bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Careers and talents not to be wasted
Authors: Pearson Jill , Hammond Michelle , Heffernan Eithne , Turner Tom
Published: January 2012

Purpose

In many cases, immigrants work in jobs that are incommensurate with their qualifications and work experience. The aim of this study is to examine the experience of this “talent waste” in Polish immigrants working in the Irish labour market.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed method approach. First, 309 Polish immigrants were surveyed about their employment experiences since moving to Ireland. Second, 12 skilled Polish immigrants – those with third level qualifications – were interviewed. Interviews were semi‐structured and focused on the factors leading to their underemployment and how they responded to it psychologically.

Findings

The interviews revealed that immigrants to Ireland reported fewer barriers to skilled employment than immigrants in other research. Also, most had not sought employment that would utilise their qualifications when they first moved to Ireland. A typology of four psychological responses to employment status was put forth based on immigrant sense of professional identity and experience of dissonance.

Practical implications

The results of the study have important implications for employers, academic institutions, government representatives and skilled immigrants themselves.

Originality/value

Unlike other studies in this area, this study provides rich description and unique insight into the experiences of skilled Polish immigrants to Ireland over a number of years, as well as large‐scale survey evidence of this group of migrant workers.
Highly skilled migrant women: a career development framework
Authors: van den Bergh Riana , Du Plessis Yvonne
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to explore and interpret the pre‐migration and post‐migration career development and success of highly skilled professional migrant women with special reference to The Netherlands.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory approach rooted in a phenomenological perspective was followed. Two in‐depth Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) focus group sessions were held with a total of 21 self‐initiated expatriate (SIE) women.

Findings

An integrated career development framework proposed in this study indicates that individual drivers such as identity, social support and life phase play a role in women's pre‐migration and post‐migration career success or exits. Identity embeddedness, host country culture, openness to foreigners and existing prejudices and stereotypes against women seems magnified for women from outside the host country.

Research implications/limitations

The research results may lack generalisability, therefore more research is encouraged to further test the proposed framework.

Practical implications

Organisations should re‐think existing systems for retaining highly skilled women migrants. Specific personnel management requirements and practical recommendations are provided for HR policy development with regard to migrant women.

Originality/value

An integrative approach and framework for understanding the career development decisions of professional and highly skilled migrant women who are also self‐initiated (SIE) is proposed. Insight is provided into the personal adjustment and professional developmental experiences of a group of women often overlooked by the research community.
Self‐initiated expatriates and their career success
Authors: Cao Lan , Hirschi Andreas , Deller Jürgen
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to provide conceptual clarity by distinguishing self‐initiated expatriates (SIEs) from company‐assigned expatriates (AEs), and skilled migrants; most importantly, it introduces an overarching conceptual framework based on career capital theory to explain SIEs’ career success.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual framework is based on a review of the relevant literature on SIE, expatriation, career studies, cross‐cultural studies, migration, and other related areas.

Findings

Protean career attitude, career networks, and cultural intelligence are identified as three major types of career capital influencing SIEs career success positively; the predicting relationships between these are mediated by cultural adjustment in the host country. Cultural distance acts as the moderator, which highlights the influence of macro‐contextual factors on SIEs’ career development.

Research limitations/implications

The current paper applied career capital theory and did not integrate the impact of family and labour market situation on SIEs’ career development. Further research should test the proposed framework empirically, and integrate the impact of family‐ and career‐related factors into a holistic approach.

Practical implications

When constructing international talent acquisition and retention strategies, organizations and receiving countries should understand the different career development needs and provide SIEs with opportunities to increase career capital during expatriation. Furthermore, the current framework suggests how to adjust to the host country in order to meet career development goals.

Originality/value

The multi‐level and sequential framework adds value by identifying specific types of career capital for SIEs and providing a conceptual underpinning for explaining how they interact and foster SIEs’ career success. Moreover, the framework embraces SIEs from both developed and developing economies.
Brain circulation to the UK?
Authors: Harvey William
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to address two research questions: first, to what extent do highly skilled migrants intend to make personal business and financial investments in their home countries, and second, what factors influence them to invest in their home countries?

