Continuous Improvement Program Research Articles

How to Reduce Microaggression and Other Negative Racial Experiences at Work with Continuous Improvement

While government regulation or company policy can be used to curtail discrimination at work, it is hard to regulate away negative experiences like microaggression or perceptions of discrimination against minority employees in hiring and promotion. Using data from interviews with minority ethnic staff at a UK university, I present evidence of microaggression and minority employees feeling excluded and posit that perceptions of discriminatory policy engender negative perceptions of the organization. I further show the link between employee engagement and organizational performance and propose that minority employees’ negative experiences and perceptions lower their job and organizational engagement and, eventually, impact organizational performance. I offer a solution in the form of an enterprise-wide continuous improvement program that would directly improve organizational performance by improving business processes and indirectly by improving minority employees’ experience, perceptions, and engagement.

Improving educational equity through the Latinx family lens: A case study of the Juntos Program

AbstractThe Latinx population is the largest minority group in the United States and education is consistently identified as a critical topic among both US and foreign‐born Latino voters. In this article, the authors representing two land‐grant universities from a western (Oregon) and southern (North Carolina) region of the nation demonstrate how culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) principles are used to identify impacts and continuous program improvement to the development and implementation of a program driven to provide access and equitable experiences, knowledge, and resources to support the educational success of Latinx youth. Since 2007, the Juntos Program has intentionally focused on family engagement to drive students’ academic success. This article will showcase the evolution of program evaluation practices driven by the communities’ voices and how collaborative CRE can strengthen the work while ensuring communities' unique cultures based on demographic areas are acknowledged. This article will present a historical Juntos evaluation framework as an example of how Latinx families have participated in the evolution of the program's evaluation practices. In addition, it will provide insights and tools for others who wish to improve the cultural responsiveness of their programs. We acknowledge that identity is personal, and preference for various labels and terminology for the Hispanic/Latino/a/e/x vary based on the individual, community, and context. We respect the use of Hispanic, Latino/a/e/x, and a person's country of origin, which many Juntos families prefer. This article will use “Latinx” as a gender‐inclusive umbrella term.

Relationships between lean bundles and firm performance: a meta-analysis on the moderating role of national culture differences

PurposeEvolved from Toyota’s shop floor in Japan, lean bundles are universally accepted for boosting manufacturing performance. However, extant literature shows mixed findings on the effectiveness of lean bundles in non-Japanese settings. This meta-analysis is aimed at understanding the influence of national culture (NC) differences on the lean bundles-performance relationships.Design/methodology/approachA total of 224 effects from 12,569 observations across 48 empirical studies from 14 countries are meta-analyzed. Also, weighted least squares (WLS) meta-regression using NC scores from the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study are conducted to test the moderating effect of NC dimensions.FindingsThe meta-analysis reveals a positive association between the lean bundles and firm performance; though, the strength of the association varies across the individual lean bundles. The meta-regression results show that lean practices are more effective in countries that value high future orientation, high collectivism, low-performance orientation and high assertiveness.Originality/valueThe results contribute to the literature on the role of local cultural influence on strategies and decisions related to the implementation of continuous improvement (CI) programs in cross-cultural settings.

Factors That Impact the Dynamics and Effectiveness of Work Teams during the Implementation of Continuous Improvement Tools in the Manufacturing Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Currently, because of global competition, companies within the manufacturing industry must implement new organizational and production techniques to compete and stay active. The use of continuous improvement tools has become an opportunity and an effective strategy to achieve this. However, there is evidence that many continuous improvement programs are not successfully implemented due to a lack of information related to human management during the implementation of these projects in the manufacturing industry. In this context, the objective of this research is to identify factors influencing the dynamics and effectiveness of work teams for the implementation and development of continuous improvement tools in the manufacturing industry. A literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method, considering scientific articles related to the main factors that affect the dynamics and effectiveness of work teams in relation to the implementation of continuous improvement tools. From the review and evaluation of the studies, 60 factors were identified that affect the effectiveness of work teams in relation to continuous improvement within the manufacturing industry. Subsequently, a Pareto analysis was conducted on the critical success factors based on the number of occurrences in the analyzed literature, identifying 32 critical success factors considered vital for the implementation of continuous improvement projects. It is concluded that the factors arise from two common elements, the involvement of senior management and the company’s own culture. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of work teams and their continuous improvement projects, management must focus attention on this cultural change mainly by providing the necessary resources for the development of the project, establishing an adequate and effective reward system, and, most importantly, directing efforts towards staff empowerment.

