Business Commons^™

New Color Management Technologies, Ashley Gerson

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to inform people about new color management technologies. These people are consumers and creators within any industry; even though this paper focuses on graphic designers in the graphic communication industry. These technologies will allow consumers to break out of the color management shell. Now, there is no need to rely completely on color management specialists.

This study investigated the advantages of one particular device: the ColorMunki. In order to do this, the ColorMunki was given to graphic designers in San Luis Obispo, California. They were asked to use the ColorMunki for a week and …

The Customer-Responsiveness Of Web-To-Print, Robert Coleman Pringle

Graphic Communication

In a transitioning printing environment, where most of a company’s traditional operations are becoming obsolete, it is expected for all printers to look into adopting digital solutions to service customers more efficiently to keep up with their fast-paced demands. One solution that can provide rapid efficiency is Web-to-Print software, which serves as an online ordering platform for customers. Web-to-Print software not only keeps track of online order specifications for customers but also keeps records of all the transactional information including the most popular products purchased by clients, which can be used as a marketing advantage in tracking the most profitable …

Sales Departments In The Graphic Communication Industry, Kendra Searle

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study is to show how many different variables go into building a strong sales department and the effect it has on the overall success of a company and the graphic communication industry as a whole. This study will show what sales departments are doing to maintain their client base and reach their sales goals even in the midst of changes within the industry. It will also show the impact of the sustainability movement on sales and marketing efforts.

The study showed the most recent sales figures for two of the top companies in the print industry. …

Simpler Packaging, Tomiko Oden

Graphic Communication

This project explains how product packaging is become more "green", and thus more simple. Packaging needs to go beyond just simplifying materials and graphics - it needs to create a simpler process in order to reduce wasted time, energy, and resources.

Service Recovery: Trend, Path Model, And Cultural Comparison, Hua-Hung Weng

All Dissertations

This dissertation studies the trend of service recovery practice over the past decade, establishes a service recovery model, and compares the cultural differences using it. Service recovery has been an important topic in service operations, but few studies discuss the changes of recovery practices over time and analyze their differences across countries. This dissertation consists of three essays. The first investigates the service recovery trends by comparing recovery practices in 2008 and in 2000. In 2008, successful recovery was found to have less impact on satisfaction and loyalty, and fair compensation has less chance of successful recovery. The second essay …

Leadership Assessment: A Tool For Developing Future Hospitality Leaders, Sam Carlton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to identify and confirm important key leadership behaviors and characteristics of successful hotel and hospitality leaders with the intentions of validating key leadership theories and making suggestions for future hotel and hospitality leaders. Two very relevant theories of leadership are explored- Transactional and Transformational. The traits and behaviors contained within the theories are identified and subsequently mapped against past and present hospitality industry leaders. As a result, the paper identifies the critical few traits and behaviors necessary for future leaders to be successful. Finally, a tool has been developed to be used to identify …

The Role Of Cultural And Change During Mergers And Acquisitions: Bringing The Pride Back, Geoffrey W. Denight Jr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1998 a small family run casino operation was acquired by a large Las Vegas Casino Corporation. At the time the two companies had different cultures and there was an immediate clash between the two as the larger corporation sought to change the ways business was being conducted. Compounded by out side economic factors the business experienced a dramatic decline in revenue and employee morale. In this case study, the personalities and outside factors that had an impact on this acquisition will be revealed and the steps taken to change and manage the culture of the company, improve morale and …

Interrupting The Workplace: Examining Stressors In An Information Technology Context, Pamela Galluch

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the negative and positive outcomes of information and communication technology (ICT) in facilitating and reducing stress. The goals of this dissertation are twofold: 1) to deepen our understanding of how ICT-enabled interruptions influence individuals' episodic stress and 2) to examine whether ICTs may also be used to diminish stress evoked by ICT-enabled interruptions. Originating from psychology, the demands control model (Karasek, 1979) is used as an overarching theoretical lens to explain this technology-based duality, where technology serves as both a problem causing and a solution alleviating stress. The demands control model suggests that stressors have their …

