ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- All Subjects: Business Administration
of alternatives for any given task. In such a competitive environment, it is imperative
to understand what drives user behavior. To that end, the research presented in
this dissertation, tries to uncover the impact of business strategies often used in the
software markets.
The dissertation is organized into three distinct studies into user choice and post
choice use of software. First using social judgment theory as foundation, zero price
strategies effects on user choice is investigated, with respect to product features,
consumer characteristics, and context effects. Second, role of social features in
moderating network effects on user choice is studied. And finally, the role of social
features on the effectiveness of add-on content strategy on continued user engagement
is investigated.
The findings of this dissertation highlight the alignments between popular business
strategies and broad software context. The dissertation contributes to the litera-
ture by uncovering hitherto overlooked complementarities between business strategy
and product features: (1) zero price strategy enhances utilitarian features but not
non-utilitarian features in software choice, (2) social features only enhance network
externalities but not social influence in user choice, (3) social features enhance the
effect of add-on content strategy in extending software engagement.
On the basis of prior research findings and the current situation of the Chinese securities industry, I first develop a theoretical model about the sources of competitive advantage for Chinese securities companies, and then compile a comprehensive list of observable indicators that can be used to assess a Chinese securities company’s core competency. Next, I conduct a quantitative analysis to assess the core competency and relative market positions of the leading Chinese securities companies using data from 2010 to 2014. Overall, the results suggest that market-driven M&As increases the core competency of the acquiring securities companies. I then conduct four in-depth case analyses to better understand the mechanisms through which M&As can help increase the acquiring firms' core competency. I conclude with a discussion of the findings and their implications for Chinese securities companies and the overseeing governmental agencies.
This study contributes to a better understanding of the treasury futures market by analyzing changes in China treasury futures market regulations and their impact on market liquidity of treasury futures. Found that compared with the mature market, China treasury futures market exists liquidity shortage, the trading system, market structure and the division of regulatory are factors which influence the liquidity of China treasury futures market.
This study found that reducing transaction costs for further optimization of the width and depth of China treasury futures market are not obvious by using quantitative analysis method, expanding the smallest change price can optimize the market depth, reducing transaction costs and expanding smallest change price can optimize the immediacy, volume and hosting amount. In addition, the bond market will also influence the treasury futures market, the price fluctuations and the morphology of the yield curve of bond market have significant influence on width, depth and holdings of market.
The system of China treasury futures market needs to be optimized by expanding the smallest change price and reducing transaction costs. The market structure needs to be optimized by establishing unified bond market and enriching investor structure.
These findings have significant theoretical and practical implications. The study also provides policy recommendations for the design and establishment of treasury futures market to the regulatory agencies.
In the first chapter, SBT contracts are analyzed through the lens of Agency Theory. By focusing on unique inventory ownership and risks considerations resulting from retailers managing supplier-owned inventory without bearing the cost of inventory shrinkage, the effect of SBT on inventory shrinkage is examined empirically using a data set from a packaged bakery manufacturer. The results show that inventory shrinkage tends to be higher under SBT contracts compared to traditional vendor-managed inventory (VMI) contracts. The study highlights a potential loss in efficiency in food supply chains reflected in higher shrinkage under SBT contracts.
The second chapter aims to identify conditions under which SBT contracts could be mutually beneficial for retailers and suppliers. Using stylized game theoretic models involving a retailer and a supplier of a product with limited shelf life, the study finds that, while inventory shrinkage may be amplified under SBT contracts compared to VMI contracts due to the decreased retailer’s incentive to manage inventory at the store, SBT could help suppliers minimize inventory overage and underage under high demand uncertainty. The integrative potential for SBT contracts, thus, lies in the trade-off between inventory shrinkage and forecasting accuracy.
In the third paper, the role of bargaining power on the performance of SBT contracts is examined. Based on the bargaining literature, it is hypothesized that perceptions of bargaining power can be reshaped in the bargaining process through concession tactics. The results of a negotiation experiment show that, while powerful retailers do tend to have the upper hand in negotiating SBT contracts, weak suppliers could ameliorate or even overcome retailer power by offering services as a concession in a way that the product-service bundle improves the value of their offerings in the eyes of the retailers.
Next, the researcher analyzed factors affecting contractor organizational agility. In light of the “Great Recession”, the concepts of organizational agility offers insights into companies could have made different strategic decisions to avoid many of the issues faced. Construction was particularly affected: by January 2010, unemployment reached approximately 20 percent. One way to combat declining profits is to adjust general overhead costs (indirect expenses). These costs include items such as home office expenses, business development, and bonuses. The objective of the second part of this research was to conduct a study of how contractors responded to dynamic market conditions and to identify if whether contractors’ company attributes impacted their responses to the market changes. A total of 437 contractors responded to the survey, and 92 percent reported that they reduced overhead costs in five areas, by an average of about 15 percent. Additional analysis suggests that there are distinct categories of overhead flexibility.
Previous studies on financial performance of PE funds utilized data collected from publically traded companies in European/US markets. By measuring financial performance of both “pre- and post-transactions,” these studies researched two questions: 1) Do buyout funds create value? 2) If they do, what are the sources of value creation? In general, studies conclude that private equity/buyout funds do create value at both the deal level and investor level. They also identified four possible sources of such value creation: 1) undervaluation, 2) leverage effect, 3) better governance, and 4) operational improvement.
However, relatively little is known about the process of value creation. In this study, I attempt to fill that gap, revealing the “secret recipe” of value creation.
By carefully looking into the process of value creation, this study suggests five propositions covering capabilities at 1) deal selection/screening, 2) deal structuring, 3) operational improvement, 4) investment exit, and 5) Top Management Team (TMT). These capabilities at private equity/buyout funds are critical factors for value creation. In a thorough review of the value-creation process, this paper hopes to:
1) Share real-life experiences and lessons learned on private equity transactions in China as a developing economy.
2) Reveal the process of deal/transaction to observe measures taken place within deal/transaction for value creation.
3) Show how well-executed strategies and capabilities in deal selection/screening, deal structuring, operational improvement, and investment exit can still create value for private equity firms without financial leverage.
4) Share the experience of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) reform participated in by private equity firms in China. This could provide valuable information for policy makers in China.
This paper focuses on the factors influencing Energy Management Behaviour (EMB) at the individual level. By reviewing academic literature, conducting surveys in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the author builds an integrated behavioural energy management model of the Chinese energy consumers. This paper takes the vague term of EMB and redefines it as a function of two separate behavioural concepts: Energy Management Intention (EMI), and the traditional Energy Saving Intention (ESI).
Secondly, the author conducts statistical analyses on these two behavioural concepts. EMI is the main driver behind an individual’s EMB. EMI is affected by Behavioural Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC). Among these three key factors, PBC exerts the strongest influence. This implies that the promotion of the energy management concept is mainly driven by good application user experience (UX). The traditional ESI also demonstrates positive influence on EMB, but its impact is weaker than the impacts arising under EMI’s three factors. In other words, the government and manufacturers may not be able to change an individual's energy management behaviour if they rely solely on their traditional promotion strategies. In addition, the study finds that the government may achieve better promotional results by launching subsidies to the manufacturers of these kinds of applications and smart appliances.