How might rubric-based observations better support teacher learning and development?

ABSTRACT Background Many education systems internationally expect schools to participate in continuous instructional improvement programmes. One tool used within these processes is the structured, rubric-based classroom observation, focused on the evaluation of teaching. Such observations are a common feature of formative evaluation systems, teacher coaching programmes, within-school teacher collaborative structures, and other local, regional or national frameworks. However, a question arises as to how rubric-based observations may better support teacher learning and development. Purpose and sources Drawing on existing theoretical arguments and empirical work, this paper seeks to contribute to discussion about rubric-based classroom observation and its relationship with teacher learning and instructional improvement. Main arguments Observation rubrics can be regarded as summaries of a community’s understanding of good instruction. When generated in a way that makes this understanding accessible to teachers in the context of their own practice, they have the potential to place the rubric’s, and teachers’, understandings of good teaching ‘in conversation’ with each other. This could provide valuable opportunities for teachers to refine and expand their understandings of good instruction. Embedding rubric-based observations in school structures can, thus, facilitate continuous improvement efforts by better supporting teacher self-reflection, feedback, and collaboration. However, many uses of observation within school contexts tend to prioritise the rubric’s, rather than teachers’, understanding of good teaching. This risks turning observations from tools of learning into tools of judgement, disrupting the pathway through which they might support teacher learning and instructional improvement. Conclusion Our discussion draws attention to the potential benefits yielded and the challenges that may occur in using rubric-based observations to support teacher learning. It highlights factors that need consideration in efforts to leverage rubric-based observations to better promote continuous teacher learning, ultimately positively influencing student learning.

Poverty Alleviation through Women Empowerment Initiatives in Nigeria

This research investigates the nexus between women’s empowerment initiatives and poverty alleviation in Nigeria with focus on economic, psychological, social, and educational dimensions. The study is grounded in the Capability Approach. A cross-sectional design was employed and primary data was collected via close-ended questionnaires from a sample of 384 randomly selected from 18,080,973 female beneficiaries of the National Cash Transfer Programme. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the data collected. The findings reveal a positive correlation between Economic Empowerment (ECE), Psychological Empowerment (PS), and Social Empowerment (SE) with Poverty Alleviation (PA). Unexpectedly, Educational Empowerment (EDE) exhibits a negative association with poverty alleviation. Introducing Monitoring and Evaluation (ME) as a crucial moderating variable, the research emphasizes its role in optimizing empowerment program impact. This study offers valuable insights into the relationship between women’s empowerment and poverty alleviation in Nigeria. Positive correlations in economic, psychological, and social dimensions emphasize the holistic nature of effective empowerment. The unexpected negative association with educational empowerment prompts a reassessment. The inclusion of Monitoring and Evaluation as a crucial moderating variable underscores its importance. Policy efforts should focus on holistic empowerment strategies, tailored educational initiatives, and robust Monitoring and Evaluation practices for continual program improvement.

