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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
51

Aplicabilidade do grupo focal para avaliação do conforto em pesquisas de usabilidade em moda / Applicability of the focal point for the assessment of comfort in usability research at Fashion Group.

Alencar, Camila Osugi Cavalcanti de 03 June 2014 (has links)
Para o lançamento de novos produtos na área do Design de Moda, os designers utilizam conceitos de ergonomia durante as etapas de formatação do produto. A pesquisa tem como objetivo introduzir na metodologia projetual a preocupação ergonômica, visando à adequação do design no que diz respeito à usabilidade e ao conforto. O estudo trata das relações entre Moda, Design e Metodologia para compreensão da importância da Ergonomia no auxílio dos projetos de Design de Moda. A proposta é sistematizar por meio da metodologia de Grupo Focal as questões ergonômicas na fase projetual de produtos por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica e de reflexões extraídas, constatando-se sua aplicabilidade ao permitir que o designer a partir de uma análise qualitativa dos dados captados nas discussões com o público-alvo proporcione um produto mais satisfatório ao usuário. / For the launch of new products in the area of Fashion Design, designers use concepts of ergonomics through the steps of formatting the product. The research aims at introducing a methodology projetual ergonomic concern, aiming at adapting the design with regard to usability and comfort. The study deals with the relationship between Fashion, Design and Methodology for understanding the importance of ergonomics in aid of Fashion Design projects. The proposal is to systematize through focus group methodology ergonomic issues in projetual phase products through a literature review and reflections drawn, though there is its applicability by allowing the designer from a qualitative analysis of the data captured in discussions with the audience provides the user a more satisfactory product.
52

Semáforo: grupo focal convencional x grupo focal com informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante / Signal: conventional focus group x focus group with remaining green/red time information

Luciana Maria Gasparelo Spigolon 09 December 2010 (has links)
O objetivo desta pesquisa foi comparar o desempenho - em termos de capacidade e segurança de interseções semaforizadas dotadas de grupos focais convencionais, com as dotadas de grupos focais com informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante na via principal. Foram analisados três modelos distintos, em relação à maneira que é disposta a informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante. Os resultados obtidos mostram que praticamente não há alteração no valor da capacidade da passagem de veículos pela interseção semaforizada quando se substitui o grupo focal convencional por grupo focal com informador de tempo. Quanto à segurança, a substituição de grupo focal convencional por grupo focal com informador de tempo na via principal trouxe significativa redução do número de acidentes. No entanto, a questão que se coloca é se o ganho de segurança e estética, dos grupos focais com indicação de tempo, não poderia ser obtido com custos menores com o emprego de focos maiores dotados de LED, com anteparos grandes dotados de orla refletiva e com grupos focais posicionados sobre a via (quando for o caso). / The objective of this research was to compare performance - in terms of capacity and safety of - signalized intersections equipped with conventional focus groups, endowed with the focus groups with remaining green/red time information on the main road. Three different models were analyzes, in the manner in which information on remaining green/red time is displayed. The results show that there is practically no change in the value of the capacity of vehicles crossing the signalized intersection when replacing the conventional focus group for a focus group with time informer. Regarding the safety, the replacement of conventional focus group for focus group with time informer on the main road has brought significant reduction in accidents. However, the question that arises is whether the gain in traffic safety, as well as aesthetics, of the focus groups with indication of time could not be obtained at much lower cost with the use of larger foci (when appropriate), with foci endowed with LED, with large screens equipped with reflective edge and with focus groups positioned on the road (when appropriate).
53

Assessment on the effects of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) on poverty reduction in Hawassa, Ethiopia

Beyene, Nardos Legesse January 2018 (has links)
Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA (DVS) / Formal microfinance institutions have been an important tool in the fight against poverty in developing countries, but their reach for rural people and urban slum poor are limited. Following this, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) are established as an alternative, informal mechanism for saving and borrowing that do not require external capital or ongoing financial or administrative support from a founding organization or government bodies. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effects of women participation in VSLA on poverty reduction with a case study in Hawassa city, Ethiopia. Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative research methodology, the study tried to focus on examining the effects of VSLAs contribution to economic and social wellbeing of households, and decision makings, and women participation in community activities. The study used 254 samples (127 VSLA participants, and 127 non-participants) and collected data using questionnaire and focus group discussion. The study used propensity score matching (PSM) to estimate the impact of women participation in VSLA on average monthly household income, and the result indicated the average effect of women participation in VSLA on average monthly household income of participant women is positive and significant at 5% significant level, ranging from 169.63 Birr/month (nearest neighbor matching) to 141.55 Birr/month (Kernel matching), on average. Besides, comparison between participants and non-participants using hypothesis testing shows that women participation in VSLA has a significant positive association with improvements in household diet, health, children's education, and women’s involvement in household decisions. However, although hypothesized, no significant association is found in relation to women participation in community activities. Findings from the focus group discussions are also consistent with the results from the PSM and hypothesis testing. Following the findings, the study recommends government and nongovernmental organizations to provide regular, timely and need based capacity building trainings for VSLA participants; Link VSLA participants with formal microfinance institutions; conduct regular monitoring and follow ups by either the city or sub-cities Women Children Affairs Department/offices or concerned government body; different concerned stakeholders in the city including government, nongovernmental organizations, microfinance institutions and others need to work in coordinated manner to solve the recurrent challenges of VSLA participants in Hawassa city; and finally government and/or nongovernmental organizations need to take best practices and lessons from existing VSLAs and expand the VSLA initiative to address more impoverished women in the city.
54

