bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Market structures, strategy and innovation in tourism sector
Authors: Carvalho Luisa Margarida Cagica , Sarkar Soumodip 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– This study aims to add to the existing body of knowledge the link between market structures, strategy and innovation by applying the diagnostic test of the integrated model of innovation, and also present the results of an empirical study applied to tourism in a small open economy. The study uses an archetype and the market outcome resulting from the innovation strategies pursued to compare similarities and differences according to a firms’ geographical location to identify innovative patterns in tourism firms.Design/methodology/approach– The study applies a multivariate analysis using a data set consisting of survey responses from 158 Portuguese firms.Findings– The findings indicate links between service, market structures and innovation strategies considering geographical agglomeration of firms in a small economy, and also different innovation trajectories and positions in the model.Research limitations/implications– The results of this study are generalizable to a dynamic industry context of tourism firms operating in a small open economy, such as Portugal.Practical implications– The results suggest that managers need to attend to intangible resources, such as marketing and human resources and their links with innovation and performance, particularly in the case of service firms.Originality/value– The paper highlights the role of intangible resources, especially marketing and human resources, in tourism firms. Geographical location also influences the firm’s strategy and results.
An integrated approach for prioritized process improvement
Authors: Vanteddu Gangaraju , D. McAllister Charles 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated framework to simultaneously identify and improve healthcare processes that are important from the healthcare provider's and patient's perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach
– A modified quality function deployment (QFD) chart is introduced to the field of healthcare quality assurance. A healthcare service example is used to demonstrate the utility of the proposed chart.

Findings
– The proposed framework is versatile and can be used in a wide variety of healthcare quality improvement contexts, wherein, two different perspectives are needed to be considered for identifying and improving critical healthcare processes.

Practical implications
– The modified QFD chart used in conjunction with the stacked Pareto chart will facilitate the identification of key performance metrics from the patient's and the hospital's perspectives. Subsequently, the chief contributory factors at different levels are identified in a very efficient manner.

Originality/value
– Healthcare quality improvement professionals will be able to use the proposed modified QFD chart in association with stacked Pareto chart for effective quality assurance.
Medical record-keeping and patient perception of hospital care quality
Authors: Mô Dang Van , François Patrice , Batailler Pierre , Seigneurin Arnaud , Vittoz Jean-Philippe , Sellier Elodie , Labarère José 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– Medical record represents the main information support used by healthcare providers. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether patient perception of hospital care quality related to compliance with medical-record keeping.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors merged the original data collected as part of a nationwide audit of medical records with overall and subscale perception scores (range 0-100, with higher scores denoting better rating) computed for 191 respondents to a cross-sectional survey of patients discharged from a university hospital.

Findings
– The median overall patient perception score was 77 (25th-75th percentiles, 68-87) and differed according to the presence of discharge summary completed within eight days of discharge (81 v. 75, p=0.03 after adjusting for baseline patient and hospital stay characteristics). No independent associations were found between patient perception scores and the documentation of pain assessment and nutritional disorder screening. Yet, medical record-keeping quality was independently associated with higher patient perception scores for the nurses’ interpersonal and technical skills component.

Research limitations/implications
– First, this was a single-center study conducted in a large full-teaching hospital and the findings may not apply to other facilities. Second, the analysis might be underpowered to detect small but clinically significant differences in patient perception scores according to compliance with recording standards. Third, the authors could not investigate whether electronic medical record contributed to better compliance with recording standards and eventually higher patient perception scores.

Practical implications
– Because of the potential consequences of poor recording for patient safety, further efforts are warranted to improve the accuracy and completeness of documentation in medical records.

Originality/value
– A modest relationship exists between the quality of medical-record keeping and patient perception of hospital care.
Optimizing backup power systems through Six Sigma
Authors: Jit Singh Bikram , Bakshi Yash 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to follow an analytic-deductive approach to realize the issues related to the present power crisis and growing demand of backup power systems (BPSs), especially in India. It not only explores the need of high-cost BPSs in the current scenario but also puts an emphasis to reduce the running cost through parametric optimizations.