"Building More Connected Primary Care: Improving Connections between Primary Care and Community Care, Specialists and Hospitals for Timely and Appropriate Care"

Although strong, well connected primary care results in better health outcomes and health equity at a lower cost, most family physicians in Ontario, Canada are not supported by teams and have variable connections to other system sectors resulting in variable access and quality of care. A continuous relationship with a family physician and primary care team facilitates access to timely care, appropriate preventive care, reduced acute care utilization and costs, reduced mortality and more satisfied patients. This was further confirmed during the COVID 19 pandemic when patients who were attached to primary care teams had superior care for both COVID and non-COVID health issues.
 Together with patients, families, family physicians and all health care sectors, we co-created and evaluated efficient models of connecting family physicians to: specialists for just in time advice, virtual and in-person consults; to interprofessional teams tailored to the needs of their practices and to navigation services tailored to primary care. These models were co-designed with family physicians and continue to evolve based on their evolving needs:
 SCOPE (Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience) connects primary care providers (PCPs) in the community to real-time supports through a single point of access, Co-designed with local PCPS, SCOPE improves access to an interprofessional team who can help with urgent medical consultations, diagnostic imaging, curated home and community care, mental health, and navigation of other services available in the hospital or in the community.
 TIP (Telemedicine IMPACT PLUS) TIP (Telemedicine IMPACT Plus) provides rapid access to case consultation by a virtual team of health care professionals to enable proactive health and social care for patients living with multi-morbidity. The case conference involves the patient/caregivers, family physician and TIP RN along with the consulting team that consists of: Psychiatrist, Internist, Pharmacist, Social Worker, Home Care Coordinator, Dietitian and others as required. The purpose of this consultation is to coordinate care and derive new solutions for addressing chronic conditions. A dedicated
 TIP nurse facilitator prepares the case, facilitates the consultation with one of 12 available teams, summarizes a coordinated care plan and coordinates the patient’s circle of care.
 Building interprofessional primary care teams based on family physician patient roster needs relies on nourishing foundational relationships with local PCPs to help identify gaps in care, engaging PCPS in continuous program improvement and developing partnerships with key stakeholders: leadership from the anchor hospital and their specialist groups, home and community care and community organizations. Joint implementation is based on the value proposition that all sectors win when care is appropriately triaged and managed in the community.
 When combined, connected and integrated into primary care practices, these initiatives build the Patient Medical Home, with the PCP at the centre of care, support to more effectively co-manage patients using existing resources more efficiently mapped to patient needs. These initiatives support relationship-based navigation, the underpinning of team-based primary care essential to improving system navigation for timely access to needs-based care.
 The target audience: patients, families, interprofessional primary care providers, specialists, home care and community providers, and hospitals.
 
 
 

Sambat Online Program's Pursuit of Citizen-Centric Information Services Empowerment

The rise of digital technology has revived engagement between governments and citizens, advancing e-governance with improved communication, transparency, and flexibility. The Sambat Online Program promotes a citizen-centric approach to information services in Malang City which strategies for advancing e-governance in the digital age is considered important. This study aims to analyze challenges, strategies, and propose an actionable framework to improve Malang City's e-governance, with a focus on the Sambat Online Program’s pursuit of citizen-centric information excellence. This study used a qualitative case study approach to examine the program. The results show that the Sambat Online application in Malang City faces organizational challenges and social issues such as lack of leadership, resistance to change, digital divide, digital literacy, and social inclusion needs. Technological challenges occur in terms of cybersecurity, updates, and system scalability. It also found that the Malang City Government needs a user-oriented e-government approach to ensure data security and privacy. In other words, the platform makes it easy for users to submit complaints, increasing citizen involvement in improving public services, however continuous program assessment and improvement are essential. Areas for improvement include improved complaint management, digital training, and strengthened cybersecurity, with a focus on complaint management as the most effective solution. In conclusion, the program enhances communication and comprehension between governing bodies and the public, highlighting its significance in contemporary governance.

