Business Commons^™

Downside Risk Optimization Of The Thrift Savings Plan Lifecycle Fund Portfolios, Matthew C. Beck

Theses and Dissertations

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the defined benefit contribution plan for the US Government, introduced the asset allocation Lifecycle (L) Funds in August 2005. These funds seek to minimize risk and maximize expected portfolio return via mean-variance optimization (MVO). The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and examine the efficiency of the TSP L Funds and create alternative L Fund portfolios via downside risk optimization (DRO). Whereas MVO minimizes the portfolio variance (standard deviation), DRO seeks to minimize the risk below an investor’s minimal acceptable return in the market, defined as the Co-Lower Partial Moment (CLPM). The research team …

Evaluation Of Cost Improvement Models When Programs Experience Unplanned Production Decreases, Anthony R. George

Theses and Dissertations

As military and other governmental budgets decline and impacted project deadline changes require instantaneous responses, cost analysts' tasks become more and more formidable. Inaccurate estimates can lead to misappropriation of resources and can thus create delays in goods reaching warfighters. This thesis aims to avail cost estimators of more reliable projection tools and to challenge the status quo of cost estimating, the production rate cost improvement model, when programs face reductions in lot quantities. The findings reveal that the status quo proves efficient under many cost profiles, but clearly does not estimate as well when a program suffers lot quantity …

A Study Of Formal And Informal Mentoring In The United States Air Force, Russell H. Gheesling

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been identified as a significant contributor to employee performance and development. Debate has come about as result of implementation of formal mentoring programs where mentors are assigned to protégés as opposed to informal relationship formed out of mutual respect and liking. Secondary data, including measures of leader member exchange, similarity, contact time, and others, were used from a 1998 survey of company grade officers (protégés) and their formal and informal mentors. Analysis of Variance compared mean values between formally and informally mentored protégés. Additionally, a logistic regression was used to understand the impact that different measures had on …

Understanding The Effectiveness Of Performance Management Practices, Ross T. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Effective employee management is an essential element for achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage. Through a variety of performance management practices organizations can translate competitive strategies into individual performance expectations and transform employee potential into desired organizational outcomes. Despite the promise of robust performance management practices, a significant research gap exists between the scientific research in Organizational Behavior (OB) and the performance management practices espoused by the “practitioners.” The purpose of this thesis research is to explore a set of performance management practices as an initial step toward providing direct, empirical support for the linkages between performance management practices, the …

Inflacioni, Granit Fetoshi

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i këtij studimi është që të kuptojmë rëndësinë dhe rolin e inflacionit, në mënyrë më të detajizuar në këtë punim pëveç inflacionit si tematik kyqe, do të bëhet fjalë dhe për paranë, deficitet dhe marrëdhëniet midis tyre. Objektivat kryesore të këtij punimi janë verifikimi i dijes teorike dhe praktike të arritura gjatë studimeve si dhe aftësia e studentit që të mbrojë dhe argumentojë përfundimet vetanake në lidhje me materijen të cilën e ka përpunuar në punim. Pasi që inflacioni është në marrëdhënie të ngushtë me paranë, deficitet dhe papunësinë, atëherë në këtë punim është parashtruar nevoja që edhe ato …

Sistemi Bankar Dhe Politika Kreditore Në Kosovë, Jeton Uka

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

“Adoptimi I Euro-S Në Kosovë: Përparësitë Dhe Të Metat”, Valon Suka

Theses and Dissertations

Ky studim analizon përfitimet e mundshme dhe sfidat me të cilat euroizimi i njëanshëm i sjell në Kosovë. Në përgjithësi, studimi ka vlerësuar se euroizimi në Kosovë ishte i dobishëm në sjelljen e stabilitetit makroekonomik dhe financiar dhe të zgjidhjes së problemit të besimit në monedhën. Euroizimi ka eliminuar shpenzimet e transaksionit dhe të tregtisë së promovuar mes Kosovës dhe vendeve që e përdorin euron. Studimi gjithashtu adreson çështjet e mungesës së një pjese të mjeteve të zakonshme të politikës monetare dhe të të ardhurave. Përfitimet e siguruara nga një euroizim arrin qëllimin e plotë në Kosovë duke redukutuar shpenzimet, …

Distribution Channels Used In Banking Sector, Arta Dana

Theses and Dissertations

After 10 years since the war ended, Kosovo is still in the beginning of its development, but is continues to be achieved in the area of financial and banking sector. At the end of the conflict, Kosovo’s financial system was in chaos and also financial intermediation in Kosovo was nonexistent and virtually all transactions were settled in cash. Although this is still largely the case, banking activity started in earnest in late 2001 and was spurred by the replacement of the deutsche mark by Euros in 2002.

