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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1997

Fari Akhlaghi and Liz Mahony

Reports on research which was funded by the 20 NHS trusts which are members of the Health Service Facilities Management Research and Application Forum co‐ordinated by the Unit for…

1211

Abstract

Reports on research which was funded by the 20 NHS trusts which are members of the Health Service Facilities Management Research and Application Forum co‐ordinated by the Unit for Facilities Management Research at Sheffield Hallam University. Using a literature search and by collecting primary data from NHS and non‐NHS organizations, tested the hypothesis that the introduction of multiskilling and/or generic working can give an organization greater efficiency and also provide job enrichment for its workers. These benefits will increasingly lead NHS trusts to introduce these systems as a means of making effective use of the available resources. Refers to recent changes in the pattern of working in NHS trusts. Uses various case studies to provide guidance. These, together with the primary information, are used to identify the key success factors and the potential dangers of implementing multiskilling or generic working. Also outlines steps for the introduction of these policies into an NHS trust.

Details

Facilities, vol. 15 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 23 August 2018

Liz Thomas

Increasing diversity in higher education (HE) – or widening participation (WP) – is now a concern worldwide (Billingham in this volume, Chapter 1; Bowes, Thomas, Peck, & Nathwani

Abstract

Increasing diversity in higher education (HE) – or widening participation (WP) – is now a concern worldwide (Billingham in this volume, Chapter 1; Bowes, Thomas, Peck, & Nathwani, 2013; Shah, Bennett, & Southgate, 2016). However, we all know that access to HE is not sufficient; access needs to be accompanied by success – staying on the course, gaining a good degree and securing graduate-level employment. In this chapter, it is argued that in order to equalise student outcomes a ‘whole institution approach’ (WIA) is required. Evidence is drawn from two studies (each led by the author): one focussing on improving student retention and success in HE, which concluded that a WIA is required (Thomas, Hill, O’ Mahony, & Yorke, 2017, pp. 133–135). The second commissioned by the Office for Fair Access to better understand a WIA to WP (Thomas, 2017). The chapter discusses three key findings: the importance of both cultural and structural change; the role of evidence and the need for a deliberate process of change. These findings are illustrated with examples.

Details

Access to Success and Social Mobility through Higher Education: A Curate's Egg?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-836-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 March 2023

Xiaohang (Flora) Feng, Shunyuan Zhang and Kannan Srinivasan

The growth of social media and the sharing economy is generating abundant unstructured image and video data. Computer vision techniques can derive rich insights from unstructured…

Abstract

The growth of social media and the sharing economy is generating abundant unstructured image and video data. Computer vision techniques can derive rich insights from unstructured data and can inform recommendations for increasing profits and consumer utility – if only the model outputs are interpretable enough to earn the trust of consumers and buy-in from companies. To build a foundation for understanding the importance of model interpretation in image analytics, the first section of this article reviews the existing work along three dimensions: the data type (image data vs. video data), model structure (feature-level vs. pixel-level), and primary application (to increase company profits vs. to maximize consumer utility). The second section discusses how the “black box” of pixel-level models leads to legal and ethical problems, but interpretability can be improved with eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) methods. We classify and review XAI methods based on transparency, the scope of interpretability (global vs. local), and model specificity (model-specific vs. model-agnostic); in marketing research, transparent, local, and model-agnostic methods are most common. The third section proposes three promising future research directions related to model interpretability: the economic value of augmented reality in 3D product tracking and visualization, field experiments to compare human judgments with the outputs of machine vision systems, and XAI methods to test strategies for mitigating algorithmic bias.

