Service Management Research Articles

Work ability data management in multisectoral services for people with disabilities: a cross-sectional study

Successful collaboration between professionals working in multisectoral services for people with disabilities requires access to data on the client’s work ability. This study examines work ability data needs, availability, and acquisition in social and health care services and employment services and explores possible differences between these service sectors. A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a self-developed questionnaire based on Choo’s information management process model, the Work Ability House model and previous research on work ability data. The questionnaire was targeted at physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, and experts who support the work ability of people with disabilities and who work in primary health care, specialised health care, social services or employment services. The findings indicate that data on clients’ self-perceived health status is more frequently available than data on self-perceived work ability. This variability in data availability exists across professional sectors, highlighting the need for enhanced data management practices related to work ability assessment and support among professionals in social and health care services and employment services. The study underscores the importance of increasing professionals’ willingness to discuss work ability issues with working-age clients, particularly in primary health care and social services. These findings are pertinent in terms of enhancing multisectoral collaboration among professionals who need to comprehensively assess and support the work ability and employment of people with disabilities. Also, the study provides a diverse list of individual pieces of data related to work ability.

From Plate to Planet: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Strategies to Reduce Plate Food Waste at Food Services

Annually, over 931 million tons of plate food waste is generated in food services, affecting various aspects of sustainability. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate the most effective strategies or actions to reduce plate food waste. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following a PROSPERO-registered protocol [#CRD42024501971], searching multiple databases and gray literature until August 2024. Studies evaluating strategies and actions against waste in various food services [restaurants, institutional services in hospitals, childcare centers, schools, universities, or businesses] were included, with no language, location, or date restrictions. The risk of bias was assessed using JBI tools. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed in R (version 4.2.1), with subgroup analyses based on intervention type, food service type, meal type, management, and distribution systems. Of the 6070 studies, 18 were included in the narrative synthesis and 6 in the meta-analysis. The most effective strategies or actions targeted clients (vs. employees), meals on plates (vs. trays), school canteens (vs. other services), self-managed establishments (vs. outsourced), and à la carte services (vs. self-service). In this sense, strategies focusing on clients, plate-served meals, school canteens, self-management, and à la carte services are more effective in reducing food waste. Further actions are needed in other areas like customers, trays, different kitchen types, outsourced services, and self-service menus.

Financial Technology Service Companies' Innovation Change Management and Leadership-Driven Organizational Adaptability

In the context of rapid development in financial technology, financial technology service companies face unprecedented changes and challenges. This paper explores how these companies can drive organizational adaptability through innovative change management and leadership to enhance their market competitiveness. First, the paper defines financial technology and its development trends, provides an overview of core theories of change management, and analyzes the impact of change management on organizational performance. Next, it discusses the implementation framework for organizational adaptability, highlights challenges encountered during the adaptation process, and proposes corresponding solution strategies, along with methods to optimize adaptive strategies. Finally, the paper examines the organizational capabilities required for sustained change and innovation, particularly focusing on management models for continuous change and the enhancement of organizational capabilities driven by innovation. Through systematic analysis and strategic recommendations, this paper aims to provide effective frameworks for change management and leadership-driven adaptability strategies for financial technology service companies to navigate an ever-changing market environment.

A Tribute to and in Memory - Dr David Briggs AM (1948-2024)

Dr. David Briggs served as the Editor-in-Chief for the APJHM for 15 years and was responsible for the formation, development and steering the professional growth and impact of this publication. David was appointed by the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) in the second year of the journal’s establishment which was introduced as the College’s own applied, peer reviewed journal aimed at communicating the development and practice of the field of health management within the Asia Pacific region......

Strategies for Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic in the State of Piauí-Brazil: Contributions to Nursing.

To analyze the influence of the strategies to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, implemented by the Public Health Network of the State of Piauí, Brazil, as contributions to nursing, on the outcome of cases and deaths. This is a descriptive and documentary study with a qualitative approach, carried out in the state of Piauí-Brazil, whose data were processed at IRAMUTEC and analyzed by the Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC). Ninety-two normative acts were instituted as coping strategies, distributed in three classes: technical-operational protocols for preventing and combating COVID-19 in Piauí; Piauí strategic bases for social distancing against COVID-19; and management of services and economic activities in Piauí in the fight against COVID-19. The actions determined by and implemented in the normative acts were conducted according to the behavior of the epidemiological curve regarding the number of cases and deaths. The normative acts, which defined the technical-operational protocols for the prevention and control of COVID-19, were directly related to social distancing strategies and the use of protective equipment in the quality of life of the population.

