PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Business: Business Administration

This dissertation package examines the effect of executive compensation and corporate governance related regulatory provisions on firm value and risk-taking decisions of industrial firms, using the provisions from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DF) as an exogenous shock. In the first paper, I examine the impact of Section 972 of DF on market performance and investment decisions of duality firms. I predict that the disclosure requirements under Section 972, which requires duality firms to explain why the CEO also serves as the chairperson of the board, will mitigate the agency problem associated with duality firms. Results from the paper support this prediction, suggesting the disclosure shock from Section 972 improved the governance of duality firms with beneficial effects for corporate decision-making, leading to improved firm performance and a decrease in investments with a negative NPV. In the second paper, I predict that DF's passage will be followed by a decrease in the level and efficacy of risk-taking incentives (vega) without a corresponding decrease in risk-taking as measured by R&D spending. Provisions from Title IX of DF can discourage firms from providing executives incentives to take greater risks by adding scrutiny to the compensation process overall ("say-on-pay") and severance packages ("golden parachutes"), strengthening the independence of the compensation committee, requiring disclosure of the "pay ratio," and restricting managerial hedging activities. I predict these provisions will not necessarily decrease R&D spending by these firms because these provisions can also mitigate managerial agency problems by making it harder for executives to engage in rent-seeking through compensation. Results provide support for these predictions, as the level of R&D investments do not decrease despite the decrease in the level and efficacy of vega. Overall, my dissertation contributes to the literature on executive compensation, c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Timothy Campbell Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Changjiang Wang Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Ferguson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Finance

Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2017, Educational Psychology

It is critical that schools continue to advance the skills of high ability students through tasks that require complex thinking processes and work that goes beyond computational mathematics. The study examined the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on the problem-solving mathematics achievement and mathematical agency of 2nd grade mathematically gifted students. Results showed that metacognitive strategies can be utilized with gifted students to extend their ability to problem-solve. Metacognitive strategy instruction also had a positive effect on the mathematical agency of the students. The mathematical agency rubric which was utilized examined the opportunity to express and contribute mathematical ideas, whether ideas are built upon, and if group members recognize and support the contributor of the idea.

Committee: Sarah Watt (Advisor); Todd Edwards (Committee Member); Michael Woodin (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology