M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-117).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (D.Phil.)--University of Oxford, 2007. / Supervisor: Professor Kevin Roberts. Bibliography: p. 393-409.

EVA® is a performance metric that calculates the creation of shareholder value and is a registered trademark of Stern Stuart, New York. EVA® has been widely adopted by management when making decisions to increase productivity, where to invest new capital and which underperforming assets to liquidate. EVA® is also widely used by investors and analysts as a measure of company performance when deciding on which shares to invest in. While extensive research was done on EVA® and share price performance internationally, the aim of this research was to determine whether a positive EVA® leads to growth in its share price, specifically for retail and banking shares listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). The banking and retail sector was selected as both these sectors experience favourable growth in terms of turnover during decreasing interest rate periods and unfavourable growth during increasing interest rate periods. Thus EVA® was selected as one of the better performance measures to use to show true operating performance. Statistical tests were done on turnover growth rates, EVA® growth rates, EVA® and Turnover, EVA® and Share Price growth and finally EVA® and other common performance measures. Common performance measures were limited to Price/Earnings, Earnings Per Share, Return On Assets and Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation. After analysis of the results, it was found that turnover growth rates were statistically similar for the banking sector during the period 1998 to 2007, but not for the retail sector. Leading on from that it was found that share price correlates well with EVA® for the banking sector however not for the retail sector. The study also further revealed that none of the common performance measures correlated well with EVA for both the banking and retail sector. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa's education and training policy legislates that in order to be formally accredited all South African education and training programmes should be outcomesbased. The design and implementation of outcomes-based programmes can be a complex process and there are few exemplars. This study examines the design and implementation of the Ready for Business programme. The Ready for Business programme was designed to assist Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and values to succeed in higher education business studies. The programme was piloted by the Siyabona Education Trust as a Delta Foundation project from 1997-2000. This study outlines the move towards outcomes-based education within a South African context. It specifically focuses on Spady's (1994) theory of transformational outcomesbased education and how this can be translated into practice within a South African education and training context. This study applies a programme evaluation approach within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm to assess the effectiveness of the design of the Ready for Business programme and its implementation by the Siyabona Education Trust. Essentially, the evaluation follows the principles of fourth generation evaluation. Data is gathered from the programme stakeholders through individual interviews, group interviews and questionnaires. A final group interview with stakeholders provides the foundation for further refinement of the programme. The researcher makes recommendations for improvement of the design and implementation of the programme based on the findings of the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid Afrika se onderwys- en opleidingsbeleid vereis dat aile onderwys- en opleidings programme uitkomsgebaseerd moet wees ten einde formeel geakkrediteer te word. Die ontwerp en implementering van uitkomsgebaseerde programme kan 'n komplekse proses wees. Daar bestaan egter min nasionale modelle. Die Ready for Business model is on twerp om Graad 11 en Graad 12 Ieerders, van voorhen agtergeblewe gemeenskappe te ondersteen om hulle in staat te stel om die nodige kennis, vaardighede en waarders aan te leer ten einde suksesvol te wees in hcer onderwys besigheidstudies. Hierdie model is tussen 1997 en 2000 geloods deur die Siyabona Education Trust as deel van 'n projek van die Delta Stigting. Hierdie studie skets die beweging tot uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys binne 'n Suid Afrikaanse konteks. Dit fokus spesifiek op Spady (1994) se teorie van transfonnatoriese uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys en hoe dit geimplernenteer kan word binne die Suid Afrikaanse onderwys- en opleidingsbeleid. Die studie pas 'n evalueringsprogram binne 'n konstruktivistiese paradigma toe om die effektiwiteit van die Ready for Business program en die implementering daarvan te bepaal soos geloods deur die Siyabona Education Trust. Die evaluering geskied primer volgens die beginsels en vierde generasie evaluering. Data is bekom deur beide individuele en groeponderhoude, asook deur vraelyste. 