Business Commons^™

Improving Personnel Selection Through Value Focused Thinking, Joshua D. Deehr

Theses and Dissertations

Personnel selection has always and will continue to be a challenging endeavor for the military special operations. They want to select the best out of a number of qualified applicants. How an organization determines what makes a successful candidate and how to compare candidates against each other are some of the difficulties that top tier organizations like the special operations face. Value focused thinking (VFT) places criteria in a hierarchal structure and quantifies the values with criteria measurements, known as a decision model. The selection process can be similar to a college selecting their students. This research used college student …

C-130j Inventory Control Point Location Determination, Joshua P. Casey

Theses and Dissertations

Since the first C-130J delivery in 1999, Lockheed Martin has managed the USAF’s C-130J “peculiar” parts inventory at Keesler AFB. Now with 193 aircraft assigned to 17 operating locations across the globe, effective supply chain management and recognized cost savings are essential components to mission success and fleet longevity. Previous research within the area of location analysis has shown that minimizing the average weighted distance of shipping products can assist in cost reduction efforts. Due to this, the goal of this study is to determine if alternative CONUS C-130J locations can be utilized as the Inventory Control Point to help …

Supply Chain Financial Analysis In Support Of International Development Objectives, Michael J. Hester

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the 21st century, the Department of Defense has carried the burden in combatting extremist ideologies around the globe, spending an estimated $4.79 trillion fighting wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan. A recognition of the unsustainable nature of fighting such long-term, costly wars has led U.S. national security policy to shift in recent years towards combatting extremism through economic development and building capacity in less stable communities around the globe. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the government agency responsible for achieving this objective, yet USAID acknowledges that many of the supply chains the agency finances are …

Strategic Sourcing Via Category Management: Helping Air Force Installation Contracting Agency Eat One Piece Of The Elephant, Theodore S. Holliger

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force can dramatically reduce resource consumption through strategic sourcing initiatives that leverage sensibly-bound pockets of spend via category management. However, category creation is a particularly daunting task due to the sheer magnitude of purchasing data in large organizations. Text mining is one way to identify categories. Specifically, term frequency analysis, term frequency-inverse document frequency analysis, and topic modeling can identify category membership, unique characteristics of categories, and thematic natures of the categories. This thesis developed an empirical, generalizable, reproducible methodology to analyze historical contract text descriptions to uncover the data’s hidden structure. A sample case was …

Flexibility – Designing For Optionality On Warehouse Modernization Projects, Stephen T. Lane

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense relies upon a vast network logistics facilities and capabilities across the planet. Assets are largely sourced from the Defense Logistics Agency, which is considering a modernization project for their Eastern Distribution Center (EDC). It handles 25% of all materials that DLA supplies, and the facility is antiquated. In order to maximize their investment, flexible options for the modernization should be considered. This research was conducted as a case study of the EDC in order to develop a framework of flexibility for DoD decision makers going forward. This case study gathers subject matter expert knowledge from government …

A Study Of Military Health Care Costs: Direct Versus Purchased Care In A Geographical Region, Lindsey N. Mcevoy

Theses and Dissertations

Health care expenses are one of the largest contributing factors to increased personnel costs, the fastest-rising component of the Department of Defense's budget. This research examines the cost implications of developing a new military treatment facility in a specified geographical region, in an effort to reduce military health care spending. Care received at a military treatment facility is referred to as direct care, while care received in the private sector is referred to as purchased care. This research leverages existing information on direct and purchased medical care to gain insights into the workload costs for medical care in a geographical …

Cultivating Agile Organizational Culture: Addressing Resistance To Change In Bureaucratic Government Organizations, Michael P. Mclane

Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to change is a phenomenon that affects organizations almost universally. All organizations large and small are continuously challenged to adjust, evolve and innovate to gain or maintain competitive advantage and mission effectiveness. Alarmingly high failure rates are reported: 30-70% of change initiatives falling short of their prescribed intent or never attain the desired results. This research investigates how bureaucratic governmental organizations can address this truth, and how leadership can cultivate a flexible, agile culture that is more adaptable to the demands of constant change. This study uses case study methodology and qualitative research methods aid in the understanding of …

Critical Issues In The Air Force Medical Equipment Procurement Process, Samuel H. Pang

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force medical logistics community relies on multiple contracting offices to acquire medical equipment for the Air Force Medical Service. The perception is that burdensome regulations contribute to the challenges faced in the procurement process. This research takes a broader examination to understand the factors leading to long lead times and delayed procurements. Process mapping and interviews with the key stakeholders supporting medical equipment procurement determined that the critical issues were a lack of centralized medical equipment contracting authority, insufficient market research and inconsistent local knowledge on contracting processes. This research provides future recommendations for the Air Force Medical …

Three Essays On Digital Annual Reports For Nonprofessional Investors: The Impacts Of Presentation Formats On Investment-Related Judgments And Decisions, Yibo Zhang (James)

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of presentation formats on nonprofessional investors’ impressions of firm performance in the context of digital annual reports. The dissertation implements a three-essay approach.

Essay 1 examines whether the effect of positive/negative financial performance news on nonprofessional investors’ impressions of management and firm performance depends on whether the graphical display of that news is vivid or pallid. Conducting a 2 x 2 between-participants experiment with 470 participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk), I find that when the news is positive, presenting graphs vividly allows nonprofessional investors to have a more positive …

Scrum In Construction Industry To Improve Project Performance In Design Phase, Yingchen Liu

Dissertations and Theses

As building technologies dramatically developed over the past several decades, construction project delivery methods evolved tremendously. Since the Renaissance, the fields of architecture and construction have been regarded as complex art forms. Today, both disciplines are regarded more as technical fields meant to improve human functional, technological, and practical needs. Therefore, the management of a project plays a more critical role in contemporary construction projects.

Over the several decades, there has been no significant change in the way of construction projects management changes. However, client requirements and expectations are constantly evolving. Because of this disconnect, traditional construction management practices cannot …

An Examination Of The Influences Of Organizational, Supervisor, And Coworker Support On The Relationship Between Flexible Work Arrangements And Turnover Intention Of Civilian Federal Employees, Marvin Bontrager

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Technological advancements and a rapidly changing workforce have created the need for researchers and practitioners to continually examine how work is designed, managed, and accomplished. As increased work demands have blurred the lines between work and family domains, stressors can create conflict between these environments. Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) represent one of the work-family benefit programs offered by employers to alleviate work-family conflict and provide flexibility to workers.

This study examined the relationships between multiple support measures (organizational, supervisor, and coworker) and turnover intention in the context of FWAs. The study’s hypotheses predicted negative relationships between the support measures and …

Rocky Journey Toward Effective Lgbt Leadership: A Qualitative Case Study Research Of The Perceptions Of Openly Gay Male Leaders In High-Level Leadership Positions, Javier Valdovinos

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic case study was to explore and discover the perceptions of California gay male leaders in high-level leadership positions, specifically in regard to the types of support they received and the types of barriers they encountered along their leadership journey to attain a high-level leadership position.

Findings: Data collection and analysis resulted in six major findings in the ascent or journey to leadership of the 12 selected participants: (a) self-acceptance and personal determination, (b) networking support, (c) education and leadership skills, (d) family and friends, (e) internalized homophobia, and (f) social prejudice and …

Wisehart Cutting Horses Business And Customer Portfolio, Tawni Brook Stoneburner

Agricultural Education and Communication

The cutting horse industry has been around for many years with the first competition being held in 1898, as a way for people to prove their own horses’ ranch talents and has now grown to an industry based on trainers and clients (NCHA, 2018). The main goal of the trainer is to get a horse prepared to show at its best ability and to win the most earnings (Wisehart, E., 2017). According to the American Quarter Horse Handbook, “Judges score the horses on their ability to keep the cow from returning to the herd, cow sense, attentiveness and courage.” (AQHA …

