Business Commons^™

The Feasibility Research Into Port Cooperation Between Shanghai And Ningbo, Yuan Chen Yi

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Near Misses In Maritime Safety Management, Zhixian. Wang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Leadership Styles Of Entrepreneurs In Small Land Surveying Businesses., Jerry Wayne Nave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to analyze the leadership styles of owners of small land surveying businesses in the states of Tennessee and Virginia to determine what leadership style was currently being employed by the majority of those owners. The participants in this study were chosen from members of the Virginia Association of Surveyors and the Tennessee Association of Professional Surveyors. The respondents to the questionnaire were licensed land surveyors who owned small firms of fewer than 101 employees. In addition, a corollary purpose was to flesh out the skeletal literature available on small business leadership styles and …

Using Prospect Theory To Investigate Decision-Making Bias Within An Information Security Context, Neil J. Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

Information security is an issue that has increased in importance over the past decade. In this time both practitioner and academic circles have researched and developed practices and process to more effectively handle information security. Even with growth in these areas there has been little research conducted into how decision makers actually behave. This is problematic because decision makers in the Department of Defense have been observed exhibiting risk seeking behavior when making information security decisions that seemingly violate accepted norms. There are presently no models in the literature that provide sufficient insight into this phenomenon. This study used Prospect …

Improving Community College Board Governance Using A Technology Based Board Management System, Teresa Walsh

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Higher education boards are turning to accountable board leadership and macroengagement discussions in lieu of traditional micromanagement of operations. The Policy Governance© model integrates unique principles designed to enable accountable board leadership. This paper describes an Action Research project that was conducted with the Board of Yavapai College. The Board adopted Policy Governance© but failed to practice its tenets. This research seeks to demonstrate whether a technology based board management system, OurBoardroom, that fully implements Policy Governance©, can assist the Board in the practice of the model. Findings indicate that the technology application that provides a template for all aspects …

Taiwanese Consumers' Perceptions Of Luxury Handbags: The Country-Of-Origin Effect, Hsin-Tien Han

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The research on the effect of "country-of-origin" (COO) or "Made in.. ." label has attracted extensive attention from academic researchers and marketers for the past three decades. Moreover, the country-of-origin effect will be more progressively salient in the era of the global marketplace due to multinational companies who are seeking production in lower cost countries. Thus, considering the country-of-origin effect on consumers' perceptions of products becomes more important. This study is the first to examine the country-of-origin effect, and how it may possibly influence Taiwanese consumers' perception and purchase intentions when evaluating a luxury handbag.

The specific purpose of this …

Understanding And Improving The Inefficiencies Of An Engineering Change Management System Using The Action Research Model, Allen L. Samson

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The change management system at a manufacturing company is a bottleneck to the new product release cycle, causing numerous product releases to be delayed resulting in lost revenue and financial impact to the business. The change management system was developed when the company was small. As the company grew, the change management system could no longer meet the demand placed on it. The action research model establishes the issues that have created the symptoms. Data collection and analyzes using value-stream mapping and questionnaires determines that the process is inefficient and does not have the capacity required to sustain new product …

Conceptual Simulation Modeling For Regional Distribution Center Systems, Kitti Setavoraphan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the simulation modeling of warehousing operations commonly seen at general merchandize distribution centers. The key operational processes and modeling requirements related were identified and analyzed through a pattern and knowledge-based approach to capture the structural and behavioral characteristics of general distribution centers to support simulation study for performance evaluation and process improvement. Robust representations and patterns were developed to represent the elements and logic of the simulation models for these processes to facilitate efficient and effective construction of models. The issues of conceptual modeling such as synthesis, abstraction, decomposition, and specialization were addressed.

