This thesis focuses on the personality of social workers and their view of the quality of the nursing home in which they work . The first part is generally concerned with quality, problems caused by the quality implementation, different views of quality evaluation and finally with quality evaluation by social workers themselves. The second part is dedicated to research performed by interviewing the social wor-kers working in retirement homes and subsequently comparing the results with the theo-ry.

The thesis deals with the topic of ?The importance of quality inspection of the provision of social services in meeting the Quality Standards for Social Services in sheltered housing facilities?. The inspection is a social policy tool of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs the purpose of which is the inclusion of persons threatened by social exclusion. The main objective of the thesis was to determine the effect of the inspections on the quality of provided social services in sheltered housing facilities. Based on the gathered data the following hypothesis was formulated: The quality of the provided social services in sheltered housing facilities is not directly affected by the inspection. One of the partial objectives of the thesis was to determine the effect of the inspection of the provided social services on lives of residents in sheltered housing facilities and the following hypothesis was formulated for the purpose: The inspections of the provided social services do not have any significant impact on the lives of residents in sheltered housing facilities. The qualitative research related to the main objective used the technique of a semi-structured interview. The method selected for the qualitative research for the partial objective was inquiring by means of a questionnaire. The surveyed group consisted of 15 employees and 67 residents of sheltered housing facilities in Veselí nad Lužnicí, Ústí nad Orlicí and in Brno. Based on the above mentioned facts and the completed research I believe that the objectives of the thesis were met and the hypotheses were tested by means of two qualitative surveys.

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-10-20T16:13:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Flávio Basta.pdf: 2529044 bytes, checksum: 905a37af08eddba428da4fb78273fe35 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-10-23T15:17:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Flávio Basta.pdf: 2529044 bytes, checksum: 905a37af08eddba428da4fb78273fe35 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-23T15:17:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Flávio Basta.pdf: 2529044 bytes, checksum: 905a37af08eddba428da4fb78273fe35 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-27 / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo estabelecer uma confrontação entre os atributos de qualidade percebidos por clientes, em avaliações on-line espontâneas, após a experimentação do serviço de um hotel categoria cinco estrelas, luxo, e a percepção da equipe gestora do referido estabelecimento. A fundamentação do estudo está suportada por revisão sistemática da literatura. Em termos metodológicos, para a captura da percepção dos clientes, adotou-se a pesquisa e análise de dados de 571 avaliações disponíveis on-line no portal TripAdvisor, enquanto para a pesquisa com os gestores, foram feitas entrevistas individuais com seis profissionais que atuam diretamente na administração do hotel estudado. Como resultado, é evidenciada a necessidade de intervenções estruturais no hotel estudado, o incremento de processos operacionais, controle de estoque, capacitação humana e profunda investigação dos resultados dos motores de satisfação de qualidade. / The present research aims to establish a confrontation between the attributes of perceived quality by clients, in spontaneous online evaluations, after experimenting the service of a five star - luxury category hotel and the perception of the management team of the establishment. The reasoning of the study is supported by a systematic review of the literature. In methodological terms, to capture customer perception, the research and data analysis was made with 571 evaluations available online on the TripAdvisor portal, while for the research with the managers, individual interviews were conducted with 06 professionals who work directly in the administration of the hotel studied. As a result it is evidenced by this study the need for structural interventions on the property, increase operational processes, inventory control, human training and deep investigation of the results of quality satisfaction engines.