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1999

Liz Clark

Attempts to introduce multi‐skilled “hotel services” workers in several NHS trusts have been studied using Scott‐Morgan’s Unwritten Rules of the Game methodology. In‐depth…

1602

Abstract

Attempts to introduce multi‐skilled “hotel services” workers in several NHS trusts have been studied using Scott‐Morgan’s Unwritten Rules of the Game methodology. In‐depth interviews reveal that, even for staff traditionally regarded as “marginal” and low paid, pride in helping patients is a powerful motivator, one which frequently ensures services are maintained, especially during periods of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT). A traditional “command and control” style of management and the fear engendered by CCT produced powerful barriers to different performance levels from multi‐skilling. We contrast this approach with a more emergent exercise fostered in a group of wards where responsibility for the ancillary workers was transferred to the wards’ director of nursing. These wards have now developed more highly motivated, confident support workers and demonstrate a number of resulting performance gains. We interpret the results in terms of the cultivation of a new pattern and a systemic positive feedback.

Details

Facilities, vol. 17 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 October 2022

Julian Crockford

The pressure on higher education providers (HEPs) and national programme partnerships to evaluate the impact of widening participation (WP) interventions has intensified as a…

Abstract

The pressure on higher education providers (HEPs) and national programme partnerships to evaluate the impact of widening participation (WP) interventions has intensified as a result of wider changes in higher education (HE) policy and regulation, including the imposition of market forces. This chapter describes how policy stakeholder assumptions about how evaluation works and the outcomes it delivers have evolved over the last two decades. It shows how regulatory emphasis has shifted from a focus on monitoring and tracking, through to a call for return-on-investment analysis, before falling back on a pragmatic theory-informed approach. This chapter goes on to locate WP evaluation in the middle of a paradigm war, caught between proponents of a medicalised trial-based conception of evaluation methodology, and a practitioner-led position, which points to the complex contextual character of WP activities. It continues by exploring some of the many practical challenges faced by WP evaluators and argues that these have contributed to the sector’s perceived failure to deliver robust evidence of the impact of fair access activity. This chapter concludes with a look at the expanding market for WP evaluation products and services, which emerged in response to new flows of WP investment created by the 2012 increase in tuition fees.

Details

The Business of Widening Participation: Policy, Practice and Culture
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-050-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2023

Liz Sharples, Judith Fletcher-Brown, Marta Nieto-García, Kokho Sit and Giampaolo Viglia

This paper aims to investigates the use of internal communications to foster workforce resilience in the cruise industry during a crisis. Drawing on the regulatory focus theory…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigates the use of internal communications to foster workforce resilience in the cruise industry during a crisis. Drawing on the regulatory focus theory, this study explores how internal communication strategies can build employee resilience particularly at a time of difficulty. The regulatory focus theory explores the employee’s rationale for goal pursuit. Prevention-focused individuals are concerned with safety and responsibility while promotion-focused individuals focus on goal advancement. The authors seek to broaden the existing understanding of the application of the regulatory focus theory as a lens to inform internal communications crisis strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative research using 15-semi structured interviews with cruise industry experts was undertaken during the pandemic. Applying a sensemaking and sense giving approach the researchers thematically analyzed the data in three stages, allowing for new theoretical insights to be uncovered.

Findings

The findings suggest that internal communication strategies should include prevention-focused messages emphasizing the cruise companies’ responsibility to employees, and promotion-focused communications, to include social interaction and individual growth opportunities.

Originality/value

This study’s contribution is three-fold. First, the authors extend the theoretical application of the regulatory focus theory to internal communication and identify a novel concurrent application of both prevention- and promotion-focused messages for developing a resilient workforce. Second, the authors introduce a preliminary conceptualization of an internal crisis communication strategy, emphasizing the concurrent application of prevention- and promotion-focused messages. Finally, the author offer practical suggestions for managing crisis communication strategies.

