Business Commons^™

Are Funeral Homes Nickel And Diming The Consumer To Death?, Anthony Fleege, Brian R. Powell

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Funeral prices vary greatly across the United States. Even in the same community prices can vary by hundreds or thousands of dollars for the same services. Based on existing data and from surveying funeral homes in all fifty states, we are trying to determine if the public is getting nickel and dimed to death by unnecessary or over -inflated prices.

Factors Influencing Student Selection Of A Collegiate Aviation Program, Matthew J. Romero, Jose R. Ruiz Ph.D.

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

This study aims to identify the most influential characteristics that drive undergraduate students to select collegiate aviation flight programs in the US. Using preference aggregation techniques, a list of the most influential attributes is created as a result of the investigation.

Creating The Context For Effective Culture Work, Matthew Berberich

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

A culture that embraces change, responds quickly to changing needs and connects everyone at every level as business owners is an exciting future for companies and employees. In this culture leaders learn to unleash the unique potential in each individual to solve problems never solved before. The opportunity for positive impact goes far beyond our daily work. It spills into every area of our lives and in tangible ways impacts the world. Performance metrics and engagement only put you in line for this door to the future. The door can get locked when organizations become lulled into thinking “good-enough” by …

Fiscal Policy As A Tool Of Economic Stabilization - The Case Of Albania, Almarin Frakulli

UBT International Conference

Processes such as globalization and integration, individuals’ increasing reliance upon technology, limited vital resources in order to ensure normal life increase the complexity of our world and make the State’s economic involvement compulsory. The theory of the use of fiscal policy for promoting economic stability is by now about forty years old. It may be time to ask to what extent fiscal policy has been used in practice as a tool for economic stabilization in Albania; how useful fiscal policy has proven to be, and finally what have been the main obstacles to fiscal policy as a means of economic …

Corporate Social Responsibility, Diamanta Skenderi, Besnik Skenderi

UBT International Conference

This paper is about appropriate ethical relations with “stakeholders”, considering customers, consumers, owners and employees. In addition, this assignment discuses question do “stakeholders” and “stockholders” have the same moral rights on the corporation and if yes should they have same moral rights. In addition, author had discussed also the proper relationship with employees and conclusion is made based on literature review.

Challenges To Internal Audit In Public Sector Organizations, Plamen Iliev

UBT International Conference

The report addresses the problems and challenges of internal audit, particularly in public sector organizations. Attention is drawn to the ten-year experience of its implementation, its weaknesses and suggestions for overcoming it, as well as the reporting problems, stages and levels to preserve the independence of the internal audit. Considerations have already been made in this direction, as well as expected ones, incl. and developing a strategy for the development and improvement of internal auditing in the future, along with the so-called three lines of protection and the expected benefits of this.

Unions And Professional Organizations, Diamanta Skenderi, Besnik Skenderi

UBT International Conference

This paper discusses the role of unions, professional organizations and the place business should take in society. In addition, this paper also is about how the company policy should be with regard to the environment, or on dealing with evil regimes. For this paper, academic journals have been used and in a last part is provided conclusion.

The Effects Of The Global Financial Crisis On Kosovo’S Remittances, Kaltrina Bonjuka, Jonida Xhema, Teuta Dervishi, Mirora Limani

UBT International Conference

Kosova’s nearly half of the population lives outside of its territory, making its diaspora have an epic impact on Kosova’s development through remittances. Remittances affect Kosova’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through their impact on GDP’s main factor which is consumption. Since remittances constitute nearly 13% of Kosova’s GDP, this research is important because its focus is to understand the effect that Western Europe Countries have on Kosovo through remittances – especially through unemployment and household income.

