Business Commons^™

R&D, Advertising And The Market Value Of Internet Firms, Damir Tokic

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to explain the valuation of Internet firms during the valuation “bubble” period from 1996 to 2000. The theoretical foundation of the study is the investment opportunities approach to the valuation of growth shares. Consistent with predictions of the investment opportunities approach, the results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between the market value of Internet firms and investments in R&D and advertising in each year of the sample period. These findings strongly support the view that R&D and advertising are intangible assets. The investment opportunities approach also predicts a positive relationship between market …

Stock Return Volatility In Emerging Equity Markets: The Relative Effects Of Country And Global Factors, Benjamin Adam Abugri

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The rapid growth of capital markets in developing countries has come as a major event in recent financial history. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), portfolio flows to emerging countries has kept rising since the early 1980s and the trend has continued even after a number of financial crises (IFC, 2000). Probably one of the most commonly known characteristics of these markets is their high volatility compared to the more developed markets. But results of studies on volatilities in these markets are often based on estimates of the variance of market indexes or asset returns over relatively long periods …

The Relationship Between The Government And Developmental Ngos, Nevine Ellia Mikhael Bishai

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the relationship between the government and developmental NGOs in Egypt with a close study of the level of coordination between NGOs and the Ministry of Social Affairs. The thesis is submitted to the Management Department at the American University in Cairo by Nevine Ellia Mikhael Bishai under the supervision of Dr. E. H. Valsan, Director of the Public Administration Program. The research tries to examine the inter-organizational relations in terms of coordination between the government and NGOs and how this kind of coordination can be improved. Five main aspects are tackled, these include:

I.Establishment and registration

2. …

Do Remittances Change Household Spending?, Dalia Hammam El Sherbiny

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The impact of remittances on household spending has been a debatable issue. A I arge body of literature has been concerned about remittances in Egypt as well as other developing countries. However, there are conflicting views regarding the way remittances are circulated. Some believe that remittances negatively the economy of the recipient country by increasing personal consumption. On the other hand, others supported that remittances enhance productive asset accumulations and increased savings and investments. This thesis uses 1997 Egypt Integrated Household Survey (EIHS) to empirically assess whether remittances change household spending. For understanding of the way remittances affect spending decision, …

Inflation, Financial Development And Growth, Hishame Gamal Khedr

Archived Theses and Dissertations

All throughout the economic tradition, economists have been interested in studying the positive effects of inflation. However, recent empirical research has found strong evidence that inflation has negative effects on economic growth. This thesis, "Inflation, Financial Development and Growth", is concerned with the degree of development of the financial markets and how these markets transmit the inflation effects. How that the availability of money alternatives allows the households and firms to escape inflation tax, and consequently results in social losses? How that the exchangeability of inside and outside money transmitted inflation effects? The main findings of this thesis are that …

A Group Theoretic Tabu Search Methodology For Solving The Theater Distribution Vehicle Routing And Scheduling Problem, John R. Crino

Theses and Dissertations

The application of Group Theory to Tabu Search is a new and exciting field of research. This dissertation applies and extends some of Colletti's (1999) seminal work in group theory and metaheuristics in order to solve the theater distribution vehicle routing and scheduling problem (TDVRSP). This research produced a robust, efficient, effective and flexible generalized theater distribution model that prescribes the routing and scheduling of multi-modal theater transportation assets to provide economically efficient time definite delivery of cargo to customers. In doing so, advances are provided in the field of group theoretic tabu search and its application to difficult combinatorial …

Development And Characterization Of Methodology And Technology For The Alignment Of Fmri Time Series, Carlo Ciulla

Dissertations

This dissertation has developed, implemented and tested a novel computer based system (AUTOALIGN) that incorporates an algorithm for the alignment of functional Magnetic Resonance Image (fMRI) time series. The algorithm assumes the human brain to be a rigid body and computes a head coordinate system on the basis of three reference points that lie on the directions correspondent to two of the eigenvectors of inertia of the volume, at the intersections with the head boundary. The eigenvectors are found weighting the inertia components with the voxel's intensity values assumed as mass. The three reference points are found in the same …

