This study was conducted to determine what the most frequently used methods were in obtaining corporate sponsors for athletic departments. A questionnaire was sent to all NCAA division Iâ A independent colleges (N = 24) in the United States. Twenty-one athletic departments returned the questionnaire for a response rate of 88%. The questionnaire investigated several areas of corporate sponsorship programs in the athletic departments: (a) staff size, (b) types of solicitation used to attract corporate sponsors (c) the athletic department's association with corporate sponsor, (d) the location of corporate sponsor, and (e) the benefits received by both corporate sponsor and the athletic department. Two important findings were made because of the study. First, 80% of the corporate sponsors used were either vendors or sponsors who employed alumni. Seventy-four percent of the corporate sponsors were located between zero and one hundred and fifty miles from the university. / Master of Science

Conditionality refers to the program policies required by international institutions, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), in order for countries to be eligible to receive access to resources provided by such institutions. In the case of the IMF these resources are available in the form of loans. The proper role of conditionality as a component of the Fund's financial arrangements with developing nations has been a topic of debate in both the political science and economic fields of study. On the political science side the argument has centered on whether or not austere and structural conditionality can in effect cause political dissent in the developing nations, and whether or not the process of conditionality violates the sovereign rights of nations. In this research study three Latin American countries (Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica) were utilized as case studies to try and determine whether or not their was a casual link between the implementation of IMF conditionality and instances of political dissent manifested as protests, riots, and strikes. Evidence of political dissent directly related to the implementation of IMF conditionality was found in all three case studies at varying levels. The instances of political dissent were then analyzed individually and as a group to try and determine specific cause, group dynamics, and the economic context in which they took place. The study concluded that as practiced in the 1990s and early 2000s conditionality can interfere with the democratic process in developing nations. / Master of Arts

Yes / Few whole-school physical activity programmes integrate implementation science frameworks within the design, delivery, and evaluation. As a result, knowledge of the key factors that support implementation at scale is lacking. The Creating Active Schools (CAS) programme was co-designed and is underpinned by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The study aims to understand the initial impact and implementation of CAS in Bradford over 9 months using McKay's et al.'s (2019) implementation evaluation roadmap. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with school staff (n = 30, schools = 25), CAS Champions (n = 9), and the CAS strategic lead (n = 1). Qualitative data were analysed both inductively and deductively. The deductive analysis involved coding data into a priori themes based on McKay et al's implementation evaluation roadmap, using a codebook approach to thematic analysis. The inductive analysis included producing initial codes and reviewing themes before finalising. Identified themes aligned into three categories: (i) key ingredients for successful adoption and implementation of CAS, (ii) CAS implementation: challenges and solutions, and (iv) the perceived effectiveness of CAS at the school level. This included the willingness of schools to adopt and implement whole-school approaches when they are perceived as high quality and aligned with current school values. The programme implementation processes were seen as supportive; schools identified and valued the step-change approach to implementing CAS long-term. Formal and informal communities of practice provided "safe spaces" for cross-school support. Conversely, challenges persisted with gaining broader reach within schools, school staff's self-competence and shifting school culture around physical activity. This resulted in varied uptake between and within schools. This study provides novel insights into the implementation of CAS, with outcomes aligning to the adoption, reach, and sustainability. Successful implementation of CAS was underpinned by determinants including acceptability, intervention complexity, school culture and school stakeholders' perceived self-efficacy. The combination of McKay's evaluation roadmap and CFIR establishes a rigorous approach for evaluating activity promotion programmes underpinned by behavioural and implementation science. Resultantly this study offers originality and progression in understanding the implementation and effectiveness of whole-school approaches to physical activity. / Higher Education Innovation Fund (UKRI), Sport England’s Local Delivery Pilot in Bradford, Bradford District Metropolitan Council via the Living Well Programme / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Jun 2023.

Throughout the International Monetary Fund's history it has been criticized for failing to address the negative impact its adjustment programs have on the poor in borrowing countries. This study examines the Fund's declared intention and actions regarding the construction of a social safety net in Indonesia from October 1997 until May 1998. A historical narrative using Constructivism as a theoretical framework is used to explain the relationship between the IMF, Suharto and the effect their interaction had on social safety net construction. This historical perspective reveals that rather than working towards building a social safety net, the Fund's main priority was the decentralization of Indonesian political and economic structures. / Master of Arts

