Business Commons^™

The Impact Of Positive Reinforcement And Noncash Rewards: A Study Of How Its Implementation Can Affect An Employee's Level Of Motivation And Performance, Michael Benjamin Young

Master's Theses

The most powerful forms of motivation cost little or nothing at all. Though nominally effortless, the proper rewarding of excellent performers has become sorely underutilized. As a result, employees are feeling less appreciated and becoming more unmotivated. A review of the literature found three reverberating observations: it is a fallacy that money motivates; recognition, such as positive reinforcement and praise motivate; and tangible, low-cost, noncash rewards can motivate. The anecdotal data in this current research tends to support the salient findings provided by scholarly researchers. Additionally, this current research aims to illuminate the pressing need to make a more concentrated …

The Effects Of Supervisor-Subordinate Goal Congruence On Performance And Turnover Intentions During Expatriation, Marshall Pattie

Management Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation investigates how the quality of the relationship between sending supervisors and expatriates is related to turnover and performance. Utilizing goal congruence and social exchange theories, it is hypothesized that the quality of the relationship between sending supervisors and expatriates mediates goal congruence and the two outcome variables: performance and turnover intentions. Additionally, it is hypothesized that three international factors related to sending supervisors and their business units as well as repatriate plans should be related to goal congruence. The goal examined is the degree to which the expatriation fits into expatriates' career paths at the firm. Regression analysis …

Manager Retention And The Steamboat Ski Resort, Michael D. Gumbiner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The material for this paper centers on the Steamboat Ski Resort Corp. The ski resort was chosen for this study because of its need for a management retention plan. Steamboat was ranked as a top 10 international ski resort in North America by Snow Country Magazine (“Top 50 ski resorts,” 1997). It has maintained this distinction for many years. It has been noted for its idealistic “champion power” and its unpopulated vast terrain. In particular, it has always scored high in the customer experience categories for exceptional down-home friendly people. A chart, prepared by Net promoters.com, on customer and employee …

Validation Of A Rolling-Logit Model To Predict Tse Corporate Bankruptcy, Chia-Liang Lin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

For more than 50 years, predicting corporate bankruptcy has been a critical topic of global interest resulting in significant research devoted to the development and refinement of corporate bankruptcy prediction models. However, most studies overwhelmingly concentrated on using single period's information to identify bankruptcy risks and very few studies investigated the role of previous information in prediction models. Morris (1997) and Um (2001) used a rolling-logit model based on previous and present information to measure the risks of corporations, but presented an inconsistency about the predictive ability. This inconsistency suggested more research efforts to verify the predictive ability of the …

Performance Appraisal And The Balanced Scorecard, Farrar Langlois

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Internal Static Manufacturing Complexity On Manufacturing Performance, Anthony Gabriel

All Dissertations

Manufacturing systems are complex. They consist of many interrelated subsystems and elements. This study investigates the effect on performance due to the complexity resulting from system design, i.e. internal static manufacturing complexity. The quantitative measure, ISMC, consisting of eight measurable complexity elements is proposed. This new measure of complexity was then tested with another existing measure of internal static manufacturing complexity proposed by Frizelle and Woodcock (1995).
A large set of simulation experiments, each modeling a general batch-type manufacturing system, was employed to test the effects of the overall complexity measure, ISMC, and the eight individual elements on five measures …

Why Most Mergers Fail: An Emphasis On The Human Factors, Kimberly Defouw

Honors Theses

Recent studies have shown that 60-80% of all mergers are failures when measured by their ability to outperform the stock market or to deliver profit increases. Mergers must create value and grow the business to have true success. Often mergers fail due to financial and market factors, such as a poor economy, market entry timing, unrealized synergies, or a saturated market. It is easy to overlook the human factors, the characteristics of people that need to be considered when implementing mergers in order for people to interact effectively. While a CEO may be the first to say that people are …

The Importance Of An Internship And What Makes Quicken Loans An Extraordinary Place To Intern, Frank C. Salinger

Honors Theses

Records the author's experiences interning for Quicken Loans as a student studying Business at Western Michigan University, and what benefits were found from the internship process.

