The Use of Exit Interviews in the U.S Lodging Industry

This study investigated whether hotel managers systematically collected and analyzed data via employee exit interviews to determine why employees left jobs at their properties. Telephone interviews were conducted to determine whether exit interviews were conducted, what use was made of the interview data, and whether there was a relationship between the use of interviews and the level of turnover. Exit interviews appeared to be more common in larger properties and were used primarily for improving employment conditions, identifying problem areas, and providing closure for the employment relationship. There appeared to be an inverse relationship between the use of exit interviews and the level of turnover

Remembering Lessons Learned: knowledge management techniques for building generational memory

A presentation made at the CAUT Librarians Conference in Ottawa, Ontario in October 2005.

The Impact of a Text-Reader Support Program on Intermediate Students' Reading Comprehension

This study examined the efficacy of providing four Grade 7 and 8 students with reading difficulties with explicit instruction in the use of reading comprehension strategies while using text-reader software. Specifically, the study explored participants' combined use of a text-reader and question-answering comprehension strategy during a 6-week instructional program. Using a qualitative case study methodology approach, participants' experiences using text-reader software, with the presence of explicit instruction in evidence-based reading comprehension strategies, were examined. The study involved three phases: (a) the first phase consisted of individual interviews with the participants and their parents; (b) the second phase consisted of a nine session course; and (c) the third phase consisted of individual exit interviews and a focus group discussion. After the data collection phases were completed, data were analyzed and coded for emerging themes, with-quantitativ,e measures of participants' reading performance used as descriptive data. The data suggested that assistive technology can serve as an instructional "hook", motivating students to engage actively in the reading processes, especially when accompanied by explicit strategy instruction. Participants' experiences also reflected development of strategy use and use of text-reader software and the importance of social interactions in developing reading comprehension skills. The findings of this study support the view that the integration of instruction using evidence-based practices are important and vital components in the inclusion oftext-reader software as part of students' educational programming. Also, the findings from this study can be extended to develop in-class programming for students using text-reader software.

An Evaluation of”Middle Ages Dead or Live?”The first interactive exhibition at the National Museum of History

This is a study conducted at, and for, the National Museum of History in Stockholm. The aim of the study was to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis that visitors in a traditional museum environment might not take part in interactivity in an interactive exhibition. And if they do the visitors might skip the texts and objects on display. To answer this and other questions a multiple method was used. Both non participant observations and exit interviews were conducted. After a description of the interactive exhibits, theory of knowledge and learning is presented before the gathered data is presented. All together 443 visitors were observed. In the observations the visitors were timed on how much time they spent in the room, the time spent on the interactivity, texts and objects. In the 40 interviews information about visitors’ participation in the interactivity was gathered. What interactivity the visitor found easiest, hardest, funniest and most boring.The result did not confirm the hypothesis. All kinds of visitors, children and adults, participated in the interactivities. The visitors took part in the texts and objects and the interactive exhibits.

Comparison of Objectively and Subjectively Measured Sedentary Behavior in Men with Prostate Cancer and a History of Androgen-Deprivation Therapy Use

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Taux d‘inscription, de rétention et de décrochage dans le programme de gestion du tourisme

