Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Marketing Of Major League Soccer, Bruce G. Hummer Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

For the past six years, Major League Soccer has tried to penetrate American homes with its brand of soccer. Television advertisements and in-house surveys have been made to encourage people to view soccer as a spectator sport. The league, though, has been on decline since its first year and the question still remains why soccer has a hard time being a spectator sport in America. This study examined how Youth Soccer parents perceive the league.

The author went to various Youth Soccer games and registrations and used an intercept survey of the soccer parents. The parents were asked if they …

Minor League Basketball Organizations: Making Them Work, Derek Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Minor league basketball organizations have wilted under the competition's spotlight. These leagues tried to present fans with an entertaining alternative to professional sports.

Minor league basketball's efforts to entertain fans have been unsuccessful. This study examines why these organizations have not succeeded. Through interviews, research and survey results potential solutions have been discovered.

Eighty surveys were distributed to teams and executives from basketball organizations. The surveys obtained information on ticket prices, attendance and reasons why minor league basketball has struggled.

The study revealed that minor league basketball suffers from a lack of leadership, fan interest and financial stability. Suggestions were …

A Combined Adaptive Tabu Search And Set Partitioning Approach For The Crew Scheduling Problem With An Air Tanker Crew Application, Todd E. Combs

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops the first metaheuristic approach to the complete air crew scheduling problem. It develops the first dynamic, integrated, set-partitioning based vocabulary scheme for metaheuristic search. Since no benchmark flight schedules exist for the tanker crew scheduling problem, this research defines and develops a Java™ based flight schedule generator. The robustness of the tabu search algorithms is judged by testing them using designed experiments. An integer program is developed to calculate lower bounds for the tanker crew scheduling problem objectives and to measure the overall quality of solutions produced by the developed algorithms.

Marketing Plans For Convention And Visitors Bureaus: A Content Analysis, Kelli Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

The major purpose of this study was to identify convention sales marketing and public relations trends by conducting a content analysis of the tactics in CVB convention marketing plans. By identifying both the common and unique public relations elements in marketing plans, CVBs can draw a relationship between public relations tactics and the success of reaching their mission statements in their own marketing plans.

Five cities' convention and visitors bureaus in the Eastern region of the U.S. were selected. These cities are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The researcher obtained three complete marketing plans, one telephone interview and …

A Comparative Study Of Marketing Planning In Higher Education: Is It A Trend?, Janice L. Powers

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of marketing planning at colleges and universities, and if it helps with recruitment, retention and enrollment.

This study also examined whether marketing planning helps institutions create, guide and coordinate marketing efforts.

The first phase of the research for this study consisted of related findings reviews, in-depth interviews with non-profit, education specific marketing firms, as well as marketing professionals at institutions of higher learning. Next, primary research involved a fourteen item self-administered questionnaire electronically mailed to selected four-year colleges and universities in Northeast/Southeast/Central Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The questionnaire asked respondents …

How The Internet Has Impacted College Recruitment And Admissions, Maureen Constantino

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides advice to college admissions and public relations professionals so they can make their college web sites more user friendly.

The author surveyed 275 juniors and seniors from six randomly selected Catholic and public New Jersey high schools. There were 261 viable responses.

The author found that the family is the most influential factor in the student's college search. Participants indicated that the Internet plays a role in most of their searches. The students rely on direct mail and guidance counselors in their search as well.

Participants were interested in visiting college web sites that were easily navigated. …

The Roles And Prevalence Of Communication Research In Selected Southern New Jersey School Bond Referenda, Paul Dice

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the roles and prevalence of communication research in two successful Southern New Jersey school bond referenda. Both school districts utilized communication research to help them win the support of their communities. The study sought to offer insight into the importance, or lack thereof, of communications research as a tool to be used in assisting school officials to pass their referenda.

This study does not present a "how-to" manual for passing a bond referendum. Rather, it offers insights into how school officials can make use of research to enhance their chances of passing …

Robustness Of Multiple Objective Decision Analysis Preference Functions, William K. Klimack

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated value and utility functions in multiobjective decision analysis to examine the relationship between them in a military decision making context. The impact of these differences was examined to improve implementation efficiency. The robustness of the decision model was examined with respect to the preference functions to reduce the time burden imposed on the decision maker. Data for decision making in a military context supports the distinction between value and utility functions. Relationships between value and utility functions and risk attitudes were found to be complex. Elicitation error was significantly smaller than the difference between value and utility …

The General Public's Knowledge And Perceptions Of The Certified Athletic Trainer's Professional Role And Educational Background, Casey Christy

Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to determine the general public's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors relative to the certified athletic trainer's professional role and educational background.

Two-hundred and seventy-nine people completed an 11-question intercept survey. Results indicate the athletic training professional faces many perception barriers with the general public.

Only 12 percent identified an "athletic trainer" as one of the on-field healthcare providers for injured professional football players. More than half failed to correctly describe what an athletic trainer does. Many responses indicate the public confuses certified athletic trainers with "personal trainers" and other strength and conditioning professionals. Eighty-four percent of the …

Surveying The Future: An Innovative Tool For Expressing Stakeholder Vision As Demonstrated In Lawrence Township Public Schools, Jessica Reynolds Haviland

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to create a survey instrument that will allow all stakeholders in a school district to share their thoughts, opinions, and attitudes regarding their vision for the future. The results of this survey will be used to create a vision statement to clarify goals, prioritize activities, and unify stakeholders in the pursuit of a desired future. This survey can serve as a benchmark, against which a school district can measure progress toward its goals. The survey instrument will also be a template, which can be used by other organizations to assess their publics' vision for …

Nukes Or No Nukes: How Does The Community View The Salem & Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations, David S. Burgin

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses resident and political opinion surrounding the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations (SHCNGS) owned by Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) by analyzing survey responses of residents and politicians living within 0-10 miles, 11-30 miles and from 31-50 miles from the stations in New Jersey and Delaware.

