by Chan Wai Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-76). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / LIST OF ILLUSTRATION --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER I - --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.0 --- Overview --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- The Rationale --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Purpose --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of This Study --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Outline of This Paper --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER II - --- REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT --- p.5 / Chapter 2.0 --- Overview --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- What is Service Encounter --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2 --- The Role of Temporal Dimensions of Service Encounters --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Duration and Frequency --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3 --- The Conceptual Model --- p.11 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- "The Causal Relations among Duration, Frequency and Authentic Understanding" --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- "The Causal Relations among Duration, Frequency and Perceived Familiarity" --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- "The Causal Relations among Duration, Frequency and Efficiency" --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- "The Causal Relations among Authentic Understanding, Familiarity, Efficiency and Service Evaluation" --- p.24 / Chapter 2.3.5 --- Summary --- p.27 / Chapter CHAPTER III - --- METHODOLOGY --- p.28 / Chapter 3.0 --- Overview --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Design --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Manipulations --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3 --- The Sample and the Sampling Procedure --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- The Sample --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Sampling Procedure --- p.29 / Chapter 3.4 --- Data Collection Procedures --- p.30 / Chapter 3.5 --- Operationalization of Constructs --- p.31 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Service Evaluation (EVA) --- p.31 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Authentic Understanding (UN) --- p.32 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Perceived Familiarity (FAM) --- p.32 / Chapter 3.5.4 --- Efficiency (EFF) --- p.32 / Chapter 3.6 --- Data Analysis --- p.33 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Manipulation Checks --- p.33 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- MANOVA analysis --- p.34 / Chapter 3.6.3 --- MANOVA by Structural Equation Modeling --- p.34 / Chapter 3.7 --- Research Activities --- p.36 / Chapter 3.7.1 --- Pretest 1 --- p.36 / Chapter 3.7.2 --- Pretest 2 --- p.38 / Chapter 3.7.3 --- The Main Study --- p.39 / Chapter 3.8 --- Summary --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER IV - --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION --- p.40 / Chapter 4.0 --- Overview --- p.40 / Chapter 4.1 --- Manipulation Check --- p.40 / Chapter 4.2 --- MANOVA analysis --- p.40 / Chapter 4.3 --- MANOVA by Structural Equation Modeling --- p.45 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Results --- p.47 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Model Evaluation --- p.51 / Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.55 / Chapter 4.5 --- Summary --- p.58 / Chapter CHAPTER V - --- CONCLUSION --- p.59 / Chapter 5.0 --- Overview --- p.59 / Chapter 5.1 --- Summary of the Research --- p.59 / Chapter 5.2 --- Contributions of the Study --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- The Theoretical Contributions --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- The Managerial Implications --- p.62 / Chapter 5.3 --- The Limitations --- p.65 / Chapter 5.4 --- Future Research --- p.67 / Chapter 5.5 --- Summary --- p.68 / THE REFERENCE --- p.69 / Appendices --- p.77

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There are four main components in this thesis: a literature review of program evaluation, a description and discussion of the current status of program evaluation in the crisis intervention literature, results and discussion of the formative evaluation which is the primary element of the thesis, and a report on the use of the Goal Attainment Follow-up Guide (GAFG) (Kiresuk & Sherman, 1968) and the Brief Derogatis Psychiatric Rating Scale (B-DPRS) (Derogatis, 1978) for community-based mobile crisis intervention programs. The data for the evaluation were gathered using both quantative and qualitative methods. There were 150 participants in the study: 89 females and 61 males. The mean age was 35. The GAFG was completed by 81 of the participants; 33 of the participants were administred the B-DPRS. There were three major findings in this evaluation. the participants contacted significantly more community agencies and spent less time in hospital after using the crisis program and the GAFG and B-DPRS were found to be unsuitable as outcome instruments for a community-based mobile crisis program. / xv, 208 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