Aaa Five Diamond Designation: Is It Worthwhile To Convert?, Jayme Elizabeth Deck Weight

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is very little literature that analyzes the benefits of travel industry ratings and the benefits of achieving a top designation. The purpose of this paper is to determine if it is beneficial to become a AAA Five Diamond property, specifically in Las Vegas, in relation to the cost associated with meeting the standards of the designation. The paper examines all aspects of the conversion to these Five Diamond standards including staffing, training, physical property, financial output, profit, ADR, employee attitude, customer attitude, and overall perception. It also looks at the time involved with the conversion from Four Diamond to …

Post-Katrina New Orleans: The Challenges, Milestones And Progress Of Small Business Owners And Entrepreneurs, Iona Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The US Small Business Association reports that 99.9% of all US business can be classified as small. Having less than 500 employees small businesses provide work for just over half of all US private sector workers (2009). Additionally, less than 2% of those businesses have between 100-499 employees (Headd & Kirchhoff, 2009), leaving approximately 97% of all US businesses employing 99 or fewer employees. Given this statistic, it would stand to reason that small businesses have a higher success rate than large ones; however, developing and opening a small business does not occur without risk. The SBA reports that only …

Loyalty To Relationships: Examination Of Affluent Casino Guest Retention In Las Vegas, Adrian Y. Low

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper analyzes the challenges faced by Las Vegas, Nevada casinos when catering to their affluent guests. As part of the literature review, the paper will examine the various retention efforts taken by luxury products and service providers, along with luxury hotels and hotel casinos in Las Vegas. Personal communications with casino hotel executives provides a real-world comparison of the effectiveness and limitations of various techniques discussed in the literature review.

Towards A Theory On The Sustainability And Performance Of Floss Communities, Mohammad Almarzouq

All Dissertations

With the emergence of Free/Libre and Open Source Software as a significant force that is reshaping the software industry, it becomes more important to reassess conventionally held wisdom about software development. Recent literature on the FLOSS development process suggests that our previously held knowledge about software development might be obsolete. We specifically highlight the tension between the views embodied by the Linus' Law and Brooks' Law.
Linus' Law was forwarded by Eric Raymond and suggests that the FLOSS development process benefits greatly from large numbers of developers. Brooks' Law, which is part of currently held wisdom on software development, suggests …

Characteristic Leadership Traits Most Admired By Supervisors In An Organizational Culture, Juan Odio

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This critical analysis reviews literature on characteristic leadership traits desired in leaders by male and female supervisors. The majority of the literature on leadership has focused on the characteristic leadership traits most admired by supervisors as it relates to organizational culture without distinguishing gender. The assumption that both gender groups have similar beliefs is perceived when there is a lack of clarity in the literature. Furthermore, only a few studies have examined how females as a separate gender feel about their leaders. This topic is of great significance because it seeks to understand whether females feel the same as males …

Business Plan For Calf Raising Facility, Brent Verwey

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Accredited Rural Appraisers, Lindy Wilson

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine which skills are most important for students to learn in Cal Poly AGB Finance and Appraisal concentration courses. This report used a mail survey to determine which skills current California Chapter members of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers thought most important for rural appraisal students to posses. It is concluded that communication and personal skills are more important for rural appraisal student success. This conclusion is based on analysis of survey responses. On average communication skills were ranked as the most important skills for rural appraisal students to posses followed …

The Luxury Casino Hotel Dynamic Price Strategy Practices For The Fit Customer Segment, Lei Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research paper compares room rate luxury casino hotel pricing pattern between the periods of 4/1/2009 to 6/30/2009). A good price strategy can help a hotel optimize both price and demand. The price strategy is also the only way a hotel can offset its demand in advance. Price strategy experienced several revolutions after the hotel industry adopted the Revenue management (RM) price strategy from the airline industry, which has changed it profoundly in the past decades. The RM price strategy is, more than ever before, a fundamental influence on RM practice. This is not only because of its financial point …

A Comparison Of Gambling Motivation Factors Between Chinese And Western Casino Players, Lu Ye