The Santa Barbara County Fair Entries Office Manual, Heidi Alyssa Morisoli

Agricultural Education and Communication

Employee training is vital to any company and essential for an organization’s success (UMA S. N, 2013). Job training is defined as the process of enhancing the skills, capabilities and knowledge of employees doing a particular job (Schappel, 2016). Regarding job training, 76% of employees have reported this type of training is most important when obtaining a new job (Schappel, 2016). Not only is training desired amongst employees but it also improves morale of employees, decreases the need for employee supervision, increases chances of promotions, and increases employee productivity (UMA S. N, 2013). One training opportunity that companies utilize is …

G3 Facebook Campaign, Virginia Rose Lee

Agricultural Education and Communication

G3 Enterprises, started by the third generation of the Gallo family, provides packing and supply chain services within the wine industry. The transportation department focuses and specializes in transporting wine grapes from vineyards to the wineries for Gallo and external companies. In some ways, marketing a service as business-to-business can be more complex than marketing a business-to-consumer product according to B2B International (Hague, Harrison, 2017). Therefore, G3 needs to branch out of its traditional marketing and keep up with current trends by creating a greater social media presence. If G3 Transportation can successfully showcase its trucking service through social media, …

Malene Wines: The Beginning Of A Brand, Tyler Menane

Agricultural Education and Communication

Malene Wines is the most recently developing brand under the Crimson Wine Group. Currently, the brand is being produced and managed under Chamisal Vineyards. Malene Wines started off with one brand of rosé wine, that has only been available for purchase in the Chamisal tasting room or wholesale. This has caused confusion for the consumer in differentiating the two brands. To help begin the separation of the two brands, Malene Wines has recently received a modified Airstream trailer to serve as a mobile tasting room.

Whereas Chamisal Vineyards is a brand focused on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with small production …

Identifying Gaps In United States Federal Environmental Policy & Practice Through Greening Big Box Infrastructure, Elizabeth Kubacki

Sustainability and Social Justice

The purpose of this report is to identify policy and practice gaps in resource consumption reduction in the United States, and doing so by using big box retailers as the case study industry.

Through reviewing the history of U.S. federal resource reduction policies, and standard industry practices for greening big box infrastructure, I explore how regulations on sustainability and consumption agree with the Porter Hypotheses. By using the Porter Hypothesis as a theoretical framework for the regulation of green infrastructure in big box retailers, I will identify gaps in both literature and industry practices that can be filled by following …

More Than Music: A Case Study On The Marketing Of Outside Lands Music Festival, Emily Haworth

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The evolution of marketing has shown a general progression towards experiential and digital marketing, and away from traditional marketing. Digital and experiential marketing are at the forefront of many company’s marketing strategies due to their ability to form lasting brand relationships with consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine the marketing techniques of the Outside Lands Music Festival and their draw on millennials. Research for this study was gathered using a case study guide established by the researcher, which highlighted the past experiential and digital marketing efforts of Outside Lands and their sponsors. The results of this study …

New Product Launch – Syngenta, Kendra C. Legge

Agricultural Education and Communication

Launching any type of new product poses a risk of failure. To ensure success, it is important to know the audience to which a company is launching a product. In Joshua Grossnickle’s book The Handbook of Online Marketing Research: Knowing Your Customer Using the Net he writes, “It's the first rule of business: Know your customer.” It is significant to not only know what makes up an effective product launch, but what the target customers believe make an effective product launch. The chemical company Syngenta is about to launch a new insecticide “Minecto Pro.” Direct feedback from customers about this …

Mundësitë Dhe Kufizimet E Tërheqjes Së Investimeve Të Huaja Në Kosovë, Adea Mala

Theses and Dissertations

Investimet e huaja kanë tërhequr interes në rritje nga vendet ne zhvillim për shkak të përfitimeve të përceptuara në aspektin e injektimit te kapitalit,teknologjisë dhe njohurive. Ky punim diplome analizon bazat kryesore analitike në lidhje me marredhëniet ndermjet investimeve të huaja dhe zhvillimit ekonomik në Kosovë.

