bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Remifentanil on N -methyl-d-aspartate Receptor
Authors: Guntz Emmanuel , Dumont Hélène , Roussel Céline , Gall David , Dufrasne François , Cuvelier Laetitia , Blum David , Schiffmann Serge N. , Sosnowski Maurice
Published: May 2005

Background

Remifentanil hydrochloride contained in Ultiva (GlaxoSmithKline, Genval, Belgium) has been incriminated in difficult postoperative pain management, promotion of hyperalgesia, and direct N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation, but the involved mechanisms have remained unclear. In the current study, the authors investigated the effects of remifentanil hydrochloride, with and without its vehicle, glycine, on the activation of NMDA receptors and the modulation of NMDA-induced current on neurons inside the lamina II from the dorsal horn of rat spinal cord.

Methods

To test these effects, whole cell patch clamp recordings were conducted on acute rat lumbar spinal cord slices. Considering that both components of Ultiva (remifentanil hydrochloride and glycine) could be involved in NMDA receptor activation, experiments were performed first with remifentanil hydrochloride, second with glycine, and third with the two components within Ultiva.

Results

Remifentanil hydrochloride does not induce any current, whereas 3 mm glycine induced a current that was abolished by the specific NMDA glutamate site antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate. Ultiva (remifentanil hydrochloride with its vehicle, glycine) also evoked an inward current that was abolished by D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate and not significantly different from the glycine-induced current. Application of remifentanil hydrochloride potentiated the NMDA-induced inward current, and this potentiation was abolished by the mu-opioid receptor antagonist naloxone.

Conclusion

These results show that remifentanil hydrochloride does not directly activate NMDA receptors. The NMDA current recorded after application of Ultiva is related to the presence of glycine. Induced NMDA current is potentiated by application of remifentanil hydrochloride through a pathway involving the mu-opioid receptor.
Estimating the Incidence of Prolonged Turnover Times and Delays by Time of Day
Authors: Dexter Franklin , Epstein Richard H. , Marcon Eric , Ledolter Johannes
Published: May 2005

Background

Prolonged turnover times cause frustration and can thereby reduce professional satisfaction and the workload surgeons bring to a hospital.

Methods

The authors analyzed 1 yr of operating room information system data from two academic, tertiary hospitals and Monte-Carlo simulations of a 15-operating room hospital surgical suite.

Results

Confidence interval widths for the mean turnover times at the hospitals were negligible when compared with the variation in sample mean turnover times among 31 hospitals. The authors developed a statistical method to estimate the proportion of all turnovers that were prolonged (> 15 min beyond mean) and that occurred during specified hours of the day. Confidence intervals for the proportions corrected for the effect of multiple comparisons. Statistical assumptions were satisfied at the two studied hospitals. The confidence intervals achieved family-wise type I error rates accurate to within 0.5% when applied to between five and nineteen 4-week periods of data. The diurnal pattern in the proportions of all turnovers that were prolonged provided different, more managerially relevant information than the time course throughout the day in the percentage of turnovers at each hour that were prolonged.

Conclusions

Benchmarking sample mean turnover times among hospitals, without the use of confidence intervals, can be valid and useful. The authors successfully developed and validated a statistical method to estimate the percentage of turnover times at a surgical suite that are prolonged and occur at specified times of the day. Managers can target their quality improvement efforts on times of the day with the largest percentages of prolonged turnovers.
Damage to Sensory Fibers in a Martin-Gruber Anomaly After Biceps Tendon Repair
Authors: Riechers Ronald G , Landau Mark E , Farber Gerald , Campbell William W
Published: May 2005

A patient with a distal biceps tendon rupture developed ulnar distribution sensory loss after surgical repair using the modified two-incision Boyd and Anderson technique. Electrodiagnosis demonstrated an absent ulnar sensory response but no clinical or electrodiagnostic evidence of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Nerve conduction studies demonstrated an anastomosis between the median and ulnar nerves (Martin-Gruber anomaly). Ulnar sensory fibers were probably damaged as they coursed with the median nerve at the elbow as a component of the innervation anomaly. This case documents the presence of ulnar sensory fibers as part of a Martin-Gruber anomaly.
Purkinje cell activity in the cerebellar anterior lobe after rabbit eyeblink conditioning
Authors: Green John T. , Steinmetz Joseph E.
Published: May 2005

