Published Article / The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of clients namely, students, about the quality of library services and also the quality of staff client relationship. It was envisaged that through this study the perceptions, feelings and views of students in as far as their needs satisfaction could be illuminated. The study addressed the following concerns: Apart from the physical and other library resources, are there other mechanisms of evaluating the quality of services an academic library has to offer? In order for an academic library to improve service quality, what role should clients play? What are their concerns about their information needs consideration and what other possible means can be done to satisfy those needs?

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama paslaugų kokybė Lietuvos kariuomenės atstovų, dalyvavusių renginyje „Gyvybės ir mirties keliu“, požiūriu. Teorinėje dalyje analizuojami sporto reikšmė, sporto renginio samprata, paslaugos ir paslaugos kokybės samprata. Buvo atlikta kokybės vertinimo modelių lyginamoji analizė ir pasirinktas tinkamiausias modelis šiam tyrimui – SERVQUAL. Remiantis šiuo modeliu parengta anketinė apklausa. Atlikus apklausa buvo surinkti ir išanalizuoti duomenis, bei pateiktos išvados. Raktiniai žodžiai: sporto renginys, paslauga, paslaugos kokybės vertinimas. Tyrimo objektas: sporto renginio paslaugų kokybės vertinimas. Tyrimo problema: koks egzistuoja Lietuvos kariuomenėje sporto renginių kokybės lygis ir kaip patenkinti, geriausiu atveju pranokti, vartotoju lūkesčius? Darbo tikslas: įvertinti sporto renginio „Gyvybės ir mirties keliu“, kaip paslaugos, kokybę. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Apibrėžti sporto renginio sampratą; 2. Atskleisti paslaugų kokybės sampratą; 3. Išanalizuoti paslaugų kokybės vertinimo modelius bei metodus; 4. Ištirti ir įvertinti sporto renginio „Gyvybės ir mirties keliu“ , kaip paslaugos, kokybę. Tyrimo metodai: • Mokslinės literatūros analizė. • Anketinė apklausa. • Statistinė aprašomoji analizė. Darbe pateiktos 6 formulės, 12 paveikslų, 1 priedas. Darbo apimtis – 40 puslapiai. Panaudoti 39 literatūros šaltiniai. / Bachelor's thesis examined the quality of service of the sporting event "The way of life and death" through Lithuanian army representatives’, as a participants’, approach. The theoretical part analyzes the significance of sport, sporting event, the concepts of service and service quality. Comparative analysis of quality assessment models was carried out and the most appropriate model for this study – SERVQUAL – was selected. Based on this model questionnaire was developed. After the survey was conducted, data was collected and analyzed, and conclusions was formulated. Key words: sporting event, service, service quality assessment. The object of the work: sporting event quality assessment. Problem (research) question: what is the level of service quality of sporting events in Lithanian army, and how expectations of consumers can satisfied or even exceded? The porpose of work: to make an assessment of quality of sporting event “The way of life and death” as a service. Tasks of the work: 1. To define the concept of a sports event; 2. To reveal the concept of service quality ; 3. To analyze the service quality assessment models and methods; 4. To research and evaluate the service quality of “The way of life and death” sporting event. Methods of research: • The analysis of literature; • The quiz; • Statitical reviewing analysis. The work includes: 6 formulas, 12 pictures, 1 annex. Total: 40 pages. 39 references used.

