Customer satisfaction, are not just two words simply to be used in any businesscontext. Actually, these are the words that encapsulate the theme of what sort ofbusiness practices are being done by the companies in terms of making theircustomers satisfied or delight. Customer satisfaction plays a pivotal role intoday’s business scenario and there are some basic factors which may impact oncustomer satisfaction either positively or negatively. For instance; responsiveness,efficiency & performance, service quality, price and technology etc may havestrong influence on company’s products (goods or services). Few researchersdiscussed only some factors regarding services which impact on customersatisfaction and none of them discussed particularly some basic, common andmajor factors regarding services/e-services for companies which are small, newand growing enterprises. Therefore, authors made an attempt to highlight somebasic factors and examined how they effect on customer satisfaction. Our findingsshowed that the factors such as responsiveness, professionalism, complaintmanagement system, customer care, technology, efficiency & performance, price,service quality and experience are examined with negative impact on customersatisfaction as almost half of company’s customers were observed dissatisfied.One factor that is found with positive impact on customer satisfaction iscompany’s attitude towards its customers. It is quite notice worthy for a companyto take serious considerations to remove the negative impact of above mentionedfactors in terms of making customers satisfied. Therefore, in the last chapter ofthis study we put some recommendations which might help for a company in thisregard. Furthermore, future suggested research areas are also discussed forcreating further research grounds.

A portfolio submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on the basis of published works.

Abstract Date: January 17, 2013 Level: Bachelor thesis in business administration, 15 ECTS Institution: School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Mälardalen University Authors: AZIZ Najibullah, GLEESON Darren and KASHIF Muhammad 28th August 1980, 29th November 1977, 22nd July 1984 Tutor: Eva Maaninen-Olsson Keywords: Knowledge, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Sharing, Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing Research Question: What hinders or enables knowledge sharing in Swedish-based multi-national corporations from a cultural, motivational and trust perspective? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the barriers and enablers of knowledge sharing within multi-national corporations. Method: The research method chosen to fulfill the purpose of the thesis is a qualitative approach. In order to achieve the purpose both primary and secondary data was sought. In accordance with the qualitative approach, interviews have been carried out with senior managers in ABB, Bombardier, Ericsson and Siemens. Data collected from these interviews represents the primary data. Secondary data has been gathered from company websites. Conclusion: The results from the studied multi-national organizations suggest that knowledge sharing culture is influenced by communication, rules, regulations and routines (sub-factors of culture). This study shows that communication, rules, regulations and routines are enablers of knowledge sharing in the organizations. However, language and technology (sub-factors of culture) as collaborative tools are proven to be problematic; consequently creating hindrances to knowledge sharing. When it comes to motivational factors (rewards, power and reciprocity), this thesis shows that none of the studied companies offer rewards for knowledge sharing. This confirms the controversy connected with rewards which can either enable or cause hindrance to knowledge sharing. Reciprocity seems to enable knowledge sharing in the studied organizations whereas power remains controversial. The existence of power can either be a barrier or an enabler for knowledge sharing depending on the individual’s perception of power. This thesis also shows that the existence of trust enables knowledge sharing between employees, but the difficulties of building this trust is akey problem for management.

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North West Nigeria has the lowest vaccination rate of the geopolitical regions of the country. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between the parents'/caregivers' biological, cultural, and socioeconomic factors and the completion or noncompletion of routine immunization schedules. Andersen's behavioral model provided the framework for the study. Data were obtained from the 2013 National Demographic Health Survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Chi-square tests were used for categorical predictor variables, simple logistic regression models were used for the age variable, and multiple linear regression models were used for the biological, cultural, and socioeconomic variables to assess the relative importance of factors within each category. Findings indicated a statistically significant association between 4 factors (education, wealth index, religious affiliation, and cost of healthcare) and completion of immunization schedules. Findings may be used to improve the likelihood of immunization of children in North West Nigeria and reduce the levels of childhood morbidity and mortality. Policy makers and immunization programmers can strengthen social services such as women's education, income generation, especially in the agricultural sector and other culturally sensitive interventions with community collaboration to bring the required social change.

