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1 – 10 of 340Lists proposed regulations for governing indoor air quality (IAQ)in the USA. Outlines various health problems caused by IAQ, making adistinction between building‐related illness…
Abstract
Lists proposed regulations for governing indoor air quality (IAQ) in the USA. Outlines various health problems caused by IAQ, making a distinction between building‐related illness and sick building syndrome. Discusses factors which affect IAQ.
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Ehsan Mousavi, Vivek Sharma, Dhaval Gajjar and Shervin Shoai Naini
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the control cubes for dust control in health-care facilities. Research shows that more than 80% of pathogenic agents…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the control cubes for dust control in health-care facilities. Research shows that more than 80% of pathogenic agents in hospitals are spread into the air, where they either remain airborne or deposit on the surface. At the same time, renovation and repair activities, including regular maintenance, are a necessity in active health-care facilities and a multitude of studies have documented their impact on indoor air quality. The dust that is generated by construction activities may potentially carry pathogenic agents, varying from coarse particles (≤10 µm, PM10) to fine particles (≤2.5 µm, PM2.5), including airborne bacteria, and fungal spores linked to high patient mortality in immune-compromised patients.
Design/methodology/approach
This study measures the impact and effectiveness of one such preventative measure, namely, the control cube (CC), on air quality during renovation and repair. CC is a temporary structure, typically made from stainless steel, around the local repair zone to minimize the spread of dust and potential microorganisms. The current paper presents a comparative analysis to identify the effectiveness of a CC equipped with the high-efficiency particulate filtration (HEPA) filter in a hospital setting by simulating construction renovation and repair work.
Findings
A baseline was established to measure the effectiveness of CCs and the impact of negative pressure on the indoor air quality in a hospital during simulated renovation work. Results showed that CCs are very effective in minimizing the spread of dust due to construction activities in the hospital. However, it is imperative to ensure that the air inside the CC is cleaned via filtration.
Originality/value
CCs are very effective, and this paper investigates the best approach for facility managers to implement this strategy.
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FOR SOME YEARS there has been a tendency for the number of industrial workers to decline and that of clerical staffs to increase.
‘A MAP OF THE WORLD that does not include Utopia is not worth glancing at’ wrote Oscar Wilde. ‘It leaves out the one country at which humanity is always landing. And when it lands…
Abstract
‘A MAP OF THE WORLD that does not include Utopia is not worth glancing at’ wrote Oscar Wilde. ‘It leaves out the one country at which humanity is always landing. And when it lands there it looks out and, seeing a better country, sets sail again. Progress is the realization of Utopias’.
Gregory Thrasher, Marcus Dickson, Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson and Anwar Najor-Durack
This study aims to integrate social identity and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory to investigate the processes and boundary conditions around LMX–performance relationships…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to integrate social identity and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory to investigate the processes and boundary conditions around LMX–performance relationships. Through the application of two leader–follower subsamples, the authors test three main objectives. What is the effect of multi-dimensional dyad value-congruence on LMX and how does congruence on these dimensions differentially influence leader and follower perceptions of LMX? In a subsample of followers including supervisor-rated performance, the authors develop a model that examines how individual values moderate the effect of dyad contact on supervisor-rated job performance mediated by follower LMX.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants for this study include graduate and undergraduate social work students who were taking part in a one-year work placement within a social work organization as well as their immediate supervisors. Across a four-month period, participants filled out measures of their supervisor contact, work values and LMX. Supervisor-rated performance was also included.
Findings
Findings from the dyadic subsample show that growth value congruence is a predictor of follower-rated LMX, with value congruence across all values having no effect on leader-rated LMX. Within a subsample of followers, findings suggest that follower-rated LMX mediates the relationship between dyad contact and supervisor-rated job performance, with individual work values moderating this effect.