Submitted by Vagner Rosalem (vagner@hotmail.com) on 2013-09-06T14:47:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 99-VERSÃO FINAL DEPOSITADA.pdf: 4178939 bytes, checksum: 61e240a55f9bd157a846cf9d79fc8816 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br) on 2013-09-06T14:50:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 99-VERSÃO FINAL DEPOSITADA.pdf: 4178939 bytes, checksum: 61e240a55f9bd157a846cf9d79fc8816 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-06T15:03:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 99-VERSÃO FINAL DEPOSITADA.pdf: 4178939 bytes, checksum: 61e240a55f9bd157a846cf9d79fc8816 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-08 / The purpose of this work was to analyze the perceptions of key actors in the production chain of health on the quality of services provided by hospitals in the State of Goiás - BR. For this was used as the measuring instrument SERVQUAL scale, which is widely validated, and this study was appropriately adapted and tested its reliability for healthcare, by calculating the Alpha Cronbrach that more than 0,703 results found for dimensions relating to the quality expectations and 0,708 for the dimensions relating to the quality of the performance. The sample consisted of 347 individuals belonging to 03 groups end (downstream) of actors in this production chain. The first stakeholder group made up of managers was subdivided into 02 subgroups, 58 managers of public hospitals and 57 private hospitals managers, the second group of actors composed of health professionals was subdivided into 02 subgroups, 58 health professionals from hospitals 58 public and private hospitals, the third stakeholder group comprised patients / users of hospital services was subdivided into 02 subgroups, 58 patients / users of public hospitals and 58 private hospitals. We compared the five dimensions of quality proposals that scale between groups by ANOVA and by adopting a significance level of 0.05 for the analyzes. The results obtained indicate signicantes differences of perceptions of quality in groups of managers of public hospitals and managers of private hospitals, as well as significant differences in the groups of patients / users of public hospitals and private hospitals. In groups composed of managers, the dimensions that showed significant differences were tangibility, promptness and empathy. In groups composed of patients / users, differences in perception of quality proved to be significant in the dimensions of tangibility and promptness. Comparing the 06 (six) subgroups, we found that the groups of patients / users elected promptness as the main dimension of perceived quality. The groups consist of the managers gave more emphasis to the tangibility dimension as the main assignment in quality. In turn, the group composed of health professionals in public hospitals have the security dimension as the master and the group composed of health professionals from private hospitals, the dimension of tangibility as the main dimension to define quality. Thus, it is understood that the results can introduce important directions to managers regarding the channeling of resources and adoption of actions aimed at improving the quality of services provided to patients / users of the hospitals studied. / A proposta deste trabalho foi analisar comparativamente as percepções dos principais atores da cadeia produtiva da saúde sobre a qualidade dos serviços prestados por hospitais no Estado de Goiás - BR. Para tal utilizou-se como instrumento de medida a Escala SERVQUAL, que é amplamente validada, e neste estudo foi devidamente adaptada e com sua confiabilidade testada para a área da saúde, através do cálculo do Alpha de Cronbrach que apurou resultados superiores a 0,703 para as dimensões da qualidade referentes às expectativas e 0,708 para as dimensões da qualidade referentes ao desempenho. A amostra foi composta por 347 indivíduos pertencentes aos 03 grupos finais (à jusante) de atores desta cadeia produtiva. O primeiro grupo de atores composto pelos gestores foi subdividido em 02 subgrupos, sendo 58 gestores de hospitais públicos e 57 gestores de hospitais privados; o segundo grupo de atores composto por profissionais da saúde foi subdividido em 02 subgrupos, sendo 58 profissionais da saúde de hospitais públicos e 58 de hospitais privados; o terceiro grupo de atores composto pelos pacientes/usuários dos serviços hospitalares foi subdividido em 02 subgrupos, sendo 58 pacientes/usuários de hospitais públicos e 58 de hospitais privados. Foram comparadas as cinco dimensões da qualidade propostas pela referida escala entre os grupos por ANOVA e adotando-se uma significância de 0,05 para as análises. Os resultados apurados apontam diferenças signicantes de percepções da qualidade nos grupos dos gestores dos hospitais públicos e gestores dos hospitais privados, bem como diferenças significantes nos grupos dos pacientes/usuários dos hospitais públicos e dos hospitais privados. Nos grupos compostos pelos gestores, as dimensões que apresentaram diferenças significantes foram a tangibilidade, a presteza e a empatia. Nos grupos compostos pelos pacientes/usuários, as diferenças de percepção da qualidade mostraram-se significantes nas dimensões da tangibilidade e presteza. Na comparação entre os 06 (seis) subgrupos, observou-se que os grupos dos pacientes/usuários elegeram a presteza como sendo a principal dimensão da percepção da qualidade. Os grupos compostos pelos gestores valorizaram mais a dimensão da tangibilidade como sendo a principal na atribuição da qualidade. Por sua vez, o grupo composto por profissionais da saúde dos hospitais públicos tem a dimensão da segurança como sendo a principal e o grupo composto por profissionais da saúde dos hospitais privados, a dimensão da tangibilidade como sendo a principal dimensão para definir a qualidade. Dessa forma, entende-se que os resultados podem introduzir importantes direcionamentos aos gestores no que se refere à canalização de recursos bem como adoção de ações visando à melhoria da qualidade dos serviços prestados para os pacientes/usuários dos hospitais estudados.

