The implementation of health and safety practices: Do demographic attributes matter?

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justus N. Agumba ◽  
Theo C. Haupt
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Demographic Attributes ◽  
And Training ◽  
One Way Anova

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to investigate the personnel attributes perception on reliable and valid health and safety (H&S) practices within small- and medium-sized construction enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It explores whether these valid and reliable H&S practices could be implemented based on the demographic attributes, namely, years of experience in the construction industry, number of years working in the current organisation and educational level. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method approach was used to conduct this research, namely, Delphi and questionnaire survey. A structured questionnaire consisting of 31 H&S practices categorised into five major H&S practices was developed from extensive literature review and the participation of 20 purposive sampled H&S experts. Sixteen H&S experts completed four iterations. A convenient sample of 1,450 SMEs was obtained. In total, 228 questionnaires were returned, of which 216 responses were useable for analysis. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to determine the validity, reliability and acceptability of the H&S practices. Finally, one-way ANOVA and t-test were conducted to determine personnel attributes perception on the implementation of the H&S practices. Findings – The five major H&S practices (constructs), namely, upper management commitment and involvement in H&S, employee involvement and empowerment in H&S, project supervision, project H&S planning and communication in H&S and H&S resources and training, were retained as reliable and valid practices of H&S within construction SMEs at project level. One-way ANOVA established no statistical significant difference on the respondents’ perception of the H&S practices. However, t-test revealed statistically significant difference on the respondents’ perception on, upper management commitment and involvement in H&S and H&S resources and training. The respondents with post-matric qualification strongly agreed that upper management are committed and involved in H&S. Originality/value – The findings may help construction SMEs to use these H&S practices to manage H&S in their projects. The SMEs may also consider the level of education of their personnel when implementing H&S practices of upper management and H&S resources and training.

Factors affecting the delivery of optimum health and safety on construction projects during the covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benviolent Chigara ◽  
Tirivavi Moyo
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Monitoring And Enforcement

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of construction professionals relative to factors that affect the delivery of optimum health and safety (H&S) on construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative design which entailed the distribution of a web-based questionnaire among construction professionals, namely, architects, construction/project managers, engineers, H&S managers and quantity surveyors working for contractors and construction consultants in Zimbabwe. The data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Factor analysis was used to reveal interrelated significant sets of factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S. Findings Factor analysis revealed nine components/factors: change and innovation-related, monitoring and enforcement-related, production-related, access to information and health service-related, on-site facilities and welfare-related, risk assessment and mitigation-related, job security and funding-related, cost-related and COVID-19 risk perception-related factors as the significant factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. Research limitations/implications The results highlighted the need for social dialogue among construction stakeholders to support initiatives that will enhance the delivery of H&S on construction projects. Construction stakeholders may find the results useful in highlighting the areas that need improvement to protect workers’ H&S during the pandemic. However, the small sample limits the generalisability of the results to construction sectors in other regions. Originality/value The study investigated factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 to inform interventions to enhance H&S.

scholarly journals Multi‐dimensional nature of service innovation

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1164-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renu Agarwal ◽  
Willem Selen
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Telecommunications Industry ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Service Network ◽  
Content Type

