Tidigare forskning kring otydlighet och stress som enskilda begrepp är omfattande. Då studier visar att otydlighet i flera aspekter, exempelvis otydlig arbetsmiljö, påverkar människors upplevda stress är det således intressant att titta på begreppen tillsammans. Denna studie ämnar utveckla ett mätinstrument för att kunna mäta upplevd otydlighetsstress inom organisationer eftersom det idag saknas. Metoden tog avstamp i utvecklingen av ett frågeformulär, därefter genomfördes en pilotstudie med efterföljande enkätundersökning där 230 svar registrerades. Explorativ faktoranalys genomfördes på de data vi samlat in för att försäkra att otydlighetsstress verkligen mäts. Vidare beräknades Cronbachs alfa i syfte att ta reda på den interna reliabiliteten. Studien resulterade i att fyra faktorer skapades utifrån kriteriet >0,6 för faktorladdningar och namngavs till: depression (α=0,94), krav (α=0,82), arbetsrelaterad otydlighet (α=-0,75) och otydlighet i kommunikation (α=0,82). Den interna reliabiliteten beräknades till 0,88 för hela mätinstrumentet. Mätinstrumentet fick namnet Ambiguity Stress Scale.

The concept of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) had been used as a patient reported outcome measure in healthcare settings. It has been conceptualised and measured using validated instruments in the Western scientific community. However, in the Saudi literature, the true meaning of this concept is still lacking. The aim of this study is to explore the gap in literature and define the concept of HRQoL, identify its key domains and conceptualise it as perceived specifically by patients with renal failure and undergoing haemodialysis in Saudi Arabia. This PhD included two strands, an empirical qualitative study and a critical analysis of the HRQoL concept and its measurement in the Western as well as the Saudi literature. Using qualitative research methods, the empirical study was conducted in one centre in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Twenty two In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted in the Arabic language, recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Thematic analysis was performed to analyse the data as the transcripts were coded, the categories identified and the themes generated. The conceptual analysis of HRQoL was carried out after the review of the Western literature on the quality of life (QoL) conceptual models and the measuring instruments used in renal literature. Systematic review of the Saudi HRQoL literature was performed as well to understand the meaning and methods of measurement of the concept of HRQoL. The conceptual analysis of HRQoL revealed that the concept is poorly defined in the Saudi literature; its measurement was based on instruments that are not culturally-adapted. Hence the findings are subjected to questions of validity and reliability. The QoL conceptual models have been developing in the Western literature as well as measuring instruments for patients with renal failure. However, the adoption of these models or instruments is critical due to social, cultural and religious variations between Saudi Arabia and the Western societies. Seven themes defining HRQoL emerged from the qualitative data; these reflected the subjectivity of the concept. The domains of HRQoL were the physiological, social, psychological, religious and vocational domains. Each of those domains was defined by determinants that affect other domains and the overall HRQoL. These were synthesised into a single definition, which incorporated all five domains. A model of HRQoL of patients undergoing haemodialysis in Saudi Arabia was developed explaining the relationship between the key domains and HRQoL. Healthcare services were discussed as a factor that affects the health status of patients and plays an indirect role in the life quality of this patient group. Hence it was considered as a factor rather than a domain. This study, including the conceptual analysis and the empirical study, illustrates that the concept of HRQoL is highly individual and is affected by the views of individuals living in a specific culture. Additionally, it is affected by the social, cultural and religious backgrounds of those individuals. The conceptualisation of HRQoL in this study was almost similar to the Western conceptualisation, however, the relationships between the key domains of HRQoL and their determinants differed. The social and religious domains were highly influenced by the Arabic culture and the Islamic religion. HRQoL in patients with ESRD in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia has a different meaning and conceptualisation from that seen in comparable Western literature. The assessment of HRQoL of patients with renal failure and on haemodialysis in Saudi Arabia requires a culturally-adapted instrument. This would ensure valid and reliable results that could be used in decision-making and the planning of care.

