Private philanthropy is important in America. In 1985, philanthropy totaled almost 80 billion dollars. Philanthropy is partially a function of price. Absent a tax benefit, the price of charitable giving is unity. When tax benefits are available, the price of cash giving is one minus the marginal tax rate of the donor. Philanthropy is not evenly distributed among all classes of organizations. Changes in tax cost bring about changes in the distribution of gifts among organizations. Predictions have been made of a six to twelve billion dollar decline in individual giving as a result of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The question is, "Whose ox gets gored?" In 1962, the Internal Revenue Service collected data directly linking itemized charitable contributions to class of donee organization. Prior works by Taussig, Schwartz, Feldstein, and Clotfelter have been principally based on this data. Their works document differing elasticities of price on charitable giving. The current research gathered 1985 data on the relationships between income, price, and charitable donee for 298 Dallas County, Texas, taxpayers. Data was obtained from selected certified public accountants in Dallas County who prepared income tax returns for individuals as part of their practice. Two hundred fifty usable responses …

Interpretation 101-3 of the AICPA Code of Professional Ethics provides four independence requirements for certified public accountants performing bookkeeping services. As such, these requirements are largely thought of as rules requiring compliance. The purpose of this study was to provide empirical evidence related to the question, "Can the guidelines in Interpretation 101-3 be effectively interpreted?" Accordingly, the research objectives were twofold: (1) to make an estimate of the effectiveness of independence discrimination resulting from the use of Interpretation 101-3 , and (2) to identify variables related to differences in CPAs' judgements of impairment and non-impairment of CPA independence in situations covered by Interpretation 101-3. The research methodology for this study was based on a case approach. Twelve situations developed from analysis of Interpretation 101-3 and discussions with practitioners were organized into twenty-four cases in which a CPA firm provided a variety of accounting services. These twenty-four cases were divided into two case sets of twelve cases each and then combined with two cases from a previous study by David Lavin. These cases were submitted to an expert panel for validation as to their relationship to Interpretation 101-3, and a predetermined "correct" judgement was established for use in analysis. A mail …

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 on the federal civil service through the establishment of the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was designed to correct many of the abuses which existed under the Civil Service Commission related to appeals procedures and inefficiency within the federal government. The majority of data collected for this study were obtained from the Dallas field office of the Merit Systems Protection Board, which covers approximately 275,000 federal employees in a five-state area. Additional data, related to all of the regional field offices of the Merit Systems Protection Board, were obtained from Washington, D.C. Two research tools were used to collect data from the Dallas field office: a questionnaire and a personal interview. Three hypotheses were examined. Hypothesis I stated that the creation of the Merit Systems Protection Board has not given presiding officials any additional authority to handle or decide adverse action cases brought within their jurisdiction. Hypothesis II stated that the length of time needed to process adverse action cases has not decreased since the creation of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Hypothesis III stated that …

In recent years, considerable interest has been stimulated concerning potential conflicts of interest between a company's management and their independent auditors. Many researchers examined the association between corporations who changed their present auditors, and factors such as auditor's opinion on the financial statements, management changes, mergers, financial distress, etc. Some of these research efforts resulted in findings that were inconsistent with each other. The current research was therefore undertaken with the objective of developing a theoretical model of auditor change process and to explain the justification for considering certain specific factors that may be present in an auditor-client relationship. The research design and the methodology for analyses were developed on the basis of the theory on power conflicts found in political science literature and by the use of Wrong's power model on authority relationship. Sources of power such as the size of an audit firm, size of a corporation, the stock exchange membership, the ability of an auditor to qualify the opinion on the financial statements, the ability of the management of a corporation to terminate the audit contract following the issue of a qualified opinion, and change of a corporation's CEO were identified and converted into independent variables. Data …

The central theme of this study is to survey and critically examine existing Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Management Development Programs (MDPs) in order to determine which areas of the current programs must be given priority and greater emphasis at Saudia, as well as to ascertain MDP's effects on managers, staff managers, and supervisors. The purposes of this study are (1) to review and evaluate the progress made in managerial development at Saudia from 1972 to 1977 in terms of objectives and effectiveness, and (2) to explore the development of Saudia's managerial needs. The criteria used in this analysis are based upon managerial effectiveness. Although scattered significant differences appeared in some of the data presented in this study, no specific patterns were found among these differences, and it appeared that MDP could not produce any change in the behavior of those managers, staff managers, and supervisors who participated in it. This was a clear indication that MDP was far from achieving its objectives. Several factors contributed to this result, including misunderstanding of Saudi Arabian culture and circumstances; lack of support from top management; lack of manpower analysis; lack of cooperation, coordination, and communication between the training department and other departments at …

The cycle regression analysis algorithm is the most recent addition to a group of techniques developed to detect "hidden periodicities." This dissertation investigates four major aspects of the algorithm. The objectives of this research are 1. To develop an objective method of obtaining an initial estimate of the cycle period? the present procedure of obtaining this estimate involves considerable subjective judgment; 2. To validate the algorithm's success in extracting cycles from multi-cylical data; 3. To determine if a consistent relationship exists among the smallest amplitude, the error standard deviation, and the number of replications of a cycle contained in the data; 4. To investigate the behavior of the algorithm in the predictions of major drops.

