Business Commons^™

Output Analysis And Comparison Of Deployment Models With Varying Fidelity, Matthew M. Gill

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the changes in insights that result from using different types of models to assess the capability of deploying the Stryker Brigade within specific timeline goals. The thesis uses as its primary base a study conducted in 2002 by USTRANSCOM to evaluate the ability of Stryker to meet stated deployment timeline goals. Specifically, the author compares the outputs from four different models as they change over three different deployment scenarios and 10 different routes. The study investigates the relationships among the outputs of spreadsheet models, spreadsheet models with elements of variability added, and low- and high-level discrete-event simulations. …

Evaluating Management Strategies For Automated Test Systems/Equipment (Ats/E): An F-15 Case Study, Jeremy A. Howe

Theses and Dissertations

The management of United States Air Force ATS/E presents a variety of issues that affect the long-term capability and mission readiness of weapon systems. Traditional procurement processes suggest that individual aircraft platform System Program Offices (SPOs) developed, improved and replaced ATE on an "as-required" basis. Increased obsolescence, however, and a concern for maintaining longer-term viability provided the necessary inertia for a movement towards the procurement and development of consolidated, common test equipment that would support multiple weapon systems. In 1998, the Air Force Chief of Staff directed HQ AFMC to establish a Common Support Equipment office to facilitate the combination …

Study On The Air Force's Ability To Field Senior Logistics Readiness Officers Experienced In Fuels Management, Keith A. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

A major initiative resulting from the 1999 Chief of Staff of the Air Force Logistics Review (CLR) was the development of the logistics readiness officer (LRO) career field, which combined three previous logistics fields; supply, transportation, and logistics plans. As a result, the training for a LRO promotes logistics function familiarity rather than expertise. This is of particular concern in the critical area of fuels management. Fuel is an absolute necessity in all military operations and its proper management is vital to mission success. The objective of this research is to determine the impact due to the LRO career field …

Examining The Impact Of Quality Assurance Manning Practices In Usaf Aircraft Maintenance Units, Terry D. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact that current USAF Quality Assurance (QA) manning practices has on key aircraft wing- and unit-level metrics. Interviews and surveys culminated in development of a QA Manning Effectiveness Matrix. We then used the matrix to calculate historical QA manning effectiveness at 16 ACC bases. Effectiveness scores were regressed with associated historical data for 26 metrics derived from a Delphi survey. Nine metrics were deemed statistically significant, including break rates, cannibalization rates, flying schedule effectiveness rates, key task list pass rates, maintenance scheduling effectiveness rates, quality verification inspection pass rates, repeat rates, …

Optimization Model For Base-Level Delivery Routes And Crew Scheduling, Young-Ho Cha

Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S. Air Force, a Logistic Readiness Squadron (LRS) provides material management, distribution, and oversight of contingency operations. Dispatchers in the LRS must quickly prepare schedules that meet the needs of their customers while dealing with real-world constraints, such as time windows, delivery priorities, and intermittent recurring missions. Currently, LRS vehicle operation elements are faced with a shortage of manpower and lack an efficient scheduling algorithm and tool. The purpose of this research is to enhance the dispatchers' capability to handle flexible situations and produce "good" schedules within current manpower restrictions. In this research, a new scheduling model and …

Decision Analysis Method For Air Mobility Beddown Planning Scenarios, Jacob M. Salmond

Theses and Dissertations

Currently at Air Mobility Command, Plans and Programming, Requirements Division (AMC/A75R), infrastructure requirements for a proposed permanent beddown location are accomplished through corporate knowledge and manual lookup. With the loss of corporate knowledge in the foreseeable future, AMC/A75R is would like to capture this knowledge base in an information system. This research developed a spreadsheet analysis tool that takes hard requirements and compares them with existing capabilities at a given location. Through gap analysis, the tool produced infrastructure requirement shortfalls and associated costs to satisfy the shortfalls.

An Examination Of Reverse Logistics Factors Impacting The 463-L Pallet Program, Andrew J. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

During peacetime operations, the process of tracking and managing 463-L assets within the Air Mobility Command airlift system results in infrequent imbalances or accountability issues. However, during contingency operations, AMC loses control of 463-L assets as they are turned over to the intra-theater distribution system. Since current contingency operations began in October of 2001, the Air Force has been unable to account for over 97,000 463-L pallets and 220,000 cargo nets. With a single pallet and net set costing over $1,300, the total value of the equipment unaccounted for exceeds $126 million. If not corrected, this failure to account for …

An Extension Of The Theory Of Job Embeddedness: An Investigation Of Effects On Intent To Turnover Of United States Air Force Members, Charles E. Hassell

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the ability of Mitchell, Holtom, Lee, Sablynski, and Erze's (2001) job embeddedness construct to predict intent to turnover after considering the historical predictors of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job search, and job alternatives. This study extended the research on job embeddedness by investigating the extent to which age, race, gender, and marital status would affect the relationship between job embeddedness and intent to turnover. Results indicated that job embeddedness was a significant predictor of intent to turnover. However, age, race, gender, and marital status were not found to be significant moderators of job embeddedness and intent to …

Barriers To Electronic Records Management (Erm): An Exploratory Case Study Investigating Erm In The Deployed Environment During Operations Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom, Brian G. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

Corporate and government organizations can use electronic records as an important strategic resource, if the records are managed properly. In addition to meeting legal requirements, electronic records can play a vital role in the management and operation of an organization's activities. Corporate America is facing challenges in managing electronic records, and so too is the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The deployed environment is particularly problematic for electronic records management (ERM). This research, thus, investigates ERM in the deployed environment to identify and characterize the barriers faced by USAF personnel who deployed to locations supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. …

Pick-Up And Delivery: A Comparison Of Functional Alignments And The Impact On Customer Service And Vehicle Operator Utilization, Shawn K. Booher

Theses and Dissertations

The Chief of Staff Logistics Review of 1999 examined a multitude of process issues and their resulting impact on organizational structure. A resulting initiative was to transition the pick-up and delivery function from the Material Management flight (LGRM) to the Vehicle Operations section (LGRVO). The motivation of this initiative, more specifically referred to as Supply/Transportation Reengineering, was to streamline similar processes, and to effectively and efficiently utilize resources. The goal of this transition was to use fewer people and resources to provide pick-up and delivery service to wing customers with minimal adverse impact to customer service and to improve overall …

Air Force Jp-8 Fuel Distribution System: A Statistical Analysis To Determine Where And When To Sample, Eric J. Heath

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Petroleum Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio collects JP-8 sampling data, but this data doesn't undergo analysis to determine the health of the base-level JP-8 fuel distribution system. Commanders possess no known confidence level when assessing base-level fuel health. Therefore, the objective of this research is to assess Air Force base-level fuel sampling data to determine the base-level sampling point that ensures a quality and healthy product at the aircraft. Also, this research seeks to identify how often correlation sampling should take place. Sample test pass rates are analyzed from three locations, receipt, storage, and vehicles/aircraft, …

A Multiple-Case Analysis Of Lean Six Sigma Deployment And Implementation Strategies, Peter M. O'Rourke

Theses and Dissertations

Lean and Six Sigma are recent developments in continuous improvement methodology that have been popularized by several high-profile companies. The success and complementary nature of these methodologies has led to their combination into a single methodology, commonly called Lean Six Sigma or Lean Sigma. Although there is considerable literature available and many consultants involved with Lean Six Sigma, very little published research addresses the practical experiences of companies that have implemented Lean Six Sigma. The research question for this research is: How and why are certain private sector implementations of Lean Six Sigma successful or unsuccessful? The investigative questions further …

