Business Commons^™

Attitudes Towards Female Sports Stars As Endorsers, Kevin R. James

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Successful and popular sports people have often been utilised as celebrity endorsers to encourage consumers to purchase goods and services. While male sports stars have a well-documented history as product endorsers, their female counterparts have been infrequently used, rarely studied and occasionally mismanaged. Using the dimensions that influence the credibility of a celebrity endorser, this study specifically examines consumer attitudes towards female sports stars as endorsers. Respondents intention to purchase was measured for three different products. As well, the attitude towards perceived attractive and non-attractive female sports stars was also explored. A three stage design, comprising of focus groups, specific …

Key Decision-Making Phases And Tasks For Outsourcing Information Technology, Ashraf Shoeib

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Outsourcing has become an attractive option for today's organisation. Since outsourcing Information Technology (IT) is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia, little research has been conducted as to IT management strategies needed when considering outsourcing. To guide management in the decision whether or not to outsource IT, the study developed and tested a decision-making model comprising the phases of intelligence, analysis and planning, strategy selection, action, and evaluation and monitoring. The significance of decision phases and tasks contained in the model was established through a survey of major Australian organisations. The sample included Australia's top 390 companies. Such organisations would …

Resource Allocation And Efficiency In Public Sector Audits, Kar M. Chong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent years, the push for reform in the Australian public sector audit has placed the Office of the Auditor-General (hereafter OAG) in a more contestable or market- like environment, where the OAG is accountable for an efficient and effective provision of public sector audit. The purpose of this study is to compare the cost efficiency of in-house and contract-out arrangements to deliver financial audits in the public sector. It empirically tests whether there are audit cost and audit fee differences between in-house providers (i.e., the OAG) and contractors (i.e., public accounting firms). The secondary aims of this study are …

The Ideal Homeworkers: An Investigation Of Personal & Job Characteristic Requirements For Successful Home Based Work, Maryam Omari

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Global competition, societal changes and other environmental influences have forced organisations to review existing work arrangements. Flexible work practices have been identified as one mechanism for the alignment of organisational and individual goals. Homebased work or telecommuting, which involves working at a remote site, is an example of such a practice. Working from home can have advantages for the organisation in terms of savings in infrastructure costs. Individual employees would also potentially benefit through reduced costs associated with work (e.g. travel and food), and the ability to better manage their work and home life. However, since 25 years ago when …

Attitude And Behaviour Dichotomy In Sme Strategic Alliance: A South West Of Western Australian Study, Dianne Wingham

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Strategic alliances are generally perceived as cooperative relationships constrained within the parameters of bounded rationality, seeking to maximise their levels of control in a turbulent economic environment. They are also commonly conceptualised as a means of creating competitive advantage in business. In regional areas of Western Australia they are favoured by government instrumentalities as a means of making small to medium enterprises (SMEs) more competitive. With the dominant global emphasis in the literature on big business, relatively little is known still about strategic alliances in small to medium enterprises. Moreover, the research on strategic alliances within Australia s also limited, …

An Analysis Of Quality Practices And Business Outcomes In Western Australian Hospitals, Janis Mussett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study aimed at identifying aspects of health care organisational management and activities that produced the highest level of quality care. A Literature review was conducted to determine the most successful quality activities currently used in a wide variety of industries. Using the findings of this review a questionnaire and interview questions were designed to identify factors associated with successful quality activities I health care organisations. Four Western Australian hospitals that were believed to have effective quality activities were randomly selected as a hospital from each of the following categories. A private hospital accredited by the Australian Council on Health …

Evaluation Of Port State Control Memorandums Of Understanding : Lessons To Be Learnt In Order To Establish An Effective Psc In West And Central Africa, Ould Mohamed Ahmedou

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Strategic Challenges Facing Classification Societies : Possible Future Scenarios And Proposed Solutions For China Classification Society, Jiang Liang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Container Logistics In Intermodal Transport In South Africa : Training In Shipping, Makhubedu Donald

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward A Viable Coastal Resource Management Strategy For Liberia : The Formation Of An Autonomous Integrated Coastal Resource Management Commission, Cyrus L. Gray Jr.