This research aims to understand the impact of Global Financial Crisis on remittances of Kosovo. This is a quantitative research based on numerical data. …

Organizational Perceptions Of I-O Interventions: Construction Of A Diagnostic Measure, Adam Smith, Sarah Slife, Elizabeth Ritterbush, Rachel Whitman

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Despite the fact that Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychology consultants provide interventions meant to benefit companies, many organizations remain skeptical about the effectiveness of consultants and have concerns about I-O psychologists, their methods, and the results they promise. This skepticism may manifest through resistance towards interventions, resulting in strained client-consultant relationships and a decreased interest in future use of I-O consultant services. Understanding and evading these negative outcomes is highly relevant to the interests of I-O psychology as a whole, but research has yet to quantitatively examine factors contributing to an organization’s decision to pursue I-O consultation. The purpose of the current …

Decision Making: Do People With Dark Triad Traits Utilize Advice?, Elizabeth D. Mcnamara, Alexander T. Jackson, Aneeqa T. Thiele, Stacey M. Stremic, Satoris S. Howes Dr., Michael Hein, Mark C. Frame

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

This research study seeks to gain a better understanding of the effects of the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) on advice taking. This research examined whether or not the dark triad traits result in working professionals being more or less likely to accept advice when making a decision. Past research has shown that outcomes are generally more favorable when the person who is making the decision takes the advice of another person into consideration. Despite this fact, I hypothesized that people with higher narcissistic or psychopathic traits will not accept advice when making a decision. Additionally, I hypothesized that Machiavellians …

The Fantasy Of Wealth: Attracting College Graduates Into The Workforce, Nile Latowsky, Shawn M. Bergman Dr., James Westerman Dr.

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

The need for top talent is a critical factor towards the current and future success of organizations. Each year 1.5 million college students graduate and enter the largest generation of the workforce, Millennials. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to understand how to effectively attract the Millennial talent pool. A trend within organizational recruiting is for companies to provide more initiatives for organization's stakeholders than just the triple bottom line. One type of initiative that is shown to be effective in recruiting from the general talent pool is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is an organization's efforts towards obligations at …

The Ultimate Culture Change Learning Session, Tim Kuppler

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Awareness of the importance of culture is growing at a fast rate but there is no consistent understanding about how to effectively evolve culture with a direct and sustainable impact on performance. This awareness-understanding gap helps to explain why most organizations report they don’t understand their culture and believe change is needed. Culture crises (Uber, etc.) gain widespread exposure and superficial tips and keys dominate the popular press. Leaders and change agents often feel lost in the wilderness as they try to piece together improvements that will impact culture. This will likely be the most performance-focused culture educational session you …

The Evolution Of Crm From The Perspective Of An Emerging Country: Past, Present And Future, Taşkın Dirsehan

UBT International Conference

From traditional groceries to mobile commerce, marketing has passed through several ages in its history, and so has the relationship between the seller and the customer. The CRM evolution process differs according to the history of different countries. This study offers a perspective on CRM from an emerging country, Turkey, and will demonstrate the stages of customer relationship management (CRM) in that country. In Turkey’s collective culture in the 80s, grocery stores existed with a strong relationship between the seller and the store. The owner was called “uncle grocery” and usually came from the same quarter as the customers. In …

Poverty And Income Inequality In The Republic Of Macedonia, Remzije Rakipi, Shenaj Hadzimustafa

UBT International Conference

Low economic growth and job creation remain among the most serious problems in the R. Macedonia. Past Governments have failed to resolve these issues despite several interventions. Consequently, the country is still challenged by alarmingly high poverty and inequality in the distribution of income. The aim of this study is therefore to examine trends in poverty and income inequality in the R. Macedonia for the period 2010-2015 using official data from the State Statistical Office based on the Survey on Income and Living Conditions.

Findings show that the at-risk-of-poverty rate in the R. Macedonia has decreased 5.8 p.p. in the …

Determinants Of Trade In Value Added: The Case Of The Central And Eastern European Countries, Lukasz Ambroziak

UBT International Conference

Although the impact of the production fragmentation on trade flows has been examined many times since the 1990s, the research was not comprehensive because of the limitations in traditional trade statistics. Early 2010s the complex databases containing world input-output tables (or indicators calculated on their basis) has made available. It increased the possibilities of examining the production sharing in the world. The trade statistic in value-added terms enables us better to estimate trade changes resulted from the internationalisation and globalisation as well as benefits of the countries from international trade.

