Business Commons^™

Organisational Culture : Values, Commitments And Teamwork : The Naviera Cubana Caribeña Shipping Company Case Study, Jesus Brito Bartumeu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Integrated Approach To Achieving High Port Performance While Improving The Control Of Dangerous Goods In Thai Ports, Pitak Wattanapongpisal

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design And Implementation Of A Cost Control System For Cuban Shipping Companies, Santiago Alvarez Rodriguez

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Competitive Strategies For Container Ports : Analysis Of Competition And Competitors In The Hamburg-Le Havre Range?, Bernardo Flores Herrera

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Violence In Commercialism To Sell Electronic Entertainment, Music, Movies And Television Sitcoms: The Responsibility Of Marketing And Advertising, Chanda L. Riddick

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

As the entertainment world explodes with the products of new technology and innovation, the difference between reality and fiction often times results in a blur. Computer graphics and story lines all encompass a real-life quality being sold to millions of consumers each day. A billion-dollar industry has resulted from the progress made by technology in the film, music, television, and movie industry. With the steps taken to create such real-life hardship, massacre, and unrest the question is how much have the technology and availability of products containing violent material affected society? Does the responsibility to monitor these products rely on …

The Integration Of Firm Resources: The Role Of Capabilities In Strategy And Firm Performance, Daniel Lynch

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distinctive capabilities are defined as a firm’s accumulated skills and knowledge that may lead to competitive advantage (Day 1994). Distinctive capabilities are founded upon Resource-Based Theory (Barney 1991) that focuses on internal resources as opposed to external market forces (Porter 1980). The present research discusses the integration of distinctive capabilities into this framework; that is, do certain distinctive capabilities (resources) create superior firm performance when linked to the appropriate generic business strategy?

The literature on firm performance has a rich history and is theoretically grounded in several disciplines including economics, sociology, and organizational behavior (Anderson 1982). However, there has not …

An Analysis Of Workplace Violence Incidents In Virginia Community Colleges And The Major Employers, Betsy E. Summerfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media during the past ten years has given considerable attention to the workplace violence in factories, service organizations, and the public school systems throughout the United States. This study compared patterns of workplace violence in the 23 member institutions of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) with the patterns of workplace violence in selected for-profit service and manufacturing employers in Virginia, to determine if workplace violence incidents occurring in the VCCS's member institutions reflect the workplace violence incidents experienced by business and industry within each member institution's service region. Chi-square analysis showed a significant difference in non-violent conflict training …

The Impact Of Cocurricular Experience On Leadership Development, Deborah H. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of cocurricular activities on leadership development. College graduates recognized as community leaders were selected from three communities in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Through survey and interview techniques, the leaders were asked to reflect on high school and college experiences that led to their development as leaders. The study included a focus on differences in experiences of male and female leaders. Developmental influences such as family, mentors, global experience, and the cocurricular activities engaged in during high school and college were explored. Title IX had no impact on increased opportunities for women in this group of …

Accounting Expertise And Ill-Structured Problems: Cognitive Reasoning Abilities And Performance In Business Valuation Tasks, Wray Bradley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the linkage between cognitive reasoning abilities and performance in ill-structured tasks. Prior accounting research shows that the broad construct known as general problem-solving ability is directly related to performance in ill-structured audit tasks (Libby and Tan 1994). General problem-solving ability has been defined as having sub-components comprised of verbal, quantitative, memory, and cognitive reasoning abilities (Libby 1995). Most prior accounting studies have either controlled for performance differences associated with the subcomponent abilities or have just ignored them. This has created a gap in behavioral accounting research (Shanteau 1995; Bouwman and Bradley 1997). This study seeks to partially …

Determinants Of Loan Losses In National Banks: Size, Regulation, And The Aicpa Model, Randy Marl Reed

Doctoral Dissertations

Because of recent failures, the AICPA Banking Committee has developed a normative model citing specific variables for auditors to use in bank audits. This research has examined that AICPA model.

