Kvaliteten på produkterna som tillverkas av SME företag har hög betydelse för deras konkurrenskraft. Att kunna producera skräddarsydda artiklar med hög kvalitet samt kunna leverera i tid och enligt specifikation är några av de vanligaste krav stora företag ställer som kunder. Tillverkande SME företag differentierar sig gentemot konkurrenter genom att digitalisera sina processer. Behovet av digitala verktyg kan dock också anses vara en överlevandsfaktor ty kundernas krav blir allt högre desto mer automatiserade kundernas fabriker blir. Att övergå till en digitaliserad kvalitetsäkringsprocess för SME:er är inte enkelt. En del av problematiken kopplad till övergången mot en digitaliserad kvalitetssäkringsprocess är saknaden av IT kunskap och de begränsade medlen som SME bolag har. Syftet med arbetet är att analysera användandet av digitala mätverktyg som kan användas i kvalitetssäkringsprocessen hos tillverkande SME företag samt analysera hur denna implementation kan utföras på bästa möjliga sätt. För att nå detta syfte svarade arbetet på följande frågeställningar: 1) Vilka processer för kvalitetssäkring använder tillverkande SME företag i dagsläget? 2) Hur kan digitala verktyg implementeras för att assistera kvalitetsäkringsprocessen hos tillverkande SME företag? 3) Vilka utmaningar finns det vid implementation av digitala stödverktyg för kvalitetssäkring i tillverkande SME företag? Arbetet är baserat på teorier om olika kvalitetssäkringsprocesser. Exempel på dessa är Lean, TQM och Six Sigma. Metoden som användes var en fallstudie på företaget Marcus Komponenter AB i Järna utanför Södertälje. I fallstudien användes det digitala mätsystemet MeasurLink som tillhandahålls av Mitotoyo, för att digitalisera kvalitetssäkringsprocessen av de tillverkade produkterna. Datainsamlingen i arbetet har utförts med hjälp av tre olika kvalitativa datainsamlingsmetoder; dokumentinsamlingsmetodik, intervjuer och observationer. Resultatet av arbetet visar på att företaget bör följa en handlingsplan så att de kan förbereda sig för att kunna implementera ett digitalt mätsystem fullskaligt i hela produktionen. Resultatet är viktigt ty det visar på att företag bör ha uppnått en viss mognadsgrad för att kunna implementera digitala mätsystem. Sammanfattningsvis har slutsatsen dragits att en storskalig implementation av MeasurLink vid närvarande inte är möjlig. Däremot kan implementationen utföras i mindre skala vid en teststation. När företaget byggt upp ett standardiserat arbetssätt kring mätning och dataanalys med hjälp av MeasurLink kan en fullskalig implementation genomföras. / The quality of products manufactured by SME companies is of high importance for their competitiveness. Being able to produce tailor-made items of high quality and being able to deliver on time and according to specification are some of the most common requirements large companies place as customers. Manufacturing SME companies differentiate themselves from competitors by digitalizing their processes. However, the need for digital tools can also be considered as a survival factor, as the demands of customers become higher the more automated customers' factories become. Switching to a digitalized quality assurance process for SMEs is not easy. Part of the problems associated with the transition to a digitalized quality assurance process is the lack of IT knowledge and the limited resources that SME companies have. The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to analyze the use of digital measuring tools that can be used in the quality assurance process in manufacturing SME companies. As well as to analyze how this implementation can be carried out in the best possible way. To achieve this goal, this thesis answered the following research questions: 1) What quality assurance processes do SME manufacturing companies currently use? 2) How can digital tools be implemented to assist the quality assurance process of manufacturing SMEs? 3) What are the challenges in implementing digital quality assurance tools in manufacturing SMEs? The thesis is based on theories of different quality assurance processes. Examples of these are Lean, TQM and Six Sigma. The method used was a case study at the company Marcus Komponenter AB in Järna outside Södertälje. In the case study, the digital measurement system MeasurLink provided by Mitotoyo was used to digitalize the quality assurance process of the manufactured products. The data collection has been carried out using three different qualitative data collection methods; document collection, interviews and observations. The result of the thesis shows that the company should follow an action plan so that they can prepare in order to be able to implement a digital measurement system full-scale throughout the production. The result is important because it shows that companies should have achieved a certain degree of maturity in order to be able to implement digital measurement systems. In summary, the conclusion of the case study was that a large-scale implementation of MeasurLink is currently not possible. However, the implementation can be done in a smaller scale, at a test station. Once the company has built up a standardized method of measurement and data analysis using MeasurLink, a full-scale implementation can be performed.

In this educational study, the research problem was that each semester a variable number of community college students are unable to complete an introductory computer applications course at a community college in the state of Mississippi with a successful course letter grade. Course failure, or non-success, at the collegiate level is a negative event for students and is a factor that leads to high attrition but does not always receive much research (Haynes Stewart et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to see if a relationship existed between ACT scores (i.e., English, reading, mathematics, science reasoning, and composite) and student success in a computer applications course at a Mississippi community college. The first research question examined to see if the ACT composite test score was a statistically significant predictor of success in a computer applications course at a Mississippi community college. The second research question studied the ACT sub scores in English, reading, mathematics, and science reasoning to see if they were statistically significant predictors of success in the same course. Demographics of the sample were gathered from a multi-campus Mississippi community college along with the ACT scores and final grade in the computer applications class of the sample. Descriptive statistics were run and reported on the demographic data while bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were utilized to examine predictability of the ACT scores in relation to course final grade. The time period covered by this study was from fall 2010 through spring 2012 excluding the summer semesters. The study showed that while the ACT scores were excellent predictors of inclusion in the success category, the ACT scores did a very poor job of predicting non-success. The study concluded with a summary of the findings as well as limitations of the study. Also discussed were recommendations for practitioners and policy makers to include making the information available to students, teachers, advisors, and administration as an advisement tool when deciding to take the computer applications class. As well, recommendations for future research include treating withdrawals separately, examining multiple schools for differences, and increasing internal validity.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are used as a measure for federal value-based payment programs. Using data for 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed newer risk adjustment models to calculate the standardized infection ratio (SIR) for various infections occurring in hospitals. New national baselines were set to compare performance among medical facilities and states. Despite adjustments for various facility-level factors that contribute to HAI risk, there are ongoing concerns that SIR calculations do not adequately account for non-hospital risk factors that have been linked to clinical outcomes. This explanatory study evaluates state-level data using simple linear regression to determine relationships between the standardized infection ratio (SIR) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and several socioeconomic and geographic factors. Bivariate analysis produced significant correlation between SIR and high school education, with states exhibiting lower SIR relative to the percent of adults who completed high school. Higher SIRs were found relative to the percent of state populations subjected to poverty, obesity, and diagnosis of diabetes. Percent of nonprofit hospitals, adults with bachelor’s degrees, and rural residents were not significantly correlated with state measures of MRSA bacteremia. These findings can help guide efforts to reduce HAIs, improve safety of care, and advance population health efforts. The results from this study reinforce the notion that non-hospital factors may have significant effects on the incidence of MRSA bacteremia events occurring in hospitalized patients. Current risk adjustment models that predict MRSA bacteremia events for quality reporting purposes may not adequately account for these risk factors. The present study highlights some ways that hospitals, patients, and policymakers can work together to address social risk factors as a strategy for promoting better and safer care, and healthier communities. This study investigates aspects of the bigger picture of health care quality, performance measurement, and population health. This “feel for the whole” underscores the implications on state performance in infection prevention in the context of socioeconomic and medical vulnerabilities. The study emphasizes the need for greater multidisciplinary collaboration to address community health needs and reduce social and medical disparities.

Teachers continue to experience an increased sense of responsibility as it relates to job performance while still being required to produce at the same level with relation to student performance. This can cause an increase in personal stress and result in lowered feelings of self- worth, having a negative impact on service delivery to children and overall job performance. Bandura (1997) defined self-efficacy as a judgment of one's ability to organize and execute given types of performances. Furthermore, he suggests that the outcomes people anticipate depend largely upon their judgments of how well they will be able to perform in given situations. The same can be said for teachers in relation to their beliefs and attitudes toward their students' overall performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether a relationship exists between teachers' feeling of self-efficacy and their students' overall achievement with respect to North Carolina Reading and Math End-Of-Grade tests. Surveys were administered to teachers in grades three through eight, in eight Pre-K through 8th grade schools. Data collected focused on teachers' feeling of self-efficacy. This study employed qualitative data gathered from participant surveys. Participating teachers in this study are in high performing schools as defined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Their students have good academic records, coupled with high parental involvement (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2010). Six of the 14 comparisons within this study did not reveal a significant relationship between perceived teacher self-efficacy and North Carolina End-of-Grade reading and math test scores. However a relationship between perceived self-efficacy within gender did reveal that female participants tended to have higher perceived self-efficacy than that of the male participants. Male teacher participants tended to have higher North Carolina End-of-Grade reading test scores than those of female teacher participants. It was also discovered that each of the respondents, regardless of perceived self-efficacy score, had test results in both reading and math that were significantly higher than the state average. Finally it was also discovered that a relationship existed between teacher respondents with lower perceived self-efficacy scores and North Carolina math test scores.

