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Įmonės, teikiančios keleivių pervežimo paslaugas, siekia tapti prieinamos kiekvienam klientui. Internetinė svetainė – įrankis, padedantis ne tik populiarinti viešojo transporto idėją, bet ir lengvinti procesus. Straipsnio tyrimui atlikti pasirinktas Moustakis ir kt. (2004) internetinės svetainės kokybės vertinimo modelis. Tyrimas atskleidė, jog iš galimų 110 balų, analizuojama internetinė svetainė surinko 87. Tai nėra prastas rezultatas, tačiau internetinė svetainė turi tobulinamų funkcijų, kurios ateityje padės siekti aukščiausio rezultato. Reikšminiai žodžiai: keleivių pervežimas, internetinė svetainė, kokybė. The growing number of Internet users shows that businesses and service providers must digitize their services or provide electronic access. In order to remain competitive and attractive to customers, companies in the transport sector are increasingly involved in the online space and providing access to and use of services virtually. Passengers gain independence when they can use the service wherever they have an internet connection, but are critical of the quality of the information and features they provide. The article analyzes the quality of the website of a passenger transport company. The essential concept of a “website” and its quality assessment models and criteria are analyzed. A period of 30 years was chosen for a more in-depth study of the concept. Examining the authors and scientific sources of the distinguished and defined period, the similarities and differences of the concept that have emerged in the long run become clear. The concept of a website is often understood differently due to translation errors, the use of the concept in different contexts or insufficiently clear meanings. A website is often understood as a set of specific information that is accessible to a wide audience on demand, without requiring special computer literacy knowledge, in a language understood by any type of user. The analyzed website quality models highlight the most important quality dimensions to be assessed, showing the functionality and quality of the website. The research shows which parts of the website operate flawlessly and perform the intended tasks and functions, and which operations need to be reviewed, analyzed and improved in order to ensure only the highest quality services to users. The chosen research model thoroughly evaluates and analyzes the smallest criteria of website content, navigation, structure and design, appearance and multimedia, which are later divided into even smaller elements - sub-criteria. In order to track the regression or progress of the improvement process in critical areas, evaluations of the quality of the website should be performed on a regular basis to assess the outcome of the decisions made. Key words: Passenger transportation, website, quality

Patient-centered care is considered to be one of the essential pillars of a modern healthcare system. Thus, quality assessment based on patients’ perceptions, views and experiences in their journey through the healthcare system is recognized as one of the key principles for quality improvement initiatives. Measuring patient satisfaction can be confounded by expectations and prior experiences, which can be at least partly overcome by evaluating patient-perceived healthcare quality (PPHQ). Understanding the principal constituents of PPHQ may aid healthcare professionals and decision makers in the healthcare management process and help in creating instruments to meaningfully measure patient feedback. Herein, we aimed to analyze the primary determinants of PPHQ and their interactions, with a focus on patient experiences and healthcare accessibility, using the example of Lithuanian primary healthcare. For this purpose, we conducted a cross-sectional representative telephone survey that included a total of 1033 respondents (48% male) who had encountered primary healthcare during last 3 years. Survey questions consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, patient perceptions of healthcare service provision, patient experiences, self-reported health status and overall PPHQ ranked with a 5-point Likert scale as the primary outcome. The classification-regression tree (CRT) technique was used to analyze the relationship between different explanatory variables and PPHQ, as well as their relative importance and interactions. The majority of respondents (89%) evaluated PPHQ as acceptable or good. CRT analysis identified staff behavior, organizational accessibility and financial accessibility as the most important factors affecting PPHQ. Importantly, the latter factors surpassed the effect of other known PPHQ determinants, such as sociodemographic characteristics or health status. Further analysis has revealed that the relative importance of staff behavior, including understanding, attention and empathy, increased when more problems with organizational accessibility were encountered. In conclusion, our study suggests that PPHQ in primary healthcare may primarily be determined by organizational and financial accessibility and staff behavior, which may also act as an important mediating factor. Keywords: healthcare accessibility; healthcare quality; patient experiences; patient-perceived healthcare quality; primary healthcare.

Staiga atsiradus poreikiui mokykloms pereiti prie nuotolinio ugdymo, dauguma mokyklų tam nebuvo pasiruošusios, neturėjo patirties ir kūrė neišbandytus scenarijus netipinėmis sąlygomis. Analizuojant nuotolinio ugdymo kokybės kriterijų sritis atskleidžiamos Lietuvos mokyklų pirmosios COVID-19 bangos patirtys ir išmoktos pamokos, turinčios įtaką tolimesniems nuotolinio ugdymo sprendimams. Siekiant nuotolinio ugdymo kokybės pokyčiai turi būti inicijuojami visose 8 straipsnyje įvardytose veiklos srityse. During the initial COVID-19 breakout and related lockdown Lithuanian schools created new pathways of organizing distance education under unprecedented circumstances. The qualitative research focuses on the experiences of Lithuanian schools in organizing distance education during COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 – October 2020, searching for ways to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. The 8 school activity areas need changes during transition to distance teaching and learning: strategy, management and administration; infrastructure of information technologies; digital learning content; digital competencies and continuous professional development; teaching, learning and assessment in the digital environment; a support system for pupils and teachers; partnership, cooperation and networking; and quality assurance. Changes in all the indicated areas lead to the quality of distance teaching and learning. The qualitative research data (expert interviews and focus groups) revealed the importance of school community agreements regarding the choice of technologies and environments, and the need for a national digital curriculum to be created. Quality assurance of the learning process, improvement of digital competences and school community collaboration were among the most successfully changing areas. IT infrastructure, support system, and teaching and learning process were based on very different school or teacher decisions and led to different experiences.

Paslaugų kokybės vertinimas yra sudėtingas procesas, nes paslaugos yra heterogeninės, neatskiriamos ir naudojamos jų teikimo metu. Būtent dėl šių savybių nustatyti grožio terapijos paslaugų kokybę sudėtinga. Straipsnyje analizuojami grožio terapijos paslaugų sektoriniame praktinio mokymo centre kokybės vertinimo praktiniai aspektai, apibūdinama grožio terapijos paslaugos kokybė ir jos kriterijai, pristatomi grožio terapijos paslaugų kokybės tyrimo vartotojų požiūriu rezultatai. Tyrimo tikslas - įvertinti grožio terapijos paslaugų kokybę pasirinktame sektoriniame praktinio mokymo centre vartotojų požiūriu. Straipsnis parengtas, remiantis mokslinės ir normatyvinės literatūros analize, autorių atlikto kokybės tyrimo rezultatais, kurie grindžiami grožio terapijos paslaugų kokybės vertinimo modeliu. Tyrimui pasirinktas atsitiktinių respondentų elektroninės apklausos metodas. Apklausoje dalyvavo 195 respondentai. Nustatyta grožio terapijos paslaugos kokybė gali būti vertinama vadovaujantis tokiais kriterijais kaip apčiuopiamumas, patikimumas, jautrumas, tikrumas, empatiškumas. Išanalizavus anketinės apklausos rezultatus nustatyta, kad sektoriniame praktinio mokymo centre teikiamos paslaugos vartotojų požiūriu yra kokybiškos. Galima teigti, kad, respondentų nuomone, jie gavo patrauklias, priimtinas, profesionaliai ir kokybiškai atliktas paslaugas. Centro reputacija vertinama puikiai, beveik visi apklausos dalyviai jį rekomenduotų savo draugams ir pažįstamiems. The review of the quality of service is a complicated process because services are heterogeneous, inseparable and used when they are provided. Due to these features it is hard to assess the quality of beauty therapy service. The article analyses the practical aspects of the review of the beauty therapy services' quality in a sectoral practical training centre, describes the quality of the beauty therapy services and its criteria, presents the results of the research on the quality of the beauty therapy services concerning consumers. The aim of the research is to review the quality of the beauty therapy services concerning consumers in a chosen sectoral practical training centre. The article is based on a scientific and normative literature analysis and on the results of the quality review made by the authors, which are justified by the review model of the beauty therapy services' quality. The online survey method of random respondents was chosen for the research. 195 respondents participated in the survey in total. The determined quality of the beauty therapy services can be assessed according to criteria such as tangibility, reliability, sensitivity, certainty, empathy. After analysing the results of the survey it was determined that the provision of the services in the sectoral practical centre concerning consumers is high-quality. It can be stated that in the opinion of the respondents, they received inviting, acceptable, professional and quality services. The reputation of the centre got an excellent review, almost every participant of the survey would recommend it to their friends or acquaintances.

Konkurencingumo ir paslaugų kokybės sąsajos straipsnyje analizuojamos teoriniu ir praktiniu aspektais. Akcentuojama, kad konkurencingumas gali būti vertinamas pagal skirtingus lygius ir formas. Rengiant straipsnį išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti moksliniai šaltiniai, organizacijos įvertintos taikant konkurencinio profilio analizės ir apklausos metodus. Apklausta 316 Lietuvos draudimo organizacijų klientų iš įvairių šalies regionų ir miestų. Vertinant organizacijas išskirti tiesiogiai ir netiesiogiai konkurencingumui įtakos turintys veiksniai. Vertinti ir paslaugų kokybę lemiantys veiksniai. Nustatytos paslaugų kokybės sąsajos su paslaugas tiekiančių organizacijų konkurencingumu. Tyrimo rezultatai patvirtino hipotezę, kad paslaugas teikiančių organizacijų konkurencingumą labiausiai veikiantis veiksnys – teikiamų paslaugų kokybė. In this paper correlation of competitiveness and service quality are analyzed in theoretical and practical regard. It is emphasized that competitiveness might be evaluated according to different levels and formats. When preparing this paper scientific sources were analyzed and summarized, organizations were evaluated employing the methods of competitive profile analysis and surveying. Total of 316 Lithuanian insurance companies’ clients from various regions and towns of the country were surveyed. During the evaluation of the organizations direct and indirect factors influencing competitiveness were accentuated. Factors determining quality of service were also evaluated. Results of the research confirmed the hypothesis that competitiveness of service providing companies is mostly determined by the factor of service quality. Correlation between service quality and competitiveness of service providing companies was determined. Object of this paper − correlation of quality of services provided by “Lietuvos Draudimas”, AB and company’s competitiveness. Aims of the research – to evaluate the correlation of services provided by “Lietuvos Draudimas”, AB and company’s competitiveness and determine main factors of success. To achieve this aim following steps were suggested: to analyze theoretical concept of competitiveness, it’s levels and formats within the context of correlation with service quality; to determine main factors influencing success of “Lietuvos Draudimas”, AB, and present and analysis of competitive profile according to: factors influencing competitiveness directly; factors influencing competitiveness indirectly; service quality factors influencing competitiveness. The concepts of competition and competitiveness must be differentiated. Competitiveness is the ability to increase market share, profit margin and create added value, however the main task is not to step down to other entities participating in the market and to remain competitive for prolonged period of time. Competitiveness is not limited to one level, they are all interconnected. Competitiveness within international market is determined not by the country itself but rather by the understanding upheld by the sector or the company in a particular country. One of the most important factors encouraging organizations to compete is the quality of goods sold or services provided. Service quality is shaped by two actors – consumer and service provider. Only a company providing qualitative services gains consumer loyalty and acceptance and is victorious in the competitive struggle. “Lietuvos Draudimas”, AB occupies a very powerful competitive position according to following factors, directly influencing competitiveness: market share and quality of personnel. Correlation of quality of services provided by “Lietuvos Draudimas”, AB with company’s competitiveness is evident. The research hypothesis was confirmed – the main factor influencing service providing organizations’ competitiveness is the quality of services provided.

the question of quality of modified landscape is critical for the client and the users and depends on the quality of projects. After theoretical and empirical research, the paper proposes the framework for quality assessment criteria and corresponding indicators for assessing landscape architecture projects. By thorough analysis of the recent international research and design and implementation practices in Lithuania, the paper gives the flexible and universal set of environmental, socio-economic, and aesthetic quality criteria and relevant indicators in the context of sustainable performance.

Augantis paciento kaip pagrindinio paslaugų kokybės vertintojo vaidmens pripažinimas kokybės gerinimo procese ir nuolatinis neigiamos gimdymo patirties (būklės, susijusios su neigiama patirtimi, pvz., pogimdyminė depresija ar kitokia našta) eskalavimas žiniasklaidoje tiek atskiriems individams, tiek visuomenei skatina plačiau nagrinėti su akušerinių paslaugų teikimo kokybe susijusius, ją formuojančius aspektus. Akušerinių paslaugų sektoriaus vaidmuo pabrėžiamas Lietuvos sveikatos programoje, kurioje numatomos ilgalaikės gimdyvėms teikiamų paslaugų kokybės tobulinimo kryptys. Akušerinių paslaugų kokybės užtikrinimo tematika yra viena prioritetinių Pasaulio sveikatos organizacijos veiklos krypčių. Šio tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti pacienčių (gimdyvių) požiūrį į teikiamų akušerinių paslaugų kokybę. Tretinio lygio akušerines paslaugas teikiančioje sveikatos priežiūros įstaigoje buvo atliktas kiekybinis anketinės apklausos tyrimas. Tyrime dalyvavo 309 pagimdžiusios moterys, joms pateikta 50 klausimų paslaugų kokybės vertinimo anketa. Suminis vidinis klausimyno patikimumas – 0,966. Nustatyta, kad nors tiriamos įstaigos paslaugų kokybė vertinama kaip aukšta, tačiau moterų poreikis aktyviai dalyvauti savo sveikatos priežiūros procese realizuojamas nepakankamai, tobulintini komunikaciniai paslaugų teikimo aspektai. Išskirtos pacienčių grupės, kurių priežiūrai, siekiant gerinti teikiamų paslaugų kokybę iš paciento perspektyvos, skirtinas ypatingas personalo dėmesys, pirmiausia realizuojant efektyvios komunikacijos tarp paciento ir paslaugas teikiančio personalo poreikį. Tai natūraliais gimdymo takais gimdžiusios moterys, kurioms atlikta epiziotomija, ir moterys, kurioms nebuvo užtikrintas ankstyvas kontaktas su naujagimiu iškart pagimdžius. Vertinant greitą paslaugų kokybę apibūdinančių veiksnių kaitą, atsirandant naujų kokybišką paslaugų teikimą apibrėžiančių faktorių, tampa akivaizdu, kad standartinės kokybės vertinimo anketos, skirtos vertinti akušerinių situacijų paslaugų kokybei, turi būti nuolat atnaujinamos, o kokybės vertinimas turi būti atliekamas periodiškai, pasitelkus vertinimo klausimynus, orientuotus į akušerijos kokybės specifiką. Reikšminiai žodžiai: paslaugų kokybė, pacientas, akušerija, kokybės vertinimas. The growing recognition of patients’ roles as key evaluators of service quality in the healthcare quality improvement process – as well as periodic media coverage of adverse birth experiences, such as postpartum depression, that place burdens on mothers and society in general – encourages a broader examination of the aspects that form the quality of midwifery services. The relevance of this topic is also determined by the emphasis on the role of the obstetric service sector in the Lithuanian Health Programme, which provides long-term directions for improving the quality of services provided to mothers. Quality assurance of maternity services is also one of the main scopes of the World Health Organization’s activity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the attitudes of patients towards the quality of obstetric services provided. A quantitative survey was conducted at a tertiary level obstetric facility unit involving 309 women who had given birth. Respondents participated in the study by submitting a service quality evaluation questionnaire, and the total internal reliability of the questionnaire was 0.966. The research revealed that, although the quality of maternity services in the institution where the research was conducted was assessed as high, the need for women to actively participate in their health care process is not ensured sufficiently and communicative aspects of the provision of services can be improved. Women who undergo vaginal delivery and have episiotomies, as well as women who are not guaranteed early contact with the newborn immediately after giving birth, require special attention on behalf of the medical staff. This is first ensured by realizing the need for effective communication between the patient and healthcare specialists in order to improve the quality of the services provided. Assessing rapid changes in the healthcare service quality field and the constant emergence of new factors defining quality of services, it becomes obvious that standard quality assessment questionnaires for obstetric situations must be constantly reviewed, and quality assessment must be carried out periodically using questionnaires focused specifically on obstetrical practice. Keywords: quality of services, patient, maternity care, quality assessment.

Informacinių technologijų paslaugas teikiančiose struktūrose dažnu atveju iškeliami tikslai paslaugų kokybei ir valdymui gerinti. Gebėjimas išlikti konkurencingam yra vienas svarbiausių kiekvienos šiuolaikinės organizacijos sėkmės faktorių, todėl kiekvienas verslas siekia tobulėti ir seka technologines naujoves. Tam, kad procesai versle būtų sėkmingi, privalu remtis racionaliais ir gerai apgalvotais sprendimais, o šiuos sprendimus labai dažnai padeda priimti būtent panaudojant technologijas gauta ir susisteminta informacija bei žinios. Daugeliu atvejų duomenimis grįsti sprendimai sukuria prielaidas išvengti didelių rizikų arba jas sumažinti. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos IT procesų taikymo klientų aptarnavimo paslaugoms gerinti galimybės ir, atlikus tyrimą, pateikiamos jų tobulinimo galimybės. Kadangi klientų pasitenkinimas suteiktomis paslaugomis tiesiogiai koreliuoja su paslaugų kokybe, nuolatinis teikiamų paslaugų procesų vertinimas ir optimizavimas yra neišvengiamas. Tyrimo tikslas yra ištirti ir empiriškai įvertinti esamus pasirinktos įmonės IT incidentų valdymo procesus bei numatyti jų tobulinimo galimybes. Atlikus incidentų valdymo procesų analizę pasirinktoje įmonėje (atvejo analizė), identifikuotiems trūkumams likviduoti pateiktas incidentų valdymo procesų patobulinimas. Atlikto patobulinimo efektyvumui įvertinti taikyti aprašomosios ir išvadų statistikos metodai, kurie parodė, kad patobulintas procesas turėjo statistiškai reikšmingą teigiamą įtaką klientų aptarnavimo paslaugų kokybei gerinti. Todėl galima teigti, kad įgyvendinti pakeitimai yra efektyvūs ir naudingi įmonės veiklos kontekste. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: IT procesai, IT incidentų valdymas, ITIL, paslaugų kokybė, atvejo analizė, empirinis tyrimas. Organisations that provide information technology services mostly set goals for improving the quality and management of services. The ability to remain competitive is one of the most critical factors in any modern organisation's success. For business processes to be successful, it is necessary to rely on rational and well-thought-out solutions. In many cases, data-based solutions create conditions to avoid or reduce significant risks. The article examines the possibilities of applying IT processes to improve customer service and presents its improvement outcomes. Customer satisfaction with the services provided is directly correlated with the quality of services. The research investigates and empirically evaluates the existing IT incident management processes of the selected company and provides opportunities for their improvement. After analysing incident management processes in the selected company, an improvement of the incident management processes was presented to eliminate the identified deficiencies. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the improvements. The results obtained show that the improved process had a statistically significant positive impact on improving the customer service quality. Therefore, it can be stated that the implemented changes are effective and useful in the context of the company's operations. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: IT processes, IT incident management, ITIL, service quality, case study, empirical research.

Artificial intelligence-grounded machine translation has fundamentally changed public awareness and attitudes towards multilingual communication. In some language pairs, the accuracy, quality and efficiency of machine-translated texts of certain types can be quite high. Hence, the end-user acceptability and reliance on machine-translated content could be justified. However, machine translation in small and/or low-resource languages might yield significantly lower quality, which in turn may lead to potentially negative consequences and risks if machine translation is used in high-risk contexts without awareness of the drawbacks, critical assessment and modifications to the raw output. The current study, which is part of a more extensive project focusing on the societal impact of machine translation, is aimed at revealing the attitudes towards usability and quality as perceived from the end-user perspective. The research questions addressed revolve around the machine translation types used, purposes of using machine translation, perceived quality of the generated output, and actions taken to improve the quality by users with various backgrounds. The research findings rely on a survey of the population (N = 402) conducted in 2021 in Lithuania. The study reveals the frequent use of machine translation for a diversity of purposes. The most common uses include work, research and studies, and household environments. A higher level of education correlates with user dissatisfaction with the generated quality and actions taken to improve it. The findings also reveal that age correlates with the use of machine translation. Sustainable measures to reduce machine translation related risks have to be established based on the perceptions of different social groups in different societies and cultures.

Šiandien naujausiomis technologijomis grįstos vertimo programėlės su integruotu vaizdo atpažinimu suteikia galimybę išmaniuoju telefonu aptikti tekstą vaizde ir jį greitai išversti į norimą užsienio kalbą. Teksto vertimas vaizde yra dar visai nauja mokslinių tyrimų kryptis, tad šių mobiliųjų programėlių vertimo kokybė yra nepakankamai ištirta. Šio darbo objektas yra tekstų, išverstų pasitelkiant populiariąsias programėles su integruotu vaizdo atpažinimu, vertimo kokybė. Vertimo atlikto iš anglų kalbos į lietuvių kalbą su vaizdo atpažinimą integruojančiomis mašininio vertimo programėlėmis klaidų analizei pasirinkta adaptuota daugiamatė kokybės vertinimo sistema (angl. Multidimensional Quality Metrics) klasifikacija. Apibendrinus rezultatus, galima teigti, kad ištirtų vaizdo atpažinimą integruojančių programėlių vertimo iš anglų kalbos į lietuvių kalbą kokybė buvo itin prasta. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: mašininis vertimas, vaizdo atpažinimą integruojančios vertimo programėlės, vertimo kokybės vertinimas, vertimo klaidos, daugiamatė kokybės vertinimo sistema. With the advancement of mobile applications, now it is possible to perform instant text translation using a smartphone’s camera. Because text translation within images is still a relatively new field of research, it is not surprising that the translation quality of these mobile applications is under-researched. This study aims to determine the image-to-text translation quality in the English to Lithuanian language direction using popular machine translation apps. To classify errors and evaluate the quality of translation, the present study adopts and customizes the Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) framework (Lommel 2014). The obtained results indicate that image-to-text machine translation apps produce exceptionally low-quality translations for the English-Lithuanian language pair. Therefore, the quality of machine translation for low-resource languages such as Lithuanian remains an issue. Keywords: machine translation, image-to-text applications, translation quality assessment, translation errors, multidimensional quality metrics.

Straipsnyje analizuojama sporto renginių kokybė Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinių rungtynėse. Buvo atlikta kokybės vertinimo modelių lyginamoji analizė ir pasirinktas tinkamiausias sporto renginių kokybės modelis šiam tyrimui – SPORTSERV. Atlikus tyrimą nustatyta, jog Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinių (Lietuvos nacionalinės krepšinio vyrų ir moterų rinktinės, Lietuvos jaunučių, jaunių ir jaunimo) rungtynių renginio kokybę vertina gerai ir labai gerai. Kaip svarbiausią tyrime naudoto SPORTSERV modelio sporto renginių kokybės kategoriją respondentai išskyrė saugumą (renginio vietos ir aplinkos saugumo užtikrinimas). Analizuojant skirtumus tarp vyrų ir moterų, paaiškėjo, jog vyrai geriau vertina Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinių rungtynių renginio kokybę nei moterys. Tiek vyrai, tiek moterys kaip mažiausiai įtakos turintį veiksnį įvardijo, jog arenoje galima nusipirkti kokybiško maisto ir gėrimų., This article examines the quality of sport events in the matches of Lithuanian basketball teams. The theoretical part analyzes the concept, significance, quality of sports events and the factors that determine it. A comparative analysis of quality assessment models was performed and the most appropriate quality model for sports events was selected for this study - SPORTSERV (Theodorakis & Kambitsis, 1998; Theodorakis et al., 2001; Theodorakis et al., 2008). A questionnaire was prepared based on this model. The survey collected and analyzed data, discussed results, and presented conclusions. Question arises – how to properly assess the quality of a sporting event? Object of work – quality of matches events in Lithuanian basketball teams (Lithuanian national basketball men's and women's national teams, Lithuanian youth). The aim of the work – to evaluate the quality of a sports event from the point of view of spectators: on the example of Lithuanian basketball team matches. The goals: 1. To define the concept and meaning of a sports event and it‘s quality. 2. To identify the factors determining the quality of sports events from the theoretical point of view. 3. To reveal the quality of Lithuanian basketball teams: Lithuanian national basketball men's and women's teams, Lithuanian youth match events held from 01.09.2019 to 01.06.2020 from the point of view of spectators. Conclusions: 1. The definition of a sporting event can be distinguished as the gathering of sports participants, spectators at a certain place and time at which they watch or participate in a sports competition. Sports events are divided according to - the level of the game (professional or amateur), only one sport (European and world championships of various sports) or several sports (Olympic Games). The significance of sporting events can be divided into direct (economic) and indirect (social, cultural, political). The quality of a sporting event can be described as the satisfaction of spectators and participants with the event and one of the factors determining the demand for this type of event. 2. After analyzing the scientific literature of different authors as the factors determining the quality of sports events can be distinguished - material things (palpability), security, event location, emotion, event time, information about the event, discounts, food quality, staff competencies and friendliness, labeling, design, empathy, reliability (reputation of sports event organizers), level of play and experience of athletes, price, access (location of the sports event and it’s attractiveness). 3. The research revealed that the quality of the research was well assessed by the spectators in the Lithuanian basketball team matches. Analyzing the satisfaction of men and women in the matches of Lithuanian basketball teams, it was noticed that the satisfaction of men was higher than that of women. The highest scores of respondents were in the safety category (the location and environment of the event are safe). Where most efforts should be made in organizing Lithuanian basketball team matches, respondents named the category of material things (modernity of the arena, sound system, ventilation, etc.). This category had the lowest scores for both womens and mens.