Using DMAIC for in-plant logistic activities improvement

Goal: In-plant logistics activities are important for increasing the performance of the supply chains, so our research aims to study the application of Six Sigma tools for in-plant logistics activities in the cement industry. Our research contributes to the literature by developing a real case study that provides insights into the practical implementation of continuous improvement programs. Design / Methodology / Approach: This study uses the Industrial Case Study in a large cement plant, a branch of a multinational business group, in Brazil’s Middle-west region. This research applies Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) guidelines with Statistical Process Control tools for solving a real problem for out-control processes. From this, we propose an improvement plan to correct flaws in the in-plant cement loading and unloading process (in-plant logistics). Results: The results suggest that based on the control chart, the studied in-plant logistics activities were out of control. These processes exhibit a high variability, between 3σ and 5σ, presenting 26 problems with causes related to machine, measure, and human resources. An out-control action plan was proposed aiming for improvements to solve these problems. Limitations of the investigation: On the out-control action plan, this study presents an improvement proposal. The action plan does not fully develop the control step for DMAIC. Practical implications: Managers in the cement industry can use our case for insights and learning about improvement programs, especially for the in-plant logistics activities addressing processing-based manufacturing environments. Originality / Value: Our research contributes a real case study that applies the DMAIC methodology, with a specific focus on in-plant logistics activities. By developing the application of improvement programs within the cement industry, our study offers practical insights into how processing industries can effectively implement such programs.

Applying implementation science to evaluate participatory ergonomics program for continuous improvement: A case study in the construction industry

While participatory ergonomics (PE) presents numerous benefits, its empirical effectiveness remains elusive due to the lack of transparency in implementation contexts and processes. This hinders our ability to discern the reasons behind a program's success or failure and to determine optimization and adaptation strategies. To unravel this “black box,” we present a case study using implementation science to evaluate a PE program and illuminate the mechanisms linking process to outcome. The study examines a 4.5-year PE program at a construction company, targeting musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from material-cart handling. Using the RE-AIM framework and Implementation Causal Pathway Model, we evaluated implementation process and catalogued contextual factors through worker surveys (n = 106), safety document review (27 training sessions and 7 construction projects), and key informant observations. We assessed the program's impact using a 42-worker survey and an analysis of 8-year injury data, and determined the return-on-investment (ROI) by monetizing the collected data. The program achieved significant impact: Workers' ergonomic knowledge improved from 73% in baseline to 86% in follow-up; 97% of workers reported at least one positive change in their crews; and no cart handling injuries occurred after the first program change, resulting in a ROI rate of 1.99. Implementation process evaluation revealed that seamless integration, tailored intervention, and ongoing adjustments contributed to the success. Five organizational factors necessary for the effective functioning of these three strategies were identified, along with three moderators that amplified their influence. Finally, this case study demonstrates that implementation science offers a coherent structure for evaluating PE programs, uncovering mechanisms of change, and informing future improvements and adaptations. Our research facilitates knowledge transfer from implementation science to ergonomics, eventually leading to more cost-effective PE programs that are faithfully implemented across various industrial settings to prevent MSDs.

Abstract 15921: Reaching Patients With Hypertension: A Model of Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Plus Team-Based Care

Background: Social determinants of health (SDoH) significantly impact hypertension (HTN) control, yet are not addressed as part of the medical model. We used a team-based approach, integrating remote blood pressure monitoring (RBPM), pharmacists, and community health workers (CHWs) to address HTN among patients with persistently uncontrolled HTN referred from cardiology fellows clinics. This study assesses the impact of this model in achieving BP control. Methods: Pharmacists screened patients for SDoH using a tool adapted from the Accountable Health Communities initiative and managed BP during biweekly virtual visits. Patients with SDoH were referred to Project Access-New Haven for CHW support. We describe clinical characteristics, SDoH, program metrics, and BP changes among the first 100 patients. We also assessed predictors of BP control (< 130/80 mmHg) using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Among referred patients, multiple SDoH were identified; 18% of whom accepted support by a CHW (Table). BP decreased from a mean of 154/86 mmHg to 135/78 mmHg (mean reduction 20/8 mmHg). BP control was associated with greater medication adherence, having diabetes and competing health priorities. There was no association between SDoH and BP control. Conclusions: A team-based care model with pharmacists and CHWs was effective in reducing BP among low income patients with multiple SDoH and persistently uncontrolled HTN. SDoH was not associated with achieving BP control, suggesting that this model may overcome or attenuate SDoH impacting BP control. Still, half of patients did not achieve BP control, highlighting the need for continual partnership and program improvement.

