Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Characteristics of services'

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe certain psychosocial characteristics of family therapists according to different theoretical orientations within the family systems field. The characteristics examined were psychological type preference, personality factors, and the occurrence of loss/transition events in the family of origin.;A review of the literature revealed a lack of research on family therapists. Additionally, there has been very little research done on family of origin experiences of therapists in general, and of family therapists, specifically.;The sample for this study consisted of 77 family therapists from across the United States and Canada representing Satir's Process model, Minuchin's Structural model, and Bowen's Systems model. Ss were chosen by major advocates of the particular models based on their training in and reflection of the principles of that model. All Ss completed an instrument package containing a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an Adjective Check List, a Nodal Events Survey, and a Client Information Form. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the results of four scales of the MBTI (using continuous scores) and ten scales of the Adjective Check List. Data gathered from the Client Information Form and Nodal Events Survey were reported according to descriptive statistics.;Data from the MBTI indicated that 59.2% of the total Ss were Introverted types and 89.9% were Intuitive types. Results from the MBTI revealed that Systems model Ss were significantly different (p. {dollar}<{dollar}.05) from Ss from the Process and Structural models in their strong orientation toward Thinking on the Thinking-Feeling scale. Additionally, Systems model Ss were significantly different (p {dollar}<{dollar}.05) from Process model Ss in their orientation toward Judging on the Judging-Perceiving scale. Statistical significance was not reached on the ten scales from the Adjective Check List. There were few remarkable events or differences in the loss/transition events in family of origin experiences of Ss.;Demographic data indicated that Ss across the three models were primarily from families of 3-5 siblings. Process model Ss were most frequently youngest siblings, while Structural model and Systems model Ss were most frequently oldest siblings.

As humanity hurtles towards the twenty first century, it is apparent that the world is becoming a smaller place. Moreover, the colonization of previous centuries has largely shown deference to a differing approach in international interaction. It would seem that consultancy offers nations the possibility of importing expertise in order to aid development without overtly incurring the domination of foreign powers. This thesis debates the veracity of such an assumption and proceeds to examine international consultancy as practised by a single professional group, namely midwives. The study is confined to consideration of those who provide a short term consultancy service. It debates whether international consultancy can rightly be considered an approach which offers the client an equal partnership or whether it remains contaminated by the spirit of western domination. The thesis explores current thinking on modernization and development and asserts that these issues are of considerable import, demanding an understanding by every midwife practising as an international consultant. This debate sets the scene for the main research question which, using a qualitative research approach, examines the characteristics of midwives who cross international boundaries in order to provide consultancy services, considering how such characteristics may impact on their effectiveness. Across the developing world, the needs within the maternity and child health services and the responsibilities of the midwife have been brought into sharper focus with the advent of the Safe Motherhood Initiative [WHO:1987]. Currently, a significant number of professionals from the industrialized West travel to Third World countries in response to requests to assist or advise on health and related issues. This thesis dissects differing perspectives of need which may occur between the Orient and the Occident and asks who responds to the expressed need for expertise, how they are selected, whether they are prepared and how they are received. Ultimately, a theory is born. This proffers that effectiveness in international consultancy is dependent on the fulfilment of certain "laws". The "laws" are derived from the discoveries made during data analysis relating to the main research question. They are also influenced by the consideration of numerous subsidiary research questions which arise during the study. The "laws" are nurtured in an extensive examination of literature scanning several professional disciplines and spanning several decades up to the present day.

The current study investigated characteristics and case variables of sexually abused male children, and how those variables affect the outcome of cases investigated by Child Protective Services. Data was obtained from the RIverside County Department of Social Services, Child Welfare System/Case Management System. It was found that the largest percentages of perpetrators were the siblings of the victims.

The first part of the article seeks to highlight the importance that increasingly electronic trading experience in the field of financial services, and as a result of that the new expressions that arise in providing financial transactions through a conceptual distinction of services and financial channels. In this context, new challenges for the industry players requiring them continuing specialization and innovation in product design, in order to satisfy the current demands ofconsumers who have configured one profile increasingly informed, sophisticated technology in making their consumption decisions.In the second part of the article, I will describe the local regulation which applies to electronic contracting in comparison with the regulation that applies to the traditional contracting which use printed information and oral presentations. This section identifies also the main regulatory implications for the consumer and the industry, with reference of compared experiences that may be interesting to comment on the formulation of considerations if applicable.
En la primera parte del artículo se propone destacar la importancia que crecientemente experimenta la contratación electrónica en el ámbito de los servicios financieros, y como consecuencia de ello, las nuevas expresiones que surgen en la prestación de operaciones financieras pasando por una distinciónconceptual de servicios y canales financieros. En este contexto, se configuran nuevos retos para los actores de la industria de este tipo de servicios que les exige continua especialización e innovación en el diseño de productos, de modo que éstos estén en grado de satisfacer las exigencias actuales de consumidores que cuentan con un perfil cada vez más informado, sofisticado y tecnológico en la adopción de sus decisiones de consumo.En la segunda parte del artículo se describirá el tratamiento regulatorio local aplicable a la contratación electrónica de servicios financieros, destacando aquellos aspectos regulatorios que la distinguen respecto de la contratación tradicional, esto es, la contratación presencial por medios escritos. En esta sección se identificará a su vez las principales implicancias regulatoriasde cara al consumidor y a la industria, tomando como referencia experiencias regulatorias a nivel comparado que puedan resultar interesantes de comentar en la formulación de consideraciones a que hubiera lugar.

