scholarly journals Stratified ontology, institutional pluralism and performance monitoring in Zambia’s health sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Phiri ◽  
Pinar Guven-Uslu
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Institutional Environments ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Pluralism ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Epistemological Shifts ◽  
Different Characteristics

Purpose This paper aims to investigate funding and performance monitoring practices in Zambia’s health sector from an institutional and stratified ontology perspective. Such an approach was deemed appropriate in view of pluralistic institutional environments characterising most African economies that are also considered to be highly stratified. Design/methodology/approach Blended with insights from stratified ontology, the paper draws on institutional pluralism as a theoretical lens to understand the institutional structures, mechanisms, events and experiences encountered by actors operating at different levels of Zambia’s health sector. The study adopted an interpretive approach that helped to investigate the multifaceted and subjective nature of social phenomena and practices being studied. Data were collected from both archival sources and interviews with key stakeholders operating within Zambia’s health sector. Findings The study’s findings indicate the high levels of stratification within Zambia’s health sector as evidenced by the three sector levels that possessed different characteristics in terms of actor responses to donor influence. This study equally demonstrates the capacity of agents operating under highly fragmented institutional environments to engage in enabling and constraining responses depending on the understanding of their empirical world. Originality/value Through blending insights from stratified ontology with institutional pluralism, the study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the enabling and constraining reflexive capacity of agents to exercise choices under highly fragmented institutional environments while responding to multiple demands and expectations to sustain the co-existence of diverse stakeholders. Accordingly, the study advances thinking on the application of institutional theory to critical accounting research in line with recent ontological and epistemological shifts in institutional theory.

scholarly journals Institutional pluralism, two publics theory and performance reporting practices in Zambia’s health sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Phiri ◽  
Pinar Guven-Uslu
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Institutional Pluralism ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Performance Reporting ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate accounting and performance reporting practices embraced in the midst of a pluralistic institutional environment of an emerging economy (EE), Zambia. The research is necessitated due to the increased presence and influence of donor institutions whose information needs may not conform to the needs of local citizens in many EEs. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on institutional pluralism and Ekeh’s post-colonial theory of “two publics” to depict pluralistic environments that are typical of EEs. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 33 respondents drawn from the main stakeholder groups involved in health service delivery including legislators, policy makers, regulators, healthcare professionals and health service managers. Data analysis took the form of thematic analysis which involved identifying, analysing and constructing patterns and themes implicit within the data that were deemed to address the study’s research questions. Findings Findings indicate that Zambia’s institutional environment within the health sector is highly fragmented and pluralistic as reflected by the multiplicity of both internal and external stakeholders. These stakeholder groups equally require different reporting mechanisms to fulfil their information expectations. Social implications The multiple reporting practices evident within the health sector entail that the effectiveness of health programmes may be compromised due to the fragmentation in goals between government and international donor institutions. Rather than pooling resources and skills for maximum impact, these practices have the effect of dispersing performance efforts with the consequence of compromising their impact. Fragmented reporting equally complicates the work of policy makers in terms of monitoring the progress and impact of such programmes. Originality/value Beyond Goddard et al. (2016), the study depicts the usefulness of Ekeh’s theory in understanding how organisations and institutions operating in pluralistic institutional environments may be better managed. In view of contradictory expectations of accounting and performance reporting requirements between the civic and primordial publics, the study indicates that different practices, mechanisms and structures have to be embraced in order to maintain institutional harmony and relevance to different communities within the health sector.

Institutions do matter

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luen Tim Percy Lui
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Special Administrative Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Legislative Council ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how institutional designs governing the executive-legislative relations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) have weakened the government’s capacity to effectively govern the HKSAR. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines institutional designs and rules that govern Hong Kong’s executive-legislative relations. It uses the case of the HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) to illustrate the impacts of institutional designs and rules on the performance of political institutions and government performance. Findings This paper finds that institutional designs and rules do affect the performance of a political institution. This paper suggests changes to the institutional designs and rules that govern the operation of the HKSAR LegCo, and the interaction between the legislature and the executive so as to create a facilitative context for good governance. Originality/value Studies on governance in Hong Kong mostly focus on individual institution’s behavior and performance. This paper studies the problem of governance in Hong Kong from the perspective of executive-legislative relations. It adopts the institutional theory to examine the behavior, performance, and interaction between the legislative and executive branches.