As an emerging market, Kosovo does hold a number of advantages. Kosovo’s greatest …

Pornography As A Leisure Behavior: An Investigation Of Pornography Use And Leisure Boredom, Casey B. Schenk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate pornography use in the context of leisure boredom. The sample consisted of N = 290 married couples (N = 580 individuals) from a large Northwestern city in the United States. When controlling for demographic variables, leisure boredom accounted for 2.2% of the variance within pornography use. Results suggest leisure boredom as a significant predictor of pornography use in married adults. A quadratic effect was also found, suggesting this relationship to be curvilinear. Findings are discussed around the use of leisure theory in pornography scholarship, in this case leisure boredom. Practical applications …

Marital Satisfaction Among Married Couples In Which One Or Both Members Play A Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (Mmorpg), A Michelle Elton Ahlstrom

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the gaming behaviors of married individuals and couples who play Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game(s) (MMORPGs) including gaming addiction, time spent gaming, satisfaction in gaming participation, gaming interaction (between joint gaming spouses), and socio-demographic variables and the subsequent marital satisfaction levels of both individuals in the couple. Hypotheses were generally supported, excluding the hours spent gaming. 685 couples were separated and analyzed according to whether both individuals in the marriage gamed or just one individual gamed (couple-gaming type). Couples in which only one individual gamed (individual-gamer couples) had …

Analiza E Efikasitetit Të Procesit Të Prokurimit Në Kosovë, Drita Kaqandolli Gjonbalaj

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring Calvin And Hobbes: Comic Strip Illuminates Issues Surrounding Family Recreation, Christijan D. Draper

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to inductively examine the content of the popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by analyzing its latent and subjective meaning to discover basic social psychological issues associated with family recreation. The entire collection of 1,360 Calvin and Hobbes strips was evaluated using Grounded Theory techniques influenced by the art scholarship evaluation tool iconography. Review of the strip suggests one way to assess the meaning associated with time use is through preemptive retrospection by which a person looks at current experiences through the lens of an anticipated future to estimate how meaningful that time will …

Social Ties And Team-Member Exchange As Antecedents To Performance In Networking Groups, Jeffrey Pollack

Theses and Dissertations

The present research examines the role of social ties and team-member exchange quality (TMX) in enabling small business owners involved in formal networking groups to gain access to new business. I report on data from two studies. First, initial data from a pilot study of 23 small business owners in networking groups revealed that more numerous social ties and more positive perceptions of team-member exchange quality (TMX) predicted performance outcomes. Specifically, individuals who had more numerous social ties within a networking group, and who reported higher TMX perceptions of their group, received significantly more referrals to potential clients compared to …

Achieving Solution Success: An Investigation Of User Participation Approaches, Angela Mattia

Theses and Dissertations

User participation and its relationship to system success have been discussed in the information systems (IS) literature from many theoretical and practical perspectives. In reality, most of this discussion is grounded in empirical research that has yielded mixed results on the importance of user participation and its relationship to system success. The goal of this dissertation is to extend the line of inquiry into user participation during information system development by providing information systems researchers and IS practitioners with both a valid theoretical and practical investigation of a successful IS solution. This investigation organizes the study within a descriptive model …

Building And Testing Theory On The Role Of It In The Relationship Between Power And Performance: Implementing Enterprise Performance Management In The Organization, Mitchell Wenger

Theses and Dissertations

This research builds on the literature about power and performance, offering new theory that extends the literature by accounting for the transformational effects of information technology. The role of information technology in the relationship between organizational power and performance is unclear in the literature. Management literature offers theories describing the relationship between power and performance. IS literature investigates the relationship between information technology (IT) and power and between information systems technology and performance, but is silent on the impact of IT on the relationship between power and performance. The nature of this relationship – direct, moderating, or indirect – is …

A Model Of Organizational Competencies For Business Intelligence Success, Lewis Chasalow

