This study examined information technology professionals' perception of employee organizational commitment (OC) and its relationships to turnover across various industries in Thailand. Perceived job alternatives and thoughts of quitting were included to examine their influence on turnover intention both directly as independent variables and indirectly as mediators. Hypotheses tested were 1) the direct relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intention among IT personnel from various Thai companies, 2) the relationship between thoughts of quitting and turnover intention, 3) the relationship between perceived job alternatives and turnover intention, 4) the indirect relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intention through mediator - thoughts of quitting and 5) the indirect relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intention, as mediated by perceived job alternatives. The survey questionnaire used instruments that were already translated into Thai from previous research (Wongrattanapassorn, 2000). The original items in English were included with each item in the Thai language to provide respondents with additional information on the meaning of constructs. In addition to demographic items, the survey questionnaire contained four measures, one for each of the four variables: organization commitment (Allen & Meyer, 1990), thoughts of quitting (Peters, Jakofsky & Salter, 1981), perceived job alternatives (Peters, et al., 1981), and turnover intention (Hom, Griffeth & Sellaro, 1984). An accompanying letter with the hyperlink to the questionnaire page was sent via e-mail to 300 IT professionals who were randomly selected from the subscribers of Computerworld Thailand magazine and also those who attended IT seminars organized by Computerworld Thailand. Two hundred and eight responses returned, providing an acceptable response rate of 69.3 percent. Correlation and regression were used to test hypotheses. Results revealed that there was no direct relationship between overall organizational commitment and turnover intention. However, there was a negative direct relationship between continuance commitment and turnover intention. There was also no correlation between thoughts of quitting and turnover intention. There was a positive relationship between perceived job alternatives and turnover intention. For the mediating effect between organizational commitment and turnover intention, the results revealed that thoughts of quitting did not mediate the relationship as well as perceived job alternatives.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Submitted by biblioteca unifenas (biblioteca@unifenas.br) on 2017-08-30T14:53:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bárbara Romélia Batista Câmara Dissertação.pdf: 527767 bytes, checksum: 63c5ee00aac904b8ad794952dad6dbaa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-30T14:53:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bárbara Romélia Batista Câmara Dissertação.pdf: 527767 bytes, checksum: 63c5ee00aac904b8ad794952dad6dbaa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-27 / Considering that feed normally corresponds to 70% of the costs in an animal husbandry, the producer must search for raw materials that are able to reduce this cost, as long as they maintain or improve the zootechnical performance of the breeding. The rabbit requires high fiber content in the diet to maintain consistency and volume of the digesta, to ensure normal digestive transit, to distend the mucosa by stimulating intestinal motility and as a substrate for microbiota present in the cecum. Alfalfa hay is considered a balanced source of fiber, able to meet the nutritional requirements of the rabbit when it is included around 30% in the diet, but due to its high commercial value, it costs up to 40% the cost of the diet. Legume cratylia (Cratylia argentea) may be an alternative to the high added value of alfalfa hay, as it is a legume that normally has a nutritional value superior to that of most shrub legumes and contains only traces of tannins. The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional value of diets formulated with leaves each containing three leaflets with their respective stalks (petioles) of Cratylia argentea in the feeding of growing rabbits. A total of 28 New Zealand White rabbits (14 per treatment) with 55 days of age, of both sexes, were distributed in a randomized complete block design and two diets were evaluated. The reference diet was formulated to meet the requirements of the animals and the test diet was obtained by replacing 20% of the reference diet with the Cratylia argentea hay meal. The experimental period comprised 11 days, being seven days of adaptation and four days of total collection of feces, per experimental unit. The performance results (average daily weight gain, daily feed intake, feed conversion and final weight) were not influenced by the addition of hay from the leaves of the crattia. The coefficient of metabolizability of dry matter was better in the control group. The control group had higher consumption of crude protein, however, the group that fed the starch had higher excretion of crude protein in feces and lower percentage of crude protein retained. Cratylia argentea presents values of 1,400.67 kcal / kg of DM of digestible energy and 3.34% of digestible protein / kg of DM. / Considerando que a alimentação corresponde normalmente a 70% dos custos em uma criação animal; o produtor deve buscar por matérias-primas que sejam capazes de reduzir este custo, desde que mantenham ou melhorem o desempenho zootécnico da criação. O coelho exige alto teor de fibra na ração para manter a consistência e o volume da digesta, assegurar o trânsito digestivo normal, distender a mucosa estimulando a motilidade intestinal e como substrato para microbiota presente no ceco. O feno de alfafa é considerado uma fonte balanceada de fibra, capaz de suprir as exigências nutricionais do coelho ao ser incluído em torno de 30% na dieta, porém devido ao seu alto valor comercial, onera em até 40% o custo da dieta. A leguminosa cratília (Cratylia argentea) pode ser uma alternativa frente ao alto valor agregado do feno de alfafa, pois é uma leguminosa que normalmente apresenta valor nutritivo superior ao da maioria das leguminosas arbustivas e contém apenas vestígios de taninos. Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho avaliar o valor nutricional de dietas formuladas com folhas, cada uma contendo três folíolos com suas respectivas hastes (pecíolos) de Cratylia argentea na alimentação de coelhos em crescimento. Foram utilizados 28 coelhos da raça Nova Zelândia Branco (14 por tratamento) com 55 dias de idade, de ambos os sexos, distribuídos em um delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados, sendo avaliadas duas dietas. A dieta referência foi formulada para atender às exigências dos animais e a dieta teste foi obtida substituindo-se 20% da ração referência pela farinha do feno de Cratylia argentea. O período experimental compreendeu 11 dias, sendo sete dias de adaptação e de quatro dias de coleta total das fezes, por unidade experimental. Os resultados de desempenho (ganho de peso médio diário, consumo de ração diário, conversão alimentar e peso final) não foram influenciados pela adição do feno das folhas da cratília. O coeficiente de metabolizabilidade da matéria seca foi melhor no grupo controle. O grupo controle apresentou maior consumo de proteína bruta, no entanto, o grupo que se alimentou da cratília apresentou maior excreção de proteína bruta nas fezes e menor porcentagem de proteína bruta retida. A Cratylia argentea apresenta valores de 1.400,67 kcal/kg de MS de energia digestível e 3,34% de proteína digestível/kg de MS.

