The purpose of this study was to examine the trends, characteristics and the superintendent's perceptions in school districts with black superintendents. To accomplish this objective, seven hypothesis statements were used to examine nine variables related to financial and racial data in the selected districts. The population for this study consisted of 83 black superintendents, serving in school districts in 14 states. The participants were asked to provide biographical data and respond to a five-point rating scale that represented their perception on statements related to trends and characteristics in their districts. The demographic data was collected from the United States Census Bureau and the Joint Center for Political Studies. The two-section instrument used in the study was developed by the researcher. The first section collected biographical data used to establish the superintendent's profile. The second part of the instrument consisted of 30 Likert type statements used to establish the superintendents' perceptions. The profile data on the superintendents was analyzed using the statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) frequency distribution and cross-tabulation procedures. The demographic data was analyzed using SPSS frequency distribution, means, cross-tabulation and standard deviation. The Runs Test (at .05 significance level) was used to substantiate data randomness and to examine trends. The findings reveal definite trends and unique conditions in school districts with black superintendents. / Ed. D.

One hundred and twenty-two students at Virginia Tech who had completed teacher certification requirements in science and/or mathematics from 1980 to 1986 were surveyed to determine their current employment status, and if not currently teaching, then what reforms in the conditions of teaching might encourage them to return to or enter teaching. Opinions were solicited from three groups: current teachers, those who had left teaching, and those who had never taught. Data were reported in four categories: general demographics of all groups, importance of work satisfaction for all groups, modifications in the conditions of teaching necessary to entice those not currently teaching to return to or enter teaching, and opinions of current teachers on how to improve recruitment and retention of qualified science and mathematics teachers. It was determined that the general demographics of the individuals surveyed conformed to general descriptions of teachers in current literature with the exception that the parents of Virginia Tech graduates were more highly educated and tended to hold professional and semiprofessional positions in higher percentages. No significant differences were determined among current teachers, those who left teaching, and those who had never taught in regard to opinions of work satisfaction in teaching. Lack of administrative support, poor student discipline, and low salaries were factors involved with decisions not to teach. Others left teaching to raise a family. Improvements in working conditions that would encourage non-teachers to teach include improvement of student discipline, reduction of class size, removal of incompetent teachers, reduction of teacher isolation, reduction of stress, and the improvement of the physical environment. Almost 60% of individuals not currently teaching would teach if offered a suitable position. The majority of current teachers believe that raising teachers' salaries would be the most important improvement to increase recruitment and retention of teachers, however, beginning teachers' salaries compared favorably with those of individuals employed outside of education. Almost two out of three current teachers indicated they planned to leave teaching within five or more years. / Ed. D.

The lack of evidence on reforms, such as determinants of principal salary, points to data and research deficiencies to be addressed in order to learn more about their effects and make sound public policies. The purpose of the study was to examine district and community determinants of principals’ salaries using a spatial econometric framework. The findings have implications for education policy development related to pay for contribution, rather than pay based on tenure, experience, or district wealth. The quantitative study used a spatial regression approach to model school, district, and community factors as determinants of Texas high school principal’s salary. Principal salaries are viewed from several lenses in this study by considering effective outcomes of pay defined by actual salaries and market considerations for pay as defined by community, organizational and human capital variables. Literature from the private sector as well as from the public school setting was used as a theoretical underpinning for the hypotheses set forth in this study. The findings provide empirical insights regarding how principal salaries are determined. The study found a statistically significant spatial autocorrelation relationship at p<.05 confirming geographic locations is a robust influence on principal salaries. After controlling for the spatial autocorrelation the study also found experience, gender, district wealth, and campus size significantly influence principal salaries. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between principal salary and student achievement. .

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Accountants agree that nonqualified stock options are compensatory. However, only a limited amount of remuneration cost is recognized on the date that such options are granted; frequently, there is no recognition. Hence, the income numbers reported by grantor firms may be over-stated owing to such lack of recognition. In this regard, the objective of this study is to estimate the value of compensation implied in grants of stock options, and to present evidence pertaining to the materiality of the impact these estimates have on income from continuing operations of selected firms. The Black and Scholes option pricing model was selected to estimate the value of a stock option. This formula provides a probabilistic point estimate of the market value of a call option. A restrictive set of assumptions underlie the derivation of this formula, but empirical studies indicate that alterations of the model to accommodate violations of these assumptions fail to impart greater predictive ability. The standard Black and Scholes formula was used to estimate the compensation implied in grants of stock options during 1978 for a non-random sample of 171 firms. These estimates were adjusted for amounts related to such grants that had already been recorded. Since most firms granted options having exercise prices equal to the market prices of the optioned shares, such adjustments were infrequent. The resulting incremental compensation estimate was divided by income from continuing operations, giving an option compensation index for each enterprise in the sample. Assuming 10 percent, 5 percent, and 3 percent materiality thresholds, income from continuing operations is materially reduced for 16 percent, 31 percent, and 47 percent of the sampled firms, respectively. A statistical analysis suggests systematic association between the magnitude of the compensation index and the classification of the industry in which the enterprise operates. Other statistical tests indicate that estimates of compensation implied in grants of stock options are material for large firms in the manufacturing and retail sectors, and for small firms in the manufacturing, retail, and banking-finance sectors. These statistical results must be interpreted circumspectly owing to the non-random sample. Nevertheless, this evidence supports a re-examination of the accounting methods for stock options.