Originality/value
The current study offers several contributions to the literature on LMX and job performance. First, in this study’s dyadic leader–follower sample, the authors extend propositions made by social identity theory around value congruence and LMX by offering support for a multi-dimensional and multi-target approach to questions of values and LMX. Second, within this study’s larger non-dyadic sample, the authors offer insights into previous conflicting findings around dyad contact and LMX, by offering support for the indirect effect of dyad contact on supervisor-rated performance via LMX. Third, within this second sample, the authors also extend the literature on values and LMX to show that the process through which LMX influences job performance is dependent on follower values.
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Pedro Gaudencio, Arnaldo Coelho and Neuza Ribeiro
The study aims to show how organisational corporate social responsibility (CSR) can influence workers’ attitudes, especially in terms of turnover intentions (TI). A second aim is…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to show how organisational corporate social responsibility (CSR) can influence workers’ attitudes, especially in terms of turnover intentions (TI). A second aim is to explore the social exchange process that may underlie this relationship, by examining the mediating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) and the moderation role of perceived external prestige (PEP).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use structural equation modelling based on survey data obtained from 315 Portuguese individuals.
Findings
The findings show that the perceptions of CSR predict TI through the mediating role of LMX. Seemingly PEP appears to be moderating the relationship between TI and its determinants. These findings suggest that managers should implement CSR practices because these can contribute towards reducing TI.
Originality/value
This study enriches the existing knowledge about relationships in organisational contexts and responds to the need of understanding the underlying mechanisms linking CSR with workers’ organisational outcomes, by analysing CSR practices in a holistic stakeholder perspective.
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Peter P. Chhim, Toni M. Somers and Ratna Babu Chinnam
This study provides insight into factors surrounding knowledge reuse through electronic knowledge repositories (EKR).
Abstract
Purpose
This study provides insight into factors surrounding knowledge reuse through electronic knowledge repositories (EKR).
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-theoretical framework is proposed that views knowledge reuse from both socio-technical and expectation confirmation model perspectives. Survey data are used to test associated hypotheses derived from the literature.
Findings
Results confirm the explanatory power of this approach to predict greater knowledge reuse and greater continuance of use.
Research limitations/implications
Results suggest social and technical factors modelled interdependently affect knowledge reuse and lead to greater performance, knowledge sharing and continuance of use.
Practical implications
Practical and managerial recommendations for enhancing enablers of knowledge reuse via EKR are offered.
Originality/value
This study models enablers to knowledge reuse and resulting downstream effects on organizational outcomes. It provides an original framework for studying knowledge reuse within an EKR or knowledge management system perspective.
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Heidi K. Gardner and Melissa Valentine
This chapter examines collaboration among highly autonomous, powerful, professional peers to explain why the benefits of teamwork that scholars typically find in traditional teams…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter examines collaboration among highly autonomous, powerful, professional peers to explain why the benefits of teamwork that scholars typically find in traditional teams may not apply. The chapter analyzes the perspectives of individual professionals to show that, in this setting, collaboration is often seen as more costly than rewarding for the individuals involved. It presents a conceptual framework exploring this paradox and suggests directions for future research to elaborate an underlying theory.
Methodology/approach
The chapter draws on extensive qualitative data from surveys and interviews in three professional service firms, including a top 100 global law firm, a boutique executive search firm, and a large, US-based commercial advisory firm. Findings are married integrated with organizational theory to develop testable propositions for future research.
Findings
Because senior professionals collaborate with peers who have the autonomy to choose to work collectively or independently, power and authority are not means to create a team or make it effective. Findings show how professionals interpret the relative costs and benefits of collaboration, and suggest that in most cases, senior professionals will not attempt it or give it up before collaborations can reap important benefits. Thus, short-term costs prevent opportunities to experience longer term benefits for many professionals. Yet, some professionals have figured out how to use “instrumental collaboration” to shift the balance in their favor. The chapter’s conceptual framework uses a longitudinal perspective to resolve this seeming paradox.
Research implications
The chapter presents a nascent theory of instrumental collaboration, including five testable hypotheses, an emergent conceptual framework, and suggestions for specific future research directions.
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