Enhancing environmental sustainability of healthcare facilities : a system dynamics analysis approach

Shehab, Salman Ali Salman January 2017 (has links)
Due to the limited studies related to healthcare services future expanding demand, required resources and utilities, and related environmental and economic challenges; this research is carried out to complement other researchers in other economic sectors to identify the gaps, highlight good potentials of sustainability achievements and recommend necessary actions. This research investigates the future expanding demand of healthcare services; the environmental and economic challenges related to this expand and its environmental and economic impacts and the opportunities to overcome these impacts in order to improve healthcare services sustainability and performance. The research follows a SLR to discover earlier works related to environmental sustainability in buildings and healthcare facilities. The environmental challenges related to expanding in healthcare facilities found in the literature are increase in energy consumption and waste generation. The environmental impacts related to these challenges are excessive CO2 and GHG emissions. The economic impacts are escalations of project expenditures, operating expenditures and utilities expenditures. The research uses SD Analysis, as a methodological approach, to framework and understands different healthcare system elements and to develop models that are representing the dynamic relations between these elements. Bahrain healthcare system is selected as a research context due to the availability of good quality healthcare secondary data, the small size of the country that makes it a good model to implement and test new concepts, the limited country resources, and the country keenness to implement sustainability plans to meet sustainability objectives. This research numerically tests and subsequently, supports the implication of stated environmental and economic challenges. It also develops a number of important technical parameters and indicators such as energy and water benchmarks for different healthcare facilities. The research also determines another two sources of environmental challenges related to expanding in healthcare facilities. The first challenge is excessive water consumption. Availability of enough treated water for healthcare applications, especially in countries with limited fresh water resources and depending on 90% of its water need on desalination like Bahrain, a tangible environmental challenge needs to be addressed. The second one is a group of environmental challenges related to the practicing of healthcare services that can expose personnel and environment to high risks. These challenges need to be efficiently managed to improve the environmental sustainability and the social sustainability of healthcare facilities. The research also investigates the effectiveness of a number of mitigation measures used to overcome the environmental and economic negative impacts, such as using energy efficiency technologies, renewable-based energy resources and waste energy recovery. In this regard, the research numerically tests and subsequently supports the implication of stated environmental and economic impacts and the effectiveness of tested measures in mitigating the undesirable results on healthcare facilities. The developed SD Model, as one of the main contributions of this research, is considered as a strategic planning and decision-making administrative tools to forecast future healthcare facilities demand and required resources. It is also considered as a risk assessment tool to assess environmental challenges related to utilities and its environmental and economic impacts in order to improve healthcare facilities sustainability and performance. The potential of utilities saving and utilities expenditures saving in healthcare buildings are high and it is recommended to work toward energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment to achieve sustainable healthcare buildings. Recovery of energy from Medical Waste incineration to be kept under consideration as it is offsetting double the quantity of CO2e emissions resulting from the incineration process. Safe recycling of wastewater of some healthcare processes is highly recommended as it can reduce water consumption and contributes to the reduction of healthcare facilities CO2e emissions. Sources of gray water and gray water applications must be carefully selected to avoid any contradiction with Infection Control regulations or other healthcare regulations. It is recommended to conduct utilities assessment studies on wide sample of healthcare facilities to avoid low peaks and odd operation periods.
55

Investigating the effectiveness of leadership styles on instructional leadership and teacher outcomes

