Related Management Issues Research Articles

High performance work practices and turnover intentions: A case of call Centre employees

Staff turnover is a major problem in call centers due to various factors leading to unfavorable outcomes including operational problems, poor customer service, higher training costs, and lack of competitiveness. In the present study, we investigated this issue by using the High-Performance Work System (HPWS) as a theoretical lens. We hypothesized that the extent of HPWS can negatively influence the staff turnover intention which we used as a proxy measure for actual turnover. The data is collected from selected call center employees (n=159). The results indicate that participants perceive a moderate level of HPWS components. Furthermore, the component of HPWS exerts a negative and significant influence on staff turnover intentions including recruitment and selection (β=-.412, P<.05); training and development (β=-.552, P<.05); job security (β=-.418, P<.05); and autonomy (β=-.306, P<.05); whereas, results for promotion (β=.051, P>.05); and communication (β=.107, P>.05) turned out to be insignificant. The result shows that HPWS is a significant predictor of employee turnover intention in the particular context of the call center, thus implying that the management of the call center should give attention to the employee management-related issues.

Enterprises’ Financial Performance and Operational Risk Management: A Theoretical Assessment of the Literature

The scope of the operational risk phenomena and its management has been made clear, among other things, by scandals that have happened in the financial sector. It has become crucial to implement an operational risk management system because performance cannot be achieved without having addressed the operational risk management-related issues. Operational risk management is a process by which businesses identify and evaluate the risks impacting their business. Performance is the culmination of an organization's efforts to reach its goals in the field of management. In fact, due to the negative effects of this kind of failure on a company's performance and stability, operational risk has a significant impact on the performance of a firm, regardless of its industry of operation. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of operational risk management on the financial performance of companies to review the literature and determine whether risk management has a positive or negative impact on financial performance.

Development of self-education motivation for students using time management techniques in primary and high school teachers

Objective: The objective of the study is to measure the time management techniques on development of self-education and motivation for students and high school teachers Theoretical framework: The existing time management motivation models and theoretical frameworks were used assess the impact of time management on motivation of school teachers and students Method: The study employed empirical research gathering the data using a structured questionnaire from the respondents. The data were analyzed using SPSS ver 28 to gather practical insights of the study. The statistical techniques like estimation of reliability using Cronbach’s alpha, regression analysis and assessing data normalcy were employed. The primary quantitative method has been adopted in this study, and the data were gathered from sixty-five respondents the teachers of a CBSE schools in and around Hyderabad and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS Ver. 28. The tests of multiple regression, descriptive statistics and demographic analysis have been carried out on the responses from the 65 participants. Results and conclusion: The results indicated that data were normal and all the four study variables motivation, performance, self-regulated learning and self-efficacy are impacting the time management. Students are more likely to get encouraged to learn mainly when they are curious about their learning topic. Learners or educators can help to grow interested by offering them interesting opportunities to explore more new things. It has been noted that providing students with daily basis or regular feedback can help them to track their progress and performance and thus, they can identify the areas in which they need to improve their performance. Implications: The authors presents the results of how time management can motivate the students in self-education and how time management techniques are increasing self-education motivation for students. Effective time management techniques can be essential for a student as they will help them to handle more subjects, tests, projects, as well as extra curriculum activities. It has been observed that learners who feel guided and always supported are more prone to stay focused in any kind of situation, and can easily overcome any risks. Originality/value: The empirical research compliments to the existing knowledge specially focusing on time management and its effect on motivation of students and teachers in schools. The study offers practical aspects of time management and provides valuable perspectives in near future to address the time management related issues in the schools.

