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Review Of Brooks, Stephen, Ed., Montgomery And The Battle Of Normandy: A Selection From The Diaries, Correspondence And Other Papers Of Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery Of Alamein, January To August 1944, James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) The stated goal of Montgomery and the Battle of Normandy is to "bring together the most important Bernard Montgomery documents for the period 1 January to 20 August 1944, reproduce each of the chosen documents in full and arrange them in a straightforward chronological order" (p. x). It is fair to say this volume achieves this goal, even though a batch of Montgomery documents already reproduced in full in other volumes was not included here.

Cooperative Strategies On Parallel Tracks: The Nepad And Agoa Initiatives, Guelmbaye Ngarsandje

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In July 2001, at the 37th of the former Organization of African Unity, African heads of states launched the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a combination of the Omega Plan from Abdoulaye Wade and The Millennium African Renaissance Partnership initiated by Thabo Mbeki, respectively presidents of Senegal and South Africa. This was an achievement of tasks given by their peers in Algiers in 1999. Previously to that, the Clinton administration initiated the African Growth and Opportunity Act passed in law in 1998. Though the two programs aim at African development, they did not take in account each other.

This …

What Is Influencing Financially-Driven Shareholder Activism In The Us And Uk—Principal-Agent Or Principal-Principal Problems?, Maureen I. Muller-Kahle

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Shareholder activism is a response to corporate underperformance by one or more shareholders of the corporation. Classic agency theory suggests that shareholder activism is a mechanism to curb principal-agent problems in the firm. However, the principal-principal perspective suggests that shareholder activism is a mechanism for dominant shareholders to extract resources from the firm. This dissertation extends the current research by developing and testing competing hypotheses to examine the antecedents of financially driven shareholder activism in the United States and the United Kingdom. The extant literature on financially driven shareholder activism (FDSA) is reviewed, research gaps in the literature identified and …

Austerity, Abundance, And The Investor States: The Political Economy Of Sovereign Wealth Funds, Manda Shemirani

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are not new, but their foreign investment created concerns among many states in 2005 and 2006. Many policy makers argued that the ownership of foreign governments in specific areas may expose their countries to various risks. The concerns in the United States were from a national security perspective, while Europe was more worried about the lack of reciprocity and established standards. The political economy literature lacks a suitable framework for the study of investor states. The mainstream economic view contends that SWFs are a result of balance of payments surpluses and are used for economic smoothing …

Review Of Willmott, H.P., The Great Crusade: A New Complete History Of The Second World War, James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) The first edition of The Great Crusade (1989) was a fine, comprehensive, single-volume history of World War II. The revised edition is even better, though readers should be aware that this is a military history of the war that usually focuses on decision-making and activities at the operational level and above. The author sometimes speaks of individual fighting divisions, but almost never about individual soldiers. This work is thus not the place for the reader to discover the tales and yarns of individual soldiers. Those who hope to grasp what it was like to be a Marine storming …

Front Matter: The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2010, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Cover, front matter, table of contents, and other materials for the 2010 The State of the Region report authored by the Regional Studies Institute at Old Dominion University

Part 1: The Hampton Roads Economy: Where We've Been, Where We're Going, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

We are slowly recovering from the worldwide recession. However, both the port and tourism are sputtering and defense spending may decelerate in the future.

Part 2: Feeling Pain: Regional Markets For Office And Industrial Space, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Vacancy rates are high, especially for industrial space, and lease rates have fallen. Times are tough and may remain so for the foreseeable future.

Part 3: Sizing Up The Competition: Hampton Roads Versus Other East Coast Container Ports, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Over the past decade, the Port of Virginia has slipped to third place on the East Coast behind Savannah, Ga. Perhaps we can reverse this by means of Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Heartland Corridor and the recent lease acquisition of the APM Maersk facility in Portsmouth.

Part 4: Light Rail: The Experience Of Other Cities And Implications For Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Building The Tide hasn’t bankrupted Norfolk because of significant federal funding. Paying to operate The Tide, however, could be quite painful if the experience of other regions provides a clue.