Concussion is an injury that disproportionately affects children and adolescents and has the potential to negatively impact school performance. Currently, a significant proportion of youth with concussion go unreported due to a lack of effective concussion surveillance procedures. Additionally, many individuals who have daily contact with youth (e.g., parents, teachers) lack training in how to assess or manage a concussion. Schools may be the ideal setting to address both of these problems as they have a high level of access to students and employ personnel (e.g., school psychologists, nurses, social workers, counselors) with experience in assessment and intervention. What is not known is how to best design a school-based concussion management (SBCM) procedure in order to facilitate concussion surveillance and management. Accordingly, the overall purpose of this study was to identify and describe factors (i.e., provider implementation characteristics, concussion referral communication) which may inform the design and implementation of SBCM programming. Examining the relationship between relevant SBCM outcomes and factors associated with strong school programming may help build the foundation for future SBCM procedures. Factors that influence program fidelity and outcomes are called school programming implementation characteristics and they reside at multiple levels (i.e., community, school, climate, program, provider) and are positively related to successful outcomes across varied programming. This exploratory study which utilized secondary analysis of existing data focused on the provider level with the primary aim of identifying and describing student services personnel (SSP; n = 144) implementation characteristics. Indicators of provider implementation characteristics consisted of their beliefs, training, and experiences in order to quantify how these characteristics predict perceptions of the impact of concussion on academics, perception of current informal procedures, and the number of students with concussions served. The independent variables primarily under investigation in this study (role, career experience, recent concussion experience, and training subscale) align with empirically supported personnel implementation characteristics. The second aim of this study was to explore pre-existing communication patterns between SSP utilizing the independent variable referral source. It is of note that the school district from which the data were collected had no formal SBCM programming; therefore, all SSP implementation characteristics examined were viewed as baseline characteristics. Results indicated that as all SSP groups (i.e., school psychologists, nurses, counselors, social workers) perceive a need for SBCM as indicated by dissatisfaction with current procedures and agreement that concussion can negatively impact student performance. Although all groups indicated that they did not believe current concussion procedures to be effective, school psychologists and nurses reported the highest levels of dissatisfaction Additionally, nurses were found to have the highest levels of training in concussion assessment and management, and received significantly more concussion referrals per year when compare to the other SSP. These findings suggest that nurses may be effective in delivering concussion related service and establishing effective concussion surveillance procedures. Although more research is needed, this study represents the first step in bridging the gap between experimental concussion research and the successful delivery of these innovations through SBCM programming in order to help students recover from a concussion.

The thesis grew out of the recognition that there is a dearth of information on the users of mental health services. It set out to describe the characteristics of users across a range of health settings and to consider the role of such characteristics in the mental health referral process. The early phases of this research project were strongly influenced by a model of the referral process developed by Goldberg & Huxley (1980). They conceptualized users of health care existing on 5 levels ranging from people living in the community to users in hospital. Hypothetical filters are said to operate between each level to govern who is referred on to the next level of services. This research project borrowed the notion of filters and their arrangement of services in a referral sequence. However, the focus of this research is on the characteristics of users, and not the detail of the filters per se. What is described is the effect of the referral process not the mechanism. This thesis also moves substantially beyond the five settings in the Goldberg & Huxley model to produce a uniquely comprehensive analysis of the users of all the main mental health care providers in one health district. The research project uses a wholly quantitative methodology. The challenge has been to design a range of compatible survey forms to collect data in seven separate study settings, to collate information on over one thousand one hundred users, to describe the user profiles in each study and to develop a comparative analysis of users across a range of settings. The emphasis throughout has been to align the research with contemporary developments in health care policy, and as the project has progressed, to make a practical contribution to the important debate about information systems in mental health service planning. The thesis has been divided into four parts. Part I introduces and sets the context of the research, and describes the methodology. In seven chapters, Part II of the thesis reports the .findings of each of the seven study settings. Part III of the thesis reports the demographic and utilization characteristics comparatively across all the study settings. The conclusions of the thesis are reported in Part IV of the thesis, where the theoretical, research and policy implications are discussed.The research project makes a contribution to knowledge on 4levels. Firstly, it identifies and describes the characteristics and the typical profiles of mental health service users in a range of study settings, in one area. Secondly, it identifies the differences between users in each study setting. Thirdly, it identifies the overlap in use of one service and another. It is argued that the findings have profound implications for both developing a clearer picture of the referral processes and for highlighting for planners, producers, and providers possible complementary or inefficient service utilization patterns. On the fourth and macro level, this research project has developed a revised model of mental health service referral routes. This model provides a framework for further investigation, and has potential as a planning tool in and beyond the geographical boundaries of the current study area.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences, if any, in the psychological characteristics of separated and/or divorced non-custodial fathers involved in child custody litigation. Three groups of fathers were investigated and delineated by length of time involved in litigation. Psychological characteristics examined included self-concept, affective states, depression, locus of control, and parental attitudes of confidence, causation, acceptance, understanding, and trust.;The sample of the population used in this study was 49 volunteers obtained from such sources as counselors, attorneys, and support and advocacy groups.;The specific variables proposed were investigated using discriminant function analysis with the direct method. No significant discriminant function was derived on any of the variables as indicated by chi-square (x{dollar}\sp2{dollar} {dollar}\{lcub}{dollar}18{dollar}\{rcub}{dollar}, 10.6, p {dollar}>{dollar}.05).;The results of this study suggest that litigating and non-litigating non-custodial fathers are much healthier than current literature based on observation, and not empirical data, suggests.;Further study is needed on non-custodial fathers and their ability to nurture. In addition, studies concerning loss and the effects of loss for non-custodial fathers is also needed. There is such a paucity of empirical data on non-custodial fathers that any study conducted on this group could only add to our knowledge of these parents.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S and is more common among the elderly. Since frailty and other age related conditions put the elderly at risk for nursing home care, nursing homes may be the site of care and death for many elderly cancer patients. However, there is a large gap in knowledge concerning cancer treatment of elderly nursing home residents. Since residents rely heavily on their nursing facilities, nursing homes might influence them in their treatment decisions. After controlling for resident and nursing home market characteristics, this study applies Andersen’s Behavioral Model to examine whether nursing home organizational characteristics (nurse staffing level, nursing skill mix, and quality deficiencies) are related to the use of cancer-related medical services for treatment (oncologist visits, cancer-directed surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy), and palliative care (pain medication and hospice services) among 1,183 Medicaid and Medicare insured residents of nursing homes in Michigan from 1996-2000. Using data from the Medicare claim file, Medicaid claim file, Michigan tumor registry, Area Resource File, Michigan Medicaid Nursing Home Cost Report, and Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR), the study used logistic regression to predict the utilization of cancer-related medical services. The results generally did not support the hypotheses. Nursing staffing level and nursing skill mix did not predict any cancer-related medical service utilization. Cancer care may be more associated with patient characteristics, such as age, which are usually taken into consideration when physicians suggest treatments, than nursing home organizational characteristics. However, relative to residents of nursing homes with the highest quartile of quality deficiencies, residents of nursing homes in the lowest quartile of quality deficiencies had a decreased likelihood of utilizing hospice care (OR=.509; 95%CI=.325 to .796; p=.003). Residents in high quality nursing homes may want to stay in the same place and not transfer to another facility for hospice care while residents in poor quality nursing homes may be motivated to use hospice care. Even though this study did not successfully find that higher nurse staffing level, nursing skill mix, quality of care are associated with greater opportunity of utilizing cancer-related medical services, this study was successful in laying out an empirically sound base framework to analyze this association. Future research can incorporate other states or nationwide data to re-examine this relationship using this study as a base model.

