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1 – 10 of 13Oti Amankwah, Weng-Wai Choong and Naana Amakie Boakye-Agyeman
Although the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment influences patient’s overall health-care experience, health-care infrastructure and equipment are not always…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment influences patient’s overall health-care experience, health-care infrastructure and equipment are not always managed and maintained with the attention required. This is due mainly to the complexity of health-care infrastructure and equipment and shortage of maintenance budget. This study aims to determine if patient’s satisfaction of core health-care business is mediated by the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment.
Design/methodology/approach
This cross-sectional study comprises 622 adult patients at the Physician OPD and Polyclinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital, Tamale Teaching hospital and Cape Coast Teaching hospital in Ghana. Structural equation model Smart PLS was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The study results showed that the quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment has a positive significant influence (mediation) on the relationship between health-care delivery and patient’s satisfaction as well as the relationship between adequacy of health-care resources and patient’s satisfaction. However, it was shown not to have a positive significant influence (mediation) on the relationship between quality of health-care personnel and patients’ satisfaction as well as health-care administrative process and patient’s satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
First, the study findings are centred on cross-sectional data, which capture the opinion of the patients at a specific time period instead of over a period of time. Consequently, in future, though difficult to achieve, a longitudinal study can be piloted to provide more insight. Second, the data was collected from only one country (Ghana); thus, the ability to generalise the results may be a challenge.
Practical implications
The implication of this study is that there is the need to prudently maintain hospital infrastructure and equipment in good working condition as it has a positive effect on patients’ satisfaction of their overall health-care experience.
Originality/value
Most studies have concentrated on patient’s health-care experience. This study extends the knowledge of patient’s health-care experience by determining the mediating role of quality of health-care infrastructure and equipment on the relationship between patient’s satisfaction and core health-care business. There are limited studies of such nature in Ghana. Therefore, this study will provide invaluable empirical data for the health-care sector of a developing African country.
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Oti Amankwah, Weng Wai Choong and Naana Amakie Boakye-Agyeman
With challenges in health-care facilities management (FM) and adequacy of health-care resources constraints in most developing countries, improving patient’s health-care…
Abstract
Purpose
With challenges in health-care facilities management (FM) and adequacy of health-care resources constraints in most developing countries, improving patient’s health-care experience has become of strategic importance in public health-care delivery. This paper aims to investigate the mediating effect of adequacy of health-care resources on the relationship between the quality of health-care FM services and patient’s health-care experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This cross-sectional study adopts a quantitative approach based on a questionnaire survey conducted on 660 patients of three teaching hospitals in Ghana. In total, 622 valid questionnaires were used for data analysis using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
The mediating effect of adequacy of health-care resources on the relationship between responsiveness and tangibility and patients’ health-care experience were supported, while that of empathy, reliability and assurance were not supported. The relationship between and adequacy of health-care resources and patients’ health-care experience was also supported.
Research limitations/implications
The study limitation is that it was only the teaching hospitals that were surveyed. In future studies, a comparative analysis can be conducted between both public and private hospitals. Other constructs and relationships such as the mediating effect of the quality of health-care administrative process on the relationship between FM service quality and patients’ health-care experience as well as the moderation effect of adequacy of health-care resource on the relationship between FM service quality and patients’ health-care experience can also be tested. Future studies on the same subject can use health-care workers as the respondents of the study.
Practical implications
The result should inspire health-care managers to prioritize attention on health-care FM to create and sustain a decent health-care environment. Facilities managers should ensure standards are not compromised by keeping health-care resources in good condition through the organisation and management of resources.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the pioneer studies to test the mediating effect of adequacy of health-care resources on the relationship between patient’s health-care experience and health-care FM service quality. The proposed framework can be adapted to various sectors and countries as this empirical validation extends knowledge.