Public-sector reforms and balanced scorecard adoption: an Ethiopian case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1230-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belete Jember Bobe ◽  
Dessalegn Getie Mihret ◽  
Degefe Duressa Obo
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Reforms ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine adoption of the balanced scorecard (BSC) by a large public-sector health organisation in an African country, Ethiopia as part of a programme to implement a unified sector-wide strategic planning and performance monitoring system. The study explains how this trans-organisational role of the BSC is constituted, and explores how it operates in practice at the sector-and organisation-levels. Design/methodology/approach The study employs the case-study method. Semi-structured interview data and documentary evidence are analysed by drawing on the concept of translation from actor-network theory. Findings The case-study organisation adopted the BSC as a part of broader public-sector reforms driven by political ideology. Through a centralised government decision, the BSC was framed as a sector-wide system aimed at: aligning the health sector’s strategic policy goals with strategic priorities and operational objectives of organisations in the sector; and unifying performance-monitoring of the sector’s organisations by enabling aggregation of performance information to a sector level in a timely manner to facilitate health sector policy implementation. While the political ideology facilitated BSC adoption for trans-organisational use, it provided little organisational discretion to integrate financial administration and human resource management practices to the BSC framework. Further, inadequate piloting of information system use for the anticipated BSC model, originating from the top-down approach followed in the BSC implementation, inhibited implementation of the BSC with a balanced emphasis between the planning and performance monitoring roles of the BSC. As a result, the BSC underwent a pragmatic shift in emphasis and was reconceptualised as a system of enhancing strategic alignment through integrated planning, compared to the balanced emphasis between the planning and performance monitoring roles initially anticipated. Originality/value The study provides a theory-based explanation of how politico-ideological contexts might facilitate the framing of novel roles for the BSC and how the roles translate into practice.

EFQM enablers and business performance relationship: Examining mediating role of organizational learning culture in Pakistani textile sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz Ahmad Ashraf ◽  
Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq ◽  
Mumtaz Muhammad Khan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Learning Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Learning Culture ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
And Performance

Purpose This paper aims to determine the influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence enablers on the financial, market and non-financial performance of the textile companies in Pakistan. Moreover, the mediating role of organizational learning culture is also tested in EFQM enablers and performance relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using a multi-respondent strategy, the data was collected from 254 textile firms registered with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) using a highly structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via AMOS v.22. Findings The results reveal that EFQM excellence enablers significantly influence financial, non-financial and market performance. Furthermore, organizational learning culture (OLC) significantly positively mediates the relationship between EFQM excellence enablers and business performance. Research limitations/implications This study enhances the literature of EFQM enablers and microfoundations of institutional theory in the textile industry of developing countries and proposes a way forward to the effective utilization of such enablers for higher performance. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind that empirically tests the microfoundations of institutional theory concerning EFQM, OLC and performance in the textile industry of Pakistan.

scholarly journals Supporting integrated care in practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Billings ◽  
Rasa Mikelyte ◽  
Anna Coleman ◽  
Julie MacInnes ◽  
Pauline Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Care ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
National Level ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Programme ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Care Models ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of key informants on a national support programme for the development of new care models (NCM) in England (2015/2016–2017/2018). It focuses on the perceived facilitators and barriers affecting the development and implementation of the NCM programme and offers some insight into the role of national level support in enabling local integration initiatives. Design/methodology/approach A set of 29 interviews were carried out with a variety of respondents at the national level (including current and past programme leads, strategic account managers, advisors to the programme and external regulators) between October 2017 and March 2018, and analysed thematically. Findings A set of facilitative elements of the programme were identified: the development of relationships and alliances, strong local and national leadership, the availability of expert knowledge and skills, and additional funding. Challenges to success included perceived expectations from the national Vanguard programme, oversight and performance monitoring, engagement with regulators, data availability and quality, as well as timetables and timescales. Crucially, the facilitators and challenges were found to interact in dynamic and complex ways, which resulted in significant tensions and ambiguities within the support programme. Research limitations/implications While the sample was drawn from a range of different senior players and the authors ensured a diverse sample associated with the NCM support programme, it inevitably cannot be complete and there may have been valuable perspectives absent. Originality/value The paper demonstrates that the analysis of facilitators and challenges with respect to the national support of implementation of integrated care initiatives should move beyond the focus on separate influencing factors and address the tensions that the complex interplay among these factors create.

Patterns of variation and correlation in quality control characteristics of segment installation

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mohammad E. Hosseininasab ◽  
Mohammad Javad Ershadi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Tunnel Lining ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Applicable Knowledge ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Different Characteristics

Purpose – Evaluation of the quality and performance of a tunnel lining during the installation of segments are the main objects of tunneling projects. Because the quality is affected by several attributes, the purpose of this paper is an appropriate multivariate data analysis that is helpful in extracting applicable knowledge of the data collected regarding the related attributes of the initial installed rings. Design/methodology/approach – Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to analyze the data obtained by the quality control team. The authors use canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to extract some linear combinations of the original attributes of the two groups that produce the largest correlations with the second set of variables. Findings – The authors reduce the dimensionality of the original data set for further analyses, and use a small number of uncorrelated variables rather than a larger set of correlated variables to take effective and efficient action to control the quality of the tunnel lining. The authors also explore the correlation structure and relationship between two main groups of characteristics used for assessing the quality of the installed rings. Then, instead of a large number of the original characteristics in the two groups, the authors can easily control these few to attain a reasonable quality for the tunnel lining. Originality/value – This is a case study, and for each ring selected for inspection, 16 different characteristics are measured and the observations are recorded. The authors use PCA and CCA to analyse the data and interpret the results. Although the methods are not new, applying them to this data results in useful and informative outcomes and interpretation.

