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I investigate the role of organizational form and ownership structure in corporate governance by examining CEO turnover decision in the property-casualty insurance industry. The likelihoods of turnover and non-routine turnover are significantly and negatively associated to firm performance, and the outside succession dominates when non-routine turnover occurs. Further, the firm's magnitude of turnover-performance sensitivity depends on its quality of the corporate governance mechanisms which are determined by organizational form and ownership structure. The sensitivity of non-routine turnover to firm performance is lower in mutuals than publicly held non-family firms. Non-family-member CEOs in publicly listed family firms have the highest likelihoods of turnover and performance-turnover sensitivity among all types of companies. Manager-owned stock insurance companies have the lowest turnover rate and sensitivity of non-routine turnover to firm performance. Also incoming successors mainly come from the controlling family no matter what the turnover type is. / Business Administration/Risk Management and Insurance

The Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) and an Individual Data Form were used to determine the turnover intentions of rehabilitation counselors based on an interactive model of stress, strain, and coping. Occupational stress, strain, coping resources, and turnover intentions were examined in relationship with various demographic variables collected from a national sample of 982 members of the American Rehabilitation Counselors Association (ARCA). Demographic variables included age, gender, ethnicity, certification status as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), years of experience, practice setting, the number of clients on a counselor's caseload, and the amount of hours worked per week. Data were collected through a mail survey, with a response rate of 67% (N = 657). However, of those respondents only 22% (N=145) had complete data and met the inclusion criteria. Inclusion criterion consisted of considering oneself to be employed full-time as a practicing rehabilitation counselor. Based on the usable data (N=145), respondents were on average 44 years old and Caucasian, with 63% being female. Over half of the respondents were certified as rehabilitation counselors, with an average number of nine years of certification. The average number of years of experience as a rehabilitation counselor was approximately ten and respondents worked an average of 45 hours per week with an average caseload size of 88 clients. Path analysis was used to analyze causal relationships among turnover related variables. The hypothesized model included age, experience, number of clients on a caseload, occupational stress, strain, coping resources, and turnover intention. The tested model explained 37.5% of the variance in turnover intentions. The results suggest that the turnover intentions of rehabilitation counselors is meaningfully accounted for by variables contained in the model. Occupational stress produced the largest significant effect (B=.404) and had the most influence on turnover intentions. This indicates that it is occupational stress inherent in the job functions of rehabilitation counselors, and not individual coping resources or demographic variables that account for turnover in the field of rehabilitation. Therefore rehabilitation agencies should examine the roles that they place rehabilitation counselors in versus the individual characteristics of rehabilitation counselors in order to reduce turnover in the field. / Ph. D.

Facility management (FM) is a profession that deals with diverse types of information and requires multiple specific types of knowledge and skills. The technology of facility information management develops slowly, compared to the fast-changing building and construction technologies. With its popularity in facility design and construction, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is promising to reform the information and communication needs of facility managers. Yet there are still a lot of untapped potentials in using BIM during a facility's post-construction phases. The purpose of this study is to develop insights on the possible ways to improve facility information management with BIM from the real world examples and from literature. To start with, two case studies are conducted to get a better understanding of the current practice of facility information management. One is on the dynamic flow of information from the owner's perspective. The other is on the delivery of facility information to the owner from the contractor's perspective. The two case studies provide a close and holistic look at the real world of FM, which facilitates the interpretation of literature in the next stage. A comprehensive literature overview is conducted on the application of BIM in FM. The overview covers the benefits and obstacles of BIM application, various types of FM information, and technologies that enable more functions to manage FM information. / Master of Science / After the completion of building construction, the contractors will turn over the building to the owner for his occupancy and use, also called facility management (FM). Along with the building, the information related to the building is also handed over to the owner to support their operation and maintenance of the building, like the manuals that go with a product. This facility information encompasses multiple disciplines regarding the building. The management of this building information is difficult without the support of information technology. Building information modeling (BIM) is a promising technology for information management that intuitively links information to 3D objects. It is already popularly adopted in design and construction, but its continued support for building owners on information management is still at the exploratory stage. The purpose of this study is to develop insights on the possible ways to improve facility information management with BIM to support owners as they operate and maintain the building. To start with, two case studies are conducted to get a better understanding of the current practice of facility information management. One is on the dynamic flow of information from the owner’s perspective. The other is on the delivery of facility information to the owner from the contractor’s perspective. The two case studies provide a close and holistic look at the real world of FM, which facilitates the interpretation of literature in the next stage. A comprehensive literature overview is conducted on the application of BIM in FM. The overview covers the benefits and obstacles of BIM application, various types of FM information, and technologies that enable more functions to manage FM information.