Assessing the sustainability of natural resources using the five forces and value chain combined models: The influence of solar energy development

Utilizing natural resources may assists India in overcoming its prevailing energy crises. However, the instability of natural resources hinders its capacity to overcome these crises. To overcome this research gap, this study uses "Porter's Five Forces Model” to investigate the sustainability of natural resources. We use a hybrid approach for data compilation and empirical investigation. First, we introduce a new value chain model of Indian solar industry. Second, we conduct semi-structured interviews with industry experts on various sustainability and natural resources management-related issues. Third, we critically evaluate official statistics, national policy structure, and regulatory studies using the Five Forces Model. Research findings indicate India's present condition of natural resources, existing barriers, competitive landscape, and future projections. Results further disclose that the Indian government has announced various proposals to promote natural resources but few have been implemented. The government policies that require modification include the solar Bidding Scheme, National Tariff Policy, and Generation Based Incentive (GBI). Based on research findings, policy recommendations are suggested for improving the sustainability of natural resources, including the role of the government, innovative workers, regional and international collaboration, awareness programs, and the transition to domestic manufacturing through integrated and coherent efforts.

Psychosocial Assessment and Management-related Issues Among Liver Transplant Recipients

Psychosocial Assessment and Management-related Issues Among Liver Transplant Recipients

Dark sides of social entrepreneurship: Contributions of systems thinking towards managing its effects

AbstractSocial enterprises are seen as innovative towards solving societal problems, but little research exists on possible negative aspects, the so‐called dark sides. In this study, the emphasis is on dark sides of social entrepreneurship, how they are managed, and how systems thinking can contribute towards managing these effects. Dark sides of social entrepreneurship can take many forms, like unethical or insincere motives and unintended outcomes like the negative impact on the well‐being of founders and employees, but they are also a call for a critical reflection on the role of the government in society and the economic system social enterprises have to operate in. This paper aims to contribute to the dark side theory of social entrepreneurship by linking system archetypes to themes of dark side thereby stressing how management strategies act as balancing feedback loops to mitigate or prevent dark sides. A qualitative research was conducted by interviewing 21 respondents who play an important role in the world of social entrepreneurship in Belgium. The results show that dark sides of social enterprises manifest itself mostly in the form of trade‐offs and financial, business, and management related issues. Taking over the habits of profit‐oriented companies emerged as a new dark side element. Management strategies include anchoring goals, transparency, obtaining external views, changing the system, and above all reflection. The latter is an important first step to become aware of these issues to be able to change the negative dynamism of these dark sides.

Research on the operation and management mechanism of cross-border e-commerce shared practice training base

Abstract For the third-party cross-border e-commerce sharing platform, due to the lack of management and operation mechanism, the current sharing platform has relatively high fees, insufficient publicity, and consumption methods are not conducive to Chinese consumers. There are obvious problems such as insufficient personnel training. In this article, we use the CGA-LSO-BP network to solve the problems of various systems disjoint, complicated department settings, confusing distribution of powers and responsibilities in the training base, as well as unclear division of team functions, technology mismatch, and the training base itself. The scale, social reputation and other factors lead to the difficulty of reducing financing channels and other related operation and management issues to study and analyze. The results show that the minimum error can reach 0.5% for CGA-LSO-BP, which is much smaller than the traditional algorithm. It is proved that the algorithm can help the BP neural network to jump out of the local optimal value to a certain extent, and play an active role in the regression task. In addition, the improved CGA-LSO-BP neural network based on this can provide a good reference for various problems in cross-border e-commerce, such as disjointed systems, complicated department settings, and chaotic distribution of rights and responsibilities, and propose optimal solutions.

NeutroMAS4SCRM : a combined multi-agent system with neutrosophic data analytic hierarchy process framework for supply chain risk management

Effective risk management reaction improves the absorption of critical impacts on supply chains. Supply chain risk (SCR) sources, like control, process, demand, and supply, need to be identified, assessed, and mitigated to make rational decisions immediately. Late detection of a disruptive event can cause delays in handling risk. Since SCRs consist of complex, uncertain, and incomplete information, most of the provided risk assessment mechanisms cannot handle it in real-time. Hence, in this paper, we introduce NeutroMAS4SCRM, a framework incorporating real-time Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) with Neutrosophic Data Analytic Hierarchy Processes to best deal with the complexity, uncertainty, and vagueness of SCR management-related issues and which can hence help decision-makers adopt less risky decisions. In addition, the MAS technology contribution to SCR management is outlined through a comparative study among the most recent studies. In contrast, the proposed MAS for the supply chain is implemented under the JADE agent platform, where the FIPA-ACL-based message content is specified using a dedicated ontology. A simulation-based decision support system is used to assess the cost risk and its harmful effects and determine how well the proposed framework can help companies manage risks efficiently. The simulation has proven to reduce risk costs by about 85%.

