Business Commons^™

Satellite Photography: Instrumental, Rhetorical, Affective?, Irangi Kaushalya Egodapitiya

Masters Theses

"This study examines how tsunami satellite images operate and could provoke various interpretations. The goal of this research project is to study whether the interpretation of tsunami satellite images could extend beyond scientific features to affective messages. Primarily based on the satellite images of Sri Lanka taken before and during the 2004 tsunami, this study analyses: How could mechanical satellite images, taken automatically by a machine in orbit, become an object of profound emotional meaning?; How do viewer's experiences, knowledge, and discourse affect their interpretations of mechanical artifacts?; How are tsunami satellite images connected to affective responses by viewers?; How …

Key Factors For Successful Export Performance For Small Firms, Lance Eliot Brouthers, George Nakos, John Hadjimarcou, Keith D. Brouthers

Faculty Articles

What key factors result in superior export performance for small firms from small countries? Drawing on the internationalization process model and organizational learning theory, the authors hypothesize and find that (1) emphasizing international sales while (2) restricting exports to a few foreign markets results in superior perceived export performance for the sample of small firms from Greece and several Caribbean countries. Emphasizing international sales while focusing on a few markets enables small firms to develop expertise in those markets, build strong distribution networks, and manage export activities effectively.

Managers, Shareholders, And The Corporate Double Tax, Michael Doran

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The United States generally imposes two levels of federal income tax on corporate profits. The first level taxes income to the corporation; the second level taxes dividends to the shareholders. Academics and policymakers have long considered this double tax to be "unusual, unfair, and inefficient." Legislators from both political parties have proposed integration of the corporate and individual income taxes on many occasions, but the proposals consistently fail. Prior academic analyses have struggled to explain the failure of integration. This paper demonstrates how certain managers, shareholders, and collateral interests rationally favor certain integration proposals and oppose other integration proposals, while …

Mills B. Lane, Jr. And Enterprise In A New South, Randall L. Patton

Faculty Articles

For a century, Citizens & Southern Bank was a fixture in Georgia. In 1991, the C&S brand name disappeared in a merger with North Carolina National Bank. This was one of the bittersweet consequences of the slow, confusing swirl of bank deregulation after 1970, when institutions such as C&S simply disappeared, swallowed by the "winners" in the new competitive environment of interstate banking in the 1980s and 1990s. Even earlier, however, the Lane family had ceased to control the bank started by Mills Lane, Sr. in 1891. Mills B. Lane, Jr. was the last member of the Lane family to …

The State Of Research On Multinationals And Emerging Markets, Rajesh K. Pillania, Marc Fetscherin

Faculty Publications

Emerging markets are increasingly becoming the growth drivers of the global economy and there is increased scrutiny and interest in emerging markets since the 1990s. The interest can be viewed from a demand and supply perspective. With a huge population and increasing income, emerging economies provide a big market for goods and services. Also, with talented manpower and low costs, emerging economies are supplying more and more goods and services to the world (Pillania, 2009). Multinational corporations (MNCs) play a very important role in global business and economy. There is an increased interest in research and explanation for emerging markets …

An Investigation Of The Perceptions Of Clergy And Laity On Race-Based Organizational Segregation In The Southern Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, David K. Penno

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States maintains a racially segregated organization in a society that has intentionally dismantled segregation in most of its organizations. The church needs to evaluate its current conference organization in light of this reality. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of Seventh-day Adventist clergy and members in two conferences in the Southern Union concerning race-based organizational segregation in the church.

Method

This study used a mixed method and was descriptive in design. Four focus groups were conducted to explore the dimensions of the research problem. This step was followed …

The Creole Connection: What Happens Next?, Michael L. Thomas, Linda G. Mullen

Marketing: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this case is to demonstrate the importance of target market selection and positioning, particularly for businesses in small college towns. Additionally, other marketing and management issues are presented to stimulate understanding of the multitude of variables that impact restaurant success. This case is intended for those interested in marketing, management, entrepreneurship, hotel/restaurant management or retailing areas.

