John F. Blattner, William P. Karmia and Thomas J. Walter
The purpose of this case study is to investigate how a small catering company has coped with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Initial research was performed in 2014 and repeated in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this case study is to investigate how a small catering company has coped with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Initial research was performed in 2014 and repeated in 2018. Given the far reaching business challenges of the pandemic, the authors examined the viability of the organization within the current climate.
Design/methodology/approach
Embedded organizational components of culture, leadership and engagement are explored as key elements in the sustainability of the company during the pandemic crisis. Prior research data using the organizational culture inventory is used to assess organizational culture over a four-year period. Employee data and interview analysis within company structure is used to determine how leadership and employee engagement is impacted. Culture research is examined to determine the influence of company culture upon organizational survival.
Findings
This paper identifies workplace culture elements that contribute to company sustainability. Embedded core value systems, strong employee engagement mechanisms and focused leadership styles were observed to be critical influences upon company survival during the pandemic.
Originality/value
This research would assist industry professionals and practitioners in understanding the active workplace culture mechanisms found to be effective for organizational survival during periods of crisis. Companies that adopt similar practices may acquire sustainability advantage during the pandemic.
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In order to answer this question, it will first be necessary to distinguish between political and economic correctness on the one hand, and then between Austrian and mainstream…
John Blattner and Thomas J. Walter
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how organizations can create and sustain a highly engaged, high performing company culture, one that fully integrates and leverages the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how organizations can create and sustain a highly engaged, high performing company culture, one that fully integrates and leverages the strengths of boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials.
Design/methodology/approach
Once a company run with a command and control approach, Tasty Catering leadership was confronted by its younger generation, mid-level leaders who said, “We no longer wanted to be told what to do”. Instead, they wanted to be given clearly defined tasks with identified outcomes and measures, and the freedom to pursue those goals how they so choose. In short, they wanted to change from “command and control” management to “team” leadership. After considerable thought, Tasty Catering leadership decided to embrace this creative destruction and the transformation began. From all employees reading Good to Great and breaking into teams to discuss applicability to the company to employee-led development of company culture starting with core values, the leadership team witnessed the beginning of something they realized was going to take their organization to new heights. This case study will outline key steps for leaders and HR leaders with lessons learned and tips for success as they transform with team leadership, open-book management and engaging younger workers.
Findings
Business and HR leaders should consider assessing their organizational culture and effectiveness to gain a baseline and make measurable improvements. PAS International administered Tasty Catering’s assessment using the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) and the Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI®), finding a rare and very strong match up of ideal and current operating culture for both employee and leadership segments in an organization. The results of the assessment, normed against more than a thousand other organizations, validate Tasty Catering’s healthy, high performing work environment.
Originality/value
The culture-based leadership model and financial transparency led and implemented by Tasty Catering’s younger workers are examples of workplace practices that enable high employee involvement, growth, development and recognition. The company’s cultural efforts continue to pay off in high staff morale, as well as a 14 percent rise in sales and a 117 per cent increase in profits last year. Recognizing the importance of sustainability and continuous improvement, all of Tasty Catering’s employees, those representing every generation, are constantly identifying the best and new ways to maintain their strong culture and performance link.
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IN sharp contrast to the general feeling and practice throughout the country is that of the East Ham Corporation which on the recommendation of its Service Committee, has placed…
Abstract
IN sharp contrast to the general feeling and practice throughout the country is that of the East Ham Corporation which on the recommendation of its Service Committee, has placed its Public Library system in the control of its Education Committee as from November next. This is the first instance known to us of a county borough falling into the trap laid for it by the educationists in the Public Libraries Act of 1919. East Ham does not rank high in the list of municipalities, and it is, perhaps, unnecessary to fear that its example will have many serious imitators.
