Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This dissertation contains three essays examining empathy and its implications for prosocial behavior and arts engagement. Empathy here refers to both compassion and concern for others (emotional empathy) and the understanding of the feelings and needs of others (cognitive empathy). Empathy is fundamental to our social life, and this dissertation explores its implications for two essential components of social life: prosocial behavior and arts engagement. Chapter 2 examines how three dimensions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983)—empathic concern, perspective taking, and personal distress—are associated with charitable giving, and whether these associations vary across charitable causes. Using data from a nationally representative sample of American adults, the study confirms that the three IRI dimensions are associated with charitable giving in different ways. Chapter 3 focuses on the interplay of trait empathy and people’s tendencies to diversify (spread out) their prosocial behavior. By analyzing data from two samples of American adults, this study reveals that people with higher empathic concern (emotional empathy) versus higher perspective taking (cognitive empathy) have distinct patterns in how they spread out their monetary gifts, but trait empathy is not associated with the distribution of time spent in helping others.

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The purpose of this study was to explore faculty/staff identification with their employing university and how that, in turn, may influence their decision to financially support the institution, or not. This study employed a case study approach and a mixed methods research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. An online survey using Cheney’s (1982) Organizational Identification Questionnaire measured faculty/staff members’ identification with the organization and with their specific departments. The survey also collected data on faculty/staff past charitable giving. Following the survey, qualitative focus groups and interviews were conducted with faculty/staff members to explore what factors contributed to their decisions to support the university, or not. The survey data revealed that faculty and staff members identify more highly with their departments and staff members identify more highly overall than faculty members. Yet, the survey also revealed that faculty members gave more financially to the university than did staff members. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed three overarching factors that influenced faculty/staff decisions to give, or not: affinity, capacity to give, and awareness. These findings offer insight to higher education universities and institutions about how identification between the faculty/staff members and the organization can affect their decisions to support the university. This case study makes a contribution to the literature on charitable giving, employee giving, and specifically, faculty/staff giving. It also extends extant literature on organizational identification, particularly targets of identification in a higher education context. Finally, this study offers practical implications for other universities, suggests directions for future research, and acknowledges the limitations.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-184)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-200).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2008. / Department of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Adrian Sargeant, Dwight F. Burlingame, Richard Gunderman, Leslie Lenkowsky. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-131).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Description based on Microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-184)

Many observers are concerned about the ramifications of the policy regulation in Nigeria that allows public servants to accept gifts without restriction on the basis of culture. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to better understand this cultural practice and its implications for the integrity of public servants. Using Mettler and SoRelle's conceptualization of policy feedback theory, the research questions focused on the perceptions of leaders of civic organizations on this cultural practice in relation to the integrity of public servants in a particular region of Nigeria. Data were collected from 10 purposely selected leaders of civic organizations using open-ended, semi-structured interview protocols, and other publicly available documents. The data were subjected to an inductive coding procedure followed by thematic analysis. Findings suggested that the perceptions of the cultural practice of unrestricted giftgiving in the public service were negative and unethical. Consequently, the findings suggested an amendment to the relevant sections of Nigerian Constitution to provide for a restricted monetary value of gifts allowable in the public service. The implications for positive social change include discussing how policy makers and practitioners may be able to act on the study findings to bring about ethical, effective, and efficient public service in Nigeria.

