Process quality improvement: An examination of general vs. outcome-specific climate and practices in hospitals

Despite numerous efforts to foster quality improvement in healthcare, much of the extant data and research indicate that substantial shortcomings in the delivery of effective and reliable care remain. This research examines both general and outcome-specific operations management efforts and their impact on delivering quality healthcare. We empirically test a conceptual framework of safety culture that accounts for the use of general quality practices as well as outcome-specific approaches in light of the general and more focused climates in which those practices are embedded. We utilize structural equation modeling to analyze a unique pairing of primary data from a survey of quality improvement directors and chief nursing officers at 272 hospitals across the U.S. with secondary data on process of care performance publicly reported by the federal government's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). General safety climate and quality practices are found to establish an environment in which outcome-specific efforts enable process quality improvement. A split-group SEM analysis highlights significant differences in managing healthcare safety outcomes through climate and practices. In particular, the employment of practices focused on the specific outcome goals is found to relate to higher quality of patient care in smaller hospitals. In contrast, the development of a climate focused on specific outcome goals is found to relate to higher quality of patient care in larger hospitals. These findings suggest alternative approaches for small and large hospitals in the critical effort to improve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs.     

A research agenda for improving national Ecological Footprint accounts

Nation-level Ecological Footprint accounts are currently produced for more than 150 nations, with multiple calculations available for some nations. The data sets that result from these national assessments typically serve as the basis for Footprint calculations at smaller scales, including those for regions, cities, businesses, and individuals. Global Footprint Network's National Footprint Accounts, supported and used by more than 70 major organizations worldwide, contain the most widely used national accounting methodology today. The National Footprint Accounts calculations are undergoing continuous improvement as better data becomes available and new methodologies are developed. In this paper, a community of active Ecological Footprint practitioners and users propose key research priorities for improving national Ecological Footprint accounting. For each of the proposed improvements, we briefly review relevant literature, summarize the current state of debate, and suggest approaches for further development. The research agenda will serve as a reference for a large scale, international research program devoted to furthering the development of national Ecological Footprint accounting methodology.     

Service worker role in encouraging customer organizational citizenship behaviors

Assessment of the role of the individual service worker in encouraging customer organizational citizenship behaviors (customer OCBs) is the primary focus of this paper. The researchers investigate this topic empirically across three service contexts. Customer OCBs are voluntary, outside of the customer's required role for service delivery, which provide help and assistance and are conducive to effective organizational functioning. In this paper, commitment to the service worker is the strongest predictor of customer OCBs. Further, personal loyalty to the service worker serves as a partial mediator of the effects of perceived benevolence of the service worker and commitment to the service worker on customer OCBs. Finally, theoretical, managerial and future research implications are included.     

Getting too personal: Reactance to highly personalized email solicitations

Research on the effects of personalized messages on consumers’ behavioral responses has yielded mixed findings. We explore how e-mail personalization influences click-through intentions. Our results suggest that consumers experience personalization reactance in response to highly personalized messages when the fit between the offer in the message and consumers’ personal characteristics is not explicitly justified by firms. Consequently, consumers are less willing to respond favorably to the offer. Results of two studies suggest that this effect primarily emerges for consumers who perceive the utility of the service to be relatively low. For those consumers with higher perceived utility, justification of personalization is less important because highly personalized messages are less likely to elicit reactance.     

Marketing innovation: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

This study aims to investigate the development of ‘marketing innovation’ defined as the implementation of new marketing practices involving significant changes in the design, distribution, promotion or pricing of a product or service. We conduct a systematic review to provide conceptual, methodological and thematic guidance for scholars interested in studying marketing innovation. Our findings suggest while marketing innovation is often merged with the dominant technological focus underpinning product or service innovation, there is a growing trend to consider the innovation potential offered by the development of new distribution channels, branding strategies, communication types or pricing mechanisms. Digitisation, a key driver for marketing innovation, enables new communication methods, branding strategies, offering designs, and transaction settings. There is a growing trend to focus on cocreation, service-dominant logic and user community perspectives.     

Macro has progressed

Recent articles claiming convergence in macroeconomics take a narrow view of macro focused on the use of New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. With this narrow view of the state of the art in macro, Fair (2011) questions whether macro has progressed. However, when taking a broader view, many important contributions in macro are evident. Encouraging and appreciating diversity in research, including the development and use of a variety of models and methodologies should enhance the pace of progression.     

Product Ratings as a Market Reaction to Deregulation: Evidence From the German Insurance Market

This study provides the first investigation of information markets as a reaction to deregulation of product forms in insurance markets. The article studies the case of Germany, where insurance product ratings entered the market after relaxation of product regulation in 1994. The ratings’ potential for enhancing the performance of a deregulated insurance market is analyzed by considering both market structure and governance characteristics of the rating market, since the theoretical literature predicts that both are important determinants of rating outcomes. Data from a unique panel data set containing disability insurance ratings from the three major rating agencies are also examined in light of theoretical predictions. Results suggest that market governance and competition characteristics are favorable for the production of unbiased and informative ratings. Ratings for disability insurance support this interpretation, since the characteristics of the ratings conform to theoretical predictions about ratings in well‐functioning rating markets.     

The effects of employee engagement and self-efficacy on job performance: a longitudinal field study

Abstract

Self-efficacy’s influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory studies. However, there have been very few rigorous field studies of self-efficacy’s relationship with objectively measured individual job performance in organizational settings. This research history might account for the low take-up of self-efficacy within the business literature as well as within business itself. When it comes to studies of employee engagement, the same lack of rigorous individual studies applies, although several organizational-level studies link employee engagement to organizational performance, while its claimed benefits have been widely discussed in the business literature. Finally, the degree to which employee engagement and self-efficacy have independent and additive effects on individual-level job performance remains unknown. In order to address these issues, a longitudinal field study was undertaken within an Australian financial services firm. Using survey data linked to objectively measured job performance, we found the additive effects of self-efficacy and employee engagement explained 12% of appointments made and 39% of products sold over and above that explained by past performance. This finding suggests human resource management (HRM) practitioners should address both self-efficacy and employee engagement in order to boost job performance while encouraging HRM scholars to incorporate both measures when conducting job performance studies.