracked by the Monitor—employment, output, unemployment, and house prices—but their progress was more restrained in the third quarter of 2013 than it was in the second.

Beneath the regional headline of moderating …

The Impact Of The Great Recession On Nevada’S Latino Community, John P. Tuman, David F. Damore, Maria J.F. Agreda

Brookings Mountain West Publications

The emergence of the Great Recession of 2008 had a profound impact in Nevada. The economic downturn generated high unemployment levels and led to turbulence in many sectors, particularly residential home construction and the hospitality industry. In the wake of the crisis, median home prices in Nevada plunged, while the residential foreclosure rate increased and remains one of the highest rates in the country. By 2009, it was evident that a tightening of commercial bank lending for new mortgages, combined with the impact of rising joblessness and plunging housing values, was hampering recovery efforts in the housing sector and Nevada’s …

New Mouthguard Design With Intermediate Nickel-Titanium And Foam Layer, Freddie Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mouthguards help prevent orofacial injuries in many physical activities, commonly to the maxillary incisors. Mouthguards have many different properties which can be idealized. One property involves the amount of impact force the mouthguard can dissipate, commonly referred to as shock absorption. The aim of this study was to improve shock absorption capabilities beyond the protection that a mouthguard made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) can offer. A Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) and/or foam intermediate layer was placed between EVA. Seven configurations were fabricated at 3 different thicknesses. The configurations consisted of an intermediate layer composed of NiTi, foam, or NiTi/foam. The NiTi …

Examination Of Student, Program, And Institutional Support Characteristics That Relate To Pga Golf Management Students' Intent To Persist, Christopher Paul Cain

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The examination of student (entry characteristics, academic performance, career goals, and interaction with peers and faculty), program (programmatic interventions, academic major, and learning communities), and institutional support characteristics (financial aid and residence) that relate to cohort intent to persist are studied among 490 PGA Golf Management University Program undergraduate students from 12 universities. Results from this analysis will offer insight into which persistence factors lead to students' matriculation to the next cohort, with the ultimate goal of program completion. Identifying persistence factors related to student, program, and institutional support characteristics will help guide PGA Golf Management University programs by: recruiting …

A Comparative Study Of Performance, Impediments, Advantages, And Disadvantages Of Construction And Professional Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Ravi Sharma

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction and professional disadvantaged, minority, and women business enterprises (DBE/MBE/WBEs) face several impediments that hinder their business growth. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the important factors that affect their business performance, impediments faced by these business enterprises, advantages, and disadvantages of being DBE (DBE will be an umbrella designation for DBE, MBE, and WBE). This study compares the difference in responses from these two groups. A total of 333 business enterprises responded to the questionnaire. The survey results showed that construction firms gave significantly higher importance to "financial" issues and "safe work practices" as their most important factors …

This Is The Place: Utah's Gaming History And Current Attitude, Jackson Tad Butterfield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Global gambling is what it is. It is global. Gambling has become an economic force to be reckoned with. It has spread to all corners of the globe, from Europe to North America to Asia. There are regions that have widely supported the introduction of gambling into their economy and society but there are also those that have shunned it, despite the clear economic advantages associated with gambling. The AGA estimated that total gambling revenue in the United States for 2012 was approximately $37.74 billion, with commercial casinos contributing approximately $8.6 billion to local communities via taxes (AGA, 2013c). This …

The Hotel Manager’S Perceived Conflict Of Providing For Hospitality And Security: Can The Two Exist In Harmony?, Silvano Cozzini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry relies upon regular and repeat customers for its survival. No traveler or visitor will return to a hotel property where a bad incident occurred. Would a diner go back to any restaurant where they were sickened by their meal? Would a hotel guest return to any property where they were a victim of a crime? Bad experiences make us tell ourselves, “I will never go back there again!”

This same psychology holds true for criminals. At places where they have been deterred by a high security presence, it is unlikely that they would return there, either. A …

Business Plan For A Korean Fine-Dining Restaurant In Las Vegas, Jihoon Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Korean food industry is enjoying international attention and growth as the Korean government’s globalization efforts spur the development of Korean restaurants in international markets such as the United States (Korean Food Foundation, 2013). Korean cuisine is being branded as healthy food that harmonizes nutrition and flavor (Jang & Ha, 2009). Now is the time to start new Korean restaurants in the U.S.’s ethnic cuisine market. This paper provides a business plan focusing on a fine-dining Korean restaurant operation in the Las Vegas market, which is currently devoid of such an operation.

Pre-Employment Drug Screening: Cost And Benefits, Rena Sultany

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper will answer the question of whether pre-employment drug testing of applicants is helpful or harmful to an organization as a whole. The following question will be explored in this paper: What are the benefits and costs associated with pre-employment drug-screening?