Abstract : This paper examines the factors motivating students to enrol in the Tourism Management program at Champlain College, St-Lambert and why a large number of students abandon the program before obtaining their DEC. There is a great deal of literature on student attrition, however there is little consensus on why students withdraw from college programs and the results cannot be easily generalized to this particular set of students at this time. Understanding the factors that influenced the students to choose Tourism Management at Champlain, St-Lambert and why they then leave before completing the six semesters will help with student success and with the marketing of the program. The theoretical framework guiding the study is metacognition, a branch of cognitive psychology that deals with the awareness and understanding of one’s thinking processes. Through a survey, students were asked to rank the general and specific factors that influenced their choice of Tourism Management as a program of study. Exit interviews were carried out with students who abandoned the program within the first year of study to determine the reasons for dropping out. Students who persisted in the program wrote journals describing their first year experience in order to identify any differences in metacognitive abilities with those who abandoned the program. The academic records of all students were also analyzed. The major factors influencing students to choose the Tourism Management program were interest in travel and job opportunities available after graduating. The results from the exit interviews and journals also showed that interest in travel was the primary reason for enrolment. The knowledge that students had of Cegep and the Tourism Management program before enroling however was negligible, particularly among the group that abandoned the program within the first year of study. The analyses of the academic records of the 2007 incoming students showed that the students with the lower high school grades were more likely to abandon the Tourism Management program than those with higher grades. The same is true for first semester and second semester Cegep grades. The major reason why the students abandoned the program during the 2007/2008 academic year was a lack of interest or a dislike of the program, followed by financial difficulties. It is not clear however what the lack of interest can be attributed to and this may be an avenue for future research. As opposed to the students who persisted in the program, those who abandoned their studies had unrealistic expectations of the academic requirements, were unprepared for the workload, had more difficulty analyzing their own performance and had not set concrete goals for themselves. The study shows several problem areas within the program. Of main concern is the lack of knowledge that students have of Cegep life and the Tourism Management program in general and the lack of preparation for Cegep level courses. The scheduling of courses and teaching methods within the program are other areas that need to be addressed. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to possibly help remedy some of the problems.||Résumé : Ce travail s’intéresse aux facteurs qui motivent les étudiants à s’inscrire au programme de tourisme offert au Collège Champlain de St-Lambert. Il cherche à établir les raisons qui font en sorte qu’un si grand nombre d’étudiants abandonnent le programme avant d’obtenir leur DEC. Plusieurs recherches ont été effectuées sur l’abandon scolaire, mais il n’y a pas de consensus quant aux raisons pour lesquelles les étudiants se retirent du programme collégial. Actuellement, il est difficile d’établir des liens entre les résultats de ces recherches et ce groupe d’étudiants. La compréhension des facteurs qui influencent les étudiants à choisir le tourisme au Collège Champlain et les raisons qui font en sorte qu’ils quittent avant d’avoir complété leur formation, nous permettront d’améliorer le taux de rétention des étudiants dans ce programme. De plus, cela favorisera le marketing du programme. Le cadre théorique de cette recherche est la métacognition, une composante importante de la psychologie cognitive qui examine la connaissance et le contrôle qu’une personne a sur sa façon de penser. La métacognition est une variable qui différencie les étudiants qui réussissent de ceux qui abandonnent (Tardif 1997). La méthodologie de cette recherche comprend : un sondage, des entrevues, des comptes-rendus sous forme de journal et une analyse des résultats scolaires. Le sondage fut complété par tous les étudiants qui ont commencé le programme en tourisme en août 2007. Ce sondage avait pour but d’établir les facteurs qui ont motivé les étudiants à choisir cette discipline. Ceux-ci étaient divisés en deux volets soient : les facteurs généraux et les facteurs spécifiques. Les facteurs généraux comprennent l’intérêt pour les voyages et les informations obtenues auprès des orienteurs, des enseignants, de la publicité faite par les cégeps, des parents et des amis. Les facteurs spécifiques incluent les différents cours offerts tels que la géographie, l’informatique, l’administration, le programme de voyages, le stage en milieu de travail, la réputation du programme et de ses professeurs. Les entrevues ont été effectuées auprès de sept étudiants qui ont abandonné le programme entre décembre 2007 et juin 2008. Le but de ces entrevues était de déterminer les raisons de ces abandons. Les étudiants qui ont poursuivi leur formation en tourisme ont rédigé un journal dans lequel ils décrivaient leur expérience tout au long de leur première année d’études. Dans ce journal, ils devaient répondre à sept questions qui avaient pour but de déterminer les différences entre leurs habiletés métacognitives et celles de ceux qui se sont retirés du programme. L’analyse des dossiers des étudiants tenait compte des résultats scolaires du secondaire ainsi que des résultats académiques de la première année de cégep. Les principaux facteurs qui ont motivé les étudiants à choisir le programme gestion du tourisme étaient l’intérêt pour les voyages et les opportunités d’emploi après l’obtention de leur DEC. La connaissance que les étudiants ont du cégep et du programme de gestion du tourisme avant de s’inscrire était toutefois négligeable, particulièrement parmi le groupe qui a abandonné le programme durant la première année d’études. L’analyse des résultats académiques des étudiants a démontré que les candidats ayant des notes inférieures à l’école secondaire sont plus susceptibles d’abandonner le programme de gestion du tourisme que ceux ayant des notes supérieures. L’analyse arrive aux mêmes conclusions en ce qui concerne les candidats qui ont obtenu de faibles résultats académiques lors de la première et de la deuxième session du cégep. Les raisons principales qui ont fait en sorte que les étudiants ont abandonné le programme durant l’année académique 2007-2008 étaient le manque d’intérêt pour le programme et les difficultés financières. Par ailleurs, nous ne pouvons établir de façon générale les causes de ce manque d’intérêt. Cela pourrait faire l’objet d’une recherche ultérieure. Par opposition aux étudiants qui ont poursuivi le programme, ceux qui ont abandonné leurs études avaient des attentes irréalistes en ce qui a trait aux exigences académiques, ils n’étaient pas préparés pour la charge de travail, ils avaient plus de difficultés à analyser leur propre performance et ils ne s’étaient pas fixé d’objectifs concrets. L’étude a identifié plusieurs secteurs problématiques à l’intérieur du programme. L’une des problématiques principales est le manque de connaissance que les étudiants ont de la vie au cégep et du programme de tourisme en général sans compter le manque de préparation pour des cours de niveau cégep. L’horaire des cours et les méthodes d’enseignement à l’intérieur du programme sont d’autres éléments qui méritent d’être revus. Les limites de cette recherche comprennent le nombre restreint d’étudiants qui ont accepté d’être interviewés et l’effet d’intervieweur. Étant donné que l’intervieweur était le professeur des étudiants et malgré le fait que ceux-ci n’étudient plus en gestion du tourisme, ils peuvent se sentir obligés de répondre à l’intervieweur de façon subjective. Les recherches futures pourront inclure un plus grand nombre d’entrevues menées par des intervieweurs expérimentés n’ayant eu au préalable aucun contact avec les étudiants et ce dans le but de favoriser une plus grande objectivité. Un autre domaine de recherche pourrait être l’analyse du fait que des étudiants très intéressés par les voyages finissent par se désintéresser complètement du programme. Enfin et possiblement l’un des facteurs qui nous semble des plus importants est le besoin pour les étudiants du secondaire d’en connaître plus sur la vie au cégep et sur le programme de gestion du tourisme. Le document se termine par un ensemble de recommandations pour le Collège, le programme et les professeurs pour éventuellement aider à remédier aux problèmes identifiés.