Hospitals have increasingly come under close public scrutiny in the last several years because of the constantly escalating price of health care in the United States. It has been estimated that approximately 30 per cent of a typical hospital's operational budget is devoted to purchasing consumables plus the cost of materials support. The purpose of this study is to examine and compare materials management practices of selected individual hospitals in Texas Health Services Area 5 in order to determine the extent and manner in which they utilize the materials management concept. In addition, the investigation focuses on determining if there are any relationships between the variables of type of ownership, size and the extent to which the study hospitals utilize the materials management concept.

The purpose of this research is to study and improve decision accuracy in the real world. Spot price prediction of petroleum products, in a budgeting context, is the task chosen to study prediction accuracy. Prediction accuracy of executives in a multinational oil company is examined. The Brunswik Lens Model framework is used to evaluate prediction accuracy. Predictions of the individuals, the composite group (mathematical average of the individuals), the interacting group, and the environmental model were compared. Predictions of the individuals were obtained through a laboratory experiment in which experts were used as subjects. The subjects were required to make spot price predictions for two petroleum products. Eight predictor variables that were actually used by the subjects in real-world predictions were elicited through an interview process. Data for a 15 month period were used to construct 31 cases for each of the two products. Prediction accuracy was evaluated by comparing predictions with the actual spot prices. Predictions of the composite group were obtained by averaging the predictions of the individuals. Interacting group predictions were obtained ex post from the company's records. The study found the interacting group to be the least accurate. The implication of this finding is that even …

Why do employees vote for or against union representation? A survey of the scholarly literature and an investigation of National Labor Relations Board sponsored elections among Southern industrial workers were conducted to help answer this question. Four hypotheses were proposed to reveal the most important factors. No universally applicable laws were developed by the dissertation study. Although the hypotheses were supported, the response rate was very low in the field research study of sensitive issues. The field research did provide additional empirical evidence to support most of the previous research studies concerning union representation election voting behavior.

Past research has shown a correlation between first-aid training and the reduction of injuries. This connection has been noted in off-the-job situations in addition to industrial studies. This project is an extension of those past findings with three notable differences: total population training was studied, as the intervention instead of just saturation treatment; attention was given to the effect that the half-life of training had upon injury reduction; and three randomly chosen small groups we're studied to determine short range effects. The theoretical bases from which the study hypothesis was developed originated in the Behavioral Science and Psychology literature. Discussions are developed around the mental structuring of accidental potential situations in the case of a person trained in first-aid principles. Behavior Modification was one of the principles of change that offered a.safer environment through first-aid training. Group contagion provided the setting for development of a safer place to work because of socialization to a "safe attitude." The intervention, American National Red Cross Standard Multimedia First-Aid Course, provided some of the mental developments toward modification of behavior. These were the modeling and rehearsal features of the course. A connection between group deviance and accident "proneness" led to a proposal that avoidance …

This dissertation describes the effect that the construction of frequency tables has on basic statistics computed from those frequency tables. It is directly applicable only to normally distributed data summarized by Sturges' Rule. The purpose of this research was to identify factors tending to bias sample statistics when data are summarized, and thus to allow researchers to avoid such bias. The methodology employed was a large scale simulation where 1000 replications of samples of size n = 2 ᵏ⁻¹ for 2 to 12 were drawn from a normally distributed population with a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. A FORTRAN IV source listing is included. The report concludes that researchers should avoid the use of statistics computed from frequency tables in cases where raw data are available. Where the use of such statistics is unavoidable, the researchers can eliminate their bias by the use of empirical correction factors provided in the paper. Further research is suggested to determine the effect of summarization of data drawn from various non-normal distributions.

A non-experimental, descriptive study was conducted to examine the criteria by which ad hoc labor arbitrators are selected in the petroleum refining industry. Three factors — arbitrator background, recognition, and arbitration practice — were examined to determine their relative importance to advocates selecting ad hoc labor arbitrators. The population of the study consisted of management and labor union advocates in the petroleum refining industry who routinely select ad hoc labor arbitrators. Participating management and union advocates completed a questionnaire used to gather respondents' evaluations of criteria considered in the selection of ad hoc arbitrators. Responses to statements designed for measuring relative importance of the criteria considered were recorded. Descriptive statistics, discriminant analysis, and tests of significance were used in the treatment of the data.

