Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

The American Aircraft Industrial Base: On The Brink, David R. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

An article reviewing the decline in the American aircraft industrial base.

R&D Investment Level And Environment As Predictors Of Firm Acquisition, Michael Heeley, David R. King, Jeffrey Covin

Management Faculty Research and Publications

R&D investments contribute to the development of firm technology resources, and the possession of such resources often increases a firm’s attractiveness as a potential acquisition target. However, the value ascribed to a firm’s technology resources by would-be acquirers may be moderated by its industry’s environmental characteristics. Using data from 2886 firms, we find that investments in R&D predict acquisition likelihood and that R&D investments are most strongly associated with acquisition of firms under conditions of high environmental munificence and dynamism. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Visit Bulgaria So That Bulgaria Can Visit You!, Milena Dimitrova

Whittier Scholars Program

This project is split into four chapters with the introductory chapter serving as a situation analysis manual. It first introduces the reader to the main terminology needed for the further development of the thesis. It also offers historical context of tourism as a social phenomenon and sets parameters of comparison within analyzing the state of the French and Bulgarian markets. The second chapter examines customer behavior in the principal tourist generating markets and focuses on data analysis from a single country to obtain information on how Bulgaria is positioned in the global tourist market. The third chapter analyzes the transition …

Matching A Publishing Model To Board Values: A Decision Analysis For The American Society Of Missiology, Betsy A. Northrup

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

Faced with declining revenue, increasing print costs, and an increasingly electronic world, The American Society of Missiology (ASM) has to make a decision and can choose between three alternatives: 1) Continue to publish its quarterly journal, Missiology: An International Review, using its current print-only model and contracting out on-line availability to the American Theological Library Association (ATLA); 2) Accept the offer of a commercial firm in the United Kingdom to manage, publish, and distribute Missiology in return for immediate on-line availability, increased exposure through marketing, and a guaranteed modest income for the Society; or 3) …

Dynamical Volatilities For Yen-Dollar Exchange Rates, Kyungsik Kim, Seong-Min Yoon, C. Christopher Lee, Myung-Kul Yum

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

We study the continuous time random walk theory from financial tick data of the yen-dollar exchange rate transacted at the Japanese financial market. The dynamical behavior of returns and volatilities in this case is particularly treated at the long-time limit. We find that the volatility for prices shows a power-law with anomalous scaling exponent κ = 0.96 (one minute) and 0.86 (ten minutes), and that our behavior occurs in the subdiffusive process. Our result presented will be compared with that of recent numerical calculations.

Conceptual Issues Of Global Counterfeiting On Products And Services, D. Bosworth, Deli Yang

School of Business Faculty Research

Counterfeiting is a global problem of enormous magnitude. Despite its obvious importance, relatively little attention has been paid to the management of counterfeiting. This paper considers the difficulties of measuring counterfeiting and provides evidence of the magnitude of the problem worldwide. The focus is on counterfeiting of privately produced goods and services, rather than the issue of the counterfeiting of currency per se, which is a somewhat different though related issue. A conceptual framework of the private and social costs and benefits of anti-counterfeiting measures is also provided. The framework highlights a number of key driving forces of counterfeiting, including …

Developing An Empirical Basis For Selecting A Strategic-Planning Team From Among Likely Candidates Based On Desired Emotional Intelligence Competencies, Robert Allen Reindel

Dissertations

Problem. Corporate teams are often established to complete assigned tasks as they would relate to planning, product development, process improvements, etc. There seems to be a lack of effective means for selecting team members based on objective criteria. Team-member selection is typically a process based only on the selector's judgment. While testing is a typical way to make hiring decisions, the same process is not used for creating teams.

Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to explore a way of using identified competencies of emotional intelligence to objectively select team members for a strategic-planning initiative.