PurposeInnovation in services is thought to be multi‐dimensional in nature, and in this context the purpose of this paper is to present and operationalise the concept of “elevated service offerings” (ESO) in collaborating service organisations. ESO stands for new or enhanced service offerings which can only be eventuated as a result of partnering, and which could not be delivered on individual organisational merit. ESO helps us expand our understanding of service innovation to include a service network or service system's dimension.Design/methodology/approachA structural equation model is specified and estimated based on constructs and relationships grounded in the literature, as well as self‐developed constructs, using empirical data from 449 respondents in an Australian telecommunications service provider (SP) and its partnering organisations.FindingsResults show that ESO is a multi‐dimensional construct which was operationalised and validated through an extensive literature review, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling using a holdout sample.Research limitations/implicationsQualitative and empirical data analysis was undertaken with data collected from a single large telecommunications SP organisation, and its partnering organisations. Future research may seek to collect data from the entire telecommunications industry sector and their partnering organisations, across other service sectors, or even any other organisation where collaboration is pivotal to their success.Practical implicationsService organisations today need to understand that innovation in services is not just about process or product innovation, or even performance and productivity improvements, but in fact includes organisational forms of innovation. Indeed, the interactions and complementarities between the three different aspects of ESO – strategic, productivity, and performance – highlight the increasing complex and multi‐dimensional character of innovation and the ongoing iterative process.Originality/valueThis research provides empirical evidence for the existence of a multi‐dimensional innovation in services construct – known as elevated service offerings in a collaborative service network, along with an adapted definition of service and a service innovation model.

Barriers in adoption of additive manufacturing in medical sector supply chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Choudhary ◽  
Anish Kumar ◽  
Varun Sharma ◽  
Pradeep Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
Organizational Barriers ◽  
Medical Sector ◽  
Network Process ◽  
And Training

PurposeAdditive manufacturing (AM) is expected to significantly transform the operations in manufacturing sector. It is also proposed to have optimistic applications in the medical supply chains (SC). However, its adoption in medical sector is faced with a range of barriers. Motivated by the need to establish an AM-based medical SC in a developing economy, the present paper analyses the potential barriers that would hinder the adoption of AM in medical SC.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extensive literature review and expert discussions, 12 significant barriers have been identified, which are analysed using an integrated interpretive structural modelling–analytical network process (ISM–ANP) methodology. An interrelationship between these barriers using ISM has been analysed to determine the driving-dependence power of these barriers using MICMAC (Matrice d' Impacts Croises-Multiplication Applique' e a' Classement) analysis. The barriers are then ranked using the ANP approach.FindingsIt has been focussed that the non-availability of a variety of materials, lack of education and training to designers and workers and production technology limitation are the most critical barriers. The results suggest that the managers should give greater significance to the technological and organizational barriers.Originality/valueAn approach to overcome these barriers can help the managers and organizations to develop successful AM-based SCs. The study is the first to identify and analyse the barriers for successful adoption of AM in medical SC context.

A study of consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of apparel products in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berihun Bizuneh ◽  
Shalemu Sharew Hailemariam ◽  
Selam Tsegaye
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Garment Fit

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore pre-purchase apparel evaluation cues and examine the effect of demographic variables empirically in the context of a developing country. The initiation for the study was driven by the absence of such prior research and supplemented by the big market opportunity for clothing products in the country under investigation.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered online survey was used for data collection. Demographic questions, 23 apparel measurement items composed of 17 product-based and 6 sustainability-based items, and an open-ended question were included in the questionnaire. Factor analysis was used for dimension reduction and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for hypotheses testing.FindingsGarment fit, design features, colour, fabric type and seasonality are the five important characteristics most Ethiopian consumers consider while buying apparel products. Factor analysis resulted in five important factors used for pre-purchase apparel evaluation amongst which the design and extrinsic cue is found to be the most important. Environmental factors in the apparel industry got higher emphasis than social factors. While age and educational background made differences in apparel evaluation, gender did not show a significant difference.Originality/valueThe paper provides a founding insight in exploring apparel evaluation cues by considering product- and sustainability-based cues in a developing country context. It also examines the effect of three demographic variables which are rarely studied in such combination.

