Business Commons^™

Relationship Between Mutual Fund Type, Portfolio Turnover, Longevity, Management Turnover, And Performance, Medhanie G. Mekonnen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mutual fund portfolio managers do not always meet risk-adjusted performance expectations, resulting in loss of capital reserves. Out of 3,612 U.S. based open-ended mutual funds, the risk-adjusted performance of 2,890 (80%) failed to meet or beat the S&P 500 (index fund) performance between the year 2006 to 2016. Grounded in Markowitz's modern portfolio theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between mutual fund class type, portfolio turnover, fund longevity, management turnover, and annual fund risk-adjusted performance. Archival data were collected from 88 U.S. based equity mutual funds companies. The results of the multiple regression analysis …

Strategies To Improve Job Satisfaction And Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover Of Nurses, Stewart Proctor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction and employee turnover affect the health care industry in the form of overworked staff, inadequate health care, and loss of profits. In 2015, the United States health care industry had a shortage of over 923,000 registered nurses. Health care organizations lose an estimated $1.4 to $2.1 billion each year because of registered nurse (RN) turnover. These factors indicate that some managers lack the strategies to increase job satisfaction and reduce RN turnover. The purpose of this single case study was to use the Herzberg 2-factor theory to explore strategies 5 health care leaders use to improve nurses' job …

Predicting Bank Failure Using Regulatory Accounting Data, Helen Pruitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A liquidity shortfall in the United States triggered the bankruptcy of several large commercial banks, and bank failures continue to occur, with 50 banks failing between 2013 and 2015. Therefore, it is critical banking regulators understand the correlates of financial performance measures and the potential for banks to fail. In this study, binary logistic regression was employed to assess the theoretical proposition that banks with higher nonperforming loans, lower Tier 1 leverage capital, and higher noncore funding dependence are more likely to fail. Archival data ranging from 2012-2015 were collected from 250 commercial banks listed on the Federal Deposit Insurance …

Multigenerational Financial Values: Differences Between Leaders In The Workplace, Terrence S. Ransom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Company leaders in the workplace represent all generations with diverse values, and those values influence their financial decisions in the workplace. The problem is that multigenerational company leaders and their employees possess different values from one another, which in turn creates different financial priorities for the company. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of how the financial values of company leaders from different generations are developed, and how those values influence their financial decisions in the workplace. The key research question for this qualitative study examined how the financial values and decisions of company …

Primary Care Nurse Practitioners And Organizational Culture, Leanne Christine Rowand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced to the British Columbia healthcare system 12 years ago. Integration challenges related to infrastructure and relationships between administrators and physicians continue. The purpose of this project was to understand how nurse practitioners, working in primary care roles, experience the organizational climate within their healthcare agency. Kanter's empowerment theory guided this project. Data were collected using the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Organizational Climate Questionnaire. A total of 64 NPs relayed their degree of perceived organizational support. NPs scored highest on Autonomy and Independent Practice (Mean [M] = 3.54, Standard Deviation [SD] = 0.59). Organizational Support and …

The Lack Of African American Women Ceos In Corporate America: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rosalind D. Sawyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the number of African American women filling executive level positions in Fortune 500 companies in America has improved, there is still a need for significant improvements in increasing their access to corporate chief executive officer (CEO) positions. African American women occupy only 11.7% of the board seats, and their representation as CEOs has steadily declined. Throughout the history of Fortune 500 companies, there have been only 14 African American men with CEO titles. As of January 2017, there are no African American women CEOs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of …

Organizational Support And Employees' Work-Life Quality, Esther Aina Mesimo-Ogunsanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing prevalence of work-life issues in the manufacturing industry is a problem to manufacturing employees in numerous ways. The problem addressed in this study was the relationship between organizational support and work-life quality among employees of a large manufacturing organization located in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between the provision of formal and informal organizational support and employees' work-life quality. Ecological system theory, role theory, and social exchange theory informed the theoretical framework of the study. The focus of the research questions was the extent of the relationship between …

