The main objective of this study was to determine the relationship between household characteristics and the expenditure shares allocated among various categories of women's clothing for U.S. households belonging to different ethnic groups. The study also estimated unobserved latent quality variables based on household characteristics, and examined the effects of the latent quality variables on the expenditure shares for the various apparel categories. A Multiple Indicator-Multiple Cause Model, which is a special case of the general Structural Equations Model, was used to estimate separate Engel equations for 15 expenditure shares for women's clothing categories, for four different ethnic groups. The results of the study showed that household characteristics had a significant impact on the latent quality variables associated with different categories of women's clothing, and the latent quality variables themselves impacted the clothing expenditure shares. Also, for different ethnic groups, household characteristics had differing effects on women's clothing expenditure shares. Of all the characteristics examined, annual total household expenditures and numbers of children and adults in the household had significant effects on the largest numbers of latent quality variables associated with the clothing categories for the four ethnic groups. The socio-economic variables also significantly affected several clothing expenditure shares for the four ethnic groups. These results imply that socio-economic variables impact consumers' quality choices, and presumably prices paid, for women's clothing. The results support the conclusions of Paulin (1998), and Wagner and Soberon-Ferrer (1990), in that different ethnic groups have distinct expenditure patterns possibly due to differences in socio-economic characteristics; such characteristics may signify resources and constraints faced by a household. The distinct expenditure patterns and tastes of the four ethnic groups are reflected in the significantly different effects of annual total expenditures on the expenditure shares for each category of women's clothing, as well as in the significantly different effects of the latent quality variables on several expenditure shares, for the four ethnic groups. / Ph. D.

The demand for consumer credit is an area of economics that is of great interest to those in the lending community. While much research has been performed on this topic in the financial industry, the findings have been very closely guarded for competitive reasons. In this study, reduced form equations were derived to form the basis of a 2SLS regression model. This model was used to estimate the demand for consumer credit in the United States over the period 1973 - 2002. Six independent variables were included in the analysis: monetary base, unemployment rate, consumer confidence index, disposable personal income, federal funds interest rate and the price/barrel of oil. The model results concluded that only two of these variables significantly affect the demand for consumer credit – disposable personal income (DPI_t) and the unemployment rate (uet). The error terms were compared against those derived from two alternative models using the same data sets – a trend model and an autoregressive model – AR(1). The root mean square error (RMSE) for the reduced form model was significantly lower then that of the trend model, but slightly higher then the AR(1) model. The objectives of this study are to: (1) produce an accurate model that defines the drivers behind the demand for consumer credit, while (2) producing results consistent with econometric theory. Based on this set of objectives, the reduced form model is the superior of the three models included in this study. / Master of Arts

This study was designed to accomplish three main objectives. The first objective was to test the hypothesis that school engagement is a multidimensional construct with three factors: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive or academic engagement. The second objective was to test for invariance of the measurement and factorial structures of school engagement across white and African-American students. And the third objective of the study was to test for invariance of the latent mean structures of school engagement across white and African-American students. In order to accomplish the objectives of the study a step by step approached, using structural equation modeling, was followed. First, the best fitting model of school engagement for both white and African American students were identified. Second, invariance of the number of underlying factors of school engagement across white and African-American students was tested. Third, invariance of factor loadings across the two racial/ethnic groups was tested. Fourth, invariance of the factor variances and covariances was tested. Fifth, latent mean structures of school engagement between white and African-American were compared. Finally, the results of the calibrating sample were cross-validated with the second half of the sample. Results from this study produced consistent support for a three-factor model of school engagement and without cross-loadings to other dimensions of school engagement. However, some parameters including factor loadings, factor variances and latent means were found non-invariant across white and African American students. African American students rated themselves statistically significantly higher on emotional engagement than white students. In addition, weaknesses in the measurement model especially the reliability coefficients of observed indicators and variance accounted for by the latent factors were identified. Cognitive engagement proved to be the most difficult to measure among all three dimensions of school engagement. Finally, analysis of the cross-validating sample produced some important differences which included one additional non-invariant factor loading, one factor covariance, and one additional latent mean difference between white and African American students. / Ph. D.

