scholarly journals Nurse staffing levels and outcomes – mining the UK national data sets for insight

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Leary ◽  
Barbara Tomai ◽  
Adrian Swift ◽  
Andrew Woodward ◽  
Keith Hurst

Purpose Despite the generation of mass data by the nursing workforce, determining the impact of the contribution to patient safety remains challenging. Several cross-sectional studies have indicated a relationship between staffing and safety. The purpose of this paper is to uncover possible associations and explore if a deeper understanding of relationships between staffing and other factors such as safety could be revealed within routinely collected national data sets. Design/methodology/approach Two longitudinal routinely collected data sets consisting of 30 years of UK nurse staffing data and seven years of National Health Service (NHS) benchmark data such as survey results, safety and other indicators were used. A correlation matrix was built and a linear correlation operation was applied (Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient). Findings A number of associations were revealed within both the UK staffing data set and the NHS benchmarking data set. However, the challenges of using these data sets soon became apparent. Practical implications Staff time and effort are required to collect these data. The limitations of these data sets include inconsistent data collection and quality. The mode of data collection and the itemset collected should be reviewed to generate a data set with robust clinical application. Originality/value This paper revealed that relationships are likely to be complex and non-linear; however, the main contribution of the paper is the identification of the limitations of routinely collected data. Much time and effort is expended in collecting this data; however, its validity, usefulness and method of routine national data collection appear to require re-examination.

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1901-1913
Author(s):  
Babak Hayati ◽  
Sandeep Puri

Purpose Extant sales management literature shows that holding negative headquarters stereotypes (NHS) by salespeople is harmful to their sales performance. However, there is a lack of research on how managers can leverage organizational structures to minimize NHS in sales forces. This study aims to know how social network patterns influence the flow of NHS among salespeople and sales managers in a large B2B sales organization. Design/methodology/approach The authors hypothesize and test whether patterns of social networks among salespeople and sales managers determine the stereotypical attitudes of salespeople toward corporate directors and, eventually, impact their sales performance. The authors analyzed a multi-level data set from the B2B sales forces of a large US-based media company. Findings The authors found that organizational social network properties including the sales manager’s team centrality, sales team’s network density and sales team’s external connectivity moderate the flow of NHS from sales managers and peer salespeople to a focal salesperson. Research limitations/implications First, the data was cross-sectional and did not allow the authors to examine the dynamics of social network patterns and their impact on NHS. Second, The authors only focused on advice-seeking social networks and did not examine other types of social networks such as friendship and trust networks. Third, the context was limited to one company in the media industry. Practical implications The authors provide recommendations to sales managers on how to leverage and influence social networks to minimize the development and flow of NHS in sales forces. Originality/value The findings advance existing knowledge on how NHS gets shared and transferred in sales organizations. Moreover, this study provides crucial managerial insights with regard to controlling and managing NHS in sales forces.


2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakobus Daniel Van Heerden ◽  
Paul Van Rensburg

Purpose – The aim of this study is to examine the impact of technical and fundamental (referred to as firm-specific) factors on the cross-sectional variation in equity returns on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). Design/methodology/approach – To reach the objective, the study follows an empirical research approach. Cross-sectional regression analyses, factor-portfolio analyses and multifactor analyses are performed using 50 firm-specific factors for listed shares over three sample periods during 1994 to 2011. Findings – The results suggest that a strong value and momentum effect is present and robust on the JSE, while a size effect is present but varies over time. Multifactor analyses show that value and momentum factors are collectively significant in explaining the cross-section of returns. The results imply that the JSE is either not an efficient market or that current market risk models are incorrectly specified. Practical implications – The findings of the study offers practical application possibilities to investment analysts and portfolio managers. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use such a comprehensive data set for the specific analyses on the JSE over such a long period. All previously identified statistical biases are addressed in this study. Different approaches are applied to compare results and test for robustness for the first time.


Author(s):  
Karina Dietermann ◽  
Vera Winter ◽  
Udo Schneider ◽  
Jonas Schreyögg

AbstractThe goal of this study is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of nurse staffing levels on seven nursing-sensitive patient outcomes (NSPOs) at the hospital unit level. Combining a very large set of claims data from a German health insurer with mandatory quality reports published by every hospital in Germany, our data set comprises approximately 3.2 million hospital stays in more than 900 hospitals over a period of 5 years. Accounting for the grouping structure of our data (i.e., patients grouped in unit types), we estimate cross-sectional, two-level generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) with inpatient cases at level 1 and units types (e.g., internal medicine, geriatrics) at level 2. Our regressions yield 32 significant results in the expected direction. We find that differentiating between unit types using a multilevel regression approach and including postdischarge NSPOs adds important insights to our understanding of the relationship between nurse staffing levels and NSPOs. Extending our main model by categorizing inpatient cases according to their clinical complexity, we are able to rule out hidden effects beyond the level of unit types.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousf Almahrog ◽  
Zakaria Ali Aribi ◽  
Thankom Arun

