Organizational learning seeks to proactively expand the knowledge base of an organizational entity by incorporating knowledge, skills, and experience into the collective conscience of the company through the development of routines rather than relying on individual employees for these traits. Valuable experience gained by individuals who weather economic downturn with their companies must be absorbed into the corporate structure in a meaningful way so that it may be accessible for use during future recessions. This research asks what was learned by individuals during the most recent recession, what mechanisms were employed to retain and utilize this knowledge, and what cultures, strategies, or processes were created because of it. Companies were also compared to understand whether an increase in organizational learning within a company would translate into increased performance.

Trend and panel data analyses are used to determine the role of financial variables in GDP growth differences during the last global recession. Real variables are implemented in order to absorb real shocks and give a better (less biased) estimation of the effects of those nominal (financial) shocks. Results indicate an important role of Stock Market correlations.

This dissertation presents heretofore undiscovered properties of Silicon Nanowires (SiNWs) grown by electroless process and presents mathematical solutions to the special problems of the oxidation and diffusion of dopants for SiNWs. Also presented here is a mathematical description of morphology of oxidized SiNWs. This dissertation is comprised of several discussions relating to SiNWs growth, oxidation, morphology and doping. In here is presented work derived from a long-term study of SiNWs. Several important aspects of SiNWs were investigated and the results published in journals and conference papers. The recession of SiNWs was heretofore unreported by other research groups. In our investigations, this began as a question, "How far into the substrate does the etching process go when this method is used to make SiNWs?" Our investigations showed that recession did take place, was controllable and that a number of variables were responsible. The growth mechanism of SiNWs grown by electroless process is discussed at length. The relation of exposed area to volume of solution is shown, derived from experimentation. A relation of Silver used to Si removed is presented, derived from experimentation. The agglomeration of SiNWs grown by the electroless process is presented. The oxidation of SiNWs is a subject of interest to many groups, although most other groups work with SiNWs grown by the VLS process, which is more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to do. The oxidation of planar Silicon (Si) is still a subject of study, even today, after many years of working with and refining our formulae, because of the changing needs of this science and industry. SiNWs oxidation formulae are more complicated than those for planar Si, partly because of their morphology and partly because of their scale. While planar Si only iv presents one orientation for oxidation, SiNWs present a range of orientations, usually everything between and ( the orientation is usually not presented during oxidation). This complicates the post-oxidation morphology to the extent that, subsequent to oxidation, SiNWs are more rectangular than cylindrical in shape. After etching to remove an oxidation layer from the SiNWs, the rectangular shape shifts 90° in orientation. In traditional oxidation, the Deal-Grove formulae are used, but when the oxidation must take place in very small layers, such as with nanoscale devices, the Massoud formulae have to be used. However, even with Massoud, these formulae are not as good because of the morphology. Deal-Grove and Massoud formulae are intended for use with planar Si. We present some formulae that show the change in shape of SiNWs during oxidation, due to their morphology. The diffusion of dopants in SiNWs is a subject few research groups have taken up. Most of the groups who have, use SiNWs grown by the VLS method to make measurements and report findings. In order to measure the diffusion of dopants in SiNWs, a controllable diameter is needed. There are a number of ways to measure diffusion in SiNWs, but none of the ones used so far apply well to SiNWs grown by electroless process. Usually these groups present some mathematical formulae to predict diffusion in SiNWs, but these seem to lack mathematical rigor. Diffusion is a process that is best understood using Fick’s Laws, which are applied to the problem of SiNWs in this dissertation. Diffusion is a science with a long history, going back at least 150 years. There are many formulae that can be used in the most common diffusion processes, but the processes involved with the diffusion of dopants in SiNWs is more complex than the simple diffusion processes that are fairly well-understood. Diffusion doping of SiNWs is a multiphase process that is more complex, first because it is multiphase and second because the second step involves a v multiplicity of diffusing elements, plus oxidation, which brings on the problems of moving boundaries. In this dissertation, we present solutions to these problems, and the two-step diffusion process for SiNWs.

During the late 2000s the United States economy was faced with the most traumatic event in United States financial history since the Great Depression. Large multibillion dollar corporations collapsed, families lost their life savings, and the United States economy stood on a precipice for total destruction. In the wake of the Financial Crisis, investment firms such as Merrill Lynch collapsed and their portfolios were sold to competitors for far lower than their estimated value (Sorkin). In 2008, the Financial Crisis impacted the working man the most. With foreclosures on the rise, an estimated 81.2% increase from the year before, average citizens lost their homes, savings and certainty in the United States Government to protect their best interests (Armour). One of the hardest hit states, Nevada, saw a total foreclosure rate of about 7.3% which was an increase from the previous year of a staggering 125.7% (Armour). All these foreclosures rippled throughout the U.S housing market and made it nigh impossible for the banks securing the loans to collect upon the principle amount loaned, yet alone the interest. The shock from the United States financial sector echoed throughout the world. Correlating with the Financial Crisis, United States and global suicide rates were on the rise. According to a 2009 Article published by the British Medical Journal, United States suicide rates in men age 45-64 increased by over 6.4% of the expected trend ("Male Suicide Rate Rose during 2008 Global Economic Crisis, Says Time-Trend Study"). The Financial Crisis made it so that average individuals felt increased economic strain and an ever looming sense of disparagement. This is an examination and evaluation of the perhaps one of the greatest schemes in the history of global financial markets; this is a critical analysis of how greed, power and a lack of moral decency reshaped the world. This is an examination of how, in an age of deregulation, the powerful seemingly take precedence over the masses. This is the Story of the 2007/2008 Recession, of what has been done, of what we need to do, and of moving forward to assign blame and punishment to those responsible for the pain and suffering incurred by so many.

Since the federal funds rate reached the zero lower bound in late 2008, economists have been struggling to adapt their models to a long-term zero rate. Wu and Xia built upon previous research by Fischer Black to create a model for how the federal funds rate behaves during the ZLB period. In their model, the rate actually dips into the negative digits, which the actual federal funds rate does not do. The logic behind the model is that a negative shadow rate is a much better indicator of true economic conditions while the current zero rate merely masks the actual economic reality. It is also easier to use the shadow rate for trend analysis purposes, since the shadow rate is flexible and changes while the federal funds rate remains artificially fixed at zero. Thus, this paper seeks to provide a comparison between the Shadow Rate, as defined by Wu and Xia, and how three key banking variables (leverage, profitability, and non-performing loans to total loans) react in response to the shadow rate, along with three control variables: real GDP growth, inflation, and the current account to GDP ratio. Regression will also be used to determine how three key borrower variables (S&P 500 Index, Credibility Consumer Distress Index, and the ratio of nonfinancial corporate business debt securities to total assets) interact with the shadow rate and the three control variables previously mentioned.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.