Bakgrund och problem: Returlogistik har hitintills varit ett oprioriterat område både inom akademin och i näringslivet, men har på senare tid fått allt mer uppmärksamhet. Många företag arbetar med returflöden eftersom flöden tillbaka från kund förekommer i de flesta branscher, men det är inte något som företag fokuserar på i samma utsträckning som de traditionella materialflödena. Att skapa ett effektivt materialflöde i försörjningskedjan är ingen enkel uppgift, vilket även i allra högsta grad gäller för utformningen av returflödet. Hanteringsprocessen är en viktig del av returlogistiken där varje returprocess kan skilja sig beroende på typ av produkt och hur en organisation ser ut i övrigt. För många företag krävs en lyckad hanteringsprocess för att skapa ett hållbart miljöarbete och lönsamhet i verksamheten. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur en effektiv hanteringsprocess kan uppnås genom att granska dess krav och förutsättningar samt ta reda på vilka fördelar det kan generera. Genom att utgå från det teoretiska ramverket för vald studie skapas en större förståelse på vilka aktiviteter som ligger i fokus i studien. Med hjälp av figurer och tabeller belyses de krav och förutsättning och uppnådda fördelar inom respektive returprocess som krävs för en effektiv hanteringsprocess. Avgränsningar: Uppsatsen avgränsar sig till hanteringsprocessen inom returlogistik. Vi har alltså valt att avgränsa oss genom att inte beskriva vare sig transporteringen eller insamlingen av returprodukterna. Metod: Studien är baserad på intervjuer som genomförts på de fem företagen: Elgiganten, Skövde Radio och TV-service, Galdax, Skrotfrag och Cementa. Vidare analyseras resultaten av den insamlade empirin med uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk. Slutsatser: Det finns flera anledningar till varför företag bör arbeta aktivt med hanteringsprocessen, detta på grund av de fördelar som kan uppnås genom en effektiv hanteringsprocess. I teorin nämns ett flertal krav och förutsättningar för en effektiv hanteringsprocess, där studien visar att endast en minoritet av dessa verkligen implementeras av företagen. För att uppnå en effektiv hanteringsprocess inom returlogistiken måste företag bli bättre på att uppfylla de krav och förutsättningar som krävs i strävan mot de fördelar som kan genereras. Förslag till vidare forskning: Då hanteringsprocessen inom returlogistik fortfarande är ett ämne som bör forskas mer kring, vore det intressant med vidare forskning inom området och titta mer ingående på de returprocesser som ingår i hanteringsprocessen.

The goal of this study was to develop an instrument to assist public park and recreation agencies in successfully repositioning their offerings in order to garner increased allocations of tax dollars. To achieve this, an agency must be perceived as providing public benefits, those that accrue to all members of its constituency. The scale sought to identify the importance of various community issues and perceptions of the agency's performance in contributing to those issues. A valid and reliable 36-item instrument was developed that encompasses nine distinct dimensions: Preventing Youth Crime, Environmental Stewardship, Enhancing Real Estate Values, Attracting and Retaining Businesses, Attracting and Retaining Retirees, Improving Community Health, Stimulating Urban Rejuvenation, Attracting Tourists, and Addressing the Needs of People who are Underemployed. These dimensions represent community issues that a park and recreation agency can contribute towards, and can therefore use as a basis for its repositioning efforts. Using a screening process by expert judges, a pretest sample of undergraduate students, and a sample of municipal residents, each of the importance and performance dimensions in the scale was judged to possess content validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and split-half reliability. A shortened version of the instrument was also demonstrated to possess internal consistency and construct validity. In a practical application, the scale proved useful in identifying repositioning options for the park and recreation department, both in isolation and relative to a public agency'competitor'. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are offered.

