Författare: Max Lundmark Handledare: Bo Carlsson, Gun Normark. Nyckelord: Loyalty/rewards programs, reinforcement, consumer behavior. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur amerikanska universitet använder lojalitetsprogram. Detta görs genom att studera universitetens syfte med att använda lojalitetsprogram, och hur det påverkar vilka strategier de använder för att uppmuntra ett visst beteende i samband med sportevenemang. Metod: Studien tillämpar en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. Representanter från fyra amerikanska universitet intervjuades i samband med studien. Analysen utfördes utifrån teorin grounded theory. Teori: Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår ifrån begrepp från psykologi- och marknadsföringsforskning. Empirisk presentation: Presenterar datainsamlingen. Resultat och slutsats: Studiens resultat indikerade att ett universitets syfte med att använda ett lojalitetsprogram starkt påverkar vilka belöningsstrategier som används. Däremot så tenderade skolorna i studien att uppmuntra liknande beteende och använda samma typ av belöningar inom deras program. Detta berodde universitetens liknande karaktärsdrag. Studien utvecklade också förståelsen kring varför ett amerikanskt universitet använder sig utav lojalitetsprogram. Resultatet visade att fördelarna av att använda ett program kunde bidrog till att locka nya studenter, vilket är fundamentalt för ett universitet. Slutligen så går det att argumnetera för att studien också bidorg med ökad kunskap inom det vetenskapliga undersökningsområdet genom att identifiera vissa svårigheter med att relatera empirin till etablerade teorier. / Author: Max Lundmark Handlers: Bo Carlsson, Gun Normark. Keywords/main concepts: Loyalty/rewards programs, reinforcement, consumer behavior. Purpose: The study aimed to examine how American universities use sports loyalty programs. This will be done by studying the purpose of why schools use a program, and how this affects what rewards strategies they apply to reinforce a certain student behavior at their sports events. Methodology: The study is based on a qualitative research method. Interviews were conducted with representatives at four American universities. Analysis was done using grounded theory. Theoretical framework: The study’s theoretical framework is based on concepts from psychology and marketing research. Empirical presentation: Presents data from the conducted interviews. Results and conclusion: The findings indicated that a university’s purpose of running a program strongly affects what rewards strategies they use. However, the schools included in this study tended to promote similar kind of behavior and use the same types of rewards. This was explained by their similar characteristics. The study also added knowledge to why an American university use a loyalty program. Findings showed that the benefits of using a program was strongly related to attracting new students, which is fundamental for any university. Lastly, the study also contributed to research on loyalty programs by identifying certain issues with connecting findings to established theories.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Motivated by concerns posed by college athletics and questions about the effectiveness of educational reform commissions, this study centered on two questions: specifically, How did the Knight Commission function to bring policy reform to college sports?; and, generally, How does an independent, temporary commission influence organizational change? Grounded in the reform commission literature and a conceptual framework developed from political science, policy science, and organizational change theories, the research design employed two approaches - one inductive and one deductive - to focus on five areas of inquiry. Political processes were pivotal in bringing change. A "policy window" developed from the confluence of new, supportive key actors, public opinion favorable to reform, and threats of Congressional intervention. The Commission's empowerment created a choice opportunity for long-involved stakeholders to reauthorize athletic governance reform. Prior to empowerment, key actors reached consensus on core values and reform approach. The Knight Commission's operation enhanced the authority of key actors with standing as policy makers. Although intellectual undertakings supported an image of objective rationality, the Commission served more as an inter-organizational governance tool. Cross-fertilization" resulting from Commissioners who served as "linking pins" (Likert, 1967) between political systems, united a broad coalition on a single plan. A reform model that buttressed higher education values and was embedded in long-accepted principles of governance manipulated the "policy space" in athletics to focus debate on its issues. Other Commission activities served to enhance its "subjective authority" (Barnard, 1938) - acceptance at the bottom of the organization. The study process utilized "partisan policy analysis" (Lindblom, 1968) to persuade operational-level stakeholders. The report recommendations advanced the largest perceived increment of policy change that would not threaten its "acceptance." The extensive publicity surrounding report release served to inform and prepare the bottom layer of involved organizations and the public for change suggested by a representative group of eminent policy leaders. With enhanced authority and concordance on reform agenda, cross-boundary members successfully initiated policy reform. The still-intact Knight Commission supported internal policy makers and became accepted as a legitimate provider of policy influence. / Ph. D.

This research project was designed to study the relationship between the heart rate and trait anxiety of intercollegiate athletic coaches, as measured by telemetry and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The concept of determining the degree of emotional and psychological stress undergone by college coaches as reflected in the heart rate and trait anxiety level, has been an area of little consideration within the exercise physiology, psychology or medical fields... The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between the heart rate and the trait anxiety level of college coaches of intercollegiate athletic teams, as measured by telemetry and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. The following subpurposes were also established: (1) to determine the mean resting heart rates of each coach under morning (11:00 A.M.) and competition time (P.M.) conditions; (2) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under training session conditions; (3) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under pre-competition conditions; (4) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under competition conditions; (5) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under post-competition conditions; (6) to determine the percent rank score of the trait anxiety inventory administered to each coach.