L'utilisation de nouveaux vecteurs énergétiques comme alternative aux combustibles fossiles et nucléaires est nécessaire pour la transition vers les énergies renouvelables. Ces sources d'énergie intermittentes peuvent être stockées dans des carburants, tels que le dihydrogène qui se distingue par sa densité énergétique. L'oxydation contrôlée de H2 peut être effectuée dans des piles à combustible, qui oxydent l'hydrogène à l'anode et réduisent l'oxygène à la cathode pour former de l'eau et de la chaleur comme seuls produits de la réaction. Ces technologies, matures, emploient des métaux du groupe du platine comme catalyseurs à l'anode et à la cathode. Cependant, alors que les demandes énergétiques mondiales ne cessent d'augmenter, ces ressources limitées ne seront pas suffisantes pour une adoption mondiale de l'hydrogène comme vecteur énergétique. Dans ce travail, des matériaux contenant des catalyseurs bio-inspirés, sans métaux nobles pour l'oxydation de H2 sont optimisés et intégrés dans des piles à combustible fonctionnelles. Leur comportement dans des conditions technologiques est étudié et comparé à celui de l'état de l'art des catalyseurs au platine. Les matériaux les plus performants sont caractérisés en détail par diverses techniques, donnant des pistes pour une optimisation future ainsi qu'un aperçu de ce que requièrent les tests de performance de nouveaux matériaux catalytiques. / The use of new energy vectors as alternatives to the fossil and nuclear fuels is necessary for the transition to renewable energies. These intermittent energy sources can be stored in fuels, such as hydrogen gas which stands out for its energy density and participation in the virtuous water splitting cycle. Controlled H2 oxidation can be done in so-called fuel cells, which oxidize hydrogen at the anode and reduce oxygen at the cathode to form water and heat as the sole products of the reaction. Those mature technologies employ platinum group metals as catalysts at both the anode and cathode. However, as worldwide energy demands keep increasing, these limited resources will not be sufficient for a worldwide adoption of H2 as an energy vector. In this work, materials containing noble metal free, bio inspired catalysts for H2 oxidation are optimized and integrated in functional fuel cells. Their behaviour in technologically-relevant conditions is studied and compared to that of state of the art platinum catalysts. The best performing materials are thoroughly characterized with various techniques including advanced electrochemistry, yielding leads for further optimization as well as insight on the benchmarking of novel catalytic materials.

External beam radiation therapy is often used as a form of treatment for individuals diagnosed with cancer. However, because staying completely still can often be difficult for children, sedation is often used daily to remedy the need for stillness. In this document, we introduce the development, implementation, and testing of a technology designed to teach healthy children to self-monitor and control their movements. This technology monitored a child's body movement and created a continuous feedback loop, playing a preferred movie based on the amount of body movement observed. Study 1 compares the amount of body movement observed when children were instructed to remain still (instructions alone) to access to a movie contingent on maintained low rates of movement (contingent movie). Study 2 compares the amount of body movement observed in the instructions alone condition with two other conditions: non-contingent access to a movie (non-contingent movie) and contingent movie. Study 3 compares the amount of body movement observed in the instructions alone condition to the contingent movie condition over an extended period of time. Lastly, Study 4 compares the amount of body movement observed when children have previously been taught to stay still using the technology described above across various days throughout various conditions. Generally, we found three things: a) instructions alone were insufficient to produce the level of control over motion required; b) some control over motion was established in the non-contingent movie condition relative to the instructions alone condition; and c) the combination of movies and feedback contingent on movement was necessary to gain the level of control over body motion necessary to adhere to the medical protocol.

Master of Science

Global food production, and consequently consumption, contributes significantly to total greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, there is a need for a shift towards more environmentally friendly consumption patterns. This includes moving away from current levels of dairy consumption, where plant-based alternatives can serve as more environmentally friendly options. This research sheds light on an emerging product category, namely plant-based dairy alternatives, which can serve as options or substitutes for traditional dairy products. The purpose of this thesis is to explore consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant- based dairy alternatives, as well as the factors that influence attitudes and intentions respectively. To achieve an in-depth understanding of the topic, this study is of qualitative nature, using an abductive approach and interpretive philosophy. The primary data is collected through interviews with 16 consumers in the selected target group. Further, this research has developed a modified theory of planned behavior (TPB), to add to current consumer behavior research. The findings of this research show that the majority of the participants have a positive attitude and furthermore intention to purchase plant-based dairy alternatives. Furthermore, several factors influence consumer attitudes, which are subjective norms, health consciousness, taste, knowledge, environmental concern, animal treatment, and appearance. Moreover, purchase intention is affected by two factors, namely price, and curiosity.

Ausgangssituation In den beiden vergangenen Jahrzehnten hat die Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)-Durchdringung industrieller Unternehmen stetig zugenommen. Dies betrifft die verschiedenen Engineering-Disziplinen (Mechanik, Elektrik, Software, Hydraulik etc.) und immer stärker auch die der Produktentwicklung nachgelagerten Produktlebenszyklus-Phasen (Produktionsplanung, Service etc.) (Abramovici & Schindler 2010, Rudolph & Dietrich 2003). Als ein Ergebnis der zunehmenden PLM-Durchdringung existieren heute in vielen Unternehmen mehrere PLM-Umgebungen parallel, die in verschiedenen Unternehmensteilbereichen historisch gewachsen sind. Diese PLM-Umgebungen sind meist stark an bereichsspezifischen Anforderungen orientiert, aber nicht oder nur teilweise aufeinander abgestimmt. Zusätzlich zu dieser organischen Entwicklung innerhalb der Unternehmen erhöhen Fusionen und Übernahmen von Unternehmen oder Unternehmensteilbereichen die PLM-Heterogenität sprunghaft. Sichtbar wird die PLM-Heterogenität meist an der hohen Anzahl der eingesetzten PLM-Systeme (Abramovici & Schindler 2010), sie kann jedoch gleichermaßen Strategie-, Prozess- und Methoden-bezogene PLM-Komponenten sowie die PLM-Akteure betreffen (Abramovici & Göbel 2011). Der ungeplanten Heterogenität industrieller PLM-Landschaften stehen zunehmend global verteilte und sich permanent verändernde Engineering- Organisationsstrukturen gegenüber (Trippner 2002). Vor diesem Hintergrund können nicht aufeinander abgestimmte PLMUmgebungen drastische Hemmnisse für die Erreichung übergeordneter Unternehmens-Zielsetzungen, wie etwa die Produktivität und Flexibilität bei bereichsübergreifenden Kooperationen oder bei unternehmensinternen Reorganisationsvorhaben, bilden.

