Opinions Of Owners Research Articles

IMPROVEMENT OF PARTNERSHIP RELATIONS BETWEEN THE MANAGING ORGANIZATION AND THE OWNERS OF PREMISES IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING

In the article the system of monitoring and estimation of quality as the major element of realization of the client-oriented approach in the sphere of housing and communal services is considered. The proposed system of monitoring and evaluation of service quality is aimed at customer evaluation and integrated consideration of communal, housing, organizational, informational components and allows you to determine the effectiveness of the managing organizations. The organizational structure, based on the creation of two main units – back and front offices, which allows to implement a customer-oriented strategy, is also considered. Within the limits of the new organizational structure the system of revealing of need and opinions of owners of rooms in apartment houses by means of absentee voting with application of new information technologies is offered. Thus, the given system of monitoring and estimation of quality of housing and communal services will allow to realize feedback between consumers and the managing organizations, and to increase customer satisfaction of quality of services.

A survey on the use of rugs in Australian horses.

The practice of horse rugging has important implications for horse welfare and performance, but in Australia, rugging practices have not been properly documented. The objective of this study was to obtain an understanding of Australian horse rugging practices. An online survey reviewed the management of 2659 Australian horses over 12 months. Of the reported horses a total of 84.8% were rugged, although most owners (69.5%) indicated that they were unsure whether horses needed to be rugged at all. Rugging was felt by 59.8% of owners to be a requirement for horses in competition. Riding and competition were significantly associated with the use of rugs. Nearly all respondents (89.0%) felt that 'over-rugging' was a concern. However, 4.8% of owners would use up to 4 rugs at any one time on their horse and 21.4% of horses were still rugged in temperatures above 20°C in Australia. Many Australian horse owners (42.8%) also believe that horses feel cold if they are not rugged. Anthropomorphism when it comes to rugging horses cannot be justified as the horse has a much wider thermoneutral zone (TNZ) than humans. Australian climate, owner opinions, equestrian discipline and whether a horse is used for riding influence Australian horse rugging practices. However, current practices are based on limited available research and are not necessarily to the benefit of the horse. The major limitation was that the survey likely attracted respondents who are interested in the topic creating a self-selection bias.

Characteristics of forest biomass harvesting operations and markets in Virginia

Increased markets for renewable energy feedstocks have led to an expansion of the woody biomass industry in the Southeastern United States. Virginia has had biomass markets for several decades and provides an opportunity to study both producer and market characteristics. A survey was conducted among biomass harvesting business owners in Virginia designed to characterize harvesting operations and markets, assess business owner opinions related to the current and future state of the industry, and update/expand the results of a previous survey from 2014. Biomass harvesting operations in Virginia were generally conventional single crew roundwood operations utilizing their own residues for biomass. Production levels varied widely with biomass comprising an average 31% of total production. Material was comminuted utilizing large (485 median kW) older (13.2 years average) whole-tree chippers fed by a single loader. Coastal Plain operations were larger scale than Piedmont operations, though those in the Piedmont had been in business longer. Businesses had a median of $400,000 USD invested in biomass production equipment, which was double their median investment in the previous survey. Logging businesses that had produced biomass longer were significantly more likely to report profiting from biomass. In addition, loggers derived numerous non-monetary benefits from biomass production (e.g., improved aesthetics and cleaner sites, leading to increased landowner satisfaction), with most business owners planning to continue production in the future. This study provides stakeholders an overview of the current state of biomass harvesting businesses in Virginia and a discussion on benefits loggers derive from biomass markets.

Preparedness and relative opinions of the owners of agro-based businesses to attain institutional support to face global challenges: a case of Sri Lankan SMES

This study is geared to address the apparent lack of scholarly work on the relative opinion of SME owners in the agribusiness sector on institutional support towards SMEs in facing global challenges, using a case study-based, qualitative method. A set of key informant interviews was held with 10 SME owners representing several agribusiness industries using the purposive sampling method. The data were analysed by a thematic analysis and identified three key global challenges of SMEs: global market competition, global financial crisis, and challenges from Multinational Companies (MNCs)/ Transnational Companies (TNCs)/ large-scale companies. The findings emphasized the association between SMEs’ global challenges and the generality of numerous SME and institutional defects.

