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The Archway Investment Fund Semi Annual Report, May 2008, Bryant University, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

‘’Project Integration’’, Flamur Abdyli

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Project Management Of Road Contruction In Kosova, Vjollca Aliti

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Test Of Understanding Of College Economics, William Walstad, Ken Rebeck

College of Business: Faculty Publications

This edition of the Test of Understanding of College Economics (TUCE-4) is a revision of a test that was developed 40 years ago, and has a long history of use by teachers and researchers in the economics profession. The previous editions and their uses have been described in earlier studies (e.g., Rendigs Fels 1967; Phillip Saunders, Fels, and Arthur L. Welsh 1981; Saunders 1991) and in research in economic education (e.g., William E. Becker 1997).

As with past editions, the TUCE-4 has two main objectives: to offer a reliable and valid assessment instrument for students in principles of economics courses; …

More Evidence On The Value Of Chinese Workers’ Psychological Capital: A Potentially Unlimited Competitive Resource?, Fred Luthans, James Avey, Rachel Clapp-Smith, Weixing Li

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

As China continues its unprecedented economic growth and emergence as a world power, new solutions must be forthcoming to meet the accompanying challenges. We propose a positive approach to Chinese HRM that recognizes, develops and manages the psychological capital (PsyCap) of workers. After providing a brief overview of hope, efficacy, optimism, resilience and overall PsyCap in today’s Chinese context, the results of a follow-up study provide further evidence that the PsyCap of Chinese workers is related to their performance. The implications that this evidencebased value of Chinese workers’ psychological capital has for China now and into the future concludes this …

The Impact Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002 On The U.S. Financial Markets, Sheryl-Ann Kathleen Stephen

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation examines the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) on the U. S. financial markets by investigating three topics: security analysts' performance, security analyst monitoring activity and firm value, and the cost of equity capital. Each topic is presented in a separate essay. In the first essay, the impact of SOX on security analysts' performance is investigated. The findings indicate that security analysts' forecasting performance has deteriorated post-SOX for both large and small firms. In addition, this deterioration in forecasting performance holds across industries. Security analysts have also become pessimistic in their earnings forecasts post-SOX. The second essay examines …

A Study Of Craft Worker Length Of Employment At Select Missouri Construction Companies, Richard D. Bruce

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Craft worker retention is a constant concern of construction firms who selfperform portions of projects. These companies must maintain an understanding oftheir work force. A methodology is presented in this study for studying information in readily available employee databases to gain such an understanding. Using a sample of 10 of Missouri's 17 largest contractors, that employ 5,277 craft workers; this study examined the employee databases to identify differences in mean length of employment based on hire age, craft, union affiliation, and company size. The analysis of variance statistical technique was utilized to test four null hypotheses. Based on the test …

Price Momentum And Idiosyncratic Volatility, Matteo P. Arena, K. Stephen Haggard, Xuemin (Sterling) Yan

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

We find that returns to momentum investing are higher among high idiosyncratic volatility (IVol) stocks, especially high IVol losers. Higher IVol stocks also experience quicker and larger reversals. The findings are consistent with momentum profits being attributable to underreaction to firm-specific information and with IVol limiting arbitrage of the momentum effect. We also find a positive time-series relation between momentum returns and aggregate IVol. Given the long-term rise in IVol, this result helps explain the persistence of momentum profits since Jegadeesh and Titman’s (1993) study.

The Effects Of Stress In The Workplace : An Investigation Of The Impact Stress Has On The Personal And Work Lives Of Police Officers Of The Fairfax County Police Department, Britta A. Connolly

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the ways in which stress impacts the lives of police officers. A survey and observations were conducted at all levels of patrol within the Fairfax County Police Department to determine the impact of stress in the law enforcement environment. The results revealed stress on police officers were manageable yet several areas surfaced that increased stress. Areas where stress impacted the officers were health, absenteeism, and turnover. In order to manage the effects of stress for officers, the department must address and hold their employees as the most important asset in the organization.

