Various prior research studies have investigated the positive and negative effects of an audience on task performance, yet very little research has been conducted specifically on dancers. The focus of this study will be on the interaction between Goal Orientation and Level of Expertise in relation to social facilitation and task performance in ballet dancers. Participants were assessed based on performance with and without an audience at varying levels of expertise. The theory of social facilitation was examined in relation to several subject variables mentioned in background research. The results of this study suggest a trend supporting the hypothesis that a person's reaction to an audience is at least partly dependent on both Goal Orientation and Level of Expertise as explained by drive theory. This study gives dancers valuable insight on personal performance.

In recent years, the commercialization of the audit market has become more and more apparent, which is an inevitable trend. After the Enron scandal broke out, researches about commercialization and audit professions, audit quality have arisen. Most of these studies are focus on western audit firms. The purpose of this study is to look at the impact of commercialization of the Chinese audit industry from the auditor perspective. This paper is based on 109 responses to a survey distributed to Chinese auditors, including Big 4 firms and non-Big 4 firms. This study use market orientation, customer orientation and process orientation as indicators of commercialization. Auditor independence and auditor competence as two main cornerstones of audit quality. The data were analyzed by multiple statistics test. Our finding indicates that all three indicators of commercialization of audit market have a positive relation with auditor independence and competence. We are thus concluding that commercialization of the audit market has a positive relation to audit quality. Also, we find that auditors in Big 4 and non-Big 4 audit farm are not much difference. This may be because the Big 4 in the Chinese market do not have the same dominance as in the Western market.

This research explores a problem important to both management strategists and policy-makers: what makes some companies grow rapidly? This topic is important as high-growth companies create a disproportionally high percentage of new jobs. The literature frequently cites sustainable competitive advantage as an explanation for firm performance and growth. Companies can build competitive advantage through the accumulation and development of resources, strategic orientations and unique capabilities. More recently, researchers have looked outside the firm for explanations, concluding that inter-firm co-operative networks and alliances are also important sources of competitive advantage leading to firm growth. While there is an extensive body of literature on firm growth, few studies have specifically addressed the antecedents of rapid firm growth. Much of the available literature is descriptive, for example Birch’s (1987) study of gazelle firms or the OECD (2008) report on high-growth firms. There are however few theoretic models or empirical tests to explain the success of these firms. In response this research explains the occurrence of high-growth firms in terms of the resource- and knowledge-based view, dynamic capabilities, core competencies, and strategic orientation theories. Structural equation and growth mixture models were tested using data gathered from a survey administered to a cross-industry sample of Canadian businesses. The study found that high-growth forms were more likely to be innovators, as well as to have a combination of strong entrepreneurial and market orientations and the ability to manage their business networks. These findings highlight the importance to management of not only responding to market demands but leading the market with innovation and extending firm capabilities and reach through networking. In addition, this research indicates that institutional support for innovation, networking and market development would assist in developing high-growth firms in Canada.