Paslaugų kokybė yra vienas iš svarbiausių įmonių konkurencingumo didinimo aspektų. Logistikos įmonės įgyvendina kokybės valdymo sistemas, kad užtikrintų paslaugų kokybę. Kadangi logistikos įmonės vykdo įvairią veiklą, kyla pavojus, kad netinkamos kokybės valdymo sistemos taikymas gali sukeltų finansinių nuostolių. Šio darbo tikslas - nustatyti logistikos įmonėse naudojamų kokybės vadybos sistemų įtaką įmonių konkurencingumui. Buvo atliktas kokybiškas Lietuvoje veikiančių įmonių tyrimas siekiant nustatyti, kokias kokybės valdymo sistemas taiko logistikos įmonėse. Išanalizuotos 66 logistikos įmonės, dirbančios krovinių gabenimo, sandėliavimo, gamybos ir prekybos srityje. Tyrimui buvo taikomas interviu metodas, apklausti įmonių transporto skyrių vadovai. Tyrimo laikotarpis buvo nuo 2016 iki 2018 m. Service quality is one of the most important aspects of enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises. Logistics companies are implementing quality management systems in order to ensure the quality of the services. Whereas logistics companies carry out different activities, there is a risk that application of inadequate quality management system would result in financial losses. Purpose of the research. The purpose of this research paper is to determine the impact of quality management systems used in logistics companies on the competitiveness of the companies. Methodology of the research. A qualitative research of the companies operating in Lithuania was conducted in order to determine what quality management systems are applied in logistics companies. 66 logistics companies working in the field of freight transportation, warehousing, manufacturing and trade were analysed. An interview method was applied for the research, heads of transport departments of the companies were interviewed. The research period was from 2016 to 2018.

Objective: The research is to analyse the theoretical leadership assessment assumptions, to determine the compatibility of managers’ assessment by choosing to implement the quality management system EQUASS (The European Quality in Social Services) in a social service organization. Methodology: Research Methods are based on researchers’ insights, applying scientific literature analysis and synthesis methods, discussing leadership styles and leadership factors, questioning survey leaders’ opinions on participation in implementing quality management system in EQUASS, taking into account leadership style and leadership factors. Findings: The empirical study identified a correlation analysis between leaders’ aspirations to participate in the project Improving the Quality of Social Services through EQUASS and the leadership style of these leaders in relation to leadership expression factors. The results of the pilot study have shown that the strongest inspirational motivation factor is judged by the senior manager, senior managers with a high managerial experience, and the result-oriented award-winning factor. Value Added: The attitude of leaders in implementing a quality management system in an organization providing social services, taking into account the style and factors of leadership. Appropriate and effective leadership of the manager can lead to successful employee performance by implementing quality services and helping employees overcome difficulties in an organizational environment by implementing a quality management system. Recommendations: In social service organizations, leadership has its own specificity, because the management’s work is based on the principles of social work focused on satisfying the needs of the service user and aspects of integration into society and modern management principles. Successful leadership is achieved by adapting leadership style to the needs of employees and users, taking into account the circumstances. Leadership style is particularly important in influencing the activities of the members of the organization, the efficiency of their work, creating the right conditions for education and cooperation.

In Lithuania, the efforts are made to ensure the conditions of safe, comfortable and fast passenger and freight transportation on Lithuanian roads, satisfying geometric characteristics of their particular categories and the specified requirements to their pavement. The considered characteristics of pavement include its roughness, strength and the admissible rut depth and destruction level. Rest and Service Areas (RSAs) are usually set up at the roadside. The paper presents a description of the conditions specified for the movement of motor vehicles on the major Lithuanian roads in the seasons of warm weather and a Classification Model (CM) of the required conditions. It also provides the results of the evaluation of actual Travel Conditions (TCs) on the main Lithuanian roads by using the developed model. The obtained results show that in 2016 on the considered highways were good and very good, except for road A9, where the TCs were satisfactory. It is demonstrated that the distances between RSAs comply with the recommended distances. It is also shown that roughness of pavement and strength of the Structure of the Pavement (SP) depend on the destruction or damage level of pavement. The values of such pavement parameters as roughness, rut depth and destruction level, which should not be exceeded because they help to ensure either comfortable or good TCs on Lithuanian highways, are given. The suggested model of road TCs can be used for determining the quality of TCs on highways. Keywords: motorways, travel conditions, structure of the pavement, pavement, rest and service areas, roadside landscape.

The article deals with the problems of the development of school heads’ and teachers’ leadership: the relevance of the development of leadership for systemic qualitative changes of school activity has been emphasized, referring to the results of the research the opportunities and conditions of the development of teachers’ leadership in school have been described, the relations of the development of leadership with the changes in school governance and culture have been substantiated, the tendencies of five years of the development of leadership in school have been revealed.

Kokybės samprata daugiareikšmė ir vis dar kuriama, įvairūs tyrimai skirtingose mokslo kryptyse praplečia jos analizės parametrus ir atveria erdvę naujoms įžvalgoms. Pastaruoju metu išryškinta kokybės aukštojo mokslo institucijose tyrimų linija (aktuali straipsnyje taikomoms institucionalizavimo ir perkėlimo prieigoms) susieja kokybės tematiką su aukštojo mokslo institucijų kaitos raiška. Moksliniame diskurse išryškintas socialinių dalininkų vaidmuo kokybės užtikrinimo sistemoje siejamas su sisteminiais procedūriniais mechanizmais – tyrimuose analizuojama, kokiais būdais socialiniai dalininkai yra įtraukiami į aukštojo mokslo institucijos vadybos procesus, kaip plėtojami ryšiai. Mokslinėje literatūroje išryškinamos kokybės kaip keliaujančios idėjos tyrimo prielaidos, tačiau nėra tyrinėtas kokybės kaip idėjos taikomasis perkėlimas (angl. translation) į aukštojo mokslo institucijos kontekstą. Strateginiuose dokumentuose fiksuojamos kokybės kaip idėjos reikšmės ir aukštosios mokyklos veiklos kokybės vertinimo rodikliai įgalina kokybės kaip idėjos perkėlimą į aukštojo mokslo institucijos kontekstą. Socialinių dalininkų interesų raiška veiklos rodikliuose – kokybės kaip idėjos taikomojo perkėlimo į institucinį kontekstą rezultatas. Socialinių dalininkų požiūriai į aukštąjį mokslą skiriasi, todėl kokybė kaip idėja ir jos taikomasis perkėlimas aukštojo mokslo institucijose vertinamas skirtingais veiklos rodikliais. Rodiklių visumos vertinimas tampa pagrindu, kuriuo remiantis socialiniai dalininkai išreiškia poziciją apie kokybę aukštojo mokslo institucijoje. Šio straipsnio tikslas – ištirti kokybės kaip idėjos raišką aukštojo mokslo institucijų strateginiuose dokumentuose. Siekiant šio tikslo straipsnyje analizuojama kokybės samprata aukštajame moksle pasitelkiant skandinaviškojo institucionalizmo teorinę prieigą, apibūdinamas kokybės kaip idėjos taikomasis perkėlimas į aukštojo mokslo institucijos kontekstą, taip pat tiriami Latvijos ir Lietuvos universitetų strateginiuose planuose suformuluoti kokybės indikatoriai, atspindintys skirtingus socialinių dalininkų interesus. The concept of quality is ambiguous and still under development – various studies in different fields of science expand the parameters of its analysis and open up a space for new insights. Recently, the researches in quality in higher education discuss quality issues in the context of changes that occur in the field of higher education. The role of the stakeholders in the quality assurance system could be linked to systemic procedural mechanisms – ways in which stakeholders are involved, how relationships among stakeholders and higher education institutions are developed. In scientific discourse, the role of stakeholders in quality assurance systems is linked to systemic procedural mechanisms and depends on the stakeholders’ interests. The scientific literature highlights the assumptions of quality as a traveling idea, but there is no research on the transfer of quality as an idea to the context of a higher education institution. This article analyzes the concept of quality in higher education through the theoretical perspective of Scandinavian institutionalism and examines the expression of quality as an idea in the strategic documents of higher education institutions. Indicators of quality applied for the analysis of the expression of quality as an idea in the strategic documents of higher education institution demonstrate the transfer of quality as an idea into the context of a higher education institution based on the interests of stakeholders. The roles of stakeholders in higher education institutions are different, so quality, as an idea, and its transfer to higher education institutions is assessed by different indicators, which express quality (quality as an idea) in higher education institutions based on the expectations of different stakeholders.

Trust –a critical mechanism to manage vulnerability amidst uncertainty– may greatly influence healthcare practices, and consequently, its objectives. Building upon the work of Jurgen Habermas and the framework of trust chains, the aim of this article is to unpack how trust dynamics between the state, the provider, and the service user shape the functioning of mental healthcare in one of the former Soviet states –Lithuania. The case is of interest to medical sociology due to the region's historical and contemporary context. By drawing on in-depth interviews with healthcare providers and users, I demonstrate how the chains of reciprocal distrust underpin the workings of the mental health system and how the actors in turn employ a range of responses to such distrust. The instances of trusting relations nevertheless demonstrate how trust might facilitate the strive for mental healthcare that is more accessible, efficient, and of higher quality.

Increasing significance of brand equity encourages to analyse brand equity concept, its dimensions, and their impact on purchase intentions. Understanding why customers are willing to purchase certain food brands can help both retailers, and food product’s manufacturers build brands and compete in the market. Thus, the aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of brand equity dimensions on purchase intentions buying food products in Lithuania. Research methods: literature analysis, comparative, systematic analysis, questionnaire survey as a quantitative method, data analysis, regression analysis was used to achieve the aim. Results indicate that brand awareness doesn’t have significant impact on purchase intentions buying food products in Lithuania. Brand image, perceived quality and brand trust are deeply associated with purchase intentions buying food products in Lithuania and influence purchase intentions in a given order by their impact.

