Yen-Han Lee, Timothy Chiang, Mack Shelley and Ching-Ti Liu
The Chinese society has embraced rapid social reforms since the late twentieth century, including educational and healthcare systems. The Chinese Central Government launched an…
Abstract
Purpose
The Chinese society has embraced rapid social reforms since the late twentieth century, including educational and healthcare systems. The Chinese Central Government launched an ambitious health reform program in 2009 to improve service quality and provide affordable health services, regardless of individual socio-economic status. Currently, the Chinese social health insurance includes Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance, Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance, and New Cooperative Medical Insurance for rural residents. The purpose of this paper is to measure the association between individual education level and China’s social health insurance scheme following the reform.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the latest (2011) China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data and multivariable logistic regression models with cross-sectional design (n=11,960), the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) are reported.
Findings
The authors found that education is associated with all social health insurance schemes in China after the reform (p<0.001). Residents with higher educational attainments, such as technical school (OR: 6.64, 95% CI: 5.44–8.13) or university and above (OR: 9.86, 95% CI: 8.14–11.96), are associated with UEBMI, compared with lower-educated individuals.
Practical implications
The Chinese Central Government announced a plan to combine all social health insurance schemes by 2020, except UEBMI, a plan with the most comprehensive financial package. Further research is needed to investigate potential disparities after unification. Policy makers should continue to evaluate China’s universal health coverage and social disparity.
Originality/value
This study is the first to investigate the association between residents’ educational attainment and three social health insurance schemes following the 2009 health reform. The authors suggest that educational attainment is still associated with each social health insurance coverage after the ambitious health reform.
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Obed Norman, Patrice Pinder, Sharonda Ragland, Mack Shelley, Nicola Norman and Geoffrey Shakwa
This chapter proposes a research model with the potential to solve the pressing problem of the underrepresentation of Blacks in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics…
Abstract
This chapter proposes a research model with the potential to solve the pressing problem of the underrepresentation of Blacks in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The underrepresentation problem can be addressed at two points. The first being the graduation point where Blacks are significantly underrepresented among STEM graduates. According to 2016 NSF data, Blacks were awarded just 6.2% of US STEM degrees. This was a 16% decrease from 2004 levels. The second point is the STEM work environments is an employment climate perceived as unwelcoming for Blacks which often leads to higher attrition of mainly Black males, but Black females are affected as well. This chapter deals only with the intervention strategies that will address the underrepresentation of Black students among STEM graduates.
The need for effective STEM education interventions aimed at improving academic outcomes for Black students in STEM has been articulated by many. This chapter explores how the NIH's model of translational research can be applied to the development of interventions aimed at improving the academic outcomes of Black STEM students. Using the principles of translational research, the authors of this chapter report how they had developed a STEM teaching and assessment intervention that resulted in improving the Introductory Biology scores in one section at a historically Black college and university (HBCU) to a 72% average compared to the 50% average of all the other peer sections. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the requirements for a solutions approach to the pressing problem of the underrepresentation of Blacks in STEM fields.
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Norzuwana Sumarjan, Susan W. Arendt and Mack Shelley
Using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria, the purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of Malaysian hotel quality managers (HQMs) and employees on…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria, the purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of Malaysian hotel quality managers (HQMs) and employees on leadership and workforce practices.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods approach was used. Questionnaires were distributed to 35 HQMs and 576 employees of three‐, four‐, and five‐star hotels. Interviews were conducted with HQMs. Descriptive statistics, t‐test, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. All interviews were transcribed, hand coded, and analyzed for themes.
Findings
Compared to hotel employees, HQMs had higher scores for all leadership and workforce items. Comparing managers’ perceptions revealed a statistically significant difference between three‐ and four‐star with five‐star hotels on developing explicit quality policies and measurable objectives. For employees, there were statistically significant differences for most of the questionnaire items between three‐ and four‐star with five‐star hotels. HQMs identified inefficient communication systems and failure to develop explicit quality policies and objectives as main reasons for perception incongruences between employees and managers.
Research limitations/implications
Two of the seven MBNQA criteria were used in this study; future research utilizing the other five criteria may be beneficial.
