Virginia and other states recognize the need for a technically trained workforce and have implemented directives that promote student credentialing. Certifications and other forms of credentialing are used to prove that the recipient has met a predetermined level of competence or mastery of a skill or subject. This study looks specifically at the automotive industry's Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification. The primary research question is: Is there a perceived benefit of ASE certification? In addition, two subset questions are explored. The first subset question is (1) Does the ASE certification provide benefits to the employers? And second, (2) do the employers see a benefit of ASE certification to the technicians as compared to those without credentials? This study attempts to answer these questions by polling Virginia automobile service managers regarding their perceptions of the benefits of ASE certification. A sample of 130 dealership service managers was selected at random from the 2006 Virginia Automobile Dealer Association (VADA) Membership Directory. The VADA has 602 franchised dealerships within the Commonwealth of Virginia. A corresponding sample of 130 independent service managers was selected by matching the zip codes of chosen dealerships with an internet phone directory search. The dealership service manager group had four surveys returned as undeliverable or the dealership was out of business. This leaves them with 126 potential participants. The independent service manager group had seven surveys returned as undeliverable or the service center was no longer in business. This leaves them with 123 potential participants. One hundred seventy-eight surveys were returned giving a 71% overall return rate. Automotive technicians are employed at either dealerships or independent service centers. It is hypothesized that the perceptions of ASE certification benefits by the two groups are significantly different from each other. A t test was conducted regarding the difference between the unweighted composite mean scores of dealership service managers and independent service managers regarding both benefits to the employers and again regarding benefits to the technicians. The tests support the hypothesis that there was a significant difference between the perceptions of the two groups. The study concludes that these groups perceive there are moderate benefits to the employer and moderate benefits to the technician; however, the dealership and independent service managers differ in their level of agreement in both categories. Dealership service managers agreed more than independent service managers that there were benefits. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brandeis University, 1986. / "UMI: 8622401." Includes bibliographical references (p. 270-273).

No / More than 1 billion people live in societies where consanguineous marriages are common. When children are born to consanguineous unions, there is an increased probability of the expression of single-gene disorders with a recessive mode of inheritance. There are presumptive social benefits of consanguineous marriages reported in the literature. METHODS: The UK's Born in Bradford birth cohort study recruited 12 453 women at 26-28 weeks' gestation between 2007 and 2010. In all, 11 396 completed a questionnaire, including questions about their relationship to their baby's father. We compared Pakistani and Other ethnic groups in consanguineous relationships and Pakistani, Other and White British groups not in consanguineous relationships, calculating percentages and age-adjusted prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals). RESULTS: In the Pakistani group, 59.3% of women (n = 3038) were blood relatives of their baby's father. Consanguinity was uncommon in the Other ethnic group (7.3%, n = 127) and rare (n = 5) in the White British group. Compared with non-consanguineous counterparts, mothers in consanguineous relationships were socially and economically disadvantaged (e.g. never employed, less likely to have higher education). The Pakistani consanguineous group's social, economic and health lifestyle circumstances were equivalent to, in some cases better than, women in non-consanguineous relationships (e.g. up-to-date in paying bills, or in disagreeing that they wished for more warmth in their marital relationship). The consanguineous relationship group had less separation/divorce. Rates of cigarette smoking during pregnancy were lower in mothers in consanguineous relationships. CONCLUSION: Debate about consanguinity should balance the potential protective effect of consanguineous relationships with established genetic risk of congenital anomaly in children.

Background: Employer branding is a concept that describes a company's reputation as a work place. Working with the employer brand can help companies to attract talented employees and also retain them in the company. It is therefore important that companies understand what makes an employer attractive in order to appeal and retain employees. This is important especially for businesses that are located in small cities since it can be challenging for them to attract talent there. Urbanization has led to smaller areas being less populated and that graduated students are least prone to move to these areas. Thus, it is important to make smaller cities and areas more attractive to make the graduates move there. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is therefore to explore what factors graduated students consider attractive in an employer in a small city. Methodology: This thesis used a qualitative and deductive approach. In order to solve the purpose and answer the research question, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted through Zoom with a non-probability sampling that were chosen by the researchers. However, before conducting the interviews, the researchers did some theoretical research and discovered six factors that represented employer attractiveness (See Figure 1). These factors became the basis of the study and a foundation when constructing the questions for the interviews. Findings: The findings of this thesis showed that the factors that were most important; flexibility, salary, leadership, career possibilities, working culture and recruitment.

