Business Commons^™

The Effect Of Four Decades Of Deregulation On Competition And Productivity Of The U.S. Freight Transportation Industry, Seungjae Shin

Theses and Dissertations

This study reviews the competition and productivity of the U.S. freight transportation industry for the past 41 years. This study investigated the trends of HHI market concentration index values and labor productivity values of rail and truck sectors and tried to find any relationships between the two values in the separate periods before and after the abolishment of the ICC. This study also investigated how the existence of a regulatory body impacted productivity of the freight transportation industry by using a Cobb Douglas production function on annual financial statement data in the U.S. stock exchange market. This study found that: …

Strategies For Increasing Employee Engagement In Media Organizations, Mercedeez Porsché, Ellexus Byrd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee engagement is crucial for the success of any organization, and disengaged employees can reduce productivity and increase costs. Media leaders are concerned with the negative impact that employee disengagement can have on firms’ profitability and competitiveness. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies leaders use to increase employee engagement in media organizations. Participants comprised five leaders within media organizations with a local presence in Georgia who successfully implemented strategies to increase employee engagement. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of online and public platforms. Data were analyzed …

Ewom Platforms As Productivity Catalyzers In The Travel Industry: A Two-Stage Double Bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis, Tomas Saralegui

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

In a fast-paced digitalization context, travel agencies face a challenge to increase productivity. Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) could allow better learning processes, improve communication with customers, and serve as a remarkable diffusion channel. However, this channel is not yet fully embraced by the sector. This research, delimited to Spanish travel agencies in the period 2012-2019, applies a two-stage double bootstrap data envelopment analysis to assess whether eWOM and how firms manage eWOM, contributes to achieving higher levels of efficiency. Results show that firms with higher valence and volume of online reviews tend to be closer to the efficiency frontier. …

“For The People: A Collaborative Space Assessment”: A Joyful Interpretation Of Room Design, Anne Holland

Honors Projects

To create a space that matters one must focus on the needs of the people who will use it. It is easy to create a beautiful space, however if that space does not function for those it was built for it has no point. Currently in the basement of Founders Residence Hall on the Bowling Green State University campus there is an old unused cafeteria space. This space has not only the potential but the ability to become something new, something of use. It is an area that could not only be renovated and redone by the Honors College but …

Three Keys Of Development: Knowledge, Efficiency And Innovative Entrepreneurship, Irfan Kalayci, Ali Soylu, Baris Aytekin

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The change in the structure and composition of production factors have always been occurred in the world production history. The competition between sectors and also within each sub-sector that comprise them continues. In this sense, competition has always fed change, transformation and progress. The process phenomenon is the change and transformation movements that occur in the production processes that economies focus on. In this respect, the classification steps emphasize this development. In this study, we discuss economic groups (resource-oriented, productivity-oriented, and innovation-oriented) in terms of drivers of economic development (knowledge, efficiency, innovative entrepreneurship, and productivity). The 3rd Industrial Revolution starting …

Judicious Vulnerability: How Humility, Teachability, And Awareness Impact Teams In Organizational Settings, Mac Strachan

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

In some professions, such as medicine, law enforcement, athletics, and education, maintaining high performance standards while being emotionally stoic often leads to work fatigue and burnout. This state of being can be detrimental to the health of both the professionals and the organization that employs them, bringing into question the necessity of a culture driven by competition and ego. As such, this paper explores the concept of vulnerability as a means to explain cognitive and emotional processes that positively affect relational behavior and organizational culture. Judicious vulnerability sits at the intersection of humility, teachability, and awareness and has the capacity …

Exploring Tech Tools And Productivity Apps, Lauren Puzier

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Technology is continuously changing, and there are always new tools and mobile apps to test out. There are tools for everything from productivity, audio, communication, content creation and design, coding, automation, VR, video, etc. As many libraries have shifted to remote operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, daily workflows have changed. The NMRT Online Discussion Committee asked members what tools they have found useful in their work at the library or home over the past year. Members shared tools they were interested in trying and which apps help their daily workflow.

