Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Gazing Into The Crystal Ball: Using Scenarios For Future Visioning Of A Distance Learning Library Service, Anne Marie Casey, Jon E. Cawthorne, Kathleen Citro

Staff Works - Hunt Library

This article describes the use of scenarios as a tool to assist a large distance learning library service in its strategic planning. Through a description of the scenario process from beginning to end, the authors detail the steps that the library director and the consultant took initially; their missteps; and the successful conclusion. This study of the journey through the scenario process to a new strategic plan should prove useful to library administrators interested in exploring new ways to plan for uncertain futures.

Accounting For Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities, Veliota Drakopoulou

Business Administration - Worldwide

The goal of this research was to investigate the reasons behind the plethora of amendments of the FASB Accounting Pronouncements for Financial Instruments from 2002 to 2008. Entities have communicated their apprehensions that the existent disclosure requirements in SFAS No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities”, do not furnish sufficient input about how derivative and hedging activities influence an entity’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Correspondently, in 2008 the FASB issued Statement No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities—an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133”. The purpose of the study was to investigate the …

Key Findings: 2014 Atrs Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Project, Tae Hoon Oum, Sam Choo, Chunyan Yu

Publications

The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Project measures and compares the performance of several important aspects of airport operations: Productivity and efficiency, unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results and airport charges. The report also examines the relationships between various performance measures and airport characteristics as well as management strategies in order to provide a better understanding of observed differences in airport performance. This report includes 200 airports and 26 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This presentation highlights key findings on efficiency and cost.

Aviation Managers’ Perspective On The Importance Of Education, Jason M. Newcomer, James W. Marion Jr, Matthew P. Earnhardt

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that working adults with at least a four-year college degree earned an annual average salary of $63,400 compared to the $24,300 salary of high school graduates with no college. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to survey managers in the U.S. aviation industry to describe their perspective on how education has impacted them. Following a robust review of the literature, we analyzed the responses from 103 managers’ and discovered that there is a significant association between degree importance and level of education among aviation managers that has application to professional practice. The …

Assessing Customer Service In Airports – Models From The Uae, Aman Gupta, Mohammed Arif, Phillip A. Richardson

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Customer service at airports has become a key priority for airport operators given the high degree of competitions. This paper uses an airport customer service model to analyze three examples from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Passenger interviews, statistical information, customer feedback and other forms of information have been utilized to learn more about the customer view on the quality of service offered at these three airports. Detailed qualitative analysis of these case studies has highlighted some key issues in the area of customer service and identifies some opportunities for improvement.

Project Manager ‘Management Competency’ Vs. ‘Technical Competency’. Which Is More Important To Overall Project Management Success?, Barry Jon Bauer, Tracey M. Richardson, James W. Marion Jr

Publications

Project managers apply multiple skills and competencies in the course of successfully delivering projects. Management and technical competencies represent two major competency categories associated with project management. In this study, the relationship between management and technical competency was investigated and a weak, yet positive correlation was observed as an outcome of this quantitative study.

Evaluating Conflict Between Employees: Exploring The Costs To An Organization, David Cross Ph.D., Scott W.M. Burrus Ph.D., Melanie Shaw Ph.D.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Conflicts between employees result in decreased job satisfaction, negative relationships within the organization, and a loss of employee commitment to both the organization and the specific job performed. Workplace conflicts have high costs to businesses. In aviation, the results of conflict can be deadly. The Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) is designed to help people learn practical strategies to mitigate conflict. A sample of 228 people from the aviation industry completed a pre-training survey, participated in scenario-based SDI training, and then completed a post-training survey regarding the effectiveness of the SDI to help them manage conflict. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance …

Achieving A Competitive Advantage Through Ethical Business Practices An Ethnographical Case Study, Valarie Denney

Publications

Ethical leadership can be a key driver of corporate behavior but it is an individual’s sense of ethics that has an impact on business success. The specific problem was that despite the plethora of academic, government, and industry studies, it remained unclear whether investing in ethics provided a competitive advantage for businesses. The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to examine how the internal stakeholders in a single business defined and applied ethics and what elements of the business culture and competitive environment affected decision-making. The research was a practical application of the stakeholder theory, normative ethics and …

