Business Commons^™

Hip-Hop, Medellín And Social Change, Veronica Henao Posada

Master's Theses

This study explores the ways in which the Hip-hop movement is producing social change in Medellín, Colombia. Looking specifically at a Hip-hop school called Cuatro Elementos Skuela, which exists autonomously and with very little state support in the Medellín neighborhood of Aranjuez, I argue that young people are contributing to the reconstruction of the city’s social, cultural and economic fabric. I start by explaining the historical context of Medellín, describing the different sets of conflicts that unleashed high levels of violence and caused the fragmentation of the social, cultural and economic fabric. Moreover, I review the role of the …

Two Essays In Empirical Asset Pricing, Abdullah M. Noman

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay investigates the ability of prior returns, relative to some aggregate market returns, to predict future returns on industry style portfolios. By pooling time series of returns across industries for the period between July 1969 and June 2012, we find that prior returns differential predicts one month ahead returns negatively, even in the presence of a set of popular state variables. The predictability remains significant and negative for up to 5 month ahead returns. The predictability is shown to be robust to alternative specifications, estimation methodology and industry classifications. A possible explanation …

Analysis Of Investment Strategies: A New Look At Investment Returns, Jose F. Rubio

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1:

Intuition suggests that constraint investment strategies will result in losses due to a limited portfolio allocation. Yet prior research has shown that this is not the case for a particular set of constraint mutual funds so-called Socially Responsible Investing, SRI. In this paper I show that such assets do face loses to portfolio efficiency due to their limited asset universe. I contribute to the literature by employing two techniques to estimate asset performance. First, I estimate a DEA based efficiency score that allows for direct comparison between ex-post efficiency rankings and test the ex-ante relevance of such scores …

Six Sigma, Firm Performance And Returns Predictability In Emerging Real Estate Market, Bora Ozkan

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays. First essay investigates Fortune 500 companies that implemented Six Sigma. Since the 1980s, industrial organizations have adopted practices such as Six Sigma to maintain and enhance competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to look at the long run stock price and the operating performance of Fortune 500 companies that were identified to have implemented Six Sigma compared to the overall market performance as well as the performance of industry and size matched firms. Even though our sample firms improved several variables after implementing Six Sigma, their operating performances were not quite close to …

Catching Companies Who Refuse To Go Green Red-Handed, Wylee Mcgreevy

Honors Theses

Recycling, planting trees, and bringing your own bags to the grocery store are some of the activities people regularly think about when it comes to sustainability. In the grand scheme of life, how much difference can one person make? What if there were stricter standards for corporations which accounted for their emission of pollutants? Environmental Accounting is a branch of accounting that is progressively gaining popularity and has the potential to redefine the standards of sustainability for companies. With integration of past proposals for a carbon tax and a cap and trade system, a new proposal could be formed that …

Fighting In Hockey -- Player Perceptions, Jordan Doroshenko

Sport Management Undergraduate

There is a certain amount of physicality involved in all levels of hockey. The aggressive styles of play and attitudes have evolved into one of the most violent team sports. Fighting has been utilized as a marketing tool to increase viewership of hockey. The fights have increased in recent years, and there are many perceptions that portray its significance within the sport. The media markets physical aspects of the game, which reaches players of all ages and influences them to follow suit. Social media websites, television shows, sport analysts, and movies have been created solely focusing on big hits, fights, …

Analysis Of The Industrial Skill Set; Lewis County Case Study, Jonathan Shane Wallingford

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Science and Technology Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Jonathan Shane Wallingford on December 13, 2013.

Coordinating Over Time: The Micro-Processes Of Integrating Creativity And Control In A Dramatic Television Production, Esther R. Maier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The pressures of continuous innovation in response to shorter product lifecycles and changing customer tastes or requirements create a constant challenge for firms expected to deliver predictable growth. Yet, the creativity needed for new product development projects often emerges in unpredictable and non-linear ways. Projects such as software development, new drug exploration, and filmmaking are knowledge-intensive undertakings where creativity is not confined to the conceptual stage of the project, but required for its duration. Different groups are often involved at different stages of the project and their creative contributions need to be conjunctive. Consequently, formal controls are required to coordinate …

Co-Ownership And Environmental Performance, Robert R. Raffety

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In August 2011, ConocoPhillips was blamed for an oil spill off of China’s coast in the Bohai Sea. ConocoPhillips, the minority operating partner of a 51%-49% joint-venture (JV) with the China National Overseas Oil Corporation (CNOOC), immediately notified the Chinese government about the spill, but clean-up operations were delayed for weeks. In defending their efforts, ConocoPhillips explained that their joint-venture partner prevented them from containing the spill in a timely manner. This incident, and especially the division of interest and blame among the two partners, highlights the difficulty of coordinating collective action for environmental objectives within JVs.