The service sector of the global economy is undoubtedly growing and increasingly highlighting the criticality of service quality to enhanced profitability in most service organisations. The demand for accountability from different stakeholders, including clients, has also made service quality a highly debated, researched and most powerful competitive trend shaping marketing and business strategy. Developing reliable measurement instruments of service quality and strategies for the improvement of service quality invariably become the most important responsibilities for managers in many organisations. In the absence of conceptual clarity on service quality, divergent views on the dimensionality of service quality and the lack of a psychometrically valid service quality measure in archival institutions, this study set out to develop and subsequently validate a measurement instrument to assess service quality in an archival institutional setting. The two research questions investigated in this study were: (1) what are the dimensions for measuring service quality in archival institutions, and (2) how can the dimensions of service quality in archival institutions be measured effectively. The methodology for this study involved a two-phased qualitative and quantitative analysis addressing these two research questions. The study followed the standard psychometric procedure for developing constructs. This research has resulted in the important findings and relevant conclusions for both academics and practitioners interested in service quality in the archival environment. The service quality measurement instrument formulated is called ARCHIVqual and has three dimensions, namely (1) security of information (with 4 items), (2) integrity of information (with 3 items) and (3) usability of information (with 2 items). Besides measuring service quality in the archival environment, ARCHIVqual will also serve as a tool for conducting periodic surveys thereby identifying specific problematic areas in archival institutions. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / DBL

The service sector of the global economy is undoubtedly growing and increasingly highlighting the criticality of service quality to enhanced profitability in most service organisations. The demand for accountability from different stakeholders, including clients, has also made service quality a highly debated, researched and most powerful competitive trend shaping marketing and business strategy. Developing reliable measurement instruments of service quality and strategies for the improvement of service quality invariably become the most important responsibilities for managers in many organisations. In the absence of conceptual clarity on service quality, divergent views on the dimensionality of service quality and the lack of a psychometrically valid service quality measure in archival institutions, this study set out to develop and subsequently validate a measurement instrument to assess service quality in an archival institutional setting. The two research questions investigated in this study were: (1) what are the dimensions for measuring service quality in archival institutions, and (2) how can the dimensions of service quality in archival institutions be measured effectively. The methodology for this study involved a two-phased qualitative and quantitative analysis addressing these two research questions. The study followed the standard psychometric procedure for developing constructs. This research has resulted in the important findings and relevant conclusions for both academics and practitioners interested in service quality in the archival environment. The service quality measurement instrument formulated is called ARCHIVqual and has three dimensions, namely (1) security of information (with 4 items), (2) integrity of information (with 3 items) and (3) usability of information (with 2 items). Besides measuring service quality in the archival environment, ARCHIVqual will also serve as a tool for conducting periodic surveys thereby identifying specific problematic areas in archival institutions. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / DBL

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5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}</style><![endif]-->U tezi se razmatra kriterijum optimalnosti stohastičkog fleš A/D konvertora (SFADC) koji predstavlja osnovu stohastičke digitalne metode merenja (SDMM). Razvijen je matematički i simulacioni model višebitnog SFADC i određen optimum broja bita rezolucije. Napravljen je hardverski prototip 4-bitnog stohastičkog mernog instrumenta (SMI), koji je ispitan brojnim eksperimentima i upoređen sa teorijski određenim vrednostima performansi merenja. 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Introduction : La scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescent (SIA) est une déformation du tronc chez 4 % des 10-18 ans. Le corset est le seul traitement conservateur ayant démontré son efficacité pour limiter sa progression. On note un problème d’adhésion au traitement avec un temps de port moyen de 13 heures/jour (prescription de 22 heures), dont les causes ont été peu étudiées. Objectif et hypothèse : Développer et valider un questionnaire des facteurs liés à l’adhésion au corset. Nos hypothèses sont les suivantes : IMCO aura de bonnes validités de contenu et fiabilité, une validité de construit satisfaisante et pourra discerner les patients adhérents/non-adhérents. Ses scores varieront selon l’âge, l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) et la sévérité de la courbe. Méthodologie : Un cadre conceptuel intégrateur a été défini. Les items candidats ont été élaborés puis sélectionnés avec les experts. IMCO a été validé avec des jeunes patients traités par corset (n=159) pour tester : la stabilité temporelle (ICC), cohérence interne (alpha Cronbach), validité convergente/divergente (Rho de Spearman) avec deux questionnaires de qualité de vie SF-12 et SRS-22, et capacité discriminante (ANOVA/régression). Résultat/discussion : IMCO comprend 34 items selon 4 barrières à l’adhésion : liées aux facteurs sociaux et émotionnels, au traitement, au patient, et au système de santé. La cohérence interne est excellente (0,89). Les scores IMCO sont associés au temps de port du corset, et varient selon la sévérité de la courbe, l’IMC et l’âge. Les scores sont corrélés avec le domaine satisfaction envers le traitement du SRS-22. Conclusion : IMCO rencontre les critères COSMIN, sauf pour la stabilité temporelle (échantillon inadéquat). Il constitue un instrument approprié pour la recherche. Une analyse factorielle est recommandée pour poursuivre sa validation. / Introduction: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a trunk deformity that affects 4% of 10– 18-year olds. The brace is the only effective conservative treatment that has been proven to limit its progression. A treatment adherence problem has been reported with an average wearing time of 13 hours/day (full time bracing prescription of 22 hours), for which underlying causes have been insufficiently studied. Objectives and hypotheses: our goal is to develop and to validate a questionnaire to measure the factors related to brace adherence. Our hypotheses are: The IMCO will display good content validity and reliability, acceptable construct validity, and will be able to discriminate adherent from non-adherent patients. Its scores will vary according to age, body mass index (BMI) and severity of the curve. Methodology: An integrative conceptual framework was defined. Candidate items were developed and selected with experts. The IMCO was validated with young AIS patients (n=159) to test: temporal stability (ICC), internal consistency (alpha Cronbach), convergent/divergent validity (Spearman's Rho) with two quality of life questionnaires SF-12 and SRS-22, and discriminant capacity (ANOVA/regression). Result/discussion: IMCO includes 34 items according to 4 barriers to adherence: related to social and emotional factors, to the treatment, to the patient, and to the health system. Internal consistency is excellent: 0.89. IMCO scores are associated with adherence to treatment, severity of the curve, BMI and age. Scores correlated with the SRS-22 satisfaction with treatment domain. Conclusion: IMCO meets the COSMIN criteria except for temporal stability (inadequate sample). It is an appropriate instrument for research. A factorial analysis is recommended for further validation.

Messinstrumente stellen in der wissenschaftlichen Forschung ein wesentliches Element zur Erkenntnisgewinnung dar. Das Besondere an Messinstrumenten im Large-scale Assessment in der Bildungsforschung ist, dass diese normalerweise für jede Studie neu konstruiert werden und dass die Testteilnehmer verschiedene Versionen des Tests bekommen. Hierbei ergeben sich potentielle Gefahren für die Akkuratheit und Validität der Messung. Um solche Gefahren zu minimieren, sollten (a) die Ursachen für Verzerrungen der Messung und (b) mögliche Strategien zur Optimierung der Messinstrumente eruiert werden. Deshalb wird in der vorliegenden Dissertation spezifischen Fragestellungen im Rahmen dieser beiden Forschungsanliegen nachgegangen. / Measurement instruments are essential elements in the acquisition of knowledge in scientific research. Special features of measurement instruments in large-scale assessments of student achievement are their frequent reconstruction and the usage of different test versions. Here, threats for the accuracy and validity of the measurement may emerge. To minimize such threats, (a) sources for potential bias of measurement and (b) strategies to optimize measuring instruments should be explored. Therefore, the present dissertation investigates several specific topics within these two research areas.