Can lean contribute to work intensification in healthcare?

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth H. Rees ◽  
Robin Gauld
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
The People ◽  
Work Intensification

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the effects of the introduction of lean into healthcare workplaces, phenomena that have not been widely investigated. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on discussions and findings from the literature. It seeks to bring the few geographically dispersed experiences and case studies together to draw some conclusions regarding lean’s negative effects. Findings Two recurring themes emerge. The first is there is little evidence of Lean’s impact on work and the people who perform it. The literature therefore suggests that we understand very little about how work conditions are changed and how Lean’s negative effects arise and may be managed in healthcare workplaces. A second observation is that Lean’s effects are ambiguous. For some Lean seems to intensify work, while for others it leads to improved job satisfaction and productivity. Given this variety, the paper suggests a research emphasis on Lean’s socio-cultural side and to derive more data on how work and its processes change, particularly in the context of healthcare team-working. Originality/value The paper concludes that without improved understanding of social contexts of Lean interventions its value for healthcare improvement may be limited. Future research should also include a focus on how the work is changed and whether high-performance work system practices may be used to offset Lean’s negative effects.

Do “rising stars” avoid risk?: status-based labels and decision making

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kotlyar ◽  
Leonard Karakowsky ◽  
Mary Jo Ducharme ◽  
Janet A. Boekhorst
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
High Potential ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Status ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine how status-based labels, based on future capabilities, can impact people's risk tolerance in decision making. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors developed and tested theoretical arguments using a set of three studies employing a scenario-based approach and a total of 449 undergraduate business students. Findings – The findings suggest that labeling people in terms of future capabilities can trigger perceptions of public scrutiny and influence their risk preferences. Specifically, the results reveal that individuals who are recipients of high-status labels tend to choose lower risk decision options compared to their peers. Research limitations/implications – The study employed scenarios to examine the issue of employee labeling. The extent to which these scenarios have truly captured the dynamics of labeling is questionable, and future research should employ a field-based study to examine whether the reported effect can be observed in a “real” work context. Practical implications – Organizations are concerned about their future leadership capacity and often attempt to grow leadership talent by identifying high-potential employees early on. The results of this study suggest that such practice may have an unintentional negative effect of reducing high-potentials’ tolerance toward risky decision making, thus potentially impacting these future leaders’ decision making in the realm of corporate strategy, R&D, etc. Originality/value – The issue of how labeling individuals in terms of future capabilities can impact their risk preference has been largely ignored by organizational research. This paper suggests that the popular practice of identifying high-potential employees may have unintentional negative effects by lowering their risk tolerance.

scholarly journals Comparative Profiling and Discovery of Novel Glycosylated Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids in Two Strains of the Cyanobacterium Scytonema cf. crispum

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (19) ◽  
pp. 5951-5959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. D'Agostino ◽  
Vivek S. Javalkote ◽  
Rabia Mazmouz ◽  
Russell Pickford ◽  
Pravin R. Puranik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Parent Compound ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish Toxins ◽  
Cell Extracts

ABSTRACTThe mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are a group of small molecules with a diverse ecological distribution among microorganisms. MAAs have a range of physiological functions, including protection against UV radiation, making them important from a biotechnological perspective. In the present study, we identified a putative MAA (mys) gene cluster in two New Zealand isolates ofScytonemacf.crispum(UCFS10 and UCFS15). Homology to “Anabaena-type”mysclusters suggested that this cluster was likely to be involved in shinorine biosynthesis. Surprisingly, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis ofS. cf.crispumcell extracts revealed a complex MAA profile, including shinorine, palythine-serine, and their hexose-bound variants. It was hypothesized that a short-chain dehydrogenase (UCFS15_00405) encoded by a gene adjacent to theS. cf.crispummyscluster was responsible for the conversion of shinorine to palythine-serine. Heterologous expression of MysABCE and UCFS15_00405 inEscherichia coliresulted in the exclusive production of the parent compound shinorine. Taken together, these results suggest that shinorine biosynthesis inS. cf.crispumproceeds via anAnabaena-type mechanism and that the genes responsible for the production of other MAA analogues, including palythine-serine and glycosylated analogues, may be located elsewhere in the genome.IMPORTANCERecently, New Zealand isolates ofS. cf.crispumwere linked to the production of paralytic shellfish toxins for the first time, but no other natural products from this species have been reported. Thus, the species was screened for important natural product biosynthesis. The mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are among the strongest absorbers of UV radiation produced in nature. The identification of novel MAAs is important from a biotechnology perspective, as these molecules are able to be utilized as sunscreens. This study has identified two novel MAAs that have provided several new avenues of future research related to MAA genetics and biosynthesis. Further, we have revealed that the genetic basis of MAA biosynthesis may not be clustered on the genome. The identification of the genes responsible for MAA biosynthesis is vital for future genetic engineering.