This study identifies the concepts of reliability, cost of downtime, cost of spare parts, and procurement lead time as the four key moderators of spare parts availability. These concepts are used to establish a model to manage spare parts inventories. Reliability was assessed in terms of developing failure predictions for major component categories. Cost of downtime was evaluated by identifying various methods for determining costs associated with downtime. Cost of spare parts was examined to find correlations with economic indicators. These correlations were used to predict future price movements. Yearly changes in lead time were identified and correlated with economic indexes to develop movement predictability.

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of determining the optimal transfer of property from a decedent to his surviving spouse. A secondary problem addressed is whether equity between common law states and community property states in the application of the estate tax provisions has been achieved through the allowance of the marital deduction. From this analysis decision criteria were developed to aid taxpayers and their advisors in determining optimal property transfers to a surviving spouse. Conclusions of the study were the following: (1) The primary concern when formulating an estate plan should be to determine whether any property should be transferred to the surviving spouse. The literature has stressed qualifying transfers for the marital deduction while giving minimal consideration to the wisdom of doing so. This study indicates that in a majority of estates optimal results are obtained by making no transfers to the surviving spouse. (2) Relative after-tax rates of return of the surviving spouse and other beneficiaries are the most important factors in determining optimal transfers to the spouse. This again conflicts with the literature which has emphasized relative estate sizes as the dominant factor. (3) Rates of inflation have minimal influence in determining …

The 1976 Tax Reform Act made many changes in the taxation of estate and gift transfers. Previously gifts and estates were taxed separately and the gift tax rate was 75 percent of the estate tax rate; and there was a $30,000 exemption for gifts and a $60,000 exemption for estate transfers. Under the new law the exemptions were repealed and replaced with a unified credit against the tax; and the tax on estate and gift transfers was combined into one increasing rate schedule. Under the prior law, deathbed gifts were advantageous because the gift tax paid on the transfer was excluded from the taxable estate but was allowed as a credit against the estate tax since gifts within three years of the date of death were included in the gross estate unless the estate could demonstrate that the gifts were not made in contemplation of death. Under the new law, gift taxes paid on transfers which occur within three years of the date of death are included in the taxable estate.

Much has been written during the past decade to explain the relationship between financial and operating leverage and stock-price volatility. However, the relationship between combined leverage and stock-price volatility has yet to be fully explored. Mandelker and Rhee's (MR) recent study uses both operating and financial leverage in a regression (equivalent to the traditional total leverage—DTL) and shows that both types of leverage are positively associated with common stock betas. Huffman recently demonstrated that there are interactions between operating leverage and financial leverage. Therefore, MR's model could be oversimplified. This study examines the relationship between firms' combined leverage and their stock-price volatility. The study also examines industry and industry growth to see if the relationship is influenced by these factors. The question is whether DOCL is a better risk measure than DTL and whether there is an interaction between operating and financial leverage. The inferences that can be drawn from the study's results are as follows: (a) Stock risk is a function of combined leverage; (b) Industry significantly influences the relationship between stock risk and DOCL; (c) High growth increases the relationship between stock risk and DOCL; (d) Combined leverage (DOCL) is a better risk measure than total leverage (DTL). …

This dissertation has two major sections. The first section focuses on analyzing objective data gathered from public sources to investigate factors influencing industrial location to Texas. Areas of investigation include (1) where Texas stands--on economic, demographic, sociologic, climatic, and technological terms--in relation to the remaining forty-seven contiguous states; (2) what are the locational characteristics of Texas compared to other states; and (3) what types of industry move to Texas and from where. Regional and state comparisons are also made in terms of factors that can influence business success. The second section is concerned with analyzing survey data gathered from three test groups. The three groups are (1) civic interest groups consisting of Texas mayors, city managers, and chamber of commerce executives; (2) manufacturing executives who have located a new plant in Texas from outside the state since 1978; and (3) out-of-state manufacturing executives who have considered Texas as a possible location but decided not to locate within the state during the period 1978-1983. The major purposes of this section are to determine (1) whether manufacturing executives and Texas community leaders possess different views concerning the relative importance of location factors and factors that are specifically advantageous to the state of …

This research was designed to investigate the relationship between audit risk and the conduct of the audit engagement in the specific context of an oil and gas audit. Because reserve estimates are in the financial reports of oil and gas entities (in the depreciation, depletion and amortization calculation, the limitation on capitalized costs for companies using the full-cost method, and the required supplementary disclosure for companies subject to Securities and Exchange Commission requirements) and because the reserve estimation process is considerably affected by numerous factors, there is a chance that a material error could be incorporated into the financial statement representations with which the auditor is associated. The objective of the research was to (1) identify conditions which are important in an assessment of audit risk in associating with reserve estimates, and (2) determine the impact of some of these conditions on the conduct of the audit.