Practical implications
This study provides hoteliers with quality practice perception differences between HQMs and employees in different star‐rated hotels. Knowing these differences should compel hoteliers to review their leadership and workforce practices, identify reasons for discrepancies, and attempt to minimize the gap.
Originality/value
No known studies in Malaysia, investigating this issue, have been conducted using a mixed methods approach. Additionally, this study provides empirical findings on quality practices from manager and employee perspectives.
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Chao‐Jung (Rita) Chen, Mary B. Gregoire, Susan Arendt and Mack C. Shelley
The purpose of this paper is to examine college and university dining services administrators' (CUDSAs) intention to adopt sustainable practices.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine college and university dining services administrators' (CUDSAs) intention to adopt sustainable practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The theory of planned behavior (TPB) including constructs of subjective norm (SN), attitude, perceived behavior control, and personal norm (PN), formed the theoretical framework. A web‐based questionnaire was developed, pretested, and distributed to 535 CUDSAs in the USA.
Findings
Results indicated that SN (pressure from others) had the most influence on CUDSAs' intention to adopt sustainable practices, followed by attitude and PN. Including the PN construct in the TPB model reduced unexplained variance by 33.48 percent.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this research are generalizability of results due to use of a sample of US members of a professional organization (National Association of College and University Food Services) and low response rate.
Practical implications
Results suggest that pressure from college administrators and students has the greatest impact on CUDSAs' decisions to adopt sustainable practices.
Originality/value
The question of why some university dining operations are models for sustainability and others have few sustainable practices has not been explored. The dining services' director plays a key role in determining sustainability efforts for that operation. This research explored factors influencing a director's intention to adopt sustainable practices.
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Sara B. Marcketti, Susan W. Arendt and Mack C. Shelley
The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership practice scores and leadership behaviors of students before and after participation in an event management course.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership practice scores and leadership behaviors of students before and after participation in an event management course.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods approach was utilized. The Student‐Leadership Practice Inventory (S‐LPI) was administered to a sample of 184 students in three semesters of an event management course. Students completed the S‐LPI at the beginning and at the end of the course. The students also wrote reflections of their leadership behaviors and understandings.
Findings
Results of the study showed that students' mean leadership scores increased significantly for all practice areas between pre and post. Also, all correlations between pre and post scores were statistically significant, indicating that responses at pre and post followed similar patterns, with students who scored higher on the pre‐test also tending to score higher on the post‐test. Reflections from students demonstrated significant understanding of effective leadership behaviors and learning.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was college students enrolled in an event management course at one university; therefore results may not be generalized to all students.
Practical implications
Results of this study suggest that involvement in an event management course in which students were engaged and responsible for the outcomes of their learning may have positively impacted these students' leadership behaviors.
Originality/value
This paper furthers the knowledge base and understanding of students' leadership growth through involvement in a university course as measured by the S‐LPI.
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Because of the special “State of the States” issue of Library Hi Tech and other circumstances beyond my control, the four quarterly “Comp Lit” compilations for 1996 appear here in…
Abstract
Because of the special “State of the States” issue of Library Hi Tech and other circumstances beyond my control, the four quarterly “Comp Lit” compilations for 1996 appear here in a single and possibly peculiar chunk. A lot changes in a year of personal computing, but on reflection it seemed useful to include the citations and comments as I originally wrote them.
WITH the Pompey doldrum in mind, many misgivings were expressed about the Rothesay conference as the delegated gravy trains raced north to Glasgow. (Incidentally Sir Brian…
Abstract
WITH the Pompey doldrum in mind, many misgivings were expressed about the Rothesay conference as the delegated gravy trains raced north to Glasgow. (Incidentally Sir Brian Robertson will find comfort in our belief that rail travel is the most satisfying way to attend conference with corridor exchanges and dining car badinage shortening the long haul).
With the Pompey doldrum in mind, many misgivings were expressed about the Rothesay conference as the delegated gravy trains raced north to Glasgow. (Incidentally Sir Brian…
Abstract
With the Pompey doldrum in mind, many misgivings were expressed about the Rothesay conference as the delegated gravy trains raced north to Glasgow. (Incidentally Sir Brian Robertson will find comfort in our belief that rail travel is the most satisfying way to attend conference with corridor exchanges and dining car badinage shortening the long haul).