Providing organizations with a validated instrument for an Enterprise Service Management capability

In light of new digital opportunities, enterprises require modernization also with regard to intra-organizational business and IT management. Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is an organizational capability aimed at a more efficient and effective IT and business service management in organizations. Although ESM has been recognized as an approach to improve customer and employee satisfaction and to create digital competitive advantage, there is a methodological and analytical void for organizations in how to measure their ESM capability. Motivated by this lack of measurability and tangibility, we aim to empirically validate the ESM capability model. Our contribution to this paper is empirical, as we provide a measurable instrument for further ESM studies. We aim to initiate a broader debate on ESM and thereby add to the scholarly establishment of the concept in the Information Systems and IT Management literature. Practically, we contribute by offering companies a validated and actionable set of ESM characteristics.

Culture and ICD-11 personality disorder: Implications for clinical practice across diverse ethnic groups.

Personality disorder (PD) in ICD-11 is defined primarily by self and interpersonal dysfunction and optionally by other qualifiers. This definition is inseparable from relativism of cultural determinants. This review aimed to synthesize the relevant aspects of the influence of culture on clinical practice and health management for this condition, aligning them to the ICD-11 PD model. In Scopus, we systematically searched for studies that included the text strings: cultur* | personality AND (disorder* OR patholog*) without any restrictions on publication date or language or other exclusion criteria, up to November 2022. Evidence suggests that cultural variables in ethnic groups (Western and non-Western) such as the individualist/collectivist philosophy, historical/generational trauma, immigration, acculturation, religion, and gender influence the etiology, semiology, epidemiology, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and management of health services for ICD-11 PD. We discuss the limitations and propose future lines of research on this topic based on our knowledge and experience. In this review, we provide the scientific community and clinicians with relevant cultural information to guide their practice and propose strategies to manage PD from the ICD-11 model. More research is needed using mixed study methodologies on stigma, the experiences of patients, clinicians, and health agencies, to reduce the care gaps and achieve a culturally comprehensive, inclusive, and competent use of this new model.

Strategi Pengembangan Daya Tarik Wisatawan terhadap Minat Kunjung pada New Celosia Bandungan

The Indonesian region has a wealth of natural and cultural resources that provide large capital for the tourism sector. Tourism is one of the creative economies that is currently in the development stage. New Celosia Bandungan is one of the tourist destinations that has high appeal in the Bandungan area, Central Java. This research aims to analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) as well as policy analysis that can be carried out to develop tourist attractions owned by New Celosia as a tourist destination. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach with data collection through field observations, interviews with informants, and documentation. The analysis results show that New Celosia has several strengths, such as affordable ticket prices, attractive photo spots, and complete facilities. However, weaknesses were also found, such as non-functioning rides and relatively expensive food prices. Regarding opportunities, the strategic location and increasing tourism demand provide potential for further development. On the other hand, threats such as competition with other tourist attractions and extreme weather must also be anticipated. Based on this SWOT analysis, it is recommended that New Celosia Tourism improve the management of facilities and services, as well as take advantage of existing development opportunities to increase visiting interest and competitiveness in the tourism industry.

Identifying AWaRe indicators for appropriate antibiotic use: a narrative review.

Quality indicators (QIs) are widely used tools for antibiotic stewardship programmes. The Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) system has been developed by the WHO to classify antibiotics based on their spectrum of activity and potential selection of antibiotic resistance. This review aimed to identify existing indicators for optimal antibiotic use to inform the development of future AWaRe QIs. A literature search was performed in PubMed. We included articles describing QIs for hospital and primary healthcare antibiotic use. We extracted information about (i) the type of infection; (ii) setting; (iii) target for quality assessment; and (iv) methodology used for the development. We then identified the indicators that reflected the guidance provided in the AWaRe system. A total of 773 indicators for antibiotic use were identified. The management of health services and/or workers, the consumption of antibiotics, and antibiotic prescribing/dispensing were the principal targets for quality assessment. There was a similar distribution of indicators across primary and secondary care. For infection-specific indicators, about 50% focused on respiratory tract infections. Only a few QIs included information on review treatment or microbiological investigations. Although only 8 (1%) indicators directly cited the AWaRe system in the wording of the indicators, 445 (57.6%) indicators reflected the guidance provided in the AWaRe book. A high number of indicators for appropriate antibiotic use have been developed. However, few are currently based directly on the WHO AWaRe system. There is a clear need to develop globally applicable AWaRe based indicators that can be integrated into antibiotic stewardship programmes.

