by Maria Chen. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [81-85]). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter Ch. 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- The tension of the double goals in media organization --- p.2 / Chapter 2. --- Research question --- p.3 / Chapter 3. --- Significance --- p.3 / Chapter Ch. 2 --- Beauty pageants and television --- p.5 / Chapter 1. --- History --- p.5 / Chapter (A) --- "Miss USA, Miss Universe" --- p.5 / Chapter (B) --- Increasing popularity of beauty pageants in Hong Kong… --- p.5 / Chapter 2. --- Formats of beauty pageants --- p.8 / Chapter (A) --- TVB --- p.8 / Chapter (B) --- ATV --- p.9 / Chapter 3. --- Why beauty pageants? --- p.10 / Chapter (A) --- A popular TV program --- p.10 / Chapter (B) --- Controversial media product --- p.11 / Chapter Ch. 3 --- Corporate image and the tension between profit-making and social responsibility: a theoretical linkage --- p.15 / Chapter 1. --- Theoretical tension between the two goals --- p.15 / Chapter (A) --- The goal of responsibility --- p.15 / Chapter (B) --- The goal of profit --- p.19 / Chapter (C) --- The relationship between profit and responsibility --- p.20 / Chapter (D) --- The source of tension --- p.21 / Chapter (E) --- The conflict and compatibility of the double goals --- p.22 / Chapter 2. --- The method of tension resolution --- p.24 / Chapter (A) --- Marketing --- p.24 / Chapter (B) --- Corporate Image --- p.26 / Chapter (C) --- The position taken in this thesis --- p.30 / Chapter Ch. 4 --- Research methods --- p.32 / Chapter 1. --- Hypotheses --- p.32 / Chapter 2. --- Methodology --- p.33 / Chapter (A) --- In-depth interview --- p.33 / Chapter (B) --- Participant observation --- p.36 / Chapter (C) --- Documentation analysis --- p.36 / Chapter Ch. 5 --- Results --- p.38 / Chapter 1. --- TV stations and their structure in Hong Kong --- p.38 / Chapter (A) --- TVB's corporate image --- p.39 / Chapter (B) --- ATV's corporate image --- p.41 / Chapter (C) --- TVB's image for Miss Hong Kong --- p.42 / Chapter (D) --- ATV's image for Miss Asia --- p.44 / Chapter 2. --- Analysis of the tensions and resolutions in beauty pageants --- p.45 / Chapter (A) --- Managing external uncertainty --- p.45 / Chapter (B) --- Media frameworks for beauty pageants in Hong Kong --- p.47 / Chapter (C) --- Managing internal uncertainty --- p.58 / Chapter Ch. 6 --- Conclusion --- p.78

Firms pursuing an open innovation strategy have increasingly turned to individuals as sources of new ideas. Two main approaches are often highlighted. First, firms can use online innovation contests, where individuals submit ideas in competition for a prize. Second, firms can use firm-hosted online communities, drawing from collaborative efforts of individuals with more intrinsic motivations to participate. A central challenge in both cases is that firms often struggle to sustain participation and effort of participants on an on-going basis. A third hybrid approach, where firms establish community-based innovation contests, has been largely ignored by research, but seems to help firms to engage participants on an on-going basis. This study focuses on community-based innovation contests to understand how firms engage communities to participate in contest over time. I conducted fieldwork at two firms that have successfully run them for many years, Chicago-based T-Shirt firm Threadless and Phoenix-based automotive firm Local Motors. Over ninety interviews with firm employees and community members, over six months of on-site observation at the two firms’ headquarters as well as internal documents and blog data have been collected and analysed. Based on this data the core of the thesis consists of three empirical chapters that examine how firms are able to engage the communities to participate in their contests on a regular basis. First, it shows that the addition of a community to contests increases contestants’ opportunities to learn. In experiential learning, contests provide experience whereas the community provides room for reflection and learning. These learning opportunities motivate contestants to come back and create contest entries on an on-going basis. Secondly, taking a social identity perspective, the research shows how the firms are able to engage the community members continuously by creating a joint firm-community identity. Lastly, it explains how these firms are able to influence community members’ perception of the tasks they are doing through the contest design. Firms are able to turn activities that have been traditionally regarded as work into a recreational activity.