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper explored literature on gambling motivation of Western and Chinese casino players to find out the similarities and differences of their motivation factors. Study found that they are motivated in similar ways by the desire to win, social and early memories. However, the Chinese gamblers exhibit severer cognitive errors, stronger risk-taking tendency and higher level of stress and depression, which explained the common findings of literature that Chinese have higher gambling and problem gambling rates than other ethnic groups. The findings would benefit casino operators in making marketing strategy at the Chinese players as well as problem gambling treatment …

The Sacred And The Secular: Blending Borders To Maximize Product Success, Karen R. Deross

Journalism

In a society where a person can choose anything he wants from a vast literary buffet, the products that appeal to varied audiences with differing values and interests stand out among the masses. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is a prominent example of a product that became explosively successful in two starkly differing markets: the secular and the religious.

This research paper explores the history and controversy surrounding the combination of these two markets and the implications they have for each. The triumph of The Purpose Driven Life, as well as other prominent Christian titles, is focused on …

Pornography As A Leisure Behavior: An Investigation Of Pornography Use And Leisure Boredom, Casey B. Schenk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate pornography use in the context of leisure boredom. The sample consisted of N = 290 married couples (N = 580 individuals) from a large Northwestern city in the United States. When controlling for demographic variables, leisure boredom accounted for 2.2% of the variance within pornography use. Results suggest leisure boredom as a significant predictor of pornography use in married adults. A quadratic effect was also found, suggesting this relationship to be curvilinear. Findings are discussed around the use of leisure theory in pornography scholarship, in this case leisure boredom. Practical applications …

An Empirical Examination Of The Effects Of Ethics, Disclosure, And Signal Theory On Disciplinary Actions Within The Accounting Profession, Benjamin Mcmillan

Doctoral Dissertations

There has been extensive research examining the relationship between the public mission of the accounting profession and the private interests of its professionals. All professions have been offered a special place within society due to the importance of the functions they perform as well as their stated public missions. In exchange, society delegates specific rights to the professions such as exclusivity of practice, self-discipline, and self-selection of their membership. Existing research suggests that the accounting profession's private interests have potentially encroached upon its public mission.

By using the Economic Theory of the Self Regulated Profession, Disclosure Theory, and Signal Theory, …

Taxpayers' Perceptions Of Joint And Several Liability And Equitable Relief Under Sec. 6015, Karen J. Pierce

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to ascertain taxpayers' perceptions of joint and several liability and equitable relief. Congress was aware that joint and several liability is not always fair when they passed the first innocent spouse provisions in 1971. In fiscal years 1999-2001, over 152,000 requests were filed for relief from joint and several liability, and it remains one of the top ten most litigated tax issues. The innocent spouse rules were passed to protect the public, and it is important that we understand how ordinary taxpayers feel about this area of the tax code.

For this study, an …

The Ged And Alternative Learning Center Diploma As A Factor In Post-Secondary Persistence And Success, Michael C. Autenrieth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper will be to analyze how graduates of alternative learning high schools and GED certificate holders compare to traditional high school diploma recipients in terms of academic success at post-secondary institutions. A review of the existing literature and statistical analysis of entering students at a private career college will provide both a historical perspective and illustrate pertinent facts surrounding this issue. Analysis of the available information will provide the foundation for future planning and initiatives designed to improve the process or mitigate any identified inequities.

Management And Disaster, Eugene Soraghan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect management has on disaster response and recovery. Specifically, the investigation will determine what management model or methodology seems to produce the greatest effect when preparing for, reacting to, and recovering from a disaster. Any firm with a managerial hierarchy utilizes some methodology or model to organize and oversee its personnel and operations, even if this model may not be consciously recognized by the organization, escape a direct association with a theory, or lack a proper name. While these models may prove effective at internal regulation and profit realization, they consistently …

A Means-End Approach To Understanding Adventure Race Participation, Brandii Brinkley