Towards a design theory of computer-supported organizational participation

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wagenknecht ◽  
René Filpe ◽  
Christof Weinhardt
Keyword(s):  
Design Theory ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Participation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Expert Interview

Purpose Employees demand high responsibility and empowerment, while keeping their work communal and flexible. Initiatives that foster organizational participation (OP) can contribute to the fulfillment of such work conditions. Research in sociology and psychology demonstrated positive effects on job satisfaction as well as on productivity. However, adoption of social software is widely spread in firms, research on the determinants of computer-supported OP is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements to consider when designing OP processes that aim to be beneficial for both the employer as well as the employees. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 20 guided expert interviews to propose a nascent design theory, following a socio-technical approach that promotes democratic and humanistic principles. Findings Building on the expert interview, the process model includes a topic horizon and a collaboration phase, which creates proposals that have to be decided in order to produce results. The authors show how employee competence and leadership commitment are as important as the workload and support as well as an option for anonymous communication. The authors propose a set of features and explain principles of implementation. Research limitations/implications Despite the authors’ best efforts to diversify the authors’ set of experts, the findings have a limited generalizability as the authors only interviewed a few selected German experts that were either members of the board, HR or IT managers, often concerned with organizing rather than only participating in computer-supported organizational participation (CSOP) processes. Besides testing the model in practise, future research should also consider surveying a broader (and more international) set of employers and employees. Practical implications The authors propose a step-by-step procedure to introduce CSOP. Despite identifying many pitfalls, the research demonstrates that CSOP promises a wide variety of benefits to both employers as well as the employees of an organization, including increased satisfaction as well as productivity. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to propose a nascent design theory for CSOP. The authors derive a number of requirements to consider when implementing an information management system that seeks to improve both the efficiency and equality of employers and employees and lead to a win-win situation for both. The authors describe valid constructs for firms with spatially and timely dispersed teams and more than 50 employees. The research is based on 20 expert interviews, conducted with senior managers of medium and large German enterprises.

Does deal size moderate the effects of board faultlines? Evidence from acquisitions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tidbury ◽  
Steven F. Cahan ◽  
Li Chen
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instrumental Variable Analysis

Purpose Board faultlines, which reflect intrinsic divisions of board members into relatively homogeneous subgroups, are associated with poor firm performance. This paper aims to extend the existing board faultline research by examining how acquisition deal size moderates the negative implications of board faultlines. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a sample of acquisitions and a quantitative research approach to conduct statistical analysis. Findings Using a sample of acquisitions announced between 2007 and 2016, this paper finds evidence suggesting that strong faultlines are associated with poorer acquisition outcomes in the long-term, but not in the short term. Further, this paper finds that the effect of faultline strength on long-term acquisition outcomes is weaker for larger acquisition deals than smaller acquisition deals. The findings are consistent with deal size moderating the relation between faultlines and acquisition outcomes. Research limitations/implications This paper addresses possible endogeneity through firm fixed effects and instrumental variable analysis. Although this paper provides evidence on the moderating role of deal size in the context of faultlines, future research could examine the role of additional moderators, such as pro-diversity, trust, board leadership and board and task characteristics. Practical implications The findings suggest that boards need to be aware of situations where the negative effects of faultlines are more likely to come to the fore. For example, faultlines are more likely to play a role in more routine, obscure monitoring than for high-profile strategic decisions. Originality/value The study is multidisciplinary as it draws on the management, organizational behaviour and psychology and finance literature. It contributes to the developing literature on faultlines in several important ways. First, this paper supports their view that faultlines have adverse effects on board performance by showing that faultlines negatively impact discrete strategic investment decisions. Second, this paper provides evidence that deals size moderates the faultline-acquisition performance relation, indicating that the role of faultlines is contextual. Third, this paper finds evidence that suggests investors do not factor in board faultlines when responding to acquisition announcements.