Demographic, Behavioral And Perceptual Comparisons Of The U.S. Visitor Experience With Group Package Tours And Free Independent Travel To China, Mark A. Bonn, Howook Chang, Jerome Agrusta, H. Leslie Furr, Woo Gon Kim

Management: Faculty Publications

U.S. visitor demand for the China travel experience is anticipated to rise significantly through 2105, causing the Chinese government to employ 100 million service providers over the next six years and raising concern about service delivery and perceptions of the on-site China experience. In an effort to better understand these issues concerning U.S. visitors, this study investigated two specific types of U.S. travelers to China: Group Package Tour (GPT) visitors and Free Independent Travel (FIT) visitors. Results indicated that GPT visitors were more likely to be older and have higher household income than FIT visitors. Four trip-related characteristics of GPT …

A Chilling Discovery At Family Frozen Foods, Inc, John Leaptrott, J. Michael Mcdonald, R. Kent

Management: Faculty Publications

Work published in Southeast Case Research Journal.

How Fairness Garners Loyalty In The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Role Of Trust In The Wholesaler-Pharmacy Relationship, Thani Jambulingam, Ravi Kathuria, John R. Nevin

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand how fairness garners loyalty by breeding trust in the pharmaceutical wholesaler‐pharmacy relationship. Specifically, the paper seeks to understand if the two dimensions of fairness – procedural and distributive – contribute differently in fostering the two types of trust – credibility and benevolence. The paper further aims to examine how the two dimensions of trust mediate the fairness‐loyalty relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data from 156 retail pharmacies on their relationship with the pharmaceutical wholesalers are used to test the hypotheses. The mediation models are tested using the Barron and Kenny procedure.

Findings …

How Effective Leaders Learn From Life: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Impact Of Significant Life Experiences Upon Leadership Development, Ryan P. Meers

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fifteen effective leaders from diverse organizational backgrounds described their significant life experiences and the impact upon their development as leaders. Using grounded theory methodology, a theoretical model emerged for assisting leaders absorb greater learning from their various life experiences. Related to the central phenomenon of how effective leaders learn from significant life experiences, four causal conditions of types of experiences were identified as influencing how leaders learn: (1) experiences of adversity or loss; (2) experiences of “stretch assignments”; (3) inspirational experiences; and (4) experiences with conflict. Strategies used by the leaders to absorb learning from their significant experiences were active …

Applying Systems Thinking To Knowledge Management Systems: The Case Of Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne, Mark Chun, Kiho Sohn, Priscilla Arling, Nelson Granados

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This paper describes Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne's (PWR) use of a systems thinking methodology to define and improve knowledge management (KM) within the firm. Using systems thinking, the company identified and changed key behaviors within the KM environment and effectively established a generative learning environment. This manuscript is one of the first papers that analyzes and reports a real-world application of the systems thinking methodology to improve KM practices. We first review systems thinking concepts and adapt them to the KM context. We then present the case study of the application of systems thinking to KM at PWR. Finally, we use an …

Trade Usage And Disclaiming Consequential Damages: The Implications For Just-In-Time Purchasing, Robert B. Bennett

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This article reports on trade, business, and industries in Japan in 2009. The article discusses industrial changes and growth in Japan, noting aspects of manufacturing such as marketing, purchasing, accounting, and human resources management. The article also describes the production management technique Just-In-Time (JIT) which emphasizes demand, limited production runs, quick setup, quality control, and reduced inventory and waste. Information is also provided on supply contracts, damages, lawsuits, and appeals.

Spanish Foreign Direct Investments In Latin America: Internationalization Strategies And Financial Management Practices, Roberto Curci, Guillermo Cardoza

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This study analyzes the internationalization strategies and the financial management practices of seven Spanish companies with the largest volume of investments in Latin America. The companies selected for an in-depth analysis represent approximately 80 percent of the total Spanish foreign investments during the period of analysis. Their investments have taken place mainly in service sectors such as banking, energy, and telecommunications. The study identifies the market conditions and the corporate strategies that have allowed these Spanish companies to successfully initiate and expand business activities into Latin America. The findings suggest Spanish investors have strengthened their global competitiveness and have accomplished …

The Apollo Fallacy And Its Effect On U.S. Energy Policy, Peter Z. Grossman

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

US Policy makers have made continual references to the Apollo Program as a model for development of alternative energy technologies. This model, however, is inappropriate for energy policy, and its use is termed the Apollo fallacy. The goal of the Apollo Program was the demonstration of engineering prowess while any alternative energy technology must succeed in the marketplace. Several Apollo-like energy programs have been tried and all have failed at high cost. It is argued that the use of Apollo has political benefits but that it is detrimental to the adoption of potentially effective energy policies.

