This thesis is focused on the study of volunteering for seniors from the perspective of young volunteers. There is paid a significant attention in the theoretical and empirical parts to the motivations for involvement in volunteering. Obtained from respondents data imply benefits and complications described and grouped in the Research results part. Another area of research are relationships with volunteers' own grandparents; their influence on the decision to start volunteering and on the development of a relationship with the client. Key words Volunteering, youth, elderly, grandparents, motivations, benefits, complications

The purpose of this study was to better understand how consumers of fast fashion clothing with different shopping motivations consider sustainability during their purchase. The different shopping motivations are hedonic and utilitarian, which are respectively the emotion of shopping and the function of shopping. The main question for this research was “How do consumers of fast fashion clothing with different motivations (hedonic or utilitarian) consider sustainability during their purchase?” This qualitative research made use of 11 focus groups and a total of 44 participants to obtain in-depth data. The participants were divided into whether their main shopping motivation was hedonic, or utilitarian based on how they answered specific questions. The answers from both groups were compared with each other to find possible differences. When weighing the evidence and conclusions from the research, it appears relatively likely that there are no significant differences between consumers with a hedonic main shopping motivation and consumers with a utilitarian main shopping motivation. This leads to the conclusion of the main question, which is that there is no difference in how consumers of fast fashion clothing with different motivations consider sustainability during their purchase.

This study examines the determinants of private placement discounts and announcement effects on the Stockholm Stock Exchange between 2014 and 2022. The results show that private placement announcement effects are significantly positive, reinforcing the empirical support for the monitoring hypothesis and information hypotheses. Positive announcement effects reflect signals of certification from private equity investors that the firm is undervalued. Regression analysis suggests that information costs and some firm characteristics are important determinants for discounts on private placements. Private equity investors will demand larger discounts when information asymmetry is high, and cash flow restraints are more severe. Foreign investors require significantly smaller discounts on private placements, possibly implying that they commonly assume a passive rather than active role as shareholders. Firms’ stated motivations for private placements and the agreed discounts are significantly related to stock market reactions. Specifically, motivations relating to an investment in a new project or an acquisition are associated with significantly more positive announcement effects.

This Master’s Thesis establishes what motivates a group of Mississippi farmers to participate in sustainable agriculture instead of industrial agriculture. A database of sustainable farmers was constructed in collaboration with the Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi. This research project used social network analysis with 28 farmers and participant observation and semi-structured interviewing with a purposively selected sample of 14 farmers. This project also explores the sustainable agricultural practices of participants. A map of the social network of sustainable agriculturalists in Mississippi is presented and shows that some farmers are well connected, some moderately connected, and others are isolated. As well, grounded qualitative analysis of interviews identified 4 primary motivations among participants: economic, health, self-sufficiency and anti-government. Overall this project found that motivations are numerous, social networks are weak but growing, and diverse demographics are turning to a sustainable model for agriculture in Mississippi.

Esports, also known as electronic sports, is constantly growing in popularity, with top competitions attracting audiences comparable to traditional sports events. Prior research has focused on comparing esports with traditional sports. However, a handful of recent studies acknowledged crucial differences between esports and traditional sports, including that the majority of esports fans are also players.  This thesis aims to identify the motivations to spectate League of Legends (LoL) esports by its players. League of Legends is currently the most popular video game on the rapidly growing esports scene, with a player base of 180 million. LoL’s biggest annual tournament, World Championship, was spectated by more than 73 million peak viewers, placing it on top of the World’s Most Watched Esports Matches in 2021. To understand the general motivations to spectate LoL esports, this study adapted and utilized the previously established MSES (Motivation Scale of Esports Spectatorship) scale. The motivations were measured through an online survey that was distributed to online League of Legends communities. The sample included 338 self-identifying esports fans, who actively play League of Legends. The data were described using descriptive statistics and analyzed with the aid of the uses and gratifications theory and fandom theory.  The findings suggest that players’ main motivations to spectate LoL esports revolve around diversion and surveillance, with factors such as competitive nature, skill appreciation, dramatic nature, entertaining nature, game knowledge, competition excitement, and skill improvement being the most significant.  The current thesis presents a study on gratification-related factors of why League of Legends players spectate esports online. Moreover, the study measures a hitherto unstudied effect of virtual rewards on players' motivation. Finally, this thesis provides a more precise approach to motivations to spectate esports and contributes to the understanding of the unique relationship between playing and spectating an esports game.

