Sammanfattning En fallstudie gjordes bland medarbetare inom Hemtjänsten i Eskilstuna kommun. Syftet med studien är att erhålla förklaring och förståelse för medarbetares användning och attityder till de processkartor och dokument som ingår i det integrerade ledningssystemet (ILS) samt den förändring som införandet av dem innebär inom Hemtjänsten i Eskilstuna kommun. Syftet är även att erhålla förklaring och förståelse om medarbetarattityders påverkan på införandet av ILS genom att utgå ifrån teorier om attitydkonstruktioner.       Studien utfördes med en metodkombination av enkäter och intervjuer bland medarbetare inom HEK. Drygt 14% av alla medarbetare inom HEK deltog i studien varav 59st svarade på enkäter och tre intervjuades. Resultatet indikerade att många medarbetare visste när de skulle använda ILS även om inte alla hade börjat använda det ännu. Medarbetare var eniga om att ILS hade många fördelar och de hade allmänt positiva attityder till ILS. Deras attityder analyserades utifrån attitydkonstruktionerna beredskap för förändring (BFF), åtagande för förändring (ÅFF), öppenhet för förändring (ÖFF) och cynism mot organisationsförändring (CMO).   Slutsatserna var att attityder bland medarbetare inom HEK inte borde utgöra ett hinder för ett framgångsrikt införande av ILS. Införandet av ILS anses därför inte kräva drastiska attitydförändringar bland medarbetare för att möjliggöra dess framgång. / Summary in English A case study was carried out among home care employees in Eskilstuna municipality. The purpose of the study was to provide explanations and understanding regarding the employee’s usage of and attitudes towards an integrated management system (ILS), and it´s implementation, within the home care section of Eskilstuna municipality. The purpose was also to provide explanations and understanding about the impact of these attitudes based on theories on attitudinal constructs.   The study was conducted with a combination of methods. Approximately 14% of the home care employees participated in the study, 59 of them in a survey and three participated in interviews. The results indicated that many employees knew when to use ILS even though the usage did not seem to be extensive among them. The employees were in agreement that ILS had many benefits and their attitudes on ILS were mainly positive. The analysis of attitudes was based on the following attitudinal constructs theories: readiness for change, commitment to change, openness to change and cynicism about organizational change.    The conclusions were that the attitudes held by the home care employees should not be a barrier to a successful implementation of ILS. The implementation of ILS does therefore not seem to require drastic changes in attitudes among employees in order to enable it´s success.

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Since the emergence of branding as an approach to marketing, the concept has been received with a great deal of interest and has stimulated ever increasing research in the area. Businesses have realized the importance of retaining existing customers and have begun to identify and apply ways to build long-term relationships with customers. These relationships with customers require an understanding of customer needs, business requirements and the influences that create a long-term relation which is more commonly known as brand loyalty. Several research studies including this one present the results of brand loyalty research in the form of a conceptual framework. From an academic viewpoint, the identification and application of all the relevant influences are essential in the construction of a framework that can guide the promotion of brand loyalty. The aim of this study was to identify the influences that are most important in creating and measuring brand loyalty in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The study builds a conceptual framework using the identified influences and also presents the interrelationships between the influences. The primary theoretical background and concepts in brand loyalty for this study ranged from the history of branding to the results of brand loyalty studies conducted over the past five years. The extensive review of literature and previously tested brand loyalty models resulted in the identification of 12 influences that impact directly on brand loyalty. Reducing the identified set of influences into a manageable set for this thesis involved selecting the most commonly used reliable and valid brand loyalty influences. The empirical study which followed was conducted among a sample of 550 customers who had access to a wide range of FMCG. The empirical study based on the selected 12 brand loyalty influences yielded results that measured the strength of each influence and the interrelationship of influences. The results were analysed by the process of factor analysis, and were presented in the form of a conceptual framework that could be applied in the FMCG segment to measure the strength of brand loyalty influences and determine if the same influences apply to all FMCG. The results of the study confirmed that different influences have different effects on brand loyalty in the FMCG segment. The study revealed that the psychological influences such as brand commitment, brand affect, perceived value and relationship proneness had a far stronger effect on brand loyalty than the brand performance influences such as customer satisfaction or brand performance. Furthermore, the study found an extremely close relationship between influences as far as the specific products were concerned. This study confirmed that FMCG could all be treated as a single entity when evaluating the influences of brand loyalty. The uniqueness and value of the study lies in the evaluation of each brand loyalty influence that is collectively assembled in one framework. The most important contribution of the study is therefore the construction of this conceptual framework through which brand loyalty could be measured and strategically managed. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Administration))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Since the emergence of branding as an approach to marketing, the concept has been received with a great deal of interest and has stimulated ever increasing research in the area. Businesses have realized the importance of retaining existing customers and have begun to identify and apply ways to build long-term relationships with customers. These relationships with customers require an understanding of customer needs, business requirements and the influences that create a long-term relation which is more commonly known as brand loyalty. Several research studies including this one present the results of brand loyalty research in the form of a conceptual framework. From an academic viewpoint, the identification and application of all the relevant influences are essential in the construction of a framework that can guide the promotion of brand loyalty. The aim of this study was to identify the influences that are most important in creating and measuring brand loyalty in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The study builds a conceptual framework using the identified influences and also presents the interrelationships between the influences. The primary theoretical background and concepts in brand loyalty for this study ranged from the history of branding to the results of brand loyalty studies conducted over the past five years. The extensive review of literature and previously tested brand loyalty models resulted in the identification of 12 influences that impact directly on brand loyalty. Reducing the identified set of influences into a manageable set for this thesis involved selecting the most commonly used reliable and valid brand loyalty influences. The empirical study which followed was conducted among a sample of 550 customers who had access to a wide range of FMCG. The empirical study based on the selected 12 brand loyalty influences yielded results that measured the strength of each influence and the interrelationship of influences. The results were analysed by the process of factor analysis, and were presented in the form of a conceptual framework that could be applied in the FMCG segment to measure the strength of brand loyalty influences and determine if the same influences apply to all FMCG. The results of the study confirmed that different influences have different effects on brand loyalty in the FMCG segment. The study revealed that the psychological influences such as brand commitment, brand affect, perceived value and relationship proneness had a far stronger effect on brand loyalty than the brand performance influences such as customer satisfaction or brand performance. Furthermore, the study found an extremely close relationship between influences as far as the specific products were concerned. This study confirmed that FMCG could all be treated as a single entity when evaluating the influences of brand loyalty. The uniqueness and value of the study lies in the evaluation of each brand loyalty influence that is collectively assembled in one framework. The most important contribution of the study is therefore the construction of this conceptual framework through which brand loyalty could be measured and strategically managed. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Administration))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Studies have shown that girls’ attitudes toward math are not as positive as that of boys (Fennema, & Sherman, 1977; Eccles, & Blumenfeld, 1985; Guimond, & Roussel, 2001). Crucially, research has also shown that this gender imbalance is a learned trait, female students in high school are more likely to have negative perceptions of Mathematics, than female students in elementary school (Spears Brown, & Bigler, 2004; Maritnot, 2012). This mixed methods research study examined the perceptions of gender bias in Grade 8 mathematics at West Rock Middle School, surveying 45 participants, (20 male, 25 female). A modified Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, in combination with a Forgasz and Leder Who and Mathematics Scale, was used to uncover a slight variability in achievement and attitudinal scores between genders in a middle school mathematics class. A follow-up semi-structured interview with six students (two male, four female) determined that that variance seemed not to be due to a student perception of gender bias, but, rather, a multitude of attitudinal concerns. / Graduate / 0280 / 0727 / 0525 / icooper@uvic.ca

The aim of this study is to investigate whether club card loyalty have an impact on customers store loyalty. A secondary purpose is to distinguish which attributes of a loyalty card that ICA’s customers prefer, with the focus on the variables; direct- versus indirect rewards, monetary- versus nonmonetary rewards, necessary- versus luxury rewards and immediate- versus delayed rewards.