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Saharani bin Jaafar, Weng Wai Choong and Abdul Hakim bin Mohamed
The purpose of this paper is to identify the facilities maintenance employees’ priority on safety management practices and relationship to safety performance. The study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the facilities maintenance employees’ priority on safety management practices and relationship to safety performance. The study aims to increase the safety performance among the facilities maintenance contractor by implementing safety management practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected by distributing questionnaire forms to the employees of selected facilities maintenance contractors representing general workers, technicians and executive- and the management-level employees. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and multiple regressions.
Findings
The descriptive results revealed that the employee priority on safety management practices is fairly “low”. The correlation and regression analyses tested and satisfied that management commitment, workers involvement in safety, safety training, safety communication and feedback, safety rules and procedures, and safety promotion policies significantly and strongly correlate with the degree and level of satisfaction to the safety performance.
Research limitations/implications
This research focuses only on facilities maintenance contractors working in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is possible that respondents from other areas or states may allow comparisons across different locations.
Practical implications
There are many factors affecting safety performance. By implementing safety management practices, high safety performance can be achieved in the facilities maintenance organisations in Malaysia.
Originality/value
This paper presents empirical findings on the relationship between employee priority on safety management practices elements and safety performance.
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Oti Amankwah, Weng-Wai Choong and Abdul Hakim Mohammed
Facilities management (FM) professionals state that adopting FM will positively support core service delivery and ensure customer satisfaction. Evidences of such claim are…
Abstract
Purpose
Facilities management (FM) professionals state that adopting FM will positively support core service delivery and ensure customer satisfaction. Evidences of such claim are important as it will enhance the rationale for institutionalising prudent FM service quality in hospitals in Ghana. This paper aims to assess the mediating effect of healthcare FM service quality on patients’ satisfaction and overall healthcare delivery.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a cross-sectional study involving adult patients at the Physician outpatient departments and Polyclinics of Komfo Anokye, Tamale and Cape Coast Teaching hospitals in Ghana. A questionnaire survey using a well-structured five-point likert scale based on the SERVQUAL dimensions and Healthcare core service dimensions rooted in the FM framework was used to collect data from 660 patients. Smart PLS was used to analyse the data of 622 valid questionnaires.
Findings
The study results revealed that FM service quality mediates the relationship between patients’ satisfaction and three of the constructs under core healthcare delivery. That is, (the quality of healthcare delivery, the quality of healthcare personnel and the adequacy of healthcare resources) – surprisingly, the fourth construct (the quality of administration process) was not supported.
Originality/value
There is no or at best very limited studies on the contribution of healthcare FM on patients satisfaction of core healthcare delivery in Ghana. Therefore, this study will enrich and contribute to knowledge in healthcare FM in general and that of a developing African country in particular.
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Oti Amankwah, Weng Wai Choong, Naana Amakie Boakye-Agyeman and Ebenezer Afrane
Patient-centred strategies should be applied in health-care facilities management (HcFM) to guarantee service quality to meet patients’ needs and ensure quality patient…
Abstract
Purpose
Patient-centred strategies should be applied in health-care facilities management (HcFM) to guarantee service quality to meet patients’ needs and ensure quality patient health-care experience. This paper aims to examine the intervening influence of the quality of health-care administrative process (QAP) on the association between health-care facilities service quality and patients’ experiences with medical care.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative technique was used for this cross-sectional study in three Ghanaian teaching hospitals. A total of 622 relevant questionnaires were used for the analysis of the study using SEM-PLS.
Findings
The intervening influence of the QAP on the relationship between HcFM service quality (empathy and tangibility) and patients’ health-care experience (PHcE) were reinforced whilst that of reliability, responsiveness and assurance were not reinforced. The association between the QAP and PHcE was also established.
Research limitations/implications
A high-quality health-care workforce (both core and supporting) and quality work environment provided by the FM department and QAP are essential during quality-of-care delivery, to reduce threats to patient safety to achieve exceptional PHcE. The constraint on the study is that information was gathered from only Ghana. Hence, the generalisation of the findings will be a challenge. Thus, in future, it is proposed that a comparative study across a developed country and a developing country can be conducted. Future research can assess the influence of the health-care internal appearance on patients’ satisfaction.
