Universiẗat, Diss. u.d.T.: Ammann, Kai: Kapitalmarktdeduzierte Kreditrisikobepreisung in der Einzelgeschäftskalkulation durch das Mapping von Ratingskalen--Göttingen, 2006. / Literaturverz.: S. 293-330.

This research investigates the effectiveness of computerized adaptive rating scales (CARS) in comparison to the relatively more common behavioral anchored ratings scales (BARS) format. The current study sought to extend the body of psychometric research of CARS while investigating its potential for use in the employment interview. Using 43 videotaped interviews and supervisor job performance ratings, and constructing a new task-performance based CARS, it was hypothesized that employment interview ratings produced using the CARS format would yield significantly higher predictive validity coefficients than those produced by the BARS format. Results showed that while interview ratings produced in the CARS format were predictive of supervisor job performance ratings, they were not significantly higher than ratings in the BARS format. Academic and applied implications are discussed.

In Shanghai, the government requires the public schools to conduct schoolbased teacher appraisal for the use of improving teacher development and school development. In Hong Kong, according to the Education Commission Report No.7, aided schools have to establish self-management and conduct teacher appraisal annually for strengthening teacher development and school development, which is as same as in Shanghai. However, since the different education systems and culture backgrounds exist in these two areas, there must be differences of the teacher appraisal systems the schools conduct between Hong Kong and Shanghai. The study will be taken place in two secondary schools in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively. It focuses on the comparison of the teacher appraisal systems at school, including the appraisal contents, appraisal methods, teachers’ perspectives and effectiveness corresponding. In this study, the current teacher appraisal systems that two schools have will be introduced for comparison. In addition, through the comparative study, I intend to figure out the importance and necessity of teacher appraisal to be carried out at school, to investigate if it is beneficial for the teacher development and school development, to see if it is possible to be refined for the two appraisal systems depending on comparing between each other. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

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M. Tech. Business Administration / Study of available literature has revealed that performance appraisal is often very subjective. A general concern regarding the implementation of performance appraisal by line managers is that there is a serious lack of required expertise and knowledge to decide on the performance appraisal criteria accurately. Studies on perceived fairness or organisational justice have shown that these factors strongly affect the attitude of employees, for example: job satisfaction; turnover intentions; organisational commitment; and workplace behaviour, such as absenteeism and organisational citizenship behaviour. As such, this study assessed the perceptions of employees within the Department of Labour Head Office on performance appraisal. The intention was to identify gaps in the current appraisal system and to propose strategies that can be employed in order to maximise and harmonise performance appraisal in the Department of Labour Head Office.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This dissertation consists of three essays linking the business models of rating agencies to the rating decisions these agencies make as market intermediaries between buyers and sellers. The first study examines the link between a rating agency‟s primary revenue source and its rating decisions. Theoretically, rating payments could influence rating agency decisions or be counterbalanced by reputational rewards for rating accuracy. I explore this relationship in U.S. corporate credit ratings, where some agencies are primarily paid by bond issuers (sellers) and others by investors (buyers). Analysis of a balanced panel of 338 companies rated between 2005 and 2009 reveals that agencies produce differing ratings consistent with the preferences of their paying customers. Changes in buyer-paid ratings are more frequent and generally precede corresponding seller-paid rating changes. Seller-paid ratings are slower to incorporate negative information, particularly for rated firms in the financial services sector and firms with ratings above a critical grading cutoff. The second study complements the first by estimating the gap between the rating information disclosed by sellers and the information sought by buyers, again using evidence from U.S. corporate credit ratings. While seller willingness to pay for an additional rating is highly concentrated among a subset of relatively high-quality firms, buyers demonstrate more uniform interest in additional ratings for firms at all quality levels. This finding highlights an information gap among high-risk firms that is not a major focus of existing regulation. The third study focuses on rating decisions by government rating agencies, an alternative rating model to those examined in the first two studies. The empirical setting is Canadian film classification where the existence of multiple regional regulators has been justified by claims of variation in community standards. I find significant and increasing consistency in the regulatory decisions of these agencies, suggesting institutional isomorphism that brings into question the persistence of the parallel regional structure. Overall, these studies provide new empirical insight into the relevance of rating agency heterogeneity to firm strategy and policy. The findings may also be relevant to a variety of other settings involving information disclosure such as environmental impact and corporate social responsibility.

This dissertation consists of three essays linking the business models of rating agencies to the rating decisions these agencies make as market intermediaries between buyers and sellers. The first study examines the link between a rating agency‟s primary revenue source and its rating decisions. Theoretically, rating payments could influence rating agency decisions or be counterbalanced by reputational rewards for rating accuracy. I explore this relationship in U.S. corporate credit ratings, where some agencies are primarily paid by bond issuers (sellers) and others by investors (buyers). Analysis of a balanced panel of 338 companies rated between 2005 and 2009 reveals that agencies produce differing ratings consistent with the preferences of their paying customers. Changes in buyer-paid ratings are more frequent and generally precede corresponding seller-paid rating changes. Seller-paid ratings are slower to incorporate negative information, particularly for rated firms in the financial services sector and firms with ratings above a critical grading cutoff. The second study complements the first by estimating the gap between the rating information disclosed by sellers and the information sought by buyers, again using evidence from U.S. corporate credit ratings. While seller willingness to pay for an additional rating is highly concentrated among a subset of relatively high-quality firms, buyers demonstrate more uniform interest in additional ratings for firms at all quality levels. This finding highlights an information gap among high-risk firms that is not a major focus of existing regulation. The third study focuses on rating decisions by government rating agencies, an alternative rating model to those examined in the first two studies. The empirical setting is Canadian film classification where the existence of multiple regional regulators has been justified by claims of variation in community standards. I find significant and increasing consistency in the regulatory decisions of these agencies, suggesting institutional isomorphism that brings into question the persistence of the parallel regional structure. Overall, these studies provide new empirical insight into the relevance of rating agency heterogeneity to firm strategy and policy. The findings may also be relevant to a variety of other settings involving information disclosure such as environmental impact and corporate social responsibility.