Theses and Dissertations

Business intelligence (BI) systems comprise one of the largest and fastest growing areas of IT expenditure in companies today. Companies’ experiences with deriving benefits from these systems are still mixed. One of the differences between BI and other types of information systems is that how BI systems are used, not just whether they are used, can have a major impact on the benefits derived. Therefore the characteristics of BI users and the organizations within which they work can have a disproportionate impact on the benefits derived from investments in BI. Organizational competence is one way to evaluate the characteristics of …

Insider Entrenchment And Ceo Compensation In Entrepreneurial Firms: An Empirical Investigation, Arno Forst

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of insider entrenchment on Chief Executive Officer (CEO) compensation in firms conducting an initial public offering (IPO). The sample comprises 220 US firms that went public between 1996 and 2002. Corporate governance choices regarding entrenchment are captured by six provisions in the corporate charter and bylaws, as well as five anti-takeover statutes, which may or may not be in effect in the state of incorporation. Firm-level items are supermajority requirements for charter amendments, bylaws amendments, and merger approvals, along with the presence or absence of a staggered board of directors, poison pills, and golden parachute …

Fair-Value Accounting Of Derivatives And The Heterogeneity Of Investor Beliefs, Jack Dorminey

Theses and Dissertations

Using a sample of 51 banking organizations, I examine the effect of the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard 133 on the belief heterogeneity of market participants and how this heterogeneity affects abnormal trading volume surrounding earnings announcements. SFAS 133 is the first standard to require that all derivatives be recognized at fair-value and that the fluctuations in derivative fair-values be reported in either net income or other comprehensive income. The behavior of derivative instruments and the fair-valuation and treatment prescribed by SFAS 133 are complex. Due to the underlying complexity of both derivatives and the accounting treatment prescribed by the …

Towards A Reflective-Agile Learning Model And Method In The Case Of Small-Shop Software Development: Evidence From An Action Research Study, Jeffry Babb

Theses and Dissertations

The ascension and use of agile and lightweight software development methods have challenged extant software design and development paradigms; this is especially notable in the case of small-team and small-shop software development. In this dissertation, a Reflective-Agile Learning Method and Methodology (RALMM) for small-shop software development, is proposed to enhance communication and learning in the use of agile methods. The purpose of the inquiry in this dissertation pertains to: the nature of the professional practice of small team software development; the implications of the epistemology of Reflective Practice has for the professional practice of small-team software development; and whether the …

Project Management, Valon Fetahu

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Value-Driven Enterprise Architecture Evaluation For The Joint Force Protection Advanced Security System, Craig E. Mills

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. military has placed a strong focus on the importance of operating in a joint environment, where capabilities and missions are shared between service components. Protecting U.S. forces is a major consideration in the joint environment. The Joint Force Protection Advanced Security System (JFPASS) architecture has been created to fill a critical gap in Joint Force Protection guidance for systems acquisition. The systems engineering (SE) field has made wide use of system architectures to represent complex systems. As fundamental SE principles become more widespread, analysis tools provide an objective method for the evaluation of the resulting architectural products. This …

The Emergence Of A Content Acceptance Model (Cam): New Thoughts Regarding The Trial, Adoption, And Usage Of New Media, Ryan G. Walinski

Theses and Dissertations

New Media is defined not by the technology that it is based on but rather on individual level attributes that contribute to the development of new artifacts, practices and social arrangements. However, existing technology adoption models tend to stress technology and organizational level attributes over such individual level characteristics. This suggests that new models are required in order to fully capture how the New Media adoption process works. We are moving away from organizational and technology adoption focus and towards an individual and content adoption focus. A review of existing technology acceptance models reveals that the content provided by these …

Daylighting Strategies For U.S. Air Force Office Facilities: Economic Analysis Of Building Energy Performance And Life-Cycle Cost Modeling With Monte Carlo Method, Sang M. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. federal government maintains more than 500,000 facilities in the United States and around the world, most of which are heavily dependent on fossil fuels to produce electricity. Within the federal government, the Department of Defense (DOD) spends over $2.5 billion per year on facility energy consumption which makes them the largest single energy consumer in the United States. Therefore, federal energy conservation goals focus on aggressively reducing energy consumption by reducing the energy demand at the facility level within the next 20 years. Daylighting is a passive solar energy strategy at the facility level that leverages load avoidance …

