Business Commons^™

The Alabama Ballet: A Master's Examination Report, Alison Heath

Arts Administration Master's Reports (1984-2016)

This report investigates the successes and shortcomings of an established and financially stable arts organization, and analyzes the position of the organization within the greater whole of the arts community. Alabama Ballet is a 501(c)(3) taxexempt non-profit organization located in Birmingham, Alabama. Alabama Ballet strives to offer high quality, professional dance in the state of Alabama through dance programming, education programs, and outreach efforts. The exploration and discovery took place during a 480-hour Internship while working as an Administrative Intern within the organization. This report explores the strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions for organizational improvement based on studies and knowledge gained …

Framing Of Business In China: East Vs. West, Xueyi Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

China is one of the largest and most promising markets for new global business ventures. This exploratory research investigates the current news-related themes regarding business in China by comparing news originating from eastern countries to western countries. This study applied agenda-setting and framing theoretical frameworks. A mixed-method approach of both qualitative and quantitative content analyses was used to generate key themes and their related concepts. The results indicate some thematic similarities as well as differences in agenda and news framing between eastern and western news samples. This exploratory study contributes to agenda-setting and framing literature as well as by creating …

The Sustainability Of Agriculture In Nigeria Using Rubber As A Case Study, Owen Osahon Ogbebor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study is an investigation of the sustainability of agriculture in Nigeria using Rubber as case study. Edo and Abia states were sampled for the study with 300 questionnaires administered in 10 communities among rubber farmers. The study is an investigation of the socio-demographic distribution of the rubber farmers, perception of rubber farmers, and influence of government activities. Sources of information and the data were cumulated for Nigeria as a whole. The data were analyzed using statistical analysis.

Findings indicated the distribution of rubber farmers on socio-demographic distribution, sources of funds, and the effects on agricultural sustainability in Nigeria. Farmers’ …

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 …

A Study On Rebranding Strategies, Megan Bryant

Graphic Communication

This project is a study on rebranding strategies. Companies go through a rebrand to change their strategy and direction. Many companies succeed by going through these processes, while many others fail.

In addition to extensive research on past company rebrands, a questionnaire was conducted on a sample of 25 individuals of various ages about their experiences with brands and rebranding in order to compare their responses with actual company decisions.

Participants provided insight on their own personal behaviors, decisions, and perceptions about brands and purchasing products. The study concluded that, on average, quality was more important than price in almost …

Broadband Access For Students At East Tennessee State University, Thomas Scott Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the availability of Internet access for students attending East Tennessee State University during the fall semester 2013. It has been unknown to what degree broadband access is available in the East Tennessee State University service area that includes counties in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina.

The research was conducted during the fall semester 2013 including the months of August, September, and October of 2011. Data were gathered by surveying currently enrolled students of the university. Seven hundred eighty-four students responded to the survey. The survey instrument covered areas of …

Carton Clamp Methodologies And The Effects On Load Containment And Retention, Tyler D. Blumer

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Carton Clamp Test Methodologies and the Effects on

Load Containment and Retention

Tyler Don Blumer

A carton clamp is an alternative device for moving packages and material. Instead of using iron tines like that of a conventional forklift, a carton clamp uses two large aluminum platens to slightly compress and secure the load for handling. This is advantageous as it allows operators to move layers of a unitized load individually, and eliminates the need for a pallet when handling full unitized loads. When using a carton clamp attachment, it is often difficult for operators to accurately gauge the amount …

Agco Corporation Valuation, Sean Michael Miller

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper will discuss the excellent growth potential that AGCO Corporation faces and the reason that this company's stock is rated as a hold position. AGCO has seen tremendous progress and is in an industry that shows that a growing world population will continue to need food and more efficient ways to create food. However, based on sensitivities of assumptions in the models presented herein and on a current share price that is already close to my assumed fair value I do not issue a buy recommendation.

New Mouthguard Design With Intermediate Nickel-Titanium And Foam Layer, Freddie Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mouthguards help prevent orofacial injuries in many physical activities, commonly to the maxillary incisors. Mouthguards have many different properties which can be idealized. One property involves the amount of impact force the mouthguard can dissipate, commonly referred to as shock absorption. The aim of this study was to improve shock absorption capabilities beyond the protection that a mouthguard made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) can offer. A Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) and/or foam intermediate layer was placed between EVA. Seven configurations were fabricated at 3 different thicknesses. The configurations consisted of an intermediate layer composed of NiTi, foam, or NiTi/foam. The NiTi …

The Impact Of Securitization, Bank Liquidity Shocks, And Government Intervention On Lending And Banks' Asset Composition: Evidence From The U.S. 2007-2009 Financial Crisis, Peter V. Egly

