published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In this study, we capture the moderating effect of aggressive driving behavior while assessing the influence of a comprehensive set of variables on injury severity. In doing so, we are able to account for the indirect effects of variables on injury severity through their influence on aggressive driving behavior, as well as the direct effect of variables on injury severity. The methodology used in this study to accommodate the moderating effect of aggressive driving behavior takes the form of two models – one for aggressive driving and another for injury severity. These are appropriately linked to obtain the indirect and direct effects of variables. The data for estimation is obtained from the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Study (NMVCCS). From an empirical standpoint, we consider a fine age categorization until 20 years of age when examining age effects on aggressive driving behavior and injury severity. There are several important results from the empirical analysis. Young drivers (especially novice drivers between 16-17 years of age), drivers who are not wearing seat belt, under the influence of alcohol, not having a valid license, and driving a pickup are found to be most likely to behave aggressively. Situational, vehicle, and roadway factors such as young drivers traveling with young passengers, young drivers driving an SUV or a pick-up truck, driving during the morning rush hour, and driving on roads with high speed limits are also found to trigger aggressive driving behavior. In terms of vehicle occupants, the safest situation from a driver injury standpoint is when there are 2 or more passengers in the vehicle, at least one of whom is above the age of 20 years. These and many other results are discussed, along with implications of the result for graduated driving licensing (GDL) programs. / text

Sexual development and interest in sex is a normal part of adolescent development, but the negative outcomes of unprotected intercourse can result in life changing consequences such as an unplanned pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection. Although the prevalence of these consequences have improvement over the past decade, the United States still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates and highest prevalence of youth sexually transmitted infection among developed countries. In this report, the determinants that lead adolescents to engage in sex and fail to use contraceptives are reviewed. With knowledge on what factors contribute to adolescent sexual risk taking behaviors, counseling strategies can be implemented to prevent and intervene, and the school counselor is in a prime setting for delivery. The prevention strategies that are covered in this review are grouped into five categories. They are education, skill building, enhancing student development, involving parents and families, and implementing programs. / text

Under frameworks such as Alcohol Myopia Theory, a body of literature has developed demonstrating how alcohol intoxication can increase behavioral risk-taking, potentially via impaired inhibition of prepotent behavioral responses. A separate area of research has shown that responses to alcohol intoxication are not homogenous across the population. Whereas most previous research has considered alcohol responses in relation to risk for alcohol use disorders, the present investigation tested whether they may additionally contribute to the acute effects of alcohol on drinking-episode-specific cognitive and behavioral consequences. We recruited 82 moderate-to-heavy drinking emerging adults to each complete 2 research protocols: a placebo-controlled, within-subject, counterbalanced alcohol challenge in a simulated bar laboratory and a 21-day, event-level self-monitoring follow-up. Replicating previous research, the alcohol challenge increased heart rate and subjective stimulant-like and sedative-like responses and impaired psychomotor performance and response inhibition. Individual differences in subjective stimulation but not sedation were significantly associated with inhibitory impairment. In the event-level follow-up, we found little evidence that alcohol responses elevated risk for adverse behavioral outcomes, although evidence was stronger that alcohol responses were associated with alcohol-induced memory blackout. Whether and how alcohol responses relate to the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral consequences of alcohol intoxication may depend on a) the quality of the response (e.g., stimulation vs. sedation), b) the type of outcome (e.g., response inhibition vs. blackout vs. behavioral risk-taking), and c) whether perceptions of alcohol-induced effects may contribute to emerging adults' evaluations of risk (e.g., driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver). / text