In addition, the Auditing Principles Board has identified several areas of concern for auditing internal control structures. Research into size and regulation from other sources has indicated that both are significant modifiers of financial models. Regulations now require banks and holding companies of more than $500 million in assets to submit to an annual independent audit.

The primary purpose of this research was to determine whether the AICPA normative model …

The Effects Of Corporate Diversification And Control On Division Risk-Taking Strategy And Performance, Hae Ryong Kim

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This research explored two major functions of corporate strategic management, corporate diversification (core-business relatedness) and corporate control, and their implications for divisional strategic management. Four research questions were raised to address these issues: (1) does core-business relatedness matter to division performance? (2) how does core-business relatedness influence corporate control? (3) how does core-business relatedness influence division risk-taking strategies and performance? and (4) how does corporate control influence division risk-taking strategies and performance?

Adopting the resource-based view and organizational learning theory, this study proposed that core-business related divisions would outperform unrelated divisions and that core-business related divisions would have higher commitment …

Market Reaction To Seasoned Equity Offerings: The Relevance Of Leverage, Growth Opportunities, And Corporate Structure, Mojib U. Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Empirical work on the market's reaction to seasoned equity offerings has rarely considered the impact of the issuing firm's leverage level or its corporate structure. This work is an attempt to include these parameters in order to better understand the market's reaction to such issue announcements.

The current finance literature recognizes the fact that leverage plays an important role in assessing the value of the firm. Leverage has both negative and positive impacts on the value of a firm (McConnell and Servaes, 1995), and thus, has both negative and positive impacts on the market's reaction to seasoned equity offerings. This …

Software Support Cost Estimating Models: A Comparative Study Of Model Content And Parameter Sensitivity, Kevin L. Brummert, Philip R. Mischler Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This research entailed a comparison of five software estimating models: PRICE-S, SEER-SEM, SoftCost-OO, SoftEst, and SPR KnowledgePLAN. The objective was to research the differences of the software models as related to software support cost. The following major question areas were addressed: (1) How do the differences between the models impact the resulting cost estimates? (2) To what degree can we explain and adjust for the differences between cost models? All items were for flight avionics of a manned aircraft. The differences between the models significantly impact the resulting estimates. Over the five models evaluated, a range of over $60 million …

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, And Other Characteristics: An Examination Of Managerial Perceptions Of Effective Contracting Officers, Todd S. Joyner, Brian V. Ucciardi

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the attributes contracting managers perceived to be most critical in effective contracting officers. Questionnaires were used to gather relevant data from managers in the operational, specialized, and systems contracting specialty areas. The resultant data was classified and weighted in accordance with the formula defined in the methodology. Additionally, some respondents provided comments via the follow-up interviews. The resultant data was analyzed qualitatively in order to determine the extent of concurrence in managerial perceptions. In addition, the researchers attempted to seek answers in three additional areas. First, they examined the degree to which critical attributes varied by specialty …

An Exploratory Study Of The Use Of Parametric Estimating In Department Of Defense Contracting, Patricia Blakely, Rudolph Haynesworth

Theses and Dissertations

An initiative to expand the use of parametric estimating in government contracting has enjoyed only marginal success. Some reasons for the slower pace of implementation are the lack of availability of historical data, training, acquisition rules, utility, and accuracy concerns. Those associated with the Parametric Cost Estimating Initiative (PCEI) have a higher perception of parametric utility and accuracy than those not associated with the initiative. The PCEI advocates using parametric techniques in any situation, not just the concept/development phases advocated by most literature. Parametric estimating is a catch all term for several different types of statistically based methodologies, ranging from …

Military Members Responses To Sexually Harassing Behavior: Response Types And Efficacies, Michael W. Braucher

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses four sexual harassment response constructs and evaluates the efficacy of the responses. The constructs are built based on individual or joint/collaboratory responses and whether or not the harasser is confronted with his or her behavior(s) perceived as harassing by the victim. The constructs are applied to the 1995 Department of Defense survey of Harassment. Results include each response's effect on the harassing behavior, whether the behavior is ceased or not. A second result is the victim's perception of improvement or worsening of the situation based on the response type used. Tests for proportional differences were used to …