Work stressors and their controllability: Content analysis of employee perceptions of hindrances to the flow of work in the health care sector

High levels of work stress are prevalent today, and the underlying working conditions need to be tackled urgently. In this study, our aim was to identify the range of factors that employees themselves perceive as hindrances to the flow of work, that is, hindrance stressors. We analysed the open-ended questionnaire responses of 4766 employees working in the health care sector using semi-automated content analysis. We then used more detailed conventional content analysis to compare the responses of the groups that reported high (n = 1388) and low (n = 833) levels of subjective stress. Finally, we interpreted and categorised the stressors raised by the respondents from the viewpoint of controllability, to shed light on where to target interventions. The main hindrance stressors reflected inadequate staffing, work overload, time pressure, and management-related issues, of which the responses revealed concrete examples. Interruptions and problems related to cooperation and instructions were also commonly mentioned. The respondents in the high stress group emphasised work overload and issues related to management and clients. Our results suggest that the major hindrances to daily work are beyond employees’ control and require decisions and resources at the level of supervisors, managers, directors, and policymakers. Future studies on work stress should explore the controllability of common stressors in more detail and include the appraisal of controllability in explanatory models. Avoiding overemphasis of psychological coping and instead targeting harmful working conditions and the organisational actors who can influence these could make workplace stress management interventions more effective.

Quantum Computing and IS - Harnessing the Opportunities of Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies have a high potential for impact and are worthy of attention by the Information Systems (IS) community. To date, the IS discipline has not been able to be a leader in the research and teaching of emerging technologies in their early stages arguably because: (1) IS researchers often lack knowledge of the foundational principles of such emerging technologies, and (2) during the emerging phase, there is insufficient data on the adoption, use, and impact of these technologies. To overcome these challenges, the IS discipline must be willing to break its own disciplinary research boundaries to go beyond software applications and their related management issues and start studying emerging technologies before they are massively adopted by industry. In this paper, we use quantum computing as an exemplar emerging technology and outline a research and education agenda that will help IS harness the opportunities quantum computing offers. We propose that IS researchers rigorously investigate emergent technologies through collaboration with researchers from other disciplines. We also see a role for IS researchers in the scholarship of emerging technologies and in the process of introducing emerging technologies into IS curricula.

Blue Water Scarcity Assessment in Banas River Basin using Water Footprint Approach

In order to increase water availability, improve water quality, and ensure long-term sustainability, river basin-scale planning and management of water resources is crucial. Using the blue water scarcity index and the water footprint concept, this study assesses blue water scarcity in the Banas river basin from 2008 to 2020. Banas basin experiences considerable scarcity, with the value of the average annual blue water scarcity index being 140.9% which can be characterized as moderate. Banas river basin typically experiences significant blue water scarcity for three months of the year (November, December and January). Compared to these months, it is low for three months (August, September, and October), moderate for four (April, May, June, and July), and significant for two months of the year (February and March). Farmers in the basin should adopt improved water management practices to ensure sustainability and address water scarcity issues. This study can provide a framework for policy to solve some policy and water management related issues in the basin. It can also help with more effective water resource allocation and utilization.

The need to localize energy technologies for Africa's post COVID-19 recovery and growth

Africa has limited capacity to develop its own energy technologies and has been largely dependent on importation for its economic development. It is anticipated that there will be huge challenge for the very limited manufacturing industries in the continent to respond to the increasing energy demand. This will largely require the up scaling of the local manufacturing industries in-terms of skills, design capability, engineering management, manufacturing process and other related issues. Experiences from the developed world showed that academics and industries play critical role in innovation and technology development with proper policy and focus from the policymakers. African academics and industries could play similar role but requires revitalizing with enabling policies and sufficient funding. For this reason, African governments should prioritize their policies and investments towards achieving local energy technology development and innovation in order to build resilient economy. In light of this, we provided necessary recommendations for African led development pathways and policies to promote local manufacturing of energy technologies. This will have huge implications in supporting post COVID recovery and sustainable growth of the African countries.