Design/methodology/approach

The results are based on face‐to‐face and telephone interviews which took place between September, 2008 and March, 2009 with 64 highly skilled British migrants working in Vancouver, Canada. Respondents were asked a combination of open‐ and closed‐ended questions.

Findings

The results of this study find that the vast majority of respondents are not investing in or intending to return to their home country, which indicates that they contributing to brain circulation in a limited extent.

Practical implications

The paper argues that governments and organisations in the home country can play an important role in facilitating brain circulation in Europe.

Originality/value

Much of the academic literature suggests that the brain drain has now transformed into brain gain. The findings of this study do not support this shift because most of the sample of British expatriates in Vancouver are not intending to invest in or return to Europe. This is significant because highly skilled migrants could be better utilised as resources by European governments and organisations.
Careers of skilled migrants: towards a theoretical and methodological expansion
Authors: Al Ariss Akram , Koall Iris , Özbilgin Mustafa , Suutari Vesa
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The careers of skilled migrant workers is an under‐theorised field of research. This paper proposes a theoretical and methodological expansion of studies of careers of skilled migrants.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers a critical review of the literature on careers of skilled migrants from a multilevel approach including individual, organizational, and contextual levels.

Findings

The review leads to two key theoretical and methodological expansions: first, it demonstrates that migrant careers need to be understood as a relational construct that is at the interplay of individual and institutions and as a multi‐layer and multi‐faceted phenomenon. This approach requires the authors to explore careers in temporal and spatial contexts. The second expansion made requires the adoption of relational methodologies, as well as more reflexive methods which encourages researchers to recognize a wider range of vested interests when framing their research questions and designing their studies.

Originality/value

This paper has two key values: first, it questions the central assumptions in the management and organizational literature regarding the topic of international mobility; second, it offers a theoretical and a methodological model for future research on this topic.
Building maintenance strategies: planning under uncertainty
Authors: Lind Hans , Muyingo Henry
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to critically evaluate maintenance strategies and determine to what extent models from other sectors can be applied to building maintenance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a theoretical paper based on a number of Swedish studies, both case studies and questionnaires. From these a number of stylized facts have been identified and the purpose is to explain and draw conclusions from these.

Findings

The main finding is that there are a number of specific uncertainties that affect building maintenance planning making more detailed long‐term plans less meaningful. A new structure for maintenance is proposed focusing on long‐term strategies goals for various buildings/components and then short run adjustments when new information comes up.

Research limitations/implications

The case for the new model needs to be strengthened by further studies, including studies from other countries.

Practical implications

Maintenance activities will be more important as the large building stock from the 1950s and 1960s needs to be renovated or demolished. A rational structure and realistic expectations concerning maintenance planning is then important.

Originality/value

The most important contribution of the article is to underline the importance of different types of uncertainty for the structure of maintenance planning for building.
Home sustainability policy and mandatory disclosure
Authors: Bryant Lyndall , Eves Chris
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Sustainability Declarations were introduced by the Queensland State Government on 1 January 2010 as a mandatory disclosure measure for all dwelling sales in the State. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact this policy decision has had in the homebuyer decision‐making process in the first year since its introduction and to consider the effectiveness of the legislation in meeting its policy objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This quantitative research comprised a two‐part process: the first stage surveyed the level of compliance by the real estate industry with the legislative requirements. Stage two comprised an online survey of Real Estate Institute of Queensland members to determine what impact the Sustainability Declaration has had on home buyer decision making and how effective the legislative mechanisms have been in achieving the policy objectives.

Findings

This paper assesses the initial impact of this initiative over its first year in operation. These preliminary findings indicate a high level of compliance from the real estate industry, however results confirm that sustainability is yet to become a criterion of relevance to the majority of homebuyers in Queensland.

Practical implications

These quantitative findings support anecdotal evidence that the objectives of the legislation to increase homebuyer awareness and relevance of sustainability issues in the home are not being achieved.

Social implications

Sustainability Declarations are a first step in raising homebuyer awareness of the importance of sustainability in housing. Further monitoring of this impact will be carried out over time.

