Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / David Barton / The main objective of this thesis is to aid Ag Valley Cooperative’s board of directors in the construction of a superior income distribution and equity redemption strategy. The key information provided is a detailed financial analysis and pro forma financial projections. Ultimately, this study focuses on increasing patron value by returning retained patronage refunds in an equitable and timely manner. This paper examines the benefits of eliminating Ag Valley Cooperative’s current equity redemption program, age of patron, and replacing it with a revolving fund. Chapter 1 introduces Ag Valley Cooperative and gives a brief description of the cooperative’s business model. The chapter concludes with the study’s methodology. Chapter 2 briefly examines cooperatives and people who use them. This chapter introduces Cooperative Performance Profile, the financial analysis used in the study. The chapter concludes with a look at cooperative finance theory and equity management. Chapter 3 describes key points of the Cooperative Performance Profile and separates it into five groupings: profitability, liquidity, solvency, efficiency, and size. Analyses are conducted in each category on Ag Valley Cooperative’s historic trends and comparisons to other Nebraska cooperatives. In Chapter 4 Ag Valley Cooperative’s current equity redemption strategy is defined along with four pro forma analyses. The first strategy, S0, assumes the cooperative continues business as normal with estate and age of patron redemption methods. Strategies S1 and S2 interject balance sheet management constraints and revolving fund redemption into the projection. In S1, revolving fund equity redemption is added to distribute any excess equity redemption budget, in S2 the revolving fund method is phased in. Strategy S3 builds upon S2 with a look at the effects and tax consequences of distributing non-qualified equity or retained patronage refunds instead of qualified retained patronage refunds.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Clive J. A. Fullagar / New scales were developed to measure conflict between work and school and family and school. These scales displayed adequate psychometric properties. A scale was developed to measure the propensity to experience inter-role conflict. The Propensity for Inter-role Conflict Scale (PIRCS) has excellent psychometric properties as established through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and scale and item analysis. PIRCS scores mediated the relationship between 14 of the 15 inter-role conflict to inter-role conflict pairs and displayed incremental validity, beyond known correlates of inter-role conflict, in the prediction of the six forms of inter-role conflict included in the study. The consequences of inter-role conflict were shown to affect the frequency of conflict between roles. However, this was only true when the data were aggregated. This indicates people take deliberate actions to limit certain forms of inter-role conflict. The boundaries between roles are differentially permeable. The work role boundary was most resistant to inter-role conflict. The family role boundary was least resistant to conflict from other roles. Personal characteristics affected the amount of inter-role conflict a person experienced. Women experienced significantly more conflict between family and school and school and family than men. Women were more adversely affected by the presence of children in the home than were men. Work conditions were also related to the experience of inter-role conflict. Working more hours was associated with higher levels of work-to-family and work-to-school conflict. Participants who worked weekends reported higher levels of work-to-family and work-to-school conflict. Employees who perceived greater flexibility at work reported less work-to-family and work-to-school conflict than those with less flexibility. The more semester hours participants were taking, the more conflict they reported between family and school, school and family and work and school. Spending more time on homework and study was associated with higher levels of conflict from school to family. The spillover of conflict between spouses was also demonstrated. The more hours a participant‟s spouse worked the more conflict the participant experienced from family to school and school to family.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Andrew P. Barkley / For more than 10 years Agriculture Future of America (AFA) has been helping college students from around the country prepare for careers in the food and agriculture industry. Over time the organization has received a lot of positive feedback from both participating students and employers. The feedback has led the organization to believe there is an “AFA Advantage,” where participants have an advantage over their peers when entering the workforce due to their AFA involvement. The purpose of the thesis was to determine if there is an “AFA Advantage,” by measuring former participants’ workplace skill sets, as determined by agribusiness employers in a previous study. To accomplish this purpose, two sub-objectives were evaluated, measuring the skill competencies of former AFA participants participating in a (1) self assessment and (2) comparison with peers, who were not involved in AFA. The analysis is based on survey results from former AFA participants. The conceptual model established examined if there was a relationship between AFA, college and the skills desired by agribusiness employers. The skills measured include interpersonal communication skills, critical thinking skills, knowledge of general business practices, quantitative analysis skills, cultural/gender awareness, and oral presentation skills. Through this research, it was determined that there is an “AFA Advantage.” Data shows evidence that former participants do attribute AFA to helping them develop skills for the workplace. In fact, as the years of AFA participation increased, individuals tended to agree more that AFA contributed to their workplace skill competencies.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / The purpose of the thesis is to assess the level of strategic planning that farm managers utilize within their business and determine if it is a factor of performance. Through the use of an interview questionnaire, combined with current financial data, the study was conducted on an established client base from a banking institution. All of the participants are actively involved in primary production agriculture in Ontario, Canada. Significant variation identified through the development of a planning index, confirmed that manager’s use planning in their farm businesses. The primary goal of determining the relationship between planning and farm profits, measured through Net Income, is positive. Further to this, farmers seek profit maximization and efficiency through planning. Factors affecting planning most notably include the manager’s age—indicating the role of experience in influencing planning—and the number of people involved in the operation. The results of this research provide input into increasing bankers’ understanding of how farmers plan and how to help them make stronger connections between their production planning effort and their financial planning efforts.