Collaborative Problem Solving And Program Development Model, Joanna Defranco-Tommarello

Dissertations

A model to enhance collaborative problem solving and program development is presented. The collaborative model is a detailed cognitive model that takes into consideration the cognitive and social activities that occur during collaborative problem solving and program development. The cognitive activities required for collaborative problem solving and program development are identified and integrated into a six-stage model. An extensive literature review in the associated fields is presented to show the need for the model described in this dissertation. In addition, a comprehensive study of tools to support collaboration during problem solving and program development was also performed as well as …

The Effects Of The 1994 Major League Baseball Strike On The Business Of Professional Baseball, Adam Gruber

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This paper is about the economic implications of the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. The researcher attempted to discover if the 1994 Major League Baseball strike had negative economic implications on the business of Major League Baseball. Information was gathered from standard information sources, as well as a survey conducted by the author. The author concluded that the 1994 Major League Baseball strike contributed to negative economic implications on the business of Major League Baseball. The author also concludes that another strike would have even worse economic implications on the business of Major League Baseball.

Leading The Sales Team: Using Greenleaf's Servant Leadership Paradigm To Facilitate Team Building, Patricia A. Campanaro

Theses and Graduate Projects

According to Peter Drucker, Robert K. Greenleaf is known as the grandfather of the modern empowerment movement in business leadership. Greenleaf fervently believed that true leaders are those who lead by serving others. He was also a strong proponent of ethics and integrity in the ranks of managers/leaders.

A research study in the Journal of Marketing Management, Spring/Summer 1997, reported that the personal factor found to have the greatest influence in the performance of sales managers was training. This paper applies the Servant Leader Model to the demands of the sales leadership role. Traditional sales training concentrates on the mechanics …

The Effects Of Subliminal Messages In Print Advertisements, Jamie Lynne Wilfong

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

One very controversial topic within advertising is subliminal advertising. There are many studies about the subject of subliminal messages and their effects (Trappey, 1996). This type of advertising uses subliminal stimuli, messages presented so fast or so softly or so masked by other messages that one is not aware of "seeing" or "hearing" them (Hawkins, Best, Coney, 1995). When marketers put subliminal messages in advertising, they create subliminal advertising. Subliminal advertising, therefore, involves the use of words, pictures, and shapes that are purposely inserted into advertising materials so that the viewers of the material perceive the imagery at a subconscious …

Consumer Preferences For Personal Digital Assistant (Pda) In Hong Kong : A Conjoint Analysis Approach, Kei Kong Lau, Wai Hung Yip

Bachelor Degree - Marketing - Final Year Project

Stepping into the 21 st century, high technology becomes more and more important. Peoples not only use computers at home or in office, but also need to manage their work by computer outdoorsy. Therefore, PDA becomes a more popular mobile digital product in Hong Kong. Besides, because of its relatively low price, small in size and wide coverage of support software, number of PDA users in Hong Kong is increasing tremendously.

Since there are many special features of PDA that affect the consumers’ decision, we are going to find out the consumer preferences for PDA by using a Conjoint Analysis …

Impressions Of Professional Women As A Function Of Clothing Style And Job Title, Tanya Kay Wimberley

Graduate Theses

The piirpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of Job Title (Sales Manager, Salesperson) with Clothing Style (Short Skirt, Long Skirt, Pants) on perceptions of power. Seventy-eight participants completed the Perception of Power scale. The Perception of Power scale is a questionnaire that contains six measures of interpersonal power. The subscales were also added for an overall measure of power. Included with the questionnaire was a picture of a female model in one of three styles of business suit, applying for one of two jobs, for a total of six conditions. Results of 2x3 ANOVAs revealed no …

An Empirical Study Of Attitudes Towards Telecommuting Among Government Finance Professionals, Joseph J. Grippaldi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper presents the results of a preliminary study to evaluate attitudes towards telecommuting among finance employees who are employed by special district governments in the United States. Original data was collected by using a self-administered mail survey sent to 400 special district government finance employees who are members of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. This paper will examine variables including employee support for telecommuting, the likelihood of employees working away from the office, and the number of days employees wish to telecommute. A factor analysis was employed to determine if patterns of …

