Tat Huei Cham, Yet Mee Lim, Nai Chiek Aik and Alexander Guan Meng Tay
Medical tourism is growing rapidly in the recent years in various Asian countries. The success of the hospitals engaged in medical tourism largely depends on their abilities in…
Abstract
Purpose
Medical tourism is growing rapidly in the recent years in various Asian countries. The success of the hospitals engaged in medical tourism largely depends on their abilities in maintaining the repeating customers and to attract new customers. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of word-of-mouth and social media on hospital brand image. It also attempts to examine the relationships between brand image, perceived service quality, patient satisfaction and behavioral intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 386 medical tourists to test the proposed model. All the measurement scales adopted in this study were adapted from the existing literature. The data collected in this study were analyzed using both SPSS and structural equation modeling approach via AMOS.
Findings
The findings from the structural analysis indicated that both word-of-mouth and hospital-generated social media have a significant impact on brand image. Hospital brand image positively influences medical tourists’ perception of service quality, and their perceived service quality is significantly related to their satisfaction, which in turn, leads to their behavioral intention.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies that considers the importance of hospital’s brand image in influencing medical tourists’ perceptions on the quality of healthcare services that they experienced during their medical trips. This research study also raises the significance of word-of-mouth communication and social media that influence hospitals’ brand image, which has been neglected by many studies.
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Rui-Xiao Li, Yet-Mee Lim and Garry Wei-Han Tan
This research investigates the dark sides of virtual work climate by examining how blurred work-nonwork boundaries serve as a turning point leading to amotivation at work.
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates the dark sides of virtual work climate by examining how blurred work-nonwork boundaries serve as a turning point leading to amotivation at work.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study involved 487 employees from small and medium-sized enterprises in China who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method.
Findings
The study found that virtual work climate positively influences workplace flexibility. However, blurred work-nonwork boundaries mediate the relationship between workplace flexibility and psychological demands, transforming the positive effects of virtual work climate in terms of flexibility into negative outcomes. Psychological demands from both work and nonwork domains contribute to amotivation at work.
Practical implications
The study provides practical insights for managers on satisfying employees’ needs for flexible working arrangements within a virtual work climate by advocating for clear policies that establish distinct work-nonwork boundaries, thereby ensuring employee motivation is not compromised.
Originality/value
This research unveils the dark sides of the virtual work climate, extending the self-determination through the lens of the “too-much-of-a-good-thing” theory. The findings suggest that blurred work-nonwork boundaries may be the turning point where the virtual work climate leads to amotivation at work.
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Yanan Wang, Lee Yen Chaw, Choi-Meng Leong, Yet Mee Lim and Abdulkadir Barut
This study intends to investigate the determinants of learners' continuance intention to use massive open online courses (MOOCs) for personal or professional development.
Abstract
Purpose
This study intends to investigate the determinants of learners' continuance intention to use massive open online courses (MOOCs) for personal or professional development.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed quantitative research design. The respondents were individual learners from six selected universities in China who used MOOCs for continuous learning. A purposive sampling technique was employed to obtain 270 valid samples. Data were analyzed and analytical outputs were produced using the techniques of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling and Importance-Performance Matrix.
Findings
Expectation confirmation was found to have a positive relationship with perceived usefulness, flow experience, learning self-efficacy and satisfaction with MOOCs. Perceived usefulness, flow experience and leaning self-efficacy were also found to have a positive relationship with MOOC satisfaction. In addition, perceived usefulness, flow experience, learning self-efficacy and MOOC satisfaction had a positive impact on continuance usage intention.
Originality/value
The outcomes of the study can serve as a practical reference for MOOC providers and decision-makers to develop relevant strategies to increase the course completion rates.
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Ching Seng Yap, Yet Mee Lim, Farah Waheeda Jalaludin and Teck Heang Lee
This paper aims to examine the level of information and communication technology (ICT) outsourcing and its determinants in the Malaysian locally owned manufacturing firms. Drawing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the level of information and communication technology (ICT) outsourcing and its determinants in the Malaysian locally owned manufacturing firms. Drawing on the transaction cost theory and the resource-based theory, four determinants – asset specificity, uncertainty, business skills and technical skills – were hypothesized to influence ICT outsourcing.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a questionnaire survey from 104 manufacturing firms listed on the Directory of Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. Data were then analyzed using R package partial least squares path modeling.
