Business Commons^™

The Effects Of Foreign Direct Investment On Sovereign Debt Sustainability In Latin America, Oriana I. Fuentes

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Sovereign debt has been a central political issue in Latin American nations for many years, especially considering the region’s long history of defaults and restructurings. Finding ways to grow sustainably at manageable levels of indebtedness has certainly been a challenge, especially with the large number of factors that play into how a nation finances itself and its growth. One of these factors, foreign direct investment (FDI), has attracted significant attention after countries became more politically stable and protective of investor interests in the early 1990s. As a result, inflows of FDI have grown at record levels reaching over $112 billion …

Is Differentiation Better?: Consumer Memory For Online Advertisement Selection, Keri Wood

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The proliferation of internet content has generated a significant online marketing increase in recent years. While there exists a relatively broad base of knowledge regarding the impact of traditional advertisement structures and their effects on consumer behavior, less is known about the impact of the interactive world of online advertising, particularly video advertising. Research has been done to address the question of identifying a more suitable model for the online video format than a standard pre-roll advertisement. The Pool Lane One of VivaKi found that the most effective model was the ad-selector, which allowed consumers to choose their preference from …

Exploring The Differences Of The Grocery Experience Between Spain And The United States: Is It More Than Just Potato, Patata, Tomato, Tomate?, Madison Dowell

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the increasing globalization of the world economy, companies looking to take part in this trend must pay attention to the differences between aspects of their home country and the country in which they are trying to sell products. Being well informed on criteria that could affect the purchase decision of foreign consumers is essential to avoiding self reference criterion and ethnocentrism, or the unconscious referral to and focus on one’s own culture rather than the targeted culture. “Sociologic differences around the world largely outweigh the similarities. People in the global community are influenced and driven by different things. Lack …

The Observing Public's Perception On Individual's Behavior When Pressured With Unethical Decisions, Amanda Hancock

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines how public perception of individuals pressured with unethical decisions can be dependent on perceived personality traits of the individual. An observer's perception is analyzed through two perspective behaviors: normative (desired) and expected. The two personality traits examined are perceived ambition and perceived individual power distance. Data was obtained for this study from a sample of 152 undergraduate students through a survey where respondents were randomly given one of four manipulated scenarios. The survey measured the respondent's beliefs on what an individual in the scenario should (normative) and would (expected) do when faced with an unethical decision. The …

International Marketing And Walmart's Missed Opportunity, Michelle Geisler

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Walmart is considered a strong global player in the retail industry, but not all of their expansions have bee successful. In 1998, Walmart took their first steps into the European market starting with Germany. Many mistakes were made and despite strong effort to fix major oversight, Walmart left the German market in 2006. This thesis analysis what went wrong with the expansion into Germany and what lessons Walmart has taken away from the fiasco.

Drivers Of The Cash Conversion Cycle In Retail: A Test Of Resource Dependency Theory, Katie Mcclellan

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study analyzes the role of resource dependency theory in the supply chain, specifically investigating the supplier-retailer relationship. Resource dependency theory attempts to summarize the power-seeking behavior found in interorganizational relationships, as firms attempt to increase their own independence while increasing other firms’ dependence on them. The interdependent nature of a supply chain provides an ideal environment to analyze this type of relationship. In order to assess a firm’s influence over other members, the cash conversion cycle was used as it considers the interlocking nature of the supply chain, since each action taken to constrict one firm’s cycle affects that …

Business And Cultural Implications For Walmart In Spain, Ariel Spencer

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Technological advances in the modern era have led to the incredible phenomenon of world collaboration, more commonly known as globalization. The whole of the world is behaving increasingly as a single market. Within this massively intertwined economy, companies are facing new challenges of communication, management and adaptation as their reach of business extends across the world. An integral part of conducting business on a global scale is gaining an accurate and well-developed understanding of each area into which the business extends. Therefore, one of the most important factors when entering a new environment is learning to adapt to the cultural …

The Recession Of 2008: For Better Or For Worse, Kelsy Litchenburg

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

With nonstop discussion about the current recession in the government, news, classroom, social media, and any other type of communication outlet, there is seldom a minute that Americans are not impacted by our current economic condition. Constantly, we are faced with pitfalls of the recession, like job loss and a declining house market, but who is to say that the motion of our economy doesn't follow Newton's third law stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction? Meaning that for each negative this recession brings, might there also be a positive social effect as well? After …