In the literature there are many research studies to this …

Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty In Retail Chain In Kosovo, Jonida Xhemaili, Nehat Ramadani

UBT International Conference

Customer loyalty is at the core of human experience, which enables companies to gain competitive edge in currently tight markets. Customers aren’t always easy to please, and now more than ever, they look for satisfactory services.When customers know that their needs are paramount to company’s employees, returning to the retail is an easy decision. Satisfied customers are more likely to share their praise with others, thereby increasing the number of referrals the company receives.This article takes into account the theoretical review of customer loyalty and its benefits.

This article examines the applicability of customer’s loyalty over a supermarket chain in …

Performance Measurement System Based On Process Approach, Ernad Kahrović

UBT International Conference

This paper addresses issues met when designing, implementing, using and continuously updating performance measurement system based on process approach. Process approach in managing is necessary since it provides a new perspective to the company’s management in terms of identifying problematic, inefficient processes and activities that have negative impact on the overall efficiency and competitive position of the company. Such business management which includes adoption and implementation of the process approach requires consideration of the issues related to performance measurement system based on business process approach as a key control and management instrument. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to …

Challenges Of Ict Approval In Small And Medium Enterprises In The Republic Of Albania, Lirinda Vako Abedini, Rezarta Zhaku Hani

UBT International Conference

The process of globalization and digitalization have fundamentally changed the way of doing business and competition in the market. Information and Communication Technology is the cornerstone of this drastic change, bringing revolutionary changes to social and economic life.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the benefits, challenges and strategies for minimizing the barriers of the adoption of information and communication technology, and to provide an overview of ICT in Albania by studying SME beliefs and attitudes regarding this issue. In addition to information on the current situation, the needs and difficulties of SMEs in identifying and using ICT …

Foreign Direct Investments In Kosovo Opportunities, Challenges And Promotion, Hamëz Rama

UBT International Conference

Foreign direct investments in Kosovo are the basis for a genuine development, especially in the case of Kosovo that is in the transition phase from a former centralist system to the free market economy system. Investments are the most efficient way for a country's economic and political development, consolidation, economic growth, development and strengthening of the private sector.

The treatment and sensitization of foreign direct investment in Kosovo is a matter related to foreign direct investment (FDI), their importance, factors that influence the rise or fall of the level of foreign direct investment in Kosovo, potentials, opportunities and the challenges …

The Economic Explanation Of Customer Behavior, Semra Bujari, Semra Kerim

UBT International Conference

The economic explanation of customer behavior in the purchasing process starts from the assumption that buying represents a process of choosing products between different alternatives, even under the influence of rational motives. Economic theory, which has given the consumer economic explanation, assumes that homogeneous buyers are present on the market and they behave in a foreseeable manner. The consumer person is seen as a rational buyer who has general information about the market and tries to maximize the expected value of money, time and spent effort. The customer is determined to purchase those products and services that will bring greater …

Undergraduate Student Research Practices At Fgcu, Examples From Various Disciplines, Hulya Julie Yazici, Peter Reuter

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this presentation is to show examples of undergraduate student involvement with research/scholarship, either via course-embedded research practices, or research activities outside the classroom. Examples from health profession, business, STEM disciplines, and humanities will demonstrate how research is implemented and which outcomes for students have been achieved. The presenters will share the challenges and opportunities faced, and probe the audience for their experiences and future directions.

The Impact Of Remittances On Labor Supply: Case Of Kosovo, Lejla Hasani

UBT International Conference

This paper examines the impact of remittances on labor force participation in Kosovo using propensity score matching. Investigating whether remittances have any impact on labor force participation is of utmost importance for the case of Kosovo since still today the rate of unemployment and dependency on remittances are very high. Using the Household Budget Survey 2011, this paper applies the propensity score matching techniques to identify the matching group. Through nearest neighbor matching method, this study obtains the matching results, showing the difference in labor force participation between the remittance recipient and non-recipient household members. Covariates used in the model …

Importance Of Adequate Monetary Policy In Time Dynamic Of Being A New Member Of European Union - Case Of Republic Of Serbia, Zenaida Šabotić

UBT International Conference

In order to became a new European Union (EU) member, many countries have subordinated own monetary policy and accepted main objectives of EU monetary policy. Although it is quite clear that the defined goals and instruments of EU monetary policy can not equally match to the national objectives of the member countries, there is a common view that unique monetary policy has more advantages than disadvantages. For those countries that are in negotiation process is very important the time period of harmonization of monetary policy and realization of the set goals. That dynamic is more important than formal time of …