A Case Study Of The Degree Of Collaboration Between Various Levels In The Reparable Chain In The United States Air Force, Robert A. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment and other logistics processes were developed in the commercial sector to reduce total system costs of production while simultaneously providing reduction in inventory levels, improved customer service levels, greater flexibility in scheduling, greater velocity of inventory through the pipeline, and, as a result, greater profitability (Ploos van Amstel, 1990:1). Many companies including Wal-Mart, Motorola, Target, Johnson & Johnson, and Kellogg's, just to name a few, have seen great achievements since implementing CPFR processes. Can these processes be applied to the Air Force supply chain? This thesis intends to examine the flows and relationships to identify …

Using Depot Inventory Position To Determine Transportation Mode Of Retrograde Reparable Assets, Edward C. Snow Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force logistics policies direct the "expedited evacuation of repairables to the source of repair", in an effort to allow smaller inventories. Transportation Mode selection is based only on the asset itself. This focus works well when shipping assets out from the depot to a base. When a base ships an asset back to the depot however, the priority of the asset may not be the best way to select the transportation mode. The quantity of the assets at the depot may indicate that fast transportation is unnecessary. The depot may already have enough serviceable assets to meet demand or …

Informal Influences In The Process Of Idiq Contractor Selection For Task Award, Jason E. Blevins

Theses and Dissertations

The selection of a contractor for task award using the Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract often involves dynamics and relationships that are difficult to understand. There are unanswered questions that relate to how government agents define "best value" to the government. The selection decisions often differ between government agents. The government streamlined the acquisition process by creating the multiple award IDIQ contract. Government agents are relied upon to make sound business judgments in determining which contractor represents the best value to the government. Informal influences can impact the determination of the final selection of a contractor. This thesis attempts …

Job Embeddedness: A Construct Of Organizational And Community Attachment Utilized To Asses Voluntary Turnover, Richard E. A. Fletcher Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to further refine and evaluate the extent to which job embeddedness influences voluntary turnover. Specifically, this thesis sought to determine the effectiveness of job embeddedness in explaining additional incremental variance in intent to leave, above what is usually accounted for with traditional attitudinal variables. Additionally, the individual effects of tenure, education level, organizational rank, and pay were evaluated to determine if they moderated the effects of job embeddedness on a person's level of intent to leave.

A Historical Context Analysis Of Changes In Content Management Ideology, William Lee Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Digital content has grown continually over the past years, yet acceptance of a common definition of what is "content management" still generates debates in IS communities. This research will be a qualitative study using a combined approach of historical and context analysis of literary artifacts for drawing inferences to explore the evolutionary changes in content management ideology. Using a seven-step process, a specific structure is designed with a systematic approach to encounter the phenomena being researched and present the evidence of the results. Performing an analysis on the evolution of content management from a historical perspective will benefit researchers and …

Technology Acceptance And Use In A Knowledge Management Support System: An Exploratory Case Study Of Air Force Knowledge Now Communities Of Practice, John P. Tate

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past five to seven years, the United States Air Force has begun to employ online Communities of Practice (CoP) as a means to collaborate virtually. During this time, there have been several studies of these online communities to better understand their use, as well as their lack of use. The primary goal of this research is to apply the theories of Davis' (1989) technology acceptance model to identify the factors that affect the acceptance and use of CoPs. These findings are then used to provide suggestions on how to improve the acceptance and use of CoPs for CoP …

Initiating An Entrepreneurial Mindset In The Department Of Defense (Dod): Testing A Comprehensive Model, Gretchen R. Rhoads

Theses and Dissertations

Transformation will become vital as senior military leaders prepare to fight tomorrow's battles. The pervasiveness of the entrepreneurial mind set within Department of Defense (DoD) organizations and the ability of senior leaders to foster that mind set will be vital. This research effort tested an integrated model of the entrepreneurial mind set and produced a framework that senior leaders can implement to ignite their organizations' innovative potential and ability to transform. The research used a questionnaire to gather data regarding three entrepreneurial mind set antecedents -- individual characteristics, process, and context -- to determine the level of influence each has …

A Fuzzy Programming Approach For Portfolio Management In Banks, Noha El Sayed Ahmed Ibrahim

