Structural Capital Development and Intra-Organizational Integration of Premium Restaurants In Rivers State, Nigeria

The imperatives of intraorganizational integration anchor on the establishment of systemic features necessary for organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Such outcomes border on the support and framework advanced by the structural components of the organization, and the extent to which infrastructures and norms serve the goal of improved service quality and delivery especially within the hospitality industry. This paper identified structural capital development as a significant predictor of intraorganizational integration (communication and knowledge sharing) in premium restaurants in Rivers State – thus, reinforcing the institutional theory on the criticality of learning and the embodiment of external values and considerations in shaping or defining organizational structures, routines and policies. The findings however indicate that structural capital does not influence cohesion within the premium restaurants. In conclusion, emphasis is placed on the imperatives of informed change activities channelled towards organizational infrastructure and functions; such that anchor on the unique characteristics or attributes of the environment; thus enabling a more harmonic and systemic outcome for the internal as well as external features of the organization

Integration of refugees involving organizational managers’ experiences

This article investigated the organizational integration of refugees from the experience of company managers in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A basic qualitative research was developed, based on interpretative paradigm assumptions, and the data were collected through a semi-structured interview applied to five managers in charge of refugees in their workplace. The interviews data underwent qualitative content analysis. The results showed potential integration benefits, such as experience sharing, new talents, gratitude, engagement, improvements in the company’s reputation, productivity, creativity, and organizational development from the inclusion of new languages. However, factors such as language, diploma revalidation, skill limitation, and low schooling levels were seen as obstacles to efficient integration. The research also found that employers are highly dependent on voluntary assistance from organizations for hiring and integrating refugees, which indicates that, without the presence of these mediators, the possibilities of recruiting the refugee workforce may be affected. The study contributes to broadening the discussion on the organizational integration of refugees, a topic that is still little explored in the field of administration. It also intends to awaken in managers a more sensitive view about people in a situation of refuge and how their effective integration can impact their businesses and individuals.

Iranian Medical Tourism Industry and Selected Countries in 2020: A Comparative Study

Background: Today, medical tourism is a growing phenomenon in the healthcare industry, especially among developing countries. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the Iranian medical tourism industry with selected countries. Methods: This comparative study was conducted in 2020. Data were gathered from databases, including PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Magiran, SID, and websites of the World Tourism Association, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Health of the selected countries from 2000 to 2020. A researcher-made checklist was used to collect data. Selected countries were compared in terms of the status of tourism and travel competitiveness, governance and policy-making status, the status of the medical tourism industry, and medical tourism infrastructure Results: The main difference between the selected countries and Iran lies in the organizational structure of the main stakeholders of the tourism industry. In other countries, this industry is organized and supervised by specific coordination bodies. In terms of tourism and travel competitiveness, Singapore, with a global rank of 17, was better than other countries. Based on the status of the medical tourism industry, Costa Rica ranked 7th in the world, and Singapore, the UAE (Dubai), Turkey, UAE (Abu Dhabi), Jordan, and Iran ranked 15, 22, 27, 31 35, and 41, respectively. In Iran, all indicators of medical tourism infrastructure were lower than those of other countries except for competitive prices. Conclusions: Considering a low rank of Iran in all the studied components, the organizational integration structure of the medical tourism industry and increasing competitiveness can help the development of this industry in Iran.

Returning a Puppy for Dog Guide Training: Factors That Affect Grief in Puppy Raisers and the Decision to Foster Again

Introduction: Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) breeds, raises, and trains dogs to serve as guides for people with visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision). Their puppy raising program enlists volunteers to foster puppies for a year or more, providing socialization, basic skills training, and comfort, so they will grow into confident dogs. The volunteers must ultimately return these dogs to Yorktown Heights, New York, to begin training. For raisers, the emotional toll of this parting can be great. Methods: Utilizing the 2017 GEB Puppy Raiser Survey data, this study analyzed factors that might affect emotional grief and the decision to continue to raise puppies. Cross-tabulation and ordinal regression analyses examined the associations of puppy raiser demographics (i.e., gender, age, marital status, and employment), organizational integration (i.e., number of dogs raised for GEB, perceptions on how well GEB supports raisers in returning a dog, belief that they are part of the GEB community, and formation of friendships), and goal attainment (perceptions on how well GEB communicated progress in training, whether they raised a dog accepted for guide training, and whether they attended a graduation ceremony) with self-reported emotional difficulty, recovery time, and likelihood of raising another puppy. Results: Although the demographics of the raiser had minimal effect on emotional difficulty, recovery time, and likelihood of raising again, factors that measured organization integration and goal attainment were associated with grief and continued participation. Discussion: Raiser demographics are not strong predictors of grief and continued raising; however, a welcoming organization that communicates effectively will inspire volunteers’ commitment. Implications: With a growing need for assistance dogs and puppy raisers, identifying and addressing the challenges that these volunteers face is critical if skilled and dedicated raisers are to be recruited and retained.

Organizational Integration and its Impact on the Effectiveness of Operational Processes (A Case Study on Hikma Pharmaceuticals)

This study aimed to identify the effect of organizational integration (cultural integration, leadership authority integration, functional integration, and structural integration) on the effectiveness of the operational processes (the effectiveness of the strategic plan, the effectiveness of resources and technologies, the effectiveness of performance and results) in the global pharmaceutical company, Hikma Pharmaceuticals. The researcher used the descriptive and analytical method and represented the study population in all Hikma Pharmaceuticals employees. The total number of included 520 administrative employees, the study sample consisted of 129 workers. The study concluded that the level of importance of organizational integration and the effectiveness of operational processes was high. Furthermore, it found that there is an effect of organizational integration in all its dimensions on the effectiveness of the operational processes at the company. The study recommended that Hikma Pharmaceuticals should work on building a comprehensive strategy for organizational development and integration, in addition to developing an integrated plan for developing the operational processes in the company.

RURAL TEMPORARY MIGRANT WORKERS: ADJUSTMENT AND INTEGRATION IN PORTUGAL

This study aimed to analyze the main adjustment difficulties encountered by temporary immigrants and to identify the ways in which organizations received them and implemented integration strategies. Using a sample of three human resource managers, six supervisors and 50 immigrants of varying nationalities, the results revealed that although immigrants claimed to feel largely integrated in the new society and the organizations where they worked, the supervisors argued that integration and adjustment practices directed at immigrant workers were almost non-existent. The practices carried out by the organizations were primarily related to the work aspect, alongside a degree of support with bureaucratic issues and in some cases the provision of Portuguese language courses. Studies on rural immigrants are scarce, especially with regard to organizational integration practices. Managing a diverse workforce is one of the great challenges of modern organizations, hence immigrant workers’ integration is critical not only for the individuals themselves but also for the performance and success of the companies as a whole.