Workplace Violence: A Case Study, Robert F. White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper addresses the problem of workplace violence. Because research into workplace violence is relatively new, there is not much research into managerial response to violent incidences. This paper helps to establish a template that may become a useful managerial tool to decrease the potential for future workplace violence that may lead to loss of life and unnecessary monetary loss. Managers are not necessarily equipped to develop appropriate measures to effectively deal with violent issues. Given the proper tool, managers can often work wonders. The paper focuses on homicide in the workplace, which has been the second leading cause of …

The Impact Of Air Quality On The Selection Of A Home, Carol Lane

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hedonic price method studies have assumed that individuals consider air quality as a characteristic of their homes. The purpose of this study is to determine if air quality is a significant characteristic considered when an individual decides where to live. This study uses a survey to determine where air quality ranks amongst the different characteristics of a home. My results show that air quality is significant but ranks below structural and neighborhood characteristics.

Measuring Morale In A Municipal Law Enforcement Agency: A Multidimensional Approach, Thomas J. Roth

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Administrators of both public and private sector firms are charged with the effective management of their respective agencies. Effective management includes not only striving to fulfil the goals of the organization toward the external client, it includes proper management of employees, a vital resource to any organization. Likewise, police administrators are bound by duty to not only uphold the laws within their jurisdiction, they are also responsible for maintaining a desirable work environment for their employees. Because a police agency's effectiveness is largely based on the combined total of the knowledge, skill and abilities of all its individual officers, employee …

The Global Stock Market: Implications To American Investors, Angela Giordano

Honors Theses

Investors in most industrialized nations have many alternatives beyond the traditional checking and savings accounts. Alternatives such as stocks, which can be purchased off over 180exchanges worldwide, bonds, mutual funds, retirement plans (401k, 501c, 403b), annuities, money market accounts and CDs are often used as investment tools. With all these alternatives, how does one determine which tool or tools to utilize in investing their hard-earned income?

Learning The Process Of The Exhibit Design Industry, Deborah Dooley

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

A Survey Of Chief Financial Officers Concerning The Importance Of Selected Intermediate And Advanced Accounting Topics, Saron Robinson

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

Over the last five years, a number of professional accounting organizations have continued to complain about the quality of accounting education that is being taught at numerous colleges and universities. Many of the textbooks that are being used in accounting curriculum are believed to be a hindrance to quality accounting education. Textbooks, such as those used for Intermediate and Advanced accounting are extremely thick. There has been some debate over whether or not certain topics that are currently being taught to accounting students should be eliminated. In order to find out which accounting topics were necessary for success industry, I …

Senior Theses Communication Studies Spring 2002, Communication Studies

Theses & Honors Papers

SENIOR THESIS - Communication Studies, Spring 2002

Laura Veazey. Deborah Tannen Meets Walt Disney: A Study of Gender Communication in Animated Films. 5-03-02. 22 pgs.

Bridgette Horsley [title page not included] 24 pgs.

Athena Oliff. Do You See What I am Saying? A Study of Meaning in Signs. May 5, 2002. 20 pgs.

Elizabeth Rose Hadrys. Excercising the Lungs and the Hands of Justice Amending the Constitution Through the Rights of Flag Burning .May 2, 2002. 20 pgs.

Stephanie Ann Stevens. Bridging the Gap: A Case Study of the Effect of Popular Music/ Culture …

Establishing And Maintaining A Buyer/Supplier Relationship Within The Product Development Industry For Model-Making And Prototyping, Kelly Vukad

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Efficiency And Performance Of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits): An Empirical Examination, Can Topuz

Doctoral Dissertations

This study has a threefold purpose. Its first objective is to investigate input and output efficiencies in the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry. Its second objective is to understand the impact of size, property share, loan production, debt ratio, property and geographic diversification, control and governance variables, overall risk, capital risk, growth rate, and management type on a number of efficiency measures, including profit, cost, allocative, technical, pure technical and scale efficiency. The third objective is to assess the impact of structural and regulatory changes in the industry on REITs' productivity, technology, and efficiency changes.