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The 2007- 2009 financial crisis creates a new wave of research opportunities in part due to the transformation of the banking system that led to the development of securitized banking that is supported by short term funding sources provided through the money and capital markets. The near collapse of the financial system ultimately led to the ensuing government intervention by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury department to revive the frail U.S. economy. This dissertation has two basic research objectives: 1) investigate the impact of securitization and the subprime mortgage collapse on bank lending during the crisis and 2) …

Canadian Family Leisure, Family Functioning, And Family Satisfaction: A Family Perspective, Shaun C. Nua

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between family leisure variables and the dependent variables of family functioning and satisfaction with family life among a broad, national sample of Canadian families using the Core and Balance framework. Specifically, this study examined how both family leisure involvement (core and balance) and family leisure satisfaction contributed to the explanation of variance in family functioning and satisfaction with family life. Because the data were nested in families, this study accounted for family-level variance by incorporating mixed modeling. The sample consisted of 943 families across Canada including one parent and …

The Mechanisms Of Interpersonal Privacy In Social Networking Websites: A Study Of Subconscious Processes, Social Network Analysis, And Fear Of Social Exclusion, Bryan I. Hammer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With increasing usage of Social networking sites like Facebook there is a need to study privacy. Previous research has placed more emphasis on outcome-oriented contexts, such as e-commerce sites. In process-oriented contexts, like Facebook, privacy has become a source of conflict for users. The majority of architectural privacy (e.g. privacy policies, website mechanisms) enables the relationship between a user and business, focusing on the institutional privacy concern and trust; however, architectural privacy mechanisms that enables relationships between and among users is lacking. This leaves users the responsibility to manage privacy for their interpersonal relationships. This research focuses on the following …

Consumer Adoption Of Health Information Systems, Sankara Subramanian Srinivasan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At nearly 18 percent of the country's GDP, the U.S. healthcare industry continues to wrestle with growing cost and a quality of care that does not match the increased spending. The dominant focus to date has been on promoting Health IT (HIT) system implementation and digitizing health records at the provider's end, with scant attention to the role of the patient in the healthcare process. The source of inefficiency in the healthcare system is not only on account of shortcomings at the provider's end but also due to non-compliance (such as failing to adhere to medication advice and follow-up visits) …

Workforce Preparedness Of Information Systems Students: Perceptions Of Students, Alumni, And Employers, Susan Bristow

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Employers of newly hired higher education graduates report their new workforce is not prepared. Further research was required to discover insights to the workforce readiness gap. This concurrent mixed methods study explored what competencies influenced employer's perceptions of the work-readiness of Information Systems (ISYS) undergraduate students and discovered ISYS graduates' and current ISYS students' perceptions of their work-readiness. Participants consisted of a convenience sample including 69 ISYS program upperclassmen, 20 ISYS program alumni, and 8 employers of the ISYS program graduates. ISYS program alumni completed an online Qualtrics survey to measure the participants' perception of their workforce preparedness. ISYS program …

Successful Marketing Strategies For Promoting Event Destinations, Evease Iniece Tucker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Travel and tourism has been recognized as being an important driver of jobs, growth and economic recovery in the United States. Meetings, events and incentive travel contribute $98.7 billion of the direct spending, $15.0 billion in taxes and 859,000 jobs. As a result, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the United States are taking advantage of this impact for growth in their destinations. As a destination marketing organization's main job responsibility is to promote their destination to attract visitors, which requires superior marketing strategies to achieve these goals.

This research investigates the marketing strategies of DMOs in the United States. The …

A Comparative Study Of Administrator And Special Education Teacher Perceptions Of Special Education Teacher Attrition And Retention, Danielle Angelina Sheldrake

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed methods study identifies perceived causes of and solutions to the attrition of special education teachers. Researchers have documented that special education teaching positions encounter higher attrition rates than their general education peers (Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Conroy in Olivarez & Arnold, 2006; Mitchell & Arnold, 2004; Otto & Arnold, 2005; Stempien & Loeb, 2002). More than 66 administrators and 200 special education teachers/Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs) employed in the Portland, Oregon metro area (Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties) completed a survey on special education teacher attrition and retention and identified what they believed are the causes of high …

Development Of Genetic Algorithm-Based Stochastic Model To Study And Optimize Single-Echelon Vs Multi-Echelon Inventory Systems, Nadeera Ekanayake

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 Nadeera Ekanayake on November 18, 2013.

A Discussion Of Ethics In Relation To Business And Non-Business Students, Casey Mejeur

Honors Theses

In recent years, society has seen a major shift when it comes to the importance of ethical behavior, and also in what constitutes ethical behavior. One of the biggest reasons for this shift is because of scandals in the last couple of decades (ex. Enron). As the public loses trust in upper management because of these scandals, a greater emphasis is placed on the importance of ethics. This paper discusses ethics in relation to business majors and how their behaviors carry over into the workforce.