Straipsnyje pristatomas Lietuvos mokslo tarybos finansuotas tyrimas, kuriuo buvo siekiama išsiaiškinti Lietuvos vertimo rinkos dalyvių – vertimo paslaugas teikiančių įmonių ir laisvai samdomų vertėjų – požiūrį į mašininį vertimą ir postredagavimą kaip į vis dažniau užsakomą vertėjų darbo paslaugą. Šiuo metu objektyvios informacijos apie mašininio vertimo taikymą Lietuvos vertimo paslaugas teikiančiose įmonėse, vertėjų požiūrį į taip verčiamus tekstus ir postredagavimo keliamus iššūkius Lietuvoje nėra. Nėra informacijos ir apie tai, kokias kompetencijas reikėtų ugdyti jau dirbantiems vertėjams ir dar tik besimokantiems vertimo studentams, kad jie galėtų prisitaikyti prie šios naujos realybės ir sėkmingai dirbtų rinkoje. Parengti du klausimynai: vienas – vertimo paslaugas teikiančioms įmonėms (n1 = 42), kitas – vertėjams (n2 = 61), atliktos dvi apklausos. Kokybiškai išanalizavus apklausų duomenis, pasitvirtino prielaida, kad ir vertėjai, ir vertimo paslaugas teikiančios įmonės mano, kad tobulėjant mašininio vertimo programoms postredagavimo kompetencijų svarba vertėjo profesijai sparčiai augs, nes didžioji dauguma tekstų bus verčiami automatiškai. Kaip svarbiausias postredagavimo kompetencijas tyrimo respondentai įvardijo teksto lingvistikos žinias, puikų vertimo ir originalo kalbų mokėjimą ir verčiamo teksto srities išmanymą. Be to, paaiškėjo, kad beveik trečdalis rinkos dalyvių neigiamai vertina mašininio vertimo programų naudojimą darbe dėl nepakankamos kokybės (vertimo įmonės) arba tai laiko grėsme savo profesinei karjerai (vertėjai). Tikimasi, kad atliktas tyrimas prisidės prie palankesnio mašininio vertimo technologijų vertinimo ir paskatins naujus postredagavimo tyrimus Lietuvoje. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: mašininis vertimas, neuroninis mašininis vertimas, postredagavimas, postredaktorius, postredagavimo kompetencijos, postredaktorių rengimas. The article presents the results of the research project funded by the Research Council of Lithuania, the aim of which was to find out the attitude of Lithuanian translation market participants – companies and freelance translators – towards machine translation and post-editing. Currently, there is no objective information on the application of machine translation in companies providing translation services in Lithuania or the attitude of translators to machine translated texts and the challenges posed by post-editing as a service. There is also no information on the competences that need to be developed by translators and translation students so that they can adapt to this new reality and work successfully on the market. To reach this aim, two questionnaires were prepared: one for translation companies providing translation services (n1=42) and the other for translators (n2=61), and two surveys were carried out. A qualitative analysis of survey data confirmed that among market participants there is a strong belief that as machine translation programs progress, the importance of competences ensuring quality post-editing will grow rapidly. Among the most important competences for post-editing, both groups of respondents singled out knowledge of text linguistics, native and foreign language proficiency, and knowledge of the field of translation. However, the surveys have also revealed that at least one third of market participants have a negative view toward machine translation and see it as a threat to the quality of translation (agencies) and/or their jobs (translators). It is expected that the conducted research will contribute to the promotion of a more favourable attitude of translators to machine translation technologies and will encourage further research in post-editing in Lithuania. Keywords: machine translation, neural machine translation, post-editing post-editor, post-editing competences, training of post-editors.

XXI amžiuje išsilavinimas įvardijamas ne tik kaip viena iš pamatinių žmogaus teisių, užtikrinančių gyvenimo kokybę, bet ir pagrindiniu darnios visuomenės plėtros varikliu. Todėl šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje žinių siekis turėtų tapti kiekvieno jauno žmogaus veiklos prioritetu ir gyvenimo būdu. Šios priežastys skatina analizuoti ir vertinti veiksnius, kurie sąlygoja ugdymo kokybę, nes šiandienos Lietuvos ir europinių švietimo dimensijų kontekstas lemia ugdymo(si) kokybės svarbos užtikrinimo būtinybę nuo pat ankstyvojo amžiaus. Tai itin svarbu, nes kokybiško ugdymosi užtikrinimas yra susijęs su vaiko ugdymosi galimybėmis, iššūkiais bei tolimesnėmis jo ugdymosi perspektyvomis. Lietuvos ugdymo įstaigose buvo atliktas empirinis tyrimas, kuriame dalyvavo 110 pradinio ugdymo mokytojų. Tyrimo tikslas – išanalizuoti pradinių klasių mokinių ugdymą kokybės aspektu. Tyrimo duomenims surinkti buvo vykdoma anketinė apklausa. Parengta anketa, kurioje buvo išskirti esminiai informaciniai blokai, susiję su pradinių klasių mokinių ugdymo kokybe: Ugdymo proceso planavimas ir organizavimas, Ugdomoji aplinka, Mokytojo asmenybė ir jo profesionalumas. Tyrimo metu buvo teoriškai ir empiriškai išanalizuoti veiksniai, kurie lemia pradinių klasių mokinių ugdymo kokybę. Nustatyti statistiškai reikšmingi skirtumai, vertinant skirtingus veiksnius, pedagoginio darbo stažo ir skirtingą kvalifikacinę kategoriją turinčiose mokytojų grupėse. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: empirinis tyrimas, kokybės užtikrinimas, pradinė mokykla, ugdymo kokybė In the 21st century, education is identified not only as one of the fundamental human rights that ensure the quality of life, but also as a key driver for the sustainable development of society. Therefore, in modern society, the pursuit of knowledge should become a priority and a way of life for every young person. These reasons encourage the analysis and evaluation of the factors that determine the quality of education, because the context of today's Lithuanian and European dimensions of education determines the necessity of ensuring the importance of the quality of education from an early age. This situation presupposes a problematic question of the research: what factors determine the quality of primary education. That the analysis requires quality assurance issues at the primary level of education becomes clear from the analysis of scientific, methodological literature and educational documents, as issues of quality of education at this level are insufficiently researched and emphasized. More attention is paid to the analysis of quality education in the pre-school sector and basic school. On the other hand, it is a very important and timely issue, because primary education is the first stage of formal education, which has important goals and objectives related to the child's educational opportunities, challenges and further development perspectives. In order to collect the research data, a questionnaire survey was conducted, in which 110 primary education teachers working in the country's educational institutions participated. A questionnaire was prepared, in which the essential information blocks related to the quality of education of primary school students were singled out: planning and organization of the educational process, creation of the educational environment, the teacher's personality and his professionalism. During the research, the factors that determine the quality of education of primary school students were analyzed theoretically and empirically. Statistically significant differences were found in the assessment of different factors, pedagogical work experience and groups of teachers with different qualification categories. Keywords: education quality, empirical research, primary school, quality assurance.

Pacientų požiūriui įtakos daro daug veiksnių, todėl šio darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti pacientų, sergančių širdies ir kraujagyslių ligomis (ŠKL), požiūrį į teikiamų paslaugų kokybę. Tikslui pasiekti taikyta mokslinės literatūros analizė ir kiekybinio tyrimo metodas. Naudotas klausimynas pacientų pasitenkinimui ligoninėje teikiamomis sveikatos priežiūros paslaugomis vertinti. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad tiriamieji vėl rinktųsi šią įstaigą. Respondentai buvo patenkinti gydytojų ir slaugytojų darbu bei skyriaus aplinka. Nustatyta, kad tiriamųjų požiūriui į suteiktų paslaugų kokybę poveikį daro sociodemografiniai veiksniai. Gauti tyrimo duomenys sudarė prielaidas identifikuoti trūkumus ir pateikti paslaugų gerinimo rekomendacijas. Raktažodžiai: sveikatos priežiūros kokybė, paslauga, pasitenkinimas. The master’s thesis analyses the attitude of patients to the quality of provided health care services. Patients’ attitudes are influenced by many factors, so the aim of this research is to analyse the attitudes of patients with cardiovascular disease towards the quality of services provided. in order to achieve the goal, the analysis of scientific literature and the method of quantitative research were applied. A questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction with the services provided by the hospital. The results of the study showed that the respondents would choose this institution again. The respondents were satisfied with the work of physicians and nurses, as well as the environment of the ward. It was found that the respondents’ attitude towards the quality of provided services is influenced by socio-demographic factors. The results of the research created preconditions for identifying shortcomings and providing recommendations for the improvement of services. Keywords: health care quality, service, satisfaction.

Straipsnyje analizuojamas profesinio mokymo proceso kokybės valdymas. Aptariami teoriniai profesinių mokyklų kokybės valdymo aspektai, pristatomi juridiniai dokumentai, reglamentuojantys kokybės valdymą, ir atlikto tyrimo duomenys. Iš viso atliekant tyrimą apklausti 628 tyrimo dalyviai (240 mokytojų, 340 mokinių ir 48 mokyklų vadovai). Atsitiktiniu atrankos metodu pasirinkta po tris profesinio mokymo mokyklas iš kiekvieno Lietuvos regiono (Marijampolės, Alytaus, Utenos, Panevėžio, Šiaulių, Telšių, Tauragės, Klaipėdos, Kauno, Vilniaus). Lithuanian vocational education is part of a clearly structured education system, where it is relatively easy to move among different educational levels and without vocational training it also includes general (pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic and secondary) and higher education (colleges and universities). The majority of vocational training programmes are implemented in the school system, i.e. training takes place in licensed offices. According to the data of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, vocational education is initial and continuous. Initial vocational training can be only formal, but continuous – both, formal and informal. Formal vocational training programmes are carried out by 70 state and 3 non-state vocational education institutions. A quantitative study also found that the majority (78%) of educational providers (pedagogues (n = 240), school heads (n = 48) (81% and 66% respectively) perceive quality as a continuous improvement of services. In addition, 52% teachers and school heads (62% and 48% respectively) define quality as the correspondence with the goal, i.e. how much the vocational training institution meets its goals and realizes the functions provided in legal acts. Defining the quality concept, 49% study participants (n = 628) emphasized the satisfaction of consumers’ needs and 28% – the importance of missing errors. However, only a small percentage of educational service providers (n = 288) involved in the study perceive the quality as excellence and service exclusivity (21% respectively), although the same varied services are missed by both pedagogues and users of services – students. The participants of the study (n = 628) unanimously agree that the achievements of the students correspond to the goals set in the curriculum and the powers of the center learners. However, radical attitudes stand out in terms of the educational institution’s effective contribution to the development of personality; teachers take into account students’ personal, social and cultural experience, the context of their life and school activities when raising educational goals; lessons and classes are conducted according to a predefined and agreed schedule; educators in a timely manner notice and properly develop the abilities and talents of each student; the teacher, choosing the methods, forms, and tasks of the education, gets acquainted with the motives of students’ activities and learning. This difference in attitude suggests that students do not always feel understood and appreciated and may lack knowledge of the organization of the teaching process. This is also evidenced by the fact that students do not know what kind of school support and assistance procedures are provided to students. Looking at the responses of school heads (n = 48), they would look much better compared to teachers (n = 240) and students (n = 340). Teachers’ and school heads’ attitudes towards quality management principles distinguishes. Pedagogues, who usually understand their work as performing lessons, do not think that quality management principles are important for an organization and teaching process. Customer orientation is usually understood as the clarification of the customer’s needs and expectations, as well as the quality of service provided. School heads (n = 48) have highlighted this feature as the most important, since many vocational training institutions work in a competitive environment, consequently each learner is important as well as meeting their needs and expectations is a necessary part of the quality management system. Principle of leadership for school heads (n = 48) is also more important than pedagogues (n = 240). Pedagogues probably believe that the school head is the only leader, although the principle of leadership in the educational process has long been implemented, which indicates that the teacher has to strive to become a leader and to show leadership in his activities. School heads highlighted the key indicators of their responsibility: the implementation of the institution’s strategic plan; effective organization communication; organization image creation and improvement; management and planning of changes; the effectiveness of the quality management system; risk management; service quality. However, indicators of some respondents (n = 48) are not just their own responsibility. For example: effective organization communication or organization image creation and improvement. But traditionally, school heads take the most often mentioned indicators personally for themselves, but they cannot be effectively implemented without the educational institution community’s inclusion and full participation. The less topical responsibility areas for school heads (n = 48) are the following: motivation of employees; the creation and support of favorable microclimate; monitoring of educational process; team mobilization; monitoring of students’ achievements and progress.

