MARKETING PRACTICES AND THE DARK SIDE OF INEQUITY: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN AFRICAN PRIVATE COMPANIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 319-325
Author(s):  
Dr. Théophile Bindeouè Nassè
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Digital Recorder ◽  
Context Data

Business ethics is capital for both customer satisfaction and growth in a world where competition is a distinctive constituent for companies’ unrelenting existence. The purpose of this research is to examine how ethical and fair practices affect customer satisfaction of companies in very low income countries. The research is centered on a constructivist design model with a qualitative approach that is inspired by the researcher’s experience of the context. Data collection is implemented in two (2) private companies, using a digital recorder and some semi-structured interviews. One company in the field of professional training, and one in the field of IT and printing. The data is transcribed by hand, and then a content analysis is made. The results show that equity has some effects on customer satisfaction, and thus on the overall growth of companies. The recommendation is that companies in the context should offer nondiscriminatory products and reasonable services to upturn customer satisfaction.  Keywords: Business ethics, Equity, Customer satisfaction, Marketing, Burkina Faso.

scholarly journals Birth companionship in a government health system: a pilot study in Kigoma, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Chaote ◽  
Nguke Mwakatundu ◽  
Sunday Dominico ◽  
Alex Mputa ◽  
Agnes Mbanza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Respectful Maternity Care ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Government Health ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Birth Companion

Abstract Background Having a companion of choice throughout childbirth is an important component of good quality and respectful maternity care for women and has become standard in many countries. However, there are only a few examples of birth companionship being implemented in government health systems in low-income countries. To learn if birth companionship was feasible, acceptable and led to improved quality of care in these settings, we implemented a pilot project using 9 intervention and 6 comparison sites (all government health facilities) in a rural region of Tanzania. Methods The pilot was developed and implemented in Kigoma, Tanzania between July 2016 and December 2018. Women delivering at intervention sites were given the choice of having a birth companion with them during childbirth. We evaluated the pilot with: (a) project data; (b) focus group discussions; (c) structured and semi-structured interviews; and (d) service statistics. Results More than 80% of women delivering at intervention sites had a birth companion who provided support during childbirth, including comforting women and staying by their side. Most women interviewed at intervention sites were very satisfied with having a companion during childbirth (96–99%). Most women at the intervention sites also reported that the presence of a companion improved their labor, delivery and postpartum experience (82–97%). Health providers also found companions very helpful because they assisted with their workload, alerted the provider about changes in the woman’s status, and provided emotional support to the woman. When comparing intervention and comparison sites, providers at intervention sites were significantly more likely to: respond to women who called for help (p = 0.003), interact in a friendly way (p < 0.001), greet women respectfully (p < 0.001), and try to make them more comfortable (p = 0.003). Higher proportions of women who gave birth at intervention sites reported being “very satisfied” with the care they received (p < 0.001), and that the staff were “very kind” (p < 0.001) and “very encouraging” (p < 0.001). Conclusion Birth companionship was feasible and well accepted by health providers, government officials and most importantly, women who delivered at intervention facilities. The introduction of birth companionship improved women’s experience of birth and the maternity ward environment overall.

scholarly journals Global Nursing - A Qualitative Case Study of Tanzanian Nursing Students' Experiences of Student Exchange in Sweden

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Alden-Joyce ◽  
Elina Scheers-Andersson ◽  
Jane Rogathi ◽  
Paulo Kidayi ◽  
Jenny Cadstedt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Global Perspectives ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Student Exchange

Abstract Background: Due to globalization and a shift in population demographics, needs within healthcare are changing and nurses require new skills and knowledge. Nursing education needs to facilitate these new demands and student exchange programmes provide an opportunity to develop necessary skills.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore Tanzanian nursing students' experiences of student exchange in Sweden. Method: A qualitative design was used for this empirical study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Tanzanian nursing students who had participated in student exchange in Sweden. The participants were recruited by purposeful sampling. Inductive reasoning and qualitative content analysis were applied.Results: The findings revealed that the students experienced new approaches in Sweden, allowing them to develop skills and competences. Furthermore, they increased their global perspectives on nursing and interest in working with global health issues. However, they also experienced challenges in the new environment.Conclusion: The present study showed that the Tanzanian nursing students benefitted from their student exchange, both personally, as well as for their future careers as nurses. More research is needed examining nursing students from low-income countries participating in student exchange in high-income countries.