A marker model of fecal kinetics using chromic oxide (Cr) or ytterbium chloride (Yb) is being developed for grazing horses. The model consists of removal of feces at a constant rate from a single compartment, the prefecal mass. It was tested in experiments on stall-fed horses in the context of digestion balance trials. Following the preliminary work of Holland et al., (1998), three improvements in experimental design were tested. First, the rate constants were determined from both the administration and post-administration curve of the one-compartment model. Second, markers were administered three times a day to reduce diurnal variation in fecal marker concentration. Third, yttrium (Y) and Yb were tested were tested as internal markers, for the estimation of digestibility of hay and supplements, respectively. Eight horses were fed Diet 1 (orchardgrass/alfalfa mixed, OG) or Diet 2 (tall fescue/alfalfa mixed, TF) in Exp.1, and Diet 3 (OG plus fat-and-fiber supplement, OGFF) or Diet 4 (OG plus sugar-and-starch supplement, OGSS) in Exp.2. Balance-marker experiments were conducted for 17 and 20 d, with 7 and 10 d of dietary accommodation in Exp.1 and 2, respectively. Chromic oxide and Yb were administered orally and fecal samples were collected every 8 h for 8 d. Dry matter, Cr, Yb and Y were measured in feeds and feces. In balance experiments, estimates of DMD (D_E) using Y, were determined precisely (SE 1 to 3 %) for hay and hay and supplement diets. Linear relationships, correlations and calibration curves were determined, validating Y as a marker. Mean daily fecal Cr data (C_t) at time t (days) including a delay (d) were fitted to a single exponential, with one rate constant (k), rising to an asymptote (C_a): C_t = C_a - C_a·e^-k(t-d) Diets 1 and 2 had two sets of C_tdata, total collection (a) and fecal grab data (b), and each set was used in model development. Diets 3 and 4 had two sets of C_t data (both using fecal grab data), Cr marker dilution (3Cr and 4Cr) and Yb marker dilution (3Yb and 4Yb). For pooled data, delays of 3 to 6 h (Diets 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b) and delays of 5 to 7 h (Diets 3Cr, 4Cr, 3Yb and 4Yb) gave best fits (highest estimates of R²). The delays introduced to the Cr model for both 3Cr and 4Cr diets did not correspond to the preliminary study (Holland et al., 1998), where a 2 h delay gave the best fit in the model for horses fed hay and supplement. The present estimates may more realistically relate to mouth-to-cecum transport times, because the marker was administered three times a day instead of once, and the initial part of the tracer curve was more precisely defined. The results showed that fecal Cr kinetics could be calibrated precisely (SE 1 to 3 %) to predict fecal DM output of horses fed Diets 1b, 2b, 3a but not 4a. Similarly, fecal Yb kinetics could be calibrated to predict fecal DM output of horses fed Diet 3b but not 4b. The rate constants yielded turnover times (TT) that were longer with hay and supplement diets, than with hay alone, and which contrast with previous findings in the horse. However, the longer TT were similar to slower rates of marker excretion in sheep fed concentrates instead of all-roughage diets, suggesting that the lower fiber content retarded the rate of propulsion of digesta through the digestive tract. For two of the eight models of fecal kinetics, the rate constants of the post-administration curve were not well determined by the data, and rate constants from the administration curve were used. In future experiments, more frequent fecal sample collection during the post-administration period may improve rate constant determination. Improvements in diurnal variation of fecal marker concentration were obtained by dosing three times a day. But discrepancies between Cr and Yb concentration means of diurnal samples and combined samples showed incomplete mixing, the major source of tracer error. Therefore more frequent marker administration and fecal samples should be tested in future experiments to achieve more thorough mixing in the prefecal mass for modeling fecal kinetics, and in the small intestine for estimating digestibility. / Master of Science

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This dissertation explores the impact of special education teacher (SET) turnover on general education teachers (GETs) in K – 12 schools. Students with disabilities are increasingly placed in general education settings, where collaboration with SETs is critical. However, high SET turnover rates threaten this partnership. This mixed methods study investigates the relationship between SET and GET turnover and its impact on GET experiences. Findings reveal a positive association, particularly when GETs have more students with disabilities. Additionally, qualitative data suggests SET co-teacher turnover disrupts collaboration and creates challenges for GETs in the following year. To improve outcomes for students with disabilities, the study calls for increased support for teachers and stronger collaboration between special and general education teachers. These findings can inform policies and school-based strategies to improve teacher retention and collaboration, ultimately benefiting students with disabilities.