A feasibility study of cell phone and landline phone interviews for monitoring of risk and protection factors for chronic diseases in Brazil

The study objective was to evaluate the feasibility of interviews by cell phone as a complement to interviews by landline to estimate risk and protection factors for chronic non-communicable diseases. Adult cell phone users were evaluated by random digit dialing. Questions asked were: age, sex, education, race, marital status, ownership of landline and cell phones, health condition, weight and height, medical diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes, physical activity, diet, binge drinking and smoking. The estimates were calculated using post-stratification weights. The cell phone interview system showed a reduced capacity to reach elderly and low educated populations. The estimates of the risk and protection factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in cell phone interviews were equal to the estimates obtained by landline phone. Eligibility, success and refusal rates using the cell phone system were lower than those of the landline system, but loss and cost were much higher, suggesting it is unsatisfactory as a complementary method in such a context.

Formal performance appraisal interviews: Can they really be objective, and are they useful anyway?

This paper reports on a qualitative field study conducted in Australia which examined what is occurring in formal performance appraisal interviews in relation to their objectivity and resultant outcomes. Supervisors and subordinates who had recently been involved in performance appraisals were interviewed about their experiences of the process. Perceptions of the utility of, and satisfaction with the interview process were examined. Further, the effect of the relationship between the participants on objectivity was investigated. Results indicated that formal appraisal interviews were not perceived to be of great utility, and that the relationship of the participants influenced the interview.

Teaching Psychodynamics to Psychiatric Residents through Psychiatric Outpatient Interviews

Objective: This study evaluates whether a course that was designed for first-year psychiatric residents and that specifically addressed psychodynamic principles fostered residents` progress in knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding these concepts. Methods: The course was given in the 2005 academic year to all residents (N = 18) in their first psychiatric postgraduate year at the Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The residents were assessed in the first and last sessions of the course through a written test that was blindly rated by two independent judges. Residents were also interviewed to observe whether psychodynamic concepts had been integrated into actual practice. Their responses were subjected to content analysis. Significance was tested using analysis of variance or nonparametric tests when necessary. Agreement between the judges was tested using intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: The judges demonstrated a high level of agreement. The difference in mean scores before and after the course was such that the total score increased by a mean of 2.5 points (total test score was 10 points). Additionally, residents started to undergo personal psychotherapy after the course. They reported that this course had markedly improved their relationship with patients. They emphasized the opportunities for self-reflection and gaining insights into themselves and patient treatment issues. Conclusion: This initial study indicates that this educational method can effectively promote psychodynamic knowledge, skills, and appropriate attitudes for managing psychiatric outpatients among residents. The course was very well received by the residents, and a similar method can easily be instituted within other residency programs that pursue integrated teaching methods.

Agreement between data obtained from repeated interviews with a six-years interval

The objective of the study was to compare information collected through face-to-face interviews at first time and six years later in a city of Southeastern Brazil. In 1998, 32 mothers (N=32) of children aged 20 to 30 months answered a face-to-face interview with structured questions regarding their children's brushing habits. Six years later this same interview was repeated with the same mothers. Both interviews were compared for overall agreement, kappa and weighted kappa. Overall agreement between both interviews varied from 41 to 96%. Kappa values ranged from 0.00 to 0.65 (very bad to good) without any significant differences. The results showed lack of agreement when the same interview is conducted six years later, showing that the recall bias can be a methodological problem of interviews.

What do people do at work when they are not working?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Exit strategies of Pharmaceutical multinational companies from Portugal and the successful implementation of new Portuguese companies

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics