Channel relationships, market knowledge, strategic partnerships and brand equity are examples of marketing resources which firms can possess. Marketing resources are especially valuable when they are properly leveraged by agents of the firm (Srivastava, Fahey, and Christensen 2001). This dissertation examines how one marketing resource - corporate sponsorships - can be leveraged by companies to enhance financial performance. Based on the tenets of social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner 1985), two conceptual models are developed which propose corporate sponsorship can develop the attractiveness of a company's identity and thus enhance levels of company identification among salespeople (Study 1) and customers (Study 2). It is further proposed that through this strengthening of company identification, these stakeholders will become motivated to perform supportive behaviors on behalf of the company which will lead to the firm's enhanced performance. To empirically test the conceptual models, data were collected from the sales force and a sample of customers of a Fortune 1000 company which actively engages in a single national corporate sponsorship. The data set used in Study 1 includes survey responses from 490 sales representatives (21.7% response rate) which are combined with objective sales data gathered from company records. The data were analyzed utilizing linear regression and Hierarchical Linear Modeling. The conceptual model developed in Study 2 was tested utilizing structural equation modeling of survey data collected from 246 active customers. The two studies contained in this dissertation make several important theoretical and substantive contributions to both marketing theory and practice. First, evidence is provided that company identity can be influenced by a company and its marketers. By affiliating with a prestigious entity through a corporate sponsorship, a firm can enhance the attractiveness of its identity which in turn, influences levels of identification among salespeople and customers. The studies also provide additional evidence highlighting the power of identification in terms of predicting firm-directed supportive behaviors. The analysis in Study 1 shows that company identification influences salesperson sales growth and Study 2 confirms that customer-company identification leads to customer sales and positive word-of-mouth communications. Implications of these findings are provided.

No description available.

<p>Successful implementation of Information Systems requires user acceptance. The old approach of adapting users to the system is no longer acceptable as more middle and senior professionals and managers are becoming system users. Due to the increasing people cost component of systems implementation, there has been a recognition that the human-computer interface must be easier to learn to use and recall for the individual who is both a novice and discretionary computer user. From the cognitive psychology literature, various principles can be applied to the interface design to improve learning and recall. These principles can be used by interface designers to improve the usability of the human-computer interface. Models of human-computer interaction have been devised by other researchers. However, to date there has been little available in the way of satisfactory methodologies or tools to allow designers to measure practically how an interface implementation performs with respect to both learnability and subsequent recall. This thesis develops a framework for testing human-computer interface learning. The framework differs from previous attempts in that it defines a new criteria for quantifying human-computer learning and recall, as well as providing a simple and effective tool for use by designers to determine such learnability metrics during the design process. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of the framework, it is used to experimentally test an original prototype interface design which attempts to improve human learning speed and memory retention using elaborative learning techniques and the "generation effect". The framework was able to measure significant differences between interfaces with respect to recall performance, and has demonstrated its utility as a contribution to the field of interface usability evaluation.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Yes / Motivated by excessive managerial pressure and sackings, together with associated questions over the inefficient use of scarce resources, we explore realistic performance expectations in association football. Our aim is to improve management quality by accounting for information asymmetry. Results highlight uncertainty caused both by football’s low-scoring nature and the intensity of the competition. At a deeper level we show that fans and journalists are prone to under-estimate uncertainties associated with individual matches. Further, we quantify reasonable expectations in the face of unevenly distributed resources. In line with the statactivist approach we call for more rounded assessments to be made once the underlying uncertainties are adequately accounted for. Managing fan expectations is probably impossible though the potential for constructive dialogue remains.

Thesis advisor: Laura O'Dwyer / Black males are disproportionately placed in special education throughout the United States. Yet, the degree to which such disparities are warranted has been subject to debate. Prior research suggests that special education is used too often in high-poverty schools partly due to limited resources available to support struggling students (Skiba et al., 2006). More recent studies, however, suggest that, when considering student background characteristics and peer racial and socioeconomic composition, Black students are underrepresented in special education, specifically in high-minority schools (Elder et al., 2021). Given these varying findings and interpretations, in this dissertation I sought to bring further clarity to the issue of disproportionality as it relates to Black males. First, I replicated previous research using student-level data from two high-poverty school districts based in a Northeastern state to examine variation in special education placement by race and gender, before and after adjusting for background characteristics. To then understand whether special education placement was effective, I used student fixed effect models to estimate how academic achievement trajectories changed for students after placement and whether these findings differed by race and gender. I found that Black males in the sample were placed in special education at higher rates than students of other race-by-gender groups, even after adjusting for background characteristics. Prior to placement, Black males experienced large declines in academic achievement, and this trend continued after receiving special education. Together, these findings support the notion that Black males are likely overrepresented in special education. Provided these findings, in the second part of this dissertation, I tested the effectiveness of a potential policy mechanism in reducing disproportionality. Specifically, I asked whether providing teachers with additional resources to direct struggling students through a comprehensive student support program reduced the probability of special education placement for Black males. Using two distinct identification strategies, I found that this form of support reduced special education placement rates for Black students, nearly eliminating their disproportionate representation in the districts. I conclude with policy implications for both measuring and addressing disproportionality. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