<p>I vårt arbete har vi undersökt sambandet mellan företagens kreativa klimat och personalrörlighet.</p><p>Genomgång har även gjorts av olika teorier kring ledarskapets påverkan på företagets kreativa klimat. Den svenska arbetsrättslagstiftningens påverkan på personalrörlighet har behandlats både i ett nationellt perspektiv och i en internationell jämförelse.</p><p>Vi har genomfört en enkätundersökning på 196 företag i Värmland, där vi undersökt sambandet mellan personalrörlighet och det kreativa klimatet i de företagen. Vårt urval bestod av företag som extremt mycket ökat respektive minskat antal anställda under 2005, samt de företag som hade en extremt låg förändring av antalet anställda under samma år.</p><p>Delar av Ekvalls undersökningsinstrument (CCQ) har använts i enkäten, med fokus på de klimatdimensioner som verkar främjande för radikala innovationer.</p><p>Materialet redovisas för respektive klimatdimension: frihet, debatt, risk och livfullhet. En geografisk uppdelning har även gjorts för östra Värmland, västra Värmland samt Karlstadregionen. Resultatet är även redovisat per bransch.</p><p>Avslutningsvis diskuterar vi resultatet och sättet att genomföra undersökningen. Vi påpekar däri vikten av att förstå att det är företagsledningarna som har svarat på enkäten och inte de anställda. Det är alltså ledningens uppfattning om det kreativa klimatet i företaget som speglas i resultatet. De viktigaste slutsatserna vi kan dra efter analys av resultatet är att:</p><p>Det upplevda kreativa klimatet bland företagens ledningsgrupper tycks öka då företagen kraftigt ökar antalet anställda. Företag som kommit ur sina svårigheter uppvisar också positiva resultat.</p><p>Däremot tycks det kreativa klimatet vara på en något lägre nivå i företag med endast blygsamma förändringar av antalet anställda.</p><p>Ledningsgrupperna i de värmländska företagen upplever sig som återhållsamma avseende risktagande, dvs:</p><p>organisationens benägenhet att tolerera osäkerhet, att ta tillvara uppdykande tillfällen, att handla snabbt, att ta tillvara på uppdykande tillfällen och att prova hellre än utreda.</p><p>De företag med endast små förändringar av antalet anställda, vågar ta större risker. De företag som kraftigt minskar antalet anställda är de som är minst riskbenägna. Företagen som kraftigt ökar antalet anställda uppvisar en riskbenägenhet som ligger mellan dessa två företagsgrupper.</p><p>Den stora majoriteten av de värmländska företagen riskerar att stagnera klimatmässigt. För att bibehålla och öka sin konkurrenskraft, måste de därför vidta andra åtgärder för att öka och stärka sina kreativa klimat, exempelvis genom en ökad intern rörlighet och ett aktivt och långsiktigt samarbete med universitetet och företag som bidrar till att förbättra det kreativa klimatet.</p><p>Avslutningsvis vill vi uppmana företagen i Värmland att börja våga anställa företagens viktigaste resurs, människorna, för att därigenom förbättra företagens kreativa klimat. På detta sätt stärks det värmländska näringslivets innovationskraft, och därmed en av framtidens viktigaste förutsättningar för Hållbar Värmländsk Växtkraft.</p> / <p>In this thesis we have investigated the influence of personnel mobility on the creative climate of the organization.</p><p>Swedish labour law and its influence on employee mobility has been studied both in a national as well as an international perspective.</p><p>We have conducted a survey of 196 companies in Värmland, in which we studied the relation of employee mobility and their creative climate. We choose to study companies that have increased or decreased their number of employees to a very large degree during 2005, and those companies that made very small changes of their number of employees during the same year.</p><p>We have used parts of professor Ekvall’s Creative Climate Questionnaire instrument, CCQ, focusing on the dimensions of creative climate which primarily tend to benefit radical innovations.</p><p>In the thesis, we have focussed on the dimensions concerning freedom, debate, risk, and liveliness. We divided the result geographically, as well as by type of business.</p><p>It is important to be aware that the questionnaire has been answered by the management of the companies, and not the employees.</p><p>The most important conclusions of this thesis are:</p><p>The creative climate seems to benefit from a great increase in the number of employees. Companies that have improved their business from a low level, at which they had to drastically reduce the number of employees, also show signs of improved creative climate. It also seems that the creative climate of those companies that have had only marginal changes of their number of employees is somewhat lower than the others.</p><p>The company management of the companies in Värmland, who reduced their number of employees drastically during 2005, describe themselves as not too keen on taking risks, which in this context concerns the readiness of organizations in tolerating uncertainties.</p><p>Risk taking companies act prompt and quickly on emerging possibilities, arising opportunities are taken and concrete experimentation is preferred to detailed investigation and analysis.</p><p>The companies with only small changes of their number of employees show higher degrees of risk taking, than those with higher numbers of personnel mobility. The companies that have drastically increased the number of employees seem to be in between the other two company groups.</p><p>The great majority of companies in Värmland risk facing creative climate stagnation. In order to maintain and improve their company competitive abilities, the companies need to take measures to improve their creative climate, for example by increasing their internal employee mobility, and by developing an active cooperation with the university and other actors that contribute to improve the creative climate.</p>