The cerebellar anterior lobe may play a critical role in the execution and proper timing of learned responses. The current study was designed to monitor Purkinje cell activity in the rabbit cerebellar anterior lobe after eyeblink conditioning, and to assess whether Purkinje cells in recording locations may project to the interpositus nucleus. Rabbits were trained in an interstimulus interval discrimination procedure in which one tone signaled a 250-msec conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) interval and a second tone signaled a 750-msec CS-US interval. All rabbits showed conditioned responses to each CS with mean onset and peak latencies that coincided with the CS-US interval. Many anterior lobe Purkinje cells showed significant learning-related activity after eyeblink conditioning to one or both of the CSs. More Purkinje cells responded with inhibition than with excitation to CS presentation. In addition, when the firing patterns of all conditioning-related Purkinje cells were pooled, it appeared that the population showed a pattern of excitation followed by inhibition during the CS-US interval. Using cholera toxin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase, Purkinje cells in recording areas were found to project to the interpositus nucleus. These data support previous studies that have suggested a role for the anterior cerebellar cortex in eyeblink conditioning as well as models of cerebellar-mediated CR timing that postulate that Purkinje cell activity inhibits conditioned response (CR) generation during the early portion of a trial by inhibiting the deep cerebellar nuclei and permits CR generation during the later portion of a trial through disinhibition of the cerebellar nuclei.
Recollection in an episodic-like memory task in the rat
Authors: Eacott Madeline J. , Easton Alexander , Zinkivskay Ann
Published: May 2005

Episodic memory in humans is the conscious recollection of a past event. Animal models of episodic-like memory assess the memory for “what” happened, “where” it happened, and either “when” it happened, or in “which” context it happened, although recollection on such tasks is often difficult to measure. Here we present the first evidence of successful recollection of a past event in a rat in a task which is easily performed, requires little training, and is easily adaptable for other commonly used laboratory species.
Modern‐day lean construction principles
Authors: Sui Pheng Low , Hui Fang Teo
Published: May 2005

Purpose

Lean construction looks into the possibility of bringing successful lean production theories into the construction industry. It was believed that lean production principles could also be influenced by the essence of military strategies, specifically that of Sun Tzu's Art of War (ST) when these were introduced many years ago. This study looks into the practices of lean construction in the industry and the similarities in the two sets of statements from lean construction principles and Sun Tzu's strategic principles.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys and interviews of 40 project managers in the construction industry were conducted.

Findings

The study suggests that there are some agreements between lean construction principles and Sun Tzu's strategic principles.

Research limitations/implications

This study raises the interesting question of whether the origin of lean construction principles can be traced to the strategic principles formulated by Sun Tzu some 2,500 years ago.

Practical implications

It is recommended that the strategic principles formulated by Sun Tzu be tapped upon for the further extension of lean principles (LP) in construction.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in its reflections of ST to better understand the possible origin of current lean construction principles and practices.
Development of management philosophy for Chinese business environment
Authors: Lee Tat Y.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how management approaches are adopted in the modern Chinese business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted among the companies based in Hong Kong with manufacturing processes in China and supplying their products to the global market. The results of the survey are analyzed in conjunction with traditional Chinese philosophy, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria and ISO 9001 requirements.

Findings

The findings confirm that most companies operating in the capacity of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) suppliers will use ISO 9001 to set up their management systems. With the development of business, the companies will move from OEM to original design manufacturer (ODM), and some of them to original brand manufacturer. The management approach used at the OEM stage is basically ISO 9001; however, more comprehensive management approaches such as MBNQA criteria would be used when the company developed into OEM and particular ODM. In the Chinese business environment, the values of traditional Chinese philosophy are often shared by the senior leaders of the company.

Originality/value

This paper confirms that different management approaches should be used at different stages of business development. Furthermore, the management approach adopted should reflect the culture of the people concerned. Traditional Chinese philosophy is a rich source of management concepts from which foreign investors in China will be benefited.
Dynamics of strategic management in the Chinese construction industry
Authors: Cheah Charles Y.J. , Chew David A.S.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To provide a structured and integrated framework of corporate strategy in order to help practitioners and researchers identify critical issues related to the Chinese construction industry and analyze its dynamics from a holistic viewpoint.

Design/methodology/approach

A brief review of the major themes of strategy mostly developed by western researchers is first presented. This is then supplemented by a review of the pertinent characteristics of the construction industry in general, and those related to China's context in specific, which affect management decision‐making. Two case studies are used to illustrate the concepts implied by the proposed framework.