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Negotiation Of Software Requirements In An Asynchronous Collaborative Environment, Catherine Lowry Campbell

Dissertations

The effect of task structure and negotiation sequence on collaborative software requirements negotiation is investigated. This work began with an extensive literature review that focused on current research in collaborative software engineering and, in particular, on the negotiation of software requirements and the requisite collaboration for the development of such requirements. A formal detailed experiment was then conducted to evaluate the effects of negotiation sequence and task structure in an asynchronous group meeting environment. The experiment tested the impact of these structures on groups negotiating the requirements for an emergency response information system. The results reported here show that these …

Live, Virtual, And Constructive Environments For Performance Support, John Michael Lacontora

Dissertations

As military systems become more complex, the operation and support of these systems becomes intrinsically more difficult. The U.S. Army's current procurement process relies on industry to provide embedded training and performance support tools for the systems they produce. These tools are relatively new and in the early stages of development. As yet, they have failed to meet the needs of the technicians that are required to support these complex systems. Current efforts to provide enabling technologies that enhance the capabilities of automotive maintenance technicians are concentrated in three professional communities. First is the Performance Improvement community where work is …

Digital Libraries And Middleware Technology, Muhammad Umar Qasim

Theses

Digital libraries deliver personalized knowledge directly to their users, without being restricted to the contents of a physical library. In a digital library information from any online source can be managed and shared, making more knowledge available to users than before. The information sharing is achieved by integrating many autonomous heterogeneous systems available. The challenge is to provide users with the ability to transparently access digital library contents in spite of the heterogeneity among the information sources.

Research communities have proposed several approaches to accomplish the system integration in digital libraries. In this thesis, the working of currently employed approaches …

Using Action Research To Determine And Resolve Team Issues For Courseware Developers, Manley G. Morgan

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

A department consisting of four teams of courseware developers and instructors had been experiencing a lack of team cohesiveness as evidenced by the exclusion of individuals and unwillingness to support group goals. Using action research, a collaborative team was formed and data collected using surveys, interviews and observations. The results of the data were fed back to the collaborative team for data analysis. A week long team training session was held that provided for interpretation and clarification of courseware editing procedures. Team structure and location were also modified to allow for closer communications with the customer/supplier.

Proposed Marketing And Advertising Campaign For The United Negro College Fund, Rashida Patrice Hamm

Theses Digitization Project

This project seeks to develop a marketing and advertising campaign for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The proposed California campaign is designed to reach an underserved target market in the state of California and to increase donations to the UNCF by one million dollars a year.

Credit Union Service Organization Products And Services: Implications, Decisions, And Strategies, Michael Burnett Bare

Theses Digitization Project

This project will create strategic tools for the Credit Union and CUSO to use in order to best create a more symbiotic relationship between the two entities.

The Online Marketing Plan For Indra Jewelry Company, Thailand, Vorapoj Liyawarakhun

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to apply marketing tactics in the form of website and online services. The goal of this plan is to improve company image and customer service and relationships, Moreover, website and online service can also increase the sales and profits of the company and expand its market.

Strategic Marketing Plan For An Online Service Provider In The Property Management Industry, Ruchika Wijesinghe

Theses Digitization Project

Outlines the development of a strategic marketing plan for a company offering online rent payment, apartment search and property management services to property owners, managers and tenants. Data was gatherd from both primary (customers survey) and secondary sources to develop a strategic marketing plan for 2006.

Micro-Payment Exchange System, Yiyao Hao

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to investigate the infrastructure requirements for a currency exchange market for holders of currencies issued through the Lightweight Currency Protocol. The Lightweight Currency Protocol was designed as a means for entities to issue currencies for the purpose of cultivating low value business transactions between collaborating nodes in a peer-to-peer market.

The Cross-Cultural Research Of United States And Thailand: The Relationship Between Celebrity Endorsers And Types Of Product Endorsed, Sudawadee Eamsobhana

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the use of celebrities and the types of products endorsed. Advertisements from one popular magazine in the U.S. and two popular magazines in Thailand were used.