At Northeast State Community College (NeSCC) nearly 70% of students need some form of financial aid to attend. State support is flattening or decreasing and the gap is filled by private donors' support (Northeast State Community College, 2011). Hundreds of donors have made significant contributions to aid in the education of those in the Northeast Tennessee region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the philanthropic motivations of a select group of 4 donors who have given a significant amount to a community college and to garner their specific reasons for doing so. This qualitative study included 4 interviews from current donors in the President's Trust at NeSCC who had contributed at least $10,000. I interviewed an alumni representative, a faculty member, an individual contributor, and a corporate representative to better understand their approaches and perspectives on giving to NeSCC. Through the interviews, I learned personal stories and motivations for giving. Some of their experiences can be linked to the servant leadership theory, transformational leadership, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Also, the participants had similarities in stating that it was rewarding to give back and they all agreed that something from childhood spawned their motivations for giving.

The purpose of this study was to determine if having a parent, a grandparent, or both a parent and grandparent who were educators was a contributing factor for teachers in not only choosing education but also remaining in the profession long term. I constructed a theoretical framework explaining the phenomenon. A review of the literature provided a basis for classifying motivations teachers have for entering the profession, possible reasons for leaving, satisfiers, and dissatisfiers. There were 18 participants in this grounded-theory research. The participants were identified using the snowball method. My study was conducted in a rural county in East Tennessee in 1 of 2 school systems present there. The analysis of the data presented several themes and subsequent findings. The impact of the participants' families was definitely present. Although many participants reported that their parents did not overtly encourage them to become teachers, having witnessed their parents as teachers seemed to have made their transition to teaching easier. Each of the participants had extremely positive childhood experiences with education. The participants also noted that being children of teachers made them more aware of the various types of responsibilities and activities that were required of teachers. The participants also noted that having children of their own made the schedules of teachers more appealing, as well as their intense desire to see children learn. I found through the research conducted with the participants of my study that their parents did not push or force them to become teachers; however, the experiences they had as children of teachers seemed to better prepare them for all of the duties, experiences, and expectations teachers face on a regular basis.

The demand for audiobooks is higher than ever--and increasing each year, surpassing the growth rate of electronic books, print books, and the US economy overall. Audiobooks have long been used to aid adolescent and struggling readers; however, recent studies have revealed that the majority of audiences consume audiobooks for the purpose of entertainment and relaxation. Despite this, much of the research available on audiobooks still applies to audiobooks as they are used in education. The purpose of this study was to understand the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of people who love listening to audiobooks. The study was conducted using Q methodology, a behavioral research approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods in order to measure audience perspectives. The results produced four factors: (a) Busy Bookworms, who listen because they do not have time to sit down and read; (b) Non-Readers, who enjoy audiobooks because they dislike reading physical books; (c) Experience Lovers, who listen so they can be immersed in a world of their own; and (d) Entertainment Seekers, who view audiobooks as a reward to motivate them to accomplish mundane daily tasks. The results of this study also revealed nuanced multitasking behaviors, as well as psychological gratifications for audiobook consumption.

Describing the Reading Motivation of Four Second-Grade Students with Varying Abilities Kathy White Department of Teacher Education Master of Arts The purpose of this study was to describe the differences and similarities among four second-grade students with different abilities and different motivations in the development of their reading attitudes and motivations. A multi-case study design was used to describe the literacy profiles of the participants. Data relating to participants' attitudes, motivations, and values for reading were collected for six weeks from conversational interviews, student observations, parent interviews, student histories, and interviews with previous teachers. Four major results were found in the areas of attitudes, motivations, and values. First, the results for attitudes showed high-ability students were confident readers who were motivated to take a leadership role in collaborating about reading. Students with low abilities had poorer reading self-efficacy, blamed others for not being able to read, thought they were unlucky in reading, and lacked the confidence needed to collaborate with others about their reading. Second, results for assessing motivation were unpredictable and varied from student to student. High- and- low- ability students were motivated by both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. A third result showed participants in the study whose families were more involved in supporting reading at home, regardless of the participants' reading abilities, had high self-esteem, had future goals for learning, and were more motivated to read than the student from the home without achievement related values. Fourth, reading motivation scales may not be accurate with early elementary students. Qualitative methods are a more accurate source of information about young children's motivations to read. Hoping to read, another aspect of motivation, is discussed.

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