Method. …

A New Theory And Measure Of Ethical Work Climate: The Psychological Process Model (Ppm) And The Ethical Climate Index (Eci), Anke Arnaud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With this dissertation I developed a new theory and measure of ethical work climate (EWC). Currently, there exists one dominant theory and measure of EWC developed by Victor and Cullen (1988, 1987). Even though researchers have identified problems with this theory, such as inconsistencies with regard to its limited theoretical scope and troubling psychometric properties, it is the most widely utilized framework for conceptualizing and testing EWC. Therefore, I propose to develop an improved theory and measure of EWC, one capable of addressing some of the principle shortcomings of earlier efforts. Building on Rest's (1986, 1979) "Four-Component" model of individual-level …

Dynamic Entrepreneurial Networks: An Investigation Of Entrepreneurs, New Ventures And Their Networks, Diane Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurs need resources to organize new venture offerings into marketplace-acceptable forms. Entrepreneurs use others' assistance via networks to obtain these resources. Research indicates that firms face resource dependencies, that likely change over time, where they must respond to those controlling resources. Although some work has investigated implications of new ventures' networks at one time period, little work has investigated the dynamic nature and associated outcomes of networks as they change due to different resource requirements as the venture develops. This research examines the dynamic nature of networks, due different resource requirements over time, and how these changes impact entrepreneurial outcomes …

Project Management Issues In It Offshore Outsourcing, Kathy Schwaig, Stephen Gillam, Elke M. Leeds

Faculty Articles

Global partnerships are forming to take advantage of the cost savings associated with offshoring as well as other strategic benefits. Not all information technology offshoring projects, however, are successful. Cost overruns, increased complexity and defective code cause organizations to rethink their offshoring strategy and their methods for managing these projects. In this paper, project management issues associated with offshore information technology outsourcing projects are identified and specific recommendations for addressing these issues are presented.

Radio Frequency Identification Technology: Applications, Technical Challenges And Strategies, Suhong Li, John K. Visich, Basheer M. Khumawala, Chen Zhang

Management Department Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technology behind RFID systems, identify the applications of RFID in various industries, and discuss the technical challenges of RFID implementation and the corresponding strategies to overcome those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach - Comprehensive literature review and integration of the findings from literature. Findings - Technical challenges of RFID implementation include tag cost, standards, tag and reader selection, data management, systems integration and security. The corresponding solution is suggested for each challenge.

Research limitations/implications - A survey type research is needed to validate the results.

Practical implications - This research offers useful …

“The Management Of Creativity”, Managing The Creative Mind: A Business Elective, Peter A. Maresco, John Gerlach

WCBT Faculty Publications

The immediate problem facing the authors was replacing someone with the background and stature of Joseph Abboud with an individual or, as it eventually worked out, four individuals with differing creative backgrounds and levels of success that would be of benefit to the students (in the spring 2006 semester the course was offered to undergraduate business students) enrolled in the course. Replacing Abboud proved to be not as difficult as the authors originally imagined. Within a period of three weeks, four individuals with diverse backgrounds in film, music, sports entertainment, and entrepreneurship were identified and agreed to take part in …

Corporate Governance, Public Accounting Firm And Multinational Corporation: The Us Sox Act Perspective, Marc Massoud, Eunsup Daniel Shim

WCBT Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to review US corporate governance systems and to highlight the mandated roles of audit committee and external auditor within the SOX Act. In addition, it discusses requirements and implications of the SOX Act for the foreign accounting firms and multinational corporations. Finally this paper provides a perspective on improvement of corporate governance and financial integrity. In order to regain trust from the financial market, the SOX Act mandates (1) to improve auditor’s independence by reducing conflicts of interest; (2) to increase corporate financial reporting responsibility by requiring a CEO or a CFO certify accuracy …

A Double-Edged Sword: Organizational Culture In Multicultural Organizations, Mary G. Trefry

WCBT Faculty Publications

The primary premise explored in this paper is that organizational culture has the potentialfor even greater impact in multicultural organizations than mono-cultural ones because an organization's culture can intensify both the benefits and the challenges of employee cultural diversity, and thus indirectly, affect organizational performance, organizational learning and competitive advantage. The assumptions underlying this contention and relationships among variables that contribute to the impact are explored in this paper, along with practical organizational implications.

