A Study of Adult Reading in a Selected Rural County of Utah

One of the most remarkable developments of the present age is the apparently large increase in the reading public. The vast output of reading materials being purchased would seem to be evidence that reading is playing an increasingly important part in the daily lives of most people. Magazines and other publications crowd our stores, our homes, our very tables; at first glance, one would think that reading matter usurps our attention, and that we have come to depend upon it. The modern reader glances at the label on a can to learn its contents and uses. He reads the weather forecast and dresses accordingly; he looks to the want-ads for a second-hand typewriter, an apartment, or a lost purse. If the world were suddenly deprived of all printed material, it is probably that many people in the United States would find life exceedingly empty. That the educational world is coming to realized the fundamental importance of reading in the life of the individual citizen is shown by the increasing amount of attention which is being given the subject by scientific investigators. Interest in and a desire for knowledge concerning the reading habits of adults and the factors which affect these habits have developed rapidly during the past few years. Some of the most significant contributions which have been made recently in the field of educational research have been studies of phases of the reading process. The studies reveal that the dominant reading interests of the American people have varied with their changing needs and ideals. Furthermore, these same reading interests have exerted a strong influence upon the nature of the materials supplied for school reading, for religious study, and for the influencing of the people\u27s loyalty to the nation. There are several reasons for the new emphasis upon the reading habits of adults: first, the efforts of librarians and educators generally to promote adult education, and second, the increased interest in reading by adults because of their own realization of its social utility. Also the fact that useful learning is not prevented by advancing age has had a great deal to do with the place of serious reading in a modern society, for it implies that serious reading is helpful at any age

Henkilöstön vaihtuvuus ja siihen liittyvät tekijät telemarkkinointialalla : case: Gainer Oy

Tämä opinnäytetyö toteutettiin toimeksiantosopimuksena Gainer Oy:lle, joka on toiminut telemarkkinoinnin alalla jo vuodesta 1984. Opinnäytetyön tutkimusstrategiaksi valittiin case study eli tapaustutkimus. Käytimme tutkimusmenetelmänä kvalitatiivista eli laadullista tutkimusta. Tavoitteenamme oli tutkia ja selvittää henkilöstön vaihtuvuutta ja siihen liittyviä tekijöitä alalla, jossa henkilöstön vaihtuvuus koetaan ongelmaksi. Teoriaosuudessa käsittelemme teoreettisen viitekehyksen liittyen työnantajan keinoihin vaikuttaa työntekijän sitouttamiseen. Tämä on jaettu kahteen osa-alueeseen, jotka ovat rekrytointi sekä työhyvinvointi ja osaamisen kehittäminen. Empiirisessä osiossa päädyimme käyttämään puolistrukturoitua teemahaastattelua, joka toteutettiin suurimmaksi osaksi puhelimitse sekä muutama haastattelu tehtiin kasvotusten. Teemahaastattelu valikoitui parhaimmaksi menetelmäksi johtuen aiheen moniulotteisuudesta. Avoimella haastattelulla emme olisi välttämättä saaneet merkittävää tietoa samassa mittakaavassa kuin puolistrukturoidulla mallilla. Opinnäytetyön tuloksena päädyimme esittämään toimeksiantajalle muutamia kehitysehdotuksia. Haastatteluista johdetuilla päätelmillä saatettaisiin parantaa rekrytoinnin onnistumista, joka osaltaan parantaa kannattavuutta niin tuloksellisesti, kuin henkilöstön resurssejakin säästäen. Kehitysehdotuksia muodostui myös muihin osa-alueisiin liittyen. Näillä on myös vaikutusta henkilöstön yleiseen työhyvinvointiin ja työssä jaksamiseen.This thesis was carried out as a commission agreement for Gainer Oy, which has operated in the field of telemarketing since 1984. Our study was carried out as a case study using qualitative approach as our research method. Our objective was to study personnel turnover and matters relating to it in a field where personnel turnover is seen as a problem. In the theoretical section of the study we deal with the theoretical frame of reference related to the employer's means to influence employee engagement. This is divided into two sections that are recruiting, and occupational health and development of skills. In the empirical part of our study, we ended up using half-structured theme interviews, which were mainly carried out by telephone. A few interviews were carried out face-to-face. Theme interview was selected to be the best method because of the multidimensionality of the subject. By using open interviews, we would not necessarily have received as much significant information as by using the half-structured model. As a result of our study, we presented a few development proposals for our client/commissioner. The conclusions drawn from the interviews may lead to more successful recruiting, which in turn improves viability both in terms of productivity and by saving the resources of the personnel. There were also other development proposals concerning other areas. The results of the study may also help to improve the general well-being at work and coping with one’s workload