World Maritime University Dissertations

Most of Liberia’s population of three million live in the vicinity of its 350 miles long coast and depend to a large extent on the resources and economy associated with the coastal area. There is also a huge potential for earnings from the exploitation of offshore petroleum, something, which has been discovered in Liberian waters but remains unexploited. The level of development in these areas, environmental considerations, regional cooperation and compliance with internationally agreed standards and conventions leaves much to be desired for Liberia. This dissertation is an appraisal of Liberia’s treatment of these important issues, both in legislation and …

Maritime Administration In Eritrea : Challenges And Future Prospects, Asmelash Ghebretensae Amanuel

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Mergers In Liner Shipping : Strategic Options Available To Indian Shipping, Rajnish Khandelwal

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Improvement Of Port Operation, Service Efficiency And Competitiveness, In Order To Meet The Logistical Needs Of Clients : A Case Study Of Bangkok Port Container Terminals, Jiravich Klomperee

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Viable And Sustainable Workers For The Year 2015, Brenda P. Dean

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to forecast characteristics of valuable workers within Middle Eastern Tennessee for the year 2015. The following areas were studied as they related to the forecast: (1) the projected employment skill demands of business and industry; (2) the initiatives required and proposed by business and industry to meet their respective employment demands; and (3) the external support by education required for industry and business to meet their employment needs. The Delphi panel was composed of 22 business and industry leaders who were nominated by the county executive of the ten counties of the study, officials …

Why Didn’T You Tell Me?: Toward Building A Model Of Why Information Is Not Shared Well In Organizations, Robert C. Kitchen

Theses and Dissertations

The effective use of information in an organization is vital to its success. One of the biggest investments being made today by companies is in their information infrastructures. However, with all of the resources being dedicated to improving information flows, evidence shows that organizations still do not share information as widely as they could or should be. Many studies have been conducted to learn the reasons why people in organizations do not share information as well as would be good. However, no study was found that reported the relative frequency of reported reasons for not sharing information. This paper gathers …

An Analysis Of Training Adequacy And Additional Training Requirements As Perceived By Communications And Information Officers, Rex W. Little

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores requirements for additional training Communications and Information officers. This research also looks at the best time to provide training/education in the identified training deficient areas. Training areas and categories were established by two previous theses and were modified by a group of field experts for this research. The following questions were posed in an effort to obtain the perception of officers in the field: (1) What training areas do Communications and information officers feel are deficient? (2) At what point during a Communications and Information officer's career would it be most appropriate to receive training in necessary …

An Assessment Of Mentoring Functions And Barriers To Mentoring, Kristopher A. Singer

Theses and Dissertations

A study of 91 Coast Guard junior officers and their mentors established the construct validity for mentoring functions and barriers to mentoring. The Air Force relies on supervisors to provide mentoring to their subordinates. The key predictors of whether junior officers report their supervisors as mentors were similarity between mentor and mentee and the quality of the supervisory relationship in terms of LMX and psychosocial and career development mentoring functions. The results demonstrated evidence for a compensatory theory of mentoring. Multiple mentors do not have a synergistic effect on mentoring relationships. The key predictors of reporting an additional mentor (other …

Linking Corporate Goals And Shop Floor Performance, Loretta Cochran

All Dissertations

Several different types of programs have been introduced to translate organizational goals into performance measurement and feedback systems that can be transferred to the shop floor level for employees. An overreaching assumption has been made that there must be subsets of objectives in order to motivate shop floor employees. In the field of human resources, performance management systems have been designed as vehicles for goal translation from top management to lower levels. The total quality management literature introduces hoshin planning as another formula for disseminating goals between layers within the organization.

An aggregate perspective on this linkage of performance and …

Case Studies Of Organizational Evaluation In Community Foundations, Joyce Box Brown

Dissertations

Community foundations are classified as public charities (501(c) 3). They derive their funds from many donors rather than a single donor, and the board is made up of representatives from the community served. They are most often established to serve a specific geographic area. This study investigated and described how three different community foundations approach organizational evaluation— choosing proposals to fund, monitoring programs, improving programs, and assessing program impact.

The three community foundations approach evaluation not as a formal system of grant accountabilities, but as a way of systematically gathering information from various constituents for purposes of guiding important decisions. …

Role Of Information Technology In Providing Decision Support To Crisis Management, Ann Taysir Nosseir

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Effectiveness Of The External Validation In The Malaysian Army Training System, Mohd Radzi Ahmad Tajudin

Student Works (2000-2009)

The mission of defending Malaysia and its interests against any external threat, to win any land war and provide assistance to civil authorities to maintain prosperity of the country requires the Malaysian Army to ensure that it is capable to be deployed to face any situations at any time. This will depends on the continues preparation and this may be achieve through a systematic and effective training. The Malaysian Army Training System has been 1ntroduced to fulfill this requirement. It was designed to ensure that every individual in the Malaysian Army would be able to do their job or tasks …

A Comparison Of Public Agency And Casino Employee Turnover Rates In Las Vegas, Timothy A. Clemens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The primary focus of this professional paper is to determine and then compare turnover rates between public agencies and the gaming industry in the Las Vegas area. The paper's intention is to discover what differences and similarities in employee turnover rates exist between public agencies and casinos. A secondary focus is to determine if the public sector can provide any lessons to lower employee turnover to the Las Vegas gaming industry. This secondary focus is based on the assumption that public agencies have higher employee retention (and, therefore, a lower rate of turnover) than those found within the Las Vegas …

The Parallel Organization And Employee Perceptions Of Participative Leadership In A Mid-Atlantic City, Landis Denise Faulcon

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

Current literature is replete with examples of how bureaucracy hinders organizational performance in rapidly changing social, economic, and political environments. The use of a parallel organization has emerged as one approach to transforming traditional bureaucratic structures into high performance work systems.

