Business Commons^™

Getting A Good Read, Todd Bruns, Rendong Bai

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Libraries began to see service competition for the first time in the 1990s, due to the Internet and Google. The necessity of being more customer-focused became apparent, and this resulted in the creation of LibQUAL+, a tool developed to quantitatively measure the quality of customer service (Saunders, 2007). While LibQUAL+ serves as a first step toward increasing quality and value for patrons, library commitment to responding to survey results is essential.

Although LibQUAL+ has been used by a wide range of libraries, this paper focuses on the use of LibQUAL+ by academic libraries, using two university libraries (Vanderbilt University and …

A Heuristic For Marketing-Production Decisions In Industrial Channels Of Distribution, Arvinder S. Loomba, K. R. Kumar

Faculty Publications, School of Management

No abstract provided.

Automated Fixture Design For A Rapid Machining Process, Wutthigrai Boonsuk, Matthew C. Frank

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Rapid prototyping techniques for CNC machining have been developed in an effort to produce functional prototypes in appropriate materials. One of the major challenges for rapid machining is to develop an automatic fixturing system for securing the part during the machining process. The method proposed in this paper is the use of sacrificial fixturing, similar to the support structures in existing rapid processes like Stereolithography. During the machining process, sacrificial supports emerge incrementally and, at the end of the process, are the only entities connecting the part to the stock material. This paper presents methodologies for the design of sacrificial …

A Chronicle Of Global Evolution Of Product Warranty, Arvinder S. Loomba

Faculty Publications, School of Management

This article provides a chronological account of the evolution of the concept of product warranty and its development over the four millennia to its present state at the dawn of twenty-first century A.D. This study examines how the concept of product warranty originated and illustrates how this concept was an integral element of accepted business practices in commerce and trade over the ages in almost all civilizations spanning the entire globe. The civilizations include the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations of twenty-first century B.C., the Roman era of the fifth century B.C., Bavarian rule at the start of the Christian era, …

Advantageous Cost Structure: A Strategic Costing Case Study, Arvinder S. Loomba, M. Buckingham

Faculty Publications, School of Management

Today' s increasingly competitive environment has prompted many fim1S to view organizational cost control as a strategic initiative through programs such as advantageous cost structure. Although strategic costing has been a concern of managers at the strategic level, finns are now trying to find ways to implement strategic initiatives at the operational level as well. These initiatives force organizations to address their major cost drivers and often result in improved processes, reduced number of non-value-added activities, improved supplier relations, and increased productivity. This article offers a case study of a large multinational manufacturing company that has successfully implemented advantageous cost …

Disney's America Theme Park - Articles, Harrison (Buzz) Price

Harrison "Buzz" Price Papers

Folder contains various news clippings all related Disney's America, a theme park Walt Disney Company wanted to built just outside of Washington to honor United States history and culture. The project was canceled in 1994 due to rising costs and reduction of profits due to the park being closed for four months each year.