Trust in Procurement Decisions of New Zealand SMEs

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role of trust or confidence through the managerial lens. The chapter aims to acquire empirical evidence regarding the importance of factors that play a role in fostering trust during procurement decision making exemplified through a New Zealand-owned company, ContainerCo. This exploratory study scrutinises trust as perceived by SME managers in the supply chain of logistics and procurement in New Zealand. It uses the repertory grid analysis and is based on two interviews conducted through the repertory grid technique, a semi-structured method. Although different in every company and country, trust plays a major role during the selection of suppliers. Factors such as reliability and value are regarded as the most important ones for choosing the right supplier in the case of ContainerCo.

Unordinary: An evaluation of lecture-free activities using a repertory grid

Lecture-free activities afford students with an engaging approach to knowledge acquisition and integration. When peppered throughout a course, experiential activities inject spontaneity, break up familiar patterns, and empower students to take responsibility of their learning. For an instructor, iteration is required to develop effective lecture-free engineering activities, necessitating thoughtful evaluation. The paper adopts Kelly's personal constructs theory, using repertory grid analysis to consider the effectiveness of six unordinary, lecture-free activities. Through a structured comparison of activities, 29 constructs were elicited with inherently subjective, dichotomous poles. The grid was populated ranking each activity between the poles of each construct such as directed learning or creative expression. Using a cluster analysis and descriptive statistics, various themes emerged revealing the author's preference, and connections between seemingly unrelated constructs such as how summative actives use the entire building whereas formative activities are in the classroom. Recommendations are made to generalize the tool to aid instructors in activity evaluation and development through understanding and challenging existing patterns.

Factors and consumer attitudes that affect the sustainable management of used mobile phones: A repertory grid analysis

<p>Used mobile phones with their small size but vast numbers, create a unique problem when it comes to managing the part they play in the creation of electronic waste (E-waste). Whilst previous studies have identified what consumers appear to be doing with their used mobile phones, there is also a need to better understand why they are doing it. This study investigated what factors appear to influence consumer attitudes towards adopting a more sustainable approach when dealing with their used mobile phones. A reuse, refurbish and recycle strategy was used as a lens to examine the current literature from which an initial model was developed. Using the repertory grid interview technique a group of participants was interviewed to try to determine their core beliefs when it came to managing their used mobile phones. Analysis of the interviews was completed using several analysis techniques including word clouds, percentage similarity analysis, and Honey’s content analysis. The results of the study indicate that consumers care about the effect of used mobile phones on the environment although the degree of concern appears to vary across individuals. In addition, it was identified that in general, consumers perceive reuse, refurbishing, and recycling all as positive ways to sustainably manage used mobile phones, whilst environmental awareness appears to play a significant role in engaging people with recycling and being a rational for storing used mobile phones. Finally, the study suggests that telecommunication providers when trying to improve engagement with takeback schemes should focus more on consumers’ environmental concerns and social norms, rather than financial incentives or promoting easy engagement.</p>

Factors and consumer attitudes that affect the sustainable management of used mobile phones: A repertory grid analysis

<p>Used mobile phones with their small size but vast numbers, create a unique problem when it comes to managing the part they play in the creation of electronic waste (E-waste). Whilst previous studies have identified what consumers appear to be doing with their used mobile phones, there is also a need to better understand why they are doing it. This study investigated what factors appear to influence consumer attitudes towards adopting a more sustainable approach when dealing with their used mobile phones. A reuse, refurbish and recycle strategy was used as a lens to examine the current literature from which an initial model was developed. Using the repertory grid interview technique a group of participants was interviewed to try to determine their core beliefs when it came to managing their used mobile phones. Analysis of the interviews was completed using several analysis techniques including word clouds, percentage similarity analysis, and Honey’s content analysis. The results of the study indicate that consumers care about the effect of used mobile phones on the environment although the degree of concern appears to vary across individuals. In addition, it was identified that in general, consumers perceive reuse, refurbishing, and recycling all as positive ways to sustainably manage used mobile phones, whilst environmental awareness appears to play a significant role in engaging people with recycling and being a rational for storing used mobile phones. Finally, the study suggests that telecommunication providers when trying to improve engagement with takeback schemes should focus more on consumers’ environmental concerns and social norms, rather than financial incentives or promoting easy engagement.</p>