Findings
The study reveals that slightly over two-thirds (68 per cent) of the surveyed manufacturers either fully or partially outsourced their ICT services. Asset specificity and uncertainty are found to be positively related to the level of ICT outsourcing, which contradict the prediction of the transaction cost theory. On the other hand, business skills and technical skills are not significantly related to the level of ICT outsourcing, which also conflict the resource-based arguments.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample size would not be able to make meaningful conclusion for the population; the small R2 value indicates that other important determinants of ICT outsourcing were not tested in this study, and the transaction cost theory and the resource-based theory do not adequately predict the level of ICT outsourcing in the Malaysian locally owned manufacturers.
Originality/value
The study serves as one of the first studies that tested the determinants of ICT outsourcing using the transaction cost theory and the resource-based theory in locally owned manufacturing firms of a developing country.
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Mark Loon, Yet Mee Lim, Teck Heang Lee and Cai Lian Tam
The purpose of this paper is to examine specifically the impacts of transformational leadership on job‐related learning at the individual level.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine specifically the impacts of transformational leadership on job‐related learning at the individual level.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted. The survey questionnaire contained measurements of job‐related learning (JRL) and the five dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence attributed (IIA), idealized influence behavior (IIB), individualized consideration (CON), inspirational motivation (INSPIRE), intellectual stimulation (INTSTIM). Data were collected from 400 individuals of various organizations on a voluntary and anonymous basis.
Findings
The research results showed that the dimensions of IIB and CON were two significant predictors to job‐related learning.
Research limitations/implications
All of the data collected in the present study are gathered from a single source through a common method (i.e. a Likert‐scale questionnaire). Also, the use of a cross‐sectional design in the present study restricts inferences being drawn regarding the causal relationships between transformational leadership and job‐related learning.
Practical implications
It seems that leaders are able to enhance job‐related learning among the employees when they recognize the growth needs of their followers and provide them with personal guidance and goal‐directed development. The findings imply that if a high learning orientation in an organisation is desired, transformational leadership would be the type of leadership needed in the organization.
Originality/value
The present study does provide some evidence that some dimensions of transformational leadership are more influential on job‐related learning than the others.
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Tat Huei Cham, Yet Mee Lim, Boon Liat Cheng and Teck Heang Lee
This study aims to examine the impact from technical and social aspects on knowledge management system (KMS) success. Moreover, this study also attempts to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact from technical and social aspects on knowledge management system (KMS) success. Moreover, this study also attempts to examine the interrelationships between KMS success and user satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from the commercial bank officers to test the proposed KMS success model. All the measurement scales adopted in this study were adopted from the existing literature. The data collected in this study were analysed using both SPSS and structural equation modelling approach via AMOS.
Findings
The research results indicate that both technical (knowledge quality, system quality and service quality) and social factors (user trust and management support) play a significant and positive role in system user satisfaction. The results also show that user satisfaction have a direct influence on the success of KMS and vice versa.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies on KMS which include both the technical and social perspectives in examining KMS success. This research study raises the importance of social factors, which have been earlier neglected by many studies on KMS success models. Moreover, the interrelationships relationship between KMS success and user satisfaction also been examined in this study.
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The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical examination of the mediating influence of time management (TM) on relationship between adult attention deficit (AAD) and role…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical examination of the mediating influence of time management (TM) on relationship between adult attention deficit (AAD) and role stress (RS).
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 117 actively employed business graduate students completed a self-report measure of RS and identified two close associates, one of which completed an observer version of the Brown Attention Deficit Scale while the other complete an observer version of a TM measure. Product moment correlations were used to test the hypotheses that AAD, TM and RS were associated. The Sobel test of mediation was used to test the hypothesis that TM mediated the relationship between AAD and RS.