The Farm Aid benefit concert in September of 1985 was one member of a long list of such philanthropic events. It proved itself unique, however, in a number of ways. Most notably, the concert failed to reach the goals which its organizers had set, unlike most of the other benefits of the same decade. This study attempted to explain the failure of the event.Chapter One is an introduction which helps to justify the study, review existing literature on the subject, and preview the method used within the analysis. Chapter Two includes a general history of benefit concerts, helping to explain the evolution of such persuasive events.Concerts such as the early work of Harry Chapin, the Concert for Bangladesh, Concerts for Kampuchea, and others are discussed. The contemporary trend of successful benefits including the Band Aid, USA for Africa, and Live Aid efforts are also considered, helping to establish the context in which Farm Aid occurred.Next, an explanation of the situation facing American farmers in 1985 is provided, establishing the need for the concert.Chapter Three is an evaluation of the fantasy themes presented to the American public by the media. By chronologically examing the changes in the characters, plots, and settings set forth by the media, certain general themes can be identified.These themes glorified the effort and its participants, conjuring high expectations in the minds of many Americans.Those expectations could not be met, however, guaranteeing failure for the event.Chapter Four draws conclusions about the weaknesses of Farm Aid. By examining the timing of the concert, its focus, and the persuasive appeals used by its participants, the study reveals that Farm Aid's failure was the result of a combination of different factors. First, the organizers had left themselves very little time to plan the event.Also, many Americans were suffering from boredom with the notion of the benefit concert after the highly successful events which preceded Farm Aid. The ideas expressed within the concert were not focused in a unified manner. Different participants presented differing appeals for action, making the public's role in the event unclear.Finally, the appeals which were presented were not well planned, preventing them from adequately moving the public. In general, the media had created a picture in the minds of the public that could not be fulfilled, especially not with the weak attempts of the concert's participants.

Bakgrund: Färre kvinnor än män, inom finansbranschen, söker sig till fondförvaltning och yrket är således överrepresenterat av män. Studier visar på att det föreligger en skillnad i risktagande och förvaltarstil mellan kvinnor och män på professionell nivå. Vidare antyder dock empirisk forskning att skillnaderna minskar i takt med erfarenhet och att det således även föreligger en skillnad i risktagande mellan kvinnor inom fondförvaltning och kvinnor i allmänhet. Generellt sett är kvinnor i allmänhet mer riskaversiva än män. Detta tyder på att kvinnor inom fondförvaltning är en utmärkande grupp, vilket motiverar ytterligare undersökning. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka kvinnliga fondförvaltares erfarenheter kring och syn på skillnader och orsaker till skillnader mellan kvinnors och mäns risktagande på både generell och professionell nivå. Vidare ämnar studien att analysera och jämföra den eget insamlade empirin gentemot den empiriska forskningslitteraturen om kvinnligt och manligt risktagande och förvaltarstil i syfte att kunna föreslå nya hypoteser kring vad som styr kvinnligt professionellt risktagande. Genomförande: Studien utfördes genom ett kvalitativt metodval, i form av personliga intervjuer. Sammanlagt hölls 8 intervjuer med kvinnliga fondförvaltare. Urvalet skedde utifrån en egen kartläggning av kvinnliga fondförvaltare, med säte i Sverige, med sammanställd information om deras förvaltade fonder. Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis har studien genererat ett antal hypoteser. En första hypotes är att vana och erfarenhet påverkar risktagande och beslutsprocessen då användandet av system 1 ökar. En andra hypotes är att forskning ger en felaktig bild av verkligheten då denna inte tar hänsyn till snedfördelningen i branschen eller förvaltarens mandat. På generell nivå genererades en hypotes att skillnader i risktagande och omsättning inte beror på genus utan snarare grundas i intresse. / Background: Fewer women than men, within finance, work as a fund manager and the profession is therefore overrepresented by men. Studies show the existence of differences in risk and management style between women and men on a professional level. However indicates empirical studies that these differences reduce when the professional experience grows and that there also is a difference in risk-taking between women in fund management and women in general. Generally are women more risk aversive than men. This indicates that women in fund management are a distinctive group, which motivates further studying. Aim: The aim with this thesis is to inquire female fund managers’ experiences in the difference between women and men concerning risk-taking and management style, on a general and professional level, and the difference between professional women and women in general. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze and compare the result with the empirical research. Completion: The study was conducted by a qualitative method, through personal interviews. A total of eight interviews were held with female fund managers. The selection was based on a survey of female fund managers, geographically located in Sweden. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study has generated three hypotheses. Firstly, practice and experiences affects risk-taking and decision-making process since the use of system 1 increases. Secondly, previous research provides an inaccurate picture of the reality since this does not account for the disparity in the industry or the trustee's mandate. On a general level, a hypothesis was generated that the difference in risk-taking and turnover does not arise because of gender.