Esta dissertação discute três problemas dos estudos do judiciário: a discriminação de grupos sociais com impacto no tempo de sentença, nas condenações e no regime da pena; os incentivos ao recurso; e a influência de posições ideológicas dos juízes em suas decisões. Analisando os processos penais distribuídos na comarca de São Paulo em 2002, o trabalho conclui que não há padrões de discriminações por características sociais dos réus, mas sim variações decorrentes de possibilidades processuais, e uma das variáveis importantes para predizer o recurso é o regime da pena. Por fim, faz um estudo qualitativo com um pequeno grupo de juízes, que aponta uma pequena influência da posição ideológica no resultado dos processos e no incentivo ao recurso das sentenças. / This dissertation discusses three issues of judicial studies: the discrimination of social groups with an impact in the time of sentence, condemnations and disciplinary rules; stimulation to appeal; and the influence of the judge\'s ideological position on their decisions. Analyzing the penal processes of 2002 in the judicial districts of São Paulo, we conclude that defendants are not distinguished by their social backgrounds, but by variations resulting from processual possibilities, and one of the important variables for predicting appeals is the disciplinary rules. At last, we make a qualitative study with a small group of judges, indicating a tenuous influence of ideological position on the result of processes and the appealing of sentences.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / In this thesis, the author explores the phenomena of attitudinal behaviour of some users (management and administrative support personnel) in the adaptation of enhanced information system applications (EISAs) during the last decade of the programme lifecycle of the Student Enrolment Management System (SEMS) programme at a South African university, hereinafter referred to as the University. Using the qualitative approach through Case Study Methodology and IPA in this research, the author uses research methods such as observation, content analysis, semi-structured interviews, case studies, or focus groups based on the lived experience of the interviewees. The outcome reveals that EISAs do not fail the users; instead the users of the systems failed to achieve the objectives of the EISAs at the University. It is found that personal beliefs and attitudes must be divorced from what the institution-wide objectives of the EISAs are. The notion of continually challenging and reworking previously agreed concepts and strategies is counter-productive and can become a very expensive exercise. This is evident if the total amount of money and effort spent on the SEMS programme is evaluated over the last decade. The general consensus reached at the conclusion of this research is that user attitude impacts the functionality of an application system. One of the fundamental issues highlighted is the state of mind of the people utilising EISAs in their daily work-related activities. It is found that a majority of administrative staff utilising the EISAs are physically present at the University but psychologically and emotionally absent whilst performing their daily student administrative duties. It would be useful to determine if they (the users) would be willing and able to radically change their behaviour to fit the ideal of rational discourse.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The study aims to ascertain the attitudinal disposition of disabled individuals towards their own career development and advancement. Results indicate a positive attitudinal disposition. One hundred and three physically disabled workers constituted the sample, which consisted of 48 males and 55 females. Of the sample 75 had qualifications of matric and below and 28 that of above matric. Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred and forty five subjects associated with a Network for the Disabled, with a response rate of one hundred and three. Analysis of the respondent's actual responses indicate that more than half of the matric and below respondents would like to move into higher job levels. As training is but one initiative for career development, it is important to reflect that the greater proportion of white collar and blue collar status respondents feel that the opportunity to develop their career with further training is motivating. However, only a specified total of respondents pursued this initiative. A bigger proportion of the sample specified that they have done additional training courses, where more than half of this proportion feel that to do training courses motivate them within the context of career development and lesser proportion of them have a greater positive disposition about this. While significant associations were found between career development and further training opportunities, age was found not to have any influence on career development for this sample. Lastly, the limitations of the study are discussed with further recommendations and implications of the research findings in closure.

Greenwashing is a frequent issue within the FMCG industry, such as vague ecological claims and misleading communication. When a brand is accused of greenwashing it is important to understand how to manage this transgression, since both forgiveness and loyalty are concepts that are affected. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate how brand forgiveness influences brand loyalty, within the FMCG industry, with the aim of contributing to limited research in this area. Ten interviews were conducted with loyal customers to examine how they felt and experienced two brands after perceived transgressions. The critical incident technique was used during the interviews to remind the customers of the transgressions and obtain a comprehensive view of their narratives. The results indicated that the lack of repair efforts influenced the customers to perceive the brands as dishonest and untrustworthy, which affected their unwillingness to forgive and damaged their trust. Based on the customer's perceptions and feelings regarding the brands and the specific transgressions, brand forgiveness and loyalty were influenced differently. In addition, the customer places high importance on the product quality and their relationship with the brand and would rather stay with the brand instead of switching to another if the quality and/or the relationship is strong.