In 2008, 33.7 million Americans teleworked from home. The Telework Enhancement Act (S. 707) and the Telework Improvements Act (H.R. 1722) of 2009 were designed to increase the number of teleworkers. The research problem addressed was the lack of understanding of factors that influence home-based teleworkers' job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction has been found to have a significant impact on voluntary turnover. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship among telework frequency, information communication technology (ICT), and job satisfaction. The research questions were designed to answer whether correlational relationships exist among telework frequency, ICT, and job satisfaction and to identify primary concerns of home-based teleworkers regarding social interaction, recognition, and career advancement. Sociotechnical theory was the theoretical framework used in this quantitative correlational study. Data were collected from 218 home-based teleworkers via an online survey. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. A Pearson product-movement analysis showed a significant positive relationship between ICT usage and job satisfaction. There was no significant relationship between telework frequency and job satisfaction. Pattern matching analysis indicated that teleworkers' concerns centered on a perceived desire for increased face-to-face communication with managers and coworkers. Organizational leaders could use the results of this study to develop strategies that leverage ICT media to enhance communication and collaboration and improve the quality of work life in virtual organizations.

In the financial turmoil of 2008, U.S. firms reported debt-ratios that differed from the debt-ratios calculated from balance sheets. The problem is that investors bought common stock expecting initial investment return and lost money when companies delisted. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine sample securities pricing with the application of synthetic assets and debt accrued. Addressed in the research questions was whether those securities were (a) underpriced compared with return-on-assets (ROA), (b) overpriced compared with ROA, (c) a debt-ratio higher than 60% and also overpriced, (d) underpriced with a synthetic asset added, or (e) related by relative pricing to variant pricing and market capitalization. The study's base theory was Pan's efficient market hypothesis (EMH) of security price prediction of market prices versus model prices. The data from the financial statements of 16 publicly traded U.S. electric utility companies were analyzed via correlations and multiple regression analyses to determine securities pricing and suitability. The findings from the analyses of the sample's variables of market price, book value, market-to-book, and study constructed variables from those variable data were statistically significant. The alternate hypotheses were accepted for all 5 research questions since the analytical operationalization of the hypothetical constructs led to significant relationships. Results suggest that the use of more pricing determinants in securities evaluation may lead to investors losing less money and earning the expected returns for a more efficient capital market, leading to a stronger economy and macroeconomic stability.

The success rate of information technology projects is on a downward trend, with reported losses in the billions of dollars. Recent studies indicate a 50--56% project success rate based on quality, budget, and on-time criteria. Building upon the conceptual framework of the emotional intelligence and knowledge management theories, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how project management practitioners apply self- and cultural-awareness competencies to affect project outcomes. Using a purposeful sampling method, 24 experienced U.S.-based project management practitioners participated in a web-based questionnaire. Following Giorgi's data reduction process resulted in numeric data coding. Thematic analysis revealed themes of (a) awareness and redirection of negative emotions, (b) cultural intelligence, and (c) balanced diverse teamwork. The findings from this research study support increasing awareness, training, and application of emotional and cultural intelligence competencies within the multidimensional knowledge-centric global business environment. Increased awareness and ability to use emotional and cultural competencies can lead to enhanced business outcomes. Improved people-based business practices may increase the economic stability for the organization, employees, and specifically the project management practitioner as a knowledge manager. Implications of social change from this study include increasing success of knowledge-based information technology solutions, expanding employment opportunities, and supporting socially-responsible integrated change.

Servant leadership, which promotes virtuousness and altruism, is gaining attention as a potential solution to the perceived leadership crisis, as evidenced by the ethical breakdown of some of America's largest corporations. Entrepreneurs, who represent 99% of all employers, play a significant role in the American economy as innovative risk takers and early adopters. As such, it is important to understand how they relate to servant leadership. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore research questions related to (a) the extent to which servant leadership is practiced by small business entrepreneurs, and (b) the relationship between their levels of spirituality (i.e., virtuousness) and servant leadership. The study was grounded in both servant leadership theory and motivation (expectancy value and self-efficacy) theories. To address the research questions, the Spirituality Assessment Scale and the Servant Leadership Profile (Revised) were used to measure the levels of spirituality and servant leadership, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics (i.e., simple linear regression) were used to analyze data from surveys completed by a representative sample of 48 small business entrepreneurs. This analysis revealed (a) a 21% level of servant leadership practice among the sample of small business entrepreneurs, and (b) a statistically significant, negative correlation between spirituality and servant leadership. These findings suggest that (a) a positive connection between spirituality and servant leadership should not be presumed, and (b) servant leadership research should take its place among nonreligious perspectives on leadership. This study contributes to social change by fostering the growth of servant leadership in a broader segment of the leadership population, thus addressing the perceived leadership crisis more effectively.

In recent years, institutions of higher education have dramatically increased the number of online courses and degree programs offered to students, and yet it remains unclear what factors determine student satisfaction with online course and instructor effectiveness. Accordingly, the purpose of this exploratory correlation study was to examine how factors related to courses and instructors contributed to student perceptions of course quality (CQ) and instructor effectiveness (IE). Six stepwise regression procedures assessed the effects of specific course and instructor characteristics on perceptions of CQ and IE across one year of course evaluation data collected in a northeastern 2-year college. Results revealed that IE, quality of readings and assignments, and quality of threaded discussions had significant effects on CQ. In turn, student ratings of CQ, instructor-inspired interest in course material, and instructor availability and helpfulness had significant effects on IE. The results of the study can allow higher education administrators to make more effective decisions regarding online instruction and course structure, thus leading to increases in student persistence and success within online courses and programs.