Business Commons^™

Artisan® Romaine Proof Of Concept: Impact Of Packaging Materials On The Shelf Life Of Romaine Lettuce, John Pessagno

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The purpose of this project is a proof of theory that analyzes different packaging materials, substrates, and package designs to analyze the effects they have on romaine lettuce. Analysis was performed on materials including bulrush, PET, PS, PE-PP shrink film, and a specially engineered film from Dow Chemicals. There are two rounds of testing that dive into the impacts of headspace, moisture content, and distribution on sensory analysis from a six-person panel.

It was shown that the packaging materials used had a strong impact on shelf life and the sensory qualities of the romaine lettuce. Even though the trays that …

The Best Social Media Practices For An Individual Franchisee In The Restaurant Industry, Stephanie Francesca Ronca

Journalism

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of U.S. Tax Policies And Louisiana Social Programs On Poverty, Douglas G. Secrest

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Preventing Money Laundering: Key To A Better World, Brenda Martinez

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Money laundering has developed over recent decades and has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. Virtually every country in the world is affected by money laundering. The methodology of money laundering exists in every fraud scheme. It involves the concealed transfer of assets by masking them in the ordinary normalcy of financial transactions. Money laundering is a criminal enterprise, with the emphasis on the business aspect. The attraction of perpetrators into the money laundering business is profit with little perceived risks. This paper discusses money laundering, how to define it, its origins, the cycle, its effects, prevention methods, and what the …

A Business Plan For The Production Of Artisanal Cheese, Caitlin Curren

Dairy Science

The objective of this study was to determine how an artisan cheese producer could be successful in California’s current economy. The significance of location, product type, and pro forma financials were examined in order to construct a complete business plan. A business plan was created using an outline of financial proposals, desired terms, use of funds and equity contributions. A company description was originated with a brief history, description of products, description of customers, business location, key strengths, mission statement, goals and objectives. Lastly, an analysis of the industry was made, focusing on main characteristics, the size of the market, …

Do Changing Reference Levels Affect The Long-Term Effectiveness Of Incentive Contracts?, Lee Michael Kersting

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether reference levels change over time and the impact on individuals' risk-taking behavior. I apply expectations-based reference-dependent preferences theory to analyze whether individuals' reference levels change over time in an economic setting. The theory suggests that individuals develop reference levels based on expectations of future outcomes (Koszegi and Rabin 2006). Therefore, this study examines whether individuals' expectations affect the setting of their reference level and how possible changes in reference levels affect subsequent risk-taking behavior. This study also provides evidence on how budget-based contracts impact individual risk taking behavior in a single period setting. Prior research has …

Rëndësia E Trashëgimisë Në Biznesin Familjar, Krenar Rrecaj

Theses and Dissertations

Po ju jap një paralajmërim. Po që se jeni një ndër ata persona që pajtoheni plotësisht më këndvështrimin që kanë të tjerët për Biznesin Familjar, të cilët e paraqesin Biznesin Familjar si një fenomen në të cilin janë të punësuar vetëm anëtarët e familjes duke u angazhuar me orë të tëra për një jetesë modeste, dhe asgjë më shumë, ju rekomandoj të mos e lexoni më tej këtë punim!

Por, në qoftë se jeni ndër ata miliona njerëz që shohin lajmet e përditshme duke dëgjuar se Biznesi Familjar u bë si burim i punësimit për shumë persona ( jo vetëm …

Ndikimi I Reklamës Në Sjelljen E Konsumatorëve, Xheneta Hamza

Theses and Dissertations

Të gjithë ne jemi konsumatorë të cilët me çdo kusht mundohemi t’i kënaqim nevojat dhe dëshirat tona. Në kohën kur të gjithë jemi të ekspozuar ndaj medieve, në një formë apo tjetër, kompleksiteti i zgjedhjes veç sa vjen dhe rritet. Në tërë këtë spektër mundësish qëllimi ynë kyç është të bëjmë përzgjedhjen e duhur me mjete të arsyeshme.

