Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Model business plan for a retail specialty store(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Business, 1988) Thorson, Lorene Mai; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Norman L. Millikin"An estimated 80% of new businesses fail in their first two years, most often because their owners were undercapitalized and didn't have a well-conceived business plan" (Rock 1984, 83). There are formats for business plans in numerous books and pamphlets - no two alike. But, a majority only provide information on what needs to be done, not how to do it or where to find the information. There is a need for a thorough business plan whose process does not intimidate prospective entrepreneurs from completing the task, but one that is thorough, easy to follow and helpful in providing details on where to obtain the information that a business plan calls for.Item A business plan for advanced practice nurses(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1996) Sadler, Teresa Jane; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Catherine CaniparoliItem Technical debt management in release planning : a decision support framework(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2014) Griffith, Isaac Daniel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clemente Izurieta; Hanane Taffahi, David Claudio and Clemente Izurieta were co-authors of the article, 'Initial simulation study' in the journal 'Proceedings of the 2014 Winter Simulation Conference' which is contained within this thesis.Technical debt is a financial metaphor used to describe the tradeoff between the short term benefit of taking a shortcut during the design or implementation phase of a software product (e.g., in order to meet a deadline) and the long term consequences of taking said shortcut, which may affect the quality of the software product. Recently, academics and industry practitioners have offered several models and methods which purport to explain or manage this phenomenon. Unfortunately, to date, there has yet to be a framework which supports managers in making decisions regarding technical debt. Although similar solutions exist to support the release planning phase of software development, they focus on the management of new features and do not take into account issues relating to technical debt and its effects on the development process. This thesis describes a software engineering decision support system focusing on three key components: analysis and decision, intelligence, and simulation. Supporting each of these components is a meta-model which bridges the gap between technical debt management and software release planning. To investigate the development of the analysis and decision and intelligence components we used a reduced form of this meta-model in conjunction with a coalition formation games approach. This approach served to evaluate the technical debt management and release planning issues, and was found superior, using simulation, in comparison to a first-come, first-served method (representative of typical agile planning processes). To investigate the development of the simulation component we conducted a simulation study to evaluate different strategies for technical debt management as proposed in the literature. The results of this study provide compelling evidence for current technical debt management strategies proposed in the literature that can be immediately applied by practitioners. Finally, we describe the initial work on an extended simulation framework which will form the basis of a complete simulation component for a technical debt management and release planning decision support framework.Item East Slope Healthcare : development of preliminary business plan(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2013) Watt, Jeremiah Lawrence; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Susan LuparellWith the current shortage and forecasted projections of primary care provider shortage in rural areas, the need for more primary healthcare providers to service rural Montana citizens is increasing. As members of the rural population of Montana, Hutterite colonies suffer from the same primary healthcare (PHC) provider shortage. Through personal interviews as well as expense reviews over the past 5 months, Colony A's current healthcare usage has provided the needed information to formulate a sound business plan. Market research was also generated from monthly healthcare expense review, and guided East Slope Healthcare in developing the unique billing model. This project will provide a business plan that is not only sensitive to the current US healthcare environment by providing PHC to the underserved rural population, but also sensitive to Colony A's cultural difference and financial operations. The information gained from this paper will be useful in working with all of the Hutterite colonies in Montana, but each colony needs to be viewed and assessed as individual entities.Item Start-up private practice business plan for advance practice nurse practitioner in Northeast Iowa(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2005) Harris, Sharon Eileen Jellings; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Patricia Lynes-HayesBusiness concepts and business development are not routinely a part of nursing education at the undergraduate or at the graduate level. Business plans are vital if a business is to have a chance to succeed. Many talents of the advanced nurse practitioner are transferable to the development of a business plan. Assessing, identifying problems (diagnosing), developing interventions, implementing solutions, and evaluating activities are equally important to the business plan and to the clinical practice of the nurse practitioner. This project addresses the problem of how nurse practitioners can use their talent to develop a business plan that is sound and can be implemented. The completed project identifies the components of a business plan in business terms and in health care terms. It includes discussions of the relevant components of a business plan that include: an executive summary, the vision and mission statement, a business strategy and strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat analysis (SWOT), an industry analysis, market strategy and plan, operational plan, and a financial plan that includes a projected cash flow for the development of a privately owned, entrepreneurial, family nurse practitioner practice. Included in this project is a specific business model for a practice in rural Northeast Iowa. The entrepreneur nurse practitioner will be able to use this business plan as a model to personalize a business plan, to seek funding, or to actually implement a private nursing practice. Throughout the completion of this project, it was realized that no one plan can solve every problem that may arise. A good plan can determine if a business practice is feasible, provide warning signs for when it is time to reexamine the idea of establishing a private practice and guide contingency plans for unpredicted events in the life of a business.Item Planning business improvement using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Design structure matrix (DSM)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2005) Kristof, Gary Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Gary ChenMany management system engineering ideas and theories have evolved to help businesses grow and achieve their goals. Applying these ideas and theories to a business system is a strategic planning issue and results in a bewildering array of strategic alternatives for business system improvement. Choosing the appropriate alternatives is a complex and difficult decision. The most appropriate strategic alternative must be executable. To be executable the strategic alternative must not only be technically feasible, but must also overcome social and cultural obstructions. This research presents a planning approach to select the most appropriate strategic alternative and to plan its implementation. The planning approach is built on a planning framework synthesized from previous research. This framework involves the following planning functions: 1. Determine business strategic alternatives 2. Acquire business knowledge 3. Shape business for strategic advantage 4. Implement plan - operational engagement The planning approach uses Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Project Management Tools (PMT) and Design Structure Matrix (DSM) to implement these functions and plan business improvements. This research demonstrates that rational hierarchies appropriate for strategic alternatives analysis using AHP can be constructed. Business scenarios are used to show that AHP method prioritizes alternative strategies differently under different business circumstances. In addition, the data generated by the AHP can be aggregated into statements of work and input into DSM to generate a project plan to implement organizational design changes and achieve strategic intent.