The thesis begins by determining different sources of ethical behavior, and what may drive people …

The Impacts Of Change In Governance On Faculty And Staff At Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study Of Ohsu, Dana L. Director

Dissertations and Theses

In the early 1990s, Oregon Health and Science University leadership examined the political and economic landscape and determined it needed a new operational model to survive and thrive. In 1995 OHSU separated from the state higher education system and became a public corporation, with goals of increased efficiency, customer-focus, ability to attract world-class researchers and physicians, and salaries commensurate with an urban academic health center.

This research examines the internal impacts when universities undergo significant change, using OHSU's governance change as a case study. Central is the question: what effect(s) did OHSU's decision to become a unique public corporation have …

State Bred Event Days Effect On Attendance And On-Track Wagering In Comparison To Open Race Day Counterparts, Cynthia C. Gumber

Master's Theses

Since 1978 casino and gaming facilities in the United States have grown substantially. Drawing outside customers has helped to improve the local communities surrounding the gaming facilities. In a similar fashion, United States horse racing aims at increasing traffic and wagering at race tracks throughout the United States (but unlike casinos little expansion). Along with the fiscal impact to the United States, the horse racing industry has created thousands of jobs, and the industry is experiencing continual growth in nominal gross wagering. Many state’s have breeder programs that enhance purses and horses bred and raced in- state. The goal of …

Aplikimi I Auditimit Të Brendshëm Dhe Të Jashtëm Në Kosovë, Avni Xhemajli

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim diplome është hartuar dhe përgaditur në mënyr profesionale më të gjitha tiparët që e karakterizojnë më dhënjen e mendimëve dhe konkluzionëve nga ekonomistët, ekspertët dhe njohsit e fushave të auditimit. Pra aplikimi i auditimit të brendshëm dhe të jashtëm na bën të mundshëm dhe të arsyshme që ta kuptojmë dhe të sqarojm më mirë nocionin e aplikimit të auditimi në përgjithsi duke u mbështetur në standarte e përgjithshme të auditimit që paraqesin aktivitetet të cilat i ofrojnë dhe i garantojn siguri në sistemin e veprimtarisë duke e letësuar kontrollin në hierarkisë nga udhheqja e sajë duke raportuar nga …

Konkluzata Dhe Raportimet Në Auditim, Resmije Hajredini

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim na ofron një pamje të përgjithshme se si duken raportimet dhe konkluzionet në auditim.

Auditimi ka karakter korrigjues sepse me këtë korrigjohet diçka qe është bërë e qe nuk ka qenë ne rregull gjatë veprimtarisë afariste te një subjekti ekonomik –juridik.

Pasi filluan të ndodhin parregullsi të shumta investitorët e humben besimin në qeverisjen e korporatave dhe të raportimit, si rezultat i këtij fakti u paraqit nevoja që dikush të bëj kontrollin e të gjitha veprimtarive qe mund të ndodhin në një ndërmarrje apo në ndonjë institucion tjetër.

Ne këtë punim jam munduar të tregoj çka është auditimi, …

Normat E Kamatës Të Bankave Komerciale Në Kosovë: Analiza Statistikore E Metodikës Së Llogaritjes, Elfije Hoti

Theses and Dissertations

Norma e interesit është përqindja që huamarrësi i paguan huadhënësit për përdorimin e burimeve gjatë një intervali të dhënë kohe. Norma e interesit (I / m) është një për qind e principalit (P) e cila paguhet në një kohë të caktuar (m) dhe me një periudhë që zakonisht është një vit. Për shembull, një kompani e vogël merr hua nga një bankë për të blerë asetet e reja për biznesin e saj, dhe në këmbim të huadhënies merr interes me normë interesi të paracaktuar për shtyrjen e përdorimit të fondeve.

Sistemi bankar në Kosovë është stabil dhe profitabil, por bizneset …

Diagnostikimi Statistikor I Variablave Makroekonomike- Statistikat E Importit Dhe Eksportit Të Mallrave, Blertë Gara

Theses and Dissertations

Eksporti nënkupton transportimin e të mirave materiale prej një vendi në një tjetër në mënyrë legjitime dhe sipas rregullave e standardeve të vendeve pjesëmarrëse.Me import kuptojmë blerjen e të mirave materiale dhe shërbimeve të ndryshme nga vendet tjera. Përmes importit bëhet furnizimi me të mirat materiale deri te të cilat nuk mund të arrihet në një mënyrë tjetër.

Top vendet nga të cilat importon Kosova janë: Gjermania, Maqedonia, Serbia, Italia, Turqia, Kina, Shqipëria, Greqia, Bosnja dhe Hercegovina, dhe Kroacia.Vendet në të cilat Kosova eksporton janë: Italia, Shqipëria, Maqedonia, India, Mali i Zi, Zvicra, Gjermania, Serbia, Turqia dhe Kina.