Beyond The Bike; Identity And Belonging Of Free Cycles Members, Caitlyn Lewis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A qualitative analysis was conducted at the community bicycle shop, Free Cycles, in order to examine participants’ identities and belonging within a community of practice. Semi-structured interviews with 19 members of the community and 50 hours of participant observation were conducted. Data analysis followed the grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin (1990). Four research questions were proposed to examine the ways participants at Free Cycles identified with the bicycle-related practices of bicycle riding and maintenance, co-constructed the collective organizational identity, and developed a sense of belonging within the community amongst other members. The constructs of identity and belonging were …

Assessing The Character Of Place To Guide Geotourism In Montana: A Case Study Of Whitefish And White Sulphur Springs, Montana, Michael E. Tipton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2007 the governor’s Montana Tourism Advisory Council adopted the Montana Tourism and Recreation Charter. Its guiding principle of geotourism pledged to sustain and enhance the character of the places that the people of Montana call home. How can the state’s efforts to keep this pledge be assessed when “character of place” has never been clearly defined or understood in detail? To keep this pledge, and chart the future of geotourism in the state, it was important to clarify what is meant by character of place and identify the full range of present and potential problems that threaten the integrity …

Poison In Pink, Sydney V. Cook

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Humans slather, spray, mist, and cleanse their bodies with personal care products like lotion, hairspray, cologne, and shampoo every day. Our cupboards are stocked full of them, but few of us understand what is in those jars and bottles. We trust that if it’s on the shelf at the store, it’s safe. However, this is not always the case, and many personal care products contain chemicals that are harmful to human and environmental health.

My multi-disciplinary Environmental Studies thesis project combines evidenced-based research, interviews, nonfiction narrative, and science communication to create part of a book manuscript intended to educate general …

The Impact Of Social Presence And User Experience On Gender Sensitive E-Tail Websites, Dishi Shrivastava

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Internet has come afar, from connecting computers to connecting people. Since its early days, the use of Internet has evolved tremendously. People use the Internet today in a variety of different ways, including communicating with friends, family, co-workers and performing activities like paying bills and shopping. With the increase in electronic retailing (e-Tailing), attracting and retaining customers has become the most important part of running a successful business. However, the online shopping experience may be viewed as lacking human warmth and sociability as it is more impersonal, anonymous, automated and generally devoid of face-to face interactions. Thus, understanding how to …

Improving Search Ranking Using A Composite Scoring Approach, Larry D. Snedden

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the improvement to relevance in computerized search results is studied. Information search tools return ranked lists of documents ordered by the relevance of the documents to the user supplied search. Using a small number of words and phrases to represent complex ideas and concepts causes user search queries to be information sparse. This sparsity challenges search tools to locate relevant documents for users. A review of the challenges to information searches helps to identify the problems and offer suggestions in improving current information search tools. Using the suggestions put forth by the Strategic Workshop on Information Retrieval …

Aquatic Managers Of Northeast Iowa : A Description Of Current Practices Of Staff Training And Implementation Detailing Competencies, Frequency, And Evaluation, Tracy N. Carey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe how aquatic managers implement aquatic staff training and development. According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. organizations spend more than $50 billion annually on employee training. Organizations place an important emphasis on training and development for their employees. Aquatic facilities play an important role in the communities they serve. Operating an aquatic facility has become increasingly more complex in recent years due to new technology with filtration systems, differentiating certifications and facility regulations.

Therefore, aquatic managers must ensure their lifeguards are capable and competent of doing everything …

The Visual And Performing Arts In The Technical Communication Classroom: Reinforcing The University's Internal Community Literacy Via Service-Learning, Richard L. Ward

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report details a class taught that was an exploration into the value of STEAM or science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics within the confines of Technical Communication as it applies to the business and industry of theatre. It was an experiment in service learning as it could be tied into the Arts via differing technai, as described by John Wild in “Plato’s Theory of Texnh a Phenomenological Interpretation,” demonstrating a necessity for Arts as they pertain to STEM-centric universities. This report discusses a section of Technical and Professional Communication taught at Michigan technological University that consisted of twenty-five students …

Career Development And Trajectories: Women In Senior-Level Management Positions In Nonprofit Organizations And Government Agencies, Jennifer Diane Stevens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Lighting the way for women today, pioneers like Jane Addams and others have helped women make gallant strides in the field of human and leisure services for the past 50 years. These women took necessary steps towards equality, which ultimately led to changes in attitudes of women, attitudes towards women, and gender roles. Women now make up half of the workforce and are accepted in all sectors today.

