The paper concerns the three main accreditation standards for business schools: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. The purpose of this paper is to analyse these standards for accreditation…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper concerns the three main accreditation standards for business schools: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. The purpose of this paper is to analyse these standards for accreditation from a quality management standpoint.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is a conceptual review and analysis of the three standards mentioned above from the perspective of quality management. The constant comparative method from the grounded theory approach has been used to generate categories from the two major quality award models, which are then compared with the criteria of the accreditation models.
Findings
The findings show the conceptual quality implications of the three main accreditations. The accreditation models are in line with the tenets of quality management but have a greater focus on production and to a somewhat lesser extent on the people.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation is that the study is only conceptual. Furthermore, the study is limited to the models of quality management and accreditation that have been analysed. Although these are the most common, there are others that could have been included. The research implication mainly lies in an increased conceptual understanding for the quality implications of business school accreditation.
Practical implications
The results of the study will be useful for managers of business schools undergoing or contemplating entering into an accreditation process.
Originality/value
The number of business schools undergoing accreditation is increasing rapidly. Thus, increased knowledge of the conceptual implications of such processes should be valuable.
Details
Keywords
Yvonne Lagrosen and Stefan Olof Lagrosen
In previous research, quality management practices have been found to be related to better health for employees. Dimensions of health-promoting quality leadership have been…
Abstract
Purpose
In previous research, quality management practices have been found to be related to better health for employees. Dimensions of health-promoting quality leadership have been defined. The purpose of this study was to identify dimensions of workplace health in the wellness industry and relate them to the dimensions of health-promoting quality leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical study involving seven leading spa-hotels in Sweden has been carried out. The first part of the study consisted of quality cafés carried out at each of the hotels. The quality café is a novel method, which has the World Café-method as its basis, combined with quality management techniques. Based on the findings from the quality cafés, an employee survey was developed.
Findings
The findings from the study include a definition of five major health dimensions for the employees, namely, happiness, kinship, respect, physical health conditions and control. The dimensions were found to be statistically consistent and correlated with the self-reported health of the respondents.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are related to health promotion theory and the dimensions of health-promoting quality leadership. A framework for health leadership in the wellness industry is proposed. The study was only carried out in one country.
Practical implications
The framework and the findings should be useful for managers, particularly in the wellness sector, when designing their operations and health promotion activities.
Originality/value
Workplace health in the wellness sector, which is growing worldwide, is very scarcely researched.
Details
Keywords
Stefan Olof Lagrosen and Kerstin Grundén
The advent of social media is dramatically changing the way marketing communication is conducted. This paper reports a study regarding the use of social media in the wellness…
Abstract
Purpose
The advent of social media is dramatically changing the way marketing communication is conducted. This paper reports a study regarding the use of social media in the wellness industry. This industry is competitive and utterly dependent on creating mutually beneficial relationships with customers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of social media marketing in the wellness industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative methods have been used. In-depth interviews have been carried out with marketing communication professionals in seven leading Swedish spa-hotels. The data from the interviews were analysed utilising the constant comparative method from the grounded theory approach.
Findings
Dimensions describing the activities, challenges and results of social media in the hotels have been defined. The findings are related to service quality theory, in particular the service dominant logic of marketing (SDL), and a comprehensive framework is proposed.
Research limitations/implications
The findings should be useful for the scientific understanding of the effects of social media in marketing. The study is based entirely on qualitative data.
Practical implications
The results of the study should be useful for managers trying to market their offers effectively through social media.
Originality/value
The connections between social media and the SDL has not previously been studied in the wellness industry and such studies in other industries are rare.