The Effect On Stockholder’S Wealth On Critical Systems Failure And Remedy: The Boeing 787 Case, Jayendra Gokhale, Sunder Raghavan, Victor J. Tremblay

Accounting, Economics, Finance, and Information Sciences - Daytona Beach

In this paper we analyze the effect of Boeing Dreamliner 787’s battery problems on stockholder wealth. Using the event study methodology, we show that the recall in January of 2013 initially caused the company’s cumulative abnormal returns to fall by almost 4% in four trading days after the recall. This was followed by an announcement by two major airlines to ground all of the 787 Dreamliner jets. The FAA also ordered all US airlines to ground their 787s and announced an investigation to review all critical systems of 787s. However within four months of the investigation, FAA approved Boeing’s revisions …

The Effect On Stockholder Wealth Of Product Recalls And Government Action: The Case Of Toyota's Accelerator Pedal Recall, Jayendra Gokhale, Raymond M. Brooks, Victor J. Tremblay

Accounting, Economics, Finance, and Information Sciences - Daytona Beach

We analyze the effect of Toyota’s faulty accelerator pedal on stockholder wealth. Using the event study methodology, we show that a major recall in January of 2010 caused the company’s cumulative abnormal returns to fall by 19%. Continued concerns that Toyota was unable to identify and adequately fix the problem induced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct its own investigation in March, 2010. The results of this government investigation exonerated the company and caused Toyota’s cumulative abnormal returns to rise by almost 9%. The Toyota case provides an opportunity to study a product recall with both company error …

Project Manager Insights: An Analysis Of Career Progression, James W. Marion Jr, Tracey M. Richardson, Matthew P. Earnhardt

Publications

The project manager is key to the success of any project. But the path to becoming a successful project manager is ill defined. In this study, the authors analyzed interview results of 87 project managers’ responses to questions associated with entry into the field, career progression, and advice for the new project manager, seeking to better understand practicing project manager career progression. Qualitative analysis techniques were used to identify recurring themes from the interview summaries. The themes and the resulting conceptual framework provide evidence that supports the development of successful project manager career path. Further, the results suggest individual project …

The Infected Organization: “Corpz” Exposure, Bobby G. Martin

Publications

Max Brooks’ 2006 novel, World War Z: An oral history of the zombie war presents an account of life in a post-apocalyptic world, from the perspective of those who lived through the experience. In the world [earth] of which Brooks speaks, there are people who, whether by personal preparedness, or pure chance, survived the apocalypse unscathed, and there are also those less fortunate, who were infected. The infected are in effect, reanimated corpses; referred to as Zed Heads (Zed, British for the letter Z), or, perhaps more familiar, ZOMBIES! The term zombie according to Brooks (2003) is “an animated corpse …

Market Analysis For Small And Mid-Size Commercial Turboprop Aircraft, Vitaly S. Guzhva, Tamilla Curtis, Vladislav Borodulin

Publications

Recent fuel price volatility and growing concerns about the efficiency of regional jets have led to a revival of large turboprop aircraft as efficient passenger carriers on short-haul regional routes. However, the overall market for smaller turboprops is much less defined as it is characterized by a plethora of small commuter and niche operators in addition to regional carriers. Since most small and mid-size turboprop manufacturers have gone bankrupt or discontinued production due to some other reasons, current operators of this aircraft class are left with aging fleets that would need to be replaced by 2020-2030. This paper assesses the …

Key Findings: 2013 Atrs Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Project, Tae Hoon Oum, Yap Yin Choo, Chunyan Yu

Publications

The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Project measures and compares the performance of several important aspects of airport operations: Productivity and efficiency, unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results and airport charges. The report also examines the relationships between various performance measures and airport characteristics as well as management strategies in order to provide a better understanding of observed differences in airport performance. This report includes 195 airports and 26 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This presentation highlights key findings on efficiency and cost.

