Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / Morale has been defined as the sum of the satisfactions which the individual experiences because of his membership and involvement in an organization. Recently there has been a movement away from the study of the global morale concept to the different types of satisfactions that individuals derive from the industrial situation. Intrinsic job satisfaction is defined by the degree of satisfaction obtained by the individual employee from performing those tasks which constitute the content of his job. This study was concerned primarily with an investigation of the role of expectations as related to the extent of fulfillment of these expectations in determining intrinsic job satisfaction. Job importance, contribution made by doing the job, the work's relationship to the kind of work that public relations practitioners do, and statements as to how interesting or how uninteresting the work was,- were the major criteria used to structure expectations. Intrinsic job satisfaction was treated as the dependent variable. An attempt was also made to relate intrinsic job satisfaction levels to productivity levels. [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

This thesis approaches the theoretical concepts of public opinion, its history and origins of public opinion research in the Czechoslovak Republic and abroad. It describes the circumstances of the creation, operation and termination of the Czechoslovak Institute for Public Opinion Research, which was established under the leadership of Josef Kopta and came under the I. Department of the Ministry of Information. More particularly provides a detailed view of The Veřejné mínění Journal, which was published between 1946 and 1948 and the publisher was the institute. Among the personalities associated with the institute and the magazine belonged Čeněk Adamec, Bohuš Pospíšil and Milan A. Tesař. The journal represented a Europe-wide unique. No other institution published a similar format of the journal, which conceived as the major topic of public opinion. It was a professional and popularization journal, which was addressed to experts and the general public. Individual subsections describe the specific content of the journal, which, inter alia, consist of professional articles of various kinds, reports on domestic and foreign researches, comments from readers and other sections. Special attention is given to information related to the field of media.

The diploma thesis focuses on the youngest age cathegory of respondents in public opinion polls. The main goal is to examine character and quality of information about adolescent's attitudes and opinions obtained in public opinion polls that are held by The Public Opinion Research Centre. To achieve the main goal nonattitude is examined. The thesis will be divided into theoretical and practical part. Theoretical part stands on the basis of public opinion sociology and developmental psychology and the issue of attitude measurement is introduced along with adolescents developmental theory and characteristics. Practical part reflects the information summoned in theoretical part and test them on data collected by The Public Opinion Research Centre which were obtained in continuous research within project Our society. Analysis focuses on examination of nonresponse, don't know answers and neutral attitudes. Results are compared among all age groups.

The primary objective of this thesis is to study the role of surveys as power factor with a particular focus on studies of Internet users. The conditions and practices of the private research field are related to the academic discourse on the essence of science as well as to media's role in society. The methodological basis of the quantitative studies and their practices are examined in relation to a range of competing theories on the nature of science and its role in society. Earlier contributions to the criticism of quantitative surveys are also discussed. The methodological problems are further highlighted by concrete examples based on own analyses of various data collections. One empirical part of the thesis consists of analyses of survey studies as reported in the press coverage of the Internet in 1997, 1999 and 2000. The goal of the analyses is to show that surveys are an important mechanism for creating truth effects. The methodological tools are part of the struggle for mastery of the discourse –thereby confirming or changing existing power relations – in part through the dissemination of selected results in the media. Through a perusal of the newspaper articles with regard to the context in which the keywords "Internet" and "survey" appear and what the specific actor says, to whom, with which intention, an overall discourse appears, which reveals that the leading commercial actors endeavour to promote the development of the Internet in accordance with their aspirations. The published results are also related to other, more complex analyses of data collections from the same period. In another empirical part of the thesis findings from some fifty interviews with various experts are presented. The aim is to evaluate the methodological sources of error associated with sampling, the carrying out of studies, the analysis of results and other factors that have to do with the value of the surveys as basic facts, as well as the survey buyers’ awareness of the nature of the errors and their relevance for the results. The quantitative surveys appear as an uncontrolled and uncertain source of knowledge. The survey industry is profit-oriented and characterised by competition whereby methodological issues often land up in the background. The final discussion addresses a set of mechanisms by which the interested parties from the media industry use the ratings in the internal competition or in various administrative documents. They achieve this by establishing a "common currency" on the basis of such studies, which is valid in relation to other interested parties, such as media owners and advertisers. Different strategies developed by the survey industry in order to lend more market value to their products are also discussed. The methodological problems, the lack of openness to external scrutiny and the dependence on the economic field signify that the praxis of the survey field essentially deviates from the basic concepts of science. Surveys take therefore undue  advantage of scientific legitimacy.