'n Finale groeponderhoud met die rolspelers le 'n verdere verfyning van die program ten grondslag. Gebaseer op die bevindinge van die studie, maak die navorser gevolglik voorstelle vir die verbetering van die ontwerp en implementering van die program. IV

Outsourcing has become a significant factor in the U.S. economy over the past two decades. Annual report disclosures made by a firm related to outsourcing are voluntary disclosures. Understanding the determinants and firm performance implications of initial outsourcing annual report disclosures is important to capital market providers, standards developers, and to the firms themselves. I identify and study firms making initial voluntary disclosures of outsourcing in their annual reports on Form 10-K between 1993 and 2003 after they make non-annual report related public disclosures. Specifically, I investigate if determinants of the initial annual report disclosure decision and subsequent performance are associated with the initial disclosure. This study contends managers disclose information related to outsourcing in their annual reports to reduce information asymmetry and to minimize agency costs. I hypothesize and develop a firm-related variable commonly used in agency theory to test this assertion. Signaling theory and voluntary disclosure theory also explain the determinants for firm voluntary outsourcing annual report disclosures. I develop several hypotheses defining determinants potentially associated with the likelihood of initial annual report outsourcing disclosure decisions, and test these determinants using a conditional logistic regression model and a matched-pair group of firms making public outsourcing disclosures but not making annual report disclosure. Using signaling theory, I also develop hypotheses testing if the initial outsourcing annual report disclosure sends a signal regarding future firm performance--specifically testing firm performance measures related to profitability and cash flow. I test these hypotheses using OLS models and the same matched-pair group of firms. I find firms with high levels of debt, high total cost ratios, and high returns on assets are more likely to make initial annual report outsourcing disclosure. / I also find firms may signal improvements in future levels of profitability when making the initial annual report outsourcing disclosure. / by Ronald F. Premuroso. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

本研究运用地方政治经济特征来解释商业协会与威权国家关系的分化,以及商业协会之间的系统差异，主张在地方政治经济结构中理解商业协会的角色及其之于威权政体的意义。本研究说明了在转型中国商业协会政治角色的新经验进展，探讨了社会利益能够成功地以制度化的方式输入威权政体的条件。 / 在国家一面，本项研究说明了支撑地方威权国家维持支配的制度基础。激励地方政府开拓财源的财政制度和刺激官僚追求政绩的晋升制度，促使地方政府及其组成部门利用商业协会来提供必要的财政补给、提供公共品和帮助政府执行治理职能。在社会一面，中国的地方政治经济发展模式并非消弭而是加深了私营企业主之间的利益分化，破坏了商业协会的同质性基础。大型私企、中小型私企、个体与地方政府的互动模式具有本质差别，形成了分化的利益诉求。但是当前的商业协会体系并不能处理这种分化了的社会利益诉求，试图将它们都聚集到同一个结社中，既破坏了结社的内部凝聚力，也阻碍了制度化利益传输的可能。 / 商业协会与威权国家的关系取决于政府渗透与结社凝聚力两大条件的交互作用。本研究将当下商业协会与威权国家的关系概括为四种类型：“合作型，“对抗型，“支配型和“庇护型。不同类型协会表达利益诉求的能力不同，“合作型与“对抗型都可以曲折的方式实现利益中介，但它们都还不是制度化的利益中介过程。通过“去政治化的政治整合过程，当前中国的商业协会对威权政体的政治稳定起到了正面作用。基于上述分析，合理的推论是：若地方政治经济特征存在系统差异，则商业协会的整体状况也应存在系统差异。本研究所建立的关于商业协会政治影响力的Logistic回归模型说明，商业协会的层级越高，组织凝聚力越高，与政府的“合作型关系越强，其被政府咨询以及实际影响政策的可能性也越高。在中国，在更高的政府层级上商业协会具有更可见的政治影响力。 / This research reveals how the differentiated relation between business associations and authoritarian state and the systematic organizational variations are configurated by local political economy, and argues the political significance of business associations in authoritarian state should be located in the specific political economic structure. This research displays recent development of business associations' political role in transitional China, and identify the conditions that facilitate organizational social interest pursuits to be successfully inputted into authoritarian state. / On the one hand, this research discusses the institutional bases which motivate the local authoritarian state to maintain continuing domination over society. Both the fiscal institution driving local state to expand revenue incomes and the bureaucratic promotion institution driving