Search results

Investigate the behaviour and the habits of the consumers from central-southern Italy in relation to extra olive oil consumption, focussing on the impact of protected designation of origin (PDO) and EU–organic certification on purchase intention and quality perception.

A specific questionnaire was submitted to 160 consumers; a subsample of ten experts, ten semi-experts and ten habitual consumers of olive oil tested, through a blind test first and a normal one then, three Italian samples: an extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) without certification, an organic EVOO and a PDO EVOO, which were characterised also from a chemical-physical point of view. The answers provided during the tastings were statistically analysed and compared.

People interviewed prefer local olive oils; they are positively influenced by PDO/organic certification, while price is not a decisive factor on the purchasing choices. According to tasting panel results: experts gave consistent answers preferring organic olive oil, semi-experts are positively influenced by the PDO brand contrary to what they claimed; non-experts would buy EVOO, although they are positively influenced by the PDO brand and negatively by the organic certification.

Only knowledge and experience can aid consumers make consistent and aware choices. Information campaigns could help them to distinguish products, correctly identify food attributes and overcome their scepticism towards quality of organic products.

Few works investigated the impact of quality and sustainability labelling on perception of olive oils, valuing the consistency between answers provided before and after sensory assessments.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a path analysis of data coming from a citizen's satisfaction survey to support decision makers in quality service improvement. In detail, the survey aims to measure citizen's satisfaction of an Italian local Public Administration regarding the “infant school (0‐6 years) enrollment service”.

The survey represents an experimentation of an original model measuring customers' satisfaction toward on‐line services. Some statistical methods to analyse a given dataset from different points of view are selected.

Outcomes of descriptive statistics as well as of multivariate data analysis to summarize information variables are presented. A new multivariate statistical technique, Probabilistic Expert Systems (PES) (Cowell et al.), is proposed to simulate corrective actions (scenarios) and to suggest the best one for the service quality improvement.

The paper shows that statistical methods are able to support the decisional process because they allow the development of information (gathered from survey) into know‐how. However, managers need to join together both statistical information and experience by means of a systematic method, in order to take effective decisions.

The paper aims to illustrate the results of a testing activity of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services provided by public administrations.

The results are part of a wider research project, aimed at the implementation of a customer satisfaction management model for online services, starting out from citizen evaluations concerning the quality of services provided by public administrations. The model presupposes that the aspects of the service on which citizens are called to express their perceptions refer to well‐identified phases of the supply process, in such a way as to facilitate improvement measures. The testing activity involved a pilot group of Italian public administrations.

As a result of the testing activity's initial stage, some major issues can be identified that concern the need to properly focus the questionnaire design and simultaneously make use of different data analysis techniques in order to strengthen the impact of the survey results in supporting appropriate service quality improvement decisions.

The outcome of the present paper should be seen as an intermediate result and can be assumed to be part of wider research aimed at the implementation of a general customer satisfaction management model designed for online services supplied by Italian public administrations.

The paper offers a key to understanding the methodological and operating approach as well as the empirical evidence emerging from testing a general customer satisfaction management model.

The urgency to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of public administrations has led to the adoption in the public sector – in Italy as well as in other countries – of tools and models inspired by the total quality management (TQM) approach, such as the common assessment framework (CAF). A parallel need was felt within public structures to train people, the “peers”, who aside from being able to implement the self‐evaluation activities of their own administration, also needed to be equipped with the necessary skills to complete external evaluation activities, namely “peer evaluations”, with the ultimate aim of spreading quality management culture and best practices in the field through an approach based on benchmarking. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey designed to determine the training requirements that a “peer” should acquire in order to perform “evaluation” activities.

The paper has strong empirical connotations and is essentially based on, first, a questionnaire given to evaluators/self‐evaluators to identify the problems emerging with the application of the CAF model in administrations that have adopted it. In this sphere a great deal of attention has been paid to – in addition to the preparation of the questionnaire – the delicate task of codifying the answers to open questions proposed to interviewees; and second, the investigation inherent in the current educational choices in Italy in the TQM arena, specifically addressing the public sector.

Apart from the analysis of data obtained from the investigation, presented with descriptive statistics, the paper identifies the training content necessary: first, to place “peers” in a position to be able to autonomously and fully carry out their evaluation work on the basis of the CAF model; and second, to render the evaluation activities systematically comparable among the various administrations.

At the present time the research deals with the Italian context. However, future investigations involving different European countries could be carried out, taking the present results as a starting point for a benchmarking activity.

The paper puts forward the creation of a “network” of actors who manage all the “peer evaluation” activities, from the provision of the training pack and monitoring the “peer” exchange process, up to benchmarking initiatives and the dissemination of best practices.

The paper presents original data and information in order to identify the training needs of individuals that actually use CAF, starting from the assumption that the training of evaluators is the primary condition for promoting the adoption and diffusion of CAF in Italian public administrations and thus maximizing its benefits.

In this concluding chapter, we draw together the various contributions presented in this volume, discuss the broader implications of our findings, and reflect on how this builds upon Willy Brown's work. The chapter examines how the patchwork of rules has been altered by new and emerging challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of global supply chains and new forms of business. We return to the central objective of this volume of identifying and analysing the viability of various institutions for addressing these challenges and discuss how these might form the basis of a new web of rules for protecting labour standards in the future.

This paper aims to study the development of new forms of management systems such as quality management in the context of the Spanish public administration.

It reviews the main literature on the topic and relevant policy texts.

The organisation of work within the private sector has undergone important transformations compared with the model of industrial worker that existed in the mid‐twentieth century. In the public sector, these changes have been less noticeable, at least within the Spanish context. Yet, it has undergone and is still undergoing important changes as far as its economic and social standing, targets and procedures are concerned. Organisational adjustment to such changes has been limited, especially in the area of work organisation.

It is a general overview of key developments.

It is relevant for a discussion of the general trends and dynamic of public sector industrial relations in Spain.

It manages to take an overview of changes in the public sector and point to the uncertain development of a new market approach.

The purpose of this paper is to delve into some of the key internal and external factors that led to the choice of specific strategies for union revitalization using the theoretical framework built upon framing perspectives, the strategic action field (SAF), and the strategic choice theory.

The authors used a stringent definition and corresponding operationalization of trade union revitalization. The present research has been carried out on a registered industrial union within the context of Global South, specifically in India.

Evidence was found for the trade union adopting a mix of strategies for revitalization, namely, union organizing, social movement unionism, and union restructuring. A mix of both internal and external factors identified informed the choice of revitalization strategies.

Specific limitations include the subjectivity of the inference in spite of taking due precautions, and lack of generalizability of the findings based on a single case study.

A strong identity, coupled with structural vitality and optimum use of resources enables trade unions to frame the need of a strategy for revival in order to counter the strategic action of employers resulting in union revitalization.

The theoretical novelty of this research stems from the amalgamation of collective action frames, SAF, and strategic choice framework to understand the union revitalization in the context of Global South.

The purpose of this article is to study the overall development of public sector industrial relations in The Netherlands.

The paper reviews the main literature on the topic and relevant policy texts. There are interviews with key individuals referenced and utilised.

Although the direction of change in Dutch public sector employment relations is towards private sector norms, it is unclear whether this will lead to a complete withering away of the traditional characteristics of public sector employment relations.

It is a general overview of key developments.

It is relevant for a discussion of the general trends and dynamic of public sector industrial relations in The Netherlands.

This article manages to take an overview of developments and point to the uncertain nature of a new market approach.

This paper aims to evaluate the institutional complementarity thesis, which anticipates that the institutional context of the firm will have a considerable influence on the choice and success of employment relations strategies. Focusing on two liberal market economies, the paper presents analysis of secondary data from the US airline industry and primary data from UK civil aviation to assess the power of the institutional context on employment relations.

Secondary data were drawn from trade journals, newspaper reports and other civil aviation information sources such as the Civil Aviation Authority database. Primary data collection involved interviews with airline management, officials at the British Air Line Pilots Association, and pilots. A large‐scale questionnaire survey of pilots was also conducted.

In both liberal market economies airlines have adopted a range of employment relations strategies, which demonstrates the robustness of strategic management choice. Moreover, in both the UK and the USA, airlines with institutionally complementary employment relations strategies performed less well over a range of measures than their counterparts with employment relation strategies more closely aligned with coordinated market economies.

The findings identify best practice in the management of people in the airline industry and build a business case for cooperating with employees and their trade unions.

To be effective, unions have to adopt structures that fit the demands of their environments. When key elements of these environments change, there is pressure for union structures to do likewise. Yet, while the U.S. airline industry has seen fundamental changes over the past three decades, the basic contours of union representation, including single-carrier bargaining and craft organization, have remained largely intact. Adjustments to the structure of airline labor have been more subtle and include intensified efforts to organize the unorganized; better coordination among the sub-units of some national unions; and improved cooperation across union and national boundaries.