However, inequality still exists through transparent barriers that keep women from advancing to senior-level management and decision-making positions. Elements such as family, education, and organizational and personal factors can positively or negatively …

นวัตกรรมแอปพลิเคชันตามทฤษฎีพฤติกรรมตามแผนเพื่อส่งเสริมการรับรู้ความสามารถตนเอง, ฉัททวุฒิ พีชผล

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาแอปพลิเคชันตามทฤษฎีพฤติกรรมตามแผนเพื่อส่งเสริมการรับรู้ความสามารถตนเองในการเรียนออนไลน์ และศึกษาผลการทดลองใช้แอปพลิเคชันฯ ที่พัฒนาขึ้นกับนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี ขั้นตอนของการวิจัยแบ่งออกเป็น 3 ขั้นตอนคือ (1) ศึกษาเอกสารงานวิจัยและสัมภาษณ์ผู้เชี่ยวชาญสำหรับต้นแบบของแอปพลิเคชันฯ (2) สร้างต้นแบบและพัฒนาระบบแอปพลิเคชันฯ และ (3) ศึกษาผลการทดลองใช้ระบบแอปพลิเคชันฯ ต่อระดับการรับรู้ความสามารถตนเองในการเรียนออนไลน์ กลุ่มตัวอย่าง คือ นักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี มหาวิทยาลัยเอเชียอาคเนย์จำนวน 180 คน โดยแบ่งออกเป็นกลุ่มทดลองและกลุ่มควบคุม กลุ่มละ 90 คน มีระยะเวลาในการดำเนินการทดลอง 5 สัปดาห์ ผลการวิจัยพบว่า ระบบแอปพลิเคชันตามทฤษฎีพฤติกรรมตามแผนที่พัฒนาขึ้น มี 3 องค์ประกอบ คือ (1) ขั้นตอนการเรียนการสอนของระบบ (2) เครื่องมือของระบบ และ (3) คุณลักษณะของแอปพลิเคชันตามทฤษฎีพฤติกรรมตามแผน ซึ่งประกอบด้วย การสร้างเสริมทัศนคติต่อการเรียนออนไลน์ การสร้างเสริมการคล้อยตามกลุ่มเรียนออนไลน์ และการสร้างเสริมการรับรู้การควบคุมพฤติกรรมตนเอง ผลการทดลองใช้แอปพลิเคชันฯ พบว่าค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนการรับรู้ความสามารถตนเองในการเรียนออนไลน์ของกลุ่มทดลองมีค่าสูงกว่ากลุ่มควบคุมอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ 0.05 ผลนี้แสดงให้เห็นว่าระบบแอปพลิเคชันตามทฤษฎีพฤติกรรมตามแผนมีอิทธิพลต่อการเพิ่มการรับรู้ความสามารถตนเองของผู้เรียนออนไลน์