Prior research examining persons with intellectual disabilities who have committed criminal offenses has focused primarily on correctional populations, or those who reside in secure forensic settings in the United Kingdom and Australia. This study describes 235 persons with intellectual, developmental, and cognitive disabilities who reside in a secure forensic psychiatric hospital in the Midwestern United States. Participants were further divided into groups of persons with pervasive developmental disorders (n = 35), fetal alcohol syndrome (n = 18), traumatic brain injuries (n = 52), or IQ scores falling within the range of moderate (n = 20) or mild (n = 55) mental retardation or borderline intellectual functioning (n = 55). These participants presented with significant histories of childhood maltreatment and adversity, serious psychiatric impairment, criminal histories marked by multiple arrests and serious violent behavior, and frequent histories of institutionalization and out-of-home placement. Their adaptive functioning within the community was characterized by limited histories of normative intimate relationships; sporadic, unskilled employment; and difficulties with maintaining residential and psychiatric stability. Important commonalities and future research needs are discussed. Important differences and similarities between groups are discussed and compared with other available literature.

Patterns of articles published in The Career Development Quarterly (CDQ) from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed in this metastudy. Author characteristics (e.g., gender, employment setting, nation of domicile) and article characteristics (e.g., topic, type, design, sample, sample size, participant type, statistical procedures and sophistication) were described and analyzed for trends over time. Significant changes were noted in increased proportions of female authors, international contributors, research articles, more sophisticated research designs, and decreased numbers of practitioner-authors. These trends highlight a robust journal that continues to evolve to address changing career development and counseling challenges.

Patterns of articles accepted for publication in the Journal of College Counseling from the past 12 years were reviewed in this metastudy. Results were described and statistically analyzed to identify trends over time in characteristics of authors, including sex, institutional classifications, employment setting, and domicile, and characteristics of articles, including article type, research design, sample size, types of participants, and statistical procedures.

This study looked at the potential reentry-aged women employed by the San Bernardino County Department of Children's Service. It identified the characteristics, motivations, needs and barriers of the reentry age female student. This study explored the reasons why some SBCDCS reentry-aged workers choose to further their education, while others do not.

Community mental health centers are actively pursuing evidence-based practices to help serve adolescents with serious emotional disturbances (Painter, 2012) and maintain adolescents in their homes who are at-risk for placement in residential care facilities (Copp, Bordnick, Traylor, & Thyer, 2007). Family preservation programs attempt to improve family functioning and dissuade future out-of-home placement (Diamond & Morris, 2011). The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the characteristics and outcomes of at-risk adolescents through secondary data. This study used a theoretical approach of the social learning theory developed by Albert Bandura (1973). The overall research question was as follows: Is there a significant difference between age, gender, and the length of treatment among adolescents in family preservation services? The study sampled 79 completed records of adolescents, age 1117, who received family preservation services in a Southeastern state over a five-year period and discharged from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2014. The quantitative research design was intended to examine the relationship between age, gender, length of treatment, and treatment outcomes of at-risk adolescents using archived data from the Child Behavior Checklist and the Global Assessment Functioning. The results of this study were shared with the administrators of the community mental health center. Excerpts of the written report of this study were discussed in detail with the administrators. This study has demonstrated that the participants of family preservation services experience significant differences in treatment outcomes of length of treatment, but not in age and gender. Implications for service delivery, especially successful completion of services, were discussed. Recommendations for future research are suggested at the conclusion of this study.

This study sought to explore stewardship characteristics within employee-owned companies in the professional, scientific, and technical services industry. For the purpose of this study, stewardship characteristics were defined as the psychological (i.e., intrinsic motivation, organizational identification, use of power) and situational (i.e., collectivism, involvement orientation, and power distance) mechanisms that promote pro-organizational collectivist behaviors within the employee–owners of employee-owned companies organized as Employee Stock Ownership Programs (ESOPs). ESOPs have grown in popularity as a method of transitioning ownership to the firms’ employees since ESOPs were codified by Public Law 93–406 in 1974. There are approximately 7,000 employee-owned firms organized as ESOPs operating in the United States, and these qualified retirement plans cover over 13.5 million participants with total assets exceeding 940 billion dollars. The transition of employees to employee–owners presents a unique governance situation where the employee–owners may simultaneously fulfill the roles of owner, principal, and agent. Stewardship characteristics were measured using a mixed-method approach. The Stewardship Climate Scale quantitatively measured the level of stewardship, and semi-structured interviews helped gain meaning or understanding of stewardship by the ESOP senior leaders.