The target of this study will be the hospitality industry in Las Vegas. A recommendation to the industry will be made once a thorough literature review of past research on the topic is conducted. Drug testing is a common practice in hospitality companies in Las Vegas. It is costly to these companies to conduct such tests. It is …

What Do They Do In Las Vegas Strip Casinos? An Analysis Of The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Gen Y Casino Customers, Mei Iok Un

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Totaling over 63 million, Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, is the new generation of casino customers (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011). While there are no specific dates to mark its beginning and ending, individuals born between 1982 and 1994 are generally considered as Millennials or Gen Yers. A survey conducted by the American Gaming Association (2013) revealed that Gen Y casino customers made up the highest casino visitation rate with 39% having visited a casino in the previous year; however, it is also shown that Gen Yers spends more on non-gaming departments and have less intention to …

A Qualitative Study Of Past Student-Participants' Perceptions Of College Mentoring Relationships: A Case Within A Hospitality College, Roberta Jo Barnes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry, encompassing both tourism and leisure segments, has become the world's largest employer. As such, there is a workforce need to develop leadership bench strength through degree programming at the university level. Preparing future leaders for careers in the hospitality industry as part of university curriculum is particularly challenging as operational practices, leadership competencies, and interpersonal skills are often not instructed in the classroom environment, yet are a critical element of supervisory performance. Workforce development perspectives suggest that mentoring is a development tool to narrow programming gaps in university curriculum.

The study explores past student-participants' relationship experiences in …

Bureaus And Beer: Promoting Brewery Tourism In Colorado, Shane Howlett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Beer, wine and spirits are three little words that make lots of people excited. Alcohol can be thought of as a necessity for tourists. In recent years, consumers are becoming more interested in the development and processes behind their favorite libations. This has spurred a new type of tourist; those that are interested in brewery tours, vineyard hopping, or enjoying a day out at their favorite distillery.

The beer industry has seen rapid growth expansion in the U.S. In 1980, there were roughly 100 breweries in the nation and today there are over 2500 (Brewers Association, 2013a). With the rapid …

Diversify The Destination Image Of Las Vegas To Chinese Market, Yinying Jiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a renowned travel destination attracting tourists from all over the world. Gambling has been a dominant destination image of Las Vegas in the mind of both the national and international tourists, since the history and fast development of this city has always been related with the gambling industry. In more recent years, the business model of this city has gradually changed itself to a more complete tourist destination with mega resorts, high-end shops, amazing restaurants and incredible shows and etc. Las Vegas is now turning itself into an entertainment and business oriented travel destination along with …

Premier, Don Snyder, Bo Bernhard, Robyn Campbell-Ouchida, Anthony Gatling, Elizabeth Dhanis, Gael Hancock, Taylor Madden, Afsha Bawany

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Gaming Opportunities, Attractions, And Monorail Ridership In Las Vegas, Davor Jedlicka

Occasional Papers

The history of Las Vegas monorail is presented in three stages: ideas, development and operations. The decline of ridership on the Las Vegas monorail is explained based on this history. The gravitational theory of people movement is used to propose overcoming the inertia to ride among the resorts. The gravitational theory suggests that monorail could contribute to the “Las Vegas Experience” as a force in attracting visitors from around the world. An increase in inter resort visitation rates via the monorail is likely to increase the overall gaming revenues and prevent the end of monorail operations.

A Guide To Event Promotion: Internet Marketing For A Live Musical Event In Las Vegas, Kelly C. Quinnan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A global industry of festivals and musical events has evolved and developed rapidly especially since the late 1960’s starting with Woodstock. The industry continues today with large-scale multiple stage events that bring in over hundreds of thousands of people. Las Vegas is known by many as the city of entertainment, with world-renowned Cirque Du Soleil shows, poolside concerts at the Cosmopolitan, and the thriving Electric Daisy Carnival. The phenomenal growth of this industry coupled with increased consumer awareness and choice requires sustained development and expansion in the future. Concerts and festivals are unique events that attract audiences. Music-based events are …

The Hidden Stem Economy: The Surprising Diversity Of Jobs Requiring Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Knowledge, Jonathan Rothwell

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Policy and businesses leaders have argued that there is a shortage of highly educated workers in professional occupations related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Critics have countered that Ph.D scientists often face a difficult academic labor market and do not necessarily earn higher wages than other professionals. Yet, both sides of the STEM debate have been relying on an ill-defined definition of STEM work. Using a detailed survey of worker knowledge requirements, this research project redefines STEM jobs based on the level of knowledge required in STEM fields to perform occupations. The results uncover two facts previously unrecognized …

Mountain Monitor - 2nd Quarter 2013, Kenan Fikri, Mark Muro

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

Economic recovery progressed steadily across the metropolitan Mountain West in the second quarter of 2013. Many of the region’s major metro areas counted among the strongest economic performers nationally, but output growth slowed over the quarter and the region‘s unemployment recovery looked to be stagnating. Moderate job growth and a fast and accelerating housing recovery buoyed the Mountain West economy in the second quarter.

Implementation Of Integrated Project Delivery On Department Of Navy Military Construction Projects, Christopher S. Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The concept of the project delivery system refers to the overall processes by which a project is designed, constructed, and/or maintained. There are many different types of project delivery systems to fit particular situations involving the owner and his intended project. The project delivery system is what establishes the framework that enables a construction project to be developed and ultimately executed.