Participation In The Police Promotional Process For The Rank Of Sergeant Within The Fairfax County Police Department Fairfax, Virginia, Purvis L. Dawson Jr

Master's Theses

Police Departments across the country are experiencing vast numbers of veteran supervisory and command personnel retiring from public service. Without careful planning, these retirements can create a leadership void that will be difficult to fill with well-qualified candidates. These separations pose a loss of institutional knowledge, expertise and leadership continuity. The research conducted focused on the underlying reasons why highly-competent, experienced police officers are refusing to advance their law enforcement careers in becoming supervisors. The study included a review of the published literature and surveys being administered to 105 non-supervisory Fairfax County Police Officers on their interest in becoming a …

Promoting Locally Grown Foods In Schools Through Developed Classroom Curriculum And Foodservice Educational Tools, Meredith F. Carter

Senior Honors Projects

The Massachusetts’ Farm-to-School Project has worked for years to bring local farmers and school districts together. Focused on improving the markets and economic stability of farmers, while also improving the quality of foods available to students, the project implemented the first annual “Massachusetts Harvest for Students Week” during the week of September 24, 2007. As part of Harvest Week, selected schools in Massachusetts purchased and served foods grown and made by local farmers. Marketing materials were used in the participating school cafeterias, and classroom education regarding local agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability was provided. Harvest Week had the potential to improve …

Scaling The Costs Of 404 Testing To Fit The Needs Of Small Public Companies, Daniel Hallarin

Honors Scholar Theses

In July of 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed by Congress, including section 404 which requires the auditors to test and opine on the company's internal controls. Since that time there has been much debate about whether the intended benefits of increased investor confidence and financial statement transparency trump the unexpectedly high compliance costs, especially for public companies with market-caps less than $75 million. Before these companies begin complying in the upcoming year, interest groups are calling for the requirements to be 'scaled' to better fit the needs of these companies. While auditors already are expected to scale their audit …

France, Italy, And Spain: Culturally Similar Nations, Yet Drastically Different In Their Roles As European Union Nations, Laura Hettinger

Honors Scholar Theses

Since France, Italy and Spain are neighboring Western European countries, whose languages and cultures have descended from Latin, it is inevitable that these countries share similarities on many levels. France, Italy and Spain share similar lifestyles, religious values and cultural heritages. Throughout history France, Italy and Spain have experienced many of the same historical events because of their geographical proximity. Now that all three countries are members of the European Union they have become further united by occupying a common area without border controls, and sharing a common market, laws, and currency.

While France, Italy and Spain share many commonalities, …

Investor Views Of Financial Reporting: Recent Evidence Of The Expectation Gap, Chester H. Brearey

Student Scholarship

Calls for the reformation of financial reporting have exacerbated in recent years in light of a rapidly changing global investment climate and in the wake of financial crises such as Enron. This study explores the existing model of financial reporting, and the characteristics that are identified with investor confidence, and whether they meet their primary objective: providing information that helps users to make resource allocation decisions. The study examines current literature and conducts interviews to determine the types of information that users find relevant. The evidence suggest that the current financial reporting system is overly complex; that there is lack …

Evaluating Long Term Political Consequences Of Economic Restructuring Programs, James Mcgee

Senior Honors Projects

Development assistance loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are accompanied by structural adjustment programs that must be implemented as a condition of receiving the loan. These economic reforms often include currency devaluation, inflation control, increased taxation, market liberalization, decreased expenditure, and a decrease in the size of government. Populations within countries are drastically effected by these structural economic reforms as social welfare programs are often cut, government workers laid off, and the domestic economy struggles to compete in the global marketplace. The implementation of restructuring programs also constrains the policy options that are available to the …

Goldin Ceramics: Website As Primary Advertising Vehicle For Small Business, Alfiya Mukhutdinova

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

I wanted my Honors Capstone Project to capitalize on the combination of advertising, design, and website-building skills I have gained both inside and outside of the classroom during my time atSyracuseUniversity. I wanted the chance to apply my conceptual knowledge as well as my knowledge of advanced design and website software to an actual client with measurable results. I decided to tackle the challenge of creating a new website for my aunt’s small business, Goldin Ceramics. Since Olga’s only method of advertising is in-person at craft shows that she attends roughly once a month, her website plays a crucial role …