scholarly journals Access to Controlled Medicines in Low-Income Countries: Listening to Stakeholders in the Field

2020 ◽  
pp. 002073142090674
Author(s):  
Agnes Vitry ◽  
Gilles Forte ◽  
Jason White
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Psychotropic Medicines ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
International Conventions

Little is known on current practices and challenges associated with the legal trade of medicines controlled under international conventions in low-income countries. This qualitative survey involved semi-structured interviews of stakeholders engaged in the trade of controlled medicines at a global level or at a country level in 3 African countries (Uganda, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo). Nine interviews were conducted, including 3 international wholesalers, 2 relief organizations, 2 procurement officers, and 2 regulatory officers. Additionally, 4 other participants provided written information. All participants consistently reported that the current process of procuring controlled medicines in compliance with international conventions was long and complex given the number of administrative steps required for obtaining export and import authorizations, which are mandatory for both narcotic and psychotropic medicines. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain import authorizations from some health authorities in low-income countries because of long delays, mistakes in forms, absence or shortage of staff, or when annual national estimates are exceeded. The complexities of the trade of controlled medicines directly contribute to the lack of access to essential controlled medicines, both narcotics and psychotropics, in low-income countries.

scholarly journals Challenges to achieving appropriate and equitable access to Caesarean section: ethnographic insights from rural Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-503
Author(s):  
Zubia Mumtaz ◽  
Afshan Bhatti ◽  
Sarah Salway
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Health Visitors ◽  
Community Midwives ◽  
Unnecessary Intervention

AbstractAccess to Caesarean section (C-section) remains inadequate for some groups of women while others have worryingly high rates. Understanding differential receipt demands exploration of the socio-cultural, and political economic, characteristics of the health systems that produce them. This extensive institutional ethnography investigated under- and over-receipt of C-section in two rural districts in Pakistan – Jhelum and Layyah. Data were collected between November and July 2013 using semi-structured interviews from a randomly selected sample of 11 physicians, 38 community midwives, 18 Lady Health Visitors and nurses and 15 Traditional Birth Attendants. In addition, 78 mothers, 35 husbands and 23 older women were interviewed. The understandings of birth by C-section held by women and their family members were heavily shaped by gendered constructions of womanhood, patient–provider power differentials and financial constraints. They considered C-section an expensive and risky procedure, which often lacked medical justification, and was instead driven by profit motive. Physicians saw C-section as symbolizing obstetric skill and status and a source of legitimate income. Physician views and practices were also shaped by the wider health care system characterized by private practice, competition between providers and a lack of regulation and supervision. These multi-layered factors have resulted in both unnecessary intervention, and missed opportunities for appropriate C-sections. The data indicate a need for synergistic action at patient, provider and system levels. Recommendations include: improving physician communication with patients and family so that the need for C-section is better understood as a life-saving procedure, challenging negative attitudes and promoting informed decision-making by mothers and their families, holding physicians accountable for their practice and introducing price caps and regulations to limit financial incentives associated with C-sections. The current push for privatization of health care in low-income countries also needs scrutiny given its potential to encourage unnecessary intervention.

Acceptance of a Smartphone-based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmael Kedir Nida ◽  
Sisay Bekele ◽  
Luc Geurts ◽  
Vero Vanden Abeele
Keyword(s):  
Visual Field ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Field Screening ◽  
Glaucoma Screening ◽  
Screening Platform

