The problem examined in this study was the nature of compulsive purchasing behavior. Three proposed models depicting this behavior as a learned adaptive response to anxiety and/or depression, an addiction, and a personality disorder were introduced and discussed in Chapter I. Background information concerning the areas examined in the models was presented in Chapter II. The research methodology was discussed in Chapter III and the findings of the research presented in Chapter IV. A summary, conclusions, implications, and recommendations were presented in Chapter V.

MBA Professional Report / Acquisition research (Graduate School of Business & Public Policy) / The purpose of this MBA Project is to provide a comprehensive update of the Navy Contract Writing Guide. The project was conducted with the sponsorship and assistance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition. The now out of date guide was originally written in 1996 in an effort to reduce problem disbursements as related to contract wording and organization. Extensive research, incorporating interviews, websites, periodicals, and texts, was employed to make the guide current. It has been reorganized to address issues and solutions in the same order in which the forms used by contracting officers and administrators have them listed. New issues have been raised since the original writing of this guide and are now incorporated with their recommended solutions. Individuals new to Naval contracting or those who have decades of experience will find the information provided useful to the efficient and effective writing and administration of government contracts.-- p.i.

Acquisition research (Graduate School of Business & Public Policy) / MBA Professional Report / The purpose of this MBA Project is to provide an update of the Navy Contract Writing Guide (NCWG) by creating an addendum that specifically addresses contract deficiencies (i.e., contract errors) and offers some tools to help its users remedy existing contract deficiencies and avoid future contract deficiencies in the writing of contracts. The project was conducted with the sponsorship and assistance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition in conjunction with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Columbus, Ohio. The guide was updated in December 2003 and again in June 2004 in an effort to provide organization and clear and concise solutions to current contract issues. This effort is viewed as a continuation of these previous efforts to better the quality and effectiveness of the NCWG. Extensive research, incorporating interviews, websites, and regulations were utilized in creating this addendum to the NCWG.

M.Com. (Economics) / This dissertation offers an evaluation of the performance of purchasing power parity (PPP) and the monetary approach as explanations of rand exchange rate behaviour over the last three decades. The theory of purchasing power parity is examined in detail. Thereafter purchasing power parity is combined with the quantity theory of money placing the theory in the broader context of the monetary approach. A modified monetary model illustrating exchange rate overshooting in the short-run and adjustment to PPP in the long-run is then examined in some detail. Chapter 4 presents an overview of the: empirical evidence on PPP and the monetary approach from industrialized countries and developing nations. Results are generally mixed but there does appear to be some strong support for PPP holding in the (very) long run in the case of the currencies of industrialized countries. However, it has proven very difficult to reconcile the persistence of deviations from PPP over the short to medium term with the theory of long-run purchasing power parity. This is known as, the purchasing power parity puzzle and is particularly evident for floating exchange rate regimes of industrialized countries. Studies of developing nation currencies are less supportive of PPP. However, much more research needs to be done before any firm conclusions can be made regarding exchange rate behaviour in developing countries...

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Management in Public Policy Johannesburg 2015 / When the newly elected democratic government came into office after the 1994 elections, it introduced reforms in the implementation of government procurement policy. The post-1994 dispensation fundamentally changed the old approach to the management of financial resources of the state. Government passed new legislation and adopted progressive policies relating to government procurement. The two major pieces of legislation, namely, the Constitution and the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) infused the public policy concept of good governance within the realm of public sector procurement. The government procurement system was required to comply with the five principles of good governance, which are: (1) fairness, (2) equity, (3) transparency, (4) competitiveness and (5) cost effectiveness. These five principles have a universal applicability, as they are practised internationally. Their genesis is related to the period when new public management practices were attracting the attention of both developed and developing countries. However, the reforms in the implementation of the public procurement policy faced various challenges and imperfections. Given this, the primary aim of this research study is to examine whether the implementation of government procurement policy over the last 20 years has promoted the five constitutional principles that inform the concept of public procurement, as well as evaluate the implications of non-compliance as reflected in the Public Protector and Auditor General’s reports. The policy review applies a qualitative research methodology that analyses the data from official and unofficial documents, including case studies from selected Public Protector reports as well as selected court cases. Reports from the Auditor General and various newspaper articles are also used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of the revised government procurement policy in the post-1994 era. iii | P a g e The results reveal a disjuncture in theory and practice in how public procurement policy is implemented to achieve the objective of good governance. In the main, government officials from affected departments fail to adhere to the requirements of applying a procurement system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost effective. The results show that the cause of this state of affairs is a lack of understanding of what constitutes a procurement system that complies with the requirements of Section 217(1) of the Constitution. Secondly, the perceived overemphasis on socio-economic objectives over commercial considerations contributes to poor policy implementation. Lastly, the diminishing role of public participation in the processes of awarding tenders has negatively affected the public trust and confidence in public procurement. It is hoped that the recommendations contained in this research report will assist National Treasury in its continued efforts to transform and modernise the public sector procurement.

by So Wai-man, Raymond. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Bibliography: leaves 294-302. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xii / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.xvi / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.xvii / CHAPTER / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Importance of Real Exchange Rate Movement --- p.1 / Concepts and Hypotheses --- p.2 / The Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Doctrine --- p.2 / Real Exchange Rate --- p.6 / Long Run Economic Series --- p.9 / Conclusion --- p.10 / Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.11 / Introduction --- p.11 / Literatures In Purchasing Power Parity --- p.12 / Literatures In Real Exchange Rates --- p.18 / Conclusions --- p.23 / Chapter III. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.25 / Introduction --- p.25 / Construction of Real Exchange Rate --- p.25 / Economic Time Series & Stationarity --- p.29 / Box-Jenkins Models --- p.32 / Autoregressive (AR) Models --- p.33 / Moving Average (MA) Models --- p.34 / Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) Models --- p.35 / Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) Models --- p.35 / Random Walk Hypothesis --- p.36 / Unit Root Tests --- p.37 / The Dickey-Fuller Test --- p.38 / The Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test --- p.39 / The Sims Test --- p.40 / Hypothesis --- p.42 / The Dickey-Fuller Test --- p.42 / The Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test --- p.42 / The Sims Test --- p.43 / Conclusions --- p.44 / Chapter IV. --- EMPIRICAL RESULTS --- p.45 / Description of Data and Movement of Real Exchange Rates --- p.45 / Tentative AR(1) Models for Real Exchange Rates --- p.48 / Original Series: Whole Period --- p.49 / Original Series: Fixed Rate Period --- p.49 / Original Series: Floating Rate Period --- p.50 / Logarithmic Series: Whole Period --- p.50 / Logarithmic Series: Fixed Rate Period --- p.51 / Logarithmic Series: Floating Rate Period --- p.51 / The Dickey-Fuller Test Statistics --- p.52 / The Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test Statistics --- p.56 / The Sims Test Statistics --- p.59 / Summary of Empirical Results --- p.62 / Chapter V. --- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS --- p.64 / Highlights of the Findings of this Study --- p.64 / Policy Implications --- p.65 / Conclusions --- p.66 / Limitations --- p.67 / APPENDICES --- p.68 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.294

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

<p>Although many scholars assert that portfolio approach can facilitate purchasing to live up to its strategic importance and contribute to company performance; and practitioners have applied portfolio approach in various purchasing activities, there are still limited empirical researches to confirm that portfolio can actually create the benefits. The purpose of the study is to explore the usefulness of portfolio approach as well as why companies decide to apply portfolio approach in purchasing and supply management.</p><p>Based on an international survey carried on a large number of European and North American manufacturing companies, the findings of the study provide strong evidence on the significant impact that the purchasing portfolio approach has on the business results, and also shed lights on the strategic importance of purchasing as a direct explanation to the application of the approach by companies. The empirical study confirms that the competency of the purchasing professionals plays a prominent role on the path of transforming the strategic importance of purchasing, with the help of portfolio approach, to the success of improved purchasing performance. A cross-discipline theoretical study reveals that different models share a common theoretical foundation and consist of similar basic elements in their construct.</p><p>The results of this study fill the research gap in analyzing the causes of the application of portfolio approach; provide quantitative empirical proof on the usefulness of portfolio approach in the industrial companies and thus give support to the existing theories. The study contributes to a growing research stream on how to improve purchasing business performance, reflecting the increasing strategic role that purchasing is given. The results send useful messages to company managements and provide valuable insights on an important tool for improving purchasing business performance.</p>

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the moderating role of hedonic shopping value in shopping experience satisfaction in the context of clothing shopping. Hedonic shopping value is an emotional and hedonic appreciation of shopping. According to the existing literature, consumers' hedonic shopping value is associated with several antecedents such as involvement, variety seeking, and physical environment of stores. Involvement may heighten consumers' excitement with the shopping experience. Hedonic shoppers tend to seek variety and use exploratory buying behavior to experience the emotion of pleasant arousal in a retail setting. Emotional responses in stores can be affected by the store's environment, arguing positive mood is a significant predictor of both extra time, unplanned spending in shopping, and shopping satisfaction. To test the proposed model, a convenience sample of male and female Korean college students was employed. Pearson correlation, chi-square statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and EQS for structural equation modeling were utilized. The results of the study showed that people who, in general, enjoy clothing shopping feel more satisfied with their clothing shopping. It appears that the shopping skills acquired by consumers who are more involved in and enjoy shopping may lead to higher satisfaction. Female respondents were more involved in clothing shopping, were more satisfied with clothing shopping, and had a higher level of hedonic shopping value. Expectedly, the structural model for female subjects confirmed the existence of the mediating role of hedonic shopping value in shopping experience satisfaction whereas the model for male respondents and for all respondents in which male and female respondents combined did not. For the female group, involvement and variety seeking had no direct influences on shopping experience satisfaction. Rather, they influenced shopping experience satisfaction indirectly through hedonic shopping value. Hedonic shopping value did not play a role as an intervening variable for male consumers. This may be attributed to the fact that male respondents had considerably low levels of hedonic shopping value to be an intervening determinant. This result implies that male respondents may have greater utilitarian construct for clothing shopping satisfaction rather than hedonic constructs. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (M.U.A.)--Viginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1983. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-103). Also available via the Internet.