A Comparison of Medical Ethics and Managerial Ethics in the Health Sector

<p>This multidisciplinary doctorate research draws on the disciplines of psychology and philosophy in its consideration and comparison of medical ethics and managerial ethics in the health sector. There is very little research which has compared the ethics of doctors and managers even though they work alongside each other in health organisations. Hence this thesis not only adds to the body of knowledge but also contributes a new perspective to applied ethics via the multidisciplinary approach. The empirical research was conducted in three phases. First, a pilot study which interviewed via the repertory grid method six doctors and managers from a Crown Health Enterprise (i.e. a public sector health provider organisation which manages a number of hospitals). Second, a series of repertory grid interviews conducted with nineteen doctors and managers from seven Crown Health Enterprises throughout New Zealand. In the third phase, the ethical constructs and role perceptions identified in the first and second phases were incorporated into a questionnaire which was distributed to 799 doctors and managers in three Crown Health Enterprises. The questionnaire posed a range of questions on role perceptions, ethical dilemmas faced, influences on ethically challenging decisions, ethical issues, and required respondents to rate an ethical manager, ethical doctor, unethical manager and unethical doctor on a range of constructs and rate which construct contributed the most to being an ethical manager and to being an ethical doctor. The main aim was to identify similarities and differences between doctors and managers. The questionnaire analysis revealed a complex three way interaction between doctor/manager raters and the ethical/unethical doctor/manager being rated. This interaction was best represented by seven of the bipolar constructs. Additionally it was found that a highly ethical doctor was seen as honest, focused on patients' best interests, and principled - has standards which are lived up to privately and publicly. The highly ethical manager was seen as honest, flexible and open to others' ideas, recognises and uses the skills of others for their good and the good of the health service, committed to and works hard for the public health service, and takes a long term/strategic view of issues and the wider implications of decisions. Overall it was concluded that the results showed that medical ethics and managerial ethics can be discussed within a general moral framework which allows for different priorities in each role. And that the fundamental difference in priorities between doctors and managers, lay in their basic role orientation - doctors focused on the patient, and managers focused on the organisation.</p>

A Comparison of Medical Ethics and Managerial Ethics in the Health Sector

<p>This multidisciplinary doctorate research draws on the disciplines of psychology and philosophy in its consideration and comparison of medical ethics and managerial ethics in the health sector. There is very little research which has compared the ethics of doctors and managers even though they work alongside each other in health organisations. Hence this thesis not only adds to the body of knowledge but also contributes a new perspective to applied ethics via the multidisciplinary approach. The empirical research was conducted in three phases. First, a pilot study which interviewed via the repertory grid method six doctors and managers from a Crown Health Enterprise (i.e. a public sector health provider organisation which manages a number of hospitals). Second, a series of repertory grid interviews conducted with nineteen doctors and managers from seven Crown Health Enterprises throughout New Zealand. In the third phase, the ethical constructs and role perceptions identified in the first and second phases were incorporated into a questionnaire which was distributed to 799 doctors and managers in three Crown Health Enterprises. The questionnaire posed a range of questions on role perceptions, ethical dilemmas faced, influences on ethically challenging decisions, ethical issues, and required respondents to rate an ethical manager, ethical doctor, unethical manager and unethical doctor on a range of constructs and rate which construct contributed the most to being an ethical manager and to being an ethical doctor. The main aim was to identify similarities and differences between doctors and managers. The questionnaire analysis revealed a complex three way interaction between doctor/manager raters and the ethical/unethical doctor/manager being rated. This interaction was best represented by seven of the bipolar constructs. Additionally it was found that a highly ethical doctor was seen as honest, focused on patients' best interests, and principled - has standards which are lived up to privately and publicly. The highly ethical manager was seen as honest, flexible and open to others' ideas, recognises and uses the skills of others for their good and the good of the health service, committed to and works hard for the public health service, and takes a long term/strategic view of issues and the wider implications of decisions. Overall it was concluded that the results showed that medical ethics and managerial ethics can be discussed within a general moral framework which allows for different priorities in each role. And that the fundamental difference in priorities between doctors and managers, lay in their basic role orientation - doctors focused on the patient, and managers focused on the organisation.</p>

Nurses' generational stereotypes and self-stereotypes: a cognitive study

PurposeThe present research offers insights into the generational stereotypical beliefs that different generations of nurses hold about the own and the other generations and the implications on the work floor.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional, exploratory study employs a cognitive mapping approach known as the repertory grid. The sample consisted of 15 Generation Y, 15 Generation X and 15 Baby Boomer nurses.FindingsBeliefs of nurses about their own and the other generations direct social categorization and generational stereotypes of the in-group and out groups. These stereotypes mold nurses' beliefs and attitudes towards their coworkers and are enacted leading to self-fulfilling prophecies. Especially Generation Y and Baby Boomer nurses are negatively stereotyped and have their ways to deal with these negative stereotypes.Practical implicationsNurses and their managers who hold generational stereotypes may unknowingly create cliques within an organization and adopt behaviors and expectations based on generational (self-) stereotypes. The author offers noteworthy insights for fostering intergenerational synergies amongst nurses, which are important since the level of interdependent relations amongst nurses required to provide care.Originality/valueThe present study moves away from the research about the typical characteristics of nurses across the generational workforce. Instead, mental models about how different generations of nurses construe their coworkers belonging to different generations including their own generation are drawn. Employing the repertory grid technique (RGT), an established method for uncovering people's personal and collective belief systems, the present study shows how generational stereotyping and self-stereotyping among nurses belonging to varying generational cohorts occurs and debates its implications.