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 …

Your Prized Executive Is Leaving. Now What?, John R. Ledgerwood, Stephen N. Morgan

Publications

The departure of a key member of your organization can quickly throw things into turmoil if the person is tightly tied to the firm in the minds of investors. For these reasons and others, nonprofits and for-profits alike should have an established succession plan for identifying a worthy replacement. This article examines how one global nonprofit is planning proactively for the future.

Regional Jet Aircraft Competitiveness: Challenges And Opportunities, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna L. Rhoades, Blaise P. Waguespack Jr.

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

The regional jet aircraft is a unique market niche. Particularly suitable for providing capacity in the 30 to 90 seat range, these jets are often used to connect smaller airports to network carrier hubs, as well as to fill in during slow periods. The market is currently dominated by two manufacturers: Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier. Due to the nature of the global aircraft industry, Embraer and Bombardier are largely dependent on the international sale of their aircraft for steady revenue streams. Orders and deliveries of aircraft with fewer than 100 seats have grown rapidly over the past ten years. …

Customer Service In Aviation Industry – An Exploratory Analysis Of Uae Airports, Aman Gupta, Mohammed Arif, Aled Williams

Decision Science and Analytics - Worldwide

Customer satisfaction is given top priority by all service-oriented industries. The civil aviation industry is no exception. The highly competitive global aviation arena causes various airlines to vie for the top position with lot of importance being given to the customer service. The aim of this study is to analyze the methods and tools used by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) federal government and the various local governments in the country to improve the customer satisfaction with regard to the aviation industry in the country. This paper develops a framework to assess customer service in the aviation sector in the …

The Challenge Of Intervention To Monetarily Support Or Not Support The National Airline Carriers: A Case Of The Airline Industry In Eastern Europe, Dawna L. Rhoades, Tamilla Curtis

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

The airline industry has been considered a special case in national and international business virtually since its beginning. Because of this status, national governments have repeatedly intervened to support national carriers in order to prevent bankruptcy and failure. The nations of Eastern Europe are no exception to this rule and are currently considering additional intervention to support their carriers. This paper explores the rationale for intervention, particularly the suggested economic impact, using traffic and financial information from the Flightglobal database. The conclusion is that the case for intervention is weak at best and that the results may not justify the …

The Transfer Of Military Culture To Private Sector Organizations: A Sense Of Duty Emerges, Janet K. Tinoco, Anke Arnaud Ph.D.

Publications

As a government institution, the United States (US) Department of Defense (DOD) wields powerful influence on private sector organizations in the defense industry beyond the implications of public policy. In our conceptual research, we study the DOD as a key customer stakeholder in these organizations and investigate the influence of its military culture on these private sector organizations. By analyzing the culture of the DOD, we uncover a new dimension, sense of duty, not previously studied in mainstream organization literature. We propose that this dimension transfers from the DOD to its private sector suppliers in the defense industry via interorganizational …

Key Findings Of 2012 Atrs Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Project, Tae Hoon Oum, Yapyin Choo, Chunyan Yu

Publications

The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Project measures and compares the performance of several important aspects of airport operations: Productivity and efficiency, unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results and airport charges. The report also examines the relationships between various performance measures and airport characteristics as well as management strategies in order to provide a better understanding of observed differences in airport performance. This report includes 183 airports and 25 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This presentation highlights key findings on efficiency and cost.

Satisfaction With Airline Service Quality: Familiarity Breeds Contempt, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna L. Rhoades, Blaise P. Waguespack Jr.

