Despite the fact that attorneys face stringent ethical restrictions regarding claims they can make about their legal abilities, the culture of many law firms is probably the greatest barrier to effective legal marketing. Expectancy theories, which state that behavior follows rewards, support this hypothesis. Culture affects many facets of a law firm: (1) its attitude about profitability, (2) the attorneys' understanding of effective business procedures, (3) the definition of value — from the firm's perspective and the perspective of clients and prospects, (4) management structure, decision making, and accountability, and (5) attitudes about change. This thesis examines the role that culture and expectancy theories play in a law firm's marketing success. Although the number of legal marketing professionals seems to be increasing, the current literature does not provide a formal assessment of the effectiveness of law firm marketing. This thesis project measures the effectiveness of law firm marketing in quantitative terms.

The increase of end-user computing, including the use of computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS), is one of the most significant changes to occur in business information systems in recent years. Researchers suggest that changes in technology lead to changes in the way individuals think about work and how they perform it. An important question is how the use of CMCS is changing work and work relationships. This study considers a portion of this question; it asks "What makes individuals willing to participate in a computer-supported workgroup (CSWG)." This study considered the relationship between three variables (sex, anonymity, and token status) and participation rates in the CSWG. It asked four research questions: (1) is there a significant difference in total participation among males/females, token/nontoken individuals, and gender-revealed/non-gender-revealed individuals? (2) In task-oriented participation among these same groups? (3) In socio-emotional participation among these same groups? (4) In the conversational mix among these same groups? Students from five undergraduate business classes participated in an on-line conference using FocusPoint conferencing software. Participants were divided randomly into 36 groups of four members each; each workgroup contained volunteers from several classes. The experimental design was a 2 x 2 factorial; factor one was gender-revealed/non-gender-revealed status and factor two was whether token status within each CSWG was token male or token female. Every group received the same planning task—a 10-year class reunion exercise. All communications were captured and categorized using Siegel's taxonomy for identifying conversational patterns (Siegel, 1986). The results were analyzed using analysis of variance on the main effects and their interactions. Findings supported the hypotheses that there is a significant difference in both total and task-oriented participation between men and women, with women showing a greater number of remarks in both categories. Results also indicated that there is a significant difference in socio-emotional participation and in conversational mix between based on token status and gender-revealed status with gender revealed non-tokens and non-gender-revealed tokens showing a greater number of socio-emotional remarks. Differences in total and task orientation participation were most dependent on the demographic variable "sex" while differences in socio-emotional responses and mix were most dependent on the situation, i.e. token status and gender-revealed status. Addition stepwise regression analyses, which looked at the role of the ancillary variables (education, experience, computer ownership, locus of control, psychological gender, and attitudes toward computers) were able to improve the model. Further research is needed into the effects of these variables. Research at a more detailed level of participation is also needed.

This dissertation addresses the problem of setting due dates to minimize completion inaccuracy penalties in a general job shop environment. In this simulation study, lateness penalties are generated by four defined functions: lateness variance, mean squared lateness, mean absolute lateness, and semi-quadratic lateness. Each of these functions assigns positive penalties to both early and late job completions. The study proposes and demonstrates the benefits of an iterative simulation-regression procedure in determining allowance policies. Advantages of operation-based dispatching rules over job-based dispatching rules, as well as improvements to traditional methods of setting operation due dates, are demonstrated. Characteristics and benefits of incorporating shop congestion variables in due date setting procedures under different combinations of expected shop utilization and processing time assumptions are evaluated.

