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Developing a Framework for the Continuous Improvement of Patient Care in United States Hospitals: A Process Approach
Jayanta K. Bandyopadhyay, Gary Hayes |
179 |
Developing a Framework for the Continuous Improvement of Patient Care in United States Hospitals: A Process Approach
Jayanta K. Bandyopadhyay
Central Michigan University
Gary Hayes
Central Michigan University
For decades the United States health care industry has been operating on its own, largely ignoring emerging factors such as competition, patient safety, skyrocketing health care cost, liability, malpractice insurance cost and DRG for Medicare payment. However, as these factors became more prevalent and competition within the industry intensified, many United States hospitals have been becoming increasingly aware of the critical needs of controlling the operating costs and attempting to meet the needs and expectations of patient care quality. This paper presents the findings of a questionnaire survey revealing the current quality management policies and practices in United States hospitals and provides a framework for continuous improvement of patient care quality in United States hospitals
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Efficacy of Different Techniques for Reducing Stress: A Study among Business Students in the United States
Charles J. Hobson, Linda Delunas |
186 |
Efficacy of Different Techniques for Reducing Stress: A Study among Business Students in the United States
Charles J. Hobson
Indiana University Northwest
Linda Delunas
Indiana University Northwest
The effects of three commonly recommended stress reduction strategies were empirically evaluated in a sample of 233 working adults attending evening MBA or undergraduate business classes part-time at an urban state university campus in the United States. A self-experiment protocol was utilized to assess the effectiveness of: (1) deep breathing, (2) imagery, and (3) progressive relaxation in reducing resting pulse rate. All subjects used each of these techniques on three occasions; measuring resting pulse before each trial and after each trial. This allowed for the calculation of a mean change in pulse rate across three applications for each technique for all subjects. Major findings included: (1) all three techniques demonstrated statistically significant mean reductions in pulse rate per minute; deep breathing – 7.22, imagery – 5.74, and progressive relaxation – 5.26, (2) comparative analyses documented a statistically significant superiority of deep breathing over the other two techniques, (3) there were no differences in mean effectiveness for the three techniques between men and women, and (4) 88% of the sample experienced success in reducing stress with all three techniques.
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The Development of a Supply Chain Model for the Computer Notebook Industry
Cheng-Min Feng, Chi-Hwa Chern |
197 |
The Development of a Supply Chain Model for the Computer Notebook Industry
Cheng-Min Feng
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Chi-Hwa Chern
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Integrated and coordinated operations are necessary if manufacturers are to reduce lead-times and respond quickly to customers’ needs. An important part of such operations are supply chains that give manufacturers a competitive advantage in their global operations. In this paper we develop a supply chain model for a particular manufacturing industry (computer notebooks) designed to achieve this objective. In our model, we divide supply chains into those that operate at the strategic level and at the operational level. Although there are models for optimizing supply chain operations at each level, there is an absence of a single integrated model that is applicable at both levels. In this paper we seek to overcome this deficiency by developing an integrated multi-objective supply chain model that simultaneously considers strategic and operational level operations. According to our model, decisions at the strategic-level have a direct impact on operational-level decisions, and vice versa. Tradeoffs are discussed in terms of cost, customer service levels (fill rates), and flexibility (volume or delivery), each of which are need to be taken into account by manufacturers who want or desire to have an optimal supply chain configuration. It is argued that the comprehensive model developed here will assist or help manufacturers, especially in the computer notebook industry, in designing efficient and effective supply chain systems.
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Unweighted and Weighted Kappa as Measures of Agreement for Multiple Judges
Paul W. Mielke, Jr., Kenneth J. Berry, Janis E. Johnston |
213 |
Unweighted and Weighted Kappa as Measures of Agreement for Multiple Judges
Paul W. Mielke, Jr.
Colorado State University
Kenneth J. Berry
Colorado State University
Janis E. Johnston
U.S. EPA National Homeland Security Research Center
Unweighted and weighted kappa are widely used to measure the degree of agreement between two independent judges. Extension of unweighted and weighted kappa to three or more judges has traditionally involved measuring pairwise agreement among all possible pairs of judges. In this paper, unweighted and weighted kappa are defined for multiple judges and compared with pairwise kappa. Also, exact variance and resampling permutation procedures are described that yield approximate probability values.
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Individual Characteristics, Organizational Justice and Job Attitudes of Employees under Non-standard Work Arrangements: Study of Employees of International Tourist Hotels
Cheng-Ping Chang, I-Fei Lia. |
224 |
Individual Characteristics, Organizational Justice and Job Attitudes of Employees under Non-standard Work Arrangements: Study of Employees of International Tourist Hotels
Cheng-Ping Chang
Southern Taiwan University, Taiwan
I-Fei Liao
Southern Taiwan University, Taiwan
In the recent years, globalization, competition, and the fast pace of environmental change have made manufacturers it more important than before to have a flexible work force. To obtain such a work force, international tourist hotels use or employ many so-called contingent workers; employees working under non standard or atypical work arrangements This questionnaire study examines the relations between perceptions of organizational justice, individual characteristics, and job attitudes among 395 atypical employees in 58 international hotels in Taiwan. This study found that perceived organizational was positively work satisfaction, organizational commitment and devotion to work in this sample. Implications of these findings for managing atypical employees are discussed.