Originality/value

This is the first research undertaken to assess the impact of this new mandatory disclosure legislation in Queensland, Australia. The findings will inform policy makers and assist them to assess the effectiveness of the current legislation in achieving its policy objectives.
Developments in valuation and assessment: an Australian case study
Authors: Parker David , Lockwood Tony , Marano Wayne
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Spatially enabled taxation systems provide public policy makers in Australia with a conundrum. For the Valuers General who provide the fiscal cadastre for the taxation system, spatial enablement could lead to a central role in State Government taxation or to a sidelined role. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a survey of Valuers General.

Findings

The paper establishes the current extent of adoption of spatially enabled taxation systems, identifies current provision and uses of valuation data and explores possible future provision and uses of such data.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size for survey may limit its use elsewhere.

Practical implications

The paper concludes that further integration and a unified national policy approach would be preferable.

Originality/value

The first published paper to establish the current extent of adoption of spatially enabled taxation systems and to identify current provision and uses of valuation data in Australasia.
Menace of recalcitrant tenants in metropolitan Ibadan area's residential property market, Nigeria
Authors: Taiwo Gbadegesin Job , Ojo Olatoye
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Management factors of recalcitrant tenants in residential premises have become central concerns of many private residential property owners in Ibadan metropolis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the causes and dimension of the phenomena so as to prevent the loss of rent and encourage investment in rental housing in the city.

Design/methodology/approach

The study elicited data through personal and direct administration of questionnaires on 51 estate surveying and valuation firms. The data collected included companies' profiles, years of property management experience, properties in their management portfolio, tenants' selection, category of recalcitrant tenants, handling techniques and influencing factors.

Findings

Results indicated that act of non‐compliance and adherence to ethics of property management by estate surveyors and valuers (managers) in the area constitutes a major cause of recalcitrant tenants. Also, estate surveyors and valuers disregard some relevant factors while selecting tenants to fill vacancies such as police report, family factor, rental arrears, maintenance culture, personal/family crisis and mental illness/addiction. These, among others, consequently affect the objectives of investing in rental properties in the metropolis.

Practical implications

The study recommends strict compliance to ethics (rules and regulations) put down in the constitution of NIESV (2005). Also estate surveyors and valuers (managers) should be encouraged to attend mandatory continuing professional development (MCPD). Lease/tenancy agreement should be clearly reached, documented and implemented. All transactions in residential property management should be executed at “arm's length” with transparency without bias.

Research limitations/implications

Future research is needed to undertake statistical references through a comprehensive survey of all types of tenant: private/public tenants, commercial properties tenants and agricultural land tenants in Ibadan land.

Originality/value

The study helps to identity categories of recalcitrant tenants in residential properties, the rental residential properties occupied, causes of recalcitrance and treatment approaches of recalcitrant tenants.
An evaluation of the training needs of Nigerian estate surveyors for corporate real estate management practice
Authors: Tunde Oladokun Timothy
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the skill requirements for the practice of corporate real estate management (CREM) in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were distributed to 270 practising estate firms in Lagos State, Nigeria, 145 final year students of Estate Management in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria as well as corporate real executive officers of the 24 recapitalised commercial banks, 21 insurance and five GSM communication companies in Nigeria. A total of 260 questionnaires (58 per cent) were returned and found useful for the study. The study adopted the descriptive method of percentages, mean and proportion method for analysis.

Findings

The study found that in rank order, the skill requirements for CREM were financial performance skill, investment in corporate strategy, productivity skill, space efficiency management skill and customers and employees' management skill. The mean figures for the five factors are 5.0, 4.8, 4.8, 4.73 and 4.67 respectively. The results of the analysis also showed further that the portfolio efficiency skill had a mean value of 3.58 and was rated by the respondents as the least skill required for corporate real estate management.

Research limitations/implications

Limiting the scope of the study to CRE executives and practitioners in selected service industry and students of a university might pose a great challenge to the representativeness of the findings.

Practical implications

The study has major implications on real estate education and practice in Nigeria. There is an urgent need to overhaul the university/polytechnic curriculum to incorporate business and accounting knowledge to prepare real estate graduates for efficient practice and the continuous re‐training of practitioners to prevent future declining real estate profession.

Social implications

The negative implication of joblessness arising from unemployable graduates of real estate by corporate organisations breeds more social vices.