At an organizational level, the study found a variation in the level of stewardship among the participating ESOPs. However, each ESOP did demonstrate stewardship characteristics, and there was no significant difference in the aggregate of stewardship climate for the ESOPs participating in the study when grouped by revenue per employee. At the individual level, where positional and nonpositional leaders were grouped together, the study found variation between the two groups. However, there was no significant difference in the aggregate of stewardship climate or any of the six constructs of stewardship between the positional and nonpositional leaders. Lastly, the study found a significant relationship between stewardship characteristics and firm productivity. A significant regression equation was calculated for the aggregate of stewardship climate, the psychological mechanisms, and the individual constructs of organizational identification, intrinsic motivation, and involvement orientation. A moderated multiple regression was calculated which identified the relationship between organizational identification and revenue per employee was moderated by the level of involvement orientation.

Based on the quantitative and qualitative data, the ESOPs participating in the study did demonstrate stewardship characteristics with no significant difference within the positional and nonpositional employee–owners. Revenue per employee was significantly influenced by stewardship.

Project (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990.
Questionnaires ([6] leaves) in pocket. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-72). Also available via the Internet.

Mestrado em Finanças
A qualidade percebida e a satisfação dos clientes são elementos essenciais para a competitividade das instituições bancárias. Assim, é importante identificar os fatores que confinam a perceção de qualidade e satisfação do ponto de vista dos clientes que utilizam esse tipo de serviço. A realização deste trabalho tem como principal objetivo identificar os fatores mais relevantes para os clientes na avaliação da Qualidade do serviço de uma instituição bancária. Como objetivos secundários pretende-se saber se os atuais clientes se encontram satisfeitos com os serviços que a sua principal instituição bancária lhes oferece, assim como, avaliar de uma forma lata algumas instituições bancárias no que diz respeito aos serviços prestados por estas aos consumidores. Para isso, nesta dissertação foram estudados e identificados alguns teóricos que reflectiram sobre os temas abordados. A fonte de informação utilizada para a realização do trabalho foi um inquérito que visa saber quais os níveis de satisfação dos clientes referentes aos serviços da área da banca, incluindo ainda, a análise às suas perceção de Qualidade de serviços, utilizando o método SERVQUAL. Em conclusão, verificou-se que o estudo respondeu às questões colocadas, identificando como fator de maior importância na Qualidade dos serviços prestados pela área da banca, o acesso à internet e contrariamente, a caraterística que menos importância tem para os clientes é a instalação das sucursais do seu banco. Por outro lado, pode afirmar-se que de uma forma geral, esta amostra se encontra satisfeita com a Qualidade prestada pela sua principal instituição bancária.
Perceived quality and customer satisfaction are key elements to competitiveness in the banking industry. Hence, it is important to identify the factors that determine the perception of quality and satisfaction from point of view of clients who use that type of services. The main goal of this study is to diagnose the aspects customers value the most when appraising the quality of banking services. As secondary goals, we intend to assess if customers are satisfied with the services provided by their current banking institutions as well as to inquire after their perception of other players in the sector. For that purpose, we present and discuss some theorical contributions on these subjects. The information source used to conduct this study was a questionnaire designed to quantify customer satisfaction, in what regards banking services, including an analysis of clients? perceived quality through the SERVQUAL method. The sudy was able to give answer to the questions raised a priori, identifying online access as the most important aspect in the quality of banking services and physical premisses as the least importante one. Futhermore, it is possible to conclude that, overall, the interviewed sample is satisfied with the qaulity of the services provided by their current bank.

Bibliography: leaves 689-729.
The objective of the study is to describe students presenting at the UCT-SHS-MHS; (li) to compare students presenting at the UCT-SHS-MHS with students presenting at the UCT-SHS who do NOT present at the UCT-SHS-MHS (controls); (iii) to compare students presenting at the UCT-SHS-MHS with all other students attending the University of Cape Town, and (iv) to examine the association between the number of consultations at the UCT -SHS-MHS. They are described in terms of selected demographic, academic, residential (home address), financial assistance and, where appropriate, clinical (diagnostic) variables: The study, which utilised official University of Cape Town student records, was descriptive in nature for Objective 1 and analytic in nature for Objective 2 (case-control study), Objective 3 (cross-sectional study) and Objective 4. 932 patients, 1 924 matched controls and 23 158 registered students. (i) Objective 1 (attendees) - minority groups such as Blacks (Africans, Coloureds and Indians), non-traditionally aged students, non-English first language speaking students, outof-town students and socio-economically disadvantaged students form a sizeable proportion of UCT-SHS-MHS attendees; (li) Objective 2 (patients versus controls) - non-minority groups such as English first language speaking students (rather than the minority groups reported in Objective I) utilise the UCT -SHS-MHS significantly more than the UCT -SHS; (iii) Objective 3 (patients versus the total student community) - minority groups such as Blacks (Africans, Coloureds and Indians), non-English first language speaking students, outof-town students and socio-economically disadvantaged students are significantly overrepresented amongst UCT-SHS-MHS attendees, and (iv) Objective 4 (number of consultations) - non-minority groups such as White students (rather than the minority groups reported in Objective 3) are responsible for the highest mean number of consultations at the UCT -SHS-MHS. (i) Objective 1 (attendees) - these results are largely related to the composition of the total student community although notable exceptions include female students, first year students and students whose home address is outside metropolitan Cape Town; (ii) Objective 2 (patients versus controls) - male students, non-English first language speaking students, nonArts, Music and Social Science and Humanities faculty students and students residing outside metropolitan Cape Town are either particularly unaware or extremely unsure of the potential benefits to be derived from the psychotherapeutic process; (iii) Objective 3 (patients versus the total student community) - the usage/utilisation rate is largely related to either background cultural and socio-e.conomic factors or academic-related concerns that affect students (e.g. race/population group, language and financial assistance can be closely interlinked and may relate to the set of adverse family and financial circumstances that could promote the development of mental disorders), and (iv) Objective 4 (number of consultations) - these results are largely related to the initial severity of the psychopathology, the level of resistance encountered by the student to the psychotherapeutic process employed, the need of the student for positive reinforcement from the therapist, and the range ofdependency issues affecting the student.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health." Discipline: Health Policy and Administration; Department/School: Public Health.