An Examination Of Value Line’S Long-Term Projection, Andrew Szakmary, C. Mitchell Conover, Carol Lancaster

Finance Faculty Publications

Unlike previous papers, which have focused on the timeliness ranks, we examine Value Line’s 3–5 year projections for stock returns, earnings, sales and related measures. We find that Value Line’s stock return and earnings forecasts exhibit large positive bias, although their sales predictions do not. For stock returns, Value Line’s projections lack predictive power; for other variables predictive power may exist to some degree. Our findings suggest the spectacular past performance of the timeliness indicator reflects either close alignment with other known anomalies or data mining, and that investors and researchers should use Value Line’s long-term projections with caution.

Who Will Brave The Third Rail?, Anthony J. Cataldo Ii, Peter F. Oehlers

Accounting Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Psychological Climate And Work Attitudes: The Importance Of Telling The Right Story, Bonnie S. O'Neill, Lucy A. Arendt

Management Faculty Research and Publications

In this field study, the authors explore how choosing one context over another influences both research results and implications. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, the authors examine context from both an organizational and a business-unit perspective by studying relationships between five psychological climate variables and outcomes of job satisfaction, affective commitment, and intent to leave. Results show different contextual influences between the organization and two business units, suggesting that different bundles of psychological climate variables yield similar outcomes depending on the context studied. These results bolster the contention that researchers need to identify the right context in field research.

An Empirical Study Of Online Word Of Mouth As A Predictor For Multi-Product Category E-Commerce Sales, Alanah Davis, Deepak Khazanchi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

The ability to exchange opinions and experiences online is known as online word of mouth (WOM) and has been shown in the literature to have the potential to impact e-commerce sales. The purpose of this paper is to expand previous findings by empirically evaluating the impact of online WOM attributes and other related factors (e.g. product views, promotion, and category) on e-commerce sales using real data from a multi-product retail e-commerce firm. Research has previously shown that the introduction of online WOM on a retail e-commerce site can positively impact product sales. We propose and validate a conceptual model of …

Comparative Determinants Of International Equity Diversification, Ying Zhang

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This study provides a comprehensive, simultaneous comparison of the country and sector determinants of international diversification. Specifically, it bridges the theory between the cointegration methodology and diversification by linking market integration, cointegration and portfolio diversification. Cointegration tests are conducted to both analyze the stationarity of country and industry index covariances and to dissect the diversification contributions of each component. Portfolios comprised of market indices independent of cointegrating relations produce, on average, better risk-return profiles than those constructed from cointegrated market indices. Although country and sector allocations both contribute to independent market portfolio gains, the diversification determinants have differential impact on …

The Impact Of Product Stigma On Consumer Behavior: The Effects Of Self Concept And Attitudes, Al Darwan

Student Scholarship

Qualitative research is proposed to study the derivation and effect of stigma in the marketing domain where it has been observed as an underexposed theoretical construct. The study seeks to build on previous research in the social domain by considering how product stigma derives and if it can be characterized similarly in the marketplace. The study is designed to discover, for example, if consumers, in their responses to product stigma, engage in the same stigma development processes that sociologists and psychologists have described operate in social situations. And we are motivated to shed light on how and to what extent …

Decision Making In Complex Environments: The Role Of The Pathfinder Leader, Bruce C. Gockerman

Student Scholarship

In a world of increasingly complex environments decision making processes become ever more important. This research examines the role of the pathfinder leader in a specific collective action of a complex galaxy of actors seeking to develop an enforceable water resources regime and extends that examination to a more general population engaged in complex civic collective actions within the context of municipal governance. This work extends emergent leadership research within governance structures, with implications for research and practice. The research also develops quantitative measures for collective action costs, benefits and outcomes.