Originality/value

The paper documents the requisite information needed for developing contemporary policy on real estate education in the country. It also serves as a guide for real estate practitioners and regulatory bodies for developing contemporary real estate practice to meet emerging trends in CREM practice and for relevance in the practice of CREM as an evolving sub‐discipline of estate management.
Adopters and non‐adopters of internet banking: a segmentation study
Authors: Patsiotis Athanasios G. , Hughes Tim , Webber Don J.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This study examines internet banking adoption and resistance behaviour in Greece in order to develop profiles of adopters and non‐adopters of the service. The aim is to illustrate customers' resistance behaviour towards internet banking. The existing research does not explain resistance behaviour, since it does not clearly distinguish non‐adoption from resistance. Consequently, it has not recognised the different types of non‐adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

A measuring instrument was developed and utilised in a survey of a convenience sample of 1,200 customers. The derived dimensionality of the relevant perceptual variables was used to explore the existence of different customer segments through cluster analysis.

Findings

Three segments were identified, where the description of their profiles is based on customer perceptions of the service and general usage data. Across these segments adopters and non‐adopters were found to have different characteristics. With regard to demographics, only income was found to be associated with segment membership.

Research limitations/implications

Perceptual and usage variables are useful in market segmentation. The results also suggest the possible existence of sub‐groups within each segment characterised by different aspects of resistance behaviour. Further research could identify and explore their potential and study non‐adopter behaviour.

Practical implications

Service providers should target users and non‐users across the segments differently. While the users identified require different retention policies, the resistance or non‐resistance observed in non‐users suggest the proper management of delay and rejection behaviours.

Originality/value

The customer segments identified in this study are based on new links found between the factors that drive diffusion and resistance to diffusion and general usage data. Non‐adopters across the segments resist for different reasons, or not resist.
The effect of behavioural activation and inhibition on CRM adoption
Authors: Vella Joseph , Caruana Albert , Pitt Leyland F.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the effect of behavioural inhibition and behavioural activation systems on users' intention to adopt customer relationship management (CRM) applications.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were collected from among managers of a major player in the community banking sector within the European Union. A total of 274 valid responses were obtained from 398 managers.

Findings

The results indicate that individuals with different combinations of BIS‐BAS levels demonstrate varying degrees of willingness in adopting and contributing towards the CRM system.

Practical implications

These results can be useful for human resources managers, who can screen individuals for positions requiring customer interface and effective use of CRM systems. The need to align employees' characteristics with CRM goals and strategies is critical to the successful application of CRM systems but has often not been given sufficient attention.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates that individual behaviour can be attributed to different personality traits, which in turn can be traced back to physiological as well as psychological origins.
Understanding customer‐specific factors underpinning internet banking adoption
Authors: Yousafzai Shumaila , Yani‐de‐Soriano Mirella
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of customers' actual internet banking behaviour by combining the construct of technology readiness with the technology acceptance model and demographics, such as age and gender, into one integrated framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The customer‐specific internet banking acceptance model (CSIBAM) is validated through 435 UK internet banking users.

Findings

The results indicate the importance of customer‐specific factors in predicting actual behaviour. Technology readiness, age and gender moderate the beliefs‐intention relationship. Customers with varying levels of technology‐related views and demographics hold different beliefs about technology. The relationship between usefulness and behaviour was stronger for younger males with high levels of optimism and innovativeness (explorers and pioneers), whilst the relationship between ease of use and behaviour was stronger for older females with a high level of discomfort (paranoids and laggards).

Practical implications

In today's highly competitive financial services market, knowledge of key customer‐specific factors can help banks to enhance customer experience by focusing more on each segment's particular needs. This knowledge would also help managers to decide about the extent to which technology‐based systems can be used, the appropriate type of these systems, the pace of implementation, and the type of customer support required.

Originality/value

A distinctive contribution of this study is that it does not rely on self‐reported intention or usage, but instead it employs actual behavioural data. Greater understanding of seemingly established relationships could improve the design of the service and the development of differential marketing strategies aimed at driving adoption and allaying rejection.
Healthcare quality under the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
Authors: Ayimbillah Atinga Roger
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how premium holders of Ghana's Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) perceive the state of quality healthcare delivery in public hospitals in the country.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 250 insured patients receiving care in some selected public hospitals accredited by the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana. Results are presented using descriptive statistics and Chi‐square analysis.

