223 research outputs found
Demystifying customer satisfaction towards an authorised automobile service centre / Cho Sin Win...[et al.]
No full textUnderstanding and sustaining customer satisfaction is vital and challenging specifically in the automobile service industry. Therefore, the present study aims to identify factors influencing customer satisfaction towards the automobile service center. SERVQUAL instrument was adapted and more than 380 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents who had experience visiting the automobile service center in the northern region of Malaysia. The result of the study showed there is a significant relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction where it has explained about 48% of the variation in customer satisfaction. Empathy, reliability, responsiveness, and assurance were found to be important factors in influencing customer satisfaction
Diversity of Fish Species in Nat Min Chaung In, Singu Township
No full textThe study was carried out in Nat Min Chaung In from July, 2015 to January 2016 to evaluate the species richness and diversity of fish fauna related to water physiochemical parameters. Collection of data was performed bimonthly. Data were analyzed by Margalef (1958), Simpson (1949), Shannon-Wiener (1949) and Hill (1973). A total of 39 species belonging to 27 genera, 16 families and eight orders were recorded in the study area. The order Cypriniformes (38.46%) was found to be the highest inspecies composition. Among the species recorded, Corica soborna was dominant species. The value of Marglef's richness index, d (3.8165) was the highest in August. The values of Simposon's index D (0.0815), Shannon-Weiner's index H' (2.7879), Hill diversity indices N1 (16.0995), N2 (12.2727) were recorded during November. The highest evenness value E (0.8046) was found in January. According to the value of physiochemical parameter of water in the study area, the maximum depth of water 13.5 m in July and the minimum 4.5 m in January were found. The highest value of water temperature (32.5°C) was observed in July and the lowest value of water temperature (21.4°C) was recorded in December. pH ranged from 7.4 in August to 8.2 in November. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 3.8 mg/L in September to 6.8 mg/L in November. The monthly variation of physiochemical parameters of water quality in the study area directly influenced on the composition, richness and diversity of fish fauna. Based on the result of study, it may be concluded that the richness of fish fauna and species diversity is useful for implementing conservation strategies in order to maintain the sustainability of fisheries in Nat Min Chaung In
El uso del software HistCite para identificar artículos significativos en búsquedas por materias en la Web of Science
No full textHistCiteTM is a large-scale computer tool for mapping science. Its power of visualization combines
the production of historiographs on the basis of the analysis of co-citations of documents, with the
use of bibliometrics specific indicators. The objective of this article is, to present the advantages of
the new bibliometrics configuration of HistCiteTM (2004) when identifying articles to analyze the
histograms that produces HistCiteTM, in terms of cumulative advantage and aging of the citations
to do a comparative study of the results of HistCiteTM, in its indicators of amplitude and recognition.
Also is examined its treatment of the sampling problems, by formalizing the question of
Kendall
Det coachande ledarskapet : En win-win situation?
No full textAbstract Title: Coaching Leadership - A win-win situation? Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Helena Gustafsson Supervisor: Pär Vilhelmson Date: 2012 – mars Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine how companies use the coaching leadership and how the employees perceive to have a manager who uses this way to lead. Method: The study was conducted as a qualitative study in which interviews was an important feature. The information I gathered is the basis for analysis and final discussion. The material has been collected through personal interviews with two managers and then I send questions to the employees by e-mail that they responded. This is to get such an interesting empirical data as possible. With this qualitative approach, I got a deeper understanding of how managers and employees perceive it to work with the so-called Coaching leadership. Result & Conclusions: Coaching leadership is theorized to be motivating for employees than the traditional because it is based on a person in charge should have the role of helping the employees to strengthen and develop the staff. In order that the employees increase the performance of companies. This is consistent with respondents´ views in relation to the coaching style of leadership advantages. The study has shown that both companies are well aware that that communication and information are key ingredients to get their employees involved so they feel involved in what goes on in the company. Employees will be more motivated to take responsibility and solve any problem that may arise. In this way, believe the two respondents in the leading position that the results are better for business. Respondents use a coaching style of leadership which is consistent with the theory. Coaching leadership is here to stay. Suggestions for future research: This study has shown that there is reasoning among managers and scientist around the firms improves the results using the Coaching Leadership. This is something that I think we should continue research on and produce measurable results on whether it really is so that companies using a coaching style of leadership among their managers can get better results. The two companies that I have examined so both managers are convinced of the improved results, but they can not reveal any figures on this, which I think would be interesting to see. Contribution of the thesis: The studies contribution is to clarify how the company can have the help of the coaching leadership when they work with their staff. The study