Positive effect of pets on memory-impaired residents at Silverado communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen F. Winner

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the positive effects pets have on individuals diagnosed with various memory-impairing diseases. Design/methodology/approach – Observations were gathered over a period of approximately 18 years, from 1996 to 2014. These observations, which began in just one Silverado community exclusively for those with memory impairments, have remained consistent over time and are now seen in 33 communities across the USA. Findings – Frequent interaction and access to various pets adds a sense of purpose and life to Silverado residents, each of whom was diagnosed with dementia or other memory impairing diseases. Research limitations/implications – The findings rely on a variety of personal observations from caregivers, doctors, nurses, resident families and community leadership. Practical implications – Including pets in an assisted living community creates an environment filled with life and compassion, which ultimately gives many residents a sense of purpose again. Social implications – The Silverado Pet Philosophy furthers the organization's mission to change the way the world perceives and cares for those with memory impairments. Originality/value – There are limited case studies that outline the positive effects of pets in a memory care community over this length of time.

Author(s):  
Claire Huijnen

This chapter presents the research, results and lessons learned from a project to evaluate currently available assisted living technologies for elderly people with mild to severe memory impairments who want to age in place. During the project a number of households were equipped with assistive technology to enable the end users to better cope with the barriers and problems associated with their forgetfulness. End users were involved in different phases, starting with a problem and needs analysis and ending with an evaluation of the technology installed in their homes. It seemed that technology did have a positive impact on their lives as well as on the lives of the informal caregivers who often live with those who suffer from amnesia. This project gives insight into how we are coming closer to optimizing the positive effects which assistive technology holds for the elderly with memory impairments. Key insights are presented.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1365-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina De Simone ◽  
Mariangela Bonasia ◽  
Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta ◽  
Lorenzo Cicatiello

Purpose Making citizens able to monitor and evaluate public spending activities is a fundamental issue in public financial management literature. The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether fiscal transparency, measured by the Open Budget Index, has an effect on public spending performance, measured by the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report data. Design/methodology/approach Research methods rely on random-effects panel regression models on a country-level panel data set of 82 world countries observed in the 2008–2015 time interval. Findings Results show that the potential positive effects of fiscal transparency are mediated by the level of democracy of the country. In detail, in democratic countries, a higher degree of disclosure of fiscal information is correlated with a higher efficiency of government spending while, in non-democratic countries, fiscal transparency does not seem to provide any effect. Social implications The results suggest that fiscal transparency can be a powerful device where politicians can be held accountable for their actions, while it could fail to provide positive results where a strong and effective vertical accountability is missing. Originality/value The novelty of the paper is twofold. First, it provides new additional evidence about the positive effect that fiscal transparency has on public spending efficiency by advancing previous research on this topic (Porumbescu, 2017; Montes et al., 2019). Second, the paper investigates conceptually and empirically how the positive effect on public spending efficiency determined by fiscal transparency depends on the degree of democracy present in the institutional environment in which fiscal information disclosure is implemented.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 927-946
Author(s):  
She-Chih Chiu ◽  
Chin-Chen Chien ◽  
Hsuan-Chu Lin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the transition from self-regulation to heteronomy has changed the gap in audit quality between Big Four and non-Big Four auditors. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes publicly held companies in the USA between 1999 and 2012 using univariate analysis, multivariate analysis and quantile regression analysis. Audit quality is measured with discretionary accruals. Findings This study shows an insignificant difference in audit quality between the clients of Big Four and non-Big Four auditors after Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (hereafter, PCAOB) began its operations. In the analysis of the effects of PCAOB inspections on the audit quality of audit firms that are inspected annually and triennially, the findings show that the inspections have more positive effects when carried out annually. This suggests that the frequency of inspection is positively associated with audit quality. Overall, these results provide evidence that recent improvements in audit quality have been caused by changes in regulatory standards. Originality/value The paper provides three major original contributions. First, the authors add to the literature on audit quality by further demonstrating a reduced gap in audit quality between Big Four and non-Big Four audit firms due to heteronomy. Secondly, this study contributes to the debate as to whether independent inspections on audit firms are beneficial or not and suggests that the PCAOB inspections help increase audit quality. Finally, the results of this work contribute to the growing literature examining discretionary accruals.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 13-15
Author(s):  
Brian Beal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether authentic leadership in hospitality is composed of four distinctive but related substantive components (i.e. self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral), the impact of authentic leadership on employees’ organizational commitment (OC), the impact of employees’ OC on their turnover intention (TI), and the indirect effect of authentic leadership on employees’ TI via OC. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested a sample of 236 students working as employees in hospitality in the USA, with the idea that authentic leadership increases OC which in turn decreases TI. The participants were asked to rate the manager’s leadership style and the frequency of their leadership behavior. Findings Results provide support for the positive effect of authentic leadership on OC in the hospitality industry, and suggest that OC mediates reduced TI. Originality/value The results of the study suggest a variety of significant theoretical contributions and critical leadership and organizational implications. The effects of authentic leadership were empirically tested on employees’ OC and the effects of that OC on TI.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 4-6

