Business Commons^™

Aircraft Maintenance Organizational Structure Changes An Antecedent Model, Jeffrey M. Durand

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force leadership has ordered the development of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system called the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS). Many current jobs and positions will be streamlined, restructured or removed, while some will certainly be created to handle the new requirements associated with ECSS. The structure of the Air Force is certain to change with the implementation of ECSS. The Air Force has used many maintenance organizational structures since its inception in 1947. The focus of this research is to analyze past organizational structures to define key factors that affect organizational change. A case study style methodology was …

Governance Structure Transforemation During Erp Implementations, Elise V. Strachan

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (USAF) has a number of initiatives underway to better support tomorrow’s Warfighter. As part of the Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) campaign, one of the most critical initiatives is the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS). ECSS is the world’s largest enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation and will completely transform USAF logistics operations. The benefits of an ERP include centrally-managed and integrated information sharing, while the many challenges include training future state operations and employing change management. An effective governance structure is essential in order for the USAF to realize the full benefits of …

Feasibility Of Jp-8 To Jet A Fuel Conversion At U. S. Military Facilities, Lance A. Vann

Theses and Dissertations

In FY06, The Department of Defense (DoD) military grade jet fuel expenditures eclipsed $6.6 billion dollars. In a search for more cost effective options, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Comptroller recently expressed interest in the quantity of commercial Jet A fuel that the United States Transportation Command uses in lieu of military grade JP-8. In accordance with AFSO 21 and LEAN concepts, this research examines the technical feasibility and opportunity for cost avoidance of a conversion from JP-8 to Jet A at six Northwestern United States military installations. The technical feasibility analysis examines the chemical likeness of JP-8 …

Inland Resupply Without A Road Or Runway: Airdrop Solutions Including High-Altitude Precision Systems, Derek L. Williamson

Theses and Dissertations

Given the variety of airdrop options now available, it may be difficult to determine the best mix of paradrop and aircraft types to employ, how the chosen types affect delivery weight capacity and what the least cost would be for the operation while still accomplishing the mission regarding drop zone weight, altitude, offset, and accuracy requirements. This research creates a planning tool to analyze these decisions and also identify trends regarding the best aircraft and paradrop types to use considering cost and capability in a strategic rather than tactical setting. This is accomplished through the formulation of a linear program …

Analytical Techniques And The Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer, Bryan D. Main

Theses and Dissertations

As the Air Force begins to implement the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), it is imperative that Air Force logisticians competently analyze logistics data. This exploratory study sought to determine which analytical skills are useful for Logistics Readiness Officers (LROs), as reported by active-duty LROs in grades O1-O5 and their supervisors. The research question was answered through a comprehensive literature review and the use of survey methodology. Over five hundred LROs and supervisors provided inputs. Analysis of survey responses found that Forecasting, Graphical Statistics and Descriptive Statistics are the analytical techniques valued most by both LROs and their supervisors. LROs …

A Cocitation Analysis Of Crisis Management Literature, Elizabeth A. Yesué

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the need for a structured mapping of academic literature relating to crisis management. An overview of current crisis management literature is provided, highlighting the gap and concentrating on predominant themes that have been identified in previous reviews, as well as those extracted from influential works. A review of bibliometric methodology is highlighted to address the gap. Research goals are named and the phased methodology necessary to meet those goals is outlined and followed. Results are covered in detail: The resultant factor analysis and multidimensional scaling confirm previous efforts to taxonomize the literature, further reinforcing the call to …

It Is Time The United States Air Force Changes The Way It Feeds Its Airmen. Six University's Perspectives On Outsourcing, Troy J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force dining facility operations are stressed as a result of PBD 720 driven military force reductions, loss of personnel due to deployments, and the reduced availability of appropriated funds for mess attendant contracts, equipment replacement and facility maintenance and repair. “New, innovative methods of operating, funding and manning are needed in order to ensure our dining facilities are able to execute their mission of feeding and serving America’s Airmen” (Halverson, 2006). This research examines outsourcing’s potential as an innovative method to combat the problems facing dining facilities. The feeding models of six universities, which included self-operated, co-sourced, and fully …

Process Time Refinement For Reusable Launch Vehicle Regeneration Modeling, Joseph A. Servidio

Theses and Dissertations

To sustain operational effectiveness, the Air Force has invested in the research and development of space-based technologies. Certain ongoing spacelift research efforts are focused on developing operationally responsive Reusable Military Launch Vehicles (RMLV) capable of launching payloads into orbit within hours of a tasking notification. Previous Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored AFIT studies have resulted in the development of the MILEPOST discrete-event simulation model. This model has enabled the ability to analyze the impacts to responsiveness and manpower requirements given different RMLV design alternatives. The focus of this thesis is to improve the fidelity of the MILEPOST model by developing parametric …

Identification Of Command And Control Information Requirements For The Cyberspace Domain, Brian D. Aschenbrenner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an information requirements analysis method that would provide the Director of Cyberspace Forces with the information required to support effective command and control of cyberspace. This research investigates the role of information in command and control, information in the traditional war fighting domains, cyberspace as a war fighting domain, and various methods of determining information requirements of organizations. This research produced an information requirements analysis method that is suitable for identifying the command and control information requirements of the Director of Cyberspace Forces.