The study investigated the service quality of the Aga Khan University (AKU) library as an example of an academic library in Kenya using SERVQUAL, a user based assessment tool. Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy formed the basis of the study; a philosophy that is customer oriented and lays great emphasis on enhancing customer satisfaction. The study adopted a survey design and data was collected using a structured selfadministered questionnaire by the name of SERVQUAL. The study sample consisted of nursing and medical faculty; nursing and medical students. A total of 78 (63%) respondents responded to the questionnaire. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0. Descriptive statistics was provided and univariate analysis was applied to examine the characteristics of the 2 main variables; perceptions and expectations. The findings of the study established that the expectations of AKU library users are higher than their perceptions. It is also evident from the findings that there are service quality gaps in a number of library services offered by AKU library. This is demonstrated through the gap analysis between the AKU library users‟ perceptions and the users‟ expectations of AKU library. The study recommends that AKU library as well as other academic libraries in Kenya adopt user based assessment tools such as SERVQUAL in the evaluation of library service quality. The study further recommends that AKU library needs to address gaps between the library users‟ perception and the users‟ expectation in order to enhance customer satisfaction through the provision of quality services. The study also recommends that AKU library needs to address the gaps in service attributes such as those relating to AKU library staff, reliability and efficiency of AKU library service delivery. In line with the findings the study further recommends more training for AKU library staff in areas such as customer service skills as well as the need for AKU library to invest more in its physical facility and equipment. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuota ir įvertinta „Šv. Juozapo globos namų“ vidaus ir išorės aplinkos veiksnių kompleksinė įtaka, identifikuotos probleminės sritys ir tuo remiantis sudaromos prielaidos organizacijos strategijos formavimui bei strateginio plano rengimui. Pirmoje darbo dalyje teoriniu aspektu apibrėžiamos socialinės globos paslaugos, strateginio planavimo teoriniai aspektai ir socialinių globos paslaugų kokybės vertinimo ypatumai apžvelgiant paslaugų kokybės vertinimo modelius bei užsienio valstybių empirinius tyrimus. Antroje dalyje, remiantis tam tikrais metodais (Porter 5 jėgos, PEST, 7 - S, SSGG), atliekama „Šv. Juozapo globos namų“ strateginė analizė. Trečioje darbo dalyje pateikiama „Šv. Juozapo globos namų“ socialinės globos paslaugų kokybės empirinio tyrimo metodika bei organizavimas ir rezultatų analizė. Tyrimo tikslas - palyginti socialines paslaugas į namus gaunančių asmenų bei jų artimųjų ir globos įstaigoje gyvenančių asmenų bei jų artimųjų požiūrį į jiems teikiamų paslaugų kokybę bei identifikuoti kokybės kriterijus, darančius didžiausią įtaką bendram kokybės įvertinimui. Atsižvelgiant į strateginės analizės rezultatus pateikiami siūlymai organizacijos veiklos tobulinimui. / This Master's thesis analyzes and evaluates St. Joseph's Care Home’s internal and external environmental factors’ complex influence, identifies problematic areas and leads to the preconditions for organization's strategy formulation and preparation of strategic plan. The first part of the thesis defines the theoretical terms of social care services, strategic planning in theory and the peculiarities of social care services quality assessment by reviewing service quality evaluation models and empirical studies from foreign countries. The strategic analysis of St. Joseph's Care Home is performed in the second part of this thesis basing on certain techniques (Porter's five forces, PEST, 7 – S, SWOT). The third part of the thesis provides the methodology of St. Joseph's Care Home empirical research on social care service quality, organization and analysis of the results. The aimof the research is to compare the attitudes on services quality of individuals and their family members, who receive social services athomeand the ones living in carehome; also to identify the quality criteria that havethe greatestimpact on the general qualityassessment. Based on the results of strategic analysis the suggestions on how to improve organization’s performance are provided.

The study investigated the service quality of the Aga Khan University (AKU) library as an example of an academic library in Kenya using SERVQUAL, a user based assessment tool. Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy formed the basis of the study; a philosophy that is customer oriented and lays great emphasis on enhancing customer satisfaction. The study adopted a survey design and data was collected using a structured selfadministered questionnaire by the name of SERVQUAL. The study sample consisted of nursing and medical faculty; nursing and medical students. A total of 78 (63%) respondents responded to the questionnaire. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0. Descriptive statistics was provided and univariate analysis was applied to examine the characteristics of the 2 main variables; perceptions and expectations. The findings of the study established that the expectations of AKU library users are higher than their perceptions. It is also evident from the findings that there are service quality gaps in a number of library services offered by AKU library. This is demonstrated through the gap analysis between the AKU library users‟ perceptions and the users‟ expectations of AKU library. The study recommends that AKU library as well as other academic libraries in Kenya adopt user based assessment tools such as SERVQUAL in the evaluation of library service quality. The study further recommends that AKU library needs to address gaps between the library users‟ perception and the users‟ expectation in order to enhance customer satisfaction through the provision of quality services. The study also recommends that AKU library needs to address the gaps in service attributes such as those relating to AKU library staff, reliability and efficiency of AKU library service delivery. In line with the findings the study further recommends more training for AKU library staff in areas such as customer service skills as well as the need for AKU library to invest more in its physical facility and equipment. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