The study also investigates resident and political opinion since September 11, 2001, and how residents and politicians receive information about SHCNGS. In addition, resident and political opinion on four key issues facing the future existence of SHCNGS is also captured. Those four key issues are license renewal, environmental impact, safety/security, …

A Study Of The Changing Face Of Newspaper Journalism And Its Effect On Public Relations, Eva Marnie

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine three newspaper markets within the Philadelphia region to determine how journalism is changing and how this change affects the practice of public relations.

The study compared and contrasted the results of a nationwide survey given to editors of all major newspaper markets.

In-depth interviews were conducted, followed by a survey, to determine the attitudes and opinions of the Philadelphia region's major newspaper editors.

The research of the newspaper industry led to the trend of civic journalism. Much research was conducted about civic journalism and its role in the newspaper industry.

From the …

An Exploratory Study Of How Public Relations Practitioners And Journalists Need, Perceive And Deceive One Another, Jamie Leigh Mufalli

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the relationship between public relations practitioners and journalists; how they perceive one another, what defines the relationship and what they would do differently if they were in the opposite field.

The author surveyed journalists and public relations practitioners to determine what kinds of attitudes help shape and define the relationship between these two very important professions.

Both public relations practitioners and journalists believe they are equal partners in the dissemination of information. Only 34.6 percent of public relations practitioners believe journalists have high morals and ethics, and are honest with public relations practitioners. Over 50 percent of …

The Philadelphia Phillies: Why Do They Play To An Empty Stadium?, Christine A. Bosco

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to determine fans' attitudes about the Philadelphia Phillies, 2) to determine why there is low attendance at Phillies home games, and 3) to determine how fans can be lured back to the stadium. A sample (n = 100) from the Philadelphia and southern New Jersey areas was chosen to complete a 12-question survey. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. Data was processed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for frequencies and cross-tabulations. Major findings from the study include: 36% of respondents indicated that ticket price was their first consideration …

Communication Tactics For Empowering Employees: A Guidebook For Organizations And Managers, Todd Michael Pasley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to establish communication tactics that apply to various communication situations in an empowerment context. The creation of such a reference source will offer a valuable resource for organizations and managers that wish to implement or change empowerment initiatives.

The completion of the study has yielded a guidebook consisting of case studies that offer solutions to communication problems based on literary research. The case studies will act as a guide for effective communication tactics when implementing or altering an empowerment initiative.

A non-scientific content analysis of relevant literature was completed to ascertain communication tactics and …

Motivations And Gratifications For Selecting A Niche Television Channel: Byu Television, Diena L. Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of direct broadcast satellite television distribution to the home as a viable competitor to cable and terrestrial broadcast has fostered the availability of special interest or niche channels and therefore provided greater choice to the viewer. This study, based on uses and gratifications theory, examined the relationships among ritual and instrumental viewing motivations and satisfactions, viewer religiosity, and viewing attentiveness as they related to the selection of a niche television channel, Brigham Young University Television.
The uses and gratification approach provides an appropriate framework for studying "media consumption, the interrelated nature of television user motives, and the relationships …

"Woman Arise!": Political Work In The Writings Of Lu Dalton, Sheree Maxwell Bench

Theses and Dissertations

In 1872, Mormon plural wife, educator, and suffragist Lucinda Lee Dalton began writing fiery political essays and insightful poetry for the Woman's Exponent from her small community in southern Utah. Through her writings Dalton endeavors to shape the opinions of Exponent readers by working within public discourse toward the goal of equality for women. At times both optimistic and troubled, she uses the rhetorical strategies of humor, irony, reason, identification, and persuasion to educate men and women on disparities and to encourage women to participate actively in their own emancipation. She often engages in a dialogical process with other writers …

Making Friends To Last A Lifetime: An Ethnographic Study Of Parasocial Relationships And Soap Opera Characters, Emmalee Elizabeth Haight Pryor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to build theory about parasocial relationships and to examine what affect, if any, religion had on parasocial relationships. Using qualitative methods, the researcher watched the show three times with five women followed by an in-depth interview. The women chosen were LDS stay-at-home moms who had watched a soap opera for at least a year.
From this data came several surprising findings about religion and soap opera viewing. The women said they did not feel guilty about the content of the shows, rather the time required to watch. This guilt was alleviated by structuring their …

Ethical Leadership And Communication, Jacquelynne Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

This analysis of leadership and communication research argues that effective leadership is manifested through the ethical communication a leader practices with group members. This paper approaches leadership as an interactional process and corroborates this view with supporting research and theory from the fields of business and communication. Ethical communication is used as a framework for how groups can communicate more effectively. A review of extant literature concluded that effective leadership does not exist with the leader's hands alone, but is created through communication and interaction within the group. Findings indicated that the more effective and productive managers approach their positions …