While the Ethiopian government financed public institutions of higher learning may still view themselves as bastions of education, they are businesses subject to the market forces. They are under increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money- quality outcomes, excellence, and cost effectiveness- in response to the government fund and student cost-sharing. Such switching from haven of bastion to a service market-driven and customer focus is a challenge. It requires a change in management mind-set (who are the change leaders), change in culture, changes in the ways people work and are rewarded, and new ways of implementing customer solutions and relationships. Thus, adapting an entrepreneurial approach is not a matter of choice, but an issue of survival. In view of this importance, an attempt has been made in the present study to explore, analyze, and measure the perceived quality of services rendered by institutions of higher learning in Ethiopia. Therefore, this paper has significant importance for the higher education's academic staff, management and students, and anyone else who want to know and understand the very nature of service and its dimensions for measuring it.

Service quality is about meeting customers' needs and requirements, and how well the service level delivered matches customers' expectations. It pays- off for the service institutions. It lends credibility to the service personnel, stimulates positive word-of-mouth, widens students' perception of value and enhances the confidence and loyalty of both customers and service people. In view of this importance, an attempt has been made in the present study to explore, analyze, and measure bank customers' and library patrons' perception on their bank and library service quality, respectively, as well as to identify the dimensions that determine their evaluation of service quality by using the SERVQUAL scale. Moreover, the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, propensity to recommend and switching intention was examined. Therefore, these studies have significant importance for the service institutions' managers, customers, higher education's academic staff, students, and anyone else who want to know and understand the challenges of managing service, its nature, and its dimensions for measuring it.

Many organizations, researchers and authors underscored the importance of environmental protection and conservation of the natural resource base for national development. This requires the incorporation of environmental dimensions into the process of development. It is important to make choices and decisions that will eventually promote sound development by understanding the environment functions. An increasing number of developing countries are also accepting the principle of environmental screening of development projects at the planning stage and hence are looking for guidelines to environmental impact assessments. Many multi- and bilateral agencies stipulate environmental impact assessments of proposed developments as a condition for lending, technical assistance and development support. It is in this context that this book is prepared to raise awareness and develop understanding of environmental impact assessment of development programs or projects. Therefore, it will be helpful, among others, for project analysts, academic scholars, students, and policy makers.