Experiencia para la actualización continua del plan de estudio de Bibliotecología y Gestión de la Información, de la Escuela de Bibliotecología, Documentación e Información de la Universidad Nacional en 2022

An investigation was carried out with the objective of defining the main national and international trends in the labor market for the continuous updating of the current study plan, contributing to the graduation of the graduates of the career as part of the research project Continuous updating of the career of Library Science and Information Management of the National University linked to the Program of Quality Assurance and continuous improvement of the Library Science and Information Management career of the National University of the School of Library Science, Documentation and Information (EBDI) of the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. This descriptive academic exercise was carried out with a mixed approach considering the following variables: main labor trends at the national level, main labor trends at the international level, current professional profile and a 10-year projection, current occupational profile and a projection to 10 years. This implied the treatment of a variety of kinds of information sources and the application of a series of qualitative and quantitative research techniques and instruments for the

A review of the American College of Surgeons accredited education institutes' assessment practices for learners, faculty, and continuous program improvement.

Simulation is an instructional modality that offers opportunities for assessment across many domains. The American College of Surgeons created the Accredited Education Institutes (AEIs) to build a community of high-quality simulation centers focused around improving surgical education and training. The goals of this project were to identify assessment methods used by AEIs, discuss how these methods align with established assessment frameworks, identify best practices, and provide guidance on best practice implementation. The authors analyzed responses regarding learner assessment, faculty assessment, and continuous program improvement from AEI accreditations surveys using deductive qualitative analysis. Data from ninety-six centers were reviewed. Codes for each category were organized into formal and informal themes. For learner assessment, examinations and checklists identified as the most common types of formal assessment used and oral feedback as the most common type of informal assessment. For faculty assessment, written evaluations were the most common formal type and debriefs were the most common informal type. For continuous program improvement, written evaluations were the most common formal type and oral feedback was the most frequent informal type. The goal of assessment should be to encourage learning through feedback and to ensure the attainment of educational competencies. The data revealed a variety of assessment modalities used to accomplish this goal with AEIs frequently utilizing some of the most reliable forms of assessment. We discuss how these forms of assessment can be integrated with best practices to develop assessment portfolios for learners and faculty, performance improvement reports for faculty, and assessments of clinical impact. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44186-023-00132-6.

The Evaluation of Quality Control and Laboratory Management in Microbiology Laboratories in Sudan Comparing to the International Standards

Background: The microbiology laboratory plays an important role in isolation, characteristic of microorganisms, clinical function {infection control}, epidemiological, surveillance, prevention, finding the route of transmission of infective microbe, and participate in the antimicrobial stewardship programs (1). Hence the basic rights of laboratory test reports are the reliability, accuracy, timeliness, and in form that can be sense (2), so, the quality management system model is remarkable to attaining excellence in laboratories practices and improving quality (3). Objectives: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the quality control and laboratory management of microbiology laboratories in Sudan comparing to the international standards. Materials and Methods: The type of this study is non interventional study, observational research method, cross sectional study was carried out between 2014 to 2023 structured questionnaire distributed to the seven microbiology laboratories in Khartoum state and Aljazeera state in Sudan to evaluate the quality control and the laboratory management checking and assessing the facility setup, personnel, laboratory facilities, environment and biosafety, equipment, quality system, identification methods, Antibiotic susceptibility testing methods of these microbiology laboratories. SPSS statistical system and Microsoft excel were utilized for data analysis. Results: The results proposed in Tables and demonstrated that most of the questionnaires respondents about the procedures for the tests and methods done in the laboratory standardized in accordance with the ISO 15189:2012 their number was 81 with percentage (64.3%) there were 45with percentage (35.7%) was not complying the standards.Conclusion: The study revealed that all these microbiology laboratories have moderate performance quality control and laboratory management standards and their needs to continuous improvement programs to provide better patient care.