Identifying the Key Causes and Impacts of Variation Orders in Iraqi Construction Projects

Variation Orders is often a reason for construction projects exceeding projects budget and delays; it is a global problem, particularly intensive in the case of a recession of the local economy and stagnation. In Iraq, all the projects have delays in completion, and the cost affects because of the variation orders, which are not well managed. The objective of this study was to identify the key causes responsible for the variation order in construction projects in Iraq using the system dynamic. System's dynamics is the discipline of academics and rooted initially been in management and the engineering sciences. The data relating to the performance of construction projects from 27 projects adopted by Diyala University were collected. Personal interviews and questionnaires survey to the selected projects of specialized engineers were done. The results revealed that the size of variation orders in Iraqi construction projects was high, and 13 key causative factors led to variation orders. The variation in cost was the most influential factor effecting the construction project in Iraq. When variation orders in a cost increased, the owner's opinion decreased. When the external factors increased, cost variation orders increased. It was concluded that minimizing the variation orders was very important to realize the cost in the construction projects. Therefore, the authority management and project managers must make a plan to address these key causes in future projects to ensure their success

Effect of Age, Breed, and Sex on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Owner Assessed Healthy Dogs.

Using an app, this exploratory study generated information on HRQL in a large cohort of dogs deemed healthy according to the owner. It forms the basis for further studies investigating the natural history of HRQL of dogs to inform the interpretation of interventional studies, but highlights the risks of relying on owner impression of health status. A previously published health-related quality of life (HRQL) instrument (VetMetrica™) that generates scores in four domains of quality of life in dogs - Energetic and Enthusiastic (E/E), Happy and Content (H/C), Active and Comfortable (A/C), and Calm and Relaxed (C/R), generated information on HRQL in 4,217 dogs (3 months−21 years). Dogs were categorized by age; young, 3–47 months, middle-aged, 48–95 months, and old, 96 months and older. Owners considered 2,959 dogs (3–95 months) to be “in perfect health” and these were used to explore the relationship between age, sex, breed and HRQL in apparently healthy dogs. Mean score was significantly greater (better) in young compared to middle-aged dogs in E/E, H/C and A/C and declined with advancing age. In H/C there was a small but significant difference in mean score between female and male dogs (mean greater in females), with a similar rate of decline in each gender with advancing age. In E/E there were very small but statistically significant differences in mean scores between certain breeds. In A/C there was a statistically significant interaction between breed and age and the rate of decline with advancing age differed with breed. Overall, age, breed, and sex predicted very little of the variation seen in HRQL scores. Data from a subset of 152 dogs, for whom clinical information was available, were used to examine the agreement between clinical evidence and owner opinion. According to the clinical records, 89 dogs were healthy and 63 had evidence of chronic disease. There was an approximately 40% disagreement between owner opinion on health status and clinical evidence of chronic disease (35% disagreement in all dogs and 43% in old dogs). HRQL scores were generally higher in dogs for whom there was no evidence of disease in the clinical record.

Impact of Digit Amputation on Dogs Competing in Agility

Abstract Objectives This work sought to determine the prognosis for dogs for return to athletic function in canine agility competitions after digit amputation. Materials and Methods Data were collected using an Internet-based survey of owners of agility dogs with digit disorders that required amputation. Signalment and physical characteristics were compared between dogs with traumatic and nontraumatic disorders. Athletic performance before and after amputation was assessed subjectively by owner opinion and objectively for eight dogs using competition performance records. Results Problems leading to digit amputation in 46 dogs included acute or chronic traumatic lesions (30 dogs), infection (7 dogs), neoplasia (7 dogs), and cystic lesions (2 dogs). There were no differences in signalment or physical characteristics between dogs with traumatic and nontraumatic disorders. Of the 46 dogs, 39 (84.7%) had returned to agility at the time of the survey and 94.6% of the owners (37/39) were satisfied with performance after amputation. No dog failed to return to agility as a result of the digit disorder or amputation. There was no difference in mean competition speed before and after amputation. Clinical Significance Most agility dogs undergoing digit amputation perform satisfactorily after surgery, although modifications to performance criteria may be appropriate for some.

Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome: Owner perceptions on the time to vision loss, treatment outcomes, and prognosis for life.

Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) causes blindness for which there are no proven effective treatments. We aimed to clarify the time to vision loss, treatment response/side effects, and prognosis for life in dogs with SARDS. An online questionnaire was administered to owners of dogs with a historical diagnosis of SARDS. Mortality data were compared with a published purebred reference population. Select parameters were analyzed statistically using general linear model with least square means, two-sample t tests, and chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests. Responses from owners that stated that their dog visited an ophthalmologist and had electroretinography performed (n=434) were analyzed. The majority of owners (65.4%) reported the time from vision disturbance to complete vision loss as <2weeks; 19.4% reported >4weeks. Onset of systemic clinical signs to complete vision loss was >4weeks in 44.5% of responses. A higher proportion of owners reported some vision recovery with combination treatment (14.4%) compared with monotherapy (3.2%, P=.0004). Side effects of treatment were commonly reported. Dogs with SARDS did not have a shorter lifespan than the reference population but had higher incidence of kidney disease (P=.0001) and respiratory disease (P=.0004) at death. Dogs with SARDS have a rapid onset of vision loss. In the owner's opinion, treatment is unlikely to restore vision and is associated with systemic side effects. The potential for systemic pathologies that arise after SARDS diagnosis warrants further study.

Why Let the Dogs Out? Exploring Variables Associated with Dog Confinement and General Characteristics of the Free-ranging Owned-Dog Population in a Peri-urban Area

ABSTRACT Free-ranging dogs (FRDs), are a problem in several countries, with impacts on humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, although increasing evidence suggests that most FRDs are owned. Therefore, understanding dog ownership on a fine scale is critical. The main objectives of this study were to explore dog management in rural localities from central Chile focusing on modeling owner-related variables associated with dog confinement and characterize confined and FRDs populations. Interviews (170) were carried out in Paine municipality, reporting a human:dog ratio of 1.5:1, and dogs in most households (85.9%, 146/170). Thirty-seven percent (54/146) of those households did not confine their dog(s) to some degree, and 41% (196/472) of surveyed dogs were FRD. Based on multivariable logistic regression models, non-confinement was decreased by (i) negative opinion of owners toward roaming behavior of their dogs, (ii) negative opinion toward FRDs, among others. Dog confinement increased along with owners' concerns about the impacts of their dogs on others. Owned-FRDs tended to have poorer general care than confined dogs. Our findings represent a contribution to the understanding of the human dimensions behind FRDs and provide critical quantitative elements to consider when planning effective control strategies.

Laboratory assessment of trilostane treatment in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism.

BackgroundResults of ACTH stimulation test (ACTHst), pre‐ and post‐trilostane serum cortisol concentrations (SCCs), urine concentration (urine‐specific gravity [USG]), and urine cortisol : creatinine ratios (UCCRs) are common variables used to monitor trilostane treatment of dogs with pituitary‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). However, none has consistently discriminated dogs receiving an adequate dose (A) from those overdosed (O) or underdosed (U).ObjectivesTo assess and compare recommended monitoring variables, including serial SCCs in a cohort of dogs with PDH treated with trilostane.AnimalsPrivately owned dogs with PDH (n = 22) and 3 healthy dogs (controls).MethodsProspective, multicenter, 2‐day study. On day “a” (randomized): ACTHst was completed. Day “b” (>2 to <7 days later): SCCs were assessed −0.5 hours, immediately before, and 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours after trilostane administration. On the first study day, urine collected at home was assessed for USG, UCCR and owner opinions regarding PDH were categorized as: A (clinical signs resolved), U (remains symptomatic), or ill (possible O).ResultsAt 27 pairs of evaluations, 7 dogs were categorized as A, 19 U, and 1 possible O (excluded from the study). There was overlap in SCC results from the A and U dogs at every time point. Results of USG, UCCR, and ACTHst did not discriminate A from U dogs. Trilostane suppresses SCC within 1 hour of administration and its duration of action in most PDH dogs is <8 hours.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceNo single variable or group of variables reliably discriminated A dogs from U dogs during trilostane treatment for PDH.