Pioneering Partnerships: The Role Of The Independent And Non-Traditional Collections Manager In The Museum World, Erin K. Schovel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Museums are increasingly following for-profit business models. Downsizing, partnering and outsourcing are no longer exclusive business terms, but have been adopted into museum lingo. As museums large and small adapt to decreased funding, they look for ways to stretch their dollars further. Museums are finding value in outsourcing work to independent professionals who are knowledgeable in museum practices. The available literature on museum outsourcing focuses on guest curators. Little is written about other categories of non-affiliated museum professionals on which museums rely, such as fundraisers, public relations officers, and, especially, collections managers. I am particularly interested in non-affiliated museum workers …

Contributions Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Families That Include Children With Developmental Disabilities, Dorthy Clara Hornberger Dodd

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning among families that include children with developmental disabilities. The sample consisted of 154 families (154 parents and 62 youth). Data were analyzed from the parent, youth, and family perspective. The Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to measure family leisure involvement. FACES II was used to measure family functioning. A scale based upon the definition, classification, and systems of support manual of the American Association on Mental Retardation adapted by Dyches was used to measure the level of support needed by the …

Contract Delays: The Impact Of Department Of Defense (Dod) Contractors' Wealth, Jacqueline M. Leskowich

Theses and Dissertations

The monetary incentives used to motivate DoD contractors’ schedule performance on Acquisition Category One programs afford them the opportunity as a whole to earn billions of dollars in addition to their contract award. These incentives are paid 85-90% of the time regardless of schedule performance. While these contractors are paid to avoid delays, there is an indication the delay increases the contractor’s stock value. This research tested the theory that contract delays significantly impact the company’s stock returns. The results found both positive and negative reactions to a firm’s value. Delays caused by budget cuts tend to have a negative …

The Effects Of Equity Sensitivity And Personality On Transformational Leadership Behavior, Eunhui Lee

Management Theses - Archive

This thesis examines the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and equity sensitivity and transformational leadership behavior, as well as interaction between equity sensitivity and specific personality traits (extraversion and agreeableness). The subjects include 95 MBA students. The Personality Inventory Questionnaire, Equity Preference Questionnaire (EPQ), and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-Form 5X are used to evaluate their personality, equity sensitivity, and leadership behavior. Additionally, the Equity Sensitivity Instrument (ESI) is used to measure equity sensitivity, and by comparing the results between EPQ and ESI, potential differences in the measures of equity sensitivity are …

The Change In Financial Analysts' Forecast Attributes For Value And Growth Stocks, Pieter De Jong

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This research will concentrate on the changes in earnings forecasts, forecast accuracy and forecast dispersion for growth and value stocks after Reg FD. Each topic is presented in a separate essay. The first essay tests if growth and value stock returns respond more to forecasted earnings changes than they do to changes in earnings and whether these stock returns respond in a different fashion before and after Reg FD. This phenomenon is stronger for growth stock portfolio strategies than it is for value stock portfolios. After Reg FD, the overall impact of earnings expectations on stock returns is smaller, especially …

An Overview Of Central Bank Inflation Targeting: Theory And Experience, Andrew Midgett

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Ethical Marketing Controversial Products And Promotional Practices, Jared D. Cohen

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In the field of business ethics, there has been much written and discussed about ethical matters in areas where there is a distinct right and wrong, but relatively little written about how to make decisions when the ethical issue isn’t as black and white. When marketing a product, it is one’s hope that ethical issues are typically not inherent to the marketer; however, when one has the unenviable task of marketing a controversial product, it becomes a true question of “gray-area” ethics that makes marketing decisions more difficult to make. Companies depend on marketing, as it is the one higher-level …

Exploring Revenue Management In Spas: Yield Management Concepts In The Spa Industry Today, Elaine M. Balkoulis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The primary goal of this paper is to further explore the applications of yield management in the spa industry and identify the techniques that are currently used by spa operators. The paper will also evaluate the most popular spa software systems utilized. Furthermore, the paper will investigate the existence of yield management features in the current spa software systems. In addition an effort will be carried out to examine the spa patrons’ perception on yield management strategies in the spa environment.