Findings
AAD, TM and RS are associated with each other and TM partially mediates the relationship between AAD and RS.
Research limitations/implications
Research study is limited by a measure of AAD that may not fully represent all the key symptom clusters and an indirect workplace sample. Further investigation of AAD symptoms, including potentially positive manifestations like entre/intrapreneurial cognition and behavior, is required to stabilize the content, structure and measurement of the construct.
Practical implications
Organizations wishing to ensure timely completion of tasks and limit disruptive RS need to be aware of the influence of AAD. The provision of TM training, productivity management tools and an organized work space free of distractions is suggested for disordered employees. Various forms of organizational coaching including a peer coaching system may help disordered employees better manage both their time and their role. The effective design and management of teams represents a significant opportunity for effectively distributing the potential benefits of the disorder while managing deficits like poor TM and increased RS. Organizational development interventions that focus on TM and role (re)negotiation are suggested. Employee assistance programs that raise awareness and provide access to assessment are an important part of multimodal management of the disorder.
Social implications
Increasing social, economic and legal pressures to provide reasonable accommodation for functional but disordered employees and take appropriate advantage of employee diversity underscores the general social value of this research.
Originality/value
This research study is the first empirical examination of the mediating influence of TM on the relationship between AAD and RS. The results are of value to researchers, organizational development specialists, human resource management specialists, managers and employees who are seeking effective multimodal management of the disorder in the workplace.
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Jian Pei Kong, Basmawati Baharom, Norshariza Jamhuri, Khalizah Jamli, Siti Farah Zaidah Mohd Yazid, Norafidza Ashiquin, Lina Isnin, Chooi Wah Leow and Siew Mee Lim
The provision of meals has long been regarded as an essential part of treatment of hospitalized patients complementing medical procedures and nursing management. Today, despite…
Abstract
Purpose
The provision of meals has long been regarded as an essential part of treatment of hospitalized patients complementing medical procedures and nursing management. Today, despite changes in the health-care landscape, which focused on improving the quality and efficiency of hospital care, malnutrition among inpatient was still a common worldwide concern.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a multi-centre, randomized study conducted in 21 study sites comprising 21 state and specialist government hospitals under the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The sample size for this study was calculated with purposive sampling method, followed by proportionate sampling to determine the random sample size of each of the study sites. The total sample size required for this study was 2,759 subjects. A validated data collection form was used in the study.
Findings
Only 32.2 % and 37.6 % of subjects achieved adequate energy and protein intake, respectively, during their admission to medical ward. The study result showed that the overall mean energy and protein intake was 794.6 ± 487.8 kcal and 35.2 ± 24.3 g, respectively. The estimated energy (p = 0.001) and protein (p = 0.001) intake of all study sites was significantly lower compared to the adequacy value.
Research limitations/implications
The adequacy intake in this study was only carried out in medical wards, thus reproducible result among other wards in different study sites could not be confirmed. Besides, this study assumed that the portion eaten by subjects during lunch and dinner was the same, and therefore, either one was recorded together with breakfast and either lunch or dinner to represent a subject’s daily intake.
Originality/value
This was the first nationwide study to report the adequacy of energy and protein intake of patients receiving therapeutic diets in the government hospital setting in Malaysia.
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Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence…
Abstract
Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence down into manageable chunks, covering: age discrimination in the workplace; discrimination against African‐Americans; sex discrimination in the workplace; same sex sexual harassment; how to investigate and prove disability discrimination; sexual harassment in the military; when the main US job‐discrimination law applies to small companies; how to investigate and prove racial discrimination; developments concerning race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; developments concerning discrimination against workers with HIV or AIDS; developments concerning discrimination based on refusal of family care leave; developments concerning discrimination against gay or lesbian employees; developments concerning discrimination based on colour; how to investigate and prove discrimination concerning based on colour; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; using statistics in employment discrimination cases; race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning gender discrimination in the workplace; discrimination in Japanese organizations in America; discrimination in the entertainment industry; discrimination in the utility industry; understanding and effectively managing national origin discrimination; how to investigate and prove hiring discrimination based on colour; and, finally, how to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace.