Background: The consulting industry’s growth has continuously outpaced the gen- eral economy, leading to more new entrants and increased intra-industry competition. Thus, competitive practices must be revised to ensure existing consultancies’ market position. Since customer loyalty is today’s most prominent success factor for con- sultancies, this is what to increase. Customer loyalty’s most influential factor is the competitive practice of customer intimacy, which in turn consists of subgroups. The investigated subgroups are employee and business specific traits. Objectives: This master thesis aims to uncover what direct and underlying factors of customer intimacy increase customer loyalty and how they compare to each other. Methods: This paper will take a quantitative approach by utilizing the concept of Structural Equation Modeling. Surveys will gather primary data for the model and consist of a questionnaire aiming to retrieve valid and reliable answers from people with experience working with consultants. Results: The results show that most direct factors used in customer intimacy have a positive influence on customer loyalty while the underlying factors thin out. Busi- ness specific traits showed to have a significant impact on customer intimacy while employee specific traits did not. Conclusions: This study concludes that direct and underlying factors of customer intimacy help consultancies improve their competitive practices to increase customer loyalty.

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Low enrollment and high attrition of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to be an issue for postsecondary institutions. Improvements in representation of women has been seen in some of the agricultural and biological sciences; however, in many of the more math intensive areas such as geosciences, engineering, mathematics/computer science, and physical sciences (GEMP), women continue to be underrepresented leading to underrepresentation in the workforce and further exacerbating gender gaps. Studies suggest the lack of representation is not due to a gap in math ability between men and women, yet underrepresentation remains predominantly within math intensive STEM areas, suggesting something like math self-efficacy (MSE) and math self-concept (MSC) may be impacting enrollment and retention. The research presented here investigates the link between enrollment in GEMP STEM and retention in STEM with the factors of MSE, MSC, and gender. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with Bayesian estimation is used incorporating additional factors from previous research. Study results indicated that MSE and male were both positive and significant indicators of enrollment in GEMP STEM and retention in STEM. MSC was not a significant indicator of retention in STEM but was shown to be significant for GEMP STEM enrollment; however, it was negatively associated with GEMP STEM when combined with MSE. Several program related factors were also shown to be significant indicators of GEMP STEM enrollment and STEM retention. This study highlights the importance of MSE and gender for enrollment and retention and should encourage future efforts towards improving MSE as a possible method of increasing representation of women in underrepresented areas of STEM.

The aim of this study is to contribute to the standardization of the new diagnostic tools assessing the motor manifestations of laterality in adults and children aged 8 to 10 years, both in terms of determining the theoretical concept and the selection of appropriate items, and the verification of structural hypotheses concerning the design of acceptable models, including the diagnostic quality of individual parts of the test battery. Moreover in this study we try to suggest new approach in assessing of motor laterality manifestation by means of relationship between cerebellar dominance and hand performance. The first part of this thesis deals with the concept of laterality, its manifestations and meaning in non-living systems and living organisms. As a human characteristic, laterality is manifested in a variety of functional and structural asymmetries. This part also discusses ways of diagnosing motor manifestations of laterality and the issue of cerebellar dominance, including its reflection in the form of asymmetry of the extinction physiological syndrome of upper limbs. The second part focuses on the process of the standardization study, the statistical method of structural equation modelling, and the actual design of test battery construction. The last part of this thesis presents the results...

