This study is primarily about the Open Organisations Profile, a questionnaire developed in the United States by Professor Oscar Mink (1991) to assess openness in the workplace and thus assist in decisions on organisational change and development. The Open Organisations Profile was developed as an assessment tool of the Open Organisations theoretical model. The Open Organisations Model offers researchers a lens to assess an organisational system and the system’s ability to adapt to internal and external changes in its environment, while maintaining a sense of unity.While the Open Organisations Profile has been used extensively in Australia and the United States of America, limited research has examined its psychometric properties. This current set of studies aimed to examine the psychometric qualities of the instrument. The first study examined the reliabilities and factor structure of the Open Organisations Profile. Results indicated that the Open Organisations Profile displayed high internal consistency ranging from r = .80 to r = .95. Furthermore confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the theoretical three factor model of unity, internal responsiveness and external responsiveness.The second study assessed cultural differences and similarities between Australia and American using the profile. The findings suggested that significant differences existed between the countries and also between male and female values across the nine dimensions measured.The final study examined the relationships between the three higher order factors of openness and customer satisfaction and sales performance. The study found that the three factors of openness had a mediating effect on customer satisfaction and sales performance. The three studies showed the Open Organisation Profile offers researchers a reasonably reliable and valid instrument for assessing the openness of an organisation and its ability to adapt to internal and external changes in the organisation’s environment. Furthermore, the Open Organisations Profile could be used as guide to the areas that need to be addressed to help the organisation improve service delivery, customer satisfaction and financial return.

Doctor of Philosophy / Hospitality Management / SooCheong Jang / Deborah Canter / The physical environment may be an important determinant of customer satisfaction and subsequent behavior when services are consumed primarily for hedonic purposes and customers spend moderate to long periods of time in the physical surroundings. An example of this phenomenon would be in an upscale restaurant setting. This study explored the domain of the physical environment in an upscale restaurant context to develop a DINESCAPE scale. Relevant literature was reviewed on architecture, environmental psychology, psychology, operations management, and marketing, highlighting empirical and theoretical contributions. Conceptualization and operationalization of the DINESCAPE dimensions is presented, and the procedures used in constructing and refining a multiple-item scale to assess DINESCAPE in an upscale restaurant setting are described. DINESCAPE is a six-factor scale that was developed to measure facility aesthetics, ambience, lighting, service product, layout, and social factors. Evidence of the scale’s reliability, validity, and factor structure is presented, along with potential applications of the scale. The second phase of the study attempted to build a conceptual model of how the DINESCAPE factors influenced customers’ behavioral intentions through their emotions. The Mehrabian-Russell environmental psychology model was adopted to explore the linkage of the six dimensions of DINESCAPE to customers’ emotional states (pleasure and arousal) and the linkage between pleasure and arousal with customers’ behavioral intentions. Structural equation modeling was used to test the causal relationships among the hypothesized relationships. Results revealed that facility aesthetics, ambience, and social factors affected the level of customers’ pleasure and ambience and social factors influenced the amount of arousal. In addition, pleasure and arousal had significant effects on subsequent behavioral intentions in the context of upscale restaurant. Finally, implications for restaurateurs and researchers were discussed.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael R. Langemeier / This thesis was written for the purpose of looking at the feasibility of operating a prospective business; a farm and ranch in southern Idaho. For practical reasons, I looked at a specific farm consisting of 600 irrigated acres, which are irrigated via 5 center pivots. Attached to the farm is an additional 400 acres of pasture ground seeded to crested wheat. In conjunction with operating the farm, I examined the feasibility of leasing a 300 head commercial cow herd from a separate owner than the land owner. Summer pasture for the cows would be leased from a grazing association located in northern Nevada and winter feed would come from the farm pasture, crop aftermath located on the farm, and corn stalks from a neighboring farm. Crops looked at being produced were grain corn and alfalfa hay. Operating cost projections were made using current market values, while the price received for each commodity is based on ten-year historical prices. Historical prices were used to determine whether the business is viable in the long-run. Rent on the farm is based on a 60/40 percent crop share of which the land owner’s share is 40 percent. Lease payment for the cow herd is based on a 2/3, 1/3 calf crop split of which the cow owner’s share is 1/3 of the calf crop. After analyzing the operation’s financials the business is not feasible.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael R. Langemeier / The cattle market has drastically changed over the last half century. Today, ranchers and farmers are faced with various governmental regulations as well as fluctuating grain and fuel prices. While beef may still be a commodity, it can be sold in specialized markets, in markets that have enhanced consumer demand. It is nearly impossible for a producer with a small herd to compete with a larger ranch if they are selling their cattle as a commodity. The primary economic objective of the producer is to generate revenue. Producers must be profitable to remain in business as well as provide a livelihood for their family. Providing a quality product is part of the business model. Choice within a marketplace is beneficial for producers and consumers. That said forage-fed beef will prosper in marketplaces where consumers desire their product more than alternate products. If producers are intent on progressively growing their market share, Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef must be marketed correctly. This includes promoting it on a basis of locally grown, pasture raised, and other attributes consumer’s desire. The results of the marketing survey present data that may be helpful when marketing Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef. The weekly consumption of beef products provided insight into the potential scope of the market. Approximately 39 percent of respondents consumed beef products three or more times per week. Additionally, 43 percent of the respondents were not familiar with forage-fed beef. This is a significant share of the market that is possibly open to a new product like Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef. Similarly, traceability of the product was an important feature that customers preferred. In addition to a larger selection of naturally produced beef products, respondents also indicated they were willing to pay more for the product. Approximately 49 percent of the respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay up to a dollar more per pound for Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef. Another 30 percent of the respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay more than $1 per pound for Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef. The results of the survey appear to offer opportunities for producers of Georgia-grown, forage-fed beef to expand their market share.

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.