The pressure to perform on standardized tests in the United States has become intense. Increased accountability has caused principals to think about their perceptions of standardized testing with regard to accountability measures, test validity, use of test data, impact of testing on the curriculum, and stress related to testing. The purpose of this study was to investigate kindergarten- through 12th-grade principals' perceptions of standardized testing. The study included 91 principals of Title I and nonTitle I schools located in 8 rural East Tennessee school districts. Data were gathered using a survey instrument to determine principals' opinions of standardized testing. There were 4 predictor (independent) variables in this study: Title I status of the school measured by status (Title I school and nonTitle I school), gender predictor variable, predictor variable of highest degree earned by principals (master's, specialist, and doctorate), and predictor variable of experience in current position (1-6 years, 7-14 years, and 15-39 years). The data analysis focused on 5 dimensions of standardized testing. The 5 (dependent) variables were: (a) general impact-accountability, (b) validity of standardized tests, (c) use of standardized tests in individualizing instruction, (d) impact on curriculum, and (e) stress related to standardized testing. The findings reflected that in general, principals had a positive view of standardized testing; however, the study showed that there was agreement among principals that standardized testing has limitations, particularly in the area of fairness to ethnic groups. The research indicated that principals use test data in many ways to improve their schools. Regardless of Title I status, gender, highest degree earned, and years of experience in current position, there were no significant differences in principals' opinions of standardized testing regarding the 5 dimensions of standardized testing.

The summer after Amanda S. Frasier left K-12 teaching to return to high education, she received an email stating that her students’ end-of-year assessments were in. When she looked at the scores, she was pleased to see they had done so well, even though she questions the value of standardized accountability measures and didn’t learn anything new from the results. Frasier discusses why these scores are not helpful and advocates more meaningful measures.

Frühe literale Kompetenzen gelten als wichtige Lernvoraussetzungen, auf denen der schulische Schriftspracherwerb aufbaut. Mithilfe einer frühzeitigen Diagnostik kann Schwierigkeiten im Erwerbsprozess vorgebeugt werden. In diesem Beitrag werden die Gütekriterien eines neu entwickelten, digitalen Instruments zur Erfassung früher literaler Kompetenzen für das erste Schuljahr vorgestellt. Das Verfahren umfasst Aufgaben zu basalen Kompetenzen, phonologischer Bewusstheit, Buchstabenkenntnis und erstem Lesen. Es liegt für den Beginn und die Mitte des Schuljahres in Parallelformen vor und wurde an zwei großen Stichproben (N = 1.042 bzw. 809) im Land Brandenburg normiert. In Teilstichproben wurde die Konstruktvalidität anhand des IEL-1 und des CFT 1-R ermittelt. Die Itemkennwerte ebenso wie die Befunde zu den Hauptgütekriterien weisen darauf hin, dass sich das Verfahren zur Routinediagnostik von Schulbereitschaft bzgl. früher literaler Kompetenzen in der Jahrgangsstufe 1 eignet. Damit liegt ein Verfahren vor, welches aus psychometrischer Sicht einen Zugewinn für die pädagogische Praxis liefert und in der schulischen Anwendung eine hohe Akzeptanz erfährt. / Early literacy skills are crucial for later reading achievements. Therefore, classroom assessment is essential for promoting reading success. Low-threshold assessment by educational staff is presently not very common in German primary schools. This study examined the validity and reliability of a digital assessment tool designed to measure early literacy skills in grade 1 of German primary school (ILeA plus Deutsch A). Two cohorts of children (N = 1,042/809) completed the assessment for phonological awareness, alphabet, and reading skills using a PC / laptop. The tool exhibited satisfying item properties (item-total correlation range = .87 to .98) and good internal consistency (all > .90). Correlations between scores for the tool and paper-pencil control tests were high (IEL-1, r = .58 / .67). The psychometric properties suggest that digital assessment of early literacy skills has the potential to improve assessment practices for classroom use. In addition, the easy application and automated calculations of the children's results were well received by the teachers.