เครื่องมือนวัตกรรมการบริหารจัดการสินค้าคงคลังแบบแบ่งปันสำหรับผู้ประกอบการค้าปลีกและค้าส่งธุรกิจอุปกรณ์กีฬาในประเทศไทย, ลีลาวดี พัฒนรัชต์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาแบบจำลองระบบบริหารจัดการสินค้าคงคลังแบบแบ่งปันสำหรับผู้ประกอบการค้าปลีกและค้าส่งขนาดกลางและขนาดย่อม (SMEs) ของธุรกิจเครื่องกีฬาในประเทศไทยโดยแบ่งการศึกษาออกเป็น 5 ระยะ โดยระยะที่ 1 เป็นการทบทวนวรรณกรรมเพื่อพัฒนากรอบแนวความคิดวิจัย ระยะที่ 2 ศึกษาถึงปัจจัยการยอมรับระบบการบริหารจัดการสินค้าคงคลังแบบแบ่งปัน ระยะที่ 3 ศึกษาปัจจัยที่ส่งผลถึงประสิทธิภาพการบริหารจัดการร่วมกันของร้านค้าปลีก ระยะที่ 4 เป็นการพัฒนาแบบจำลองสถานการณ์แบบมอนติคาร์โลด้วย Microsoft® Excel และระยะที่ 5 เป็นการศึกษาการยอมรับของเทคโนโลยี นำเสนอแนวทางการพัฒนาเชิงพาณิชย์และสรุปผลการศึกษา ผลจากการศึกษาพบว่าการพัฒนาแบบจำลองระบบการบริหารจัดการสินค้าคงคลังแบบแบ่งปันให้มีประสิทธิภาพได้นั้นต้องคำนึงถึงเรื่องของระยะเวลา ต้นทุน ความไว้วางใจ ความปลอดภัยและความเป็นส่วนตัวของผู้ใช้บริการเป็นสำคัญ โดยผลจากการเปรียบเทียบแบบจำลองระบบแบบเดิมกับแบบใหม่ (IIPS) พบว่าแบบจำลองแบบใหม่สามารถลดต้นทุนค่าสูญเสียโอกาสการขาย ลดปริมาณสินค้าค้างสต็อกและสินค้าขาดแคลน เพิ่มกำไรรวมให้แก่ระบบและเป็นประโยชน์ให้ผู้ใช้บริการทั้งในแง่ของผู้ซื้อและผู้ขายได้อีกด้วย และเมื่อนำแบบจำลองระบบ IIPS มาตรวจสอบการยอมรับโดยผู้ประกอบการ 30 คน พบว่าผลการประเมินด้านประโยชน์และความง่ายในการใช้งานโดยรวมอยู่ในเกณฑ์ดี ส่วนโอกาสในเชิงธุรกิจของแบบจำลองนวัตกรรมดังกล่าวอยู่ในเกณฑ์ดีมาก โดยแนวทางการพัฒนาในเชิงพาณิชย์ ได้ประยุกต์ใช้หลักการต่างๆไม่ว่าจะเป็นการใช้ตัวแบบธุรกิจ และการวิเคราะห์คู่แข่งขัน เป็นต้น

Tax Transparency And Corporate Tax Avoidance, Taylor Witkiewicz

Honors Theses and Capstones

This analysis will look into the emerging global trend for increased tax transparency from large businesses and corporations. Tax transparency has been a growing topic globally and there has been some recent progress in several countries. This analysis will begin by looking into the motivation behind increasing the amount of transparency around a business’ tax affairs. After exploring some key driving factors, a few of the new major tax initiatives and the details encompassed in them will be discussed. The specific countries that will be focused on are the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Overall, this analysis is …

Amazon's Superior Innovation: A Study Of Amazon's Corporate Structure, Ceo, And Reasons Behind Why It Has Become The Most Innovative Company In Today's Market., Daniel J. Rivet

Honors Theses and Capstones

Amazon is one of today’s most powerful companies. The convenience of Amazon.com and the hot new products that Amazon is creating has skyrocketed Amazon to the top of the list of successful and innovative businesses. Looking at Amazon from the outside in, the question of “What drives Amazon to be so successful?” stands out. First thoughts are answers like “CEO, Jeff Bezos” or “it’s ability to innovate”. Yes, those are certainly major factors in the success of a company of this stature, but it is more complex than that. This study will answer the question, “How does Jeff Bezos’ leadership …

Study Of Selection Behavior Of Wine For Different Markets, Sarah C. Tobias

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mandatory Audit Firm And Audit Partner Rotation, Qianwen Rong

