Business Commons^™

Lobbying In The Defense Aerospace Industry, Austin Smiley

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research paper is to identify the main variables that impact an aerospace defense firm’s decision to lobby. This study focuses on important accounting and financial measures specific to each company. It also takes into account government and public variables such as the level of public scrutiny the company experiences and national defense spending. This study finds that cash flow and profitability are both negatively correlated with the decision to lobby. It also finds a positive correlation between inventory turnover and the decision to lobby the following year. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between public scrutiny …

Caffeine Consumption Habits And Perceptions Among University Of New Hampshire Students, Nicole L. Olsen

Honors Theses and Capstones

College students in today’s society have become dependent on caffeine in order to perform at their best in multiple facets of their hectic lives, including classes, clubs, and internships. This study focuses on the specific reasons why college students at the University of New Hampshire are consuming caffeine, where they purchase it, what types of caffeinated beverages they are consuming, and how much they are consuming on a daily basis. The results from the study indicate that coffee is the most popular caffeinated product on campus, and that Dunkin’ Donuts at the MUB is the most popular place to buy …

Charitable Ratings And Financial Reporting Quality: Evidence From The Human Service Sector, Qianhua Ling, Daniel G. Neely

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Prior research has shown that many donors utilize charity ratings for decisions and they give more to higher rated charities. Because ratings are partly or completely based on financial information, the financial reporting quality of highly rated charities is more critical to donors than that of the poorly rated ones. In this study, we examine whether the financial reporting quality of charities systematically varies with charitable ratings. Examining a sample of human service charities. we find that highly rated organizations are more likely to underreport fundraising expenses and overstate program ratios. Highly rated organizations appear to be exercising accounting discretion …

Management Accounting Systems Support Start-Up Business Growth, Michael Lee, Spencer R. Cobia

Accountancy Faculty Publications and Presentations

When a start-up company entered an entrepreneurial crisis, it turned to forward-looking management accounting tools to meet the challenges of its changing marketplace strategy and increasingly departmentalized organizational structure. These strategic tools - variance analysis, profit planning, and a performance measurement system - allowed the company to sustain its entrepreneurial spirit and growth. Here is the story of how it all came together.

To Believe In Black Stars Or Red Dragons?: Comparing The Foreign Direct Investment Climates Of Ghana And China, Theodore W. Briscoe Iii

William & Mary Business Law Review

When thinking of overseas business expansion, most think of China. This is for good reason: China commands a lion’s share of foreign direct investment money. It would shock readers to know that there are destinations that are far more suitable for overseas investment than China. It would shock readers even more to know that one of these destinations is in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ghana—the Black Star country—has quietly put together a legal regime that is extremely attractive for foreign direct investment. When comparing Ghana’s foreign investment policies to China’s, Ghana’s policies are indisputably more favorable to foreign investors. Ghana offers more …

Managing And Securing Business Networks In The Smartphone Era, Sathiadev Mahesh, Aaron Hooter

Management Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the impact of user owned mobile computing devices (smartphones, tablets, and future devices like Google Glass) on management and security of the corporate network. Personally owned portable computing devices are widely used at work and create a porous network perimeter for the enterprise network. The paper reviews corporate policies posted on websites along with research papers and corporate whitepapers to develop a comprehensive user owned mobile computing device policy. This is a rapidly evolving topic that has not been researched in the business academic literature. We survey trade journals and corporate websites for information regarding this policy …

Female Authority In A Globalizing Market, Megan R. Mccann

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Reactions Of Generation Y To Luxury Hotel Twitter Promotions, Katherine M. Woods

Honors Theses and Capstones

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites (Evans, 2008). In today’s society, social media refers mainly to websites including (but not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. The most popular and fastest growing of these social media venues is Twitter. Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. Since 2006, almost 200 million users across the globe …

Farm To Table: A Look Into Who Supports It And Its Significance In America Today, Marissa Iacono

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Three Essays On Corporate Liquidity, Financial Crisis, And Real Estate, Kimberly Fowler Luchtenberg