Hejres, Sabah Khalifa January 2018 (has links)
There are different criteria that affect active leadership styles that enhance the role of a principal as an Instructional Leadership. However, many principals lack such criteria where a strong principal considered as an Instructional Leadership. To become Instructional Leaders, principals must transform their practices from managerial to instructional. They need to exercise their leadership by exhibiting the leadership styles in their role and character, or their role will merely perform administrative duties that are akin to an administrative position. Furthermore, a school principal as a leader should play an important role in enhancing teachers' satisfaction. This study investigated the moderating effect of four leadership styles Directive, Supportive, Participative, and Achievement-oriented (D, S, P, A) on Instructional Leadership and teachers' outcomes (job satisfaction, job expectancies and acceptance of leader). The study used mixed methods, qualitative survey and quantitative focus group to develop a model based upon empirical data. The findings are based on a survey of 536 participants including teachers, principals and senior chiefs at various levels of primary, elementary and secondary schools across the Kingdom of Bahrain. The statistical and thematic analysis of the data shows that there is a direct and positive relationship between Instructional Leaderships and teacher's outcomes when moderated by the four leadership styles. The contribution of this study is the empirically tested relationships between Path Goal Theory and Instructional Leadership which shows that there are statistically significant relationships between D, S, P, A and the relationship between Instructional Leadership and the teacher's job satisfaction, job expectancy and acceptance of leader. Focus group finding shows that Leadership styles D, S, P, A transforms Instructional Leadership into a form that enhances the leadership role in Kingdom of Bahrain that Transactional Leadership influences Job expectancy, whilst Referent Power influences acceptance of leaders.
56

Sistemática para aprimorar ambientes organizacionais direcionados a inovações / Method to improve organizational environments driven to innovations

Manica, Carlo Rossano January 2015 (has links)
Diferenciar-se no competitivo mercado global exige que as empresas sejam cada vez mais inovadoras. Considerando que as inovações são desenvolvidas por pessoas interagindo em certo espaço, buscou-se por pesquisas sobre esses ambientes de inovação. Como os trabalhos detectados apenas diagnosticavam os ambientes e não faziam proposições de como aperfeiçoá-los, o presente estudo visa preencher essa lacuna, propondo uma sistemática para aprimorar os ambientes de inovação. Como forma de atingir esse objetivo, foram identificadas, por meio da busca teórica, nove dimensões que contemplam esses complexos ambientes. Para cada dimensão foi criada uma série de perguntas, culminando em um questionário com 40 indagações. Ele foi respondido quali-quantitativamente por 30 desenvolvedores de inovações de cinco grandes empresas. De posse do conjunto de dados daí oriundos, foram realizadas análises estatísticas como suporte para as demais análises. Para uma das análises foi adotada a técnica de Grupo Focal (GF), o qual foi composto por pessoas da alta gestão das empresas pesquisadas e por professores estrangeiros. Visando auxiliar a condução do GF, foi desenvolvido um jogo especificamente para esse fim. Como forma de verificar se ao menos duas dimensões apresentavam resultados significativamente diferentes para a soma de rankings foi utilizado o teste de Kruskall Wallis. O resultado do teste evidenciou que as dimensões Liderança e Autonomia apresentaram notas significativamente mais altas que as dimensões Processos e Recursos. Como parte final importante, a sistemática propõe um Guia de Diretrizes, embasado nas ideias expostas pelos autores estudados, pelos respondentes do questionário e pelos participantes do GF. Compreende-se que toda e qualquer empresa pode adequar a sistemática e aprimorar seus ambientes organizacionais direcionados a inovações. / Differentiate themselves in the competitive global market requires companies to be more innovative. Considering that innovations are developed by people interacting in a certain space, it searched for researches about these innovation environments. As the works detected only diagnosed environments and made no proposals for how to improve them, this study aims to fill this gap by proposing a system to improve the innovation environments. In order to achieve this goal, nine dimensions that address these complex environments have been identified through the theoretical search. For each dimension a series of questions was created, culminating in a questionnaire with 40 questions. The questionnaire was answered in a qualitative and quantitative way by 30 innovation developers within five large companies. Based on derived data set, statistical analysis were performed as support for other analysis. In order to perform the analysis it was adopted the Focus Group technique (FG), which was composed of people from the top management of those companies surveyed and foreign teachers. Aiming to assist the conduct of the FG, a game was developed specifically for this purpose. In order to check whether at least two dimensions had significantly different results for the sum of rankings was used the Kruskal-Wallis test. The test result showed that the dimensions Leadership and Autonomy had significantly higher scores than the dimensions Processes and Resources. As an important final part, the method proposes a Guide of Directives, based on the ideas exposed by the studied authors, by the respondents of the questionnaire and the participants of the FG. It is understood that any company can tailor the method and improve organizational environments driven to innovations.
57

Semáforo: grupo focal convencional x grupo focal com informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante / Signal: conventional focus group x focus group with remaining green/red time information