An Investigation Of Knowledge Transfer And Retention In A Government Procurement Office, Garland T. Mobley

Theses and Dissertations

There is no measure for the loss of corporate memory. Organizations build a reservoir of knowledge in its employees, and this knowledge becomes a critical ingredient in an organization’s ability to carry out its mission. Knowledgeable people are extremely valuable and once they leave, their organizationally-applied knowledge leaves with them. This study introduces specific knowledge attributes that significantly impact effective tacit and explicit knowledge transfer and retention. Under this construct the proposed investigation explores a government program office to see if replacing experienced government employees with outsourced personnel impacts corporate knowledge retention. The study concludes that a loss of corporate …

The Effect Of Values On System Development Project Outcomes, Daniel B. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand why organizations make certain decisions and target certain outcomes, it is useful to understand their priorities and preferences, commonly referred to as “values.” This research explores the relationship between the technical values held by system development teams and the operational effectiveness of the systems those teams produce. Specifically, it examines the impact of a value set called FIST (Fast, Inexpensive, Simple, Tiny) on DoD and NASA system development projects, and investigates the correlation between the FIST values and operational outcomes. The findings show that the FIST value set enhances project stability, increases the project leader’s control …

An Econometric Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Compensation To Retention, Juan Jose Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

In July 2001, Lieutenant General Donald L. Peterson, Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, United States Air Force, testified before Congress that adverse retention rates were senior leadership’s number one concern. Military compensation sustains "defense manpower policies that in turn support the nation's defense strategy." Defense spending must be allocated efficiently to maintain the optimal mix of forces and weapon systems to respond to national security objectives. The President requested $149.9 billion for military pay and healthcare for Fiscal Year 2009, or 29 percent of the total proposed defense budget. When military compensation constitutes nearly one-third of department expenses, its impact …

Analysis Of The Military Medical Retirement System, Joseph M. Barnum

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the 60 year old military medical retirement system. Specifically, this thesis answered three research questions regarding a comparison of pay between the current system and the societal standard for injury and illness, identification of current segments of the military population disproportionately affected by the current system, and establishment of a minimal standard for medical retirement compensation. Previous research established the societal standard for compensation as the Value of Statistical Life. This thesis compared the current military medical retirement system with the Value of Statistical Life and identified several segments of the military …

Data Quality-A Key To Successfully Implementing Ecss, Craig A. Lane

Theses and Dissertations

In response to the Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) campaign initiatives published in 2003, the United States Air Force (USAF) pursued the acquisition of technology to help transform its logistics processes. With process mapping complete and a proposed roll-out schedule, forward progress towards full implementation of the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) continues. As a key enabler to achieving eLog21 initiatives, implementing ECSS will help transform current USAF logistics business processes. Integrating more than 450 legacy systems, and with a projected end-state in excess of 750,000 primary, secondary, and tertiary users, ECSS is the largest enterprise resource planning …

Implementation Of Performance-Based Acquisition In Non-Western Countries, Fatih Cebeci

Theses and Dissertations

"Performance-based acquisition (PBA)" means an acquisition structured around the results to be achieved as opposed to the manner by which the work is to be performed. Performance-based acquisition is a results-oriented acquisition strategy used to achieve innovative solutions in agency programs. Most military systems have been used for decades, so future planning of defense procurement is critically important. Performance-based acquisition is a strategic method to manage business by promoting flexibility and innovation and creating win/win solutions through effective communication, organizational goal alignment, and clear accountability among the buyer, seller(s), and subcontractors. In this century, many governments are transitioning their acquisition …

A 4-Step Process Evaluation Model To Assess The Success Of Performance Based Logistics Contracts, Ferit Buyukgural

Theses and Dissertations

Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) is DoD' s preferred product support approach in order to satisfy vitally-important war fighter needs. The elasticity of these needs makes it impossible to build a one-fits-all template PBL contract with the contractors. Thus, both economic metrics such as Cost per Unit Usage and non-economic metrics such as Availability, Reliability, Logistics Foot Print and Logistics Response Time can be defined and tailored according to each individual program. However, evaluation of the success of a PBL contract gets harder proportional to the increased number of different types of metrics. This research suggests an integrated model approach for combining …