Purpose The researchers wanted to find out a number of things. First, they wanted to assess the influence of strong unions on approaches to HRM. Second, they wanted to know if the strategic HR function had a positive effect on both person-centered and performance-centered HRM. Third, they tested the theory that the economic context had a significant influence on HRM practices. Companies in liberal market economies (LMEs), for example, were expected to adopt more performance-centered HRM, but for companies in coordinated market economies the reverse was likely to be true (CMEs). Design/methodology/approach Cristiani et al collected their data from the Cranet 2009 survey, the world’s largest comparative analysis of HRM practices. They sent out a questionnaire to senior managers responsible for HRM at private multinational companies. The authors sampled 3,406 firms across 14 countries. They placed six OECD nations in the LME group (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA) and ten in the CME group (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands). Findings The data revealed that the strategic HR function had a positive effect on the adoption of both person-centered and performance-centered HRM. The study also demonstrated that a more powerful union presence encouraged the use of person-centered approaches, whereas it discouraged performance-centered ones. The data suggested that the variety of capitalism (VoC) moderated the relationships between the strategic HR function role and performance-centered HMR, but the same impact on person-centered approaches was not found. Originality/value Proof of the moderating effect of the VoC shows that HR professionals – especially at multinationals - need to align their practices with the larger context in which their company is operating. The most valuable finding for businesses was the impact of a strong union presence on which HRM practices were likely to be accepted, or rejected.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Lichtenthaler

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework and propositions on a capability-based view that examine the role of a firm’s primary type of alliances, i.e., exploration or exploitation, in the determinants and impact of alliance portfolio capability. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual research paper, which builds on prior conceptual and empirical management research. Findings – Regarding determinants, capability-based arguments indicate that firms with an emphasis on exploration alliances have higher levels of alliance portfolio capability. However, a focus on exploration alliances aggravates the development of alliance portfolio capability through alliance experience and a dedicated alliance function. Regarding impact, alliance portfolio capability may positively affect a firm’s alliance, innovation, and financial performance. While alliance portfolio capability is assumed to have an equally positive effect on alliance performance for all types of alliance portfolios, a relative focus on exploration alliances is expected to limit the positive effects of alliance portfolio capability on innovation and subsequent financial performance. Originality/value – These new conceptual arguments help to reconcile inconsistent earlier findings, and they deepen the understanding of interfirm differences in alliance portfolio capability and performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 710-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonglong Zhou ◽  
Qiongjing Hu ◽  
Jingjing Yao ◽  
Xin Qin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of family business owners’ intrafamily succession intention based on the theory of planned behavior and neo-institutional theory. Design/methodology/approach National survey data were collected from Chinese private firms in 2010, and a sample of 804 family firms was used to test the hypotheses. Findings At the micro level, familism, intrafamily succession regulation and family control have positive effects on owners’ intrafamily succession intention. At the macro level, district succession orientation, which is the district prevalence of intrafamily succession practice, has a positive effect on owners’ intrafamily succession intention. Additionally, the district succession orientation weakens the positive effects of intrafamily succession regulation and family control. Originality/value The paper contributes to the understanding of family business owners’ intrafamily succession intention from both micro and macro perspectives. Besides, it also contributes to the integration of micro and macro research by examining the interaction effects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-232
Author(s):  
Eunji Seo ◽  
Katsuyoshi Takashima

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the negative impact of horizontal conflict on vertical conflict in a triadic configuration, which is based on the supposition that buyers who experience horizontal conflict due to competition with other buyers are motivated to limit vertical conflict to better cooperate with store staff. Design/methodology/approach This study tests the hypotheses with an AMOS-based structure equation model based on survey data of 236 merchandise managers at Japanese retailers. Findings The study’s findings demonstrate that process conflict concerning resource and role allocation, negatively affects the task conflict and relationship conflict involved in vertical interactions. The results suggest that conflict between buyers is an accelerative mechanism affecting the construction of cooperative relationships between buyers and store staff. Originality/value Previous studies have discussed the possibility of positive effects arising from process conflict. In this study, the authors found that horizontal process conflict tolerates vertical conflict statistically and identified a new positive effect of process conflict.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazuk Sharma

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how matching an ad’s empty space color specifically to that of the advertised product’s color (instead of leaving it white) impacts consumers’ product buying impulse. It tests two competing hypotheses, where the salience explanation proposes a positive effect of empty space–product color matching on product buying impulse, while the contrast account predicts an opposite effect. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from US-based MTurk panelists under three experimentally designed studies. The proposed effects were tested across multiple product categories, colors and online advertising formats. Qualitative responses from experienced marketing executives were also assessed for managerial insights. Findings Across all studies, findings reveal that using a product-colored (vs white) empty space in an ad increases consumers’ product buying impulse, favoring the salience rather the contrast explanation. Increased ad salience owing to an enhanced exposure to product color (an important sensory aspect), in turn improving the product’s hedonic appeal work as serial processes explaining this effect. Originality/value This research is not only the first to investigate the effects of using colored empty space (where limited prior research has only focused on white empty space), but also the first to study its impact on impulse buying intentions. Counter to prior advertising research which suggests using greater contrast by using white empty space to achieve positive effects, this research empirically tests and finds that using a product-colored empty ad space instead has a positive impact on product buying impulse.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minyoung Noh

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of state culture on the readability of narrative disclosures in annual reports based on firms located in all 50 states of the USA. Design/methodology/approach The author uses the cultural tightness and looseness (Harrington and Gelfand 2014) index at the state level and the BOG index (Bonsall and Miller, 2017) as the primary measures of annual report readability. Findings Using US data from 1994 to 2019, this study finds that the state level of cultural tightness in which firms are located positively affects firms’ annual report readability. In addition, the study finds that the positive effect of cultural tightness on annual report readability is pronounced in subgroups with high litigation risk while the result does not hold with subgroups that have low litigation risk. The results are robust when alternative proxies for annual report readability are used and historical location and the states in which firms are incorporated are considered. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing literature on the determinants of readability in annual report because firms’ narrative disclosure in annual report varies depending on the information environment, litigation risk, embedded in each state culture where firms are located.


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