Abstract not available.

Organizations are frequently expected to improve operational efficiency through effective decision making. Effective decision making, among other things, requires a configurable business process application platform that can be used to execute, monitor and manage processes involving people, teams, departments, organizational units and their multiple applications. This kind of platform facilitates data collection for performance management and analysis for measuring quality of service delivery and business process optimization. It also facilitates collaboration between process participants, regulatory compliance, configurability to fit to changing requirements and accelerates decision making by sensing actionable events. Healthcare is a significant area where such a platform can be of great use for monitoring patient care. Patient care monitoring applications are data intensive and require medical guidelines based collaboration between patients, individuals, care providers and organizational units. These applications should provide performance management information to measure the quality of healthcare service delivery processes. These types of applications must also be configurable to adapt to frequently changing types of business events and the process of collect event data. This thesis proposes a model driven application framework that can be used to create configurable process oriented applications that can be customized to the current needs of an organization. The proposed framework also provides the ability to monitor, manage and report on processes and collected event data. A healthcare scenario is used to illustrate and validate our approach by building a patient monitoring application.

No description available.

No description available.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent Amanor-Boadu / HEB is a privately-held grocery retailer founded in 1905 in Kerrville, TX. Since then, HEB has grown to 399 stores in 155 communities. Although the majority of its operations have been in southern Texas, nearly 10 percent of HEB’s stores (39) are in Mexico. This may be considered an impressive feat since its entry into Mexico occurred in 1997 to take advantage of the growth opportunities in Mexico and the North American Free Trade Agreement involving Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The research was conducted using primary data collected through a survey. Secondary data from the Shapiro Index were also employed to explain the observations from the survey. Econometric and statistical models were used in the analyses. Customer quality perception is an important metric for the retail industry. This research evaluates the effect of purchase history, frequency of shopping, price perception, quality and service changes through time on the quality perception of a meat department in a supermarket. The impact of additional labor was analyzed to determine the effect on those variables. The quality perception of the customers of other meat retailers in the same trading areas was also evaluated. The results of the study were then compared to the actual metric used to measure quality perception (Shapiro Index). The study found that the company has a significant higher quality perception than other supermarkets, that labor had a positive effect on quality and service change, customers noticed the change, and with time, it will increase their quality perception. The results show a different perception from customers than the Shapiro Index, customers do not notice a decrement on quality in the meat departments. Based on these results, a further research on the actual methodology used was performed, training and new purchasing specifications were applied to improve the intrinsic characteristics of the products and a new marketing campaign was launched based on quality and freshness.

Master of Arts / Department of Economics / Yang M. Chang / China’s absorbing foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed importantly to its economy growth. Based on the findings of some previous studies in the literature, this report presents a general review of FDI in China, which includes characteristic, history and regional distribution. In the report, I discuss various economic determinants of FDI (such as market size, labor cost, infrastructure, and government policies) and investigate the impact of FDI on China's economic growth. Furthermore, I discuss challenges, new trends and the future opportunities facing China.

<p> Females have emerged in the field of entrepreneurship, and have proven that they are here to stay. The field of entrepreneurship was previously dominated by men, but in recent years females have emerged and are facing success in rapid numbers. Currently, 55% of businesses launched in the United States are launched and run by women (Statistical Abstract of the United States Census Bureau, 2007). The phenomenon of entrepreneurial women being successful is not as common or known in other countries of the world as it is in the USA. Women are launching businesses at a rapid rate, and many women are doing so without assistance. Female solo entrepreneurs are launching their own ventures and dreams without the help of business partners or teams. Entrepreneurs that launch their own business from the ground up without the assistance of business partners, investors, or employees are known as solo entrepreneurs. According to the <i>Statistical Abstract of the United States Census Bureau</i> (2007), 2.9 million new business ventures begin every year in the United States, of which females own 1.6 million. According to Chavern and McKernan (2013), 90% of women owned businesses have no other employees other than the business owner. This qualitative study focused on females as successful solo entrepreneurs in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify the top 10 traits of successful female solo entrepreneurs. This qualitative study included telephone interviews with 10 successful female solo entrepreneurs. The top 10 traits discovered included independence, confidence, value of time, desire for risk, aversion to limits and barriers, aversion to authority, desire for excitement, control, ability and desire to learn, and perseverance.</p>

<p> Consumers in the United States have three payment options at a point of sale terminal purchase with a merchant: (a) pay with cash, (b) write a check, or (c) swipe and sign for the transaction with a debit or credit card. Consumers may be reluctance to accept changes in their daily routine with respect to payment options, which may impede acceptance of evolving payment methods like mobile and contactless cards (MCC). Hence, the purpose of this qualitative case study using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was to examine the reasons given by consumers on why they are willing or unwilling to accept this alternative payment system. The selected participants were obtained via a signup sheet at PSCU for of this case study. After signing the informed consent form, the particpants were provided a link to Survey Monkey&trade;. The participants of the case study represented a broad level based off education, age, marriage and work levels. The partcipants provided their responses to questions that gaugued their knowledge and willingness to try new payment technologies such as mobile and contactless card payments. The responses provided by the participants demonstrated that ease of use (PEO) and usefulness (PEOU) were primary factors in using new payment technologies. Security of the financial data was a factor in the use of new new payment technology as cosnumers have become more conscious of data breaches. Future case studies should be conducted to determine the impact on segements such as the underbanked or underserved markets.</p>

