Chain Affiliation and Human Resource Investments: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry

Drawing on organizational theory, agency theory, and research in strategic human resource management, this study explores how chain affiliation influences human resource (HR) investments using data from a nationally random survey of restaurant establishments. We propose that chain-affiliated units will make different investments in those areas of the HR system where chains establish superior organizational routines compared with nonaffiliated units. By contrast, we argue that in the absence of chain routines, ownership incentives will drive differences in human resource investments. Specifically, we find that franchisee-owned units focus more on cost reduction by underinvesting in human resource practices compared with company-owned units and independently owned units when organizational routines are not provided by the chain. We provide further support for our theoretical arguments using additional data on multiunit ownership and franchisor influence. Finally, we conduct supplemental analyses to explore the relationship between different human resource investments and two important organizational outcomes: employee turnover and customer satisfaction ratings from Yelp. Our results highlight the types of human resource practices that are important for service work and suggest that the provision of organizational routines can have important implications for the long-run success of chains and their units.

A comprehensive analysis of selected medicines collected from private drug outlets of Dhaka city, Bangladesh in a simple random survey

Comprehensive data are needed to prevent substandard and falsified (SF) medicines as they pose a major risk to human health. To assess the quality of selected medicines, samples were collected from random private drug outlets of Dhaka North and South City Corporation, Bangladesh. Sample analysis included visual observation of the packaging, authenticity of the samples, legitimacy and registration verification of the manufacturer, physicochemical analysis, and price. Chemical analysis of the samples was performed using a portable Raman spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography according to the pharmacopoeia. Several discrepancies were noted in the visual observation of samples. Among the 189 collected samples of esomeprazole (ESM), cefixime (CFIX), and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (CVA-AMPC), 21.2% were confirmed to be authentic, 91.3% manufacturers were confirmed legitimate, and 2.1% of all samples were unregistered. Chemical analysis of the samples revealed that 9.5% (95% CI 5.7–14.6) of samples were SFs. Falsified samples and quality variation in the same generic branded samples were both detected by Raman spectroscopic analysis. Overall, sample prices were satisfactory relative to the international reference price. This study documents the availability of poor-quality medicines, demonstrating the need for immediate attention by the national medicine regulatory authority.

Factors affecting consumers purchase decision: A case study in car market in Ho Chi Minh City

This paper aims to examine the factors affecting purchase decision cars of consumers to enable car manufacturers to find out the possible vulnerability between the expectations of customers and products on the market. The research uses a random survey with a group of 271 consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. Results of factor analysis and regression show that three factors including: safety features, reliability and resale value actually have positive impact on the purchasing decision automobiles consumer. On the practical significance, the study proposes some solutions to help manufacturers and distributors offering reasonable policies in order to improve sales, profits, expanding markets in Vietnam. Besides, the study also has some limitations, so the next study should be expanded and further research to be able to explain more of the factors affecting purchase decision cars of consumers.

Estimating and predicting snakebite risk in the Terai region of Nepal through a high-resolution geospatial and One Health approach

Most efforts to understand snakebite burden in Nepal have been localized to relatively small areas and focused on humans through epidemiological studies. We present the outcomes of a geospatial analysis of the factors influencing snakebite risk in humans and animals, based on both a national-scale multi-cluster random survey and, environmental, climatic, and socio-economic gridded data for the Terai region of Nepal. The resulting Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation models highlight the importance of poverty as a fundamental risk-increasing factor, augmenting the snakebite odds in humans by 63.9 times. For animals, the minimum temperature of the coldest month was the most influential covariate, increasing the snakebite odds 23.4 times. Several risk hotspots were identified along the Terai, helping to visualize at multiple administrative levels the estimated population numbers exposed to different probability risk thresholds in 1 year. These analyses and findings could be replicable in other countries and for other diseases.

Importancia de las tutorías de acompañamiento en un estado de excepción en la Facultad de Filosofía, Letras y Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad Técnica de Manabí

RESUMEN El acompañamiento tutorial representa una actividad orientadora y asistencial para la consecución de los estudios universitarios, la cual se hace indispensable más aún cuando se atraviesan situaciones de emergencia sanitaria y los gobiernos decretan un estado de excepción, originado actualmente a causa del nuevo brote de coronavirus. Por consiguiente, el objetivo de las tutorías radica en la acción de acompañamiento misma que involucra la atención, orientación y guía en la formación académica, profesional y humana. Es por esta razón que las tutorías tienen el fin de garantizar la calidad de enseñanza y permanencia social y promover el seguimiento a los índices de reprobación, aprobación, deserción, rezago, egreso y titulación para detectar debilidades y establecer acciones preventivas y correctivas. El presente artículo parte de una conceptualización general de la tutoría de acompañamiento y como su aplicación permite contribuir de manera efectiva a la consecución de los objetivos que la educación superior actual persigue. La metodología se sustento en una revisión documental de los principales estudios que se han abordado de la temática de tutoría de acompañamiento, para su ejecución se empleó las técnicas e instrumentos como la observación y la aplicación de una encuesta aleatoria a estudiantes de la Facultad de Filosofía, Letras y Ciencias de la Educación, de la Universidad Técnica de Manabí (UTM), entre los principales resultados destacan que cierta parte de los estudiantes desconocen de la existencia de las tutorías, pero es importante destacar que las tutorías son solicitadas para recibir orientaciones generales cuando inicia un período académico. PALABRAS CLAVE: tutoría de acompañamiento; tutor; tutorado, desarrollo académico. Importance of the tutoring of accompaniment in a state of exception, in the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Sciences of Education ABSTRACT Tutorial accompaniment represents an orientation and assistance activity for the achievement of university studies, which is even more essential when health emergencies are experienced and governments decree a state of exception, currently caused by the new coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, the objective of the tutorials lies in the accompanying action itself, which involves attention, orientation, and guidance in academic, professional, and human training. It is for this reason that the tutorials have the purpose of guaranteeing the quality of teaching and social permanence and promoting the follow-up of the failure rates, approval, desertion, lag, graduation, and graduation to detect weaknesses and establish preventive and corrective actions. This article starts from a general conceptualization of mentoring and how its application makes it possible to contribute effectively to the achievement of the objectives that current higher education pursues. The methodology was based on a documentary review of the main studies that have been addressed on the subject of accompanying tutoring, for its execution techniques and instruments such as observation and application of a random survey to students of the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Education Sciences, from the Technical University of Manabí (UTM), among the main results are that a certain part of the students are unaware of the existence of tutorials, but it is important to note that tutorials are requested to receive general guidance when an academic period begins. KEYWORDS: accompanying tutoring; tutor; tutored, academic development.

Effects of agriculture and seasonality on the soil hydrophysical properties of high-Andean dry páramo grasslands

One of the most essential ecosystem services provided by high-Andean páramos is streamflow buffering. A combination of soil, vegetation and climate characteristics provides páramos with an exceptional ability to store, regulate and supply water, particularly in their natural state. However, páramo catchments are seldom pristine. Agriculture is one of the most widespread human activities in páramos and considerably affects their soil hydrophysical properties. This research assesses how soil properties are affected by the conversion from natural páramo vegetation to fallow, onion, or potato crops. We measured Soil Organic Matter (SOM), Bulk density (Bd), pH and electric conductivity (EC) at three depths (0–5, 10–15 and 20–25 cm), in a stratified random survey of different land uses in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Samples were collected in wet and dry seasons. Agricultural use affects all the studied properties, increasing Bd (+0.11 g cm-3), decreasing SOM (-5.5%), and increasing pH (+1.3) and EC (+187 µS cm-1). Seasonality did not have a significant effect on the studied properties under natural vegetation; however, there were significant differences between wet season and dry season in agricultural soils in SOM (-7.2% and +5.7% in fallow and potato crop, respectively) and Bd (-0.22 gr cm-3 in crops). These changes show that agriculture in páramo grasslands leads to a significant decrease in soil porosity and water-holding capacity, which affects adversely the ecosystem hydrological regulation capacity. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of Andean páramos and provide crucial information to improve soil management, a key aspect for ensuring the sustainable provision of hydrological ecosystem services offered by Andean and other mountain ecosystems.

Exploring determinants of innovation potential of enterprises in Kazakhstan

The study aims to analyze the innovation potential of enterprises, explain the use of the binary regression methodology, and explore different indicators of the enterprises in the regions of Kazakhstan for building an effective management strategy. Methodological substantiation is based on the complex survey data analysis, provided by the World Bank Enterprises Survey (WBES) for Kazakhstan. WBES database has covered a sociological survey of enterprises, which was conducted using a random survey and representativeness among 1,296 enterprises, mainly in the production sector. Besides, the data were collected among companies regarding their experience in environmental perception (including innovation activity), in which they worked. The results have demonstrated that the age of the company, exporter status, type, sector, or activity – all these have a positive influence on the company’s tendency to innovations. However, as part of the study, it has found out that competitors in the marketplace and regions of activity of enterprises predominantly negatively affect the prospects of introducing innovation. It was also in evidence that the same factors (foreign ownership, advanced training, type, size, and sector of an enterprise) are essential determinants of product, technology, R&D, ICT, and innovation. Obtained results can be used by enterprises for building an effective management strategy of own business innovative development, as well as by local authorities to upgrade the competitive performance. AcknowledgmentsThis study has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant “Priorities and mechanisms of inclusive regional development of Kazakhstan in the context of overcoming the economic recession” No. AP09259004).