On Shelf Availability: A Literature Review & Conceptual Framework, Kristie Spielmaker

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

On-Shelf Availability (OSA) is a key performance indicator for the retail industry, greatly impacting profit and customer loyalty. Strong competition in the industry causes retailers and suppliers to put heavy emphasis on improving performance in an effort to satisfy consumers and keep them coming back to their store or product. Over 40 years of research has been done on OSA and its complement, out-of stock (OOS), however very little progress has been made in improving performance in these areas, leading to the belief that gaps in extant research exist. In order to solve the OOS problem, the key drivers of …

Sweat Or Threat? A Look Into The Ethics Of Sweatshops, Kristin Wilmes

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Often times, individuals are faced with situations that present clouded truths of the happenings in business. They must uncover the realities of these situations, most times ending in methods dependent on ethical decision making. The academic world has presented some models to theoretically explain these issues. Its issue-contingent model and behavior add significantly to the understanding of moral processes (Jones 1991). These moral issues can be very difficult to define and explain, considering each individual develops differing approaches to the situations. When given the words “ethics” and “sweatshops,” many people are unable to pair the two words together. The distaste …

The Green Shuttle Business Plan, Carter King

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Green Shuttle is a Limited Liability Company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada in Spanish) to be established in Costa Rica in September 2012. We are offering an exciting opportunity to two family/friends to invest in a start-up company targeting an underserved market in a developing country. The office for the tourist transportation company will be located in San Jose, Costa Rica. The company is seeking funding of USD $105,000 for the purpose of purchasing machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures necessary for operations and to cover estimated operating expenses for the first three months of operations. The investment opportunity offers a …

Advertising And The Influence On Self-Destructive Behaviors With An Emphasis On Childhood Obesity, Kimberly Moffat

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

As self-destructive behaviors are on the rise across society, research is being completed in order to determine links and causes. From binge drinking to over-eating, American society in particular is having negative behaviors become more prevalent and accepted by the media and pop culture. Links to marketing campaigns have definitely been made in the past, but the following research takes a closer look at the direct corresponding link between marketing advertisements and the increase in childhood obesity. An exhaustive secondary analysis of multiple studies and literature helps prove there is indeed an issue with how advertisements are influencing bad eating …

University Services: Subsidized Or Self-Supported? A Marketing Plan For A Financially Independent University Program, Eric Smith

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

As economic troubles continue to plague both governmental institutions and the private sector, public universities across the nation are being forced to make budgetary cuts. Tuition has risen dramatically, but “students are paying for more while institutions are subsidizing less” (Delta Project). In nearly all cases, non-academic student services are among the first to be cut or have their funding drastically reduced. While academics are most certainly the focus of any university, extracurricular student activities are a vital part of shaping healthy, well-rounded individuals. The common practice in providing services such as an outdoor center for students has been that …

The Effect Of Kurtosis On The Cross-Section Of Stock Returns, Abdullah Al Masud

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this study, I show an effect of the statistical fourth moment on stock returns. In the mean-variance framework, rational investors follow two strategies: optimize the mean{variance of return and diversify the portfolio. Regarding the first approach, investors intend to generate the maximum level of return while facing a constant level of risk (or, the standard deviation) of return. It is possible that firm specific risk can be concentrated in the portfolio. However, diversification of the assets can eliminate that (idiosyncratic) risk from the portfolio. After a long period of time, in a diversified portfolio the shape of the return …

Perceptions Measurement Of Professional Certifications To Augment Buffalo State College Baccalaureate Technology Programs, As A Representative American Postsecondary Educational Institution, Christopher N. Brown

Industrial Technology Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess, measure, and analyze whether voluntary, nationally-recognized professional certification credentials were important to augment technology programs at Buffalo State College (BSC), as a representative postsecondary baccalaureate degree-granting institution offering technology curricula. Six BSC undergraduate technology programs were evaluated within the scope of this study: 1.) Computer Information Systems; 2.) Electrical Engineering, Electronics; 3.) Electrical Engineering, Smart Grid; 4.) Industrial Technology; 5.) Mechanical Engineering; and 6.) Technology Education. This study considered the following three aspects of the problem: a.) postsecondary technology program enrollment and graduation trends; b.) the value/awareness of professional certifications to employers …

