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Approaches to quality improvement in healthcare based on clinical communities are founded in practitioner networks, peer influence and professional values. However, evidence for the value of this approach, and how to make it effective, is spread across multiple disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise relevant literature to provide practical lessons on how to use community‐based approaches to improve quality.

Diverse literatures were identified, analysed and synthesised in a manner that accounted for the heterogeneity of methods, models and contexts they covered.

A number of overlapping but distinct community‐based approaches can be identified in the literature, each suitable for different problems. The evidence for the effectiveness of these is mixed, but there is some agreement on the challenges that those adopting such approaches need to address, and how these can be surmounted.

Key lessons include: the need for co‐ordination and leadership alongside the lateral influence of peers; advantages of starting with a clear programme theory of change; the need for training and resources; dealing with conflict and marginalisation; fostering a sense of community; appropriate use of data in prompting behavioural change; the need for balance between “hard” and “soft” strategies; and the role of context.

The paper brings together diverse literatures with important implications for community‐based approaches to quality improvement, drawing on these to offer practical lessons for those engaged in improving healthcare quality in practice.

The authors investigate the relationship between the structure and the functioning of scientific and technical (S&T) personnel and the quality research and development (R&D) performance output of laboratories functioning under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. The purpose of this paper is to examine how rapid economic and social changes and the demand for better accountability are addressed by public R&D institutions in a specific developing economy.

The authors use the functions performed by the S&T personnel as indicators of their tacit knowledge. The authors use data from 27 different CSIR laboratories to analyze the specific functions carried out by knowledge workers (S&T personnel) in order to gauge the internal strengths and weaknesses of individual laboratories in different functional areas. The authors use the following measures to tap the quality R&D performance of these laboratories – number of Indian patents filed and granted, number of foreign patents filed and granted, and the number of published papers figuring among the top 50 CSIR publications in specific research areas over an extended period of 11 years (2003-2004 to 2013-2014).

The findings show that there is no readymade formula for identifying improvements in quality performance by a research laboratory, given a particular set of S&T worker profile in terms of the six functions defined in the study. The top-performing laboratories have excellent patent as well as publication record reinforcing the point that innovation encompasses both basic and applied research with success depending upon strategically emphasizing the different components of the innovation process.

The scope of the present research work is limited by the choice of the quality R&D performance measures adopted in the study that could be further expanded to better tap the social accountability of these public-funded institutions. In addition, inclusion of all CSIR laboratories in the study framework would add value to the study findings. The research highlights the importance of tacit knowledge management and organizational learning as central features of strategic organization development for technology practices incorporating R&D work, the support of pilot plants, experimental field stations, and engineering and design units.

The paper has particular implications for the leadership and management of public R&D organizations and public policy formulation for innovation in an emerging developing economy context.

This study extends the extant literature by drawing upon the role of tacit knowledge and organizational learning to inform the empirical research on managing public R&D and the innovations that result from it, in a particular emerging economy context, that is, India.

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of utilization of lemon peel extract as a natural antioxidant source in muscle foods. The products incorporated with lemon peel extract were assessed for various oxidative stability and storage quality parameters.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of lemon peel extract on the oxidative stability and storage quality of Tabak-Maz, a popular traditional meat product. The products were prepared and treated with different concentrations of lemon peel extract (0.5, 1, 1.5 per cent) and were aerobically packaged in low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for lipid stability and storage quality parameters under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions.

Lemon peel extract showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the lipid stability of the products as the treated products exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) (mg malonaldehyde/kg) and free fatty acid (FFA) (per cent oleic acid) values for the entire period of storage. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as lemon peel extract treated products showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count, psychrophillic count and yeast and mould count throughout the period of storage. Coliforms were not detected throughout the period of storage. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores were observed for various sensory parameters of the treated products.

Lemon peel extract successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of Tabak-Maz during refrigerated (4 ± 10°C) storage and may be commercially exploited as a natural antioxidant source in muscle foods.

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effect of pomegranate seed powder, grape seed extract and tomato powder on the quality characteristics of chicken nuggets during refrigerated storage.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of pomegranate seed powder, grape seed extract and tomato powder on the storage quality parameters of chicken nuggets. The products were developed by incorporating optimum level of pomegranate seed powder (3 per cent), grape seed extract (0.3 per cent) and tomato powder (2 per cent) separately and were aerobically packaged in low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for various storage quality parameters under refrigerated (4±1°C) conditions for 21 days of storage. The products were evaluated for various physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory parameters at regular intervals of 0, 7, 14 and 21 days.

A significant (p < 0.05) effect of pomegranate seed powder, grape seed extract and tomato powder was observed on the pH and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (mg malondialdehyde/kg) values of the chicken nuggets. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics, as the products incorporated with pomegranate seed powder, grape seed extract and tomato powder showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count, psychrophilic count and yeast and mould count during the period of storage. Coliforms were not detected throughout the period of storage. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores were observed for various sensory parameters of the products incorporated with pomegranate seed powder (3 per cent), grape seed extract (0.3 per cent) and tomato powder (2 per cent).

Pomegranate seed powder (3 per cent), grape seed extract (0.3 per cent) and tomato powder (2 per cent) successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of the products during refrigerated (4±1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited to improve the storage quality of muscle foods without adversely affecting the sensory quality of the products.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of green tea extract, fig and red pepper on the quality characteristics of chicken patties during refrigerated storage.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of green tea extract, fig and red pepper on the storage quality parameters of chicken patties. The products were developed by incorporating optimum level of green tea extract (400 mg/kg), fig (4 per cent) and red pepper (10 per cent) separately and were aerobically packaged in low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for various storage-quality parameters under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions for 21 days of storage. The products were evaluated for various physicochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters at regular intervals of 0, 7, 14 and 21 days.

A significant (p < 0.05) effect of green tea extract, fig and red pepper was observed on the pH and TBARS (mg malonaldehyde/kg) values of the chicken patties. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics as the products incorporated with green tea extract, fig and red pepper showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count, psychrophillic count and yeast and mould count during the period of storage. Coliforms were not detected throughout the period of storage. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores were observed for various sensory parameters of the products incorporated with green tea extract, fig and red pepper.

Green tea extract (400 mg/kg), fig (4 per cent) and red pepper (10 per cent) successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of the products during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited to improve the storage quality of muscle foods without adversely affecting the sensory quality of the products.

US apparel firms have been relatively slow exploring Chinese and Indian apparel markets, despite the countries' tremendous growth potentials. To help US apparel firms successfully enter these promising markets, this study aims to compare evaluative attributes that Chinese and Indian consumers utilize when purchasing denim jeans.

Data were collected in Shanghai, China and Bangalore, India.

The results of the study confirmed that Chinese and Indian consumers ranked attributes differently. Chinese consumers placed the highest importance on price, followed by fitting, brand country of origin, quality, and design, whereas Indian consumers placed importance on fitting, brand country of origin, design, price, and quality, in descending order.

Caution needs to be exercised in generalizing the findings since the data for this study were collected from one city in each country. The study tested the idea that the importance of attributes would be different between Chinese and Indian consumers as their cultures and retail development stages differ. This idea was supported in conjoint analysis.

The findings indicate that a regional approach, assuming that all Asian markets are the same, is inappropriate. Thus, US apparel firms need to pay careful attention to differences in each Asian market.

China and India have been compared frequently in various ways: growth potential, market size, and population. Surprisingly, however, no study has attempted to compare Chinese and Indian consumers' evaluative criteria for apparel products. This is the first empirical study to show the differences between Chinese and Indian consumers in evaluating apparel products.

Deriving a measure of efficiency of public-funded organizations (primarily not-for-profit organizations) and ranking these efficiency measures have been major subjects of debate and discussion. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relative performances of public-funded research and development (R&D) organizations functioning across multiple countries working on similar research streams. The authors use multiple measures of inputs and outputs for this purpose.

The authors use the data envelopment analysis (DEA) as the primary methodology of analysis The keywords highlighting the major research areas in the field of non-metrology, conducted by National Physical Laboratory (NPL), India, were utilized to select the global comparators working on similar research streams. These global comparators were three R&D organizations located in the USA and one each located in Germany and Japan. The relative efficiencies of the organizations were assessed with the following output variables – external cash flow, and the numbers of technologies transferred, publications and patents; and the following input variables – amount of grants received from the parent body, and the number of scientific personnel working in these public R&D organizations. The authors follow the output-oriented measure of efficiency at constant return to scale and variable return to scale, along with scale efficiencies.

