In view of the factors influencing and the steps in the design of a Website, building a successful Website will vary from business to business. This study investigates what is required from a small commercial and industrial property and services business to take their business online and create an effective Website. The environment of the property market reflected the role that government plays in the property industry and also the role of the private sector. Marketing in the real estate context indicated that if real estate agents have access to the right type of information, not only can they add value to their own organizations, but they can also capitalize on the same information to create added value for their clients. The elements of the marketing management process include four steps, namely to gather information, to set marketing goals and plan strategy, to organize and implement marketing strategy and to control the marketing activities. Marketing in the online environment showed that the Marketing Mix includes personalisation, privacy, customer services, community, site, security and sales promotion. The principles of online marketing revealed the important role of the customer and customer relationships. An investigation into the difference between e-commerce and online marketing made it clear that online marketing is one component of e-commerce. This study critically analysed the available literature in order to suggest a proposed framework of what should be included in the Website of a small commercial and industrial property and services business. In order to successfully research online marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services in a small business, a basic but thorough understanding of online marketing principles and Website content are important. In this study a qualitative research approach was followed where secondary sources were critically evaluated to design the required framework. Thereafter three Websites of marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services were content analysed to see whether anything else should be added to the framework. This would assist in taking a small business in commercial and industrial properties and services online. The framework suggests that the Website homepage content should include:  Business overview/information Products/services What’s new Search Employment opportunities Interactive feedback Customer service/ assistance Index/directory  Financial facts Links to other sites Online business services/utilities  Guest book Frequently Asked Questions Messages from CEO A purposeful sample of three Websites was then content analysed so as to provide the information necessary to reach the objectives of the study. The following Websites were included in the content analysis: Broll, which operates as a national agency with international associations. The firm renders services (Estate Agency) and does not own property. Bruce McWilliams Industries Pty Ltd is operative in Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and surrounds. It is a family business that owns property, which it develops and markets itself. Seeff is a national agency. It renders services (estate agency) and does not own property. Lastly, a narrative of a small commercial and industrial property and services business was created by means of document analysis of a specific business. The researcher was allowed to study the documents and diaries of the business in order to provide a narrative for this business. This narrative can be used as part of the envisaged Website for the business.

The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information services in Malawi. The objectives of the study were to: find out the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information access in Malawi; establish factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy in Malawi; find out the extent to which the absence of an overarching policy has affected capacity building in information services in Malawi; and identify the legal and regulatory framework implications of the absence of such a policy in Malawi. The study adopted an exploratory research design. Data were collected using document analysis, observations and in-depth interviews. Eighty-two face-to-face interviews were conducted with policy makers in government, Members of Parliamentary committees on legal and media issues, information scientists, information service providers, academicians, legal experts and information users. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. An interview guide comprising closed and open ended questions was used to interview respondents. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings of this study may be used by Government in developing relevant national information policies that would enhance free access and utilisation of information. Furthermore the study is significant in identifying factors that may impede the development of a national information policy. The study revealed that Malawi has a brittle national information policy framework for the provision of information services. Malawi doesn’t have an overarching policy framework for the sector and as a result, there is no policy guidance to drive the development of sectoral policies and supporting legislation. Policy development in Malawi is more reactive to issues than systematic and very slow. Consequently, access to and utilization of information is low; capacity building is low in terms of competencies and infrastructure and; the legal and regulatory framework for information services is weak. The study also revealed that factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy include: motivation for the development of sectoral information policies; lack of an institutional framework to guide the development of policy; lack of finances and technical capacity; lack of sustained political will; level of economic development; existence of overarching government development plans; international trends; and the diverse nature of the information sector. The general recommendation emanating from the findings of the study is that Malawi needs an overarching national information policy which would articulate and address issues regarding access to information, capacity building in terms of skills and infrastructure, and the legal and regulatory framework. Information is a cross-cutting issue requiring an all-encompassing policy. However, specific recommendations from the findings of this study are that government should expedite the development of policies and enactment of relevant pieces of legislation which are not yet in place to enhance free access and utilisation of information and ICTs; government should speed up the introduction of information literacy in the school curriculum starting from primary school level to university; government should develop a library policy to promote the development of school libraries in both primary and secondary schools, and public libraries in all towns, district assemblies and rural growth centres which should be well resourced including Internet facilities; and government should constantly review and harmonise policies and legislation in the information sector so that they are in line with current trends.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the kinds of terminology used in writing job descriptions for library assistants who provide information services affected the job evaluation rating for the jobs described. The study provided background information on the importance of the problem, pay equity and job evaluation systems, the nature and purpose of contacts in information and reference services, the changing roles of information providers and the problem of terminology in writing job descriptions. To examine whether the terminology in job descriptions made a difference in evaluation, three experienced job evaluators were asked to rate nine job descriptions representing three levels of jobs and three different terminologies: library, computer and generic. The respondents' ratings, five sets of nine ratings each, were analyzed by comparing the individual job evaluation plans, the respondents' numerical ratings and rationales. The findings revealed the similarities and differences in definitions used in each of the plans, the differences in ratings within and among plans and the extent to which the terminology used in the job descriptions could be attributed to differences in ratings. Some inconsistencies in ratings occurred. In most cases, the job description using library terminology was rated higher than its computer or generic counterparts but in two cases it was not. Of the three versions of terminology, the generic version led to the least favourable ratings. Considering the complexity of the responsibility o f contacts present to some degree in all three levels of jobs, some of the jobs may have been undervalued. Recommendations were made for action and for further study. / Arts, Faculty of / Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), School of / Graduate

