Seyhan Özdemir, Betül Sarı, Ebru Demirel and Melih Sever
This photovoice study aims to explore how cleaners experience dirty and invisible work in the workplace.
Abstract
Purpose
This photovoice study aims to explore how cleaners experience dirty and invisible work in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is twofold. The authors first used the photovoice technique, which is one of the visual data collection techniques, to elaborate on the phenomena. The data were obtained with the participation of seven people (four women and three men) from building cleaners working at two public universities in Turkey. Three photographs were requested from each participant and selected nine photographs were described and analyzed among the collected 21 photographs. In addition to photovoice research, five interviews gave insight into the cleaners’ experiences in the second stage of the study.
Findings
This research revealed that participating cleaners experienced invisible dirty work and they felt undervalued, despised, treated as “second class/low-level people” and stigmatized.
Practical implications
This study recommends that university administrations defend the rights and dignity of cleaners at work, provide services to support their inclusion and increase staff awareness.
Originality/value
This study sheds light into an understudied area which is the building cleaners’ invisible and dirty work experiences and how that impacts their lives via a photovoice research.
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Emel Memis Kocaman and Mehmet Kocaman
– The purpose of this paper is to determine the working conditions of the students of food and beverage management in the sector throughout their education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the working conditions of the students of food and beverage management in the sector throughout their education.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey method was a direct (face-to-face) interview. The study included 145 undergraduate students studying in food and beverage management department. Data were collected through questionnaires. The questionnaire form was composed with students’ demographical information (age, gender, class), vocational education situations (high school education) and also sector experience.
Findings
The number of students working in pubs increases with grade and the students who had education in the cuisine department of vocational high schools had the highest number of students working in the cuisine in the sector. The working period of men were determined to be higher and the students who did not receive vocational education in high school were determined to have shorter working periods. The study concluded that the students had working experiences in different departments of sector throughout their education and businesses are inclined to employ individuals with educational backgrounds in this field.
Research limitations/implications
The research data is limited by the answers of the students which they gave to the questionnaire. The answers which the students gave are considered to be true. The research was only limited for the students studying in the food and beverage management education in a university located in Turkey. New research can be made regarding the food and beverage management education’s impact on the employment in the sector and the opinions of the sector managers.
Practical implications
As professional experience is an important indicator for success, application of education within a given sector is crucial. Informed manager and employee will enable the growth of the businesses, which in return will enable domestic and eventually national growth in the economy.
Social implications
In order for food safety within the food and beverage sector and the application of healthy nutrition methods the students studying in this field has important responsibilities. As the number of graduates raise and the employment of educated personnel, positive development in the health of the society and increasing the quality of services can be accomplished. This growth can be furthered with the legal incentives of the government that favours educated and well-informed employees. Especially with a legal obligation for the management of these food and beverage businesses to have had graduated with a bachelor’s degree, the service quality will experience a considerable increase in a short time. Such managers can help further aid personnel through job-shadowing. In accordance with the tourism investments, the education of young population in this area may contribute resolving unemployment problem.
Originality/value
The research will give an idea of the enterprises willingness of employing such students and the students’ trend on working in their professional sectors.
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Hasan Bağcı and Seyhan Çil Koçyiğit
Decree Law No. 663 introduced a decentralized organizational structure and administration pertaining to Turkish public hospitals in November 2011. This study aims to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
Decree Law No. 663 introduced a decentralized organizational structure and administration pertaining to Turkish public hospitals in November 2011. This study aims to explore the effects of the public hospital unions (PHUs), which were a result of Decree Law No. 663, on the efficiency and productivity of public hospitals.
Design/methodology/approach
Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and DEA-based Malmquist total factor productivity (TFP) index were used from 2011 to 2016. Raw materials and supply expenses, salaries and fringe benefits, other service costs, general administrative expenses, total number of beds, number of specialists, number of residents, number of general practitioners, number of nurses and midwives and other medical officials were used as input variables. Working capital turnover, number of inpatients, number of outpatients and number of surgical operations for Groups A, B and C were used as output variables.
Findings
According to the DEA scores, the percentage of efficient hospitals showed a declining trend from 2011 to 2016. The TFP results also showed a decreasing trend from 2011 to 2016.