Findings

The cases of Guangsha and the Shanghai Construction Group demonstrate that there is no hard and fast rule in developing a coherent strategy. This is even truer considering the fact that China's circumstances are still evolving.

Practical implications

The critical elements identified in the proposed framework serve as a good starting point for individual firms to further develop a more detailed execution plan.

Originality/value

This paper bridges a management gap that exists between mainstream management researchers, who have few precedence of studying the construction industry, and traditional construction management researchers, who tend to focus on project‐level issues rather than corporate‐level issues.
Housing price bubbles in Beijing and Shanghai
Authors: Shen Yue , Chi‐man Hui Eddie , Liu Hongyu
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This study investigates whether there was a housing price bubble in Beijing and Shanghai in 2003. The existence of a bubble can be interpreted from (abnormal) interactions between housing prices and market fundamentals.

Design/methodology/approach

With monthly data from the two cities, this paper employs standard econometric methodologies: i.e. Granger causality tests and generalized impulse response analysis, and the reduced form of housing price determinants.

Findings

Our findings suggest that there appeared a bubble in Shanghai in 2003, accounting for 22 percent of the housing price. By contrast, Beijing had no sign of a bubble in the same year. The bubble phenomenon, of course, should not be taken without caution for the constraints of data. Nonetheless, this study has laid the ground work for further investigation into abnormal housing price phenomena in Mainland China.

Originality/value

Our findings may help foreign investors better understand the Chinese housing markets and make better housing investment decisions in the two cities.
The alignment of appropriate firm and supply strategies for competitive advantage
Authors: Cousins Paul D.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

Aims to prove that a firm's perception of the strategic nature of supply depends on how it defines its competitive advantage within the marketplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a random stratified cross‐sectional design from 142 large manufacturing firms in the UK. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesised model.

Findings

Firms defining their competitive advantage as being cost‐focused will generally consider supply as playing merely a cost‐reduction role, i.e. passive and supportive, whereas firms viewing their competitive advantage as being differentiated will see supply as strategic, i.e. as a distinctive capability.

Research limitations/implications

This study's single country setting could limit the generalizability of the findings. Replication of the model would require contrasting empirical contexts. Longitudinal as opposed to cross‐sectional data are needed for studying causations. Also future studies should take a multiple‐source as opposed to a single‐source data collection approach. Finally, more empirical research is needed, specifically grounded in the established strategy literature.

Practical implications

The model presented allows managers to understand what strategies to follow and which relationship modes to adopt. This study has a number of implications for strategy makers at the level of the firm and within supply.

Originality/value

Supply management has so far focused on the wrong question. Instead of “why isn't purchasing strategic?”, it should be “what are the firm's strategic goals and priorities?” This refocusing allows exploration of the linkage between the firm's competitive positioning and priorities and that of supply.
An assessment of strategic corporate philanthropy on perceptions of brand equity variables
Authors: Ricks Joe M.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This study aims to develop a classification schema for strategic philanthropy as a framework for empirical investigation and managerial decision making. Additionally it aims to present experimental assessments of various types of philanthropy based on the classification schema.

Design/methodology/approach

This study presents the results of two experiments examining the effects of different types and implementation strategies of philanthropy on consumer perceptions of brand equity variables.

Findings

The experiments suggest that in a proactive condition corporate philanthropy does have an overall positive effect on consumer perceptions of corporate associations. However, the effects did not transfer to brand evaluations or patronage intentions. Additionally, philanthropy as a part of a recovery strategy has a consistent but non‐significant effect on consumer perceptions.

Research limitations/implications

In the study manipulations respondents received the response at the same time as they read about the crisis. This generally would not happen in actual situations. A second limitation is the lack of control or manipulation for history between the company and the target segment in the directed philanthropy conditions.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have three managerial implications. First, traditional philanthropy may be effective for corporate or brand image objectives, but ineffective for brand evaluation and purchase objectives. Philanthropy directed toward a particular segment may also have a positive effect on consumers beyond that segment. Finally, in cases in which the objective is simply to thwart negative publicity, reactive philanthropy may not be a viable strategic option.

Originality/value

This study examines the effects of philanthropic activity on consumer perceptions of firms and the brands they market.
Fashion orientation, credit card use, and compulsive buying
Authors: Park Hye‐Jung , Davis Burns Leslie
Published: May 2005

Purpose

As an effort to identify the underlying determinants of compulsive buying, this study seeks to examine fashion orientation, a fashion‐related variable, as a direct antecedent of compulsive buying and as an indirect antecedent of compulsive buying through credit card use.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a convenient sampling method, women aged over 20 years living in the Seoul metropolitan area were selected as the sample. Out of 380 distributed, 267 useful questionnaires were returned. Confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were conducted using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of this study showed that fashion interest significantly influenced compulsive buying directly and also indirectly by influencing credit card use.