Bakgrund: Under de senaste årtiondena har det växt fram en trend, både nationellt och internationellt, där hållbarhet har hamnat i fokus. Sedan 2017 har vi i Sverige lag på att vissa företag ska upprätta en hållbarhetsrapport men det är enbart 0,1 procent av alla svenska företag som omfattas av lagen. Även om ett bolag inte har ett lagstadgat krav på sig att upprätta en hållbarhetsrapport finns det trots detta företag som frivilligt delar med sig av icke-finansiell information. Denna benägenhet hos företag att frivilligt synliggöra hållbarhetsinformation leder till ett intresse av att närmare studera vilken frivillig hållbarhetsinformation som företag anser är väsentlig att dela med sig av när det inte finns några lagstadgade regler för detta. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att kritiskt analysera hållbarhetsinformation som ges ut frivilligt av företag för att jämföra innehållet och utformningen av informationen samt att ge en förståelse för vad som kan förklara eller påverka informationen. Metod: I studien tillämpas en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med komparativ design för att göra en jämförande studie av tio svenska företags hållbarhetsinformation. Vid granskningen har vi utgått från olika teman för att identifiera hur innehållet och utformningen av hållbarhetsinformationen ser ut och vilka likheter och skillnader som finns. Slutsats: Jämförandet av företagens frivilliga hållbarhetsinformation har visat att det finns stora variationer gällande både innehållet och utformningen. Bland annat finns variationer kring vilket format som används, antalet sidor och hur ingående hållbarhetsarbetet beskrivs. Förklaringar till dessa variationer ges utifrån företagens branschtillhörighet, standardiserade ramverk, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) och företagsekonomiska teorier. / Background: During the last decade a trend has developed, both nationally and internationally, where sustainability has become highly relevant. Since 2017 thereis a law in Sweden that stipulates that some companies are required to create a sustainability report, but only 0,1 percent of all Swedish companies are covered by the law. Even though a company does not have a legal requirement to create a sustainability report, there are still companies that voluntarily share non-financial information. This tendency for companies to voluntarily share sustainability information leads to an interest to study what kind of voluntary sustainability information companies considers to be essential to share when there are no lega lrequirements. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to critically analyze sustianability information that is being shared voluntarily by companies to compare the content and design of the information and to provide an understanding for what can explain or influence the information. Method: In this study a qualitative analysis of content was applied together with acomparative design to carry out a comparative study of sustainability information at ten Swedish companies. The analysis was based on different themes to identify the content and design of the sustainability information and to determine if there are any similarities or differences. Conclusion: After comparing the sustainability information shared by ten companies it is clear that there are large variations regarding both the content and design. For example there are variations in what format that is being used to present the information, the number of pages and how detailed the work with sustainability is described. These variations can be explained by the companies industry affiliation, standardized frameworks, Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) and theories of business economics.

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The aim of the study is to explore how social categories, with focus on genderand age, is constructed in the social documentation which is a central part ofthe officially arranged elderly care in Sweden. The analysis consists of a discourseanalysis and has a standpoint in feminist theories about performativityand respectability. The analysis consists of a text analysis of case files and howdiscourses about social categories emerge in the texts. The case files are writtenin a standardized form which is central to the structure of the documentation.The study examines the following questions 1) how is the users of elderlycare and their relatives positioned through the discourse that emerges in thecase files? 2) how is the discourse in the case files a part of doing gender andage as social categories?The study shows that the case files are reproducing stereotyped gender rolesand positions “the elderly” by differencing them from other adults throughconceptions about characteristics and (the lack of) abilities. Women’s andmen’s needs are described differently whereas abilities and strategies areprominent in the women’s case files. The respectable narrative emerges in thedescription of women wanting to perform some of the workload which is absentin case files about men. The moral responsibility of relatives is reinforcedby the description about their care work or the absence of it. Male relatives arementioned in the case files prominently in the lack of female relatives. In thisway both masculinity and femininity are constructed through the implied valuesthat is attributed men versus women in the texts. A clear medical discourseemerges in the needs assessments. The assessment texts reformulate the descriptionsof needs and they are instead formulated as facts which reinforcethe medical discourse. In final, this study shows that users of elderly care andABSTRACT10their relatives are positioned from both gender and age and that these categoriesare integrated with each other. I draw the conclusion that age is a usefulcomplement to the theory of respectability and its importance in the narrativeof expression and assessment of a person’s needs.