This study was conducted to determine what the relationship is between the employee compensation/benefit programs in Texas public school districts and the basic values and beliefs that are important to the success of the districts.

This study analyzed a random sample of thirty-six collective bargaining contracts between teachers and their respective boards of education in Wisconsin, New York, Tennessee, and California. The contracts were studied to assess the effect that collective bargaining has had upon the powers of principals over time. This was done by comparing each contract to a comprehensive list of traditional powers that were available to principals prior to collective bargaining (Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile of Principals). This analysis of contracts was a two-phase process. The first step was to identify whether or not the profile statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were referred to in each contract. The second step was to describe how the presence of references to these statements affected the Power Profile of Principals. The principal's power was reported as being affected in three ways: deleted, constrained, or authorized. The general conclusion of this study was that the effect of teacher collective bargaining upon the powers of principals has been marginal. The data from the analysis of the contracts revealed that the majority (66 percent) of the statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were not referred to in the collective bargaining contracts. The effects of the references to the statements that were identified were mixed. In the role areas of personnel management, pupil personnel management, and instructional leadership, the negotiation process authorized more power to principals than it deleted. In the role area of business and plant management, the principals' powers were deleted much more than authorized. This was due solely to the inclusion into the contracts of two items (i.e., the power to control building space and the power to control who may and may not enter the building). In the role area of community relations, the frequency of references was so small that the effects upon the power of principals were nonexistent.

Este trabalho usa a alocação discricionária de setores econômicos no regime tributário diferenciado criado pela desoneração da folha salarial para estimar o impacto de um incentivo fiscal e da mudança da base tributária da contribuição previdenciária dos salários para a receita bruta. Com base em um painel de setores econômicos observado na Relação Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS) entre 2009 e 2014, estima-se um \\textit{Event Study} usando os ramos econômicos onde apenas parte dos setores foram desonerados, enquanto outros setores similares mantiveram-se no regime antigo. Os resultados não encontram efeito da política para os salários, assim como para o nível de emprego dos setores desonerados em função de seus produtos (NCM). Para os desonerados por atividade econômica (CNAE), por outro lado, estima-se um efeito positivo de 7,5\\% da desoneração sobre o nível de emprego das empresas desoneradas (fora do SIMPLES), que é parcialmente compensado por uma diminuição do emprego dentro do SIMPLES. / This work uses the discretionary allocation of economic sectors in the new contribution regime created by the payroll tax relief to estimate the impact of a fiscal incentive and the substitution of the tax base of the social security contribution from payroll to gross revenues. I estimate an Event Study based on data from economic sectors observed between 2009 and 2014 in Relação Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS), using economic groups where only part of the integrating sectors have been shifted from their tax regime, leaving similar sectors with different contribution schemes. The results do not find any effect on salaries, as well as on the employment level of sectors allocated in the new regime based on their products (NCM). Sectors that received the payroll tax relief based on their economic activity (CNAE), however, show an increase of 7.5\\% on their employment level, which is partly offset by a decrease in the employment level of SIMPLES.

