Diploma thesis gives a comprehensive description of the business plan for establishing a restaurant. Specifies the steps prior to the commencement of the enterprise from the choosing of legal form of business, through the strategic analysis, creation of marketing and business plan, to evaluate the project in terms of financing.

This thesis brings a comprehensive view on the construction, usage and interpretation of composite indicators. Methods and techniques, which can be used for constructing composite indicators, are introduced. The focus is on their contribution to the transparent solution of the problem of correlation and compensability among underlying indicators. Transparency in construction of composite indicators is a crucial requirement for obtaining reliable results and their correct interpretation. The thesis consists of two main parts. The first part is theoretically oriented. First, the problem of adequacy and subsequently a measurement of the phenomenon by means of statistical indicators are discussed. Different methods for data normalization, setting a weighting scheme and aggregation are introduced and compared. These three steps are considered to be crucial in a process of constructing a composite indicator and thus, they are the core of the thesis. The aim is to investigate an interaction of normalization methods, weight-setting and aggregation methods, since these steps are not separate. The second part of the thesis consists of two comprehensive cases. Theoretical findings are applied and empirically verified in these cases. I investigated a robustness of the composite indicator depending on a combination of selected methods of normalization, setting weights and aggregation on a set of Europe 2020 indicators. Whereas this first case dealt with the comparative analysis of methods, the second case is focused purely on one issue -- university ranking. The proposed method reacts to criticism of currently published university rankings and takes into account specifics of the particular university as well as the exogenous background characteristics. The main added value rests in a contribution to a discussion about the improvement of construction and overall quality of composite indicators including their interpretation. I pointed out the main concerns and difficulties of composite indicators that often remain unnoticed by users and even constructors. The conclusion brings several beneficial findings, which can be used for the construction of a composite indicator and an interpretation of final scores and ranking. This work can also serve as a scientific ground for further research and development of the methodology of constructing composite indicators.

The Social Democratic MEP mandate performance has certain specific features which distinguish it from mandates of members of other EP fractions. The theoretical part of this thesis focuses on the historical context of European Social Democracy and challenges which it must currently face (euroscepticism, consequences of economic crisis etc.). Furthermore, it considers the role of the Party of European Socialists the whole process. The practical part of this thesis consists of guided interviews with EP Members for ČSSD and SMER - sociálna democracia. The aim of this thesis is to assess the degree of European Social Democracy's Europeanization and differences in national and European aspects of the character of Social Democratic MEP mandate.

A variable that may be associated with performance improvements is goal setting (within and across days). Easy-to-achieve goals will likely produce gradual trends in improvement and difficult-to-achieve goals steeper trends. The purpose of the current experiments was to study the effects of setting easy-to-achieve and difficult-to-achieve goals on the level, trend, and variability of correct, incorrect, and skip responses for math tasks when reinforcement contingencies and numbers of practices were held constant. Five undergraduate students answered math problems on flash cards in 30s timings. Single case design elements were used to evaluate the effects of different types of goals on the speed and accuracy of performance. The results revealed that goal setting primarily increased the frequency of incorrect responses and both the level and trend of skip responses. The implications of these findings and other important variables that influence the effectiveness of goal setting are discussed. In addition, the authors suggest guidelines to follow when implementing goals to improve performance.

