No description available.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

No description available.

The newly built Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas was designed with an understanding of the healing power of nature. A perspective randomized design with pre-post measures Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) was conducted to test whether the hospital’s Healing Garden had an effect on the stress levels of parents of pediatric hospital patients. Participants were asked to sit and relax in the Healing Garden for ten-minutes. Two differing interior spaces, one with views to nature and one without views to nature, were tested as comparisons. Data was collected in the form of surveys and behavioral observation. Results indicate that the Healing Garden reduced the stress of parents at a greater rate than the two interior spaces included in the study. However, the two interior spaces did not differ in their stress reducing effects despite one having views to nature. Comments from parents indicated a slight stress relieving effect by simply leaving their patient’s room. These research findings should be used to encourage parents and other adult family members to use the hospital’s gardens to reduce stress felt from their patient’s medical treatment. Further studies need to be conducted to provide more conclusive data.

The newly built Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas was designed with an understanding of the healing power of nature. A perspective randomized design with pre-post measures Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) was conducted to test whether the hospital’s Healing Garden had an effect on the stress levels of parents of pediatric hospital patients. Participants were asked to sit and relax in the Healing Garden for ten-minutes. Two differing interior spaces, one with views to nature and one without views to nature, were tested as comparisons. Data was collected in the form of surveys and behavioral observation. Results indicate that the Healing Garden reduced the stress of parents at a greater rate than the two interior spaces included in the study. However, the two interior spaces did not differ in their stress reducing effects despite one having views to nature. Comments from parents indicated a slight stress relieving effect by simply leaving their patient’s room. These research findings should be used to encourage parents and other adult family members to use the hospital’s gardens to reduce stress felt from their patient’s medical treatment. Further studies need to be conducted to provide more conclusive data.

The pathology report is a key document that contains critical information for the proper diagnosis and prognosis of a patient. It is used to communicate key pathologic findings to users of the pathology report: oncologists who will use this document to base treatment options and cancer registries that use key attributes of cancer cases for surveillance and research purposes. The synoptic report can provide a standard format that contains key information consistency for users of the report. The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) was the first to adopt this innovative method of pathology reporting within British Columbia. A mixed methods research study design using both qualitative and quantitative techniques to evaluate a synoptic reporting system’s impact on pathology reporting was used in this study. The impact of synoptic reporting was evaluated based on the utilization of the synoptic summaries and the perceived effect on the quality and processes of pathology reporting from the perspectives of pathology reporting stakeholders. Pathology reports obtained from VIHA and British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) databases were audited to obtain information on the amount of synoptic summaries included in pathology reports and whether this inclusion was associated with any pre-defined variables. Pathology reporting stakeholders’ perceptions data was obtained by a self-administered web survey distributed to VIHA pathologists, Victoria location British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA-VICC) oncologists and BCCA Cancer Registry management. Out of the reports generated by VIHA pathologists, only 3.5% (593/17430) of them contained a synoptic summary, 5.4% (590/10990) when only considering the pathology reports that were associated to a CAP checklist and activated within the system. According to the VIHA database, it was determined that 16.2% (2819/17430) cases were malignant suggesting that inclusion of synoptic summaries is not being done for the vast majority of malignant cases contrary to expectations. This was further confirmed by the BCCA audit, which contained primarily malignant cases but also had additional non-malignant (benign) cases requested by the BCCA. The BCCA audit revealed that 18.6% (58/312) reports included a synoptic summary, 19.7% (58/294) when only considering the pathology reports that were associated to a CAP checklist and were activated within the system. Differences with the synoptic summary inclusion were found in: individual pathologists, procedures performed, sites of report generation, tumor groups, tumor types, and malignancy status of the specimens. Variation was observed in the perceptions surrounding the quality of the pathology report. Pathologists’ responses were highly variable to the majority of questions in all categories, demonstrating the polarizing views within the community. Pathologists overall had a more favorable opinion of the current pathology report (including synoptic summary) generated, where users (oncologists and registry) had a more favorable opinion of the perceived impact of synoptic summaries on pathology reports and a more favorable opinion regarding improvements that could be made in pathology reporting. While VIHA has taken a significant step forward, being the first health authority in British Columbia to implement synoptic reporting (synoptic summaries), further improvements can be made to better enhance the adoption. / Graduate / 0571 / 0769 / bornfurtado@gmail.com

