Global rankings are a popular way for governments, HEI’s, faculty, staff, and students to compare institutions worldwide, therefore it is important to rank well. However, in order to have top-quality research and education programs, HEI’s need to have significant financial resources. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between an institution’s financial resources and its global ranking. The results of this study provide additional insight and a better understanding of global rankings and the nature of the relationship between various financial resources and global rankings. This was a quantitative study that used ranking data from the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, as well as financial data from IPEDS. Descriptive statistics were presented to develop an awareness of the data set characteristics. Linear regression and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) were reported to gauge the strength of the relationship between the financial resource independent variables and the global ranking dependent variables. This study indicated there was a strong relationship between an institution’s financial resources and its global ranking as there was a strong positive correlation between total revenue and an institution’s global ranking. In addition, the study showed that institutions should continue to self-generate financial resources, such as tuition revenue and research funding. This is especially true for research funding as it had the strongest relationship with ranking, which means institutions would be wise to continue focusing on investing in their research programs. This study also showed that some financial variables such as endowment size and state appropriation only had weak to moderate relationships with the global rankings. Based on this study, one could conclude then that global rankings are influenced by money, which supports the claims of critics that university rankings are biased. Thus, institutions will continue to be challenged to find some balance between investing in what global rankings measure while also maintaining other initiatives that address their core missions but are not counted in the rankings.

This thesis describes the background and findings of a study of effective schools and learners achievement in Botswana senior secondary schools from an education management perspective. The aim was to identify schools that promote learners’ achievement when the students’ initial intakes were considered. The study was guided by five research questions. The study adopted an ex post facto design and a quantitative value added methodology to answer the research questions. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 5662 from the population of 58 032 students who wrote the BGCSE examinations for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Two sets of data: prior and later achievements at individual student level were collected from BEC and Secondary Education. The statistical software, MLwiN 2.10 beta 4, which is based on hierarchical linear modelling or multilevel modelling, was used to analyse the data for the value added by schools. The findings indicated that a) schools differ in their effectiveness. Some schools were more effective than others; b) Ten characteristics of effective schools were identified from the literature review c) schools differed in their consistency across the three core curriculum areas of Setswana, English and Mathematics; d) schools differed in their stability from year to year and e) schools were differentially effective. They were effective for the mid ability students and boys more than the other groups. The study confirmed that the use of a single statistic measure even in value added analysis could be misleading because of the internal variations between departments in schools. Furthermore, the uses of raw results for measuring school effectiveness were misleading. Some schools which were at the top in raw results were not doing so well in terms of value added and vice versa. The value added measures of school performance proved to be the most appropriate measure of school’s contribution to students’ learning. The value added by schools is also a measure of schools’ productivity. The study made recommendations to improve practice, such as the use of appropriate and fairer methods to evaluate and compare schools. The areas that need further attention were suggested based on the findings of the study. / Teacher Education / D.Ed. (Education Management)

