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1 – 10 of 942Kristina Heinonen and Gustav Medberg
Understanding customers is critical for service researchers and practitioners. Today, customers are increasingly active online, and valuable information about their opinions…
Abstract
Purpose
Understanding customers is critical for service researchers and practitioners. Today, customers are increasingly active online, and valuable information about their opinions, experiences and behaviors can be retrieved from a variety of online platforms. Online customer information creates new opportunities to design personalized and high-quality service. This paper aims to review how netnography as a method can help service researchers and practitioners to better use such data.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review and analysis were conducted on 321 netnography studies published in marketing journals between 1997 and 2017.
Findings
The systematic review reveals that netnography has been applied in a variety of ways across different marketing fields and topics. Based on the analysis of existing netnography literature, empirical, theoretical and methodological recommendations for future netnographic service research are presented.
Research limitations/implications
This paper shows how netnography can offer service researchers unprecedented opportunities to access naturalistic online data about customers and, hence, why it is an important method for future service research.
Practical implications
Netnographic research can help service firms with, for example, service innovation, advertising and environmental scanning. This paper provides guidelines for service managers who want to use netnography as a market research tool.
Originality/value
Netnography has seen limited use in service research despite many promising applications in this field. This paper is the first to encourage and support service researchers in their use of the method and aims to stimulate interesting future netnographic service research.
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With pay transparency (PT) as an emerging trend in organizations around the world and the European Union promoting open pay regulations, PT is of increasing interest to…
Abstract
Purpose
With pay transparency (PT) as an emerging trend in organizations around the world and the European Union promoting open pay regulations, PT is of increasing interest to scientists, managers and policymakers. However, it is still unclear what people think about PT and what theoretical perspectives might explain people's views on transparent pay. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore and systematize opinions about PT and to propose theoretical frameworks to understand different reactions to it.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative reflexive thematic analysis of the Internet debate that emerged in Poland in 2019 in response to the proposition of new law regulations aimed to improve PT by introducing obligatory pay ranges in job offers.
Findings
The author's analysis revealed a set of 41 specific and often opposite opinions about PT, which allow for the systematization of hopes and concerns related to PT around the 7 favorable and 6 unfavorable higher-order themes.
Social implications
The author's results might inform policymakers and managers about the possible risks and benefits of PT implementation. Revealed opposite opinions about PT raise awareness that PT policies, while solving some social problems, might simultaneously create others.
Originality/value
The author provides new insights into opinions that people hold about transparent pay based on real-world data. The author suggests theoretical perspectives for understanding and predicting reactions to PT, such as Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources Theory and Adam`s Equity Theory. Based on this, the authors propose that opposite opinions about PT might be explained by (a) perceived pay dispersion fairness and (b) perceived PT costs-benefits ratio.
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Helen Reijonen, Jani Saastamoinen and Timo Tammi
The aim is to examine the importance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) see in different network partners regarding successful tendering in public procurement, and whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim is to examine the importance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) see in different network partners regarding successful tendering in public procurement, and whether this perception predicts the number of joint bids and wins.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected by an electronic questionnaire which was sent to the registered users of the leading electronic platform for public procurement in Finland. The data were analysed with statistical methods.
Findings
The findings suggest that a favourable perception of the importance of horizontal networks in public procurement is associated with a larger number of joint bids and better success in joint bidding. However, the results do not establish a positive correlation between vertical networks and consortium bidding.
Research limitations/implications
The data were collected from a single EU country. Since the criteria for bidding consortia may vary between countries, different results might have been achieved from other countries.
Practical implications
SMEs should be encouraged to form bidding consortia and acquire related experience. Policymakers should minimise barriers to consortium bidding, e.g. by offering more information. They should also assess the merits of joint bidding because they rarely encourage SMEs to bid as a consortium.
Social implications
Consortium bidding is a way of enhancing SMEs’ possibilities to participate in public tender contests, even in large contracts.
Originality/value
While consortium bidding has been recognised to enhance SMEs’ possibilities of participating in public procurement, there is limited research into how SMEs’ network collaborations relate to bidding as a consortium.
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Asam Latif, Christina Faull, Justin Waring, Eleanor Wilson, Claire Anderson, Anthony Avery and Kristian Pollock
The impact of population ageing is significant, multifaceted and characterised by frailty and multi-morbidity. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated care pathways and policies…
Abstract
Purpose
The impact of population ageing is significant, multifaceted and characterised by frailty and multi-morbidity. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated care pathways and policies promoting self-management and home-based care. One under-researched area is how patients and family caregivers manage the complexity of end-of-life therapeutic medicine regimens. In this position paper the authors bring attention to the significant strain that patients and family caregivers experience when navigating and negotiating this aspect of palliative and end-of-life care.
Design/methodology/approach
Focussing on self-care and organisation of medicines in the United Kingdom (UK) context, the paper examines, builds on and extends the debate by considering the underlying policy assumptions and unintended consequences for individual patients and family care givers as they assume greater palliative and end-of-life roles and responsibilities.
Findings
Policy makers and healthcare professionals often lack awareness of the significant burden and emotional work associated with managing and administering often potent high-risk medicines (i.e. opioids) in the domiciliary setting. The recent “revolution” in professional roles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including remote consultations and expanding community-based care, means there are opportunities for commissioners to consider offering greater support. The prospect of enhancing the community pharmacist's medicine optimisation role to further support the wider multi-disciplinary team is considered.