Originality/value

This study has significance in terms of being the first one to explore the relationship between fashion orientation variables and compulsive buying, offering a new perspective on compulsive buying.
And a comedian shall show journalists the way
Authors: Rotfeld Herbert Jack
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To discuss the time when an overuse of a marketing perspective for a product is detrimental to the best interests of society. In this case, using marketing to drive journalistic decision results in a poorly informed electorate in which a comedy program of admitted fake news provides more insight into the truth of politicians' statements than do actual television news shows.

Design/methodology/approach

The starting‐point is the fake news program on a comedy network, whose show host himself generated news during the election season with confrontations and criticisms of journalists who failed to do their reporting job.

Findings

The journalists, according to Stewart, have come to serve theater and the illusion of objectivity instead of the truth. When marketing drives journalism decisions, the public loses.

Practical implications

This abuse and misuse of marketing for news programming decisions lower the credibility of all news and information, and the dedicated journalists in the professions should take Jon Stewart's criticisms as a call to action. People from the USA need to be better informed about the world instead of having their own continued biases and misperceptions fed by pundits. At worst, this is a misleading selling of news as a commodity instead of informing the public.

Originality/value

Jon Stewart was right when he said to the NCC pundits, “You're killing us.” Fake news should not be more information‐driven than the news networks.
Library funding in Nigeria: past, present and future
Authors: Amina Akporhonor Blessings
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To document current sources of revenue for Nigerian libraries, and offer suggestions for alternative funding. Nigerian libraries nation‐wide depend mainly on annual budget allocations from the government.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys current literature to determine the current source of funds for each type of library, and then identifies various alternative funding sources that libraries have tried in the past. Each alternative funding source is described, with significant advantages and disadvantages noted when applicable.

Findings

Funds for Nigerian library and information services are traditionally derived from a parent institution. These revenues vary from a fixed percentage of an institution's overall budget to anad hocarrangement. Most libraries receive far less funding than the percentage that is usually earmarked for them.

Originality/value

Emerging spending patterns and societal pressure require libraries to launch new and sustained initiatives to generate funds internally. Steady exploitation of money‐yielding ventures, such as consulting, soliciting donations and pricing information services, can generate revenue. Libraries can also share resources in order to expand their services.
Funding Nigerian libraries in the 21st century
Authors: Okiy Rose B.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To address the issue of poor government funding for Nigerian libraries. This situation has led many librarians over the years to explore the possibility of raising additional funds from alternative sources of income.

Design/methodology/approach

Explores the current levels of funding for Nigerian academic libraries and identifies some alternative funding sources. On identifying these sources, the success of alternative sources of income is presented and suggestions are made for funding in the future.

Findings

Funding for libraries and information centers in Nigeria is largely through government allocations to the overseeing ministries or institutions. Government funding has been poor, requiring libraries to look for alternative sources of income in order to meet the increasingly sophisticated demand of library users for electronic information services. Several methods for generating income have been identified, explored by many libraries, and discussed in library literature, but have yielded little in the way of additional funding.

Originality/value

On evaluating all the sources of income available to Nigerian academic libraries, this paper suggests that the most stable and reliable source of funds remains with allocations from the federal government. As the support from the government has not been adequate, suggestions are included on areas where the government could raise taxes to support education in general, and libraries specifically, within Nigeria.
Library myths that affect performance
Authors: Holt Glen E.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To show that many of the old ways in which people think about libraries are not based on fact, but rather on fiction. Many ideas that library managers hold to be truths are, in fact, baseless assumptions about library operations.

Design/methodology/approach

Uses six examples of how library management often applies old approaches to the detriment of the library's future. After describing these examples, the truth about them is revealed as each one is examined and their fallacies are laid out.

Findings

There are many assumptions that play in managing a library. Some of these are not based on fact and, as such, need to be discarded.

Originality/value

Challenges managers to seek out the facts rather than base library policy on assumed truths. Even paradigms that may have once been true are not necessarily valid in today's library environment.
Determining positivity of alcohol abuse by Taguchi methods
Authors: Taner Tolga , Antony Jiju
Published: May 2005

Purpose

Aims to establish the critical score and screening accuracy of the CAGE Questionnaire in three treatment settings – primary health care, walk‐in (triage) clinic and the emergency room.