The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Black Women Leaders In Fortune 500 Companies, Latonya R. Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black women are underrepresented in leadership positions within organizations. The extent to which self-efficacy influences the advancement potential of Black females is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of black women in leadership positions and to determine how Black women leaders' careers are influenced by their self-efficacy beliefs. Participants for the study were determined using convenient random sampling. The objectives of this study were to determine the profile and level of self-efficacy, and leadership practices of participants based on tenure (length of time in a leadership position), age comparison and work experience (total number …

Narrative Identity Within A Workers' Rights Organization, Emily Ann Hallgren

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research includes in-depth interviews and participant observation to examine the construction of narrative identity by the staff members and worker-members of a workers' rights organization in Northwest Arkansas. I seek to understand how the organization negotiates the broader cultural and institutional narrative identities with the personal narrative identities of the worker-members in a cultural context hostile toward undocumented immigrants. Further, I examine how the worker-members themselves both internalize and challenge the organizational, institutional, and cultural narratives about undocumented immigrant workers. Findings reveal that the staff members and the worker-members create different narratives for different purposes, though both are concerned …

A Description Of Nonprofit Executive Leaders' Perceptions Of Human Resource Capacity Building Within Their Organizations, Synetra Danielle Gilmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have predicted that within the next 5 to 15 years the nonprofit sector will undergo a dramatic loss in leadership due to baby boomers entering retirement, job transitions, and underdeveloped talent within nonprofit organizations. Effective leaders are critical in keeping these organizations running so that they can serve and provide much needed services, thus investing in their organizations is the key to keeping NPOs relevant in the future. Investing in training and development, intellectual capital, and succession planning are just a few of the human resource capacity building efforts that have been credited for helping to alleviate some of …

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors In Higher Education: Examining The Relationships Between Behaviors And Performance Outcomes For Individuals And Institutions, Kevin Jimmy Rose

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) have been described as employee behaviors that are not required by job descriptions, are not formally rewarded, and contribute positively to the organization. Previous research has shown that OCBs are related to both individual and organizational performance. Given the importance of OCBs to individual and organizational effectiveness, the purpose for conducting the study was to describe OCBs in the higher education context, describe the relationships between OCBs and various aspects of faculty and staff performance, and explore the extent to which institutional leaders should be concerned with the OCBs of both faculty and professional staff. The …

Rights Of Ownership In The United States As Identified Through Defined Benefit Plan Conversion, Richard Burke

HIM 1990-2015

Employer provided Qualified Plans ("Qualified Plans") are the most efficient supplement to Social Security savings and benefits. Given the significance of the benefits provided as well as the short-term Revenue constraints upon the Federal government in the form of substantially protracted tax deferrals, Qualified Plan legislation should maintain a conservative disposition. Incremental legislative action in the right direction will steadily graduate ERISA to its intended purpose. Unfortunately ERISA is a convoluted maze of formalities, definitions, and regulation that are only substantially understood by an expert and have yet to be adequately explained to the public at large. Recent publications such …

Managing In Brazil A Guide For American Managers, Melanie Senosiain

HIM 1990-2015

As the Brazilian economy is growing, more and more companies are looking to open businesses in Brazil. This may require some managers to hire Brazilian employees. By using the Hofstede and GLOBE studies, as well as other cultural traits, I have gathered a significant amount of knowledge on the Brazilian culture. I compared these traits to the American culture to find what American managers should focus on changing to best manage Brazilian employees. This guide determined techniques that American managers should follow when traveling to Brazil. In addition I have added other traits that American managers should look into before …

The Evolution Of The U.S. Logistics Outsourcing Industry: An Organizational Ecology Perspective, Wei Ping Saw

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study intends to shed some light into the evolution of the logistics outsourcing industry in the U.S. with the help of the predictive power of organizational ecology, and to further emphasize the usefulness of organizational ecology as a tool to predict the evolution of other industries as well. This paper will hopefully be beneficial to managers in the logistics outsourcing industry as well as to scholars in the academic community. Managers in the logistics outsourcing industry could potentially utilize the findings from this study to better understand the evolution of the industry and hopefully better strategize future actions and …

