Developing an accurate standard of service quality within professions which require specialist knowledge is not easy. Outlines the measures which have been developed by the…
Abstract
Developing an accurate standard of service quality within professions which require specialist knowledge is not easy. Outlines the measures which have been developed by the Metropolitan Police, the Environmental Health Department of Braintree District Council and parts of the Legal profession.
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Denis Leonard and Rodney McAdam
The aim of this paper is to investigate the strategic dynamics of total quality management (TQM) in an organisation using a grounded theory research methodology. Inductive…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate the strategic dynamics of total quality management (TQM) in an organisation using a grounded theory research methodology. Inductive grounded theory research methods are used to improve understanding. The main element of the research methodology is a longitudinal case study. The key findings, first indicate, that TQM and the Business Excellence Model (BEM) are not strategically significant models in an organisational context and lack dynamic representation. Second, the majority of the corporate strategic process and the key strategic drivers are outside the TQM environment. Finally, it is concluded that TQM can act as a strategic dynamic catalyst, incorporating culture, strategy and business operations.
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Jasenka Kranjčević and Dina Stober
For the last three decades, due to socio-economic and political processes such as Europeanisation and globalisation, Croatia has faced a population decline, leading to an…
Abstract
For the last three decades, due to socio-economic and political processes such as Europeanisation and globalisation, Croatia has faced a population decline, leading to an increased number of abandoned settlements. During the COVID-19 crisis, rural areas in Croatia became areas of interest and rural tourism increased. However, the increased interest did not result in the revival of abandoned settlements but rather just in the construction of new facilities. According to statistical data, the majority of abandoned settlements are in regions with the highest tourist traffic or along the traffic corridor from continental Croatia to the Adriatic Sea. The superponing of statistical demographic data, tourism data, the spatial distribution of abandoned rural settlements, sectoral development plans, regional spatial characteristics, and types of construction related to tourism resulted in a proposal of a conceptual model for the reconstruction and inclusion of abandoned rural architecture and infrastructure settlements in the development of rural tourism.
Concerning the growth of certain tourist regions in Croatia, to achieve sustainability and resilience in managing territory, abandoned rural locations and infrastructure should be included in sectoral regional development plans in order to strengthen rural identity by preserving architectural heritage, landscape attractions, symbols, and all other identity contributors.
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Kiara Lewis, Leanne Livsey, Robert J. Naughton and Kim Burton
Exercise has the potential to provide benefits for people living with dementia, yet the balance of evidence is uncertain. This paper aims to provide an evidence synthesis to…
Abstract
Purpose
Exercise has the potential to provide benefits for people living with dementia, yet the balance of evidence is uncertain. This paper aims to provide an evidence synthesis to determine whether exercise improves their health and well-being and what exercise should be recommended.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured search for existing literature reviews on exercise for dementia. Relevant articles were selected and critically appraised against systematic criteria. The findings from 15 high quality reviews were collated by using a best evidence synthesis approach.
Findings
The evidence is convincing for improving physical health, promising for cognitive benefits, mixed for psychological benefits and limited for behavioural outcomes. No evidence of harm was found. Overall, exercise can improve physical and mental health for people living with dementia: there is sufficient evidence to recommend multimodal exercise.
Social implications
The potential beneficial outcomes are of significant importance both for people with dementia and their caregivers. In the absence of more specific findings, the current recommendation for older adults in general is pragmatically justified – some activity is better than none, more activity provides greater benefits. Adding social interaction may be important for psychological and behavioural outcomes.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to encapsulate the literature to date on exercise for dementia. Combining the findings from previous reviews enabled a novel synthesis across the range of relevant interventions and outcomes.
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Achieving total quality is a step‐by‐step process. Each stage needs to be understood and managed appropriately. This article looks at all the different phases and the…
Ahmed Hassanein and Mohamed Elmaghrabi
This study tests the proprietary cost of reporting sustainability practices. It explores how market competition impacts the reporting of corporate sustainability information…
Abstract
Purpose
This study tests the proprietary cost of reporting sustainability practices. It explores how market competition impacts the reporting of corporate sustainability information. Further, it examines whether the influence of market competition on sustainability reporting is affected by firm size.
Design/methodology/approach
It uses two samples of the UK FTSE 350 and German Frankfurt CDAX nonfinancial firms from 2010 to 2023. The sustainability reporting scores for UK and German firms are their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure scores based on the Bloomberg disclosure index. The Herfindahl–Hirschman index has been utilized to measure a firm’s degree of market competition.
Findings
The results reveal that reporting sustainability practices is a negative function of the degree of market competition. Specifically, companies in highly competitive industries disclose less information about their sustainability practices, suggesting that firms view sustainability reporting as a potential source of competitive disadvantage and, therefore, choose to limit such disclosures to maintain a strategic advantage over rivals. Further, the findings reveal a negative impact of market competition on sustainability reporting among small firms. However, this effect is weak or absent among medium and large firms. The results are more observable in the liberal market economy (i.e. the UK) than in the coordinated market economy (i.e. Germany).
Practical implications
It provides implications for policymakers and market participants to advocate for more significant policies that promote transparency and encourage companies to report their sustainability practices and performance, especially companies in highly competitive industries.
Originality/value
It provides the first evidence of how market competition influences corporate sustainability reporting, adding a deeper insight into another non-financial dimension of sustainability reporting. Likewise, it reflects the varying priorities of companies of different sizes in managing both competition and sustainability reporting. Besides, it is the first to explore this nexus in two distinct jurisdictions: the UK and Germany.
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This paper provides an overview of the Choice Initiative at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. It describes the work of the Initiative, the projects represented…
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the Choice Initiative at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. It describes the work of the Initiative, the projects represented and the overall findings and conclusions. It is followed by a report on one of the projects included in the Initiative.
Since 1973, Reference Services Review has published an annual annotated bibliography of materials focused on library instruction and, most recently, information literacy…
Abstract
Since 1973, Reference Services Review has published an annual annotated bibliography of materials focused on library instruction and, most recently, information literacy. Publications addressing academic library activities continue to be represented in the largest numbers. The continuing growth of electronic information has made librarians, in all types of libraries, more aware of the need to provide ongoing instruction to library users.