Management of Corporate Volunteers and the Effects of Volunteering on the Well-Being and Engagement of Employees: A Review and Framework for Future Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zeeshan Khan

Employee volunteering is a topic of growing importance in workplaces around the globe. Similarly, growing research on this phenomenon has seen a significant increase over the past decade, most significantly in different manufacturing and service oriented firms. Nevertheless, the increased visibility of this notion, not much is written on this burning question and the direction for future research is also unclear. In addition, research is currently based on a variety of different definitions but nothing is said about the practices and the propositions which managers should acclimatize to foster enhanced volunteering initiatives within the organization. In order to advance management research on employee volunteering, this literature hinges upon on four contributions: (1) clarifying the theoretical background on corporate volunteering, (2) best practices which managers should adapt to foster corporate volunteering, (3) effects of volunteering on the well-being and engagement of employees, and (4) providing a future research agenda for the role of volunteering and its motives.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Patrício ◽  
Anders Gustafsson ◽  
Raymond Fisk

Service design and innovation are receiving greater attention from the service research community because they play crucial roles in creating new forms of value cocreation with customers, organizations, and societal actors in general. Service innovation involves a new process or service offering that creates value for one or more actors in a service network. Service design brings new service ideas to life through a human-centered and holistic design thinking approach. However, service design and innovation build on dispersed multidisciplinary contributions that are still poorly understood. The special issue that follows offers important contributions through the examination of service design and innovation literature, the links between service design and innovation, the role of customers in service design and innovation, and service design and innovation for well-being. Building on these contributions, this article develops a future research agenda in three areas: (1) reinforcing and expanding the foundations of service design and innovation by integrating multiple perspectives and methods; (2) advancing service design and innovation by improving the connection between the two areas, deepening actor involvement, and leveraging the role of technology; and (3) upframing service design and innovation to strengthen research impact by innovating complex value networks and service ecosystems and by building a cornerstone for transformative service research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raechel Johns ◽  
Janet Davey

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the role of mediators in supporting value co-creation for vulnerable consumers in a service context. The authors propose that in transformative services, the roles of actor mediators facilitate control and empowerment for the vulnerable consumer – labelling these transformative service mediators (TSMs). Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a theoretical framework for the activities of mediators in value co-creation considering the interrelationships of vulnerability, structure and agency. The authors then use Prahalad and Ramaswamy’s DART (Dialogue, Access, Risk Assessment and Transparency) model as the integrating framework to describe the TSM roles in the context of the foster care service ecosystem. Findings The authors introduce a future research agenda regarding TSM roles in transformational service experiences and value co-creation with vulnerable consumers. Service researchers and providers are encouraged to explore effective training and motivation of TSMs. Research limitations/implications Understanding value co-creation for vulnerable consumers is an emerging area in service research. The TSM concept introduces a new approach to explore how value co-creation and transformative outcomes can be enhanced in service contexts where consumers experience vulnerability. Practical implications This paper presents an agenda for future research. The outcomes of future research based on TSM roles may help guide service providers in identifying opportunities for enhancing well-being and reducing vulnerability in service delivery. Originality/value This paper suggests that exploring the role of TSMs in the service process offers new insights into reducing vulnerability in service relationships.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan C. Karremans ◽  
Melanie P. J. Schellekens ◽  
Gesa Kappen

Research on mindfulness, defined as paying conscious and non-judgmental attention to present-moment experiences, has increased rapidly in the past decade but has focused almost entirely on the benefits of mindfulness for individual well-being. This article considers the role of mindfulness in romantic relationships. Although strong claims have been made about the potentially powerful role of mindfulness in creating better relationships, it is less clear whether, when, and how this may occur. This article integrates the literatures on mindfulness and romantic relationship science, and sketches a theory-driven model and future research agenda to test possible pathways of when and how mindfulness may affect romantic relationship functioning. We review some initial direct and indirect evidence relevant to the proposed model. Finally, we discuss the implications of how studying mindfulness may further our understanding of romantic relationship (dys)functioning, and how mindfulness may be a promising and effective tool in couple interventions.


The field of psychotherapy began over 100 years with the hope that its neural foundations could be understood. Since then, the field of neuroscience has burgeoned such that it is now possible to envision in a rudimentary way what brain mechanisms may participate in bringing about meaningful and enduring change. A key development has been the discovery that memories are not fixed but can be updated under certain circumstances, a process known as memory reconsolidation. This is critical because memories guide future behavior as well as provide a record of the past. Another foundational discovery is that emotions influence the content and context of what is recalled. Drawing upon a recent hypothesis that enduring change in all major psychotherapy modalities comes about through reconsolidation of emotional memories, the first section of the book addresses the basic science of some of the key ingredients of psychotherapy including emotion, different kinds of memory, interactions between different kinds of memory, the evidence for memory reconsolidation, emotion–memory interactions, and the role of sleep in memory consolidation and reconsolidation. The second section focuses on a number of psychotherapy modalities, including several in the cognitive-behavioral, experiential, and psychodynamic traditions, and discusses how enduring change is thought to occur including the possible role of memory reconsolidation. A major aim of this book is to describe what is and is not known for the purpose of defining the future research agenda. Guided by this new knowledge, the practice of psychotherapy may be transformed in the foreseeable future.


2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 955-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maura D Iversen ◽  
Alison Hammond ◽  
Neil Betteridge

Self-management interventions are patient-centred and designed to foster active participation of patients in order to promote well-being and to manage symptoms. Over the past two decades, the role of self-management in chronic diseases has gained momentum. Self-management programmes are now acknowledged as a key element of quality care. New modes of delivery allow greater access to information and are tailored to address patient needs. This systematic review presents data from clinical studies of self-management over the past decade, summarises the evidence for programme effectiveness, and suggests future research directions.


Author(s):  
Juliann Emmons Allison ◽  
Srinivas Parinandi

This chapter examines the development and politics of US energy policy, with an emphasis on three themes: the distribution of authority to regulate energy between national (or federal) and subnational governments, the relationship between energy and environmental policy and regulation, and the role of climate action in energy politics. It reviews patterns of energy production and consumption; provides an overview of national energy politics; and reviews literatures on federalism and energy politics and policy, the increasing integration of energy and environmental policies, and the politics of energy and climate action. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a future research agenda that underscores the significance of political polarization, subnational governance, and technological innovation for understanding US energy policy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6222
Author(s):  
Kacper Szewczyk ◽  
Aleksandra Chojnacka ◽  
Magdalena Górnicka

Tocopherols and tocotrienols are natural compounds of plant origin, available in the nature. They are supplied in various amounts in a diet, mainly from vegetable oils, some oilseeds, and nuts. The main forms in the diet are α- and γ-tocopherol, due to the highest content in food products. Nevertheless, α-tocopherol is the main form of vitamin E with the highest tissue concentration. The α- forms of both tocopherols and tocotrienols are considered as the most metabolically active. Currently, research results indicate also a greater antioxidant potential of tocotrienols than tocopherols. Moreover, the biological role of vitamin E metabolites have received increasing interest. The aim of this review is to update the knowledge of tocopherol and tocotrienol bioactivity, with a particular focus on their bioavailability, distribution, and metabolism determinants in humans. Almost one hundred years after the start of research on α-tocopherol, its biological properties are still under investigation. For several decades, researchers’ interest in the biological importance of other forms of vitamin E has also been growing. Some of the functions, for instance the antioxidant functions of α- and γ-tocopherols, have been confirmed in humans, while others, such as the relationship with metabolic disorders, are still under investigation. Some studies, which analyzed the biological role and mechanisms of tocopherols and tocotrienols over the past few years described new and even unexpected cellular and molecular properties that will be the subject of future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-517
Author(s):  
Bastiaan T. Rutjens ◽  
Sander van der Linden ◽  
Romy van der Lee ◽  
Natalia Zarzeczna

The global spread of antiscience beliefs, misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories is posing a threat to the well-being of individuals and societies worldwide. Accordingly, research on why people increasingly doubt science and endorse “alternative facts” is flourishing. Much of this work has focused on identifying cognitive biases and individual differences. Importantly, however, the reasons that lead people to question mainstream scientific findings and share misinformation are also inherently tied to social processes that emerge out of divisive commitments to group identities and worldviews. In this special issue, we focus on the important and thus far neglected role of group processes in motivating science skepticism. The articles that feature in this special issue cover three core areas: the group-based roots of antiscience attitudes; the intergroup dynamics between science and conspiratorial thinking; and finally, insights about science denial related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all articles, we highlight the role of worldviews, identities, norms, religion, and other inter- and intragroup processes that shape antiscientific attitudes. We hope that this collection will inspire future research endeavors that take a group processes approach to the social psychological study of science skepticism.


2020 ◽  
pp. 193229682097640
Author(s):  
Michelle Dugas ◽  
Weiguang Wang ◽  
Kenyon Crowley ◽  
Anand K. Iyer ◽  
Malinda Peeples ◽  
...  

Background: Digital health solutions targeting diabetes self-care are popular and promising, but important questions remain about how these tools can most effectively help patients. Consistent with evidence of the salutary effects of note-taking in education, features that enable annotation of structured data entry might enhance the meaningfulness of the interaction, thereby promoting persistent use and benefits of a digital health solution. Method: To examine the potential benefits of note-taking, we explored how patients with type 2 diabetes used annotation features of a digital health solution and assessed the relationship between annotation and persistence in engagement as well as improvements in glycated hemoglobin (A1C). Secondary data from 3142 users of the BlueStar digital health solution collected between December 2013 and June 2017 were analyzed, with a subgroup of 372 reporting A1C lab values. Results: About a third of patients recorded annotations while using the platform. Annotation themes largely reflected self-management behaviors (diet, physical activity, medication adherence) and well-being (mood, health status). Early use of contextual annotations was associated with greater engagement over time and with greater improvements in A1C. Conclusions: Our research provides preliminary evidence of the benefits of annotation features in a digital health solution. Future research is needed to assess the causal impact of note-taking and the moderating role of thematic content reflected in notes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7339
Author(s):  
Vânia Sofia Carvalho ◽  
Alda Santos ◽  
Maria Teresa Ribeiro ◽  
Maria José Chambel

The lockdown, in the COVID-19 pandemic, is considered an external crisis that evokes innumerous changes in individuals lives. One of the changes is the work and family dynamics. Based on boundary theory we examine the mediated role of work and family balance and boundary segmentation behavior in the relationship between boundary violations and teleworkers’ stress and well-being. However, because women and men live their work and family differently, gender may condition the way teleworkers lead with boundary violations and boundary segmentation. Hypotheses were tested through moderated mediation modeling using data collected of 456 teleworkers during lockdown. In line with our expectations, teleworkers who have suffered most boundary violations were those with least boundary segmentation behaviors and with least work-family balance which, in turn was related to higher burnout and lower flourishing. Furthermore, gender was found to moderate the relationship between boundary violations from work-to-family and segmentation behavior in the same direction and this relationship was stronger for females than for males. We discuss implications for future research and for managing teleworkers, creating sustainability, both during a crise and stable days.


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