The purpose of the research was to test Walker's assertion that the human resource planning process of an organization is influenced by selected organizational characteristics, and to investigate Walker s typology for implementing and evaluating human resource planning systems. Chapter I introduces the research topic and provides a justification for the study. Chapter II describes the methodology and presents the findings. Chapter III analyzes the findings. The final chapter summarizes the findings and offers conclusions drawn from the research.

This study was designed to assess the types of shared service arrangements and the degree of commitment as evidenced by the incorporation of policy statements displayed toward the sharing concept evident in the Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals. The purpose of this research, then, was to identify and evaluate present utilization of shared arrangements to establish a base for comparison and recommendations for future participation by the various categories of hospitals. The conclusions derived from the findings include the following: 1. Shared services promise to be a continuing factor in the operation of the health care industry in the future. 2. Governmental influence and regulation will expand into every area of health care. Hospital administrators must take every opportunity to contribute input to the formulation of these regulations. 3. The selection of products or services to be shared must be handled in a systematic manner complete with a control system to assure continued quality levels. 4. Standardization of product specifications is the single largest obstacle to the expansion of the shared service concept. This obstacle can be removed only through the committed involvement of the medical community. 5. The sharing of services, rather than products, appears to have great potential in terms …

This study examines the reporting compliance, as defined by section 203(b) of the Labor -Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), 1959, of labor relations consultants who engage in persuader activity. Organized labor suggests that the loss in union strength results, in large part, from management's use of labor relations consultants and their failure to file required reports with the U.S. Department of Labor. Two samples of labor relations consultants known to have engaged in persuader activity and two samples of those who could be engaged in persuader activity are identified. A research questionnaire is mailed to 779 of the total of 887 labor relations consultants for whom an address could be developed. Discriminant analysis using 16 variables correctly classifies 93.8 percent of the responding labor relations consultants grouped according to whether they had filed required reports. Other discriminant analyses using selected variables are also conducted. Three associated questions are answered. First, there are an estimated 850 labor relations consultants who have engaged in persuader activity or who can be presumed to have engaged in persuader activity. Of this number, almost 500 are estimated to have engaged in persuader activity and only 30 percent of these are estimated to have filed …

This study is intended, first, to describe and analyze the channels of distribution for food products in the State of Kuwait, second, to pinpoint the problems that exist in the food-distribution system, and, third, to make specific recommendations for the alleviation of the problems. Consistent with the objectives of the study and based on the description and analysis of the food-distribution system in the country, it is concluded in the study that Kuwait depends on imports for virtually all of its food; the government plays a major role in the food-distribution system; and the majority of food wholesaling and retailing establishments are small, inefficient, and lack modern marketing and physical distribution techniques. Product shortages and rising food prices plague the food-distribution system in the country. Also, the findings indicate that consumers in Kuwait are generally ignorant and uninformed in the areas of food nutrition and food shopping, and the lack of standardization and grading of food products makes the shopping task of the consumer more difficult.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine whether there is a significant degree of association between the extent of use or specific application of budget-related planning and control policies and procedures and firm performance, and (2) to determine whether there is a significant degree of association between the extent of use or specific application of budget-related planning and control policies and procedures and selected firm characteristics. This report concludes that manufacturing firms, when classified by performance, size, degree of capital intensiveness or degree of decentralization of decision-making, do differ with respect to budget practices. The relationship between firm performance or degree of capital intensiveness and budget practices, though, is not as extensive as the relationship between a firm's size or degree of decentralization and its budget practices. It was recommended that field studies be conducted to determine (1) why high performance firms were not more frequent users of budget procedures considered to be valuable and (2) why certain budget procedures considered valuable were not more frequently used by all firms.

Catastrophe theory (CT) is a relatively new mathematical theory that comprehensively describes a system exhibiting discontinuous behavior when subjected to continuous stimuli. This study tests the theory using capital-market data. The data is a time series of stock returns on firms that filed for Chapter 11 reorganization during 1980-1985. The CT model used is based on a corporate failure model suggested by Francis, Hastings and Fabozzi (1983). The model predicts 1) as the filing date approaches, there will be a structural shift in the underlying stock-return generating process of the filing firm, and 2) firms with lower operating risk will have a smaller jump than firms with higher operating risk, corresponding to their relative positions within the bifurcation set of the catastrophe cusp.