shows that with a coaching style of leadership the companies get their employees more involved, solution-oriented and that they take grater responsibility for their work. There are also those who believe that it improves the results for companies as the use of coaching Key words: Coaching, leader, manager, coaching leadership, coach, traditional leadership Sammanfattning Titel: Det coachande ledarskapet - En win-win situation? Nivå: Magisteruppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Helena Gustafsson Handledare: Pär Vilhelmson Datum: 2012– mars Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur företag använder sig av det coachande ledarskapet och hur medarbetarna upplever det att ha en chef som använder sig av detta sätt att leda. Metod: Studien har genomförts som en kvalitativ studie, där intervjuer är ett viktigt inslag. Den information jag samlat in ligger som grund för analys och slutdiskussion. Materialet har samlats in genom personliga intervjuer med två chefer sedan har frågor skickats till medarbetare via mejl som de besvarat. Detta för att få en så intressant empiri som möjligt. Med den kvalitativa metoden fick jag en djupare förståelse för hur chefer och medarbetare uppfattar det att arbeta med det så kallade coachande ledarskapet. Resultat & slutsats: Det coachande ledarskapet anses i teorin vara mer motiverande för medarbetarna än det traditionella eftersom det bygger på att man som chef ska ha en hjälparroll som ska stärka och utveckla medarbetarna. På det sättet ökar de prestationen inom företagen. Detta stämmer väl överens med respondenternas åsikter när det gäller det coachande ledarskapets fördelar. I studien har det visat sig att båda företagen är väl medvetna om att kommunikation och information är viktiga ingredienser för att få sina medarbetare engagerade så de känner delaktighet i det som sker i företaget. Medarbetarna blir de mer motiverade, tar ansvar och löser de problem som kan uppstå. På detta sätt tror de två respondenterna i ledande ställning att resultaten blir bättre för företagen. Respondenterna använder sig av ett coachande ledarskap och som stämmer väl överens med det som står i teorin. Det coachande ledarskapet har kommit för att stanna. Förslag till vidare forskning: Denna studie har visat att det finns ett resonemang bland chefer och forskare att företagen förbättrar resultaten med hjälp av det coachande ledarskapet. Detta är något som jag anser att man bör forska vidare kring och ta fram mätbara resultat på om det verkligen är så att företagen med hjälp av ett coachande ledarskap bland sina chefer kan få bättre resultat. I de två företagen som jag granskat så är båda cheferna övertygade om att man förbättrat resultaten men de kan inte visa upp några siffror på detta, vilket jag tycker vore intressant att ta del av. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studiens bidrag är att tydliggöra hur man inom företag kan ha hjälp av det coachande ledarskapet då man arbetar med sin personal. Studien visar att med ett coachande ledarskap får företagen sina medarbetare mer delaktiga, lösningsinriktade samt att de tar ett större ansvar för sitt arbete. Det finns även de som anser att man förbättrar resultaten för företagen då man använder sig av coaching. Nyckelord: Coaching, ledare, chef, coachande ledarskap, coach, traditionellt ledarskap
"Voto por voto, casilla por casilla?" : Democratic consolidation, political intermediation, and the Mexican election of 2006
No full textAfter he had only tightly lost the election in July 2006, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his Coalición claimed fraud and asserted that unfair conditions during the campaign had diminished his chances to win the presidency. The paper investigates this latter allegation centering on a perceived campaign of hate, unequal access to campaign resources and malicious treatment by the mass media. It further analyzes the mass media’s performance during the conflictual post electoral period until the final decision of the Federal Electoral Tribunal on September 5th, 2006. While the media’s performance during the campaign tells us about their compliance with fair media coverage mechanisms that have been implemented by electoral reforms in the 1990s, the mass media is uncontained by such measures after the election. Thus, their mode of coverage of the postelectoral conflicts allows us to “test” the mass media’s transformation to a more unbiased, social responsible “fourth estate”. Finally the paper scrutinizes whether the claims of fraud and the protests by the leftist movement resulted in lower levels of institutional trust and democratic support. The analysis of the media performance is based on data provided by the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE). Its Media Monitor encompassed more than 150 TV stations, 240 radio stations and 200 press publications. However, there is no comparable data available for the postelectoral period. Interviews with Mexican media experts, which the author has conducted during the postelectoral period, serve as empirical basis for the second part. Data on the public opinions and attitudes of Mexican citizens are taken from the 2007 Latinobarometro, the 2006 Encuesta Nacional and several polls conducted by Grupo Reforma. The results do not support López Obradors notions. Even though a strong party bias is characteristic of the Mexican media system, all findings hint at a continuity of balanced campaign coverage and fair access to mass media publicity. Coverage during the postelectoral period was more polarized, yet both sides remained at least partially open for oppositional views. The claims of fraud, mass protest mobilization and anti-institutional discourse by Lopez Obrador’s leftist movement seem not to have caused significant loss in institutional trust, support of and satisfaction with democracy, even though these levels remain quite low
Afganistán: Política sin estrategia o estrategia sin política
No full textIn this essay the author exposes the reasons why incorrect and changing strategies, which have not been strictly aligned, have been applied in the Afghanistan conflict.
