This Q study revealed the beliefs about professional practices by investor relations professionals at publicly traded corporations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Participants completed a fifty-four statement Q sort that included five areas of investor relations: tactics, shareholder relations, analyst/media relations, laws and regulations, and internal relations.The data from the completed Q sorts was then entered into the PQMethod software and two factors of investor relations professionals were identified: The Investor Relationship Professionals and the Technical Investor Professionals.The Investor Relationship Professionals believed that communication and good relationships were the most important aspects of their profession. The Technical Investor Professionals believed that the technical aspect of their position, including the laws and regulations surrounding their profession, should be the focus of their professional practice.The characteristics of the two factors that emerged can be directly attributed to the scandals at Enron and WorldCom. The focus on open communications and credibility are associated with the push to rebuild investors' trust and confidence in publicly traded corporations. The focuson laws and regulations are associated with the strict enforcement of the new SEC regulations that have emerged in the last three years. Thus, illustrating that the recent events have impacted the practices of investor relations professionals. / Department of Journalism

This thesis has analyzed those critical areas, which eighty-two Presidents of American Corporations believe are the most important with which a new President must concern himself during his first twelve months of operation.In addition, the thesis has made an attempt to condense the thinking of all the Presidents interviewed into a pattern of action that a new Chief Executive may follow. The pattern of action is supported by examples of documents in use today.The method of investigation used was by personal interviews with each President. The findings indicate a broad general agreement on principles and philosophies which are drawn together in the pattern of action.

The long decade from 1678 to 1690 was one of the most turbulent in the history of early modern England. In this thesis the politics of the period is re-evaluated with the help of source material deriving specifically from Yorkshire. Its primary focus is the complex relationship between central government and its agents on the one hand and a wide range of local administrators, activists and commentators on the other. The thesis employs a broadly chronological (as opposed to a thematic) framework, and places particular emphasis on three structural devices - a close analysis of the workings of central and local institutions of all kinds; potted biographies of hundreds of men, many of them relatively modest; together with a strong grounding in the national politics of the day. As well as using public records held in the great London repositories, it draws widely on material produced by the municipal corporations, the ridings and other political institutions in Yorkshire, without overlooking less formal documentation such as letters and diaries. Much of the local material has never been used before. Indeed some of it is identified here for the first time. A great many events, half-known and unknown, have been disinterred while researching the thesis. Some of them had a national and not just a local resonance, and these have been picked out for closer scrutiny. As a result, a number of historical orthodoxies have been challenged and reassessed. There is, for example, a radical (and much more positive) reappraisal of James II's longer-term prospects. Several unexamined assumptions have also been disposed of - for instance, that parliamentary boroughs were by definition chartered boroughs. But most important of all, this is the first fullscale study of the national politics of the period to be written from a regional standpoint. As such, it makes a distinct contribution to the historiography of late seventeenth century England.

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Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-118). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xvii, 118 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Companies began to adopt the enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems to integrate organization functions during the 1990s. ERP systems are expected to improve operational processes, reduce costs, and provide a competitive advantage. They are a strategic Information Technology (IT) investment. The evaluation of IT investment and performance is of crucial importance to companies. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of ERP performance and of the issue inherent ERP system evaluation. / The paper is structured around four key themes: The reasons that companies adopt ERP systems; the level of success of implemented ERP systems; approaches to the management of ERP systems; and a review of prominent approaches to the evaluation of information systems. It is concluded that the extensive array of benefits potentially available from the implementation of ERP systems are not all readily forthcoming without a high degree of sophistication in the management of the changes associated with implementation. In terms of evaluation frameworks, it is concluded that any framework should take a longitudinal perspective and consider a broad range of issues. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

This research has considered the extent to which Australia's top 100 companies by capitalisation at 30 June 2003 have responded to this call for improved corporate governance reporting. It has considered what companies were reporting in 2002, prior to the 2003 ASX Corporate Governance Report, what they were able to report in 2003, and the extent to which they met the requirements in 2004, the first year in which most companies could report fully against the recommendations. The research questions being asked related to the extent of change to corporate governance reporting as a result of the ASX Corporate Governance Report, whether the recommendations were met in whole or in part, whether the reporting was also changing corporate governance practices, and whether this provided any insight into models of governance amongst Australia's top companies. / The Australian Stock Exchange should be well pleased with the action taken in response to its recommendations, showing high levels of goodwill towards the changes that have been proposed, which it now seems unlikely it will be necessary to mandate. Significant improvement in reporting is evident, particularly amongst companies which are listed on the stock exchange as responsible entities. / What this research tells us about models of governance is that there is no single model of governance that stands out as being pre-eminent. Some companies adopt traditional models but more often there is the sense that the governance model evolves for a company at a particular time based on the circumstances facing the company and the personalities involved. / Has this ASX reform process been a form of window dressing or does it reflect serious change? Evidence gathered form annual reports over three years of Australia's top companies would suggest that this is not window dressing because of the extent and detail of disclosure in corporate governance reporting and the willingness of so many companies to change their practices as a result of an enhanced disclosure regime. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.