Differences Between Women And Minority Businesses And Nonminority Businesses: A Culture-Based Explanation, Eva Dodd-Walker

Management Dissertations - Archive

As the American workforce is buffeted by industries that are downsizing, requesting pay concessions and relocating production to foreign countries with lower factor costs, politicians and union representatives wave the flag of protectionism and explain the state of affairs in terms of a lack of national competitiveness. Porter (1990) links national competitiveness to the competitiveness of the nation's companies, asserting that this competitiveness is achieved through acts of innovation. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small business has become the dominant economic force in the United States again (U.S. SBA, 2000), producing 47 percent of all American sales, 51 …

Organizational Climate And Gender Perception Differences Among Industrial Technology Faculty, Sheryl L. Shipley

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a problem facing Industrial Technology (IT) - the under-representation of women at all levels. The problem of this study was to identify female IT faculty perceptions regarding characteristics of successful IT faculty and the professional climate that may limit diversity in Industrial Technology collegiate teaching positions. The effects of continued under-representation of women in Industrial Technology programs in higher education will not be reversed without attention to increasing the number of women at all organizational levels. Analyzing the professional climate surrounding Industrial Technology from a female IT faculty perception may lead to a greater understanding of the barriers …

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Training Academy: Achieving Business Results, Vida W. Chow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify the essential elements, both tangible and intangible, of establishing a training academy at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in order to achieve business objectives in a rapidly changing and competitive global environment in the hospitality industry. With the phenomenal growth of the tourism industry in Hong Kong, Macau, and the neighboring area in China, there is a growing competition in acquiring, retaining, and developing talents in the labor market. Having a well-established training academy is not only critical in consistently delivering the brand promises to the external customers, it is also fundamental …

Relationship Between Guest Perceptions Of Service Quality And Customer Loyalty In The Hotel Industry In South Florida, Chen-Hsien Lin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The chief goal hotels strive to accomplish is to satisfy and retain their customers. Previous research showed that contented hotel guests are more likely to revisit a hotel than guests who were somehow dissatisfied (Schall, 2003). South Florida is one of the most attractive destinations in the U.S. for tourists. The hotel industry in South Florida has grown rapidly in recent years to serve the increasing number of tourists. However, studies regarding the hotel industry in South Florida are limited. This study attempted to scrutinize and investigate the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in the hotel industry in …

Performance Evaluation Models For Strategic Decision-Making: Towards A Hybrid Model, Geraldina Villalobos Quezada

Dissertations

Performance management systems serve strategic, administrative, and developmental purposes; therefore, their role in an organization cannot be overestimated. As a function of this strategic role, different evaluation models have been developed and implemented by organizations: BSC, CIPP, TQM, Six Sigma, and AOP.

Following a review of current evaluation theory and practice models that focus on improving strategic decision-making in organizations, four research questions were developed that sought to identify the interrelationships, evaluation components, evaluation indicators, data collected to support the evaluation,evaluation implementation protocols, quantitative and qualitative analyses, outcomes, and critical factors of the BSC and CIPP models.

A multiple case …

An Exploratory Study On The Impact Of Applied Ancestry On At-Risk Youth In A Wilderness Therapy Program Setting, Elisa M. Rancie

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Applied Ancestry program meets its objectives of assisting at-risk youth with regard to character development. The sample consisted of 40 youth (12-17 yrs) enrolled in the Anasazi Foundation Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare program. These teens were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 22) or treatment (n = 18) group. To measure the impact of Applied Ancestry on character development the VIA Signature Strengths Survey, developed by the VIA Institute, was used. A pre-post test comparison found no difference between the two groups, however the overall negative changes in survey …

Ethics In Organizations And Measuring The Effectiveness Of Ethics Programs, Deidre K. Rodriguez

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

ABC Corporation (ABC) like many corporations, implemented ethics as a major core value and initiative after the highly publicized corporate scandals of the 1990s. ABC currently does not have a consistent way of measuring the effectiveness of the ethics portion of their Ethics and Compliance program. This paper examines the need for a measurement plan and the benefits related to consistently using the plan to measure the effectiveness of the ethics program. Action research is the proposed research method for this project. The Method section of this proposal discusses several data collection techniques including interviews, secondary data source analysis and …

The Impact Of Property Flipping On Single Family Detached Home Prices, Wesley H. English

Business Administration Theses - Archive

In 2003 HUD ruled that flipped properties, which are defined as recently acquired properties that have been resold, often within days, and for a substantial profit, are ineligible for FHA insured mortgage financing. This research uses the HUD ruling as the basis for this study. Their ruling was based on the perception that property flipping had a negative effect on home prices among other things. The study uses hedonic modeling to empirically determine if houses that have previously flipped have any influence on value when compared to the non-flipped properties in the same market. Through a regression analysis, it is …