Despite the theoretical and strategic importance of firms’ networks, scant research has been done that focuses on how their structure as an antecedent to their diversification strategy. Drawing on resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and network theory as theoretical backdrops, this research examines the impact of the structural complexity of firms’ customer, supplier, and political networks on product and international diversification. I hypothesize that firms obtain unique knowledge, resources, capabilities, and expertise through these networks that results in superior product and international diversification. Moreover, because customer, supplier, and political networks may offer different knowledge, resources, capabilities, and expertise, it is important to examine the structural complexity of each simultaneously on diversification. Horizontal complexity refers to direct ties, vertical complexity refers to indirect ties, and spatial complexity is geographical dispersion. I measure horizontal and vertical structural complexity as the number and diversity of firms’ network connections and spatial complexity as average distance. Using archival data of 112 US based firms, I hypothesize that a greater number and diversity of customer, supplier, and political connections increase firms’ product and international diversification. Further, I hypothesize that firms’ marketing capability moderates the effect of diversification on performance and that competitive intensity moderates differently the relationships on either side of product and international diversification. The results show that the spatial complexity of suppliers and political networks positively affects international diversification. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Marketing in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / June 21, 2017. / Includes bibliographical references. / Ruby (Pui Wan) Lee, Professor Directing Dissertation; Xinling Tang, University Representative; Larry Giunipero, Committee Member; LaDonna Thornton, Committee Member.

This dissertation consists of three essays that examine the nature of state and local pension plans in the United States over the 1992 to 2000 period. The first essay examines the determinants of the investment rate of return for state and local public pension plans. Among the factors that are found to enable plans to enjoy greater investment returns – in a statically significant sense, were: 1) weighting their portfolio more toward equities; 2) allowing active employees to elect more of the plan board members; 3) following prudent investor rules; 4) having an investment policy that is more open to considering equities; and, lastly, 5) managing their portfolio in-house as opposed to outsourcing this task to Wall Street. While some things public pension did augmented returns, other investment practices were not as conducive; namely: 1) tactical investing – trying to take advantage of short-term movements in capital markets as opposed to a long-term investment perspective; 2) the board setting the asset allocation for the plan; and 3) larger boards. The second essay tests for the presence of performance persistence in the investment returns of state and local public pension plans. Through the analysis it was found that there was evidence of performance persistence in the investment returns of state and local pension plans in the years 1994 and 1998. To further test for performance persistence, Probit models are estimated which controlled for the asset allocation of each plan and important governance characteristics which are thought likely to affect whether or not a pension plan may outperform its peer group. This analysis also finds evidence of performance persistence in the investment returns of state and local pension plans in the years 1994 and 1998. Additionally, it was discovered that some governance practices; namely; 1) tactical investing and 2) boards setting the asset allocation both led to a lower probability of a public pension plan performing above the median return. On the other hand, increased exposure to equity tended to increase the probability of a plan having a return above the median. This increased exposure to equity, furthermore, allowed plans to earn a higher return than the predicted efficient real return. The third essay provides some understanding of pension plan funding levels and how their governance structure and the economic and demographic environment they operate in shapes those funding levels. Among the factors that contributed to lower plan funding levels were: 1) the plan being unionized; 2) the locale having a higher ratio of debt to income; and 3) the area experiencing a higher unemployment rate. The pension plan being subjected to a third-party independent performance evaluation and the locale receiving a larger percent of revenue from the federal government affects funding levels positively. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Economics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2005. / Date of Defense: June 7, 2005. / Pension Plans, Investment Practices, Funding Level / Includes bibliographical references. / David Macpherson, Professor Directing Dissertation; David Peterson, Outside Committee Member; Frank Heiland, Committee Member; Patrick Mason, Committee Member.

