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1 – 9 of 9Cecilia Mercieca, Sara Cassar and Andrew A. Borg
This paper assesses the patients' healthcare information needs and expectations when they attend a rheumatology outpatient clinic. It proposes that obtaining the patients'…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper assesses the patients' healthcare information needs and expectations when they attend a rheumatology outpatient clinic. It proposes that obtaining the patients' perspectives about the services they use is an essential service-development tool. The aim of this paper is to expand the current domains used to evaluate these perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is an exploratory study, looking at quality assessment and improvement based on Donabedian's quality model in a rheumatology outpatient setting. A structured interview schedule addressing care pathways was used and 70 consecutive patients were recruited.
Findings
The article provides insights about how relevant change can be brought about when service development is contemplated. It suggests that patients are important stakeholders in the ongoing service development process.
Research limitations/implications
Because rheumatological conditions tend to be chronic and require long-term follow-up, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test propositions in different clinical settings.
Practical implications
The article highlights healthcare delivery areas that are not meeting patient expectations. Some recommendations (such as informing waiting patients regularly about any delays) require minimal additional resources for successful implementation. Service providers need to obtain the patients' healthcare perspectives to ensure that services are built around their needs.
Originality/value
This article fulfils an identified need to study how patients perceive service quality.
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Tiago Ratinho and Saras D. Sarasvathy
Entrepreneurial action under uncertainty has captured the interest of scholars and practitioners alike. However, this growing body of research has yet to connect entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial action under uncertainty has captured the interest of scholars and practitioners alike. However, this growing body of research has yet to connect entrepreneurial action with actual actions of entrepreneurs. We combine insights from effectuation theory and the psychology of entrepreneurship to investigate drivers of entrepreneurial actions involved in starting and running ventures, particularly optimism, self-efficacy and the use of causal and effectual logics.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a unique mixed-method approach combining a survey with experience sampling data. After measuring demographics, preference for effectual or causal logics and psychological variables, the 197 US entrepreneurs sampled entrepreneurs logged their daily actions in the form of asks during 60 consecutive days.
Findings
Results suggest that self-efficacy and causal logics are key drivers of entrepreneurial actions, while optimism serves as a deterrent. Interestingly, the impact of self-efficacy on actions is moderated by the entrepreneur’s experience level, measured both in years and past asking experience.
Originality/value
The potential of the ask as the basic mechanism for entrepreneurial actions is explored. Based on the findings, the authors offer new and fertile insights by linking psychological traits to entrepreneurial actions, causal and effectual logics and entrepreneurial expertise development.
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Vincenzo Cavaliere, Sara Sassetti and Sara Lombardi
Building on the importance of students becoming entrepreneurs of their own career, this research aimed to achieve two main objectives: to empirically test the sequential…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the importance of students becoming entrepreneurs of their own career, this research aimed to achieve two main objectives: to empirically test the sequential relationship between the three dimensions of entrepreneurial alertness as proposed by Tang et al. (2012) and to link such dimensions to self-perceived employability.
Design/methodology/approach
A web survey data were obtained among a sample of 404 universities students. The test of the theoretical framework was performed by running a structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
The results show that the three entrepreneurial alertness components are sequentially related. Moreover, the results demonstrated that among the examined dimensions, only evaluation and judgment had a direct effect on self-perceived employability, with the remaining dimensions having an indirect influence.
Originality/value
There has been rarely any previous empirical attempt at investigating a framework that consider the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes, such as alertness, on employability. The investigation of the entrepreneurial attitudes as antecedents of employability is particularly vital to graduates who will soon enter the labor market as “entrepreneurs of their own career”.
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Sara Quach, Scott K. Weaven, Park Thaichon, Debra Grace, Lorelle Frazer and James R. Brown
Framed within the theoretical domain of attribution theory, this study aims to investigate the antecedents of experienced regret following an entrepreneur’s business failure…
Abstract
Purpose
Framed within the theoretical domain of attribution theory, this study aims to investigate the antecedents of experienced regret following an entrepreneur’s business failure (defined as firm discontinuance, closure or bankruptcy) and the impact of regret on personal well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
The population of interest was business owners whose businesses had failed within the past five years. The data was collected from 319 failed entrepreneurs using an online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses presented in this study.
