Business Commons^™

Capital One “Getting Down To Business”: A Program Analysis Of Old South Baton Rouge Neighborhood Businesses In The Context Of Economic Revitalization And Small Business Development, Laura Carleton

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Shared Appreciation Mortgages—Sams Or Scams In The Foreclosure Crisis, Phoebe A. Hathorn

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Hotel Room Rate And Availability Parity Across Electronic Distribution Channels, Subashini Selvaraj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is an exploratory research paper looking at the parity of hotel room rates and hotel room availability across electronic distribution channels. The fulfillment of the best rate guarantee of hotels was also analyzed. The study surveyed 40 hotels in Singapore, covering 4 hotel segments, luxury, upscale, mid-market and budget with data collected over 5 dates. The results were analyzed across segments and dates of collection and it was found that neither rate nor room availability parity existed across all the hotels surveyed. In addition, majority of the hotels were unable to fulfill the best rate guarantee. Reasons for why …

Cstem: An Evolution In The Sensory Evaluation Of Alcoholic Beverages (In Consideration Of A Modern Alternative To The Traditional Alcohol Spirits Tasting Method), Adam B. Carmer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

C:STEM (Carmer Spirits Tasting Enhancement Method) (See Appendix A) is a proposed alternative to the traditional spirits tasting method (defined as seeing, smelling, tasting) (See Appendix B) established as the prevailing industry standard among spirits professionals, aficionados and general consumers. This research is intended to evaluate and demonstrate the difference between the prevailing traditional tasting method and C:STEM for the accuracy of objective tasting criteria, subjective evaluations and hedonistic experiences.

Target Industry Study: An Empirical Analysis Of Intertemporal Trends In Regional Industrial Base Composition, David M. Smith

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper follows existing literature on local industrial conditions and agglomeration economies in an adapted shift-share framework. The purpose of this study is to develop a cost-efficient empirical model that meets the needs of local government in analyzing changes in industrial composition. The data for this model is obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) with nondisclosed data provided by the Virginia Employment Commission which is sorted by North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 2-digit industrial sectors. The model developed in this paper identifies certain industrial sectors which exert significant influence on the …

Examining The Value Of Word Of Mouth As A Marketing Tool For Poker Book, Jeffery J. Hwang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the spring of 2003, the poker world saw the launch of the World Poker Tour; that same May, an amateur poker player and online qualifier named Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker and the $2.5 million first prize, demonstrating that virtually anyone can win at poker. The result of these two events was a “poker boom” that, by September 2005, had the two largest poker book publishers on the planet reporting ten-fold increases in sales. And yet, outside of their own company websites, most of the largest poker book publishers on the planet …

A Method To Improve The Sustainment Of Systems Based On Probability And Consequences, Michael Ashton Gaintner

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The FROST Method is presented which improves the efficiency of long-term sustainment of hardware systems. The FROST Method makes sustainment and scheduling decisions based on the minimization of the expected value of current and future costs. This differs from current methods which tend to base decisions not on the expected value of costs, but on the expected inventory demand found through projections using data which is often inaccurate.

Distributions are used to account for randomness and inaccuracy in inputs such as failure rates and vendor-claimed dates for end of production. A Monte Carlo technique is then used to convert these …

An Analysis Of Ncaa Enforcement And Its Influence On Conference Bowl Revenue: Does The Punishment Fit The Crime From A Financial Perspective?, Mark Joseph Patterson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

In 2009, $260 million dollars in bowl game revenue was paid out to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools competing in bowl games (BCS, 201 la). This study examined the relationship between the annual revenue each FBS conference receives from their teams' bowl appearance and various factors impacting this revenue. Specifically, this examination identifies what, if any, impact violations and probation have on conference bowl revenue, and the distribution of that revenue to individual institutions.

The majority of research in this area focuses on individual athletic department success and how variables such as attendance, postseason play and winning percentage can be …

Examination Timetabling With Mathematical Programming An Application In Turkish Air Force Academy, Emrah Koksalmis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is the educational timetabling problem, which is a very challenging problem to solve especially with a high number of the departments, branches, classes, and students. Due to the large scale of educational timetabling problems and preferences of the stakeholders, it is almost impossible to form a general model that solves all of the timetabling problems in the literature. This resulted in the need to develop and employ specific models for specific institutions.