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

The objective of this study is to investigate frequency-of-flight issues and the differences between frequent and non-frequent flyers’ levels of satisfaction and the importance attributed to overall airline service quality and select attributes. The results indicate that the level of satisfaction with overall airline quality and select attributes decrease the more passengers fly. Conversely, the level of importance attributed to airline amenities increased with flight frequency. Perceptions of airline quality may vary between different nationalities and different socioeconomic groups. Differences between the short- and long-haul flights, as well as domestic and international services could also exist. Airline managers need to …

Problems Of Maintaining Adequate Accounting Records For A Non-Profit Organization In Sub-Saharan Africa, John R. Ledgerwood, Stephen N. Morgan

Publications

This paper looks at the accounting challenges faced by a small-scale non-profit organization operating in sub-Saharan Africa. We will look at the case of Enright Flight Ministries, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Florida that carries out evangelical and humanitarian aid projects in Zambia. Building upon field interviews with administrative staff and project managers, we analyze the various problems facing the organization in maintaining adequate accounting records. After looking at both external and internal problems, we investigate the solutions employed by Enright Flight Ministries to maintain the integrity of accounting systems to derive best practices for the small-scale international …

Comparing Ratings: In-Class (Paper) Vs. Out Of Class (Online) Student Evaluations, Ronald R. Mau, Rose Opengart

Publications

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) are used by institutions of higher learning in the tenure and promotion process and in awarding merit pay increases. The trend at some institutions has been towards using an online student assessment instrument (SAI) in lieu of the traditional paper –based, in-class assessment. This study examines the difference in student evaluations in two contexts; online and paper-based, in a finance course taught to non-finance majors. The evidence strongly indicates faculty receives higher evaluations using a paper-based instrument administered during class than with an online assessment instrument which students complete on their own time.

Key Findings Of 2011 Atrs Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Project, Tae Hoon Oum, Chunyan Yu, Yapyin Choo

Publications

The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Project measures and compares the performance of several important aspects of airport operations: Productivity and efficiency, unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results and airport charges. The report also examines the relationships between various performance measures and airport characteristics as well as management strategies in order to provide a better understanding of observed differences in airport performance. This report includes 156 airports and 19 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This presentation highlights key findings on efficiency and cost.

Use Of Academic Library Strategic Priorities During Severe Budget Reductions, Anne Marie Casey

Staff Works - Hunt Library

Poster presentation of initial findings from doctoral dissertation research.

Customer Loyalty, Repurchase And Satisfaction: A Meta-Analytical Review, Tamilla Curtis, Russell Abratt, Dawna L. Rhoades, Paul Dion

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between customer loyalty, repurchase/repurchase intent and satisfaction in order to attempt to resolve the mixed views on these concepts. A quantitative review of loyalty-repurchase satisfaction constructs was conducted to identify the strength and direction of the researched relationships and the influence of possible moderating factors affecting those relationships. The Hunter and Schmidt (1990) meta-analytical technique and software were employed. The results demonstrate that loyalty and satisfaction indicate strong positive relationships (0.54). Repurchase and satisfaction display a complicated relationship, which confirmed the view that satisfaction does not explain repurchase behavior. Repurchase …

How Purchasing Departments Can Take Advantage Of The Sluggish Economy To Achieve Strategic Opportunities Through Best Practices, Peter O'Reilly

Publications

Presentation objectives:

• What is a Strategic Best Practice and Why is it Important to a Purchasing Department?

How To Implement Best Strategic Practices In Small And Medium-Sized Procurement Organizations During Difficult Economic Times, Peter O'Reilly

Publications

Presentation objectives:

• What are Small-sized and Medium-sized Sourcing Departments?
• What is a Strategic Best Practice and Why is it Important to a Sourcing Department?

Up, Up, And Away: The Dynamics Of Innovation In The Us Air Cargo Transportation Industry, Janet K. Tinoco, Ryan Johnson

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

In 1978 the United States (US) Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act, allowing all-cargo airlines to compete in an industry that was heretofore highly regulated and stagnant. As companies came and went, successful carriers realized that innovation was necessary to survive. This study analyzes the dynamics of innovation over the industry’s life cycle using intellectual property (IP) data. Results indicate that despite having the characteristics of a commodity, the industry follows a reverse life cycle. Furthermore, FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) hold the highest levels of innovation while dominating the market, signifying that innovation should be integrated into the …