Part 5: The Chrysler Museum Of Art: A Longer Look, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

All things considered, our regional cultural treasure is doing well as it adjusts to new financial and cultural realities.

Part 6: Destination Of Choice: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Despite attracting 700,000 visitors annually, the Aquarium is not familiar to many people. We examine the Aquarium and outline its role in the economic development of a key area of Virginia Beach.

Part 7: Cinema In Hampton Roads: History And Prospects, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

The “movies” have been turned upside down over the past half century by television, the Internet, movie rentals and changing customer tastes. We explore what has happened in Hampton Roads and speculate about the future.

Part 9: Dashboard Indicators Of Vision Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Vision Hampton Roads provides a “dashboard” of critical performance variables that helps us determine how we really are doing in areas such as education and the economy. Our report card is mixed.

Part 8: Partisan Politics In Hampton Roads: Color Us Purple, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Once dominated by Democrats and more recently by Republicans, Hampton Roads has become a swing region politically. Currently, we are disadvantaged by an absence of legislator seniority in Richmond and Washington.

The Role Of Guanxi Network In The Corruption-Efficiency Relationship, Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

Why do some countries like China thrive economically despite of corruption? The effect of corruption on economic efficiency is moderated by whether a society has an extensive informal social network such as the guanxi network in China. In societies with a thick, extensive informal social network, bribery- corruption relationship can be easily established and the risk of being reported is low. This relation-based trust makes the dissemination of corruption goods--the sale of government goods for private gains--more market-based. The competition among potential bribers increases the efficiency of corruption (or making corruption less wasteful). In societies that lack such strong informal …

Costs Of Defending Against Rising Sea Levels And Flooding In Mid-Atlantic Metropolitan Coastal Areas: The Basic Issues, James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

Rising ocean levels have resulted in increasingly severe flooding in numerous metropolitan coastal areas. What would it cost to minimize or eliminate such damage? Relatively little economic work has been done to provide an answer, at least partially because some authorities believe attempts to deal with flooding ultimately are futile. Further, discussions of funding always involve massive welfare transfers from the non-flooded to the flooded. The cost of erecting a single mile of new sea wall exceeds $35 million in 2009 dollars and annual maintenance costs range between 5 and 10 percent.

Woman's Work: Female Lighthouse Keepers In The Early Republic, 1820–1859, Virginia Neal Thomas

History Theses & Dissertations

During the Early Republic between 1820 and 1859, women, on average, comprised about five percent of the principal lighthouse keepers in the United States. These women represent a unique exception to the experience of the majority of working women during the Early Republic. They received equal pay to men, and some supervised lower-paid male assistants. They filled these predominately male positions because lighthouse work had much in common with stereotypical woman's work, they were most often related to the previous keeper, and they fit within cultural ideals of gender roles. Inquiry beyond the romantic image crafted for these light keepers …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2009, James V. Koch, Vinod Agarwal, John R. Broderick, Grace Chen, Chris Colburn, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Larry "Chip" Filer, Adrian Gheorghe, Susan Hughes, Elizabeth Janik, Yingxue Li, Feng Lian, Sharon Lomax, Linda Mcgreevy, Janet Molinaro, Jason Phenicie, Ken Plum, Gilbert Yochum

Economics Faculty Books

This is Old Dominion University's 10th annual State of the Region report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion or it's president, John R. Broderick. The report maintains the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make Hampton Roads an even better place to live. We are proud of our region's many successes, but realize that it is possible to improve our performance. In order to do so, we must have accurate information about "where we are" and a …

Promotion Induced Competitive Effects: Two Essays, Rajeev Airani

Marketing Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the empirical generalizations related to retailer promotions. Two essays are developed addressing the generalizations. The first essay addresses the contradiction in the calculations of primary and secondary demand effects. A mathematical proof is developed to show that under Nested Logit modeling, competitors' gain assumption is violated. An alternative explanation is provided to calculate the primary and secondary demand effects. The second essay focuses on the empirical generalization of the neighborhood price effect. The effects of share and quality in shaping the neighborhood price effect are hypothesized and tested. Further, based on the evidence that neighborhood price …