The major question this study examines is whether international acquisitions show different patterns of returns to participating firms than purely domestic events do. The research design holds the time period and sample constant, focusing on the measurement of returns using two models and three estimation periods. The models are a domestic market model (DMM) and an international market model (IMM). The estimation periods are a pre-event, pooled pre and post-event, and separate post-event period. / The sample is composed of 73 acquisitions occurring from 1970 to 1980, involving cash payment. Thirty-five acquisitions represent U.S. firms acquiring U.K. firms, and 38 events represent U.K. firms acquiring U.S. firms. Returns to the firms are measured for a $\pm$36 month period around the first acquisition announcement date. / Eight null hypotheses are used as benchmarks of performance. Hypotheses one and two state that acquired firm returns using pre-event estimation and the DMM and IMM, respectively, are not significantly greater than zero. Hypotheses one and two are rejected for U.S. and U.K. acquired firms since excess returns are significantly positive based on both the pre-event DMM and IMM. / Hypotheses three through five state that returns to U.S. (U.K.) acquiring firms under the DMM for pre, pooled, and post-event estimation, respectively, are not significantly different from zero. Hypothesis three cannot be rejected (accepted) around the event date (following the event date) because of insignificant (significant) negative returns. Hypothesis four cannot be rejected prior to (following) the event date because of insignificant positive (negative) returns, respectively. Hypothesis five cannot generally be accepted because of significantly positive returns. / Hypotheses six through eight state that returns to acquiring firms under the IMM for the three estimation periods, respectively, are not significantly different from zero. Hypothesis six cannot be rejected (accepted) for U.S. (U.K.) firms because of insignificant (significant) negative returns prior to (following) the event, respectively. Hypothesis seven cannot be rejected because of generally insignificant positive returns. Hypothesis eight cannot be accepted because of generally positive returns. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-07, Section: A, page: 1904. / Major Professor: Robert L. Conn. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

Thesis advisor: Fabio Ghironi / This paper examines the likelihood that the United States would engage in a policy of exchange rate stabilization with the EMU. First, it examines the history of the exchange rate regimes in the United States and a review of literature on exchange rate theories. From a historical perspective, most literature and prominent economic theories focus on the Milton Friedman proposal of floating exchange rate regimes. Just as floating exchange rates were gaining prominence in the United States during the 1970s, European countries were attempting to compose a currency union which took the form of the European Monetary System in the late 1970s and eventually evolved into Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union which completed its last stage of development January 1, 1999. The importance of fixed exchange rate regimes and theories, most notably, Robert Mundell’s Theory of Optimal Currency Area is highlighted. In addition, the paradigm arguments on the relation between trade integration and synchronization of business cycles are discussed utilizing Paul Krugman and Tony Venables’ specialization hypothesis (1996) and comparing it to Jeffrey Frankel and Andrew Rose’ endogeneity hypothesis (1998). Second, this analysis shows that the United States’ economy is at a critical point in time in which it must reevaluate its stance on floating exchange rates. Particular attention is paid to current economic conditions in the United States and the EMU such as: the purchasing power of the euro with respect to the U.S. dollar, the recent decline of the dollar, the lackluster performance of the EMU with regard to some macroeconomic variables, and the profligate spending by the U.S. government which has contributed to the tremendous budget deficit. Third, this paper analyzes six properties of optimal currency area criteria: degree of economic openness, trade integration and similarity of economic structure, financial market integration, synchronization of business cycles, price flexibility, and mobility of labor as a factor of production. The countries of France and Germany are utilized as benchmarks (if they satisfy the criterion) against which the United States and EMU are compared. The time periods of (1946-1972) and (1973-2003) are utilized to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of various exchange rate regimes and to try and shed light on the endogeneity hypothesis and specialization hypothesis. This thesis concludes that France and Germany failed to satisfy certain OCA criteria such as business cycle synchronization, price flexibility, and mobility of labor as a factor of production. Although France and Germany did not fulfill all of the OCA properties, the United States and the EMU appear to be farther from optimality, only satisfying mobility of labor as a factor of production. Finally, according to this paper neither the endogeneity hypothesis nor the specialization hypothesis dominates. Therefore, the United States should not stabilize rates with the EMU because it will most likely incur greater costs than benefits since it does not form an optimal currency area with the EMU. Intermediate exchange rate policies should be evaluated and further research conducted to enhance OCA criteria and make it a more scientific and effective tool for policymakers. The findings of this paper shed light on the history of exchange rate regimes, exchange rate theories, and current economic conditions that warrant a reevaluation of the United States’ foreign exchange rate position while at the same time indicating which characteristics of the U.S. economy satisfy optimality and emphasizing the importance of further research in this field. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2005. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: College Honors Program.