This study evaluated the effectiveness of HIV prevention groups for men-who-have-sex-with-men conducted in 4 Montana communities: Butte, Bozeman, Helena and Missoula. A convenience sample of participants (n=37) were recruited from MSM who voluntarily signed-up for participation in the evaluated groups. Comparison group participants (n=31) consisted of a convenience sample of MSM recruited by Montana Targeted Prevention (MTaP) workers during the course of their regular HIV/Hepatitis C outreach activities. Behavioral changes in unprotected anal intercourse and substance use and seven HIV-transmission-behavior influencing factors (sexual communication skills, attitudes towards condoms, HIV transmission knowledge, internalized homophobia, social isolation, self-esteem and depression) were assessed at baseline and again following 9 hours of intervention exposure. No significant changes in frequency of unprotected anal intercourse were observed, however participants reported that they more regularly wear a condom as a result of the intervention. Changes in frequency of unprotected anal intercourse may have been underestimated by the short 9-week evaluation period. Forty-eight percent (n=10) of participants engaging in binge drinking (5 or more drinks in one sitting) and 22% (n=4) of marijuana using participants reported a reduction in use. Intervention group participants indicated significant positive changes in measures of depression (p=.00) and self-esteem (p=.00). Participants identified factors related to community involvement and social support as being the primary factors facilitating MSM participation in HIV prevention groups. Group participation generated multiple positive intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes that may facilitate short-term and long-term adoption and maintenance of positive health behavior changes. In the rural and geographically vast frontier state of Montana, HIV prevention groups may also play a critical role in the health and well being of Montanas MSM community by providing gay community infrastructure and positive social norms of sexual health that may serve to reduce the damaging effects of social stigma often experienced by rural MSM.

Introduction: Athletics are an integral part of American Indian (AI) life and culture. However, with participation there is a risk of receiving an injury. Sustaining an injury can be devastating to AI athletes that live on or near a reservation due to the rural location and disparities in health care. Objective: To determine Montanas AI high school athletes injury rates, severity of injury, the current level of medical supervision, and type of health care they seek/receive. Methods: The procedure for collecting data consisted of sending out surveys to head coaches at 11 high schools that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis: Numerical data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007. Discussion: Injury rates were fairly low, with most injuries being minor. Medical supervision at practices/competitions was inadequate and the majority of injured athletes sought medical care from Indian Health Service. Access to specialty care was also found to be inadequate.

Introduction: Sports massage is commonly used to treat pain, soreness, and stiffness related to sports injury and training, as well as for injury prevention. Believed to increase blood flow, decrease swelling, reduce muscle tension, and increase a sense of well-being, massage is a widely used manual therapy across the world. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a twenty-minute sports massage on mood state, range of motion, sports performance, and perceived performance. Methods: This repeated measures study consisted of passive recovery and massage recovery trials. Baseline testing included the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, range of motion measurements of hip flexion and extension, knee flexion and extension, and ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion, as well as sports performance testing of vertical jump, and perceived performance rating on a scale from 1 to 10. A five minute, 100 watt, bike warm-up was completed before a 130-foot contact plyometric workout before the randomly assigned intervention. Subjects then returned at 24 and 48 hours post intervention for repeat testing of mood state, range of motion, sport performance, and perceived performance. Analysis: Descriptive statistics were calculated using Excel. All data was analyzed in SPSS using repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustments when necessary. Results: No significant results were found for mood state, sport performance, or range of motion (p > .05). Perceived performance was found to be significantly higher at the 24-hour time point in the massage group when compared to the passive recovery group (p = .007). Conclusions: Perceived performance after a massage intervention significantly differed from the passive recovery group. Mood state, range of motion, and sport performance provide no support for the use of sports massage, however, the psychological benefits of the perceived performance may be beneficial enough to warrant the use of the manual therapy.