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The first essay examines why firms with access to lines of credit (LOC) have different drawdowns and their implications for asset pricing, investment and profitability. Utilizing a hand-collected LOC dataset that extends the sample of Sufi (2009) to 2010, our principal finding is that firms with greater LOC usage are more financially constrained than firms with lower LOC usage. We also document that high users of credit lines have higher risk-adjusted returns, less investment in capital expenditures and employment, and lower profitability than low LOC users. An interesting implication of our evidence is that high LOC drawdowns could serve as …

Employability Advantages Of Marketing Education Industry Certification Examinations, Devon Ashley Elmore

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Industry certification of workplace skills is emerging as a key educational movement for career and technical education programs. Many states are now integrating credentialing into their programs with the goal of preparing students with labor market advantages. However, there is little empirical evidence to support the notion that obtaining an industry certification provides students with employability advantages. As a result, the purpose of this study is to collect and analyze empirical data to determine whether obtaining an industry credential can assist a prospective student with job obtainment.

This dissertation examines the use of the National Retail Foundation (NRF) Customer Service …

An Epistemological Inquiry Into The Incorporation Of Emergency Management Concept In The Homeland Security With A Post-Disaster Security Centric Focus, Mehmet Secilmis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The historical roots of the Emergency Management concept in the U.S. date back to 19th century. As disasters occurred, policies relating to disaster response have been developed, and many statuary provisions, including several Federal Disaster Relief Acts, conceptually established the framework of Emergency Management. In 1979, with the foundation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), disaster relief efforts were finally institutionalized, and the federal government acknowledged that Emergency Management included mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities as abbreviated 'MPRR.'

However, after 2000, the U.S. experienced two milestone events - the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina …

Project Management Professional Training Needs For Defense Industry Projects, Cole Jerome Kupec Ii

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Project Management Professional credential requirements encompass the knowledge for project managers required to effectively manage defense industry projects. This study used a four-round Delphi methodology to solicit opinions of defense industry project management professionals about current project management credential curriculum and if that curriculum reflects the realities of the current project management environment.

Two research questions guided this study: 1) Do government contractors working on defense projects use project management knowledge and abilities that are different from what the Project Management Professional credential requires? and 2) Are there additional skill …

The Evolving Relationship Between Airline Profitability And Passenger Satisfaction, Kent N. Gourdin

Journal of Transportation Management

This paper examines the ongoing evolution of the U.S. airline industry under deregulation. After losing money for most of the past 35 years, carriers have made structural changes to their business models that have proven to be, at least in the short term, very profitable. After delineating these management actions, the paper examines their impact on passengers. The author utilizes the Service Quality Model to analyze the long-term implications of this new operating paradigm for passenger satisfaction. Based on this analysis the paper goes on to suggest several actions management could take to improve satisfaction. Finally, conclusions are offered and …

U.S. Motor Carrier Hours Of Service Regulations: Their Impact On Carrier Profitability And Productivity, Ahren Johnston

Journal of Transportation Management

This paper discusses the history of hours of service regulations for U.S. motor carriers and investigates the changes to individual carrier profitability and productivity from the last major change to those regulations in 2003. The results of the analysis indicate that operating ratio worsened and sales per employee improved, and return on assets and return on equity were unchanged due to hours of service changes. The implications of these results given the recent changes to hours of service regulations in 2011 are also discussed.

An Empirical Cross Cultural Assessment Of A Logistics/Supply Chain Management Typology, Michael A. Mcginnis, Ali Kara, John E. Spillan

Journal of Transportation Management

This manuscript compares the three dimensions (Process Strategy, Market Strategy, and Information Strategy) of the Bowersox Daugherty (1987) logistics strategy typology among five disparate countries by integrating the findings of previous empirical research. The appropriateness of the three Bowersox/Daugherty dimensions when combined into the construct Overall Logistic Strategy (OLS) are assessed. The role of OLS impact on Organizational Competitiveness (COMP) through two intervening variables LCE (Logistics Coordination Effectiveness) and CSC (Customer Service Commitment) is evaluated. The findings indicate that OLS is an appropriate descriptor of logistics/ supply chain management in a wide range of cultures and that the integration of …

The Progression Of Financial Restatements: Causes And Market Reaction, Kimberly M. Jarry