Purpose The paper aims to re-interpret the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in limiting the extreme practices in earnings management (EM) by using evidence from large UK companies. Design/methodology/approach The study has used content analysis and disclosure index to measure the level of CSR. The authors measured EM based on discretionary accruals by using cross-sectional version of the modified Jones model. Findings The findings of this study reveal that companies with a higher commitment to CSR activities are less likely to manage earnings through accruals. Originality/value This study shed more light on the potential impact of CSR on earnings management in the context of the UK. Prior research on the impact of CSR on earnings management has used exclusively CSR scores, provided by CSR score indices. The manual measurement used in this study for CSR (disclosure index/content analysis) is considered to provide a more detailed and precise measure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-221
Author(s):  
Bojan Bozic ◽  
Andre Rios ◽  
Sarah Jane Delany

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the methods for the prediction of tags on a textual corpus that describes diverse data sets based on short messages; as an example, the authors demonstrate the usage of methods based on hotel staff inputs in a ticketing system as well as the publicly available StackOverflow corpus. The aim is to improve the tagging process and find the most suitable method for suggesting tags for a new text entry. Design/methodology/approach The paper consists of two parts: exploration of existing sample data, which includes statistical analysis and visualisation of the data to provide an overview, and evaluation of tag prediction approaches. The authors have included different approaches from different research fields to cover a broad spectrum of possible solutions. As a result, the authors have tested a machine learning model for multi-label classification (using gradient boosting), a statistical approach (using frequency heuristics) and three similarity-based classification approaches (nearest centroid, k-nearest neighbours (k-NN) and naive Bayes). The experiment that compares the approaches uses recall to measure the quality of results. Finally, the authors provide a recommendation of the modelling approach that produces the best accuracy in terms of tag prediction on the sample data. Findings The authors have calculated the performance of each method against the test data set by measuring recall. The authors show recall for each method with different features (except for frequency heuristics, which does not provide the option to add additional features) for the dmbook pro and StackOverflow data sets. k-NN clearly provides the best recall. As k-NN turned out to provide the best results, the authors have performed further experiments with values of k from 1–10. This helped us to observe the impact of the number of neighbours used on the performance and to identify the best value for k. Originality/value The value and originality of the paper are given by extensive experiments with several methods from different domains. The authors have used probabilistic methods, such as naive Bayes, statistical methods, such as frequency heuristics, and similarity approaches, such as k-NN. Furthermore, the authors have produced results on an industrial-scale data set that has been provided by a company and used directly in their project, as well as a community-based data set with a large amount of data and dimensionality. The study results can be used to select a model based on diverse corpora for a specific use case, taking into account advantages and disadvantages when applying the model to your data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Adami ◽  
Andrea Carosi ◽  
Anita Sharma

PurposeThis paper aims to study long-term savings accumulation in the UK. The authors use cross-sectional information from the extensive data set of the Family Resources Survey to compare long-term saving amongst different ethnic groups with the control group, the native population. The paper reflects on whether different groups are more likely to suffer poverty in retirement.Design/methodology/approachIn this analysis, the authors apply the life-cycle framework to explain saving profiles. This theoretical model has been used extensively in the field of economics and can be applied to empirical studies to examine changes in income and saving patterns over the life-course. The framework contends that individuals make savings decisions to smooth consumption over different phases of their life-cycle.FindingsThe findings indicate that socio-economic factors are key elements in determining whether individuals plan for retirement if factors are controlled for the differences in saving behaviours between ethnic minorities and the control population decrease considerably. Asian women, with good education and social standing, display greater saving rates than the control group, while the socio-economic disadvantage suffered especially by Pakistani and Bangladeshi women is key to their inability to save long-term. High levels of poverty in retirement are more likely to be caused by the interaction of low levels of education, part-time work and long spells of unemployment than by ethnicity.Originality/valueThe important contribution to the debate on savings by ethnic minorities is the extension of the life-cycle model to specific sections of the population and to proffer new insights into their saving/dis-saving patterns and ultimately their welfare in retirement.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1148-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Taheri ◽  
Thomas Farrington ◽  
Keith Gori ◽  
Gill Hogg ◽  
Kevin D. O’Gorman