The face of the workplace has changed dramatically over the past decade and most organisations have to survive in a fiercely competitive global economy. The impact of the competitive changes, especially in the service environment has become critical and quality service is considered an essential strategy for success and survival in today's competitive environment. Organisations are continuously searching for ways to improve their performance and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Consumers are also continuously being made more aware of their rights and in today's fast paced world, with time constraints and increased stress, tolerance levels have been considerably eroded. In view of this, customer satisfaction has become a focus area, in particular, to investigate ways that it can be enhanced to gain a competitive edge. A better understanding of how organisations can apply resources to achieve these goals will be a useful instrument towards gaining sustainable competitive advantage. One way of doing this is for service firms to manage their capacity to achieve maximum and/or optimum utilisation at all times, if possible. But having trained staff on hand at the right times is no easy task. Overstaffing can lead to budget blow-out, while understating adds to staff stress levels, and can contribute to both customer and staff dissatisfaction. As a possible solution many employers tackle this problem by employing casual staff who are more flexible in their working hours and can be deployed to meet peak demands in service. The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of customer satisfaction and whether the utilisation of temporary staffing solutions could positively contribute in improving service levels. A survey research design was used with a questionnaire as data-gathering instrument. The study population consisted of customers (N=507) that visited Absa branches in the Vaal Triangle and were serviced by either permanent or flexi tellers. Contingency tables were used to record and analyse the relationship between the different variables, and statistical significance tests were used to show that the results are significant. Chi-square and Cramer's phi or V test were used as the basis of the analysis. The research confirmed that customer satisfaction has definite financial benefits for an organisation and that the effective application of temporary staffing solutions could further enhance these benefits. The results of the statistical analysis of the survey further confirmed that there was no significant difference in the perceived level of service received from either permanent or flexi tellers. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Food that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition, by virtue of physiologically active food components are known as functional foods. Soybeans contain some of these phytochemical components such as isoflavones. Due to the lack of relevant data, the aim of this study was to assess South African consumers' perceptions towards soy and soy products. Respondents (n=3001) were randomly selected from 9 metropolitan as well as rural areas in South Africa. The questionnaire consisted of 17 food related topics. Four of these sections (which were also used in this study) probed information on soy and soy products. The data of 81 % respondents (n=2437), who were aware of soy, were used for further statistical analyses. There were no practical significant differences between rural and metropolitan respondents' perceptions regarding each statement. Large practical significant differences were found between racial groups regarding most of the statements. In general Blacks were more positive towards the use and taste of soy, as opposed to Whites. More Indians were aware of meat substitutes made from soy than the other racial groups. Marketing efforts in South Africa should focus on those groups that like the taste of soy best and who would consume soy regularly. / Thesis (M. (Consumer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Does a parent’s illness or disability hurt the educational attainment of their children? This dissertation consists of three essays on the impact of negative health events / activity limitation experienced by parents on their children’s human capital, and how the negative consequences of parental illness can be mediated by public policy. The first essay uses the 1991-2006 Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey and finds poor Chinese children whose parent has a serious illness are much more likely to drop out of primary or secondary school compared to other children whose parents remain healthy. The second essay, using Canada’s 1994-2008 NLSCY, discovers a similar “attendance gap” at the post-secondary level between Canadian youth of disabled parents and their peers of non-disabled parents. Finally, the third essay demonstrates that higher cash transfers made available to parents with a disability can boost children’s math test performance and facilitate non-cognitive skill development.

No description available.

ELLs are a growing community in the United States and their learning needs are significantly different from younger learners, collegiate ELLs or Adult Basic Education students. Additionally, adult female ELLs have their own needs and motives for investing in the English language. This study explores the self-recounted experiences of three adult female English language learners’ (ELLs) motivation for investing in English language learning, their identities and the benefits gained in a nonacademic learning setting in Texas. Data for this study was gathered using a background questionnaire, individual interview, group interview and in-class observation using an instrument that looks for visible markers of investment. First, each participant’s investment and identity are analyzed with regard to how the two intersect and influence each other throughout the language learning experience. Second, investment and benefits are examined and presented to demonstrate before and after pictures of the participants’ experiences learning English, asking, “Have the learners gained what they sought to gain?” and “Is it worth it?” Findings substantiate prior research on the influence that investment and identity have on each other in language learning, while also clearly demonstrating the explicit relationship between investment and benefits. The study concludes with an understanding that adult educators must recognize the individuality of each adult learner and her circumstances.