The Jec Revisited: Did Debt Undermine Stability?, Peter Z. Grossman, Kathy A. Paulson Gjerde

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

The Joint Executive Committee (JEC), one of the most studied cartels in all of economics, was at best partially successful at maintaining collusion. The railroad cartel faced frequent breakdowns and re-contracting efforts. This paper considers the effects that large capital debt may have had on the members of the JEC. The JEC is compared to the express cartel of the period in which all firms were creditors. The latter had no breakdowns during the same period. It is shown through a small modification in an oligopolistic supergame that debt-burdened firms are Jess likely to maintain a stable cartel agreement than …

Hedging: Scaling And The Investor Horizon, Jim Hanly, John Cotter

Articles

This paper examines the volatility and covariance dynamics of cash and futures contracts that underlie the Optimal Hedge Ratio (OHR) across different hedging time horizons. We examine whether hedge ratios calculated over a short term hedging horizon can be scaled and successfully applied to longer term horizons. We also test the equivalence of scaled hedge ratios with those calculated directly from lower frequency data and compare them in terms of hedging effectiveness. Our findings show that the volatility and covariance dynamics may differ considerably depending on the hedging horizon and this gives rise to significant differences between short term and …

A Conference Centre : The Case For Cork., Eddie Chambers

Theses

This current research study is an examination of the impact on business in Cork City that the building of a Conference Ireland will have. It examines the current Conference Centre facilities available in Ireland and the imperative need for such a facility to be built in Cork to ensure that business in the City grows. This research study presents the ideas, estimations and beliefs of respected individuals that have a vested interest in the building of a Conference Centre in Cork City. There are a number of challenges facing the Docklands region, the proposed site of a Conference Centre with …

Ireland: A Branding Phenomenon? An Examination Of "Ireland The Brand"., Sarah O'Mahony

Theses

This study is an examination and assessment of the branding phenomenon, ‘Ireland the Brand’. An investigation into the current image of ‘Ireland the Brand’, was conducted as part of this research study, focusing particularly on the aspects of the brand relating to the foreign direct investment sector (Ireland Inc.), and the Irish tourism industry brand (Tourism Brand Ireland). Many events and aspects of Irish history contributed to the subsequent awareness of the values of ‘Ireland the Brand’. It included the Great Famine, which led to mass emigration, marking the beginning of a substantial Irish community abroad, the Irish diaspora. Also, …

Customer Satisfaction : The Case Study Of A Service Company, Emre Ilkme

Theses

This research was undertaken in Derichebourg Multi services to gain an understanding of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction and improving the customer service are important as this serves to create loyal customers in the business, since market competition has increased. If a company fails to respond to the customer needs and expectations, the satisfaction will not be provided and so customers will lose loyalty to the company and may eventually change the companies altogether. Thus, the importance of customer satisfaction and related subjects has been highlighted in this research. Satisfaction causes have been identified and the recommendations made to increase the …

Cork City : The Untapped Tourism Potential, Frank O'Sullivan

Theses

This research focuses on Cork City and the attributes of the city, which possess the ability to enhance the tourism product, yet remain largely ignored. The study includes the opinions, perceptions and analysis of key figures in the local tourism industry. The study highlights the key promotional bodies representing Cork City as a tourism destination and their shortcomings.

The research delves into the initiatives and projects charged with enhancing the tourism product. The access providers are examined in terms of their significance and contribution to the local tourism market. The impact of the European Capital of Culture is analysed. Cork …

Linking Service Encounters To Financial Performance: An Extended Approach To Valuation, Carla Yvonne Childers

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Managers and researchers have become increasingly interested in linking marketing activities to firm financial performance. That is, they desire to make marketing more financially accountable. One approach to achieving this goal has been to “valuate” customers to determine their degrees of profitability over the lifetime of their relationships with firms. However, traditional customer valuation techniques are largely based on quantitative factors and do not account for softer measures such as a customer’s behavior and performance both during and after service encounters.

