Business Commons^™

Understanding Supply Chain Security Strategy, Zachary Williams, Jason E. Lueg, Sean P. Goffnett, Stephen A. Lemay, Robert L. Cook

Journal of Transportation Management

In the post-9/11 environment, organizations are acutely aware of the need to secure their supply chains from risks of being a target of, or an unwilling participant in, a terror attack. However, supply chain security (SCS) comes at a cost and increasing levels of protection have increasing levels of costs to the firm. So some firms engage in strategic initiatives to secure the supply chain (SC) while others do not; and each firm engages in varying degrees of activities to ensure SCS. Therefore, in this study, the researchers sought to explore what types of SCS strategies exist. The researchers analyze …

The Role Of Returns Management Orientation, Internal Collaboration, And Information Support In Reverse Logistics, Enping (Shirley) Mai, Haozhe Chen, Kenneth Anselmi

Journal of Transportation Management

While reverse logistics has gained significant interest in recent years, the research on its antecedents is still far from comprehensive. The current study utilizes data collected from China to empirically test a conceptual model that is developed based on the resource based view of the firm. It is proposed that returns management orientation, internal collaboration, and information support are important predictors of reverse logistics performance. The structural equation modeling analysis supports these proposed relationships. Furthermore, the current study also confirms the positive relationship between a firm’s reverse logistics performance and market performance.

Overcoming Obstacles: Women Entrepreneurs Taking The Lead In Nonprofit Businesses, Theresa Kedinger

Professional Projects

Few theoretical models clarify the ways in which a learning experience contributes to entrepreneurial behavior or directly pursuing entrepreneurism. The purpose of this research is to better recognize how women use values, motivations, and desires, through learning experiences, to start a nonprofit organization. Results reveal that, in order to increase the likelihood of females becoming entrepreneurs, they must put themselves in positions where they can have many different experiences. They must be willing to establish networks, overcome societal barriers as well as self-imposed barriers, and reflect upon the experiences they find themselves in, whether they are positive or negative. Such …

Why Do We Tip?, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

Some economists may argue that the billions of dollars a year spent on tipping are difficult to understand. After all, there is no requirement to tip. In a recent article "Why Tip? An Empirical Investigation for Tipping Car Guards" (Journal of Economic Psychology, February 2010), Stephen G. Saunders and Michael Lynn summarize potential reasons for tipping as: to increase the probability of good service upon repeat business, to reward good work, to redistribute income to service workers, to avoid societal disapproval or gain societal approval and to conform to internalized norms. Tipping hair stylists and babysitters clearly fits into the …

Consumer Attitudes Towards Using Qr Codes In A Retail Setting, Chris Thayer

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Corresponding with the increased use of smartphones and other mobile devices equipped with a camera, quick response (QR) codes have been introduced. QR codes allow large amounts of data (e.g., product information, discounts, usage suggestions) to be compressed into a small, printed square. To access the information, consumers must scan the QR code with a smart device (smartphone, tablet, etc). Korean and Japanese consumers appear more willing to scan QR codes in retail settings compared to their American counterparts. This reluctance is explored through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Furthermore, consumers’ motivation toward QR code use is made explicit and …

(Re)Considering The Third Sector, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Richard Cornuelle’s Reclaiming the American Dream: The Role of Private Associations and Voluntary Associations (RtAD) has been subjected to numerous interpretations in the more than half a century since its original publication in 1965. In this conference paper, the continuing importance of this work is reconsidered. Several of the issues that Cournelle raised are still important today. Thus, the label Independent Sector offers one possible solution to the continuing question of how to refer to the third sector.

Cover & Front Matter

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Deterring And Dissuading Nuclear Terrorism, John J. Klein

Journal of Strategic Security

While nuclear deterrence theory may be well-suited to dealing with nuclear-armed states, its suitability for deterring nuclear terrorism has frequently been questioned since 9/11. While terrorist organizations do not necessarily act uniformly or according to the same underlying beliefs, many of the most aggressive organizations are motivated by an ideology that embraces martyrdom and an apocalyptic vision.1 This ideology may be based on religion or a desire to overthrow a government. Consequently, terrorists motivated by ideology who intend to use a stolen or improvised nuclear device against the United States or its interests may not care about the resulting military …

Policy Intervention In Fata: Why Discourse Matters, Nazya Fiaz Dr.

