International Air Transporation: Some Challenges

In a Spring 1984 article in the FIU Hospitality Review, new developments in the domestic airline industry were discussed, particularly those relating to the forces of deregulation and the changes brought about by this phenomenon. This article takes a wider perspective in examining the global air transportation scene, the changes that have been wrought recently on air carriers flying international routes, and the carriers' responses to these changes.

Community formation among Asian Indians in southeast Florida

Nearly one million Asian Indians have immigrated to the United States. Asian Indians are scattered across wide geographic areas. While some have chosen transnationalism, most are taking the traditional route of building ethnic communities. Using what the West has to offer in terms of communication and transportation technologies, they are constructing communities without geographic boundaries, with the extensive use of the automobile and air transportation, cellular phones, FAX machines, commercial delivery services, multi-party conference phones. Also, they are incorporating the American tradition of immigrant associations into an Asian Indian syncretism of community. In the process there emerges an Asian Indian identity and concept of kinship and community. ^

A fresh look at decision making in international investment choices: Firm international coherence and home-host country relatedness

Understanding how decisions for international investments are made and how this affects the overall pattern of investments and firm’s performance is of particular importance both in strategy and international business research. This dissertation introduced first home-host country relatedness (HHCR) as the degree to which countries are efficiently combined within the investment portfolios of firms. It theorized and demonstrated that HHCR will vary with the motivation for investments along at least two key dimensions: the nature of foreign investments and the connectedness of potential host countries to the rest of the world. Drawing on cognitive psychology and decision-making research, it developed a theory of strategic decision making proposing that strategic solutions are chosen close to a convenient anchor. Building on research on memory imprinting, it also proposed that managers tend to rely on older knowledge representation. In the context of international investment decisions, managers use their home countries as an anchor and are more likely to choose as a site for foreign investments host countries that are ‘close’ to the home country. These decisions are also likely to rely more strongly on closeness to time invariant country factors of historic and geographic nature rather than time-variant institutions. Empirical tests using comprehensive investments data by all public multinational companies (MNC) worldwide, or over 15,000 MNCs with over half a million subsidiaries, support the claims. Finally, the dissertation introduced the concept of International Coherence (IC) defined as the degree to which an MNE’s network comprises countries that are related. It was hypothesized that maintaining a high level of coherence is important for firm performance and will enhance it. Also, the presence of international coherence mitigates some of the negative effects of unrelated product diversification. Empirical tests using data on foreign investments of over 20,000 public firms, while also developing a home-host country relatedness index for up to 24,300 home-host pairs, provided support for the theory advanced.

Commuter Airlines:Their Changing Role

In - Commuter Airlines: Their Changing Role – an essay by J. A. F. Nicholls, Transportation Coordinator, Department of Marketing and Environment, College of Business Administration, Florida International University, Nicholls initially observes: “The great majority of airline passenger miles flown in the United States are between large conurbations. People living in metropolitan areas may be quite unaware of commuter airlines and their role in our transportation system. These airlines are, however, communications lifelines for dwellers in small - and not so small - towns and rural areas. More germanely, commuter airlines have also developed a pivotal role vis-a-vis the major carriers in this country. The author discusses the antecedents of the commuter Airlines, their current role, and future prospects.” Huh; conurbations? Definition: [n.] a large urban area created when neighboring towns spread into and merge with each other In providing a brief history on the subject of commuter airlines, Nicholls states: “…there had been a sort of commuter airline as far back as 1926 when, for example, the Florida Airways Corporation provided flights between Jacksonville and Atlanta, Colonial Air Lines between New York and Boston, and Ford Air Transport from Detroit to Cleveland.” “The passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act in 1938 was pivotal in encouraging and developing a passenger orientation by the airlines…” Nicholls informs you. Nicholls provides for the importance of this act by saying: “The CAA was empowered to act “in the public interest and in accordance with the public convenience and necessity.” Only the CAA itself could determine what constituted the “public convenience and necessity.” Nobody, however, could provide air transportation for public purposes without a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, dispensed by the CAA.” The author wants you to know that this all happens in the age of airline regulation; that is to say, pre de-regulation i.e. 1978. Airlines could not and did not act on their own behalf; their actions were governed by the regulating agency, that being the Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB], who administered the conditions set forth by the CAA. “In 1944 the CAB introduced a new category of service called feeder airlines to provide local service-short-haul, low density-for smaller communities. These carriers soon became known as air taxis since they operated as common carriers, without a regular schedule,” says Nicholls in describing the evolution of the service. In 1969 the CAB officially designated these small air carriers as commuter airlines. They were, and are subject to passenger limits and freight/weight restrictions. Nicholls continues by defining how air carriers are labeled and categorized post 1978; in the age of de-regulation.