Balanced Scoredcard: Evaluation Of Air Force Material Command's Implementation And Use, Aaron J. Hepler

Theses and Dissertations

Managing in a contemporary world has become increasingly more complex. It has evolved from a manufacturing setting with little to steer managers but a single, financial indicator to managing a greater percentage of intangible assets through numerous leading and lagging indicators. The industry has also evolved from centrally located and managed to decentralized, multi-national companies. In response to these changes, a new strategic management tool was developed called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This management tool has proved successful throughout the last decade. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the implementation and use of Air Force Materiel Command's (AFMC's) …

How A Multidimensional View Of Perceived Organizational Support Impacts Self-Efficacy And Task Understanding During Training For Boundary Spanning Tasks, R. Scott Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Perceived organizational support (POS), defined as how much employees feel the organization they work for cares for them and assists them in their needs, has been traditionally characterized in a single dimension. This study examines the implications of a multidimensional view of POS. POS was separated into three different dimensions based on the organizational level from which support can be viewed to originate: corporate headquarters, the home office, or the training environment. These dimensions of POS were tested to discover their effect on the self-efficacy and task understanding of individuals training for boundary-spanning tasks. These tasks are those that place …

An Analysis Of The Factors Affecting Training Transfer Within The Work Environment, Daniel J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

A meta-analysis of 34 studies was performed to explore the magnitude in which work environment manipulates training transfer. The independent variables for this study included supervisor support, subordinate support, peer support, transfer climate, relapse prevention, goal setting, continuous learning culture, task constraints, and frequency of use. This study performed a moderator analysis to compare the effect these independent variables had on management and non-management training; and self-reporting versus supervisor or peer reporting; and training versus development. Results revealed that relapse prevention (.65) had the highest levels of correlation of all independent variables to training transfer. The results also showed that …

A Multi-Criteria Workforce Planning System For Contracting Companies, Yasmine Mamdouh Mohamed Abou Samra

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pre-Requisites Of Political Decentralization In Egypt: Case Studies Of Local Popular And Executive Councils In The Villages Of Shubra Babel (Al-Gharbeya Governorate) And Al-Mahamid (Qena Governorate), Omar Ahmed Fouad Abdalla

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Political Economy Of Tariff Setting In Egypt, Heba Abou Shnief

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Development And Evaluation Of Software To Foster Professional Development In Educational Assessment, Morgan C. Benton

Dissertations

This dissertation sought to answer the question: Is it possible to build a software tool that will allow teachers to write better multiple-choice questions? The thesis proceeded from the finding that the quality of teaching is very influential in the amount that students learn. A basic premise of this research, then, is that improving teachers will improve learning. With this foundation, the next question became what area of teaching to improve. The literature on educational assessment indicated that teachers lack competence at effective assessment, particularly in the area of multiple-choice question generation. It is likely that improvement in this area …

User Evaluation Of The Performance Of Information Systems, Edward Mahinda

Dissertations

Information technologies (IT) are considered the primary survival factor for many organizations and the most critical success factor in businesses today. To justify the necessary investment in IT, user evaluation of information systems' performance in organizations is a key consideration. This research investigated a comprehensive and convenient means for end users to assess this performance.

Among the existing theories and models on the evaluation of information system performance based on intrinsic technological properties, the Web of System Performance (WOSP) model provides the most comprehensive basis for information system evaluation, and therefore merited further investigation. The research question was how well …

Complex Adaptive Systems Based Data Integration : Theory And Applications, Eliahu Rohn

Dissertations

Data Definition Languages (DDLs) have been created and used to represent data in programming languages and in database dictionaries. This representation includes descriptions in the form of data fields and relations in the form of a hierarchy, with the common exception of relational databases where relations are flat. Network computing created an environment that enables relatively easy and inexpensive exchange of data. What followed was the creation of new DDLs claiming better support for automatic data integration. It is uncertain from the literature if any real progress has been made toward achieving an ideal state or limit condition of automatic …

Leader Delegation And Trust In Global Software Teams, Suling Zhang

Dissertations

Virtual teams are an important work structure in global software development. The distributed team structure enables access to a diverse set of expertise which is often not available in one location, to a cheaper labor force, and to a potentially accelerated development process that uses a twenty-four hour work structure.