Indikatorët statistikor …

Metodat E Trendit Dhe Aplikimi I Tyre Në Praktikë, Avdullah Hoxha

Theses and Dissertations

Metoda e trendit është metoda më e rëndësishme prej të gjitha metodave të aplikuara të analizës dinamike sepse në mënyrë më komplekse hulumton dukurinë në periudha të caktuara kohore.Trendi linear përdoret kur dukuria shënon rritje ose zbritje konstante me disa osicilime të pranueshme.Trendi parabolik përdoret kur dukuria shënon rritje konstante për një kohë e që më pas përcillet me rënie dhe anasjelltas.Trendi eksponencial përdoret kur dukuria shënon rritje apo zvoglim të shpejtë

Produkti i Brendshem Bruto (PBB) është një tregues i vlerës së tregut të të gjitha të mirave dhe shërbimeve përfundimtare të prodhuara në një shtet. Ecuritë e çmimeve …

Brand Impact On Increasing Sales: Case Study “Fortesa Home”, Granit Sahiti

Theses and Dissertations

A company’s brand image or name is what identifies and characterizes it. As the brand awareness increases it is often proved by many well known brands that also the percentage of sales would increase. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the direct impact of brands on increasing sales, with a special attention to “Fortesa Home” a retail company which sells sanitary products, which will be used as a case study. A questionnaire was prepared for Fortesa’s client and potential clients in order to give the whole analysis a practical touch. The paper work will show in detail how …

Importance Of Merchandising In Affecting Retail Sales, Case Of Medo-Flor, Islam Gjikokaj

Theses and Dissertations

The necessity for this research can be explained by the importance of understanding the interaction between the technical, strategic, and behavioral factors that have been studied and the factors which reflect the merchandising decisions for improving the ambience of the store. Managers of retail stores are continually trying to plan create and control the physical structure of an store but often the impact of a particular effort does not fully satisfy them. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of merchandising on retail stores. This study was conducted in Prishtina at Medo-Flor Company. This research consists of …

Anëtarësimi I Kosovës Në Organizatat Ndërkombëtare, Fondin Monetar Ndërkombëtar Dhe Bankën Botërore, Fisnik Kingji

Theses and Dissertations

Punimi “Anëtarësimi i Kosovës në organizatat ndërkombëtare Fondin Monetar Ndërkombëtar dhe Bankën Botërore” përmban informata rreth rrugëtimit dhe ngjarjeve që kanë pasuar pas anëtarësimit të Kosovës në organizatat ndërkombëtare të lartcekura, të cilat ne i kemi absorbuar gjatë studimeve në degën e ekonomisë, shqyrtimit të literaturës, dhe hulumtimit të publikimeve zyrtare në mediat informative. Kemi shqyrtuar literaturë të ndryshme të publikuara si dhe libra të shkruar nga autorë të huaj, gjithashtu kemi hulumtuar edhe vende të ndryshme në rajon të cilat janë anëtarësuar në FMN dhe BB.

Temën që ne e kemi shqyrtuar në punimin tonë është mjaft interesant, ka …

Siguria Në Sistemet Operative Ios Dhe Android, Atdhe Sefa

Theses and Dissertations

Paisjet mobile Smartphones janë përhapur kudo nëpër botë, Android dhe iOS janë dy sisteme operative celulare më dominuese në treg. Smartphones në bazë të kërkesave të shumta të përdoruesve kanë zhvilluar aplikacione të shumta në mënyrë që shfrytëzuesit të ndihen sa më të kënaqur dhe të plotësuar në kërkesat që celularët e tyre ti ofrojnë shërbime nga më të ndryshmet, dhe mundësitë e përzgjedhjes për smartphones janë të shumta.

Smartphones kanë debutuar me performancë dhe teknologji të sofistikuar dhe shërbimet të cilat mundësohen ofrojnë shumë fleksibilitet. Mirpo niveli i siguris nuk është i mjaftueshëm sulmet janë duke u bërë më …

The Influence Of Mobile Website Quality On Consumer Satisfaction And Behavior, Xiuyuan Gao

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mobile shopping has grown into a huge market and an increasing number of consumers have begun to use mobile websites to shop. Therefore, how mobile shopping websites provide good shopping to customers is significant. The object of this study is to relate factors of website quality to college students’ satisfaction with mobile shopping experiences, which in turn influence their intentions to return to the website and/or to purchase on the website. Five dimensions of website quality, which were information quality, navigation, visual appeal, response time and interactivity, were selected in this study. The model of self-regulatory process (Bagozzi, 1992) has …