Business Commons^™

Factors That Enhance Consumer Trust In Human-Computer Interaction: An Examination Of Interface Factors And Moderating Influences, Eun-Ju Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

The Internet coupled with agent technology presents a unique setting to examine consumer trust. Since the Internet is a relatively new, technically complex environment where human-computer interaction (HCI) is the basic communication modality, there is greater perception of risk facing consumers and hence a greater need for trust. In this dissertation, the notion of consumer trust was revisited and conceptually redefined adopting an integrative perspective. A critical test of trust theory revealed its cognitive (i.e., competence, information credibility), affective (i.e., benevolence), and intentional (i.e., trusting intention) constructs. The theoretical relationships among these trust constructs were confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis …

A Statistical Approach To Analyzing Investment Strategies, Michele L. Jackson

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

It often takes very little to make the difference between financial failure and success, but in times of extreme market volatility, even the relatively sophisticated investor can sometimes be caught off guard. People cannot afford to ignore their investments. Without a coordinated strategy, it can be difficult to build an effective investment portfolio that meets individual financial needs. As an individual investor, it is important to evaluate each investment in the context of the overall objectives. A fundamental key to being successful when building a stick investment portfolio is understanding the history of the stock market. This makes investors aware …

The Role Of Local Attributes In Community Choice, Michele Ann Mcmahon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residential location choices are analyzed to determine the significance of local attributes in the moving decision. A unique data set consisting of 602 recent movers in Maine is used to perform the analysis. Additionally, municipality-level data for 531 municipalities in Maine are used in the analysis. The community-level data are fiscal, social, and environmental in nature. A conditional logit model is estimated to model the choice of community as a function of the community characteristics, and a mixed logit model is estimated to model the choice of community as a function of both community characteristics and characteristics of the household. …

The Effect Of An Introductory Computer Course On Online Instruction Self-Efficacy Of Undergraduate Students, Iryna P. Loboda

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an introductory computer course on online instruction self-efficacy and significance of demographic variables of gender, age, formal computer training, computer experience, online instruction experience, and Internet experience in relation to online instruction selfefficacy.

This was accomplished by assessing online instruction self-efficacy beliefs of undergraduate students of the College of Human Ecology, the University of Tennessee who were enrolled in an introductory computer course in spring and summer 2002. The population sample included 92 students who completed the Tennessee Online Instruction Scale (TOIS) at the beginning and at the end …

Examining The Similarities And Differences In Benefits Of School-To-Work As A Workforce Development Strategy: A Study Of Key Stakeholder Involvement Using A Multiple Case Study Approach, Alton Leon Alford

Dissertations

Violence is a significant occupational hazard in the American workplace. Nearly a thousand employees are murdered on the job each year and workplacehomicide has become the leading cause of death for women and the second for men. From 1993 to 1999, there were an average of 1.7 million nonfatal violent victimizations each year, accounting for 18% of all violent crime. Although government employees accounted for 18% of the U.S. workforce, they made up 37% of workplace violence victims.

A review of literature found no unified definition of workplace violence. Recent scientific research regarding this problem is rare, despite its increasing …

An Empirical Analysis Of Auditor Resignations, Harold Edward Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

There were two main objectives of this study. The first objective was to develop a theoretical model that will explain auditor resignations. To meet this objective, a model was developed which was primarily grounded in prior research related to auditor resignations as well as prior research addressing auditor switching. The second objective was to estimate the model at four different quarterly dates immediately prior to an event date (i.e., the resignation date) so that the effects of time on the explanatory power of the model and each independent variable could be ascertained. This objective was met by identifying and collecting …

Survival Analysis Of Internet Companies: An Application Of The Hazard Model, Khaled Elkhal

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to develop a model that predicts failure and estimates the time of survival of dotcoms using a number of financial and non-financial factors. This model can be used as a warning tool for stockholders, creditors, and consumers to protect themselves from such failures.

I employ the Cox (1972) Proportional Hazards Model in a cross-sectional and time-varying context using financial data over the 1998–2001 period. Results from a cross-sectional analysis reveal that the coefficient estimates for variables CFTL and NSTA are consistently negative and highly significant. This suggests that higher sales and cash flows lower …

International Law And Business Practice : Corporate Accountability And Compliance Issues In The Petroleum Industry, Emeka Duruigbo

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to strengthen international law by incorporating and integrating multinational corporations more fully into the international legal system. It argues that the undeniable role of multinational corporations as primary players in the global economy and international politics necessitates or demands adequate acknowledgement in the international legal structure. Accordingly, due recognition should be accorded the rights and privileges of multinationals. Concomitant to that, corresponding duties and responsibilities should be attached to these corporate entities in international law.

