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1 – 8 of 8Rafael Manzanera, Josefina Jardí, Xavier Gomila, Joan Ramón Pastor, Dolores Ibáñez, Glòria Gálvez, Constança Albertí, Albert Navarro, Joaquín Uris, Alicia Pomares, Lluïsa López, Cristina Zuazu, Primitiva Sabaté, Immaculada Aguado, Lidia Domingo, Carolina Infante, Josep Gomis, Aurora Jover, Jordi Iglesias and Antoni Mestres
The authors present the application of the López-Fresno approach in designing an integrated management system (IMS) for an aviation company to the development of an IMS in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors present the application of the López-Fresno approach in designing an integrated management system (IMS) for an aviation company to the development of an IMS in a government-run organization responsible for the medical evaluation of work disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to share the design process, with the intention of showing that this approach is applicable to other sectors and proposing generalization and applicability strategies to other smaller government entities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involves two phases. Phase I applies the López-Fresno approach to design a basic IMS-I and ends with a European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) evaluation, whose suggestions were taken into consideration for the final design of IMS-II during phase II. The data were obtained from the organization's own functioning. There was a significant degree of personal involvement by the authors, external consultants and members of the management committee in areas ranging from the approach itself to the various components analyzed.
Findings
The approach led to a better use of human and material resources and produced various advances in both internal and external communication and significant progress in employee motivation in their dealings with users and stakeholders.
Originality/value
The study offers guidelines and recommendations for designing an IMS adapted to small, compact, administrative organizations that operate with stakeholders with highly disparate outlooks and interests, with different quality levels, in a context related to competitiveness and economic development.
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Oriol Iglesias, Alfons Sauquet and Jordi Montaña
The role of corporate culture in relationship marketing is significantly under‐researched, although there is evident consensus in the literature about the importance of this…
Abstract
Purpose
The role of corporate culture in relationship marketing is significantly under‐researched, although there is evident consensus in the literature about the importance of this topic. The purpose of this paper is to present a model for the corporate culture of a relationship‐marketing‐oriented company.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology involving 58 in‐depth interviews that were analysed and interpreted from a grounded theory standpoint was adopted in order to build a conceptual model.
Findings
The two key shared values required to successfully put relationship marketing into effect are client orientation and a high degree of concern for employees. Furthermore, another six shared values (trust, commitment, teamwork, innovation, flexibility, and results orientation) also seem to facilitate the development of a relationship marketing orientation.
Research limitations/implications
Although the research methodology is qualitative and does not allow statistical generalisation, the study provides valuable insights into the role of corporate culture in relationship marketing.
Practical implications
The paper offers a guide to the values that should be developed in order to be able to put a relationship marketing orientation successfully into effect.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a model for the corporate culture of a relationship‐ marketing‐oriented company.
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Giulia Calabretta, Jordi Montaña and Oriol Iglesias
This study is an attempt to approach design management from a cultural perspective. Specifically, the paper assumes that design orientation reflects an underlying organisational…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is an attempt to approach design management from a cultural perspective. Specifically, the paper assumes that design orientation reflects an underlying organisational culture that distinguishes design‐oriented companies from the rest and reinforces their capability to generate competitive advantage from design management. The aim is to disentangle the main characteristics of this culture.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study research approach was adopted to gain some initial insights on the cultural characteristics of the population considered in the present study.
Findings
The results of the field study identify a set of general values and product‐related values shared by the design‐oriented companies considered in this research. In addition, the existence of functional sub‐cultures and cross‐cultural differences is analysed, together with a discussion on how organisational culture and functional sub‐cultures can co‐exist in this specific context.
Research limitations/implications
Although a rich set of qualitative data was garthered, the number of cases is still too small to consider replications and opportunities for theory building.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a structured description of design orientation from a multiple level of analysis (organisational culture and individual sub‐cultures). It provides useful insights on interaction and harmonisation between these levels, leading to a better understanding of the drivers of design‐oriented behaviour. Additionally, the cross‐cultural setting of the study addresses the interconnectedness of cross‐cultural design practices and design‐oriented managerial values.
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Rafael Clua-García, Lidia Puig Garcia, Sonia Mellado, Maite Serrats, Xenia Rue Queralt, Mireia Llopart, Adrian Jacas, Dario Lopez Gallegos and Elena Yela
This study aims to learn about the experiences of inmates who experienced long periods of isolation due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Brians 1 penitentiary centre. This approach…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to learn about the experiences of inmates who experienced long periods of isolation due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Brians 1 penitentiary centre. This approach is relevant, as it sought to understand the experiences from the perspective of the prisoners during periods of isolation. The aim was to gain in-depth knowledge, based on the idiosyncrasies of this population, of their emotions and coping strategies in the prison context. This information that may be useful to prison institutions and prison primary healthcare teams to guide the organisation in future health emergencies involving the isolation of prisoners.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was conducted. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 30 people who had undergone a period of isolation due to a COVID-19 outbreak in one or two of the last two outbreaks at the Brians 1 (Barcelona) prison in 2022, in the days following periods of social isolation. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the content analysis approach, and were coded using the NVivo 12 qualitative software. The credibility and validity of the data analysed were increased through triangulation at different levels. In this study, data was collected from a heterogeneous sample of prisoners, capturing different views among the prison population.
Findings
This research gave us the opportunity to collect prisoners’ accounts of isolation due to COVID-19, in which it became clear that it conditioned the management of time and space in daily prison life. The restrictions amplified negative emotions such as anxiety, stress and restlessness and led to disruptions in communication with the outside world, daily prison activities and judicial processes. Despite these changes, the prisoners understood the imperatives of isolation and the need to adapt to the new situation for a limited period of time. Faced with the detrimental effect on their well-being, the prisoners employed coping strategies focused on emotional management, social supports and occupational engagement.
Research limitations/implications
This study is subject to several limitations related to the characteristics of the sample. No women participated in the study as the modules studied were exclusively for men. People with impaired cognitive abilities, were not included. With regard to the method, it is understood that conducting the interviews in the days after the isolation may have influenced the content and enthusiasm of the participants. Despite these limitations, we are confident that the data triangulation may have given us reliable insight that will further our knowledge of prisoners’ experiences in this type of situation.
Originality/value
The issue of the negative impact of restrictive measures in the prison environment has rarely been studied from the perspective of prisoners. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide qualitative data on the experiences of prisoners during periods of social isolation due to COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons in Catalonia (Spain). The narratives allowed the authors to determine what impact the restrictions had on the emotional well-being and daily life of the prison population, information that can help prison institutions and healthcare teams understand how prisoners experienced this type of situation. The authors were also able to carry out an in-depth study of the coping strategies used by the prisoners to deal with negative emotions during the COVID-19 outbreaks, which may serve to guide the organisation of material and human resources in future emergencies or regimented situations involving social isolation.
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Rubén Alcaraz Martínez, Mireia Ribera, Jordi Roig Marcelino, Afra Pascual Almenara and Toni Granollers Saltiveri
Statistical charts are an essential source of information in academic papers. Charts have an important role in conveying, clarifying and simplifying the research results provided…
Abstract
Purpose
Statistical charts are an essential source of information in academic papers. Charts have an important role in conveying, clarifying and simplifying the research results provided by the authors, but they present some accessibility barriers for people with low vision. This article aims to evaluate the accessibility of the statistical charts published in the library and information science (LIS) journals with the greatest impact factor.
Design/methodology/approach
A list of heuristic indicators developed by the authors has been used to assess the accessibility of statistical charts for people with low vision. The heuristics have been applied to a sample of charts from 2019 issues of ten LIS journals with the highest impact factor according to the ranking of the JCR.
Findings
The current practices of image submission do not follow the basic recommended guidelines on accessibility like color contrast or the use of textual alternatives. On the other hand, some incongruities between the technical suggestions of image submission and their application in analyzed charts also emerged. The main problems identified are: poor text alternatives, insufficient contrast ratio between adjacent colors and the inexistence of customization options. Authoring tools do not help authors to fulfill these requirements.
Research limitations/implications
The sample is not very extensive; nonetheless, it is representative of common practices and the most frequent accessibility problems in this context.
Social implications
The heuristics proposed are a good starting point to generate guidelines for authors when preparing their papers for publication and to guide journal publishers in creating accessible documents. Low-vision users, a highly prevalent condition, will benefit from the improvements.
Originality/value
The results of this research provide key insights into low-vision accessibility barriers, not considered in previous literature and can be a starting point for their solution.
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Alexandra Georgescu Paquin and Aurélie Cerdan Schwitzguébel
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the tourist landscape as represented in Turisme de Barcelona’s YouTube tourism promotional videos, looking at the landscape’s tangible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the tourist landscape as represented in Turisme de Barcelona’s YouTube tourism promotional videos, looking at the landscape’s tangible locations, symbolic and tourist assets and the protagonists in an effort to interpret its storytelling in an overtourism context.
Design/methodology/approach
The mixed methodology is based on a visual content analysis of promotional videos posted on the official Barcelona tourism YouTube channel. Quantitative data analysis about the assets and their localization was completed with a qualitative assessment of the way these assets are displayed to unveil the narrative they convey.
Findings
The results highlight that Barcelona’s projected image is mainly based on tangible heritage (especially monuments), its recognizable cityscape and its eno-gastronomic assets. This rather conventional image is geographically concentrated on the neighborhoods perceived as tourist neighborhoods.
Practical implications
This analysis provides a critical reflection of the actual strategy of destination management organizations and the storytelling they transmit. The findings can help to orientate their future actions and provide a method of analysis that can be repeated for other destinations.
Originality/value
This paper sheds new light on the use of urban landscapes in nonstatic images both as a narrative subject and as a tangible tourist space in promotional discourse.
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Katarzyna Bachnik, Isa Moll and Jordi Montaña
Because of the differing perceptions held by each position or professional subculture, forming a collaborative and productive workplace with design and management teams can be…
Abstract
Purpose
Because of the differing perceptions held by each position or professional subculture, forming a collaborative and productive workplace with design and management teams can be challenging. In light of these anticipated obstacles to success in the workplace, this paper aims to ascertain the prospects for common undertakings within a business.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports on an analysis of a survey conducted among design and business students who had the opportunity to work together on a joint project and present their recommendations for an actual market-based organization.
Findings
Despite differences between the groups, there is a common understanding of organizational goals and willingness to undertake a joint effort to achieve them. This is accomplished through leveraging one another’s professional expertise, building trust through finishing the business projects and discovering tangible end results. Any evident differences between the groups seem to complement one another, thus creating common ground for effective collaboration.
Research limitations/implications
This is a study of a limited number of students enrolled in two universities in Spain. To ensure generalizability, research extended to more higher education institutions is needed.
Practical implications
The authors strongly believe that students are the future of business. As a result, understanding how they perceive any tension, integration or responsibilities of design and management helps with curriculum development two-fold: first, student perceptions help address any issues that can increase or hinder chances for efficient collaboration; second, student perceptions address the larger issue of design–management integration in business.
Originality/value
The authors studied a unique environment for collaboration beyond traditional organizational divisions and allowed study behaviors of students representing two professional backgrounds.
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J. Andres Coca‐Stefaniak, Cathy Parker, Amadeu Barbany, Xavier Garrell and Enric Segovia
Town centre management (TCM) schemes in Spain have generally evolved primarily from a retail perspective, led by small and medium sized (SME) retailers. However, their development…
Abstract
Purpose
Town centre management (TCM) schemes in Spain have generally evolved primarily from a retail perspective, led by small and medium sized (SME) retailers. However, their development has often focused on business goals (e.g. profit, increase in footfall, etc). In doing so, they have often overlooked the very social issues that have embedded retail historically in the socio‐economic matrix of our towns and cities. This paper, adopting a case‐study approach, seeks to re‐address this imbalance by exploring some of the key success factors of Gran Centre Granollers (GCG) – one of Spain's most advanced retailer‐led TCM schemes located in Granollers (near Barcelona).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper, adopting a case‐study approach, explores some of the key success factors ofGCC..
Findings
GCG's visionary motto of “city, culture and commerce” and its inclusive approach to the management of the area's stakeholders have captured the imagination of the town's independent retailers (75 per cent of them are members of the scheme). It has also proved pivotal in engaging the town's residents with the scheme's vision, purpose and ethical values. This is reflected in the success of their customer loyalty credit card initiative and the steady growth of the scheme's membership from ten to three hundred businesses in the last ten years.
Originality/value
This case study should be of interest to town centre managers, SME retailers, researchers in the social sciences and students of urban regeneration and retail management.
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