The purpose of this study is to develop a mathematical programming model that solves the examination timetabling problem in Turkish Air Force Academy …

Modeling The Contagion Effect Of Foreclosures Within The Real Estate Market By Use Of Agent-Based Modeling And Simulation, Marshall William Gangel

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Over the last several years, the US financial and real estate markets have experienced a significant recession. During this downturn, the number of real estate foreclosures rose drastically. Recent studies have empirically demonstrated a reduction in real estate values due to foreclosures. The observed reduction in the average value of real estate properties has been labeled the foreclosure contagion effect. The foreclosure contagion effect impacts healthy neighboring properties that surround the foreclosed property as a function of time and distance.

This study uses an agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS} approach to explore the contagion effect of foreclosures. For this research, …

Coping With Customer Sexual Harassment: Examining Retaliation As A Coping Strategy And Testing A Contextual Model, Valerie J. Morganson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has established that customer sexual harassment (CSH) is a widespread and harmful workplace phenomenon. This dissertation consists of two studies on the topic. The first sought to operationalize a measure of coping with customer sexual harassment. In addition to three traditional factors of sexual harassment coping (i.e., external, internal, and social), Study 1 predicted that worker retaliation toward the customer would constitute an additional form of coping with CSH. The measure of coping was tested using a sample of 200 women customer service workers. Data were analyzed using factor analysis. As expected, retaliation was supported as a coping strategy, …

Judging Credence Service Based On Experience Service Evaluation: Moderating Effect Of Ease Of Assessing And Extrinsic Cues, Kungpo Tao

Marketing Theses & Dissertations

The impact of service failure on customers' perception of service quality is of vital importance to service providers. Prior research reveals little about how services that are purchased jointly by consumers are evaluated. My dissertation investigates the effect of failure of an experience service on the evaluation of a credence service that is purchased at the same time. In experimental study 1 carried out in the context of automobile services, it is found that the effect of service failure on trust is mediated by evaluation of service quality, and moderated by the ease of assessing service. In study 2 carried …

Towards An Organizational Strategic Vitality Theory: A Study Of A Public Sector Board Of Directors, Keith L. Woodman

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Boards of directors govern practically all organizations of significant size in the public and private sector. Improving the understanding of how boards function is critical because when boards fail, the results can be devastating. Little is understood about the functioning of boards of directors in the public sector, which accounts for a significant amount of the gross national product of the world's economy. The author observed a public sector board of directors for one year. Using the grounded theory research method to analyze the observations, he generated a theory of organizational strategic vitality that describes how a board of directors …

Social Networking And Individual Performance: Examining Predictors Of Participation, Michael Anthony Brown Sr.

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation addresses relationships between social networking and individual performance. The "act" of social networking is a process and practice by which people and organizations are drawn together by family, work or hobby to interact via websites. The explosion of these new network connections in the workplace suggests the need for an exploration of the various ways organizations can affect and improve performance and productivity.

This dissertation suggests a social networking participation model that may help organizations predict and understand the value proposition that affects acceptance or rejection of participation. Innovation adoption, governing by network and social capital are important …

Warranty And Price As Quality Signals: The Effect Of Signal Consistency And Unexpectedness On Product Perception, Sultan Alaswad Alenazi

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation investigates the effect of signal consistency/inconsistency and signal unexpectedness on a consumer's evaluation of a product. It consists of two studies. Study One examines the effect of signal consistency/inconsistency on product quality, where consistent signals are those of the same valance. Prior research has found that a positive cue not only was unable to improve product quality perception, but also had a negative effect on perceived quality when a positive cue was combined with a negative one. The results of Study One indicate that when signals are inconsistent, consumers engage in an attribution process to explain inconsistency. If …

A Conceptual Model For Employer Training To Manage Employee Counter-Productive Behaviors, Naomi Spickard Rock

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for employer training to manage employees who possess counter-productive behaviors. With the increasing encouragement for employers to hire without discriminating, the number of individuals with disabilities in the workforce will rise. There is limited training in universities and businesses to teach how to deal with difficult individuals.