Molecular Visualization with Supports of Interaction, Immersion, and Collaboration among Geographically Separated Research Groups

2013 ◽  
pp. 252-269
Author(s):  
Moacyr Francischetti-Corrêa
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Receptor Interaction ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Molecular Visualization ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Communication Techniques ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Drug Receptor

In the search for new drug and medication discovery, especially related to drug-receptor interaction, the importance of interaction among researchers is essential, either within the same room or dispersed throughout the world. The interaction in an online environment through the molecule shared view and information and ideas exchange via text and/or voice enable researchers to discuss molecule aspects under study, increasing the chances of reaching the new compound’s identification. In subsequent sections an architecture that uses concepts of Distributed Multiuser Virtual Reality, Computer-Supported Collaborative Work, and world-wide network communication techniques for creating a high performance system that allows real-time interaction among various geographically dispersed research groups studying molecular visualization and using hardware systems ranging from desktop to immersive systems as CAVEs is presented. Its construction was made possible by defining a structure based on local servers to each group, which communicate with each other on a remote network, and creating a protocol for communication among these servers that seeks agility to minimize the negative effects of packet loss and delay delivery, Internet characteristic problems.

Assessing the effects of flight delays, distance, number of passengers and seasonality on revenue

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 2138-2149
Author(s):  
Murat Guven ◽  
Eyup Calik ◽  
Basak Cetinguc ◽  
Bulent Guloglu ◽  
Fethi Calisir
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Flight Delays ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Common Correlated Effects ◽  
Flight Delay ◽  
Airline Company

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of flight delays, distance, number of passengers and seasonality on revenue in the Turkish air transport industry. Design/methodology/approach The domestic return routes of a Turkish airline company were examined to address this issue. Among five cities and six airports, 14 major domestic return routes were selected. The augmented mean group (AMG) estimator and common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimator were conducted with a two-way fixed effects (FE) robustness test in this study. Findings The results show that arrival flight delay and departure flight delay had negative effects on revenue, whereas the distance between airports, the number of air passengers and seasonality had positive effects on revenue. Research limitations/implications The data used in this study were retrieved from a Turkish airline company; for future research, other airline companies operating in Turkey may be included. Practical implications These findings could be evaluated by air transportation leaders to provide a guide to make strategic decisions to achieve greater performance in this competitive environment. Originality/value The originality of the paper comes from the facts that besides distance and number of passengers, the authors control for the seasonality when assessing the effects of flight delay on revenue; they use panel data techniques, which permit them to control for individual heterogeneity, and create more variability, more efficiency and less collinearity among the variables; they use two recent panel data techniques, CCEMG and AMG, allowing for cross-section dependence.

The double-edged effects of guanxi on partner opportunism

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1313-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Shen ◽  
Chuang Zhang ◽  
Wenbo Teng
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Test ◽  
Asset Specificity ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Matched Data

Purpose This study aims to examine the double-edged effects of guanxi on opportunism and the moderating effects of legal enforceability and partner asset specificity. It thus differs from the current literature, which primarily focuses on the benevolent effects of guanxi. Design/methodology/approach Based on matched data collected from 268 sales manager and salesperson dyads, this study tested hypotheses using hierarchical regressions. Findings The empirical test supports the conceptual model and demonstrates two findings. First, guanxi between boundary spanners follows an inverted U-shaped relationship with inter-firm opportunism. Second, both the benefits and drawbacks of guanxi are stronger under the condition of low legal enforceability and high partner asset specificity. Research limitations/implications The study did not untangle guanxi into different dimensions and did not investigate how firms should make trade-offs between the benefits and drawbacks of guanxi. Therefore, future research could further explore this question by using a multidimensional approach. Practical implications The study alerts managers that guanxi is a double-edged sword, so they should complement it with formal control mechanisms, particularly when they are operating in legally inefficient regions or when their partner firm’s asset specificity is high. Originality/value The study offers a more balanced view of guanxi by showing both its positive and negative effects on opportunism. It also uncovers legal enforceability and partner asset specificity as two boundary conditions that influence the curvilinear effects of guanxi on opportunism.

