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1 – 10 of over 4000
Article
Publication date: 15 October 2018

Carmen Domínguez-Falcón, Domingo Verano-Tacoronte and Marta Suárez-Fuentes

The strong regulation of the Spanish pharmaceutical sector encourages pharmacies to modify their business model, giving the customer a more relevant role by integrating 2.0 tools…

Abstract

Purpose

The strong regulation of the Spanish pharmaceutical sector encourages pharmacies to modify their business model, giving the customer a more relevant role by integrating 2.0 tools. However, the study of the implementation of these tools is still quite limited, especially in terms of a customer-oriented web page design. This paper aims to analyze the online presence of Spanish community pharmacies by studying the profile of their web pages to classify them by their degree of customer orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 710 community pharmacies were analyzed, of which 160 had Web pages. Using items drawn from the literature, content analysis was performed to evaluate the presence of these items on the web pages. Then, after analyzing the scores on the items, a cluster analysis was conducted to classify the pharmacies according to the degree of development of their online customer orientation strategy.

Findings

The number of pharmacies with a web page is quite low. The development of these websites is limited, and they have a more informational than relational role. The statistical analysis allows to classify the pharmacies in four groups according to their level of development

Practical implications

Pharmacists should make incremental use of their websites to facilitate real two-way communication with customers and other stakeholders to maintain a relationship with them by having incorporated the Web 2.0 and social media (SM) platforms.

Originality/value

This study analyses, from a marketing perspective, the degree of Web 2.0 adoption and the characteristics of the websites, in terms of aiding communication and interaction with customers in the Spanish pharmaceutical sector.

Details

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6123

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 May 2017

Michael R. Ransom and Aaron Phipps

In this paper, we examine the occupational distribution of individuals who hold bachelor degrees in particular fields in the United States using data from the various waves of the…

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the occupational distribution of individuals who hold bachelor degrees in particular fields in the United States using data from the various waves of the National Survey of College Graduates. We propose and calculate indices that describe two related aspects of the occupational distribution by major field of study: distinctiveness (how dissimilar are the occupations of a particular major when compared with all other majors) and variety (how varied are the occupations among those who hold that particular major). We discuss theoretical properties of these indices and statistical properties of their estimates. We show that the occupational variety has increased since 1993 for most major fields of study, particularly between the 1993 and 2003 waves of the survey. We explore reasons for this broadening of the occupation distribution. We find that this has not led to an increase in reported mismatch between degree and occupation.

Details

Skill Mismatch in Labor Markets
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-377-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2021

Trudi Aspden, Munyaradzi Marowa, Rhys Ponton and Shane Scahill

The New Zealand Pharmacy Action Plan 2016–20 acknowledges the young, highly qualified pharmacist workforce, and seeks to address pharmacist underutilisation in the wider health…

Abstract

Purpose

The New Zealand Pharmacy Action Plan 2016–20 acknowledges the young, highly qualified pharmacist workforce, and seeks to address pharmacist underutilisation in the wider health setting. Anecdotal evidence suggests many recently qualified pharmacists are dissatisfied with the profession. Therefore, those completing BPharm programs after 2002, who had left or were seriously considering leaving the New Zealand pharmacy profession, were invited to comment on future-focused pharmacy documents, and the current direction of pharmacy in New Zealand.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was open December 2018 to February 2019. Recruitment occurred via e-mail lists of universities and professional organisations, print and social media, and word-of-mouth. Free-text responses were thematically analysed using a general inductive approach.

Findings

From the 328 analysable surveys received, 172 respondents commented on the documents and/or direction of the pharmacy profession. Views were mixed. Overarching document-related themes were positive direction, but concern over achievability, the lack of funding details, lack of implementation, their benefits for pharmacists and the public, and ability to bring about change and secure a future for the profession. Overall pharmacy was considered an unattractive profession needing to change.