This dissertation focuses on CEO and BOD power relationships, examining individual and organizational antecedent and outcome factors impacted by CEO and BOD powers. Four primary research questions are explored, specifically 1) What is the temporal structure of power relationships, and how should these relationships be modeled in empirical study? 2) What is the nature of the dyadic relationship between CEO and BOD power?, 3) Is there a reciprocal relationship between CEO and BOD powers and firm performance?, and 4) What are the primary antecedents of CEO and BOD powers, and how do these antecedents influence CEO and BOD power development? A longitudinal study design is employed to inspect the determinants and consequences of organizational power circulation over time, and polynomial lag regression techniques are employed to explore different relationships within the study model. The primary goal of this study is to develop a greater understanding of the nature of CEO and BOD power relationships, and to examine their impact on firm performance. A variety of corporate governance theories, including agency, managerial hegemony, resource dependency, and power circulation theories, are utilized to build a contingent model of power and governance. This merging of governance theories offers greater insight into the nature of CEO – BOD power relationships, as well as drivers of power shifts within the firm over time. The study findings support reciprocity in the relationship between CEO power and firm performance, validating the Daily and Johnson (1997) study results and managerial hegemony theoretical perspectives of governance relationships. The study results did not support a reciprocal relationship between BOD power and performance, with significant findings for the BOD power – performance linkage but insignificant results for the performance – BOD power linkage. In addition, post hoc analysis supports the hypothesized relationship of Strategic Choice mediating the CEO Power – Organizational Performance linkage. The study findings also offer some support for temporal modeling of power antecedent and outcome relationships. Study conclusions, limitations, and directions for future research are also offered for consideration. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2004. / Date of Defense: May 13, 2004. / Polynomial lag regression, corporate governance, CEO Power, BOD Power / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce T. Lamont, Professor Directing Dissertation; Charles J. Kacmar, Outside Committee Member; Gerald R. Ferris, Committee Member; David J. Ketchen Jr., Committee Member.

This dissertation examines several key aspects regarding health insurance policies in the United States. The development of the United States health insurance market began in the 1920s with life insurance companies selling traditional indemnity health insurance plans and hospitals offering hospital care plans on a pre-paid basis. This market has evolved over the last century into a heavily regulated market dominated by employer-sponsored, managed-care plans. Reviews in the introduction of this dissertation include the overall market, health insurer evolution, the history of managed care operations, the progression of employer-sponsored health insurance plans and regulation specific to health insurance. Analysis of health insurance market evolution can offer a better understanding of how past developments in U.S. health care can inform and shape future policy. The second chapter of this dissertation provides an analysis of adverse selection in the U.S. health insurance market. Adverse selection is a phenomenon inherent in insurance contracting. Using a rich, unique dataset consisting of multiple insurers, across states for the years 2013-2015, I document a correlation between coverage and risk. Results show that adverse selection is present both in the individual and group markets. Additionally, I test for the presence of adverse selection by state and by insurer. I find that factors such as the health of the state population, regulatory environment, insurer competition and insurer size are not associated with the likelihood that a state or and insurer experiences the presence of adverse selection. The third chapter of this dissertation relates adverse selection and consumer satisfaction in health insurance plans. I exploit a dataset rich with respondent demographics and health insurance plan information to evaluate the relationship between adverse selection and health insurance plan satisfaction. I find that respondents who are more likely to have adversely selected into the health insurance plan are more satisfied with their plan. This is evidence that respondents may use private information on their risk level to choose plans to their advantage. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Legal Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2017. / October 18, 2017. / asymmetric information, Health insurance / Includes bibliographical references. / Patricia H. Born, Professor Directing Dissertation; Thomas Zuehlke, University Representative; Cassandra R. Cole, Committee Member; Charles M. Nyce, Committee Member; Petra Steinorth, Committee Member.