(Digital Presentation) Substrate Effects in GaN-on-Si Hemt Technology for RF FEM Applications

: GaN-on-Si HEMTs are emerging as a viable candidate for front-end-of-module (FEM) implementation in 5G and beyond user equipment and small-cell applications [1][2]. This is because GaN HEMTs based power amplifiers and switches have high power handling capability as well as excellent switch figure-of-merit (Ron × Coff). The cost-effective integration of GaN HEMTs on silicon substrates not only benefit from standard CMOS back-end-of-the-line processing but also wafer-level integration with Si-CMOS [1][3], enabling complex functionality and better performance than the standalone counterparts. An example can be a hybrid beamformer where GaN HEMTs can enable much smaller antenna array and therefore a smaller system form factor. For 5G wireless applications, standalone or co-integrated GaN HEMT based FEMs can lead to a more energy efficient and compact system as compared to standalone Si-CMOS technologies. However, for both amplifiers and switches, GaN-on-Si HEMTs present thermal management and substrate loss related issues. In this work, we study and model the impact of GaN HEMT integration on Si substrate on RF substrate losses and non-linearities. The growth of III-N buffer is the most significant factor in determining RF losses and harmonic distortion contribution from the substrate. High temperature annealing and ion implantation steps encountered during HEMT processing can also degrade the substrate performance. In addition, we demonstrate a direct co-relation between substrate losses and harmonic distortion analogous to silicon-on-insulator technologies (Figure 1). However, the bias dependence of RF losses and harmonics show a strong time dependence (memory effects) which is more complex to model [11]. We discuss the approaches to understand and model these effects.

Causes and effects of contract management problems: Case study of road construction

Contract management is a crucial component of any project. As construction projects are complex and difficult to manage, adequate attention must be given to the related contract management issues. Inexpert management can bring about serious unfavourable consequences that can even result in a project failure. This study aims to explore a specific case study: A private road construction project implemented in the Czech Republic. The analysis consists in identifying potential problems and discussion of their implications. The problem is investigated on three levels: economic, technical and legal. The paper also considers contrasting attitudes of the contracting parties (buyer and supplier), e.g., from the point of view of the causes of problems. Several recommendations are formulated on the basis of the research findings. The results of this study have an ambition to improve contract management capabilities in the construction sector in order to prevent the occurrence of similar problems in future and contribute to our understanding of long-term effects of contract management problems throughout the life cycle.

RESEARCH ON THE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF SPORTS BRANDS

Strategy and strategic management are important components of sports brands management. However, there is less scientific research on the strategic management of sports brands. In order to explore the deep problems which exist in the process of the sports brands development, based on the theories of strategic management, brand strategy and marketing, the article unfolds a series of systematic analysis on sports brands strategic management related issues by methods which include literature data method, expert interview method, case analysis method and comparative research method. The authors start from the basic theory of sports brands, for example the connotation, characteristics and classification of sports brands, to analyze the meaning of sports brands strategy management and the present situation which current macro-environment, industry environment and sports organizations of sports brands development around the world. The article deeply discussed brand positioning strategy, brand identification strategy, brand promotion strategy, brand extension strategy, and brand innovation strategy from the view of theory and cases. Finally, the article comes to the conclusion and suggestions for strategic development of sports brands.

FPGA Implementation of High-Performance s-box Model and Bit-level Masking for AES Cryptosystem

The inadequacies inherent in the existing cryptosystem have driven the development of exploit the benefits of cipher key characteristics and associated key generation tasks in cryptosystems for high-performance security systems. In this paper, cipher key-related issues that exists in conventional symmetric AES crypto system is considered as predominant issues and also discussed other problems such as lack of throughput rate, reliability and unified key management problems are considered and solved using appropriate hierarchical transformation measures. The inner stage pipelining is introduced over composite field based s-box transformation models to reduce the path delay. In addition to that, this work also includes some bit level masking technique for AES. The improved diffusion and confusion metrics of bit masking transformation model mitigates key management related issues. An extensive analysis of data rate proved the performance metrics of proposed AES model. And finally, FPGA implementation is carried out to validate the performance metrics in real time.