Aspects Of Profession And The Military Perspective, Jody B. Dow

Theses and Dissertations

The term "Profession" does not have a consistently applied definition within society. In the military, the ambiguity of the definition places military members in a situation where understanding their professional responsibilities is difficult. This thesis examines the characteristics of traditional professions and draws parallels to the military. This study identifies critical characteristics of professional behavior that military members should be aware of in pursuing professionalism. Data were gathered from academic and popular literature for evaluation. Sufficient evidence exists in literature to identify the factors of special knowledge and service orientation of a profession as critical to professional status. The military, …

Material Requirements Planning In Air Force Depot-Level Maintenance, Kevin J. Gaudette

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense has historically relied on Wilson's Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model for consumable item management at all levels. With inventory practices under intense Congressional scrutiny over the past decade, the Air Force Materiel Command has searched for alternative systems to better manage its consumable inventory. Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is one such system, as is the MRP-based Repairability Forecast Model (RFM) developed by CACI. This thesis examines the wisdom of applying MRP logic in a remanufacturing environment. MRP has had some degree of success in environments where requirements are relatively certain and demand and lead time variability …

An Economic/Demographic Comparison Of Air Force And Other Service Families, John C. Glover

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to compare economic, attitudinal and demographic variables for families in all branches of service to see in which areas the Air Force is ranked/rated higher and lower than other services. Analysis is broken out by officers and enlisted personnel in all main branches of service (Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines). Two testing methods are employed to determine if there is a difference between the services: Tukey's multiple comparison procedure, and pair-wise comparisons of proportions for the different services. Results indicate that Air Force officers rate the Air Force higher for lower number of …

A Comparison Of Proposed Air Expeditionary Force Packages Using The Thunder Campaign Simulation Program, Brian M. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations

There are currently only two force packages under consideration for Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) deployment: the Eagle package and the Falcon package. This thesis examines these and three other force packages for operational feasibility. The comparisons made between the five packages were based on five operational measures and two which describe the logistics involved with deploying each package. The operational measures and one logistics measure are obtained from the THUNDER simulation software package. The other logistics measure, amount of short-tons of cargo required to support each package, was obtained from the Logistics Plans office at HQ ACC. The principal contribution …

Strategic Planning Within The Department Of Defense: A Focus On Strategic Hierarchical Consistency, Thomas E. Hartzell

Theses and Dissertations

Mandated within the Department of Defense (DoD) by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, strategic planning is a systematic process organizations employ to envision the future and direct actions to desired outcomes within that future. Unfortunately, strong evidence suggests DoD and United States Air Force (USAF) planning efforts to date have met with limited success. This research explores one reason for this limited success. Towards this end, it defines a strategic hierarchical consistency construct and proposes a scale to measure one component, the alignment of mission, vision, and goal statements among a hierarchy of organizational plans. It …

A Descriptive Study Of Information Operations And Information Warfare Awareness In The United States Air Force, Ryan D. Hollman

Theses and Dissertations

Information has always been important in military affairs, conflicts, and wars. Information warfare is an important new concept that is emphasized by the significance of computer and information technology. The United States Air Force has educated and trained individuals in information warfare since recognizing the importance of information warfare in 1995. The Air Force Information Warfare Center and the information warfare squadron were also created to address information warfare concerns. Information warfare is important to the entire Air Force. How familiar are Air Force people generally in information warfare? This thesis addresses awareness of information warfare and information operations concepts. …

Evaluation Of The Performance Of The Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement For Rokaf, Mansik Hur

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the performance of the Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement (CLSSA) for Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). As one of the biggest FMS customer countries, ROKAF buys a substantial portion of its weapon systems from the U.S. Government and relies on the follow-on supply support from the source of acquisition. Because of the advantage of the CLSSA program for its timely support to foreign countries, the CLSSA has been the preferred method of follow-on supply support for FMS customer countries and its magnitude and coverage are being increased. To find out the level of supply support for …