Cette thèse est composée de trois chapitres distincts. Le premier chapitre montre que les dirigeants réagissent de façon excessive face aux risques qui frappent l'attention. Après un ouragan, le choc produit par la catastrophe sur le risque de liquidité perçu conduit les entreprises situées dans le voisinage de la zone sinistrée à augmenter temporairement leur détention de liquidités alors que le risque réel n'a pas changé. Le deuxième chapitre montre que les dirigeants influencent de façon stratégique l'attention des investisseurs aux annonces de résultats en les prévenant plus ou moins tardivement de la date de l'événement. Cette stratégie leur permet de lisser dans le temps l'impact de mauvais résultats sur leur cours de bourse. Le troisième chapitre étudie l'effet des league tables dans les activités de fusions-acquisitions. Les league tables classent les banques d'investissement. Le rang d'une banque dans la league table prédit sa capacité à engendrer des affaires nouvelles dans le futur, ce qui incite les banques à manipuler leur classement. / This dissertation is made of three distinct chapters. The first chapter shows that managers overreact to salient risks. They respond to the occurrence of a hurricane event when their firms are located in the neighborhood of the disaster area. The sudden shock to the perceived liquidity risk leads them to temporarily increase the amount of corporate cash holdings, even though the real liquidity risk remains unchanged. The second chapter examines earnings announcements by US firms, and how far in advance notice of the event is given (the "advance notice period"). Such advance notice period affects how much investors pay attention to earning news. This variation in investors' attention affects short-run and long-run stock prices, thereby creating incentives for firms to strategically reduce the advance notice period when they plan to disclose bad news. The third chapter studies M&A league tables, which provide rankings of investment banks. The rank of a bank in the league table predicts its future deal flow. This creates strong incentives for banks to manage their ranks in the league table.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the corporate reputation of four staffing and recruitment companies, from the perspective of graduating students. Background: Corporate reputation is a concept that has interested researchers for the last four decades, and still the concept incorporates a number of varied definitions, contexts and measurement methods (Gotsi & Wilson, 2001). Along with definition ambiguity comes also measurement concerns such as whether to aggregate or disaggregate several perspectives into one general index of a company’s reputation. Most researchers agree that corporate reputation is a suitable concept when describing the perceptions that stakeholders have of a company, and that it can only be ascribed to one company. This study takes the perspective to investigate one external stakeholder group of staffing and recruitment companies - graduating students. The group is of interest because it can possibly become an internal stakeholder group - employees. Method: For this study a quantitative method has been applied and an investigation has been made through a survey. Methodology about measuring corporate reputation is discussed, and lay ground for the empirical data collection. An altered version of the Harris-Fombrun Reputation Quotient (RQ) is used, in order to achieve better fit of the instrument and to attain higher reliability and validity. Conclusion: The purpose of this study has been fulfilled by measuring corporate reputation from the perspective of graduating students. empirical data from 125 students has been collected, and four corporate reputations of staffing and recruitment companies have been measured. The findings are not valid for generalisability but enough to give a good estimation of the population of interest. In addition, a disaggregated analysis of the RQ components has confirmed the findings. Using the methodology of the theoretically based Harris- Fombrun Reputation Quotient further validates the findings. Graduating students perceive Academic Work in the most positive way, in respect to the other companies. / Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att mäta och jämföra anseendet av fyra bemannings- och rekryteringsföretag, utifrån avgångsstudenters perspektiv. Bakgrund: Företagets anseende är ett teoretiskt koncept som har intresserat forskare de senaste årtiondena och fortfarande råder delade meningar om definitioner, sammanhang och mätmetoder rörande konceptet (Gotsi & Wilson, 2001). Med tvetydiga definitioner kommer även oklarhet gällande mätningsmetod, som till exempel om man ska summera flera intressenters åsikter till ett övergripande index eller inte. Forskare är eniga om att företagets anseende är ett passande koncept när man ska beskriva de åsikter intressenter har om ett företag. Denna studie undersöker en specifik grupp av bemannings- och rekryteringsföretags externa intressenter, nämligen avgångsstudenter. Denna grupp är intressant då de kan komma att bli interna intressenter, via anställning av ett företag. Metod: Denna studie har en kvantitativ inriktning och undersökningen har utförts med hjälp av en enkät. Metodiken i att mäta företags anseende genom att använda sig av league tabeller och pilotstudier diskuteras och ligger till grund för empiriinsamling. Användandet av en anpassad version av Harris-Fombrun Reputation Quotient (RQ) ger studien ökad validitet och reliabilitet. Slutsats: Syftet med denna studie har blivit uppnått genom att mäta företagens anseende ur avgångsstudenters perspektiv. Empirisk data från 125 studenter har samlats ihop och fyra bemannings- och rekryteringsföretags företagsanseenden har blivit uppmätta. Resultatet kan inte generaliseras för en större population, men den kan användas för att ge en bra indikation hur åsikterna för den specifika populationen är. Vidare har en uppdelad analys av komponenterna i RQ gjorts vilket har kunnat säkerställa resultaten i den totala RQ. Användandet av den teoretiskt grundade RQ ger ytterligare validitet åt resultaten. Avgångsstudenter har mest positiva åsikter om Academic Work i jämförelse med de andra undersökta företagen.