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Pba Format Change: Aligning With Fan Motivations?, Jeremy Armison

Sport Management Undergraduate

According to the 2007 US Census, bowling has one of the highest participation rates in sports. With 43.5 million participants it ranked 5th in sports/activities behind walking, exercising with equipment, swimming, and camping, yet it struggles at the professional level (US Census, 2007). Changes to the format of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) have been made in the past with little success. The PBA is hoping to change that with this new format change which includes team competition. Team sport spectators are motivated by different factors than individual sport spectators but there has not been research done on PBA fans. …

A Simulation Approach To Airline Cost Benefit Analysis, Massoud Bazargan, David Lange, Luyen Tran, Zhiyuan Zhou

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

In this paper we conduct a cost benefit analyses using simulation for an Airline. This study pertains to using Towbarless Towing Vehicles (commonly referred to as supertugs) to transport aircraft to and from the terminal to airline’s maintenance hangar facility at their hub. This study attempts to investigate the possibility of reducing costs through saving jet fuel by adopting supertugs and identify if their high purchasing costs are justified. This study adopts simulation to analyze the annual savings by studying the numbers needed, as well as the utilization and operation cost for these supertugs. The results are very encouraging, enabling …

Formal And Informal Institutional Influences On Multinational Enterprise Social Responsibility: Two Empirical Studies, Dawn L. Keig

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

How do environmental institutional influences in a multinational enterprise’s (MNE’s) portfolio of locations affect social responsibility (and irresponsibility)? To explore this question, I engaged in two complementary empirical research studies, each exploring a particular subset of the MNE portfolio environment-social responsibility dynamic.

The first study applies the concept of institutional distance from the international business literature to examine how the differences in formal and informal institutional environments across a firm’s full portfolio of operating locations can affect its social performance. I hypothesize and find that firms with greater informal institutional distance within their locations will have lower overall levels of …

A Contemporary Examination Of The Miles And Snow Strategic Typology Through The Lenses Of Dynamic Capabilities And Ambidexterity, Marc D. Sollosy

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This study’s focuses on the examination of the Miles and Snow typology through the lenses of dynamic capabilities with a particular emphasis on ambidexterity. While each element of the typology has received varying degrees of study in both the management and marketing literature, to date, no study has examined the typology, as first proposed by Miles and Snow under the influence of either dynamic capabilities or ambidexterity. This study proposes to examine the alignment of the three elements of the typology with each other and the four strategic archetypes identified by Miles and Snow. It was Hambrick’s observation in his …

Two Essays On The Knowledge-Based View Of The Firm: The Impact Of Local Market Knowledge On Domestic Firm Performance In Both Transitional And Developed Economies, Ted B. Randall

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Are there strategies that domestic transitional economy firms (TEFs) can use in order to be successful given the increasing numbers of multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in their home country markets? How do domestically focused, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developed economies maintain satisfactory levels of performance when faced with the superior resources of MNEs and the resulting increased competitiveness in domestic industrial markets?

I attempt to answer these two questions in two separate papers. In the first paper, I examine TEFs by using research on the knowledge-based view of the firm (KBV) to create and test a new theory …

Two Essays On The Unintended Consequences Of Sarbanes-Oxley On Small Banks And Small Businesses, Earl C. Howell

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

These essays examine the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on small banks (Essay #1) and small businesses (Essay #2). Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), passed in 2002 by the Congress of the United States, was intended to enhance the security of the public shareholder through extensive reporting and compliance programs. As some compliance costs are fixed, the costs of SOX would logically fall disproportionately upon smaller banks, possibly producing unintended consequences. These costs if significant may impact the bank’s choice of strategy. How then can the bank respond? The expectation of a negative impact on small banks is well documented, and consistent with …

The Impact Of Social Influence Pressure On Cfo Judgments, Carol C. Bishop

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Through an experiment, this study examines the influence of social influence pressure on the Chief Financial Officer’s (CFO’s) financial reporting decisions. Specifically, I evaluate the impact of inappropriate obedience and compliance pressure from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on the CFO’s propensity to make revisions to financial results in order to meet an earnings target. This study also examines how followership propensities and core self-evaluations (CSE) influence the pressure effects. This study complements and expands archival research examining why CFOs appear to participate in material accounting manipulations (Feng, Ge, Luo, & Shevlin, 2011; Ge, Matsumoto, & Zhang, 2011).