This study analyzes the dimensions of the 'vitality of development' of banking systems. Fuzzy synthetic decision analysis was used to construct and evaluate an index of …

World Wrestling Entertainment: Achieving Continued Growth And Market Penetration Through International Expansion, Joshua Shuart, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is best known for its promotion of professional wrestling as sports entertainment. Today, World Wrestling Entertainment is an integrated media and entertainment company principally engaged in the development, production, and marketing of television programming, pay-per-view programming, and live events, and the licensing and sale of branded consumer products featuring the highly successful World Wrestling entertainment brand. As the WWE brand continues to grow, a strategic decision has been made to place a greater emphasis on the expansion of the WWE brand globally. This paper will present an overview of WWE from its beginnings as the WWWF …

Is Support For Strategic Flexibility, Environmental Dynamism, And Firm Performance, Michael J. Zhang

WCBT Faculty Publications

Increasingly, strategic flexibility has been viewed as a critical organizational competency that enables firms to achieve and maintain competitive advantage and superior performance. In this study, the relationship between IS support for strategic flexibility and the bottom-line performance of firms is investigated, as well as the moderating effects of environmental dynamism on that relationship. Using both survey and archival data, IS support for strategic flexibility was positively associated with profitability and labor productivity only when there was a high degree of environmental changes and uncertainty.

How Sales Executives Can Avoid Accounting Fraud Allegations, Mark S. Beasley, Dana R. Hermanson

Faculty Articles

Is accounting fraud only a concern for CEOs and financial executives? This article discusses recent cases in which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Sales Vice Presidents for their role in accounting fraud. The authors offer suggestions to help sales executives steer clear of accounting fraud allegations.

Closing The "Equity Gap" In Startup/Seed Investment For Ict Ventures (Israeli Experience), Jimmy Schwarzkopf

Student Scholarship

In Israel\, an innovative program called Entrepreneur/ Executive in Residency (EIR) was initiated by venture capital firms to increase the probability that ICT startup/seed ventures will be funded. EIR programs help VCs to maintain 6%-10% of their portfolio (measured in invested dollars per year) in ventures in the startup/seed stage. This research\, based on qualitative interviews with Israeli VC executives and entrepreneurs who participate in EIR programs\, promotes understanding about how EIR programs work to increase the perceived confidence coefficient of the VC partners until it overcomes the “equity gap” that exists in assessing startup/seed entrepreneurial deals. Variant types of …

An Exploration Of Theories Of Action In Leadership Development: A Case Study, Scott J. Allen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The central purpose of the present study was to examine how academic notions of leadership development compare and contrast with the theory of action that guides corporate leadership development initiatives. A secondary purpose was to analyze the process and potential extensions of the user-focused theory of action approach. Initial findings suggest that the user-focused theory of action approach is transferable to the case studied. In addition, an analysis of the leadership development literature and the Frontline Leadership Excellence System yielded a thought-provoking comparison of theory and practice. The study also provided an analysis of literature gaps and useful suggestions regarding …

Port Community Learning Needs: Analysis And Design, Edward Sweeney, Pietro Evangelista

Articles

The port industry is facing a dramatic wave of changes that have transformed the structure of the
industry. Modern seaports are increasingly shifting from a “hardware-based” approach towards “knowhow intensive” configuration. In this context knowledge resources, learning processes and training initiatives increasingly represent key elements to guarantee the quality of service supplied and hence the competitiveness of modern seaport communities. This paper describes the learning needs analysis conducted amongst key port community actors in three ports in the south east of Ireland during 2005 in the context of the I-Sea.Net project. It goes on to describe the learning requirements report …

The Influence Of Issue Management Upon Public Relationships In A Changing Environment: How John Charles Mcquaid, Roman Catholic Archbishop Of Dublin (1940-72) Managed The Issue Of The Second Vatican Council From 1959 To 1972 And The Extent, If Any, To Which This Influenced Change In The Public Relationships Between Archbishop, Diocesan Priests And Laity, Francis Xavier Carty

Doctoral

This research examines the influence of issue management upon public relationships in a changing environment. The example chosen is the management of the Second Vatican Council, from 1959 to 1972 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and the public relationships are those between archbishop, diocesan priests and laity. Public relations theories on issue management, publics and relationship management are applied to a religious context, one where relationships may be distorted by the religious faith, authority and obedience on which they are based and which is different to the commercial business environment within which they were framed. The methodology is …

