Barbados has been driven by agricultural pursuits for most of its existence and successive decision makers have failed to create a tradition or culture with a focus on service. In…
Abstract
Purpose
Barbados has been driven by agricultural pursuits for most of its existence and successive decision makers have failed to create a tradition or culture with a focus on service. In a move to change this focus in support of a service culture, the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) was launched on November 30, 2004. A highlight of the event was the tripartite commitment made by the leaders of the social partnership (government, labour and the private sector). The purpose of this article is to examine the topic of service leadership – and the role the three leaders must play in achieving service excellence.
Design/methodology/approach
This article is as a result of observations and experiences while the author served as Lead Champion for NISE. It is also informed by research on the subject. “Achieving service excellence – customer service strategies for the hospitality/tourism industry in Barbados”.
Findings
Barbadians must determine the factors for a foundation that the country needs if it is to have a service excellence culture. The foundation for Barbados might be found in the people of Barbados and in the church which is an influential institution in Barbados.
Originality/value
Behavioural change must start with three leaders of the social partnership. This message is valuable to these service leaders in the journey towards achieving service excellence in Barbados.
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The purpose of this paper is to establish a more robust empirical support for the long established postulation by Adam Smith and Joseph Schumpeter that human capital and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish a more robust empirical support for the long established postulation by Adam Smith and Joseph Schumpeter that human capital and institutions enable Schumpeterian entrepreneurship, which, in turn, facilitates economic growth.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting entrepreneurial orientation (EO) (i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking; Mthanti and Ojah, 2017, Research Policy, 46:4, pp. 724-739) as the measure of Schumpeterian entrepreneurship at the macro-level, and using a sample of 93 countries, over 1980-2008, the authors employ system Generalised Method of Moments to investigate institutions and human capital as possible determinants of Schumpeterian entrepreneurship (EO).
Findings
The authors find that the human capital-EO nexus is robust across economic development levels. However, there is a cross-country variation in the institutions-EO nexus. In line with theoretical predictions, institutions indeed drive EO in middle-to-high-income countries. However, in low-income countries, building institutions in order to foster EO yields perverse outcomes, which, for us and especially based on deeper analysis, suggest that improving the quality of institutions may not be a necessary precondition for EO/growth policy in low-income countries. Furthermore, the authors find that EO is a highly persistent series, with self-reinforcing network effects, i.e. lofty EO behaviour encourages more lofty EO behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
Drivers of macro EO are erroneously taken as of growth. This empirical analysis corrects the sequencing.
Practical implications
Policy practice must acknowledge macro-EO importantly has both direct and indirect growth effects.
Originality/value
This study is the first to empirically test the theoretical sequence between drivers of growth/EO and economic growth.
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May Hinds, Yvette Browne, Ben Henry, Chandana Jayawardena and Wismore Butcher
Provides an overview on the current human resource challenges facing the Caribbean hospitality industry, drawing on a presentation made at the second annual Caribbean roundtable…
Abstract
Provides an overview on the current human resource challenges facing the Caribbean hospitality industry, drawing on a presentation made at the second annual Caribbean roundtable discussion, held in Barbados during April 2004, attended by 33 participants and observers from industry and academia. The outcomes are reported here and in the second of two articles, “Future human resource challenges in the Caribbean hospitality industry”.
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Ben Henry, Wismore Butcher, Yvette Browne, May Hinds and Chandana Jayawardena
Aims to capture the highlights and outcomes of the second annual Caribbean roundtable discussion of human resource challenges in the Caribbean hospitality industry, during which…
Abstract
Aims to capture the highlights and outcomes of the second annual Caribbean roundtable discussion of human resource challenges in the Caribbean hospitality industry, during which 33 participants and observers from industry and academia debated a series of themes: nurturing talent; curriculum issues; languages in the curriculum; alienation and low morale in the workforce; foreign ownership; unionization; training and development and managing human resources. Key points made by participants are clustered under these themes.
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Meritxell Mondejar-Pont, Anna Ramon-Aribau and Xavier Gómez-Batiste
The purpose of this paper is to propose a unified definition of integrated palliative care (IPC), and to identify the elements that facilitate or hinder implementation of an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a unified definition of integrated palliative care (IPC), and to identify the elements that facilitate or hinder implementation of an integrated palliative care system (IPCS).
Design/methodology/approach
A scoping review of the conceptualization and essential elements of IPC was undertaken, based on a search of the PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases. The search identified 79 unduplicated articles; 43 articles were selected for content analysis.
Findings
IPC is coordinated and collaborative across different health organizations, levels of care and types of providers. Eight key elements facilitate implementation of an IPCS: coordination, early patient identification, patient-centered services, care continuity, provider education and training, a standard implementation model and screening tool, shared information technology system, and supportive policies and funding. These elements were plotted as a “Circle of Integrated Palliative Care System Elements.”