Nuo 2023 m. pagerės sąlygos socialinės rizikos šeimoms auginančioms priešmokyklinio amžiaus vaikus (5-6 m.), nes savivaldybės įpareigotos užtikrinti ikimokyklinį ugdymą visiems vaikams. Dalis savivaldybių šią žinią sutiko su nerimu ir nepasitenkinimu. Gali kilti klausimas apie kokį vaikų skaičių, padidinančių priešmokyklinukų gretas, kalbame. Tokių vaikų būtų apie 1500 kasmet. Tai nėra didelis skaičius 60 savivaldybių, t. y. vidutiniškai po 25 vaikus kiekvienai. Žinoma, kiekviena savivaldybė skirtinga: vienos jų didelės, kitos - mažos; vienose daugiau socialinės rizikos šeimų, kitose – mažiau. Susisiekus su viena kita savivaldybe, paaiškėjo, kad jos kaip ir nemato didelių problemų. Viena jų padidėsiantį vaikų skaičių skaičiuoja ant pirštų, kita tokių vaikų turės du kartus daugiau, bet galvojama, dirbama šia linkme: kur bus ugdomi į priešmokyklinį ugdymąsi įsiliejantys iki šiol dar darželio nelankę vaikai, kaip jie bus atvežami iki ugdymo įstaigos, kaip jiems sukurti patraukią ugdymosi aplinką ir pan. Tačiau matėme ir kitokią reakciją. Štai televizijos laidose pasisakantys kai kurių savivaldybių atstovai piktinasi, kad su jais niekas nederinama, kad savivaldybėms stinga lėšų, neturi darželių, kad per didelės vaikų grupės juose. Gal tikrai per didelį kiekį funkcijų perkėlėme savivaldybėms? Žinoma, jos arčiau vaiko, tačiau labai skirtingos, skirtingi vadovai ir jų supratimas apie švietimą. Todėl kyla klausimas, ar galime jomis šimtu procentų pasitikėti. Visuomenės sveikatos centro reikalavimai dideli, ugdymosi erdvės nesukurtos, viešieji pirkimai, net turint lėšų, kartais stringa, o pirkimas už mažiausią kainą dažnai nieko bendra neturi su kokybe. Journal’s introductory article deals with preschool and pre-primary education actualities. At the end of November, the President of Lithuania signed Education law amendments. From the year 2023, the conditions for the social risk families bringing up preschool age children (5-6 years) should get better, because municipalities are obliged to ensure pre-primary education for all children. There were a lot of discussions up to that. Municipality and parents’ forum and other organisation representatives expressed worries. Municipalities state lacking kindergartens, preschool and pre-primary education teachers, educational environments are not arranged for such age children, etc. Parent representatives fear if their children are not seated in a school desk as first formers, and learn from textbooks, and so on. This problem is essentially solved; 800 are planned to be requalified, among them preschool and pre-primary education teachers. The project “Innovations in the kindergarten” closing next year should significantly contribute to education content creation, and so on. Changes in preschool and pre-primary education are grounded on neuroscience research and recommendations as well. Keywords: preschool education, pre-primary education, education quality.

This article presents the challenges and opportunities the application of a quality management practice in healthcare organizations presents in view of the psycho-emotional well-being of employees when implementing quality management practices. The article addresses the academic challenge of the impact implementation of a quality management practice has on the emotional well-being of employees, which is formulated as the following conundrum: does an implemented quality management practice improve the emotional well-being of employees. Although studies show that a quality management practice put in place has a positive impact on the quality of work, the introduction of a quality management practice sometimes has a negative impact on the emotional well-being of employees. The objective - to assess the impact of a quality management practice implementation on the emotional well-being of employees – has been met. Analysis and synthesis methods were applied, and a quantitative survey of 285 workers in three healthcare organizations was conducted. It was established that although all employees of organizations surveyed experience stressful situations at work, they feel better in organizations where a quality management practice is in place than in those where the practice is not in place. Therefore, we can argue that the implementation of a quality management practice improves the emotional well-being of employees. Keywords: quality management practice, emotional well-being, management, employees, healthcare organizations, sustainability.

Daugumoje Lietuvos aukštųjų mokyklų diegiamos vidinio kokybės valdymo sistemos. Jų poreikį skatina Europos šalių mokymo institucijų pokyčiai, kokybės valdymo sistemų populiarinimas kitų šalių švietimo institucijose bei Lietuvos verslo įmonėse, rinkos ekonomikoje. Pagal Visuotinės kokybės užtikrinimo sistemos principus kolegija siekia išlikti konkurencinga švietimo sistemoje, yra atsakinga už vidinės kokybės užtikrinimą, sistemos įgyvendinimą ir tobulinimą. Nuolatinė studijų programų peržiūra turi remtis studentų, absolventų, dėstytojų ir darbdavių nuomone. Siekiant tobulinti kolegijos veiklą, joje periodiškai atliekamos studentų apklausos bei tyrimai, siekiant išsiaiškinti jų nuomonę apie teikiamų paslaugų kokybę. Kokybei užtikrinti reikalingas grįžtamasis ryšys. Dažniausiai naudojamas būdas gauti grįžtamąjį ryšį apie studijas yra studentų apklausa. Straipsnio tikslas yra pateikti Kauno kolegijos studijų programos „Informacinės finansų sistemos“ kokybės vertinimą pirmosios absolventų laidos požiūriu. Šiuo atveju buvo pasirinkti pirmos laidos absolventų atsiliepimai apie šią studijų programą. Tyrimų metu buvo analizuojamos studijų programos stipriosios ir tobulintinos pusės bei pateikiamos rekomendacijos. Most Lithuanian higher education institutions implement internal quality management systems. Their demand is stimulated by changes in the educational institutions of European countries, the popularity of quality management systems in educational institutions of other countries, as well as Lithuanian business enterprises in the market economy. According to the principles of the Global Quality Assurance System, the University of Applied Science seeks to remain competitive in the education system and be responsible for internal quality assurance, its implementation and improvement. The continuous revision of study programmes should be based on the opinions of students, graduates, academic staff, and employers. To improve its performance, the institution periodically conducts students’ surveys and various studies to determine views on the quality of services provided. Quality assurance requires feedback. The most common way to get feedback on studies is to survey students. The article aims to present the assessment of the quality of the study programme of Financial Information Systems implemented in Kaunas University of Applied Science provided by its first graduates. In this case, feedback from the first graduates in this study programme was chosen. During the research, the strengths and areas for improvement of the study programme were analysed, and recommendations were provided.

Šiuo metu vis aktualesni tampa gamtosauginiai, produktų saugos, paslaugų kokybės klausimai. Siekdamos išlikti konkurencingos, verslo įmonės didina teikiamų paslaugų kokybę, paisydamos griežtėjančių gamtosaugos reikalavimų – naudoja atsinaujinančius resursus, keičiamas pakuotes. Dauguma gamybinių ir prekybinių įmonių kroviniams transportuoti naudoja medinius padėklus, kuriems patogu pritaikyti mechanizuotas manipuliacines priemones ir taip racionalizuoti krovos darbus. Mediena laikoma ekologiška medžiaga, tačiau kraunant ir transportuojant krovinį mediniai padėklai dažnai lūžta ir medienos atplaišų gali patekti į transportuojamus produktus. Tai itin aktualu maisto pramonėje. Europos Parlamento ir Tarybos reglamentas (EB) Nr 1935/2004 numato, kad medžiagos, naudojamos sandėliuojant ir transportuojant prekes bei tiesiogiai ar netiesiogiai besiliečiančios su maistu, „turi būti pakankamai inertiškos, kad neleistų į maistą išsiskirti tokiam medžiagų kiekiui, kuris keltų pavojų žmonių sveikatai“. Šiame kontekste patrauklesni tampa plastikiniai padėklai, kurie yra tvirtesni, ilgaamžiškesni ir beveik nekelia pavojaus užteršti transportuojamus maisto produktus aštriomis atplaišomis. Straipsnyje sprendžiamas probleminis klausimas – kaip galima užtikrinti produktų saugą maisto pramonėje. Tyrimo metu taikyti metodai – statistinių duomenų analizė ir maisto produktus gaminančios įmonės sandėlio darbuotojų apklausa. Tyrimas atskleidė, kad pagrįstų vartotojų skundų produktų sauga ir kokybe pastaruoju metu mažėja, nepaisant to, išlieka pavojus vartotojams susižeisti į maisto produktus patekusiais svetimkūniais. Tokie atvejai yra itin nemalonūs pramonės įmonėms, nes nukenčia jų reputacija ir tenka mokėti nemažas kompensacijas nukentėjusiems vartotojams. Environmental issues, product safety, and service quality are becoming more and more critical. To remain competitive, businesses increase the quality of services provided in compliance with stricter requirements of environment protection. They use renewable resources and change packaging. Most manufacturing and trading companies use wooden pallets to transport cargo, which is convenient for using mechanised manipulation means to streamline loading operations. Wood is considered an environmentally friendly material, but when loading and transporting cargo, wooden pallets often break, and wood chips can enter the transported products. This is especially true in the food industry. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 of the European Parliament and the Council provides that substances used in the storage and transportation of goods and in direct or indirect contact with food “must be sufficiently inert to prevent the release into food quantities endangering human health”. In this context, plastic pallets, which are stronger, more durable and pose almost no risk of contaminating transported food with sharp splinters, are becoming more attractive. The methods used in the research were the analysis of statistical data and a survey of the warehouse staff of a food company. The study revealed that the safety and quality of reasonable consumer complaints about products have been declining recently, even though there is still a risk of consumers being injured by foreign bodies in food. Such cases are particularly unpleasant for industry, as its reputation may be discredited, and the company may have to pay considerable compensation to the affected consumers.

The article presents the analysis of the introduction of the technology enhanced learner-centered learning (TEL) and its opportunities in the vocational training organization. Research aim was to reveal how the vocational training organizations are ready to introduce technology enhanced training (learning). In the study was applied the Connectivism theory based on TEL introduction quality criteria groups - strategy and management; information communication technology (ICT) and infrastructure; training and learning content and methods; continuous professional development; TEL support system in the educational organization; TEL content quality assurance; internal and external communication. From research the following conclusions were formulated: • Participation in the TEL raises challenges for administration staff and teachers of vocational training organizations. On the one hand, this is an aspiration for meaningful and qualitative learning outcomes; on the other hand, this is the appearance of responsibility and liability which encourages all education participants to accept the resulting change in the training and learning processes. • TEL introduction quality criteria enable organizations to integrate TEL in a coherent and systematic way, but the accomplished research in vocational training organizations shows that TEL introduction was carried out being insufficiently ready. • TEL introduction is implemented inconsistently in vocational training; more emphasis is put on one or the other sphere. According to the respondents, the support of the TEL system is especially weak, because it is not recognized in the organization. If the technological, organizational and educational, consulting and information support for teachers and learners are not properly implemented and ensured, effective, acceptable and effective TEL outcomes as well as learning quality cannot be expected.

We may see modern urbanism as a collection of many successful developments as well as a series of endless mistakes and repeated failures. The paper focuses on the analysis of existing and former urban planning and design patterns in aspect of efficiency of applied methods to achieve higher quality referring to the philosophy and practice of Landscape Urbanism. The Missionaries Block in Vilnius City serves as a case study for assessing its development in three distinguishable periods by the set of quality criteria derived from Landscape Urbanism theories and practices. The assessment results disclose an evident drop in the overall quality of the selected site’s development in the recent period. The paper discusses if and how one may use the method employed hereby for programming and shaping the future regeneration and redevelopment of existing urban setting.

Straipsnyje analizuojama pastaruoju metu švietimo politikoje ypač aktuali tema – profesinio mokymo proceso kokybė. Iš viso apklausta 628 tyrimo dalyviai (240 mokytojų, 340 mokinių ir 48 mokyklų vadovai). Atliekant tyrimą atsitiktiniu atrankos metodu buvo pasirinkta po 3 profesinio mokymo mokyklas iš kiekvieno Lietuvos regiono (Marijampolės ir Alytaus, Utenos, Panevėžio, Šiaulių, Telšių ir Tauragės, Klaipėdos, Kauno, Vilniaus). Gauti rezultatai pakankami aktualūs profesinio mokymo mokykloms organizuojant mokymo procesą ir užtikrinant šio proceso kokybę. The article presents the process of vocational education and training (VET) quality, which is an actual theme in educational policy nowadays. A total of 628 survey participants (240 teachers, 340 students and 48 school heads) participated in the research. Three vocational education and training schools from each region of Lithuania (Marijampolė and Alytus, Utena, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Telšiai and Tauragė, Klaipėda, Kaunas, Vilnius) were selected randomly. The quantitative study revealed, that the majority (78%) of educational providers (pedagogues (n = 240), school heads (n = 48) (81% and 66% respectively) perceive quality as continuous improvement of services. In addition, 52% of teachers and school leaders (62% and 48% respectively) describe quality as being fit for purpose, that is to say, how much the vocational training institution meets its goals and realizes the functions provided in legal acts. Defining the quality concept, 49% study participants (n = 628) emphasized the satisfaction of consumers’ needs and 28% – the importance of missing errors. However, only a small percentage of educational service providers (n = 288) involved in the study, perceive the quality as excellence and service exclusivity (21% respectively), although the same varied services are missed by both: pedagogues and users of services – students. Looking at the responses of school heads (n = 48), they would look much better compared to teachers (n = 240) and students (n = 340). Teachers’ and school heads’ attitudes towards quality management principles are different. Pedagogues, who usually understand their work as performing lessons, do not think that quality management principles are important for an organization and teaching process. The customer orientation is usually understood as the clarification of the customer’s needs and expectations, as well as the quality of service provided. School heads (n = 48) have highlighted this feature as the most important since many vocational education and training institutions work in a competitive environment, consequently, each learner is important, as well as meeting their needs and expectations is a necessary part of the quality management system.

