Business Commons^™

Implementing A Cal Poly Dairy Science Department Farmers Market Booth In The San Luis Obispo, Thursday Night Promotions Farmers Market, Kate Tscharner

Dairy Science

The aim of this project was to implement a successful farmer's market booth and the point of sale at the San Luis Obispo Farmers Market. Through this project success was measured by Cal Poly Creamery product sales, the value of non-tangible assets known as good will and advocacy for the Cal Poly Dairy Science Department and the California dairy industry. Sales were analyzed through a profit and loss statement, product specific calculations, chartings of weekly sales and inventory tracking. The project allowed for the Cal Poly Creamery to have an extension into the San Luis Obispo community and promote their …

Job Expectations Of Agribusiness Students, Robert Richard Everett

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Live Music And Enjoyment Of Wine, Janey Helene Cowan

Agribusiness

This study was performed in order to determine the relationship between enjoyment of music in a live setting and enjoyment of wine consumed while at the concert. Surveys were collected from 113 respondents throughout the summer of 2011 at San Luis Obispo’s “Concerts in the Plaza.” J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines was the wine sponsor throughout the summer concert series, which represented a wide variety of musical genres. Overall, 80% of the sample was women, 69% drank white wine, and 93% had tried J. Lohr wines before the event. With regard to wine opinion, 57% of the sample maintained the …

Influences On Wine Purchases: A Comparison Between Millennials And Prior Generations, Kelsea Nissen

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine the factors that influence wine purchases for wine consumers in San Luis Obispo County. The study was performed in order to compare the influential factors between Millennials and prior generations.

This collected data was analyzed through the use of statistical tests. Frequency tests were used to determine which influential factors and demographics made up the largest percentages. Chi-squared tests were performed in order to determine if a relationship between influential factors and generations was present. The statistical tests of independent t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed to determine the differences between generations …

Web Based Marketing Plan For The Polished Pet Boarding Kennel In Santa Maria, Ca, Lauren Marie Frias

Agribusiness

The great recession in the United States has caused consumers to change their spending habits. The recession comes at a time when consumers had already become accustomed to increasing levels of service from sellers of goods and services as businesses incorporate new technologies to attract customers and improve cost efficiencies. Customers are now accustomed to and expect price competitiveness, excellent service, 24 hour availability, convenience and value added amenities. For a business to compete in this environment, it must continually find innovative strategies in the utilization of existing and developing technologies and applications to distinguish it from competitors. At the …

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of A Fertilizer Lab On A Produce Farm In Santa Barbara County, California, Tyler Adam

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study was to determine if a fertilizer lab would be a cost beneficial way of reducing nitrogen costs and consumption for a medium-sized produce farm (The Farm) in Santa Barbara County, California. A cost benefit analysis was performed to determine if the lab, installed in 2011, would provide a net positive benefit. The analysis compares the costs of the lab to the benefits of the lab. The costs of the lab are the annualized initial investment costs (based on costs incurred in 2011), the operating costs, and the opportunity costs of the lab. The benefit of …

Migrant Farmworkers' Access To Medical Care In The U.S., Jeffrey Mccauley

Agribusiness

This is a meta data analysis of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States to see if they receive adequate medical care when it is required. Not a lot of information is known about this population, and this study is trying to bring to light the problems that migrant and seasonal farmworkers are facing with respect to medical care. Studies were collected from across the United States and analyzed to see if migrant and seasonal workers are having difficulties obtaining medical care. It was found that the majority of migrant and seasonal farmworkers do not receive adequate medical care …

Hedge Fund Return Correlation Under Extreme Market Condition, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

How dependent are returns across hedge fund investment strategies? We estimate the probability that each investment strategy performs poorly when other investment strategies are delivering extreme negative returns. Under extreme market conditions, we find that event driven, distressed debt, and equity long/short funds exhibit the highest correlation with other styles while commodity trading advisors, macro, and equity market neutral funds exhibit the lowest correlation. In addition, we show that Asia-focused event driven and equity market neutral funds provide diversification for investors holding US- and Europe-focused funds.

March 2012, Inland Empire Business Journal

Inland Empire Business Journal

Acting Ethically is the Only Option Being ethical has a higher cost in hard times than in good times, which makes being ethical difficult in our current economic climate. But, even good times can encourage bad behavior as one might get a sense of invincibility when the money is rolling in

Creating a Dynasty: Three Leadership Styles You Need at the Top (and the Followers Needed to Support That System) Dr. Jack Stark outlines the championship formula model that identifies three core leadership styles

Business Beyond Borders—Global Skills for Today’s Boards to Secure Tomorrow’s Success As the world becomes more …

User Innovation And Knowledge Sourcing: The Case Of Financial Software, Polavarapu M. Rao, Jongtae Shin, Hyun Shin