Developing A Dining Customer Satisfaction Measurement And Response Tool, Mike Distefano

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are many customers and guests who depart a hotel or its dining and entertainment facilities with a "bad taste" in their mouths due to customer service situations that either went wrong completely, or simply did not meet those particular guests' expectations. This frequently results in the seeking by guests of better service experiences by going to the competition, which ultimately represents lost or foregone revenue. These are situations from which management could have actually benefited. It is merely a matter of construing them as opportunities to consummate long-term customer relationships. This misconception is often due to ignorance or oversight …

Hotel Energy Use Contributes To Global Warming, Christine Faja

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Before learning about the consequences of global warming and the efforts hotels are making to reverse the effects, it is important to get a better understanding of what exactly is the phenomenon that scientists call global warming. According to the EPA (2006), the earth’s climate has changed several times since the beginning of Earth’s existence. The earth is hotter than ever. NASA has reported that the earth’s average surface temperature has risen from 1.2 degrees to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. They also found that the warmest years have occurred within the last 15 years, with 1998 and 2005 being …

An Exploratory Study Of Iso 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems Using The Iso/Iec 15504 Architecture, Paul Richard Shimp

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory study on the implementation and issues regarding Quality Management Systems as defined by ISO 9001 :2000 using the architecture of ISO/IEC 15504. The recently published ISO/IEC 15504 series of standards provides a framework to assess processes and determine levels of capability. With the use of this framework, the study will focus on the assessment and identification of problem areas requiring focus for continual improvement within an ISO 9001 :2000 quality management system.

The structure of this paper is as follows: Section 1 provides a background discussion of ISO 9001 :2000. …

An Examination Of Sport Commitment Of Windsurfers, Jung-Hwan Jeon

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Much research over the past decade has been conducted for understanding the commitment of sport participants. While many different subjects have been examined, there is no study which examines windsurfers through the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) (Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, Simons, & Keeler, 1993). The present study examined the sport commitment of windsurfers and the relationship between windsurfing commitment and the following variables: demographic characteristics, participation frequency, and purchase behavior.

The survey instrument included items from the SCM Questionnaire (Scanlan, Carpneter, et al., 1993) and the Modified SCM questionnaire (Casper, 2004). A total of 173 questionnaires were distributed during two windsurfing …

Pay And Performance: Among 100 Best U.S. Companies To Work For, Omair Mahmood Faisal

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In the 21st century, world is becoming a global village and with increased competition businesses are always looking for regions with the lowest possible production costs. Appropriate compensation of U.S. employees working for major U.S. corporations is a hotly debated topic in political circles. This research focuses on the top 100 companies designated as “the best companies to work for” by Fortune Magazine for the year 2006. Performance of these companies, as measured by their return on equity, return on assets, revenue growth and earnings growth along with their profit margin is used to determine the impact on them as …

The Perceived Effects Of Increased Fuel Prices, Sean O'Roark

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This project, “Perceptions About the Causes and Effects of Increasing Fuel Prices,” seeks to understand the attitudes of major newspaper editorials concerning the increase of fuel prices. A content analysis of various newspaper editorials from the New York Times, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post was conducted to gain an understanding of the attitudes and predictions these writers put forth concerning the increase in the price of fuel. Some of the areas this study focused on included what the writer’s attitude was, what were the attributions of and consequences of increased prices, and what was the main …

Coopetition (Contemporaneous Cooperation And Competition) Among Nonprofit Arts Organizations: The Case Of Symphony Orchestras, Theresa A. Kirchner

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Coopetition was formalized as a strategic management concept in the early 1990s by Ray Noorda, CEO of Novell, who coined the term and proposed that often, in order to achieve growth in an organization or industry, "You have to cooperate and compete at the same time" (Davis 1993). Although the individual ideas of cooperation and competition in the business environment have been well-established for some time, the formal idea of contemporaneous cooperation and competition, or cooperation among competitors, is relatively new in business and academic literature. Why is this hybrid concept important? The literature to date on coopetition and its …

Costly Arbitrage And The Lead-Lag Structure Between Value And Glamour Stocks, Meng Li

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Motivated by the findings of Lo and Mackinlay (1990) that size premium can be partially attributed to the lead-lag relation between the returns of large stocks and those of small stocks, in this thesis we hypothesize that a possible lead-lag structure between value and glamour returns can partially explain the value premium anomaly.

The thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter I documents a pronounced lead-lag structure between value and glamour stocks: the glamour stocks lead value stocks in terms of both mean returns and residual volatilities, suggesting that value stocks delay in price adjustment to new information. To further explore …

In Pursuit Of An Aptitude Test For Potential Cyberspace Warriors, Tiffiny S. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has officially assumed the cyberspace mission. To perform this mission well, it is important to employ personnel who have the necessary skill sets and motivation to work in a cyberspace environment. The first step in employing the right people is to screen all possible candidates and select those with an aptitude for acquiring the skill sets and with the motivation to perform this work. This thesis attempts to determine the necessary skills and motivations to perform the cyberspace mission and recommends a screening process to select the candidates with the highest probability for success. Since this mission …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Family Leisure That Includes Physical Activity And Family Functioning, Joaquin Fenollar

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure that includes physical activity and family functioning among families that have at least one child (17 years old or younger) at home. The sample consisted of 519 families. Data were analyzed from a parental perspective. Family leisure that includes physical activity was determined by using an adapted version of the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP). Family functioning was determined using FACES II. Univariate analyses indicated significant positive correlations between the amount of the intensity present during physical activity participation and family functioning, cohesion, and adaptability. Multivariable analyses …

An Evaluation Of American Companies That Outsource Manufacturing To China: Decision-Making And Performance, Michael Kenyon Favreau

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of outsourcing ranks at the top of business issues for a wide variety of companies (Wery, 2004; Ezrati, 2004). The majority of American companies believe that offshore-related matters rank as the most strategic decisions that management is expected to make in the next 12 months (Wery, 2004). “Outsourcing in China can help many companies save money, but it can be very frustrating if not done right" (Ting, 2004). The perceived benefits of outsourcing production to China are tremendously enticing, but a lack of understanding of the total costs involved lures many companies into outsourcing when it is not …

An Examination Of Family Skiing And Its Relationship To Family Functioning, Peggy Lynne Philbrick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between family downhill skiing patterns and family functioning. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES II), was used to measure family functioning. Questions created by the researcher were used to measure the average number of family ski experiences per year (frequency) and how many years the family has skied together (duration). Satisfaction with family ski experiences was measured using the Satisfaction with Family Skiing Scale. The sample consisted of 110 family units from throughout the United States. The findings from this study found that frequency and duration of family …

An Analysis Of The Balance Of Management Technical And Leadership Progression Through The Three Usaf Officer Tiers, Matthew J. Heath Van Horn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the balance of management, technical and leadership responsibilities learned at each of the three USAF officer tiers. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer research questions addressing the essential learning elements for developing leadership, technical and management knowledge and skills as well as the proportional emphasis of the three areas in each of the three officer tiers. The questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review and a review of current professional military education (PME) syllabi and educational profiles of USAF officers. The research identified that management training does not grow with the …

Work-Home Conflict: A Study Of The Impact Of Role Conflict On U.S. Air Force Company Grade Officer Turnover Intentions, Gavain M. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force is currently undertaking one of the largest manpower transformations since its creation in 1947 through a program entitled Force Shaping. By separating 40,000 active duty members, to include 8,000 Company Grade Officers (CGOs), the Air Force intends to balance the skills of its personnel to meet the requirements of the Global War on Terror. Given these increasing operational commitments, issues impacting personnel retention decisions within a leaner force should command our attention. As personnel resources decrease and operational requirements increase, the likelihood of military members experiencing conflicts between work and home life may also increase. As such, …