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This multiple purpose qualitative research initiative sought to (a) provide research on the relationship between attributes and values associated with adventure race participation, (b) discover motivations for adventure racing, (c) provide support for prior means-end research, and (d) research a new, emerging recreational activity. An adventure race was held on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. After the conclusion of the race, race participants were asked to complete a self-administered survey which offered attributes and values which potentially serve as motivations for adventure race participation. Means-end theory provided the framework for how the data obtained in the …

Individuals And Contex00tual Factors: An Interactionist Approach To Understanding Self-Development, Gregory Paul Letller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

While the extant research has identified several individual and contextual factors influential on an employee's quantity of self-development participation, no prior research has examined potential multiplicative effects among these factors. The current study investigated person-situation interactions among five individual factors ( e.g., self-efficacy for self-development, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience) and the contextual factors of organizational and supervisor support ( combined to reflect overall work support). This study also sought to investigate the influence of proactive personality on self-development participation, a promising individual difference that has received little attention in the self-development literature. Using data collected from 136 …

Applying The Service Profit Chain To The Gaming Industry, Emphasizing On Table Games Dealers, In Las Vegas, David Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gaming has been a significant part of the tourism industry in Las Vegas. Most gamblers come to Las Vegas hoping to win big, but are often disappointed. So what keeps people coming back time and again to contribute to Las Vegas’ economy? The casinos and the gaming industry believe that the unique and individual service guests experience at their establishment is the primary reason why guests return. For example, at Harrah's employees are upbeat and positive in an effort to keep customers returning; at the Venetian the core value instilled in each and every employee is to provide un-matched guest …

Reconceptualizing Technology Use And Information System Success: Developing And Testing A Theoretically Integrated Model, Keng-Jung Yeh

Information Systems & Operations Management Dissertations - Archive

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) research, which pertains to how an information system can be initially adopted by members of an organization, was born two decades ago and grows into one of the pivotal theoretical foundations of the information systems (IS) discipline. However, many IS scholars indicate that recent TAM research fail to break the 20-years-old confinement and provide little intellectual value.To respond to this call for more intellectual depth in TAM research, this dissertation suggests multiple ways to rejuvenate the research stream. First, Bhattacherjee's IS use continuance model (2001), which is based on the Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory, was adopted as the …

To Test Before Or To Test After - An Experimental Investigation Of The Impact Of Test Driven Development, Vikram Singh Bhadauria

Information Systems & Operations Management Dissertations - Archive

Test driven development (TDD) requires the developer to create the test suite before designing and writing the application program. Unlike traditional software development practices, in TDD test development precedes application development. Such a practice also redefines the role of the developer. Lately, TDD is growing in popularity as a part of Agile methodologies. There is a critical need for rigorous empirical research to understand the role and impact of TDD as a software development practice. The goal of this dissertation research is to fill this gap. We conducted a Laboratory Experiment to understand the influence of TDD on the outcomes …

Servicescape And Customer Satisfaction: The Role Of Strategy, Patti Lynn Collett

Information Systems & Operations Management Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to determine if the corporate strategy theory base may be useful in advancing the understanding of service characteristics; specifically, the relationship between particular service industries, competitive strategy and a firm's choice of servicescape dimensions. The design and methodology of this research combines two distinct literature streams with respect to service operations: competitive strategy and operations strategy. First, the operations strategy literature and its evolution into service operations are reviewed to provide a historical foundation for the research and to identify possible research gaps. Next, the strategy literature is reviewed as a possible remedy to …

Connecting Informal Workgroup Interactions And Organizational Creative Climate, Cheryl B. Nee-Gieringer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Creative imagination is required to comprehend complex challenges, solve business problems and develop the solutions that organizations need to adapt, and prosper in a dynamic and increasingly global environment. Multiple factors influence an organization’s ability to tap that imagination. For more than a half of century, research in cognitive and organizational sciences has investigated those influences and identified dimensions of creative climate, characteristics of creative people and processes for improving innovation. However, research explicitly linking organizational communication and organizational creativity has been limited. With a theoretical framework based in small group theory, this study explores the connection between intra-workgroup communication …