The results …

Influences On Supply Manager Behavior Toward Environmental Responsibility, James Anthony Swaim

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

As firms invest a substantial amount of time, effort, and funds to purchase goods and services, it is questionable if organizations will reach environmental sustainability objectives without supply manager active involvement. Although existing research has identified low supply manager support for environmental buying, there is little theoretical understanding and explanation relating corporate environmental policies and objectives to individual behaviors. Consequently, this dissertation seeks to provide insight into understanding and overcoming a lack of supply manager support for environmental sustainability. A research model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior used survey data from practicing supply managers to study the behavioral …

Online Social Presence (Osp) In E-Tailing: Construct Development And Testing, Russell Reams

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This research proposes and validates the Online Social Presence (OSP) scale and framework as an effective means of addressing the struggle e-tailers have encountered in attempting to create persuasive and effective online retailing experiences, which persuade customers to purchase their products and services. Online Social Presence (OSP) reexamines and extends the original social presence theory to the complex and dynamic e-tailing environment to address research that indicates that the typical online shopping experience lacks warmth and sociability.

A robust mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to validate the Online Social Presence (OSP) as containing three reflectively measured …

Introducing A Writing Skills Intervention Into An Undergraduate Financial Accounting Course, Barbara M. Tarasovich, Benoit Boyer

WCBT Faculty Publications

This paper describes how integrating a research project into an undergraduate business school core accounting course provides opportunities to develop critical writing skills while reinforcing ethics as part of the business school curriculum. The paper discusses an end-to-end process from the overall goals and details of the assignment to assess student skills. After researching an ethical topic in business, students are challenged to complete a research paper examining the issue and stating and supporting their opinion and views of the issue. While writing courses or assignments are not unusual in business program, the unique approach described in this paper includes …

The Constitution, The Roberts Court, And Business: The Significant Business Impact Of The 2011-2012 Supreme Court Term, Corey Ciocchetti

William & Mary Business Law Review

The 2011–2012 Supreme Court Term created quite the media buzz. The Affordable Care Act cases and the controversial Arizona immigration law dominated the headlines. But the Term also included other fascinating yet less sensationalized cases. The Court heard its fair share of criminal law controversies involving derelict defense attorneys and prosecutors, as well as civil procedure disputes involving qualified immunity for witnesses in grand jury proceedings and private parties assisting the government in litigation. The Justices also entertained arguments on a federal law allowing United States citizens born in Jerusalem to have “Israel” stamped as their birthplace on a passport. …

Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management [2013], Soumya Terala, Peter Harvey, Kevin Mayo, Bhawna Talwar, Pankaj Patil, Chris Enger

Crummer Truist Portfolios

We believe that the U.S. economy will continue growing modestly through 2013 and pick up speed in 2014. We have positioned the portfolio to take advantage of a slowly growing economy by slightly over-weighting the consumer discretionary, energy, industrials, technology, and health care sectors as these have traditionally benefited from recoveries. Accordingly, the consumer durables, financials, materials, telecommunications, and utilities sectors were under-weighted. Although the future is unusually cloudy, we reached this conclusion based on expected economic growth rates, favorable market P/E ratios and continued low interest rates.

The Moderating Effects Of Environmental Dynamism On The Relationship Between Dynamic Capabilities Strategy And New Venture Performance In An Emerging Market, Ilan Alon, Hao Jiao, Koo Chun Kwong, Yu Cui

Faculty Publications

Building from resource-based view, this study developed a model of the dynamic capabilities strategy in an emerging market, especially with a particular focus on the new ventures. We generated hypotheses based on this framework, linking them with new venture performance, with the moderation role of environmental dynamism. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of new ventures in the context of China's Yangtze River Delta Region. Empirical results showed that environmental sensing capability and changing and renewal capability had significant impacts on new venture performance. Additionally, environmental sensing capability, and changing and renewal capability both had a stronger impact on …