Rëndësia për ta kuptuar lidhjen dhe ndikimin e reklamës në sjelljen e konsumatorit si dhe bashkëveprimi i këtyre dy elementeve do të jenë tema kyçe e këtij punimi.

Konsumatori është faktori kyç në botën e marketingut dhe sjellja e tij në treg …

Internal Brand Training In The Learning Industry, Audrey Ellison

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

Companies in the learning industry are in the business-to-business marketplace and the companies focus on providing services to their customers. In service businesses delivering on the brand promise is aligned with the services employees deliver to customers. The learning industry was used to research whether a commitment to internal brand training impacts business performance. Two of the initial hypotheses were supported; a learning orientation increases commitment to internal brand training and internal brand training increases employee commitment to the brand. The third hypothesis, employee brand commitment improves business performance, was not supported. A re-specified model found.

* Learning orientation directly …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Moral Development Of Emergency Personnel Based On The Defining Issues Test, Romeo Balagtas Lavarias

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing Lawrence Kohlberg's cognitive moral development theory as the guiding theory, the research undertaken sought to explore the moral decision-making process of emergency planners in the state of Florida. To assess the quantitative measurement for moral judgment, the research applied and used the Defining Issues Test (DIT) developed by James Rest (1979).

The research examined the relationship between education, gender, age, and ethics training against the moral maturity of Florida emergency planners. With ethical maturity level as the dependent variable, analysis showed a significant difference between males and females, where females had higher postconventional scores than males regardless of educational …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Work Environment, Timothy Dweylan Wilson

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

The research herein was developed to gain a robust understating of the relationship of transformational leadership and work environment in East Africa (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Likewise, the study provides additional data and an examination of what correlation and impact the aforementioned have on organizational commitment. The research faced many challenges, including examining a new model in a high context society that relies heavily on enriched clan, subclan, tribes, super tribes, and communal relationships, which had not been tested prior. Valid and reliable survey instruments included 60 questions from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X), 90 questions from the Work Environment …

Towards A Theory Of Services Supply Chain Management, John D. Smith

ETD Archive

Much research has been performed to develop the supply chain management construct for manufacturing goods producing firms. However, the service sector continues to grow its dominance in the percentage of GDP in high, middle and low income countries, and with it, a corresponding growth in the percentage of purchasing spend across the globe. While research continues in the manufacturing supply chain arena, much work is yet to be done to understand the differences for services. The objectives of this research project were threefold: 1) to analyze the services supply chain management construct in order to determine how it differs from …

Fair Value Measurements And Earnings Management: Evidence From The Banking Industry, Xiaolu Xu

Accounting - Dissertations

I examine the association between fair value measurements and bank earnings management using financial data for a sample of U.S. bank holding companies from 2009 to 2012. I follow the methodology in Beatty et al. (2002) and find that banks reporting higher recurring basis fair values, especially level 2 fair values and banks reporting increased fair values are more likely to report small earnings increases both in the current year and one-year ahead after controlling for discretionary loan loss provisions, discretionary security gains and losses, and other bank-specific characteristics. By decomposing the fair values into different types, I find that …

Dividend Policy And Stock Price Volatility In The U.S. Equity Capital Market, Kyle A. Profilet

Theses & Honors Papers

What factors affect the volatility of a stock's price over time? What specific financial factors lead a stock to be more volatile than others? This study attempts to identify the impact of certain financial variables on the volatility of a stock's price overtime by analyzing the.financial data of over 500 publicly traded.firms found through the Value Line Investment Survey database using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression. The study tests the effects of financial variables (deemed appropriate by the finance literature) on stock price volatility (as measured by the stock's standard deviation) for a sample of firms screened.from the Value …

The Impact Of Increased Dividend Announcements On Stock Price: A Test Of Market Efficiency, Douglas S. Laabs

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study is to test the semi-strong form efficient market hypothesis by analyzing the effects of increased dividend announcements on stock price. Specifically, is it possible to earn an above normal return on a publicly traded stock when the firm announ …

China's Business Cycle And Monetary Policy, Hailun Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Economic reform that began in 1978 became a landmark in the evolution of the Chinese economy. The Chinese economy then gradually transferred from a planned economy to a market-oriented economy. I mainly focus on China's business cycles and monetary policy after 1978 in this paper.

