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Tackling discrimination, stigma and inequalities in mental health is a major UK government objective. Surveys have suggested that mental health services are institutionally racist. Most research has focused on stigma associated with schizophrenia despite well‐documented prejudice against people with other psychiatric disorders.The aim of this study was to assess stigmatised attitudes towards people from two ethnic groups with substance use disorder and learning disability. The 20‐point Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) was used to assess stigmatised attitudes. A representative panel of members of the general public were randomised to receive a questionnaire with a picture of a European or African‐Caribbean man and a fictitious description of alcoholism (first round) or Down's syndrome (second round) six months later. Results were received for over 198 subjects (response rate 79‐84%). There was no difference between the score for the African‐Caribbean vignette or the European vignette for either alcoholism (mean AMIQ score 0.43 standard error = 0.39; n = 100 Vs 0.98 standard error = 0.53; n = 110; effect size r = 0.11; p = 0.2059;) or learning disability (mean 1.71 standard error = 0.22; n = 100 Vs 1.98; standard error = 0.30; n = 98; effect size r = 0.07; p = 0.2559).The study showed that ethnic origin had no significant difference on stigmatised attitudes towards someone with alcoholism or learning disability. Although a larger study would have increased power to detect a statistically significant difference it seems unlikely that a difference of the observed magnitude would be of any practical relevance.

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of the performance measurement system as an organizational learning mechanism to support continuous improvement.

The paper reports the results of a survey of Australian organizations certified to quality standard ISO 9000.

For those respondents who consider their organization's quality program to be successful, the findings indicate that such organizations have embedded quality into the culture of the organization, and have developed performance measurement systems as an organizational learning mechanism to support the continuous improvement initiatives.

The paper highlights the need for management to ensure that the organization's management control systems are structured to support continuous improvement initiatives.

The paper explores the links between continuous improvement and organizational learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new normal for international business (IB) activities, leaving them pondering their next steps. The decreasing effectiveness of current vaccines to protect individuals against new variants have created uncertainty on how to respond to the new waves of the COVID-19 infection. This study aims to empirically assesses how IBs perceive the unfolding challenges in the supply chain due to the pandemic and the solutions.

The survey data is obtained from 166 logistics professionals in Hong Kong and India.

The results reveal that returns on investment, logistics, delays and imports are the most affected areas. The most often recommended solutions for supply chain management (SCM) include using local manufacturing capabilities, analytics and automation, offering better customer service, providing more effective transportation means, ensuring diligence around optimization and focusing on sustainability.

The findings of this study help to improve supply chain operations. This study also provides recommendations for changes to SCM in response to the new normal.

In this chapter, we raise awareness of the larger network in which multiteam systems (MTSs) are situated. We posit that in the complex operations conducted by military units, MTSs are not isolated entities, but rather exist in exponentially complex systems that include additional challenges for both research and practice.

An operational example involving an Army Brigade Combat Team Headquarters is presented to explain the details of the exponentially complex MTSs inherent in military operations, raise awareness about challenges that plague successful mission accomplishment, and discuss the way forward for research and practice.

The Army Brigade Combat Team Headquarters is characterized as a traditional MTS, embedded in a system of hierarchical MTSs, further embedded within a parallel structure of MTSs. Challenges inherent in these organizational structures provide direction for research and practice to address the exponentially complex meta-systems that are prevalent throughout the military.

While researchers have begun to address teams existing in larger networks, or MTSs (Mathieu, Marks, & Zaccaro, 2001), much of the existing research is based on small or isolated systems. As a result, our understanding of the meta-systems in which many of these MTSs exist is limited. This chapter provides concrete examples of an exponentially complex MTS within a military environment and highlights challenges to be addressed in both research and practice.

Forces of globalization have driven international convergence in corporate governance and accounting considerably over the past few decades. Nevertheless, despite the global trend, convergence of corporate governance and financial reporting remains a subject of debate. This research monograph critically examines whether China’s convergence with Anglo-American corporate governance principles and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is likely to produce the expected outcomes of improving the transparency and comparability of accounting information in Chinese firms. In this chapter, we discuss the motivation for and the significance of the study; describe the issues associated with the adoption of internationally acceptable standards and principles in China; explain the theoretical framework used to inform the study and research methodology; and present the aim and objectives of the monograph.

Implications of Modern Portfolio Theory for Investment Management. The general principles of portfolio management are explained by Dobbins and Witt, Sprecher, Francis, Van Home and Fama and Miller. Portfolio theory is concerned with the choice of efficient combinations of assets and its foundation lies in the work of Markowitz. It is assumed that investors base their decisions simply on the expected return and variance of return of assets, where the variance is taken to measure risk. For any given level of risk, the optimal portfolio is that which offers the maximum expected return; and for any given expected return, the investor prefers minimum risk. The set of efficient portfolios therefore comprises those combinations of assets which promise the highest expected return corresponding to each level of risk.

This paper aims to investigate the characteristics of demand and supply in relation to the real-world supply chain strategies of local urban fresh food supply chains (FFSC). It generates insights into how a range of strategies is adopted by urban retailer businesses in attempting to cater for the particular requirements of food-literate urban consumers and small-scale local growers.

Using a multiple case study method, 12 urban local fresh food retailers in Sydney were studied and interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Local fresh produce has characteristics of both functional and innovative products. Retailers with strong upstream and downstream collaborations adopt hybrid strategies for increased time efficiency and product variety. The dominance of strategies for time efficiency in downstream activities is aimed at maximising the product’s freshness and taste, while product range improvement strategies mean innovative retailers are working with growers to introduce new product types and offering new recipes to consumers that encourage a wider use of products. Urban retailers of local fresh produce leverage on their relationships with upstream and downstream supply chain entities in implementing hybrid strategies.

Policymakers will make use of the new knowledge generated about the real enablers of contemporary urban food systems in designing developmental policies; findings will inform urban FFSC retailers about how harmonious relationships can be leveraged for sustainability.

The study generates new knowledge on the implementation of a leagile approach by studying the adoption of innovative hybrid strategies by urban local FFSCs in relations to demand and supply characteristics and the utilization of strong vertical relationships in a short supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) by incorporating environmental concern (EC) and its dimensions to explain developer’s intention to adopt green concepts in their future housing projects. The objectives were to investigate the relationship among the proposed constructs as well as to examine the mediating role of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (PBC) on the relationship between EC and its dimensions and intention to adopt green concepts.

A survey was conducted among developer organisations in Klang Valley and the key target respondents were project managers. This study devoted priority to quantitative approach with complementary qualitative data to elaborate on the statistical results. In total, 87 usable questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of 24.5 per cent. In addition, face-to-face interviews were carried out to gather information to complement quantitative findings.

Mediation results suggested PBC to be a significant mediator for the relationship between EC, human over nature and eco-crisis and behavioural intention. In the model between eco-crisis facet and behavioural intention, apart from PBC, attitude was found to be another significant mediator of the relationship. Interview with informants revealed that most believed human activities are causing detrimental harm to the environment. With this concern, they are confident about their organisations’ ability to deliver more green projects in the future.

The use of specific dimension of EC and the integration of EC and its dimensions within the TPB has provided new insights to expedite the transition to sustainable construction.