隨著國際化的發展，現今社會可說是文化全球化的現象，人們的日常生活受到各式思想傳播的影響，讓「送禮」這件事成為了日常，也因此增加了多次送禮的機會，而這本該感到開心的事情卻讓不少台灣人感到困擾。根據統計31%的台灣人在選擇禮物時感到壓力，亦衍伸出為了送禮而送禮的行為。除了送禮方面的困擾外，有半數以上的台灣人表示並不喜歡收到的禮物，顯示台灣人不管對於送禮或收禮都備感壓力。此外，網路興盛的發展使台灣人對於網路的使用越來越依賴，許願池平台的發想主要為了解決關於送禮及收禮的問題，「提供一個省時、精準且方便的送禮模式」。為因應台灣人對於網路的依賴設立選購禮物平台，結合多品牌商家提供完善的購物及送禮流程。 商業模式部分，許願池為一平台提供使用者列出許願清單，藉由達到精準送禮吸引使用者在平台進行互相送禮的消費行為，進而讓品牌商家在平台上建立銷售通路，另外，許願池平台會向商家抽成，做為商家的行銷經費，並將部分回饋給使用者，藉此吸引更多的送禮行為。藉由提升整體送禮行為的金流量為平台創造出更多的獲利，故平台宗旨期望能建立平台、使用者與商家三者正向的回饋機制，使網路送禮更加健全。 許願池平台的獲利來源有二，主要來源為平台向商家收取每筆訂單金額8%，扣除回饋3％給消費者後的5%才是平台的營收；另外，許願池也提供廣告版位開放給經銷商於平台投放廣告，藉此可增加商家的曝光率，提高商品被列入許願清單的可能性，同時為許願池平台帶來額外的營收。 最後，透過市場規模評估、銷售預測、損益表與現金流量等進行財務規劃，並在一般預估與保守預估分析下預測損益平衡點分別為第一年與第五年，平台毛利均能穩定成長。 / Referring to the cultural globalization, “gift-giving” is now more and more common all over the world. People get very used to it, yet harassed by it. As we know that “gift-giving” is originally a happy circumstance, it is now becoming standardized though. According to statistics, there’s 31% Taiwanese bothered by gift preparing, and more than 50% people didn’t like the presents they received. It shows up that neither receiving nor preparing gifts caused huge pressure. Due to this situation, here creates a platform called “Gift You Wish” which offers a way to deal with every problem caused by gift-giving, and the main value of “Gift You Wish” would be “a new gift-giving model that offers a convenient and time-saving solution. And for all that matters is its precision.” Besides, people in these days are heavily addicted to internet. For it, “Gift You Wish” creates an online shopping site to combine consumers and stores in one place. It in favor of our members to complete a perfect gift-giving procedure. The business model of “Gift You Wish” is that it opens to every target audience to sign up for free, and make a wish list. All members can glance others wish lists when needed. With the information that collects from every member’s wish list, “Gift You Wish” cooperates with as many stores as it could and combines them to the online shopping site. In addition, all stores owners would have to pay 8% of the products price to “Gift You Wish” in every single order, which is for their marketing expenses. After that, “Gift You Wish” would take 3% out of the 8% as an extra dividend and give it to the members who have sent a gift by our platform. Because of the convenience of “gift-giving” and the extra reward from doing so, it would bring out more cash flow through “Gift You Wish” platform, and makes more profits for “Gift You Wish” as well. It is totally a win-win situation. Apart from the 8% of products price that pay by store owners for marketing expenses to “Gift You Wish”, there’s also another way for the platform to earn profits which would be the advertising banner fee. “Gift You Wish” offers the advertising banner on the platform for advertisers who want to promote their products and brand. And for “Gift You Wish” itself, it’s kind of an extra revenue. Last but not least, there’s some estimation about the market size of “Gift You Wish”, and market potential as well. According to the result from the estimation, the break-even point would be at the first year after the business started; and for the conservative estimation would be at the fifth year. However, the profit of “Gift You Wish” platform perform a steady increase in both estimations.

Extant research on nonprofit marketing and specifically donor behaviour have been quantitative and focused on profiling donors or examining motivations for giving. Prior research in these areas has also focused on adult populations, neglecting children and young people in general and those under 16 in particular. This dearth of research on children and young people in the nonprofit sector is even more surprising in light of the wealth of research on this group in the commercial domain. Furthermore, current understandings of the socialisation of children into donors are largely fragmented. It is important to give children and young people a voice in the literature, and one which reflects their contribution to society. There is also a need to examine how children and young people learn about charities and how they currently behave as donors. This interpretive study sought to explore how children and young people understand, donate and relate to charities. It aimed to provide a thick description of children and young people’s donor behaviour and their socialisation as donors, and to understand their charity consumption experiences through their eyes. Research was guided by child-centred, participatory research principles, with the multi-method research design involving thirty-three individual/paired interviews and focus groups with 91 children and young people and three surveys completed by a total of 606 9-24 year-olds in Scotland. The main findings are that children and young people engage in a variety of charitable activities and have a generally positive image of charities. Their knowledge, awareness and understanding in relation to charities become increasingly complex as they age, reflecting their cognitive and emotional development and greater life experience. Their donor behaviour also changes with age, and this is related to a range of personal and social influences, including the charity consumption arenas in which giving takes place. The process of donor socialisation extends into young adulthood, offering evidence of lifelong socialisation processes in the nonprofit context. The thesis concludes by considering the implications of the study for charity marketers, educators and public policy makers, and by outlining several fruitful avenues of future research.