本研究採用問卷調查法了解完全中學學生使用圖書館之期望與實際感受之服務品質，藉以瞭解學生對圖書館的滿意度，作為圖書館改善服務之參考。研究首先透過文獻分析，參考圖書館的服務品質評量工具LibQUAL+，並研究國內針對高中職圖書館之相關理論，修改發展出適合高中生與國中生之圖書館服務品質評量指標，並經與學校圖書館人員及使用者進行共三場焦點團體訪談後修正指標並進一步發展為問卷。本問卷以抽樣之台中市四所完全中學學生為實證研究對象，共發出1,142份問卷，回收1,138份，回收率高達99.64％，其中有效問卷1,133份。本服務品質評量問卷共分為「空間環境」、「館藏資源與利用」、「圖書館服務」及「圖書館教育與推廣」等四大構面，共有29項指標，並採用期望服務品質及感受服務品質兩種滿意度評分差距。 本論文研究結果顯示：（一）完全中學學生期待圖書館有更豐富的館藏及提供電子資源。(二)學生到館頻率每週少於一次的高達57.8％，顯示完全中學圖書館的利用率偏低。（三）學生對圖書館感受之服務品質平均值大都在3.5以上，顯示學生對圖書館的服務大致可接受，但均未達優質服務。國中生及高中生均對「圖書館所在便利性」最不滿意。（四）不同性別對圖書館感受服務品質差異性較小，國中生及高中生對圖書館感受服務品質差異性大；國中生感受的服務品質大都高於高中生。（五）完全中學圖書館需針對國中生及高中生提出不同的服務策略。 根據上述研究結果，本論文提出以下建議：(一)運用圖書館服務品質評量加強圖書館評鑑，做為圖書館經營管理之參考。（二）加強推展圖書館利用教育，發揮圖書館功能。（三）擴充圖書館編制提升專業形象，並擴大服務範圍。（四）提昇圖書館軟硬體設備，發揮圖書館資訊服務的功能。 / This study uses the method of Questionnaire to measure the expectations and degrees of satisfaction of comprehensive high school students toward libraries. Using the method of literature review, also taking reference from Library Service Quality Assessment LibQUAL+ and relevant theories concerning high school or professional high school libraries, this study comes up with a revised index of service quality assessment suitable for junior and senior school students. After conducting three focus group interviews with school librarians and users, the researcher then revises the above-mentioned index and transformed it into a Questionnaire. This study, using students from four comprehensive high schools in Taichung City as subjects of empirical studies, issued 1,142 questionnaires, among which 1,138 were returned (the return rate was as high as 99.64%), and effective ones amounted to 1,132.The questionnaire consists of four aspects: space and environment, library resources and usages, library services, and librarian education and promotion. It includes 29 indicators, and is rated by the expected and perceived service qualities. The study shows the following results: 1.Comprehensive high school students look forward to more comprehensive library resources as well as resources in electronic forms. 2.The percentage of students visiting libraries less than once in a week is as high as 57.8%, meaning the usage rate for comprehensive high school libraries is low. 3.The perceived quality for library service, on average, is generally above 3.5 points in a score ranging from 1-5, but not reaching the expected service qualities. Such result manifests that students find the library service mostly acceptable, but not preferable. Both junior and senior high students find ‘the accessibility of libraries’ most unacceptable. 4.Gender has relatively little effect on the difference of perceived quality of service, whereas there’s a big gap between junior and senior high school students. Junior high students tend to score higher than senior high students on perceived service quality. 5.It is imperative for comprehensive high school libraries to provide different service strategies for junior and senior high school students. Based on the result of the above study, the thesis suggests the following: 1.Libraries should use service quality assessment as a way to enhance their evaluation, whose result should be taken as managerial reference. 2.It is imperative to strengthen the promotion of the usage of libraries. 3.It is imperative to enlarge the organization scale of libraries so as to promote professional image and to enlarge service range. 4.It is imperative to upgrade soft, as well as hardware equipment of libraries to enhance information service of libraries.

This study aimed to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of users of the subunits of the Health Sciences Center of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). To achieve this objective, an evaluation survey instrument based on the SERVQUAL model was used, in order to assess the quality of services and it was applied to users of services provided by the board of the center. In data analysis, there was a considerably high level of satisfaction perceived by users. In addition, it was found that for most respondents, the working hours of the center were satisfactory and they consider that the board staff treats people politely. It was also pointed out that users agreed that the members of the board demonstrated to have knowledge of the administrative routines of UFSM. On the other hand, it was clear that respondents do not consider that bureaucracy contributes to improve the quality of services and that the center´s management provides individualized services to the subunits. Moreover, it is noteworthy that one of the main weaknesses, which should be given more attention by the managers of the Health Sciences Center, is related to the infrastructure of the unit, since the aspects related to this issue are among the least positively evaluated. The survey also revealed that there was a difference in the evaluation between the gender of the respondents regarding some aspects related to quality and that those teachers who hold management positions, staff with over ten years of experience in UFSM and those with more than three years in the position tended to evaluate more negatively several quality attributes. / O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o grau de satisfação dos usuários das subunidades do Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal da Santa Maria. Para alcançar tal objetivo, foi aplicado um instrumento de pesquisa de avaliação da qualidade de serviços baseado no modelo SERVQUAL junto aos usuários dos serviços prestados pela direção do Centro. Na análise dos dados, constatou-se um índice de satisfação consideravelmente alto percebido pelos usuários. Além disso, foi verificado que a maioria dos respondentes considerou os horários de expediente satisfatórios e que os servidores da direção tratam as pessoas com educação. Também, apontou-se que os usuários tenderam a concordar que os integrantes da direção demonstram conhecimento sobre as rotinas administrativas da UFSM. Por outro lado, foi possível evidenciar que respondentes não consideram que a burocracia torne a qualidade de serviço mais elevada e que a direção presta serviços individualizados às subunidades. Ademais, percebeu-se que um dos principais pontos negativos, e que deve ser atentado pelos gestores do CCS, está ligado à questão de infraestrutura da Unidade, pois os aspectos ligados a essa perspectiva estão entre os menos positivamente avaliados. A pesquisa permitiu detectar também que há uma diferença de avaliação entre os sexos em alguns aspectos de qualidade e que os docentes detentores de cargos, os servidores com mais de dez anos de atuação na UFSM e aqueles com mais de três anos na função tenderam a avaliar mais negativamente diversos atributos de qualidade.