I investigate the effect of the change in call loan rates on stock returns during 1929. Call loan rates are the interest rates on borrowed funds to trade equity on a given exchange. It is estimated that 40% of stocks during this period were bought on margin. After a price decline comes a margin call, followed by a forced sales of securities, which leads to additional margin calls and future price declines. I regress daily excess returns on the change in daily call loan rates during 1929. In addition, I estimate volatility using an ARCH model and observe the previously understood negative relationship between volatility and stock prices. I find a statistically significant negative relationship between call loan rates and stock returns. Furthermore, I also find that changes in call loan rates are most influential on the manufacturing sector relative to the other 11 industries tested.

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Psicologia, Departamento de Processos Psicológicos Básicos, 2010. / Submitted by Jaqueline Ferreira de Souza (jaquefs.braz@gmail.com) on 2011-02-18T11:09:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_MoemaBrasilDias.pdf: 396951 bytes, checksum: d65b33c91c255f11d2f3a8f6f0cc71e9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Guimaraes Jacqueline(jacqueline.guimaraes@bce.unb.br) on 2011-02-28T18:32:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_MoemaBrasilDias.pdf: 396951 bytes, checksum: d65b33c91c255f11d2f3a8f6f0cc71e9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-02-28T18:32:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2010_MoemaBrasilDias.pdf: 396951 bytes, checksum: d65b33c91c255f11d2f3a8f6f0cc71e9 (MD5) / Novas tecnologias e diferentes meios de prestação de serviço estão mudando a experiência do consumidor, que passou a ter outras alternativas, além da loja física, para procurar/comprar um produto ou serviço, fazer reclamações, obter informações, dentre outros. Neste contexto de rápida evolução tecnológica, um crescente número de empresas tem incluído call centers como um meio de integrar funções de serviços e vendas para lidar com um grande número de consumidores, sendo que atualmente são os teleatendimentos que têm respondido pelo maior volume de contatos com a organização. O presente estudo tem como objetivo fazer uma análise funcional do comportamento de uso de call center elencando conseqüências reforçadoras e punitivas, classificadas em informativas e utilitárias, do ponto de vista do usuário, utilizando para tanto o arcabouço teórico da psicologia comportamental e seu modelo para estudo do comportamento do consumidor, o Behavioral Perspective Model – BPM. Para alcançar este objetivo foram desenvolvidos dois estudos. No Estudo 1 foram entrevistados 21 usuários de serviços de call center e, por meio da análise de conteúdo, identificados os atributos/características do serviço de call center que influenciam a avaliação que o consumidor faz desse tipo de serviço. Estes dados subsidiaram a elaboração de um questionário, respondido por 309 usuários (Estudo 2) e que teve como objetivo analisar como cada atributo identificado no Estudo 1 pode ser classificado de acordo com os eventos consequentes do BPM (reforço e punição, em suas funções utilitárias e informativas). Os dados foram analisados por meio de análises fatoriais, correlações de Pearson, ANOVAs e regressões. Os resultados, de forma geral, demonstraram a aplicabilidade e utilidade do modelo em um contexto ainda não estudado anteriormente, qual seja, serviços de call center. Assim, puderam ser identificados os eventos e ocorrências tipicamente encontrados em serviços de call center que funcionam como conseqüências reforçadoras ou punitivas para o comportamento do usuário, bem como aquelas que têm funções utilitárias, informativas ou ambas. Além disso, o trabalho respondeu à questão empírica sobre quais fatores influenciam a qualidade do atendimento de serviços de call center de uma maneira teoricamente consistente, seguindo um modelo teórico para identificar estes fatores. Deste modo, o BPM se mostrou útil para analisar o comportamento de consumo de serviços, tendo sido identificadas os quatro tipos de conseqüências nele previstas. Do ponto de vista gerencial, os resultados encontrados podem orientar algumas intervenções para melhorar o serviço prestado. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / New technologies and different ways of service delivery are changing the consumer’s experience. Nowadays, the consumer has several other alternatives, besides the store, to browse or purchase a product or a service; register complaints; obtain information; among others. In this context of fast technological changes, a growing number of companies have included call centers as a mode of integrating sales and service functions, to handle with a large number of consumers. As consequence, telemarketing has responded to the major volume of contacts with the organization. This study aims to analyze the consumer’s functional behavior while using call centers, in a ranking model that classified, at first, consequences of its use between reinforcing or punitive and, as a second step, between informative or utilitarian, according to consumer’s point of view. For this reason, this study is anchored by the theoretical framework of behavioral psychology and its model to study consumer behavior: the Behavioral Perspective Model - BPM. In order to achieve its objectives, this work has developed two studies. In the first one (Study 1), were interviewed 21 users of call center services. After that, through a content analysis methodology, they were identified the attributes / characteristics of call center services that influence the consumer’s assessment of them. These data have supported the development of a survey questionnaire (Study 2), answered by 309 users, that aimed to analyze how each attribute identified in Study 1 could be classified according to the category events of BPM (reinforcement or punishment consequences and informative or utilitarian functions). The collected data were analyzed using factor analysis, Pearson correlations, ANOVAs and regressions. The results, in general, demonstrated the applicability and usefulness of BPM model in an unreleased context, such as, call center services. Thus, they could be identified so the events as the occurrences, usually found in call center services, that act as reinforcing or punitive consequences, as well as, those who have utilitarian or informative functions. Furthermore, the empirical work responded to the question of what factors influence the quality of the call center services in a liable manner, by following a theoretical model to identify these factors. Finally, BPM has proved to be useful for analyzing the behavior of consumption services, since it has identified the four original types of consequences therein. From a management perspective, the results can guide some interventions to improve the service.