Subscriber retention management: SRM framework and future research agenda

Purpose This article aims to systematically review the fragmented but increasingly relevant research field of customer retention management in subscription scenarios, proposing the subscriber retention management framework for retention management in subscription settings and directing future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors systematically reviewed 1,295 articles to offer a comprehensive, unbiased overview on customer retention management in subscription-based services. From 122 selected articles, the authors conducted a descriptive analysis, conceptualized key insights into a novel framework and recognized research gaps. Findings Among 122 articles, 111 focus on private customers across various service sectors, while lacking reflection on new digital industries, reactive retention and the corporate context. The conceptualization of results merges existing insights into seven dimensions, encompassing strategic and tactical aspects and the interplay of controllable and uncontrollable factors. The authors also outline 12 emerging research directions. Research limitations/implications Given the extensive body of literature, the authors were unable to delve into detailed explanations. The findings are limited to management science research sourced from Scopus, adhering to a rigorous filtering process. Sub-domains, such as reactive or business-to-business retention management, remain somewhat provisional due to little results. Practical implications A sustainable subscriber retention strategy hinges on: (1) integrating retention into business strategy, (2) adjusting acquisition and retention tactics to specific markets and (3) using a consistent retention marketing mix considering affective, calculative and habitual commitment factors. Originality/value The authors contribute with a first systematic review of subscription-specific retention management in a rapidly growing area. This results in a novel framework that broadens the understanding of subscriber retention and identifies research gaps.

Complementary effects of pollination and biocontrol services enable ecological intensification in macadamia orchards.

In many crops, both pollination and biocontrol determine crop yield, whereby the relative importance of the two ecosystem services can be moderated by the landscape context. However, additive and interactive effects of pollination and biocontrol in different landscape contexts are still poorly understood. We examined both ecosystem services in South African macadamia orchards. Combining observations and experiments, we disentangled their relative additive and interactive effects on crop production with variation in orchard design and landscape context (i.e., cover of natural habitat and altitude). Insect pollination increased the nut set on average by 280% (initial nut set) and 525% (final nut set), while biocontrol provided by bats and birds reduced the insect damage on average by 40%. Pollination services increased in orchards where macadamia tree rows were positioned perpendicular to orchard edges facing natural habitat. Biocontrol services decreased with elevation. Pest damage was reduced by higher cover of natural habitat at landscape scale but increased with elevation. Pollination and biocontrol are both important ecosystem services and complementary in providing high macadamia crop yield. Smart orchard design and the retention of natural habitat can simultaneously enhance both services. Conjoint management of ecosystem services can thus enable the ecological intensification of agricultural production.

Promoting coordinated spatial governance of mega-cities in China via spatial organization of metropolitan areas

Super large-sized cities and very large-sized cities (“mega-cities” for short) have become the backbone of China's socio-economic development, but they also face outstanding challenges of "urban diseases" due to their high concentration. In comparison to their foreign counterparts, China's mega-cities possess unique characteristics such as rapid growth, high population density, and large numbers of residents. They naturally have the attributes of metropolitan areas due to an administrative management system of an urban system within city territory. Promoting coordinated spatial governance of mega-cities via spatial organization of metropolitan areas not only helps mega-cities better allocate resources at a larger scope and helps expedite the transformation of development patterns, but is also crucial for better implementing new-type urbanization strategies. In response to the issues in China’s previous research and practices related to mega-cities and metropolitan areas, leveraging the “Critical Technology for Spatial Optimization of Metropolitan Areas of City Clusters” of the national key R&D plan in the “14th Five-year Plan” period, we have employed a scientific approach that combines data and models to propose spatial governance strategies. These strategies encompass both the overall metropolitan area level and the cross-border regional level. Our primary focus lies in optimizing the spatial layout of the “three domains” – ecological space, production space, and living space, facilitating functional dispersal, enhancing spatial patterns, adjusting land use structures and spatial resource allocation, coordinating rail transit and the organization of functions along transit lines, and innovating service management for improvement of administrative efficiency. Through the implementation of these diverse measures, we aim to establish a comprehensive composite collaborative system.

Management of Emergency Department Services at a Secondary Level Hospital

Background: The primary purpose of the Emergency Department (ED) is to provide immediate medical attention and resuscitation to seriously ill patients. Prompt treatment and efficient service management play crucial roles in preventing fatalities and disabilities. Objective: To evaluate the management of emergency department services at a secondary-level hospital in Bangladesh. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the emergency department at Narayanganj General Hospital from January to December 2018. The study involved 229 participants, including both service recipients and providers. Data was collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Results: The majority of participants easily identified the ED room (82.3%) and waited ≤15 minutes (91.2%) to see a doctor. They also felt that doctors listened attentively to their complaints (88.9%) and behaved well (92.5%). Service providers' behavior was also positively rated by patients, with 90.8% expressing satisfaction. Most patients did not receive all prescribed medicines from the pharmacy (81.4%), expressed dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of the environment (52.1%), and facilities in the waiting room (60.0%). Despite these concerns, they mostly stated satisfaction with the treatment received (51.6%) and the overall management of the ED (45.1%). Service providers identified several shortcomings across multiple areas, such as laboratory facilities (78.6%), staffing levels of doctors (78.6%), nurses (64.3%), and supporting staff (85.7%). Despite these challenges, they expressed satisfaction (64.3%) with their roles. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that both service recipients and service providers were satisfied with the management of medical services. However, hospital administration and health service providers should prioritize resolving deficiencies in order to improve patient satisfaction more substantially. Journal of Monno Medical College June, 2024; 10 (1):36-42

Transferable Skills And Graduate Attributes: Analysis of health services management students’ reflections on an industry-based placement

Purpose: Work Integrated Learning (WIL) supports learners to acquire transferable skills and graduate attributes for employability through placements in settings aligned with their future profession. The purpose of this paper is to explore, student reflections on the attainment of transferable skills and university graduate attributes on health service management (HSM) work integrated learning placements in one Australian University. Design/methodology/approach: The study used data collected from e-portfolios from two cohorts of students who completed placements in the health industry. Structured e-portfolios recorded student reflections, these were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. To analyse the reflections, content analysis and mapping of narratives to transferable skills and University graduate attributes was used to evidence their attainment by learners on placement. Findings: The data demonstrated that students attained transferable skills and university attributes and reflected upon them in their e-portfolios. However, not all transferable skills and attributes were evidenced in student portfolios. Ethical thoughts and actions, respect and capability with First Peoples, citizenship and social responsibility, negotiation and conflict resolution, research and organizational membership were not comprehensively demonstrated. Reflective skills and learning how to reflect could be further emphasised and practiced within the curricula. The outcomes of the study can be used to strengthen the focus of reflective e-portfolios, inform the development of HSM curricula and support academics teaching in WIL programs to further clarify expectations on reflection. Originality: This paper is of interest to Universities aiming to equip graduates with transferable skills and the attributes to thrive in complex and rapidly changing work environments. The study identified further research opportunities that could inform the design and content of e-portfolios to demonstrate the skills attained on placement.

Research on Parallel Task Scheduling Algorithm of SaaS Platform Based on Dynamic Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization in Cloud Service Environment

To efficiently realize the parallel task scheduling of SaaS platform in large-scale cloud service environment, this paper studies the parallel task scheduling algorithm of SaaS platform based on dynamic adaptive particle swarm optimization in cloud service environment. Users access the cloud through the user access interface module, and issue task scheduling instructions or send task scheduling requests. After the service management module provides diversified application service support according to the scheduling requirements, the core service module determines the SaaS platform parallel scheduling objective function, and uses dynamic adaptive particle swarm optimization to solve the objective function to obtain the SaaS platform parallel task scheduling results. The test results show that the algorithm has better multi-objective solving ability and can obtain higher quality objective solutions, and the test results of the total execution time of parallel scheduling tasks and the total transmission time of task data on SaaS platform are all within 30 s. The results of virtual machine resource load balancing degree are all below 15%; the utilization rate of virtual machine resources is above 92.2%.

Patient expectations and understanding of hospital food service provision when declaring a food allergy.

Food allergies are increasingly common and so hospitals must promptly identify and manage these to maintain patient safety. The present study explored patient understanding and expectations of food allergy management in hospital food services. This exploratory descriptive study used mixed methods, including semi-structured interviews and surveys with hospital inpatients declaring food allergies, aiming to explore understanding, expectations and preferences for food allergy management in the hospital setting. Twenty-four participants were interviewed, reporting between one and six food allergies across 25 different allergens. Three main themes were identified: "Shared responsibility for declaring and managing allergens in hospital", "Varied understanding and trust in hospital food service processes" and "Satisfactory hospital food service experience". In the latter, participants identified 13 key factors valued for hospital food, including appearance, food quality and flavour. Remarkably, being "free from" the food allergen was not amongst the most common factors. Generally, participants felt that declaring a food allergy had not negatively impacted their hospital admission, and overall satisfaction with food services did not differ between the food allergic study participants and the general hospital population. Overall, the declaration of a food allergy did not negatively impact on hospital experience. However, further investigations are required to identify the most valued factors for hospital meals, aiming to enable a more targeted approach to better meet patient expectations.

Location-aware job scheduling for IoT systems using cloud and fog

The rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications generates vast volumes of high-speed data streams from numerous devices. Cloud computing solutions often handle and manage this data; however, for certain applications, the latency introduced by transmitting data from edge devices to the cloud may be unacceptable. This issue is exacerbated by the bandwidth constraints of public networks, which become significant barriers in large-scale IoT implementations. Consequently, effective resource management, service management, data storage, and power management require more robust infrastructure and complex protocols. An "intelligent gateway" based on fog computing can enhance the efficient utilization of cloud and network resources. Resource planning and management in a fog-cloud environment significantly impact system performance, particularly latency. This problem is known to be NP-hard. This paper addresses the challenge of lifetime optimization for scheduling data-intensive tasks in fog and cloud-based IoT systems. Initially, we propose an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) optimization model to frame the problem. Subsequently, we introduce a heuristic method named Data-Locality Aware Job Scheduling in Fog-Cloud (DLSFC), which is derived from the proposed formulation. The effectiveness of DLSFC is evaluated across various system characteristics, with results demonstrating that DLSFC achieves solutions within 85 % of the ideal outcome provided by the LP solver.

Critical Factors and Practices in Mitigating Cybercrimes within E-Government Services: A Rapid Review on Optimising Public Service Management

Critical Factors and Practices in Mitigating Cybercrimes within E-Government Services: A Rapid Review on Optimising Public Service Management

Principles of Good Governance: Operational Management Direct Expenditure and Tax Services in General Affairs Division Secretariat of Local People's Representative Council (DPRD) West Java Province, Indonesia

The implementation of good governance in the operational service management of direct spending and tax documents in the General Section of the Secretariat of the West Java Provincial People's Representative Council is very important to do. This aims to improve the quality of public services, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of the use of public funds. This study aims to analyze the implementation of good governance principles in organizing the service of shopping documents and direct spending taxes in the General Section of the Secretariat of the West Java Provincial DPRD. The implementation of the principles of transparency, accountability, and community participation is believed to be able to encourage an increase in the quality of public services

Distribuição espacial e características clínico epidemiológicas dos casos de síndrome respiratória aguda grave por covid-19 no Brasil: estudo das duas primeiras ondas

The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the COVID-19 etiological agent, has been established as a challenge for health systems and can present as Flu Syndrome (FS) or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This work was aimed at describing the clinical epidemiological profile of SARS cases due to COVID-19 and the spatial distribution of the incidence among the Federative Units of Brazil (FU) in the first two waves. This is a descriptive and ecological study, with the FU as settings. The data collected are related to SARS cases due to COVID-19, with a time frame between March 2020 and June 2021. The sociodemographic and clinical-epidemiological variables were selected with their respective absolute and relative values. The spatial distribution of incidence was determined to identify the presence of spatial autocorrelation in the first two waves. A total of 613,324 SARS cases due to COVID-19 were reported, most were related to males, aged>60 years, typified as non-nosocomial and with a healing outcome; signs and symptoms were: cough,fever, dyspnea, and at least presence of one comorbidity. The average incidence in the countrywas 286.85 cases/100,000 inhabitants, while the Moran Index showed statistical significance I=0.329 (p value<0.001), with global spatial autocorrelation of the incidence in the second wave. The distribution was heterogeneous. These results constitute subsidies for management in health systems and services regarding the strategic implementation for the control and clinical management of this disease.