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of High School Accounting On The Selection Of College Major, Performance, Satisfaction, And Retention, Gregory T. Marinaccio

Honors Theses and Capstones

The objective of this study is to examine the impact completion of a high school accounting course has on the selection of college major, academic performance in introductory accounting courses, satisfaction with one’s major, and retention. These relations are examined using data from a survey given to 208 students of various majors enrolled in the Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The results provide evidence of a significant positive relation between high school accounting and two variables: selection of college major, and performance in …

Making A Difference: The Impact Of Corporate Ethical Behavior On Consumers In The Beauty Industry, Paige M. Gould

Honors Theses and Capstones

Over the years, the cosmetic industry has struggled with a variety of ethical issues. This research examines the effects of these unethical practices on consumers’ perceptions and judgements. More specifically, do consumers consider ethical issues when evaluating cosmetics? Can consumers’ ethical perceptions and decision making be influenced? If so, are heuristic appeals or systematic appeals more persuasive? The results of this study indicate that unless prompted, most consumers do not consider ethical issues when purchasing cosmetics. The study also found that both heuristic and systematic appeals were effective in influencing general industry perceptions, but only the systematic appeal was successful …

Gender Roles In Public Accounting And The Absence Of Women In Upper Level Management, Sarah Elizabeth Keiran

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404 And Filing Status, Yanwen Wang

Honors Theses and Capstones

This thesis focuses on Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which is a United States federal law that sets new or expanded requirements for all U.S. public companies. Section 404 aims to ensure that all public companies have effective internal controls. Section 404 is not applied uniformly across different filers. This thesis focuses on the analyses of small companies as these companies, i.e. non-accelerated filers, got exemption from Section 404 (b), which requires a publicly-held company’s auditor to attest to, and report on, management’s assessment of its internal controls. Because this exemption allows non-accelerated filers to avoid significant compliance cost, the purpose of the …

State Funding And Its Impact On University Funding, Andrew Wolfgang Doppstadt

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Ipo Ready? Illuminating The Dark Box Of Private Equity, Tyler Gregory Cornellier

Honors Theses and Capstones

The use of public equity data can help combat the challenges private equity funds currently face regarding data availability. The goal is to create a model to provide guidance to both investors and entrepreneurs in the decision-making process. The data gathered would provide insight on how close a private company is to a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO). The idea is that a model, showing the average financial metrics of companies within certain industries during an IPO, can provide new perceptiveness as to how the private company is performing.

Assessing Financial Reporting Quality Of Early Stage Private Companies, Devereux D. Evans

Honors Theses and Capstones

There are a variety of widely accepted methods that are used in order to evaluate the financial positioning of companies that are traded on stock exchanges. However, these methods that are common in the public markets do not suffice for assessing companies that are privately held. Attempting to devise an intrinsic value using anticipated cash flows is ineffective given that most companies are pre-revenue. Deriving a value based off of assets held is also inaccurate given that a young company will be in the process of capitalizing itself and more of its assets cannot be represented on a balance sheet, …

Indian Microfinance Sector: A Case Study, Sean P. Gillon

Honors Theses and Capstones

In developing areas of the world with very little economic structure, many activities are not monetized. In other words, money is not used to carry out these tasks because the people in these areas do not have the expendable funds required. In order to combat this problem, micro financing has become increasingly more apparent in these areas of distress. Microfinance is an economic development strategy that allows for those in need to borrow actual money in order to start a business, go to school, or even gain access to everyday living requirements. Microfinance has made tremendous strides over the years, …

Predicting Yelp Food Establishment Ratings Based On Business Attributes, Peter Mark Shellenberger Jr.

Honors Theses and Capstones

Social networking and business review sites play an integral role in the buying behavior of the modern consumer. An individual with access to the internet may observe millions of reviews on almost every type of product and service on the market. Websites such as Angie’s List, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and Yelp all facilitate this process, acting as crowd-sourced hubs for review data. This has major implications for the modern business, as past research shows that reviews and ratings play a direct role on the demand a business receives. With the vast dissemination of review data to the potential buyer market, …