M.Inf. / Users of geographic information systems (GIS) are often faced with a challenge with regard to identification, location and overall access to digital data used in the application of GIS. The selection of the appropriate data from the large volumes available, also gaining access to available data and the establishment of the distribution of data from one central source are necessary tasks in order to improve the dissemination of GIS data. However, these are difficult tasks due to many users being unaware of the full range of available digital GIS data. A mechanism that could assist in improving access to digital GIS data is the Webbased GIS clearinghouse. This study was initiated to determine the requirements of GIS clearinghouses for optimum accessibility to digital GIS data. A literature study was conducted to investigate the nature of data that is used in GIS clearinghouses, the current trends in GIS data on the Web and the unique characteristics of the Web that can increase accessibility to digital GIS data. A selection of clearinghouses was made and these were evaluated in order to determine variables that can be translated into criteria from which a model for the evaluation of GIS clearinghouses could be established. This model can act as a working document or check-list for users to evaluate GIS clearinghouses, or for designers to create new or improve existing GIS clearinghouses.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / The objectives of this research project were identified as being as follows: • To identify the possible use of Decision Support Systems III financial institutions through a literature study with attention given to: • the relationship of decision theory to Decision Support Systems • the theory of Decision Support Systems • how Decision Support Systems are currently used, and • trends in the use of Decision Support Systems.• To identify the use and awareness of Decision Support Systems in a spectrum of financial institutions in South Africa by interviewing selected individuals from a number of financial institutions. The interviews were necessary due to the lack of specific South African literature. Aspects that were investigated and analysed are: • the current use of Decision Support Systems, • the planned implementation of Decision Support Systems, and • the comparison of international practices with the situation in South Africa. The institutions that were targeted are two of the major banks, a niche bank, an insurance company and a stock-broking company.

Este trabalho descreve a implantação da Gestão da Qualidade em Serviços de Informação no Brasil, com base na NBR ISO 9001, através de revisão de literatura nacional e internacional e da realização de pesquisa de campo (estudos de caso) em três Serviços de Informação brasileiros: Supremo Tribunal Federal, Clube Paineiras do Morumby e Instituto de Pesquisa Tecnológicas do Estado de São Paulo. A abordagem teórica contempla o estudo da Gestão da Qualidade, seus fundamentos e conceitos e sua perspectiva histórica, a implantação e certificação de Sistemas de Gestão da Qualidade com base na NBR ISO 9001, a Qualidade em Serviços, a Gestão da Qualidade em Serviços de Informação no Brasil e a Gestão da Qualidade em Serviços de Informação com base na série ISO 9000. A abordagem prática contempla o estudo da Metodologia de Pesquisa que descreve os objetivos da pesquisa de campo, os métodos e instrumentos utilizados e os critérios empregados para seleção dos casos, incluindo a apresentação dos três Serviços de Informação analisados. O principal objetivo da pesquisa é desenvolver e disponibilizar aos dirigentes de Serviços de Informação um modelo de referência, baseado na NBR ISO 9001, visando a apoiar o planejamento, a implantação e a melhoria de seus processos, principalmente no que se refere à elevação dos níveis de satisfação de seus usuários, fornecendo parâmetros para a implantação da Gestão da Qualidade em qualquer tipo de Serviço de Informação, independente de sua natureza, tipo ou porte. Além disso, o modelo prevê a apresentação de um planejamento padrão comentado, com as fases básicas de um projeto de implantação de Gestão da Qualidade com base na NBR 9001 em Serviços de Informação. / This paper describes the implementation of Quality Management on Information Services in Brazil based on the NBR ISO 9001, through both national and international literature review and through practical research (case studies) in three Brazilian Information Services: Supremo Tribunal Federal (Federal Supreme Court), Clube Paineiras do Morumby (Morumby Paineiras Club) and Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo Technological Research Institute). The theoretical approach contemplates the study of Quality Management on those meaning: the fundamentals; concepts and its historical perspective; Quality Management’s implementation and NBR ISO 9001 certification; Services Quality; Brazilian Information Services’ Quality Management and the Quality Management on Information Services based on ISO 9000 series. The practical approach contemplates the study of research methodology, describing the field research objectives, the methods and tools utilized and the criteria employed for cases selection, including the presentation of three Information Services analysed. The main objective of this research is to develop and make available to Information Services’ managers a reference model, based on the NBR ISO 9001, supporting the planning, the implementation and improvement of these processes, mainly regarding the increase in the users satisfaction levels by offering parameters that can support the Quality Management implementation in any Information Service, independently of its nature or size. Besides that, the model aims at the presentation of a common planning including comments with the basic phases of a Quality Management implementation project based on the NBR ISO 9001 in Information Services.

