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Numerous attempts at installing six sigma (SS) have faced challenges and fallen short of the desired success. Thus, it becomes vital to identify the critical factors and characteristics that play a pivotal role in achieving successful adoption. In this study the research has aimed to highlight that a considerable number of corporate SS initiatives, around 60%, fail primarily due to the improper incorporation of essential elements and flawed assumptions.

To validate the influence of critical success factors (CSFs) on SS accomplishment, the study employed a research design combining exploratory and mixed-methods approaches. A Likert-scale questionnaire was utilized, and a simple random sampling method was employed to gather data. Out of the 2,325 potential participants approached, 573 responses were received, primarily from Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The analysis focused on 260 completed questionnaires and statistical methods including structural equation modeling (SEM), exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were utilized for data analysis.

The study acknowledged four essential components of CSFs that are imperative for sustaining the success of SS: (1) Competence of belt System employees; (2) Project management skills; (3) Organizational economic capability and (4) Leadership commitment and engagement. These factors were identified as significant contributors to the maintenance of SS’s success.

The practical implications of this research imply that institutions, practitioners, and researchers can utilize the four identified factors to foster the sustainable deployment of SS initiatives. By incorporating these factors, organizations can enhance the effectiveness and longevity of their SS practices.

The investigation's originality lies in its contribution to assessing CSFs in SS deployment within the European automobile industry, utilizing a mixed-methods research design supplemented by descriptive statistics.

Numerous attempts at installing Six Sigma (SS) have faced challenges and fallen short of the desired success. Thus, it becomes vital to identify the critical factors and characteristics that play a pivotal role in achieving successful adoption. Research has highlighted that a considerable number of corporate Six Sigma initiatives, around 60%, fail primarily due to the improper incorporation of essential elements and flawed assumptions.

To validate the influence of CSFs on Six Sigma accomplishment, the study employed a research design combining exploratory and mixed-methods approaches. The analysis focused on 260 completed questionnaires, and statistical methods including SEM, EFA, and CFA were utilized for data analysis.

The study acknowledged four essential components of CSFs that are imperative for sustaining the success of Six Sigma (SS): (1) Competence of Belt System employees; (2) Project management skills; (3) Organizational economic capability; and (4) Leadership commitment and engagement. These factors were identified as significant contributors to the maintenance of Six Sigma’s success.

The practical implications of this research imply that institutions, practitioners, and researchers can utilize the four identified factors to foster the sustainable deployment of SS initiatives. By incorporating these factors, organizations can enhance the effectiveness and longevity of their Six Sigma practices.

The investigation’s originality lies in its contribution to assessing critical success factors in Six Sigma deployment within the European automobile industry, utilizing a mixed-methods research design supplemented by descriptive statistics.

This chapter provides a mapping of the so-called couple apps, i.e. apps that generically promise to promote connectivity in several areas among the members of a romantic relationship. We focus on Apple's App Store offering and analyse all the available relevant apps: their year of release, the different categories, the apps' developers, the apps' presentation through its icon and description and the profile creation process. If couples' communication and behaviours have an impact on romantic relationship satisfaction and users' well-being, we question how such apps are characterised. We reveal that these apps try to respond to couples' needs related to several romantic relationship topics through a variety of approaches and methods. Nevertheless, such apps are governed by private companies with a commercial objective and through their design and affordances promote behaviours of a one-size-fits-all approach. As such, they seem not to promote diversity or spontaneity. Among these apps, heteronormativity regarding gender, roles, sexual orientation and romantic relationship format is to be assumed as the norm. As an effect, traditional views of what a couple is and related behaviours are transmitted, impacting how apps are understood and appropriated by users and having consequences on practices.

Police stress is a critical concern for public safety agencies. This study proposes a research model to examine the relationship between police operational stress and affective commitment, mediated by psychological safety.

A survey was developed and administered to law enforcement professionals from two large police agencies in a Midwestern US state and Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.

The results suggest the research model applies similarly in both countries. A significant relationship between police operational stress and lower affective commitment was found. Psychological safety mediated this effect, suggesting its importance in mitigating stress. The focus on psychological safety offers valuable insights for understanding officer well-being in high-stress environments.

Qualitative methods might be used to help better understand the contextual elements around police stress and its consequences. Results indicate that supportive work environments that foster psychological safety can be a powerful tool to buffer the negative effects of stress and promote officer well-being and retention.