La notion de qualité des services et de l’organisation du travail dans les banques libanaises est placée depuis plusieurs années au cœur des préoccupations et de l’organisation du système bancaire. Cependant, dans leur démarche actuelle, elles sont confrontées à plusieurs risques et déceptions car les coûts de leurs démarches sont élevés. Pour faire développer la proactivité, un changement par un management innovant est alors nécessaire. À partir de recherche-intervention réalisée dans quatre succursales bancaires sur le territoire libanais, nous nous sommes intéressé à analyser les convergences et les spécificités de ces organisations afin de proposer un modèle de management commun qui servirait de base à la croissance et au développement de ces établissements tout en conciliant qualité et coûts. La recherche propose une méthodologie permettant de développer les pratiques professionnelles de ces organisations. Un modèle de management socio-économique est proposé pour pérenniser les démarches de changement, en utilisant des outils afin d’améliorer l’organisation du travail et la qualité des services dans ces organisations tout en réduisant les coûts. / The concept of services quality and work organization in the Lebanese banks is placed since several years in the banking system main concerns and its organization. However, in their current approach, they are facing many risks and disappointments because the high costs of their actions.To have a proactivity contribution, a change using an innovative management will be necessary. From the research-intervention in four Lebanese bank branches, we were interested to analyze these organizations similarities and specificities in order to develop a common management model as a basis for these establishments’ growth and development, balancing quality and costs. The research proposes a methodology to develop professional practices of these organizations.A socio-economic management model is proposed to sustain the efforts of change, using tools in order to improve work organization and services quality in these organizations while reducing costs.

The master thesis is focused on mapping of all the processes that customer goes through before achieving the skiing activity in ski resort Špindlerův Mlýn, currently operated by MELIDA, a.s. In the theoretical part services specifications, Six Sigma methodology and Key Performance Indicators basics are briefly described. The practical part consists of introduction of the ski area, measuring and mapping processes in combination with weak points identification. In order to eliminate weak points previously identified, the process of getting feedbacks from customers was introduced. As a result of this process, actions to eliminate the weak spots, were proposed and will be implemented. In order to maintain the appropriate structure of the thesis, Six Sigma methodology procedures and instruments, were used.

This thesis deals with the measurement of transmission parameters in the new generation access networks NGA. The aim of the thesis is to build and configure a test network and scenarios for the measurement of service quality parameters and then verify the transmission stability. The theoretical part describes general functioning of NGN networks, the requirements of different telecommunications services on quality parameters, methodology and recommendations for measuring transmission parameters in packet networks. The practical part deals with the configuration of scenarios using mainly MPLS technology and methodology of their testing. Measurements were performed according to recommendations IETF RFC 2544, IETF RFC 6349 with the ExacTCP test and ITU-T Y.1564 with the EtherSAM test. For measurements were used measuring instruments of EXFO brand. In conclusion, the measurement results according to the mentioned standards were evaluated and also the advantages of using the measurement according to the given standard in NGA access networks were discussed.