This dissertation examines …

Sport-Type Differences In Drinking Behaviors And Motives Among St. John Fisher College Student Athletes, Carly Szydlowski

Sport Management Undergraduate

In lieu of an abstract, here is the paper's first paragraph: It is known that alcohol abuse among college students has been, and remains, a very prevalent issue in our society today; however, some may not know the extent to which student athletes consume alcohol. Green, Uryasz, Petr and Bray (2008) conducted a study for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2001 and found that approximately 80% of collegiate student athletes consumed alcohol on an annual basis, and that number has only risen. Not only are a large percentage of student athletes consuming alcohol, they are doing so much …

Head Coaching Gender Equality At The Division Iii Level, James Troutman

Sport Management Undergraduate

Throughout history gender discrimination has created barriers that have prevented women from achieving their desired career goals no matter what the work setting is. One way that steps were made towards the elimination of gender discrimination was the enactment of Title IX in 1972. Pervious research has examined barriers that women head coaches coaching men’s teams have had to overcome in order to acquire their position. The coaches who were used in that research either coached NCAA Division I men’s teams or all three divisions combined. The barriers these women experienced were both externally and internally barriers. The external barriers …

The Level Of Comfort Coaches Have For Dealing With Children With Behavioral Disabilities, Rebecca Campbell

Sport Management Undergraduate

Studies have shown that children with behavioral disorders should be included in sports. This research looks at the comfort level coaches have with the idea of having children with behavioral disorders on their team. The research goes further into this question by looking at training as a possible option to increase the level of comfort. The study looks into the survey that was conducted and goes into further explanation as to how this affects youth sports. The discussion of the findings shows who is most affected by this research and what else can be examined.

Leaders, Followers, And The Space Between: A Three Dimensional View Of Leader Attention And Decision-Making, Karen T. Macmillan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A quasi-experimental field study explores how follower voice, leader regulatory focus and leader-member exchange (LMX) affect leader attention and decision-making. The model responds to calls for more work into the interplay between leaders and followers and the effect on leadership (Avolio, 2007; Howell & Shamir, 2005), the integration of top-down and bottom-up processes that affect attention (Ocasio, 2011; Rerup, 2009); and the types, tactics, targets, and outcomes of follower voice (Morrison, 2011). Twenty-seven established leaders and their followers completed on-line instruments in a time-lagged fashion. Leaders were asked to respond to common …

Addressing The Challenges Of Cross-Cultural And Virtual Communication In The Workplace, Sarabjit Sundar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The move toward a more global or geographically dispersed organization, together with the technology that is being used to enable this, has dramatically changed work and the workplace in the United States and United Kingdom within the last few decades (Ouye, 2011). This is prompting leaders to communicate with teams consisting of vastly different backgrounds, languages and styles, and to essentially ‘work at the same table’ in the absence of physical cues, such as facial expressions and gestures. Leaders of such teams are challenged to create a smooth operation despite the many differences; the possibilities for misunderstandings and cultural blunders …

Gay, Straight, Or Slightly Bent? The Interaction Of Leader Sexual Orientation And Gender On Leadership Evaluations, Fred George Macoukji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Existing research has shown that gender stereotypes regarding characteristics of men and women influence others' perceptions of their fit with organizational roles, including leadership roles (cf. Eagly & Karau, 2002). However, little research has examined stereotypes regarding other demographic characteristics (e.g., race, sexual orientation) and how they may interact with gender stereotypes to influence leadership evaluations. The current study examined whether leader gender and sexual orientation interact to influence subordinates' evaluations of leader effectiveness, likability, and boss desirability using an experimental design. In addition to examining whether leader gender and sexual orientation interacted to predict leader evaluations, the present …

"Ovar" Come The Silence For Ovarian Cancer Awareness, Amanda Klage

Honors Theses

Growing up, most of us consider our parents to be invincible or untouchable. I know that I did. Sadly, my life took a dramatic turn at the age of 19. That’s when my dear mom, Maureen Klage--the one who was always there for me, passed away from ovarian cancer. She was just 48 years old.

At the time, I didn’t know much about ovarian cancer. I had learned only a little bit of information from my mom while she was battling the disease. But, realizing that I, too, might be at risk for this cancer, I decided to find out …

Understanding Leadership In Small Business From The Perspectives Of Practitioners, Daniel E, Holloway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small businesses fail after 5 years, having a negative impact on local and national economies. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore small-enterprise leader-operators’ experiences regarding practices that aid sustainability beyond 5 years. Twenty small enterprise leaders in the United States Midwest who were identified as having 5 years of longevity in leading organizations with fewer than 500 employees were invited to participate. These participants shared their lived experiences through semistructured interviews conducted in-person and by telephone. The dynamic theory of leadership development was used to underpin the study. In the central research question for this study, …