The aim of the thesis is to analyse the non-bank regulatory framework with particular attention devoted to hedge funds and private equity funds. The thesis describes functioning of the funds, discusses their performance during the global financial crisis of 2007-present and, predominantly, describes and analyses the EU and U.S. regulatory reforms with respect to these institutions which have arisen as a response to the crisis. Based on the analysis of the measures incorporated in these reforms, the thesis outlines its own proposal of an alternative investment fund regulatory framework which, if applied, would lead to a more efficient functioning of the alternative investment industry than what is likely to be the outcome of the already adopted reforms. The nature of the thesis is institutional; its methodology is characterized by a broad literature survey. Hedge funds and private equity funds are considered both in pre-crisis context as well as in circumstances that have been brought about by the crisis. Several hypotheses concerning systemic risk and the approach of the regulatory reforms to it are assessed. Mostly qualitative analysis is employed to evaluate the hypotheses.

Thesis advisor: Jeffrey Pontiff / The first essay of this dissertation studies the effect of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on the yields and liquidity of the underlying corporate bonds. I find that ETFs lower the yield, have an insignificant or negative impact on the liquidity, and decrease the retail volume of constituent bonds. Overall, these results support theoretical predications that basket securities entice liquidity traders to exit the underlying market. The second essay analyzes the role of ETFs in mutual fund families and is joint work with Harold Spilker. We study mutual fund and ETF twins - index funds from the same family that follow the same benchmark. Mutual fund twins are shown to have lower tax burdens, long-term capital gains yields, and unrealized capital gains. Conversely, ETF twins have higher long-term yields and unrealized capital gains, but are compensated with lower expense ratios. Fund families benefit because twin offerings generate higher flows than their non-twin peers. These results support previous research that mutual fund families use diversification and subsidization to benefit the overall family. The third essay provides academics with a detailed understanding of the history, structure, regulation, and prospects of ETFs. The essay documents that the growth of index investing can largely be attributed to ETFs. The information and nuances discussed provide a baseline for developing future research questions and data. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Finance.

In the first essay, I create a hedge fund informed trading measure (ITM) that separates information related trades from liquidity driven trades. The results indicate that ITM predicts future stock returns at the trade level, thus is associated with information. By aggregating the most informed trades at the stock level, I find that stocks heavily purchased by informed hedge funds earn a significant alpha. The results indicate that the ITM performs better than some previously documented measures and is robust to two different versions of the measure. The second essay exploits the expiring nature of hedge fund lockups to create a new, within-fund proxy of funding liquidity risk. When funds have lower funding liquidity risk, risk-adjusted performance improves and exposure to tail risk increases. We use fund fixed-effect, a placebo approach, and a regression discontinuity design to establish a link between funding liquidity risk and the ability of funds to capitalize on risky mispricing. The third essay explores hedge fund managers ability to identify and trade on stock mispricing opportunity. We refer to the amount of capital that are is locked up and refrained from redemption as the stable capital, and study how it affects stock mispricing. We find that when funds have more lockup capital, they are more likely to take mispricing risks. Taking all funds together, more stable capital in the industry is driving the reduction or even correction of market-wide stock mispricing. Underpriced stocks benefit more than overpriced stock from hedge funds stable capital.

Following the development and popularity of mutual funds among Swedish investors, the question of active fund management and return has become a central issue for private investors. 99 percent of the Swedish population invests in mutual funds, comprising a total net fund value of almost 2,000 billion SEK. The idea behind active management is for a charged fee, to generate a return higher than the return of the market. But statistics indicate a low level of competition between the largest providers and only one out of ten funds performs better than its index. Financial instability due to the last decade’s two recessions has indeed caused fluctuating performance of actively managed Swedish mutual funds. It has also spurred academics to investigate the role and effect of active management and attached management fees. The main purpose of this research is to investigate if there exist differences between the performance of benchmark indices and the performance of actively managed equity funds, balanced funds and money market funds provided by seven Swedish banks; Folksam, Länsförsäkringar, Handelsbanken, Nordea, SEB, Skandia and Swedbank. We also seek to investigate if the level of fee and total risk affect the fund performance. The research was deductively conducted with a quantitative method of inquiry. The ontological and epistemological positions are objectivism and positivism. Our sample of 21 Swedish mutual funds, with daily price observations was investigated between 2004 and 2011, with a division of four subperiods. To answer our research question and sub-questions, ten fictive portfolios were created and five hypotheses were formulated based on previous research and theories within the field. The data was analyzed with paired samples T-tests and multiple linear regression analyses. The portfolios included three risk-adjusted fund performance measures and Value at Risk.     We have concluded that on average both balanced funds and money market funds have performed worse than their benchmark indices in the period 2004 to 2011. The equity funds have also performed worse than their benchmark index but the difference is not statistically significant. The balanced funds had the highest return, the money market funds second highest return and equity funds the lowest return. Supported by the multiple regression analyses, we have concluded that fund performance is negatively related to the level of total risk in the period 2004 to 2011. There is no statistical relationship between fund performance and fund provider. We finally conclude that fund return during the entire investigation period, is negatively related to management fees.