I use GDP growth to measure the Chinese business cycle. Instead of the level of GDP, the business cycles in the thesis I am talking about are ups and downs in the rate of growth.

In Chapter Two, I illustrated all five business cycles which have occurred over the past 30 years. I also introduced …

Developing Focused Auditing Tools: A Practical Framework For Creating Formalized Multi-Level Security Policy Specifications, Barbara Ann Brough

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is that formalized policy specifications and focused penetration testing are needed to effectively audit any information system. Designing and maintaining the security system information is the primary duty of the cyber security professional. In today's world, nearly all government agencies manage some form of financial, defense, national security, and/or privacy information security policies. It is also necessary in this environment that agencies are accountable for auditing the security systems that protect this information.

The Influence Of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility On Job Satisfaction: The Moderating Role Of Organizational Commitment, Xi Cheng

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of perceived CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) on job satisfaction, and to test the moderating role of organizational commitment within the relationship between perceived CSR and job satisfaction.

The Implementation Of A Thin Client In The Department Of Defense Network System, Sung Ju In

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to introduce and analyze a thin client solution that could enhance the overall Department of Defense (DoD) network system as well as its IT security posture, minimize risk from external threats, and ease of network operations.

Exploring The Effects Of Entrepreneurial Training On High-Level Business Executives' Attitudes And Behaviors, Rachel Ann Wolfinbarger

Theses Digitization Project

This study was conducted to provide insight about the value high-level business executives (founders, Presidents CEOs, and CFOs) of closely-held firms could expect from participating in private sector entrepreneurial training.

Detecting Deception In Client Inquiries, D. Kip Holderness Jr.

2013

Auditors frequently gather information by conducting client inquiries (Bennett and Hatfield 2013; Hirst and Koonce 1996; Trompeter and Wright 2010). When clients are attempting to hide frauds and irregularities, auditors need to be alert during inquiries to verbal and nonverbal cues emanating from clients that might be indicative of intentional deception. This dissertation consists of two studies investigating the detection of deception in client inquiries. The first study provides a summary of extant literature examining deception detection, with an emphasis on those studies that have implications for client inquiries. I propose several avenues for future research that will contribute to …

Essays On The Digital Divide - Explorations Through Global, National And Individual Lenses, Maria Skaletsky

2013

The Digital Divide has emerged as an important research and policy issue during the past thirty years. The divide exists at different levels, such as global, regional and individual levels. While extensive research already exists on this subject, the complexity of the issue presents opportunities for further research. In particular, there is ample scope for significantly contributing to the literature by leveraging recent analytics techniques, all the more since most of the literature on the Digital Divide relies on descriptive methods or on simple or multiple regression models. Therefore, the motivation for this study is two-fold. First, the Digital Divide …

Queuepay.Com: Building A System For Cardholders' Transaction Security, Jose Ramon Gonzalez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to apply the skills learned in the MBA program to help develop a solution to a problem that costs billions of dollars every year in fraudulent related losses arising from the use of payment cards such as debit cards, credit cards, charge cards or prepaid cards. The project analyzes the industry of payment cards, the emergence of the problem, and builds a prototype that addresses the problem. Queuepay.com is designed to provide services to its cardholders that will significantly reduce the risk of fraud.

Discounted Health Insurance Premium Systems, Krupa Pravin Patel

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to address the issue of the rising health care in the United States, specifically the issues which will arise after the implementation of Obamacare. The project provides insurance companies and the U.S. government with an approach to implementing a discounted health insurance system. This insurance system will help the people spend less for health insurance premiums by providing with the discounted premium system.

Modularization (Md) And Its Impact On The Chinese Auto Industry, Yunshan Lian

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

Modularization (MD) in the auto industry is relatively new when compared to its use in other industrial areas. It is regarded as the third revolution in the history of the auto industry after Henry Ford's assembly line production system and Toyota's JIT (just in time) management. Modularization brought a major reorganization to the automotive parts supplier industry by realizing the firm's strategic positional advantage through mass customization While academic interest in this area also experienced significant growth in recent years, few empirical studies have been conducted because it is a difficult task to operationalize the multi-faceted, complex modularization.

Although modularization …

Organizational Practices Leading To A Positive Safety Culture: A Delphi Approach, Andrew Matthew Cwalina

HCBE Theses and Dissertations

A positive safety culture has been shown to contribute to a firm's ability to avoid or reduce the occurrence of occupational accidents and injuries. In American workplaces alone 3,582 people died and 5.1 million people were disabled in 2009 and the cost to corporate America was $169 billion and an additional productivity loss of 95 million work days. The economic cost to each American household is about $1,200. Firms that establish and maintain a positive safety culture are able to achieve a competitive advantage in the market.

While much research exists showing the relationship between safety culture and accident reduction, …

Exploring The Influence Of Collaborative Capabilities On Focal Firm Product Outcomes ;The Mediating Role Of Supplier Capabilities, Kenneth D. Hall

ETD Archive

As markets become more turbulent, dynamic, and competitive, and as customers become more sophisticated and demanding, the scope of capabilities and resources needed to meet customer needs, wants, and desires are less likely to be found in any one firm. Instead, firms must develop strong collaborative capabilities. Though the benefits of interfirm collaboration for focal firms (the firms responsible for the final offering) and suppliers are reasonably well understood, effectiveness and efficiency in collaboration remain elusive for many firms. It is likely that the collaborative capabilities of both focal firms and key suppliers contribute to effective collaboration, and that the …

Investigations Into The Robustness Of Sustainable Real Estate Premiums And Commercial Real Estate Econometrics, Spenser J. Robinson

ETD Archive

This dissertation consists of three papers, all using CoStar Group, Inc. Commercial Real Estate (CRE) data. The rst two papers explore Sustainable Real Estate (Energy STAR and LEED building) rental premiums. The third paper develops and tests a new method for the empirical testing of CRE. Paper number one, Managing Well by Managing Good, is the rst paper to argue against the existence of sustainable real estate premiums. It demonstrates that some of the Sustainable Real Estate rent premiums previously shown in the literature are neither theoretically nor empirically supported. In addition to presenting theoretical arguments against the premiums, the …

The Relationship Of Market Orientation, Absorptive Capaci-Ty, Organizational Learning, And Positional Advantage To Corporate Performance In Turbulent And Non-Turbulent Environments, Daniel Patrick Friesen

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation adds to what we know about the effects of Market Orientation and Organizational Learning on Positional Advantage and on Organizational Outcomes by introducing the concept of Absorptive Capacity from the management literature. Though each is related to organizational learning, market orientation and absorptive ca-pacity have not been presented together in a structural model with organizational learning as a higher order construct. In this paper, I bring Market Orientation and Absorptive Ca-pacity together as higher-order constructs indicating Organizational Learning as a third order construct. Organizational Learning in turn indicates Positional Advantage as a fourth order construct, which also is …

Engineering Problem Solving And Sustained Learning: A Mixed Methods Study To Explore The Dynamics Of Engineering Knowledge Creation, Rachel Itabashi-Campbell

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation research explores processes by which engineering problem solving (EPS) results in sustained organizational learning. Approaching from a constructionist perspective, the study empirically examines the knowledge creation dynamics instigated by product-related problems using a mixed methods research approach. The research has identified the Japanese concept of ba, defined in this study as "shared experiential space," as a key construct that explains the phenomena of interest. A new framework that the study has developed, which interprets EPS as an epistemic journey to attain system-wide improvements, is highly complementary to the traditional structured routine based approaches to engineering operations and …