Sex And Stereotyping In Sin City: A Content Analysis Of Las Vegas Magazine Advertisements, Michelle Irene Aikin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There have been numerous studies regarding gender stereotyping, the objectification of women, and how sex is used to sell products and services. In a city that is notorious for "what happens here, stays here," it is important to be aware of Las Vegas cultural marketing trends and how they compare with society-wide values. Using sex excessively in advertisements may have a negative impact on the Las Vegas community and the shaping of a negative image of the city. How much sex appeal is used and the levels of sexuality in Las Vegas print advertisements has not yet been researched. A …

Predicting Expenditure Patterns Based On Motivations To Travel For Active Sport Tourists, Chris Brown

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study continued the line of research into general tourism motivations and expenditures by further expanding the scope into active sport tourists traveling to participate in a specific sport. In completing this research, a broad range of travel, expenditure, and motivational factors were considered. In addition, multiple regression was utilized to answer the proposed research question in an attempt to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of active sport tourists' motivations for travel and their subsequent expenditures.

Valuation Of Financial Derivatives Subject To Liquidity Risk, Yanan Jiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Valuation of financial derivatives subject to liquidity risk remains an open problem in finance. This dissertation focuses on the valuation of European-style call option under limited market liquidity through the dynamic management of a portfolio of assets. We investigate liquidity from three perspectives: market breadth, depth, and immediacy. We present a general framework of valuation based on the optimal realization of a performance index relative to the set of all feasible portfolio trajectories. Numerical examples are then presented and analyzed that show option price increases as the market transitions from liquid to less liquid state. Furthermore, buying and selling activities, …

From Fandom To Tourism: An Examination Of Self-~Expansion Theory, So Jung Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In recent years, pop-culture tourism, in which individuals travel to destinations made famous through pop-culture or relative media themes, has come into the spotlight. The new market segment induced by pop-culture has created a specialized but dedicated consumer, called a "fan." This study examined the impact of pop-stars on a destination from the perspective of fans. Specifically, the research investigated whether fans at different degrees of fandom had different travel attitudes and behaviors with regard to motivation, satisfaction, attachment, and loyalty in the destination context by applying self-expansion theory. In particular, Korean pop-star's fans were chosen as the study example …

Celebrity Athlete Endorser Effectiveness: Construction And Validation Of A Scale, Theodore Byrne Peetz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of celebrity athletes as endorsers has become a popular marketing strategy. Celebrity athletes are often used to endorse products because it is believed they positively impact brand attitudes (Friedman & Friedman, 1979; Kamins, et. al., 1989; Till, Stanley, Priluck, 2008) and fostering brand loyalty (Bush, et. al., 2004). In addition, celebrity athletes are used to help a company differentiate their products and build instant name recognition (Henriks, 1996). This dissertation explored factors associated with celebrity endorser effectiveness. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded by the Source Credibility Model (Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953; Hovland & Weiss, …

Restaurant Service Employees Organizational Commitment: Shared Gratuity Versus Independent Gratuity Environments, Susan J. Roe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the organizational commitment levels between 207 restaurant service employees from 11 restaurants working in different types of gratuity distribution environments, those sharing (or pooling) gratuities and those retaining their own gratuities. Identifying differences in organizational commitment levels between employees can assist managers in selecting which gratuity distribution environment, shared or individual, to utilize in their restaurant operations. No statistically significant differences were found in organizational commitment or organizational justice levels between restaurant employees in the differing gratuity environments. Differences in organizational commitment were found among employee types. Restaurant service staff preference for type of gratuity distribution system …

Undergraduate Information Systems (Is) Curriculum And Career Track Development In United States Colleges And Universities: Assessment Of Adherence To Is 2010 Curriculum Guidelines, Corbin Christopher Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to survey IS curriculum in AACSB-accredited Information Systems programs across the United States, to evaluate current adherence to the IS 2010 Curriculum Guidelines, and to assess the number and type of career track developments initiated as a result of less stringent requirements in the new curriculum guidelines. In addition, an analysis was conducted to see if curriculum in AACSB-accredited Information Systems programs across the United States changed significantly since other similar evaluations reported in 1996, and 2006, and whether it is closer in adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines.

The findings of this …

Determinants Of The Success Of Active Vs. Passive Investment Strategy, Richa Birla

Business/Business Administration

This study documents the monthly performance of active versus passive investing over the last 25 years. It also identifies several variables that are closely related to the current and next month’s success of one over the other. Three useful factors identified include the Fed funds rate, the VIX volatility index, and Russell Investments’ CrossVolTM index. All three are valuable in explaining and predicting the success of active management to certain extent.