Journal of Strategic Security

Despite years of wide-scale counterterrorism measures in Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), the injection of substantial funds, and the "close" collaboration between the United States and Pakistan, the ugly truth is that the extremism and militancy in FATA continues to recruit members. Moreover, there is little indication that the killing of Usama bin Ladin will have any significant effect on reducing support for militancy. While taking stock of these realities, this article will not seek to rehash the many successes and failures of the counterterrorist operations in FATA. Instead, its purpose will be to argue that while the causes …

A Systems-Based Approach To Intelligence Reform, Austen Givens

Journal of Strategic Security

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 prompted the most comprehensive changes to the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) since its creation via the National Security Act of 1947. Recent structural and organizational reforms, such as efforts to enhance information sharing and recruit speakers of hard-target languages, have also triggered new challenges to successful transformation. In light of the systemic problems facing the IC, this paper argues that systems engineering, a discipline increasingly useful in organizational change, offers a more efficient, holistic approach to the intelligence reform process than the status quo. Systems engineering views the IC as an integrated and …

Mexico Consensus Economic Forecast, Volume 15, Number 2, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Adam G. Walke

Departmental Papers (E & F)

No abstract provided.

Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management [2012], Boston Russell, Fernanda Vanetta, Josh Aguilar, Ian Aguilar, John Humphrey, Carly Apap, Mike Hoffecker, Chad Karime, Chris Brinkman

Crummer Truist Portfolios

The primary difference between this and last year is that the markets appear to support the recovery. Last year market performance lagged behind the nascent recovery. Eventually headwinds from Greece and the developing world caused a flight to quality that suppressed market activity even as the US economy grew slowly. This year we are looking at a significantly more confident capital market. Some of the fears stemming from the European debt crisis have abated. Employment has stabilized significantly. The market has spent the better part of 2012 growing with renewed confidence. Moreover, the growth has resembled a classic recovery, with …

Self-Enhancement As A Motivation For Sharing Online Advertising, David G. Taylor, David Strutton, Kenneth Thompson

WCBT Faculty Publications

Marketers have long understood that consumers' self-concepts influence the products they purchase; conversely, products purchased influence people's self-concepts. Might the same self-enhancement framework apply in to shared online advertisements? Using the symbolic interactionist perspective of identity theory, this study empirically tests the proposition that online consumers use electronic word of mouth, and specifically the sharing of online advertising, to construct and express their self-concepts. The results suggest that self-brand congruity, entertainment value, and product category involvement increase the self-expressiveness of online ads, which then increase the likelihood of sharing those ads. These findings have both theoretical and managerial implications.

Marketing To The Base Of The Pyramid: A Corporate Responsibility Approach With Case Inspired Strategies, Nicholas Santos, Gene R. Laczniak

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

The economic and political outcomes of market globalization continue to be complex. As international corporations engage developing markets, they increasingly find consumers who lack market sophistication, meaningful purchasing options and economic leverage. Such conditions are ripe for the exploitation of these market segments but also can be mitigated by enlightened managers willing to thoughtfully consider their ethical and professional obligations to vulnerable consumers. This paper builds on a normative ethical framework, labeled the integrative justice model (IJM) for impoverished markets that was introduced in the marketing and public policy literature. Specifically, the paper will extend the normative ethics of the …

Government Influence And The Failure Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac, Aravind Mohan

Honors Theses

In 2008 two government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were placed into conservatorship due to insolvency. The financial bailout of the two publically traded corporations came at the expense of the American tax payer. This study investigates the relationship between direct and indirect government influence and the increasing risk taking of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from the late 1990’s through their conservatorship in 2008. As government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have many special advantages that other publically traded companies did not possess. These advantages allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their profitability. Theoretical literature …

Challenges Of The Cooperative Movement In Addressing Issues Of Human Security In The Context Of A Neoliberal World: The Case Of Argentina, Stefan Ivanovski

Honors Theses

The response of some Argentine workers to the 2001 crisis of neoliberalism gave rise to a movement of worker-recovered enterprises (empresas recuperadas por sus trabajadores or ERTs). The ERTs have emerged as former employees took over the control of generally fraudulently bankrupt factories and enterprises. The analysis of the ERT movement within the neoliberal global capitalist order will draw from William Robinson’s (2004) neo-Gramscian concept of hegemony. The theoretical framework of neo-Gramscian hegemony will be used in exposing the contradictions of capitalism on the global, national, organizational and individual scales and the effects they have on the ERT movement.

The …

Employee Assistance Programs: The Return On Investment For An Eap, Joshua M. Leon

Senior Honors Theses

This paper examines the subject of employee assistance programs (EAP) and whether they provide a return on investment that merits their use. The historical background of the EAP will be first looked at to demonstrate its purpose and growth in the business world. Research will be presented in relation to EAP use in companies and the outcomes that resulted. Criticisms against EAP use occurs in the business world as well and therefore will be investigated in conjunction with research that supports EAP use. Finally, statistical proof for the return on investment of using an EAP will be given to conclude …

Tls Newsletter Volume 6, Edition 7 April, 2012, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS General Meeting and elections for 2012-2013. T&L Flagship Spring Banquet held on April 26, 2012. Upcoming Events for March and April. TLS President's Corner welcoming TLS members. In the know on Summer Internships and photos from 2011-2012