Distinct dimensions of quality vary in importance depending on the context in which quality assurance effort takes place. Working through the process of quality assurance and continuous quality improvement may create an environment for transforming the health services and achieving positive health outcome goals. Substantial improvements have been observed in the coverage and access to health service delivery in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for care to enhance quality health services at Gindabarat District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The study followed a mixed method approach. The participants were purposively included in the study based on their availability, from a total of 7 government health facilities from the Gindabarat District. Self-administered questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from samples of 127 health care workers and 29 health facilities managers, respectively. Collected data were analysed using SPSS Version 24 and ATLAS TI 8 respectively. The results revealed barriers towards quality health services delivery which were lack of equipment and supplies (inadequacy of blocks, materials, medical equipment; lack of sustainable supplies of drugs); inadequate human resources (low retention of skilled staff; absence of focal person assigned for quality improvement; shortages of health workers); absence of standard operating procedures (protocols, guidelines and manuals); and dissatisfaction of health care providers with services provided at the District. Based on the results, guidelines were developed to enhance quality health care delivery. The reccommendations were aimed at improvement approaches at all levels of health service delivery. / Health Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This cumulative dissertation consists of four papers that investigate retailer switching and identify potential and threat of cross-channel retail services (CCRS) for retail businesses. The first, conceptual paper compares different theories and models of retail quality. It derives the concept of retailer aspects as a framework to measure retailer quality and further discusses how CCRS can serve as a tool to enhance those retailer aspects. The second paper discusses results from a consumer panel survey and quantifies the influence of satisfaction with retailer aspects on retailer switching during webrooming behavior. The findings of this second paper present the two retailer aspects assurance of delivery and competitive product pricing as key determinants for retailer switching. The third paper defines CCRS and outlines a conceptual classification scheme for CCRS assessments – the CCRS Pentagon. The fourth paper quantifies the impact of CCRS adoption and retailer aspect preferences on CCRS-induced retailer switching based on a second consumer panel survey. Results from this second study affirm the existence of CCRS-induced retailer switching. The paper concludes that CCRS can serve as a retailer’s lock-in mechanism, but that the availability of CCRS in retail environments also threatens retail businesses. In sum, the dissertation provides academic contributions and suggestions for further academic research as well as practical implications and management tools for application in retail businesses.:I. Introduction II. Enhancing Multi-Channel Retail Quality through Cross-Channel Services III. What Drives Competitive Webrooming? The Roles of Channel and Retailer Aspects IV. Cross-Channel Retail Services: A Service Classification Along The Retail Function V. Service-induced Retailer Switching – Power of Cross-Channel Retail Services VI. Conclusion Appendix A: Estimated parameters in baseline-category logit model Appendix B: Conditional marginal effects and conditional probability Appendix C: T-Tests for retailer aspects per service example

Cette thèse a pour but de documenter la réorganisation des services effectuée au programme Enfants et adolescents (PEA) du Centre de réadaptation Estrie, Sherbrooke. Une démarche de recherche-action participative (RAP) est utilisée afin de collaborer au développement, à l’implantation et à l’évaluation d’un nouveau modèle de services visant à accroître l’accessibilité et la qualité des services de réadaptation offerts aux enfants ayant une déficience physique. Spécifiquement, les objectifs sont : 1) de documenter les retombées de la réorganisation des services; 2) de réaliser une analyse critique du processus de changement. Des méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives sont utilisées afin d’atteindre ces objectifs. Tout d’abord, la Mesure des processus de soins (MPOC) documente la perception de la qualité avant (2007), pendant (2008) et après (2009) l’implantation du nouveau modèle de services. Au total, cet outil est employé auprès de 222 familles et 129 intervenants. À quatre reprises, les intervenants et les gestionnaires répondent également à un questionnaire sur leurs perceptions des forces, des faiblesses, des opportunités et des menaces au PEA. En 2008 et en 2009, des focus groups et des entrevues téléphoniques