Do të ndermarre një përmbledhje të shkurtër të studimeve empirike mbi cështjen e procesit të rritjes së investimeve te huaja. Rritja e IH nuk është një proces që ndodh automatikisht në Kosovë dhe kjo pasqyron natyrën komplekse të marredhënieve midis ndërmarrjeve shumëkombëshe dhe agjentëve ekonomikë te vendit tonë.

Do të shtjellojme motivet qe nxisin …

Ndikimi I Reklamave Në Ecurinë E Zhvillimit Të Biznesevenë Kosovë, Donjeta Abdullahu

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi kryesor i këtij hulumtimiështë identifikimi i “Ndikimi i reklamave në ecurinë e zhvillimit të biznesit”, ku janë analizuar në përpikmeri faktoret relevant që shkojnë deri të arritja e zhvillimit të frytshem të një biznesi si rezultat i ndikimit të aktiviteteve të komunikimit në marketing, respektivisht reklamës.

Nje prej çelëseve që hapë rrugen drejt arritjes se suksesit në sferen e zhvillimit të një biznesi llogaritet te jete ndikimi i reklamave si pjesë e rëndësishme e marketingut.Zhvillimi i korporatave multinacionale ka ndikuar që të rritet llojllojshmeria e produkteve të ofruar ku konsumatoret kanë më shumë mundesi të zgjedhin produkte dhe sherbime …

Zhvillimi Ekonomik Dhe Roli I Sektorit Privat Në Zbutjen E Varfërisë, Edlira Leka

Theses and Dissertations

Konceptimi i termit zhvillim ekonomik përshkon një proces, që ka kohëzgjatje dhe vazhdimësi, në një vend ku faktorët që përbëjnë esencën teorike dhe praktike rezymojnë sipas një strategjie të politikave ekonomike, duke dhënë sinkroninë e ekonomisë së tregut në tërë spektrin e saj zhvillimor. Kjo nuk mund të arrihet për pesë apo dhjetë vite, por arrihet duke përmbushur premisat ekonomike dhe shoqërore, duke ndikuar në jetën e çdo personi të atij vendi. Pra, koncepti bazë i zhvillimit ekonomik është se nuk ka periudhë se kur mund të arrihet dhe varet prej shumë faktorëve ndikues dhe përcaktues në arritje të një …

Fuqizimi I Gruas Në Vendimmarrje Menaxheriale, Gresa Krasniqi

Theses and Dissertations

Përderisa bota ka arritur përparim drejt barazisë gjinore dhe fuqizimin e grave nën Objektivat e Zhvillimit të Mijëvjeçarit (duke përfshirë qasje të barabartë në arsimin fillor në mes vajzave dhe djemve), gratë dhe vajzat vazhdojnë të vuajnë diskriminimin dhe dhunën në çdo pjesë të botës. Sigurimi i grave dhe vajzave me qasje të barabartë në arsim, kujdes shëndetësor, punë të mirë, dhe përfaqësim në proceset e vendim-marrjes politike dhe ekonomike do ta bëjnë ekonominë me të qëndrueshme, shoqëritë të përfitojnë dhe njerëzimi në përgjithësi. Rreth dy të tretat e vendeve në rajonet në zhvillim kanë arritur barazi gjinore në arsimin …

Implementing Project Management Principles In Digital Advertising Age, Yuanqing Jiang

Dissertations and Theses

Digital advertising is a rapidly evolving industry in the US, which only has a short history of 20 years. As the demand for brands and advertisers to accurately target their audiences at the right time has increased, projects have been gradually featured as the most critical revenue-generating factor for companies in the advertising industry to survive. The advertising ecosystem, which includes agencies, technology vendors, media partners, brands and publishers, has developed as a complex system which requires efficient project management methodologies to meet the increasing demands of the industry.