This thesis reviews the evolution of interim reporting in New Zealand. The attempts to regulate interim reporting by the stock Exchange Association of New Zealand and the lobbying behaviour of affected parties are documented. The regulation of interim reporting is interpreted as a series of self-interest actions by the affected parties. In 1973 semiannual reports were mandated for all firms listed on the New Zealand stock Exchange. However, the content of these reports, was not specified until 1976. The extent of voluntary reporting practice prior to 1973 is recorded. The major empirical analysis of the thesis examines the association between corporate characteristics and the voluntary disclosure of semiannual earnings during the period 1973 to 1976. The analysis shows that firms with high semiannual earnings disclosures have more shares issued, have paid an interim dividend, carry relatively less inventory, are in a more seasonal industry and have a greater earnings forecast error. Assets in place, political costs of disclosure and competitive costs of disclosure are not found to be associated with the level of semiannual earnings disclosure. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the significance of the explanatory variables depends on firm size and upon the threshold level of disclosure.

This dissertation presents five research essays evaluating the performance of managed funds in light of the investment strategy and manager characteristics exhibited by institutional investment companies. An analysis of investment performance with respect to a fund managers strategy provides important information in determining whether performance objectives have been achieved. There are a number of different types of investment strategies managed funds may adopt. However, the primary dichotomy is on the basis of whether the portfolio manager implements either an active or index approach. Active managers attempt to outperform the market through the use of price-sensitive information, whereas a passive manager's objective is to replicate the returns and risk of a target benchmark index. The evaluation of investment manager characteristics is also evaluated. This is motivated on the basis that asset management entities place significant emphasis on both the articulation and differentiation of their investment style relative to competitors, and selling the strengths of their portfolio management skills (in terms of past performance) as well identifying the key individuals comprising their investment team and their unique attributes. For active equity managers, the methods used in constructing portfolios and implementing the investment strategy include security selection, in terms of 'top-down' or 'bottom-up' strategies, value-biased, growth-biased or style-neutral strategies, and portfolios exhibiting market capitalisation biases (i.e. preferences to large or small-cap securities). In terms of active bond portfolio management, the most common strategies include duration management and yield curve positioning. Active managers' strategies are likely to extend beyond stock selection, in particular, where the fund manager adjusts the portfolio's composition in anticipation of favourably capitalising on future movements in the market. For index managers, replication of both the returns and risk of the underlying index may be achieved through either full-replication of constituent stocks comprising the index, or through non-replication techniques (stratified sampling and/or optimisation). Each essay provides a unique contribution to the literature with respect to the performance of active and index funds, as well as an analysis of funds that invest specifically in domestic equities, domestic fixed interest, and diversified funds that invest across the broad spectrum of asset classes. The origins of the performance evaluation literature are ascribed to Cowles' (1933) pioneering work, and the literature has given increasing attention to the topic. However the most fundamental issue considered in almost all previous studies of managed fund performance is the extent to which actively managed portfolios have earned superior risk-adjusted excess returns for investors. The literature has overwhelmingly documented (with a small number of exceptions) that active funds have been unable to earn superior returns, either before or after expenses (e.g. Jensen (1968), Elton et al. (1993), Malkiel (1995), Gruber (1996)). While the international evidence is supported by the few Australian managed fund studies available, Australian research remains surprisingly scarce. This is perplexing considering the sheer size of the investment industry in Australia (around $A717 billion as at 30 June 2001) and the importance placed on the sector with respect to successive Federal Governments' retirement income policies. The objectives of this dissertation therefore involve an analysis of managed fund performance with respect to differences in investment strategies (i.e. active and index), as well as providing an analysis of funds invested in equities, bonds and diversified asset classes (or multi-sector portfolios). The first essay evaluates the market timing and security selection capabilities of Australian pooled superannuation funds. These funds provide institutional investors with exposure to securities across many different asset classes, including domestic and international equities, domestic and international fixed interest, property and cash. Surprisingly, the specific analysis of multi-sector funds is scarce in the literature and limited to Brinson et al. (1986, 1991), Sinclair (1990), and Blake et al. (1999). This essay also evaluates performance for the three largest asset classes within diversified superannuation funds and their contribution to overall portfolio return. The importance of an accurately specified market portfolio proxy in the measurement of investment performance is demonstrated, where the essay employs performance benchmarks that account for the multi-sector investment decisions of active investment managers in a manner that is consistent with their unique investment strategy. This approach rectifies Sinclair's (1990) analysis resulting from benchmark misspecification. Consistent with the literature, the empirical results indicate that Australian pooled superannuation funds do not exhibit significantly positive security selection or market timing skill. Given the evidence in the literature surrounding the inability of active funds to deliver superior returns to investors, lower cost index funds have become increasingly popular as an alternative investment strategy. Despite the significant growth in index funds since 1976, when the first index mutual fund was launched in the U.S., research on their performance is sparse in the U.S. and non-existent in Australia. The second essay provides an original analysis of the Australian index fund market, with specific analysis applicable to institutional Australian equity index funds offered by fund managers. While indexing is theoretically straightforward, in practice there exist potential difficulties in exactly matching the return of the underlying index. Therefore the magnitude of tracking error is likely to be of concern to investors. This essay documents the existence of significant tracking error for Australian index funds, where the magnitude of the difference between index fund returns and index returns averages between 7.4 and 22.3 basis points per month for funds operating at least five years. However, there is little evidence of bias in tracking error, implying that these funds neither systematically outperform or underperform their benchmark on a before cost basis. Further analysis documents that the magnitude of tracking error is related to fund cash flows, market volatility, transaction costs and index replication strategies used by passive investment managers. The third essay presents evidence of the performance of U.S. mutual funds, where attention is given to both active and index mutual funds for which the applicable benchmark index is the S&P 500. This essay examines both the magnitude and variation of tracking error over time for S&P 500 index mutual funds. The essay documents seasonality in S&P 500 index mutual fund tracking error, where tracking error is significantly higher in the months of January and May, together with a seasonal trough in the quarters ending March-June-September-December. Statistical evidence indicates tracking error is both positively and significantly correlated with the dividend payments arising from constituent S&P 500 securities. In terms of a performance comparison between actively managed and index funds, active funds on average are found to significantly underperform passive benchmarks. On the other hand, S&P 500 index mutual funds earned higher risk-adjusted excess returns after expenses than large capitalisation-oriented active mutual funds in the period examined. These results suggest the S&P 500 is consistent with capital market efficiency, implying an absence of economic benefit accruing to the average investor utilising actively managed U.S. equity mutual funds. The fourth essay presented in the dissertation examines the performance of Australian investment management organisations with direct reference to their specific characteristics and strategies employed. Using a unique information source, performance is evaluated for actively managed institutional balanced funds (or diversified asset class funds), Australian share funds and Australian bond funds. Performance is evaluated with respect to the investment strategy adopted, the experience and qualifications held by investment professionals, and the tenure of the key investment professionals. This essay also evaluates the performance of senior sector heads to determine the skills of individuals driving the investment process, even though these individuals may migrate to competitor organisations. The essay finds evidence that a significant number of active Australian equity managers earned superior risk-adjusted returns in the period, however active managers perform in line with market indices for balanced funds and Australian bond funds. A number of manager characteristics are also found to predict risk-adjusted excess returns, systematic risk and investment expenses. Of particular note, performance of balanced funds is negatively related to the institution's age and the loyalty of non-senior investment staff. Performance is also found to be significantly higher for managers that predominantly operate their portfolios using a bottom-up, stock selection approach. Interestingly, the human capital of managers, measured as the years of tertiary education undertaken, does not explain risk-adjusted excess returns. Systematic risk is positively related to an institutions age and negatively related to both senior manager loyalty and the implementation of bottom-up portfolio management strategies. In terms of management expenses, fees are directly related to the Australian equities benchmark allocation, the years of tertiary education, the number of years service (loyalty) for non-senior investment professionals and the total years experience of senior money managers. This concluding essay also documents that changes in top management have significant performance effects. In the 12-month period after a change in fixed income director or chief investment officer, performance is significantly lower and significantly higher, respectively. There is no significant difference in performance where changes in top management occur for Australian equities. The years of service (loyalty) provided to asset management firms by equities directors is inversely related to risk-adjusted return. The fifth and final essay examines the investment performance of active Australian bond funds and the impact of investor fund flows on portfolio returns. This essay represents a significant and original analysis in terms of its contribution to the literature, given the absence of Australian bond fund performance analytics and also the limited attention provided in the U.S. Both security selection and market timing performance is evaluated using both unconditional models and conditional performance evaluation techniques, which account for public information and the time-variation in risk. Overall, the results of this essay are consistent with the U.S. and international mutual fund evidence, where performance is found to be consistent with an efficient market. While actively managed institutional funds perform broadly in line with the index before expenses, the paper documents significant underperformance for actively managed retail bond funds after fees. The study also documents that retail fund flows negatively impact on market timing coefficients when flow is not accounted for in unconditional models.

Le secteur des services revêt une importance croissante dans toute économie. La croissance de la productivité et celle de l'emploi sont étroitement liées au succès des industries de services, et les services sont depuis récemment, de puissants moteurs de croissance économique dans nombre d'économies. Mais malgré son importance économique, le secteur des services a reçu relativement peu d’attention jusqu’ici dans les travaux d’analyse et d’enquête. Ce manque d’intérêt est attribuable à une vision négative entretenue longtemps par la réflexionEconomique sur le rôle des services.La place grandissante des services et l’accroissement de la concurrence dans le secteur tertiaire soulèvent de nombreuses questions parmi lesquelles la gestion du processus de production des services, la mesure de la productivité et de la qualité des activités de service etL’évaluation de la valeur ajoutée par le client.Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous essayerons de mettre en valeur la position axiale qu’occupent les services dans l’espace économique grâce notamment à leurs propriétés et caractéristiques intrinsèques ainsi qu’à l’évolution des approches économiques s’y rapportant. L’étude proposée passe aussi par la recherche des caractéristiques communes aux biens et aux services afin d’établir une typologie des systèmes de production puis par l’analyse des modèles de gestion propres aux biens et au service afin de réutiliser les éléments congruents de chacun pour la proposition de modèles de gestion de chacun des types identifiés. Une analyse sectorielle de terrain nous permettra par la suite d’étudier la concordance des approches théoriques avec la réalité du terrain, afin de confirmer ou d’infirmer nos hypothèses de départ, ce qui nous aidera à mettre en place notre modèle conceptuel des services. Deux secteurs en particulier retiendront notre attention: la Santé et l'enseignement supérieur
Abstract

