Toward a Better Understanding of Social Network Site Engagement in Influencing Health Behaviors: An Examination of the Relationship Between Message Framing, Endorsement Cues, and User Engagement

The use of social network sites (SNS) to deliver health interventions has been on the rise in recent years due to their popularity among the general population and functionalities that facilitate interactions with the content, or with other users of SNS. Despite that, scholars have noted challenges, including low engagement, associated with SNS-delivered interventions. This dissertation’s overall purpose is 1) to document the current state of measuring engagement within SNS-delivered health interventions, and 2) to empirically examine the interplay between message framing, social endorsement and engagement in a randomized experiment using Instagram. Results from the scoping review showed that a majority of studies continue to use micro-level engagement indicators to define engagement with a given intervention, and few studies examined engagement as a potential effect modifier of intervention effect, making it difficult to ascertain the type of engagement that matters the most in driving behavioral change. Results from our experimental study (n=528) that utilized Instagram to deliver a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine promotion information showed that micro-level engagement did not mediate the relationship between framed messages and vaccination intention; instead, the study suggests that the effect of the communication intervention was partially mediated through positive emotion evoked as a result of reading the intervention material. Additionally, the study suggests that heuristic cues displayed on SNS, such as number of likes, could confer social endorsement effect, such that individuals will be more likely to “like” and “share” the post when they see many people have also liked the post. However, no differences were observed in terms of credibility perception between participants who were exposed to a post with high number of likes vs low numbers of likes in the current study context. This dissertation’s findings contribute to gaps in our understanding of engagement in the context of SNS-delivered interventions. Future works that incorporate multiple dimensions of engagement or utilize multiple methods will further our understanding of engagement and improve ways in which we can best utilize SNS for health intervention purposes

Disclosure Quality, Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Firm Value

One of the main aims of the underlying research is to respond to continuous calls for introducing and measuring a sound economic definition for best practice disclosure quality (e.g. Beyer et al., 2010) that is derived from a reliable guidance framework (Botosan, 2004) using an innovative natural language processing technique (Berger, 2011). It also aims to examine the impact of corporate governance on best practice disclosure quality. Finally, it aims to examine the joint effect of both best practice disclosure quality and corporate governance on firm value. The thesis contributes to disclosure studies in three principal ways. First, it introduces a new measure for best practice disclosure quality. Further tests show that the proposed measure is reliable and valid. A novel feature of this measure is that it captures all qualitative dimensions of information issued by the Accounting Standards Board, 2006 (ASB) Operating and Financial Review (OFR) Reporting Statement. Second, it uses machine-readable OFR statements for financial years ending in 2006-2009, and develops a language processing technique through constructing five keyword lists. Third, it examines the extent to which disclosure quantity provides a proper proxy for disclosure quality. The analysis shows that disclosure quantity is not a good proxy for disclosure quality. Accordingly, results derived, using quantity as a proxy for quality, are questionable. Results of the association between disclosure quality and corporate governance mechanisms suggest that the most effective governance mechanisms in improving disclosure quality are leadership structure, audit committee meeting frequency, and audit firm size. Using a wide set of corporate governance mechanisms, the study also contributes to three research strands and explains the inconclusive results in relation to the association between disclosure quality, corporate governance mechanisms and firm value. It provides empirical evidence as to which governance mechanisms promote the quality of voluntarily disclosed information in large UK firms. Additionally, it provides empirical evidence as to the joint effect of best practice disclosure quality, corporate governance mechanisms on firm value in the UK. Results also show that best practice disclosure quality enjoys a substitutive relationship with two corporate governance mechanisms (audit committee independence and audit committee size) and a complementary association with board independence in relation to firm value. The study has various research and policy implications. It suggests new research avenues for re-examining disclosure relationships, especially research areas that do not have persuasive conclusions such as the economic consequences of disclosure quality. Such research may inform both regulators and managers as to the costs and benefits of disclosure quality to both firms and stakeholders. It also provides feedback on the current disclosure practices by firms so that policy-makers can modify reporting frameworks/guidance accordingly

The evaluation of mental health buildings

The aim of this thesis is to clarify the nature and role of evaluation of mental health buildings, and to make recommendations about the design of mental health buildings and about how they should be evaluated. Reference is made to examples of evaluation work, in particular to work carried out under the Mental Health Buildings Programme in the DHSS. The thesis is presented in three sections: Section 1 discusses the concept of evaluation in relation to mental health buildings, and critically reviews many of the ways in which evaluation has been attempted. It is argued that while the term 'evaluation' can be applied to a range of work, evaluation of mental health buildings presents special problems, and, if it is to be reliable, valid, significant and potentially useful, should follow certain criteria. It is argued that these criteria can be drawn from various branches of social science; evaluation can be strengthened by referring to environmental psychology, to the evaluation of social programmes and to service evaluation, and drawing on their approaches. Section 2 then outlines the aims and development of the Mental Healthy Buildings Evaluation Programme and reports a selection of data from the evaluation of two DHSS - sponsored ’model’ service developments (evaluation of residential accommodation for mentally handicapped people, and of psychiatric day and hospital provision). The programme was set up by the author to evaluate these developments in ways which would produce information of value in future planning and design of mental health facilities, and detailed recommendations are offered. Section 3 reviews critically the Mental Health Buildings Evaluation Programme work presented in Section 2, outlines subsequent policy developments of relevance and draws conclusions concerning the evaluation of mental health buildings in future

Zeolites

This book entitled Zeolites is a collection of papers recently published in the journal Crystals, focusing on zeolites as a group of hydrated aluminosilicates with unique physical and chemical properties that can have numerous and important applications. The collection opens with works related to the geological documentation of the newest deposits of natural zeolites. The second part of the book describes a variety of synthesis methods and characterizes the resulting products. Finally, some recent advances in their applications in different fields are presented at the end of the book

Technology diffusion in health care: A microeconometric analysis of the NHS.

This thesis examines technology diffusion within the UK NHS. Motivated by increasing health expenditure over the last years, it is important to understand the diffusion process of medical technology in order to determine the factors that enhance or delay the incorporation of technologies into common practice. Given the uncertainty inherent in new technology and its presupposed competitive advantage, the diffusion process is approached through the informational sources available to agents as a mechanism to overcome uncertainty. Information increases physicians' knowledge on product quality and consequently influences technology choice. The set of regulatory and financial incentives provided by the health care system are also considered. Throughout the thesis dynamic panel data methods are used to estimate technology demand equations. The first case study looks at diffusion within the primary care sector of three drug groups at the therapeutical class level using prescription data from IMS Health. The second empirical case explores within-group therapeutical diffusion with emphasis on competition amongst branded products. The question addressed relates to the informational and product characteristics that consolidate different prescription trends and product uptake. Results suggest that prescription experience is the most important source of information; however, physicians access additional informative channels when the technology is a breakthrough innovation. Additionally, drug diffusion is unaffected by the health system organisation. The final empirical work addresses diffusion of two surgical procedures in the secondary care sector using HES data. Specifically, it considers the impact of competition introduced by the NHS reforms initiated in the 90s. Patient follow-up also allows exploration of the impact that surgical innovation has on patients' health outcomes using a competing risk model. Findings suggest higher diffusion in less concentrated markets, with specialised and university providers having faster uptake. Moreover, diffusion presents long-term effects on improved quality of care