I have estimated the …

Mobile Business As Strategic Tools In The Us Airline Industry, Marzel Stratmann

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This thesis analyzes opportunities and threats of mobile business in the context of the US airline industry as a strategic tool to create a sustainable competitive advantage through the implementation of an effective mobile business model. The analysis is based on the assumption that mobile airline strategies have to create a strategic fit with the business environment seen from an airline perspective. Forces inherent in the global environment as well as in the micro-environment are analyzed using environmental scanning as systematic technique. Exploratory data obtained from a focus group interview is added to the analysis in order to assess opportunities …

Financial Performance Of Insurance Companies Following Initial Public Offerings, Kulkanya Napompech

Doctoral Dissertations

The quality of insurance companies is a very significant societal issue. Policyholders pay premiums assuming indemnity of their potential losses. It is essential that an insurer be able to meet its contractual obligations when a loss occurs. An initial public offering provides an infusion of capital and an expansion of resources available to a firm. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the financial and operating impacts of initial public offerings during 1980–2000 on insurance companies.

Chapter 2 examines changes in operating performance of property/casualty insurance companies following initial public offerings. I find that following initial public offerings, …

The Development Of An Enterprise Supply Chain Model For Naval Warship Construction, Rex A. Wallen

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The utilization of computer simulation in the shipbuilding industry is not a new concept and many shipyards in the US and around the world are using simulation tools in a variety of ways with various levels of success. In other industries, computer simulation has proven itself as a powerful tool for reducing non-value added activities and promises to become more prominent in its use as a resource management tool. Its use in the manufacturing of outfitting components in the construction of Naval warships has had limited success due mainly to the inherent nature of ship construction, especially shipyards engaged in …

Institutional Investors And Adrs: Three Essays, Deqing Li

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The three essays which constitute this research study the effects of institutional investors in the ADRs' market.

Essay one studies the herding and feedback trading by institutional investors in the ADRs market. The empirical results find that there is a strong positive relation between changes in the ADRs institutional ownership and returns measured over the same period—the herding year (t = month 0 to 11). The ADR portfolios experiencing the largest increase in institutional ownership outperform those experiencing the largest decrease by 15.33 percent per year over the herding year. In addition, return continuation exists for the two years following …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Consumer Ethnocentrism Across Russia's Three Sub-Cultures, Shawn Thelen

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Shimp and Sharma (1987) extended the concept of ethnocentrism to commercial products with the development of a 17-item Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale [CETSCALE]. Consumer ethnocentrism is the belief that purchasing imported products harms the local economy, increases unemployment, and is morally wrong (Skimp and Sharma 1987). Shimp and Sharma (1987) called for studies to determine antecedents to consumer ethnocentrism and to apply the CETSCALE across geographic and regional segments. This dissertation addresses a void in the literature by examining antecedents; Inglehart's Materialism/Post Materialism (1977) and Holbrook's Nostalgia (1993), and outcome variables; product purchase preference, of consumer ethnocentrism across sub-cultures postulated to …

Major Factors That Influence The Employment Decisions Of Generation X Consulting Engineers, Robert William Mayfield

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study Generation X consulting engineers (those born between the years 1964 and 1980) in Lynchburg, Virginia, to determine the major factors that influence their employment decisions. Engineering consulting firms throughout the United States, particularly those in Lynchburg, have struggled to recruit young engineers in recent years. The recruiting of young engineers has been regarded by managers and executives as the single greatest challenge to the consulting profession. Despite the consensus within the profession that the problem existed, recommended solutions have been mostly speculative in nature and unsubstantiated by supportive data. This study focused …

The Economic Impact Of A Regional Triathlon Event On The Greater Richmond Area, Yousof Al-Thibaiti

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the economic impact of the Richmond XTERRA off-road triathlon event on the Greater Richmond Area. The Greater Richmond Area, according to the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, consists of the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, Hanover County and Henrico County. It was estimated that the XTERRA off-road triathlon would have a significant economic impact on the Greater Richmond Area. A survey instrument was distributed and collected, by the researcher and his assistants, during the registration time on Saturday, June 23, 2001. A total of229 out of350 triathlon participants responded for a 65.4% …