The general aim of the study was to determine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the perceived success of the pipeline gas company. This type of study has not been conducted previously for such a pipeline gas company and as such, a valuable contribution could be made to a more effective entrepreneurial orientation in the business environment. Two questionnaires were administered, which focused on entrepreneurial orientation and perceived success of business respectively. A response rate of 87.63% was obtained from a sample of 97 employees at management level in the pipeline gas company concerned. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business development as variable of business success. The data also revealed correlations among the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, some with significant differences for various demographic groups and their level of entrepreneurial skills. Limitations within the study were discussed and recommendations were made for future research. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Abstract: There is an ongoing debate on whether risk-taking incentives align risk-averse managers’ interests with those of shareholders or whether such incentives lead to excessively risky firm and leverage policies. In this study, we shed light on this debate by using CEO risk-taking incentives, measured by the sensitivity of CEO wealth to changes in stock return volatility (Vega), and explain how Vega affects firms’ security issuance and repurchase activities. In general, we find that a higher Vega increases (decreases) the likelihood of debt issuance (share issuance) and it decreases (increases) the propensity of debt retirement (share repurchase). However, in high-levered firms, the positive effect of Vega on debt issuance and the negative influence of Vega on debt retirement are diminished. One the other hand, for equity issuance and repurchases, high leverage does not seem to alter the impact of Vega. These findings have three main implications: 1) in general, CEO risk-taking incentives (Vega) do affect the financing decisions of firms by increasing firms’ degree of leverage, (2) when existing leverage is high, CEO risk-taking incentives do not seem to induce CEOs to take excessive financial risks through debt issuance, but such incentives encourage them to continue repurchasing shares that would lead to even higher debt ratios and non-operational risks, and (3) firms with high Vega do not seem to adopt target debt ratios. JEL Classification: G30, G32, J33

The purpose of this research is to examine ways that the instructional use of voluntary risk-taking and multimodality might decrease preservice elementary educators' artistic trepidation and assist them to reconceptualize elementary art education. The study investigates participant-reported impacts and insights, and inspects ways that participants utilize multimodality during course assignments. This qualitative action research study was conducted in a semester-long arts methods and materials course with 23 participants who were university preservice elementary education students. Data were collected during instruction through open-ended questionnaires, researcher fieldnotes, participant fieldnotes, course culmination projects, participant artwork, written reflections, and participant-created elementary art lesson plans. A hybrid theoretical construct utilized both multimodal and reconceptualist theories. Participant self-reported comfort ratings during the study indicate increased artistic comfort in both making art and teaching art after instruction. Findings from the study suggest the need for educators to focus on arts integration during course instruction and to address the art apprehension held by some preservice elementary educators. Insights shared confirm that recognizing preservice elementary educators' multimodal skills contributes to educational possibilities for their own future instructional practice. By facilitating voluntary risk-taking and multimodality opportunities during the teaching of art education to preservice elementary educators, this study contributes to scholarship about successful instructional strategies and the importance of contemporary arts methods.