Additionally, while customer profitability is commonly valuated, employees are not generally assessed in this manner in profit linkage frameworks. …

Integrating Political And Social Issues In Operations And Supply Management, M. Maloni

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Accurals Quality And Price Synchronicity, Joseph Atkins Johnston

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the relation between accruals quality and price synchronicity, a measure of the relative amount of firm-specific information reflected in price. Higher accruals quality imply better quality earnings news, hence, more firm-specific information is incorporated into price for firms with higher accruals quality. More firm-specific information reduces price synchronicity, hence, we hypothesize a negative relation between accruals quality and price synchronicity. On the other hand, literature shows that accruals quality reduces idiosyncratic volatility which tends to be negatively correlated with price synchronicity. If the latter effects dominate the relation between accruals quality and price synchronicity, we should observe …

Determinants Of The Probability Of Ship Injuries, Wayne K. Talley

Economics Faculty Publications

This study investigates determinants of the probability that an individual onboard a ship of a given shipping line will be injured (given that the ship is not involved in an accident). A Probit regression statistical model is used to investigate such determinants when ships are in port and on given types of containerships. Probit estimation results suggest that an individual is less likely to be injured in port onboard a ship that is larger in size and underway, but more likely to be injured if involved in a fall. An individual is less likely to be injured onboard a containership …

The Importance Of Exercise And Dimension Factors In Assessment Centers: Simultaneous Examinations Of Construct-Related And Criterion-Related Validity, Filip Lievens, Stephan Dilchert, Deniz S. Ones

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study presents a simultaneous examination of multiple evidential bases of the validity of assessment center (AC) ratings. In particular, we combine both construct-related and criterion-related validation strategies in the same sample to determine the relative importance of exercises and dimensions. We examine the underlying structure of ACs in terms of exercise and dimension factors while directly linking these factors to a work-related criterion (salary). Results from an AC (N = 753) showed that exercise factors not only explained more variance in AC ratings than dimension factors but also were more important in predicting salary. Dimension factors explained a smaller …

The Emergence Of Justice Climate In Groups, Teams, And Organizations: A Theory Of Multilevel Information Aggregation And Judgment, D. Rupp, Elizabeth Layne Paddock

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We outline a theoretical model of the emergence of justice climate in groups, teams, and organizations, and in doing so integrate multiple justice perspectives (e.g., affective events, fairness heuristic, deonance, justice integration, multifoci justice, overall justice). We propose that justice climate is spawned at the event level, where individuals use their emotional reactions to situations as information in forming fairness judgments. Over time, these judgments about various perpetrators--which may include the evaluation of outcomes, procedures, information, and interpersonal treatment--are aggregated to form individual-level stable judgments regarding the fairness of exchange partners with whom employees interact (e.g., supervisors, co-workers, customers). Through …

Trust In Coworkers And Trust In Organizations, Hwee Hoon Tan, Augustine K. H. Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The authors proposed a modified model of organizational trust that incorporates trust in 2 foci: coworkers and organizations. They found a relation between the 2 foci. The authors also found that trust in organizations mediates the relation between trust in coworkers and organizational outcomes of affective commitment and performance. These findings suggest that it would be meaningful to examine the relations between other foci of trust to better understand how different domains interact and how such exchanges eventually lead to desired organizational outcomes.

Two Essays On Screening Strategies, Rajani Ganesh Pillai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Consumers form consideration sets by screening from all available alternatives. Consumers typically utilize one of two types of screening strategies: an exclusion screening strategy wherein alternatives not worthy of further consideration are rejected or an inclusion strategy wherein worthy alternatives are selected for further evaluation. Extant literature has documented the important role played by screening strategies in decision making. However, there is very limited understanding of when and why consumers may employ one screening strategy over the other as well the impact of the screening strategy for decision accuracy. This dissertation attempts to study the antecedent and consequence of screening …

Critical Reviews And Market Performance, Elena Pomirleanu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Firms invest significant resources to improve the quality of their products but also to communicate to consumers about their efforts. However, information regarding quality of product offerings is now increasingly being generated by short or long term users of products or services. The growing popularity of critical reviews has prompted attention from both academics and practitioners alike. Current academic findings do not seem conclusive with respect to the impact critical reviews have on product performance on the market. The current dissertation aims to clarify the role critical reviews have in relation to economic outcomes such as sales, category market share, …