Spigolon, Luciana Maria Gasparelo 09 December 2010 (has links)
O objetivo desta pesquisa foi comparar o desempenho - em termos de capacidade e segurança de interseções semaforizadas dotadas de grupos focais convencionais, com as dotadas de grupos focais com informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante na via principal. Foram analisados três modelos distintos, em relação à maneira que é disposta a informação do tempo de verde/vermelho restante. Os resultados obtidos mostram que praticamente não há alteração no valor da capacidade da passagem de veículos pela interseção semaforizada quando se substitui o grupo focal convencional por grupo focal com informador de tempo. Quanto à segurança, a substituição de grupo focal convencional por grupo focal com informador de tempo na via principal trouxe significativa redução do número de acidentes. No entanto, a questão que se coloca é se o ganho de segurança e estética, dos grupos focais com indicação de tempo, não poderia ser obtido com custos menores com o emprego de focos maiores dotados de LED, com anteparos grandes dotados de orla refletiva e com grupos focais posicionados sobre a via (quando for o caso). / The objective of this research was to compare performance - in terms of capacity and safety of - signalized intersections equipped with conventional focus groups, endowed with the focus groups with remaining green/red time information on the main road. Three different models were analyzes, in the manner in which information on remaining green/red time is displayed. The results show that there is practically no change in the value of the capacity of vehicles crossing the signalized intersection when replacing the conventional focus group for a focus group with time informer. Regarding the safety, the replacement of conventional focus group for focus group with time informer on the main road has brought significant reduction in accidents. However, the question that arises is whether the gain in traffic safety, as well as aesthetics, of the focus groups with indication of time could not be obtained at much lower cost with the use of larger foci (when appropriate), with foci endowed with LED, with large screens equipped with reflective edge and with focus groups positioned on the road (when appropriate).
58

Using Design Layers Model to Develop Computer-based Training for the Center for Teaching and Learning's Usability Center

Guinn, Matthew B. 06 December 2011 (has links)
The Usability Center training course is an instructional resource for BYU faculty, employees, and students to prepare them to effectively use the BYU Usability Center. This document describes the process and results of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating the Usability Center training course. By taking this course, participants learn the basics of planning, piloting, executing, and reporting their usability activities and the skills prerequisite to using BYU's Usability Center.
59

Communication for Planetary Transformation and the Drag of Public Conversations: The Case of Landmark Education Corporation

Cannon, Patrick Owen 14 June 2007 (has links)
This study employs qualitative methods to: (1) compare and contrast public conversations about a complex social phenomenon with my experience of that phenomenon, and (2) explore the nature of those public conversations and their impact on planetary transformation. This study is divided into two parts. Part One of this dissertation compares my personal experience with Landmark Education Corporation, a private personal development company, with how it is characterized in public conversations. The public conversations chosen for analysis include: (1) an episode of the television show, Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Balcer, et al., 2003), (2) a Time Magazine article about Landmark Education Corporation (Faltermayer, 1998 March 16), and (3) psychological research on large group awareness trainings, of which Landmark Education courses are one example. Each of these public conversations contrasts significantly with my personal experience and therefore fails to account for what I see as the potential for work like Landmark's to transform the conversations that constitute our society, and ultimately, life on our planet. To help account for the value I see in Landmark's courses, Part Two of the dissertation examines the communication of Landmark participants to ascertain whether their communication in fact poses the possibility of global transformation through open, compassionate, reciprocal communication practices learned in Landmark courses. It draws from qualitative interviews, a focus group, and a focus group observation interview. Based on the results of this research, I argue that the communication of Landmark participants has the power to transform society, and that the public conversations about Landmark Education examined here are a drag on global transformation. Most broadly, I respond to the following question: When we examine particular public discourses about unusual social phenomena, what can we learn about the relationship between these discourses and the social phenomena aimed at transforming them?
60

Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover in Small Retail Businesses

Pryce, Amelia Claudina 01 January 2016 (has links)
Employee turnover is high in small retail business, compelling business leaders to implement strategies that successfully reduce employee turnover. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the Herzberg 2-factor theory because the theory identifies factors that influence job satisfaction and employee turnover. The study population was retail owners and managers from small businesses in the retail industry in San Antonio, Texas who had demonstrated successful strategies to reduce employee turnover. A focus group was conducted with 4 retail managers, and semistructured interviews were conducted with 2 small retail owners, all of whom were recruited via purposeful criterion-based sampling. Yin's 5-step process for data analysis of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding resulted in themes of continuous learning in the workplace, communication, and valuing employees. These leaders provided continuous learning in the workplace, which demonstrated their value of their employees. Communication was a key concept discussed by all participants, as it built credibility with leaders and employees, increased productivity, and reduced turnover. The study has value to the practice of business because results may benefit industry growth by increasing retail leaders' knowledge levels about employee turnover. The findings may affect positive social change as leaders apply strategies useful for reducing employee turnover as lower turnover rates might reduce unemployment, stabilize communities, and improve the human and social conditions outside the workplace.

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