Background: Sweden has a tradition of a concentrated ownership structure where many owners use dual asset classes to maintain corporate control by possessing small portions of the dividend rights. Financial literature has shown that these controlling owners find more incentives to divert corporate resources for private use, at the expense of shareholders. Recent studies also show that involvement in extraction of private benefits leads to long maturity debt as controlling owners avoid frequent monitoring by lenders. As this causes a conflict over corporate debt maturity between controlling and minority shareholders, we investigate if the presence of multiple large shareholders (MLS) mitigates this conflict through control contests. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine and analyze how different ownership structures affect the informative environment within a firm. In addition, the thesis investigates how ownership structure affect debt maturity structure and what this mean for large and minority shareholders. Method: The study uses a quantitative approach with panel data of 74 publicly traded non – financial Swedish firms over the period of 2006 – 2014. A deductive approach has been applied in order to explain empirical results from theory and previous literature. Results: We find evidence that controlling owners with a separation in control and cash flow rights tend to insulate themselves through long term debt, creating a bad informative environment with information asymmetry and agency costs. Furthermore, our results show robust evidence that MLS mitigates these problems since control contest between large shareholders leads to a shorter debt maturity, yielding a better informative environment. In addition, our results imply that MLS may be an important factor in facilitating financing as investors associate these firms with less risk of extraction of private benefits.

Title: History of Czechoslovak and Czech University Volleyball Objectives: Analysis of university volleyball and its role in university sport in former Czechoslovakia. Importace of university volleyball in context of Czech and Czechoslovak volleyball history. Today situation. Methods: Heuristic. Analysis of primary and secondary sources and synthesis. (Inderict) Eyewitness evidence. source criticism: authenticity, historical reliability; chronological method Results: University volleyball participated extensively on creating the elite Czechoslovakia position in international volleyball in the first half of 20th century. The Czech volleyball top league depends over a long period on players out of university students. Keywords: university sport, university volleyball contests, organisation

Um politische Ziele wie Wirtschaftswachstum, geringe Arbeitslosigkeit und langfristige internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu erreichen, wird die Förderung der nationalen Innovationstätigkeit als ein zentrales Element für erfolgreiche Wirtschaftspolitik angesehen. Diese Dissertation trägt zu der Diskussion über den Einfluss von regulativen und finanziellen Politikinstrumenten auf unternehmerische Entscheidungen bei, indem die Effekte von spezifischen Politikinstrumenten auf die individuelle Innovationstätigkeit und das Kooperationsverhalten analysiert werden. Es werden dabei die Effekte dreier Politikinstrumente – intellektuelle Eigentumsrechte, Innovationswettbewerbe und Subventionen – mit Hilfe von Laborexperimenten in einem neuen experimentellen Design untersucht, das im Kern eine Scrabble-ähnliche Wort-Suchaufgabe beinhaltet. Auf diese Weise können die individuellen Reaktionen auf die institutionellen Parameter im Rahmen eines sequentiellen Innovationsprozesses simuliert werden. Die Ergebnisse des ersten Experiments bezüglich intellektueller Eigentumsrechte zeigen, dass diese einen negativen Effekt auf das Auftreten sequentieller Innovationen haben. Die Wohlfahrt sinkt durch das Vorhandensein von intellektuellen Eigentumsrechten signifikant um 20 bis 30 Prozent, da eine geringere Anzahl und weniger wertvolle Innovationen erstellt werden. Im zweiten Experiment werden die Effekte von Innovationswettbewerben untersucht. Im Ergebnis sinkt in beiden untersuchten Wettbewerben die Kooperationsbereitschaft, jedoch haben Innovationswettbewerbe weder Einfluss auf die Kooperationsneigung der Individuen noch auf die gesamte Innovationsaktivität. Das dritte Experiment analysiert die Effekte von Subventionen auf das Innovationsverhalten und auf die Kooperationstätigkeit. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich ein substantielles Crowding-Out von privaten Investitionen und – je nach Subventionsart – keine positiven, bzw. sogar negative Effekte auf die Wohlfahrt. Im abschließenden Kapitel wird die aktuelle Literatur zur experimentellen Innovationsforschung zusammengefasst und ihre Vor- und Nachteile diskutiert. Insgesamt wird für eine pragmatische Nutzung von Laborexperimenten plädiert, um die Ergebnisse etablierter Methoden in der Innovationsforschung durch diesen methodischen Ansatz zu bereichern.