<p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the corporate reputation of four staffing and recruitment companies, from the perspective of graduating students.</p><p>Background: Corporate reputation is a concept that has interested researchers for the last four decades, and still the concept incorporates a number of varied definitions, contexts and measurement methods (Gotsi & Wilson, 2001). Along with definition ambiguity comes also measurement concerns such as whether to aggregate or disaggregate several perspectives into one general index of a company’s reputation. Most researchers agree that corporate reputation is a suitable concept when describing the perceptions that stakeholders have of a company, and that it can only be ascribed to one company. This study takes the perspective to investigate one external stakeholder group of staffing and recruitment companies - graduating students. The group is of interest because it can possibly become an internal stakeholder group - employees.</p><p>Method: For this study a quantitative method has been applied and an investigation has been made through a survey. Methodology about measuring corporate reputation is discussed, and lay ground for the empirical data collection. An altered version of the Harris-Fombrun Reputation Quotient (RQ) is used, in order to achieve better fit of the instrument and to attain higher reliability and validity.</p><p>Conclusion: The purpose of this study has been fulfilled by measuring corporate reputation from the perspective of graduating students. empirical data from 125 students has been collected, and four corporate reputations of staffing and recruitment companies have been measured. The findings are not valid for generalisability but enough to give a good estimation of the population of interest. In addition, a disaggregated analysis of the RQ components has confirmed the findings. Using the methodology of the theoretically based Harris- Fombrun Reputation Quotient further validates the findings. Graduating students perceive Academic Work in the most positive way, in respect to the other companies.</p> / <p>Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att mäta och jämföra anseendet av fyra bemannings- och rekryteringsföretag, utifrån avgångsstudenters perspektiv.</p><p>Bakgrund: Företagets anseende är ett teoretiskt koncept som har intresserat forskare de senaste årtiondena och fortfarande råder delade meningar om definitioner, sammanhang och mätmetoder rörande konceptet (Gotsi & Wilson, 2001). Med tvetydiga definitioner kommer även oklarhet gällande mätningsmetod, som till exempel om man ska summera flera intressenters åsikter till ett övergripande index eller inte. Forskare är eniga om att företagets anseende är ett passande koncept när man ska beskriva de åsikter intressenter har om ett företag. Denna studie undersöker en specifik grupp av bemannings- och rekryteringsföretags externa intressenter, nämligen avgångsstudenter. Denna grupp är intressant då de kan komma att bli interna intressenter, via anställning av ett företag.</p><p>Metod: Denna studie har en kvantitativ inriktning och undersökningen har utförts med hjälp av en enkät. Metodiken i att mäta företags anseende genom att använda sig av league tabeller och pilotstudier diskuteras och ligger till grund för empiriinsamling. Användandet av en anpassad version av Harris-Fombrun Reputation Quotient (RQ) ger studien ökad validitet och reliabilitet.</p><p>Slutsats: Syftet med denna studie har blivit uppnått genom att mäta företagens anseende ur avgångsstudenters perspektiv. Empirisk data från 125 studenter har samlats ihop och fyra bemannings- och rekryteringsföretags företagsanseenden har blivit uppmätta. Resultatet kan inte generaliseras för en större population, men den kan användas för att ge en bra indikation hur åsikterna för den specifika populationen är. Vidare har en uppdelad analys av komponenterna i RQ gjorts vilket har kunnat säkerställa resultaten i den totala RQ. Användandet av den teoretiskt grundade RQ ger ytterligare validitet åt resultaten. Avgångsstudenter har mest positiva åsikter om Academic Work i jämförelse med de andra undersökta företagen.</p>

This thesis describes the background and findings of a study of effective schools and learners achievement in Botswana senior secondary schools from an education management perspective. The aim was to identify schools that promote learners’ achievement when the students’ initial intakes were considered. The study was guided by five research questions. The study adopted an ex post facto design and a quantitative value added methodology to answer the research questions. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 5662 from the population of 58 032 students who wrote the BGCSE examinations for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Two sets of data: prior and later achievements at individual student level were collected from BEC and Secondary Education. The statistical software, MLwiN 2.10 beta 4, which is based on hierarchical linear modelling or multilevel modelling, was used to analyse the data for the value added by schools. The findings indicated that a) schools differ in their effectiveness. Some schools were more effective than others; b) Ten characteristics of effective schools were identified from the literature review c) schools differed in their consistency across the three core curriculum areas of Setswana, English and Mathematics; d) schools differed in their stability from year to year and e) schools were differentially effective. They were effective for the mid ability students and boys more than the other groups. The study confirmed that the use of a single statistic measure even in value added analysis could be misleading because of the internal variations between departments in schools. Furthermore, the uses of raw results for measuring school effectiveness were misleading. Some schools which were at the top in raw results were not doing so well in terms of value added and vice versa. The value added measures of school performance proved to be the most appropriate measure of school’s contribution to students’ learning. The value added by schools is also a measure of schools’ productivity. The study made recommendations to improve practice, such as the use of appropriate and fairer methods to evaluate and compare schools. The areas that need further attention were suggested based on the findings of the study. / Teacher Education / D.Ed. (Education Management)

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