Nijs Bouman and Lianne Simonse
Engaging with customers and addressing unmet value have become increasingly challenging within multi-stakeholder environments of service innovation. Therefore, this paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Engaging with customers and addressing unmet value have become increasingly challenging within multi-stakeholder environments of service innovation. Therefore, this paper aims to address this challenge by studying how strategic design abilities address unmet value in service engagement strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a qualitative inductive study at a multinational corporation and interviewed marketing and design professionals on their innovation practices in service engagement strategies.
Findings
From the inductive analysis, this study identified three strategic design abilities that effectively contribute to addressing unmet value throughout the co-evolving process of service engagement: envisioning value, modelling value and engaging value. Based on this, this study proposes the emerging co-evolving loop framework of service engagement strategies.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this emerging theory is a lack of broad generalizability with mutual exclusivity or collective exhaustiveness across industries. A theoretical implication of the framework is the integration of strategic design and services marketing towards co-created engagement strategies.
Practical implications
The service engagement loop framework can be of great value to service innovation processes, for which an integrated, cross-functional approach is often missing.
Social implications
The findings further suggest that next to a methodological skillset, strategic design abilities consist of a distinct mindset.
Originality/value
This paper introduces strategic design abilities to address unmet value and proposes a novel co-evolving loop framework of service engagement strategies.
Details
Keywords
Johanna Lammintakanen and Tuula Kivinen
The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the views of nurses of different ages on continuing professional development (CPD). The authors were interested in possible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the views of nurses of different ages on continuing professional development (CPD). The authors were interested in possible differences in the use of formal and especially informal CPD practices between nurses of different ages, and likewise in possible differences in attitudes of nurses of different ages to CPD.
Design/methodology/approach
A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of nursing staff (n=653) in six Finnish hospital districts. Three age groups were formed for this study: 39 or under, 40‐50 and 51 or older. The data were analyzed with statistical methods.
Findings
The youngest nurses participated least in those CPD practices that enhanced transfer of tacit knowledge. In addition, they reported more experiences of injustice in terms of CPD than their older colleagues.
Research limitations/implications
These results are preliminary, but supported by earlier research.
Practical implications
A crucial challenge for nursing management is how to balance the needs of nurses of different ages and enable the use of all the options currently available for CPD in health care organizations. Nurse managers need also to consider opportunities for workplace learning when they allocate nursing resources in their units. Due to the retirement of older workers it is essential to make tacit knowledge explicit in health care organizations and give the younger workers an opportunity to learn from older nurses' experiences and vice versa.
Originality/value
Recent studies have emphasized the importance of retaining older workers. The results of the effects of age on participating in different CPD practices have been somehow contradictory.
Details
Keywords
Laura Simmons, Arwel W. Jones, Niro Siriwardena and Christopher Bridle
Sickness absence is a major concern for healthcare services and their employees with healthcare workers having higher sickness absence rates compared to the general population…
Abstract
Purpose
Sickness absence is a major concern for healthcare services and their employees with healthcare workers having higher sickness absence rates compared to the general population. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review randomised control trials (RCTs) that aimed to reduce sickness absence among healthcare workers.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review was conducted that aimed to include RCTs with study participants who were employed in any part of the healthcare sector. This review included any type of intervention with the primary outcome measure being sickness absence.
Findings
Seven studies were included in the review and consisted of one exercise-only intervention, three multicomponent intervention programmes, two influenza vaccination interventions and one process consultation. Three studies (exercise-only, one multicomponent intervention programme and one influenza vaccination intervention) were able to demonstrate a reduction in sickness absence compared to control.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the lack of high-quality evidence, this review identified that there are currently no interventions that healthcare organisations are able to use to effectively reduce sickness absence among their employees. This review also highlights the importance of a standardised measure of sickness absence for healthcare staff, such as shifts.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to synthesise such evidence among healthcare workers.
Details
Keywords
Justus Wesseler, Sara Scatasta and El Hadji Fall
The widespread introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops may change the effect of agriculture on the environment. The magnitude and direction of expected effects are still…
Abstract
The widespread introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops may change the effect of agriculture on the environment. The magnitude and direction of expected effects are still being hotly debated, and the interests served in this discussion arena are often far from those of science and social welfare maximization. This chapter proposes that GM crops have net positive environmental effects, while regulatory responses focus mainly on environmental concerns, giving an unbalanced picture of the regulatory context. This unbalance supports the hypothesis that environmental concerns about GM crops have been politically instrumentalized and that more attention should be paid to regulatory responses considering the environmental benefits of this technology. It is also argued that a number of environmental effects have not yet been quantified and more research is needed in this direction.
Details
Keywords
Sharon M. Kelley and David Thornton
Sex Offenders with a Major Mental Illness (SOMMI) are doubly stigmatized, as these individuals are members of two highly marginalized social groups (Guidry and Saleh, 2004)…
Abstract
Purpose
Sex Offenders with a Major Mental Illness (SOMMI) are doubly stigmatized, as these individuals are members of two highly marginalized social groups (Guidry and Saleh, 2004). Within each of these groups SOMMI only represent a small minority. For professionals seeking to base their practice in empirical research this has led to a significant problem since the literature related specifically to this group is both limited and hard to locate. Additionally, intensity of psychological risk factors varies as a function of psychiatric decompensation for some SOMMI making it hard to apply certain procedures that work with ordinary sexual offenders. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the relevant literature and recommendations for clinical practice that are responsive to the particular challenges posed by this unusual group of sexual offenders.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper provides a review of literature on risk factors for sexual recidivism and validity of current risk tools as it pertains to SOMMI. Recommendations for risk assessment with SOMMI are provided.
Findings
The static actuarial tools appear to be useful with SOMMI. However, risk assessments measuring dynamic risk factors have poorer predictive validity. Additional factors that will need to be considered involve a possible higher recidivism rate for SOMMI and a variable relationship between major mental illness and sex offending with it sometimes predisposing, sometimes exacerbating existing risk factors, and sometimes mitigating risk.
Originality/value
There is a paucity of research and guidance in assessment and risk management of SOMMI. The current paper is the first to thoroughly explore the efficacy of current sex offender risk assessment tools with SOMMI and provide structured guidance for making decisions about risk and risk management needs for this challenging population.