The methodology of study is based on a new educational thinking – to use analytics to build ideas and make them better. The article analyzes the equity of a new product in terms of consistency of the equity of a new brand. The aim of the study - to identify the new product's consistency quality importance on the new brand equity when the customer chooses a new product (the example: candy in boxes). Theoretical study was based on the analysis of scientific literature, synthesis, logical generalisation, graphic modeling and a survey (2017 (n = 416)). Analysing the equity of the new product consistency for the new brand equity structure. Recognizing that consumer choice depends on the equity of the new consistency of the product offered to him by the firm's offer, the practical test of the scientific concept has been chosen from the original study, analyzing the equity of the candys in boxes as a new product for the consumer. The results allow us to make assumptions about what elements of the new consistency of the product could influence the success of the new brand on the candy market. The consistency quality of a new food product is essential factor of a new brand equity. The results of the study lead to conclusion that new food product (candys in boxes) Lithuanian shoppers perceive the importance of consistency quality and assess the identity (as unique products) (between high and medium value), which is forming a positive image of the product (quality assurance). The results of the research can be applied to the needs of the consumers of the Lithuanian candys in boxes market. Keywords: new brand, new product consistency, candy, quality, equity Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.247

[...] Straipsnis skirtas regimuosiuose (rašytinės formos) reklamos komunikatuose vartojamų spalvų žodžių semantikai aptarti, jų paskirčiai tekste apibrėžti. Analizuoti atskirų spalvų pavadinimai (tokie kaip raudonas, rausvas, raudonai, raudonuoti...) ir abstraktieji šaknies spalv- žodžiai bei jų skolinti atitikmenys (spalva, atspalvis, spalvingas, -a, spalvinti, tonas, koloritas ir pan.), tiesiogiai įvardijantys spalvos buvimą / nebuvimą. Renkant tiriamąją medžiagą peržiūrėta apie 600 įvairių reklamos komunikatų, publikuotų žurnaluose, laikraščiuose, kataloguose ir pan.; pasinaudota ir virtualių socialinių tinklų, stendų gatvėje įrašais. Į tyrimo imtį pateko maždaug 15 proc. pavyzdžių – apie 90. Straipsnyje aptariamų pavyzdžių kalba netaisyta, tik kupiūruotos nereikšmingos ilgesnių tekstų atkarpos.

Straipsnyje pristatomi pagrindiniai Lietuvos statistikos departamento kokybės vadybos sistemos, atitinkančios kokybės vadybos sistemų standarto ISO 9001 reikalavimus, principai. Aptariama, kaip ši sistema padeda didinti vartotojų pasitikėjimą statistika, atliekant nuolatinę statistikos kokybės stebėseną ir rengiant kokybės ataskaitas. Paaiškinama, kaip statistikos kokybė yra matuojama ir pristatoma visuomenei; aptariama kokybės ataskaitų nauda statistikos vartotojams, ypač mokslininkams ir akademinei bendruomenei. Taip pat pateikiami kai kurie statistikos kokybės stebėsenos rezultatai ir kokybės ataskaitų pavyzdžiai. . The present paper introduces the main principles of the quality management system of Statistics Lithuania, which is based on the ISO 9001 standard, and explains how the system promotes user confidence in statistics through the regular quality monitoring and reporting exercise. It is explained how the quality of statistics is measured and presented to the public; the usefulness of quality reports to the users, especially to researchers and academia, is discussed. Moreover, some results from the monitoring exercise and examples of quality reports are presented.

The aim of this study is to identify and classify potential and verified benefits of implementing quality management systems according to ISO 9001 standard and to give an overview on how certain positive or negatyve factors manifest in the adherence to ISO 9001 in practice. The paper classifies the major identified benefits into internal and external ones. It also relates the potential benefits to factors and indicators which reflect specific standard requirements in order to attain these benefits. Keywords: quality management; ISO 9001 quality standard; implementation of ISO 9001; benefits

Straipsnyje analizuojami teoriniai ir praktiniai socialinės globos įstaigų, dirbančių su senyvo amžiaus asmenimis, teikiamų paslaugų kokybės rodikliai. Socialinių paslaugų kokybė analizuojama socialinių paslaugų kokybės vadybos kontekste, atsižvelgiant į socialinių paslaugų ir jų gavėjų pokyčius (transformaciją). Socialinės globos paslaugų gavėjams būtina užtikrinti kokybiškas paslaugas. Problemą nusako nepakankamas dėmesys socialinės globos įstaigų teikiamų paslaugų kokybės vadybai, kokybės vertinimui bei paslaugų kokybės vertinimo rodikliams, kurie yra svarbūs paslaugų kokybės principus vertinant įstaigų vadovams ir skirtingų pareigybių darbuotojams. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti socialinės globos įstaigų vadovų požiūrį į teikiamų paslaugų atitikimą 10 EQAS kokybės kriterijams. Atskleidžiamas socialinės globos įstaigų vadovų požiūris į teikiamų paslaugų kokybę, pritaikius EQUASS (Europos socialinių paslaugų kokybės sistemą), (The European Quality in Social Services) modelį. Empiriniams duomenims surinkti 2017 m. atliktas kiekybinis tyrimas. Tyrimo metodas – anketinė apklausa. Socialinių paslaugų kokybė vertinama ir klausimynas sudarytas remiantis EQUASS metodika. Tyrime naudojami EQUASS kokybės principai, skaidant juos į smulkesnius kokybės kriterijus, leido atskleisti specifinius veiklos efektyvumo rodiklius, kurie rodo pasiekiamą įstaigos vadovų veiklos efektyvumą laikantis kokybės kriterijų bei nustatyti globos įstaigų vadovų požiūrį į teikiamų paslaugų kokybės vertinimo rezultatus. Tyrimu nustatyta, kad subjektyviu tiriamųjų vertinimu bendras paslaugų kokybės lygmuo socialinės globos įstaigose, dirbančiose su senyvo amžiaus asmenimis, visumoje yra gana aukštas. Tyrimo duomenys atskleidžia, kad socialinės globos įstaigų vadovai labiausiai yra susipažinę ir įgyvendina lyderystės principo kriterijus. Tyrimas parodė, kad subjektyviu vadovų vertinimu įgyvendinant partnerystės principą reikėtų informuoti darbuotojus apie partnerystę su kitomis įstaigomis bei glaudžiau bendradarbiauti su išorės organizacijomis. Social care providers need to ensure quality services to service users. The problem is characterized by insufficient attention to the quality management of service provided by social care institutions, quality assessment and indicators of service quality assessment, which are important when evaluating principles of service quality by the managers of institutions and employees of different positions. The purpose of the research is to reveal the approach of the management of social care institutions towards the results of the quality assessment of the services provided. In order to collect empirical data in 2017 quantitative study was carried out. The SPSS data processing program is used to analyze the research data. The specific efficiency of quality indicators of social care institutions are calculated in accordance with the 10 qualitative principles of the EQUASS system: leadership, personnel, rights, ethics, partnership, participation, orientation to person, complexity, performance orientation and continuous improvement. Research Subjects: Employees of social welfare institutions providing long-term / shortterm social care services for the elderly in Lithuania according to the list of occupations of employees in the field of social services (2014). The research involved 105 heads of institutions, 122 social workers, 36 employment specialists and 78 social work assistants working in social care institutions providing services for the elderly people. Results of the research: The research results revealed that, according to the subjective opinion of the research participants, the service quality level in social care institutions working with elderly people is rather high. The research ascertained that managers of social care institutions are familiar and they are implementing the criteria of leadership principle. The overall results of the respondents‘ responses revealed that there should be a more active promotion of staff for satisfaction and motivation (66%), while managers' opinion on this criterion did not differ from the assessment of other criteria (77%). The research showed that the subjective assessment of managers in implementing the partnership principle should inform employees about partnerships with other institutions and to maintain closer cooperation with external organizations (77.1%). The EQUASS quality principles which were used in research by dividing them into sub-criteria of quality, allowed to reveal specific performance indicators that indicate the available performance‘s effectiveness of the managers of the company in accordance with the quality criteria and ascertain the approach of the management of care institutions towards the results of the quality assessment of the services provided.

Pastaraisiais metais daugėja organizacijų, kurios kokybės vadybos praktikas laiko strateginiu prioritetu, tačiau jų įgyvendinimas nėra toks sėkmingas. Mokslinėje literatūroje analizuojamas organizacijos kultūros vaidmuo įgyvendinant kokybės vadybos praktikas. Tačiau dauguma atliktų tyrimų neanalizuoja, kaip darbuotojų ekologinės nuostatos veikia organizacijos kultūrą. Šio straipsnio tikslas – atskleisti organizacijos kultūrą, tinkamiausią kokybės vadybos praktikų taikymui ir diegimui atsižvelgiant į darbuotojų ekologines nuostatas. Darbuotojų ekologinės nuostatos yra laikomos vienu iš esminių faktorių, darančių įtaką organizacijos kultūrai. Kiekybinio tyrimo instrumentas sudarytas remiantis validuotomis organizacijos kultūros bei darbuotojų ekologinių nuostatų tyrimų skalėmis. Kiekybinis tyrimas atliktas Lietuvos žemės ūkio organizacijoje. Apklausos rezultatais įrodytas ryšys tarp vystymosi, komandinės bei racionalios kultūrų ir kokybės vadybos praktikų. Tirta organizacija pasižymi komandinės bei vystymosi kultūrų derme. Taip pat organizacijoje yra taikomos kokybės vadybos praktikos. Statistiškai reikšmingo ryšio tarp darbuotojų ekologinių nuostatų bei kokybės vadybos praktikų nenustatyta. Atliekant tyrimą su didesne imtimi, šis ryšys galėtų būti įrodytas, nes mokslinėje literatūroje akcentuojama darbuotojų ekologinių nuostatų įtaka organizacijos kultūrai. The number of organisations putting the issue of quality management practices (QMP) on strategic agenda has been growing in the past years, although the implementation of QMP is not always easy. The importance of organisational culture as a link in quality management is discussed. However, the majority of existing studies do not fully address the employees’ pro-ecological view. To bridge this gap, the present study aims at revealing the organisational culture best suited for implementation of quality management practices considering a pro-ecological view of employees. Quantitative research was carried out in a Lithuanian agricultural organisation. Validated instruments were used to design an instrument measuring organisational culture, quality management practices and a pro-ecological view of employees. The findings reveal a correlation between developmental, group, and rational cultures and QMP. The surveyed organisation has integrated culture of development and group cultures. The study shows that the organisation already applies some of the QMP, which makes it easier for further implementation of quality management practices and systems. Previous studies have revealed a relation between environmental awareness and organisational culture. The present study resulted in no significant correlation between a pro-ecological view and organisational culture or QMP. A broader research sample might exhibit different results.

Background and aim: In 2013, all residency programs at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences were renewed into the competency-based medical education curriculum (CBME). In 2015, we implemented the validated EFFECT questionnaire together with the EFFECTSystem for quality assessment of clinical teaching in residency training.The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of characteristics of the resident (year of training) and clinical teacher (gender, age, and type of academic position) on teaching quality, as well as to assess areas for teaching quality improvement.Materials and methods: Residents from 7 different residency study programs filled out 333 EFFECT questionnaires evaluating 146 clinical teachers. We received 143 self-evaluations of clinical teachers using the same questionnaire. Items were scored on a 6-point Likert scale. Main outcome measures were residents' mean overall (MOS), mean subdomain (MSS) and clinical teachers' self-evaluation scores. The overall comparisons of MOS and MSS across study groups and subgroups were done using Student's t test and ANOVA for trend. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated in order to see how residents' evaluations match with self-evaluations for every particular teacher. To indicate areas for quality improvement items were analyzed subtracting their mean score from the respective (sub) domain score.Results: MOS for domains of ‘‘role modeling’’, ‘‘task allocation’’, ‘‘feedback’’, ‘‘teaching methodology’’ and ‘‘assessment’’ valued by residents were significantly higher than those valued by teachers (P &lt, 0.01). Teachers who filled out self-evaluation questionnaires were rated significantly higher by residents in role modeling subdomains (P &lt, 0.05). Male teachers in (sub)domains ‘‘role modeling: CanMEDS roles and reflection’’, ‘‘task allocation’’, ‘‘planning’’ and ‘‘personal support’’ were rated significantly higher than the female teachers (P &lt, 0.05). Teachers aged 40 years or younger were rated higher (P &lt, 0.01). Residents ratings by type of teachers' academic position almost in all (sub)domains differed significantly (P &lt, 0.05). No correlation observed between MOS of a particular teacher and MOS as rated by residents (ICC = 0.055, P = 0.399). The main areas for improvement were ‘‘feedback’’ and ‘‘assessment’’.Conclusions: Resident evaluations of clinical teachers are influenced by teachers' age, gender, year of residency training, type of teachers' academic position and whether or not a clinical teacher performed self-evaluation. Development of CBME should be focused on the continuous evaluation of quality, clinical teachers educational support and the implementation of e-portfolio.