Autism Insurance Coverage : Which State Policies Work And Why?, Elizabeth Ivy Homan

Honors Theses

In the spring of 2011, Virginia's legislature passed its first autism insurance mandate via Senate Bill 1062 and House Bill 2467. As a legislative intern for Senator Janet Howell - the primary sponsor of SB 1062 - I was able to track the mandate from beginning to end. I observed conferences between Senator Howell and representatives from autism advocacy groups, I sat in on various Senate and House committee meetings, I carefully reviewed changes in the mandate's text when Senator Howell compressed her two original autism bills into one new bill in order to match Delegate Greason's HB 2467, and …

Alternative Work Arrangements: An Examination Of Job Sharing, Compressed Workweeks, And Flextime, Joseph D. Lutz

Senior Honors Theses

Alternative working arrangements have become increasingly popular in workplaces across America and the world. One segment of alternative work arrangements is schedule flexibility. The three types of flexible schedules examined include: job sharing, compressed workweeks, and flextime. Each arrangement will be examined individually. First, a definition and background information will be given. Then, the benefits of the arrangement will be discussed. Next, the risks and challenges of the arrangement will be examined. Finally, there will be analysis of what conditions are necessary for the arrangement to be successful.

Montana Nonresident Traveler Quarterly Travel Comparison: 2011, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report shows the 2011 quarterly visitation and length of stay data for nonresident travelers to Montana. It also displays average daily spending for various expenditure categories, as well as total expenditures for those categories.

Montana Nonresident Traveler Expenditure Profiles: Quarter 2, 2010, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report examines spending profiles of nonresident travelers to Montana. It displays the average daily expenditures by purpose of trip for different spending categories during the second quarter of 2010.

Montana Nonresident Traveler Expenditure Profiles: Quarter 3, 2009, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report examines spending profiles of nonresident travelers to Montana. It displays the average daily expenditures by purpose of trip for different spending categories during the third quarter of 2009.

Sentiment Analysis: A Study On Product Features, Yanyan Meng

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sentiment analysis is a technique to classify people’s opinions in product reviews, blogs or social networks. It has different usages and has received much attention from researchers and practitioners lately. In this study, we are interested in product feature based sentiment analysis. In other words, we are more interested in identifying the opinion polarities (positive, neutral or negative) expressed on product features than in identifying the opinion polarities of reviews or sentences. This is termed as the product feature based sentiment analysis. Several studies have applied unsupervised learning to calculate sentiment scores of product features. Although many studies used supervised …

Microbrewing In The Us: An Overview Of The Microbrewery Industry And A Business Plan For Future Success, Kevin Lapoint

Honors Theses and Capstones

This thesis takes a look at the history of craft brewing, the current trends, and where the industry is going. It takes a look at a number of different business models in the market and analyzes their respective advantages and challenges. After viewing these models and trends it takes a look at what would be needed for a successful microbrewery to start in seacoast New Hampshire.

The Decoy Effect And Investors' Stock Preferences, Brittany Paris

Honors Theses and Capstones

The decoy effect is a well-known phenomenon that has received a lot of attention in the field of marketing. This study’s purpose is to discover whether or not the decoy effect applies to the finance. More specifically, whether the decoy effect has any influence on investor’s stock preferences.

Environmental Influences: Reflections On The Globalization Of Management Education, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Globalization of management education seems to have become the natural way to go for management and business schools. Almost every week one can find in the specialized press another announcement about an overseas campus, a new international partnership or a major research tie up. But announcing an international venture is easy, implementing is the challenge. The purpose of this paper is to provide some advice on how to implement globalization. This paper is based of the author's own experience with INSEAD, the University of Cambridge and Singapore Management University, as well as his observations of many other business schools. It …

A Green Marketing Guideline For The Cruise Industry In North America, Xi Guo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this professional paper is to develop a guideline of green marketing strategies for cruise managers in North America.

Statement of objectives: This paper will develop a customer relationship model according to the literature review of customer behavior and customer relationships in the hospitality industry. Meanwhile, the characteristics of green customers and the most popular green practices in the hotel and restaurant industry, and current sustainable achievements in the cruise industry will be investigated respectively. The green marketing guideline will be explored basing on the customer relationship model and the investigations of green customers and green practices …

Extreme Enthusiasts In Online And Offline Radio Control Helicopter Communities, Eyal Stein

College of Management Honors Theses

The focus of this study is to explore the notion that it is possible to optimize a marketing plan for a specialized industry to leverage individuals that are addicted to specific products in specialized product communities. This study addresses the following research questions: Can individuals that are addicted to products be leveraged for marketing purposes in specialized online and offline communities? The study is conducted with respect to the Radio Control Hobby Industry, and incorporates qualitative personal interviews at local RC clubs in the Greater Boston Area. The aim of the interviews is to help define people who are addicted …

Importance Of Corporate Reputation, Mark Chong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.