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Exposure to more types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has been associated with a greater likelihood of general and sexual offending behaviors. However, few studies exist that consider both the impact of varied ACE exposures and community correlates on pathways to offending behaviors in adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors. The current study examined these pathways using data collected from archival records of male adolescents (N= 285) who had received treatment for sexually abusive behavior at a youth facility. Structural equation modeling revealed a three-factor model for ACEs, which included: nonsexual abuse and neglect; household dysfunction; and sexual abuse and more passive indicators of sexual boundary problems in the home of origin. Direction and significance of paths between ACEs and the onset, persistence, and nature of maladaptive behaviors differed. Household dysfunction was related to an earlier onset and more persistent nonsexual delinquent offending and contact sexual offending. Conversely, sexual abuse and exposure to sexual boundary problems were associated with an earlier onset of sexually abusive behavior as well as indicators of adolescent-onset, less persistent, and nonviolent delinquency. Nonsexual abuse and neglect were uniquely associated with contact sexual offending. Thus, these findings suggest variations in ACE exposures differentially influence the development, severity, and continuance of nonsexual delinquent and sexually abusive behaviors among these youths. Socioecological variables associated with participants’ counties of origin, including social and economic environment and percentage of rurality, were not retained as covariates due to producing a poor model fit for the data. Additional study with regard to the role of community characteristics on delinquent and sexual offending behaviors is warranted.

The Marriage Checkup (Cordova, Warren & Gee, 2001) was introduced as a brief intervention targeting couples at risk for severe marital distress. The purpose of this study was to examine married couples who participated in The Marriage Checkup for levels of individual and relational stress and severity of presenting problems recorded at intake. Differences were investigated between couples who, though initially requesting the brief Marriage Checkup, elected to continue with traditional marital therapy and couples who only participated in traditional marital therapy. The group means were compared using a structural equation model in order to account for the non-independence of distress within a relationship. Results showed that Marriage Checkup couples reported lower distress levels than couples who received traditional marital therapy even if they transitioned from the Marital Checkup into marital therapy. Additional analyses compared levels of distress and presenting problems for the two Marriage Checkup groups: couples who only completed the Marriage Checkup and couples who also transitioned into traditional marital therapy. Couples who only participated in the Marriage Checkup had lower levels of individual distress for husbands and lower levels of relational distress than did couples who participated in the Marriage Checkup and then transitioned into traditional marital therapy. Clinical implications are discussed.

Satisfaction is one of the most common dependent variables in the research of adult intimate relationships. Research has demonstrated that length of time married and sex of participants influence the characteristics of marriage, yet little research has been done to determine the characteristic changes in relationship satisfaction over time and across sexes. A review of theory and research suggests both the manners and specific items of satisfaction that vary between groups. RELATE data was used to uncover significant differences in the importance of specific items of marital satisfactions between groups based on relationship length, and between husbands and wives.

A child's parents are the primary source of knowledge and learned behaviors for developing children, and the benefits or repercussions of certain parental practices can be long lasting. Although parenting practices affect behavioral outcomes for children, families tend to be diverse in their circumstances and needs. Research attempting to ascertain cause and effect relationships between parental influences and child behavior can be difficult due to the complex nature of family dynamics and the intricacies of real life. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is an appropriate method for this research as it is able to account for the complicated nature of child-parent relationships. Both Frequentist and Bayesian methods are used to estimate the effect of latent parental behavior variables on child aggression and anxiety in order to allow for comparison and contrast between the two statistical paradigms in the context of structural equation modeling. Estimates produced from both methods prove to be comparable, but subtle differences do exist in those coefficients and in the conclusions to which a researcher would arrive. Although model estimates between the two paradigms generally agree, they diverge in the model selection process. The mother's behaviors are estimated to be the most influential on child aggression, while the influence of the father, socio-economic status, parental involvement, and the relationship quality of the couple also prove to be significant in predicting child aggression.

The purpose of this study was (a) to test a hypothesized model of motivation grounded in the Self-Determination Theory within the context of conceptual physical education (CPE), and (b) to explore the strength and directionality of perceived competence for physical activity as a possible mediator for health-related fitness knowledge and actual physical activity behaviors. Participants were 280 high school students who were at the end of a CPE course. Participants completed the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire–2, the Godin Leisure–Time Exercise Questionnaire, the Perceived Competence Scale, and a Health-Related Fitness Knowledge Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling analysis was used to explore the relationships between the variables of health-related fitness knowledge, perceived competence, motivation, and physical activity. The analysis resulted in a modified model that showed a relationship between perceived competence and physical activity, mediated by introjected and identified regulation. Implications and recommendations for physical education professionals are made.