Qualitative research in the form of focus groups was conducted. The following research objectives were developed: 1) Identify components of counter-productive behaviors that need to be managed in the workplace. 2) Develop behavioral management strategies that need be learned by employers. 3) Integrate …

Exploring A Paperless Business Administrative System (Bas) Implementation In A K-12 School, Marwan M. Issa

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a paperless BAS can affect the overall performance of a school’s administrative activities. The research included direct observation, survey questionnaires, document review, and both structured and unstructured interviews.

The selected school, a K-12 charter school, was an ideal candidate for this study as it allowed unrestricted access. The effects of the move to a paperless BAS were overwhelmingly positive. These effects included enabling employees to complete their resource requests more speedily and accurately. The implementation also incorporated “smart” forms that did not allow users to submit incomplete forms. Employees …

A Comparative Study Between U.S. And Brazilian Acquisition Regulations And Practices, Kesia G. Gomes

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher undergoes a tripartite comparative analysis approach using: (1) Brazilian Acquisition Law, (2) US Federal Acquisition Regulation and (3) Selected Articles from the European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management (1996-2010). Specifically, the primary research question is: How does the Brazilian Law 8666/93 compare to the American Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR/84)? Therefore, an in-depth assessment and analysis of the procurement systems of the United States and Brazil is executed in order to determine the different perspectives and policies adopted by these countries; and how differently each Government perceive the purchase function. An extensive literature review using selected articles from …

Nuclear Enterprise Performance Measurement, Andrew S. Hackleman

Theses and Dissertations

The criticality of the United States Air Force nuclear enterprise demands that commanders have the best possible understanding of system performance, both in the aggregate and at the drill-down levels sufficient to make timely corrective actions when warranted. We model a strategy-linked measurement system for nuclear enterprise sustainment. We propose a new Aggregation "h" method for aggregating performance metrics using United States Air Force approved or adapted metrics that possess the capability to weight metrics, as well as compare performance between organizations and within the same organization over time. We demonstrate our method with generated performance data designed to test …

By Product Synergy Analysis, Francisco Edgardo Leguiza

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Forces generates various waste during the repair and overhaul activities. These wastes can involve hazardous material. Depending on the material, technologies exist or could be readily developed to convert wastes into feed-stock for other processes. The old concept of managing material from cradle-to-grave now has evolved into cradle-to-cradle. This concept goes beyond the disposal of waste and can be even more cost-effective than recycling. The objective is to generate "food" by identifying and developing other processes to use current wastes in its own production processes. By shifting from waste disposal to an endless reusing model improves …

Virtualness Of The Cost Estimating Community, Whiticar S. Darvill

Theses and Dissertations

Many researchers have sought to identify the sources for cost and schedule growth, most researchers failed to analyze the resource utilization of the cost community. This research explores how the cost community allocates its time. Furthermore, by examining how resources are spent, this research will juxtapose the desires of recent Congressional and Department of Defense policies against the current demands of the cost community. A thorough understanding of resource allocation requires research into the inherent virtualness of the community. Early virtualness predicated the notion of extremes, either virtual or not. However, recent literature expands virtualness into gradients and explains that …

Leadership Criteria Under Maximum Performance Conditions, Aaron J. Pauli

Theses and Dissertations

Since the seminal work investigating the relationship between typical and maximum performance by Sackett, Zedeck, and Fogli in 1988, there has been a marked increase in research in this area. Although much research has furthered the relationship between typical and maximum performance, none have attempted to identify which leadership effectiveness criteria are considered most important to an individual’s maximum performance, or assessment of one’s potential. Thus, this empirical study seeks to identify the leadership effectiveness criteria under maximum performance conditions as it relates to entry and middle level managers. Using an exploratory factor analysis, the results suggest an interesting comparison …