SMP sistemos valdymo tobulinimas turi vykti nuolat, kad sistemos valdymas galėtų užtikrinti kokybišką, veiksmingą, šiuolaikišką ir laiku SMP paslaugų teikimą. SMP sistemos valdymas yra platus, apimantis skirtingas tarpdisciplinines sritis, Lietuvos mokslininkų darbuose menkai tyrinėtas, todėl jo nagrinėjimas aktualus moksliniu ir praktiniu požiūriais. Darbo tikslas – pateikti SMP sistemos valdymo tobulinimo priemones ir posistemes. Darbo metodika – žvalgybinis, kiekybinis aprašomasis tyrimas, taikyti duomenų statistinės analizės metodai, modeliavimas. Rezultatai. Sudarytas teorinis SMP siste-mos valdymo bei veiklos tobulinimo proceso eigos modelis; pasiūlytos SMP sistemos valdymo tobu-linimo priemonės bei sudarytos SMP sistemos valdymo posistemės. The health care management has to be effective and appropriately respond to new challenges, however, the health reform continuing in Lithuania can not be characterised as consistent, comprehensive, and well coordinated some issues have been defined. The aim of the research is to provide the measures for the EMA system management improvement and its subsystems. The methods – a systemic analysis of the scientific literature, a pilot, quantitative descriptive research; data statistical analysis methods. Results – authors suggest: the theoretical EMA system management and activity improvement process models; potential management improvement opportunities in individual parts of the emergency medical assistance system.

Background: The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) are increasingly used in demographic analysis, due to their large country coverage, the availability of harmonized socioeconomic measures, and the possibility to merge partners. However, so far there exists no comprehensive analysis of the representativeness of the fertility behavior reported by EU-SILC. Objective: This paper quantifies the quality of periodic fertility measures in EU-SILC. Methods: We compare periodic fertility measures obtained with EU-SILC to unbiased measures from the Human Fertility Database (HFD) for several European countries, by applying a cross-sectional perspective. Results: We show that EU-SILC measures of periodic fertility are biased downward, mainly due to attrition, while births of order one for ages 20‒29 are particularly underreported. However, we find no evidence of socioeconomic differentials in attrition. Conclusions: Our results suggest that for the majority of European countries, EU-SILC can be used for the analysis of childbearing behavior when respecting the measures of precaution mentioned in this article. Contribution: These precautions contain, for example, applying a retrospective approach and differentiating by rotation groups when calculating aggregate measures of periodic fertility.

Straipsnyje autoriai tyrinėja švietimo paslaugų kokybės valdymo vertinimą tėvų požiūriu, nes tėvai, kaip ir vaikai, yra šių paslaugų vartotojai. Dažnai Lietuvoje manoma, kad švietimo paslaugos teikiamos tik vaikams, bet paslaugų teikimo ir gavimo sutartį su švietimo institucija pasirašo tėvai. Kita vertus, švietimo pagalbos specialistų paslaugų dalis skirta būtent tėvams. Tėvų švietimas, švietimo institucijos bendravimas ir bendradarbiavimas taip pat vyksta su tėvais. Švietimo institucija be tėvų pagalbos nepajėgi išspręsti daugelio mokykloje kylančių įvairaus pobūdžio problemų. Tad autoriai, apklausę 400 respondentų, pateikia tėvų požiūrį į švietimo kokybės paslaugas. The authors of this article examine the evaluation of education service quality from parents’ perspective, since parents as well as their children are the consumers of these service. Often there is a trend in Lithuania that education services are provided to children; even though, the service provision contract is signed between the education institution and parents. On the other hand, a part of services of specialists of education assistance are dedicated to parents. Moreover, parent education, cooperation and communication process is between the education institution and parents. The education institution is not able to solve most of the problems without the assistance of parents. Therefore, the authors present the point of view of 400 parents towards the quality of the provided education services.

The article presents analysis of scientific literature review and the example of practical calculation of quality costs. Attention is paid to the demand of structuring company’s costs through the correlation of its qual- ity costs and maturity of quality in the context of standardisation of services.

Tyrimas vykdytas 2013 m. vasario – birželio mėnesiais trijose daugiaprofilinėse išvystytos infrastruktūros Lietuvos ligoninėse, kurios įdiegusios ISO šeimos kokybės vadybos sistemas. Naudotas šiam tikslui sudarytas klausimynas. Tirtos dvi pagrindinės medikų grupės – gydytojai ir slaugytojai. Respondentai grupuoti pagal lytį, amžių, pareigas, darbo stažą, darbo profilį. Respondentų nuomonė tirta keturiais aspektais: kokybės vadybos sistemos esmės ir įdiegimo organizacijoje sampratos (1), kokybės vadybos sistemos organizacijoje realizavimo (2), kokybės vadybos sistemos įtakos pokyčiams organizacijoje (3) ir kokybės vadybos sistemos įtakos sveikatos priežiūros kokybei ir rezultatams (4). Tyrimas parodė, kad medikai ir ligoninių vadovybė supranta kokybės sistemų įtaką sveikatos priežiūros kokybei, teigiamiems pokyčiams organizacijoje ir jos veiklos rezultatams. The aim of the study - to establish the infuence of ISO 9000 family quality systems to results of activity health care organizations. Material and methods. From February to June 2013 the survey was performed in three multiprofle hospitals of Lithuania. The study included 221 medical workers (doctors and nurses). Information was collected with special questionnaire. Statistical date analysis was done using programme SPSS 17.01 for Windows. Results. Medical workers were divided into two basic groups - doctors and nurses. The conception of nature and implementation of quality management systems, its realisation and impact on the organizational changes, infuence to health care quality and results of activity was analyzed. The main problems that’s acts health care quality are working load and few salary of medics, interaction between patients and medics. There weren’t the substantial disparities between doctors and nurses. Conclusion. The hospitals’ managers and medics know the nature and substantiality of health care quality for patients and health care organizations. The doctors, nurses and managers takes active participation in quality system implementation processe, they have positive attitude to external evaluation of quality. Medics assessment of impact of quality systems on changes and activity and patients’ satisfaction was positive. The quality and results of activity health care organizations were on the upgrade - the accessibility, the safety and the patient loyality were increased.

Vartotojai yra esminis organizacijos veiklos sėkmės veiksnys. Patenkinti vartotojai grįžta pirkti organizacijos produkto pakartotinai, rekomenduoja kitiems. Straipsnyje analizuojamas vartotojų pasitenkinimas Lietuvos prekybos centrais. Straipsnio tikslas - įvertinus vartotojų pasitenkinimą Lietuvos prekybos centrais, nustatyti jį formuojančius veiksnius. Tyrimas atliekamas adaptuojant Europos Vartotojų Pasitenkinimo Indekso metodiką.. Remiantis tyrimo rezultatais, Lietuvos prekybos centrams nustatyti modelio kintamieji, kuriuos reikėtų stiprinti, siekiant padidinti vartotojų pasitenkinimą šiais centrais. Customers are one of core success drivers for an organization. Satisfied customers return to organization, make repeat purchases, recommend company to others. Customer satisfaction with supermarkets in Lithuania is being analyzed in the article. The aim of the article is to define the factors determining satisfaction based on estimation of customer satisfaction with supermarkets in Lithuania. The research is based on adapted methodology of European Customer Satisfaction Index. Research results highlighted models variables which should be enhanced for the enforcement of customer satisfaction with supermarkets in Lithuania.

Tyrimo tikslas – sukurti integruotą savęs įsivertinimo modelį, kuris būtų lengviau ir paprasčiau pritaikomas Lietuvos mažose ir labai mažose verslo organizacijose, bei remiantis savęs įsivertinimo rezultatais, leistų numatyti gaires tolimesniam šių organizacijų veiklos tobulinimui. Straipsnyje analizuojama mokslinė literatūra apie plačiausiai dažniausiai naudojamų savęs įsivertinimo modelių (ISO 9004:2009, Europos kokybės vadybos fondo EKVF tobulumo modelis, bendrojo vertinimo modelis, subalansuotų rodiklių modelis), panašumus ir skirtumus, jų taikymo galimybes. Identifikuotos keturios pagrindinės savęs įsivertinimo proceso sąsajos ir jo sudedamosios dalys: finansinė, klientų, procesų ir nuolatinio tobulėjimo. Antroje straipsnio dalyje aptariamos savęs įsivertinimo proceso taikymo galimybės mažose ir labai mažose verslo organizacijose, išskiriami pagrindiniai sunkumai ir priežastys, kodėl šie modeliai nėra plačiai paplitę kaip priemonė verslo tobulumui skatinti. Autorių siūlomas integruotas savęs įsivertinimo modelis skirtas mažoms ir labai mažoms verslo organizacijoms apjungia tik pačias pagrindines bei svarbiausias kokybės vadybos sistemos sudedamąsias dalis ir yra susietas su E. Demingo “Planuok-Daryk-Tikrink-Koreguok” kokybės tobulinimo ciklu bei išlaiko literatūroje pabrėžiamus modelių „praktinio pritaikomumo“ ypatumus. Tyrimo metu buvo siekiama nustatyti, ar savęs įsivertinimo procesas taikomas Lietuvos organizacijose, su kokiais sunkumais susiduriama jį naudojant, o taip pat patvirtinti, ar autorių teikiamas modelis yra tinkamas mažoms ir labai mažoms Lietuvos įmonėms. Atlikus 67 įmonių apklausą, paaiškėjo, kad Lietuvos mažos ir labai mažos organizacijos noriai naudotų šį supaprastintą modelį (86,6 proc.). Ne visi modelyje teikiami kokybės vadybos elementai respondentų buvo vertinami vienodai (nepakankamai įvertinta procesų dedamoji, 3,6 balo iš 5). Tyrimo metu patvirtinta, kad siūlomas modelis yra tinkamas visoms organizacijoms, nepriklausomai nuo veiklos pobūdžio. Paruošus praktinį įsivertinimo įrankį, savęs įsivertinimo procesas buvo aprobuotas labai mažoje gamybos organizacijoje. Modelio praktinio pritaikymo metu identifikuota viso savęs įsivertinimo proceso teikiama nauda bei išryškėjo siūlomo modelio privalumai ir trūkumai. Siūlomas modelis yra suprantamas ir lengvai pritaikomas naudoti bet kurioje mažoje ar labai mažoje verslo organizacijoje, o jo naudojimas gali suteikti vadovybei vertingos informacijos siekiant veiklos tobulumo. Self-assessment process helps organizations to identify areas for improvement, at the same time to identify the activities where organization is performing in the best possible way. The most popular self-assessment methods like ISO 9004:2009 standard, EFQM Excellence model, Common Assessment Framework (CAF) model, Balanced Scorecard Model and their use possibilities for small and very small business organizations are discussed in the article. In accordance with scientific literature, authors suggest the integrated self-assessment model, suitable for a small and very small organizations, which contains only the most important groups of factors –financials, customers, processes, continuous improvement and at the same time is a very practical, easy understandable and reflects historical PDCA cycle. Completed research within 67 small and very small Lithuanian organizations showed, that companies would use self-assessment process, if it would be simplified, more understandable and easier to apply (86.8%). The proposed main quality system components all are applicable; authors did not identified differences between spheres of activities in organizations – integrated self-assessment model can be used for sales, manufacture, service companies. The proposed model was approved during full self-assessment process completion in a very small manufacture organization. Authors believes, that suggested self-assessment model is easy to use and can contribute to the business organizations improvements.