Bakgrund: Färre kvinnor än män, inom finansbranschen, söker sig till fondförvaltning och yrket är således överrepresenterat av män. Studier visar på att det föreligger en skillnad i risktagande och förvaltarstil mellan kvinnor och män på professionell nivå. Vidare antyder dock empirisk forskning att skillnaderna minskar i takt med erfarenhet och att det således även föreligger en skillnad i risktagande mellan kvinnor inom fondförvaltning och kvinnor i allmänhet. Generellt sett är kvinnor i allmänhet mer riskaversiva än män. Detta tyder på att kvinnor inom fondförvaltning är en utmärkande grupp, vilket motiverar ytterligare undersökning. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka kvinnliga fondförvaltares erfarenheter kring och syn på skillnader och orsaker till skillnader mellan kvinnors och mäns risktagande på både generell och professionell nivå. Vidare ämnar studien att analysera och jämföra den eget insamlade empirin gentemot den empiriska forskningslitteraturen om kvinnligt och manligt risktagande och förvaltarstil i syfte att kunna föreslå nya hypoteser kring vad som styr kvinnligt professionellt risktagande. Genomförande: Studien utfördes genom ett kvalitativt metodval, i form av personliga intervjuer. Sammanlagt hölls 8 intervjuer med kvinnliga fondförvaltare. Urvalet skedde utifrån en egen kartläggning av kvinnliga fondförvaltare, med säte i Sverige, med sammanställd information om deras förvaltade fonder. Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis har studien genererat ett antal hypoteser. En första hypotes är att vana och erfarenhet påverkar risktagande och beslutsprocessen då användandet av system 1 ökar. En andra hypotes är att forskning ger en felaktig bild av verkligheten då denna inte tar hänsyn till snedfördelningen i branschen eller förvaltarens mandat. På generell nivå genererades en hypotes att skillnader i risktagande och omsättning inte beror på genus utan snarare grundas i intresse. / Background: Fewer women than men, within finance, work as a fund manager and the profession is therefore overrepresented by men. Studies show the existence of differences in risk and management style between women and men on a professional level. However indicates empirical studies that these differences reduce when the professional experience grows and that there also is a difference in risk-taking between women in fund management and women in general. Generally are women more risk aversive than men. This indicates that women in fund management are a distinctive group, which motivates further studying. Aim: The aim with this thesis is to inquire female fund managers’ experiences in the difference between women and men concerning risk-taking and management style, on a general and professional level, and the difference between professional women and women in general. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze and compare the result with the empirical research. Completion: The study was conducted by a qualitative method, through personal interviews. A total of eight interviews were held with female fund managers. The selection was based on a survey of female fund managers, geographically located in Sweden. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study has generated three hypotheses. Firstly, practice and experiences affects risk-taking and decision-making process since the use of system 1 increases. Secondly, previous research provides an inaccurate picture of the reality since this does not account for the disparity in the industry or the trustee's mandate. On a general level, a hypothesis was generated that the difference in risk-taking and turnover does not arise because of gender.

Instagram’s photo-centric social networking model has been found to provide a source of significant social influence on users’ behaviors offline, with such effects being especially prominent amongst adolescents given their position in the midst of a critical neurological/psychological development period. This study aims to use an online self-report questionnaire measuring susceptibility to negative social comparison and likelihood to engage in prosocial behavior as well as a 2x2x2 analysis of covariance to examine the effects of viewing risky stimuli, social desirability, and age (young vs older adolescence) to determine why certain adolescents are more prone to engaging in risky behaviors (defined as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and using cannabis) than their peers. The researcher proposes those with high susceptibility to engage in negative social comparison as well as a low likelihood to engage in prosocial behavior will be most likely to engage in risky behavior. Additionally, the researcher also predicts that older adolescents viewing risky images with high social desirability feedback will be more willing than any other group to engage in risky behavior. They will also rate the perceived risk of a subsequent risky behavior shown in a photo as less risky than any other group