Practical implications
Providing administrative and financial autonomy to public hospital managers may cause efficiency and productivity losses, which is contrary to expectations.
Originality/value
This study is the first to reveal the impact of decentralization of public healthcare providers on their performance levels in Turkey.
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Seval Kardeş Selimoğlu and Mehtap Altunel
Along with accounting scandals in the past, academics, researchers, and legislators have focused on fraud. The purpose of this study is to examine postgraduate and doctoral…
Abstract
Along with accounting scandals in the past, academics, researchers, and legislators have focused on fraud. The purpose of this study is to examine postgraduate and doctoral studies, articles, and books about forensic accounting and fraud audit published between the years 2008 and 2018 in Turkey. For this purpose, a total of 96 studies have been examined and 35 of these are master’s theses, 10 of them are PhD theses, 45 of them are articles, and six of them are books. These studies were presented in tables as classified. The studies examined in our research are summarized as year they were published, the author, and the scope of the topic and in terms of results. The conclusions of this study can be summarized as follows: (a) the majority of thesis published about forensic accounting and fraud audit are in 2011 and following years. In addition, most of the theses are focused on forensic accounting review rather than fraud audit. (b) Results in the articles reviewed are in the same direction with theses. (c) There are very few books about fraud audit and forensic accounting. One of them is related to fraud audit, while the rest of them are related to forensic accounting and forensic accounting profession. We suggest extending the scope of the study and making to other countries.
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Seyhan Sipahi and Mehpare Timor
The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed literature review of the recent applications of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and analytic network process (ANP) group…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed literature review of the recent applications of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and analytic network process (ANP) group decision‐making methodologies.
Design/methodology/approach
Among more than 600 related papers published in the period 2005‐2009, a total of 232 application articles published in highly reputed international academic journals were selected and referenced in this paper. Papers were categorized according to application areas, subject titles, publication date, country of origin, academic journals, and integrated methodologies, and are summarized herein by various tables and charts.
Findings
The findings show that during the years 2005‐2009, use of the AHP technique has continued to increase exponentially. Moreover, it is expected that ANP will gain more popularity in the future, as the benefits of ANP become better understood. Applications of AHP have been dominant in manufacturing, followed by the environmental management and agriculture field, power and energy industry, transportation industry, construction industry, and healthcare. Other remarkable application fields include education, logistics, e‐business, IT, R&D, telecommunication industry, finance and banking, urban management, defense industry and military, government, marketing, tourism and leisure, archaeology, auditing, and the mining industry.
Research limitations/implications
The study does not consider theoretical based AHP or ANP articles. Also the search excluded conference proceedings, masters' theses, and doctoral dissertations.
Practical implications
It is hoped that this study will guide practitioners in future work towards advancement of these techniques and will help the managers to select better decisions by making use of these methodologies.
Originality/value
The paper presents a comprehensive literature review of recent applications of AHP, and also ANP decision tools over the period 2005‐2009. Furthermore, the paper covers fuzzy AHP and fuzzy ANP extensions that are becoming popular methods in some application areas of traditional AHP and ANP.
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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible microbiological contamination in terms of total counts and representative microbial groups found in the hazelnuts as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible microbiological contamination in terms of total counts and representative microbial groups found in the hazelnuts as well as in work areas and on the working surfaces of a hazelnut processing plant.
Design/methodology/approach
Some microbiological parameters related to the manufacturing process (e.g. aerobic colony count yeast and fungi) were evaluated. Indoor air samples were tested in order to evaluate the possible contamination of fungal strains (i.e. mycotoxin producing fungi).
Findings
The results showed that the highest values (>of 500 CFU/m3) for bacteria and fungi were only observed in the shelling and sorting areas. Some species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium (potential mycotoxin-producers) as well as some noxious colonies of Aspergillus fumigatus were detected along the processing line. No occurrence of aflatoxins was observed in the finished product. Microbial loads obtained through surface analyses were in accordance to the reference data.
Originality/value
The aim of this study was to monitor and improve the procedures currently used in a hazelnut processing plant.