Faculty of Marketing & International Business Publications

According to user innovation literature, users can create important innovations and the novel functionalities embedded in those user innovations often become the sources of subsequent innovations by both other users and manufacturers. However, manufacturers are often hesitant in commercializing an innovation created by a single user due to the uncertainty around the market demands. We propose that such hesitancy will decrease when an increasing number of other users source knowledge elements from the focal user innovation and reproduce the novel functionality. Once the focal user innovation is commercialized by manufacturers, other users can purchase the novel functionality from the market …

A Case Study Examination Of Social Norms Marketing Campaign To Improve Responsible Drinking, Marianne Mcgarry Wolf, Allison Dana, Mitchell J. Wolf, Eivis Qenani Petrela

Agribusiness

This research discusses the use of social norms marketing to improve responsible drinking among college students. It was observed in each year of research that students studied overestimated their peers’ drinking practices. During the social norms marketing campaign decreases were observed in both students’ self-reported number of drinks consumed and perceived number of drinks consumed by peers at bars or parties, indicating that the social norms marketing efforts were somewhat successful. In addition, students reported drinking less alcohol over a shorter period of time. However, some negative behaviors related to drinking did not improve.

Walking The Talk Of Wall Street, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The rules of the game on Wall Street may be ever changing but a professor of economics at Princeton University, Burton Malkiel, has held on to his views on how the game should be played for almost four decades.

Get Organised: The Importance Of Focus In Shopping, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Shopping may seem like a carefree experience with some regarding it as a stress reliever when they lose themselves in the mall. The reality is, however, that most of the work has been cut out for consumers from the time they enter, to the time the cash tills ring.

Markowitz 2.0: Innovations For Asset Allocation, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

The idea of conducting financial analysis on asset classes, while widely accepted today, was a new concept in the 1950s. It was so new that Nobel Prize winner in economics Harry Markowitz almost did not receive his doctorate because his thesis on portfolio optimisation was deemed as “not economics” by his supervisor. Dr Paul Kaplan, quantitative research director at Morningstar, introduces an updated model of Markowitz’s portfolio optimisation model at a seminar in SMU.

Part Of The Job: The Positive Side Of Office Politics, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

It may sound counter intuitive but playing with office politics may not necessary make you the villain at work. Embracing office politics and learning to use it positively can help companies retain talent and build ethical leadership, says Jane Horan author of a new book I Wish I’d Known That Earlier In My Career: The Power of Positive Workplace Politics

Get Organised: The Importance Of Focus In Shopping, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Consumer decision making can be conceptualised as a series of stages progressing from the recognition of a need to search for information about alternatives, the formation of a consideration set, a formal evaluation of the choices, and finally, making the purchase. But how much of this process might be affected by a consumer’s style of goal pursuit? According to Hannah Chang, an assistant professor of marketing at SMU, businesses will do well to pay attention to their target customers' decision environments.

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2011: Full Year Overview, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries with 2011 marking its fifth year of measurement.

Do External Financial Statement Auditors Sufficiently Adjust Their Audit Plans For Automated-Control Deficiencies?, Daniel D. Selby

Accounting Faculty Publications

Shelton (1999) found that experience, based on rank, mitigates the influence of less-than diagnostic evidence in going concern assessments. But, numerous studies (e.g., Abdolmohammadi and Wright 1987) question the external validity of studies that use rank to determine experience. I suspect that specialized domain experience is a better measure because all auditor ranks do not have procedural knowledge in going concern decisions but many auditors may have procedural knowledge in audit planning (AICPA 2008) and automated controls (Hunton et al. 2004). I investigate whether external financial statement auditors (henceforth auditors) sufficiently adjust their audit plans for material-automated-control-weaknesses. I determine the …

Walking The Talk Of Wall Street, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Years after he theorised that a blindfolded monkey throwing darts at stock listings can select a portfolio that would perform as well as one chosen by experts, Princeton economist Burton Malkiel is sticking by it. In the tenth edition of his investment classic, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, Malkiel explains why the experts are overrated, and why sticking with a buy-and-hold strategy using a broad stock market index fund will outperform the professionally managed ones.

Making Sense Of The Strategic Value Behind Ceo Pay Cheques, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

In a country where conformity and harmony are valued, Japanese multinationals have become open to appointing foreign CEOs, who are deemed to be able to effect change faster than a Japanese CEO, as part of corporate strategies to conquer overseas markets. But one difficulty in hiring these foreign CEOs is that their pay is much higher than their Japanese counterparts, who are famous for their relatively modest salaries. A study on the impact of firm strategy and foreign ownership sheds more light on the strategy-compensation relationship in Japanese firms.

J. H. Wilson Tobacco Company - Mayfield, Kentucky (Sc 2514), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2514. Advertising circular of J. H. Wilson Tobacco Company, a mail order firm in Mayfield, Kentucky. Includes details of the company’s reopening under a new tobacco tax imposed by the Revenue Act of 1918, testimonials, price list, order form, and offer of a free book by J. H. Wilson.

