Business Commons^™

New Algorithms For Optimal Portfolio Selection, Tanja Magoc

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past four thousand years, numerous techniques have been developed and used to address problems in Finance. These techniques include simple arithmetic calculations and probabilistic methods as well as intelligent systems techniques such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, multi-agent systems, and support vector machines. The techniques have been developed to accurately and quickly collect, validate, analyze, and integrate data that change dynamically.

The particular problem that we address in this Dissertation is the construction of efficient algorithms for the problem of an optimal portfolio selection, that is, algorithms that would accurately and in real time determine the best distribution …

Structural Changes In U.S. Agricultural Production And Productivity, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matthew A. Andersen

Agribusiness

The structure of U.S. agricultural production changed dramatically during the 20th Century. Major technological innovations transformed the relationship between agricultural inputs and outputs, and contributed to rapid increases in agricultural productivity. However, evidence is mounting that suggests we have entered a new era, with substantially lower rates of productivity growth. In this article, we examine trends and spatial patterns in agricultural input use, production of outputs, and productivity. We focus on productivity growth over the period 1949–2002, and find a statistically significant slowdown in productivity growth after 1990.

Setting Agricultural Science Strategy In Tumultuous Economic Times, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey

Agribusiness

The international competitiveness and prosperity of U.S. agriculture depends on steady and rapid productivity growth fueled by public agricultural research and development (R&D). Agricultural science benefits consumers and the environment, not just farmers. Enhanced productivity as a result of agricultural R&D means that consumers have access to a more abundant, cheaper, safer, higher quality, and more diverse and convenient food supply, produced with less stress on natural resources and the environment. From a global perspective, productivity growth allows agricultural production to increase faster than demand; food has become much cheaper over time in spite of a rapidly growing world population …

The Economics Of Agricultural R&D, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Jennifer S. James, Matthew A. Andersen

Agribusiness

Agricultural research has transformed agriculture and in doing so contributed to the transformation of economies. Economic issues arise because agricultural research is subject to various market failures, because the resulting innovations and technological changes have important economic consequences for net income and its distribution, and because the consequences are difficult to discern and attribute. Economists have developed models and measures of the economic consequences of agricultural R&D and related policies in contributions that relate to a very broad literature ranging across production economics, development economics, industrial organization, economic history, welfare economics, political economy, econometrics, and so on. A key general …

Economics And Policy Context For The Biological Management Of Soil Fertility (Bmsf) In Ethiopia, Habtamu T. Kassahun, Charles F. Nicholson, Dawit Solomon, Amy S. Collick, Tammo S. Steenhuis

Agribusiness

Many developing countries implement programs and policies to increase or maintain soil fertility, with the objectives of increased crop yields and decreased poverty. However, few countries give emphasis to the biological management of soil fertility (BMSF) compared to more traditional approaches. Ethiopia emphasizes the use synthetic fertilizers to increase food security and reduce poverty, with little attention to BMSF. This paper examines the long term fertilizer consumption and agricultural productivity response trend and discusses the potential for BMSF to promote agricultural productivity and reduce poverty in Ethiopia. The paper also discusses the Economics and Policy Context for BMSF for the …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Scholar-Baller And Non Scholar-Baller Division I Football Student-Athletes' Academic, Athletic, Intrinsic Motivation And Athletic Identity, Janet Rasmussen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As less than 3 % of student-athletes go on to play sport professionally, it is important that they are prepared for careers outside of athletics (Susanj & Stewart, 2005). Many football student-athletes have low grade point averages and graduation rates. Universities incorporate academic motivational programs to help combat low academic performance. One unique program, Scholar-Baller, utilizes popular culture within its curriculum to bridge the gap between academics and athletics. This dissertation examined the differences between Scholar-Baller and Non Scholar-Baller Division I football student-athletes' motivation (academic, athletic, intrinsic) and athletic identity using expectancy-value theory and self-affirmation theory as its framework. In …

Adventures In Space: The Future Of Tourism, Exhibit Brochure, Sandra Varry

Rosen Library Exhibits

No abstract provided.

Restaurant Ownership Made Easy: Four Fast Franchises, Exhibit Brochure, Tanya Jo Ormseth

Rosen Library Exhibits

No abstract provided.

What Happens In Vegas Doesn't Always Stay In Vegas: Nevada Corporations Enjoy A Disproportionate Share Of Sec Trading Suspensions, Anthony J. Cataldo Ii, Peter F. Oehlers, Robert C. Scanlon

Accounting Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Professional Women: The Continuing Struggle For Acceptance And Equality, Pearl Jacobs, Linda Schain

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

During the past fifty years, the situation of professional women has changed dramatically. Women have expanded their career aspirations. They are no longer confined to traditional female fields such as education or nursing. We have seen the integration of women into previously male dominated fields such as accounting, medicine, law, etc. Integration; however, does not necessarily mean acceptance and equality nor does it mean that the stress created by work-family conflict has been resolved. This paper will examine some of the issues that continue to plague women as they attempt to progress in their professional fields.