Design/methodology/approach
– Literature review identifies dependency of every sector on BPS and also highlights present and future challenges erupting in this age of power scarcity. Different improvement initiatives being used to improve efficiency of BPS have been studied, but quite rare application of Six Sigma in BPS sector, in actual was found. A define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) model of Six Sigma is being suggested and practiced for bringing a breakthrough in efficiency or mileage of a diesel genset (used as a BPS).

Findings
– Importance of BPS cannot be ignored, particularly in developing countries, but feeble effort was seen to improve its power generation cost. An imprecise and outdated framework used for bringing a change in the BPS sector is unable to increase its overall equipment efficiency. The diversified methodology of Six Sigma has been successfully implemented through a case study discussed and further validates the approach adopted to tackle the problem formulated further in the paper.

Research limitations/implications
– The whole work more or less revolves around the Indian energy scenario and seems to be talking about the power generation process and its optimization, in context of only diesel genets as BPS.

Originality/value
– The paper outlines the need for energy reform in industry. The DMAIC approach of Six Sigma in the BPS sector is too infrequent and next, motivates to reduce BPS cost and its associated expenditures, which are generally ignored.
Application of Six Sigma methodology in a small-scale foundry industry
Authors: Gijo E.V. , Bhat Shreeranga , Jnanesh N.A. 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the Six Sigma methodology was applied to a small-scale foundry industry to reduce the rejections and rework in one of its processes.

Design/methodology/approach
– The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out in an industry using the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach and its application in improving the leaf spring manufacturing process of a foundry shop.

Findings
– The root causes for the problem of rejection and rework were identified through data-based analysis at different stages in the project. The process parameters were optimized and measures for sustainability of the results were incorporated in the process. As a result of this study, the overall rejection was reduced from 48.33 to 0.79 per cent, which was a remarkable achievement for this small-scale industry. This was leading to improvement in on-time delivery to the customer. The finance department of the company estimated the annualized savings due to the reduction in rejection and was to the tune of USD8,000 per year.

Research limitations/implications
– The paper is based on a single case study executed in a company, and hence, there is limitation in generalizing the specific results from the study. However, the approach adopted and the learning from this study can be generalized.

Originality/value
– This article illustrates the step-by-step application of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in a small-scale foundry industry to solve an age-old problem in the organization. Thus, this article will be helpful for those professionals who are interested in implementing Six Sigma to such industries.
Graduate employability and the development of competencies. The incomplete reform of the “Bologna Process”
Authors: Leoni Riccardo 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the coherence between competency mismatches and the objective of European policymakers to transform the higher education system through the Bologna Process and the Dublin Descriptors, moving from the transfer of knowledge from the teacher to learning by the student and from disciplinary knowledge to competencies.Design/methodology/approach– The paper is based first on the theoretical arguments that confront the European reform of the tertiary education system and the nature of competency mismatches, and second on graduate earnings function estimates using two Italian databases. The paper demonstrates the waning signalling power associated with university degrees and the disruptive assertion of the competency concept.Findings– The theoretical arguments developed suggest that competency mismatches are not only responsible for the medium-low positioning of the competency profile with respect to a counterfactual constituted by a graduate with a good match but also tend to affect the growth path of the competencies themselves: the bigger the initial gap, the smaller the steps in their growth. The econometric estimates carried out document that the level of expressed competencies drives graduate remuneration.Originality/value– By disentangling educational outcomes (i.e. disciplinary knowledge) from requested competencies, the study demonstrates that firms remunerate competencies and to a far lesser extent disciplinary knowledgeper se, and that cultural background tends to assume greater importance than formal education in forging transversal competencies. The Bologna Process could overturn this situation, provided it is integrated with a constructivist pedagogical approach, a tool that is lacking today but is vital in providing education processes that enable students to acquire and develop the competencies required by modern production techniques.
The role of higher education in supporting graduates’ early labour market careers
Authors: Pavlin Samo 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions by higher education (HE) senior professors and managers of their role in preparing graduates for entry to the labour market. By providing a theoretical and empirical overview of the functional role of HE institutions in preparing graduates for work, the paper designs an own research framework for future developments in this area.Design/methodology/approach– The conclusions in the paper are based on a literature review and approximately 240 semi-structured interviews with HE professors and managers from six European countries and from six different study fields. The results are broadly compared with an international survey of graduates from 20, mainly European, countries.Findings– The senior HE professors and managers see their own role in supporting graduates’ careers in a surprisingly intuitive way. There are some important differences and similarities among the study fields, although they are generally not motivated to apply an evidence-based approach to study and programme developments.Originality/value– This paper is based on the results of a three-year survey of the European research network, and two international conferences comprising more than 100 contributions from over 30, mainly European, countries.
An exploration of quality management practices, perceptions and program maturity in the supply chain
Authors: A. Dellana Scott , F. Kros John 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine differences among industry classes and supply chain positions in order to gain insight into quality management program maturity across industries and within supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data for comparison in this study comes from an e-mail survey of professionals across the USA, employed primarily in sourcing or logistics (i.e. Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)).

Findings
– This study found that quality maturity varies by industry class. While prior studies have found differences by industry class, they have been limited to at most three classes, while this study examined 17 classes. This study also examines quality maturity by supply chain position, with the finding that quality maturity differed by supply chain position depending on how position is defined. Questions are raised regarding the proper characterization of supply chain position.

Research limitations/implications
– The sample group represents members in only two professional groups, ISM and CSCMP. Not all industry groups or supply chain positions were well-represented due to some small sub-group sizes.

Practical implications
– Quality program maturity is generally not uniform and there are potentially many opportunities for substantial improvement across various sectors by specific industry. Partnering with suppliers is a recommended approach for sectors lagging in quality maturity.

Originality/value
– This research extends the examination of quality management practice in the supply chain by studying a large number of industry classes and supply chain positions and assesses differences in quality maturity across these classes and positions.
Creating cross-functional strategic consensus in manufacturing facilities
Authors: L. Rosado Feger Ana 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to propose and tests a model that plant managers can use to develop cross-functional strategic consensus between purchasing, production, and logistics. The mechanisms studied are grounded in Organizational Information Processing Theory.Design/methodology/approach– The model is tested using a cross-sectional survey of 120 manufacturing facilities. Path Analysis is used to determine the strength of the relationships and the model fit.Findings– The mechanisms studied have a positive effect on the level of cross-functional strategic consensus. Some mechanisms have an effect on consensus on goals, while others have an effect on consensus on priorities. The results suggest that a plant manager must implement these mechanisms in combination to achieve the best result.Research limitations/implications– The survey respondents are all from US manufacturing facilities. Although reasonably representative of the US population of manufacturing firms, results of a similar study in other countries would further refine the knowledge concerning the effects of the mechanisms on developing strategic consensus at the operating level.Practical implications– The results of this paper provide plant managers with guidance regarding the mechanisms that can enhance cross-functional strategic consensus. In a hypercompetitive and dynamic environment, these mechanisms can help the Plant Manager create a streamlined and efficient operation.Originality/value– This paper presents practitioners with mechanisms that can promote consensus between key supply chain departments. The results highlight the need to implement combinations of mechanisms in order to address both dimensions of strategic consensus. For academics, it provides an empirical test of antecedents to strategic consensus at the operational level.
CMKMS
Authors: Dilip Babar Sachin , Rashmi Prasad Neeli , Prasad Ramjee 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The paper aims to address wireless sensor network (WSN) security by proposing new cluster-based mobile key management scheme (CMKMS). The growing demands of WSNs in variety of real-time and mission-critical applications increase the challenges in terms of energy efficiency, security and mobility. The security is important to avoid malicious attacks and improve the energy efficiency, while mobility helps to improve the reachability of network. The CMKMS algorithm focuses on the management and maintenance of keys under cluster-based mobile WSN network.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper studied the related work in the area of key management and compared the different key management algorithms according to the technique used. The comparative study shows that the available key management algorithms are efficient in terms of security, but they are not scaleable enough to the changing conditions of network and do not work efficiently under node mobility. The research uses cluster-based approach for improving scalability, where cluster head (CH) acts as a key manager. The work developed by considering both static and mobile CH.