Design/methodology/approach

Taguchi methods are applied to three screens of the CAGE questionnaire.

Findings

Analysis of the sensitivity and specificity data of three CAGE screens by leveling factor (p′), signal‐to‐noise ratios (S/N, SS/N) and their dependent relation resulted in critical CAGE scores of 1, 1 and 2; and high screening accuracy levels of 98.44, 97.20 and 94.92 percent, respectively. The illustrated method yielded excellent (≥95 percent) screening accuracy values for primary health care, emergency room and walk‐in clinic patients.

Originality/value

To reduce misclassification rates of alcohol abuse, screening systems should concentrate first on developing ways to standardize protocols. Further work is needed to establish high screening accuracy in other clinical settings, and particularly in those at risk of alcohol abuse in the general population.
Employee care, a vital antecedent to customer care in the health care industry
Authors: O'Neill Martin
Published: May 2005

Purpose

The paper reports on the conceptualization and measurement of the employee satisfaction construct at North East Alabama Regional Medical Center (RMC), Anniston, Alabama. The study sought to take a global attitudinal measure of employee satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The employee satisfaction construct was evaluated through the use of an amended Brayfield‐Rothe Index (BRI). The Index, in its original form, comprises an 18‐item five‐point Likert scale with items listed in both positive and negative format. The amended instrument comprised an additional 12 items addressing such issues as organizational culture and satisfaction with existing orientation, human resource policy and practice. The sample was drawn from all employees of the North East Alabama Regional Medical Center, Anniston, Alabama over a two‐week period in November 2003.

Findings

The results have proved beneficial in revealing those core dimensions that comprise the employee satisfaction construct, at least as defined through the use of BRI at RMC. The Center has been able to identify those areas where performance should be maintained at present levels and those where improvement is needed.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by the fact that it was cross‐sectional in nature and in order to track real change/improvement over time, it should be repeated annually. It should also be stressed that the BRI was used to provide a global attitudinal measure of employee satisfaction only. When used as such, the author would recommend a certain amount of qualitative follow‐up with willing participants in a focus group forum. This should allow for a richer interpretation of the results.

Practical implications

The results have proved beneficial in revealing those core dimensions that comprise the employee satisfaction construct, at least as defined through the use of BRI at RMC. The Center has been better placed to identify those areas where performance should be maintained at present levels and those where improvement is needed.

Originality/value

The research demonstrates the value and relative simplicity of the BRI method.
Procurement performance measurement system in the health care industry
Authors: Kumar Arun , Ozdamar Linet , Peng Ng Chai
Published: May 2005

Purpose

The rising operating cost of providing healthcare is of concern to health care providers. As such, measurement of procurement performance will enable competitive advantage and provide a framework for continuous improvement. The objective of this paper is to develop a procurement performance measurement system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the existing literature in procurement performance measurement to identify the key areas of purchasing performance. By studying the three components in the supply chain collectively with the resources, procedures and output, a model is been developed. Additionally, a balanced scorecard is proposed by establishing a set of generic measures and six perspectives. A case study conducted at the Singapore Hospital applies the conceptual model to describe the purchasing department and the activities within and outside the department.

Findings

The results indicate that the material management department has already made a good start in measuring the procurement process through the implementation of the balanced scorecard.

Research limitations/implications

There are many data that are collected but not properly collated and utilized. Areas lacking measurement include cycle time of delivery, order processing time, effectiveness, efficiency and reliability. Though a lot of hard work was involved, the advantages of establishing a measurement system outweigh the costs and efforts involved in its implementation.

Practical implications

Results of balanced scorecard measurements provide decision‐makers with critical information on efficiency and effectiveness of the purchasing department's work.

Originality/value

The measurement model developed could be used for any hospital procurement system.
Quality management and employee commitment illustrated with examples from Dutch health care
Authors: Schalk René , Van Dijk Wim
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To assess the relationship between quality management and employee commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis of the state of affairs with respect to (T)QM programs in The Netherlands based on the literature and interviews with key informants.

Findings

Description of an approach that tries to integrate employee commitment and quality management based on the concept of employees' psychological contracts with their organization (ideas about mutual obligations between them and their employer).

Research limitations/implications

The interviews with key informants provide limited information: the study is done in only one country. Research in a broader context and on a larger scale would give a more general overview.