Calls for a more prescriptive, individually tailored approach to counselor training have recently appeared in the literature. The focus of this study was the assessment of behavior and personality characteristics of master's level counseling students and to determine if change occurred among these characteristics as a result of counselor training and supervision or to the gender of the student.;Behavior was assessed using the Hutchins Behavior Inventory which measures the thinking, feeling and acting domains of behavior. Personality characteristics were measured using the Adjective Checklist and the California Personality Inventory. Data from eighty-five students were used.;Discriminant analysis was used to determine if personality characteristics discriminated the behavior groups. Additionally, repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance and the univariate analysis of variance component of the discriminant analyses were used to determine if change occurred.;Students differed across the behavior groups. Further, selected personality variables discriminated the behavior groups. When the discriminant function was used 85.88% of the students were classified correctly. Additionally, change was observed across training and supervision. The gender of the student was not significant in this analysis. The interventions of counselor training and supervision appeared to cause the change.

ABSTRACT Title: Services Marketing in a Cross-Cultural Environment – The Case of Elekta in Russia Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Authors: Alena Bazyleva and Maria Zaytseva Supervisor: Dr. Maria Fregidou-Malama Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate how the products and services of the Swedish company Elekta are marketed in Russia, a country with cultural environment different from Sweden. For this purpose such aspects of marketing strategy as adaptation/standardization, trust and network development, which help to decrease the influence of intangibility and heterogeneity of services, are examined. Method: In present research explanatory applied type of study was used to describe services marketing process. Combination of induction and deduction methods, and qualitative methods of research were used. Case study of Swedish company Elekta was chosen as the research area. Primary data was collected through survey by means of semi-structured interviews and open questionnaires. Secondary data was collected from sources such as relevant books, scientific articles, company brochure, and websites of company and its clients. Results and conclusion: The research reveals that trust, network building, balance of adaptation and standardization strategies, employed by Elekta company, help to overcome heterogeneity and intangibility of its services in Russian market. It has also been found that the image of Sweden as a country of origin plays an important role in trust establishment in Russia, but in a sense that it is a foreign country, not Sweden in particular. Moreover, it is suggested, that organizational structure of international company, matrix structure in this particular case study, favours the development and effectiveness of the discussed variables. In spite of such characteristics of Russian market as high bureaucracy, corruption, “blat” network, unstable laws, etc., this market is considered to be a promising emerging market for international business. Russian national culture displays large power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, collectivist and feminine values, which influence the whole society and the business sphere as well. Suggestions for future research: It would be beneficial for future research to expand the range of complementing studies, examining the cases of Elekta in different countries and emerging markets in particular. In addition, in order to develop international services marketing theory, it is necessary to include other services industries in the scope of research. Furthermore, getting feedback from the patients, who experienced treatment on Elekta equipment, can contribute to the future research. Contribution of the thesis: The modification and adaptation of the theoretical framework of Fregidou-Malama and Hyder (2011) made by authors of this study contributes to the theory of international services marketing process. In addition, as there is lack of research in this area for health care sector, this study can be valuable addition to this research area. Research of the case of Elekta in Russia complements the range of studies on international services marketing process in health care sector with the cases of Elekta company in different countries: Egypt, China, the Philippines, Brazil, Hong Kong. Besides, current research has certain practical value: it is beneficial for international companies expanding into emerging markets in general and in Russian market in particular. This research may help to increase awareness about Elekta treatment solutions. Key words: Elekta, Gamma Knife, Russia, Services Marketing, Services characteristics, Network, Trust, Adaptation, Standardization, Culture, Organizational structure.

This study investigates the relationship of bank customers’ behavioural patterns based on the customers past transactions, with respect to their profile characteristics. The main aim of this study is to illustrate that different categories of customers (based on demographical variables such as race, gender and age) have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how they operate their accounts. A theoretical overview on the literature of customer relationship management in the banking sector emphasises the importance of understanding customers to ensure that a business is successful. Four null-hypotheses where formulated based on a general research hypothesis. The data base provided a major South African bank is used to achieve the objectives. Extensive cleaning of the data set was necessary to ensure the validity of the results. The data set had 7860 customer keys. The large data base used contributed to the reliability of the results. The following behavioural variables were used in the study namely, transaction data, average debit and credit transaction amounts and average number of transactions per month. The main results of study indicate that different customer categories have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how customers operate their accounts. This implies that it is important for the banking sector to consider customer gender differences, age differences and race group differences in the relationship strategies which they employ in their multicultural environment. Further research in the area may be necessary before generalisation can be made on all banking customers.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence that feedback and goal setting have on overall job satisfaction when incorporated into the appraisal review process. The participants consisted of a sample of 100 (N=100) employees from an electronic repair service located in northern Indiana. Participants were given a survey consisting of basic demographic information plus the following three scales: The International Communication Audit (Goldhaber, Yates, Porter, & Lesniak, 1978), The Job Descriptive Index (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969), and a scale used by Greller (1978) to examine goal setting. The demographic questions consisted of sex, number of years with the company, supervisory/nonsupervisory position, and full/parttime work. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and Pearsonian correlations. The data suggest that feedback and goal setting do not increase overall job satisfaction. The results may have been influenced by the negative climate of the organization and sample population. Recommendations for future research are discussed.
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This study investigated how adult children of alcoholics differ from adult children of non-alcoholics when measured on the personality characteristics of autonomy, inferiority and intimacy. The subjects were randomly selected from the employees of a large school district in southeast Virginia. Each subject received a questionnaire package that included the Adjective Check List, Personal Orientation Inventory, Children of Alcoholics Screening Test and The Personal History Questionnaire. The return rate for questionnaire packages was 72%. All subjects were volunteers and their identities remained anonymous to the researcher. The sample size was 130.;The subjects were placed in the adult children of alcoholics group (n = 86) if they were parented by an alcoholic and scored six or above on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST). Subjects were placed in the adult children of non-alcoholics group (n = 44) if they were not parented by an alcoholic and scored below six on the CAST. The subjects were compared on the autonomy and abasement scales of the Adjective Check List, and the capacity of intimate contact (C) scale of The Personal Orientation Inventory. There was no statistically significant difference found between the two groups when a t-test was employed with the alpha level set at the.05. A Bonferroni method was used to control for alpha since several questions were studied. For this population which was primarily white, well-educated, employed, females, there was no statistically significant difference between adult children of alcoholics and adult children of non-alcoholics for the variables of autonomy, inferiority and intimacy. However, self-reported adult children of alcoholics scored statistically significantly higher on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) than did self-reported adult children of non- alcoholics using a t-test with the alpha level set at.05. All self reported adult children of alcoholics scored six or above on the CAST.;This research was based on the work of Erik Erikson and his developmental stage approach. These findings would indicate that some children of alcoholics may not be in need of treatment or a recovery program.