Encouraging Entrepreneurial Intentions: The Role Of University/College Environments And Experiences, Rosemary Kamau-Maina

Student Scholarship

The importance of entrepreneurship to economic development is widely debated and acknowledged. With rising unemployment and growing disenchantment with corporate employment, more policy makers and scholars are turning to entrepreneurship and self employment as a solution to youth unemployment. College experiences and learning have the potential to change attitudes, beliefs and focus not only in a student's general life outcomes but also in career orientation. Colleges therefore provide a window of opportunity for creating positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship and influencing students' entrepreneurial self efficacy making careers in entrepreneurship more feasible and desirable. The manner in which these factors inter-relate is …

From Conversation To Learning To Performance: Understanding Great Strategic Conversations, Ann Kowal Smith

Student Scholarship

To develop, maintain and retain competitive advantage, organizations must learn new skills and adapt to rapidly changing environments. My research is focused on the means by which individuals come together to learn from each other, and to collectively advance the objectives of the organization in a fast-paced, changing environment. In particular, I am interested in the power of the conversation and the conversation space as tools to facilitate this learning, to permit individuals to share their own experiences, build on the experiences of others and catalyze innovation. Increasingly, people are called to together to innovate, to solve thorny problems and …

High Tech Entrepreneurial Activity: What Really Matters?, Randall I. Bambrough

Student Scholarship

This study was designed to investigate what potential factors affect high-technology entrepreneurial activity (HTEA) on a regional basis. The fifty largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States in 2005 were examined. The total population covered by these MSAs was 156.1 million of a total United States population of 288.4 million or 54 percent of the entire country. The study is operationalized as a multivariate regression where the dependent variable of HTEA is measured as the per capita amount of high-tech jobs in the region. There are four major independent variables analyzed in the study: financial capital, human capital, …

How Family Firm Members Understand Success And Its Influence On The Family Firm, John E. Neff

Student Scholarship

Family owned businesses are a significant and important component of our economic landscape. However, to date, a full understanding of family firm members' perception of success and the implications for ultimate firm performance has not been articulated. Investigations into family business goals and notions of success have not utilized a multi-stakeholder approach. An improved understanding of how family firm members understand success may provide the basis for evaluating ultimate firm performance from the perspective of family firm stakeholders. Using systems theory as an organizing framework this research proposal seeks to explore how family firm members understand and work to achieve …

Learning Style Influence On Relationship Sales Success, Betty A. Moon

Student Scholarship

This research seeks to explore the use of Kolb's experiential learning theory as a framework for understanding salesperson success in relationship selling. Augmenting previous research, we investigate the influence of advisor learning styles and advisor adaptive flexibility on sales performance. Building on David Kolb's (Kolb, 1976, 1977, 1985) and Richard Boyatzis' (Boyatzis & Kolb, 1993) previous experiential learning research, we selected the Learning Style Inventory and Adaptive Style Inventory as the instruments to gather this data. The results of this research suggest that relationship sales success is influenced by flexibility, regardless of learning style preference.

Promises To Keep: Exploring The Impact Of Procedural Equity On The Restoration Of Trust In Stakeholder-Firm Relationships, Rachel Y. Daniel

Student Scholarship

In November of 2001, Wall Street and Main Street were rocked as Enron filed for bankruptcy protection. This was followed by financial and ethical implosions at Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia, and more recently, Bear Sterns. Today, increased stakeholder distrust is routine. This paper presents a grounded theory research agenda to examine the impact of procedural equity on the restoration of trust with primary stakeholders. Given different levels of trust, the exit, voice, loyalty and neglect (EVLN) typology is used as a framework to understand stakeholder options in the face of distrust. Despite the growing body of literature devoted to …

Sustaining Non-Profit Collaboration: The Relationship Between Governance And Leadership, Nonie Brennan

Student Scholarship

More and more, not-for-profit health and human service organizations are turning to collaboration to address serious community problems. Understanding the role of governance and leadership within a collaborative structure is critical. This research proposal focuses on governance and leadership within interorganizational collaboration addressing health and human service issues. We propose an examination of three collaborations sharing the same lead agency. The intention is to explore the governance structure and the elements of leadership that provide the infrastructure and lay the ground work for a sustained collaboration. The research question is: How do governance structures and leadership practices facilitate sustained collaboration …