Practical implications
Practically, the administrative system can be improved by reducing patients overall waiting time. Steps must also be taken to reduce the problem of needless administrative tasks and practices to simplify administrative practices and improve patients’ total health-care experience (core health-care delivery and HcFM), as this influence patients’ total health-care experience.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this empirical validation is one of the initial studies in service quality and FM to examine how health-care administrative process quality affects the relationship between FM service quality and patients’ experiences with medical care. This framework can be adapted for research in different countries to extend knowledge.
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Fitriyah Razali, Dzurllkanian Daud, Weng Wai Choong, Wilson Rangga Anthony Jiram, Noramirah Nabilah Sulaiman and Raja Nurul Sakinah Raja Syamsuddin
This research focuses on the role of facilities management (FM) elements which are people who represent the household, and process, place and technology as the FM elements. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This research focuses on the role of facilities management (FM) elements which are people who represent the household, and process, place and technology as the FM elements. The findings of this research include a list of suggestions to improve SSI implementation based on the FM elements. A waste separation behaviour model was established based on the findings, which was then further validated by experts in related fields.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explains how the process, place and technology elements of FM moderate and influence waste separation behaviour among households. A conceptual framework is proposed, grounded on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect primary data from 900 eligible respondents among the residents of high-rise residential units in Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. SmartPLS software was used to analyse the structural equation model (SEM) of the conceptual framework developed to test the moderator’s effects.
Findings
The findings show that the process, place and technology moderators significantly and positively affected the relationship between perceived behavioural control and waste separation behaviour. Process and technology moderators significantly and positively affect the relationship between moral norms and waste separation behaviour among households. This research focuses on the role of FM elements which are people who represent the household and process, place and technology as the FM elements. The findings of this research include a list of suggestions to improve Separation at Source Initiative (SSI) implementation based on the FM elements. A waste separation behaviour model was established based on the findings, which was then further validated by experts in related fields.
Originality/value
This study implements the case of categorical moderator type and multiple constructs toward the relationships of formative indicators and contributes to knowledge regarding the analysis of moderator variables and structural equation modelling.
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Sheau-Ting Low, Li-Ting Neo, Weng-Wai Choong, Razlin Mansor, Siaw-Chui Wee and Jing-Ying Woon
The world population over the age of 60 is expected to increase from 900 million in 2015 to two billion by 2050. Retirement homes have emerged as a prominent housing alternative…
Abstract
Purpose
The world population over the age of 60 is expected to increase from 900 million in 2015 to two billion by 2050. Retirement homes have emerged as a prominent housing alternative and become a trend for the older adults; however, older population in Malaysia could have a negative view of retirement homes. Different generations could have different perceptions of the value of retirement homes. This study aims to explore the value of retirement homes across diverse age cohorts in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach is adopted for this study. Thematic analysis is used to analyse the interview transcripts obtained from semi-structured interviews.
Findings
The results indicated that baby boomers tend to have more negative values towards retirement homes, whereas Generations X and Y demonstrated more favourable and positive values for retirement homes.
Originality/value
This study serves as a useful reference for housing developers, policymakers and the management of retirement homes to better understand how different age cohorts value retirement homes, thereby encouraging relevant housing strategies to enhance the quality and support systems of retirement homes in society.
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Low Sheau-Ting, Mastura Mohd Basri Baharan, Choong Weng-Wai and Wee Siaw-Chui
The purpose of this paper is to identify the preferred communication channels to foster energy conservation behaviour among office building users. Energy demand from the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the preferred communication channels to foster energy conservation behaviour among office building users. Energy demand from the commercial sector in Malaysia is, at 33.2 per cent, the highest after the industry sector, at 45.1 per cent. The country’s progress in actively practising energy conservation is lacking, despite various energy conservation programmes having been launched in recent years. A large amount of energy is wasted by users’ poor energy conservation behaviour. To market voluntary energy conservation behaviour, the delivery of energy conservation messages using the appropriate communication channels remains an important strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper involves two-stage data collection. The communication categories associated with a set of channels identified from expert interview serve as the basis for the second stage of empirical data gathering using conjoint analysis. A choice-based conjoint analysis assisted by Sawtooth Software is used to analyse the 525 usable empirical data gathered from a final questionnaire survey among the office building users in Malaysia.
