The emergence of internet-based business models has given rise to online higher education institutions (OHEIs) that offer their undergraduate and graduate degree programs…
Abstract
Purpose
The emergence of internet-based business models has given rise to online higher education institutions (OHEIs) that offer their undergraduate and graduate degree programs exclusively online with minimal physical presence. Research on OHEIs discusses the need for external legitimacy and resource acquisition, often ignoring the role of quality among these institutions. Hence, this study aims to investigate the role of digital quality of education on OHEIs’ survival.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by four different inter-disciplinary theories, a conceptual framework is offered based on a comprehensive literature review.
Findings
The role of digital quality of education in improving the survival and strategic competitiveness of institutions in the US online higher education industry is highlighted.
Research limitations/implications
This conceptual paper highlights how the digital quality of education becomes increasingly important over the life cycle of OHEIs.
Practical implications
The proposed framework suggests that despite the competition provided by traditional and well-entrenched players, OHEIs can improve their survival and competitiveness if they invest strategically in the digital quality of education.
Originality/value
This study offers an overarching conceptual framework developed through an integration of multiple theoretical perspectives and grounded in the US online higher education industry.
Details
Keywords
Subhajit Chakraborty, Jorge A. Gonzalez, Miguel Sahagun and Cara-Lynn Scheuer
To better understand the nature and effective delivery of quality health-care globally, this paper aims to study the role of quality leadership on patient care quality (PCQ…
Abstract
Purpose
To better understand the nature and effective delivery of quality health-care globally, this paper aims to study the role of quality leadership on patient care quality (PCQ) delivered in hospitals, including the intervening role of technology integration and two country-level factors – national culture and infrastructure development – in North America (Canada, Mexico and the USA).
Design/methodology/approach
PCQ comprises four facets: interpersonal, technical, environmental and administrative quality. Using survey data and interdisciplinary theoretical support (e.g. quality management and the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Project [GLOBE] model of national culture), this paper tested for moderated mediation between hospital quality leadership and the four-facet PCQ model with technology integration as the mediator and national culture and infrastructure development as moderators.
Findings
Results show that technology integration partially mediates the relationship between hospital quality leadership and PCQ and that national culture and infrastructure development shape the role of hospital quality leadership on PCQ. Hence, these national factors must be considered holistically to understand the impact of hospital quality leadership on patient care.
Practical implications
To improve PCQ, hospital leaders should broaden their understanding of quality health-care to include technology integration and an awareness of cultural and institutional differences across nations.
Originality/value
This paper used primary data from hospital quality leaders and the four-facet PCQ conceptualization across three large North American nations, offering a more global understanding of service quality in health-care.
Details
Keywords
Subhajit Chakraborty and E. Mitchell Church
To empirically verify whether patient hospital satisfaction ratings on social media such as Yelp provide similar information as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare…
Abstract
Purpose
To empirically verify whether patient hospital satisfaction ratings on social media such as Yelp provide similar information as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys.
Design/methodology/approach
OLS and ordinal regressions performed on secondary data obtained from Yelp.com and 2016 Hospital Compare database disclosed by CMS.
Findings
Results show that the patient hospital satisfaction ratings from Yelp can predict the patient experience of care domain scores obtained through the annual HCAHPS surveys and are also positively and significantly correlated to the overall hospital quality performance scores given by CMS.
Research limitations/implications
Study suggests that social media patient review information could be used to supplement the information obtained from HCAHPS surveys, thereby providing hospitals more accurate information about their patient experiences.
Practical implications
Hospital leaders need not wait an entire year to receive their HCHAPS scores to know about the issues related to their patient experience that need improvement and can periodically refer to free Yelp patient review scores on Yelp.com to obtain similar information.
Originality/value
To the best of knowledge, this research is the first to empirically demonstrate that patient reviews freely obtained from social media sites like Yelp can provide similar information as obtained from HCAHPS surveys and can thus be used to supplement HCAHPS.
Details
Keywords
Subhajit Chakraborty and E. Mitchell Church
The purpose of this paper is to show the value of open-ended narrative patient reviews on social media for elucidating aspects of hospital patient satisfaction.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show the value of open-ended narrative patient reviews on social media for elucidating aspects of hospital patient satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Mixed methods analyses using qualitative (manual content analyses using grounded theory and algorithmic analyses using the Natural Language Toolkit) followed by quantitative analyses (negative binomial regression).
Findings
Health-care team communication, health-care team action orientation and patient hospital room environment are positively related to patient hospital satisfaction. Patients form their hospital satisfaction perceptions based on the three facets of their hospital stay experience.
Research limitations/implications
In the spirit of continuous quality improvement, periodically analyzing patient social media comments could help health-care teams understand the patient satisfaction inhibitors that they need to avoid to offer patient-centric care.
Practical implications
By periodically analyzing patient social media comments hospital leaders can quickly identify the gaps in their health service delivery and plug them, which could ultimately give the hospital a competitive advantage.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to apply mixed methods to patient hospital review comments given freely on social media to critically understand what drives patient hospital satisfaction ratings.
Details
Keywords
Jorge A. Gonzalez and Subhajit Chakraborty
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived external image and similarity in values, beliefs and interests with an organization's leaders and other members on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived external image and similarity in values, beliefs and interests with an organization's leaders and other members on organizational identification.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents results of a field survey research in two non‐work organizational contexts, a professional association, and a college business fraternity. Hypotheses were tested with ordinary least squares regression and mediation analyses.
Findings
Perceived external image and perceived similarity with the organization's leaders and other members influence organizational identification. Perceived similarity partially mediates the relationship between external image and identification.
Research limitations/implications
The study implements a cross‐sectional design and relies on self‐reports. The results have important implications for organizational identification and related behaviors both in work and non‐work contexts.
Practical implications
The study presents implications for enhancing member identification with an organization, which is related to increased involvement and continued membership. A positive external image may increase the likelihood that organizational members internalize values, beliefs and interests held by the organization's leaders and other members.
Originality/value
The study is based on a model of identity orientation that differentiates across personal, relational, and collective orientations. It measures perceived similarity with social referents in values, beliefs and interests, and study traditionally overlooked non‐work contexts.
Details
Keywords
Sasadhar Bera, Pradeep Kumar and Subhajit Bhattacharya
The paper aims to investigate the cardiology department’s operational system for improving flexibility by minimizing the patient waiting time and simultaneously maximizing the…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the cardiology department’s operational system for improving flexibility by minimizing the patient waiting time and simultaneously maximizing the utilization of service capacity in an uncertain environment. This article also proposes a policy framework that suggests a pool of additional resources and inter-firm collaboration can boost healthcare service delivery excellence.
Design/methodology/approach
A discrete event simulation (DES) approach is followed for modeling patient flow and determining the service capacity to respond to demand variability and uncertainty. The model's outputs are used to minimize patient waiting time, maximize the utilization of the resources and match the service capacity with the patient demand.
Findings
This research has tested two hypotheses and proved that an increase in waiting time decimates the throughput rate, and additional resources deployment in bottleneck activity positively impacts the throughput rate. The simulated scenarios prescribe an enhanced service capacity with quality care and further contribute to operational performance in reduced waiting time and cost. The results indicate that flexibility reduces the patient waiting time and maximizes the throughput rate.
Practical implications
The study guides the healthcare policymakers to develop flexible competence and facilitate service mechanisms that are adaptive and robust while operating under a volatile environment. The article contributes to the healthcare literature that conjoins flexibility through simulation and resource utilization.
Originality/value
This research is based on real-life primary data collected from healthcare providers. This study adds value to the healthcare systems to adopt strategic decisions to build flexibility through resource allocation, sharing and coordinated care.
Details
Keywords
Subhajit Bhattacharya and Rohit Vishal Kumar
This paper aims to examine the components or factors influencing tourists’ destination brand selection behaviour in Indian context with evidence-based management modelling by…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the components or factors influencing tourists’ destination brand selection behaviour in Indian context with evidence-based management modelling by using the Relative to an Identified Distribution (RIDIT) approach. This evidence-based tourism marketing research has contributed to enhance understanding the tourists’ motivation to support decision in tourism marketing domain. The present study has focused on identifying the most relevant factors in the order of priority that influence destination brand-choice behaviour pertaining to Indian tourism sector. The current research has also tried to arrange the different items relating to tourists preferences for better understanding the insight of potential tourists relating to Indian-tourist destinations.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive, survey research design was chosen to investigate and organize the different components or items in degrees of priority to explain the tourists’ destination brand selection behaviour. In total, 387 empirical tourist samples were collected across India covering both domestic and international tourist segments. An evidence-based management modelling with RIDIT analysis is done to examine the factors, which have influencing role on tourist-destination brand choice behaviour related to Indian tourism market.
Findings
The outcome of this research paper should enable the tourism marketers, tourism service providers, tourism brand managers and consultants to create better linkages between the prospective tourists’ preferences and the marketing mix of the destination brands by using evidence based management modelling.
Originality/value
The present research is an original and innovative thought process, trying to evaluate the components or factors influencing tourists’ destination brand selection behaviour pertaining to Indian tourism sector by using the RIDIT approach. Research undertaken so far in tourism marketing area has investigated the different components related to tourism behaviour and destination-brand selection intention of the potential tourists in an unintended and less organized manner. This study can be seen as the first empirical evidence in the domain of tourism marketing where evidence based management modelling with RIDIT approach is done.
Details
Keywords
Atanu Manna, Subhajit Pahari, Debasish Biswas, Dipa Banerjee and Debasis Das
The study principally aims to investigate the relationship among work–life balance (WLB), job satisfaction (JS) and employee commitment (EC) among the railway staff by integrating…
Abstract
Purpose
The study principally aims to investigate the relationship among work–life balance (WLB), job satisfaction (JS) and employee commitment (EC) among the railway staff by integrating the social exchange theory (SET). The study also explores JS as a mediator in the context of the new normal.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method sequential explanatory design was utilized for this study. The research instrument was administered to 533 railway employees, using purposive sampling to ensure reliability and validity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the quantitative data and measure mediation effects. Additionally, 15 interviews were conducted with employees from three job positioning groups (A, B and C) to gain further insights into commitment-related concerns.
Findings
The study found that WLB and JS positively influenced EC, with JS acting as a mediator between WLB and EC. Furthermore, factors such as fostering friendships among colleagues, effectively managing work–life integration and recognizing the importance of job roles were identified as crucial in enhancing the relationship between WLB and EC.
Originality/value
The study includes SET to examine the social exchange process while considering WLB benefits as a reward from the employer and EC as the outcome of this reward. This study contributes by examining the effects of COVID-19 on the railway industry and EC. The mixed-methods sequential explanatory design gave a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between WLB, JS and EC. The study’s implications highlight the importance of implementing supportive policies, such as flexible work schedules and a supportive organizational culture, to enhance employee commitment and reduce attrition rates. The study emphasizes the significance of prioritizing employee well-being to achieve organizational goals and enhance organizational commitment.