The Positive Impact Of Negative Feedback, Mark B. Richey

Theses and Dissertations

While feedback is an essential element of performance, there is little theory explaining the effects of negative feedback. Disagreement exists as to whether negative feedback is good or bad and this impacts its use. Fortunately, control theory provides scholars with an opportunity to better understand negative feedback and the conditions necessary to support its intended function. This study examined the relationship between negative feedback and task performance in a leadership development environment. This work asserts that performance is contingent on perceived feedback usefulness, such that the relationship is stronger when feedback usefulness is high and weaker when it is low. …

Improving Way Of Logistics Management In Korean Army, Sungtae Jung

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to find a way to improve Korean Army Logistics. This is accomplished through interviewing field experts and adopting their ideas to improve it. An interview with the manager of a successful civilian company and relevant literature also gave ideas in improvement. This research is written based on interviews with the logistic officers on different branches and different units in the Korean Army. Through interview with them, this research identified 4 main problems in the current logistics system: 1) multilevel supply support system, 2) inaccurate demand management system, 3) inefficiency of procurement and transportation management, …

The Impact Of Environmental Factors On Internal Integration In Support Of Supply Chain Management, Mohammed I. Alzaben

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the recognized importance of cross-functional integration in support of supply chain management by scholars and practitioners, integration remains an elusive goal in today's competitive market. Specifically, scholars have identified three environmental factors as potential barriers to interdepartmental integration. A review of the literature indicates that very little research has examined potential environmental barriers to the integration between logistics and other functions. This paper is an exploratory study that seeks to fill this gap by using secondary data collected from over 1,500 mid-level managers and a structural equations model to test which environmental factors could be potential barriers.

Central Command Rest And Recuperation Hub-To-Hub Airlift Network Analysis, John M. Dickens

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research effort was to discover the efficiency and effectiveness of the historical hub-to-hub R&R airlift network. This study analyzed the hub-to-hub aircraft efficiency rates and introduced capacity changes in the airlift network with the use of Arena simulation to improve network performance. Furthermore, this study created simple heuristic options for the future airlift framework required to meet USCENTCOM's forecasted R&R transportation demand under the premise of a CY11 country 1 drawdown and an upscale of combat and support forces within country 2. There were several important outcomes of this research effort. First, this study designed …

Alternative Active Duty Military Retirement Plan, Amy L. Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Using Earned Value Data To Detect Potential Problems In Acquisition Contracts, C. Grant Keaton

Theses and Dissertations

Government contractors report earned value (EV) information to government agencies in monthly Contract Performance Reports (CPR). Though major differences may exist in the data between subsequent CPRs, we know of no government effort to detect these occurrences. The identification of major changes may locate and isolate problems and thus prevent million and billion dollar cost and schedule overruns. In this study, we develop an approach to identify changes in the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) that may indicate problems with contract performance. We find the detection algorithm indentifies changes in the CPI and the SPI …

Architecture Based Workload Analysis Of Uas Multi-Aircraft Control: Implications Of Implementation On Mq-1b Predator, Jason D. Mcgrogan, Michael F. Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

An increased demand for use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) without commensurate increases in pilot manpower has prompted proposals for simultaneous control of multiple aircraft by a single pilot or Multi-Aircraft Control (MAC). To understand the potential effects of MAC, an IMPRINT Pro, Multi-Resource Theory, pilot workload model was developed from pedigreed system architecture. Feedback from active UAS pilots was used to validate the model and establish a workload saturation threshold value of 60, above which pilots may experience performance degradation over extended periods of time. The model predicts that pilots experience low workload when operating one or two UASs …

Satisfaction Of Vendors Who Participated In Sunset Magazine’S Savor The Central Coast Event, Jillian Armstrong

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau hosted the first food and wine event “Sunset Magazine’s Savor the Central Coast” that showcased the county’s best food and wine. Within the tourism industry stakeholder and Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) involvement in the community are crucial to tourism success. The purpose of this study was to assess the satisfaction of vendors who participated in the event. This study was conducted through the online survey application SurveyMonkey. The results of the survey indicate that overall, vendors were fairly satisfied with the event; however, they would like to see booth space …