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The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a supervised exercise training program on physical activity (PA) patterns. A secondary objective of the study was to determine if accelerometers can predict variables associated with strength and running performance. A total of 79 adult, male, college students completed a 12 week exercise training program that consisted of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and running three hours per week. The subjects trained three days/week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and conducted a performance test (PT) every Wednesday. Physical activity (average daily time spent in sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous PA), performance strength and running variables (pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and 1.5 mile run time), and body composition (BC) (weight (kg), percent body fat (PBF), fat free mass (FFM;kg), and fat mass (FM;kg)) were assessed before and after 12 weeks of the exercise training program. Results showed the 12 week exercise training program had no effect on the average daily time (min) spent in sedentary, light, moderate or vigorous activity. There were significant positive correlations between average daily time spent in vigorous PA and pull-ups (p<.05), sit-ups (p<.01), and push-ups (p<.01). There were significant negative correlations between average daily time spent in moderate (p<.05) and vigorous (p<.01) PA and 1.5 mile run times. Additionally, there were significant negative correlations between BC and weight, PBF, and FM and pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups (p<.01). Data showed a a significant positive relationship between weight, PBF, and FM and 1.5 mile run time (p<.01). As expected, strength and running performance significantly improved in every area (p<0 .001) with an average gain of four pull-ups, 31 sit-ups, 15 push-ups, and a mean decrease of 30 seconds on the 1.5 mile run. The structured exercise intervention significantly improved strength and running performance characteristics, which included pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups and a 1.5 mile run time. The results from this study show that the 12 week exercise training program did not affect PA levels in the participants but PA (vigorous) and BC (weight, PBF, and FM) may be able to predict pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and 1.5 mile run performance variables.

The main part of this thesis was devoted to applying performance measures in the analysis of mergers and acquisitions. Performance measures take into account the profitability of a company and the risk associated to that company.To analyze potential post-merger synergies one can combine the pre-merger financial results of two companies and calculate the value of an applicable performance measure. If the value exceeds that of the bidder by itself the merger is said to generate positive synergies. The thesis demonstrates how the calculations can be performed as well as advantages and disadvantages of various performance measures. Most performance measures involve company's returns. It was shown that only quarterly return is a reliable source of information about company's performance. To deal with quarterly data annualization method for all applicable ratios was developed. Several examples were created to demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of annualized applicable performance measures. Three real-world examples of recent acquisitions in Canada and USA were given and analyzed . / Mathematical Finance

This dissertation contributes the literature by developing a new method of measuring political dominance combining the legislative and executive branches in bi-party political system and by investigating the effect of political dominance on economic performance using panel data for forty-six states of United States for the period 1937-1996. Economic performance is measured by the relative level of per-capita personal income and growth of per-capita personal income. This dissertation finds that political dominance has significant negative effects on the level of relative per-capita personal income and on the growth of per-capita personal income. Additionally, this paper modifies the two existing measures of political dominance using exclusively seat share of legislative branches or governor’s vote share and examines the short run effect of political dominance on economic performance using these modified measures. It finds that political dominance using exclusively seat share of legislative branches or governor’s vote share either overestimates or underestimates the effect of political dominance on economic performance.

This thesis develops the theoretical foundation of the strategic-culture paradigm. This model focuses attention upon culture and appeals to the profit requisite associated with commercial activities, and is an integrator of business / domestic cultural expectations. I describe culture as an organizational attribute integral to behavior and strategy which represents a potentially powerful resource facilitating operational effectiveness, sustained competitive advantage, and increased business social accountability. This explanation relies upon conceptualizing culture at both the national and company level, and then explicating the dependent interplay between these realms. Specifically, I submit that corporations who establish and continually adapt their culture with the aim of striving to maintain a fit with the domestic context are more inclined to realize opportunities, attract customers, and endure unanticipated business environmental pressures. Using information collected on Nucor Steel and Southwest Airlines, I provide a preliminary assessment of the virtues of the strategic-culture model as it relates to explaining these firms and their operations.