Findings

The results demonstrate that the human dimensions of service quality (interaction with service provider and attitude of healthcare providers) were perceived by the insured patients to be good, and they constitute significant determinants of perceived service quality. Although waiting time was generally perceived to be long, it is not in any way associated with patient perception of quality of care.

Originality/value

The findings of the study provide an important step towards strengthening service quality in public hospitals in the wake of the introduction of the NHIS.
Evaluation of process capability indices of linear profiles
Authors: Zahra Hosseinifard Seyedeh , Abbasi Babak
Published: January 2012

Purpose

In profile monitoring, which is a growing research area in the field of statistical process control, the relationship between response and explanatory variables is monitored over time. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the process capability analysis of linear profiles. Process capability indices give a quick indication of the capability of a manufacturing process.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the proportion of the non‐conformance criteria is employed to estimate process capability index. The paper has considered the cases where specification limits is constant or is a function of explanatory variable X. Moreover, cases where both equal and random design schemes in profile data acquisition is required (as the explanatory variable) is considered. Profiles with the assumption of deterministic design points are usually used in the calibration applications. However, there are other applications where design points within a profile would be i.i.d. random variables from a given distribution.

Findings

Simulation studies using simple linear profile processes for both fixed and random explanatory variable with constant and functional specification limits are considered to assess the efficacy of the proposed method.

Originality/value

There are many cases in industries such as semiconductor industries where quality characteristics are in form of profiles. There is no method in the literature to analyze process capability for theses processes, however recently quite a few methods have been presented in monitoring profiles. Proposed methods provide a framework for quality engineers and production engineers to evaluate and analyze capability of the profile processes.
A self‐assessment scheme for an R&D organization based on ISO 9004:2000
Authors: Hwang Young‐Ha , Kim Dong‐Young , Jeong Myong‐Kee
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a self‐assessment scheme and processes that are developed for and applied to a R&D organization based on ISO 9004:2000. The presented self‐assessment has been performed during internal audits based on quality management system in Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) in Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to enhance the reliability of the self‐assessment, the preliminary works such as training, workshop, case study and pre‐assessment rating are performed in advance before self‐assessment. Furthermore, this paper evaluates the reliability of self‐assessment results using Cohen's Kappa coefficient and the observed agreement index.

Findings

The results of this paper present that an organization's performance maturity level evolves sustainably through self‐assessment scheme and processes.

Practical implications

These results and lessons learned will be very useful to the organization that intends to enhance the performance of its R&D projects and processes and improve its processes continuously.

Originality/value

ISO 9004:2000 presents the guidelines of self‐assessment for the organization that intend to continually improve its performance considering the effectiveness and efficiency of a quality management system. According to ISO 9004, the range and depth of self‐assessment should be planned in relation to the organization's objectives and priorities. This paper discusses a self‐assessment scheme and processes that are developed for and applied to a R&D organization based on ISO 9004:2000.
Behavior analysis of synthesis unit in fertilizer plant
Authors: Garg Harish , Sharma S.P.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a technique for analyzing the behavior of an industrial system utilizing vague, imprecise, and uncertain data. The synthesis unit of a urea plant situated in northern part of India has been considered to demonstrate the proposed approach. Sensitivity analysis of system's behaviour has also been done in it.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed approach, traditional Lambda‐Tau technique is used to analyze the behavior of a complex repairable synthesis unit of a fertilizer industry up to a desired degree of accuracy. This technique has been demonstrated by computing eight well‐known reliability indices which are used for behaviour analysis of the considered system in a more promising way.

Findings

The study of analysis of reliability, availability, maintainability etc can help in increasing the production and quality of synthesis. To ensure the system performance throughout its service life, it is necessary to set up proper maintenance, planning and control which can be done after studying the variation of reliability, availability with respect to time. Thus, it may be a more useful analysis tool to access the current system condition and involved uncertainties. The present paper suggested an approach to improve the system's performance.