Attitudes toward cheating among business students at a private Kenyan university

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rosario Catacutan
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethics Instruction ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The One ◽  
Attitudes Toward Cheating ◽  
Ethics Courses ◽  
One Way Anova

Purpose This study aims to investigate attitudes toward cheating among business students at a private university in Kenya and examine if a significant difference exists in cheating perceptions among students who have completed one or two ethics courses, and those who have done none. Design/methodology/approach A total of 554 undergraduate business students participated in this research. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the one-way ANOVA. Findings The results found that students perceived cheating in exam-related situations as quite serious, while cheating on written assignments was not considered a serious offence. Results of the one-way ANOVA indicate that there was a significant difference in the cheating perceptions ratings for the three groups. Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicate that the mean score for students who have done two ethics courses was significantly different from that of students who have done only one ethics course. Practical implications This study has a number of implications for educators and administrators. Ethics instruction cannot achieve its desired effect on student behavior without institutional support. Administrators also need to be cognizant of the influence that school environment has on student cheating. Faculty and university administrators can influence students’ behavior in the way they practice academic integrity in their teaching and administrative functions. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first study to explore academic cheating at a private Kenyan university where ethics instruction is taught to undergraduate students.

Development of waste occurrence level indicator in Vietnam construction industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Duy Khanh ◽  
Soo Yong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Level Indicator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the waste occurrence level in the construction industry. It includes: first, identifying the mean value of frequency of waste occurrence according to respondents’ characteristics; second, identifying the main predictive factors for waste occurrence based on latent relationships between initial waste factors; and third, identifying the waste occurrence-level indicator (WOLI) for the construction industry based on the main waste measurement factors. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 19 waste factors were sorted from the literature review. A structured questionnaire was adopted to carry out the survey. The respondents are professionals who have much experience in construction and management of project. Shapiro-Wilk test of normality, Levene’s test, ANOVA test, and factor analysis technique were used to analyze the collected data. Findings – Frequency of waste occurrence in construction projects is quite high. There was no statistically and practically significant difference in means for waste occurrence between selected population categories. Based on factor analysis technique, there were five principal components extracted with 56.7 percent of total variance. The WOLI in the construction industry was found as 61.55 per the scale of 100. Research limitations/implications – The non-probability sampling was applied to collect data because of several certain limitations and difficulties. The number of data sets is relatively small. This study has only examined the frequency of waste occurrence without quantitative information. Practical implications – This is another study of waste factors in the construction industry, which is different from traditional waste studies. Originality/value – The contribution of this study to the practical project management is that a proposed evaluation sheet for WOLI could be applied for any construction firm.

scholarly journals Firm self-service technology readiness

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Ramaseshan ◽  
Russel Philip Kingshott ◽  
Alisha Stein
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Self Service Technology

Purpose – Technological advances and new business models have contributed to the usage of self-service technology (SST) by firms. As SST continues to create organizational efficiencies, firms have jumped on the bandwagon without considering their own readiness to use SST. To date, there has been no systematic attempt to develop a valid scale of firm SST readiness and assess its influence on firm performance. The purpose of this paper is to present and validate a multidimensional firm SST readiness scale. Design/methodology/approach – A series of studies was conducted for the development and validation of the firm SST readiness scale. Study 1 included generating items from semi-structured interviews with managers and an extensive literature review. Study 2 comprised item reduction and identifying the dimensionality of the scale through exploratory factor analysis (n=177 participants from service organizations). The reliability and validity of the scale were tested in Study 3 by performing confirmatory factor analysis using data obtained from managers of service organizations in the USA (n=257). Study 4 measured the predictive validity of the firm SST readiness instrument using several structural models. Findings – This paper proposes a new multidimensional construct labelled “firm SST readiness”, consisting of four dimensions: managerial acquiescence, customer alignment, employee engagement, and channel integration. The predictive validity of the new scale on two key firm outcome variables: customer value and firm performance is also demonstrated. Originality/value – This is the first study to provide a comprehensive, psychometrically sound, and operationally valid measure of firm SST readiness.