Este estudo aborda aspectos relacionados às relações de trabalho presentes nas empresas prestadoras de serviços de call center, sobretudo no que se refere à utilização de estratégias de flexibilidade laboral e aos perfis sócio-ocupacionais dos teleoperadores. Nos últimos anos, sobretudo após a privatização das telecomunicações, no Brasil, observa-se significativa expansão do mercado de call centers, sendo o mesmo principal responsável pelo crescimento da quantidade de empregos no setor de serviços. Realizou-se pesquisa empírica em três empresas de call centers, situadas na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, que operam em diferentes segmentos da atividade econômica. No que se refere aos call centers estudados, a análise dos dados relativos ao perfil sócio-ocupacional dos teleoperadores indica o predomínio de jovens e mulheres, com escolaridade equivalente ao ensino médio completo. A realização de treinamento para o exercício da função é uma norma. Atributos socialmente construídos, como habilidades pessoais e aspectos comportamentais são fundamentais tanto para a contratação, quanto para o desempenho da função de teleoperador. Constatou-se que as relações de trabalho nas empresas investigadas orientam-se, em alguma medida, por estratégias de flexibilidade laboral. Contudo, a efetivação de tais estratégias configura-se de maneira singular em cada uma das empresas investigadas. Na Empresa “Y”, que atua no ramo financeiro, a estratégia de flexibilidade laboral utilizada efetiva-se a partir de polivalência dos teleoperadores no interior de uma mesmo cliente Na Empresa “X”, que presta serviços para uma empresa distribuidora de energia elétrica, a estratégia de flexibilidade laboral utilizada seguiria a lógica da qualidade do atendimento prestado ao cliente. Já a Empresa “Z”, especializada em recuperação de crédito, seguiria a lógica da redução dos custos laborais para as atividades que necessitam de menor especialização. Em relação à posição do teleoperador no processo de trabalho informacional, constatou-se que somente na Empresa “X” seria possível afirmar que os teleoperadores estariam em posição de operadores, executando as tarefas sob iniciativa própria. Na Empresa “Z”, que possuiria o mercado de trabalho interno segmentado em dois níveis, sequer os trabalhadores centrais estariam em posição de operadores. Por fim, observou-se que as relações de trabalho presentes nas empresas investigadas seriam condicionadas sobretudo pelo perfil das empresas, no que se refere às peculiaridades do gerenciamento da força de trabalho, sobrepondo-se a fatores como natureza das operações (se ativas ou receptivas) e segmento de mercado atendido. / This study is centered upon the work relations in call-center companies, specially those concerning the strategies of work flexibility and the operators´ occupational and social profiles. Along the past few years, mainly following the privatizing of telecommunications in Brazil, a significant expansion of the call center market can be observed, which is also responsible for the growing number of job vacancies in the service sector. An empirical research was carried out in three different call-center companies located within the urban area of the city of Porto Alegre, all of them operating in different economic realms. As far as the call-center companies researched are concerned, the analysis of the occupational and social profiles of the operators points to a predominance in the number of young people and women, most of whom have coursed secondary education. As a rule, all of them undergo training courses. Other socially constructed features, such as personal skills and behavioral attitudes, are of central importance both for a successful job interview and for a good performance at work. It was confirmed that work flexibility strategies are basic in work relations within the researched companies. However, each company configures such strategies in a particular manner. In company "Y", which works within the financial realm, the work flexibility strategy is configured on the basis of the operators´ polyvalence within one same client. For the "X" company, which operates for an electric energy supplier, the quality of the assistance offered to the client rules the flexibility strategy. For company "Z", on the other hand, which is a specialist in credit recovery, reducing work costs for the activities demanding less specialization is the norm. As to the position of the operators in the process of the informational work, only those working for company "X" can be proved to be in operating positions, that is, developing their activities on the basis of self-motivation. In company "Z", whose internal work market is divided into two levels, not even the main workers can be said to occupy operational positions. Finally, the work relations observed in the three researched companies are conditioned mainly by the profile of the company, as far as the peculiarities of the work force management are concerned, which seems to be more relevant than the nature of the operations performed (whether active or passive) and the target market segment.