Bar Raising Or Navel-Gazing?:The Effectiveness Of Self-Study Programmes In Eading To Improvements In Institutional Performance, Deirdre Lillis

Conference papers

Higher Education Institutes worldwide are investing significant resources in self study programmes to improve institutional performance, to enhance quality and to meet external stakeholder demands. The institutional impacts of both internally and externally mandated self study programmes is an area where little empirical research exists. A key question is whether self study programmes are effective (or otherwise) in leading to improvements in institutional performance and the reasons why. Covering an eight year period, from 1997–2006, this paper reports on the use of systematic evaluation methodology (Rossi et al., 2003) to evaluate the effectiveness of three self study programmes in leading …

A Comparative Study Of Performance Appraisals And The Implication For Management Practices, Sekou D. Bangura

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Female Entrepreneurship: An Analysis Of Factors Encouraging And Discouraging Female Entrepreneurship In The United States, Katie Patterson

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction And Customer Loyalty In Consumer Electronics E-Tailers: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Kuang-Wen Wu

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales have been successfully tested in a study by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra (2005). However, E-S-QUAL and E-RecS­ QUAL are newly developed and lack specific application to different types of e-business. This non-experimental, correlational study is the first to examine and explore the relationships among electronic service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty for consumer electronics e-tailers.

Using quota and snowball sampling, participants from the continental United States received e-mail invitations and voluntarily forwarded the e-mail invitations to their friends and family. A total of 276 participants completed the online survey. This study's demographic characteristics included …

Estimation Of Large Insurance Losses: A Case Study, Tine Buch-Kromann

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

This paper demonstrates an approach to analyzing liability data recently developed by a Danish insurance company. The approach is based on a Champernowne distribution, which is corrected with a non-parametric estimator. The correction estimator is obtained by transforming the data set with the estimated modified Champernowne cdf and then estimating the density of the transformed data set by using the classical kernel density estimator. Our approach is illustrated by applying it to an actual data set.

On Some Risk-Adjusted Tail-Based Premium Calculation Principles, Edward Furman, Zinoviy Landsman

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

This paper explores two tail-based premium calculation principles, the tail standard deviation (TSD) premium and the tail conditional expectation (TCE) premium, in their risk-adjusted and unadjusted forms. They are risk-adjusted using so-called distortion functions. We prove that the proportional hazard (PH) risk-adjusted TCE premium is larger than the unadjusted TCE premium. Additionally, given a risk distribution with location and scale parameters, we prove that the PH risk-adjusted TCE premium reduces to the unadjusted TSD premium.

Spatial Distribution Of Frequency And Severity Of Water Claims In California, Gurbhag Singh, Max Tang, Don Mcneill, Lyn Hunstad

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We examine the frequency and severity of water loss claims for homeowners insurance across the state of California for the experience years 2000, 2001, and 2002. The spatial distribution patterns of frequencies and severities are mapped and analyzed at the zip code level. The maps reveal the pockets of high frequencies and severities. The information provided in this paper will assist actuaries and policy makers in their quest to set accurate rates for homeowners insurance.

Bayesian Analysis Of Insurance Losses Using The Buhlmann-Straub Credibility Model, Abraham J. Van Der Merwe, Kobus N. Bekker

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We propose a Bayesian analysis to develop credibility estimates of the well known Biihlmann-Straub model. We describe simple numerical methods to obtain exact posterior distributions and predictive densities under this model. These distributions are obtained through Monte Carlo simulations that generate independent samples from the joint posterior distribution. Our methods are therefore preferable to methods such as Gibbs sampling, which generates dependent samples from the joint distribution. The methods discussed also can be extended to more complicated credibility models.

Analysis Of An Insurance Risk Model With Thinning Dependence And Common Shock, Lai Mei Wan, Kam Chuen Yuen, Wai Keung Li

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We consider a continuous-time insurance risk model with m dependent classes of business with dependent claim number processes due to thinning dependence and a common shock. The impact of the dependence is studied via the adjustment coefficient. The case m = 2 is investigated analytically for exponential claim distributions and via simulation for non-exponential claim distributions.