A comparison was made of two types of hypnotic suggestions. Twenty seven subjects in two groups participated in eight weekly one-hour group hypnotic sessions. All subjects were given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and were weighed pre, post and at four month follow-up. Both types of hypnotic suggestions were equally effective in helping individuals lose weight. The average weight loss was 10 pounds at follow up. Both groups showed improvement on the personality tests. Those who received the ego-strengthening hypnotic suggestions showed more improvement and more long lasting improvement than did those who received the specific hypnotic suggestions.

The company's information systems are very important today. In the modern information world, where technologies are produced, it is necessary to pay attention to this issue in the context of improving the services provided. It is for this reason that the diploma thesis deals with the issue of information system in the context of its management and security in terms of services provided by the selected organization. The aim of the diploma thesis is to choose a selected information system in the context of a selected company. The work based on its evaluation provides views on its effectiveness and efficiency. Through its evaluation, the work presents its own proposal for its improvement.

abstract: In this dissertation, organizational whistleblowing is guided by the methods for writing Creative Nonfiction. That is to say, a true story is told in a compelling and creative, easy to read manner, so that a broader audience, both academic and non-academic alike, can understand the stories told. For this project, analytic concepts such as antecedents, organizational culture, resistance and dissidence, social support, and ethics are embedded in the narrative text. In this piece, the author tells the story of a whistleblowing process, from beginning to end. Using the techniques advised by Gutkind (2012) questions and directions for research and analytic insight are integrated with the actual scenes of the whistleblowing account. The consequences of whistleblowing are explored, including loss of status, social isolation, and a variety of negative ramifications. In order to increase confidentiality in the dissertation, pseudonyms and adapted names and locations have been used to focus on the nature of the whistleblowing experience rather than the specific story. The author ends the dissertation with reflection on whistleblowing through the insight gathered from his firsthand account, suggesting advice for future whistleblowers and directions for future organizational research on whistleblowing. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2015

A scale consisting of eight suggestions worded with specific sensory predicates was administered to a large undergraduate introductory psychology class. Following the presentation of the suggestions, Self-Scoring Forms were filled out to assess the subjects' response to auditory (A), visual (V), and kinesthetic (K) suggestions. prior to the conclusion of the session, subjects were asked to write a brief essay describing their experience of the suggestion portion of the session. Subject essays were content analyzed for the use of predicates (including, but not only A, V, and K). Frequency of usage of A, V, and K predicates were compared with responses to A, V, and K suggestions to determine the amount of consistency between preference for the use of a specific category of sensory predicates and responsiveness suggestions worded in similar language. No significant correlations between the use of specific sensory predicates and response to specific sensory suggestions were found.

Adults with pedophilic interests are often viewed by the public as a homogenous subgroup based on what we know from those who sexually offend against children. The stigma associated with child sexual abuse may serve to deter such behaviors but may also interfere with the person’s stability and willingness to seek assistance in managing pedophilic interests. This article contrasts the sex offender response and prevention efforts typically employed in the U.S. (i.e., containment, registration, and notification policies and public education programs) with treatment programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse in Germany, Belgium, and Canada. Five major areas are identified that should be further examined with regard to implementing preventative outreach and treatment programs in the U.S.: barriers to outreach and treatment programs, how to expand or reframe current preventative educational programs, implementation of such programs in light of current mandating reporting policies, promising treatment approaches for pedophilic interests among non-offenders, and ethical concerns relevant to preventative psychological interventions.

This thesis presents the philosophy of Kaizen which is applied for improviment of processes in production and leadership. The main aims of the thesis are to introduce the essence of the philosophy of Kaizen and to suggests implementation of the philosophy into schools as an alternative model of managment. In the theoretical part, the principles of philosophy of management, which have the roots in Japan, are characterized on the basis of research from the available literature and other theoretical sources. The history and evolution of Kaizen philosophy is anaylised within the text for a better undersatnding and the differences between Japanese and Czech society are also mentioned. The practical part is focused on qualitative survey of applying the philosophy of Kaizen in the company Česká spořitelna. The empirical investigation is mainly based on interviews and observations. The experience of the Česká spořitelna with the implementation of Kaizen philosophy is analysed through these two methods. The results of the survey provide a view on new phenomenon for the school sector and introduce options for its possible implementation of some of the concepts of Kaizen philosophy in the management of changes in schools. The transcript of qualitative research is the basis for the application of Kaizen...

Through a preliminary study, made by the writers of this paper, it turned out that the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle does have some flaws, which can result in making the work with stormwater less effective than it could be. The aim for this project has been to find possible solutions that in the long run could improve the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle. A goal was to collect data from operators to see where they saw room for improvement. A literature study and a survey had been made in order to potentially find more undetected flaws in the stormwater-management in the municipality of Gävle. The result from the used methods was that there are flaws in the communication, informing-process, the reporting of the work with stormwater and financing. The writers of these papers’ suggestions is, among some, to clarify the funding, make a contact-list, to encourage stakeholders to report their work with stormwater and to formulate a common goal for the stormwater. The results show that there is potential for improvement for how the current work with stormwater is being done. If the suggestions are taken into consideration the municipality of Gävle might come closer to realizing their vision, being one of the best eco-municipality in Sweden. / Det visade sig i en förstudie av rapportförfattarna att dagvattenhanteringen i Gävle kommun har brister som kan resultera i att dagvattenhanteringen inte blir lika effektivt som den skulle kunna vara. Syftet med projektet var att ta fram ett antal förbättringsförslag för att i längden hjälpa Gävle kommun att få ett bättre dagvattenarbete. Ett mål var att samla in data från aktörer för att se var de ansåg att det fanns förbättringsmöjlighet. Genom att genomföra en litteraturstudie, en jämförelse mellan några kommuners dagvattenpolicy och en enkätundersökning var tanken att eventuellt identifiera ytterligare förbättringsmöjligheter i dagvattenarbetet i Gävle kommun. Resultatet att det finns förbättringsmöjligheter gällande kommunikation, informering, rapportering och finansieringsansvar. Författarna har givit några förbättringsförslag bl.a. att tydliggöra finansieringen, sammanställa en kontaktlista, presentera sitt dagvattenarbete i miljörapporter och sätta ett gemensamt mål för dagvatten. Resultatet från detta projekt och från förstudien visar att det finns förbättringspotential för dagvattenarbetet i kommunen. Om förbättringsförslagen skulle tas i åtanke skulle Gävle kommun kunna komma närmare sin vision, att bli en av de bästa miljökommunerna i Sverige.

The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain how senior government officials employed within the Department of Social Development in South Africa perceived the social development approach to social welfare. The study was confined to the national Department of Social Development and nine senior government officials were interviewed, all of them employed in different work streams but related to social development policy development. A semi-structured interview schedule comprising of open-ended questions was utilised to collect information. A deductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings that emerged from the study were that senior managers employed within the national Department of Social Development had a good understanding of the social development approach to social welfare. They were familiar with the key characteristics, goals, strategies and linkages between social and economic development. Senior government officials also noted progress with the implementation of the social development approach and identified that social policies were largely aligned to this approach. In terms of challenges, senior government officials identified a range of challenges impacting on the implementation of the social development approach and this ranged from the lack of a common understanding of social development within broader government, inappropriate social service workforce, poor coordination and integration, inadequate leadership and an inadequate monitoring and evaluation system to measure social development progress. Senior government officials identified a range of suggestions to improve on the implementation of the social development approach. One of the suggestions was the development of an overarching social development strategic framework to guide the social development approach and acknowledge it as government’s chosen approach to social welfare. Many suggestions related to enhancing the capabilities of social service professionals and this included the development of a social service policy framework, enhanced engagement between higher education institutions and the Department of Social Development to ensure relevant curriculum. The findings of the study recommends a series of interventions to be implemented by the national Department of Social Development such as the development of an overarching social development strategic framework as suggested by senior government officials, an audit of policies to assess alignment with the social development approach and a review of its’ consultation processes. The findings of the study identify a need to replicate this research at provincial level to ascertain how the social development approach is understood and implemented at the point of service delivery.

Background: Critical-care nurses (CCN) provide end-of life (EOL) care on a daily basis as one in five patients dies while in Intensive Care Units (ICU). CCNs overcome many obstacles to perform quality EOL care for dying patients. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to collect CCNs' current suggestions for improving EOL care and determine if EOL care obstacles have changed by comparing results to data gathered in 1998. Methods: A 72-item questionnaire regarding EOL care perceptions was mailed to a national, geographically dispersed, random sample of 2,000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Nurses were asked for suggestions to improve EOL care. Results: Of the 509 returned questionnaires, 322 (63.3%) had 385 written suggestions for improving EOL care. Major themes identified were ensuring characteristics of a good death, improving physician communication with patients and families, adjusting nurse/patient ratios to 1:1, recognizing and avoiding futile care, increasing EOL education, physicians who are present and "on the same page," not allowing families to override patients' wishes, and the need for more support staff. When compared to data gathered 17 years previously, major themes remained the same, but in a few cases, changed in order and possible causation. Conclusion: Critical-care nurses' suggestions were similar to those recommendations from 17 years ago. Although the order of importance changed minimally, the number of similar themes indicated obstacles to providing EOL care to dying ICU patients continue to exist over time.

Of the 34,000 children who die annually, over 28,000 are four years old or younger. Nurses working in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) provide end of life (EOL) care before, during, and after death of these children. The purpose of this study was to determine thesuggestions PICU nurses have for improving EOL care for dying pediatric patients and their families. A sample of 1047 PICU nurses, who were members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), were sent a 70-item questionnaire. One open ended item asked nurses to offer a suggestion for improving EOL care for dying PICU patients. Responses were received from 235 of the 474 (49.6%) nurses who returned the questionnaire. Eight themes were identified: (1) providing a better environment; (2) physician honesty about prognosis; (3) having a plan for dying; (4) ending futile care; (5) physicians on "same page;" (6)having more staff; (7) receiving more EOL education; and, (8) providing better pain control. Patient centered principles begin with creating an environment that allows the dying process to be centered on the family while fostering dignity. Fostering dignity includes providing an environment that is conducive to supporting quality EOL care. The importance of providing privacy and an appropriate place for the patient and family to feel more comfortable during the dying process was suggested. The need for better communication between providers and families, ending suffering, and having enough staff to support a "good death," were also high priorities. PICU nurses overwhelmingly suggested that the environment in which health care workers monitor, care for, and support patients and families during death is thegreatest area for improvement. Unit design teams need to assure that care areas for dying pediatric children are created to accommodate a dignified and peaceful passing to improve pediatric End-of-Life Care.