Jaideep G. Motwani, Mary L. Frahm and Yunus Kathawala
Argues that organizations are in the midst of a competitive revolutionand quality improvement is an important factor in the quest to remaincompetitive. Companies are realizing…
Abstract
Argues that organizations are in the midst of a competitive revolution and quality improvement is an important factor in the quest to remain competitive. Companies are realizing they need to initiate a quality improvement programme and that training is a critical variable in the success of that programme. Improvement involves change, and training prepares employees for the change by providing the skills needed to work as a team member, communicate effectively, and identify and solve problems. A quality training programme requires certain elements for it to be successful: a change in the company’s culture; support of top management; a strategy to guide the company; communicating to employees the reason for quality improvement and how the change will affect them; providing the proper training and providing it at the proper time; and evaluating the training process.
Jaideep G. Motwani, Mary L. Frahm and Yunus Kathawala
Quality is another name for customer satisfaction and the USA cannotafford to ignore its importance. Education and training are essential tothe productivity and competitive…
Abstract
Quality is another name for customer satisfaction and the USA cannot afford to ignore its importance. Education and training are essential to the productivity and competitive advantage of the entire country. Emphasizes the importance of quality training and suggests the keys to implementing a quality training programme. Covers why quality training is necessary and the skills that employees need to succeed in their problem‐solving and process improvement activities. Discusses the key requirements of a quality training programme along with Cocheu’s models of improvement strategy and training phases. Finally includes a brief case study of Prince Corporation and some highlights of their quality programme. It all boils down to the simple truth that we cannot have a world‐class economy without a world‐class workforce.
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Mariana I. Paludi, Isabella Krysa and Marke Kivijärvi
This paper explores working mothers’ coping strategies concerning paid and unpaid work in Chile and Argentina during the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper aimed to understand the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores working mothers’ coping strategies concerning paid and unpaid work in Chile and Argentina during the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper aimed to understand the influence of cultural norms on motherhood and neoliberal workplace practices on mothers’ sensemaking processes and coping strategies. This study focuses on mothers living in Chile and Argentina where governments established mandatory lockdowns between March and September 2020. Drawing on the notion of neoliberal motherhood, women’s demands were analyzed when paid work and mothering duties collide in time and space.
Design/methodology/approach
Open-ended interviews were conducted with 17 women in Chile and Argentina. All interviewees had at least 1 child below the age of 6 and were working from home during the lockdown.
Findings
Neoliberal workplace demands, and disadvantageous government policies greatly heightened the dual burdens of working mothers. Women were expected to fulfill the discourses of the neoliberal worker and the good mother, while also adopting additional strategies in the wake of the lockdown. The data highlights mothers’ strategies to cope with care and work duties by adjusting to new routines involving their partners, relatives and the wider community.
Research limitations/implications
The generalizability of the results is limited by the small sample of 17 interviewees, all from middle to middle-upper class. The changing scenario due to Covid-19 makes the collected data not sufficient to grasp the impact of the pandemic, as during the interviews (December 2020 and January 2021) the process was still ongoing.
Practical implications
Organizations should assess their role in the management of paid and unpaid work for both genders, as the neoliberal discourse views the worker as masculine, full-time, always available and productive, ignoring women’s additional care duties outside of the workplace.
Originality/value
The Covid-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to reflect on care work and gender, collective versus individual responses to care and work demands and the idea of organizing.
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Isabella Krysa, Mariana Ines Paludi, Liela Jamjoom and Marke Kivijärvi