M.Cur. / The nursing service manager is responsible and accountable for ensuring quality health care in a nursing service. The principle of liability requires a formal quality improvement programme in the nursing service according to which a specific level of quality nursing can be maintained. It is therefore clearly evident that a quality improvement programme, objectively maintain and evaluate the quality of a service. Opportunities for improvement are identified, and a mechanism is provided for taking remedial steps to bring about and maintain improvement, The abovementioned is of utmost importance and implies a constant commitment to health care service of a high quality. The overall objective of this study is to formulate and describe guidelines for a quality improvement programme for the nursing service of a referral hospital in the Gauteng Province. This study is an explorative, descriptive, qualitative and contextual research aiming to investigate the perceptions of quality in nursing/midwifery which will facilitate the exploration and description of a value clarification on quality, by the chief professional nurses, senior professional nurses, administrative personnel and patients within the nursing service of the referral hospital in the Gauteng Province. Focus group interviews, naive sketches and interviews as methods of data gathering was conducted. A simple random sampling method was used. A total number of three focus group interviews were conducted: one with seven chief professional nurses, one with fourteen senior professional nurses and one with twelve administrative personnel using tape recordings with the written consent of the participants. Naive sketches were obtained from the same groups. An expert psychiatric nurse, with a master's degree in the field and whose daily activities involved interviewing of the psychiatric nursing students and psychiatric patients, conducted the focus group interviews. The researcher conducted thirty individual patient interviews. Trustworthiness in this research was done according to Guba's model (!!! Krefting, 1991:214-222). Data analysis was done according to Tesch's (1990, in Creswell, 1994:155) protocol. An external coder with expertise in the field of coding in qualitative data was utilised to analyse and categorize the data. The researcher and the independent coder had consensus discussions for the formulation of the main categories and sub categories. Consensus discussions were also conducted with the study leader. The results were quantified based on the number of respondents whose perception on quality had reference to the same categories. The structured coding was based on the principles of quality: structure, process and outcome. A description of the conceptual framework was developed from the data analysis and a literature study. This framework with its content and criteria serves as scientific and theoretical basis of the quality improvement programme and are based on the values/value clarification on quality of the different roleplayers in the nursing service. Fifteen belief statements/values were described from the value clarification. The guidelines for the quality improvement programme of the nursing service in the referral hospital were described, based on the eight steps of the quality assurance model of Laing and Nish (Booyens, 1998: 576). A description of values is the first step and from these values on quality in the nursing service, the formulation of management standards was deduced in conjunction with the conceptual framework and the nursing/midwifery practice standards of the Nursing Department of RAU. Lastly the evaluation, limitations, recommendations and conclusion of the study were done.

Globally, nearly 40% of under-five deaths occur in the first 28 days after birth. Neonatal mortality is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with an estimated 80% of all neonatal deaths occurring in the two regions. Low quality of care has been associated with poor health outcomes in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Low quality of intrapartum care has been shown to be strongly associated with poor newborn outcomes. Improving access to high-quality neonatal care for small and sick newborns is crucial to reducing preventable deaths in the immediate newborn period. Over the last two decades, significant advances have been made in measuring the coverage, quality and equity of maternal health services. However, few studies to-date have explored the quality of care for small and sick newborns in resource-constrained settings. Those studies conducted in low-and middle-income settings demonstrate that in-patient service readiness for small and sick newborns is low. While there have been increasing efforts to develop and standardize metrics for measuring facility readiness for this population, few studies to-date have explored the effective coverage – a term used to denote utilization adjusted for quality – of services for emergency newborn care in such settings. Recommendations for intervention packages for small and sick newborns have largely focused on secondary and tertiary levels of care, leaving the role of community and peripheral facilities under-explored. Central to the agenda of improving the coverage of high-quality services for small and sick newborns is also strengthening the capacity of health workforce that participate in their care. A plethora of training packages and supervision strategies have been tried and tested in LMICs for improving emergency obstetric care with the focus on emergency newborn limited to a few complications. These human resources initiatives have been criticized for being fragmented in implementation. Little is known about the quality of training and supervision for emergency newborn care competencies for the rural health workforce in under-resourced settings. This dissertation is presented in three papers to help evaluate specific components of quality and coverage for the small and sick newborn population in LMICs. Paper one identifies and describes the breadth of strategies used to successfully translate evidence-based community interventions for the management of newborns with possible serious bacterial infections (PSBI), enabling the generation of a common and consistent taxonomy for practitioners and researchers in this domain. Paper two uses quantitative methods to examine the service readiness and effective coverage of services for small and sick newborns at the sub-district and district levels in rural Ghana. Paper three, using a mixed-methods design, assesses health worker perceptions of the quality and gaps in training, supervision and tele-mentoring activities for emergency obstetric and newborn care in rural Ghana.

No description available.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Within the realm of business it is about the triple bottom line and being able to sustain the viability of the profits that accrue. Yet, business cannot exist without customers and therefore customer satisfaction is a key to long term business relationships. If a business considers customer satisfaction to be important, then a mechanism for the measurement of the customer's satisfaction needs to be determined and monitored; thereby enabling improvements and continued support. This has resulted in the establishment of the customer relationship marketing (CRM) concept. Many businesses embark on a marketing drive without any means of measurement and control of the customer relationship. This document gives direction in the implementation and application of a customer satisfaction program (CSP). Some of the well known customer satisfaction index programs are discussed. These focus on creating a common measurement for international, national, regional and individual companies. These are discussed as background to the process of developing a CSP. Aspects that are investigated are leadership, management, development and implementation of a CSP. Consideration is given to the various aspects of questionnaires and how they can influence respondents' answers. Furthermore the emotional aspects of customers are also considered. No program is complete without considering the future and what that might hold for business and hence any program that assists with maintaining business relationships. Therefore a look into what the future of CSP's could be is also discussed in general. Finally, a set of flow diagrams are presented that summarise the various aspects that should be considered when developing and implementing a CSP. The various steps can assist in focussing an organisation in its introduction of such a program. This document is by no means complete, however, it is a foundation upon which a successful CSP can be built. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Binne die gebied van besigheid gaan dit oor die winsgrens en die volhouding van lewensvatbare winste. Tog kan geen besigheid 'n bestaansreg he sonder kliente nie en dus is klientebevrediging die sleutel tot langtermyn besigheidsverhoudings. As 'n besigheid klientebevrediging as belangrik beskou, dan moet daar 'n meganisme bepaal word waardeur klientebevrediging gemeet en gemonitor kan word sodat dit kan lei tot verbeteringe en volhoudende ondersteuning. Die uitvloeisel hiervan is die konsep van klienteverhoudingsbemarking. Menige besigheid het op bemarkingstogte gegaan sonder enige meting van of beheer oor die klienteverhoudings. Hierdie dokument dui die rigting aan in die implementeering en toepassing van 'n klientebevredigingsprogram. Verskeie van die welbekende klientebevredigingsindeksprogramme word bespreek. Die programme fokus op die skepping van 'n gemeenskaplikke meting vir internasionale, nasionale, streeks en individuele besighede. Hulle word bespreek sodat 'n fundament gele kan word vir die ontwikkeling van 'n klientebevredigingsprogram. Die aspekte wat ondersoek word is, leierskap, bestuur, ontwikkeling en implementering van 'n klientebevredigingsprograrn. Oorweging word gegee aan verskeie aspekte van meningspeilingvraestukke en hoe hulle respondente kan beinvloed. Verder word die emosionele aspekte van kliente ook oorweeg. Daar word ook aandag geskenk aan wat die toekoms moontlik kan wees ten opsigte van klientebevredigingsprogramme. Laastens, word 'n stel vloeidiagramme voorgele wat die verskeie aspekte saamvat waarna gekyk moet word wanneer 'n klientebevredigingsprogram oorweeg word. Die verskeie stappe kan help met rigtingbepaling wanneer 'n organisasie dit oorweeg om so 'n program bekend te stel. Hierdie dokument is geensins volledig en kan as 'n fondasie beskou word waarop 'n suksesvolle klientebevredigingsprogram gebou kan word.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2007. / Organizations in the service sector had to make a radical shift in their strategy to embrace customer-centered philosophies in order to maintain a sustainable business. Without realignment to the new demands and with ever increasing pressures, a superlative customer service cannot be achieved. Companies are increasingly placing greater emphasis on customer satisfaction. Customers are becoming more and more sophisticated due to globalization. Customers are no more buying a product alone, but an accompanying service satisfaction. There appears to be a huge gap between perceived and expected service levels. A concerted effort should be made to either narrow or eliminate this gap. DuPont Performance Coatings is a major supplier of coatings to the automotive industry. It was, therefore, necessary to measure Toyota South Africa Manufacturing's perception of service quality provided by DuPont Performance Coatings. Once the levels of customer satisfaction within Toyota South Africa Manufacturing are measured, it could be used as a basis for recommendations towards improving the service levels of DuPont Performance Coatings. The study involves the use of the SERVQUAL instrument in order to ascertain any actual or perceived gaps between customer expectations and perceptions of the service offered. The study also determines how the management of service improvement can become more logical and integrated with respect to the prioritized service quality dimensions and their strategy to decrease service quality gaps. On behalf of DuPont Performance Coatings, the research objectives were, firstly, to identify Toyota South Africa Manufacturing's expectations in terms of quality services provided; secondly, to ascertain the perceptions of Toyota South Africa Manufacturing towards the service provided by DuPont Performance Coatings; thirdly, to measure the gaps between the expectations and perceptions by Toyota South Africa Manufacturing, using the SERVQUAL score, and, finally to calculate and measure the score of the five SERVQUAL dimensions. The researcher has opted for a census because the entire population that deals with DuPont Performance Coatings is relevant. Each member of the population was classified in certain biographical variables. Eighty respondents were surveyed, using the SERVQUAL questionnaire, and the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study showed that Toyota South Africa Manufacturing's expectations of service quality exceeded their perceptions on the five service quality dimensions used in the SERVQUAL questionnaire. The smallest dimension gap score proved to be tangibles, while the largest gap score in the study proved to be reliability, followed by assurance. / M

Data gathered from Tyler, Texas, the University of North Texas, and the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) were used to compare children from commercial, home, church, and university based day care with children not attending day care. The research group, comprised of children attending day care (N=142), were located using non-probability sampling; those not in day care (the control group) came from the NSFH (N=1775). Data from the research group were weighted to match the control group. The independent and control variables included the child's age, length of time in day care, intellectual functioning; the parent's marital status and social class; the day care's staff to child ratio and the staff's training. All data, except that pertaining to the facility itself, were gathered from the children's parents using a self-report questionnaire. The remaining data were gathered through personal interview by the researcher. The dependent variable was an index of emotional and behavioral problems reported for the child. Overall, children who attended day care had only slightly more problems reported than those who did had not attended day care. When each center was examined separately, the children in home centers had the greatest number of problems, followed by the commercial centers and university center, with children from the church centers scoring the lowest. In contrast to earlier research, intellectual functioning was not enhanced by the day care experience. While the staff's training had a statistically significant relationship to the children's well-being, no relationship was found for the staff to child ratio. Further research on the impact of other characteristics of each type of day care is recommended.