Organizational Justice And Fairness In China: An Inductive Analysis Of The Meaning And Dimensions, Chun (Grace) Guo, Jane K. Giacobbe-Miller

WCBT Faculty Publications

Taking an inductive approach, we examined the meaning and dimensionality of the organizational justice construct in the People's Republic of China. By triangulating qualitative data from in-depth interviews and structured open-ended surveys, we found that organizational justice and organizational fairness were perceived as distinct constructs in a Chinese context.

Strategic Human Resource Management At The Crossroads: Relationships Among Human Resource Capital, Overlapping Tenure, Behaviors, And Performance, Christopher Harris

Management Dissertations - Archive

Empirical work in strategic human resource management has tended to focus solely on the relationship between human resource practices and firm performance. This study attempts to shift the focus of strategic human resource management to the human resource pool to examine the influence that the human resource has on performance. Additionally, this study examines the social capital variable of overlapping tenure, which is the amount of time individuals have worked together towards common performance outcomes. The resource-based view of the firm is employed as the guiding theoretical framework in which to examine the relationships of human capital and social capital …

The Role Of Intuition In Ethical Decision Making, James Richard Guzak

Management Dissertations - Archive

The literature regarding ethical decision making has focused almost exclusively on examination of variables that test relationships between individual or situational differences and ethicality. These examinations, on the whole, have not been fruitful. Little attention has been given to the actual process of ethical decision making to try to explain how ethical decisions are made, not just under what circumstances they might occur. Recently, some authors have begun to suggest that intuition and affect might play an important role in our ethical decision making processes. This paper examines evidence as to whether the ethical decision making process uses both rationality …

H. Wayne Huizenga College Of Business And Entrepreneurship Graduate Student Catalog 2009-2010, Nova Southeastern University

Huizenga Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Continuous-Flow, Rapid Lysis Devices For Biodefense Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Systems, Robert W. Doebler, Barbara Erwin, Anna Hickerson, Bruce Irvine, Denice Woyski, Ali Nadim, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two mechanical lysis devices have been developed as compact, robust components to provide rapid sample preparation for nucleic acid diagnostic systems. One such component, known as the Micro Bead-Beater™ (μBB™, BBTM, Claremont BioSolutions, Upland, CA), is a compact device that is capable of ultrarapid lysis (>90% lysis in 30 s) of micro volumes (< 80 μL) of Bacillus spores in a continuous-flow format or in a disposable single-tube format. The μBB is also capable of processing much larger volumes of solutions containing spores or vegetative cells using a continuous-flow mode. A second mechanical lysis device designed as a disposable component is the microfluidic bead blender, which uses a small electric motor to spin vanes within the bead-laden solution. DNA quantification results using dsDNA-binding fluorescence dyes and real-time PCR are presented, comparing the lysis of Bacillus subtilis spores using the μBB™ with other well-known lysis techniques. Nanoscale imaging results obtained using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy on B. subtilis spores lyzed using the μBB™ are also presented. © 2009, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. All rights reserved.

Examing The Need For A Code Of Conduct In New Jersey Teacher Union Contracts, Cristina M. Guarneri

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Generating Opportunity From Uncertainty, David R. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Learning to deal with uncertainty makes organizations more robust. Leaders can take steps to help their organizations take advantage uncertainty. When continued success transitions from informed decision to luck, small differences in the ability of organizations to handle uncertainty can have a large impact. An example from military history is used to outline current day lessons for military and business leaders.

Panel: Exploring Approaches To It Project Management Pedagogy, Robert Brookshire, Monica Adya, Katia Passerini, Karen P. Patten, Carol E. Pollard, Russell W. Robbins

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Achieving High Performance Outcomes Through Trust In Virtual Teams, Bonnie S. O'Neill, Todd Nilson

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Developing trust among team members is critical for achieving high performance outcomes. Recently, global business operations necessitated working in a team environment with colleagues outside traditional organizational boundaries, across distances, and across time zones. In this article, we discuss how human resource practices can support organizational initiatives when business operations mandate increased virtual teamwork. We examine the role of HR in enhancing relationship building and the development of trust among workers who may rarely, if ever, meet face-toface. Using research from teamwork, social exchange theory, and knowledge sharing, we discuss how four areas of human resources management—recruitment, training, performance appraisal, …

Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The commons is a theoretical formalism that is useful in understanding many diverse problems of civil society. A common (or commons) is an economic, political, social, and legal institution that enables joint, shared, mutual or collective natural or social action by agents using a “pool” of shared or jointly held or mutually controlled resources. A substantial body of work exists detailing natural common resource pools acted upon by physical or biological agents. Another large body of work on humanly-directed natural resource pools study the human-natural environment interface, interspecies conflict and population density. Studies of social commons have also looked at …

Crummer/Suntrust Portfolio: Analysis And Recommendations [2009], Troy Mcclell, Victor Genev, Justin Fitch, Tyler Tedrow, Tim Russell, Abigail Martin, Greg Gabowski, Kate Bauernschmidt, Lander Iriarte, Arif Somji, Joe Volpe, Bessie Newman, Danny Gardner, Renaldo Lama, Grant Mccaghren