A comprehensive understanding of the psychological factors influencing officer morale and engagement is essential for developing interventions to enhance law enforcement effectiveness. Psychological safety helps create a supportive work environment, reducing stress’s negative impact on officer commitment.

This study makes a distinctive contribution by examining the mediating role of psychological safety in the relationship between operational stress and affective commitment among police officers in two countries. Building upon prior research that has examined the impact of stress and psychological safety, this study is among the first to investigate how psychological safety specifically mitigates the negative impact of stress on officer commitment.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the studies regarding the influential elements that contribute to the sustainability of continuous improvement (CI) programs. It aims to define the notion of sustainability and to identify and explore the influential elements that could encompass such a definition.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to categorise various interpretations of sustainability into distinct dimensions. This approach also identified 16 influential elements that have the potential to sustain CI programs. A self-assessment survey involving 80 French companies was used to evaluate these elements through the Plan, Do, Check, Act framework. In addition, a maturity-benchmark model is introduced to help evaluate the degree of maturity of the most influential elements of CI programs.

The results highlight the inherent paradox in sustaining CI programs, where robustness and adaptability must coexist. The study identifies a relationship between influential elements and organisational maturity levels, offering actionable insights to help companies advance through these stages. Human-centered elements, such as leadership and employee engagement, have the greatest impact on CI sustainability, emphasizing the importance of fostering a people-centric culture. Conversely, operational elements are less influential, suggesting a need for balanced strategies.

This paper discusses a topic that is rarely addressed, namely, how to sustain CI programs within a CI framework. This paper provides a novel synthesis of influential elements and their relationships to organisational maturity within a CI framework, challenging traditional static views of sustainability. By emphasizing the dynamic and evolving nature of CI programs, it bridges theory and practice, offering organisations a practical model for continuous reassessment and adaptation.

This study aims to comprehensively identify and categorize key indicators for halal-sustainable supply chain management (HSSCM) tailored to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food sector, emphasizing economic, environmental and social sustainability.

This paper uses integrated approaches such as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory, interpretative structural model and MICMAC to investigate the interconnectedness between the economic, environmental, social and halal-specific criteria in the food sector for SMEs.

This study highlights 16 crucial indicators for HSSCM in SMEs within the food industry, organized into economic, environmental, social and halal-specific categories. The total relationship matrix shows important interdependencies between indicators, like operational costs and logistics, underscoring the necessity for a comprehensive management approach. Additionally, the cause-effect diagram and structural self-interaction matrix (SSIM) illustrate the hierarchical relationships among these indicators, aiding in strategic planning and decision-making.

This study integrates a broader range of indicators and reveals complex dependencies critical for managing halal supply chains effectively. This study also offers a robust framework for integrating halal practices and sustainability, supporting SMEs in adopting ethical, environmentally conscious business strategies.

This study aims to develop a scale using item response theory (IRT) to assess the entrepreneurial potential for digital transformation in Brazilian companies.

IRT was used to develop a scale for entrepreneurial potential in digital transformation. This scale was constructed from a questionnaire, covering the domains: (1) data-driven culture, (2) openness to knowledge and adaptation to change, (3) connectivity and (4) creativity and innovation. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 216 entrepreneurs from small business enterprise (SBE) and startups in Brazil.

A questionnaire was developed and validated to assess the latent trait of entrepreneurial potential within the context of digital transformation. Additionally, a three-level scale of entrepreneurial potential was established: low (level I), intermediate (level II) and high (level III). The interpretation of this scale provides valuable information on which domains, such as data-driven culture, innovation, among others, can be enhanced to improve the potential of entrepreneur for digital transformation.

The sample was limited to small Brazilian companies and startups, which may restrict the applicability of the results to other business or geographic contexts. Additionally, the items evaluated in the scale may not fully capture all nuances of entrepreneurial potential for digital transformation. Future research should consider including new items that cover a broader range of entrepreneurial characteristics.

The findings of this study have significant practical implications for the Brazilian entrepreneurial ecosystem, the entrepreneurs themselves, public policy makers and entrepreneurship support institutions. These results can guide digital transformation strategies, adjustments in public policies and investments, thereby promoting economic development and innovation in the country.

This study stands out for using IRT as a robust methodology to develop an interpretative scale to assess entrepreneurial potential in the digital transformation era. By focusing on Brazilian SBEs and startups, the study offers an original contribution on how these companies are handling the challenges of digitalization and identifying areas for improvement to further promote digital transformation among entrepreneurs.