This paper examines the process of employing four kinds of information systems in fourth-party logistics. The paper mainly tries to answer research questions: what is fourth-party logistics and information systems; what are benefits and barriers for using four kinds of information systems (RFID, WMS, EDI, Electronic marketplace) with the help of fourth-party logistics; what are unique benefits and barriers for fourth-party logistics to employ the four kinds of information systems and how to overcome the difficulties. To answer the research question, qualitative case study approach was employed and two case companies were chosen. Information in literature review was collected from secondary data for example scientific paper. Information in findings was collected from interviews of people in charge of the project and internal reports.   Definitions of fourth-party logistics and information system were reviewed in literature review. The differences between fourth-party logistics and third-party logistics were presented as well. In addition, categorization of various kinds of advanced information systems was also listed.   Benefits and barriers organized from literature and case studies were gathered and compared in discussion. Two significant benefits were identified: opportunities to do businesses with leading companies and improved efficiency. Two main barriers are confusion of the concept of fourth-party logistics and terminology of information system and financial justification. There are different opinions between the two case companies, literature review and empirical data, and between different literature. The paper concluded that there are many benefits and barriers for employing the four kinds of information systems in fourth-party logistics, and the future development of it is promising.

The face of the workplace has changed dramatically over the past decade and most organisations have to survive in a fiercely competitive global economy. The impact of the competitive changes, especially in the service environment has become critical and quality service is considered an essential strategy for success and survival in today's competitive environment. Organisations are continuously searching for ways to improve their performance and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Consumers are also continuously being made more aware of their rights and in today's fast paced world, with time constraints and increased stress, tolerance levels have been considerably eroded. In view of this, customer satisfaction has become a focus area, in particular, to investigate ways that it can be enhanced to gain a competitive edge. A better understanding of how organisations can apply resources to achieve these goals will be a useful instrument towards gaining sustainable competitive advantage. One way of doing this is for service firms to manage their capacity to achieve maximum and/or optimum utilisation at all times, if possible. But having trained staff on hand at the right times is no easy task. Overstaffing can lead to budget blow-out, while understating adds to staff stress levels, and can contribute to both customer and staff dissatisfaction. As a possible solution many employers tackle this problem by employing casual staff who are more flexible in their working hours and can be deployed to meet peak demands in service. The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of customer satisfaction and whether the utilisation of temporary staffing solutions could positively contribute in improving service levels. A survey research design was used with a questionnaire as data-gathering instrument. The study population consisted of customers (N=507) that visited Absa branches in the Vaal Triangle and were serviced by either permanent or flexi tellers. Contingency tables were used to record and analyse the relationship between the different variables, and statistical significance tests were used to show that the results are significant. Chi-square and Cramer's phi or V test were used as the basis of the analysis. The research confirmed that customer satisfaction has definite financial benefits for an organisation and that the effective application of temporary staffing solutions could further enhance these benefits. The results of the statistical analysis of the survey further confirmed that there was no significant difference in the perceived level of service received from either permanent or flexi tellers. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Food that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition, by virtue of physiologically active food components are known as functional foods. Soybeans contain some of these phytochemical components such as isoflavones. Due to the lack of relevant data, the aim of this study was to assess South African consumers' perceptions towards soy and soy products. Respondents (n=3001) were randomly selected from 9 metropolitan as well as rural areas in South Africa. The questionnaire consisted of 17 food related topics. Four of these sections (which were also used in this study) probed information on soy and soy products. The data of 81 % respondents (n=2437), who were aware of soy, were used for further statistical analyses. There were no practical significant differences between rural and metropolitan respondents' perceptions regarding each statement. Large practical significant differences were found between racial groups regarding most of the statements. In general Blacks were more positive towards the use and taste of soy, as opposed to Whites. More Indians were aware of meat substitutes made from soy than the other racial groups. Marketing efforts in South Africa should focus on those groups that like the taste of soy best and who would consume soy regularly. / Thesis (M. (Consumer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.