Objectives: Acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) are rare childhood central nervous system disorders. In this thesis I aimed to describe the UK incidence, clinical features, MRI characteristics and prognostic features of childhood ADS. Methods: I describe the first UK population active surveillance and one year follow up study which features multiple source ascertainment, MRI review, and blinded clinical expert panel diagnostic review. I also describe: 4 longitudinal retrospective case series delineating prognostic risk factors; outline the setup of a longitudinal cohort; and describe methodological concepts important for the design of the future clinical trials in ADS. Results: The incidence of first onset ADS in children aged 1-15 years old was 9.83 per million children per year; the highest surveillance rate reported to date. The female-to-male ratio in children older than 10 years was 1.52:1. A trend towards higher incidence rates of ADS in children of South Asian and Black ethnicity was observed compared with White children. A number of MRI characteristics distinguished acute disseminated encephalomyelitis cases (1/3 of cohort) from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) cases (2/3 of cohort). Of CIS cases with contrast imaging, 26% fulfilled McDonald 2010 MS diagnostic criteria. Predictive risk factors for MS diagnosis included: CIS presentation; presence of periventricular lesions on MRI brain scan; and age> 8 years. Conclusions: The detailed study of ADS presented in this work will help to inform future clinical service delivery and clinical trial design.

This exploratory study used grounded theory to discover whether senior partners in legal services firms in the UK held the core characteristics of identity to work in alignment in the changing context. Using a combination of participant interviews and secondary analysis of published material, knowledge was generated to review some changes resulting from the Legal Services Act, the components of identity, and individual and peer alignment in these senior partners. The term ‘alignment’ is used in this study to describe both a state and a process. The study suggests that senior partners do not currently display many of the attributes to take their firms into a successful future. Senior partners reported living a facade, having difficulties with boundaries and the complex role of partner. They seem to focus on eliminating problems rather than striving to achieve goals, and are more interested in ‘I’ than ‘we’. All of this presents huge challenges for a successful response by the firms to deregulation. There was little evidence of simultaneous identification with the firm and the profession, and this with other findings left a gap between the individual and the collective as well as a gap between the role and core identities of the individual. More positively, there is some evidence of identity negotiation and where participants were doing some personal change work, this was driven by the hindrances to, and supporting beliefs about, the required behaviour at work, and possibly informed by an imagined image of best ‘self’ or ‘group member’. The findings support a practitioner model; ‘CONTRIBUTIONS’ which is useful for coaching and facilitation of individuals and teams. The study offers original contributions to academic knowledge including; building on the ‘identification’ literature, linking in the concept of ‘secondary gain’, specific evidence from the legal partner group against generic concepts of identity literature.

Whether or not there is greater normative tolerance for physical discipline within certain ethno-cultural groups has been hotly debated both within social research and discourse. This descriptive quantitative study examined the characteristics of 72 substantiated physical abuse cases reported to Montreal’s English youth protection over a 2-year period. The findings revealed that 49% of the cases involved visible minority youth. Cross tabulations of 68 variables were compared between two groups: visible minority and Caucasian youth. Factors such as immigration and acculturation stressors and a parent having been subject to physical punishment as a child were more prominent in cases involving visible minority youth while parental mental health problems occurred more frequently in cases involving Caucasian youth. Practice implications regarding the potential benefits of using a varied response model, with an emphasis on culturally competent services, to address the problem of intra-familial violence is also discussed.
Il y a eut maints débats, tant au sein de discussions sociales qu’en recherche, visant à évaluer une potentielle plus grande tolérance pour la discipline physique parmi certains groupe ethnoculturels. Cette étude descriptive a pour but d’examiner les caractéristiques de 72 cas d’abus rapporté au service de protection jeunesse anglais de Montréal sur une période de deux ans. Les résultats révèlent que 49% de ces dits cas impliquaient des enfants provenant de minorités visibles. Deux groupes jeunesses, les minorités visibles et les caucasien furent comparés par l’entremise d’un tri croisé. Certains facteurs tels l’immigration, le stress de l’accommodation culturelle ainsi que l’assujettissement de parents à la correction physique lors de leur enfance furent plus proéminents dans des cas mettant en cause des jeunes de minorités visibles. En contrepartie les cas de problèmes de santé mentale furent plus fréquent dans les cas mettant en cause les jeunes caucasiens.