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Dhuyvetter / The size of our dairy operation increased from 300 milk cows to 1,700 milk cows in 2003. Once the dairy operation increased, the dependency on milk price to support the entire operation also increased. This was due to the fact that the cropping side of the operation became more devoted to growing feed for the livestock as opposed to producing cash crops. Thus, the increase in the number of milk cows led to decreased diversity in our income potentially increasing the financial risk of the operation. The purpose of this thesis is to study different risk management tools and strategies to aid in the formulation of a risk management plan for milk sales in our operation. Risk management strategies using forward contracts, futures, put options, and cash were analyzed at different time periods and various minimum price levels. The strategies were analyzed over the last ten years (2001-2010) of available price data. Twenty-five risk management strategies were analyzed both with and without set minimum milk prices. Minimum price levels ranged from $14/cwt to $17/cwt in $1 increments. The time frame for the transaction ranged from zero to twelve months prior to production in three-month increments. Based on historical data, risk management strategies can be used to decrease the price risk faced by an operation. The risk management strategies did not affect the average price received at statistically significant levels typically considered. Different risk management opportunities are highlighted that need to be analyzed before fully implementing a risk management plan for dairy operations.

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Hani Melhem / Researchers have been compiling lists of key factors the presence or absence of which have determined the success or failure of projects. Early researches of critical success factors were largely theory based; subsequent researches employed the use of statistics and continuously refined methods like neural network and the analytical hierarchy process. Over the passage of time, the focus has narrowed down from broad generalization of ‘projects’ to ‘project classes’. The thesis can be broadly divided into three components. First Component: The first component (Chapter 1, 2, and 3) leads an insight into the basic concept of success factor studies, and the empirical frameworks adopted for identification of critical success factors. The second and the third component, comprises literature review and original research, respectively. These components pertain to success factor studies of construction projects, and are introduced as below. Second Component: The second component (Chapter 4: Review Component) sets out to choose from among a treasure of resources on construction projects, three such state of the art works that can best explain the progress in search of success factors over a period of the foregoing 25 years. After discussing each work in detail, the reader’s attention is drawn to a collective discussion, and summary towards the end of the Review Component. The review includes the following works: (1) Pinto and Covin, 1989, (2) Ashley et al., 1987, and (3) Kog and Loh, 2011. Pinto and Covin (1989) endeavored to set aside the convenient research trend of treating all project types (Manufacturing, R&D, Construction etc.) as similar. It was felt that management practitioners considered the generalized project management prescriptions offered by researchers as mostly inapplicable to the unique situations posed by their respective classes of projects. Stepwise regression analysis was employed to seek separate sets of CSFs for construction and R&D projects. The choice of these two project types was made as they apparently lied on opposite ends of the spectrum of characteristics. The phases of project lifecycle considered for determining CSFs were conceptualization, planning, execution, and termination. It was concluded that though identification of a set of general critical success factors has some benefits for both academics and practitioners, strict adherence to them would not necessarily ensure project success. It was proved that every project type offers its own set of problems, and that these vary over a project’s lifecycle. The review briefly touches upon the work of Ashley et al. (1987) so as to lead an insight into yet another methodology adopted by CSF researchers. This study views project success from the project managers’ perspective for the owner and contractor organizations they works for, and does not take into consideration the view point of other professionals working for owner, contractor and consultant organizations. Hypothesis testing was employed to find those factors that exhibited strong statistical difference while going from average to outstanding projects. Kog and Loh (2011) studied a possible dissimilarity between CSFs pertaining to different components of construction projects: (1) civil works, (2) architectural works, and (3) mechanical and electrical works. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process the CSFs were compared separately for the objectives of budget, schedule, quality, and overall performance. They concluded that, on the whole, markedly distinct sets of factors were perceived as crucial by professionals associated with these three components. Apart from their varying job descriptions, the divergence in views of professionals was interpreted to be an outcome of the different frames of time that they mostly work in. While a major portion of civil and structural works would be undertaken in early project-life, mechanical and electrical works, and architectural works would be initiated later in the project’s life. For the three components of construction projects (C&S: civil & structural, M&E: mechanical & electrical, and architectural works), the highest correlation of views was seen to exist between the C&S and M&E, while the lowest was always that between the M&E and the architect. This trend remained the same whether the goal of overall performance or any of the three objectives were taken into consideration. Third Component: The thesis terminates with the original work (Research Component: Chapter 5) conducted by the author in the light of Chua et al. (1999) that had attempted, though very briefly, to distinguish between CSFs for different organizations involved in construction projects. Because the survey sample of Chua et al. (1999) was quite small, the researchers referred to their findings regarding organization-based CSFs as inconclusive. It was suggested that further research be conducted in this regard. Addressing these recommendations, the ‘Research Component’ has differentiated the CSFs based on organizational backgrounds of project participants: consultants, contractors, and project management organizations. Spearman’s test on overall rankings of 40 significant factors results in a highest level of correlation between the managers and contractor personnel (rs=0.54), followed by that between the managers and the consultants (rs=0.50), and a least correlation between the contractor personnel and the consultants (rs=0.19). Managers not only maintain a significant presence on the site with the contractors, but also coordinate with the consultants regarding any design-construction issues that arise more than often during project execution: No wonder why their pivotal position helps the managers to establish a higher understanding with both contractor personnel and consultants. The lowest correlation of views between the contractor personnel and the consultants arise from the spot on difference between their workspace environments. Whereas the contractor personnel operate in the field, the consultants are mostly restricted to their design offices.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Elizabeth B. Barrett / Rebecca A. Gould / Equipment to store foods at proper temperatures is critical to serving safe and nutritious meals in schools yet little is known about the amount or the adequacy of refrigerated storage in school nutrition programs. The purposes of this study were to identify the types and capacity of refrigeration equipment used in schools, determine the perceived adequacy of refrigerated storage capacity to meet new meal pattern requirements, and examine differences in adequacy and capacity. A modified Delphi technique, site observations, pilot study, and electronic survey were used for data collection. School nutrition directors in the USDA/FNS Southwest Region (N=2392) served as the population. Respondents provided an inventory of refrigeration equipment for one of the schools in their district and information about perceived adequacy of refrigerated storage, barriers to purchasing refrigeration equipment, resources used to develop specifications, and practices to compensate for inadequate refrigerated storage in their program. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, regression, and ANOVA. Over a third of directors indicated that refrigerated equipment was inadequate to meet new meal pattern requirements. Directors with more experience rated adequacy higher than directors with less experience. Milk coolers (n=212, 88.3%) and walk-in freezers (n=180, 75.0%) were the types of refrigeration equipment found most often in schools. Walk-in freezers and refrigerators provided over 95% of refrigerated storage space. The mean average cubic feet of refrigerated storage per school was 1423±1152. School enrollment is a significant predictor of refrigerated storage capacity. Refrigerated storage is a concern for school nutrition directors who reported practices to compensate for inadequate storage including maintaining low inventory and decreasing the number of items purchased. School nutrition professionals may use the results of this study to implement practices to compensate for inadequate refrigerated storage. Results cannot be generalized due to the regional nature of the survey and low response rate and possible non-response bias.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent Amanor-Boadu / The purpose of this research was to develop a decision tool to identify and rank potential locations for making a greenfield investment in flour milling. The driving characteristics of the tool developed are transparency, reproducibility, specificity and clarity. Currently, the approach to selecting countries in which to invest is driven purely by ad hoc frameworks that often lack the characteristics driving this investment index tool. The investment index was designed to have three main components: market conditions, economic environment and supporting infrastructure. Market conditions for the product of interest – in this case flour – were defined to encompass per capita wheat-based food consumption growth rate, wheat production versus wheat consumption and wheat flour imports growth rate. The economic environment was defined to incorporate the growth rate of per capita gross domestic product, corporate tax rate , labor productivity, foreign direct investment growth rates, position on the World Bank’s Doing Business 2012 rankings, and the number and extent of the country’s membership in regional economic and trade groups. Supporting infrastructure included electricity reliability, transportation quality, urbanization rate and the physical presence of the investing company in the country. The rationale for this last variable is that when the investing company already has a presence in the country under consideration, it has already incurred some of the hurdle costs that it would have to include in investments in a location where it does have current physical activities. The study started by filtering the scope of potential opportunities by a set of well-defined criteria: target geographical locations; Doing Business 2012 scores; and quantity of wheat flour imports in 2009. This led to four countries emerging as leading candidates for investment considerations: Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The investment index ranked these countries according to their relative suitability for investment. The three components of the index carry different weights because of their effect on the potential investment outcome. There is no data to support these weighting and therefore executives must utilize different probing approaches to weight the components. To this end, a base scenario and two other scenarios based on alternative weights were considered. The robustness of the ranking is revealed by the consistency of the rankings under the alternative weights applied to the components. The results showed that under the base scenario Malaysia had the highest investment index score. The results also showed that varying the alternative weights for the scenarios did not affect the overall outcome with Malaysia leading with the highest overall index score for each of the three scenarios.

Master of Science / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Kevin R. Roberts / The purpose of this study was to explore United States school foodservice directors’ attitudes about food recalls and to determine recall practices in school foodservice operations. An online survey was used for data collection and consisted of three sections: attitudes, self-reported behaviors, and demographics. Content validity of the instrument was measured by three experts who examined the survey prior to pilot testing. The survey was pilot tested with 14 school foodservice directors and state agency personnel. Statistical analysis was completed using SPSS (v. 20.0). Internal consistency of the attitude scale was measured using Cronbach’s Alpha. All scales had a reliability coefficient greater than 0.70. The survey was randomly distributed to 4,049 school foodservice directors across the U.S. A total of 690 school foodservice directors (17%) completed the survey, with 567 being usable. Respondents rated attitudes on a 5-point scale, strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Principle components factor analysis was used to identify two factors: perceived importance and perceived likelihood of possessing a recalled product. Perceived importance was rated very high (M=4.8, SD=0.5), while perceived likelihood of possessing a recalled product was rated much lower (M=1.7, SD=0.8). Self-reported behaviors were evaluated on a 5-point scale, never (1) to very often (5). Overall, respondents reported positive behaviors related to responding to a recall. When dividing behaviors into three factors, behaviors regarding communication with state agency and vendors about food recalls (M=4.1, SD=0.6), use of recall systems (M=3.6, SD=1.0), and practices of responding to a recall (M=4.7, SD=0.4) were frequently reported. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore relationships between attitudes and behaviors of school foodservice directors towards food recalls, and their demographic characteristics. Predictors of attitudes were found to be certification, work experience, and prior experience with a food recall. Predictors of behaviors were found to be perceived likelihood of possessing a recalled product, educational level, prior experience with a food recall, and size of district. Federal and state agency personnel can use the results of this study in developing programs to improve food recall practices as well as school foodservice directors for improving recall practices in schools.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Deborah Canter and Junehee Kwon / Thailand is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. However, it has not been successful in capturing and sustaining the U.S. travel market, one of the world’s top source markets by international tourism expenditure. The destination image (DI) is a key factor that affects destination selection, but there has been limited research exploring U.S. travelers’ DI of Thailand. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to measure U.S. travelers’ DI of Thailand and identify important attributes for U.S. travelers in terms of destination selection using mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches. To explore American travelers’ DI of Thailand, personal interviews with 56 U.S. travelers were conducted at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand. Maximum variation purposeful sampling was used to ensure diversity of the sample. One interviewer and a verifier ensured consistent and credible data collection and analyses. Data analyses included inductive, deductive and cross-case analyses. “Friendly People,” “Beaches and Islands,” and “Amazing” described Thailand's DI. First-time visitors had tourist attraction and activity-based images, while repeat visitors rated people and culture-related experience as top reasons for destination selection. Results from the qualitative study were used to identify common and unique attributes for the quantitative survey instrument. To access general perception of Thailand’s DI among U.S. travelers, an online survey was conducted with 522 international travelers including non-visitors (n=173), virtual-visitors (n=175) and visitors to Thailand (n=174). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and factor analyses were conducted. Of five factors that solidified the DI of Thailand, cultural attributes and local experiences represented Thailand’s DI the most. DIs were different among different types of visitors. Importance-Performance Analysis illustrated Thailand’s destination attributes and their importance for destination selection. For U.S. travelers, travel environment was the most important factor but had low performance. Thailand tourism organizations may use these findings for future marketing efforts toward the U.S. travel market.