Practical implications
This paper offers researchers an inclusive definition of IPC and describes the essential elements of its successful implementation.
Originality/value
This study provides evidence from researchers on five continents, offering insights from multiple countries and cultures on the topic of IPC. The findings of this thematic analysis could assist international researchers aiming to develop a standard evaluative model or assess the level of integration in a health care system’s delivery of palliative care.
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Mark J. Hager, Anthony Basiel, Michael Howarth and Tarek Zoubir
This chapter presents a case study of the ways the Phoebe pedagogic planner assists faculty to design and select e-learning technology because “it's not the technology, but the…
Abstract
This chapter presents a case study of the ways the Phoebe pedagogic planner assists faculty to design and select e-learning technology because “it's not the technology, but the [quality] of the educational experience that affects learning” (Seltz, 2010, p. 1). Faculty applied guidance from Phoebe to evaluate various interactive media options for undergraduate psychology courses to enhance student learning and engagement. The authors discuss the application of instructional technology in Introduction to Psychology, Cross-cultural Psychology, and Human Motivation and Emotion courses. These projects were prompted by earlier work (Hager & Clemmons, 2010) that explored collaboration to promote integration of technology in traditional courses. The new technologies include discussion forums; online simulations, cases and assessments; text-to-poll; and the Moodle learning management system (LMS). Current theories of e-learning are applied to analyze and critique these projects, concluding with recommendations for future research, practice, and faculty development to incorporate learning technologies. The authors demonstrate how learner-centered collaboration among faculty, researchers, and administrators can shape and improve student engagement and develop institutional cultures of e-learning.
James E. Sinden, Wayne K. Hoy and Scott R. Sweetland
The construct of enabling school structure is empirically analyzed in this qualitative study of high schools. First, the theoretical underpinning of enabling school structure is…
Abstract
The construct of enabling school structure is empirically analyzed in this qualitative study of high schools. First, the theoretical underpinning of enabling school structure is developed. Then, six high schools, which were determined to have enabling structures in a large quantitative study of Ohio schools, were analyzed in depth using semi‐structured interviewing techniques. The inquiry fleshes out the specifics of the performance of principals and teachers in such organizations and describes the dynamics of enabling school structures in terms of their formalization, centralization, and functioning. Finally, the research demonstrates a natural and symbiotic relation between quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of schools.
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Yong Li, Barclay E. James, Ravi Madhavan and Joseph T. Mahoney
We discuss recent developments in real options theory and its applications to strategic management research, examine the potential difficulties in implementing real options in…
Abstract
We discuss recent developments in real options theory and its applications to strategic management research, examine the potential difficulties in implementing real options in theory and practice, and propose several areas for future research. Our review shows that real options theory has provided substantial insights into investment and exit decisions as well as into the choice of investment modes. In addition, extant research studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of whether and how organizations can benefit from real options. Future research that addresses difficulties in applications will further advance both real options theory and practice in strategic management. We call for future generations of research to enhance the impact of real options as an emerging dominant conceptual lens in strategic management.
Rates of disability fell from 2010 to early 2020 and rates of drug overdoses began to stabilise as the persistently unemployed were drawn back into employment, particularly…
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB254608
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Topical
Roseline van Gogh, Yani Bats, Michel Walrave and Karolien Poels
Since buying slow fashion can be both a rational choice and socially reactive behavior, this study adopts the prototype willingness model to predict Flemish young adults’ slow…
Abstract
Purpose
Since buying slow fashion can be both a rational choice and socially reactive behavior, this study adopts the prototype willingness model to predict Flemish young adults’ slow fashion consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was administered to consumers aged 18–25 years old (N = 264). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Attitude and descriptive norm predicted intention to buy slow fashion, which in turn predicted current self-reported slow fashion consumption. Injunctive norm, prototype favorability and prototype similarity predicted socially reactive willingness to buy slow fashion.
Research limitations/implications
The sample is predominantly female and higher educated. The results were partially in line with the PWM, indicating that the model is suitable for predicting young adults’ self-reported slow fashion consumption.
Practical implications
Slow fashion brands might benefit from increasing the visibility of slow fashion consumption and the occurrence of socially reactive shopping situations as well as improving the prototypical image of slow fashion consumers and the perception of what others approve.
Originality/value
Prior research generally uses rational behavioral models to predict slow fashion consumption. This study is the first to apply the PWM to slow fashion consumption, accounting for rational (i.e. reasoned) and non-rational (i.e. socially reactive) decision-making. Furthermore, this study argues the relevance of “prototypes” in sustainable decision-making.