Stock Options: To Expense Or Not To Expense. A Comparison Of Economic Determinants, Firm Payoffs, And Pay-Performance Sensitivity Of Executive Stock Option Compensation, Barbara Wood

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

Until June 2005, firms had a choice in accounting for stock option compensation. The majority of firms elected to disclose option compensation expense in the footnotes of their financial statements. However, after the accounting scandals in the early 2000s, many firms moved from disclosing the expense to recognizing the expense as a charge against earnings. This research examines the reasons that firms would voluntarily elect to adopt option recognition prior to regulatory requirement. The decision to recognize option pay is examined with respect to efficient contracting, earnings management, and information signaling. Firms that elect to expense option pay do so …

A Day In The Life Of A Casino Host, Chu-Huan Liu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Casinos usually hire junket representatives and casino hosts to act as a liaison between casino marketing departments and proven high-end guests. Junket representatives are usually independent agents who bring players into a particular casino; in return, they are compensated with commission by that casino. If these players do not spend enough time and money in playing, the casino simply loses interest in that representative. Casino hosts are in-house marketing employees who are fully responsible for retaining the existing good patrons and to bring in potential new guests (Makens & Bowen, 1994).

Readiness For Youth Engagement Of The United Way Of Roanoke Valley, Abigail C. Verdillo

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This study assesses the readiness of United Way of Roanoke Valley (UWRV) for youth engagement in decision-making and other critical activities in the organization as part of the new Community Impact United Way. An online survey was circulated among the board and staff to surface perceptions regarding youth and their abilities, and gauge interest and support for youth volunteers as well as nonprofits within and outside the Roanoke Valley that have successfully integrated youth into their agencies.The benefits and pre-conditions to move an agenda towards youth engagement at UWRV were identified through best practices from the field and feedback from …

A Diagnosis And Intervention Strategy For Improving Morale In A Food Safety Program, Jeffrey J. Zayach

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Staff in Boulder County Public Health's Environmental Health Division Consumer Protection Program are experiencing low morale. With the collaborative involvement of the Consumer Protection Team, the purpose of this action research project is to determine the causes of low employee morale through the use of several data collection tools, and to develop an intervention plan to improve employee morale. This paper documents the background of the organization, the morale problem, methods used to assess the problem, results of data collection and a discussion of the findings and recommendations to address morale.

The Hiring Of Wynn Las Vegas, Robert E. Murray Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the various human resource processes and systems that were established by Wynn Las Vegas. With a hiring of this magnitude the human resource team at Wynn faced many unique challenges. This study records these difficulties and also the decisions that were made that allowed Wynn to overcome these obstacles. Through the examination of the Wynn Las Vegas process this study will also give other employers who are considering doing a large scale mass hiring some ideas on what they should expect regarding on line hiring. It will also show how other executives …

Determinants Of Repeat Visitation For Las Vegas “Locals” Casinos, David D. Ross

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The proliferation of gaming is unprecedented. As many states look to gaming as a source of revenue for a poor fiscal policy, this research becomes more valuable. Many people fail to make the correlation between these new jurisdictions, Tribal or Indian gaming opportunities, and the “locals” market. The argument is, not many people are traveling to Barona or Harrah’s Rincon outside of San Diego, California for their vacation from New York City. Therefore, these primary markets are considered to be more localized. Localized markets could be referred to as geographic segmentation as opposed to other segmentation strategies. The strengths of …

The Internship Program At Manhattan Christian College: The Problem Of Continued Improvement, Jeffrey G. Davis

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Manhattan Christian College (MCC) has been educating, equipping, and enriching Christian leaders for over 75 years. An important part of that training process has been the academic internship program, now titled the "Directed Field Experience" (DFE). The program has encountered a period of complacency, which has some participants questioning the effectiveness of the current internship program. This action research project used questionnaires, both online and in personal interviews and focus groups, with students and DFE supervisors to identify areas of potential improvement. Potential interventions include refined definitions, communicating earlier in the process with supervisors, and developing a DFE website.

