Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze two process standardization theoretical conceptual constructs: process variants unification; and distinction between standard, routine and non-routine processes.

The authors analyze two conceptual constructs based on a single case study representing a general hospital’s (GH) process standardization, approach and results. The authors research whether process standardization implemented in a GH conforms to the process variants unification concept approach and its assumed benefits and whether implemented process standardization enables process management improvement based on distinguishing standard, routine and non-routine processes.

In accordance with the process variants unification conceptual construct, the hospital task force determined a uniform basic patient comprehensive treatment process at the hospital level, which allows synergy among departments. Uniform process activities reflect the differences between standard, routine and non-routine processes.

Process standardization through unification improves performance by establishing a common framework enabling shared experience based on improved process understanding. Distinguishing standard, routine and non-routine processes is useful for analyzing process management. This distinction provides guidelines for process implementation and measurement improvement. The paper also shows that increased routinization and standardization represent levers for process improvement.

The authors analyze theoretical constructs based on a single case study and confirm that theoretical conceptual construct application can provide better process management, which is important for practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether internet forums are an appropriate source for identification of causes of dissatisfaction of patients with non-medical aspects of healthcare services.

Based on the guidelines of netnography qualitative research the authors identify relevant posts or comments on selected online forums in which web users show their dissatisfaction with healthcare services. Five popular Slovenian forums representing different interest communities have been chosen and 42 forums’ topics have been reviewed.

Online communities have an important role in exploring patient dissatisfaction. Through content analysis comments were coded into meaningful categories and subcategories.

Some comments were more explicit, while others have provided general and looser reasons for dissatisfaction, and in such cases coding and content analysis of comments was more difficult.

Contents expressed within online communities are helpful in designing improvement activities since they enable determination of concrete relevant measures aiming at eliminating and preventing the established causes of discontent, such as instituting new policies, introducing training programs, determining desired changes in culture.

Usefulness of the netnography as a qualitative method of research is confirmed through confirmation that causes of dissatisfaction of Slovenian patients, which have been identified in the authors research are similar to those identified in previous research in the field of patient satisfaction conducted in Slovenia. Results constitute a new form of researching patient dissatisfaction and expose the specific causes of patient dissatisfaction with healthcare services in Slovenia.

Existing research evidence shows a fragmented understanding of the roles of first-line employees (FLEs) as essential factors for successful lean implementation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), provoking recent calls for additional research on the identification of enablers and barriers for lean acceptance among workers. Therefore, this paper aims to identify related enablers and barriers to lean implementation among FLEs and determine future research avenues for improving the understanding of lean methodology implementation in SMEs.

Relying on a systematic literature review methodology, the authors aimed to synthesize and evaluate available peer-reviewed papers on the role of FLEs in lean implementation in SMEs. General descriptive and thematic analysis comprehensively depicted the selected research topic and identified the main themes within collected papers and potential future research questions.

The authors identified four main themes related to FLEs’ role in lean implementation: cultural change factors, employee characteristics, management involvement and lean job design. Within each theme, the authors present a comprehensive overview of FLE-related factors and associated enablers and barriers that should be considered for a successful lean implementation in SMEs.

The research outcomes are important to practicing managers in SMEs, helping them facilitate lean acceptance and enhance the likelihood of successful lean implementation.

The insights from this study present building blocks in developing a lean implementation model for SMEs that considers the FLEs’ role more comprehensively.

In order to stimulate the interest of company management in the business perspective of internal audit this paper aims to investigate the possibilities of using internal audit as a helpful managerial tool and describes the benefits of such use.

The benefits of IA as a managerial tool are investigated on a review of the relevant literature. Theoretically based findings are tested analytically using evidence from empirical research and empirically by a case study research.

Internal audit outcomes and benefits for management depend on the purpose of internal audit and on managers' support and expectations about it. The paper shows that in order to use internal audit as an effective managerial tool, internal audit has to be appropriately integrated within a strategic management system. The greatest benefits can be achieved by companies that are internally motivated to introduce the QMS which have a mature quality culture and QMS and their quality objectives linked to the business ones.

Discussing internal audit benefits from a managerial point of view is not a common approach in the professional literature on this topic. However, covering managers' needs by using quality tools is one of the most important issues companies should understand in order to make these tools attractive and beneficial. Showing the results of a real‐life case can convince managers from other companies that benefits of using IA as a managerial tool are tangible.

Internal audit purpose and results have been theoretically integrated within a broader managerial system of the company. This enables identification of possible business benefits resulting from appropriate implementation of internal audit itself and possible business benefits related to QMS and strategic management system of the company that can be affected through appropriate IA implementation.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the internal audit can contribute to an improvement in business performance. The goal is to develop a theoretical model of the integration of quality management systems (QMS) and an internal audit within a broader managerial system and performance reviews of the company.

A theoretical framework was developed for assessing the internal audit's contribution to the achievement of business goals. Based on the theoretically explained relationship two hypotheses related to impact of internal audits on business performance were empirically tested by a case study.

A mature QMS should contribute to the achievement of a company's efficiency, which can be based on the connection of quality goals with the company's strategic goals, and in relation to this implementation of the internal audit should also be upgraded to contribute to achievement of the company's efficiency and strategic goals. Accordingly, the results of internal audits and measures that follow the audit are discussed within a strategic internal analysis of the company.

Testing on a single case has limitations regarding the ability to generalise the results to a broader spectrum of companies, however the objective was to expand and generalise theory. With the confirmed hypothesis about the contribution and positive impact of the internal audit by the case study, the statistical generalisation by using the survey method represents a logical additional step. Further research should also analyse the relationship between subjective employee assessments and objective performance data.

Empirical results show that internal audit contributes to the achievement of business goals and that internal audit has more positive than negative effects on business performance. Therefore, the paper demonstrates that the results of an audit can be used as a foundation for choosing measures not only to assure the conformity of the QMS with the standard's requirements, but also to assure business improvements.

The paper identified the relations between three managerial systems: QMS, total quality management (TQM) (represented by the business excellence models) and strategic management. The systems are connected in the strategy development and in the analysis phase of the strategic decision‐making process. Paper integrated the internal audit into the company's performance review system. The identified positive effects of the QMS were used as a basis for assessing the internal audit's contribution to the achievement of business goals and improving company efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and classify potential and verified benefits of implementing quality management systems (QMSs) according to ISO 9000 standards.

The research is based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, mostly articles relating to implementation of the ISO 9000 QMS and its impact on customer satisfaction and business performance.

The literature adduces possible benefits of the effective implementation of the ISO 9000 QMS and searches for related support in published empirical research. The paper classifies the major identified and empirically verified benefits into four groups in relation to the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach to categorising company objectives. It also relates the potential benefits to specific standard requirements and the pre‐conditions that must be met in the implementation stage of the ISO 9001 in order to attain these benefits.

This study of the benefits has not focused on the standard releases, so the benefits are not shown separately for each release. Besides, there is less research on the latest releases (from 2000 and 2008) and thus perhaps none of their benefits has been recognised.

By discussing the standards' requirements and the implementation approaches and circumstances that may impact on the effectiveness of the introduced QMS, such as motives for introducing the QMS and the strategic approach to its implementation, it tries to help management build their QMS so that potential benefits are realised.

By aggregating the outcome of several research papers the paper paints a “big picture” of the business benefits of effectively implementing the ISO 9000 QMS, which could be a step towards further research and help management and practitioners in companies to develop their QMS.

Proposes a model of strategic planning as a basis to overcome the identified shortcomings in the past empirical research. The basic assumption of the proposed model is that an appropriate strategic analysis is necessary in order to ensure appropriate strategic decisions.

Shortcomings related to empirical research in the past were identified with the aim of discussing some possible reasons why the concept of manufacturing strategy had not been more widely adopted in practice and of developing the model of strategic planning. Based on the proposed model and relating to previous research, an empirical study of two relationships has been performed: first, between business strategic competence of an enterprise and business performance, and second, between business strategic competence and manufacturing strategic decision areas.

The goals of analysis in the process of strategic planning have been explained. Empirical findings about a positive relationship between business performance and business strategic competence confirmed the results of previous research. Some empirically significant relationships between strategic decision areas and manufacturing competitive priorities results were identified.

In order to guarantee effective decision making, the role of the analysis in the process of planning has to be understood. This phase of the planning process is not getting enough attention from practitioners. This results in decision making for which quick jumping to solution‐seeking is characteristic, without appropriate determination of problems beforehand.

The paper emphasises the importance of strategic analysis and problem identification to appropriate strategic decision making. This holds true not only of practical strategic decision making inside specific companies, but also of design and implementation of empirical research.