This study is an attempt to ascertain if there is a relationship between academic achievement, I. Q. and social maturity in mentally retarded children in an institutional setting.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar o efeito de metas difíceis e fáceis na aquisição de uma tarefa motora em pessoas com altos e baixos níveis de ansiedade traço. Participaram da parte inicial da pesquisa, 465 estudantes de ambos gêneros, entre 15 e 18 anos. Após ser determinado o nível de ansiedade, oitenta adolescentes foram distribuídos em quatro grupos de acordo com os níveis de ansiedade (alto e baixo) e de estabelecimento de metas (difícil e fácil). A tarefa consistiu em subir a escada de BACHMAN. O experimento constou de quatro fases: aquisição, transferência imediata, transferência atrasada e retenção. A análise dos dados foi feita com três classificações, sendo a primeira com base nos valores gerais e 80 participantes, a segunda com base em valores mais extremos de ansiedade traço e 40 participantes; e a terceira com base nos gêneros e 20 participantes. O resultado principal foi referente ao gênero feminino, em que, no teste de transferência imediata, as meninas baixo ansiosas submetidas ao estabelecimento de metas difícil apresentaram desempenho pior que as meninas baixo ansiosas submetidas ao estabelecimento de metas fáceis. Além disso, pôde-se concluir que estudos futuros devem ser conduzidos com cuidados metodológicos relativos à inclusão na amostra, com base nos níveis mensurados e no gênero dos participantes / The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of difficult and easy targets in acquiring a motor task in people with high and low levels of anxiety trait. Participated in the early part of search, 465 students both genres, between 15 and 18 years. After being given the level of anxiety, eighty teenagers were distributed in four groups according to the levels of anxiety (high and low) and goal setting (hard and easy). The task was to climb the ladder of BACHMAN. The experiment consisted of four phases: acquisition phase, immediate and late transfer phases and retention phase. Data analysis was done with three classifications, being the first on the basis of general values and 80 participants, the second based on values more extreme anxiety trait and 40 participants; and the third based on genres and 20 participants. The main outcome was for female, where, in the immediate transfer test, low eager girls subjected to goals setting difficult performed worse than girls down anxious before the goals setting easy. Moreover, it might be concluded that further studies should be conducted with methodological care relating to inclusion in the sample, on the basis of the levels measured and gender of participants

Introduction. Patient falls occur frequently in the acute hospital setting and are one of the most common adverse events experienced by hospitalised patients. In-hospital falls have negative outcomes for patients, causing injuries in up to half of those who fall. Falls in hospital create additional costs for health services due to increased length of stay (LOS), and greater health resource use. In contrast to much research focused on in-hospital falls worldwide, little is known about the rate, contributing factors and outcomes of inpatient falls in the state sector in South African hospitals. At the research hospital, a Falls Policy has been in place since 2013. The chosen falls risk screening tool, the Morse Falls Scale (MFS), had not been locally validated, and therefore its ability to accurately discriminate between patients who fall and patients who do not fall was unknown. A focused analysis of local falls incident reporting, and a description of contributory factors and consequences of falls, could better inform and target falls and fall injury prevention. Furthermore, this research may assist in service development and refining the Falls Policy. Methodology. The aim of this study was to obtain broad-based data on the magnitude of patient falls, and to identify factors contributing to falls. The aim was achieved in two parts, the first was a retrospective record review design. Predictive risk factors for falls were explored by comparing two patient groups, a Fall-Group and a Non-fall Group. In the FallGroup, further objectives related to describing circumstances surrounding fall events, including activities patients were performing at the time of the fall, the time of day and day of week the fall occurred, locations of fall events, and the clinical consequences sustained as a result of the fall. The use of the existing falls risk screening tool, the MFS, as well as its predictive accuracy to correctly identify patients at increased risk of falling was investigated. Second, a survey of nurses at the research hospital was undertaken to examine nurses' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs around the Falls Policy and current falls prevention practices. Results. There were 171 reported fall events during the ten-month period, representing 11.77% of adverse events and a falls rate of 0.73 per 1000 patient occupied bed days (POBD) during this time. Significant predictive risk factors for falling were a longer LOS and having a greater number of comorbid conditions. While the mean age of the sample was 50.0 years (SD=17.3 years), the Fall Group was significantly older than the Non-fall Group (p = .004). There were significantly more deaths in the Fall Group (p = .001), and this group had a longer average LOS (p < .001) compared to the Non-fall Group. The only sub-scale from the MFS that was significantly associated with falls was walking status. Minor-moderate clinical consequences were experienced as a result of the fall in 97% of cases (n=124). This study demonstrated that the MFS in use in the hospital has a low predictive accuracy of 55% at the current cut-off score of 50. At this score, the MFS has a sensitivity of 35.9% and a specificity of 75.4%. While an initial MFS was found in each of the cases, there was only evidence of a repeat MFS in 13 participants (9.7%) in the Fall Group. The nursing survey showed 70% of respondents had not had training on the Falls Policy (n=93) and only 37% (n=49) reported receiving regular feedback on fall rates. Receptiveness of most (66%, n=91) nurses to more training in falls prevention is encouraging. Discussion. The fall rate of 0.73 falls per POBD was lower than expected when compared to international studies. At the research hospital, when the Falls Policy was introduced in 2013, a fall was not defined in the policy and as highlighted in the nursing survey, there still appears to be lack of clarity on the fall definition. The MFS had a low predictive accuracy at the current cut-off score. The low sensitivity and specificity of the MFS in this setting may be due to the MFS not being updated regularly as per the Falls Policy. A further reason for the MFS poor predictive value may be the younger age group found in this sample when compared to international studies where the scale has performed better. Recommendations. The poor predictive value of the current risk screening tool found in this study is concerning. Therefore, further investigation into whether the MFS performs better if it is updated more frequently, and if completed in full, as per the Falls Policy, is recommended. Alternatively, the hospital should consider all patients with multiple comorbidities and those with longer length of stays at high risk, and provide interventions to minimise risk as per the Falls Policy. Future research into factors contributing to fall events and falls prevention should follow a prospective design and be supported at management as well as ward level. Further investigation into the most appropriate way to reduce harm from falls is recommended at the research site. Conclusion. This descriptive study provides a starting point for the hospital to examine the Falls Policy and falls prevention strategies currently in use. It is hoped that the study will contribute to local awareness-raising and capacity-building and help the hospital evaluate current practice and set a baseline for improvement.