Findings
External attribution, including economic uncertainty and contract restrictions, was positively related to feelings of regret. Considering internal attribution, due diligence had a positive effect on regret whereas customer relationship development ability can reduce feelings of regret. Moreover, prevention-focused entrepreneurs were likely to experience higher levels of regret when engaging in extensive consideration in using information. Finally, regret had a detrimental effect on the entrepreneurs’ well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides fresh perspectives on experienced regret, a relatively unexplored emotion in the entrepreneurship literature. In the context of small business operations, the locus of attribution (associated with business failure) is the key influence on learning following failed business attempts.
Practical implications
This study extends current knowledge of regret in the context of entrepreneurial failure, which has a significant catalytic effect on employment and entrepreneurial mobility.
Originality/value
This research sheds light on how emotional responses are derived from an entrepreneur’s self-assessment of their performance and attribution of blame for failure.
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Social media use has increased in recent years, and businesses are looking to capitalize on the plethora of marketing opportunities afforded by this digital shift by paying…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media use has increased in recent years, and businesses are looking to capitalize on the plethora of marketing opportunities afforded by this digital shift by paying attention to user-generated content (UGC) posted on review websites. Leveraging UGC can help small businesses gain a competitive advantage over late-adopters. At the same time, there is evidence to suggest that small businesses do not have the time, resources or skill level to properly use social media to create a competitive advantage. This paper aims to explore how wine tourism businesses can analyze consumer feedback on online review websites to evaluate customer perceptions and expectations and generate more effective ways to improve customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative method of thematic analysis was used to map out consumer reviews online to assess service satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A total of 848 reviews were gathered and qualitatively analyzed from two online review websites (TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com) using open and axial coding and thematic analysis.
Findings
The results show that wine consumers are interested in the hedonic aspects of their experience, are most often attracted to wineries as a special outing and focus on factors such as scenery and atmosphere, service quality and products in their reviews. Hence, service and sales personnel have a key opportunity to capitalize on generating better service experiences through social media analysis.
Originality/value
The present study fills a gap by providing a more in-depth, qualitative exploration of the wine consumers’ psychology and experience, including factors such as atmosphere and special occasions. Furthermore, this study uses interpretive, manual coding to pick up on nuanced themes that are often missed by using automated qualitative analysis software or by looking at frequency counts in isolation.
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Tadeu F. Nogueira, Tommy H. Clausen and Andrew C. Corbett
Prior research has theorised that entrepreneurs use deliberate practice (DP) in the start-up process to improve their competences and achieve new venture success. However, does DP…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research has theorised that entrepreneurs use deliberate practice (DP) in the start-up process to improve their competences and achieve new venture success. However, does DP truly lead to an increase in entrepreneurial expertise? This article advances the understanding of DP for entrepreneurship scholars by answering the following question: to what extent does DP influence the formation of entrepreneurial expertise amongst business founders?
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a sample of founders of limited-liability firms. Data were collected mainly through a web-based survey designed specifically for this research. Regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between DP and entrepreneurial expertise amongst business founders.
Findings
The results show that DP is positively associated with entrepreneurial expertise, which provides us with an improved understanding of DP and expertise in the entrepreneurship context.
Originality/value
The article offers empirical evidence linking DP to the achievement of entrepreneurial expertise. Further, the article emphasises DP as key to experiential learning, representing a predominant mode by which entrepreneurs’ experiences are transformed into expertise. Finally, the article highlights the important role of learning through DP in opportunity development.
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Kujtim Hameli and Bujamin Bela
This study aims to examine the relationship between high commitment human resource management (HCHRM) practices and employee well-being in the food service industry, with a focus…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the relationship between high commitment human resource management (HCHRM) practices and employee well-being in the food service industry, with a focus on the mediating roles of job demands and psychological conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among 296 frontline employees in the food service industry, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS ver26.
Findings
The results showed that HCHRM practices do not directly affect employee well-being. However, psychological conditions play a crucial role in mediating the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being. Specifically, the psychological conditions of meaningfulness and availability significantly predicted work engagement and mediated the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being. On the other hand, job demands did not mediate the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being.
Research limitations/implications
Although the study addressed common method variance, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits the ability to infer causal relationships among variables. Future studies could adopt a longitudinal research design to investigate the causal relationships among variables. In addition, the study recommends that managers in the food service industry adopt HCHRM practices and provide necessary psychological conditions to promote employee well-being.
Originality/value
This study extends the current literature on HCHRM and employee well-being in the food service industry by providing new insights into the mediating role of psychological conditions. The findings suggest that HCHRM practices can indirectly promote employee well-being through the enhancement of psychological conditions. These insights could help managers in the food service industry to design effective HRM strategies that foster employee well-being and reduce turnover.
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