The growth of franchising has been an important trend in the hospitality industry, since it was introduced into the restaurant sector by Howard Johnsons in the 1930s. In recent years, because of intense competition quick service restaurants have experienced significant external and internal pressures. Such pressures have caused disputes and abuses of the system and have affected external suppliers, customers, and suppliers, as well as franchisees within the franchise system. Because the franchisor-franchisee relationship has yet to be fully explored, knowledge of the factors that produce a high-quality relationship between franchisor and franchisee are critical to the advancement of knowledge in the hospitality industry. Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory is offered of an effective theoretical model of antecedents that can predict the effectiveness the franchisor-franchisee relationship. This study presents a model based on a subset of the Leader-Member Exchange theory. Using the survey responses of franchisees in the restaurant industry, this study identifies the key factor that affect the franchisee's commitment, the franchisee's satisfaction with purchasing or operating franchise outlets, the effects of the franchisor's brand name on the quality of the relationship, the franchisee's perception of the franchisor's support, the franchisee's motivation to become a franchisee, and the franchisee's performance. The results of this study generally support the hypothesized model and provide strong support for the idea that the quality of the relationship between franchisee and franchisor plays a role in ensuring that the contractual relationship will lead to franchisee job satisfaction and financial success for both. The proposed model provides franchisors with valuable information for establishing an effective management strategy to improve the relationship between franchisor and franchisee and thus improve the rate of success of both franchisor and franchisee. Similarly, the model can assist both the franchisor and franchisee in understanding their policies in strategic terms and in integrating their different activities to provide the firm with the quality relationship required for maintaining advantage. / Ph. D.

Macroscopic changes in the urban environment and in the built transportation infrastructure, as well as changes in household demographics and socio-economics, can lead to spatio-temporal variations in household travel patterns and therefore regional travel demand. Dynamics in travel behavior may also simply arise from the randomness associated with values, perceptions, attitudes, needs, preferences and decision-making process of the individual travelers. Most urban travel behavior models and analysis seek to explain variations in travel behavior in terms of characteristics of the individuals and their environment. Spatial extents and temporal variation in an individual’s travel pattern may represent a measure of the individual’s spatial appetite for activity and the variability-seeking nature on his/her travel behavior. The objective of this dissertation effort is to develop a methodology to predict activity participation using revealed spatial extents and temporal variability as variables that represent the spatial appetite and variability-seeking nature associated with individual household. Activity participation is defined as a set of activities in which an individual or household takes part, to satisfy the sustenance, maintenance and discretionary needs of the household. To accomplish the goals of the dissertation, longitudinal travel data collected from the Commute Atlanta Study are used. The raw Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data are processed to summarize trip data by household travel day and individual travel day data. A methodology was developed to automatically identify the activity at the end of each trip. Methods were then developed to estimate travel behavior variability that can represent the variability-seeking nature of the individual. Existing methods to estimate activity space were reviewed and a new Modified Kernel Density area method was developed to address issues with current methods. Finally activity participation models using structural equation modeling methods were developed and the effects of the variability-seeking nature and spatial extent of activities were applied to the models. The variability-seeking nature was presented in the activity participation model as a latent variable with coefficient of variation of trips and distance as indicator variables. The dissertation research found that inclusion of activity space variables can improve the activity participation modeling process to better explain travel behavior.

Este trabalho científico investigou o problema da avaliação da qualidade de serviços. Trata-se do exame da questão da avaliação da qualidade na prestação de serviços técnicos terceirizados (adquiridos de empresas especializadas, que colocam seus funcionários a serviço do contratante em suas instalações), por intermédio de um enfoque de múltiplos agentes abrange relacionamentos entre vários funcionários de cada uma das organizações envolvidas em um negócio, como estabelecido no Relacionamento R6 de Gummesson (2005, p. 28-29). Conseqüentemente, foram consideradas as perspectivas dos usuários e das pessoas encarregadas de zelar pela conformidade da execução do serviço em relação àquilo que foi contratado (os fiscais dos contratos dos serviços terceirizados), bem como dos representantes das empresas contratadas para a execução desses serviços (responsáveis pelos prestadores desses serviços) para a identificação de indicadores (variáveis mensuráveis) que possibilitem uma avaliação tanto da dimensão técnica quanto da dimensão funcional daqueles tipos de serviços e do pacote desses serviços, aqui denominado serviço de manutenção predial. Para tanto, foi feito um estudo de caso exploratório em uma unidade administrativa de uma organização pública autárquica, no qual foram investigados os atributos para a avaliação de quatro serviços relacionados à manutenção do edifício que ocupa (serviço de manutenção em equipamentos de geração e distribuição de energia elétrica e iluminação; serviço de manutenção em equipamentos de sistemas centrais de ar condicionado; serviço de reparos em móveis e de alterações das posições do mobiliário e das divisórias e serviço de reparos em pisos, carpetes e rede hidráulica), bem como do pacote formado pelo conjunto desses serviços (serviço terceirizado de manutenção predial). Foram empregadas múltiplas fontes de dados: qualitativos (obtidos com base em entrevistas abertas não estruturadas nos focus groups e em e em entrevistas abertas não estruturadas feitas a posteriori com alguns dos participantes desses focus groups) e quantitativos (obtidos mediante aplicação de questionários estruturados a cada uma das três categorias de agentes envolvidos e emprego de técnica de modelagem em equações estruturais com método de estimação baseado em componentes conhecido como PLS - Partial Least Squares). Em termos de resultados destacam-se a identificação de indicadores para a apuração da qualidade dos serviços investigados, assim como o exame da consistência do Modelo de Qualidade de Serviços Terceirizados de Manutenção Predial desenvolvido com base no Modelo Hierárquico de Qualidade de Serviços de Brady e Cronin Jr (2001, p.37). / This scientific work investigated the subject of service quality. It refers to the question of evaluating the quality of outsourcing technical services (from specialized firms that place their employees at the sites of the client) under the approach of multiple agents it involves relationships of several employees of each organization in a business, as stated in the Relationship R6 of Gummesson (2005, p. 28, 29). Consequently it was considered the points of view of users and of the people that make sure that the service will be executed according to what was agreed upon (inspectors of outsourcing contracts), as well as for those representing the outsourcing firms for the execution of the services (responsables for providers services), for the identification of the indicators (measurable variables) that allow an evaluations of the technical dimension as well as the functional dimension of those types of services and the package of the services, here referred to as building maintenance. To that effect an exploratory case study was made in an administrative unit of a public organization in which it was investigated the attributes for the evaluation of four kinds of services related to maintenance (equipments for generation and distribution electric power and lightning; maintenance services for air conditioning; furniture repair and layout of the furniture and positions of working cells, floor and carpet repair, and pipe network), and the set formed by these services (third party service of building maintenance). Multiple sources of data were used: qualitative (obtained from open unstructured interviews on focus groups and a posteriori unstructured open interviews with some participants of these focus groups) and quantitative (obtained from structured questionnaires for each of the three categories of agents involved and based on the technique of structural equations modeling using the method of estimation known as PLS Partial Least Squares). As regards the results of this study, we point out the indicators that survey the quality of services investigated, as well as the analysis of the consistency of the Building Maintenance Outsourcing Quality Model based on the Hierarchical Service Quality Model by Brady and Cronin Jr (2001, p. 37).

O estudo e medição da imagem, especialmente de um Conselho Profissional são essenciais para auxiliar os gestores destas instituições a tomarem decisões. Como não há uma escala válida e confiável que permita a medição da imagem corporativa de um Conselho Profissional, o presente trabalho busca confirmar, através do método de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais MEE, o modelo hipotético proposto por Peres (2004) e Carvalho (2009) que tomam por base o estudo de Folland, Peacock e Pelfrey (1991) que conclui que a imagem corporativa é composta por dois fatores e a percepção desta imagem impacta na avaliação de seu desempenho. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa demonstram, com grande segurança estatística, que o modelo proposto é consistente, tem ótimo ajuste, e pode ser aplicado em futuras amostras semelhantes. / Both the analysis and measurement of institutional image have been shown as essential tools to help managerial decisions, and much more so in the case of professional councils. During the bibliographical survey completed for the present research no valid and reliable scale has been identified for image measurement of a professional council. This dissertation intends to present such a scale by means of a confirmatory analysis of a prior two-factor model due to Folland, Peacock and Pelfrey (1991) and exploratorily studied by Peres (2004) and Carvalho (2009). The confirmatory analysis is the first step of a structural equations model that additionally allowed to show the influence of image on organizational performance as perceived by a sample of potential members of a council of professional accountants in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Findings indicate that there is a significant statistical support for the proposed model so that the scale deserves further attention as a reliable tool for measuring the image of professional councils. In addition, since its components impact significantly upon performance, measured image may be useful for organizational management in the case of professional councils as well.