Aliteracy defines those who can read adequately but who choose not to read for their own interest and pleasure. Adolescent aliteracy is an international issue (OECD, 2000, 2010a). Dissonance between what schools and students consider as ‘engaging reading’ is widening (Ivey & Broadhuss, 2001; Wilheilm & Smith, 2002). Recent evidence of poor literature knowledge amongst teachers and pre-service teachers (Cremin, Mottram, Bearne, & Goodwin, 2008; Nathanson, Pruslow, & Levit, 2008) highlights the need for pragmatic ways to empower adolescent students to address aliteracy for themselves. The aim of this thesis was to explore the conceptual basis for adolescent aliteracy in the 11-13 year old age groups alongside pedagogy to support currently aliterate adolescents. A mixed methods approach used 8 sets of data to explore reading preferences, reading motivations and self-selection behaviours in a mixed and stratifed sample of currently aliterate students over 6 months. The tools were: a reading preference survey, a Title Recognition Test (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1991), the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire, (Wigfield, Guthrie, & McGough, 1996), library observations, student and teacher interviews, library borrowing records and summative reading scores. Data analysis included thematic analysis, multiple regressions, Chi squared, Wilcoxon signed-ranked tests and Spearman’s correlations. Media based titles, magazines and SMS texting were cited as the most popular reading choices. Avid, poor and currently aliterate adolescent readers had significantly distinct motivational and cognitive reading profiles. Exploratory results with a stratified sample of currently aliterate students suggest that taught self-selection strategies significantly increased motivation to read for challenge and for curiosity and decreased motivation to read for reasons of compliance. Amongst currently aliterate adolescents, results suggest significant interaction between reading identity, reading challenge, reading stamina and reading interest.

Tyrimo objektas: vidiniai ir išoriniai veiksniai lemiantys NVO verslumą Tyrimo tikslas: sudaryti veiksnių, lemiančių NVO verslumą, vertinimo sistemą ir įvertinti jų poveikį NVO verslumui. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1) išnagrinėti verslumo sampratos teorinius aspektus; 2) atlikti literatūros šaltinių analizę ir sintezę verslumą lemiančių veiksnių klausimu; 3) sudaryti NVO verslumą lemiančių veiksnių bei jų vertinimo sistemą ir nustatyti veiksnių reikšmingumą bei poveikį; 4) praktiškai įvertinti sudarytą vertinimo sistemą tiriant vietos veiklos grupių verslumą ir nustatyti vertinimo sistemos tobulinimo kryptis. Tyrimo metodai: mokslinės literatūros analizė ir sintezė, loginė analizė, ekspertinė apklausa, dokumentų analizė, duomenų susisteminimo, matematiniai statistiniai analizės metodai, grafinio vaizdavimas. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje pateikta įvairių Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių nuomonė apie verslumą ir jį lemiančius veiksnius bei NVO verslumo samprata. Antrojoje magistrinio darbo dalyje nustatyti vidiniai ir išoriniai NVO verslumą lemiantys veiksniai ir pateikta veiksnių vertinimo sistema bei vertinimo metodai. Trečiojoje dalyje nustatytas verslumą lemiančių veiksnių reikšmingumas, pateikiama verslumą lemiančių veiksnių vertinimo Kalvarijos, Sūduvos, Alytaus ir Ukmergės rajonų Vietos veiklos grupėse tyrimo metodika ir pristatomi empirinio tyrimo rezultatai. Praktiškai pritaikius sudarytą NVO verslumą lemiančių veiksnių vertinimo sistemą, pateikiamos jos tobulinimo kryptys... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Research object – internal and external factors affecting entrepreneurship in non-governmental organization. Research aim – to develop evaluation system of factors affecting entrepreneurship in non- governmental organizations. Objectives: 1) to analyze the theoretical aspects of the concept of entrepreneurship; 2) to perform an analysis and synthesis of literary sources on factors affecting entrepreneurship issues; 3) to make evaluation system of factors affecting entrepreneurship in non-governmental organizations and to identify their significance and influence for entrepreneurship; 4) to apply researched evaluation system of factors affecting entrepreneurship in practical analysis of entrepreneurship of local action groups and to determine the system development direction. Research methods – analysis and synthesis of literature and documents, logical analysis, expert survey, mathematical statistical analysis methods, graphical representation techniques. The first part presents opinions of Lithuanian and foreign scientists about entrepreneurship, factors affecting entrepreneurship and conception of entrepreneurship in non-governmental organizations. The second part establishes internal and external factors affecting entrepreneurship in non-governmental organizations, their evaluation system and methods. The third part investigates significance and influence of factors affecting entrepreneurship, presents methodology and results of empirical research in Kalvarija, Sūduva... [to full text]