Many far-reaching advantages will flow from such development. The corporations will enjoy de jure protection, which would enhance their business operations across …

宗法宗族思想觀念與中國私營企業管理, Ping Wang

Lingnan Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Discovery And Modeling In Genomic Databases, Michael M. Yin

Dissertations

This dissertation research is targeted toward developing effective and accurate methods for identifying gene structures in the genomes of high eukaryotes, such as vertebrate organisms. Several effective hidden Markov models (HMMs) are developed to represent the consensus and degeneracy features of the functional sites including protein-translation start sites, mRNA splicing junction donor and acceptor sites in vertebrate genes. The HMM system based on the developed models is fully trained using an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm and the system performance is evaluated using a 10-way cross-validation method. Experimental results show that the proposed HMM system achieves high sensitivity and specificity in …

Intramural, Collaborative Learning Systems, Robert S. Friedman

Theses

This thesis focuses on three related concepts: problem-based collaborative learning; the use of multimedia tools in learning systems; and participatory design as a software engineering methodology to create multimedia tools to be used in learning systems. A literature review of the three areas is followed by an overview of the pedagogical, technological, and business trends that affect the direction of innovation in education, including problem-based learning. A discussion of a software engineering project to develop a multimedia application that enhances the learning of geography skills and puts the programming, interface design and multimedia systems capabilities of college students into action …

Branding Of Professional Service Firms, Aditi Balasubramaniam

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study On Intercollegiate Athletics: Should Student-Athletes Receive Pay For Play?, Darryl Matus

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

As can be said for many organizations, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will have many issues to contend with in the 21' century. New rules and regulations have been implemented over the past 10 years among all three divisions. Different and similar issues face all universities and colleges holding membership in the Association, which is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of the major issues facing the NCAA is whether student-athletes should be paid for their services due to the commercialization that has taken place over the past 25 years.

All NCAA sponsored sports are amateur based. However, with many …

Behavioral Finance: Psychographics, Curt W. Becker

Student Work

This research is a review of psychographics and its impact on rejoinder. Experiments were conducted to ascertain the association between two stimuli and changes in habitual behavior. The foci of this review are to examine applicable, previous research and compare with results on the two stimuli. Statistically different responses to the stimuli were observed.

Facilitators And Impediments In Moving Firms Toward Supply Chain Management: A Qualitative Field Study, Dewayne Lee Searcy

Doctoral Dissertations

Competing at the supply chain level, instead of at the individual firm level, is widely recognized today as a potential source of competitive advantage (Christopher 1992, Spekman et al. 2001). To compete on a supply chain level implies firms within a supply chain must develop and enhance internal, as well as, external competencies.

Intuitively, firms must have some degree of internal integration before they can reap significant benefits from engaging in supply chain management (SCM). As firms become more efficient and effective coordinating their internal processes and operations they soon realize significant improvements are possible by coordinating and linking their …

Intelligent Data Mining Using Kernel Functions And Information Criteria, Zhenqiu Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

Radial Basis Function (RBF) Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines (SVM) are two powerful kernel related intelligent data mining techniques. The current major problems with these methods are over-fitting and the existence of too many free parameters. The way to select the parameters can directly affect the generalization performance(test error) of theses models. Current practice in how to choose the model parameters is an art, rather than a science in this research area. Often, some parameters are predetermined, or randomly chosen. Other parameters are selected through repeated experiments that are time consuming, costly, and computationally very intensive. In this dissertation, …

Community, Fortitude, Satisfaction, And Loyalty: Tests Of Oliver's Proposed Frameworks, J. Martin Fraering

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This paper discusses tests of two competing loyalty frameworks proposed by Richard L. Oliver. The cognition to action (CTA) loyalty model specifies four phases: cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, conative loyalty, and action loyalty, a framework originally discussed by Oliver. The fortitude-community (F-C) loyalty model argues that loyalty is a function of the degree of personal fortitude and the extent to which customers feel that they are members of a community of consumers. In both of these models loyalty is posited to arise from customer satisfaction. Research hypotheses are formulated that assert positive relationships between satisfaction and various loyalty constructs. The …

Determinants Of Consumer Behavior In An E-Commerce Environment, Xiang Xue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online specialty food and beverage marketing has developed rapidly in the last decade. With the obvious increase in the sales income, researchers showed more and more interests in this promising market. Previous studies in this field primarily focused on the demographic profiling of the online specialty food consumers as well as initial analysis in the factors that motivate their purchase behavior. However, it is far from fully explaining consumer's online shopping activities. In order to solve these problems, new methods should be attempted to determine the factors influencing consumer's online buying behavior. A cluster analysis was developed to identify what …

Fiber Splitting Of Bicomponet Melt Blown Microfiber Nonwovens By Chemical And Water Treatment, Hua Song

Masters Theses

The melt blowning process is unique because it is used almost exclusively to produce microfibers rather than fibers the size of normal textile fibers. With bicomponent meltblown bicomponent fabrics, PLA/PP and PLA/PTT, an alkaline treatment was applied to the fabrics, causing the dissolvable part (PLA) removed from the bicomponent fibers.

Alternatively, water treatment is preferred compared to alkaline treatment. Water dispersive Eastman AQ polymers were introduced to melt blown processing for the first time. After the water dispersive AQ polymer was determined to be able to be processed into a nonwoven fabric using the melt blowing processing line, the feasibility …

A Study Of Nonwoven Composites, Shaker Gaddam

Masters Theses

Preliminary work on nonwoven composites at The University of Tennessee showed that spunbond/meltblown (SM) and spunbond/meltblown/spunbond (SMS) nonwoven composites containing side-by-side (S/S) bicomponent PP/PE fiber meltblown webs had lower flexural rigidity than 100%PP SB webs and that the SM composites had discernibly softer hand than did the composites made from 100% PP in the meltblown component.

This study further optimizes the production and processing parameters of the SM and SMS laminates containing MB webs with different ratios of the bicomponent polymer pairs PP and PE. The resultant laminates were tested for barrier performance, tensile strength, hydrostatic head (HH), air permeability …

A Simulation Study To Investigate Runway Capacity Using Taam, Prakash Subramanian

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study outlines a method to evaluate runway layouts using simulation, to aid in the airport planning and decision making process. As a sample study, the maximum throughput capacities of proposed expansion alternatives at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), constrained at varying levels, are identified. The objective is to compare the ultimate airport capacities achievable for each of the different layouts to estimate their respective efficiencies in terms of runway system utilization. Given its capabilities for modeling at a very high level of detail and closely representing reality in terms of applicable separation standards and air traffic control procedures, TAAM (Total …

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 …

An Empirical Investigation Into The Personal Value Systems Of Accounting Managers Of Cpa Firms, Morsheda T. Hassan

Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this dissertation were to empirically examine (i) the primary value orientation of CPA firms' managers; (ii) the value profile of these managers; (iii) the relationship between the personal value systems of CPA firm's managers and their managerial decisions, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and managerial success; (iv) whether the personal value systems of CPA firms' differ by gender or age; (v) differences between the personal value systems of CPA firm's managers affiliated with the departments of auditing, taxation, consulting, information technology, general administration, or others, and (vi) differences between the personal value systems of CPA firms' managers and …

An Exploratory Study On The Relationships Among Electorate's Voting Behavior, Party Identification, Personal Values, And Demographic Characteristics, Kuan-Shun Chiu

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was proposed to examine if there existed significant differences in voters' party identification and voting behavior due to gender, race, age, income, education and personal values.

The sample was chosen from eligible voters in Florida. Of the 1500 questionnaires managed, 161 were identified as useable. The sample was representative of the results of 2000 presidential election in Florida with respect to voters' gender, race, income, and voting choice by party identification. Statistical techniques used were ANOVAs, Chi-square statistics, factor analysis, and logistic regression.

This study demonstrates how personal values may be associated with demographic characteristics to create a …

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 …

Aligning Hierarchical Goals In An Organization: The Path From Training To Performance, Jeanette Denise Selby-Lucas

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Training is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and with the advent of the training technology revolution and the possibilities it provides to business and government, as well as to the academic community, it is important to determine if the money invested in training by these communities is providing the expected performance on the part of those who are trained. This can be done by quantitatively evaluating the relationship between training and performance.

This study extends the scholarly literature by developing the concept of organizational alignment through a combination of Human Performance Technology literature and traditional engineering methodologies. Organizational training and performance is …

Creating Inclusive Organizations: Its Meaning And Measurement, Bryan Christopher Hayes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

There is growing interest in the concept of inclusion by both scientists and practitioners. The goal of the current study was to bring empirical support to the organizational inclusion literature. Inclusion was defined as a psychosocial need and a model was developed specifying its relationship to antecedent and consequence variables. The measurement model was explored with a sample of responses from 418 undergraduate students (Study 1). The measurement model was confirmed and the structural model was assessed with a sample of responses from 609 employees of a medical center (Study 2). Results of structural equation modeling provided limited support for …

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. …

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 …

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, …