At the beginning, a clear and achievable political objective was not defined, being changed based on the interests of the different US administrations. In the stabilization phase, mistakes were made that led to the progressive alienation of the Afghan population, forgetting one of the basic principles of COIN (counterinsurgency) operations: ‘winning the hearts and minds of the population’, one of the key ideas promoted by General McChrystal in his operational concept. The necessary cohesion of the allies and above all a greater commitment has been lacking. Security Sector Reform (SSR) created armed forces completely dependent on NATO and in particular US capabilities, which has led to a lack of will to win in Afghan units. And finally, the intervention was terminated without an exit strategy, demonstrating to the end the inadequacy of the strategies applied.En este ensayo el autor expone las razones por las que se han aplicado estrategias erróneas y cambiantes, las cuales no han estado estrictamente alineadas en el conflicto de Afganistán. En su inicio no se definió un objetivo político claro y alcanzable, siendo cambiado sobre la base de los intereses de los diferentes Gobiernos de Estados Unidos. En la fase de estabilización, se cometieron errores que fueron provocando el progresivo alejamiento de la población afgana, olvidando el que es uno de los principios básicos de las operaciones COIN (contrainsurgencia) de «ganar los corazones y las mentes de la población», una de las ideas clave impulsada por el general McChrystal en su concepto operacional. Ha faltado la necesaria cohesión de los aliados y sobre todo un mayor compromiso. La reforma del sector de seguridad (SSR, por sus siglas en inglés) creó unas Fuerzas Armadas completamente dependientes de las capacidades de la OTAN y en particular de los EE. UU., lo que ha generado una falta de voluntad de vencer en las unidades afganas. Y, finalmente, se ha dado por concluida la intervención sin una estrategia de salida, demostrando hasta el final la falta de idoneidad de las estrategias aplicadas
Proceedings Transborder Library Forum 2007 : bridging the digital divide : crossing all borders = Memorias Foro Transfronterizo de Bibliotecas 2007 : cerrando la brecha digital : cruzando todas las fronteras
No full textIt is with great pleasure that we present this edition of the Proceedings of the Transborder Library Forum (Foro). The 2007 Transborder Library Forum was held at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona in February, 2007. We are pleased that there will be both a print edition and an online edition. Editing has been kept to a minimum to preserve the intent of the author in the language the paper was presented. The theme for the 2007 Foro was Bridging the Digital Divide. Topics ranged from international copyright issues to getting information to students in widely dispersed communities with little or no infrastructure except the Internet. While most attendees and speakers were from the USA and Mexico, we also had some from Uganda, Kenya, Hungary, and the West Indies
Doxorubicin-Loaded Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Chitosan/ZnO Nanocomposite Hydrogel Beads as an Anticancer Drug Carrier Agent
No full textAbstract
In this study, nanocomposite hydrogel beads were prepared by combining carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), chitosan (CS), and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The obtained nanocomposite hydrogel beads were used as a potential candidate for controlled release of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The nanocomposite hydrogel beads were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, SEM, TG-DTA analysis. Then antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite hydrogel beads was tested for the purpose of using nanocomposite hydrogel beads in biomedical application. In addition, gel content, swelling properties, and drug release of the samples were evaluated. The swelling and drug release profiles revealed that the amount of drug released and swelling of the hydrogels depended on the CMC/CS content, pH, and ZnO nanoparticle content. Prolonged and more controlled drug releases were observed for ZnO nanoparticle containing CMC/CS beads, which increased with the rise in ZnO nanoparticle content
Bioética y Derecho: la positivización de los principios