Problems And Challenges In Application Cost-Benefit Analysis– Case Study Of Resen Municipality, Biljana Runcevska, Pece Nedanovski

UBT International Conference

In the framework of public sector, government has an obligation to take care of the rational use of the funds intended for investment. In order to determine the degree of rationality of individual programs or projects, or to make a choice between potential programs and projects, government should apply a methodology for their mutual comparison. Cost-benefit analysis is such a methodological approach for social optimization of policies, programs and projects. The project for improvement of energy efficiency and environmental protection in the case of secondary school in Resen municipality, Republic of Macedonia, is a relevant example for applying this kind …

Project Management For Enterprise Architecture Evaluation, Malgorzata Pankowska

UBT International Conference

The Enterprise Architecture (EA) describes overarching designs ofindividual physical and logical components, so that they assembly resultsin a complete and working product. The designs are developed within anyprojects. The designs concern computer systems and network implementation, software development and installation, data migration and businessprocesses reengineering. The paper supports the thesis that EA is acomplex of information communication technology (ICT) projects and as suchshould be evaluated by deployment of cost-benefit investment evaluationmethods usually applied for project management. The main goal of the paperis to present opportunities of enterprise architecture evaluation byproject evaluations. In the paper, different projects, i.e., multiproject, project portfolio, …

Forming Community Partnerships, Lori Foley

CHAR

In the event of a disaster, regardless of the type or scope, the first response is always local. For the institutions and organizations charged with safeguarding the nation’s cultural and historic resources – museums, historical societies, libraries, and municipal offices, to name just a few – building relationships with local first responders and emergency managers before disaster strikes is key to ensuring the safety of staff and collections. State emergency management agencies are also collaborating with their state cultural agencies to protect these valuable and vulnerable resources. The resulting emergency networks better position the local community and the state to …

Lessons Learned From Culture In Crisis; Or Protecting The Past To Save The Future, Laurie Rush

CHAR

At the midpoint of the second decade of the 21^st century, the world is experiencing deliberate destruction of cultural property at a scale not seen since the Second World War. Future protection and preservation of cultural heritage depends on learning from tragedy and applying these lessons as pro-actively as possible. First, we are discovering that no matter the threat, there are people who risk their lives to save artifacts and features of their culture, and the motives for this courage are retrospectively clear. For a community to survive a conflict or disaster as a corporate entity, elements of shared …

Keynote Address - When Violent Nonstate Actors Target Cultural Heritage Sites, Victor Asal

CHAR

Why would organizations attack or kill people at cultural heritage sites or destroy such sites? Using data from the Big Allied and Dangerous insurgent dataset that has data on 140 insurgent organizations from 1998-2012, and data from the Global Terrorism Database, this presentation examines the factors that make insurgent groups more likely to attack such sites or kill people at such sites. We look at the impact of organizational ideology, organizational structure and power as well as country level factors.

Diversification Of Polish Agri-Food Trade, Malgorzata Bulkwoska

UBT International Conference

The embargo introduced in August 2014 by Russia on the food products imported from the European Union caused a strong decline in sales of food from Poland in this country. The aim of the article is to analyse the current trends and prospects of development of Polish agri-food trade with the EU and non-EU countries in 2013-2016. A special attention was paid on changes in geographical structure and the level of diversification of Polish food exports as a result of the export restriction. The analysis shows that the situation on the Russian market influenced the growth of the food exports …

Polish Foreign Trade In Live Geese And The Goose’S Meat In The Years 2012-2016, Dorota Pasińska

UBT International Conference

The main aim of the article is to present the Polish goose market in 2012-2016 in the context of changes in foreign trade of selected goose products. During the considered period Poland was a net exporter of goose meat and offal, a net importer of live geese and the world's largest exporter of goose (meat). In 2016, livestock of geese felt by more than 29% as compared to 2012, slaughter and exportsincreased. Consumption of this kind of meat influenced favorable on development of market, in Poland we can observed the fashion to consumption of goose meat. Although the production of …