Library: Business

The purpose of business is to employ capital factors in such a manner as to generate value for its customers and profits for its owners. To achieve these ends, management must make at least three distinct decisions – the operating, investment, and financing decisions. The purpose of this study is to formulate a modeling methodology that harmonically analyzes and explains how the investment decision and capital elasticity influence competitive advantage. The research explores the descriptive literature for the current states of computational modeling, accounting theory and pra...

Projects are important to industry, but project performance continually disappoints stakeholder expectations. Organizations react to this performance problem in many ways, and purchase consultancy, training, methods and tools as possible solutions. There is no published evidence that any of these solutions are consistently successful in improving project performance. This thesis answers the question, "What can be done to improve project management practices, and thus project performance?" by demonstrating that a novel form of continuous action research can contribute such evidence. Firstl...

Accurate forecasts are crucial to a revenue management system. Poor estimates of demand lead to inadequate inventory controls and sub-optimal revenue performance. Forecasting for airline revenue management systems is inherently difficult. Competitive actions, seasonal factors, the economic environment, and constant fare changes are a few of the hurdles that must be overcome. In addition, the fact that most of the historical demand data is censored further complicates the problem. This dissertation examines the challenge of forecasting for an airline revenue management system in the presen...

Funding private projects in emerging markets - in a safely manner - requires a thorough evaluation and analysis of several aspects that are constituent to the project itself, to the specific country where it is located, and to the project owners. The author has studied the functioning of Financial Markets in developing countries for several years, compared them to International Financial Markets, and has come to the conclusion that the contributions made in the past do not cover all the information required in order to judge and secure the viability of projects in these countries. T By devel...

TQM gurus and consultants market it as the best change initiative that provides organizations with a competitive advantage. They also say that it is a cure for all problems that companies face. This dissertation provides intellectual and factual data showing that this is not always the case. There are areas where TQM provides a needed change initiative along with others. In addition, once most companies treat improving their processes as a priority, TQM ceases to give a competitive advantage since it becomes a basic entry point into the competition. The dissertation gives examples showing th...

This study provides a policy analysis of publicly funded school voucher programs. This research provides an analysis of voucher programs in Cleveland and Milwaukee and of political, legal, and programmatic constraints facing voucher programs. A synopsis of student test score analyses and parental surveys provides a basis for analyzing the effect of programs on participants. A survey of 30 individuals working with the Cleveland and Milwaukee public schools or voucher programs clarifies the effect of the programs on the overall educational environment. A review of financial data from the prog...

In business today, it is critical for companies of all sizes to have a comprehensive Workplace Violence policy. Through the identification and definition of the four types of workplace violence most commonly recognized, the book seeks to provide low cost, no-cost, and full-scale programs. Each of the sub-sections reviews ways in which small and large businesses can prepare for each type of workplace violence, prevention tactics to minimize the risks of such incidents, and methods for responding to any and all situations. Included are sample policies, crisis management plans, procedures and tra...

This study examined emergency management certification programs in order to understand what the training requirements for state emergency management certification reveal about the core functions of emergency management as conducted by emergency managers working in local jurisdictions. Based on practices in the 23 certification programs managed by state emergency management agencies or professional associations at the time of the study, qualitative content analysis identified a range of core functions practiced by those programs that specified training requirements in terms of specific courses...

Investment in executive education has grown steadily since its inception during the last century. Several studies have attempted to measure the effectiveness of executive programs; prior research has indicated that some programs lack relevance. This study addressed the topic from the perspective of corporations, whose future executive education decisions are affected by the relevance of current programs, and program alumni. In a partial replication of a 1959 Harvard study, which queried graduates of 39 residential programs, I surveyed the 1993-1995 executive MBA graduates of four schools: ...

The at-risk student population is growing larger in number with educators finding increased difficulty in meeting their diverse needs. Traditional teaching methods are not always working successfully. Accommodative services and aternative methods of education must be implemented in a fashion that will ignite students to success. Standard forms of statistical measurement (attendance, dropout, and graduation rates) have consistently shown negative ratings in schools across America. These measurements are indicators that students' educational needs are not being appropriately dealt with. This stu...