This research explores a problem important to both management strategists and policy-makers: what makes some companies grow rapidly? This topic is important as high-growth companies create a disproportionally high percentage of new jobs. The literature frequently cites sustainable competitive advantage as an explanation for firm performance and growth. Companies can build competitive advantage through the accumulation and development of resources, strategic orientations and unique capabilities. More recently, researchers have looked outside the firm for explanations, concluding that inter-firm co-operative networks and alliances are also important sources of competitive advantage leading to firm growth. While there is an extensive body of literature on firm growth, few studies have specifically addressed the antecedents of rapid firm growth. Much of the available literature is descriptive, for example Birch’s (1987) study of gazelle firms or the OECD (2008) report on high-growth firms. There are however few theoretic models or empirical tests to explain the success of these firms. In response this research explains the occurrence of high-growth firms in terms of the resource- and knowledge-based view, dynamic capabilities, core competencies, and strategic orientation theories. Structural equation and growth mixture models were tested using data gathered from a survey administered to a cross-industry sample of Canadian businesses. The study found that high-growth forms were more likely to be innovators, as well as to have a combination of strong entrepreneurial and market orientations and the ability to manage their business networks. These findings highlight the importance to management of not only responding to market demands but leading the market with innovation and extending firm capabilities and reach through networking. In addition, this research indicates that institutional support for innovation, networking and market development would assist in developing high-growth firms in Canada.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Ronald G. Downey / Entrepreneurship represents an important path to job creation, product development and organizational competitive advantage. Therefore, the identification and retention of entrepreneurial talent is of primary importance. The Entrepreneurial Orientation Profile Inventory (EOPI) was developed to evaluate the Proactiveness, Innovativeness and Risk-Taking dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation using a situational judgment test (SJT) testing methodology. The current research outlines the initial development of the testing items and provides a preliminary review of the process used to develop a scoring key and evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure among two independent samples. Study 1 focused on developing a key to score and evaluate data in subsequent samples. In Study 1, 49 adult workers provided ratings regarding the most and least effective response to 12 business-related scenarios designed to measure the Proactiveness, Innovativeness and Risk-Taking dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation. Interrater consistency analyses were conducted to determine the correct rank order of the response options within the most and least effective response conditions. In the most effective condition, raters reached consensus on the correct ranking of the response options for 7 of the 12 items. In the least effective condition, raters reached consensus on the correct ranking of the response options for 9 of the 12 items. The highest ranked response option was identified as the “correct” response and used as a scoring key in Study 2. This finding suggests individuals are generally better at identifying a single best ineffective solution to a business-related problem, but less effective at identifying a single best effective solution to a business-related problem. Thus, when using an SJT format to evaluate business-related problems, asking respondents to identify the least effective responses is likely to provide better identification of a “correct” response. Items for which the adult sample reached agreement were retained for further examination in Study 2. Study 2 was conducted to evaluate the impact of three response option instruction and scoring methodologies (i.e., “most effective”, least effective” or a combined “most and least effective”) on the reliability and validity of the EOPI measure. Using a sample of 188 undergraduate students, the construct and criterion validity of the EOPI measure as a unidimensional composite and at the item level was evaluated. Across the three conditions, the results of the construct and criterion validity analyses generally failed to support the EOPI instrument as an effective method to evaluate Entrepreneurial Orientation at the composite level. The modest correlation coefficients among the criteria variables suggest a potentially broader measurement issue with currently available measures of Entrepreneurship in general. Within the “least effective” response instruction condition, minor significant results were found at the item level. A review of these items provides insight into how modifications of EOPI items may facilitate future item development. Further, the current research also suggests that biographical data may provide insight into the measurement of Entrepreneurial Orientation. A biodata-based unidimensional composite of Entrepreneurial Behavior was found to be both marginally reliable and significantly related to an alternative measure of Entrepreneurial Orientation. The development of additional biodata items that correlate with the current items is likely to improve the psychometric properties of the Entrepreneurial Orientation composite and provide insight into the role of previous experience as a valid and reliable indicator of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Entrepreneurship behaviors.