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Effect of Individual Cognitive Styles on Control-Display Device Ability: An Experimental Study
Chun-Wei Chen, Chang-Franw Lee, Chien-Cheng Chang |
240 |
Effect of Individual Cognitive Styles on Control-Display Device Ability: An Experimental Study
Chun-Wei Chen
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Chang-Franw Lee
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Chien-Cheng Chang
Department of Industrial Design, Huafan University, Taiwan
The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of applying the Cognitive Styles Analysis (CSA) scale to measure the individual operation ability of operators to use a control-display device. Because competent operators may be able to reduce the possibility of serious accidents from the control room, it is important to effectively measure the individual differences among the operators. For this reason, we adopted a 2 (cognitive styles) × 2 (control-display pairing patterns) split-plot design for our experiment. This paper examined the differences between the performances of participants with field-dependent (FD) cognitive styles and field-independent (FI) cognitive styles in control-display pairing tasks and the correlation between CSA scores and performances. Sixty control room operators (30 participants per cognitive style) from five control rooms in Taiwan were recruited to participate in the experiment. The results of the experiment suggest that the CSA scale is capable of distinguishing between employees in their capacity to operate control-display devices effectively. Therefore, it is suggested that the CSA scale serve as a measurement criterion for screening control room operators.
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The Impact of Monetary Policy and Bond Supply on Real Estate Prices: An Empirical Study
Chien Mei-Se, Chang Lee Shu-Jung, Lee Hung-Ta |
250 |
The Impact of Monetary Policy and Bond Supply on Real Estate Prices: An Empirical Study
Chien Mei-Se
National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan
Chang Lee Shu-Jung
National Taichung Institute of Technology, Taiwan
Lee Hung-Ta
Lung Hwa University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
This research develops a two-goods and three-assets portfolio balance model to study the influence of expansion in both monetary policy and bond supply on real estate prices. We perform our analysis using data for Taiwan from January 1987 to August 2002. All the data used are from Taiwan Financial Statistics Database and the Price Statistics Database. Co-integration analysis is used to test the long-run relationships among the key economic variables. Results of this analysis show that the expansion of monetary policy brings about a decrease in real estate prices, while growing domestic bond supply causes real estate prices to increase. After a vector error correction was made, the evidence indicates that the long-run causality between monetary policy and real restate prices is bi-directional, but that there is an unidirectional ‘causal link’from domestic bond supply to real estate prices.
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The Development and Application of a Group Decision Model using Fuzzy Logic: The Case of Consumer Attitudes towards Risk
Chin-Hung Liu |
261 |
The Development and Application of a Group Decision Model using Fuzzy Logic: The Case of Consumer Attitudes towards Risk
Chin-Hung Liu
National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taiwan
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a method for incorporating customer preferences into the design of product or services. It requires that consumer preferences, established through market research, be categorized and products or services then developed whose attributes match or fit these preferences. A problem here is that preferences can only be established imprecisely, itself a consequence of the fact that customers have different attitudes (optimistic, pessimistic) towards the risks involved in buying services or products. To deal with this problem, the present study develops a group decision making model using fuzzy logic--for establishing customer preferences. It then applies the model to QFD to the case of customers with optimistic (high risk) and pessimistic (low risk) attitudes in buying services or products. At this example five customers and a group of seven managers rated the importance of the key variables in the model. These ratings provided input into the model which was then used to calculate optimal decisions under different conditions. The results suggest that the model can be useful in these general circumstances.
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Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to Predict Internet Tax Filing Intentions
T. Ramayah, Yusliza Mohd. Yusoff, Norzalila Jamaludin, Amlus Ibrahim |
272 |
Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to Predict Internet Tax Filing Intentions
T. Ramayah
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Yusliza Mohd. Yusoff
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Norzalila Jamaludin
Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia
Amlus Ibrahim
Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia
In common with many other countries, the Malaysian government has recently made it possible for taxpayers to file their income tax returns manually or by email, with the latter being preferred because of its speed and simplicity. This study examines factors that deermine which of these two methods taxpayers will choose. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to model the behavioral intentions of taxpayers, hypothesized to be influenced by their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls. The subject of the study were 125 taxpayers each of whom completed a specially-developed questionnaire that measured each of the four independent variable as well as their intention to complete their tax returns by email. A multiple regression analysis of their responses found that attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norm positively influence the behaviorial intention of taxpayers—to choose the email option. Implication of this study is also discussed.