Originality/value

This study highlights dissatisfied recent BPharm graduates agree with the vision in the documents but do not see progress towards achieving the vision occurring, leading to frustration and exit in some cases. Policymakers should be aware of these views as considerable resource goes into their development.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 March 2023

Kostas Skliamis

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it investigates the characteristics of Hanfparade 2022 – the biggest prolegalization festival in Germany – and its visitors, as well…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it investigates the characteristics of Hanfparade 2022 – the biggest prolegalization festival in Germany – and its visitors, as well as the main reason for participation in Hanfparade. Findings are compared to those from Hanfparade 2016 to explore whether the main reason for festival attendance has changed since the legalization of medical cannabis in 2017 and since the announcement of plans for cannabis legalization. Second, this paper assesses Hanfparade participants’ views on cannabis legalization in Germany, in particular their opinions on and their preferences for retail supply options.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a replication of a research conducted in 2016 at the same festival in Berlin, with a slightly adapted questionnaire. In this study, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods was used: observation at the festival, interviews before and after the festival with the organizer and a survey among festival attendees (n = 183).

Findings

Protest still looks relevant for the participants at Hanfparade, and the announcement of plans for legalization does not seem to downgrade this feeling. The participants have positive opinions about self-supply through home cultivation, noncommercial supply through Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) and commercial supply through stores similar to Dutch coffee shops. However, positive opinions do not necessarily reflect a personal preference, e.g. CSCs were very low in personal preferences. The options of home cultivation and CSCs were more popular among daily users.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the ongoing debate in Germany, focusing on views of cannabis users.

Details

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2015

Timothy Lee Keiningham, Bruce Cooil, Edward C Malthouse, Bart Lariviere, Alexander Buoye, Lerzan Aksoy and Arne De Keyser

There is general agreement among researchers and practitioners that satisfaction is relative to competitive alternatives. Nonetheless, researchers and managers have not treated…

3263

Abstract

Purpose

There is general agreement among researchers and practitioners that satisfaction is relative to competitive alternatives. Nonetheless, researchers and managers have not treated satisfaction as a relative construct. The result has been weak relationships between satisfaction and share of wallet in the literature, and challenges by managers as to whether satisfaction is a useful predictor of customer behavior and business outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the best approach for linking satisfaction to share of wallet.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from 79,543 consumers who provided 258,743 observations regarding the brands that they use (over 650 brands) covering 20 industries from 15 countries, various models such as the Wallet Allocation Rule (WAR), Zipf-AE, and Zipf-PM, truncated geometric model, generalization of the WAR and hierarchical regression models are compared to each other.

Findings

The results indicate that the relationship between satisfaction and share of wallet is primarily driven by the relative fulfillment customers perceive from the various brands that they use (as gauged by their relative ranked satisfaction level), and not the absolute level of satisfaction.

Practical implications

The findings provide practical insight into several easy-to-use approaches that researchers and managers can apply to improve the strength of the relationship between satisfaction and share of wallet.

Originality/value

This research provides support to the small number of studies that point to the superiority of using relative metrics, and encourages the adoption of relative satisfaction metrics by the academic community.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 8 February 2023

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…

1969

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.

Details

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2019

Jianshu Wang and Bo Zhang

Based on several important environmental protection and information disclosure policies that have been issued in China, the purpose of this paper is to test the relationship…

Abstract

Purpose

Based on several important environmental protection and information disclosure policies that have been issued in China, the purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between characteristics and the environmental information disclosure quality of sample companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The OLS regression analysis is selected for this research which takes China’s heavy pollution companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2016 as samples.

Findings

The quality of these environmental information disclosures needs to be strengthened, and while the quality of the disclosures among the companies examined improved significantly in 2016 compared with 2015, there are still high variations in quality from industry to industry. In addition, the scale of company is most closely correlated to the quality of environmental information disclosure and the economic situation of the enterprises is the next. Other factors affecting the disclosure quality include in order the degree of local economic development the scale of the state-owned shares and the independent directors. Listed years and equity restriction show a positive correlation but not significant in statistics.

