scholarly journals How Does Office Design Support Employees’ Health? A Case Study on the Relationships among Employees’ Perceptions of the Office Environment, Their Sense of Coherence and Office Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12779
Author(s):  
Melina Forooraghi ◽  
Elke Miedema ◽  
Nina Ryd ◽  
Holger Wallbaum
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Architectural Drawings ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Office Environment ◽  
Office Design ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Current Design

This study investigated the current design circumstances of an office as well as employees’ perceptions of the office environment in relation to their perceived health, drawing on sense of coherence theory (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness). Previous studies have related the physical office environment to employee health. However, most studies have focused on alleviating negative effects, while health-promoting potential, including employee sense of coherence, has been overlooked. This study adopted a mixed method case study approach, combining semi-structured interviews with employees, structured observations, and analysis of architectural drawings. The results indicated that employees’ perceptions did not always align with the ideas behind the architectural design and that employees understood the environment differently. The study also highlighted the interrelations (and contradictions) among the different components of sense of coherence. The findings imply that organizations may need to prioritize which components of coherence should be supported most by the office environment. It also suggests that case-specific design aspects should play a more central role in studying and conceptualizing healthy office design and that design solutions should be continuously modified during the use phase, while ensuring employees’ participation. The study concluded that an ‘ideal’ office environment should not be the goal. Instead, office design should provide an environment in which employees are able to cope with challenges in comprehensible, manageable and meaningful ways.

Analysis and Design Recommendations for Workstations: A Case Study in an Insurance Company

1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 412-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Cohen ◽  
Craig A. James ◽  
Alvaro D. Taveira ◽  
Ben-Tzion Karsh ◽  
Julie Scholz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Task Demands ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Storage Space ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Office Environment ◽  
Analysis And Design ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Design And Implementation

A case study approach was used to determine the effects of task demands, customer needs, and organizational environment on the recommendations for ergonomic redesign in a large pension and insurance organization. The organization was planning a major renovation of workstations and requested assistance with design and implementation. Three job positions were studied using semi-structured interviews, job observations, and measurements of workstations and the office environment. It was found that most work surfaces and chairs were inadequate for VDT tasks, reception counters presented problems for both the employees and claimants, and the use of shared VDTs on a swivel base resulted in eyestrain and poor postures. In addition, there was inadequate storage space and poor housekeeping for all three jobs, as well as lighting and noise problems throughout the office environment. Recommendations were made for new workstations, with pilot testing to be conducted before full-scale implementation. Although existing workstations were inadequate, it was found that task demands were of greatest concern to the employees.

scholarly journals Toward A Business Resilience Framework for Startups

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3132
Author(s):  
Leo Aldianto ◽  
Grisna Anggadwita ◽  
Anggraeni Permatasari ◽  
Isti Raafaldini Mirzanti ◽  
Ian O. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Process ◽  
Dynamic Capability ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Continuous Innovation ◽  
Technology Capability ◽  
Resilience Framework ◽  
Business Resilience

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the disruption of the global economic sector, including for startup businesses. This encourages entrepreneurs to carry out a continuous innovation process to become more ambidextrous and continue to innovate in an effort to futureproof their business. The paper aims to provide a business resilience framework by exploring capability (innovation ambidexterity, dynamic capability, and technology capability), behavior (agile leadership), and knowledge (knowledge stock) in startup businesses. This study uses a literature review synthesis to gain a greater understanding of startup resilience and its implementation. This study also uses a case study approach in building a framework by obtaining data from semi-structured interviews with three startups owners in Indonesia. This preliminary research has identified four propositions that will be used to develop questionnaires and data collection instruments. Thus, this study provides new insights on how startups can overcome contradictory pressures for business resilience in anticipating, dealing with, and emerging from business turbulence due to the Covid-19 pandemic by considering the factors proposed in this study. The implications and recommendations of this study are also discussed in detail.

Social urbanism: public policy and place brand

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Place Brand ◽  
The City

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on how a public policy designed to address a social problem ultimately became the place brand.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a qualitative case study approach focusing on the city of Medellín, Colombia. It draws from fieldwork conducted in Medellín over 2014 and 2015, including semi-structured interviews with an array of local stakeholders.FindingsThe paper concludes that local governments should be aware that the policymaking process can become part of their branding. It also shows the importance of the continual involvement of stakeholders in the place brand process to ensure it is a sustainable brand.Originality/valueThere are limited studies which focus on how a public policy designed to address a social problem ultimately becomes the place brand. This paper shows how a public policy, social urbanism, became the branding of Medellín.