Practical implications

The crucial factor in making quality management work can better be described by “quality fails when employees' psychological contracts are neglected” than by “quality fails when the system fails”.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the essential relationship between quality management and employee commitment and offers suggestions on how to approach this issue.
The impact of Leading Empowered Organisations (LEO) on leadership development in nursing
Authors: Hancock Helen , Campbell Steve , Bignell Pat , Kilgour Julie
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This study sought to evaluate the impact and sustainability of the Leading Empowered Organisations (LEO) programme on the role of G Grade Nurse Managers, their colleagues and therefore on patient care at CHS.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative, inductive research methodology, which employed 360‐degree research evaluation, was used. A purposive sample of four G Grade Nurse Managers was included. Each G Grade and eight of each of their colleagues were interviewed. Data were analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis.

Findings

There was evidence of a sustained impact of the LEO programme on G Grade Nurse Managers in relation to competence, action plans, delegation, communication strategies, problem solving, risk taking, leadership and management. The study also revealed a number of significant personal and contextual factors that affected the implementation of the LEO principles. Empowerment, or a lack of it, underpinned much of what occurred in the implementation of the LEO principles by the G Grades into practice.

Originality/value

The findings indicated that both organisational and individual action is necessary to achieve leadership development. Organisations need to ensure that investment in leadership is not restricted to the LEO programme, but that it becomes a strategic priority.
Measuring service quality in a hospital colposcopy clinic
Authors: Wisniewski Mik , Wisniewski Hazel
Published: May 2005

Purpose

The issues surrounding the measurement and provision of service quality in a health care setting are becoming increasingly important to nursing. This research study aims to apply the SERVQUAL measurement instrument in a Scottish colposcopy clinic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved adapting the SERVQUAL instrument to the colposcopy setting and asking a sample of patients to complete the questionnaire. Patient expectations of service were obtained on first attendance at the clinic. Patient perceptions of service received were obtained on completion of treatment. Perceptions and expectations are then compared to identify where the largest service gaps exist.

Findings

Although patient satisfaction with the overall service provided was generally high, the instrument provided evidence of where specific service improvements were needed. The largest service quality gap was for the reliability of service. The research also revealed the need for improved premises.

Research limitations/implications

Although the study has a limited sample size, it does appear that the SERVQUAL instrument has a useful diagnostic role to play in assessing and monitoring service quality in nursing, enabling nursing staff to identify where improvements are needed from the patients' perspective. The study has raised a number of issues which would form the basis for useful further research.

Practical implications

Service quality from the patients' perspective should be routinely monitored and assessed.

Originality/value

The findings should be useful to nursing staff seeking to assess, and improve, service quality.
Splitting and projection at work in schools
Authors: Dunning Gerald , James Chris , Jones Nicola
Published: May 2005

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report research into the social defence of splitting and projection in schools. In splitting and projection, organisational members separate their unbearable feelings from the more acceptable ones and project them, typically towards other individuals and groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was undertaken in three secondary (11‐18), co‐educational, maintained schools in Wales, UK, using a case study method and a psychoanalytic approach and interpretive perspective. Data were collected during interviews and meetings with key players.

Findings

The cross‐case analysis and interpretation showed how features in the whole system such as institutional stress can create a setting in which splitting and projection may flourish. The inadequate definition and management of institutional roles may also contribute. Individuals and groups may act as “lightning rods” receiving and taking in projected feelings and may play a part in establishing themselves in that role. Splitting and projection can develop into blame, demonisation, scapegoating and bullying. The ability of those involved to transform projected feelings, that is, to accept them, contain them, change them into benign and acceptable forms, and then return them in that different form, is crucial to minimising the impact of splitting and projection and to ensuring that it does not grow into more dangerous organisational phenomena. This transformation‐and‐return process is a key educational leadership task.

Originality/value

The paper provides a new perspective on a widespread behaviour in schools and colleges and describes how the behaviour can be managed. It has implications for all educational leaders.
Teacher‐principal relationships
Authors: Moye Melinda J. , Henkin Alan B. , Egley Robert J.
Published: May 2005

Purpose

To investigate relationships between teacher empowerment and interpersonal level trust in the principal.

Design/methodology/approach

Trust is a fundamental element in well‐functioning organizations. Studies of empowerment, a motivational construct, have suggested that empowering employees is a key factor in managerial and organizational effectiveness. An instrument was constructed to measure perceived teacher empowerment and level of interpersonal trust in the principal. Established measures of psychological empowerment and affect‐and cognition‐based trust were adapted for use in the study. Elementary school teachers in an urban school district in the USA completed the survey instrument.