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The Effect of a Quality Management System on Supply Chain Performance: An Empirical Study in Taiwan
Chin-Hung Liu |
285 |
The Effect of a Quality Management System on Supply Chain Performance: An Empirical Study in Taiwan
Chin-Hung Liu
National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taiwan
The main objective of management quality standards such as ISO/TS 16949 is to help companies develop and maintain supply chain systems that meet certain criteria (such as those provided by the supply chain operations reference model, SCOR) and ‘result’ in products and services that satisfy their customers. This study examines the effect of implementing ISO/TS 16949 on supply chain performance at 54 automobile and related firms in Taiwan, as judged by their managers. A multiple regression analysis found that implementation of the quality standard was judged to have improved the performance of the supply chain (in terms of the SCOR criteria) in these firms and led to them being more satisfied with it, in the views of managers from each of the firms. There were no significant differences in these judgments on the part of managers in firms with different characteristics. The results are interpreted as support for the use of such standards, as something whose implementation can help firms to develop excellent supply chains.
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Effects of Consumer Trust and Risk on Online Purchase Decision-making: A Comparison of Finnish and United States Students
Charles Comegys, Mika Hannula, Jaani Väisänen |
295 |
Effects of Consumer Trust and Risk on Online Purchase Decision-making: A Comparison of Finnish and United States Students
Charles Comegys
Merrimack College
Mika Hannula
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
Jaani Väisänen
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
This research examines the effects of consumer trust and risk on online purchase decisions-making by students in the United States and Finland from the perspective of the Buying Decision Process. Four separate and independent samples were used for comparisons in this study. Data from a specially-developed questionnaire were gathered from 194 students in Finland in 2002 and again in 2004. The United States samples consisted of 152 students in 2002 and 162 students in 2005. Gender, changes over time, and purchase volume hypotheses are examined. Findings include evidence that Finnish men developed a more trusting attitude toward online shopping than women over time. No gender differences were discovered in the United States. Although no relationship between the amount of consumer online risk-taking and online purchase volume was uncovered in either country, in the United States respondents with higher levels of trust towards online shopping tended to buy more. In Finland people with little trust towards e-vendors actually reduced their e-shopping over time. The implications of these findings for effective e-marketers are discussed.
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The Effect of Firm Characteristics on Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study in the United States
Srinivasan Ragothaman, Kamala Gollakota |
309 |
The Effect of Firm Characteristics on Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study in the United States
Srinivasan Ragothaman
University of South Dakota
Kamala Gollakota
University of Redlands
Recent financial scandals in United States companies have exposed “corporate governance” weaknesses. The measure of corporate governance used in this study is based on a Business Week survey. The governance rankings of this survey are derived from the opinions of experts who rated each company on four aspects of governance: shareholder accountability, quality of directors, independence of the board, and corporate performance. We use a multivariate logistic regression (logit) model in this study and the sample size is 85 United States companies. Our results suggest that return on assets, firm size, debt ratios, and auditor opinion are useful in discriminating “best” governed firms from “worst” governed firms.
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Teaming as a Strategic and Tactical Tool: An Analysis with Recommendations
Mildred Golden Pryor, Lisa Pryor Singleton, Sonia Taneja, Leslie A. Toombs |
320 |
Teaming as a Strategic and Tactical Tool: An Analysis with Recommendations
Mildred Golden Pryor
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Lisa Pryor Singleton
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Sonia Taneja
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Leslie A. Toombs
University of Texas at Permian Basin
This paper addresses teaming as a strategic and tactical tool which, when properly implemented, will achieve positive performance results. When strategic plans are developed, teams and teaming should be included as a strategy, and the reason for the strategy should be explained (e.g., using teams to improve processes or as a way to empower people). Once teaming becomes a strategy, the strategy must be executed in order to accomplish the mission, vision, goals and objectives of the organization. Also, the organizational structure may have to change to support the strategy. If team leaders and other team members do not understand team requirements, they may not do their jobs properly. Therefore, team leaders and members must be taught the theories, concepts, and tools that are necessary for their teams to be successful. In this paper, we analyze reasons for team failure and offer strategic and tactical approaches to achieve team success. In addition, we provide university and business examples to demonstrate how leaders can integrate teams and teaming into their organization’s strategic and tactical plans.
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Strategies for Reducing Stress among Managers: An Integrated Physical and Spiritual Approach
Sukhumpong Channuwong |
334 |
Strategies for Reducing Stress among Managers: An Integrated Physical and Spiritual Approach
Sukhumpong Channuwong
St. Theresa International College, Thailand
In the workplace of today is characterized by large amounts of stress on the part of employees. It is argued that much of this is due to rapid changes in the business world that have led to many economic, social, political, and family problems. Stress can result in poor work quality, poor productivity, morale problems, health problems, employee absenteeism and turnover and accidents, each of which can cost organizations a lot of money. This paper presents an integrated approach to dealing with employee stress, namely physical and spiritual therapy that in many respects is an outgrowth of the way Eastern philosophies deal with the problems. Physical therapy is a technique for reducing stress through a programme of controlled activity and exercise. Spiritual therapy is about teaching the ability to deal with stress through meditation and reflection on religious teachings. Implications of this integrated approach for reducing stress among both western and eastern managers are discussed.
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