officials to accumulate political achievements motivate the local government to achieve following benefits from penetrating and dominating business associations: extract money from society, provide public goods, and facilitate the governance functions. On the other hand, the specific developmental pattern of local market economy actually has deepened the fragmentations among emerging private entrepreneurs instead of remedying them, which further discourage the associational cohesion of business associations. The big, middle, and small private entrepreneurs are characterized by essentially different interactions with the local government and diversified interest pursuits. However, the current associational arrangements forcing these interest pursuits into one single association do harm to the formation of organizational cohesion and the possibility of successful interest intermediation. / This research regards the relations between business associations and authoritarian state as the result of interactions between the governmental penetration and the associational cohesion. Four types can be identified from the empirical cases studies, the corporatist type, the oppositional type, the dominated type, and the clientelistic type. Both the corporatist type and oppositional type can transfer collective interest pursuits into the polity through their leverages on the governments' benefits. However, whichever type do not embody themselves as stable institutional arrangements, but as the contingent negotiations on practical interests. Through the process of depoliticized political integration, contemporary business associations in China contribute to the stability of the authoritarian regime. / After clarifying the mechanism how local political economy configurates the characteristics of business associations, one reasonable hypothesis should be that business associations' characteristics should vary with the local political economy's characteristics. Considering the hierarchical governmental structure's prominent role in shaping politics, this research then concerns its influence on the political performance of business associations. Based on Logistic regression models, this research identifies the determinants contributing to business associations' political influence in contemporary China. The statistical model reveals following patterns: (1) business associations from the higher level get more political opportunities than those from the lower level; (2) business associations from the higher level are more likely influential on policy decisions than those from lower level. These variations indicate that in the national politics the business associations in contemporary China exert most significant institutional political influence. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 纪莺莺. / "2013年7月". / "2013 nian 7 yue". / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-149). / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Ji Yingying. / 中文摘要 --- p.i / 英文摘要 --- p.ii / 全书结构 --- p.vi / Chapter 第一章 --- 导论 --- p.1 / Chapter 一、 --- 问题 --- p.2 / Chapter 二、 --- 翻转视角：以地方政治经济特征作为分析出发点 --- p.6 / Chapter 三、 --- 研究方法 --- p.12 / Chapter 四、 --- 研究概览 --- p.14 / Chapter 五、 --- 研究框架 --- p.15 / Chapter 第二章 --- 当代中国的商业协会：经验、理论与近期发展 --- p.16 / Chapter 一、 --- 当代中国的商业协会体系 --- p.16 / Chapter 二、 --- 公民社会视角中的商业协会 --- p.20 / Chapter 1、 --- “公民社会视角与问题意识 --- p.21 / Chapter 2、 --- 1990年代的经验研究 --- p.22 / Chapter 3、 --- 经验研究的近期发展 --- p.24 / Chapter 三、 --- 法团主义及其批评 --- p.28 / Chapter 1、 --- 法团主义的涵义 --- p.28 / Chapter 2、 --- 经验研究的证据 --- p.30 / Chapter 3、 --- 经验研究的挑战 --- p.32 / Chapter 四、 --- 既有研究的缺陷 --- p.34 / Chapter 1、 --- 单一维度自主性的“陷阱 --- p.34 / Chapter 2、 --- 缺乏对分化经验现象的解释 --- p.36 / Chapter 3、 --- 缺乏对组织内部特征的分析 --- p.37 / Chapter 五、 --- 近期发展：增长 --- p.37 / Chapter 1、 --- 商业协会的增长模式 --- p.38 / Chapter 2、 --- 结构自主性的分化 --- p.41 / Chapter 3、 --- 功能自主性的分化 --- p.43 / Chapter 4、 --- 讨论 --- p.47 / Chapter 第三章 --- 威权国家支配的制度基础 --- p.48 / Chapter 一、 --- 问题 --- p.48 / Chapter 二、 --- A市素描：国家主导下的市场化转型 --- p.50 / Chapter 三、 --- A市社会组织的近期发展 --- p.53 / Chapter 四、 --- 制度视角：地方政府的制度约束 --- p.57 / Chapter 1、 --- 目标：“追求发展与“维持稳定 --- p.58 / Chapter 2、 --- 财政限制 --- p.59 / Chapter 3、 --- 官僚晋升制度 --- p.60 / Chapter 五、 --- 碎片化地方政府的持续支配 --- p.62 / Chapter 1、 --- 财政补给 --- p.64 / Chapter 2、 --- “政绩与“公共品 --- p.66 / Chapter 3、 --- 有利于政府部门的管理职能 --- p.67 / Chapter 六、 --- 反思国家的角色 --- p.68 / Chapter 第四章 --- 结社的社会基础：内部分化与组织原则 --- p.70 / Chapter 一、 --- 问题：被忽略的结社内部 --- p.70 / Chapter 二、 --- 商业协会的社会基础 --- p.72 / Chapter 1、 --- 分化的私营经济 --- p.73 / Chapter 2、 --- 主导的分化维度：企业规模 --- p.75 / Chapter 三、 --- 商业协会的内部分化 --- p.78 / Chapter 1、 --- 工商联：大型企业与中小企业的分化策略 --- p.78 / Chapter 2、 --- 个民协会的双重组织逻辑 --- p.81 / Chapter 四、 --- “理事会支配：谁是结社里的积极分子？ --- p.85 / Chapter 1、 --- 谁成为“理事 --- p.86 / Chapter 2、 --- 商业协会里的“党支部：政治整合的强指标 --- p.88 / Chapter 五、 --- 讨论 --- p.89 / Chapter 1、 --- “去政治化的政治整合 --- p.90 / Chapter 2、 --- “关系与公民社会：促进或是阻碍？ --- p.91 / Chapter 第五章 --- 国家与社会之间：商业协会的类型学分析 --- p.92 / Chapter 一、 --- 新的分析框架 --- p.92 / Chapter 二、 --- “合作型：微型“卡特尔--文化娱乐行业协会 --- p.94 / Chapter 三、 --- “对抗型：维权者--代理商联合会 --- p.98 / Chapter 四、 --- “支配型：出租车行业协会 --- p.103 / Chapter 五、 --- “庇护型：水产协会 --- p.107 / Chapter 六、 --- 商业协会的行动策略及其政治后果 --- p.108 / Chapter 七、 --- 假设 --- p.110 / Chapter 第六章 --- 商业协会的层级分化 --- p.111 / Chapter 一、 --- 问题 --- p.111 / Chapter 二、 --- 文献回顾 --- p.112 / Chapter 1、 --- 为何讨论“层级差异 --- p.112 / Chapter 2、 --- 既有答案：可能的机制 --- p.115 / Chapter 3、 --- 重构既有研究 --- p.116 / Chapter 三、 --- 个案研究 --- p.117 / Chapter 1、 --- 两个工商联：政治经济特征的差异与后果 --- p.117 / Chapter 2、 --- 一个化工企业的游说策略 --- p.125 / Chapter 3、 --- 研究假设 --- p.127 / Chapter 四、 --- 统计检验 --- p.128 / Chapter 1、 --- 变量说明 --- p.128 / Chapter 2、 --- 回归结果 --- p.130 / Chapter 五、 --- 总结：“法团主义何以可能？ --- p.132 / Chapter 第七章 --- 结论 --- p.133 / Chapter 一、 --- 理论适用性的再评估 --- p.135 / Chapter 二、 --- “去政治化的政治整合 ：理解威权政体的稳定性 --- p.137 / Chapter 三、 --- 有关改革 --- p.139 / 参考文献 --- p.141 / Chapter 后记： --- 关于研究的“研究 --- p.150

This dissertation consists of three chapters devoted to the study of communication games and behavioral economics. The first chapter extends the cheap talk model of Crawford and Sobel (1982) (CS). In CS, a speaker (S) uses cheap talk to persuade a decision maker (DM) to select an action as profitable to S as possible. This paper shows that the presence of an outside option -- that is, allowing DM to avoid taking any action, yielding state-independent reservation utilities to DM and S -- has an important qualitative impact on the results. Contrary to CS, in this model, the informativeness of communication is not always decreasing in the level of conflict of interest. Relatedly, communication can be more informative than in CS. The second chapter uses a different version of my cheap talk model with an outside option to explore managerial issues such as delegation and interpersonal authority. In this chapter, actions are costly for DM, and S's information is noisy. Hence, the agents may agree or disagree on the ex-ante ranking over projects, and DM may choose not to carry out any project. Unlike in the standard cheap talk model (without an outside option), when their ex-ante rankings coincide, S is more tempted to lie and hide bad news about both agents' ex-ante most preferred project because DM is highly likely to carry it out. Consequently, when their ex-ante rankings coincide, DM can have less incentives to delegate the choice of project to S and more incentives to use interpersonal authority than when their ex-ante rankings differ. The third chapter develops a theory of "personal rules" to explain a paradoxical stylized fact that increasing punishment rates can increase crime. This theory, based on the tradeoff between one's self-image of criminal productivity and the temptation of committing a crime, analyzes the way the agent may transform lapses into precedents. The foundation for this transformation is imperfect recall of one's own criminal productivity, which leads people to draw inaccurate inferences from their past actions. Rationalization may lead them to overestimate the utility of committing a crime when the opportunity presents itself.

This thesis develops and demonstrates a methodology for formulating a link between physical efficiency, economic efficiency, and organizational efficiency, and then uses the link developed earlier for justifying capital expenditures. Two scenarios have been used to demonstrate the methodology in two phases. The first phase deals with the formulation of the link between physical efficiency, economic efficiency, and organizational efficiency. The second phase uses the methodology developed in phase one to perform a multi-period analysis. This multi-period analysis shows that an increase in the efficiency of the physical environment results in an increase in the efficiency of the economic environment for two hypothetical companies. The increase in the efficiency of the economic environment results in increased profits, which are a necessary but not sufficient condition for the existence of the organization. The increase in profits further leads to satisfaction of individual wants for four classes of contributors to the organization, and, thus, to an increase in the overall efficiency of the organizational process. / Master of Science