This study was designed to examine the factors that affect the implementation of computer technology in Imo State, Nigeria, secondary schools' instructional programs. The intent of the study was to determine the relationship between funding, availability of relevant infrastructures, trained personnel, job security, government support and market demand for computer trained personnel and the implementation of computer technology in Imo State school instructional program. A total of three hundred and twelve (312) educators comprising of two hundred and fifty-five (255) teachers, twenty (20) school principals and thirty-seven (37) administrators were randomly selected to respond to questionnaire items about their perceptions of the factors affecting the implementation of computer technology in instructional programs in secondary schools. Twelve research hypotheses were developed to determine the relationships between the factors affecting the implementation of computer technology in the secondary schools' instructional programs. Pearson product moment linear correlation coefficient was used to analyze the data about the relationship between the factors affecting the implementation of computer technology in instructional programs. Also, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze data on the differences in perceptions of the respondents to the questionnaire. The findings showed that school-teachers believed that there were significant relationships between availability of funding, relevant infrastructure, and job security and the implementation of computer technology in secondary schools' instructional programs. Principals and administrators, on the other hand, found no significant relationships between the variables. However, all sampled groups believed that there were significant relationships between job security, government support and market demand for computer trained personnel and the implementation of computer technology in instructional programs in the secondary schools. This study revealed that adequate funding is the key to effective implementation of computer technology in instructional programs in Imo State, Nigeria's secondary schools. This means that, if the Nigerian students from Imo state are to compete effectively in this modem technological age, there is need for the state and national governments to invest more financial resources in the development, production and distribution of technological know-how in the education sector.

Growth and enterotoxin production by Staphylococcus aureus straings, in the presence of different starter [2:1 (V/V) blend of AM2:ML8 strains of Streptococcus lactis] levels was investigated. Sterile, 10 per cent non-fat dry milk was inoculated with S. aureus strains capable of producing all types of enterotoxins, and reduced levels of starters; and was incubated at 32 C for 24 hours. The pH and S. aureus population were determined at 2 hour intervals until 8 hours and at 24 hours. The inhibitory response of lactic streptococci was studied by spot-tests on a lawn of S. aureus strains. The drop in pH, from 4 to 8 hours incubation, for all starter levels, was proportional to their inocula. The rate of acid formation, or drop in pH, from 4 to 8 hours, was correlated with the change in staphylococcal population from 6 to 24 hours (Correlation Coefficient = Y = -0.805). Regression analysis indicated that change in pH from 4 to 8 hours could be used to predict the staphylococcal population change from 6 to 24 hours. All four enterotoxigenic strains showed differential susceptibility to the starter metabolite(s). A 0.1 per cent starter level did not allow the increase of approximately 104 cells per milliliter, of an eterotoxin D producing strain of S. aureus (23235). Approximately 106 cells per milliliter of S. aureus 23235, decreased to about 104 cells in the presence of a 0.1 per cent starter level; while 0.01 per cent starter level did not allow the inocula of approximately 106 cells pe milliliter, of enterotoxin B producing strain of S. aureus, did not increase in the presence of 0.01 per cent starter level. The same inocula of enterotoxin A and C producing straings of S. aureus decreased to about 103 to 104 cells per milliliter in the presence of 0.01 per cent starter. These strains sharply declined in population in the presence of 0.1 per cent starter level. The lactic organism did not produce inhibitory levels nisin, or over 5 micrograms of hydrogen peroxide per milliliter of broth. When the lactic streptococci were spotted on lawns of enterotoxins B, C, and D producing strains of S. aureus, staphylococcal grothwas inhibited around the spots, on both agar, with and without added calcium carbonate. Enterotoxin A producing strain was not inhibited on agar. The degree of inhibition for B and D enterotoxin producing strains, was greater in agar fortified with calcium carbonate, than that without fortification while the revers was true for enterotoxin C producing strain.

This study describes students' perceptions of their physics classroom learning environments and their interactions with their teachers in upper secondary school classes in Thailand. Associations between these perceptions and students' attitudes toward physics were also determined. The learning environment perceptions were obtained using the 35-item Physics Laboratory Environment Inventory (PLEI) modified from the original Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (Fraser, McRobbie, & Giddings, 1993). Teacher-student interactions were assessed with the 48-item Questionnaires on Teacher Interaction (QTI) (Wubbels & Levy, 1993). Both these questionnaires have an Actual Form (assesses the class as it actually is) and a Preferred Form (asks the students what they would prefer their class to be like - the ideal situation). Students' attitudes were assessed with a short Attitude scale. The questionnaires were translated into the Thai language and administered to a sample of 4,576 students in 245 physics classes at the grade 12 level. Statistically significant differences were found between the students' perceptions of actual and preferred environments and teacher interpersonal behaviour in Thailand. Associations between students' perceptions of their learning environments and teachers' interpersonal behaviour with their attitudes to their physics classes also were found. It was found from interviews with a sub-sample that particular categories of comments could be identified, physics being a difficult subject, evaluation and assessments not being related to the tertiary entrance examination, and teachers' plans. These factors appear to be affecting student achievement in physics. Based on all the findings, suggestions for improving the physics laboratory classroom environment and teacher interpersonal behaviour with students' perceptions are provided.