Overcoming The Downsides Of Personal Internet And Cell Phone Use In The Workplace: An Exploratory Empirical Analysis, Kaustav Misra, Michael D. Stackhouse, Arundhati Bagchi Misra, Gregory Berry

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The now taken-for-granted introduction of internet usage into the workplace changed the dynamics of work, productivity, and management, and this is now further complicated by the ubiquitous availability of personal cell phones, going beyond company supplied and (partially) controlled computers with internet connections. This paper studies the connection between internet and cell phone usage by employees and firm productivity. Using primary data collected via a self-reported survey, we conduct an empirical analysis utilizing information based on firm and industry characteristics. Results indicate that the level of non-work-related internet and cell phone usage is significantly associated with firm productivity. Some of …

Health Is Wealth: The Correlation Of Wellness Programs & Productivity In Canada And The U.S., Madeline Wert

Business and Economics Summer Fellows

Does health impact the productivity of workers? Are there differences between the U.S. and Canada? Firms both in Canada and the U.S. deal with issues of presenteeism and absenteeism. Presenteeism is when an employee shows up to work but they are distracted by their own or a family member’s health issue. One response to reduce presenteeism and absenteeism are workplace wellness programs. Workplace wellness programs are facilitated programs by a firm to promote the health and wellbeing of their employees, which benefits the employer and the employees. There are additional incentives for U.S. employers to implement workplace wellness programs as …

Presenteeism, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is presenteeism? Presenteeism is not simply a matter of attending, or being physically present, at work. Rather, it refers to going to work while ill and, in some cases, also includes the concept of lost productivity as a result (Johns, 2010; McGregor, Sharma, Magee, Caputi, & Iverson, 2017). Unlike absenteeism, which can be measured through personnel records, presenteeism is measured by employee self-report via surveys or interviews. For the more limited definition (going to work ill), employees are asked whether or how often in the past they showed up to work when they were sick and should have taken …

Estimating The Benefits And Costs Of Forming Business Partnerships, Jungho Lee

Research Collection School Of Economics

I estimate a matching model of business‐partnership formation to quantify the relative importance of productivity gains, financing gains, and the coordination failure of effort provision (moral hazard) among partners. Productivity gains account for 61% of the gain from the observed partnerships. For partners in the first quartile of the wealth distribution, however, financing accounts for 93% of the gain. The cost of moral hazard corresponds to 42% of the entire gain from partnerships. A loan policy specifically targeting partnerships is less effective in improving welfare than a conventional loan policy that provides loans to individual entrepreneurs.

Examining The Impact Of It Investment On Insurer Productivity: A Bootstrapped Malmquist Frontier Analysis Approach, Jee Yuen Yew

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This paper attempts to examine productivity changes of insurance companies in Singapore as represented by bootstrapped Malmquist indices, generated from a data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based frontier analysis, and attribute these changes to an increasing investment in information technology infrastructure and equipment, and increasing investment in staff enhancement. Through this analysis, the author finds that there has been a general increase in productivity and efficiency from 2011 – 2017, as seen from changes in the kernel density functions of productivity change between the two periods. The author also finds, through running a panel tobit regression model, that there is a positive …

Make More, Work Less, Michael Sutton

Marriott Student Review

Although the status quo in the business world is to work long hours and supposedly produce more each workweek, studies show that working less and taking appropriately regulated breaks actually lead to more productivity in individuals and businesses as a whole. Specifically companies would be wise to implement a limit of 50 work hours per week, encourage frequent breaks (about 15 minute every hour), and encourage patterns of sufficient sleep. By reducing mental fatigue in your employees, their productivity will increase.

Integrity Tests, Michael Cunningham, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are integrity tests? Employee integrity tests are attitude self-report hiring tools that measure candidates’ disposition to productively perform their work, while refraining from counterproductive actions. Counterproductive actions include behaviors such as theft; safety and procedure violations; revealing confidential information or falsifying records; arguing with customers, clients and staff; and tardiness, absenteeism and job abandonment (Gruys, as cited in Sackett, 2002). There are many commercially available integrity tests, and they are often classified as either overt or personality based (Sackett, Burris, & Callahan, 1989). Overt integrity tests (also known as clear-purpose tests) are designed to directly assess attitudes regarding dishonest …

Growing Dynamisms' Of Business And Technology/ Global Perspective, Saravanan K., N. Muthu Ph.D

International Review of Business and Economics

Technology is the essence of change in business and society. In this paper we can learn about technology, its characteristics, its historical phases and how innovation is fuelled today. Technological advances in the modern world have created new business opportunities. Leverage advanced tools to rise above the competition. Technology has revolutionized the way companies conduct business by enabling small businesses to level the playing field with larger organizations. Businesses nowadays, whether it is big or small, also rely on the help of technology.Mostcompaniesdepends their daily operations on the use of technological innovation such as computers, internet connection, printers, applications, and …

Principales Factores Que Inciden En El Desarrollo Empresarial De Las Mipymes Del Sector Calzado, En La Localidad Antonio Nariño En La Ciudad De Bogotá, Luis Alejandro Álvarez Moncada, Javier Felipe Giraldo Acosta

Finanzas y Comercio Internacional

El sector calzado ubicado en la localidad de Antonio Nariño en la ciudad de Bogotá conglomera gran parte de la fabricación y distribución de calzado en el país, por lo cual esta investigación tiene como objetivo identificar los principales factores que inciden en el desarrollo empresarial de las pymes de la localidad de Antonio Nariño de la ciudad de Bogotá. Este documento analiza las principales problemáticas que afectan el sector calzado en la localidad Antonio Nariño, esto se hace mediante la indagación a expertos y encuestas estructuradas a microempresarios, para hallar los factores que están afectando las pymes Este análisis …

Understanding Employee Engagement: A Mixed-Methods Study, Joren M. Scharn

Theses & Dissertations

For over 4 decades businesses around the world have been conducting employee satisfaction surveys at regular intervals and this surfaced a strong positive relationship between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and overall company performance. In recent years however, academics and researchers have reopened the debate on whether employee or job satisfaction metrics are in fact reliable indicators of productivity, suggesting that employee engagement has a far stronger correlation to productivity. This study addresses two interrelated problems that are associated with a practice that is common in working environments all over the world. According to literature, it is generally accepted that (a) …

A Cross-Cultural Examination Of The Effect Of Employer Support On Employee Productivity, Shawn Tuman, Haley Lipton

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this creative, collaborative, capstone project is to conduct a cross-cultural examination of the effect of employer support on employee productivity by compiling, examining, and synthesizing conclusions from existing research. In a world of growing globalization and technological innovation, the speed of productivity is often the cornerstone that differentiates successful businesses from unsuccessful businesses, providing a competitive advantage to the quick while the others fall behind. Often this increased level of efficiency comes at a cost beyond the price of the product and the salary of employees, a deeper, psychological cost. By reviewing research focused in the United …

Impact Of Motivation On Project Teams’ Performance In Information Technology, Ramu Karanam

Dissertations and Theses

Sufficient motivation is a critical ingredient for any organization to derive optimal performances from their workforce. Project teams are an integral part of the efficient conduction of an information and communication technology company’s core operations. This study is dictated towards the evaluation of the main factors that influence the level of motivation portrayed by team members of information technology project teams. Through a comprehensive literature review, the research was able to uncover insightful trends in motivation patterns among project team members that might be useful to project managers. The findings of this research conclude that a project team manager can …

The Effects Of Cultural Dissimilarity On Employee Job Attitudes And Productivity, Sherrice Olithia Lyons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations in Jamaica have been impacted by globalization and the opportunities and challenges of cultural incompatibilities. Most previous studies on cultural incompatibilities have focused on the impact on expatriates leaving a gap in the literature with respect to the implications for host country nationals, and specifically Jamaicans. This quantitative study focused on employees of 2 companies in Jamaica, an energy company and a hospitality company. It examined cultural dissimilarity with respect to host country nationals and expatriates, and its effect on the productivity, job satisfaction, affective commitment, and normative commitment of these employees (N = 110). In addition to the …

From Play To Performance: Building An Effective Organization, Jessica N. Selee, Jade Johnson, Jocelyn N. Murray, Anna Samuelson, Jasmine Li, Andrew Lacanienta, Mat D. Duerden, Mark Widmer

Marriott Student Review

Under the Mentored Experience Grant, six students studies the impact that non-work activities (recreation or leisure) have on individual contributors or organization. Some employees refrain from participating in Leisure-at-Work (LAW) due to lack of time or skill, to cliques, to differing preferences, or fear of negative connotations. Employees report that LAW increases productivity, establishes and enriches social interactions, improves communication, attracts and retains employees in a company, and facilitates a culture of engagement, trust, and camaraderie. At the conclusion of our analysis, we identified areas of future research and recommendations for best practice.

Height, Weight, And Durability In Major League Baseball, Joshua Yeager

CMC Senior Theses

Using data from the 2000-2016 Major League Baseball seasons, this paper looks at the determinants of durability amongst baseball athletes, durability is measured in games played for batters and innings pitched for pitchers, with a particular focus on height and weight. This paper finds evidence that lighter, shorter batters play significantly more games than taller, heavier batters. Additionally, amongst pitchers, there is only circumstantial evidence that height and weight are important determining factors of player durability. Finally, I find that starting pitchers increase the likelihood of becoming injured in the regular season by 10.3% and 21.8% if their hits per …

Use Of The Internet And Its Impact On Productivity And Sales Growth In Female-Owned Firms: Evidence From India, Aparna Gosavi

Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation JEMI

Animal Farm, Baby Boom And Crackberry Addicts, Gayle Porter, Jamie L. Perry

Jamie Perry

[Excerpt] In this chapter, we draw from both popular media and research support, along with anecdotal examples drawn from conversations accumulated as part of our own prior studies. Our goal is to present reminders that working hours are a personal life choice, even with external demands, but a choice that is influenced by elements of the individual’s working situation. The implications of a choice for long working hours are shown through use of two past “hard working” icons from popular media, one from the 1940s and one from the 1980s. Discussion continues into current time with an overview highlighting advances …

Symptomatic Leadership: The Impact Of Changing Demographics On Global Business, Linda L. Ridley

Publications and Research

The past several decades have displayed a focus on diversity in the workplace throughout the corporate environment. Questions remain: has the effort been at all impactful – or, due to its symbolic nature, has it only been a distraction? What behaviors would have been better emphasized to achieve full participation and opportunity by all actors in a firm?

Considerable research has revealed that attempts at diversity are clumsy at best; and spurious at worst. [i] The challenge for firms has been to develop a “business case” for why those contributing groups represented by women and people of color should be …

Psychological Capital As A Mediator Between Team Cohesion And Productivity, Robert John Cesaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations attempting to optimize productivity are seeking new ways to develop psychological capital in teams. The researcher conducted a quantitative study to determine whether team cohesion, as assessed by the Revised Group Environment Questionnaire (RGEQ), impacts team productivity, as assessed by the Performance Measurement Team (PMT) Manufacturing Resource System (MRS); whether this relationship can be attributed to a team's level of psychological capital, as assessed by the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12); and whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between team cohesion and team productivity. Forty-five PMTs in a large U.S. defense manufacturing organization were surveyed using the PCQ-12 and the …

Law Enforcement Employees' Experiences Of Skillful Recognition By Leaders, Dimitra Patterson Cornelius

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The performance of public agency employees and their management teams have long been subject to critical comments and public doubt. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of police leaders and staff with regard to skillful recognition of excellent performance within the profession. Twenty law enforcement employees, including leaders, sworn officers, and nonuniformed civilian employees in southwestern North Carolina, consented to in-depth, semistructured interviews concerning their lived experiences. Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory was the conceptual framework for this study. A modified van Kaam analysis resulted in the identification of 5 significant, but broad, themes. The themes …

Productivity Standards, Marriage And Family Therapist Job Satisfaction, And Turnover Intent, Gilbert Ernest Franco

Gilbert Ernest Franco

Turnover among mental health professionals is high, which can have a direct impact on access to services and continuity of care. Informed by goal-setting theory, social-cognitive theory, and self-efficacy, this quantitative study investigated how California community mental health agency productivity standards were related to self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and marriage and family therapist (MFT) turnover intent among 141 MFTs. Participants completed a Demographic and Productivity Questionnaire, Job Self-Efficacy Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, and Turnover Intention Scale. The relationship between participant age, gender, experience, number of work hours, licensure status, and job site with job satisfaction and turnover intent were assessed using …

Measuring Manufacturing: How The Computer And Semiconductor Industries Affect The Numbers And Perceptions, Susan N. Houseman, Timothy J. Bartik, Timothy J. Sturgeon

Susan N. Houseman

Growth in U.S. manufacturing’s real value-added has exceeded that of aggregate GDP, except during recessions, leading many to conclude that the sector is healthy and that the 30 percent decline in manufacturing employment since 2000 is largely the consequence of automation. The robust growth in real manufacturing GDP, however, is driven by one industry segment: computers and electronic products. In most of manufacturing, real GDP growth has been weak or negative and productivity growth modest. The extraordinary real GDP growth in computer-related industries reflects prices for computers and semiconductors that, when adjusted for product quality improvements, are falling rapidly. Productivity …

Measuring Manufacturing: How The Computer And Semiconductor Industries Affect The Numbers And Perceptions, Susan N. Houseman, Timothy J. Bartik, Timothy J. Sturgeon

Timothy J. Bartik

Growth in U.S. manufacturing’s real value-added has exceeded that of aggregate GDP, except during recessions, leading many to conclude that the sector is healthy and that the 30 percent decline in manufacturing employment since 2000 is largely the consequence of automation. The robust growth in real manufacturing GDP, however, is driven by one industry segment: computers and electronic products. In most of manufacturing, real GDP growth has been weak or negative and productivity growth modest. The extraordinary real GDP growth in computer-related industries reflects prices for computers and semiconductors that, when adjusted for product quality improvements, are falling rapidly. Productivity …