Changes in farm structure and increased competition have placed pressure on cooperatives' retail distribution system to meet their farmers changing needs in a profitable fashion. This research attempted to identify changes in regional profitability resulting from different consolidation alternatives for farm supply outlets. Cost and revenue coefficients were developed from available data in the Maryland region, including sales by zip code. Linear and integer programming were used to maximize profit across nine stores given those stores' 1983 gross margin percentages, operating costs, and asset capacities. The optimal solutions of several scenarios indicated that several stores could be closed with little effect on the region's total sales. Specialization through consolidation provided the most profitable venture, especially in product lines requiring processing such as bulk fertilizer and feed. / M.S.

no abstract provided by author / Master of Science

no abstract provided by author / Master of Science

The gneissic Port Deposit pluton and associated James Run metavolcanics bear a fault relation with the Wissahickon metasediments of the Glenarm terrane of the northeastern Maryland Piedmont, USA. Bulk chemical and mineralogical data classify the meta-igneous rocks as a bimodal tholeiite-dacite/tonalite suite with trondhjemitic affinities and indicate that subsolidus alteration during dynamic metamorphism was minor. Comparison of these data with other tectonic environments suggests their generation by partial fusion of amphibolitic basement. Previous studies have dated magmatic events in the Maryland Piedmont at 520 Ma, 420 Ma, and 300 Ma (Sinha et al., 1980). The U-Pb zircon upper intercept age for the Port Deposit is 525 ± 10 Ma, the Rb-Sr whole rock isochron age is 467 ± 21 Ma, and Rb-Sr model biotite ages are 400 and 300 Ma. Regional and theoretical considerations indicate the 525 zircon age may represent the time of igneous consolidation. Detailed petrographic observations in the Port Deposit indicate the Rb-Sr whole rock age represents the time of deformation and development of gneissic textures. The 467 Middle Ordovician age of deformation for the Port Deposit is interpreted as representative of the Taconic orogeny for the central Appalachian Piedmont; Rb-Sr whole rock systematics were upset, but concurrent anatexis of felsic basement is not locally evident. The fault contact between the Port Deposit and easternmost facies of the Wissahickon places an upper age limit of 467 Ma for that particular facies. Rb-Sr model biotite ages are interpreted as metamorphic cooling phenomenon and reflect the 420 and 300 Ma thermal highs. / Master of Science

Little attention has been paid in the literature to participant perception of, and attitudes toward, program and service quality in the congregate meals program. Based upon the scarcity of knowledge in this area, managers and participants in the Title III C meals program in Montgomery County, Maryland were surveyed to explore how differences in perception of program and service quality affect participant acceptance and evaluation of the program. A nutrition monitoring instrument was designed for managers at 14 meal sites to assess major components of the food service operation. A survey addressing participant perception of meal quality, meal acceptance, program administration and management, and food service personnel was designed and administered to 264 participants. The two surveys contained 17 identical or similar questions to identify any perceptual differences. Several social variables such as age, educational level, sex, marital status, living arrangement and acquisition of information about the program were found to significantly influence participant response to certain questions. Significant differences in perception between managers and participants were found in response to questions regarding availability of nutrition education lessons, need for therapeutic diets, adequacy of program transportation, temperatures at which food was served, and the degree to which substitutions were made for posted menu items. The results of this research will be used to make suggestions for program planning and evaluation, as well as to aid in continuous quality assurance. / Master of Science

The current study examined the characteristics, consumer behavior, and trip patterns of Inner Harbor visitors. Respondents were interviewed at various times of the day to determine trip purpose, expenditures, and the extent of linkages between the waterfront development and districts in downtown Baltimore. Generally, visitors were tourists and downtown workers, who purchased food and spent less than $10. Females outspent males, and tourists living outside the Baltimore area outspent Baltimore city and metropolitan area residents. A comparison of single (visited the Inner Harbor only) and multiple trippers showed that a district's distance from the Inner Harbor influenced the amount of linkages between it and the waterfront. The extent of linkages was small, largely consisting of trips made between workplaces and hotels and the Inner Harbor. Further, single trippers spent more than multiple trippers. Implications of the findings are discussed within the framework of planning policy. / M.U.R.P.

Thesis advisor: Francis M. McLaughlin / This thesis examines the impact of the hospital regulatory system in the state of Maryland. The system has been highly successful in lowering the gross charge-to-cost ratios that hospitals charge to their patients. In many states, these charge markups appear to be exorbitantly high, which is a great concern since the cost of health care is becoming more and more expensive for Americans. This thesis will include a description of the regulatory agency in Maryland, an explanation of how it works, and how it affects the Maryland hospital sector. Econometric analysis will then be employed in order to determine whether or not the regulatory system successfully helps hospitals reduce costs, a high priority objective of the system. In this model, Maryland hospital costs will be compared with nearby hospitals in Virginia. The paper will conclude with an evaluation of the merits of the system, and a recommendation on whether or not it would be useful in other states. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics Honors Program.

Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (M.A.)--Lancaster Bible College, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 301 p. Includes bibliographical references.