No description available.

A decade ago, only 10% of U.S. healthcare organizations used an electronic health record (EHR), whereas more than 99% do today. The rapid adoption of EHRs has radically transformed communication of health information. Previously, health records consisted of providers handwriting notes in paper charts, rarely seen by outsiders. Today, EHRs integrate information from dozens of sources, to be used by providers, administrators, researchers, and increasingly, patients. Last year alone, an estimated 100 million Americans interacted with their own health records through patient-facing systems. This information has been used to prevent medical errors, reduce nonadherence to treatment, increase shared decision-making, and improve health outcomes. However, failure to comprehend this information can negate any potential benefits and even cause medically-harmful miscommunication. Therefore, it is critical to represent health information using methods that promote patients' comprehension. Despite the need for better representation, today's patient-facing systems do little more than present unexplained data, and limited guidance has been given by research or policy. In this thesis, we present new evidence about representation of health information in patient-facing systems, and we use this evidence to develop informatics methods that promote comprehension. Two aims center on (1) medical abbreviations and acronyms, one of the biggest barriers to patients' comprehension of their health records, and (2) changes in patient-reported outcomes, one of the most important informants of chronic disease management. We assess challenges with representing this information to patients, using randomized trials and qualitative studies. Then, we develop and evaluate an array of informatics methods for overcoming challenges, specifically: (1) machine learning methods for automated expansion of medical abbreviations and acronyms, and (2) information visualization methods for representing changes in patient-reported outcomes. In the future, these interventions can be implemented in patient-facing systems to optimize comprehension. Our evidence will guide strategies for meaningful communication that, ultimately, will build trust between patients and the healthcare system that serves them.

The applicability of SERVPERF as a tool for judging the quality of services used by biomedical information professionals was tested using standard statistical procedures. Data was gathered nationally via a combination of electronic and non-electronic forms, from Area Health Education Center (AHEC) information professionals and the results consolidated to provide information for the study. It was determined that SERVPERF was applicable in making judgements about service quality for AHEC information professionals. Their perceptions about service quality tended to have a greater influence than did their level of actual satisfaction on whether or not they planned to use a particular service in the future. There is currently no validated tool available to ascertain the quality of services offered to these valuable members of the rural health care team. This dissertation proposes to provide such a tool, and to serve as a guide or template for other professionals seeking a means to judge service quality in their own disciplines.

"The purpose of this paper is to form an organizational pattern representative of art museum libraries. The writer's choice of this subject has grown out of an extended period of interest in art history and in museums as depositories of great paintings and works of art. In pursuing this interest, the writer has made pilgrimages to art museums in many parts of the country, often for the purpose of seeing a special exhibit. This interest has also resulted in the forming of a personal collection of some fifty volumes in the art reference field, the accumulation of many unbound copies of art magazines, and the preparation of a vertical file clipping and picture collection, particularly representative of modern painting. The ever increasing background information acquired through the pursuance of these projects finally led to a desire for closer contact with museum activities. The writer's comparatively recent interest in library service seemed to offer an opportunity for this fulfillment. The choice of art museum libraries, as the subject for a paper furnished an opportunity for investigation into this specialized field of library service"--Introduction. / "June, 1953." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-51).