Findings
– The CMKMS considers two phases, first for key maintenance which establishes the two private keys, home key for own cluster and foreign key when node moves from one cluster to another. The second phase maintains the keys when CH moves from one cluster to another. The proposed algorithm improves the efficiency of key management algorithm in terms of security, mobility, energy efficiency and scalability of network. The simulation of scheme in different realistic situation shows that proposed solution shows less computational overheads, energy consumption and delay as compared with state-of-art solution.

Research limitations/implications
– The research is validated using computer-based simulation, which limits the testing of research by considering external environmental conditions. Therefore, research can be further test using WSN test bed.

Practical implications
– The research address the issues in key management, developed the scaleable, and node mobility supportable key management algorithms, for addressing the demands of growing WSN applications.

Originality/value
– This paper accomplish the security of WSN using scaleable and mobility-supported key management algorithms.
Features of business association advocates in Africa
Authors: Irwin David 
Published: July 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to review the attempts to describe the features and characteristics of business associations in Tanzania which are aiming to influence public policy. It concludes that those attempts, whilst thought provoking, do not go far enough to be of real use to practitioners and offers an improved model.Design/methodology/approach– This paper uses empirical evidence, gathered from interviews with business associations, supplemented by reviewing their research reports and policy position papers and cross referenced through interviews with public officials.Findings– Activities and approaches of successful business associations are described and used to draw out characteristics which might enable associations to be categorised in one of four development stages based on their approach to influencing public policy.Research limitations/implications– The new model is conceptual and work is now required to assess its validity.Practical implications– Donors, in their design of advocacy support programmes, already focus support on associations in one or two stages of development. An improved model will make it easier for them, and practitioners, to categorise business associations. Importantly, it will provide indicators for how business associations are expected to improve as a result of the support that they are offered and thus to assess the success of the support programme.Originality/value– There has been little research and little discussion about the features and characteristics of business associations that might lead to success in influencing public policy and thus in improving the enabling environment. This paper contributes to filling that gap.
The advocacy-growth nexus: the case of the Egyptian banking sector
Authors: Adel Abdel-Baki Monal 
Published: July 2014

Purpose
– The Egyptian banking sector has acted as an arena for multiple alliances, some of which bred crony capitalism and others acted as growth alliances. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of private sector advocacy in the Egyptian banking sector on macroeconomic performance, with the prime aim of designing an Egyptian-centric roadmap outlining precepts of good advocacy between bankers, policymakers and businesses.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study uses a two-stage model. In the first stage an advocacy construct is developed using confirmatory factor analysis. In the second stage the relationship between advocacy and macroeconomic growth is measured by running a set of parsimonious regressions.

Findings
– The empirical results show a strong relationship between advocacy and growth, albeit not on inflation rates, suggesting that an innovative set of public policy instruments is needed to promote private advocacy efforts and to institutionalise private-public partnerships. This is an innately pressing mission for the new government to mitigate the impact of the double-digit inflation that has prevailed since the Triple-F – food, fuel and finance – Crisis of 2006.

Practical implications
– The ousted Egyptian government failed to protect its citizens from crony alliances and corruption, be it abuse of public resources or unfair access to bank credit. Hence, the prime aim is to design a future roadmap for the endorsement of effective growth alliances between businesses, bankers and policymakers. The recommendations proposed by this study would prove helpful to future public policymakers in the fulfilment of the macroeconomic aspirations of the Egyptian society as well as to other emerging and developing nations that share similar problems.

Social implications
– The research addresses how reforms can be designed in an egalitarian fashion to direct credit to growth enhancing and job-generating sectors since a prompt treatment of these problems at their roots is apt to minimise the probabilities of future social turmoil. This is apt to assist the Egyptian people to transition to a truly democratic society and to convert street rebellions into inclusive institutional activism.

Originality/value
– This paper adds to the literature a measurable construct gauging the relationship between advocacy in the banking sector and growth. Another contribution is the set of policies proposed to institutionalise rightful advocacy efforts.