A pesquisa de opinião tem um papel importante dentro da Engenharia de Produção, para o auxilio da confiabilidade da pesquisa é necessário ferramentas que sejam capazes de medir e trazer resultados de confiança. No presente estudo buscou-se apresentar a melhor forma da criação de um questionário com a utilização de uma escala confiável e conseqüentemente usar o pacote estatístico computacional SPSS para avaliar o caso. A Escala de Likert, utilizada para o questionário, é uma abordagem de resposta que mede a extensão de satisfação com um conjunto de instruções e perguntas realizadas através do questionário, este tipo de categoria de resposta faz com que seja fácil de quantificar, simplificando a análise de dados. Com a utilização do softwares o SPSS pode demonstrar que mesmo as pessoas pouco familiarizadas com softwares o SPSS pode auxiliar para tabulação e análise dos dados, pois sua plataforma é auto interativa e com resultados confiáveis. / The opinion survey has an important role within Production Engineeringor the help of the search reliability is necessary tools to be able to measure and bring reliable results. In the present study we sought to present the best way of creating a questionnaire using a reliable scale and therefore use the computer SPSS to evaluate the case. The Likert scale used for the questionnaire is a response approach to measuring the extent of satisfaction with a set of instructions and questions asked in the questionnaire, this type of response category makes it easy to quantify, simplifying the analysis data. Using the software SPSS can demonstrate that even people unfamiliar with SPSS software can help for tabulation and analysis of data because its platform is self interactive and reliable results.

Submitted by infopei ufba (infopei@ufba.br) on 2016-09-30T15:03:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dis_giovana.pdf: 7208886 bytes, checksum: 95b15f8ef3e1364ca40b684977b5c272 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Escola Politécnica Biblioteca (biengproc@ufba.br) on 2017-03-20T16:13:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dis_giovana.pdf: 7208886 bytes, checksum: 95b15f8ef3e1364ca40b684977b5c272 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-20T16:13:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dis_giovana.pdf: 7208886 bytes, checksum: 95b15f8ef3e1364ca40b684977b5c272 (MD5) / CNPq, Superintendência de Recursos Hídricos do Estado da Bahia, SRH, Liceu de Artes e Ofícios de São Paulo, LAO, EMBASA, UEFS, / Este trabalho desenvolveu uma metodologia de fácil aplicação para caracterização qualitativa e quantitativa do consumo de água e produção de efluentes domésticos gerados em residências nos diversos pontos de uso, tais como: lavatório, chuveiro, pia, lavanderia e outros. O objetivo foi compreender o processo, a fim de contribuir com propostas para minimizar o uso residencial de água e a reutilização. Este estudo foi realizado na cidade de Feira de Santana, estado da Bahia, Brasil, em três etapas: primeiro, foi aplicado um questionário em 379 residências, com um erro amostral de 5%, para compreender o comportamento das pessoas, usos e costumes relativo ao consumo residencial Água. Foi investigada a correlação entre o consumo doméstico da água e as características da residência familiar. Verificou-se que o consumo está diretamente relacionado com a renda familiar e com o número de moradores. Residências com mesmas características físicas (tamanho, número de equipamentos, etc.) podem ter diferentes consumos de água, dependendo do comportamento das pessoas que utilizam água. A segunda e terceira etapas tiveram como objetivo identificar uma metodologia para caracterização qualitativa e quantitativa dos efluentes. Apenas 5 (cinco) das 379 famílias inquiridas foram selecionadas para estas duas etapas, em função da aptidão dos equipamentos hidráulicos de suas residências para as medições e aceitação da família em participar na investigação. Apesar da pequena representatividade estatística, os resultados gerais das análises químicas e físicas dos efluentes secundários são coerentes com os apresentados na literatura, a saber: maior concentração de coliformes nos efluentes da pia da cozinha; maiores valores de sólidos totais e suspensos, além de nitrogênio, fósforo, potássio e DQO no efluente de lavagem de roupa e pia de cozinha; maiores valores de cálcio e dureza no lavatório e; maiores valores de sódio nos efluentes de lavagem de roupa. Consequentemente o efluente de lavagem de roupa é o menos recomendado para reúso na irrigação, devido aos altos valores de RAS (Razão de Adsorção de Sódio) encontrados. Cinco casas foram investigadas quanto à caracterização quantitativa das águas residuais geradas pelos aparelhos domésticos, no entanto, são aqui apresentados os dados a partir de uma única família. Por conseguinte, estes resultados devem ser considerados, principalmente, para testar a metodologia proposta. Comparado com outros estudos no Brasil, os consumos de água e efluentes gerados por equipamentos encontrados no presente estudo difere em alguns valores, o que indica que mais estudos são necessários. No entanto, é importante ressaltar a diferença entre esta investigação e as demais, no que diz respeito aos métodos utilizados, as características da região, o equipamento selecionado, os hábitos dos usuários; e o tipo de estabelecimento estudado (por exemplo: residência, comércio, escolas, Hospitais, etc.). / This work developed an easy to apply methodology for qualitative and quantitative characterization of residential water consumption and wastewater generation pattern, at different points of use, such as: lavatory, sink, peeps, shower, laundry, and others. The objective was to understand the process, in order to contribute with proposals to minimize residential water use and to improve reuse. This study was developed in Feira de Santana city, state of Bahia, Brazil, following three steps: First, was applied a questionnaire in 379 residences, with a sampling error of 5%, to understand people’s behavior, uses and costumes concerning residential water consumption. It was investigated the correlations between the domestic water consumption and the residence and family characteristics. It was found that the consumption are directly related with the family income and the number of residents. Residences with same physical characteristics (size, number of equipments, etc.) can have different water consumption, depending on people's water use behavior. The second and third steps had the objective to identify a methodology for qualitative and quantitative effluent characterization. Only 5 (five), from 379 households surveyed, were selected for this two steps, on the basis of hydraulic equipment suitability for the measurements and the family acceptance to participate in the research. Despite the small statistic representativeness, the general results for the secondary effluents chemical and physical analyzes are consistent with those presented in the literature, as follow: higher concentration of coliforms from the kitchen sink effluent; higher values of total and suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and DQO from the clothewashing and kitchen sink effluents; higher values of calcium and hardness from the lavatory; and higher values of sodium from the clothe-washing effluent. Consequently, the clothe-washing effluent is the less recommended for reuse in irrigation due to the high values of SAR (Sodium Adsorption Ratio). For the quantitative characterization of wastewater generation by household equipment five houses were investigated, however it is presented here the data from a single household. Consequently, these results should be considered mainly for testing the proposed methodology. Compared with other studies in Brazil, the water consumption and effluent generated by equipment found in this study differ in some values, indicating that more studies are needed. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize the difference between this research and others, regarding to the method used, the region characteristics, the selected equipment, the water user habits; and the type of establishment studied (for example: residence, commerce, schools, hospitals, etc.).

