Since the beginning of time, men and women have been separated by the "division of labor." Men were hunters and defenders and the women nurturers, bearing the responsibility of the raising of the children and homemaking. By the time of the Greeks, women were afforded great respect and treated with great dignity. They were looked upon as the pillars of morality and tradition. In 1765, women had been legally declared non-persons in William Blackstone’s Commentaries on English Law. Further reinforcement of this belief was put forth by Max Weber and Sigmund Freud who both felt women had no place in organizations and business. Women wanted recognition of their "personhood" and from the first women’s rights convention in 1848, demanding and finally obtaining the vote in 1920, through to the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's and the women’s movement which grew out of it, women have been making strong statements for equality and job opportunities. Just how successful women have been in their demands for acceptance in the business world is examined in this dissertation.

The purpose of this study was determine if a basic Revenue Management (RM) concept training program can successfully teach hotel front desk employees and managers RM fundamentals. The objectives of this study were (a) to evaluate the reaction or satisfaction level of hotel front desk employees and managers in reference to the training program, and (b) to examine the training program’s effectiveness in teaching basic RM concepts. A basic revenue management training program and examination was utilized in a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design model with a treatment and control group to examine if learning had taken place. The study consisted of 49 participants from eight hotels. Hypotheses one, two, and four were supported by the results. Based on the findings, the basic RM concept training program did successfully teach front desk employees and hotel managers RM fundamentals. The researcher suggests that future RM training programs for both the front desk employees and hotel managers to continue to focus on basic RM concepts. The researcher further suggests the RM training programs include more advanced RM concepts for the hotel managers.

This study was designed to gain a better understanding and conceptualization of the term smart shopping. The specific research objectives were to: (a) investigate consumers‟ perceptions of the term smart shopping; (b) develop a measure of smart shopping; and (c) validate the measure of smart shopping. A comprehensive literature review was used to identify existing smart shopping theories and to identify opportunities for expanding on the existing meanings of the term. To obtain consumers‟ perceptions of the term smart shopping, two focus group interviews and fifteen face-to-face in-depth interviews were employed for initial item generation and instrument development. Scale development consisted of a pilot test on a convenience sample of undergraduate students for initial scale refinement (n = 100), and a pretest (n = 237) and main study (n = 1474) from a consumer panel member list through a market research company for scale purification and validation. The statistical analyses were conducted separately for the purchase stages (i.e., pre-purchase, purchase, post-purchase) and product categories (i.e., clothing, grocery, electronics). Significant differences were found in each stage among the three product categories. To compete in today‟s changing retail environment with shifting consumer socioeconomic patterns and preferences, retailers must decide on unique positioning strategies. This study conceptualized and tested the term smart shopping from a broader perspective than previous studies. Gaining a better understanding of the smart shopper will enable retailers to segment this consumer group more accurately. Managerial implications and directions for future research based on the findings are provided.

The aspects of the learning environment have the potential to be an important influence in the career decision-making process of students. Teacher effectiveness was also a revealed as a component of student success. However, the connection between teachers’ effectiveness and student’s career development exhibited a gap in the literature. The idea that a teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom can have a direct impact on a students’ decision to choose a vocation, particularly hospitality, as a post secondary career path has not been thoroughly examined. The purpose of this study was to explore possible relationships between student perception of teacher effectiveness and student attitudes toward hospitality as a career path. This study had three objectives. First, the study explored whether teachers attitude towards a career had an influence on their effectiveness in teaching. Second, the study explored if a student’s attitude towards the career area influenced their perception of the teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom. Third, the study looked at student’s intent to choose hospitality as a post secondary career choice. The participants for this study were teachers and students involved with the Distributive Education Clubs of America. Membership in the high school division of DECA is restricted to students with a career interest in hospitality, finance, sales, service, management and entrepreneurship. Analysis of the results indicated there is a significant relationship between the variables of teacher perception of effectiveness, student perception of teacher effectiveness, attitude towards hospitality as a career and intent to select hospitality as a career.

This study was designed to examine the phenomenon of “massclusivity” of luxury (i.e., increased accessibility and affordability of luxury) in the current luxury market. To do so, this study introduced the concept of “Luxe-Bargain Shopping,” which referred to purchasing a luxury brand at a bargain, and developed an empirical framework that portrayed both luxury consumption and the bargain process. The specific research objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate whether luxury-related consumer orientations (i.e., prestige sensitivity and fashion leadership) influence perceived product values (i.e., social, emotional, and quality values); (2) investigate whether bargain-related consumer orientations (i.e., price mavenism and sale proneness) influence perceived process values (i.e., transaction value); (3) investigate whether perceived product and process values predict satisfaction with Luxe-Bargain Shopping; (4) examine whether satisfaction with Luxe-Bargain Shopping influences future intentions to buy the luxury brand at a bargain; (5) examine whether perceived product and process values influence future intentions to buy the luxury brand at a bargain; (6) examine whether perceived product and process values influence future intentions to buy the luxury brand at full price; and (7) examine the moderating role of shopper type in the relationship between perceived values and future intentions. This study was conducted in the context of luxury apparel or accessories. An online survey methodology was employed to collect the data and 500 completed responses were used for the data analyses. Both the luxury-related consumer orientations and bargain-related consumer orientations were found to be important consumer characteristics that predict perceived values generated in Luxe-Bargain Shopping. The perceived value influenced future intention to purchase the luxury at a bargain indirectly through satisfaction. However, the direct links between perceived values and future intention to buy the luxury brand at a bargain were not supported in this study. The relationships between perceived values and future intentions to buy the luxury brand at full price were found to be significant. The shopper type was not a significant moderator between perceived values and future intentions. Research implications, managerial implications, and suggestions for future research based on the findings were provided.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Field problem. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

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