Transformational Leadership Of Sales Managers And Job Satisfaction Of Sales Associates In The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry In Taiwan, Yu-Jia Hu

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Literature review in sales content supported the theory that sales manager's transformational leadership has a vital influence on the job satisfaction of sales associates, while job satisfaction has significant influence on the sales associates' work behaviors. Very limited studies have extensively examined the relationship between sales managers' transformational leadership and sales associates' job satisfaction, while recent research has focused on how transformational leadership applies to sales management situations.

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between transformational leadership of sales managers and job satisfaction of sales associates in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry in Taiwan. …

Supporting Individual Time Management Through The Capture And Display Of Temporal Structures, Dezhi Wu

Dissertations

This thesis work examines the time management strategies of individuals in an academic institution and gathers information on the complex temporal structures they experience and manage. Its focus is on understanding the relationship between the quality of individual time management and an individual's understanding and use of temporal structures. This work consists of an exploratory field study to gather data on how people use temporal structures with electronic tools. It is followed by a survey that is given to a larger group of respondents in the same subject population examined with the field study. The survey examines the hypotheses developed …

Electronic Capture And Analysis Of Fraudulent Behavioral Patterns : An Application To Identity Fraud, Benjamin Ngugi

Dissertations

The objective of this research was to find a transparent and secure solution for mitigating identity fraud and to find the critical factors that determine the solution's acceptance. Identity fraud is identified as a key problem with total losses exceeding fifty two billion dollars (Javelin Strategy and Research 2005). A common denominator in most identity-fraud-prone transactions is the use of a keypad; hence this research focuses on keypad data entry and proposes a biometric solution. Three studies develop, evaluate and investigate the feasibility of this solution.

The first study was done in three stages. Stage one investigated the technical feasibility …

The Identification Of Benefit Needs Of Public Golf Course Consumers: Building Foundations For Benefit Segmentation, Chung Mi Lee

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the benefit needs of public golf course consumer. Ten participants with various demographic backgrounds were interviewed concerning their; a) golf skills, b) frequency of participation, c) playing behavior, d) benefit thoughts, and e) preferences of a public golf course. The conceptions that emerged from the participants' benefit needs in golf included: a) satisfaction, b) achievement, and c) well-being. The subconceptions, referred to as categories in this study associated with satisfaction were enjoyment, convenience, and the cost they accrue for each individual and include all satisfying psychological outcomes related to golf. The …

Multinational Strategies As Options Creation And Exercise: An Analysis Of Country, Industry, And Firm Specific Characteristics, Nattharika Rittippant

Management Dissertations - Archive

This study investigates international expansion strategies using a real options framework. Decisions to enter foreign markets and their subsequent decision to increase, delay or abandon their commitments are both predicted and evaluated from an options perspective. More specifically, this study attempts to answer the following two questions: (i) How do macro-environmental, industry and firm specific factors impact the real option process of a multinational enterprise (MNE)? (ii) How does the market react to the different option choices? The real options process from the creation of an option to its subsequent exercise was examined along with market reactions following the announcements …

The Contribution Of Couple Leisure Involvement, Leisure Time And Leisure Satisfaction To Marital Satisfaction, Heather Ann Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further clarify the relationship between couple leisure patterns and marital satisfaction by examining the contribution of joint couple leisure involvement, leisure time, and leisure satisfaction to couples' satisfaction with married life. The sample consisted of 48 married couples (N = 96). The Marital Activity Profile (MAP), a modified version of the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to determine couple leisure involvement in core and balance leisure activities and leisure satisfaction. The Satisfaction With Married Life (SWML), a modified version of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure marital …

An Examination Of Family Communication Within The Core And Balance Model Of Family Leisure Functioning, Kevin M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine family communication within the Core and Balance Model of Family Leisure Functioning. This was accomplished using path analysis, specifically using a mediator model. Family leisure was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), family functioning using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II), and family communication using the Family Communication Scale (FCS). The sample was youth (n = 90) and parents (n = 123) from 25 different states in the US. Family leisure involvement predicted family functioning variables from the youth and family perspectives, but only partially from the …