目的

本文研究了在危机中利用内部沟通来建立邮轮业员工的复原力。借鉴规范方法理论, 本研究探讨了内部沟通策略如何促进员工的复原力, 尤其是在困难时期。规范性关注理论探讨了员工追求目标的原因。注重预防的人关注安全和责任, 而注重晋升的人则关注目标的实现。我们旨在扩展现有的知识, 将规范性焦点理论作为一个镜头, 为危机情况下的内部沟通策略提供参考。

设计/方法/途径

我们对邮轮行业的专家进行了15次半结构化的访谈。 研究人员使用感性认识和感性方法, 分三个阶段对数据进行了主题分析, 发现了新的理论观点。

结论

研究结果表明, 内部沟通策略应该包括以预防为主的信息, 强调邮轮公司对员工的责任, 以及以宣传为主的沟通, 包括社会互动和个人成长的机会。

原创性

本研究的贡献有三点。首先, 我们扩展了监管焦点理论在内部沟通中的理论应用, 并确定了一个新的同时应用预防和宣传为重点的信息来发展一个有弹性的员工队伍。其次, 我们提出了内部危机沟通连续体的初步概念化。最后, 我们为管理危机沟通策略提供了实用建议。

Propósito

Este artículo investiga el uso de las comunicaciones internas para fomentar la resiliencia de los trabajadores del sector de los cruceros durante una crisis. Basándose en la teoría del enfoque normativo, este estudio explora cómo las estrategias de comunicación interna pueden fomentar la resiliencia de los empleados, especialmente en un momento de dificultad. La Teoría del Enfoque Normativo explora las razones del empleado para perseguir un objetivo. Los individuos centrados en la prevención se preocupan por la seguridad y la responsabilidad, mientras que los centrados en la promoción se centran en la consecución de objetivos. Pretendemos ampliar el conocimiento existente sobre la aplicación de la Teoría del Enfoque Normativo como lente para informar las estrategias de comunicación interna en situaciones de crisis.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Realizamos 15 entrevistas semiestructuradas con expertos del sector de los cruceros. Aplicando un enfoque de creación y transmisión de sentido, los investigadores analizaron temáticamente los datos en tres fases, lo que permitió descubrir nuevas perspectivas teóricas.

Conclusiones

Los resultados sugieren que las estrategias de comunicación interna deben incluir mensajes centrados en la prevención, que hagan hincapié en la responsabilidad de las compañías de cruceros para con los empleados, y comunicaciones centradas en la promoción, que incluyan la interacción social y las oportunidades de crecimiento individual.

Originalidad

La contribución de este estudio es triple. En primer lugar, ampliamos la aplicación teórica de la Teoría del Enfoque Regulador a la comunicación interna e identificamos una novedosa aplicación concurrente de mensajes centrados tanto en la prevención como en la promoción para desarrollar una plantilla resiliente. En segundo lugar, presentamos una conceptualización preliminar del continuo de la comunicación interna de crisis. Por último, ofrecemos sugerencias prácticas para gestionar las estrategias de comunicación de crisis.

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2020

Michael L. Naraine, Norm O'Reilly, Nadège Levallet and Liz Wanless

Although sports fans have increased their use of digital media to consume sport, especially at professional sport venues, it is unknown the extent to which patrons of said venues…

Abstract

Purpose

Although sports fans have increased their use of digital media to consume sport, especially at professional sport venues, it is unknown the extent to which patrons of said venues are utilizing venue services for these activities. As such, this study asks: (1) How much data do patrons at a sports venue consume via the provided Wi–Fi? and (2) What types of online activity behaviors do Wi–Fi users at sports venues exhibit?

Design/methodology/approach

This empirical study reports stadia Wi–Fi data usage and consumer behavior from three National Basketball Association venues in the United States: Amway Center in Orlando, FL, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and Target Center in Minneapolis, MN, over a course of 7 games per venue.

Findings

The findings suggest that Wi–Fi usage is more limited than anticipated. Users who do utilize the venue Wi–Fi do so for very short periods, with the vast majority of user duration lasting between 1 and 10 min. Additionally, the halftime period of games experiences the peak of Wi–Fi usage.

Originality/value

By increasing our understanding of Wi–Fi usage in venues, this study informs relationship marketing theory research and contributes to the sport management literature. Practically, a better knowledge of Wi–Fi usage is critical, as it constitutes a critical antecedent to develop online marketing strategies.

