Mio Fredriksson and Linda Moberg
The purpose of this paper was to study the unfolding of an urgent and extensive decommissioning program in Sweden, focusing on the public’s reactions and their arguments when…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to study the unfolding of an urgent and extensive decommissioning program in Sweden, focusing on the public’s reactions and their arguments when opposing the decommissioning activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The public’s responses were studied through local media. Its content was surveyed and divided into actions and arguments. The arguments were further analyzed and categorized into inductively developed themes.
Findings
Protest activities, such as demonstrations, meetings and petitions, were not coordinated, but mostly carried out for withdrawals of unique services and services in remote areas. The public questioned the decision makers’ information, calculations and competence, the adequacy of the consequence analyses and whether the decommissioning activities would lead to any real savings. Patient and public safety, the vulnerable in society, and effects on the local areas were important topics. Thus, it seems the decision makers did not fully succeed in communicating the demonstrable benefits or create clarity of the rationales for decommissioning the particular services. Furthermore, it seems the public has a more inclusive approach to health services and their value compared to decision makers that need to keep the budget.
Originality/value
Decommissioning is an emerging field of research, and this study of the unfolding of an urgent and extensive decommissioning program contributes with evidence that may improve decommissioning policy and practice. The study illustrates that it may be possible to implement a decommissioning program despite public protest, but that the longer-term effects on the health system’s legitimacy need to be studied.
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Linda Klebe Treviño, Kenneth D. Butterfield and Donald L. McCabe
This field survey focused on two constructs that have been developed to represent the ethical context in organizations: ethical climate and ethical culture. We first examined…
Abstract
This field survey focused on two constructs that have been developed to represent the ethical context in organizations: ethical climate and ethical culture. We first examined issues of convergence and divergence between these constructs through factor analysis and correlational analysis. Results suggested that the two constructs are measuring somewhat different, but strongly related dimensions of the ethical context. We then investigated the relationships between the emergent ethical context factors and an ethics-related attitude (organizational commitment) and behavior (observed unethical conduct) for respondents who work in organizations with and without ethics codes. Regression results indicated that an ethical culture-based dimension was more strongly associated with observed unethical conduct in code organizations while climate-based dimensions were more strongly associated with observed unethical conduct in non-code organizations. Ethical culture and ethical climate-based factors influenced organizational commitment similarly in both types of organizations. Normative implications of the study are discussed, as are implications for future theorizing, research and management practice.
Riadh Djafri and Mariana Mohamed Osman
The purpose of this study is to develop a measurement model and measure the dimensions of Residential Quality and Housing Adequacy (RQHA), Social Housing Provision (SHP) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a measurement model and measure the dimensions of Residential Quality and Housing Adequacy (RQHA), Social Housing Provision (SHP) and Residents’ Quality of Life (RQOL) by social housing residents in Batna city, Algeria.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative approach through the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 373 useable questionnaires were collected from social housing residents in Batna city and used for the analysis. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis with principal component analysis through SPSS and confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS.
Findings
The measurement model revealed good fit of indices indicating that RQHA is presented by three sub-constructs, namely satisfaction with housing adequacy, satisfaction with current neighbourhood and satisfaction with housing design. In addition, the constructs of SHP and RQOL were measured by seven items each. The measurement model provides empirical evidence of the correlation between RQHA, SHP and RQOL constructs.
Practical implications
The findings of this study contribute significantly to government, housing stakeholders, architects, project managers and urban planners in the context of social housing policymakers, design, planning and construction. The finding would be helpful to ameliorate housing quality, adequacy, provision and RQOL in terms of social housing scheme.
Originality/value
This study identifies the correlation between constructs (RQHA, SHP and RQOL) and their dimensions in the context of social housing in Batna city by validating a measurement model using CFA.
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Craig M. Reddock, Elena M. Auer and Richard N. Landers
Branched situational judgment tests (BSJTs) are an increasingly common employee selection method, yet there is no theory and very little empirical work explaining the designs and…
Abstract
Purpose
Branched situational judgment tests (BSJTs) are an increasingly common employee selection method, yet there is no theory and very little empirical work explaining the designs and impacts of branching. To encourage additional research on BSJTs, and to provide practitioners with a common language to describe their current and future practices, we sought to develop a theory of BSTJs.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the absence of theory on branching, we utilized a ground theory qualitative research design, conducting interviews with 25 BSJT practitioner subject matter experts.
Findings
Our final theory consists of three components: (1) a taxonomy of BSJT branching features (contingency, parallelism, convergence, and looping) and options within those features (which vary), (2) a causal theoretical model describing impacts of branching in general on applicant reactions via proximal effects on face validity, and (3) a causal theoretical model describing impacts on applicant reactions among branching designs via proximal effects on consistency of administration and opportunity to perform.
Originality/value
Our work provides the first theoretical foundation on which future confirmatory research in the BSJT domain can be built. It also gives both researchers and practitioners a common language for describing branching features and their options. Finally, it reveals BSJTs as the results of a complex set of interrelated design features, discouraging the oversimplified contrasting of “branching” vs “not branching.”
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A growing body of literature has begun in the direction of supply chain performance measurement. However, selecting the appropriate set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for…
Abstract
Purpose
A growing body of literature has begun in the direction of supply chain performance measurement. However, selecting the appropriate set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring supply chain performance have always remained a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to identify the KPIs and categorize them specifically for measuring retail supply chain performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach, based on literature has been adopted. Published literature from refereed journals on supply chain performance measurement has been considered and various approaches for developing KPIs have been studied to develop a theoretical framework for performance measurement in retail supply chain.
Findings
The paper identifies key indicators for performance measurement and classifies them into four major categories: transport optimization, information technology optimization, inventory optimization and resource optimization. These key indicators are arranged precisely for retail industry. A theoretical framework is proposed to link the performance of these constructs on financial performance of the firm.
Research limitations/implications
Future research can be carried out to validate the relevance and applicability of identified indicators. The study can be further conducted to measure the interrelationships between the KPIs and their impact on financial performance of the firm.
Practical implications
This study proposes a list of indicators for retail industry, which are presented in appropriate categories so that it can be used by the focussed teams for further improvement.
Originality/value
To the best of authors’ knowledge, no other study has categorized the KPIs into groups, specifically for measuring retail supply chain performance. The researcher also intends to carry out further empirical study to test the proposed theoretical framework.