One important research direction that has emerged in Child Protective Services (CPS) is the potential of information technology (IT) to be used by CPS agencies in order to enhance organizational effectiveness by addressing the barriers that caseworkers face in integrating multiple stakeholders’ knowledge. Based on empirical findings with regard to numerous unsuccessful IT development initiatives, the present study strives to gain an in-depth understanding of the research question: How can CPS caseworkers be supported by their agency in the integration of knowledge resources, thereby contributing to organizational effectiveness? A literature review to answer this question revealed the following two major research gaps: the adoption of a technology-focused perspective of intervention and the use of direct research models to evaluate this kind of intervention. In order to bridge these research gaps, this study presented a knowledge-based and process-oriented mediation model, built around the concept of knowledge integration that involves related processes at the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels. In this model, a process-oriented Knowledge Management System (KMS) stemming from a Socio-Technical System (STS) perspective was proposed as an alternative intervention model consisting of knowledge management intervention in three dimensions: techno-structural, socio-cultural, and inter-organizational practices. This mediation model partitions the effect of this KMS on outcome (organizational effectiveness) into two components: the direct effect and the indirect effect that is mediated by its output (a CPS caseworker’s knowledge integration ability). This research model was empirically tested using Structural Equation Modeling. This analysis used a sub-set of the 2008 Survey of Organizational Excellence (SOE) data set, which includes the perceptions of CPS caseworkers in the Texas DFPS about their work environment. Results indicate that each of the three dimensions of knowledge management practices enhanced a CPS caseworker’s knowledge integration ability. This ability was a critical factor in determining organizational effectiveness. The mediation effects of a caseworker’s knowledge integration ability were found to mediate the relationship between three dimensions of knowledge management practices and organizational effectiveness. Overall, this mediation model was more useful in explaining the complex relationships among the variables of interest than other direct models. / text

The field of nonprofit management education is nascent and little of the research has extended into the area of leadership as a requisite competency for nonprofit leaders. Likewise, the research on leadership has not been widely extended to the nonprofit sector. Prior research suggests a broad range of competencies are necessary to lead in the dynamic, complex environment of nonprofits, the exercise of which differs from that in the for-profit sector. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Bakgrund: Prestationsmätning syftar till att implementera ett företags strategi. För att lyckas med det krävs tillgång till relevant information för att ta rätt beslut. Nya alternativa organisationsformer som shared service centres har lett till en ökad efterfrågan på ny anpassad ekonomistyrning. En förfrågan om att utvärdera P2P-processens prestationsmätningssystem på IKEA AB, Finance Services ledde till utvärderingsstudien. Syfte: Syftet med utvärderingsstudien är att utveckla en modell med dimensioner, för att analysera prestationsmätningssystem på shared service centres. Analysmodellen kommer appliceras på P2P-processen inom IKEA AB, Finance Services. Om brister identifieras finns avsikten att föreslå hur de bör åtgärdas. Metod: Undersökningsdesignen för studien är en utvärderingsstudie. Empiriskt material har hämtats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsats: Avsaknaden av mål leder till otydlighet gentemot intressenter. Samtidigt görs en generalisering där samtliga mått benämns som KPIs för att förenkla styrningen. Det påverkar verksamheten eftersom det saknas riktlinjer för hur prestationer bedöms och om de ligger på en rimlig nivå. En tydligare uppdelning av prestationsmåtten skulle leda till en bättre styrning av verksamheten och lägga mer fokus på att nå övergripande mål. / Background: The purpose of a performance measurement system is to implement a business strategy. In order to successfully implement this will the resources of relevant information be required. New options of organization structures creates an increasing demand of suitable financial control systems. A request to evaluate the performance measurement system on the P2P-process on IKEA AB, Finance Services made this evaluation study possible. Purpose: The purpose with this evaluation study is to develop a model with dimensions, used for an analysis of performance measurement systems on shared service centres. The model will be used to evaluate the P2P-process on IKEA AB, Finance Services. If deficits are detected we intend to suggest solutions for these problems. Method: The method used in this study is an evaluation study. The empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The absence of concrete goals creates vagueness to stakeholders. In addition, all the performance measures is named KPIs to make the financial control easier for employees. This affects the business because it lacks to provide guidance regarding how to assess performances and whether the performances seems to be at reasonable levels. A transparent distinction between the performance measures would create a better operations management and focus more on achieving strategic goals.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-181). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / 181 leaves, bound 29 cm