Unearthing direct and indirect material waste-related factors underpinning cost overruns in construction projects

Despite the roles of construction projects in socio-economic development, expanding number of projects suffer chronic problems of cost overruns. However, approaches to unravelling the antecedents of this problem remain vastly nonspecific and lack a pertinent characterisation of issues with direct and indirect linkages between material waste factors and cost overruns. This study modelled the direct and indirect effects of six dimensions of material waste-related factors contributing to construction projects’ cost overrun: unanticipated site conditions, material management, site management, workforce factors, material theft, design and contract documentations. The hypothesised recursive model of direct and indirect effects was validated using data from 200 valid responses of experts in the Nigerian construction industry. The results showed that the total effects of direct and indirect contributions of materials waste-related factors paths to project cost overrun are 55.38% and 44.62% respectively. Among the six dimensions of materials waste-related factors modelled, site management-related issues emerged as the most significant, contributing 9.23% of the total effect. Based on these results, effective cost performance in building project delivery is achievable by curbing materials waste-related concerns. Developing pertinent strategies to curb identified construction material waste, is necessary for achieving direct and indirect reductions in projects’ cost overruns.

A highly pathogenic Marek’s disease virus isolate from chickens immunized with a bivalent vaccine in China

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an important oncogenic poultry pathogen that can generally be controlled by vaccination. However, MDV infections still occur occasionally on vaccinated farms, possibly due to genetic variation among MDV strains or management-related issues. In this study, a novel MDV strain, designated LZ1309, was isolated from a poultry flock that had been vaccinated with the HVT and CVI988 vaccine strains. Animal experiments showed that LZ1309 infection led to high morbidity (100%) and mortality (90%). Moreover, existing vaccines provided only partial protection against LZ1309, with protection rates of 68.4%, 85%, and 90% for HVT, CVI988, and HVT plus CVI988, respectively. This study demonstrates the presence of a more virulent strain of MDV in vaccinated chickens in China that poses a new potential threat to poultry farms. In future studies, the development of new treatment strategies should be of high priority.

Training in environmental, occupational, industrial and fire safety management at the university, summer school, organization

The article examines the role of training in environmental protection management, industrial and fire safety, labor protection, including training in first aid skills. Currently, more and more attention is paid not only to environmental protection, but also to related HSE management issues. The relationship between environmental and occupational safety issues, including fire and industrial safety issues, is determined by the impact of the results of accidents and incidents on the environment. The whole complex of preventive measures aimed at minimizing the impact on the environment is simultaneously aimed at ensuring the safety of the employees, preserving their life and health. In the event that all measures for managing production processes could not ensure the safety of the employees, it is necessary to provide first aid, before medical aid is available. Training in first aid, occupational safety, and minimization of impact on the environment skills is important not only at the university as part of a training program or summer schools, but also in organizations to ensure the safety of the work carried out. In addition, teaching these issues is important from an early age - starting from kindergarten, school and earlier.

A nation-wide study on the common reasons for infant formula supplementation among healthy, term, breastfed infants in US hospitals.

In‐hospital infant formula supplementation of breastfed infants reduces breastfeeding duration, yet little is known about common reasons for infant formula supplementation. We examined the three most common reasons for in‐hospital infant formula supplementation of healthy, term, breastfed infants in the US reported by hospital staff. Hospital data were obtained from the 2018 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey (n = 2045), which is completed by hospital staff. An open‐ended question on the top three reasons for in‐hospital infant formula supplementation was analyzed using thematic qualitative analysis and the frequencies for each reason were reported. The top three most common reasons for in‐hospital infant formula supplementation reported by hospital staff included medical indications (70.0%); maternal request/preference/feelings (55.9%); lactation management‐related issues (51.3%); physical but non‐medically indicated reasons (36.1%); social influences (18.8%); perceived cultural/societal/demographic factors (8.2%) and medical staff/institutional practices (4.7%). These findings suggest that a variety of factors should be considered to address unnecessary infant formula supplementation. Lactation management support delivered in a timely and culturally sensitive manner and targeted to mother‐infant dyads with potential medical and physical indications may reduce unnecessary in‐hospital infant formula supplementation.