Originality/value
The paper takes a person-focused perspective and adopts a holistic view of medicine management. The authors argue for urgent review, reform and investment to enable and support terminally ill patients and family caregivers to more effectively manage medicines in the domiciliary setting. There are clear implications for pharmacists and these are discussed in the context of public awareness, inter-professional collaboration, organisational drivers, funding and regulation and remote care delivery.
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Antonio Iudici, Miriam Stefano and Davide Binato
This study aims to provide an overview of studies concerning bias in law, particularly in judges’ decisions. The authors intend to bring to light the factors that can most…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide an overview of studies concerning bias in law, particularly in judges’ decisions. The authors intend to bring to light the factors that can most frequently lead to unequal decisions to enable judges to better perform their function.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was used as a methodology based on studies involving judges and juries.
Findings
The evidence reported by this review suggests how difficult the judge’s job is and how they can be unconsciously influenced by inferences, deductions and biases. The results show that the pleasantness of the witness and the confidence they exhibit during testification are crucial factors in influencing the decisions of judges and jurors. From these studies, it can be assumed that different personal aspects – smiling, pleasantness and the witness’s credibility – can be positively associated with each other, which could compromise the ongoing evaluation. Gender is another factor that can influence evaluations; in fact, witnesses are evaluated based on their own “gender” as well as that of the jurors. Another essential factor is self-confidence. Also, the age of both of the judge and of the witness can be a factor that influences decisions in court. Other factors such as communication effectiveness, degree of accuracy of reported information and non-verbal behaviour were also found to be important.
Research limitations/implications
Among the limitations of this research, the authors have to consider the low number of available research and that the most of these derive from a specific cultural context – the American one. There may also be limits to the way in which certain concepts are used in different parts of the world, particularly through a very broad construct, such as the credibility of witness.
Practical implications
This study highlights which inferences and biases can characterise decision-making processes and, above all, highlights the need for specific training courses aimed at managing the many processes involved in influencing human decisions.
Social implications
The authors believe that this work can raise awareness about the series of unconscious reasoning that may happen in the legal field, which has a major impact on people’s lives and on the general perception of justice.
Originality/value
In this research, the authors have considered some of the criteria that may intervene in the evaluation of witnesses, those present in the current scientific literature. From the research, it seems appropriate and necessary to provide judges with adequate training aimed at the recognition of their cognitive processes and bias. In fact, when they were made aware of them, they were less affected by bias, resulting in more objective and limiting improper inferences.
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Louise Holly, Shannon Thom, Mohamed Elzemety, Beatrice Murage, Kirsten Mathieson and Maria Isabel Iñigo Petralanda
This paper introduces a new set of equity and rights-based principles for health data governance (HDG) and makes the case for their adoption into global, regional and national…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces a new set of equity and rights-based principles for health data governance (HDG) and makes the case for their adoption into global, regional and national policy and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses the need for a unified approach to HDG that maximises the value of data for whole populations. It describes the unique process employed to develop a set of HDG principles. The paper highlights lessons learned from the principle development process and proposes steps to incorporate them into data governance policies and practice.
Findings
More than 200 individuals from 130 organisations contributed to the development of the HDG principles, which are clustered around three interconnected objectives of protecting people, promoting health value and prioritising equity. The principles build on existing norms and guidelines by bringing a human rights and equity lens to HDG.
Practical implications
The principles offer a strong vision for HDG that reaps the public good benefits of health data whilst safeguarding individual rights. They can be used by governments and other actors as a guide for the equitable collection and use of health data. The inclusive model used to develop the principles can be replicated to strengthen future data governance approaches.
Originality/value
The article describes the first bottom-up effort to develop a set of principles for HDG.
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Ramatu Abdulkadir, Dante Benjamin Matellini, Ian D. Jenkinson, Robyn Pyne and Trung Thanh Nguyen
This study aims to determine the factors and dynamic systems behaviour of essential medicine stockout in public health-care supply chains. The authors examine the constraints and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine the factors and dynamic systems behaviour of essential medicine stockout in public health-care supply chains. The authors examine the constraints and effects of mental models on medicine stockout to develop a dynamic theory of medicine availability towards saving patients’ lives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a mixed-method approach. Starting with a survey method, followed by in-depth interviews with stakeholders within five health-care supply chains to determine the dynamic feedback leading to stockout and conclude by developing a network mental model for medicines availability.
Findings
The authors identified five constraints and developed five case mental models. The authors develop a dynamic theory of medicine availability across cases and identify feedback loops and variables leading to medicine availability.
Research limitations/implications
The need to include mental models of stakeholders like manufacturers and distributors of medicines to understand the system completely. Group surveys are prone to power dynamics and bias from group thinking. This survey’s quantitative output could minimize the bias.
Originality/value
This study uniquely uses a mixed-method of survey method and in-depth interviews of experts to assess the essential medicine stockout in Nigeria. To improve medicine availability, the authors develop a dynamic network mental model to understand the system structure, feedback and behaviour driving stockouts. This research will benefit public policymakers and hospital managers in designing policies that reduce medicine stockout.
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Chris Zielinski, Kamran Abbasi, Parveen Ali, Virginia Barbour, Thomas Benfield, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Stephen Hancocks, Richard Horton, Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Robert Mash, Peush Sahni, Wadeia Mohammad Sharief and Paul Yonga