Solar Technology In Our World- A Business Approach, Luke Ingalls Liska

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Work/Family Conflict As A Predictor Of Employee Work Engagement Of Extension Professionals, April B. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilizes stress theory to explore the effects of work-family conflict and family-work conflict upon the work engagement outcomes of employees. Using a web-based questionnaire with a primary data sample of 2,782 full time Extension professionals in 46 states, this study incorporates the structural equation modeling analytic technique. This study confirmed the single, second order work-family conflict construct consisting of six first order constructs of work-family time, strain and behavior and family-work time, strain, and behavior. The bi-directionality of work-family conflict and family-work conflict was sustained, as numerous research studies have recommended. The structural equation modeling analysis found the …

Campaign In A Box: Creating A Universal Public Relations Plan For Community Success For Any Small Business, Emily Branson

Journalism

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Branding Strategies For Selected Major League Baseball Organizations, Kaitlyn Defanti

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The implementation of successful branding strategies is crucial for all sport organizations to enhance revenue, sponsorships, and brand loyalty. To facilitate successful practices, it is important that organizations are aware of the most common branding strategies as well as the strategies of their competitors. The purpose of this study was to examine the best practices of branding strategies for the five Major League Baseball franchises in the state of California. Data were collected from five selected Major League Baseball teams. The instrument utilized in this study was a checklist covering branding strategies with an additional section for notes. The results …

An Examination Of The Best Practices Of Experiential Marketing In Selected Popular Beverage Companies, Taylor Matthews

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

In recent years, marketing efforts have shifted from traditional marketing strategies toward experiential marketing in order to ensure that consumers become emotionally attached to a brand. Experiential marketing strategies help companies create relationships with consumers and engage them through unique and memorable experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of experiential marketing in three popular beverage companies. The research for this study was conducted using a best practices matrix created by the researcher, which examined experiential marketing strategies for selected popular beverage companies in the soft drink industry. The results of this study indicate that each …

Examining Official Supporter Groups: A Case Study Of The Cal Poly Men's Soccer Program, Kevin Mould

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Official supporter groups are a critical component of any athletic program. One sport in which this concept is particularly apparent is soccer, a large part of the athletic culture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In order for these supporter groups to function at their highest level, they must be continually evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the official supporter groups of the Cal Poly Men’s Soccer program. Data were collected online from websites and social media outlets associated with each of Cal Poly Soccer’s official supporter groups, the Green Army and the Manglers. The instrument used …

Weddings And Sustainability: A Case Study Examining Green Practices At Green With Envy Events, Jessica Roth

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Green with Envy Events is a sustainable event planning company based out of San Diego, California. This company was used when conducting a case study examining sustainable wedding practices. The research was gathered using internet research, academic journals, and information from the Green with Envy Events website. The company demographics were examined and the company’s sustainable practices were analyzed by comparing various aspects to a complete checklist. It was found that there are numerous sustainable materials and services that can be used, that sustainable materials and services are a better option than non-sustainable materials and services, and that the company …

Pacific Coast Producers: Picked And Canned At The Peak Of Ripeness, Alondra Bains, Brandon Hunt, Amanda Nichols, Xavier Rodriquez

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Pacific Coast Producers is a cooperative which processes, packs and ships tomatoes, peaches, pears and grapes. It started in 1971, when the bankruptcy of U.S. Products forced ten ranchers to look for a new outlet for their produce. They have since grown into a major co-packer, supplying over 5,000 labels for retailers across the U.S. As a California based packer, they face a number of issues, including environmental concerns, labor shortages and water supply reliability. However, their long-term outlook is positive

Future Fruits Mandred Acreage Projection, Kirstin Hodges, Joey Roedl, Tom Nichols, Matt Hyre

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Future Fruits, an agribusiness that leases fruits such as Lemora, Red Star Navel, Red Nules and the Mandared, is outlined, along with the career of Peter Alvitre, a serial entrepreneur. A key issue is how to promote and license the Mandared; in particular, how to control the supply of Mandared in order to maximize returns.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company: Pioneering Craft Beer In America, Connor Deck, Josh Heinicke, Michael Hoo, Bianca Ramirez

Case Studies in Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Opolo Vineyards Sip Certification Analysis, Brett Champlin, Ashley Edwards, Megan Jonson, Sebastian Silveira

Case Studies in Agribusiness

The case explores what led Opolo Winery to become a Sustainability in Practice winery.

Opolo Vineyards Sip Certification Analysis, Brett Champlin, Ashley Edwards, Megan Jonson, Sebastian Silveira

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Opolo Vineyard decided to pursue a "Sustainability in Practice" certification for their winery operation. The process is discussed along with how Opolo plans to communicate what the certification means.

Feasibility Analysis Of A Hop Farm In Edna Valley, Ca, Brandon James Spreafico

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.