Originality/value

The paper suggests a technique for analyzing the stochastic behavior of an industrial subsystem by computing eight well‐known reliability indices in the form of fuzzy membership function. The benefits for the methodology include the ability to model and deal with highly complex system as fuzzy sets can deal easily with approximations and it helps in improving and handling the uncertainties and possibilities.
Financial performance of Baldrige Award winners: a review and synthesis
Authors: Jacob Rudolph A. , Madu Christian N. , Tang Charles
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recently released a preliminary report with recommendations on cutting costs in the federal government, and one of its recommendations included the elimination of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, formerly known as the Malcolm Baldrige Nationality Quality Award Program. Established by an act of Congress in 1987, during the Reagan Administration, the goal of the Malcolm Baldrige Nationality Quality Award Program was to stimulate and reward product quality excellence. Since the inception of the award, however, there has been a long‐standing controversy among industry leaders and academics on whether winning this award does enhance future financial performance and ultimately shareholders' wealth. This debate has again been recently fueled by the possible elimination of the program by the US government. This study, aims to shed further light on this subject by examining the academic research on the financial performance of the Baldrige Award winners.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines academic and professional research on whether the Award adds value to firms and their investors.

Findings

The conclusion, perhaps not surprisingly, is somewhat mixed; although there is parsimonious evidence to suggest that Award winners do witness an increase in market value. By and large, the authors feel that when all the benefits of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program are considered and given the short‐term focus of studies in this area, the elimination of the program would be a terrible mistake.

Originality/value

The paper offers an original review and synthesis.
Perceptions of changes in practice following peer review in the National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project
Authors: Rivas Carol , Taylor Stephanie , Abbott Stephen , Clarke Aileen , Griffiths Chris , Roberts C. Michael , Stone Robert
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine perceptions of local service change and concepts of change amongst participants in a UK nationwide randomised controlled trial of informal, structured, reciprocated, multidisciplinary peer review with feedback to promote quality improvement: the National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project (NCROP).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a qualitative study, involving semi‐structured interviews with 43 hospital respiratory consultants, nurses and general managers at 24 intervention and 11 control NCROP sites. Thematic analysis resulted in adoption of Joss and Kogan's quality indicators as an analytic framework.

Findings

The paper finds that peer review was associated with positive changes, which may lead to sustained service improvement. Differences existed in perceptions of change among clinicians and between clinicians and managers. “Generic changes” (e.g. changes in interpersonal relations or cultural changes), were often not perceived as change.

Research limitations/implications

The study highlights the significance of generic change in evaluations of change processes. Most participants were clinicians limiting inter‐professional comparisons. Some clinical staff failed to recognise changes they accomplished or their significance, perceiving change differently to others within their professional group. These findings have implications for policy and research. They should be considered when developing frameworks for assessing quality improvements and staff engagement with change.

Originality/value

This is the first qualitative study exploring participants' experience of peer review for quality improvement in healthcare. The study adds to previous research into UK health service improvement, which has had a more restricted focus on inter‐professional differences.
A pilot study of satisfaction in oncology nursing care: an indirect predictor of quality of care
Authors: Uña Cidón Esther , Cuadrillero Martín Fernando , Hijas Villaizán Milagros , López Lara Francisco
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Although “satisfaction” is not easy to define, excellence in health care is impossible without professional/patient satisfaction, so this paper aims to report on a pilot study designed in order to evaluate the degree of nursing staff satisfaction with the implementation of measures to improve quality of care.

Design/methodology/approach

The project consisted of several phases: writing protocols of care; training of nursing staff in their management; and a cross‐sectional study to evaluate nursing staff satisfaction with them. The design of the survey consisted of a 16‐item Likert scale, which had to be auto filled. A factorial analysis to simplify and validate the tools was used, using statistical analyses with SPSS software 8.0.

Practical implications

The results are applicable to young small oncological units with high degree of variability in patient care. The study showed that nursing staff satisfaction with new improvement measures taken improves safety and finally quality of care.

Findings

The study obtained four dimensions (D) explaining 100 percent of variance. Each dimension with several items: D1: “Nursing job quality” explaining 48.4 percent of variance; D2: “Satisfaction with the knowledge”; D3: “Nursing job feelings/perceptions”; D4: “Nursing communication with doctors/patients”. It provided a direct point of view of each nurse, knowledge about problems encountered daily and demonstration of how a simple/convenient method is useful to engage the staff in decision‐making‐process and implementation of new strategies or to promote the integration of basic aspects of health management in daily clinical practice.