Findings
This paper has identified five communication categories associated with a total of 19 channels. The mass media is acknowledged as the most preferred communication channel among office building users in the marketing of energy conservation behaviour, while the least preferred channel to communicate energy conservation information is audio-visual media.
Originality/value
This study contributes to existing literature with a novel case in Malaysia office building by identifying the preferred combination of communication channels in fostering energy conservation behaviour. The findings could benefit the building managers in marketing energy conservation behaviour among office building users to effectively achieve the desired change for sustainable development.
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Pui-Yee Ho, Sheau-Ting Low, Siaw-Chui Wee and Weng-Wai Choong
The purpose of this paper is to propose a short-term renters’ preference profile for peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation selection in the housing market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a short-term renters’ preference profile for peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation selection in the housing market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The emergence of P2P accommodation was initiated by the concept of a sharing economy, allowing the peer provider to share personal properties with the peer end-users. As the housing market has become more competitive, understanding the preference profile among short-term renters is advantageous to offer a matching marketing mix to the targeted customers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses qualitative method associated with thematic analysis. A total of 10,509 reviews on Airbnb were gathered from 377 properties in Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory from 2013 to 2017. Thematic analysis assisted by NVivo software was applied to analyse the empirical data. In total, 14 attributes were identified which could be categorised into 5Ps. The concept of 5Ps adopted from modern marketing is commonly used to categorise the strategies in the marketing process. In the current context, 5Ps is used to categorise the preference of the short-term renter in their selection of P2P accommodation including product, price, promotion, process and people.
Findings
This paper has developed a preference profile for P2P accommodation selection in Malaysia’s housing market. In total, 14 attributes were identified and categorised into the 5Ps of marketing mix. The results showed that the majority of short-term renters were concerned mostly with product (73.2 per cent), followed by people (14.5 per cent), process (10.1 per cent), price (2.0 per cent) and promotion (0.2 per cent).
Originality/value
This study contributes to existing literature with a novel case in Malaysia’s housing market by identifying the short-term renter’s preference in the P2P accommodation selection in the Malaysian housing market, specifically in Kuala Lumpur. The preference profile provides guidance for property owners and developers in the housing market to offer the right product in enhancing the marketability and rentability of the property.
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Zhen-Ting Goh, Sheau-Ting Low, Weng-Wai Choong and Siaw-Chui Wee
The purpose of this paper is to identify the perception of valuers towards the contribution of green features in residential property valuation. The concept of green housing was…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the perception of valuers towards the contribution of green features in residential property valuation. The concept of green housing was designed to reduce the negative impacts on the environment and humans. The cost of green housing is higher than the conventional building and is reflected in the selling price, which is further enhanced by the increasing demand for green buildings in the housing market. Such a scenario could be a challenge to the valuers when they carry out a valuation on housing with green features, as there is a lack of information to guide valuers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative research method. A comprehensive review of the international green rating tools was carried out to ascertain the relative green features in residential buildings. There are 14 green features identified and grouped into four main categories. A total of 147 valid responses were collected by an online platform and face-to-face distribution among licensed valuers in Malaysia.
Findings
The result confirmed that the 14 green features are contributing to the residential property valuation with a reasonable range of adjustment from 2.0% to 6.5%.
Originality/value
The understanding of the range of adjustment for each green feature may provide a guide to the valuer in determining the range of adjustment based on green features associated with residential property in Malaysia. The findings contribute ideas and options to the future development of residential projects by taking into consideration the specific green features that potentially lead to environmental sustainability and building value.
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