Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: James L. Kuhle Author-Name: Eric C. Lin Title: AN EVALUATION OF RISK AND RETURN PERFORMANCE MEASURE ALTERNATIVES: EVIDENCE FROM REAL ESTATE MUTUAL FUNDS Abstract: This paper examines the appropriate measure of performance for real estate mutual funds. Several popular performance measures including Sharpe, Treynor and Sortino measures are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the Sharpe index outperforms the other two alternatives. In order to consider these various methods as consistent, a certain degree of agreement in rankings between the measurements should exist. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) is an index that assesses the strength of agreement between rankings and it has been widely applied in situations in which ranking measurements are made. This research aims to explore the consistency of the risk-adjusted performance between the Sharpe index, the Treynor index, and the Sortino ratio. Mutual funds within the Real Estate sector are analyzed using the CCC to determine if the various rankings of the three different risk/return measurements are significantly different. This analysis is an attempt to determine which measure of risk-adjusted returns may be a better indicator of overall performance based on ex-post data. The data considered extends for a ten-year period from 2007 to 2016 and results suggest that the Sharpe Ratio outperforms the Treynor index and the Sortino ratio in determining the risk-adjusted performance of real estate mutual funds Classification-JEL: G10, G11, G17 Keywords: Real Estate, Mutual Funds, Morningstar, Risk-Adjusted Return Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 1-11 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-1.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:1-11 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kathleen Wilburn Author-Name: Ralph Wilburn Title: CHALLENGES FOR MANAGING BUSINESS WITH 21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY Abstract: Businesses in the 21st Century are facing a new world that includes having to decide what technology they need to adopt from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, to robots, drones and 3D printers, as well as create a workforce that includes part-time and contract employees, plus full-time employees who want a purpose in their work. As companies replace humans with robots to increase efficiencies as well as use AI algorithms to crunch Big Data, the workflow and processes must be restructured to accommodate technology, and employees must be trained to use it. Employee engagement must be supported to ensure employees are making decisions to support company goals and values in a technologically-assisted environment. According to research, cognitive abilities, complex problem solving, and social skills will be necessary in work environments where machine thinking and human thinking will become interdependent. Scenario thinking will provide the insight into how new technologies or demands of workforce might affect an organization’s structure based on its future goals; thus, allowing it to adopt technology that will serve its purpose. It will help the organization focus on using technology to solve problems and accomplish its goals while considering possible ethical issues Classification-JEL: M14 Keywords: Technology Changes, Management Changes, Workforce Changes, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Big Data, Corporate Social Responsibility Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 13-30 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-2.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:13-30 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: John Theodore Title: DYNAMIC ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF EL SALVADOR Abstract: The purpose of this article was to indicate the dynamic and systematic assistance small Salvadoran businesses receive from the Government of the Republic of El Salvador, expose the discrepancies that still exist among small business organizations, and demonstrate the corrective and developmental actions such enterprises receive from their national government in order to reduce and eliminate such discrepancies Classification-JEL: M16, M20 Keywords: Central American Common Market, CONAPYME, DICA, Large Businesses, Medium- Size Businesses, Micro and Small Business Enterprises (MYPES) Ministry of Economics, Republic of El Salvador, Universidad Centroamericana Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 30-38 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-3.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2019:i:1:p:30-38 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Peter Harris Author-Name: Fay Teplisky Title: A CASE STUDY IN FRAUD PREVENTION: CHARLENE CORLEY Abstract: This case study discusses fraud, and illustrates several preventive and detective fraud methodologies as they apply to a historical case study (United States of America vs. Charlene Corley). Criminal fraud cases have emerged with greater frequency over time, which has resulted in improved detection methodologies; such as Embedded Audit Modules and Benford’s Law, and preventive methods, such as budgetary controls. These methodologies are discussed and analyzed in great detail in this paper, and may be implemented by companies to ensure compliance with internal control policies developed by regulatory agencies Classification-JEL: M40, M42 Keywords: Benford’s Law, Audit, Fraud, US vs. Charlene Corley, Budgetary Controls, Embedded Audit Modules, Detection Controls, Preventive Controls Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 39-51 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-4.