High Technology Industries have always bragged and boasted of their less-pollution or even non-pollution, while constantly environmental conflict as well as pollution illustrates that environmental pollution problems relatively exist in the wholeness of Science Park. Besides, there is still wide gap between individual factory owner¡¦s ecological thinking and enforceable policy. The research background retraces that industries are obviously under the global drives for sustainable development and friendly environment. Based on Industrial Ecology, the study constructs eco-behavior for the Science Park, and then verifies the relationship and effect among factories¡¦ inner cognition, external driving group and affective intention. Constructed on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study model includes inner attitude toward the behavior, external subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and eco-behavioral intention. The relationship among the above hypotheses are modified and analyzed by applying the Structural Equations Modeling, the real information are compared with hypotheses, the results are contrasted with modeled theory, and furthermore concluded as the followings. The survey objects are factories in Southern and Central Taiwan Science Park, the questionnaires targets are mainly their first level managers and environmental department supervisors. The total effective surveys are 154, with retrieved rate of 63.9%. Various targets are tested and proved they are all way beyond the acceptable standard. The above three behavior models are all legitimately reached. Both represent that the TPB in the study offers future factories¡¦ eco-behavior a sensible interpretation for prediction and rationalization. The factories¡¦ management behavior for eco-industrial development tends to industrial symbiosis; that is, the current drive is voluntary, while their productive behavior comes from external driving pressure. Finally, the study indicates invigorating way to eco-industrial intention and proposes enhancing voluntary drive to eco-industrial thinking.

This study investigates the relationship between firm resources, positioning strategies and performance in the smaller firm. Porter’s generic strategies have been useful in describing how firms compete in the marketplace, and the resource based view has shown that resources can lead to a sustained competitive advantage. The strategic management field has begun to combine the two theories and examine the link between them. Small firms must make the best use of their relatively scarce resources. It is proposed that the relationship between resources and performance is contingent upon the positioning strategy the firm competes on, although there has only been limited supporting research to date. This research builds on work by Edelman et al. (2005) by examining the relationship between human, organisational and physical resources, and the strategies of quality/ customer service, innovation, and cost leadership in 447 retail, engineering, and professional service firms in New Zealand. Using Structural Equations Modelling this research finds that positioning strategies are the mechanism by which firms can leverage their resources into higher performance. This relationship can be modelled as mediated or moderated, with statistical analysis sensitive to model complexity. The firm’s environment influences this relationship with different resources required to support each position depending on the industry. Specifically human, organisational, and physical resources appear to be viable sources of competitive advantage when they are leveraged by a strategy of quality/ customer service, innovation or cost leadership when the industry environment is conducive to the resource – strategy combination.

Um dos principais objetivos das técnicas multivariadas é expandir a habilidade exploratória do pesquisador e a eficiência estatística. Entretanto, todas elas compartilham de uma limitação: cada técnica pode examinar somente uma relação entre as variáveis. Algumas vezes é interessante para o pesquisador o fato de ter relações simultâneas, em alguns modelos existem variáveis que são independentes em algumas relações e, dependentes em outras. Visando suprir esta necessidade, a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais examina uma série de relações de dependência simultaneamente, esse método é particularmente útil quando uma variável dependente se torna independente em relações subseqüentes de dependência. Com o intuito de aproximar a metodologia da área de Engenharia de Produção, essa dissertação apresenta uma descrição das técnicas relacionadas à Modelagem de Equações Estruturais como: a Análise Fatorial Confirmatória e a Análise de Caminhos; aborda conceitos e testes específicos de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais e também aborda um software, o AMOS. Para complementar o trabalho mostra uma aplicação prática sobre a Modelagem utilizando dados de uma pesquisa para se medir a opinião de clientes com relação a um provedor de serviços. / One of the principal goals of the multivariate techniques is to expand the researcher's exploratory ability and the statistical efficiency. However, all of them share of a limitation: each technique can examine only a relationship among the variables. It is sometimes interesting for the researcher the fact of having simultaneous relationships, in some models variables that are independent in some relationships and dependent in other one. Seeking to supply this need the Structural Equations Modeling examines a series of dependence relationships simultaneously, that method is particularly useful when a dependent variable becomes independent in subsequent relationships of dependence. Starting from bibliographical references on the theme and with the intention of approximating the methodology of Industrial Engineering area, this dissertation presents a description of the techniques related to the Structural Equations Modeling as: the Confirmatory Factor Analysis and the Path Analysis; it approaches concepts and specific tests of Structural Equations Modeling and it also focuses a software, the AMOS. To complement, the dissertation shows a practical application on the Structural Equations Modeling using data of a research, in order to measure the customers' opinion related to a provider of services.