Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1934. / Vita. Published also without thesis note. Bibliography: p. 367-386.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, 1930. / Published also without thesis note. Cover title: The technique of international conferences. Bibliography: p. 106-116.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Department of Chiropractic and Somatology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Background Chiropractic is practiced in over 100 countries and is considered to be the fastest growing health care profession internationally. Several studies investigating the practice characteristics of chiropractors have been conducted in selected countries, however, as far as is known, no study has been conducted where chiropractors from countries across the globe are assessed for their practice characteristics in order to determine if regional differences exist. Gaining insight into chiropractic practice and its influencing factors, relating to both the profession itself and the chiropractor can enable organisations such as the World Federation of Chiropractic to have a greater understanding of how chiropractors are currently practicing and how the profession is being utilised by the public. Improved insight into the profession provides a baseline description for the public and other health care practitioners to fully comprehend what chiropractors can offer to the health care system. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the demographic profile and practice characteristics of chiropractic delegates attending the World Federation of Chiropractic’s 12th Biennial Congress 2013. Method A pre-validated questionnaire and letter of information and consent was distributed to all registered chiropractic delegates (N = 406) attending the World Federation of Chiropractic Congress in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal 2013. The questionnaire was part of the delegate packages and they self-selected to participate. Due to a low response rate at the congress, the questionnaire was made available electronically on Survey Monkey®, for six weeks after the congress. Questions relevant to this study were coded, reduced where necessary and utilised for data analysis with IBM SPSS Version 21. Descriptive data was then summarised and presented using tables and graphs. The study was approved by the Durban University of Technology’s Institutional Research Ethics committee. Results: The response rate was 34.72%, with 52.5% being female, mean age was 42 (SD ± 13years, and all seven geographical regions were represented. The majority of respondents were from Africa (51.1%), followed by North America (22.7%) then Europe (14.2%). South Africa (48.6%) was the most represented country. Respondents held either a Master’s degree in Chiropractic (51.8%) or a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree (48.2%). The mean years since graduating as a chiropractor was 15.7 years (SD ± 3.6). The majority of respondents (71.2%) engaged in full-time clinical practice, for between 5 to 15 years (39.8%) with 51.4% purporting to have an evidence based philosophical approach to practice. The majority (72.5%) viewed the role of a chiropractor in the health care system as a primary health care practitioner with a focused scope of practice. The majority of respondents (n = 52) personally treated 50 patients or less per week, with approximately one third of the respondents (n = 34) having high volume practices (>100 patients weekly). The respondents favoured being one of two chiropractors (36.9%) in a practice setting followed by sole practices (31.6%). The top chiropractic technique utilised was the diversified technique (74.5%) followed by extremity adjusting (68.8%). Various adjunctive, active and passive, axillary techniques were utilised in the daily management of patients. The patient demographics were majority female (55.7%), older than 30 years of age (66.7%) and Caucasian (77%), complaining of head, neck, mid-back and low back pain, which was mostly acute in nature. Trends suggested that females were more likely to select an evidence-based philosophical orientation than males. Females were more likely to delegate adjunctive therapies to non-chiropractic assistants (p = 0.029), and favoured sending patients to a physical therapist (p = 0.018), whereas males were more likely to refer to nutritionists and paediatricians (p = 0.030 and p = 0.038, respectively). Females were less likely to utilise mobilisation techniques (p = 0.008), massage therapy (p = 0.018) and nutritional counselling (p = 0.032). In terms of age, those selecting an evidence-based approach were significantly older than those who adopted a mixer approach to practicing (p = 0.002). The mean age of the respondents, irrespective of the region, was not significantly associated with the number of patients treated per week (p = 0.377) or the hours worked per week (p = 0.474). Trends show that the number of years spent in practice differed among the regions with North American chiropractors spending more years in practice than those from Europe and Australasia. The respondents from South Africa spent fewer years in practice (15 years or less) than respondents from Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. Geographic region was not significantly associated with practice setting (p = 0.182). The only chief complaint that differed between regions was patients presenting with headaches accompanied by neck pain (p = 0.007), where Asian and North American respondents reported seeing less patients than their colleagues from other regions. Trends suggested that the respondents who attained a Masters of Technology in Chiropractic were more inclined to select a mixer orientation whereas those with a DC qualification selected an evidence-based philosophical approach. Conclusion: The WFC congress provided a platform to successfully determine the demographic profile and practice characteristics of chiropractors from various regions. Similar demographics were evident, with males no longer showing dominance within the profession. Chiropractors adopting an evidence-based and mixer philosophical orientation are synonymous in the role that they play in the health care system and display similarities in chiropractic practice and patient management. Investigating chiropractors who adopt a straight philosophical approach would be beneficial as it will allow for better comparison of demographics and practice characteristics. It is evident that selected demographics do influence how one would opt to practice, with regional differences showing that the chiropractic profession in South Africa is still relatively young. / M

This research is a replication of part of Dr. Catherine Price's dissertation study "An Empirical Study of Professional Association Meetings from the Perspective of Attendees" (1993). The paper presented is a research study in the area of meeting/conference attendee preferences. This research tested which attributes of meeting selection were of importance to a particular population. Dr. Price (1993) identified four variables as important attributes for attendees in their selection of a meeting. They were: a) education, b) leadership, c) networking, and d) professional savvy. The primary hypothesis was directed at confirming the validity of these attributes. Four factors emerged in the analysis of this study. Three factors were identical to the Price (1993) study. These factors were: a) education, b) leadership, and c) networking. The fourth factor that emerged was named potpourri. Ultimately, this study attempted to be significant in assisting meeting planners in the preparation of more effective meetings. / Master of Science