The use and application of the 7 new quality control tools in the manufacturing sector: a global study

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to investigate the 7 new quality control or the 7 new management tools and their use in manufacturing organisations. This research investigates the understanding, knowledge of the tools and the level of application of the tools within the manufacturing sector. In addition, this paper aims to identify the benefits, challenges and critical success factors (CSFs) for the application of the 7 new quality control (QC) tools.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey instrument was developed, and data collection was performed utilising a stratified random sampling strategy. The primary strata/clusters were formed by quality professionals working in all aspects of manufacturing organisations and functions. A total of 86 participants from different countries responded to the survey.FindingsThe main finding of this study is that 10% of participants within the manufacturing sector perceived that the 7 new QC tools could solve above 80% of organisational problems. Another relevant finding presented in this paper is that tree diagrams were the most utilised of the 7 new QC tools within the manufacturing sector. The least utilised tools are arrow diagrams. The common benefits of using 7 new QC tools in the manufacturing sector are helping people define, measure and analyse the problem areas or even prioritises them and providing some form of structure to the problem-solving efforts. This paper also revealed that the 7 new QC tools were most used in the manufacturing area but least utilised in the new products and research and development (R&D) functions. This work also presents a list of CSFs and challenges required to properly apply the 7 new QC tools in the manufacturing sector.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was just carried out in manufacturing organisations. It would be interesting to try and expand to services sectors and compare use within the services sector.Originality/valueAuthors understand that this is the very first empirical study analysing the use and understanding of the 7 new QC or management tools within the manufacturing sector. The results of this study represent an important first step towards a complete understanding of the applicability of these tools in continuous improvement programs on a global scale and the context in which they can be utilized.

Taxonomy and Ex Ante Metric of Climate Change Adaptation Projects Recorded in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as Updated for Conference of the Parties-26 (COP-26)

The authors have proposed a method of reiterating the statistical analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the UNFCCC Parties, which were updated at Conference of the Parties-26. The present analysis confirms the taxonomy developed in 2020, based on 2475 adaptive solutions recorded in 2022 NDCs, and discusses the differences observed. An ex ante adaptation metric is proposed, which allows monitoring of adaptive solutions over time and comparisons between projects in time and space. The fitness coefficient evaluates the ex ante relevance of these adaptive projects in relation to the climate challenges of each country. The authors have proposed a program of continuous improvement instead of a definitive calculation. The authors have developed an algorithm to automate the text analysis and minimize the subjectivity of the analysis. The objective is to assign a level of vulnerability to each project for each hazard in the country. The correspondence analysis was used to derive the most representative dimensions of project category dispersion and vulnerability intensities from a contingency table for each hazard. This coefficient can be made available to experts, project developers, and funders for ex ante evaluation and selection of candidate projects for funding before more in-depth analyses are carried out.

Educating Mental Health Trainees About Measurement-Based Care: A Scoping Review.

Measurement-based care (MBC) refers to the routine use of symptom rating scales to guide treatment decisions. Although effective, it is an underused approach to enhance patient care. A significant barrier to integration of MBC is insubstantial foundational training. This scoping review aims to survey the literature on MBC educational curricula for mental health trainees. Investigators searched Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Ebsco CINAHL through June 2021 to select records that described studies of MBC educational programs for undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate learners in mental healthcare. From 1270 unique records, 1263 were excluded in abstract/title and full-text screening. This scoping review included seven articles, of which most were empirical or case studies and took place in the USA. These curricula involved many delivery formats, including lectures and in-service training. Measured learner outcomes include those that are learner-focused (i.e. learner reaction, or attitudinal/behavioral change) and organizational-focused (i.e. increased clinical use of MBC). Mechanisms of positive outcomes are posited to include enhanced stakeholder support and continual curriculum improvement. MBC curricula can be taught in various formats to diverse learners in mental healthcare. Contextual factors, such as dedicated resources, MBC champions, supervisor training, online measurement feedback systems, simple measures, and gathering and disseminating feedback may facilitate curricular success by fostering stakeholder support and continual program improvement. To address literature gaps, future research in MBC education should involve educational frameworks in designing curriculum and address the use of quality improvement approaches in the implementation of MBC education.