Many software teams are partially distributed, that is, part of the team is colocated. Such partially distributed global software teams are an important work structure in software development projects. However, little is known about what affects or improves team members’ motivation and job satisfaction in the partially distributed environment. This …

Taux : A System For Evaluating Sound Feedback In Navigational Tasks, Robert J. Lutz

Dissertations

This thesis presents the design and development of an evaluation system for generating audio displays that provide feedback to persons performing navigation tasks. It first develops the need for such a system by describing existing wayfinding solutions, investigating new electronic location-based methods that have the potential of changing these solutions and examining research conducted on relevant audio information representation techniques. An evaluation system that supports the manipulation of two basic classes of audio display is then described. Based on prior work on wayfinding with audio display, research questions are developed that investigate the viability of different audio displays. These are …

The Relationship Of Globalization In The Development And Success Of The Chilean Wine Industry, Jeanette Kripas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis considers the economic geography of location, distribution and spatial organization of activities across the earth by focusing on the aspects of international trade and development. This will be accomplished by examining the process of globalization within the Chilean wine industry. This research explores several themes: 1) Globalization as a process, including the effects such as interdependence and global brands; 2) The role of globalization in the development of the wine industry; and 3) Whether or not the development of the wine industry accounts for generally positive attitudes toward globalization in Chile. Data analysis includes an examination of how …

Small Town Urban Revitalization: The Effect Of Pullman Square On Downtown Huntington, West Virginia, Amy R. Blankenship

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

After many years of being the center of shopping, business and entertainment, the downtown began to decline nationally. This decline began after the end of WWII and ran concurrent to the beginning of suburbanization and the emergence of large, indoor shopping malls. Many cities began to realize the importance of a healthy downtown and implemented strategies to revitalize their downtown. This thesis focuses on the emergence of Pullman Square in Huntington, WV, its effect on the downtown, and how it has spawned other retail development and revitalization strategies throughout the city center.

Stock Repurchase Announcements: A Test Of Market Efficiency, Nicholas A. Kinsler

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to test the semi-strong form efficient market hypothesis by analyzing the effects of stock repurchase announcements on stock price. Specifically, is it possible to earn an above normal return on a publicly traded stock when thefirm announces a stock repurchase? Numerous past studies suggest that with a stock repW'chase announcement goes a positive signal about the company's future, thereby significantly increasing the firm's stock price. Firms repurchase undervalued stock, thus raising the stock price. According to the semi-strong form efficient market hypothesis, it is not possible to consistently outperform …

Two-Stage Least Squares: Simultaneous Determination Of Days On Market, Length Of Contract, And Percentage Overpriced, Caitlin Hooe

Theses & Honors Papers

In this paper, we examine the simultaneous determination of time on market (TOM), length of listing contract (LOC) and percentage overpriced (POP) of residential real estate listings. Our fundamental speculation is that overpriced properties and those that have extended listing contracts will incur a longer TOM. The finding of this research confirms that the more a property is overpriced, the longer it will take to sell. Similarly, as LOC increases so does the expected TOM. This may be helpful knowledge for a potential seller in determining the listing contract duration assuming realistic price expectations. These findings assume the absence of …

Cheating With Honor, Christian A. Pfeiffer

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The intent of this paper is to understand what leads a student to cheat within the context of a small (enrollment below 2,000 students) liberal arts college. The development of a model will examine cheating from three categories highlighted in the literature: demographics, college culture, and the perception of cheating. Demographics capture relevant personal attributes of a student such as gender, GPA, and major. Cultural variables include variables for the presence of an honor code and participation in a sport or social organization, which provide that student with a unique cultural experience. Perception variables deal with the perceptions the students …

Organizational Conflict Within The Department Of Homeland Security, M. Katherine Manderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to explain why the Department of Homeland Security had difficulty fulfilling its roles when it was formed, specifically its role as grant administrator. Role theory surmises that conflict arises from unclear expectations, conflicting expectations, and too many roles. This study utilized various public testimonies, legislation, and other government documents to examine how the missions of the twenty-two agencies that were merged together to make up DHS changed. Even though DHS has changed continually over the five years since its existence most employees seem to be clear on the mission of the organization in which they work. However, …

Analysis Of The Benefits For Implementing An Employees Stock Option Plan (Esop), Ashraf Selim Mekhael

Theses Digitization Project

This project will show through literary analysis, and by presentation of tax laws and the governing ESOPs, how ESOPs can be used as both tax shelters and management tools. The paper illustrates how ESOPs can fund and shelter operating income, and how companies have used ESOPs to motivate employees to achieve higher performance and efficiency.

Content Dimensions Of Web Advertising: A Cross-National Comparison Between United States And Thailand, Kuntida Traiwanatham

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine whether and how web advertising differs across countries of diverse cultures (between U.S. and Thailand) in such areas as creative appeal used, the amount and type of information contained, and selected descriptive characteristics that are unique to this relatively new medium.

Upgrade Tracking System From Paper To Digital For Brazilian Parcel/Post Delivery Company, Sennex Express, Keith Walter Witzel

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to aid in the development of improved service of an existing small package and document delivery service in Belém, Brazil. This company, Sennex, makes its deliveries by bicycle and motorcycle due to extreme traffic congestion in the city. In order to keep a leading edge on the competition, this project after stating existing conditions, proposes using a barcode tracking system comparable to that used by American companies such as UPS and FedEx.

Improving The Quality And Quantity Of Commercial Loans For Today's Lenders, Jeffrey Scott Kowallis

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to create financial models and techniques that will streamline the loan process as well as improve the risk quality.