This study examines a parallel organization created as part of a high performance organization (HPO) model in a mid-Atlantic city. The purpose of the parallel organization is to conduct the work of leadership, which consists of five functions: identifying customer needs and expectations; developing a shared vision and values; integration and stewardship; creating an environment conducive to learning, thinking, …

Before And After: Is Outsourcing A Better Value Than Organic Support: A Case Study Comparing Organic Vs. Contractor Controlled Depot-Level Maintenance Of The F-117, Harry T. Loughran, John Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not outsourcing of the depot-level maintenance of the F-117 was a better value than maintaining the capability in house. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer three questions: (1) Are the contract performance metrics good indicators of "better value"; (2) Has the decision to outsource F-117 depot-level maintenance provided a better value to the Air Force? (3) if outsourcing F-117 depot maintenance is an equal or better value, do we still want to give up the potential core capability? The research questions were answered through an extensive literature review, triangulation of …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Variability Experienced In Dla Administrative And Production Lead Time, Kieran F. Keelty

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the variability experienced in the administrative and production lead times of consumable items managed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Assets were categorized based on an item manager's determination that an asset was a problem part, and whether the asset was purchased for stock replenishment or direct vendor delivery. The methodology was a two-sample t-test of aggregated data to determine if significant differences existed between the mean deviations from the system lead times of various combinations of categories. The study produced results indicating that a significant difference did not exist between the mean deviations of problem parts …

A Methodology For The Analysis And Prediction Of Air Force Enlisted Aircraft Maintenance Personnel Retention Rates Using Economic Statistics, Peter D. Lommen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of certain national economic indicators on enlisted aircraft maintenance personnel retention rates. To fulfill this purpose, this study builds a linear regression equation that can predict the retention rate using the civilian unemployment rate and the index of 11 leading economic indicators as the independent variables. Journal literature and economic texts were reviewed to identify the indicators as good predictors for changes in employee turnover. The method of linear regression was used to build the model needed to predict the changes in the retention rate. The equation developed with this …

Space-Available Transportation: An Analysis Of The Cost Of Providing 'Free' Travel, Frank J. Long

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to estimate the costs borne by the government for providing space-available travel to eligible uniformed services personnel and their dependents. As the primary provider of the space-available privilege, it is important that the Air Force have an estimate of the burden that the administration of that privilege places on the budget. In January 1993, the Air Force discontinued its 15-year-old practice of charging a fee for space-available travel aboard AMC-owned or controlled aircraft. The fee had been set at $10 in 1978 and was collected to recover a portion of the costs associated with …

Workplace Violence: Exploring The Dangers For Air Force Leadership, Shawn R. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The repeated occurrences of workplace violence throughout society today require the Air Force to evaluate its own workplaces and determine if a threat exists. This research explored violence in the workplace and established the possibility that workplace violence can affect the Air Force. Additionally, Air Force Climate Assessment Surveys were evaluated to find information that could be useful in detecting early warning signs of potential workplace violence. A number of examples of violence that occurred within Air Force workplaces highlighted the threat for Air Force leadership. With over 1,680 incidents of workplace violence reported to the AFOSI in a 5-year …

Logistic Regression Modeling Of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources For Integrated Circuits, Michael J. Gravier

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) afflicts the Air Force and other armed services in a way unforeseen in the past. The costs of DMSMS manifest themselves both in terms of monetary expense and diminished mission readiness. The current environment of limited defense spending and high operations tempo exacerbates this problem. This thesis draws on available data from the electronics integrated circuit industry to attempt to assess whether statistical modeling offers a viable method for predicting the presence of DMSMS. The research identified logistic regression as a powerful tool for analysis of DMSMS and further developed …

A Comparison Of Department Of Defense And Private Sector Fraternization Policies, Jeffrey L. Frye

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how the new Department of Defense fraternization policy compares with fraternization policies in use in the private sector. To examine this issue, a detailed discussion of the military and non-military position on fraternization is provided, specifically the non-military position towards workplace romances or dating between co-workers. This thesis then looks at the findings of several studies, surveys, and inquiries to determine how fraternization is currently regulated in the private sector. The results of this study show a majority of commercial organizations do not have written policies prohibiting employee relationships, whether they are peer-peer or supervisor-subordinate relationships. Results …