The 21st century is marked by the forecast of a frightful set of crises caused by anthropogenic activities. Among them, an emerging water crisis threatens the existence of life on the planet. It is mainly triggered by a lack of good water governance. The concept of water governance refers to a range of different societal systems that are involved in the management of water resources, and the delivery of water services. However, these systems are threatened by several problems causing a mismanagement of water resources, involving corruption, deficits of democratization, or inequalities. This study examines commitments to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene provided by the Sanitation and Water for All partnership through a qualitative content analysis in order to allow an insight in current goal-setting for improved water governance. In this study, we show that even though stakeholders across geographical regions and constituencies aim at efficient governance measures, they neglect the importance of the procedural factors of good governance, for instance participation or adaptiveness. Instead they mostly focus on the outcome. Further, the study reveals that the commitments lack timely and measurable components and often do not include allocation of budgets. Although stakeholders show their intention to commit to action and work collaboratively, they often lack long-term thinking. Against the background of emerging global challenges in the water sector, most stakeholders are not yet prepared to work efficiently with new forms of governance in order to establish sustainable and resilient systems. Nevertheless, multi-stakeholder partnerships provide a basis to start a learning journey and can help to facilitate capacity development and future literacy. This thesis reveals starting points for improvement, gives practical recommendations for action and further research directions, that are necessary to explore the differences between regions and constituencies further and improve the goal-setting process in the following years.

Weight loss programs for women are on the rise, including both face to face and online programs. However, current research is limited on the process measures and content which produce adherence and the largest outcomes. With obesity on the rise in the United States, it is important to understand out health coaches can strengthen their programs to better support the obese population in their weight loss journey. The purpose of this pilot study was to develop and test the acceptability of text message nudges among women participating in an online weight loss program; determine how dose may be associated with weight loss outcomes; and to test how goal setting text messaging nudges improve percent body weight loss among women participating in an online weight loss program. It was found that the implementation of text message nudges did not provide enough to continue to improve and extend the program to be more successful. However, qualitative data was recorded and found to provide helpful insight into what content was preferred by the participants.

The study examines how print media in Sweden portray Putin, Russia and Russians and what makes an impact on Swedish journalists when they write on that subject. The first part presents a content analysis of articles published in the two main Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet (DN and SvD). The two most significant years of coverage of Russia in Sweden (2014-2015) were chosen as a time frame for the analysis. It examines the predominant tones that were used in the articles towards three keywords “Putin”, “Russia” and “Russians”, as well as the sources that were chosen by the journalists. In line with previous researchers, the author of this study observed a certain tendency shared in two Swedish printed media to report negatively about the Russian president. At the same time tones towards the country in general and its citizens were more neutral than negative. The second part of the research focuses on qualitative interviews with journalists representing different media in Sweden (radio, TV channels and newspapers). During the interviews, journalists were invited to reflect how they see Russian society, what connection they have with Russian culture and what impacts their choice of topics. According to the findings, a journalist’s work is affected by their individual background, economical situation in media organisations and expectations from the audience.