Deregulation and the Marketing of Airline Carriers

No student of the hospitality industry can long be insensitive to the role of air transportation in creating much, though by no means all, of the "place demand" for his industry. This article confines itself to a discussion of the impact of deregulation on carriers in the industry and discusses implications for the hospitality field

The self-perceived effects on faculty that result from the experience of serving in a residential college

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the effects that faculty who live in residence with college students perceive result from their experience. This study examined the perspectives from current and recent residential faculty members. Data were gathered through structured interviews with current and former residential faculty who gave firsthand accounts of how they felt that experience impacted them. A pilot study had been previously conducted that enabled the researcher to modify and adjust the dissertation methodology accordingly, based upon the findings of the pilot study. The pilot study, in short, found that residential faculty members felt they gained from the experience in terms of relationships with students and other faculty while facing a few small challenges. Literature consistently showed that faculty-student interaction is very important to the development and success of students (Astin, 1993). Research has clearly demonstrated positive outcomes that result for students; the literature review revealed this information is plentiful. There is a dearth of research, however, regarding this impact on the faculty members themselves. Given the importance of faculty-student interaction outside of the classroom, it is crucial to recruit faculty for these communities. Thus, more information regarding this experience will be valuable. The study was conducted at a mid-sized private university in the Southeastern United States. The reason for this choice was the fact that this school has a 25-year history as a residential college system and utilizes 12–15 residential faculty members yearly. The researcher conducted interviews with 13 faculty members and coded and analyzed the data, then prepared the findings of the study based on the results. The data resulting from the study indicated that faculty perceived great benefits from serving as residential college faculty members. Perceived benefits as described by the participants included increased skill in teaching, feeling a sense of community, stronger relationships with other faculty members and students, and an increased affinity toward the university. While there were some challenges such as lack of training, politics, and loss of privacy all participants in the study felt they gained from the opportunity and would do it again in the same situation. This study enhanced the limited formal knowledge available regarding how faculty experience living in residential colleges with students.

The Effect of Sample and Sample Matrix on DNA Processing: Mechanisms for the Detection and Management of Inhibition in Forensic Samples

The presence of inhibitory substances in biological forensic samples has, and continues to affect the quality of the data generated following DNA typing processes. Although the chemistries used during the procedures have been enhanced to mitigate the effects of these deleterious compounds, some challenges remain. Inhibitors can be components of the samples, the substrate where samples were deposited or chemical(s) associated to the DNA purification step. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the extraction processes and their ability to handle the various types of inhibitory substances can help define the best analytical processing for any given sample. A series of experiments were conducted to establish the inhibition tolerance of quantification and amplification kits using common inhibitory substances in order to determine if current laboratory practices are optimal for identifying potential problems associated with inhibition. DART mass spectrometry was used to determine the amount of inhibitor carryover after sample purification, its correlation to the initial inhibitor input in the sample and the overall effect in the results. Finally, a novel alternative at gathering investigative leads from samples that would otherwise be ineffective for DNA typing due to the large amounts of inhibitory substances and/or environmental degradation was tested. This included generating data associated with microbial peak signatures to identify locations of clandestine human graves. Results demonstrate that the current methods for assessing inhibition are not necessarily accurate, as samples that appear inhibited in the quantification process can yield full DNA profiles, while those that do not indicate inhibition may suffer from lowered amplification efficiency or PCR artifacts. The extraction methods tested were able to remove >90% of the inhibitors from all samples with the exception of phenol, which was present in variable amounts whenever the organic extraction approach was utilized. Although the results attained suggested that most inhibitors produce minimal effect on downstream applications, analysts should practice caution when selecting the best extraction method for particular samples, as casework DNA samples are often present in small quantities and can contain an overwhelming amount of inhibitory substances.

The effect of sample and sample matrix on DNA processing: Mechanisms for the detection and management of inhibition in forensic samples

The presence of inhibitory substances in biological forensic samples has, and continues to affect the quality of the data generated following DNA typing processes. Although the chemistries used during the procedures have been enhanced to mitigate the effects of these deleterious compounds, some challenges remain. Inhibitors can be components of the samples, the substrate where samples were deposited or chemical(s) associated to the DNA purification step. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the extraction processes and their ability to handle the various types of inhibitory substances can help define the best analytical processing for any given sample. A series of experiments were conducted to establish the inhibition tolerance of quantification and amplification kits using common inhibitory substances in order to determine if current laboratory practices are optimal for identifying potential problems associated with inhibition. DART mass spectrometry was used to determine the amount of inhibitor carryover after sample purification, its correlation to the initial inhibitor input in the sample and the overall effect in the results. Finally, a novel alternative at gathering investigative leads from samples that would otherwise be ineffective for DNA typing due to the large amounts of inhibitory substances and/or environmental degradation was tested. This included generating data associated with microbial peak signatures to identify locations of clandestine human graves. Results demonstrate that the current methods for assessing inhibition are not necessarily accurate, as samples that appear inhibited in the quantification process can yield full DNA profiles, while those that do not indicate inhibition may suffer from lowered amplification efficiency or PCR artifacts. The extraction methods tested were able to remove >90% of the inhibitors from all samples with the exception of phenol, which was present in variable amounts whenever the organic extraction approach was utilized. Although the results attained suggested that most inhibitors produce minimal effect on downstream applications, analysts should practice caution when selecting the best extraction method for particular samples, as casework DNA samples are often present in small quantities and can contain an overwhelming amount of inhibitory substances.^