To build successful new ventures or operate corporate companies, it is essential to consider the right company culture and employee benefits that fit the expectation of the employees and relevant to the operating industries and markets. On the other hand, efficient employee branding could significantly enhance talent acquisition and improve the firm performance. In general, company culture and employee benefits play important roles in shaping the employee branding. However, the main question is whether certain types of company culture and employee benefits could contribute to a better employee branding. This research study aimed to investigate the relationship of different types of company culture/employee benefits and employee branding. To this end, I first did literature review to understand the core ideas about company culture, employee benefits and employee branding. Then, I collected, decoded and analyzed the information about the written information of company culture and employee benefits available on the company official website as well as the numerical ratings of the company on the recruitment website. Next, I ran Welch’s t-tests and Pearson’s correlation tests by using a relatively smaller size of 40 companies to investigate their relationship and formulate empirical discussion. Based on the statistically significant results from Welch's t-tests and Pearson’s correlation tests, it is appropriate to suggest that companies with Clan/Adhocracy culture and concrete benefits have better employee branding.

The main objective is to discuss whether the rewards/incentives schemes provided to the employees to improve and enhance performance within the Department. The discussions will be done on employee satisfaction on the rewards/incentives schemes offered in the Department. The study will cover both the theoretical and practical approach to the topic of Incentives/ rewards that can improve performance of employee and service delivery to communities. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data for this study. The samples were selected from employees of the Department of Health and Social Development, North West Province. A questionnaire consisting of three parts has been used in the survey. / Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2010

Due to the deterioration of the earth’s health and the uncertainty in terms of climate changes, economy, food, water and energy supplies, the above terms have become worldwide phenomena. Buildings have a huge role to play in addressing the environmental concerns as they play a contributing role in gas emissions, waste disposal and energy use. The literature review and results of the quantitative research amongst experts like facility and building managers, leasing agents, finance managers and project managers in the property sector formed the basis of the study. Although green buildings are regarded as the future, the study revealed that there is a perception, even amongst experts in the property sector that the upfront costs of building green is substantially higher when compared to building conventional, which limits the construction of green buildings. This research is aimed at investigating whether building green leads to financial benefits which will ultimately provide the differentiator when it comes down to a final decision whether to invest in green buildings or not. An overview is also provided on the fundamental principles of green buildings which are important to be implemented in the construction of green buildings in order to maximise the financial benefits provided by green buildings. The study showed that experts agreed that the concepts applied in green buildings lead to long-term financial savings which justifies the statement that a realistic comparison between the total costs of building green versus building conventional can only be achieved over the lifecycle of a building. The main finding of this study is that there is awareness and understanding of the financial benefits associated with green buildings which implies that green buildings have a good growth potential. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Due to the deterioration of the earth’s health and the uncertainty in terms of climate changes, economy, food, water and energy supplies, the above terms have become worldwide phenomena. Buildings have a huge role to play in addressing the environmental concerns as they play a contributing role in gas emissions, waste disposal and energy use. The literature review and results of the quantitative research amongst experts like facility and building managers, leasing agents, finance managers and project managers in the property sector formed the basis of the study. Although green buildings are regarded as the future, the study revealed that there is a perception, even amongst experts in the property sector that the upfront costs of building green is substantially higher when compared to building conventional, which limits the construction of green buildings. This research is aimed at investigating whether building green leads to financial benefits which will ultimately provide the differentiator when it comes down to a final decision whether to invest in green buildings or not. An overview is also provided on the fundamental principles of green buildings which are important to be implemented in the construction of green buildings in order to maximise the financial benefits provided by green buildings. The study showed that experts agreed that the concepts applied in green buildings lead to long-term financial savings which justifies the statement that a realistic comparison between the total costs of building green versus building conventional can only be achieved over the lifecycle of a building. The main finding of this study is that there is awareness and understanding of the financial benefits associated with green buildings which implies that green buildings have a good growth potential. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This report is intended to provide a quick reference on employment law for small businesses in Texas. Many of the key regulations governing hiring, pre-employment testing, pay, benefits, leave, discrimination and harassment, and termination are summarized so employers are aware of what they must do to comply with the various laws. Recent cases are included to help employers understand how some of these laws are being interpreted in court, and to highlight the importance of understanding when the various laws apply to a company or a specific situation. Finally, recommended best practices are also provided to help managers protect the company in case of legal action, or ideally to avoid it altogether. / text

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