ICTs in the hospitality industry

This study delivers the importance-performance analysis of the information and communication technology (ICT) driven solutions among small and family-owned hotels (SFH) in Croatia. The analysis reflects the opinions of owners of 21 SFH, all of which are members of the National Association of Family and Small Hotels (OMH). The findings demonstrated the existence of a significant gap between the perception of the importance of specific innovations and actual hotel performances. In most cases, hotel performances are rated significantly lower than the perceived importance of particular innovation, which indicate that resources should be better and more wisely allocated. In some cases, hotels do not recognise the benefits of ICTs used or are not satisfied with the results. The primary constraint for higher integration of the ICTs within this sample is the lack of financial resources. The study reveals the importance-performance gaps within the perception of technological innovations in the SFHs, elaborates on potential constraints for more substantial reliance on ICTs and discusses the possible implications. Finally, the study provides recommendations for future research.

The impact of the international environment on the development of enterprises providing accommodation services in the Lublin voivodeship

The aim of this article is to present the opinions of owners of year-round accommodation facilities operating in the Lublin voivodeship, concerning the impact of the international environment on the development of enterprises providing accommodation services. The assessment is based on the author’s own research conducted with the use of the CATI method in April and May 2018. Entrepreneurs rarely see opportunities and threats related to the international environment. They seem to think “in a local way”. Generally, the most positive feedback on pro-developmental actions related to the international environment is provided by respondents from urban-rural communes. Membership in international structures, including the European Union, gives a lot of opportunities for development. The entrepreneurs participating in the survey should be even more active while monitoring EU forms of support and applying for EU projects

Technological Environment as a Factor of Development for Enterprises Providing Accommodation Services

Summary Subject and purpose of work: The objective of this article was to present opinions of owners of all-year-round accommodation facilities operating within the area of the Lublin Voivodeship with regards to the meaning and manner of impacting on the development of enterprises by technological environment factors. Materials and methods: In April and May of 2018 field research was realized by means of CAT method within the area of Lublin Voivodeship. The research covered 110 economic entities. Results: The most numerous group of research participants - more than 80% considered the development of Internet as a rather contributing or definitely contributing to the growth of their economic entities. More than 60% of research participants noted that growth of computer systems, video and mobile telephones as well as development of transportation networks rather contributed to or definitely contributed to better functioning of accommodation facilities in the area of the Lublin Voivodeship. Conclusions: Vast majority of entrepreneurs considered factors of technological environment, specified during research as contributing and definitely contributing to the development of Lublin accommodation facilities. The impact of Internet seems especially important. The type of commune does not differentiate in any statistically significant manner the entrepreneurs’ assesment regarding the impact related to the factors of technological environment on the growth of their companies.

Forest Owner Objectives Typologies: Instruments for Each Owner Type or Instruments for Most Owner Types?

The extensive literature on non-industrial private forest owner typologies often assumes that different forest owner types will respond to different policy instruments according to shared forest ownership objectives. Forest owner typologies using principal component analysis and subsequent k-means clustering techniques are now prolific. The surprisingly little empirical work linking forest owner objectives typologies with forest owner opinions or experiences of different policy instruments, however, shows ambiguous support for recommended targeting efforts. This study uses standard tools of analysis to investigate the relationship between private forest owners’ ownership objectives and their opinions on forest conservation policy instruments. Results show some statistically significant, but in absolute terms weak relationships between ownership objectives and Sweden’s command and control green tree retention measures, participation in voluntary forest stewardship certification, acceptance of a hypothetical financial incentive, and overall interest in taking more environmentally beneficial forest management measures. These results suggest the benefits of targeting different kinds of instruments to different kinds of ownership objectives may be limited.

Forest owner objectives typologies: Instruments for each owner type or instruments for most owner types?

The extensive literature on non-industrial private forest owner typologies often assumes that different forest owner types will respond to different policy instruments according to shared forest ownership objectives. Forest owner typologies using principal component analysis and subsequent k-means clustering techniques are now prolific. The surprisingly little empirical work linking forest owner objectives typologies with forest owner opinions or experiences of different policy instruments, however, shows ambiguous support for recommended targeting efforts. This study uses standard tools of analysis to investigate the relationship between private forest owners' ownership objectives and their opinions on forest conservation policy instruments. Results show some statistically significant, but in absolute terms weak relationships between ownership objectives and Sweden's command and control green tree retention measures, participation in voluntary forest stewardship certification, acceptance of a hypothetical financial incentive, and overall interest in taking more environmentally beneficial forest management measures. These results suggest the benefits of targeting different kinds of instruments to different kinds of ownership objectives may be limited.

Assessment of dog owner adherence to veterinarians\u2019 flea and tick prevention recommendations in the United States using a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundAdherence to a prescribed therapeutic regimen is a critical factor for achieving medication effectiveness and therefore treatment success. In the case of companion animal ectoparasite control, suboptimal owner adherence to medication recommendations is thought to be a common cause of treatment failure, and previous reports have found pet owners applying an average of 4.0–4.6 monthly flea and tick treatments per year to their dogs. This study investigated: US veterinary hospital self-reported flea and tick prevention recommendations; dog owner recollection of these recommendations; dog owner opinion on flea/tick recommendations and estimated owner flea and tick medication adherence based on veterinary hospital purchase records.ResultsVeterinarians at 24 veterinary hospitals in 4 United States regions provided their flea and tick prevention recommendations. Five hundred fifty-nine dog owners, clients of the 24 hospitals, completed a survey evaluating their recollection of the hospitals’ recommendations and their opinions regarding required treatment frequency. Almost all veterinary hospitals in this study recommended 12 months of flea and tick prevention but only 62% of participating dog owners recalled this recommendation. The average owner response was that their dogs require 10.5 months of flea and tick prevention annually. Owner opinions were significantly different among U.S. regions with pet owners in the northeast U.S. believing that they needed significantly less canine flea and tick protection than pet owners in other parts of the United States. The estimated actual flea and tick prevention coverage was 6.1 months based on owner medication purchases over a 12-month period.ConclusionsIn the United States, dog owner opinions and actions show that their flea and tick treatment adherence falls short of veterinarians’ recommendations.

A Qualitative Perspective of Enterprise Success Factors for SMEs: A case study in the UK Chemical Distribution Industry

The UK chemical distribution industry is a significant and well-established, yet fragmented and subject to strong consolidation, part of the chemical industry and a major contributor to the UK economy and employment. However, it remains largely unexplored, with limited research in the factors contributing to SMEs success. This paper, which is part of a larger-scale study, addresses a well-established gap in the UK chemical distribution industry and provides a qualitative perspective of the enterprise (relating to the firm) factors critical to the success of small and medium-sized distributors. The original study follows a positivistic philosophy, is deductive in its approach, uses a concurrent embedded mixed methodology and utilises a survey strategy involving the use of self-administered questionnaires to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. No sampling techniques are utilised but instead a census is conducted as it has been possible to collect and analyse data from every possible group member. This research is based on the opinions of owners and very senior managers (Managing Directors, Directors, CEOs and CFO’s), an approach extensively used by other researchers. A total of 180 SMEs fulfilling the criteria of this study are identified with 118 owners/managers participating, generating a very satisfactory response rate of 65.5%. The paper informs key stakeholders and policy makers with a view to improve strategy formulation and decision-making process in supporting chemical distribution SMEs.

Critical Business Environment Factors for SMEs in the UK Chemical Distribution Industry: A Qualitative Perspective

The UK chemical distribution industry is a significant and well-established, yet fragmented and subject to strong consolidation, part of the chemical industry and a major contributor to the UK economy and employment. However, it remains largely unexplored, with limited research in the factors contributing to SMEs success. This paper, which is part of a larger-scale study, addresses a well-established gap in the UK chemical distribution industry and provides a qualitative perspective of the business environment factors critical to the success of small and medium-sized distributors. This research is based on the opinions of owners and very senior managers (Managing Directors, Directors, CEOs and CFO’s), an approach extensively used by other researchers. A total of 180 SMEs fulfilling the criteria of this study are identified with 118 owners/managers participating, generating a very satisfactory response rate of 65.5%. The paper informs key stakeholders and policy makers with a view to improve strategy formulation and decision-making process in supporting chemical distribution SMEs.

Critical Success Factors for SMEs: An Empirical Study in the UK Chemical Distribution Industry

&lt;p&gt;The UK chemical distribution industry, which is a well-established, fragmented, subject to strong consolidation, significant part of the chemical industry and a major contributor to the UK economy and employment, remains largely unexplored, with no research in the factors contributing to SMEs success. This is the first study to identify the factors critical to small business success and provide an integrative perspective in the specific industry. The research is based on the opinions of owners and very senior managers (Managing Directors, Directors, CEOs and CFOs), an approach extensively used by other researchers. A total of 180 SMEs fulfilling the criteria of this study are identified with 118 owners/managers participating, generating a very satisfactory response rate of 65.5%. Regulatory Compliance, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Customer Relations Management, Market and Product development, Prior Work Experience and Management Skills, Human Capital, Economic Environment and Strategic Planning are established as critical success factors (CSFs). Findings suggest that success is a multidimensional phenomenon where both firm-internal and firm-external factors need to be optimal simultaneously; satisfying one or two factors does not necessarily guarantee success. Strong interrelationships are also revealed amongst the critical and non-critical success factors. The paper contributes towards the integration of SMEs success factors theories and provides guidelines to various stakeholders and policy-makers to improve strategy formulation and decision-making process in supporting chemical distribution SMEs.&lt;/p&gt;

Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015.

Colic is the most common equine emergency problem, and one of the main causes of equid deaths. The horse owners' ability to recognise colic is a critical first step in determining case outcome. To assess equine owners' knowledge and recognition of colic. Online questionnaire of horse owners. An online survey was designed to evaluate owners' approach to colic in the horse. The survey included questions on owner demographics, their recognition of colic (including owner's opinions of their ability to recognise colic, their approach, and their recognition of colic using case vignettes), and their knowledge of normal ranges for clinical parameters. Descriptive and chi squared statistical analysis was performed. The survey was completed by 1061 UK respondents. Six per cent of owners thought they could recognise all types of colic, 61% said they could recognise most cases and 30% said they could recognise some but not all cases. Owners said they would assess faecal output (73% of respondents), gastrointestinal sounds (69%), respiratory rate (62%) and heart rate (50%) in horses with suspected colic. One fifth (22%) of owners would call a vet immediately without assessing any parameters. Many respondents either did not know, or provided incorrect estimates of normal values for clinical parameters: 30.4% were 'unsure' of the normal heart rate and 35.5% gave heart rate values which were outside reference ranges; only 24.5% gave appropriate values for normal respiratory rates and only 31% gave normal temperature values. There was no statistical significance between participants' age, educational qualifications, or their experience with horses and their knowledge of normal clinical parameters. Owners varied in their approach and ability to recognise colic, and many had significant gaps in their knowledge of normal parameters. Educational materials and/or training to assist owners could help address these issues. Ethical animal research: The study did not involve animal research. The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. The questionnaire was conducted in accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act, and the British Educational Research Association's Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (2004). Adelle Bowden's studentship is funded by the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. Competing interests: None declared.