Business Commons^™

Immigrant Entrepreneurs And Neighborhood Revitalization: Studies Of The Allston Village, East Boston And Fields Corner Neighborhoods In Boston, Ramon Borges-Mendez, Michael Liu, Paul Watanabe

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Although somewhat later than other major urban areas, Boston has been experiencing fundamental demographic changes. The 2000 Census reported that for the first time non-Hispanic whites constitute a minority of the city’s population. Subsequent Census estimates confirm an even stronger trend toward a rapidly diversifying population.

Immigration has been a major factor in this growth and diversification. A recent report shows that over the last 15 years more than 22,000 new immigrants have annually settled in Massachusetts. The foreign-born as a percentage of the population has grown from 9.4 percent in 1980 to 14.3 percent in 2004.

Massachusetts Marine Trades Workforce Assessment 2005, Dan Hellin

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

In 2005, a partnership between the South Coastal Workforce Investment Board, the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association, Massasoit Community College and the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) of the University of Massachusetts Boston, developed and distributed a survey focused on the status, needs and future challenges faced by marine businesses in the South Coastal region of Massachusetts. The Urban Harbors Institute analyzed the responses and prepared this report to present the results.

The overall aims of the 2005 Marine Trades Workforce Assessment Survey were: to determine the extent of the marine industry’s labor needs in the South Coastal region of Massachusetts; to …

Estimating The Required Return In A World Of Heightened Uncertainty: Emphasizing The Equity Risk Premium, James L. Grant, James A. Albate, Chris Rowberry

Financial Services Forum Publications

Heightened uncertainty over the past five years--due to the bursting of the NASDAQ bubble, the recession of 2001, the September 11th attacks, accounting scandals, and the oil shocks of 2005--has brought new challenges for securities analysts and portfolio managers. This observation is particularly relevant for fundamental equity managers using price relative and/or discounted cash flow (DCF) models. While correctly worrying about values of cash flow input (dividends, free cash flow, economic earnings) to DCF models, portfolio managers must be especially aware of risk factors that impact the required return or discount rate, and relatedly, market valuation multiples. This discount rate …

Service Quality From The Other Side: Information Systems Management At Duquesne Light, Pratyush Bharati, Daniel Berg

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

Service organizations are continuously endeavoring to improve their quality of service as it is of paramount importance to them. Despite the importance of understanding the relationship of service quality and information systems, this research has not been pursued extensively. This study has addressed this gap in the research literature and studied how information systems impacts service quality. A research model is developed based on IS success model. System quality, information quality, user IT characteristics, employee IT performance and technical support are identified as important elements that influence service quality. An in-depth case study from the electric utility industry is used …

Tactical Asset Allocation And Presidential Elections, James L. Grant, Emery A. Trahan

Financial Services Forum Publications

We analyze tactical asset allocation decisions around presidential elections using traditional methodology and then in the context of an efficient frontier analysis rather than the traditional stock-only or bond-only allocations in prior literature. To our knowledge, this is the first paper in the literature that addresses asset returns around presidential elections in a mean-variance efficient frontier framework. We find that the efficient frontier is sensitive to presidential time periods, with Democrats providing the best risk-reward opportunities over the long term, while Republicans provide better opportunities over the past quarter century.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002 And Its Effects On American Business, Lara Bergen

Financial Services Forum Publications

In the wake of the 2001-2002 Arthur Andersen accounting scandal and collapse of Enron and WorldCom, the government, the investors and the American public demanded corporate reforms to prevent similar future occurrences. Viewed to be largely a result of failed or poor governance, insufficient disclosure practices, and a lack of satisfactory internal controls, in 2002 Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act seeking to set standards and guarantee the accuracy of financial reports.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (known as SARBOX or SOX) sought to address these concerns through making executives responsible for company accounting statements, redefining the relationships between corporations and their auditors, …

The Effect Of The Form Of Tax Incentives On Individuals’ Savings Decisions, Julia Brennan, David S. Hulse, Cynthia Vines

Financial Services Forum Publications

Congress and the media have both expressed concerns about Americans’ low savings rates. We address these concerns by investigating the extent to which the form of an investment’s tax preference affects individuals’ willingness to choose a tax-preferred vehicle over a less restrictive, but non-tax-preferred, investment. Specifically, we tested the extent to which subjects chose a traditional savings plan versus an investment resembling either a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or government matching program. We find that subjects are not as sensitive to the form of the tax preference as they are to restrictions on their ability to withdraw funds. This suggests …

Boston Harbor Islands Renewables Planning Guide, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Island Alliance

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This document presents a summary of findings and recommendations from a predevelopment study of the feasibility of establishing renewable energy power generation on several of the grid-tied Boston Harbor Islands. The scope of the study was to investigate the factors and issues associated with installing a mix of renewables — wind, solar, wave and tidal/current power generating facilities — with a combined output of between one and ten megawatts at sites on or around five of the Boston Harbor Islands. Four of these islands are presently grid-tied: Long Island, Moon Island, Spectacle Island, and Thompson Island. A fifth island, Peddocks …

When To Consider Synergies In Project Portfolio Decisions, Jeffrey Keisler

College of Management Working Papers and Reports

Portfolio decision analysis often evaluates R&D projects one at a time and uses these evaluations as the basis for profit-maximizing funding decisions. This approach can overlook strategic fit between projects. In theory, it is possible to identify synergies between projects and then fund the set of projects that maximize profit. In practice, the time and attention required to identify all such synergies may be prohibitive. Several analytic strategies are applied to simulated project portfolios with varying characteristics, using a matrix representation of interdependent portfolio elements. The results illustrate the potential impact on portfolio profit accruing from various means of considering …

Additivity Of Information Value In Two-Act Linear Loss Decisions With Normal Priors, Jeffrey Keisler

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

For the two-act linear loss decision problem with normal priors, conditions are derived for which the expected value of perfect information about two independent risks is super-additive in value. Several applications show how a variety of decision problems can reduce to the canonical problem, and how the general results obtained here can be translated simply to prescriptions for specific situations.

Non-Profit Hospitals Face Structural As Well As Financial Challenges: Lessons From Massachusetts, Eric W. Hayden

Financial Services Forum Publications

Like most non-profit hospitals, those of Massachusetts are facing serious financial challenges. While the immediate issue is the shortfall between revenues and expenses, the paper finds that their real problems are structural, evidenced by at least three systemic impediments -uncompensated care, over-utilization of teaching hospitals, and an increasingly unattractive environment for the practice of medicine. Other states whose non-profit hospitals face persistent financial difficulties may find it useful to consider whether structural impediments of the type facing Massachusetts undermine the operating performance of their own institutions.

Measuring Investor Sentiment In Equity Markets, Arindam Bandopadhyaya, Anne Leah Jones

Financial Services Forum Publications

Recently, investor sentiment has become the focus of many studies on asset pricing. Research has demonstrated that changes in investor sentiment may trigger changes in asset prices, and that investor sentiment may be an important component of the market pricing process. Some authors suggest that shifts in investor sentiment may in some instances better explain short-term movement in asset prices than any other set of fundamental factors. In this paper we develop an Equity Market Sentiment Index from publicly available data, and we then demonstrate how this measure can be used in a stock market setting by studying the price …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Creative Involvement Of Community-Based Disability Organizations At One-Stop Career Centers, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Heike Boeltzig

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) facilitates partnerships among organizations for more coordinated service delivery to all job seekers. Although the state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency is the only disability agency or program that is a mandated partner under WIA, community-based disability organizations (CBOs) can also work with One-Stop Career Centers to enhance their capacity to support customers with disabilities. Through case study research, the Institute for Community Inclusion identified several models of involvement between CBOs and One-Stops. These models illustrate that organizations can be creative in developing their partner roles to meet the needs of both their staff and their …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Strategies For Maximizing Staff Competence When Supporting Job Seekers With Disabilities In One-Stop Career Centers, Allison Cohen Hall, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Since states began implementing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, One-Stop Career Centers have had to address the challenges of serving all customers seeking services, including job seekers with disabilities. To meet this challenge, many local One-Stops have demonstrated commitment to and progress towards creating innovative practices that positively affect access for job seekers with disabilities in the workforce system. The following brief is offered as a tool for local workforce systems to help achieve meaningful employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. This brief is part of a series of products offering practical solutions for Local Workforce Investment …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Tackling Fiscal Issues, Heike Boeltzig, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) established a network of One-Stop Career Centers by integrating different employment and training services into one comprehensive workforce investment system. Within this environment, One-Stop partners are mandated to collaborate to create a seamless service delivery system that enhances access to services and improves employment outcomes for all individuals, including those with disabilities. WIA's intent was to establish local workforce development systems that would respond to their areas' specific needs with unique solutions and creative partnerships. In addition to service delivery, WIA encourages One-Stop partners to share in the operating costs of the One-Stop …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Levels Of Involvement Of State Vr Agencies With Other One-Stop Partners, Sheila Fesko, Doris Hamner

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) emphasizes coordination and collaboration for better service delivery between state departments of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and other One-Stop partners. Although WIA's requirements for VR participation are clear, the parameters of this partnership are flexible and depend on a variety of factors within each state and local system. Defining the role of VR has had its challenges, as is the case for many partners in the WIA system. However, there are numerous examples of VR agencies working creatively to establish effective partnerships that positively influence services for job seekers with disabilities in the One-Stop system. The …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Underutilization Of One-Stops By People With Significant Disabilities, Doris Hamner, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) identifies individuals with disabilities as among the constituencies to be served by One-Stop Career Centers. Due to a variety of factors, including lack of an overall One-Stop data collection system, no clear way to identify disability in the system, and non-disclosure of disability by many customers, it is difficult to ascertain the exact level of One-Stop usage by people with disabilities. However, existing data sources and anecdotal evidence indicate that people with disabilities underutilize One-Stops. The number of people with disabilities that use One-Stops seems to be lower than what would be expected based on …

Bond And Stock Market Linkages: The Case Of Mexico And Brazil, Arindam Bandopadhyaya

Financial Services Forum Publications

This paper examines the Brady bond market of two largest Latin American economies, Mexico and Brazil. Results indicate that stripped yield of each market in the very near future is determined primarily by the past yields in the respective markets. However, over a longer-term horizon the interrelationships between the bond markets and the stock markets of the two countries become important. Future yields in the Mexican bond market are affected by the current returns in the Mexican stock market, and to a certain extent the yields in the Brazilian bond market. A significant portion of the future variation in the …

India’S It Services Industry: A Comparative Analysis, Pratyush Bharati

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.