Personal characteristics of an entrepreneur and its influence on performance

This article explores the personal characteristics of an entrepreneur and its influence in performance. In our paper we mainly discussed, how personal characteristics of an entrepreneur influence on performance in the entrepreneurs/tip

Generic competitive strategy and customer retention: a study of the supermarkets in vavuniya district

A supermarket is a large form of the traditional grocery store. It is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food and household products, organized into aisles. It is larger in size and has a wider selection than a traditional grocery store, but is smaller and more limited in the range of merchandise than a hypermarket or big-box market. Supermarket focuses not only the cities but also the suburbs and villages. The Changes in social life, trends, technology have also significantly affected the industry. The reluctance that prevailed with people to buy from super markets at the beginning was gradually disappearing. Consequently, traditional retailers are now facing a great challenge of competing with existing super markets mainly to retain the customers by using some strategies. The objective of this study is to analysis the competitive strategy and customer retention of Supermarkets in Vavuniya District. Cost-leadership, differentiation, and focus are considered independent variables of this study and customer satisfaction, service quality, employees’ participation, and customer relations are considered as dependent variable. Data is collected from the customers of supermarkets in Vavuniya District. Totally 250 customers were selected as sample of this study based on their income above LKR 50000/=. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS 16). Correlation and Regression analysis of independents and dependent variables were made in this study. The finding of present study indicated that the positive relationship between generic competitive strategy and customer retention were observed. But differentiation strategy is highly correlated with customer retention of supermarkets in Vavuniya District

Beyond factor analysis: Multidimensionality and the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-Revised

Many studies have sought to describe the relationship between sleep disturbance and cognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and its variants (the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale-Revised; PDSS-R, and the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2; PDSS-2) quantify a range of symptoms impacting sleep in only 15 items. However, data from these scales may be problematic as included items have considerable conceptual breadth, and there may be overlap in the constructs assessed. Multidimensional measurement models, accounting for the tendency for items to measure multiple constructs, may be useful more accurately to model variance than traditional confirmatory factor analysis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a multidimensional model (a bifactor model) is more appropriate than traditional factor analysis for data generated by these types of scales, using data collected using the PDSS-R as an exemplar. 166 participants diagnosed with idiopathic PD participated in this study. Using PDSS-R data, we compared three models: a unidimensional model; a 3-factor model consisting of sub-factors measuring insomnia, motor symptoms and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) symptoms; and, a confirmatory bifactor model with both a general factor and the same three sub-factors. Only the confirmatory bifactor model achieved satisfactory model fit, suggesting that PDSS-R data are multidimensional. There were differential associations between factor scores and patient characteristics, suggesting that some PDSS-R items, but not others, are influenced by mood and personality in addition to sleep symptoms. Multidimensional measurement models may also be a helpful tool in the PDSS and the PDSS-2 scales and may improve the sensitivity of these instruments

A STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NORTHERN DISTRICT

The main objective of the study is to analysis the women entrepreneurs in Northern District and their organizational performance. Secondary literature reviews and primary data collections methods were used to conduct the study effectively. Random sampling method was adopted to select the respondents. The structural equation model was used in this study as well. The results revealed that the sole proprietorship performed very well (59.1 percent) than the family business and partnership. The food items have higher mean value in the profitability, turnover and customer choice than the other products. The paper product has higher mean value in the investment than other products. And pottery product has higher mean value in seasonal sales than other products. Finally customer satisfaction was discussed in this study. The insignificant effect was observed among the customer choice, investment, and seasonal purchase, and customer satisfaction.Keywords: Organizational Performance; Women Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship. For full Paper: [email protected]