Details

Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-678X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 July 2018

Benjamin Nathan Alexander and Anne D. Smith

While organizational access is central to much qualitative research, little is known about how researchers secure it. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic…

Abstract

Purpose

While organizational access is central to much qualitative research, little is known about how researchers secure it. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic assessment of this critical methodological step.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review was conducted to establish how researchers gained access to organizations for qualitative research. Access type was identified and explanatory indicators were inductively developed to illuminate how access was obtained in a sample of 216 qualitative articles published in Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Journal between 1986 and 2013. A supplemental review of 306 articles published in Organization Studies over the same period augmented the primary analysis with a broader view of published accounts of access.

Findings

Learning prior to entering organizations, researchers’ backgrounds, organizational insiders, and outside contacts facilitated access. The role of these factors, which served as indicators of legitimacy, varied with the type of access. In addition, the authors found that many articles provide little information about how the researchers gained access, regardless of a publication’s domicile.

Originality/value

This study furthers the understanding of how researchers gain access to organizations to conduct qualitative research and discusses the implications of the limited access accounts in published studies. In addition, this research provides practical guidance for authors, editors, and reviewers.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2022

Wen-Hwa Ko and Min-Yen Lu

This study aims to examine Taiwanese hospitality students’ self-reported professional competence in surplus food management and assess the usefulness of their university training…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine Taiwanese hospitality students’ self-reported professional competence in surplus food management and assess the usefulness of their university training in this area. Using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) method, it is possible to obtain a clearer understanding of the priority order of the items that require improvement and to identify which surplus food management competence items should be strengthened in the school curriculum and which items should be enhanced by the students.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the questionnaire survey method. It evaluated seven dimensions covering 29 items related to surplus food management competencies of the kitchen staff. The evaluation was done using IPA to determine the relationship between professional competence (performance level) and courses provided (importance level). The factor coordinates were completed according to the means of personal qualifications and courses provided.

Findings

According to students’ self-assessment, the dimensions of “Personal moral attitude,” “Food handling attitude,” “Education and training attitude” and “Culinary knowledge” were located in the “Keep up the good work” quadrant, meaning that the students think that their surplus food management competence is relatively high and the courses provided are sufficient. Thus, these items have better performance at the present and they hope to maintain the status. However, “Menu analysis” and “Sanitation knowledge” were found to have low importance and low level of performance. Therefore, these two dimensions require attention in the course design and educational training.

Research limitations/implications

The questionnaire responses were self-reported; this study assumed that all participants answered honestly. Future studies may include additional factors in the analysis, such as hospitality management, culinary skills, internship experience and work time that may affect the perceptions of students. Moreover, professional chefs could be surveyed to determine their professional competence and training needs.

Originality/value

The professional training that students receive determines, to a large extent, their performance in their jobs and the resulting stability of their employment. Therefore, improved competence gained through good-quality training can help students meet the demands of the hospitality industry.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 23 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2015

Elizabeth A. Gregg, David A. Pierce, Kristi M. Sweeney and Jason W. Lee

The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting participant awareness, attraction, and attachment to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) MS 150 PGA Tour…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting participant awareness, attraction, and attachment to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) MS 150 PGA Tour Cycle to the Shore charitable bike ride utilizing the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) developed by Funk and James. In addition, the authors sought to outline variables sport organizations can use to predict donor behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this project were derived from an electronic survey distributed to race participants and was analyzed in SPSS® software. Regression analysis was employed.

Findings

The findings support previous research employing the PCM; wherein social situational variables have the greatest influence on the relational significance of hedonic and dispositional needs in attraction and attachment to sporting events. The work supports the inclusion of communities as an additional attachment outcome.

Practical implications

In all, 92 percent of riders were informed about the event through word of mouth (WOM) marketing, highlighting the importance this promotional technique in the awareness stage of the PCM. NMSS would be well served by capitalizing on the power of WOM.

Originality/value

The research provides insight into predictors of fundraising efficacy. In terms of fundraising effectiveness, participants with four or more years of participation were six times more likely than first-year riders to raise $1,000 or more.

Details

International Journal of Event and Festival Management, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1758-2954

Keywords

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