Suicide rate is above EU average in Czechia. At the same time, no initiative trying to solve this problem exist. Aim of this thesis is suggest content of suicide prevention policy suitable for Czech environment. Author adopts optics of evidence-based policy approach and in line with this, meta- review (systematic review of systematic reviews; MR) and group discussion were conducted. MR identified 73 potentially effective interventions, 47 (64%) of these were recommended for assessment for Czech context. These interventions were critically reviewed by seven experts and discussion resulted in set of comments and other relevant outputs. Results of MR and group discussion were then put together in relation to broader context and in this sense they represent optimal basis for complex suicide prevention policy in Czechia.

It is well known that a strong education system produces citizens who are more engaged in civil and social duties, with obvious benefits to society and the individuals. Policymakers who have the power to help improve the education system frequently rely on the news or the polls to better understand the issues involved, but these tools are often unable to answer customized questions on the public view with a large enough coverage. Monitoring the American public interest in education over the years is not new. In fact, a number of national polling agencies have tracked education as part of their larger polls asking people to name the most burning issues facing the US. While these polls provide a fair indication of the changes in importance of education in the eyes of the public, they do not identify the factors which have historically been associated with the major fluctuations of such importance. Most importantly, these traditional national polls do not track public concern about specific subtopics within education. This mixed methods study includes the creation of a software instrument with the objective of exploring the salience of education as a national priority over time and analyzing the possible factors associated with these fluctuations of interest. In addition to discovering the most prominent latent subtopics affecting education (such as academic achievement, sexual assault and freedom of speech), this study also seeks national-level issues that may have recently been associated with the largest declines. The only source of data utilized is the text of tens of thousands of published news articles. Terms extracted from the text using natural language processing serve as the basis for automated qualitative analysis. As topics emerge from the data, the frequencies of the terms are utilized to associate the articles with the most relevant ones. The analysis shows that public interest in education has declined the most during election times. It is also found that the areas that contributed the most during the largest surges of public interest in education from 2015 to 2020 were school budget, academic achievement gaps and mental health.

The diploma thesis Interpretation of Pre-election Polls in The Czech Printed Dailies studyies the ways in which media portrays data from election polls as part of thier news service. The thesis draws from theories of media effects, the research of which indicates a possible influence of media content on the formation of public opinion or even voting behaviour. For this reason, it maz be expected that the media present data in line with certain standards. However, in the Czech Republic, there is no code of conduct that would formulate such requirements. This leads to an ongoing struggle between the research agencies who supply such data and the media who present it to the public, where each party judges the content's quality by different measures. Some of the often criticised errors include misinterpretation of data and an insufficient explanation of the research's background. This paper uses quantitative content analysis to examine 154 articles from Czech printed journals across the three pre-election periods (2010, 2013, 2017) with the aim of determining in which form the results of pre- election polls are presented, and if all necessary data are added. The final analysis looks at the data as a whole as well as examining the trendlines during the studied time period. In conclusion, it evaluates...