No full textThe article offers a personal reflection on bioethics principles. The age of the rights demands its positivation: it is a risk and an opportunity. The author analyzes the current situation of Bioethics and Law and highlights the fragility of principles as a consequence of the indetermination. It shows the process of positivization and concludes that principles must be positivized and the rules formulated according to the principles. As in the zero-sum games if rules win, the principles lose. It seems that principles are victims of their own success. However, the triumph of the principles, their transformation into legal rules does not nullify, but reinforce the principles.El artículo ofrece una reflexión personal sobre los principios de la bioética. El tiempo de los derechos exige su positivización: es un riesgo y una oportunidad. El autor analiza la situación actual y señala la fragilidad de los principios por su indeterminación. Muestra el proceso de positivización y concluye que los principios deben ser positivizados y las reglas formuladas de acuerdo con los principios. Como en los juegos de suma cero si las reglas ganan, los principios pierden. Parece que los principios son víctimas de su éxito. Sin embargo, el triunfo de los principios, su transformación en reglas no anula, sino que refuerza los principios
The Deconstructible Allegory of the Failed Author-Reader Communion : Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil : A Parable"(Special Issue Dedicated to Professor NAKAI,Noriaki)
No full textIn "Mosses from an Old Manse" (1846), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) paradoxically dropped off his mask to blurt, "So far as I am a man of really individual attributes I veil my face." In making sure of his hidden undissembled intention regarding the author-reader communion, this paper treats "The Minister's Black Veil" (1836), a short fiction written during Hawthorne's apprenticeship to become a professional writer. "The Minister's Black Veil" depicts the unintelligible behavior of the Reverend Hooper, who wears a black veil. Critics are divided over the problem of whether Hooper merits praise or harsh criticism. Existentially aware of the meaning of life, or to use Heidegger's phraseology, Dasein, Hooper warns his parishioners, it seems, of how foolish it is to stay ignorant in plausibly blissful daily activities. If closely inspected, however, Hooper is far from being an Existentialist. He forcefully imposes the same identity as sinners on one and all parishioners, in the name of Puritanism and its dogmatic doctrine, the notion of total depravity. He shows unawares his totalitarian inclination toward essentialism-the sort of attitude that Existentialists denounce. Furthermore, he neglects to hold communion with his parishioners and even with God, and thus incarcerates himself in his own solipsistic realm. When we recall the author's above-mentioned confession of "I veil my face," we confront this question: How close is Hawthorne to Hooper the veiled minister ? The Deconstructionist Paul de Man points out that, because of its etiological definition of speaking about something other than itself, the deconstruction of the allegory is part of the allegory itself. From this perspective, we can understand that it is impossible for Hooper to allegorically represent the w/Word(s) (of God), the Origin, and the Cause (of sin) with the use of his black veil, the proxy, symbol, letter, and or language with which he hopes to allegorically convince the congregation of the puritan notion of total depravity. Aware of how he appears to the eyes of his parishioners, Hooper stops associating with them. He is openly avoided and secretly ridiculed by men and women, young and old. In these adverse circumstances, the degree of their misapprehension over the reason for his veil deepens all the more. In a negative way, Hooper exemplifies the process of what the leading Deconstructionist JacquesDerrida calls "difference" and attests to Derrida's insistence that allegory deconstructs itself. More than a decade after publishing this story, Hawthorne became a canonical writer by dint of his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850). But around this time he also suffered severe hardships, most of which sprang from misunderstanding on the part of his contemporaries : he was expelled from the sinecure position at the custom house, targeted in a hate campaign by Charles Upham, and incurred the displeasure of locals through his sarcastic depiction of the locally employed officers at the custom house. Moreover, since the 1980s, Hawthorne's support for Franklin Pierce, the notoriously pro-slavery politician who went on to win the presidency, has induced left-minded critics to undermine the writer's literary reputation. In his apprenticeship to become a professional writer, Hawthorne already depicted his future self in the image of Hooper. Portraying both Hooper's liability to be a victim of misapprehension and his resigned acceptance of this fate, the author predicted the fate that was to befall him later in life and after his death. Hawthorne paradoxically allegorized his own nature of veiled otherness in the form of desacralized allegory /parable and represented it through the Reverend Hooper.departmental bulletin pape
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