An Analysis Of A-76 Study Effectiveness, Joshua M. Kovich

Theses and Dissertations

As the Air Force budget continues to decrease, A-76 studies have become an increasingly popular method to cut costs. By cuffing costs, money is then freed up for other requirements such as force modernization. Care must be taken to ensure the process is working as designed and the actual savings are in line with projections. This thesis examines an A-76 study recently conducted at Wright Patterson AFB, OH. The focus is to evaluate the costs used in the decision and how the decision would have been affected by changes in these costs. The results indicate that some costs are incorrectly …

Impact Of Facilitator Co-Location And Alignment On The Efficacy Of Group Support Systems Employed In A Distributed Setting, Jeffrey A. Lea

Theses and Dissertations

Group Support Systems (GSSs) are a combination of hardware, software, and human facilitation designed and employed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of decision making groups. Engineers at the Sustainment Logistics Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory have recently proposed employing the technology in a distributed setting to conjoin geographically separated members of decision making groups in order to facilitate the reengineering of logistics processes in an any place/any time environment To date GSSs have been studied and employed primarily in the same time/same place setting. Consequently, little is known or understood of the effects that use of these …

A Return On Investment Model For Air Force Technology Transfer, Bradley W. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force policy states the fundamental reason for participating in technology transfer is to maximize the return on investment (ROI) on research and development (R&D) funds. Public law dictates that federal agencies, including the Air Force, are to spend no less than 0.5% of their overall R&D budget in the pursuit of technology transfer. However, there is currently no ROI model available to the decision maker in the evaluation of alternative transfer opportunities. This research effort develops a model that measures the ROI of individual cooperative research and development agreements (CIWAs) on the basis of the objective and subjective benefits …

Full Integration Of Women In The Air Force: Myth Or Possibility?, Helen M. Newell

Theses and Dissertations

The full integration of women in the military, particularly the United States Air Force, has been an ongoing effort. Based on the definition of "full integration" as allowing all qualified military personnel the opportunity to hold any position and accomplish any mission, given that they are in possession of the required capabilities and training, without restriction, certain issues have arisen during the course of the integration process. These issues include sex, as defined by gender and function, the capability of women to accomplish the same tasks as men, and the combat issue. To support and establish the full integration of …

An Investigation Of The Reliability Of The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (Cpars), John C. Odum

Theses and Dissertations

An Industry trend is to establish long-term relationships with reliable suppliers. One of the criteria used to pick these "reliable suppliers" is past performance. The Department of Defense is also attempting to capitalize on this logical trend to the maximum extent possible by using past performance as an evaluation factor in source selections. Air Force Material Command (AFMC) employs the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). This thesis examines the reliability of the CPARS. This thesis found, despite the fact that policy mandates color ratings be based on period objective measures, the cost color ratings were more consistent with cumulative …

Student Assessment Selection Behavior Analysis Of Institutions Conducting Distance Education, Clayton W. Sammons

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discovers issues universities use when deciding what types of exams will be used for distance education students. Many universities conduct distance education courses electronically but do not conduct the evaluation instruments electronically. Universities across the country, diversified by academic rankings, tuition, and student population were interviewed. Results generally revealed security concerns as the most prevalent reason for universities avoiding electronic exams. However, some universities have created evaluation methods to mitigate the security risks and perform electronic assessments such as projects or exams that are tailored to reduce the possibility of cheating. Examples of the tailored exam questions include …

A Comparison Of 8-Hour Vs. 12-Hour Shifts On Performance, Health And Safety In A Usaf Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kelly J. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting a large USAF aircraft maintenance squadron from an 8- hour shift system to a 12-hour shift system. In 1996, the squadron converted its 24-hour operations from three 8-hour work shifts, to two 12-hour work shifts with compressed work weeks. The squadron maintained 12-hour shifts for 19 consecutive months. A comparison was made of organizational performance, worker health and safety measures before, during and after 12-hour shift implementation. Findings indicated that changing from 8- to 12-hour shifts resulted in a slight increase in aircraft Mission Capability rates. However, this benefit appears to have come …