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This study aims to explore the relationship between loneliness and addiction to smartphones, specifically examining whether gender and place of residence have a moderating effect on this association.

This study conducted a comprehensive investigation to assess the correlation between loneliness and smartphone addiction, focusing on the potential moderating roles of gender and place of residence.

It was found that loneliness significantly contributes to the development of smartphone addiction across various demographics, irrespective of gender and place of residence. The initial hypothesis that gender and place of residence would moderate the relationship between loneliness and smartphone addiction was not supported.

This study advances our understanding of the mechanisms through which loneliness can lead to smartphone addiction, highlighting its role in potentially exacerbating mental health issues like anxiety and depression. The findings underscore the universal impact of loneliness on smartphone addiction, contributing to the broader discourse on mental health and technology use.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how food aid providers in Sussex and Southwest London responded and managed during the pandemic.

The methodological approach consists of three inter-related layers. A qualitative description research approach based on naturalistic inquiry, supplemented by site visits and personal observations was used.

The pandemic catalysed dramatic, often positive, changes to the provision of food aid, with a move away from the traditional food bank model. It brought about increased coordination and oversight, as well as the upscaling of capabilities, infrastructure and provisions.

The paper contributes to the literature on food aid in the UK It provides evidence for how providers are transforming the sector for the better and potentially helping to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

This study aims to bridge the gap left by earlier studies regarding the issue of whether the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification is a stepping stone that ultimately leads to instilling a total quality management (TQM) culture, or whether it is the end-point in their journey toward quality.

The study was primarily quantitative in nature supported from a qualitative survey following the triangulation approach, as the aim was to test a number of hypotheses related to TQM’s role in the operation of Greek ISO certified small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A questionnaire was developed based on the critical success factors that were used in the self-assessment instrument developed by Hunt (1992) and Sashkin (1996) to assess the level of TQM implementation in approximately 400 Greek SMEs.

The study revealed that Greek ISO certified SMEs, emphasize performance appraisal, invest in quality elements that require minimum usage of their resources and prioritize their ISO certification.

TQM is one of the most powerful concepts available to businesses today. However, most of the literature focuses on the practice of TQM within large manufacturing organizations. This paper aims to readdress the situation by outlining a study on TQM in the SME sector in Greece.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the organisational innovation effort that is being carried out by Spanish industrial companies through the implementation of advanced management systems.

Taking into account the results of two surveys conducted with Spanish companies (in 1996 and 2007), the authors study the implementation of innovative practices in the organisation of work and describe different typologies of companies, in agreement with how widespread these practices are. In addition, the authors study the determining factors that drive companies to use well‐developed management systems. In order to carry out these analyses use is made of two statistical techniques: cluster analysis and estimation of discrete choice models.

The study of the company typology reveals that there are industrial companies in Spain competing with three different profiles which are described in the paper. There are differences in some human resource management aspects. The greatest differences are seen in the way the information is shared. The results obtained through the estimation of discrete choice models determine that the main factors that explain the implementation of developed management systems in Spanish companies are: market competition; the development of positioning strategies; the existence of a participatory attitude in management; and the participation in networks along the value chain.

After acknowledging the variety of business typologies, the management recommendations suggested in this paper insist on making coordinated progress in decision making on strategies, resources, internal organisation of companies and human resources management policies.

This is the first comprehensive survey about how widespread organisational innovative practices are in Spanish industrial companies.