The Welfare Of Animals In The Foie Gras Industry

Agribusiness Reports

The production of pâté de foie gras involves force-feeding ducks and geese by placing a long tube down the birds’ esophagi and pumping an unnatural quantity of food directly into their stomachs. Force-feeding induces hepatic lipidosis and causes the birds’ livers to become diseased and enlarged. Substantial scientific evidence suggests that force-feeding can cause pain and injury from feeding tube insertion, fear and stress during capture and handling, gait abnormality due to distended livers, pathologies in liver function, and increased mortality. Force-feeding birds to produce foie gras is detrimental to their welfare.

Redesigned Wine Labels And Consumer Preferences, Alison (Ali) Maddox

Agribusiness

When purchasing a bottle of wine, the first impression the consumer gets is from the wine label. In today’s competitive market, it is important that wineries understand consumer preferences and purchasing decisions when evaluating a wine bottle. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between redesigned wine labels and consumer preferences. A survey was distributed to residents of San Luis Obispo and 194 people responded. It was found that consumers preferred the original label to the redesigned label. Respondents listed quality, good value, and varietal and the most important wine feature and unique, eye-catching, and colorful as the most …

Paired Price Comparisons Of Farmers’ Market And Supermarket Produce In San Luis Obispo County, Paulina Janda Swenson

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine whether farmers’ markets or supermarkets in San Luis Obispo County are a better outlet for purchasing fresh produce based on paired price comparisons. Prices of fifteen produce items were chosen but later reduced to six because of seasonality, were observed and recorded at three farmers’ markets and three paired supermarkets over a period of five weeks.

Once all price data was collected, each farmers’ market was matched against their paired supermarket to find which market offered a lower average price. ANOVA tests were then performed to test the mean prices of the two market …

Google+: Are Wineries Willing To Adopt?, Michelle Witherwax

Agribusiness

This study was performed in order to assess wineries’ willingness to adopt the social media platform Google+ as a way to market to consumers. More specifically, the study examined current social media use along with different types of brand personality to determine if these factors had an influence on a winery’s willingness to adopt this platform.

A survey was given to 50 wineries located in San Luis Obispo County, and this survey data was taken and analyzed using statistical tests. Frequency tests were used in order to determine which responses were most frequently answered and to determine the percentage each …

Internship With Mission Produce, Inc., Joshua Elias Krueger

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Partial Budgeting Analysis Of On-Site Calf Raising Versus Off-Site Calf Raising, Ashley Diana Oostdam

Agribusiness

This study examined whether it is more cost effective for a dairyman who operates two dairies (A and B) in west Texas to own-raise or custom raise his dairy calves. The two dairies currently raise calves differently: calves are own raised on Dairy A and custom raised on Dairy B. Existing resources would allow a switch to own raising on Dairy B or custom raising by Dairy A, so an analysis of the comparative costs was appropriate.

This study analyzed information on key costs associated with own raising calves on Dairy A during a 135-day period in 2011. Because differences …

Swot Analysis For The Installation Of The Teleflora Direct Marketing System For April Flowers, Rae Marie Boghossian

Agribusiness

This project aims to determine the benefits of installing a direct marketing system for April Flowers, a small flower shop in San Luis Obispo. Through the increased use of wire-in, meaning through the use of internet communication, floral design, where individual shops can send orders that are out of area to a local florist instead, there is a broader sense of community amongst florists of all styles. In the shop, there is already an existing wire-in system established through Teleflora, one of the newer aspects of the floral industry, leading the way in the advancement of florists around the country. …

Financial Framework For Global Investment And Implications, Robert Ranish, Pawel Mensz

Finance Faculty Publications

The objective of this paper is to describe a valuation decision model for a firm in a multi -country environment. The paper extends the works of Myers, Myers and Pogue and Lev to include individual investment project decisions to the global marketplace. The model integrates the buy or builds decision, the location of production, distribution decision and tax effects into the capital investment decision of the firm. The model shows that a firm's production decision (buy or build), the customer location and tax effects are interdependent. The model to optimize the value of the firm is a function of the …

Haworthnews (03/2012), Western Michigan University

Haworth College of Business News

• Western Michigan University’s third annual Wounded Warrior 5K Race
• Top 6 golf tips for having a great season on the links
• Net-Inspect CEO to speak on re-growth of manufacturing
• From the classroom to the internet: marketing students turn a group project into e-business
• Kalamazoo River Valley Trail is topic of April Keystone
• Kalamazoo Marathon race director is March Keystone speaker
• MBA students take first place in finance competition
• Burnie, DeMello comment on Facebook IPO
• Rick DiBartolomeo, BBA ’81, Business, Innovation and the State of Michigan
• Dawn Foods CEO to discuss global business challenges, opportunities
• “Biggest Loser” contestant to speak in …