Class of 2006 Abstract / Objectives: To investigate the types of information and resources either used or required for the management of products in the pipeline as perceived by decision-makers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical (B&P) industries. More specifically, the objectives are to ascertain the strategic use of pharmacoeconomic (PE), financial, and decision- making tools and financing requirements amongst pipeline candidates. Methods: A study-specific survey instrument was used for the project. In detail, this survey is based upon the use of financial, PE, and decision-making tools for drug product development. Approximately 396 B&P firms were surveyed via postal mail, wherein the primary contact was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). If the CFO was not listed on the firm’s website, the survey will be addressed to the Business and Development Officer (BDO) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The companies’ information will be identified by use of publicly-available databases. A modified form of a total survey design will be used for the postal mailings, including one initial mailing with a cover letter and survey, a follow-up reminder postcard, a second cover letter and survey for non-responders, and a final follow-up reminder postcard then after. Results: Survey instruments were completed by 20 firms, with 5 of them from public firms and 15 from the private sector. Capital and regulatory requirements and investor expectations are the most important factors considered during early and late phase clinical trials. Net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) are the most commonly used financial analytic tools used for making research and development (R&D) decisions. PE are reported to be first used during all clinical phases prior to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and most drug candidates undergo formal PE evaluations. PE is also used in various areas of R&D and marketing components, such as licensing and go/no-go decisions. Capital/securities markets and venture capital (VC) are the primary sources of capital used in the development of a new drug. VC is important during all phases of R&D and numerous VC firms get involved. B&P firms disagree that VC companies should be involved with the managerial roles of the firm. Conclusions: It has been determined that the strategic use of PE, financial and decision-making tools, and capital requirements amongst pipeline candidates are important during all phases of R&D.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the reasons for attrition of doctoral candidates in the College of Human Resources and Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Graduate students granted candidacy status have fulfilled the following requirements: successful completion of course work, successful completion of the written and oral preliminary examinations, and completion of the residency requirement. The population for this study was students, identified by the Office of Graduate Studies, who attained doctoral candidacy between 1983-1992. During this period, 94 students out of 354 attaining candidacy did not complete the degree. From the 94 students identified, 55 students were eliminated by the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty for one of the following reasons: the student is presently working on dissertation with faculty member, the student was advised not to continue after preliminary examination, or the student was not in the EDAD program, thus leaving 39 candidates. By limiting the study to doctoral candidates who have not completed the degree, it is possible to focus on the experiences of candidates who most likely will not obtain a doctorate. The focus of this study was to develop a picture of how the doctoral degree attrition evolves over time. This was to be accomplished by allowing candidates the opportunity to expound on the doctoral degree experience in a semistructured interview setting. Responses from semistructured interviews were analyzed in order to reconstruct the experiences of those candidates who did not complete the degree and also to determine which barriers were dominant in the process. Results of the interviews were analyzed first for differences between candidates' opinions in general, and then to identify factors that each candidate perceived had promoted, had no effect on, or had impeded degree completion. Also, factors that most affect the decision not to complete the doctoral degree as ranked by the candidates were analyzed. Candidate responses revealed that time and financial management along with professional obligations and personal reasons were the most significant factors in degree non-completion. A secondary factor was that of financial concern and inability of how to obtain information and resources to address this concern. Findings of this study permitted the researcher to identify several factors affecting doctoral degree completion at one institution; the next step might be to operationalize these factors by describing the patterns of attrition, desegregating attrition by the stages of study, and identifying connections between the levels of attrition at various levels. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to explore what teacher candidates (n=156) believe will be their primary assessment purposes, summative assessment practices, and assessment formats in their classrooms, their values and beliefs surrounding assessment, and what contextual factors influence teacher candidates’ assessment beliefs and practices. The results are placed in the context of previous research into the assessment practice of teachers and compared to the recommended assessment practices identified in research and what the Ministry of Education of Ontario expects its teachers to do through its assessment document, Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). The survey instrument used in the study was composed of questions original to this research in combination with a revised version of the instrument used by McMillan (2001) and Duncan and Noonan (2007). Teacher candidates were divided into different groups based on their grade level, academic level, subject area, and B. Ed program (concurrent, or consecutive). Descriptive statistics were generated for each question by group and overall. A Principal Components Analysis was used to reduce the 35 items in the summative assessment practices section into 5 scales for ease of interpretation. Inferential statistics (paired samples t-tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to determine if there were statistically significant differences between groups. The results of my research indicate that the teacher candidates report having values and beliefs supportive of the orientation towards assessments reported in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). Teacher candidates’ responses regarding purpose and format were also in alignment with practices supported in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). In contrast, teacher candidates’ uses of non-academic criteria in making assessment decisions were not in line with recommendations found in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). Only two statistically significant differences were noted between groups: Grades 7 and 8 teacher candidates reported using constructed response items more frequently than Grades 11 and 12 teacher candidates in their summative assessment practices; and concurrent education program teacher candidates reported their coursework as being less of an influence on their future practice than their consecutive education program peers. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-01 11:48:19.26

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Aug. 1, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 130-137).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-160). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-160). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (B.A.) Summa Cum Laude --Butler University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-85).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 12, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University, Dept. of Political Science.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 20, 2009). Thesis advisor: Greeley Kyle. Includes bibliographical references.