Human resource management and innovation in SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Linear Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Gift ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
One Year ◽  
Gift Exchanges ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between HRM and innovation in SMEs through gift/counter-gift exchanges. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative case study of a SME using a diversity of data collection methods with a one year follow up to provide some longitudinal data. Findings The results indicate that the logic of giving has three stages: freeing up gifts, mobilizing gifts and rethinking gifts. The results also indicate that employees need to be central to the innovation from the beginnings of such projects. Research limitations/implications The authors note that their linear process in this study may give the impression that the process of innovation is linear and sequential rather than dynamic. They also point out that some cognitive bias could arise from the research being based on retrospection. Practical implications The authors make six recommendations: 10;1. The leader should share their strategic vision from the outset to gain as much support as possible 10;2. Seek to build a culture conducive to gifting 10;3. Encourage employee engagement using a bottom-up approach 10;4. Detect and enlist key players 10;5. Be aware of frustrations among employees 10;6. Create virtuous collaboration. Originality/value Many questions remain from previous literature regarding the relationship between HRM and innovation in SMEs. This study has originality and value in using the gift/counter-gift theory to explore that relationship.

Assessing the Borrow Direct engineering e-book pilot

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas McGee
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Interlibrary Loan ◽  
Similar Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
One Year ◽  
Joint Purchase

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of a one-year pilot exploring the joint purchase of e-books via demand-driven acquisition (DDA) conducted by engineering librarians from seven members of the Borrow Direct interlibrary loan partnership. Also provided are observations that may inform future initiatives of a similar nature. Design/methodology/approach – The author presents a case study approach and examination of the results. Findings – The pilot was discontinued as a result of dissatisfaction with its configuration, but it did offer significant financials savings as well as provide accessible copies of mutually acquired titles to each member. The pilot also offered several lessons that can inform future joint e-book endeavors. Originality/value – Multi-institutional joint e-book DDA acquisition has been attempted elsewhere; however, what is unique about this pilot is that it was managed by seven independent institutions without a central legal entity to oversee it. This paper is a follow-up to the author’s presentation at the 80th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, August 16-22, 2014, in Lyon, France.

Individualized Behavioural Treatment of Severe Stuttering

1991 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willi Ecker ◽  
Victor Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Oral Reading ◽  
Reading Improvement ◽  
Behavioural Treatment ◽  
Communication Situations ◽  
Cognitive Techniques ◽  
One Year

This case study illustrates the reduction of severe stuttering by an individually tailored treatment programme. Interventions are derived from a tripartite analysis (Lang, 1971) and include EMG biofeedback, regulated breathing, exposure in vivo to stressful communication situations and cognitive techniques to reduce relapse risk. The role of dysfunctional response system interactions in stuttering is emphasized. Treatment resulted in a marked reduction of stuttering and associated facial contortions during videotaped conversations with strangers and oral reading. Improvement was maintained at one-year follow-up.

A Successful Adaptation of Systematic Desensitization in the Treatment of a Phobia of Babies

1985 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Michael Free ◽  
Margaret Beekhuis
Keyword(s):  
Young Woman ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Treatment Strategy ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Systematic Desensitization ◽  
Physiological Measure ◽  
One Year

A case study is presented of a young woman with an unusual phobia, a fear of babies. Barabasz's (1977) technique of systematic desensitization using psycho-physiological measures was chosen as the main treatment strategy. Difficulties arose as the client was unable to visualise scenes involving babies. Nor could she look at photographs of babies long enough for the hierarchy to be ordered using a psycho-physiological measure (skin conductance). A set of photographs was eventually used for the hierarchy, but it was ordered in terms of the length of time the client could look at the various photographs. Systematic desensitization was carried out using the set of photographs instead of imaginary scenes, together with some in vivo exposure in the latter stages of treatment. At termination the client could approach babies without discomfort. Improvement was maintained at one year follow-up.

Satisfaction of tuberculosis patients with health services in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 545-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Bonsu ◽  
Felix Afutu ◽  
Nii Nortey Hanson-Nortey ◽  
Mary-Anne Ahiabu ◽  
Joshua Amo-Adjei
Keyword(s):  
Client Satisfaction ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sputum Production ◽  
Interview Guide

Purpose Within human services, client satisfaction is highly prioritised and considered a mark of responsiveness in service delivery. A large body of research has examined the concept of satisfaction from the perspective of service users. However, not much is known about how service providers construct client satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to throw light on healthcare professionals’ perspectives on patient satisfaction, using tuberculosis (TB) clinics as a case study. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 TB clinic supervisors purposively sampled from six out of the ten regions of Ghana. An unstructured interview guide was employed. The recorded IDIs were transcribed, edited and entered into QSR NVivo 10.0 and analysed inductively. Findings Respondents defined service satisfaction as involving education/counselling (on drugs, nature of condition, sputum production, caregivers and contacts of patients), patient follow-up, assignment of reliable treatment supporters as well as being attentive and receptive to patients, service availability (e.g. punctuality at work, availability of commodities), positive assurances about disease prognosis and respect for patients. Practical implications Complementing opinions of health service users with those of providers can offer key performance improvement areas for health managers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a first study that has examined healthcare providers’ views on what makes their clients satisfied with the services they provide.