Individuals have personal and occupational needs that are satisfied to some degree by attending professional meetings. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the attributes of professional society meetings that have value for attendees. Three meeting attributes were identified from a review of the literature: education, networking and leadership. The second purpose was to explain why individuals preferred certain meeting attributes. Career theories were used to provide an explanatory schema for interpreting individual differences. The findings of this study support four meeting attributes; the three hypothesized-education, networking and leadership, plus a fourth, named professional savvy. Based on the means education was the most frequently recognized attribute, networking the second, professional savvy was third, and leadership the least recognized. Career stages were shown to predict the attribute that would be valued most highly by an individual attendee. The three career stages and respective survey items shown to it be significant were {1) biological or life-span theories represented by the survey item age; (2) social class theories represented by salary, and (3) transition-based theories represented by the number of years a person has been in their profession, the number of years with the current employer and the individuals perception of changes in their job responsibilities. The data show that education is the most important attribute to three fourths of the sample and for these individuals career stages are normally distributed. For those who prefer leadership, savvy and networking more descriptive profiles can be drawn from the career stage variables. The results of this study are particularly useful to individuals who plan meetings. The data show that meeting organizers and planners can identify critical items that link the individuals to a particular career stage, and because meeting attributes are linked to career stages, programs can be designed to provide the selected or range of attributes depending on the particular make-up of the audience. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to understand the process of music teacher large-scale conference professional development (PD) implementation (i.e., the integration of conference-derived learnings into classroom practice). The context of this investigation was two national music conferences, the Midwest Clinic and the National Association for Music Education National In-Service Conference, and one state music conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. Using purposive maximum variation sampling, active music teachers (n = 32) who each attended one of these conferences were recruited. Data collection occurred in a series of three participant interview phases, staggered according to which conference participants attended and when each conference was held. Twenty-eight participants were interviewed twice, and four participants were interviewed once, yielding a total of 60 interview transcripts, which were then openly, axially, and selectively coded in accordance to grounded theory method. The principal finding, the cycle of music teacher large scale conference professional development implementation (C-MTPDI), revealed an implementation process in three phases. First, the consideration phase (before/during conference) entailed needs assessment, direct engagement, change articulation, and, for some participants, deterrent factors/contingencies. Second, the realization phase (immediate post-conference) included translation, integration, and recalibration. Third, and finally, the decision phase (3-5 weeks post-conference) included evaluation. The core category, or main theme of the research, was seeking convergence: relevance, practicability, and impact. Contextual conditions included PD worldview and PD policy environment. Avenues for future scholarship include clarifying differences in design and effectiveness among and within music-specific PD models, more fully understanding the status of large-scale conference PD in music education and its effect on practice, and theorizing PD implementation in non-conference contexts. Practical implications include developing new theory-aligned PD policies, putting into place more robust infrastructures of implementation support for large-scale conference attendees, addressing PD funding inequities between teachers in music and non-music disciplines, and helping practitioners to newly conceive "one-off" PD events (e.g., large-scale conferences) as sustainable investments in long-range professional growth.

The meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) industry generates billions of dollars in direct and indirect spending annually, and is considered one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. Destinations that want to capitalize on this industry must understand what drives its planners. The current study used Orlando, Florida as a case study, and investigated whether there are differences between the three meeting planners' types (association, corporate, 3rd party) in regards to destination selection attributes and the recent recession impact. The study further identified attributes that affect future bookings to Orlando. Data was collected from a nationwide survey of meeting planners with a usable sample of 2,388 completed phone surveys and 118 completed online questionnaires. Only one significant difference was found between the three meeting planners' types. This research was performed in the midst of the recent recession. Some effects of the recent economic downturn on the events industry are decreased attendance and more conservative cost management. Most association meeting planners did not cancel or postponed their events, although all planners agree that attendance to their meetings decreased. Third party planners seemed to be the most sensitive to budget allocations. Recommendations for the Orlando Orange County Conventions and Visitor's Bureau include marketing the variety and quality of its meeting facilities better, its extreme weather insurance and its website. It is also wise to pursue more local associations, because those can be the main source of income during recessions.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Indianapolis is considered by many a competitive, large population city with incredible resources for business conferences and event tourism. The city’s flagship event, The Indianapolis 500, has paved the way for the city’s success. With initiative, planning, construction, and implementation the city’s tourism prowess has grown over the past three decades. Indianapolis has become host to a plethora of mid-size and large conferences every year, a regular on the host circuit for the NCAA Final Four, host of the annual Big Ten basketball tournament and most recently the host of the 2012 Super Bowl. Indianapolis continuously attempts to bring in more events every year. Not many residents get to see, or are even aware of, the associates busy at work attempting to fill hotel rooms, conference centers and stadiums. The Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) of the city are constantly working and tweaking strategies to increase exposure and get tourists excited about visiting Indianapolis. However, it is difficult to identify what truly separates Indianapolis as a tourist destination from any other competitive, second-tier population, landlocked city. Centrality within the country and the tourism infrastructure may be argued, but a representative from nearly any city in competition with Indianapolis may make a counterpoint to most resources. Instead of running in circles with this argument, this thesis looks to probe into a resource for Indianapolis that could be turned into a strong marketing tool for tourism: its employees. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of resident contact employees in the food service and lodging industries concerning Indianapolis’ tourism attributes, and their relation to Indianapolis’ destination marketing and managerial strategies.