Findings

Teachers who perceived that they were empowered in their work environments had higher levels of interpersonal trust in their principals. Teachers who found their work personally meaningful, and who reported significant autonomy and substantial influence in their work environments had higher levels of interpersonal trust in principals.

Research limitations/implications

This investigation was delimited by the study sample. Research on the empowerment‐trust relationships should be extended to include middle and high schools, and schools in different regions with a broader range of demographics.

Practical implications

Principals should consider suggested strategies that can strengthen teachers’ perceptions of empowerment, reinforce trustworthy behaviors, and support beliefs in the honesty, integrity, and reliability of supervisors.

Originality/value

The study compliments the limited base of data‐driven research in education and the non‐profit sector that focuses on significant intervening variables associated with trust in organizations.
Not just location: LEAs and inequalities among schools
Authors: Yair Gad
Published: May 2005

Purpose

With growing decentralization, local education authorities (LEAs) face new tasks and responsibilities in providing schools with administrative services and resources. This study aims to use a multilevel framework to assess the extent to which LEAs differentially affect the provision of resources and administrative services to schools, and the differential extent to which organizational effectiveness and LEAs’ corporate social capital account for between‐LEA variation in these outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an Israeli national sample of 464 schools in 76 LEAs, the study uses an HLM methodology to test which of the two theoretical models best fits the data.

Findings

The analysis reveals that background characteristics of a locale are not related to administrative services and resources that LEAs provide to schools in their jurisdiction. In contrast, LEAs do differentially affect these services and resources, with the variables of organizational effectiveness accounting for most of the observed inter‐LEA inequalities.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on cross‐sectional design, therefore precludes any causal definitive conclusions.

Originality/value

The study concludes by suggesting that inequalities in LEAs’ organizational capacities trickle down to the school level and LEAS are important organizational units in any attempt to curb inequality of service to students.
Leadership learning
Authors: Cardno Carol , Fitzgerald Tanya
Published: May 2005

Purpose

During the 2000‐2004 period, one New Zealand tertiary institution provided a management development programme for experienced secondary school principals. Aims to determine the extent to which the learning had been sustained beyond the formal programme

Design/methodology/approach

A postal questionnaire was administered to 80 participants seeking responses to questions concerning the programme and whether the learning had been transferred to their organisations.

Findings

Empirical data suggested that while the programme was highly valued and there was a high degree of willingness to sustain the learning, this is only possible if school boards actively support principals to engage in critical reflection by providing time and opportunity. This research project provides evidence of the need for principals to participate in advanced management development in order to stimulate their own leadership learning.

Originality/value

Findings from this research will be of benefit to policy makers, employing authorities and principals.
A Pyrrhic victory
Authors: Stauss Bernd
Published: May 2005

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to discuss critically the implications of an unlimited broadening of the understanding of service.

Design/methodology/approach

The position of a service‐centered marketing paradigm is described. This position essentially removes the differentiation between goods and services, so that basically all “goods” are declared to be “services”. On the basis of this description, six propositions are developed that examine the possible problematic consequences of this claim of victory of “service thinking” in management.

Findings

The critical analysis shows that the equalization of “goods” and “services” carries the risk of losing valuable service‐specific knowledge. In particular, broadening the understanding of co‐production to include the use of physical goods leads to an abstract equating of matters that are manifestly different, and to an abandonment of important service‐specific insights.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents a specific and neglected viewpoint in a relevant discussion, but is not based on empirical data.

Practical implications

The paper is an inspiring source for all in academia who are interested in fundamental questions of services marketing and management.

Originality/value

This paper provides a valuable contribution because it supplements the discussion of the understanding of services by considering the problematic implications of an unlimited broadening of the service concept.
Diagnosing the zone of tolerance for hotel services
Authors: Nadiri Halil , Hussain Kashif
Published: May 2005

Purpose

Aims to address the concept of the “zone of tolerance” in judgments of hotel service quality. The present study describes the zone of tolerance for customers’ service expectations and determines the customer satisfaction level in Northern Cyprus hotels – which is a new emerging market as an island destination.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of the study consisted of customers visiting four‐star, five‐star, and resort hotels located in the Gazimağusa and Kyrenia regions of Northern Cyprus in June and July 2004. The questionnaire was based on service expectations and perceptions. As a result of the pilot study with 50 customers, the instrument was reworded for measuring service quality and the zone of tolerance for hotels. This modified instrument became the “HOTELZOT” instrument, which was used to measure customers’ service expectations and service perceptions. Psychometric properties of the scale (such as reliability) were tested, and the dimensionality of the scale was confirmed through an exploratory factor analysis.

Findings

The conceptual model (HOTELZOT) presented here, and the results of this study, demonstrate that evaluation of services can be scaled according to different types of expectations – “desired” and “adequate” – and that customers use these two types of expectations as a comparison standard in evaluating hotel services. The findings reveal that the customers visiting Northern Cyprus hotels have a narrow zone of tolerance in services provided by the hotels. The results also indicate that the HOTELZOT instrument presented here is two‐dimensional. The results with respect to gap analysis reveal that there was a shortfall in the service quality provided by the hotels in the sample, with the largest gap being found in intangibles.

Research limitations/implications

First, the sample in this study is small and is limited to a relatively specific group of tourists. Second, measurement of customer satisfaction was carried out using a single‐item scale, and it was therefore not possible to estimate its reliability. Finally, this study examined the influence of two factors on customers’ zones of tolerance for hotels. As proposed by Zeithaml et al., there might be other factors that determine the width of the zone of tolerance.

Originality/value

This study is necessary, useful, and relevant because: it focuses on service quality in island destinations (which have received little attention in the past); Northern Cyprus is both an island and a virgin market in the Mediterranean where quality of hotels is a significant strategic issue for increasing the competitiveness in the international tourism market; and the study explores service quality in terms of the zone of tolerance in the hospitality industry.
A study of the ISO 9000 certification process: consultant profiles and company behaviour
Authors: Marimon Viadiu Frederic , Cristóbal Fransi Eduard
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This article aims to analyse the process of introducing the ISO 9000 quality standard with the help of an external consultancy company. The main objectives are to investigate: whether there were any basic differences in the way that companies behaved when implementing a quality system based on ISO 9000; and how the quality of the consultant can be measured.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involved an empirical study of a sample of companies that obtained their ISO 9000 certifications in the years 1997, 1998, and 1999. All of these companies were based in Catalonia (Spain). The results were subjected to various statistical treatments to determine the segmentation of the market. Subsequent factor analysis determined the main factors that configured the quality of the consultancy services provided.

Findings

Three types of company behaviour when faced with the task of obtaining certification are identified. The companies that obtain the greatest benefits from the project are those that regard certification as just one more step towards total quality management. In contrast, companies that are sceptical about ISO 9000 are more likely to have negative perceptions of the consultant's work. The analysis also assesses the quality of the service provided by consultants. Finally, the paper finds that the quality of the service can be appreciated in terms of three factors. The factor that is best regarded by companies is referred to here as “human quality”, whereas the least regarded is “scheduling”.

Practical implications

The paper contributes a series of recommendations for consultants and companies looking to contract the services of specialised consultants in ISO 9000.

Originality/value

The article provides a tool to measure the service quality to the consultancy firms in order to improve its performance. On the other hand, it has been found that two out of the three dimensions related with this service were not found in the academic literature.
A case study of service failure and recovery within an international airline
Authors: Bamford David , Xystouri Tatiana
Published: May 2005

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of internal processes of service quality recovery for an international airline.

Design/methodology/approach

An action research methodology was adopted. The research involved: a review of available service quality literature; the identification of causes of failure/errors within the host company; the development of key lessons and management guidelines.

Findings

It is argued that, for service recovery to be effective, it must be external (to the customer) as well as internal (to the organisation). The need to incorporate employees and not overlook their significance, power and influence on the delivery of quality service is highlighted. Through comparison with another airline the findings re‐assert that service quality excellence can only be achieved through employee satisfaction, commitment and loyalty as a result of senior management commitment, focus and drive.

Research limitations/implications

The methodology applied was appropriate, generating data to facilitate discussion and from which to draw specific conclusions. A perceived limitation is the single case approach; however, Remenyi argues that this can be enough to add to the body of knowledge. For further investigation, there is an ongoing opportunity for future research in the area of service quality, failure and recovery, as well as the service quality gaps within the airline.

Practical implications

Key lessons and management guidelines for improving service quality are presented.

Originality/value

The paper describes how an international airline has tangible service quality failure and recovery systems in place, but fails to capitalise on the data and information generated.