Previous investigators have indicated that low socio-economic students have difficulty experiencing success on tests heavily loaded with verbal material. Differences in personality characteristics between students of high and low creativity have also been found. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of manifest needs and anxiety on creative thinking. The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, which determines anxiety level, the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, which measures manifest needs, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, which provides an index of creativity were administered to Spanish-American, Anglo-American, Negro, and Navaho high school students, who constituted the 1967 Upward Bound population at Utah State University. The total sample, composed of the four ethnic backgrounds, was administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. The students were ranked on the basis of their total creativity score, and high and low creativity groups were extracted at the median. The results indicate that Upward Bound students are significantly higher in figural than in verbal creativity. No significant differences between high and low creativity students were found on anxiety or manifest needs, although a negative trend between anxiety and creativity was suggested.

As part of organizational politics, influence allows employees to impact the attitudes and behaviors of peers, supervisors, and subordinates. Even though there are a variety of influence tactics, this thesis examines the few tactics used individually and in combination in an upward direction. This thesis adds to upward influence literature by discussing not only effective upward tactics, but also strategies found in unsuccessful attempts, providing insights for employees. The individual influence tactics discussed to be most successful are rational persuasion, consultation, and ingratiation, while exchange tactics are likely to lead to a failed influence attempt. The combined influence tactics found to lead to a greater chance of success are soft and rational tactics, while combinations of hard as well as hard and soft tactics were shown to be less successful in upward influence attempts. Additionally, limitations and future research on upward influence are identified in the thesis.

This search was conducted to focus on the effect of upward influence behavior on manager¡¦s leadership , and find out if Employee¡¦s personality traits affect the relationship. Based on the result of statistical analysis on 575 questionnaires from the employees in the technology industry, the following findings were obtained: 1.By using the factor analysis, there are four different types of upward influence behavior ¡GRational Persuasion, Tricking and Impeding , Image Management, Ingratiating . 2. a. The upward influence behavior of rational persuasion with gender, marital status, job level, age and educational background has significantly effect. b. The upward influence behavior of ingratiating with marital status, job level, age and educational background has significantly effect. 3. a. Manager¡¦s transformational leadership affects the usage of employee¡¦s the upward influence behavior of rational persuasion and ingratiating. b. Manager¡¦s transactional leadership affects the usage of employee¡¦s the upward influence behavior of rational persuasion and ingratiating. 4. a. Employee¡¦s personal traits change the effect of upward influence behavior of tricking and impeding on manager¡¦s transformational leadership. b. Employee¡¦s personal traits change the effect of upward influence behavior of tricking and impeding on manager¡¦s transactional leadership.

Racial equality in the United States educational system has long been and continues to be a source of debate. Specifically, the disparities between whites and other minority groups have been increasingly more critical. Blacks and Latinos consistently score lower than whites on standardized tests and academic course work. There have been several explanations given for poorer school performance by certain minority groups than whites. In this dissertation, I explore the black white achievement gap through the examination of one widely known explanation, oppositional culture theory. This research investigates the major tenets of oppositional culture theory and the contemporary multicultural navigator concept. Using a grounded theory method of analysis, I examine the connections between suppositions of the theory and black students in the Upward Bound academic achievement program.

The study explores how organization upward political behavior affect organizational culture. Jim min Lee¡¦s(2006) Organizational Upward Influence Behavior Scale is tested. Through factor analysis, there are five dimensions¡GRational Persuasion, Upward appeal, image management, Ingratiating, Pressure. In organizational culture scale, Wallach¡¦s(1983) twenty one items scale is tested. First, examine the relationship between the five-dimension organization upward political behavior and samples¡¦ basic data via one-way ANOVA. Second, examine the relationship between the five-dimension organization upward political behavior and generations at work. Third, examine the relationship between the five-dimension organization upward political behavior and manager or non-manager level. Finally, examine the relationship between the five-dimension organization upward political behavior and the three-dimension organization culture via one-way ANOVA. The result shows that samples basic data have effects on organizational upward influence behavior. Besides, X generation has effects on rational persuasion, image management, and pressure. The managers have effects more than non-managers. Finally, innovative culture has effects on rational persuasion, image management, and ingratiating.