Originality/value

This is the first study evaluating nursing staff satisfaction with new improvement measures taken in a small medical unit, aiming at quality of care benefits. Very promising results were obtained although the sample size was small.
Context challenges the champion: improving hip fracture care in a Swedish university hospital
Authors: Löfgren Susanne , Hansson Johan , Øvretveit John , Brommels Mats
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain a clinician‐led improvement of a hip fracture care process in a university hospital, and to assess the results and factors helping and hindering change implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper has a mixed methods case study design. Data collection was guided by a framework directing attention to the content and process of the change, its context and outcomes.

Findings

Using a multiprofessional project team, beneficial changes in the early parts of the care process were achieved, but inability to change surgical staff work practices meant that the original goal of operating patients within 24 hours was not reached. After three years, top management introduced a hospital‐wide process improvement programme, which “took over” the responsibility for improving hip fracture care.

Research implications/limitations

A clear vision why change is needed and what needs to be done, which is well communicated by a respected clinical leader, can motivate personnel, but other influences are also needed to bring about change. Without a plan agreed and supported by top management, changes are likely to be limited to parts of the process and improvements to patient care may be minimal. These and other findings may be applicable to similar situations in other services.

Originality/value

This case study is an illustration of both the strengths and the weaknesses of a “bottom‐up, clinician‐champion‐led improvement initiative” in a complex university hospital.
Estimating ICU bed capacity using discrete event simulation
Authors: Zhu Zhecheng , Hoon Hen Bee , Liang Teow Kiok
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital caters for critically ill patients. The number of the ICU beds has a direct impact on many aspects of hospital performance. Lack of the ICU beds may cause ambulance diversion and surgery cancellation, while an excess of ICU beds may cause a waste of resources. This paper aims to develop a discrete event simulation (DES) model to help the healthcare service providers determine the proper ICU bed capacity which strikes the balance between service level and cost effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The DES model is developed to reflect the complex patient flow of the ICU system. Actual operational data, including emergency arrivals, elective arrivals and length of stay, are directly fed into the DES model to capture the variations in the system. The DES model is validated by open box test and black box test. The validated model is used to test two what‐if scenarios which the healthcare service providers are interested in: the proper number of the ICU beds in service to meet the target rejection rate and the extra ICU beds in service needed to meet the demand growth.

Findings

A 12‐month period of actual operational data was collected from an ICU department with 13 ICU beds in service. Comparison between the simulation results and the actual situation shows that the DES model accurately captures the variations in the system, and the DES model is flexible to simulate various what‐if scenarios.

Originality/value

DES helps the healthcare service providers describe the current situation, and simulate the what‐if scenarios for future planning.
Ladies' purchase intention during retail shoes sales promotions
Authors: Yoon Kin Tong David , Piew Lai Kim , Fa Tong Xue
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine ladies' buying behaviour during shoes sales promotions in Malaysia, using the highly validated Belk's Model.

Design/methodology/approach

Using this validated model, the main research framework consists of Social Surroundings (SS), Temporal Perspective (TP), Task Definition (TD), Physical Surrounding (PS), used as predictors for Sales Promotion Purchase (SPP). Ethnic groups are used as a moderator for this study.

Findings

The results identify few key predictors during shoes sales promotion. Ladies expressed the importance of first day sales for first buyer's advantage, and they preferred large shops with music. Moreover, due to the multi‐racial society in the country, ethnic group interaction on the model did not indicate impact of consumer differences affecting the sales promotion purchase. That is, during a specific festive season sale, all ethnic groups take full advantages of the sale.

Research limitations/implications

This implies that Belk's Model is still applicable even in multi sales promotions for a specific product – shoes. However, the study may have the slight possibility of biases due to the retrospective accounts of recalling purchase involvement in retails shop(s) during sale promotions. Nevertheless, it is assumed that these biases are minimal as there are six sales per year in the country, averaging one sale per two months.