The last couple of decades have marked an increasing interest in what are now widely called cross sector partnerships (CSPs) between businesses, governments and not-for-profits. The extant literature generally refers to these partnerships as mechanisms for addressing social and environmental challenges. Indeed, CSPs are often depicted as 'instruments' that help societies fight various societal problems such as poverty, pollution, and homelessness. The existing literature offers a variety of explanations on what motivates and shapes the dynamics of CSPs. In this respect, the main goal is to categorise the specific factors that shape the scope and nature of CSPs. Yet, despite the valuable insights which the existing body of knowledge provides, little is still known about the relational processual emergence of CSPs; in particular, their relational interconnectedness within the wider organisational practices of the partnering organisations. As such, there is an urgent need to develop more processual understandings of the becoming nature of CSPs as social processes. In this regard, the following study sets out to develop a specific process approach, based on what is widely known as process thinking, in order to build a more dynamic understanding of the emergence of CSPs. To this end, the study draws on key process thinking concepts and deploys a theoretical framework to guide the research process. Accordingly, the study also develops a specific qualitative process-based research methodology which helps identify and explore the bundles of ongoing processes that construct and sustain CSP workings over time. The empirical material for the study was generated through semi-structured interviews and secondary sources. Both well-established as well as specifically developed analytical techniques were applied to construct the key themes of the research outcomes. The outcomes of the analysis attempt to shed light on the relational social dynamics that shape the emergence of CSPs. Furthermore, the findings also reflect upon the power dynamics in CSP workings and reveal how various narratives seek to legitimise or de-legitimise particular CSP activities. The study, thus, contributes to both theory and practice of CSPs by providing insights into the complex, dynamic and non-linear social complexities characterising the emergence of CSPs. Theoretically, it provides a different understanding from the mainstream conceptualisations of CSPs. At a practical level, the thesis provides rich insights into the unexpected events and contextual dynamics which influence the organisation and management of CSPs, thus offering valuable guidance for practitioners. In short, the overall main contribution of the thesis lies in its processually-informed empirical analysis of CSPs which not only invites us to explore the social dynamic emergence of CSP processes but also asks us to acknowledge the degree of novelty inherent in these processes.

Academics and practitioners have increasingly acknowledged the significance of the consumer-brand relationship in both traditional and online contexts. However, the impersonal nature of the online environment is considered to be a hindrance in the development of the brand-consumer relationship. The literature suggests that strong relationship outcomes depend on successful relationship marketing tactics. Admin-avatar concept is a new concept -firstly emerged in this research- which can be used as a technological and marketing tactic. Admin-avatar can embody consumer-facing employees and mimic their real-life roles on companies' websites, thereby playing a key role in enhancing the relationships between consumers and brands in the online environment. Despite the importance of this technology, very little attention has been paid to the investigation of the admin-avatar concept from a marketing perspective. Following a systematic review of the literature found in 10 major electronic databases and published between 1993 and 2013, significant gaps in literature were identified. Specifically, this research examines the nature of the admin-avatar concept, including its main characteristics, dimensions, and conditions as well as the attitudinal and behavioural consequences of admin-avatar users. Adopting the mixed methods design, a taxonomy was developed from interviews (qualitative phase) which laid the foundation for the development of the admin-avatar framework. Spiggle's (1994) framework was adopted for the qualitative data analysis. A conceptual framework was developed and built on the theoretical foundations of reasoned action theory (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The admin-avatar framework was empirically tested through a series of lab-based experiments (quantitative phase). Following a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to purify the scales, determine the dimensionality of the constructs and support their convergent and discriminant validity. The context used for this study was the university admissions admin-avatar. propositions were tested using repeated measures (first experimental deign study), factorial design (second experimental deign study) and serial mediation techniques for both experimental studies. The results mostly support the taxonomy developed from the qualitative phase. This thesis contributes to the new technology in marketing and practice, specifically by: (1) providing a clear and comprehensive definition of the admin-avatar concept, (2) developing a comprehensive taxonomy of admin-avatar that enriches the area of new technology in marketing by the further investigations by applying the taxonomy to other contexts (e.g., schools, banks, retails and other commercial companies), and (3) confirming the notion that the addition of an admin-avatar will transform the consumer attitude towards the website and the brand. Furthermore, the addition of an admin-avatar will prompt consumers to engage in voluntary behaviours such as saying positive things about the organisation/brand (word of mouth) and recommending the brand and its products to other potential consumers (recommendation). In other words, adding the admin-avatar on the brand website will significantly change the attitudes of brand's consumers. These positive attitudes will encourage consumers to do voluntary behviours for the brand. From a practical perspective, these findings offer practitioners a clearer and richer understanding of the admin-avatar, facilitating appropriate designs for admin-avatar(s). The findings of this research also give practitioners clear insights into the main advantages of the admin-avatar, such as the degree of its convenience (e.g., quickness and effortless), hedonism (excitement) and attractiveness.

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