Class of 2012 Abstract / Specific Aims: To assess physician approval of the MTM services provided. Specifically, to compare cost saving, guideline adherence, and safety concern interventions. Methods: A retrospective analysis of pharmacist interventions was performed using the MMC database for 2008. Data were collected on the type of intervention and approval by physicians. Physician specialty was also collected from state medical boards. Descriptive statistics were used to generate frequencies of approvals. Chi-square tests were used to compare physician approval by intervention type. Main Results: Pharmacists initiated 1,563 interventions that were faxed to physicians for approval. Of these interventions, cost saving, guideline adherence, and safety concerns were 33.2, 58.3, and 8.5 percent, respectively. Interventions primarily targeted diabetes (38.6%), cardiovascular disease (28.8%), gastroesophageal reflux disease (13.1%), and respiratory disease (8.4%). Physician approval for cost saving, guideline adherence, and safety concerns were 58.0, 44.4, and 41.0 percent, respectively. Approval for cost saving was greater than guideline adherence (58.0% versus 41.0%, P<0.001) and safety concerns (58.0% versus 44.4%, P=0.005). Approval among primary care physicians (PCP) compared to specialty physicians was greater for both cost saving (60.6% versus 50.7%, P=0.046) and guideline adherence (43.2% versus 36.2%, P=0.045) interventions. Conclusions: Results of this investigation provide evidence that there are differences in the types of MTM interventions that physicians will approve. In an effort to improve patient outcomes, this finding suggests a potential to increase overall physician approval of pharmacist-initiated MTM interventions in the areas of guideline adherence and safety concerns. Results further suggest that lower approval by specialists compared to PCPs may call for alternative methods to better reach these providers.

The Master’s thesis analyses problems connected with purchasing and providing information by the means of telemarketing. On the basis of the obtained imperfections, this Master’s thesis includes the proposal of the process of communication by the means of the customer line, which ensures its more effective function.

Die Kommunikation mit den Kunden und insbesondere die Kundenberatung sind in Zeiten permanent hohen Drucks am Markt durch Mitbewerber wichtiges Marketinginstrument, mit dem die Kunden möglichst dauerhaft an das eigene Unternehmen gebunden werden können. Auslöser für die vorliegende Arbeit war die Idee zur Realisierung einer Kundenberatung mittels Videokonferenzsystemen im Jahr 2000 im Zusammenhang mit dem durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) geförderte Forschungsprojekt „intermobil Region Dresden“. Durch diese Implementierung sollten Internet-Informations- und Vertriebssysteme durch eine Funktion der Individualberatung ergänzt werden und damit ein persönliches Beratungsgespräch möglichst realitätsnah abbilden. Da im B2C-Bereich die Echtzeitberatung über das Internet eine bis jetzt weitgehend ungenutzte Beratungsform ist, obwohl die dafür notwendigen Technologien schon seit Jahren zur Verfügung stehen, verspricht eine wissenschaftliche Untersuchung dieses Gegenstandes neuen Erkenntnisgewinn und ist gleichzeitig wichtigste Motivation für diese Arbeit. Hauptziel und somit grundlegende wissenschaftliche Fragestellung ist es zu untersuchen, ob synchrone Videokommunikation ein geeignetes Echtzeit-Beratungsmittel für die Kundenberatung (in diesem Zusammenhang als Videoberatung bezeichnet) sein kann. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden über die Planung eines Video Call Centers und den damit verbundenen Modellbetrachtungen Einsatzszenarios für die Videoberatung entwickelt. In diese Entwicklung fließen die Ergebnisse aus der Einzelfallanalyse des implementierten Videoberatungssystems ein. Diese Ergebnisse werden auf Basis der durchgeführten Labor- und Feldforschung gewonnen. Die Wirksamkeit des analysierten Video Call Centers in Bezug auf die Kundenzufriedenheit wird abschließend durch eine Evaluation unterstrichen.

This work covers extension of the existing telemarketing software. Functions for creating user defined report were added to this software. The server side is based on the PostgreSQL 8.2 database server. The client side is implemented in language C# using Visual Studio 2005 as development environment.

There is currently a phenomenon of young people changing jobs in our country. This research looks at the reasons why mechanics leave the workshop environment to pursue a career as a technical advisor in the call centre. The technical advisors all make the transition at a particular stage in their lives and this will be looked at in terms of Super’s (1980) developmental theory, with a particular focus on the stage of establishment. The dissertation takes the reader on a journey through the lives of five technical advisors at a particular organisation, and compares and contrasts the two work environments and the quality of work life associated with both. The study will also focus on stress that they experience while making the transition from mechanic to technical advisor and how this impacts on their work and personal lives. The study was exploratory in nature and was investigated through the qualitative method of interviewing.

Male frogs typically call near water at dusk to attract females for breeding. During the breeding season, male treefrogs also emit diurnal "tree calls" or "rain calls" from the tops of trees. Very little is known about tree calls, although many treefrogs use them. Tree calls may be used to attract females, deter males or be triggered by weather conditions favorable for breeding: high temperature and relative humidity, and a drop in barometric pressure. As dusk approaches, male treefrogs continue tree calls from lower in the trees, and if conditions are favorable, jump to the ground and travel to a nearby breeding pond where they begin their repetitive nocturnal mating calls. The scant published information is mostly descriptive and does not address the fitness benefit of calling from treetops far from breeding ponds. My goal was to determine the function of tree calls based on their environmental, behavioral, and acoustic characteristics. My data indicate tree calls are not rain calls. Each treefrog species that I studied (Hyla femoralis, H. gratiosa, and H. squirella) called most frequently at different combinations of mean environmental characteristics (temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure). Hyla femoralis and H. gratiosa gave tree calls at ambient air temperatures that differed significantly from the distributions recorded when no treefrogs called. Temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure distributions of calling activity differed significantly among all three species and from the distributions recorded when no treefrogs called. Hyla squirella called most often at a significantly different mean relative humidity of 1015 mbar; whereas H. gratiosa and H. femoralis called at a median1017 mbar. Means and fluctuations (summarized as SD) of the three weather parameters explained significant variation in tree calling activity (32-60%). Tree calling activity for all three treefrog species were also not significantly affected by subsequent rain. These results indicate that tree calls were not given at random with respect to environmental conditions. My data suggest tree calls are advertisement calls that deter males from an area, as evidenced by partitioning of tree calls among species during the day. In a playback experiment conducted at Chuluota Wilderness Area, Florida (28o38.31'N 81o07.24'W) no significant effect on mating behavior was found for either call indicating that neither tree calls alone or in conjunction with mating calls are necessary for mating . However, due to habitat differences between treatments and a limited number of experimental replicates, further research is needed. Preliminary results indicate an additional four natural ponds should be sampled to determine a possible effect for tree calls. Acoustic analysis showed that tree calls had fewer pulses per call, more time between pulses within a single call, and a higher minimum call frequency than mating calls. Call duration and maximum call frequency of tree and mating calls did not differ significantly. My research has greatly increased the information known about tree calls. My results indicate tree calls are not only "rain calls," a common misperception about daytime tree calls. However, more research is needed to fully understand the function of tree calls.

No description available.