The use of environmental performance indicators in “the greenest city in Europe”

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Alpenberg ◽  
Tomasz Wnuk-Pel ◽  
Philip Adamsson ◽  
Johannes Petersson
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Municipal Managers ◽  
Environmental Performance Indicators

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine why and how municipal managers and CEOs for municipally owned companies use the environmental performance indicators. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach as a research design was used. In total, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted among managers for administrative departments and municipal company CEOs. Findings This study found that the environmental performance indicators are used by department managers mainly for resource allocation, control and for teaching the employees. The CEOs of the municipal companies use the environmental indicators for communicating with external stakeholders and see the indicators primarily as marketing tools. The main reason why the environmental performance indicators are used in the municipality can be the strong demand from the local politicians to push the “green agenda,” and therefore the managers have to comply. Research limitations/implications As in any case study, generalizations from the research should be made with care, but since this is only one municipality, further research is needed to find additional evidence. Practical implications The findings of this study have a number of implications for future practice, and it is worth mentioning that clear guidelines for how the information could be made more useful for managers at the managerial level in Växjö municipality (VM) are requested for both the municipal managers and the CEOs. Social implications Overall, this study strengthens the idea that environmental performance indicators could be used to a larger extent for communicating with external stakeholders both for municipal departments and companies. Originality/value The research adds to the literature by examining different patterns of using environmental performance indicators in a unique setting – in VM, which is called “the greenest city in Europe” and is one of the “pioneers” in environmental work and extensively uses performance indicators.

scholarly journals Sustainability Practice of a Multinational Oil Company in Nigeria: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Charles Afam Anosike
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
High Level ◽  
Oil Company

Environmental degradation and socioeconomic dilemma continue to affect agricultural productivity in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Several works of literature confirm the high level of pollution and contamination of land and water as a result of over 50 years of oil production in the region. The effects of environmental pollution continue to aggravate the hardship of the local people, which generates development friction, threaten oil operation, and mutually contrive relational efforts, by so invoking mistrust between oil companies and the host communities. Sustainability programs of oil companies often provide the channel to engage and promote community relations from which projects are conceived and executed. Despite sustainability efforts of oil companies, the region continues to experience oil spills and environmental degradation.Hence, the current research explores the sustainability efforts of a multinational oil company to establish whether the company’s leadership makes environmental considerations and to identify possible corrections that could be adopted to achieve sustainable value. For this purpose, the paper employed a single case study approach using open-ended interview sessions in collecting data. Research data were gathered from a sample of 20 experienced sustainability practitioners of the oil company, partnering nonprofit organizations, and community leaders through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data were segmented and categorized. The data analysis process revealed several themes regarding the challenges and shortfalls of sustainability programs in the region. The evidence found suggests that implementing a transparent and inclusive sustainability management system is essential to enable a systems view in contemplating sustainability programs. In so doing, oil MNCs leaders could enable effective environmental consideration in their sustainability programs to help reinvigorate productive agriculture and ensure continuing oil operation.

scholarly journals Connecting Inward and Outward Internationalisation of Malaysian SMEs: A Learning Approach

2018 ◽  
pp. 264-275
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Relationship

When SMEs are part of global value chain, the flows of information in cross-border buyer-supplier relationships which emerge from inward-outward internationalisation connections should be addressed. This study therefore investigates the learning processes of internationalising small and medium enterprises that engage in inward and outward internationalisation. Hence, this study adopts a qualitative case study approach based on ten cases of the internationalising SMEs in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews with the Managing Directors of the selected SMEs were conducted over a two-year period. Additionally, participant observations were conducted by attending the meetings related to import-export activities and documentations were gathered for data triangulation Findings of this study highlights that the relationship with key foreign suppliers empowered case firms to connect inward to outward internationalisation through collaborative knowledge sharing. The distribution of knowledge through tacit-tacit and tacit-explicit knowledge sharing underpinned by formal planning was a prerequisite for inward-outward internationalisation connections to be established.

scholarly journals Exploring the Learning Journeys of Academic Head of Department Preparations and Access to Their Roles: The Case of a Selected University in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Gloria Nyame
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Head Of Department

