Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael R. Langemeier / The overall objective of this study was to examine the relative efficiency of farmers in various age groups. Nine Hundred sixty-four sole proprietors, who were members of the Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA) with continuous data from 2002-2006, were split up into four groups based on age. Comparing the fourth age group (over 65 years of age) to the first age group (under or equal to 45 years of age) was of primary importance in this study. Comparisons were made utilizing variables pertaining to farm size and tenure, specialization, efficiency, liquidity, and solvency. In this study, there are four age groups; under or equal to 45 years, 46 to 55 years, 56 to 65 years, and greater than 65 years old. T-tests were used to compare variables among age groups. Nineteen variables were statistically different between age groups one and four. The fourth age group performed poorly in terms of cost efficiency. Based on the results, the fourth age group had a difficult time covering unpaid labor and capital expenses. Discriminant analysis was used to determine which variables discriminate the most between age groups. The top three variables in this discriminant analysis were the asset turnover ratio, the economic total expense ratio, and percent acres owned. The top three variables in the discriminant analysis involving groups one and four were the debt to asset ratio, asset turnover ratio, and net farm income.

One of the most critical issues facing government over the next decade will be filling management positions vacated by Baby Boomers. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to examine how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect job satisfaction among different age cohorts in the public workforce. The public workforce is comprised of Baby Boomers (born 1946- 1964), Generation X (born 1965- 1980) and Generation Y (born1981 to 1996). The theoretical framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. A random sample of 213 participants: Generation Y = 40, Generation X = 77, and Baby Boomers = 96, participated in an online SurveyMonkey government panel. The panel was composed of local, state, and federal employees. Participants answered the survey using the Career Goals Scale, the Job Satisfaction Scale, and a brief demographics scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as a measure of central tendency. Also, inferential statistics using Pearson product-moment correlations, simple linear regressions, and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to answer three central research questions. Results revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect job satisfaction. Also, results of the individual one-way ANOVAs did not indicate significant differences in intrinsic motivation or job satisfaction among the age cohorts. Finally, pairwise comparisons determined that there were significant differences in extrinsic motivation between Baby Boomers and Generation Y. The information for this study may inform human resource managers in the public sector, about factors that would affect benefit plan policy, and improve recruitment and retention of employees.

For as long as people have held opinions in the political realm, there has been research trying to decipher exactly what people think and believe as well as when they begin to hold these beliefs. This present study sorts the respondents studied into age cohorts and then follows them throughout the data. All of the data used in this study are from the National Election Study Data from 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. This study is a repeated cross-sectional study since different individuals are used throughout the study, and this study measures opinions only on the aggregate level. Sorting the respondents into age cohorts allows this study to track people of similar age as they respond to different life experiences as well as world events as they age. When appropriate, the data are compared to the main models of political socialization to determine how accurate these generally accepted models are. The items analyzed in this study vary greatly in subject as well as how specific they are. Everything from United States Presidential vote choices, opinions on affirmative action and federal welfare spending to political knowledge is analyzed to ascertain if these things interact with age, and if they do interact with age, to what extent. Besides observing opinions on these issues, certain issues will have their saliency measured throughout the years using the Somers' D statistic. This will help determine what issues people are thinking of when they are forming their ideology. The results from this paper show that some issues and beliefs, such as self-described ideology and political knowledge, are very strongly related to age. Other issues and beliefs in the political realm, such as strength of United States Presidential vote choice and opinions on federal welfare spending, seem to not be related to age or influenced heavily by period effects and other things besides age.