This paper offers an introduction to understanding some of the issues that health and care practitioners might like to consider when supporting the health and well‐being of gypsy…
Abstract
This paper offers an introduction to understanding some of the issues that health and care practitioners might like to consider when supporting the health and well‐being of gypsy elders. The significance of nomadic life and the implications of planning laws on the reported quality of life experienced by gypsy elders is essential to understanding their health needs. The paper also offers an introduction to understanding some of the aspects of health and social care provision that currently impact on the take up of health and care services by gypsy elders. It then makes suggestions about ways of offering services and working with gypsy elders in ways that are culturally appropriate and respectful of their traditions. The authors had the privilege of working with the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group as part of a larger national project on working with black and minority ethnic elders to help improve their mental health. The authors do not claim to be experts on gypsy health but are offering to share their learning as an introduction to understanding and meeting some of the cultural needs of gypsy elders when providing health and social care.
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Wilson Bastos and Sidney J. Levy
This inquiry aims to contribute to the literature on the historical developments that have influenced the origin, uses, and meanings of branding.
Abstract
Purpose
This inquiry aims to contribute to the literature on the historical developments that have influenced the origin, uses, and meanings of branding.
Design/methodology/approach
In this qualitative work an historical methodology was followed and, according to Howell and Prevenier's guidelines, a wide variety of sources were selected of the data presented. Moreover, this study draws on three important perspectives – that of the practitioner, the scholar, and the consumer – in order to offer a thorough view of the relevant issues concerning the evolution of branding.
Findings
The investigation suggests that various forces (e.g., the media, economic developments during the Second World War, marketing research and theorizing) have enacted a comprehensive transformation in the concept of branding. First, the paper offers evidence of the link between fire/burning and the origin of branding. Second, it shows that, in its early days, branding was characterized as a phenomenon with limited applicability. Third, the paper demonstrates how that phenomenon was transformed into a multidimensional, multifunctional, and malleable entity. Last, it presents recent evidence from both business and academia that shows the current, complex status of the concept of branding.
Originality/value
The paper is novel in its large perspective and integrative narrative, and the unusual exposure of its various conceptual issues and links. It should be of interest to marketing historians, brand managers, and scholars of branding.
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‘Countrymindedness’ is a resonant but perhaps manufactured term, given wide currency in a 1985 article by political scientist and historian Don Aitkin in the Annual, Australian…
Abstract
‘Countrymindedness’ is a resonant but perhaps manufactured term, given wide currency in a 1985 article by political scientist and historian Don Aitkin in the Annual, Australian Cultural History. Political ideology was his focus, as he charted the rise and fall ‐ from the late nineteenth century to around the 1970s ‐ of some ideological preconceptions of the Australian Country Party. These were physiocratic, populist, and decentralist ‐ physiocratic meaning, broadly, the rural way is best. Aitkin claimed the word was used in Country Party circles in the 1920s and 1930s, but gave no examples. Since the word is in no dictionary of Australian usage, or the Oxford Dictionary, coinage may be more recent. No matter. Countrymindedness is a richly evocative word, useful in analysing rural populism during the last Australian century. I suggest it can usefully be extended to analyzing aspects of the inner history of Euro‐settlement in recent centuries.
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Annie Yin‐Har Lau and Michael Ridge
The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of social exclusion on mental health in Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities and make suggestions for services needed to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of social exclusion on mental health in Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities and make suggestions for services needed to address it. The context of significant financial cuts in public sector budgets in the UK and change in the commissioning landscape mean there are significant risks of these vulnerable communities falling even further behind.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors, both currently engaged in clinical practice, draw on mental health and social work perspectives to review key areas in which social exclusion impacts on the life chances of members of GRT communities. Some examples of good current provision are included as is a case study which illustrates the problematic social context in contemporary relations between traditional Gypsy/Travellers and the settled community, and the impact on family life.
Findings
Research findings from contemporary studies are cited, which show members of these communities suffer significant inequalities in all health and social spheres.
Research limitations/implications
The GRT communities have not been listed in census categories until this year (2011).
Social implications
The paper will hopefully contribute to raising public awareness, and support members of the community in participation in policy and decision making.
Originality/value
This paper arises out of interdisciplinary collaboration between a psychiatrist and a social worker with the support of the voluntary sector. The discussion highlights the gaps in commissioning arrangements and hitherto poor support for health and social care needs of the GRT communities.
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Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).