Conceptual Framework for Lean and Industry 4.0 Implementation in SMEs (Shuriken Framework)

Abstract: This paper suggests a framework for implementing lean practices & Industry 4.0 technologies in the organization. This system can be potentially used in micro, small and medium enterprises. Industries have started paying attention to the Industry 4.0 phenomenon and researchers have identified that there is a strong inter-relation between Industry 4.0 and the lean practices. Many empirical researches have been conducted on these topics. Our paper attempts to bridge this gap explaining the correlation between the Industry 4.0 technologies and lean practices. Based on the analyses, we have proposed a framework that would help organizations understand the implementation of these practices collectively. The framework considers three core tenetsknowledge, resources and the level of implementation in any organization. Also, there are four core areas specifically to understand the process of implementation for the organization-lean practices, continuous improvement, Industry 4.0 and training programs for continuous learning. Such a presentation demonstrates the integration of these two paradigms in the entire supply chain.

THE IMPACT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ON DEVELOPING THE ORGANIZATIONS PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence that effective supply chain management may have on a businesss overall performance. All of the marketing managers working for Jordanian manufacturing companies made up the population for this study. In order to collect the marketing managers replies, a sample size of one hundred (100) was chosen randomly. The research findings indicated a statistically significant impact at the level of supply chain management on the Development of organizational performance of Jordanian Industrial companies from the perspective of Marketing Managers. This level of significance was determined by using a value of 0.05. From the point of view of marketing managers, it has been discovered that the relationship with customers has the greatest influence on the development of the organizational performance of Jordanian industrial enterprises. According to the studys findings, the company should implement continuous improvement programs for its suppliers. Additionally, the company should interact with customers to establish required standards and keep its partners informed of all issues that may impact its business.

Holistic community-based group parenting programs for mothers with maternal mental health issues help address a growing public health need for a diversity of vulnerable mothers, children and families: Findings from an action research study.

Maternal mental illness is a major growing global concern which can affect parenting with serious negative implications for offspring. Group-based parenting programs for mothers which both enhance the parent-child relationship and address mental health symptoms in a supportive social setting may optimise better outcomes for mothers and children. The Acorn program in South Australia draws on attachment theory to integrate dance play, reflective diary keeping and therapeutic letters in a holistic program for a diversity of vulnerable mothers and children aged 1-36 months. The program seeks to nurture and enhance parental wellbeing and the quality of the parent-child relationship for mothers experiencing identified mental health illnesses that impinge upon their parenting. This study presents the evaluation of the program and its effectiveness. Action research approach for continuous monitoring and program improvement engaging Acorn program staff in evaluation data collection and interpretation of pre and post self-completion measures and standardized observations. Additional data was collected through a telephone interview of attending mothers 6-8 months after program completion to address sustainable impacts on parenting and wellbeing. The program engaged 353 diverse vulnerable mothers with their children. Many had profound overlapping mental health issues including borderline personality disorder (BPD) and depression. The quality of the parent-child interaction, parental confidence, competence and enjoyment were enhanced; mothers' wellbeing, ability to cope and lasting social supports were augmented. This occurred for a number of "most vulnerable" subgroups including single mothers, mothers with BPD, mothers from non-English speaking households and those with lower levels of education or household income. Mothers reported sustained improvements in their wellbeing, parenting, social and family lives, and feeling closer to their child as a result of participating in the program. Given the high prevalence of maternal mental health issues and substantial potential negative consequences for mothers and offspring, the Acorn parenting program offers an effective means of addressing this pressing public health issue potentially helping large numbers of vulnerable mothers and their children. This has additional gravitas in the shadow of COVID-19 due to expanded numbers of those experiencing greater parental stress, isolation and mental illness.