Today it is extremely hard to get funding for different projects trough the ordinary channels such as banks, VC or Business angels etc. In recent years this has opened up for other alternatives, one of them is Crowdfunding. A few of the questions this paper attempt to answer is, which companies is Crowdfunding suited for? How do you succeed with your Crowdfunding campaign? What is the money used for? What’s the outlook on the future for Crowdfunding? The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of Crowdfunding and how it is used today, plus shine some light on how the future for Crowdfunding looks. Hopefully this will help the reader gain knowledge about why Crowdfunding is chosen as a mean to get investments. The purpose of the interviews is to get an inside look on Crowdfunding from those who work with it and those who have used it. What has the money been used for, what makes a successful campaign etc. The method that has been used to gather information is via internet and interviews, where the main content is rendered. The different kinds of Crowdfunding There are four types of Crowdfunding, Donation, Reward, Equity and Loan-based. Donation means that you give away your money and get nothing in return. In Reward based you get something (the product, a t-shirt etc…) in return for the investment. In Equity you get equity in the company. Loan gives you your money back with interest. Analysis and conclusion The main finding in the study is that most companies think that they will use Crowdfunding to gain capital to produce a product, which actually could be of less importance than the free marketing they get. Therefore the campaign, already from the start, should have the market in mind, together with the actual fund rising. Another conclusion is that Crowdfunding usually benefits the smaller companies, and the success of the campaign is strongly dependent on the many qualities of a skillfull entrepreneur. / Då det i dagens samhälle är mycket svårt att finna finansiering till olika projekt genom de klassiska investeringsalternativen, banker, affärsänglar m.fl. har detta gjort att det på senare tid kommit nya alternativa vägar att få finansiering, ett utav dessa alternativ är Crowdfunding. Några frågor som kommer att försöka besvaras i denna uppsats är: Vilka företag passar Crowdfunding för? Hur lyckas man med sin Crowdfunding kampanj? Vad använder företagen pengarna till? Hur ser framtiden ut? Syftet med denna studie är att öka kunskapen om Crowdfunding och hur det används idag samt hur framtiden för denna förhållandevis nya form av finansiering ser ut. Förhoppningsvis hjälper detta läsaren att skapa en förståelse varför Crowdfunding väljs före de klassiska alternativen. Syftet med intervjuer är att skaffa sig en inblick i Crowdfunding från insidan, dvs. hur har pengarna använts, finns det några gemensamma nämnare som gör att vissa kampanjer lyckas medan andra inte gör det. Metod som använts är informationssök via internet och intervjuer, intervjuerna bandades och transkriberades för att sedan kunna återge huvudinnehållet. De olika typerna av Crowdfunding Det finns fyra olika typer av Crowdfunding, dessa är Donation, Reward, Equity och Loan Based Crowdfunding. Donation innebära att ger en gåva och inte får något i utbyte. Reward funkar genom att man får en gåva eller något symboliskt för att man stöttat kampanjen. I Equity får man en andel i företagen och i Loan så lånar man ut pengar mot ränta. Analys och slutsats De flesta företag går in med inställningen att de ska samla in pengar för att kunna genomföra sitt projekt men det kan faktiskt vara mindre viktigt än den gratis marknadsföring de får. Därför bör kampanjen redan från början ha marknaden i åtanke tillsammans med insamlingen av kapital. En annan slutsats är att det är oftast mindre företag som gynnas av Crowdfunding och för att få en lyckad kampanj krävs många av de egenskaper som man letar efter hos en klassisk entreprenör.

Lagos State in Nigeria is faced with the massive problem of waste from plastic bags which causes the yearly flooding displacing thousands of residents and causes diseases like malaria. Plastic bags which became popular because of their versatility, affordability and durability have now become a major source of environmental degradation requiring the use of more environmentally friendly alternatives like Jute, woolen bags, and biodegradable types of plastic. The Nigerian legislature proposed a plastic bag prohibition bill to reduce the manufacture and use of plastic bags with fines and time behind bars which is Nigeria’s first attempt at managing the menace of single-use plastic bags. The goal of this study is to determine reasons for the continued use of plastic bags to contribute to better management of plastic bags waste. It further investigates the available alternatives and willingness of the residents of Lagos to embrace some alternatives to plastic bags. Anonymous online surveys were distributed across social media platforms and interviews involving shop owners described as “givers” who are off social media in this study was carried out. Responses from both quantitative and qualitative sources have been analyzed using the Nvivo software and connection circles have been developed to describe feedbacks within the system. Results showed that the lack of alternatives and convenience are the biggest reasons for the continued use of plastic bags in Lagos, Nigeria. The results further show that the proposed bill has not made provision of alternatives to plastic bags and incentives for manufacturers of plastic bags revealing poor public participation in policy-making of this nature. Overall, respondents have indicated a willingness to embrace alternatives to plastic bags and have mentioned that the situation is worsened by poor waste management in the state. Recommendations included more extensive research into the use of plastic bags with a bigger sample size with both online and offline platforms. This could encourage effective public participation in policy-making important for creating useful nudges in behavioural change in the shift from plastic bags.