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This work aims to integrate the concepts generated by a systematic literature review on patient flows in emergency departments (ED) to serve as a basis for developing a generic process model for ED.

A systematic literature review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines, considering Lean Healthcare interventions describing ED patients’ flows. The initial search found 141 articles and 18 were included in the systematic analysis. The literature analysis served as the basis for developing a generic process model for ED.

ED processes have been represented using different notations, such as value stream mapping and workflows. The main alternatives for starting events are arrival by ambulance or walk-in. The Manchester Triage Scale (MTS) was the most common protocol referred to in the literature. The most common end events are admission to a hospital, transfer to other facilities or admission to an ambulatory care system. The literature analysis allowed the development of a generic process model for emergency departments. Nevertheless, considering that several factors influence the process of an emergency department, such as pathologies, infrastructure, available teams and local regulations, modelling alternatives and challenges in each step of the process should be analysed according to the local context.

A generic business process model was developed using BPMN that can be used by practitioners and researchers to reduce the effort in the initial stages of design or improvement projects. Moreover, it’s a first step toward the development of generalizable and replicable solutions for emergency departments.

The purpose of this paper is to guide commercial and policy action to improve smallholder Indonesian cattle systems.

A survey (n = 304) of smallholder cattle farms in six villages in two districts of Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were employed to classify cattle farms into business models according to observed innovation. Differences between business models were identified using a one-way-analysis-of-variance (ANOVA).

Four business models were identified, representing profiles of innovation adoption and elements of business models, socio-economic characteristics, farming system and performance variables including revenue, cost and profit. The business models display a range of orientation to buyer requirements and a range of approaches to production, indicating a need to promote in a variety of ways the change from supply-push to demand-pull in the cattle value chain.

This study offers guidance on how business models might be strengthened over time, by using simple indicators of performance and the models' linkage to innovation in the context of each business model. The business models developed here, and refinements to them based on localised conditions, offer a targeted and accelerated pathway to improved performance in smallholder systems.

This study proposed a novel approach to the recognition of business models based on innovation.

The spread of conspiracy theories and associated vaccine rejection within the wellness industry and spiritual communities during the COVID-19 pandemic attracted significant media and scholarly attention. Informed by the ‘(Con)spirituality, Science and COVID-19 in Australia’ project (2020–2021) (Halafoff, Marriott, et al., 2022; Halafoff, Weng, et al., 2022; Roginski & Rocha, 2022), funded by the Templeton Religion Trust and awarded via the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (INSBS), this chapter reports on findings pertaining to holistic spirituality, purity doctrines and wellness, arising from a parallel pilot study on ‘Spirituality and Wellness (SWell) in Australia’ (2021). Both studies have revealed a ‘spiritual complexity’ in Australia and internationally, and the authors report on this here, focussed particularly on spirituality’s quest for pristine bodies, and on spiritual ‘moral communities’ (Ganga Kieffer, 2023) exceptionalism and relationality.

This qualitative study investigated the relationship between beauty standards and identity in the United States from the perspective of 20 self-identified millennial Black women. During semi-structured virtual interviews, participants defined Black, American, and millennial beauty standards distinctly. American beauty was associated with Eurocentrism and mainstream media representation. Interpretations of a millennial beauty standard were aligned with perceptions of the generation as tolerant and politically conscious. Black American beauty standards embraced the range of hair textures and skin tones present in the African diaspora. While participants were cognizant of the different beauty ideals present, their interaction with beauty standards was ambivalent. Interviewees found beauty knowledge accessible through social media. However, they remain confined to a restrictive beauty standard due to workplace expectations around professionalism. Participants negotiated where and when to express their intracultural beauty ideals but participated in the beauty industry through processes of learning how to care for their hair in its natural state. Even though they have autonomy and flexibility in expressing their cultural styles, personal and professional repercussions are still plausible. Future studies can expand on these findings by exploring perceptions of American beauty standards from a different generation, region, or identity.