BACKGROUND Glaucoma, the “silent thief of sight”, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It is a burden for people in low-income countries specifically, where it accounts for 15% of the total blindness. More than half of the people living with glaucoma in low-income countries, are unaware of their disease until it progresses to an advanced stage, resulting in permanent visual impairment. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the acceptability of the Glaucoma Easy Screener (GES), a low-cost and portable visual field screening platform comprising of a smartphone, a stereoscopic VR headset and a gaming joystick. METHODS A mixed-method study was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of GES, including 24 eye care professionals from four hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. A pre-post design was employed to collect perspectives before and after using GES, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire and interview questions were guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). RESULTS Positive results were obtained both pre-use and post-use, suggesting acceptance of mHealth solutions for glaucoma screening, using a low-cost headset through a smartphone and a game controller. Ophthalmic professionals perceived GES as easy-to-use, enabling the screening of glaucoma screening tests, especially during outreach to rural areas. However, positive evaluations are contingent on adequate accuracy of the tool. Moroever, ophtalmic professionals voiced the need to limit the tool to screening only, and not for diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS The study supports the feasibility of using a mobile device in combination with a low-cost VR headset and classic controller for glaucoma screening in rural areas. GES has the potential to reduce the burden of irreversible blindness due to glaucoma. Yet, a further assessment of its sensitivity and specificity is needed.

Virtual Student Exchange in journalism: Collaborative reporting through new media and technology

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Bowen ◽  
Altaf Ullah Khan ◽  
Alexandra Wake
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Globalizing World ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Student Exchange ◽  
Media And Technology ◽  
The University

Over five decades of empirical research have demonstrated the power of study abroad programmes to broaden students’ perspectives by exposing them to other peoples and cultures. In a range of fields, universities offer study abroad to help prepare students for a rapidly globalizing world. In recent years, short-term study abroad programmes have become popular in helping students of journalism prepare for the rigours of international reporting. However, travel to another country can be difficult and expensive, putting strain on education budgets and limiting access to a relatively small pool of students. Travel to the most newsworthy sites is also frequently impossible due to lack of security. On the whole, study abroad can reinforce historical imbalances. Students from high-income nations tend to have multiple opportunities to travel and view the world from another perspective, while students from low-income countries have significantly fewer opportunities to do the same. In this research, we developed and studied a Virtual Student Exchange programme in journalism, a new pedagogical strategy that harnessed technology to connect a group of students from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, with a similarly composed group of students from the University of Peshawar in Peshawar, Pakistan. For modest cost, the programme provided all students with an opportunity to meet one another, learn about each other’s societies, and work collaboratively on newsworthy events in each other’s country. Informed by Contact Theory, the programme also provided students with opportunities to serve as fixers for one another, and thus to view the relationship between international correspondent and local fixer from both perspectives. Open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews conducted after the experience show how students on both sides gained from the experience, suggesting productive avenues for further research.

scholarly journals What would ‘upscaling’ involve? A qualitative study of international variation in stroke rehabilitation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Elizabeth Watkins ◽  
William Mark Magnus Levack ◽  
Farooq Azam Rathore ◽  
Elizabeth Jean Carleton Hay-Smith
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Stroke Rehabilitation ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Community Services ◽  
World Health ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Therapy

Abstract Background Demand for stroke rehabilitation is expected to grow dramatically; with the estimated prevalence of stroke survivors rising to 70 million worldwide by 2030. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) report - Rehabilitation 2030: A call for action – has introduced the objective of ‘upscaling’ rehabilitation globally to meet demand. This research explored what upscaling stroke rehabilitation might mean for health professionals from countries at different stages of economic development. Methods Qualitative descriptive study design using semi-structured interviews was employed. Purposively sampled, clinical leaders in stroke rehabilitation were recruited for interviews from low through to high-income countries. Results Twelve rehabilitation professionals (medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy) from high (United States of America, Germany, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand), upper-middle (Colombia and Turkey), lower-middle (Vietnam, Pakistan, Ghana), and low-income countries (Nepal and Sierra Leone) were interviewed. Upscaling was seen as a necessity. Successful scaling up will require initiatives addressing: political governance and managerial leadership, increasing knowledge and awareness of the value of rehabilitation, financial support, workforce developments, physical space and infrastructure, and the development of community services and reintegration. Conclusion Although there have been many gains within the development of stroke rehabilitation internationally, further investment is required to ensure that this patient population group continues to receive the best quality services. For the WHO to be successful in implementing their objective to upscale rehabilitation, specific attention will need to be paid to political, professional, economic, and sociocultural issues at global and local levels.

scholarly journals Husbands’ experience and perception of supporting their wives during childbirth in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Kampayana Kashaija ◽  
Lilian Teddy Mselle ◽  
Dickson Ally Mkoka
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Written Information

