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1 – 9 of 9Louise Boulter and Clive Boddy
The purpose of this paper is to better comprehend the subclinical psychopath's intra and interpersonal moral emotions in the context of their natural habitat, the workplace…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better comprehend the subclinical psychopath's intra and interpersonal moral emotions in the context of their natural habitat, the workplace, alongside implications for employees and organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on affective events theory (AET) to illuminate this dark-side phenomenon. Thematic analysis is used to identify themes from qualitative data collected from a small sample of interviews conducted with human resource management (HRM) directors and other managers.
Findings
The findings show that the subclinical psychopath is agentic, being unfettered by intra self-directed conscious moral emotions. The predominant moral emotion directed at employees during interpersonal workplace exchanges is typically anger. However, it appears likely the subclinical psychopath fakes this moral emotion as a smokescreen for manipulative and exploitative gains. The predominant moral emotion directed by employees towards the subclinical psychopath is fear. Employees resort to avoidance and withdrawal behaviour and intentions to quit become a reality.
Practical implications
The signalling quality of employees' moral emotions and subsequent dysfunctional avoidance and withdrawal behaviour can provide valuable information to HRM professionals in the detection of subclinical psychopaths which is acknowledged as notoriously difficult.
Originality/value
This study contributes new knowledge to subclinical psychopathy and makes novel use of AET to explore this personality type as a driver of employees' negative workplace emotions, the impact on employees' behaviour alongside implications for organisational effectiveness.
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The pursuit of organisational excellence requires the efficient acquisition and use of knowledge, but this is potentially problematical from a legal context. A particular case in…
Abstract
The pursuit of organisational excellence requires the efficient acquisition and use of knowledge, but this is potentially problematical from a legal context. A particular case in point is benchmarking, a required aspect of the EFQM Excellence Model but which is potentially contrary to intellectual property law and competition law. Knowledge acquired through the practice of benchmarking constitutes a diverse range of potentially and commercially exploitable information. The contribution to organisational excellence by the successful transfer of knowledge to companies is potentially major. A methodology through which companies can receive and subsequently exploit knowledge is through the practice of benchmarking. Benchmarking is an organisational improvement methodology centred on measuring current practices and comparing exogenous entities and subsequent implementation. A central feature of benchmarking as it is practised in the West at present is information flow that takes place between benchmarking partners through a variety of mechanisms including informal undertakings or collaborative efforts. This paper examines the interface between benchmarking and the law, specifically intellectual property and competition law.
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Louise Boulter and Tony Bendell
The ISO 9000 standard has been revised as of December 2000. It has been thought that the implications of addressing the changes may be particularly acute for small businesses, for…
Abstract
The ISO 9000 standard has been revised as of December 2000. It has been thought that the implications of addressing the changes may be particularly acute for small businesses, for which the impact of requirements and relative commercial costs of compliance can be greatest. In view of this, the Quality Research Group at the University of Leicester in collaboration with the Centre for Enterprise has conducted a research project with representatives from major internationally accredited UKAS certification bodies to explore the implications that the revision to ISO 9000 is likely to have on the small business community. This current paper reports on the study undertaken by the University of Leicester team with financial and collaborative support from Lloyds Register Quality Assurance and SGS Yarsley, two of the largest international ISO 9000 certification bodies. A detailed survey involving more than 1,000 respondents from UK‐based SMEs has provided a detailed empirical profile of the company’s own views of the value of ISO 9000:2000 on the path to excellence and what they will need to do to make it work. Face‐to‐face interviews were also used to provided verification and views from non‐certified companies. The results of the study are very positive and indicate a changing view and use of a standard that used to be seen as bureaucratic, officious and complacent.
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Louise Boulter, Tony Bendell and Jens Dahlgaard
The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the implementation of a total quality management (TQM) approach positively affects the financial performance of European companies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the implementation of a total quality management (TQM) approach positively affects the financial performance of European companies. This paper tests whether North American results showing the relative out‐performance of companies that have successfully implemented TQM approaches are replicated in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses the same methodology as the seminal work of Hendricks and Singhal. The winning of a Quality Award is used as a proxy for the sound implementation of TQM. Publicly available share price and accounting data is analysed over a ten year period. Changes in the performance of award winning companies relative to non‐award winning companies are tested using a matched‐pair comparison approach.
Findings
The results confirm that, despite evident and marked differences in company structures and institutional environments between North America and Europe, stronger performance is again achieved by the TQM‐oriented award winning companies.
Originality/value
There is little empirical research establishing the link between TQM and improved financial performance within Europe, with most existing studies presenting findings only based on perception data. The findings presented in this paper close some of the limitations of previous European studies and use rigorous research methods to estimate the financial and business impact of TQM on company performance in Europe. Furthermore, extending Hendricks and Singhal's seminal study to include Europe, has been an objective of those in the European TQM practitioner community ever since the early results were published.
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TWO Government reports in one week—one at first unobtainable because of a union dispute, the other a vast opus of three volumes, with three separate volumes of maps—this was the…
Abstract
TWO Government reports in one week—one at first unobtainable because of a union dispute, the other a vast opus of three volumes, with three separate volumes of maps—this was the fate of librarians in Britain during the second week of June 1969. So long to wait for these reports of Dainton and Maud, then so much to read.
Jeffrey Braithwaite, Kristiana Ludlow, Kate Churruca, Wendy James, Jessica Herkes, Elise McPherson, Louise A. Ellis and Janet C. Long
Much work about health reform and systems improvement in healthcare looks at shortcomings and universal problems facing health systems, but rarely are accomplishments dissected…
Abstract
Purpose
Much work about health reform and systems improvement in healthcare looks at shortcomings and universal problems facing health systems, but rarely are accomplishments dissected and analyzed internationally. The purpose of this paper is to address this knowledge gap by examining the lessons learned from health system reform and improvement efforts in 60 countries.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 60 low-, middle- and high-income countries provided a case study of successful health reform, which was gathered into a compendium as a recently published book. Here, the extensive source material was re-examined through inductive content analysis to derive broad themes of systems change internationally.
Findings
Nine themes were identified: improving policy, coverage and governance; enhancing the quality of care; keeping patients safe; regulating standards and accreditation; organizing care at the macro-level; organizing care at the meso- and micro-level; developing workforces and resources; harnessing technology and IT; and making collaboratives and partnerships work.
Practical implications
These themes provide a model of what constitutes successful systems change across a wide sample of health systems, offering a store of knowledge about how reformers and improvement initiators achieve their goals.
Originality/value
Few comparative international studies of health systems include a sufficiently wide selection of low-, middle- and high-income countries in their analysis. This paper provides a more balanced approach to consider where achievements are being made across healthcare, and what we can do to replicate and spread successful examples of systems change internationally.
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Louise Manning and Jan Mei Soon
The purpose of this paper is to identify mechanisms for using a quantitative benchmarking approach to drive sustainability improvements in the food supply chain.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify mechanisms for using a quantitative benchmarking approach to drive sustainability improvements in the food supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was undertaken and then a strategic and operational framework developed for improving food supply chain sustainability in terms of triple bottom line criteria.
Findings
Using a sustainability indicator scoring approach, the paper considers the architecture for analysis so that strategic goals can be clearly formulated and cascade into specific, relevant and timebound strategic and operational measures that underpin brand value and product integrity.
Originality/value
This paper is of value to academics and also practitioners in the food industry.
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