Business Commons^™

Two Essays On Momentum Strategy And Its Sources Of Abnormal Returns, Yu Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies the sources of the momentum abnormal returns. The first essay attempts to find the relative role of cross-sectional and time-series variances in generating returns from the momentum strategy. By decomposing the returns from the momentum strategy both theoretically and empirically, the first essay finds that own-stock autocovariance is an important source in generating momentum returns. More interestingly, the own-stock autocovariance comes primarily from the loser portfolio. This finding provides another explanation to the recent finding that the loser portfolio is the driving force of the momentum abnormal returns.

Based on the above discovery from the first essay, …

Japanese Business And Tennessee: A Look At The Past, Present, And Future, Paul D. Weiler

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Export Potential Of U.S. - Produced Switchgrass And Wood Pellets For The Eu Market, Mladen Grbovic

Masters Theses

European Union’s (EU) dependence on fossil fuel imports strongly affects its energy supply and economic and national stability. In order to reduce its dependence and maintain the leadership position in GHG emissions reductions and renewable energy consumption, EU has set ambitious targets of reducing GHG emissions by at least 20% compared with 1990, raising the share of renewable energy to 20% and increasing the levels of biofuels in transport fuels to 10% by 2020. While some of the countries, due to their large renewable potential, have already reached set targets, some are still far behind. Biomass, with 69.8% share in …

Evaluation Of And Behavior Toward The Visual Retail Environment: Function Of Consumers’ Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity, Sarah Eubanks Wilhoit

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary goal of retail environments is to stimulate positive behavior from consumers viewing the fulfilled plan of the designer or architect. This study explores the influence of the consumer trait, visual aesthetic sensitivity, upon the visual aesthetic design features of the store environment and consumer behavior. Treatment of the visual aesthetic design features of the retail environment as an integrated, holistic arrangement demonstrate the dynamic interrelation of the environment and perception as explained by Gestalt theory. Data was collected through traditional survey techniques. Statistical analyses using exploratory factor analysis, ANCOVA, and MANCOVA reveal distinct differences between consumers with high …

Exploring And Explaining Consumer Competition: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Understanding The Phenomenon, Bridget M Satinover Nichols

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the phenomenon of “consumer competition.” The overarching objective is to help researchers and marketing practitioners understand how the phenomenon is created, how consumers experience competition, and to begin to inspect its effects. Consumer competition is defined as the active processes of striving against others for the acquisition of a consumption object. To date, this phenomenon has been under-researched, despite its prevalence in many marketing and consumer-related domains.

An extensive literature synthesis provides the foundation for understanding competition and competitiveness in general from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Based on the synthesis of literature and …

Is All Goodwill Created Equal? An Analysis Of The Association Between Agency Conflicts, Board Monitoring, And Goodwill In U.S. Mergers And Acquisitions, Matthew L. Hoag

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this study is to examine the association between goodwill and governance structures – specifically, potential agency conflicts and internal and external board monitoring mechanisms – over a four-year period (2004-2007). To do this, I perform two distinct analyses to test (1) whether governance structures appear to be determinants of aggregate goodwill, and (2) whether governance structures appear to moderate investors’ perceptions of aggregate goodwill. I then extend these tests to a sample of U.S. merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions where I calculate a more refined measure of residual goodwill and re-perform the tests using this alternative goodwill …

In Sickness And In Health: Analyzing The Ethical Limits Of The Marriage Between Health Care And The Market In The United States, Thomas D Harter

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims to determine what should be the appropriate base ethical limits of health care markets in the United States. I argue that because we do not value health care goods and services as commodities, treating them as commodities available for market sale can only be ethical when health care markets accord with at least the principles of honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services.

I begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of my argument by expositing three theories of commodification and ethical markets that critically examine the relationship of goods to …

Catalytic Innovation In Microfinance For Inclusive Growth: Insights From Sks Microfinance, Lakshmi Mohan, Devendra Potnis

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

Microfinance offers a means for reaching the poor who are left out of the formal financial sector. A fundamentally new way is needed to create a scalable and sustainable business model to meet this unmet need – a catalytic innovation. Our study focused on Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS), an archetype of a catalytic innovator. The insights gained from our three-year longitudinal study led to the proposed framework for a catalytic innovator encompassing five factors: customer focus on the poor and social entrepreneurship for the social mission; operational innovation, information technology and human capital management for scaling and financial sustainability.

Revisiting The Iceberg: A Study Of Technology, Self-Direction, And The Learning Projects Of Small Business Owners, John David Harrison

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine and describe the learning projects of a selected sample of small business owners in a community in the Southeastern United States. The study included the revision and modernization of Tough’s (1971) Learning Project Interview Schedule. A total of 35 small business owners were interviewed using a modified version of Tough’s Learning Project Interview Schedule. The schedule consisted of 10 learning project and seven demographic items that were adapted or created by a collaborative research team at the University of Tennessee using Tough’s (1971) Interview Schedule. Data revealed that participants had a …

Rhymin' & Stealin' - How Napster Stole The Industry, Johnathan D. Holbrook

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Free Enterprise Fund V. Pcaob: A Challenge To The Appointments Clause And Its Ramifications To Corporate Governance, Todd B. Skelton

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Predicting Turnover Intent: Examining The Effects Of Employee Engagement, Compensation Fairness, Job Satisfaction, And Age., Mary L. Berry

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study assessed the moderating effects of Age and the mediating effects of Job Satisfaction on the relationship between antecedents Employee Engagement and Compensation Fairness and the outcome variable Turnover Intent. The theory of reasoned action and a theoretical framework for examining age-effects on employee attitudes were used as the theoretical underpinnings for the study. The study utilized a secondary data set with surveyed population including faculty (n = 1,229) from a land-grant institution holding the doctoral/research-extensive classification from the Carnegie Classification and serving about 42,000 students each year with graduates totaling more than 9,000 per year. Findings confirmed …

Identifying Types Of Teaching And Learning In An Informal Community Of Practice, Shalane Balfour Navorska

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify indicators of three different types of teaching and learning used within an informal community of practice. Peters and Armstrong’s (1998) article, Collaborative learning: People laboring together to construct knowledge, served as the basis for this case study, which expanded upon the types of teaching and learning as a framework for understanding practitioners’ interactions within communities of practice (CoP). No other research has comparatively examined these three types of teaching and learning, or examined the types of teaching and learning as a framework for understanding interactions within CoPs.