The thesis deals with the role of consumer contests in commercial communications. The aim of this thesis is to assess their role in communication mix. The theoretical part analyzes consumer contests as one of sales promotion tools and describes their specific features. The practical part stems from my field research and examines whether consumer contests have any impact on purchase decision and on brand awareness.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o papel dos concursos públicos de arquitetura e urbanismo na produção do espaço urbano da cidade de São Paulo, no período entre 1989 e 2004. Os concursos são entendidos como políticas públicas de ação sobre a cidade. Percorrendo quatro gestões administrativas, a partir da análise dos editais, dos processos de julgamento e dos projetos premiados, esta dissertação identifica modelos de desenho urbano e visões de cidade, tanto no que diz respeito ao projeto da cidade em si, quanto em relação à participação dos diversos atores sociais envolvidos. Os concursos, se por um lado podem refletir a vanguarda do pensamento urbanístico tanto do poder administrativo nas diferentes gestões, quanto dos profissionais de urbanismo, por outro podem estar completamente descolados da realidade, ora em relação à viabilidade executiva de suas idéias, ora no entendimento das realidades locais. De qualquer forma, os concursos se apresentam como uma forma de discussão sobre o espaço urbano e de exposição de conflitos. / This job has the purpose to analyse the public architecture and town planning (urbanism) contests targeted in the urban space of Sao Paulo city, during the period between 1989 and 2004. The contests have been perceived as changes by public politics concerning the city. Examining the four municipal administrations, from the analysis of the contest main documents, judging processes and the prized designs, this dissertation identifies the urban design models and city foresights, as much as the city project design in itself, as far as the various social players involved. The contests, on the one hand, can deflect the vanguard of the urban thought developed by the government authorities in the different administrations or by the urban planning professionals as well. On the other hand, should be entirely out from the reality of the executive viability or from the local social needs. In any case, the contests present themselves as the pattern of the discussion about the urban space and the exposure of its conflicts.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o papel dos concursos públicos de arquitetura e urbanismo na produção do espaço urbano da cidade de São Paulo, no período entre 1989 e 2004. Os concursos são entendidos como políticas públicas de ação sobre a cidade. Percorrendo quatro gestões administrativas, a partir da análise dos editais, dos processos de julgamento e dos projetos premiados, esta dissertação identifica modelos de desenho urbano e visões de cidade, tanto no que diz respeito ao projeto da cidade em si, quanto em relação à participação dos diversos atores sociais envolvidos. Os concursos, se por um lado podem refletir a vanguarda do pensamento urbanístico tanto do poder administrativo nas diferentes gestões, quanto dos profissionais de urbanismo, por outro podem estar completamente descolados da realidade, ora em relação à viabilidade executiva de suas idéias, ora no entendimento das realidades locais. De qualquer forma, os concursos se apresentam como uma forma de discussão sobre o espaço urbano e de exposição de conflitos. / This job has the purpose to analyse the public architecture and town planning (urbanism) contests targeted in the urban space of Sao Paulo city, during the period between 1989 and 2004. The contests have been perceived as changes by public politics concerning the city. Examining the four municipal administrations, from the analysis of the contest main documents, judging processes and the prized designs, this dissertation identifies the urban design models and city foresights, as much as the city project design in itself, as far as the various social players involved. The contests, on the one hand, can deflect the vanguard of the urban thought developed by the government authorities in the different administrations or by the urban planning professionals as well. On the other hand, should be entirely out from the reality of the executive viability or from the local social needs. In any case, the contests present themselves as the pattern of the discussion about the urban space and the exposure of its conflicts.