Purchasing Power: An Exploration Of Predictors Of Political Participation And Political Consumerism, Sara Resnick

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Democracy depends on the active participation of at least some citizens. Many researchers argue that the number of people who participate in civic and political life has declined since the 1970's; however, others argue that new methods of participation are not being considered. New ways of thinking about citizenship, more individualized ways of participating in politics, and the intersection of political expression and the free market have created ways for individuals to engage in political and civic life that are not measured by existing conceptualizations of political participation. Political consumerism is one way to conceptualize at least some of the …

2008 Virginia Beach Tourism Economic Impact Study, Gilbert R. Yochum, Vinod Agarwal

Economics Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to estimate the total economic impact and the direct taxes and fees generated by the 2008 in-flow of visitors to the City of Virginia Beach's tourist industry. Total tourism economic impact is defined as the sum of direct, indirect and induced output, employment and earnings that result from visitor spending in Virginia Beach.

Social Capital In Rural China: Its Impact On Economic Development, Grassroots Governance, And Democratic Participation, Min Xia

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Does social capital generate positive influences on economic development and democratic governance? This question has important theoretical and policy implications for the contemporary world, especially for the developing countries. The primary goals of this study are to investigate the stock of two types of social capital—bridging social capital and bonding social capital—in rural China, and furthermore to examine the impacts of these two types of social capital upon economic development, grassroots governance, and democratic participation in rural China.

In this study bridging social capital has been measured by the participation in inclusive social networks and general trust among villagers, and …

Two Essays On Earnings Quality And Corporate Decisions, Qian Sun

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation investigates how earnings quality as an information risk may facilitate our understanding of the choice of payment method in mergers and acquisitions and the value and the level of corporate cash holdings. In a world of asymmetric information and agency problem, Poor earnings quality implies the inadequate supply of relevant and reliable information for investors to monitor and discipline the behavior of firm managers to act in shareholder and stakeholder's best interest.

This study contributes to the literature in three folds. First, I add to the literature by postulating that earnings quality has a significant impact on the …

The Norfolk Hoax: Fear, Social Violence And Ethnicity At The Norfolk Navy Yard During The Strike Of 1877, John Douglas Forrest

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the contributing causes why the command of the Norfolk Navy Yard feared a labor uprising or riot in the surrounding community of Portsmouth, Virginia in July 1877. Racial, class and ethnic tensions heightened to the point that on the morning of July 25, 1877, unknown agents distributed pamphlets around the city, which appealed to workers at the Navy Yard. A culture of social violence was prevalent during Norfolk and Portsmouth's post-Civil War existence. The ground-level view offered by this thesis is of the intense fear that spread across the country in 1877 as a result of severe …

Part 5: Climate Change, Global Warming And Ocean Levels In Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

To the extent that global warming occurs, it will bring with it rising sea levels, which, in the absence of new dikes and levees, will cover vast areas of the Peninsula and Norfolk, Chesapeake and the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Front Matter: The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2009, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Cover, front matter, table of contents, and other materials for the 2009 The State of the Region report authored by the Regional Studies Institute at Old Dominion University

Part 1: The Regional Economy Contracts, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Defense spending continues to cushion our economic downturn, but two other major drivers, the port and tourism, have contracted. We also report stress tests for our major regional banks.

Part 3: The "Silver Tsunami": Residential Life And Care For Seniors In Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In recognition of our aging population, we present extensive data and ratings concerning 57 nursing home facilities, 104 assisted living facilities and eight continuing care facilities in Hampton Roads.

Part 2: The Hotel Industry In Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Stagnant or declining patronage and excess capacity have made this a very challenging time for an industry that is vital to our future.