Abstract Background: In order improve the quality of birth care and women satisfaction with birthing process it is recommended that every woman should be offered the option to experience labour and childbirth with a companion of her choice. Involving husbands as decision makers in the household may a play role in reducing maternal mortality which is unacceptably high despite the targeted goal to reduce these mortality as targeted in the MDGs by 2015. This is still addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015/30. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of husbands’ support of their wives during pregnancy, labour and deliveries in Tanzania.Methods: Qualitative descriptive study design was employed; involving men aged between 24 and 63 years. Participants were selected purposefully at the clinic and in labour ward of SekouToure Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH). The in-depth interview, guided by semi structured interview guide was used to collect the audio recorded and hand written information. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis Results; Nine (9) semi-structured interviews were conducted with husbands of women attended for antenatal care and those came for deliveries. Four themes emerged; Demonstrating care, love and affection, adopting modern life style, observing women’s right and meeting social economic difficulties. Husbands’ support to their partners is a good behaviour practiced during matrimonial lives. Husbands who support their partners during pregnancy and delivery consider themselves as being modern men as they at home take duties beside their usual tasks to let their wives have adequate time to rest during pregnancy. Poor road infrastructure makes difficult to get transport to the healthcare facility especially when labour is imminent. Also ward infrastructure is not supportive to accommodate husbands when they accompany their wives to the healthcare facility. Conclusions; The healthcare settings in low income countries need to accommodate men during the routine antenatal and intranatal care for the positive outcome of labour and delivery. Exploratory research should be conducted to understand how education and urbanisation affects men involvement in maternal and child health specifically in the low income countries.

scholarly journals Reflections on Health Workforce Development Comment on "Health Professional Training and Capacity Strengthening Through International Academic Partnerships: The First Five Years of the Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda"

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Dussault
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Health Professional Training ◽  
Health Workforce Development

This commentary addresses the statement that "the authors believe that the HRH [Human Resources for Health] Program can serve as a model for other initiatives that seek to address the shortage of qualified health professionals in low-income countries and strengthen the long-term capacity of local academic institutions." I adopt the position of the devil’s advocate and ask whether a country, with a profile comparable to Rwanda’s, should adopt this twinning model. I suggest that the alignment with population and other capacity development needs should be the main criteria of decision.

scholarly journals Husbands’ experience and perception of supporting their wives during childbirth in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Kampayana Kashaija ◽  
Lilian Teddy Mselle ◽  
Dickson Ally Mkoka
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Written Information

Abstract Background : In order improve the quality of birth care and women satisfaction with birthing process it is recommended that every woman should be offered the option to experience labour and childbirth with a companion of her choice. Involving husbands as decision makers in the household may a play role in reducing maternal mortality which is unacceptably high despite the targeted goal to reduce these mortality as targeted in the MDGs by 2015. This is still addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015/30. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of husbands’ support of their wives during pregnancy, labour and deliveries in Tanzania. Methods: Qualitative descriptive study design was employed; involving men aged between 24 and 63 years. Participants were selected purposefully at the clinic and in labour ward of SekouToure Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH). The in-depth interview, guided by semi structured interview guide was used to collect the audio recorded and hand written information. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis Results; Nine (9) semi-structured interviews were conducted with husbands of women attended for antenatal care and those came for deliveries. Four themes emerged; Demonstrating care, love and affection, adopting modern life style, observing women’s right and meeting social economic difficulties. Husbands’ support to their partners is a good behaviour practiced during matrimonial lives. Husbands who support their partners during pregnancy and delivery consider themselves as being modern men as they at home take duties beside their usual tasks to let their wives have adequate time to rest during pregnancy. Poor road infrastructure makes difficult to get transport to the healthcare facility especially when labour is imminent. Also ward infrastructure is not supportive to accommodate husbands when they accompany their wives to the healthcare facility. Conclusion s; The healthcare settings in low income countries need to accommodate men during the routine antenatal and intranatal care for the positive outcome of labour and delivery. Exploratory research should be conducted to understand how education and urbanisation affects men involvement in maternal and child health specifically in the low income countries.

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