Musical ensembles’ attendance at competitive music performance events (CMPEs) is a mainstream characteristic of the music education paradigm in many states. One problem with this current system is that we do not know the extent to which the results of these events impact the musical self-beliefs of the individual participants and those of their ensemble as a group. A total of ninety-one students and three directors from three different high school band programs in Arkansas participated in this research. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine students’ perceptions of their musical self-beliefs as related to their ensemble’s ratings at competitive music performance events (CMPEs), (b) gain clarity into how the educational ideology of the director might affect the self-efficacy beliefs of his or her students, and (c) open a dialogue into potential discovery of the sources of group efficacy beliefs in a band setting as related to individual self-efficacy beliefs. More specifically, I sought to discover students’ and directors’ perceptions of the results of CMPEs through their own words and experiences in order to offer suggestions for music educators to benefit them and their students when they participate in CMPEs. I used a holistic, multiple case study design as detailed by Yin (2014). Analysis of participant statements about their experiences at and ensemble results from CMPEs yielded a greater understanding into how these particular participants from Arkansas view CMPE results in terms of their overall musical self-beliefs. Furthermore, through the analysis of data, I was able to posit the Framework for Understanding the Formation of Group Efficacy Beliefs of High School Band Students which included three criteria: (a) Unity, (b) Cognizance of Function, and (c) Introspection. In addition to the proposed framework, findings suggest that band directors may be able to foster positive efficacy beliefs in their students and their ensembles by (a) framing the CMPE as a part of the learning process, not a means to an end; (b) encouraging students to set and pursue their own personal musical goals; (c) develop a culture within their ensemble of shared values, beliefs, and goals, awareness of each individual’s role in the performance; and (d) foster the ability for individual students to reflect and improve their own performances for the benefit of the group.

This thesis studies issues in auctions and contests. The seller of an object and the organizer of a contest have many instruments to improve the revenue of the auction or the efficiency of the contest. The three essays in this dissertation shed light on these issues. Chapter 2 investigates how a refund policy affects a buyer's strategic behavior by characterizing the equilibria of a second-price auction with a linear refund policy. I find that a generous refund policy induces buyers to bid aggressively. I also examine the optimal mechanism design problem when buyers only have private initial estimates of their valuations and may privately learn of shocks that affect their valuations later. When all buyers are \emph{ex-ante} symmetric, this optimal selling mechanism can be implemented by a first-price or second-price auction with a refund policy. Chapter 3 investigates how information revelation rules affect the existence and the efficiency of equilibria in two-round elimination contests. I establish that there exists no symmetric separating equilibrium under the full revelation rule and find that the non-existence result is very robust. I then characterize a partially efficient separating equilibrium under the partial revelation rule when players' valuations are uniformly distributed. I finally investigate the no revelation rule and find that it is both most efficient and optimal in maximizing the total efforts from the contestants. Within my framework, more information revelation leads to less efficient outcomes. Chapter 4 analyzes the signaling effect of bidding in a two-round elimination contest. Before the final round, bids in the preliminary round are revealed and act as signals of the contestants' private valuations. Compared to the benchmark model, in which private valuations are revealed automatically before the final round and thus no signaling of bids takes place, I find that strong contestants bluff and weak contestants sandbag. In a separating equilibrium, bids in the preliminary round fully reveal the contestants' private valuations. However, this signaling effect makes the equilibrium bidding strategy in the preliminary round steeper for high valuations and flatter for low valuations compared to the benchmark model. / Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-20 21:34:12.295