Straipsnyje aktualizuojama pedagoginė praktika, kaip svarbi studijų dalis pedagogus rengiančiose programose, lemianti pedagogui būtinų kompetencijų išsiugdymą. Atsižvelgiant į pedagoginės praktikos specifiškumą, akcentuojamas visų jos dalyvių bendradarbiavimo būtinumas ir šio proceso valdymas remiantis teorinėmis nuostatomis ir Šiaulių universiteto pedagoginės praktikos organizavimo patirtimi. Straipsnyje apibendrinami ir analizuojami Edukologijos fakultete Kokybės dienų renginių, kaip atvejo, dalyvaujant visiems praktikos dalyviams, rezultatai, išryškinantys pedagoginės praktikos probleminius aspektus. Aptartas atvejis sudaro galimybę modeliuoti praktikos tobulinimo procesą ir siekti aukštesnės jo kokybės. In our competitive society, special attention is paid to competence development. Teaching practice is a relevant issue for teacher training programmes since it is an important part of the study process aimed at skills development.Teaching practice is organised in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Teacher Training Regulation. The document emphaises that the quality of teaching practice depends on cooperation between all teaching practice participants therefore it is important to find ways and means how to strengthen it. The paper deals with teaching practice issues and cooperation between teaching practice participants, Quality Days annually held at Šiauliai University since 2011 are discussed. Quality Days organised by the Faculty of Education in 2014 and 2015 focused on teaching practice issues. The opinions of practice participants (students, tutors, mentors, school heads) about teaching practice were collected, analysed and discussed with the aim to ensure its quality. After teaching practice in semesters 2 and 3 students, tutors, mentors were asked to write reflective reports and fill in a questionnaire designed by Šiauliai University and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. Its open-ended questions included questions on teaching practice timing, mentor selection, their motivation, student assessment, etc. The material obtained was analysed and discussed with all stakeholders. The following was found: the aims of teaching practice should be clearly described, student assessment criteria should be more objective, student-mentor-tutor communication and cooperation should be improved, teaching practice and its results should be discussed in schools. Quality Days is an important event in pursuit of pedagogical practice quality and promotes cooperation between practice participants.

Finansavimas, kaip reguliacinė priemonė, naudojama aukštajame moksle, siekiant nacionalinės valdžios (ir europinių) tikslų. Svarbiausia tampa pasiimti (įsisavinti) pinigus, o į aukštojo mokslo institucijų savitumą, charakteristikas, poreikius nėra įsigilinama. Disonansas tarp aukštojo mokslo sistemos subjektų ir nacionalinės valdžios sudaro prielaidą kelti probleminį klausimą – ar viešosios politikos finansinis instrumentas – ES SF paramos investicijos buvo veiksmingos ir sudarė prielaidas pagerinti Lietuvos studijų kokybę? Tyrimo objektas – ES SF paramos investicijų Lietuvos studijų kokybei gerinti veiksmingumas. Šio straipsnio tikslas yra įvertinti ES SF paramos, kaip viešosios politikos finansinio instrumento, veiksmingumą siekiant pagerinti Lietuvos studijų kokybę. Tyrime naudoti metodai: mokslinės literatūros ir nacionalinių bei tarptautinių dokumentų analizė; ekspertų interviu. Kokybinio tyrimo rezultatai leido išskirti 4 kategorijas, atskleidžiančias ES SF panaudojimo veiksmingumą Lietuvos studijų kokybei: finansinių investicijų nauda aukštųjų mokyklų vidinėms studijų kokybės užtikrinimo sistemoms, poveikis nacionalinei išorinei studijų kokybės užtikrinimo sistemai, finansinių investicijų aukštojo mokslo institucijoms efektyvumo problemos ir poveikio ribos. Diskutuojama su kitų tyrimų autoriais dėl tyrimų rezultatų, susijusių su vidinių studijų kokybės užtikrinimo sistemų diegimo ir funkcionavimo trūkumais, menka kokybės reikalavimų kontrole sukurtiems produktams iš ES SF paramos, nacionalinių projektų sėkmingumu, neracionaliu lėšų naudojimu, produktų tęstinumo ir tvarumo trūkumais. Taigi, empiriniai tyrimo rezultatai rodo, jog viena vertus, ES SF subsidijos inicijuoja galimybę patobulinti studijų kokybę pakeliant ją į kitą lygį, suteikiant galimybę konkuruoti tarptautiniame aukštojo mokslo kontekste. Kita vertus, ES SF parama per projektinę veiklą (aukštojo mokslo įstaigose) yra nacionalinės valdžios įrankis pritraukti ir įsisavinti lėšas. The article analyses the effectiveness of support of the European Union Structural Funds (EU SF) in the programming period 2007–2013 as the financial instrument of public policy for the improvement of quality in higher education (HE) in Lithuania. Results of the expert evaluation revealed that EU SF investment was beneficial in respect of human capital, generation of ideas, fostering of created “products”, and the quality culture of Lithuanian higher education institutions (HEIs); therefore, positive impact of use of EU SF support on HE quality can be expected. However, weaknesses related to efficiency, eligibility and sustainability of investment use have been also identified. Addressing these gaps highlights problems related to the main aim of the use of EU SF support in HEIs in Lithuania: the goal of effective quality improvement in higher education is accompanied by the goal to spend money.

In the last few decades the ideology of quality has become one of the most important and ambitious directions of activity for institutions of higher education. Volatile external environment and fast paced internal academic life of higher education poses big challenges for the development of the concept of quality and quality culture in an institution of higher education. The concept of quality is dynamic and multidimensional in all the sectors of activities which are included within the scope of the topic of quality (production, services, etc.); in the sphere of higher education, its complexity is supplemented by specific aspects of the development of higher education, i.e. academic freedom and autonomy, value systems, and the problem field of education paradigm change. The actualisations of quality are presupposed by the changes which occur in the external environment of an institution of higher education, i.e. implementation of a market model, globalisation and internationalisation, the change of the needs of external social shareholders and the labour market. A large amount of changes is determined by the general principles of the development of the European higher education space, international agreements and directives. Lithuania has an active quality evaluation system for institutions of higher education; this system encompasses the institutional evaluation of institutions of higher education and evaluation of study programmes. According to the concept of quality culture development, external evaluation stimulates internal self-evaluation of the quality of activities in an institution of higher education. Excluding the external environmental change that presupposes the actualisation of the idea of quality, institutions of higher education undergo related changes in the internal environment which are determined by the changing student profile, changes in didactics, development of academic values and traditions. The formation of the concept of quality within the context of internal and external conditions and changes is a complex process for every institution of higher education. The concept of quality in an institution of higher education is not a self-driven or predetermined phenomenon; in order to form it and develop quality culture, the strategic approach is needed. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize quality culture as a strategic dimension in higher education institution. This paper integrates material from recent quality culture and quality management studies and provides a conceptual framework for the understanding of quality culture. A literature review is based on the quality management literature as a guiding framework. The theoretical areas of quality concept and strategic dimensions of quality are proposed. Key words: quality, quality culture, higher education.

Straipsnyje atskleidžiami kokybinio tyrimo metu gauti duomenys, atspindintys trečiojo restruktūrizacijos etapo rezultatus vertinant sveikatos priežiūros paslaugų prieinamumo ir kokybės pokyčius. Analizuojami stacionarinių paslaugų pokyčių rodmenys, sveikatos priežiūros paslaugų finansavimo kaita ir sveikatos priežiūros įstaigų tinklo optimizavimas. Pateikti įrodymai laikomi gerosios praktikos pavyzdžiu, užtikrinančiu pokyčių sėkmingumą, dėl to siekiant išanalizuoti gautus reformos rezultatus pasitelkti 10 pusiau struktūrizuoti interviu su trečiojo restruktūrizacijos etapo rengėjais, įgyvendintojais ir praktikais. Tyrimo rezultatų analizė atskleidė, kad pagrindiniu trečiojo etapo privalumu įvardijama ambulatorinių paslaugų plėtra, o daugiausia pertvarkos trūkumų įžvelgia rajono ligoninėse dirbantys tyrimo dalyviai. Šiose ligoninėse išskiriamas paslaugų prieinamumo pablogėjimas, finansinių išteklių stoka ir baimė dėl ateities pertvarkų. Nepaisant to, stacionaro ir akušerijos skyrių uždarymas vertinamas konstruktyviai akcentuojant padidėjusį paslaugų saugumą. Šie rezultatai parodo galimas ateities pertvarkų kryptis ir problemas, kurios vis dar išlieka neišspręstos. The article reveals the qualitative study results which reflect a restructuring of the third phase of the evaluation of health care access, quality changes. Analyzed inpatient services, health care financing and health care institutions network optimization changes. In this paper, evidence is considered best practice for ensuring the success of the changes. To analyze the obtained results of the reform, use of 10 semi-structured interviews with a third restructuring program organizers, implementers and practitioners. The analysis of the research results showed that the main advantage of the third stage of restructuring is the expansion of ambulatory services. These interview participants who work in regional hospitals identified the most negative consequences of the restructuring: worsening of accessibility to health services, lack of financial support, fear of the future reconstructions. However, the process of closing stationery and obstetrics units is evaluated constructively even in the regional hospitals as increasing safety of the services is emphasized. These results demonstrate the potential for future transformational trends and issues that are still unresolved.

Kokybė yra labai svarbi universitetams, nes jie yra atskaitingi visuomenei, darbdaviams ir kitiems socialiniams partneriams. Atskaitomybė yra ne tik finansinė ir, ko gero, visai ne finansinė, nes universitetai egzistuoja tik tam, kad kurtų naujas žinias, skleistų jas ir saugotų kultūros paveldą. Dabar universitetams keliamas uždavinys ne tik kokybiškai įgyvendinti studijas, mokslą, bet ir parodyti savo programų, tyrimų vertę, būti atvirais visuomenei. Gerinti aukštojo mokslo kokybę yra svarbiausias tarptautinio universitetų bendradarbiavimo uždavinys. Didėja ne tik dėstytojų ir studentų, bet ir kvalifikuotos darbo jėgos mobilumas. Atsirado būtinumas įvertinti kvalifikacijų ekvivalentumą, studijų standartus, vertę ir rezultatus, kt. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama atskleisti kokybės kultūros esmę ir parodyti gerosios universitetų patirties sklaidos reikšmę gerinant kokybę. The purpose of the article was to discover the nature of the quality culture and to present the importance of dissemination of the good practice of quality at the universities. All organizations, the universities as well, have culture in the sense that they are embedded in specific societal cultures and are part of them. Most of the definitions stress the importance of shared norms and values, but other characteristics are equally important: observed behavioral regularities; norms; dominant values; philosophy; rules; organization climate. People are affected by the culture in which they live, but often these values and beliefs are insufficient for helping the individual succeed in the organizations. The individuals need to learn how the organization is functioning. In a second part of the article the problem of quality assurance and quality culture in the lives of universities is described. The main goal of the university is the stimulation of internal quality improvement. But on the other hand, universities meet the difficult question of how to provide public accountability and at the same time to maintain or even increase quality. In the third part of article of Vilnius University in EUA projects „Quality Culture Round I“ and „Quality Culture Round II“ is described. The experience was useful in several aspects: participation in the projects reinforced the need to care for quality, to compare the own university with other concrete participating universities and to learn from them.

Procesinio požiūrio taikymas yra populiariausių vadybos sistemų (ISO, EFQM, LEAN ir kt.) pagrindas. Naujoji ISO 9001:2015 redakcija (išleista 2015 rudenį) akcentuoja, kad tik tvarkingai procesus susitvarkiusios, juos valdančios, tobulinančios ir prižiūrinčios organizacijos gali pasiekti ilgalaikės sėkmės. Straipsnyje pateikiamas teorinio potencialo analizės rezultatas bei procesinio požiūrio taikymas Lietuvoje veikiančioje ekspedijavimo jūrų transportu paslaugas teikiančioje įmonėje. Atsižvelgiant į konkurencinį kontekstą bei konfidencialių duomenų publikavimą, įmonės pavadinimas straipsnyje nenurodomas. Process approach is the most popular management systems (ISO, EFQM, Lean et al.) Basis. The new ISO 9001: 2015 version (released in autumn 2015) emphasizes that only an orderly processes continuing, managing them, namely developing and supervising organizations can achieve long-term success. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the potential result of the procedural approach of Lithuania operates forwarding maritime transport services providing company. The competitive context given and the publication of confidential data, the company name is not specified in article.