Originality/value

This study provides an insight of ladies' purchasing behaviour and their preferred types of retail outlets, which contributes to retail owners' sales promotional strategies to attract consumers during festive seasons.
Contribution of RFID technology to better management of fashion supply chains
Authors: Garrido Azevedo Susana , Carvalho Helena
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the deployment of RFID technology in fashion supply chain management (FSCM). It highlights the contribution of RFID to FSCM, supporting faster logistics activities, with greater products quality, cheaper and with more responsiveness, improving customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

An inductive theory building approach is used to develop a conceptual model for RFID deployment in the FSCM context. Secondary data analysis from a sample of six companies supports the identification and discussion of the real advantages, disadvantages and barriers felt by companies in a fashion supply chain when RFID technology is introduced.

Findings

The logistics activities in the fashion supply chain where RFID technology is most widely deployed are: shipping operations, tracking of raw materials, semi‐finished components and finished garments, collecting finished goods, handling processes, tracking containers, tracking products from factory to store, receiving operations, monitoring, and sorting of merchandise. In most cases, the tagging operation is performed at some stage in the production process and tag reading occurs at distribution centres or at stores. The main barrier identified to the deployment of RFID is the problem of interoperability. The costs associated with the technology are the main disadvantage pointed out by the companies.

Practical implications

A conceptual framework is proposed exploring the RFID advantages and disadvantages across the fashion supply chain, the main barriers to its introduction and the fashion supply chain logistics activities in which RFID could be found. This represents an important contribution to companies in this industry to become more aware of RFID. Also, new companies which are thinking of introducing this technology could overcome its barriers easily, improving its advantages and minimizing its disadvantages.

Originality/value

This paper explores the deployment of RFID in the fashion supply chain from the perspective of technology users.
Interpretation of the retail brand: an SME perspective
Authors: Mitchell Richard , Hutchinson Karise , Bishop Susan
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the meaning of the term “retail brand” to small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) owner managers and how this impacts upon brand management practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This research utilises a case study approach, which involved 12 SME retailers located in two regions of the UK, combining qualitative interview data with desktop research and documentary evidence.

Findings

The findings of this paper confirm that the owner manager is central to the brand management function in SME retail firms. Furthermore, it was found that the retail brand encompasses both symbolic and functional meaning to the owner manager.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributes to the retail and SME literature by offering a conceptual framework, which presents the interpretation of the retail brand from abstractive, service and environmental perspectives.

Practical implications

It is recommended that SME owner managers set an overall direction for branding across all aspects of the retail business. In doing so, existing retail brand models may be utilised as a tool kit for SME brand managers.

Originality/value

The research begins to address a significant empirical lacuna in branding at the SME retail marketing interface. This paper also adds to wider marketing discourse, through the presentation of terminological adaptation within a small retailing situ.
Hotel companies' environmental policies and practices: a content analysis of their web pages
Authors: Hsieh Yu‐Chin (Jerrie)
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the environmental management policies and practices of the top 50 hotel companies as disclosed on their corporate web sites.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed content analysis to review the web sites of the top 50 hotel companies as defined herein.

Findings

Only 46 per cent of the selected hotel companies used web pages to post information related to environmental issues on their public web sites. The web pages of Wyndham, IHG, Accor, Whitbread, Hyatt, Rezidor, Sol Melia, TUI, and Scandic featured more revealing environmental information than that posted by other companies, which indicated their environmental commitment and engagement. The results of content analysis identified 12 major environmental focus areas in which the sample hotel companies engaged.

Research limitations/implications

The findings on environmental policies and practices are limited to the environmental information featured on the web sites of the top 50 hotel companies. Some of these companies may have established environmental policies or initiated environmental programs not disseminated on their web sites. In addition, web page information can be changed at any time, and the findings of this study are based upon a snapshot of the web sites as of March 2010.

Practical implications

This study establishes a benchmark of the dissemination of environmental information on the internet by leading hotels, and provides a preliminary picture of environmental initiatives and engagement among these top hotel companies. The information generated from this study can serve as a guide for hotels that would like to engage in an environmental management program. This study also provides a source of information for hotels that would like to develop environmental web sites to demonstrate their environmental commitment to their stakeholders.

Originality/value

Information concerning the content of environmental information disseminated on the web sites of large hotel companies is sparse. Consequently, this study aims to provide a snapshot of where the hotel industry is with regard to on‐line environmental disclosure and related environmental policies and practices.