sont réalisées auprès des familles (n=5), des intervenants (n=19) et des gestionnaires (n=13) afin de documenter leurs perceptions sur le processus de changement et sur les retombées de la réorganisation des services. Quant à l’observation participante, elle permet de recueillir de l’information sur le processus de réorganisation des services tout au long de ces trois années. Enfin, les informations recueillies sont analysées à l’aide de différentes approches, dont des tests statistiques et des analyses de contenu utilisant une grille de codification inspirée de la théorie des systèmes d’actions organisées. Les résultats indiquent que davantage d’enfants reçoivent des services en 2009 en comparaison à 2007. De plus, la qualité des services s’est maintenue selon les perceptions évaluées par la MPOC (article 1). L’utilisation d’interventions de groupe contribue fort probablement à augmenter le nombre d’enfants qui reçoivent des services, mais plusieurs défis doivent être adressés afin que cette modalité d’intervention soit réellement efficiente (article 2). Les résultats font ressortir que le processus de réorganisation des services est complexe. L’évaluation des forces, des faiblesses, des opportunités et des menaces d’un programme, de même que l’implication des acteurs dans le processus de développement d’un nouveau modèle de services, favorisent l’amélioration continue de la qualité (article 3). Or, les facilitateurs et les obstacles à l’implantation du nouveau modèle de services évoluent durant la réorganisation des services. Considérant cela, il est important de poser les actions nécessaires afin de soutenir le changement tout au long du processus (article 4). En résumé, cette thèse contribue à l’avancement des connaissances en réadaptation en comblant une lacune dans les écrits scientifiques. En effet, peu de projets visant le développement et l’implantation de nouveaux modèles de services sont évalués et documentés. Pourtant, des modèles tels que celui développé par le PEA semblent prometteurs afin d’améliorer l’accessibilité, et éventuellement, la qualité des services de réadaptation chez l’enfant. / This thesis aims at documenting the reorganization of services that took place within the programme Enfants et adolescents (PEA) of the Centre de réadaptation Estrie, Sherbrooke. Participatory action research (PAR) is used to collaborate in the development, implementation and evaluation of a new model of service delivery aimed at increasing the accessibility and quality of rehabilitation services offered to children with physical disabilities. Specifically, the objectives are to : 1) evaluate outcomes of the service reorganization, and 2) critically analyze the change process. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used. First, the Measures of processes of care (MPOC) are utilized to document quality-related perceptions before (2007), during (2008) and after (2009) the implementation of the new service delivery model. In total, these tools are utilized with 222 families and 129 clinicians. On four occasions, clinicians and administrators also responded to a questionnaire on the program’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In 2008 and 2009, focus groups and phone interviews are conducted with families (n=5), clinicians (n=19) and administrators (n=13) to document their perceptions of the change process and the service reorganization outcomes. Participatory observation allowed collecting data during the whole process of service reorganization. Finally, all the data collected are analyzed using different approaches, such as statistical tests and content analysis using an emerging coding grid inspired from the organized action systems theory. Results indicated that the program served more children in 2009 compared to 2007. Moreover, service quality was maintained according to perceptions evaluated with the MPOC (article 1). The utilization of intervention groups probably contributed to the increased number of children receiving services, but many challenges have to be overcome to ensure effective use of this service delivery method (article 2). Results highlight that reorganizing services is a complex process. Evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a new program, as well as the involvement of stakeholders to develop a new model of service delivery, contribute to quality improvement efforts (article 3). However, the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a new model of service delivery evolved during the reorganization process, and it is essential to take the required actions to sustain changes through the transformation process (article 4). In summary, this thesis contributes to increasing the knowledge in rehabilitation by providing information in an area of the literature where little has been published. Indeed, few projects aiming at developing and implementing new models of service delivery are evaluated and documented. Models, such as the one developed by the PEA, seem interesting to increase accessibility, and eventually, the quality of rehabilitation services for children.