The patient safety chain: Transformational leadership's effect on patient safety culture, initiatives, and outcomes

The purpose of this study is to investigate the existence of a patient safety chain for hospitals. Drawing on high reliability organization theory, multifactor leadership theory and total quality management literature, we develop and test a model for improving patient safety – a critical issue facing hospitals today. Specifically, we hypothesize that improving patient safety begins at the highest level of the organization with a transformational leadership style. This leads to a sequence of linkages whereby transformational leadership has an important relationship with creating a culture of safety, which in turn is associated with the adoption of patient safety initiatives, and ultimately with positive improvements in patient safety outcomes. Using data from a nationwide survey of over 200 hospitals, we use structural equation modeling to provide empirical support for the effectiveness of this patient safety chain model. The results have major implications for enhancing operations in hospital settings.     

Measuring the Impact of a Business Ethics Course and Community Service Experience on Students’ Values and Opinions

Until now, there has been little research assessingthe impact and extent of business ethics education andservice learning upon students values and opinions. This paper studies the influence of these variables byanalyzing 129 junior-level students ethical valuesand opinions before and after these experiences. Through the use of the Students Values and OpinionsSurvey (SVOS) as a measurement gauge, we foundsignificant support for our hypotheses that a businessethics course and a community service experiencepositively affect students values and opinions. Thus, we found desirable improvement in the ethicalvalues and opinions of students after they wereexposed to service learning and business ethicseducation. In addition, we explored the impact ofservice learning by gender and prior communityservice. We did not find a significant difference inthe effect of service learning for men or women, butdid find that prior community service increased thepositive impact for students completing theircommunity service requirement in this study.     

Analogies and Mental Simulations in Learning for Really New Products: The Role of Visual Attention

Really new products (RNPs) create new product categories or at least significantly expand existing ones. The development of RNPs is a strategic priority for most companies. However, 40% to 90% of new products fail, often due to consumers' lack of understanding of product features and benefits. Learning strategies, such as analogical learning and mental simulation, can help consumers understand the benefits of RNPs and thus may contribute to the successful development of marketing campaigns. Moreover, the presentation format of marketing communications is likely to influence consumers' understanding of the product. Pictorials have the potential to convey novel information without overloading the decision maker and thus may be a more efficient way to present information about RNPs than words. This paper contributes to a better understanding of consumer information processing in learning for RNPs. Study 1 examined the impact of (1) learning strategies (analogical learning vs. mental simulation) and (2) presentation formats (words vs. pictures) on product comprehension. Study 2 used an eye‐tracking experiment to assess how respondents' visual attention patterns may affect product comprehension. Study 1 showed that the use of words in marketing communications for RNPs is generally more effective to enhance product comprehension than the use of pictorials. However, the video glasses were a notable exception as the combination of mental simulation and pictures yielded a high comprehension level for this product. This suggests that the use of pictorials may be appropriate to convey information for products of a more hedonic as opposed to utilitarian nature. Study 2 used a combination of eye‐tracking measures and self‐reports to help illuminate the cognitive processes at work when consumers learn new product information. The results suggest that an increase in attention to an element of the advert can account for one of two underlying processes: (1) an increase in comprehension; or (2) a difficulty to understand product information which may result in consumer confusion. This study adds evidence to a growing body of literature that demonstrates the power of learning strategies such as mental simulation and analogical learning in preparing consumers for new product acceptance. The use of visual stimuli contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of words versus pictures, seldom applied in a new product development (NPD) context. These findings are integrated into a discussion of the managerial implications and the potential avenues for future research in the area.     

It's Closing Time: Territorial Behaviors from Customers in Response to Front Line Employees

Retailers can benefit from an increased understanding of how human territoriality affects their relationships with customers. In the context of closing time, we show that issuance of boundary markers, or closing time cues, before the closing time boundary can result in perceptions of territory intrusion and territorial responses from customers. In study 1, we identify six types of cues used by employees to signal to customers the closing time boundary is approaching: productive, personal, audio–visual, withdrawal, hostility, and blocking cues. Three additional studies show these cues affect customers’ perceptions of intrusion pressure and their subsequent territorial responses, including: retaliation, abandonment and accession (studies 2–4) and negative word of mouth and temporary abandonment (study 4). Additionally, identification with the store can heighten or dampen the effects of customers’ perceptions of encroachment on their territorial responses (studies 3 and 4), depending on the retail context.     

