The purpose of this study is to examine the existence of the glass ceiling in Texas.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the existence of the glass ceiling in Texas.
Design/methodology/approach
Data on publicly traded corporations registered in the state of Texas was used to examine the existence of the glass ceiling effect in Texas. The data for this study were gathered from ReferenceUSA, which is a subscription database that contains information on more than 12 million US businesses and one million Canadian businesses.
Findings
The study found the existence of the glass ceiling based on the analysis of the sample. Of the 257 corporations in the sample, there were only two that had women chief executive officers (0.78 percent).
Research limitations/implications
The dataset used was not a comprehensive list of corporations registered in Texas.
Practical implications
Given the increase in ethnic and gender diversity at the work place, it is critical that women feel assured of an equal opportunity to reach top‐management positions.
Originality/value
Although there have been other studies in the field, none have focused on Texas which is the second largest US state in area (after Alaska) and in population (after California). It is hoped that the results add value to the existing literature.
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Sook Fern Yeo, Cheng Ling Tan and Yen-Nee Goh
This study aims to investigate the link of functional service quality (hospital’s reputation, administrative procedures, trustworthiness, patient-care provider relationship and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the link of functional service quality (hospital’s reputation, administrative procedures, trustworthiness, patient-care provider relationship and waiting time), satisfaction and patient loyalty on the obstetrics services in private health-care in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 419 mothers who had obtained obstetrics services had participated in this study in a continuous and coordinated manner. The study was conducted in 10 private hospitals in Malaysia throughout April 2018.
Findings
Results show that providing excellent service had increased the level of patient satisfaction and achieved patient loyalty. Patients tend to switch to other obstetricians if they are unhappy with the current services that are being offered. The findings showed that patient satisfaction was found to be mediating the relationship between hospital reputation and patient loyalty; trustworthiness and patient loyalty; patient care relationship and patient loyalty; and waiting time and patient loyalty. However, this study also found that administrative procedures do not influence patient satisfaction significantly.
Practical implications
The outcome of this study able to assist the management of the private hospitals to have more operational and practical strategies that would enhance their service quality for the betterment in their services for their patients in this competitive industry.
Originality/value
This paper provides patients’ perception of their loyalty towards obstetrics services offered by private hospitals in Malaysia.
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Madjid Tavana and Vahid Hajipour
Expert systems are computer-based systems that mimic the logical processes of human experts or organizations to give advice in a specific domain of knowledge. Fuzzy expert systems…
Abstract
Purpose
Expert systems are computer-based systems that mimic the logical processes of human experts or organizations to give advice in a specific domain of knowledge. Fuzzy expert systems use fuzzy logic to handle uncertainties generated by imprecise, incomplete and/or vague information. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of the methods and applications in fuzzy expert systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have carefully reviewed 281 journal publications and 149 conference proceedings published over the past 37 years since 1982. The authors grouped the journal publications and conference proceedings separately accordingly to the methods, application domains, tools and inference systems.
Findings
The authors have synthesized the findings and proposed useful suggestions for future research directions. The authors show that the most common use of fuzzy expert systems is in the medical field.
Originality/value
Fuzzy logic can be used to manage uncertainty in expert systems and solve problems that cannot be solved effectively with conventional methods. In this study, the authors present a comprehensive review of the methods and applications in fuzzy expert systems which could be useful for practicing managers developing expert systems under uncertainty.
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Serkan Altuntas, Türkay Dereli and Zülfiye Erdoğan
This study aims to propose a service quality evaluation model for health-care services.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a service quality evaluation model for health-care services.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a service quality evaluation model is proposed based on the service quality measurement (SERVQUAL) scale and machine learning algorithm. Primarily, items that affect the quality of service are determined based on the SERVQUAL scale. Subsequently, a service quality assessment model is generated to manage the resources that are allocated to improve the activities efficiently. Following this phase, a sample of classification model is conducted. Machine learning algorithms are used to establish the classification model.
Findings
The proposed evaluation model addresses the following questions: What are the potential impact levels of service quality dimensions on the quality of service practically? What should be prioritization among the service quality dimensions and Which dimensions of service quality should be improved primarily? A real-life case study in a public hospital is carried out to reveal how the proposed model works. The results that have been obtained from the case study show that the proposed model can be conducted easily in practice. It is also found that there is a remarkably high-service gap in the public hospital, in which the case study has been conducted, regarding the general physical conditions and food services.
Originality/value
The primary contribution of this study is threefold. The proposed evaluation model determines the impact levels of service quality dimensions on the service quality in practice. The proposed evaluation model prioritizes service quality dimensions in terms of their significance. The proposed evaluation model finds out the answer to the question of which service quality dimensions should be improved primarily?