The performance of NPL, India under multiple dimensions has been evaluated relative to its global comparators – the National Institute for Materials Science, Japan; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA; Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Germany; the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, USA; and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. The study indicates suggested measures and a set of targets to achieve the best possible performance for NPL and other R&D organizations. In most cases of efficient local but not so efficient global efficiency scores indicate that, on an average, the actual scale of production has diverged from the most productive scale size.

The approach highlights the utilization of the DEA methodology for relative R&D performance assessment of global comparators. The discriminatory analysis has brought into sharp focus the dichotomy between local efficiency and global efficiency scores of these units and issues of scale size and regional disparities. The outcome of this approach is dependent upon correct selection of input and output variables and data availability.

The study results have profound implications for the management of public R&D institutions across nations working on similar-focused research streams, but functioning within different societal, economic, and political contexts.

The present work, being perhaps one of the few multinational studies of relative performance assessment of pubic-funded R&D organizations working on similar research streams, signifies the relevance of such an approach in the field of R&D/innovation management. This has opened up new avenues for further research in this area.

The purpose of this paper was to explore the possibility of utilization of Ocimum sanctum Linn (Tulsi) leaf extract as a natural preservative in muscle foods. The products incorporated with Ocimum sanctum leaf extract were assessed for various oxidative stability and storage quality parameters.

The Ocimum sanctum leaf extract was incorporated at 300 mg/kg level in the formulation. Chicken sausages incorporated with Ocimum sanctum leaf extract along with control samples were aerobically packaged in low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for lipid oxidation, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions.

Ocimum sanctum leaf extract showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the lipid stability, as the treated products exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (mg malonaldehyde/kg) and free fatty acid (% oleic acid) values in comparison to control. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as the treated products showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count, psychrophilic count and yeast and mould count. Significantly, (p < 0.05) higher scores were also observed for various sensory parameters of the treated products.

The paper has demonstrated the use of Ocimum sanctum leaf extract as a potential natural preservative, as it successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of the products during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited as a natural preservative in muscle foods.

The climate crisis presents a global threat. Research shows the necessity of joint communication efforts across different arenas—media, politics, business, academia and protest—to address this threat. However, communication about social change in response to the climate crisis comes with challenges. These challenges manifest, among others, in public accusations of inconsistency in terms of hypocrisy and incapability against self-declared change agents in different arenas. This increasingly turns public climate communication into a “blame game”.

Strategic communication scholarship has started to engage in this debate, thereby acknowledging climate communication as an arena-spanning, necessarily contested issue. Still, a systematic overview of specific inconsistency accusations in different public arenas is lacking. This conceptual article provides an overview based on a macro-focused public arena approach and decoupling scholarship.

Drawing on a systematic literature review of climate-related strategic communication scholarship and key debates from climate communication research in neighboring domains, the authors develop a framework mapping how inconsistency accusations of hypocrisy and incapacity, that is, policy–practice and means–ends decoupling, manifest in different climate communication arenas.

This framework creates awareness for the shared challenge of decoupling accusations across different climate communication arenas, underscoring the necessity of an arena-spanning strategic communication agenda. This agenda requires a communicative shift from downplaying to embracing decoupling accusations, from mutual blaming to approval of accountable ways of working through accusations and from confrontation to cooperation of agents across arenas.

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of Aloe vera as a novel source of natural antioxidant and preservative in the muscle foods and to evaluate the effect of Aloe vera on the storage quality of aerobically packaged chicken nuggets.

The Aloe vera pulp was incorporated at various levels, namely, 0, 5, 10 and 15 per cent, replacing lean meat in the formulation. The products were analyzed for proximate composition, physicochemical and sensory parameters. Chicken nuggets incorporated with optimum level of Aloe vera (10 per cent) along with control nuggets (0 per cent Aloe vera) were aerobically packaged and assessed for lipid oxidation, physicochemical and microbiological characteristics under refrigerated (4°C) conditions.

pH, crude protein, ether extract and ash content of the nuggets showed significant (p < 0.05) decreasing trend with increasing levels of Aloe vera; however, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the moisture content, emulsion stability and cooking yield. Aloe vera-enriched nuggets showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values than control nuggets for almost all the lipid oxidation and microbiological parameters, i.e. free fatty acid, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances value, total plate count, psychrophillic count and yeast and mould count. No significant (p > 0.05) difference was observed in the sensory parameters of the Aloe vera-enriched nuggets and the control samples throughout the period of storage.

The paper has demonstrated the use of Aloe vera as a potential natural antioxidant without any marginal decline in the sensorial characteristics and nutritive value of the muscle foods.