Missed eWOM opportunities: A cross-sector analysis of online monitoring behavior

This paper provides empirical evidence that major sectors of the USA are not listening to pertinent online conversations (electronic word-of-mouth [eWOM]) that occur outside of their own social media portals. Data include cross sector as well as longitudinal research on prominent sectors, including business, not for profits, and academia. The Inc. 500 (fastest-growing US companies), top charities, and colleges and universities all neglect, to some extent, the monitoring of eWOM. Findings indicate that monitoring behavior may be related to how involved an organization is in social media, if they have a written policy governing its use within the organization, if they have specific goals that are related to their social media plan, if they use tracking measures such as page views, numbers of fans or followers, and how they staff the social media function. Charities are most likely to engage in monitoring behavior for their causes. The academic sector often employs part-time (student) assistance with its social media initiatives, ultimately resulting in less monitoring behavior.     

Why customers won't relate: Obstacles to relationship marketing engagement

Due to the challenges associated with reaching consumers using traditional marketing approaches, firms increasingly rely on relational marketing tactics to increase customer patronage with the firm. Yet, consumers often actively avoid relational devices. Thus, firms have a heightened interest in factors that affect customer engagement in relationship marketing efforts. This research provides an empirical test of a model based on equity theory and previous findings regarding psychological engagement. The model predicts whether customers are willing to engage in different relational tactics offered by firms, measured by a formative, actionable Relationship Program Receptiveness (RPR) Index. The results indicate customer perceptions of the inconvenience and anticipated benefits, two factors controlled by the firm, affect RPR. In addition, customer factors, including general privacy concerns, involvement and shopping frequency, affect RPR. Managerially, the results suggest specific actions firms can take to increase the likelihood that consumers engage in relational marketing efforts.     

The sadness of lives and the comfort of things: Goods as evocative objects in bereavement

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand the texture and emotional tenor of the relations that bereaved people can have with a range of objects, including those that seem mundane or simply part of the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life. Taking Joan Didion's best-selling book, The Year of Magical Thinking, as its focus, the paper examines the varied and significant roles that certain objects played as she negotiated the vagaries of her first year as a widow. While previous literature has mined the memorialising function of goods for survivors, our analysis suggests that goods and consumption experiences can also play a powerful role as tools to think with for those struggling to create a meaningful narrative of death and loss. It concludes by considering the contribution of the analysis to the understanding of goods as ‘active life presences’ (Turkle, 2007 Turkle, S. 2007. Evocative objects: Things we think with, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  [Google Scholar]), the relationship between consumption and bereavement, and ‘the sadness of lives and the comfort of things’ (Miller, 2008 Miller, D. 2008. The comfort of things, Cambridge: Polity Press.  [Google Scholar]).     

The influence of age and gender on food choice: a focus group exploration

With 25% of the UK population predicted to be obese by 2010, the costs to individuals and society are set to rise. Due to the extra economic and social pressures obesity causes, there is an increasing need to understand what motivates and prevents consumers from eating a healthy diet so as to be able to tailor policy interventions to specific groups in society. In so doing, it is important to explore potential variations in attitudes, motivation and behaviour as a function of age and gender. Both demographic factors are easily distinguished within society and a future intervention study which targets either, or both, of these would likely be both feasible and cost‐effective for policy makers. As part of a preliminary study, six focus groups (total n = 43) were conducted at the University of Reading in November 2006, with groups segmented on the basis of age and gender. In order to gather more sensitive information, participants were also asked to fill out a short anonymous questionnaire before each focus group began, relating to healthy eating, alcohol consumption and body dissatisfaction. Making use of thematic content analysis, results suggested that most participants were aware of the type of foods that contribute to a healthy diet and the importance of achieving a healthy balance within a diet. However, they believed that healthy eating messages were often conflicting, and were uncertain about where to find information on the topic. Participants believed that the family has an important role in educating children about eating habits. Despite these similarities, there were a number of key differences among the groups in terms of their reasons for making food choices. Older participants (60+ years old) were more likely to make food choices based on health considerations. Participants between the ages of 18–30 were less concerned with this link, and instead focused on issues of food preparation and knowledge, prices and time. Younger female participants said they had more energy when they ate healthier diets; however, very often their food choices related to concern with their appearance. Older female participants also expressed this concern within the questionnaire, rather than in the group discussions. Overall, these results suggest that consumer motivations for healthy eating are diverse and that this must be considered by government, retailers and food producers.     

Lernstress und Lampenfieber

Zusammenfassung  Endspurt in der Ausbildung — In unz?hligen Unterrichtsstunden und zahlreichen Praxiseins?tzen haben wir eine Menge gelernt. Doch in der Abschlussprüfung bleiben nur wenige Stunden, in denen man das unter Beweis stellen kann. Stunden, die über die Zukunft entscheiden.