University social responsibility and empathy in organizations during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariane Lemos Lourenço ◽  
Mara Rosalia Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Rafael Santana Galvão Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Psychological Assistance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between empathy and social responsibility (SR) practices in a university organization in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Design/methodology/approach The research was qualitative, using case study methodology. The case study was about the Brazilian organization Ânima Educação, which is the greatest among the five largest publicly traded education companies in Brazil. Secondary data collection and content analysis was carried out. Findings As emotional response toward the problems caused by the pandemic, the company's leadership adopted an empathic behavior, allowing traces of its empathic culture to emerge. Empathy was expressed through the implementation of SR practices aimed at workers (policy of not firing in the first two months of the pandemic), at students (provision of technological apparatus, online classes, physical/psychological assistance and negotiation of late fees) and at the society (assistance to the elderly). Originality/value It was concluded that empathy can be taken as the emotional motivator for companies to engage in SR practices, especially in extreme circumstances in society, as the economic and health challenges that the world is experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic nowadays. SR practices, in turn, can foster even more empathy in organizations, mobilizing leaders and their respective groups in the creation and implementation of new practices, thus demonstrating that the relationship between empathy and SR practices is a “two-way street.”

Multigenerational Patterns and Internal Structures in Families in which Grandparents Raise Grandchildren

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 477-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Goldberg-Glen ◽  
Roberta G. Sands ◽  
Ralph D. Cole ◽  
Carolyn Cristofalo
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Systems Perspective ◽  
Internal Structures ◽  
One Year ◽  
Interactional Processes

‘Skipped generation’ families, consisting of grandparents and grandchildren with parents absent from the home, are frequently served in social work agencies. These families have unique multigenerational patterns and family structures that are important for service providers to recognize. This paper uses a multigenerational systems perspective to highlight the diversity among grandparent-headed households. Twenty families who were previously part of a larger study of stress, well-being, and life satisfaction among caregiving grandparents constituted a follow-up case study involving videotaped family interviews one year after the first study. Three families representing the range of diversity among the twenty are described with accompanying genograms. Differences in structure, interactional processes, and links with prior generations are identified in each case. These examples reveal the strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as the diversity, of grandparent-headed families.

Improving effectiveness of mitigation measures in EIA follow-up

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amarilis Lucia Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo ◽  
Caio Pompeu Cavalhieri ◽  
Sofia Julia Alves Macedo Campos ◽  
Omar Yazbek Bitar
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Water Quality Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Phase Water

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of mitigation measures adopted in a scheme of EIA follow-up by examining their performance in reducing geo-environmental impacts in earthwork activities during the Rodoanel southern section construction in São Paulo, Brazil. This environment is fragile in terms of affected watersheds because the highway crosses two important reservoirs that supply most of the metropolitan water demand. Therefore, this research also aims at promoting water quality control. Design/methodology/approach – This study combines complementary sources as evidences in the literature and field checks, tests and monitoring. The methodology was supported by criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation measures in the case study approach. Findings – The EIA follow-up activities contributed to the maintenance of environmental conditions in the majority of the control points at the end of the construction phase. Water quality parameters were not statistically different before and during the construction of the highway. The choice and arrangement of mitigation measures were successful in ensuring water quality control by avoiding siltation. Practical implications – A robust scheme for designing and evaluating mitigation measures contributes to the improvement of their effectiveness and is pivotal to the success of the EIA follow-up. Originality/value – This case study serves as an example for extending EIA follow-up practice in special to the improvement of the design and evaluation of mitigation measures in similar contexts.

Supply chain integration and coordination for international sourcing in the context of China’s processing trade

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1730-1748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingu Kang ◽  
Kihyun Park ◽  
Ma Ga (Mark) Yang ◽  
Mark H. Haney
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Processing Trade ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
International Sourcing ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Simple Assembly

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how a foreign invested manufacturing company’s (FIMC) components sourcing process evolves in order to improve its supply chain outcomes in the context of China’s processing trade. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the theory bases of the international sourcing process and supply chain integration, this study utilizes a single-case-study approach with a small- to medium-sized FIMC engaged in China’s processing trade. Findings This study identifies three stages of the components sourcing process: simple assembly stage, components localization stage and supply chain integration stage. In addition, the case study suggests that the type of processing trade evolves from processing with supplied materials to processing with imported materials as the sourcing process proceeds through the three stages and the internal and external environments change. Originality/value To our knowledge, this paper is the first to focus on an FIMC’s components sourcing process in the context of China’s processing trade. It contributes to a better understanding of how FIMCs progress through the components sourcing process and apply different types of processing trade in China to maximize their supply chain outcomes.

Employee engagement creates a brighter economic future at Jupiter Hotels

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Cattermole ◽  
Jaime Johnson ◽  
Diane Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Results ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Economic Future

Purpose – This paper seeks to address the role and impact of employee engagement within an organization that has undergone major change. It looks at the issues of how to monitor and increase levels of staff engagement over time to deliver business results. Design/methodology/approach – It draws on six-monthly employee engagement surveys and a case study to illustrate how HR can drive and monitor change through employee engagement. Findings – This paper follows a company through economic uncertainty to major organizational change and examines how the role of engagement and monitoring can drive business success. Research limitations/implications – The case study only looks at the issues over an 18 month time period. Originality/value – This paper illustrates how an HR department can build employee engagement to drive the business forward. The case study offers best practice material for HR managers.

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