Crummer Truist Portfolios

The first consideration was determining the amount of risk that should be taken. At present, the portfolio has a defensive position, guarding against a turbulent economy. However, as the portfolio trades only once a year, the question facing the team was when the market will rebound. If we believe the market will rebound between now and May, 2010, it would be prudent to position the portfolio more aggressively than it is currently allocated. Conversely, if the market remains uncertain, continuing a defensive position is sensible. The determination of the team was to take a more aggressive position than the portfolio …

Price Dispersion With Directed Search, Gabriele Camera, Cemil Selcuk

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

We present a model that generates empirically plausible price distributions in directed search equilibrium. There are many identical buyers and many identical capacity-constrained sellers who post prices. These prices can be renegotiated to some degree and the outcome depends on the number of buyers who want to purchase the good. In equilibrium all sellers post the same price, demand is randomly distributed, and there is sale price dispersion. Prices and distributions depend on market tightness and on the properties of renegotiation outcomes. In a labor market context, the model generates a strong empirical prediction. If workers can renegotiate the posted …

Reinforcement Learning And Savings Behavior, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Andrew Metrick

Faculty Publications

We show that individual investors over-extrapolate from their personal experience when making savings decisions. Investors who experience particularly rewarding outcomes from 401(k) saving—a high average and/or low variance return—increase their 401(k) savings rate more than investors who have less rewarding experiences. This finding is not driven by aggregate time-series shocks, income effects, rational learning about investing skill, investor fixed effects, or time-varying investor-level heterogeneity that is correlated with portfolio allocations to stock, bond, and cash asset classes. We discuss implications for the equity premium puzzle and interventions aimed at improving household financial outcomes.

Cultural And Diversity Perceptions Of It Workers Of Indian Descent, Amy B. Woszcznyski, P. Dembla, Sherri Shade

Faculty Articles

Globalization has led to increased use of international work teams comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Beliefs and values of individuals affect the working of such groups, so it is important to understand these differences. The aim of this paper is to understand the cultural and diversity perceptions of IT workers specifically of Indian descent. Two instruments, namely the Diversity Perceptions Index and Hofstede Value survey, were used to collect data. One hundred and eleven respondents of Indian descent working in the IT field completed the survey. Descriptive statistics provided initial results and discussion. The respondents valued diversity, although they …

Crm In Russia And U.S. -- Case Study From American Financial Service Industry, Tamilla Curtis, Tom Griffin, Donald Barrere

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

This paper discusses Customer Relationship Management in two sharply contrasting business cultures: the United States and Russia. Included in the present work is a case study of a midsized American financial services firm that illustrates a common path to the decision to have a CRM system: the planning, selection, and the implementation of the CRM program, including a discussion of the likelihood of success. The clients in this case are Financial Advisors, who in turn sell the investment products to the end user individual investors. CRM in Russia is yet in its infancy as the economy emerges from 200 years …

Predicting Inter -Organizational Knowledge Satisfaction Through Knowledge Conversion And Task Characteristics In A Minority -Owned Business, Terrence L. Ward

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge management has been extensively studied from the single organization (intra-organizational) perspective for many years. Although the literature on intra-organizational knowledge is extensive, there still exist gaps in the literature with regards to knowledge being shared by multiple organizations (inter-organizational knowledge). Inter-organizational knowledge satisfaction is gained when the organizations successfully embody the knowledge gained via the cooperation and crystallizes that knowledge within the organization. The problem addressed in this study is the lack of a model for predicting inter-organizational knowledge satisfaction utilizing task characteristics and the knowledge conversion process. The purpose of the study was to predict inter-organizational knowledge satisfaction …

Letter From The Dean, Lalit Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Universities In Attaining Regional Competitiveness Under Adversity – A Research Proposal, S. Hartman, C. C. Trumbach, O. Lundberg

Management Faculty Publications

This study examines the role of the university in attaining regional competitiveness in technology in periods of extreme adversity such as has been the case in the post-Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In such situations, much can be learned from the experiences of developing nations which have successfully attained technological leadership in specific niches. University leadership will be important in several arenas. Teaching and research will need to be targeted to regionally-important areas. The research findings must be transferred to organizations which can exploit opportunities and develop needed technologies. Universities can serve as both disseminators …

Technical Efficiency Estimates Of Cherokee Agriculture: A Pre- And Post-Removal Analysis, Matthew T. Gregg

Business Faculty Publications

Although there is a large literature on the pre-removal Cherokee acculturation during the early nineteenth century there are no estimates of the technical efficiency of Cherokee agriculture. In this paper two sets of nineteenth century farming data on Cherokee households are used to estimate Shephard output distance functions and to model the determinants of Cherokee technical efficiency. Controlling for farm size, spatial heterogeneity, market orientation, and experience, technical efficiency was between 7% and 9% greater in mixed-blooded households than in full-blooded households. However, using pooled time series data of post-removal Cherokee farm households in North Carolina, Cherokee technical efficiency ranged …