Unfurling the cultural value of street art experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Amelia Green ◽  
Steffen Gray
Keyword(s):  
Social Contexts ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Street Art ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Arts Marketing ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
Part Model

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to begin unfurling the cultural value of street art experiences by opening up an audience-centred research stream sensitive to the nuances of this art form.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a two-part model through which to investigate how everyday citizens experience street art. The methodology involves a purposeful literature review, and direct assessment of how the nuances of street art could pertain to audience experiences.FindingsThe first part of the model conceptualises the characteristics that distinguish contemporary street art from other art forms. To help further guide future research, the second part distinguishes six layers that frame street art audience experiences: (1) “the art”, (2) artist's intentions for the art, (3) the street artist, (4) experiential context, (5) social contexts and (6) audience interpretive lenses.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigative model provides a constructive stimulus for substantive empirical inquiries into the dynamics, complexities and implications of everyday street art experiences.Practical implicationsThe research stream developed could inform appropriate approaches to facilitating street art, and collaboration amongst street artists, facilitators, municipal representatives and policymakers.Originality/valueThe paper helps to open up an audience-centred approach to street art that intersects with recent developments in arts experience, cultural value and arts marketing.

The effects of temperature cues on charitable donation

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipankar Rai ◽  
Chien-Wei (Wilson) Lin ◽  
Chun-Ming Yang
Keyword(s):  
Social Contexts ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Connection ◽  
Warm Temperature ◽  
Charitable Donation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Charitable Donations ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the perception of physical coldness (vs warmth) influences consumers to make charitable donations. Design/methodology/approach Three experiments were conducted involving charitable donation scenarios. Findings Studies demonstrate that cold (vs warm) temperature cues result in greater intentions to donate to charities. Specifically, cold (vs warmth) cues activate the need for social connection which, in turn, motivate consumers to donate more money to charities. Furthermore, this effect holds even when the actual temperature instead of temperature cues is changed, and participants’ actual donation behavior instead of donation intentions is measured, thereby, strengthening the findings of this paper. Research limitations/implications Boundary conditions associated with the effect of temperature cues need empirical investigation. Future research needs to investigate if the effect holds with variability of coldness. Future research also needs to determine whether the documented effect occur across various pro-social contexts. Practical implications The results suggest that non-profit organizations incorporate “cold” cues into advertisements (people feeling cold or cold landscapes) to increase monetary donations and that these organizations should focus on targeting donors during wintertime (vs summer time) to get more donations. Originality/value This is the first research to demonstrate the effects of temperature cues on charitable donations. The added value of this paper is the use of physical temperature change to highlight the phenomenon, and the link between cold (vs warm) temperature cue and the need of social connection.

Boosting the effectiveness of channel governance options

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 29-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Brown ◽  
Scott K. Weaven ◽  
Rajiv P Dant ◽  
Jody L Crosno
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Goal Congruence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relational Norms ◽  
Channel Governance ◽  
Outcome Monitoring ◽  
And Performance

Purpose – The aim of this study is to explore possible contingent variables that might explain these twin contradictory effects of marketing channel governance. Franchisors govern their systems to limit opportunism and enhance performance. However, the exact opposite often occurs. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops an integrative conceptual model of franchisor governance of its franchisees. This model is tested empirically with data collected from 197 Australian franchisees. Findings – Under strong relational norms, goal congruence and outcome monitoring limit franchisee opportunism; compliance enhances franchisee performance, while opportunism reduces it. With weaker norms, outcome monitoring facilitates compliance, and goal congruence boosts franchisee performance, as does franchisee opportunism. However, norms fail to mitigate behavioral monitoring’s negative impact on opportunism. Research limitations/implications – This research confirms the positive and negative effects of franchisor governance. It also shows that norms can reverse the positive link between franchisee opportunism and performance. It additionally illustrates how goal congruence and compliance can limit opportunism and boost performance. Future research should refine this study’s measures, incorporate additional constructs into the conceptual model and test the generalizability of these findings in lesser-developed economies. Practical implications – This research shows that monitoring has both positive and negative effects on franchisee opportunism and performance. To avoid monitoring’s adverse effects, franchisors are advised to enhance goal congruence, boost franchisee compliance and develop strong relational norms. Originality/value – This paper shows that goal congruence, as well as franchisor outcome monitoring, can mitigate the negative effects of franchisor behavioral monitoring on franchisee opportunism, as do relational norms.

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