While prevalence and value of nonclinical hospital workers, like quality or education professionals, increase, their work engagement is understudied. Work engagement of nonclinical and clinical hospital workers is critical considering the pressure of major challenges in healthcare. The pandemic was a natural experiment for this.

We conducted an observational survey study among all nonclinical and clinical hospital workers of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital, the Netherlands. In an employee satisfaction survey, we measured work engagement under acute pressure (just after the first COVID-19 wave in July 2020) and chronic pressure (within the second COVID-19 wave in November 2020) and to what extent psychological demands and co-worker support were related to work engagement.

For all hospital staff, “average” levels of work engagement were found under acute (response rate 53.9%, mean 3.94(0.81)) and chronic pressure (response rate 34.0%, mean 3.88(0.95)). Under acute pressure, nonclinical hospital workers scored lower on the subcategory dedication than clinical workers (mean 4.28(1.05) vs mean 4.45(0.99), p < 0.001). Under chronic pressure, no differences were found. For both nonclinical and clinical hospital workers, co-worker support was positively related to overall work engagement (beta 0.309 and 0.372). Psychological demands were positively related to work engagement for nonclinical hospital workers (beta 0.130), whereas in clinical hospital workers, psychological demands were negatively related to vigor (beta −0.082).

Hospitals face times of pressure. Fostering co-worker support under pressure may be vital for hospital management.

Work engagement of nonclinical hospital workers is understudied.

Despite being a fundamental concept, the field of supply chain management (SCM) exhibits a significant lack of consensus regarding the definition of supply chain flows (SCFLOWS). Additionally, there has been an over-reliance on three flows – material, information and finance – while various other flows crucial to SCM performance have been overlooked. Hence, the purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to explore the multi-dimensional nature of SCFLOWS and (2) to identify additional flows beyond the commonly acknowledged ones that are vital for SCM performance.

This study employs various qualitative methods as part of the abduction process. The methods include in-depth interviews with logistics professionals, a Delphi study involving SCM scholars and a focus group comprising airline industry practitioners.

Seven SCFLOWS dimensions are identified and presented as SCFLOWS framework. Also, two additional flows, i.e. human and capital equipment, are proposed as vital to SCM performance.

This is the first study to introduce SCFLOWS framework to achieve consensus in the field. By introducing two additional flows, it proposes extending the SCFLOWS boundary to include various flows overlooked previously but pertinent to SCM performance. The SCFLOWS framework serves as a systematic guide to validate additional flows and represents an important step towards building SCM theory.

The purpose of this study is to revisit the conventional wisdom about a key contribution [i.e. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis] in the field of strategic management. The societal context and the role of academics, consultants and executives is taken into account in the emergence of SWOT analysis during the 1960–1980 period as a pivotal development within the broader context of the satisfactory, opportunities, faults, threats (SOFT) approach. The authors report on both the content and the approach, so that other scholars seeking to invigorate indigenous theories and/or underreported strategy practices will thrive.

Applying a historiographic approach, the authors introduce an evidence-based methodology for interpreting historical sources. This methodology incorporates source criticism, triangulation and hermeneutical interpretation, drawing upon insights from robust evidence through three iterative stages.

The underreporting of the SOFT approach/SWOT analysis can be attributed to several factors, including strategy tools being integrated into planning frameworks rather than being published as standalone materials; restricted circulation of crucial long-range planning service/theory and practice of planning reports due to copyright limitations; restricted access to the Stanford Research Institute Planning Library in California; and the enduring popularity of SOFT and SWOT variations, driven in part by their memorable acronyms.

In the spirit of a renaissance in strategic planning research, the authors unveil novel theoretical and social connections in the emergence of SWOT analysis by combining evidence from both theory and practice and delving into previously unexplored areas.

Caution is advised for scholars who examine the discrete time frame of 1960–1980 through mere bibliometric techniques. This study underscores the risks associated with gathering incomplete and/or inaccurate data, emphasizing the importance of triangulating evidence beyond scholarly databases. The paradigm shift of strategic management research due to the advent of large language models poses new challenges and the risk of conserving and perpetuating academic urban legends, myths and lies if training data is not adequately curated.