Eight members of a CoP …

Generational Perceptions Of Productive/Unproductive Information Received From Management Through Different Communication Channels, Eva Lynn Cowell

Doctoral Dissertations

This exploratory study identified generational preferences for receiving information from management through different communication channels and determined if age predicted productivity for productive and unproductive information received through different communication channels. This is the first study to empirically examine the relationship between age cohorts, communication channel preferences, information categories, and productivity. Sample participants worked as Extension agents at a major land-grant university. The four generations represented in the sample utilized multiple communication channels and were geographically dispersed throughout the state. The survey was administered electronically and completed by 204 (74%) of the eligible 275 employees in the organization. Independent Samples …

Can A Financial Statement Pronouncement Increase State Tax Compliance And Revenues? Understanding The Effect Of Fin 48 On The National Nexus Program, Ann Boyd Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Since 1982, 40 states and the District of Columbia have offered amnesty programs. In December 1990, the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) established the National Nexus Program (NNP), a permanent tax amnesty program. Prior literature has focused on amnesty programs and has shown that these programs do little to increase tax revenues and compliance when increased future enforcement is absent. I examine the impact of the NNP on state corporate tax revenues. From 1991 through 2008, state corporate tax revenues are significantly lower than revenues from 1973 through 1990. Further, I find that states joining the NNP have a negative impact …

The Effects Of Environmetal Marketing: The Consumer Perspective, Andrew Heile

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Local Financial Services Innovation: Local Management, Strategy And Change; A Field Investigation, Ann Catherine Nave

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Career Mobility Of Women In Campus Recreation, Jessica Michelle Hobart

Masters Theses

This thesis is a quantitative research design that examines the upward mobility of women administrators in campus recreation. The purpose of this study is to examine the career mobility of women currently working in the administration of campus recreation. A criterion sampling method was used to select women currently holding administrative level positions in campus recreation as well as solicit participation using the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Member Database. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 18.0) was utilized to analyze the data. For the quantitative data, basic descriptive statistics were performed which included means, standard deviations, and …

W040-Evaluating The Potential Of Success For Value-Added Products, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Marketing, Finances and Value-Added Agriculture

Within three years after market introduction, approximately 80 percent of all new products and businesses fail. Therefore, it is important to evaluate potential for market success before excessive time, effort and financial investments are made to launch a product into the marketplace.

This publication contains two tools to assist farmers and agri-entrepreneurs in evaluating the potential of market success for their value-added products. These tools do not, however, replace the need to complete business and marketing plans. The first tool, Assessment of Marketing, is designed to help appraise a product, marketing plan and marketing conditions to determine the likelihood …

W082-Permit Requirements For The Swine Industry, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Animals/Livestock

No abstract provided.

W081-Permit Requirements For The Poultry Industry, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Animals/Livestock

On February 12, 2003, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) published new concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) regulations designed to protect or restore water quality. EPA provided the option of adopting the national EPA CAFO regulations, or states could develop and implement their own regulations. Tennessee chose to develop and implement CAFO regulations that fit Tennessee’s animal production and water quality situations. In August 2004, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued the final CAFO regulations for poultry operations.

TDEC has defined a CAFO as an animal-feeding operation (AFO) if animals are confined for at least 45 days in …

W080-Permit Requirements For Tennessee's Dairy Industry, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Animals/Livestock

The new CAFO rules, published February 12, 2003 in the Federal Register, were adopted within the authority of the 1972 Clean Water Act to address changes in the animal production industries. EPA’s revisions make the new regulations more effective in protecting or restoring water quality. They are more inclusive of certain sectors of the CAFO industries; removed several permitting exemptions; reflect a greater focus on land application; and emphasize accountability, inspections and recordkeeping. (Adapted from the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Factsheet Series.)

The Tennessee regulations and permits come under the authority of the Tennessee Department of Environment …

Publisher's Welcome, Colby B. Jubenville

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Publisher's Welcome.

Editor's Overview, Benjamin J. Goss

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Editor's Overview.

Sp613-A Tools For Money Management - Saving-Spending Plan Instructions, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Financial Management

A spending-savings plan will help you to stay in control of your finances. You can use it to make ends meet, save for emergencies and plan ahead for big expenses. With your spending well under control, you can

• pay your bills.

• have money for the things you need.

• have less stress.

• feel better about yourself.

Use the worksheet (factsheet SP 613-B) to plan your savings and spending. You will estimate both your income and expenses. Use a pencil or erasable pen so that if your income and savings/spending are not in balance, you can make changes.

Sp613-B Tools For Money Management - Saving-Spending Plan Worksheet, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Financial Management

No abstract provided.

Goodbye Coach Ranager, Colby B. Jubenville

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Special article "Goodbye Coach Ranager."

Until It Hurts By Mark Hyman, Mark Hyman

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The following is an excerpt from author Mark Hyman’s new book Until It Hurts, which focuses on the country’s obsession over youth sports and how this impacts the development of our nation’s youth. Read more about the book at www.untilithurts.com.