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between consumer motivations, their interactions with hospitality spaces and experiential outcomes. Enhancing consumer experience is of clear interest to industry professionals. This quantitative study explores the impact of escapism and entitlement to leisure upon involvement in liminoid consumptions spaces, thereby contributing a theory of liminoid motivators within commercial hospitality. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a quantitative methodology, using a survey of a sample of student nightclubbers in the UK. Data are analysed through Partial Least Squares. Findings Hospitality consumers are positively affected by the feelings of increased involvement experienced in consumption spaces that exhibit liminoid characteristics. Research limitations/implications Surveys involve potential for error regarding respondents’ ability to agree with questionnaire statements. Data collection was conducted in Scotland, and so, results may not be generalised to other commercial hospitality spaces outside of Scotland. Practical implications Hospitality consumers become more involved, and thereby more satisfied, in liminoid consumption spaces when motivated by escapism and entitlement to leisure. Attending to the liminoid motivators that drive consumers away from work and domesticity, and towards commercial hospitality spaces, will go some way towards creating the desired consumer experience. Originality/value This is the first quantitative study to investigate consumer motivations to escape and entitlement to leisure as antecedents of involvement in a commercial hospitality context. It develops a theory of hospitality consumption using the liminoid anthropological concept.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Blount ◽  
Delmonize Smith

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of employee homogeneity on the financial performance of minority business enterprises (MBEs). It is widely postulated that MBEs tend to hire minorities that resemble the ethnicity of the founder(s) and that this is beneficial by helping to decrease minority unemployment rates as well as providing new opportunities to minorities that they might not otherwise receive at White-owned firms.Design/methodology/approachThe study used hierarchical linear regression on archival data of 271 MBEs to determine if employee homogeneity will be a factor in understanding their financial performance. The authors also conducted exploratory interviews with a convenience sample of MBEs to gain insight into the concept of employee homophily.FindingsThe research uncovered that as homogeneity increases, MBE financial performance decreases, and this effect is more pronounced the longer the MBE is in business.Research limitations/implicationsThe data set is cross-sectional in nature and lack the perspective and clarity of time. The paper only contains a small set of exploratory interviews. The most significant implication from the study is that a lack of diversity decreases the long-term financial viability of MBEs which is to counter mainstream arguments that speak only to the positive aspects of MBEs hiring their own.Originality/valueThe research builds on the scant literature on the impact of diversity within MBEs. It also provides guidance to MBEs by suggesting they be strategic in diversifying their employee base in order to improve performance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-266
Author(s):  
Andrew Tuck ◽  
Kamaldeep Bhui ◽  
Kiran Nanchahal ◽  
Kwame McKenzie

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to calculate the rate of suicide in different religious groups in people of South Asian origin in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a national data set. A name recognition algorithm was used to identify people of South Asian origin and their religion. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using this data and data from the national census. Setting: a population study of all those who died by suicide in England and Wales in 2001. Participants: all cases of suicide and undetermined intent identified by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Findings – There were 4,848 suicides in the UK in 2001 of which 125 (2.6 percent) were identified as people of South Asian origin by the algorithm. The suicide rate for all people of South Asian origin was 5.50/100,000 compared to 9.31/100,000 for the population of England and Wales. The age SMR for those whose names were of Hindu, Muslim or Sikh origin were 0.88, 0.47 and 0.85, respectively. Female South Asians have lower rates of suicide, than their South Asian male counterparts. Research limitations/implications – Religious classification by the computerized program does not guarantee religious affiliation. The data set were confined to one year because religion was not collected prior to the 2001 census. Originality/value – The rates of suicide for South Asian sub-populations in the UK differ by gender and religion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1763-1778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiong Yao ◽  
Jinxin Liu ◽  
Shibin Sheng ◽  
Heng Fang

Purpose Drawing on the literature of eco-innovation and institutional theory, this research aims to answer two fundamental questions: Does eco-innovation improve or harm firm value in emerging markets? and How institutional environments moderate the relationship between eco-innovation and firm value? We explicate the regulatory, normative and cognitive pillars of institutions, manifested as regulation intensity, environmental agency pressure and public pressure, respectively. Design/methodology/approach For this study, a cross-sectional panel data set was assembled from multiple archival sources, including data coded from the corporate annual reports and social responsibility reports, statistical yearbooks, China Stock Market Financial Database (CSMAR) and other secondary sources. A hierarchical regression method was used to test the hypotheses. The data comprised 88 firms sampled over four years. The model using feasible generalized least squares (FGLSs) to control heteroscedasticity in errors due to unobserved heterogeneity was estimated. Findings Empirical findings from a data set compiled from multiple archival sources reveal that both eco-product and eco-process innovation negatively relate to firm value. The interactions between eco-innovation and regulation intensity, environmental agency pressure and public pressure are positively related to firm value. Originality/value First, this study extends the literature of eco-innovation by investigating the impact of eco-innovation on firm value. Contrary to the conventional anecdotal evidence of the beneficial effect of eco-innovation, it was found that eco-innovation relates negatively to firm value. Second, this study develops and tests an institutional contingent view of eco-innovation by accounting for the moderating role of regulatory, normative and cognitive pressures.


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