The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

De nos jours, les conseillères et conseillers d’orientation sont nombreux dans leurs différents secteurs d’emplois à utiliser la psychométrie comme outil de travail complémentaire à leurs activités de counseling. L’arrivée d’Internet et de ses nombreuses possibilités a considérablement modifié l’usage traditionnel de la psychométrie en format papier-crayon sous supervision d’un administrateur. En effet, Internet a été très rapidement accueilli comme modalité d’administration par les professionnels de l’orientation en raison de ses multiples avantages économiques et pratiques. Des risques sur le plan de la qualité de la mesure sont cependant associés à cette pratique, puisque la plupart des tests sont simplement transférés de papier-crayon à Internet, sans validation préalable. De plus, Internet permet une administration à distance sans supervision ce qui contrevient à plusieurs normes de pratique établies afin d’assurer un usage valide des tests. Un nombre important d’études empiriques ont été réalisées afin de documenter l’impact d’un changement de modalité d’administration pour un test psychométrique. Leur recension a toutefois mis en lumière des résultats contradictoires. De plus, plusieurs d’entre elles présentaient des faiblesses méthodologiques suffisantes pour justifier la réalisation d’une nouvelle étude utilisant un devis à mesures répétées. Dans le cadre d’une recherche source sur l’évaluation de la personnalité à l’ère d’Internet, nous avons étudié l’équivalence des distributions de scores et de la fidélité. L’Inventaire de personnalité Le Corff a été administré à 407 personnes étudiantes de l’Université de Sherbrooke en format Internet et papier-crayon en inversant l’ordre de passation pour la moitié de l’échantillon. Pour le premier objectif de recherche portant sur l’équivalence des distributions de scores, un test t pour échantillons appariés a été réalisé afin de détecter la présence de différences significatives pour les cinq échelles de l’inventaire. Quatre échelles ont obtenu une différence significative, mais toutes ont eu une taille d’effet jugée « faible ». Les indices d’asymétrie et d’aplatissement n’ont obtenu aucune différence significative. Le deuxième objectif de recherche sur la fidélité a été complété à l’aide du test de Feldt (1980) pour échantillons dépendants. Le calcul d’un score t pour chaque paire d’échelles a permis de détecter empiriquement des différences significatives pour deux échelles avec un intervalle de confiance de 95%. Les résultats ont permis de répondre à l’objectif général de recherche sur la vérification de l’équivalence d’un test, suite à un changement de modalité d’administration. La présence de faibles différences significatives entre les distributions de scores soutient l’utilisation interchangeable des formats papier-crayon ou Internet d’un instrument mesurant la personnalité. Le devis à mesures répétées croisé est une force du projet. En contrepartie, l’âge et la composition de l’échantillon restreignent la généralisabilité des résultats.

Robust control mechanisms ensure faithful inheritance of an intact genome through the processes of mitosis and cytokinesis. Different populations of the cytoplasmic dynein motor defined by specific dynein adaptor complexes are required for the formation of a stable bipolar mitotic spindle. This study analysed how different dynein subcomplexes contribute to spindle formation and orientation. Various dynein subpopulations were identified by mass spectrometry. I have shown that the dynein light chain 1 (DYNLL1) directly interacts with the kinetochore localised Astrin-Kinastrin complex as well as the spindle microtubule associated complex formed by CHICA and HMMR. I have characterised both complexes and identified unique functions in chromosome alignment and mitotic spindle orientation, respectively. I have found that Kinastrin (C15orf23) is the major Astrin-interacting protein in mitotic cells and is required for Astrin targeting to microtubule plus ends proximal to the plus tip tracking protein EB1. Fixed cell microscopy revealed that cells over-expressing or depleted of Kinastrin mislocalise Astrin. Additionally, depletion of the Astrin-Kinastrin complex delays chromosome alignment and causes the loss of normal spindle architecture and sister chromatid cohesion before anaphase onset (Dunsch et al., 2011). Using immunoprecipitation and microtubule binding assays, I have shown that CHICA and HMMR interact with one another, and target to the spindle by a microtubule-binding site in the amino-terminal region of HMMR. CHICA interacts with DYNLL1 by a series of conserved TQT motifs in the carboxy-terminal region. Depletion of DYNLL1, CHICA or HMMR causes a slight increase in mitotic index but has little effect on spindle formation or checkpoint function. Fixed and live cell microscopy reveal, however, that the asymmetric distribution of cor tical dynein is lost and the spindle in these cells fails to orient correctly in relation to the culture surface (Dunsch et al., 2012). These findings presented here suggest that the Astrin-Kinastrin complex is required for normal spindle architecture and chromosome alignment, and that per turbations of this pathway result in delayed mitosis and non-physiological separase activation, whereas HMMR and CHICA act as par t of a dynein-DYNLL1 complex with a specific function defining or controlling spindle orientation.