An ICT-based framework to improve global supply chain integration for final assembly SMES

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Cragg ◽  
Tom McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Final Assembly ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Frame Work ◽  
And Performance

Purpose To access new markets and improve sourcing practices small to medium sized manufacturing companies (SMEs) increasingly seek suppliers and customers in distant countries. Yet these new relationships with global partners often pose problems of an agency nature. The purpose of this paper is to directly address these challenges through the proposal of an information and communication technology (ICT)-based framework. Design/methodology/approach There has been very little research into how lead SMEs manage their global supply chains and the challenges they face. This paper uses a case study investigation to analyze how four French SMEs – final assemblers of machinery in the farming and agri-business sector – manage their international supply chains. Findings It was observed that the relationships and interactions between the SMEs and their immediate upstream and downstream partners were dominated by the agency problem and fell into six distinct categories (termed “barriers” to effective supply integration), namely; asymmetries, contractual design, supplier dependence, product specifications, supply chain complexity and performance monitoring. Originality/value The contribution of this paper is that a conceptual frame work was developed in which ICT solutions are offered to help address the barriers to supply chain integration, thus reducing the overall risk exposure due to externalities and problems of agency.

Making the business process outsourcing decision: why distance matters

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1037-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Gerbl ◽  
Ronan McIvor ◽  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Business Process Outsourcing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Process Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that incorporates both firm- and process-level factors for understanding location distance choice in the business process outsourcing (BPO) decision. Design/methodology/approach The research involved undertaking in-depth case study analysis of a number of BPO decisions in six German companies, and employing transaction cost economics (TCE) and the resource-based view (RBV) as a theoretical basis. Findings The findings have shown that existing literature in the operations management (OM) literature does not provide a complete understanding of the complexities of location distance choice in the BPO decision. This decision requires an understanding of a range of factors at both the firm- and process-level. The findings here enhance the understanding of how these factors interact to influence the potential distance options. Practical implications The findings have shown how organisations can influence the factors that affect the location distance choice including modularising business processes, developing outsourcing capabilities, and supplementing internal skills in areas such as cultural management and performance monitoring. Originality/value This is one of the first studies in the OM field to analyse how organisations make the decision in relation to local, nearshore, and offshore location distance options. The paper has highlighted the importance of OM concepts such as performance management and continuous improvement to this phenomenon, and the paper has offered a number of important areas for further research.

Risk-based performance monitoring takes off at Brussels Airlines

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 21-22
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Performance Monitor ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Operational Issues ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Demonstrates how Brussels Airlines has streamlined its quality and safety operations through an integrated safety and performance-management system. Design/methodology/approach – Describes how software from Ideagen has enabled the airline to improve safety and operations, as well as anticipate and manage risks, and prevent problems from occurring. Findings – Charts how the three main planks of the software – Q-Pulse, Gael Risk and Performance Monitor – work together to help the airline to improve through efficient safety and risk management and in-depth performance indicators. Practical implications – Reveals that the system encourages the same working methods throughout the organization with regard to capturing safety and operational issues and other forms of data. Originality/value – Shows how the airline is now capturing safety issues more easily and working more proactively as it can detect hazards in advance even better.

Applying a transportation rating system to advance sustainability evaluation, planning and partnerships

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise Barrella ◽  
Kelsey Lineburg ◽  
Peter Hurley
Keyword(s):  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Sustainable Transportation ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot application of the Sustainable Transportation Analysis & Rating System (STARS), and highlight how a sustainability rating system can be used to promote sustainable urban development through a university–city partnership. STARS is an example of a second-generation “green” rating system focused on transportation planning, design, operations and maintenance. Design/methodology/approach In Fall 2013, James Madison University (JMU) initiated a STARS pilot demonstration using a local corridor that connects the university and the city of Harrisonburg. The pilot’s purposes were to develop attainable transportation-development targets, evaluate infrastructure and programmatic options in the context of a credit-based system and demonstrate a decision-making framework centered on sustainability optimization. The paper provides an overview of the STARS framework and the pilot’s collaborations, analysis, findings and recommendations for credits across sustainability dimensions. Findings Upon applying the rating system, the research team found that STARS may initially be easier to integrate into a comprehensive transportation planning process than a corridor-level evaluation due to data needs, in-house expertise and planning timelines for campus and city developments. A campus-wide master plan based on STARS would enable a university and a city to apply sustainability principles to their physical and/or policy interfaces to systemically create change and achieve quantifiable targets. Originality/value The STARS framework provides a novel approach for integrating multiple stakeholders (faculty, the university and city staff, students and community members) in a process of capacity building, evaluating options, policy-making, implementation and performance monitoring. The JMU pilot is the first application of STARS at a university and the only US East Coast application to date.

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