Originality/value

The research will assist administrative organizations to allocate governance sources effectively, plan governance investment as a whole, and improve the overall level of the disclosure of environmental information while strengthening the governance efficiency and effectiveness, according to the correlation and degree between the company characteristics and environmental information disclosure quality.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2020

Md. Atikuzzaman and Md. Anwarul Islam

The purpose of this study is to measure the perceptions and use of cloud services by the students of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The specific objective of this study is…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure the perceptions and use of cloud services by the students of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The specific objective of this study is to know what perceptions students have about cloud services, why and how they use cloud for academic activities.

Design/methodology/approach

For understanding the use of cloud services among the students of Dhaka University, a quantitative survey was carried out to collect data. Printed questionnaires were distributed among the students in different departments and university library. Both open- and close-ended questions were included in the questionnaire. A total of 329 students responded in this survey and the response rate was 85.5%. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Findings

Findings revealed that students are generally aware of cloud services and majority of the respondents use cloud for different purposes. Students used cloud for storage, back up and collaboration purposes and some of Google features are widely used by majority of the students for academic purposes.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first time an effort has been made to measure the use of cloud services among the students of University of Dhaka. This study will help to raise cloud service awareness among the students and encourage the authorities to adopt appropriate strategies and policies to resolve cloud adoption in university setting. Specially, Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning of Dhaka University can take some initiatives in this case.

Details

Digital Library Perspectives, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5816

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2021

Wei-Tsong Wang and Ying-Lien Lin

This study aimed to examine whether the use of wiki-systems in healthcare internship courses that adopt a problem-based learning approach may have significant influences on the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to examine whether the use of wiki-systems in healthcare internship courses that adopt a problem-based learning approach may have significant influences on the relationships among students' relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior and perceived problem-based learning performance in the context of higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quasi-experimental approach. Cross-sectional survey data collected from 187 undergraduate students in Taiwan were used for the data analysis procedures. The students in the experimental group used wiki-systems and a set of information and communication technologies as learning tools, while the students in the control group used the same set of information and communication technologies only. The statistical techniques of independent t-tests and component-based structural equation modeling were adopted to examine the research hypotheses.

Findings

The results reveal significant differences between the experimental and control groups concerning relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior, independent study and active participation. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding group interaction and reasoning skills. Additionally, all the hypotheses regarding the relationships among constructs were supported.

Originality/value

Wiki-systems have unique features that can enhance the effectiveness of problem-based learning activities. This study is among the first to investigate how wiki-systems may affect the effectiveness of problem-based learning processes by investigating the relationships among healthcare students' relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior and perceived problem-based learning performance. The results of this study can advance the current understanding of the effectiveness of wiki-based problem-based learning in the context of healthcare education.

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2017

Baofeng Huo, Qianwen Wang, Xiande Zhao and Zhongsheng Hua

The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of two integrative mechanisms of third-party logistics (3PL) integration (i.e. information sharing and process coordination…

1190

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of two integrative mechanisms of third-party logistics (3PL) integration (i.e. information sharing and process coordination) between users and providers on relationship satisfaction, and further explores how partnership-surrounding (e.g. legal unprotectability) and partnership-specific barriers (e.g. measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty) influence 3PL integration in the context of Chinese 3PL practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from 247 3PL users in China, this study uses the structural equation modeling method to empirically examine the relationship among partnership-surrounding/specific barriers, 3PL integration and relationship satisfaction.

Findings

The results show that information sharing has no significant effect on relationship satisfaction, while process coordination has a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and partially mediates the relationship between information sharing and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, as partnership-specific barrier, measurement difficulty and cooperation difficulty are negatively related to information sharing and process coordination. Surprisingly, as partnership-surrounding barrier, legal unprotectability is not significantly related to information sharing but is positively related to process coordination.

Originality/value

As a comprehensive study on 3PL user-provider relationship in China, this study extends existing 3PL literature by providing evidence about the importance of 3PL integration and different types of barriers to 3PL integration, also providing managerial implications for 3PL users, providers, law and regulation makers about how to better implement 3PL integration in China.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 117 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 4000