This dissertation develops and tests a new theory of private branding, a business practice under which manufacturers' products are sold to consumers under retailers' brands. The theory first argues that consumers' satisfaction with a product depends on both the performance of the manufacturer...

This dissertation research examines consumer skepticism and the possible mitigating effect of credibility on consumers' behavior in the marketplace. Of particular interest to this research is the interaction between the credibility of a set of information and consumers' skepticism toward a...

The objective of this study is to determine how US franchisors in the food service, hotels/motels, and business services industries choose between owning the wholesaler or contracting with an independent wholesaler to distribute their franchise system in host countries. US franchisors own the...

In this dissertation, structural models that utilize parametric and nonparametric approaches are developed that are used to measure competition and cost efficiency in the US banking industry (1990--96). Competition in loan and deposit markets is studied using the method of conjectural variations...

Many firms have taken advantage of increasing international opportunities. Therefore, internationalization is important because it has been a source of growth and profitability. To adequately study the topic, it is necessary to investigate the factors that constitute and influence...

Over the last several decades, manufacturers in the developed countries have adopted organizational techniques collectively referred to as lean production. An essential element of the lean production model is the specialization and decentralization of production decisions throughout the supply...

This dissertation provides extensive empirical evidence--a large sample study over a long period--about the link between strategy and shareholder value. In contrast to the typical measure of shareholder value--stock price times the number of shares outstanding--this dissertation uses beta excess...

The choice problem between a profit and an investment center revolves around whether it is desirable to delegate investment decision responsibility to a divisional manager who is better informed about the investment opportunities of the division. We show that an accounting performance measure...

This study contributes to the issue of bank product deregulation by examining whether cost synergies, measured by economies of scope, exist in the production of banking services. Using the multiproduct cost economies approach, the existence of overall and product-specific economies of scope and...

The focus of this dissertation is the industrial and institutional organization of the telegraph industry in the United States from 1838 to 1868. It contributes to the understanding of how network technologies develop and are regulated at both the state and federal levels.