New generation is going to be main power in the human resource market. According to the research, because of the different background of new generation, new generation has different work values and attitudes which could be valuable parts for businesses to use. On the side, we all understand that political behavior is one part of organization life. We can¡¦t ignore the truth that political behavior exists in organizations. In addition, both of researches and evidences support that due to the uncertainty of organizational politics it usually makes the internal part of organization has a lot of complex political behavior. Among this, upward political behavior, the behavioral reflection of upward influence, is the important factor to employees to influence organizational efficiency. It means that in order to achieve their satisfaction of work and to improve organizational efficiency employees use strategies, build and maintain the relationship with their supervisors to develop the processes of upward influence. For this reason, the main object of this research is to discuss employees of new generation in the organizations and to find out if the political behavior they show will affect the income. Further, we will through discuss the difference between public and private organizations to discover and explain if there is any different finding of upward behavior to income. The main research results are: 1 Each aspect of upward behavior is a significant impact relative to income. 2 Among upward political behavior aspects, rationality and self-promotion have significantly positive effect on income. Moreover, ingratiation has significantly negative effect on income. 3 Each aspect of upward political behavior of new generational employees have no significant effect on income in public organizations. 4 Rationality has significantly effect on income in private organizations. To sum up, according to the findings of this study, the practice suggestions are provided to the managers in public and private organizations to conduct the this issue, and further research suggestions are also discussed.

This dissertation builds on earlier works by analyzing the provision of product quality by a monopolist and comparing that to a social planner. This paper extends the analysis of this problem to the discrete quality setting. Earlier works focused on a continuum of qualities and found no quality distortion for the highest qualities, but downward quality distortion for lower qualities. The results in the discrete setting differ in that there can be an upward distortion of qualities provided by the monopolist for the highest qualities. The key to this distortion is that the monopolist focuses on the profit that can be extracted from the group of consumers that value quality the most. When there are neither too many nor only a few of these consumers relative to other market segments, it can lead the monopolist to bias its quality provision to extract more value from the these consumers. This effect distorts quality at the high-end as compared to the social planner. This upward distortion of quality is found in the real world. In Texas, 30.6% of cable service providers offers an upward distorted service for higher taste consumers. Besides the quality issue, I also examine how consumer distributions affect price, profit, and social welfare. Under the various hypothetical consumer distributions, I simulate the above values, and I observe the effect of distribution changes. When I apply this tool to the real data from Texas cable service industry, I can simulate the consumer type distribution in each franchise, and I can construct the demand curve. Finding consumer type distribution is the key for the demand estimation in this structure.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2009. / "May 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-62). Also available online.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of African American students on the impact of an Upward Bound Program on their academic performance, self-esteem, and the attitudes toward post-secondary educational success. Specifically, this study was concerned with the following variables: gender, family structure, and age as they related to the students aforementioned perceptions. A survey design was employed in this investigation to collect and analyze the data. Three hundred fifty-three (353) African American high school students participated in this empirical study. An instrument entitled “The Middleton Upward Bound Survey” was used to gather the data. The investigative instrument was validated by a group of Upward Bound professionals and university research professors. The instrument had an alpha coefficient of ¬¬.84 for the test as a whole. Moreover, the data was tested through the application of the One-Way Analysis of Variance and the Scheffe’ Multiple Comparison Test. Among the conclusions of this study were the following; in general it appeared the younger African American high school students are more favorable to his/her perceptions regarding the impact of an Upward Bound Programs on student academic achievement. African American high school students who reside with a guardian also tend to have more favorable perceptions regarding the impact of an Upward Bound Programs on their academic achievement. Regardless, of African American high school students’ age, gender or family structure, they tend to have similar perceptions regarding the impact of an Upward Bound Programs on their attitudes toward post-secondary educational success.