Highlights the female role in UK society and how it has changed in the twentieth century, with regard especially to equal rights and opportunities, legally protected by the Sex…
Abstract
Highlights the female role in UK society and how it has changed in the twentieth century, with regard especially to equal rights and opportunities, legally protected by the Sex Discrimination Act in 1975 and including the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Posits that female employment is the most obvious change this century and from 1961 to 1979 the total number of females working increased by 21/2 million. Compares the woman of the 1980s with her elders and states that she will spend more of her life working, have more money to spend, have fewer children and will have them later in life. Discusses in great detail many relevant factors regarding bank services as customers and employed. Uses results from group discussions as a sampling procedure – with five distinct groups represented. Concludes that the working female market comprises many segments, with varying needs and banks that recognize these needs should find the right strategies to employ here.
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While working in a rural district library system, the question of planning library/information services to meet the needs of the population was always of foremost importance…
Abstract
While working in a rural district library system, the question of planning library/information services to meet the needs of the population was always of foremost importance. Community profiles of the region had been conducted continuously for ten years, and during the eleventh year it was decided to survey the entire area in a methodical way to search for the information needs of the population. The purpose of the study was to identify information needs in a specific rural area in Israel in order to design a plan for library/information provision to meet those needs. The study consisted of a literature search of relevant material on information needs in rural areas and less developed countries and a multi‐level field survey in one specific rural area of Israel.
The main objective of this research was to measure the effects on sponsor recall1 at the soccer African Nations Cup (ANC) in Tunisia in 2004. This quantitative investigation used…
Abstract
The main objective of this research was to measure the effects on sponsor recall1 at the soccer African Nations Cup (ANC) in Tunisia in 2004. This quantitative investigation used a sample of 308 people who watched the event on television and/or in the stadium. The research demonstrates that there was indeed an effect by type of audience and other variables.
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This study aims to examine the interplay between ownership structure (organisational form) and management control system (MCS) design as governance structures within Australian…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the interplay between ownership structure (organisational form) and management control system (MCS) design as governance structures within Australian primary health-care organisations (PHOs), seeking support for the suggestion that professional services will be most efficiently and effectively provided in organisations that have internal governance that is matched to their ownership form.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is based on a series of in-depth investigations into the MCS choices made by seven Australian PHOs. Arguing that the degree of information impactedness is inversely related to the level of general practitioner (GP) ownership, organisations where more than 50 per cent of the GPs working within the practice are owners are classified as “high ownership” (“low information impactedness”). The adoption by high-performing organisations of their predicted MCS archetype according to Speklé’s development is then interpreted as representing empirical support.
Findings
The findings provide uniform support for the importance of the match between ownership structure and internal governance mechanisms. As predicted, the two high-performing, high member-owned organisations reported MCS resembling exploratory archetypes, the three high-performing, low member-owned organisations reported MCS consistent with a boundary archetype and the two low-performing organisations reported little emphasis on any control.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides evidence of the importance of the appropriate match between ownership structure and internal governance mechanisms for PHOs.
Practical implications
This study has potential to assist managers, owners and advisors to optimise MCS design in professional services organisations where there is heterogeneous ownership by professionals.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few attempts to provide empirical support for the assertion of the importance of a match between ownership structure and MCS design. It also represents one of the few attempts to provide empirical support for Speklé’s (2001) control archetypes, here the boundary and exploratory archetypes, archetypes that are applicable within important sectors of the economy, notably the professional services sector.
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Anne Lise Bjørnstad and Pål Ulleberg
The purpose of this study is to better understand the consequences of trust between personnel at different hierarchical levels for organizational effectiveness. The authors aim to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the consequences of trust between personnel at different hierarchical levels for organizational effectiveness. The authors aim to explore the direct effects and the interaction effects of trust with organizational structure and processes. The study focuses on military organizations and expands on models and research from this context.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from a Norwegian military exercise organization at two different hierarchical levels. The hypothesized relationships between the variables were tested using moderation and serial mediation analyses.
Findings
Trust between personnel at different hierarchical levels was found to positively influence organizational effectiveness in terms of higher shared awareness of tasks and responsibilities, better information sharing and, in turn, better decision-making. A perceived flat organizational structure and decentralized processes were found to increase flexibility, an increase that in turn improved decision-making. Moderation analyses further suggested that trust between hierarchical levels could attenuate the negative effects of personnel's perception of their organization as hierarchical and centralized.
Practical implications
The study’s results suggest that, at least in Norwegian military contexts, practitioners should be concerned with building trust between personnel at different hierarchical levels, flattening the organizational structure, and decentralizing processes to increase organizational flexibility and effectiveness.
Originality/value
The present study contributes to a better understanding of the role of trust between personnel at different hierarchical levels in the effort to achieve effective organizational structures and processes in military contexts.
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Maha Aon, Anne Katrine Graudal Levinsen, Taoufiq Abtal, Mouna Regragui, Che Henry Ngwa, Dominique Berhan Leth-Sørensen, Mohamed Bouharras, Majda Azzouzi, Adil Benjelloun, Nisrine Riffai and Marie Brasholt
High rates of suicide and self-harm are reported in prisons in Western countries, while fewer studies exist from a non-Western context. This study aims to identify rates of…
Abstract
Purpose
High rates of suicide and self-harm are reported in prisons in Western countries, while fewer studies exist from a non-Western context. This study aims to identify rates of suicide, non-fatal suicide attempts and self-harm in Moroccan prisons and to better understand the context, methods, tools, predictors and profile of persons engaged in the acts.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors report findings from a mixed-methods study carried out before an intervention project. The study consists of a systematic literature review, an analysis of suicide case files, a quantitative survey on suicide attempts and self-harm, as well as interviews and focus group discussions. The authors calculate suicide, suicide attempt and self-harm rates and present descriptive data on the incidents. The authors use regression models to explore the association between the number of incidents per individual and selected predictors, adjusting for clustering by institution.
Findings
Over a four-year period, 29 detained persons in Morocco died by suicide (average annual suicide rate 8.7 per 100,000). Most were men under the age of 30. Hanging accounted for all but one case. In one year, 230 suicide attempts were reported. Over a three-months period, 110 self-harm cases were reported from 18 institutions, cutting being the most common method. Self-harm was significantly more prevalent among persons with a life sentence or repeated incarcerations.
Research limitations/implications
To make the study manageable as part of an intervention project, the authors collected data on suicides and suicide attempts from all prisons, while data on self-harm were collected from fewer prisons and over a shorter time period. The authors did not collect comparable information from detained persons who did not die by suicide, attempt suicide or self-harm. This prevented comparative analyses. Further, it is possible that self-harm cases were not reported if they did not result in serious physical injury. Data were collected by prison staff; thus, the voice of incarcerated persons is absent.
Practical implications
This study provided a solid basis for designing an intervention project including the development of a national prison policy and guidelines on suicides, suicide attempts and self-harm and a country-wide training program for prison staff. It also led to a better surveillance system, allowing for trend analysis and better-informed policymaking. The qualitative results helped create an understanding of how staff may trivialize self-harm. This was integrated into the training package for staff, resulting in the creation of prison staff trainers who became the strongest advocates against the notion that self-harm was best ignored.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published data on suicide and self-harm in Moroccan prisons. It underscores the necessity for the intervention project and gives valuable insights into suicide and self-harm in a non-Western prison context. Further research is needed to assess whether the findings are typical of the region.