The construction industry has observed that projects (both private and public) frequently suffer from factors such as adversarial relationships, low roductivity, high inefficiency and rework, frequent contractual disputes concerning who was at fault, and lack of innovation. Not only …

Assessing Revenue Managers' Level Of Trust In Information Systems: An Exploratory Study Of Las Vegas Casino Resorts, Landon Taylor Shores

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined revenue managers' level of trust in their revenue management system (RMS) at Las Vegas casino resorts. The study utilized an e-mail interview to measure revenue managers' attitudes about their RMS's degree of reliability and dependability, the degree to which they trust their RMS's pricing recommendations, and if a revenue manager's level of trust in technology had any effect on their likelihood of trusting their RMS.

The study invited 11 property and corporate revenue managers from Las Vegas casino resorts to participate in an e-mail interview, with nine revenue managers agreeing to participate. The main findings of the …

Dressing Indian: Appropriation, Identity, And American Design, 1940-1968, Alison Rose Bazylinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the ways the American fashion industry and fashion publications appropriated aspects of Indian cultures as marketing tools from 1940 to 1968 and the ways representations stereotypes created through fashion outlets denoted American and individual, rather than Native, identity. Representational stereotypes created at the turn of the twentieth century provided fashion merchandisers and sellers with a home-grown marketing scheme, while the development of an American fashion industry based on mass-produced, ready-to-wear sportswear led to nation-wide dissemination and use of "Indian" colors, patterns, and designs.

The Impact Of Anti-Byod Policies On Generation Z Hospitality Employee's Engagement, Danny Crinson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As an industry hospitality typically reacts to problems rather than tackling them proactively. One of the greatest problems currently faced by the industry is the low engagement rates across employees. These low levels have been linked to many issues including low morale, productivity and high turnover rates. One way to try to remedy this issue before it worsens would be to look at future hospitality employees and try to understand what will engage them. Doing so will allow human resource leaders to make changes to any polices which currently do not synchronize with these engaging factors. With research suggesting that …

Program Fundraising, Tiffany R. Henderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this professional paper is to explore and understand the aspects of fundraising for Career and Technical Education (CTAE) programs, specifically culinary arts programs. The goal is to identify methods to raise funds and who will be the catalyst of providing those funds, and to develop a one, three and five year integrated fundraising plan.

Mountain Monitor-1st Quarter 2013, Kenan Fikri, Mark Muro

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

Economic recovery gained strength across the major metro areas of the Mountain West in the first quarter of 2013. Multiple metro areas achieved long-awaited full employment recoveries in the first quarter and regional production surpassed pre-recession levels of output for the first time. The region’s strong housing rebound continued to be a boon. Additionally, a special supplement to the Monitor shows that the healthcare sector has been an outsized contributor to recovery throughout the region. Despite progress on multiple fronts, though, many Mountain metro areas remain scarred with high unemployment rates, severely depressed house prices, and daunting jobs deficits.

Gen Y-Ers As Consumers Of Good Causes: Examing Student Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors On Cause Marketing, Annie Paul

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

1. CSR is how companies self-regulate and take accountability for their social and environmental impacts on their communities.
2. CM is how companies promote their socially responsible acts.
3. IF CM's objectives are good, does it mean Gen Y-ers view it positively?

Shipwreck With Speculator Early Modern Representations Of Risk And Gambling, David J. Hart

Occasional Papers

Charles Cotton’s Compleat Gamester, one of the best known manuals accompanying a virtual pandemic of gambling fever across early modern Europe, likens gaming to shipwreck since there are “but few Casts at Dice betwixt a rich man and a beggar,” “but few inches between [living] and drowning.” This conjunction of shipwreck and gaming recurs in early modern literature and constitutes a rhetorical topos in the sense of philosopher Hans Blumenberg. I examine several instances of this conjunction (e.g. in Cardano’s autobiography, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise, and Joseph de la Vega’s Confusion de Confusiones) and suggest that the conjunction …

Session 4-2-A: Taking The Disorder Out Of Gambling Disorder, Denise F. Quirk, Colin M. Hodgen

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

DSM‐5 Gambling Disorder

A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by four (or more) of the following in a 12‐month period:

A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

Session 4-2-C: Does Non-Problem Gaming Have Any Negative Impact On Gamblers?, Samuel Huang

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Outline

Background

Literature Review

Data and Methodology

Analysis and Discussion

Session 4-2-E: The Effects Of Gaming Tax/Retention Rate On Casino Performance, Will E. Cummings

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Overview

Gaming Taxes affect investors in and operators of casinos

... and therefore casino performance

Gravity Models in general High variance from classical ideal

Variance tells us something about the impact of gaming tax rates

Session 4-2-C: Dissociating The Roles Of Delay And Probability Discounting In Gambling Behavior, Will Shead, Emad Talisman

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Now or Later?

How would you like a gift?

Now vs. 1 week

Rewards now are worth more than later

- Delayed rewards are discounted