Metod: Den kvantitativa metoden bestod av en enkätundersökning med 20 standardiserade frågor som ställdes till studenterna i årskurs ett och två på Fastighetsmäklarprogrammet. Sammanlagt genererade enkäten 99 svar. Den kvalitativa delen av metoden bestod av öppna intervjufrågor som ställdes till fyra av de största mäklarkontoren.                     Resultat &amp; slutsats: Resultatet vi kom fram till är att studenternas kunskaper kring pensionssparande, semesterersättning, sjuklön och föräldrapenning för fastighetsmäklare var dåliga. De flesta var medvetna om att den vanligaste löneformen bland fastighetsmäklare är helt provisionsbaserad lön. Många hade förhållandevis bra inblick i vad en fastighetsmäklare tjänar i månaden om man jämför med statistiken som finns tillgänglig angående detta. När det gäller förmånerna anser vi att studenterna hade realistiska förväntningar kring dem. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Två förslag till vidare forskning skulle kunna vara: "Vad är det som gör att allt fler kvinnor väljer att utbilda sig till fastighetsmäklare?" eller "Hur balanserar kvinnliga fastighetsmäklare karriär kontra livet som småbarns-förälder?" Ett annat ämne att fördjupa sig inom är vilken betydelse anställningsvillkor har när studenterna söker jobb."Vilka förmåner och villkor är att föredra framför andra och detta har betydelse för de nyutexaminerade studenternas val av arbetsplats?" Uppsatsens bidrag: Uppsatsen kan upplysa och fungera som ett hjälpmedel till berörda grupper såsom utbildningsanordnare av fastighetsmäklarprogrammet, studenter och fastighetsmäklare som en yrkesgrupp. Under studietiden har funderingar dykt upp som kretsar kring lönevillkor, pension, föräldrapenning, sjukpenning och arbetsförmåner. Vi insåg att det är viktigt för oss att vi har bra inblick i reglerna och började fundera om de övriga studenterna på fastighets-mäklarutbildningen har bra kunskap i detta. Syftet med vår uppsats är att undersöka hur mycket mäklarstudenterna på Högskolan i Gävle vet om anställningsvillkor och förmåner inom fastighetsmäklaryrket. Om det finns tillräcklig/otillräcklig kunskap vill vi veta vad detta kan få för konsekvenser och för vilka. / Aim: During the period of studies it has emerged concerns revolving around holiday remuneration, pensions, parental leave, sick-pay and employment benefits. We realized that it was important for us that we have good knowledge of these rules and therefore we started to think about if the other students in real estate education have good insight into this. The aim of our study is to investigate how much real estate students at Högskolan in Gävle know about employment conditions and benefits. If there is insufficient / inadequate knowledge we want to know what this could have implications for and for whom. Method: The quantitative method consisted of a survey of 20 standardized questions asked of students in the grades one and two at the real estate program. In total the survey generated 99 responses. The qualitative method consisted of open interview questions posed to four of the largest real estate firms. Result &amp; Conclusions: The results of the study showed that students' knowledge of pensions, holiday remuneration, sick pay and maternity pay to real estate was scarce. Most were aware that the most common form of wages among estate agents is entirely commission based salary. Many had relatively good insight on what a real estate agent earn in a month. With regard to benefits, we think that the students had realistic expectations about them. Suggestions for future research: Two proposals for further research could be: "What is it that makes more and more women choose to become a real estate agent?" Or "How to balance the female estate career vs. life as a parent of young children?" Another subject that would also be interesting to deepen within is the importance of employment when students apply for jobs. "What employment benefits and working conditions are preferable to others and are they important for the student’s choice of work?" Contribution of the thesis: The essay can inform and serve as an aid to interested groups such as the persons responsible of the education at the real estate program, students and estate agents as a profession.

The first essay analyzes mutual funds proxy voting records on shareholder proposals. The results indicate that mutual funds support shareholder proposals and vote against management for proposals that are likely to increase shareholders wealth and rights, in firms with weaker external monitoring mechanisms, in firms with entrenched management, and when funds have longer investment horizon. Mutual funds mostly take management sides on executive compensation related proposals, when they have higher ownership concentration, and when they belong to bigger fund families. The results further indicate that there is a positive reputational effect for the funds undertaking a monitoring role. Moreover, mutual funds reduce holdings when they disapprove of managements policy, but before doing so they take on an activist role by supporting shareholder proposals. The second essay investigates institutional investors trading behavior of acquiring firm stocks surrounding merger activities. We label investment companies and independent investment advisors as active institutions and banks, nonbank trusts and insurance companies as passive institutions. We find active institutions increase holdings of acquiring firm stocks for mergers with higher wealth implications. However, active institutions overreact to stock mergers at the announcement, which they appear to correct at the resolution quarter of the merger. The trading behavior of passive institutions suggests that these institutions disregard the market response of merger announcement in trading acquiring firm stocks at the announcement quarter. The passive institutions gradually update their beliefs and trade on the basis of merger wealth effect at the resolution quarter. The third essay examines relation between executive compensation structure with the existing level and changes of takeover defense mechanisms of firms. According to managerial entrenchment hypothesis, higher managerial power from adoption of takeover defense mechanisms would lead to generating higher rents for executives. Efficient contracting hypothesis argue that higher anti-takeover provisions would contribute in achieving efficient contracting by deferring compensation into the future due to the low possibility of hostile takeover. The results support managerial entrenchment hypothesis with regard to existing level of takeover defense mechanisms. With regard to changes in anti-takeover provisions, the existing level of managerial power influence the future pay structure.