scholarly journals Stakeholder perceptions on critical success factors for public-private partnership projects in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Olusola Babatunde ◽  
Srinath Perera ◽  
Lei Zhou ◽  
Chika Udeaja
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Public Private Partnership ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Private Partnership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the perceptions of stakeholders on critical success factors (CSFs) for Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the CSFs for PPP projects, which were employed to design a questionnaire survey. In order to capture a broad perception of stakeholders, the questionnaires were administered to five different stakeholder organisations involved in different PPP projects implementation in Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, mean score, Kruskal-Wallis test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and factor analysis. Findings – The study revealed the result of mean score ranking, which indicated that all the stakeholders considered the identified 26 CSFs important and crucial for the successful implementation of PPP projects in Nigeria. Thus, the results of Kruskal-Wallis test and ANOVA indicated that except for six (out of 26) identified CSFs, there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of the stakeholders on CSFs for PPP projects in Nigeria. The study, through factor analysis, grouped the 26 identified CSFs into six principal factors. Practical implications – This research would be of benefit to stakeholders in PPPs to be aware of CSFs that demand utmost consideration. Also the identified CSFs are expected to enhance the success rate of PPP projects. Originality/value – The findings would be useful for PPP stakeholders in making decisions and in implementing PPP projects towards achieving value for money. This research will also be of interest to other academic researchers intending to investigate CSFs for PPP projects in other locations.

scholarly journals DOES CONTENT DISSEMINATION THROUGH FACEBOOK MATTER FOR GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS: A STUDY OF KERALA POLICE DEPARTMENTS FACEBOOK PAGE

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (04) ◽  
pp. 272-283
Author(s):  
Mishel Elizabeth Jacob ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Media Research ◽  
One Way Anova

Government organisationsare generally known to be lagging behind their citizens in the use of social networking sites with half of the departments having little or no presence in such platforms. This study aims at understanding what type of content affects citizens attitude towards a Government Departments social media pages and how they perceive the message disseminated through such platforms. The researchers have selected the case of the Kerala Police Departments (KPD) Facebook page for the present study. Respondents who are post graduate students from various departments of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala were subject to different type and formats of content stimuli to assess their attitude towards the content type/format itself and attitude towards the department through a questionnaire. Not only will such a study contribute towards the knowledge base on social media research, this study will also help police department across states in India to develop appropriate content for social media to reach their citizens. In order to test the hypotheses and identify interactions between the dependent and independent variables, one-way ANOVA and independent sample t-tests were used. The results revealed significant differences in attitude towards KPD across stimuli and also attitude towards the stimuli itself. Among the various content type provided as stimuli, Hilarious memes generated the most favourable attitude towards the department. The attitude of the respondents towards post re-posting user content was the most favourable. Image/ photo content generates more positive attitude towards the department compared to video content. The study has also revealed that there is a significant difference between the attitudes of respondents who have had priorinteractionwith the Facebook page of KPDversus those who have had no priorinteraction.

Supply chain management, national culture, and refugee network performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Jason James Woldt ◽  
Sameer Prasad ◽  
Jasmine Tata
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Network Performance ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the flow of refugees through the dual lens of supply chain management and national cultural values. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model is first developed based upon an extensive literature review. The model is then applied to an example of migrants from Honduras traveling to the USA and those being repatriated back to Honduras. Findings The connection between national cultural values and elements of refugee supply chain management is identified in this research. The model examines four elements of refugee supply chain management (relationship continuity, partner involvement and development, inter-organizational communication, and network structure), and identifies the influence of these four elements on integrative and collaborative processes along the supply chain and, consequently, on the delivery of services to the refugees (refugee network performance). Research limitations/implications The model presented in this paper is tested using a single case and does not utilize an empirical methodology. Practical implications This research enables local municipalities and state entities along international migration paths to better manage their relationships with upstream/downstream players and improve refugee network performance by reducing transit time, lowering overall costs, ensuring the health and safety of the refugees, and identify eligible refugees (those likely to gain asylum) to support. Furthermore, the model provides specific recommendations for international Non-Governmental Organizations to help with the integrative and collaborative processes among the supply chain partners. Originality/value This research provides a unique perspective in examining the flow of refugees within the context of an international supply chain. The authors look at the critical players along refugee supply chains and develop a model that connects elements of refugee supply chain management with the cultural characteristics of nations.

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