This thesis aims to discuss the main problem for a lot …

Going Off Course: A Case Study On The Marketing Strategy Of Patagonia, Jamie Elizabeth Drawbridge

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

In recent years, society has seen a shift in marketing practices from traditional to non-traditional strategies in order to stand out amongst competitors and connect with customers. This is especially true of the outdoor gear industry. With participation in outdoor recreation on the rise, companies in the outdoor gear industry must come up with marketing strategies as active as its consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine the marketing strategy of Patagonia. The research for this study was conducted using a case study matrix, created by the researcher, in order to evaluate Patagonia’s marketing strategy. This study found …

Essays In Corporate Finance, Meng Gao

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation studies the impact of credit rating on firms’ financing behavior and investigates insider trading activities.

The first essay documents how firms’ concerns about credit rating change affect their choice between the use of debt and lease. Firms approaching a credit rating change tend to use less debt relative to operating leases to finance their new projects. In this paper, I propose a new method of measuring the potential of a credit rating change. Using the new measures, I find that not only the concerns about being downgraded but also the at- tempts to get upgraded have significant impacts. …

Bringing Awareness Of Associated Students, Inc. Club Funding Opportunities To Cal Poly Clubs: Increasing Participation Through Public Relations, Abby Lee Cavanaugh

Journalism

The following study investigates the strategies and tactics that are most important when developing and implementing a public relations campaign geared towards university students. It analyzes the best practices of researching, creating and evaluating awareness programs. This study serves as the basis for the “Bringing Awareness of Associated Students, Inc. Club Funding Opportunities to Cal Poly Clubs: Increasing Participation Through Public Relations” campaign. In this campaign, Associated Students, Inc (ASI) Club Services is seeking to increase awareness and participation in its club funding program. The campaign includes a situation analysis, SWOT analysis, goals, objectives, target audience, media, strategies, tactics, evaluation, …

Opportunity Identification For New Product Planning: Ontological Semantic Patent Classification, Farshad Madani

Dissertations and Theses

Intelligence tools have been developed and applied widely in many different areas in engineering, business and management. Many commercialized tools for business intelligence are available in the market. However, no practically useful tools for technology intelligence are available at this time, and very little academic research in technology intelligence methods has been conducted to date.

Patent databases are the most important data source for technology intelligence tools, but patents inherently contain unstructured data. Consequently, extracting text data from patent databases, converting that data to meaningful information and generating useful knowledge from this information become complex tasks. These tasks are currently …

Exploring Technology Forecasting And Its Implications For Strategic Technology Planning, Yonghee Cho

Dissertations and Theses

As the importance of R&D has been growing in economic growth, the accountability and effectiveness of R&D programs are highly emphasized. Especially, in times of economic downturn, the evaluation of performance in a firm is needed to justify R&D investment. In response, various attempts have been made to improve success rates of R&D projects, gain competitive advantage, and achieve a firm's growth in profitability. In particular, in industries where technological innovation is significant, strategic technology planning and R&D capabilities may be the lead ones in defining the dynamic capabilities of a firm. In addition, technology forecasting (TF) in technology planning …

Impediments In Transitioning To Agile Time-Boxing Testing Efforts, Taniya Dasgupta

Dissertations and Theses

In agile framework, the system is developed in sprints. Some value-based products for the customers are created with completion of work in a sprint. There are firm dates of commencement and end in sprints, and duration of each sprint is normally equal. During a sprint, any change in scope or resources cannot be made. But sometimes it becomes difficult to follow this rule on account of the business needs. This time-boxing approach is seen responsible to cause more hindrance than propel organizations towards time-efficient development of products. This type of project demands a much more flexible time-line as compared to …