Leadership training for educational leaders in the academia has been considered paramount to empower them both for leadership and management skills, knowledge and experience necessary to bring about quality in teaching and learning. Majority of the academic leaders are appointed without any preparation for the role and tend to struggle on the role in order to be effective. Most studies carried out on academic leaders in Africa focus mainly on challenges, roles and theories of leadership. This study explores the journeys involved in the preparations of academics who become Head of Departments in a selected university in Ghana in order to enable them play their roles effectively. The case study approach was used to study the journeys involved in the preparations of 16 academic HoDs in a selected university in Ghana, focusing on how they accessed their roles, their understanding about the roles, preparations they have had on the roles and the preparations they would have wished for the roles. It sought to describe, understand and interpret the learning journeys of academic HoDs regarding how they became HoDs and preparations they received to be effective in their roles. Interviews and documentary evidence were employed. Semi structured interviews were conducted with sixteen university head of departments. Using thematic analysis, the study revealed among others that most newly appointed academic HoDs were not given formal training before they began to play their roles, Again, the findings revealed different degrees of preparations which were mainly informal and were not directly linked to the roles of the HoDs, which were consistent with the literature that majority of academic HoDs did not receive preparations for their roles and tended to use their experiences to play their roles. Based on these findings, recommendations are that there should be a formal training on the HoD’s duties and their implementations for all newly appointed HoDs to enrich them with the necessary skills and knowledge to make them effective and efficient. There is the need to conduct needs assessment from the HoDs to inform their preparation or training and development of HoDs manual to serve as a reference guide to the HoDs. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to effective preparations of the academic HoDs. The research may also lead to the production of HoD’s manuals. More importantly, it may inform policies to identify areas for effective preparations of the academic HoDs.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Distance Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic

MADRASAH ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-125
Author(s):  
Raden Adji Suryo Utomo ◽  
Fitri Nur Mahmudah
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Quality Of Research

The implementation of learning is the most important part in improving the quality of education. The Covid-19 pandemic period is part of the challenge for education so that learning continues. The purpose of this study was to investigate in depth the implementation of distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The method used in this research is qualitative with a case study approach. The research was conducted at Muhammadiyah Pakel Elementary School. The data sources in this study were teachers, parents, and students. Data collection techniques using structured interviews assisted with guidelines that are structured questions systematically. Data analysis using the Denzin Licoln case study model assisted by atlas.ti software version 8. The technique used to improve the quality of research is source triangulation. The results of this study provide information that in the implementation of the implementation of distance learning there are three factors, namely policy, distance learning process, and human resource activeness. These three factors are novelty which can be recommendations for the three education centers in order to be part of improving the quality of distance learning education during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Administrative Leadership Mindset and Philosophical Approaches

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-121
Author(s):  
Susan S. Reutter
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Prison Wardens ◽  
Fourth Theme

Corrections is a multi-layered business containing all aspects of life for the employees, clients/inmates, and the general public. Therefore, the findings of the study are transferable to many types of administrators. The chapter uses a case study approach and qualitative research methods. The study findings focuses on corrections administrative leadership mindset, philosophical approaches, and practice policies.. The conceptual and theoretical approaches included effective corrections administrators are promoting the growth of social capital (e.g., social skills and relationships), human capital (employable skills), and cultural capital (e.g., community and public safety). Four state prison wardens/administrators participated in this study. Data was collected via Creswell's in-depth portrait of cases: three-part series of semi-structured interviews. Four themes emerged during data analysis. This chapter focuses on the fourth theme and the conceptual framework.

Succession Planning in Family-Owned Business Evidence From an Emerging Economy

2022 ◽  
pp. 504-528
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arslan
Keyword(s):  
Succession Planning ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The Family ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Generational Succession

Family-owned businesses (FOBs) play an important role in the economy of a country through the creation of jobs. However, most FOBs lack strategies regarding succession planning in both developed and developing economies. This study explores the strategies that are used by FOBs to prepare future leaders. Drawing on qualitative research design, this study employed a multiple case study approach and selected 13 cases by employing a purposive sampling technique from the FOBs of Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the successors of FOBs. The findings reveal that succession planning is pivotal for the development of business and the successful transition of FOB from one generation to another. Most of the respondents fully understand the importance of succession planning for the sustainability of the business. However, in some cases, socioemotional aspects of generational succession planning require strategies that concurrently focus on successor suitability, the consensus of the family, mode of transition, leadership, and challenges faced by the FOBs.

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