Cette thèse est l’aboutissement d’une collaboration entre le Centre for Research on the Economic Efficiency of Retailing (CREER) et le Laboratoire d’Analyse et de Recherche en GEstion (LARGE), dans le cadre d’une convention de cotutelle conclue entre les FUCAM et l’Université Robert Schuman (URS, Strasbourg). Elle est aussi le fruit d’une convention CIFRE (Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche) réalisée en partenariat avec la Confédération Nationale du Crédit Mutuel (Paris) et les deux laboratoires de recherche mentionnés. Cette deuxième version résulte de la prise en compte des remarques présentées lors de la soutenance publique française (considérée comme défense privée belge) qui s’est déroulée le 20 septembre 2005 à Strasbourg (à l’issue de laquelle le jury a déjà, selon les règles et usages français, proclamé Monsieur LECAT docteur en Sciences de Gestion de l’URS). Ces travaux de recherche ont été financés par le Ministère Français de la Recherche par l’entremise d’une convention de recherche (CIFRE : Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche). L’intérêt du contrat CIFRE est qu’il permet de contribuer au corps de la connaissance en prenant en compte les 3 dimensions suivantes : la recherche, l’éducation et la pratique. * Il est à noter que nos travaux ne concernent uniquement qu’un des 7 métiers de la banque à savoir, la banque de détail (les 6 autres métiers principaux qui sont le corporate banking, l’asset management, l’investment banking & financial markets, le private banking, le marché des professionnels et le marché PME, ne couvrent donc pas cette étude). De plus, nos travaux de recherche ne prennent en considération que les acteurs particuliers et laissent donc de côté, les entreprises et l’Etat. * L’entreprise partenaire se structure en 3 niveaux (nos travaux ont été encadrés par le troisième degré, accompagnés sur le terrain par le deuxième degré et peuvent servir à améliorer le quotidien du premier degré) : - le troisième degré est une entité qui travaille au service des fédérations régionales (appelées deuxième degré) ; il se nomme « confédération » et joue un rôle de conseil. Nos travaux ont été rattachés à la Direction du Développement principalement au sein des Unités Marketing et Activités Canaux ; - le second degré est composé des sièges régionaux qui regroupent un ou plusieurs départements géographiques (sans pour autant constituer les Régions administratives françaises). Deux Fédérations ont principalement contribuées à la réalisation de nos recherches : d’une part, F7 (qui dispose de 244 guichets, 569.295 clients et emploie 1603 personnes) pour l’étude de l’efficacité des canaux de distribution, et d’autre part, F16 (qui est une jeune Fédération disposant de 25 guichets, 59.874 clients et employant 182 personnes) pour le volet optimisation du réseau physique (dimension « équité » de la performance des canaux de distribution) ; - le premier degré englobe les 3200 guichets organisés autour de 1870 caisses locales (entité juridique à laquelle plusieurs guichets ou points de vente peuvent être rattachés).

In the era of knowledge economy, human capital has become the core for comptetition. Facing the rapid changing economy environment, the talent demand is increased. How to attract, develp, and retain talent become the critical issue for corporate. However, talent management evoles the key factor for corporate to sustain conpetivitage advantage. First, the research intends to explore and clarify the Talent Management through a compenhesive study on related literature and generalizes the actual practice. The research examins the implemtation of TM including drivers, priority for organizational strategy, budget in place, groups considered talent, TM practice, TM process, measurement, impact on management and workplace. Beside, the research examines the TM impact on organizational performance. Based on the purpose of the research, the conclusions are as follows: To sustain competitive advange, be convinced the relationship between better talent and better business performance, and retain talent, many companies introduce TM. TM has high priority for organizational strategy. Most companies with TM prepar budget for talent development. Talent is identified as mid-level management with leadership potential, key contributors/technical experts and executive. Talent process focuses on talent development, idenfifying talnet needs and aligning employees with the mission and vision of organization. The practice of TM includes performance management, human resource planning, recruitment, development and reward, it also involve in competency, leadership/high potential development and succession planning. CEO, executive and human resource department involve in TM process. The key measurements of TM are talent pool turnover rate and the number of talent readiness for next level. However, companies with TM are satisfied with retaining, attracting, developing talent and positive workplace. TM was experimented with significant impact on organizational performance.