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:39-51 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Benedict E. DeDominicis Title: EUROPEAN STATE-BUILDING: NATIONAL SELFDETERMINATION VS. POLITICAL ECONOMIC STABILIZATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION’S COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY Abstract: The goal of this paper is to critique European integration noting political psychological dynamics relative to current policy trends that shape the EU’s effectiveness as a peace strategy. EU capabilities for conflict prevention include opportunities it offers to procure national security and prosperity for established states. The EU enjoys an advantage in competition with Moscow for influence in southeastern Europe. The EU is a multinational political entity that effectively projects an image of not being under the national dominance of a particular member state, i.e. Germany. The EU’s institutional policy-making complexity and authority dispersion suppress perceptual patterns suspecting it as a vehicle for neo-colonial projection of the power of a member state or coalition of states. The EU’s conditionality for loans to address the sovereign debt crisis is thus less prone to be seen as erasing the national sovereignty of a debtor state through capitulation to particular national dominance. A challenge lies in the EU’s perceived relationship with the US. Moscow’s prevailing view of the EU assumes it to be a vehicle for expansion of Euro-Atlantic influence at the expense of Russian national security. It intensifies suspicion of pro-Euro-Atlantic nationalities existing also as national minorities and in diaspora in Europe and in North America. The EU’s emphasis on state building and stabilization through economic development is problematic because of resistance to sovereign national self-determination for these national minorities Classification-JEL: F02, F5, P3 Keywords: Nationalism, European Union, Russia Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 53-76 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-5.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:53-76 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mitch Kramer Title: BEST PRACTICES IN SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLE: AN ANALYSES BASED ON THE WATERFALL MODEL Abstract: This paper discusses best practices for the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC) based on the Waterfall Model. Topics covered include an introduction to the Systems Development Lifecycle and the Waterfall Model including advantages and disadvantages. It also discusses the six stages of SDLC 1) Requirements Gathering and Analysis, 2) Systems Development, 3) Systems Implementation and Coding, 4) Testing, 5) Deployment, 6) Systems Operations and Maintenance Classification-JEL: L86, M15 Keywords: Systems Development Lifecycle, SDLC, Waterfall Model, Requirements Gathering and Analysis, Systems Development, Systems Implementation and Coding, Testing, Deployment, Systems Operation and Maintenance Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 77-84 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-6.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:77-84 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Michael Flynn Author-Name: Warren J. Rutherford Title: STRATEGIC SME SUCCESSION PLANNING: ENHANCING VALUE & WEALTH VIS-À-VIS ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS Abstract: Baby Boomers and other business owners are divesting their Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME) for several reasons. Absent a well-planned Business Succession Plan, decades of knowledge, innovation, and wealth can be lost both to stakeholders and society alike. Although Succession Planning has been a strategic management part for many years, only recently has it become recognized for its importance, particularly as it relates to the creation of value that makes mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances possible, thus resulting in the continuation of an SME’s past and current efforts. Only since 1991 has Intellectual Capital (IC) / Intangible Assets (IA) of SMEs start to become recognized as a trove of untapped wealth that could enhance the value and continuation of any organization. Notwithstanding the current difficulty in quantifying IC/IA, we propose that through the combination of strategic succession planning with organizational diagnosis may a forthcoming exit stakeholder find internal business assets that may be improved upon to maximize value and wealth for the SME, while simultaneously improving the chance of transition success at the time of exit execution. Exploration of this subject matter may serve to give Scholars and Practitioners fodder for theoretical/empirical research and practical application Classification-JEL: A12; L22; L25; M10; O34 Keywords: Baby-Boomers, Intangible Assets, Intellectual Capital; Organizational Diagnosis, SME, Strategic Succession Planning, Wealth Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 85-94 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-7.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:85-94 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Michael Flynn Author-Name: Warren J. Rutherford Title: STRATEGIC SME SUCCESSION PLANNING: ENHANCING VALUE & WEALTH VIS-À-VIS ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS Abstract: Baby Boomers and other business owners are divesting their Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SME) for several reasons. Absent a well-planned Business Succession Plan, decades of knowledge, innovation, and wealth can be lost both to stakeholders and society alike. Although Succession Planning has been a strategic management part for many years, only recently has it become recognized for its importance, particularly as it relates to the creation of value that makes mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances possible, thus resulting in the continuation of an SME’s past and current efforts. Only since 1991 has Intellectual Capital (IC) / Intangible Assets (IA) of SMEs start to become recognized as a trove of untapped wealth that could enhance the value and continuation of any organization. Notwithstanding the current difficulty in quantifying IC/IA, we propose that through the combination of strategic succession planning with organizational diagnosis may a forthcoming exit stakeholder find internal business assets that may be improved upon to maximize value and wealth for the SME, while simultaneously improving the chance of transition success at the time of exit execution. Exploration of this subject matter may serve to give Scholars and Practitioners fodder for theoretical/empirical research and practical application Classification-JEL: A12; L22; L25; M10; O34 Keywords: Baby-Boomers, Intangible Assets, Intellectual Capital; Organizational Diagnosis, SME, Strategic Succession Planning, Wealth Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 85-94 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Year: 2018 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v9n1-2018/RBFS-V9N1-2018-8.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:9:y:2018:i:1:p:95-100