Provision Of Management Services Research Articles

Developing a transformational digital strategy in an SME: The role of responsible management

Based on the case study of an SME company in the United Kingdom (which we will call SweetStar Cloud), this paper examines the attempts of the company to achieve significant strategic change. The company is attempting to move from being a tradition managed service provider of Information Services towards becoming a significant influencer in the market for digital services in the UK. As part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a local UK University has been closely involved in developing this new strategic direction and it is well poised to present and analyse the story. From the use of tried and tested strategic tools, including Porter’s Generic Strategies and segmentation and targeting, the company has also embraced digital-specific approaches for developing partnerships with clients, developing pilot projects and experimenting with its use of social media. At the heart of this research is an analysis of the move from push marketing towards models of attraction. This paper aims to explore how traditional strategic tools are still applicable in the digital era alongside new tactical approaches in the digital sector. This aim has led to an approach to business that is responsible, in terms of moving away from a traditional push-selling model to one of partnership with customers at a strategic level. Strategy in dynamic markets often highlights responsiveness as a key success factor. The ability to respond (a response-ability) requires more agile companies. As SweetStar Cloud has developed its strategy, it has focused in achieving this more effective ability to respond through a more collaborative approach. In this sense, agile response-ability converges with business responsibility, as new abilities in communication, cooperation and trust development become key.

Case management aftercare service provision to homeless people who use drugs in Iran; a nine-month post-treatment follow-up

ABSTRACT The aim of study was to assessing the provision of case management services to homeless people who use drugs. 4358 people were recruited and followed up for nine months after discharge. The average age of the participants were 37.8 ± 5.71. In the first month, 15.9% of the total participants had a job, about half abstained from illegal drug use, about 38% reunited with their families, 51.1% accommodated and 39.1% had identity documents. In the ninth month (N = 136), the variables of abstinence from illegal substances, family reunification and accommodation had the highest rates compared to previous months.

Retracted] Evaluation Model of Enterprise Lean Management Effect Based on Data Mining

This article discusses the task allocation decision of single management ability and multiple management ability in view of the operation stage of the specific project of enterprise lean management service supply chain. First of all, the basic process of the management service integrator’s task allocation to the functional management service provider is given. Based on factors such as business satisfaction and other factors, we construct a management task allocation model based on service income price discounts in the case of fuzzy demand. On this basis, we further dig out the external and internal related factors of supply risk, use enterprise research and data mining methods to verify theoretical hypotheses and identify related factors of supply risk, analyze the impact of the characteristics of cooperation with different types of suppliers in data mining to determine the key factors of supply risk for different types of supply and demand cooperation, and determine the focus of supply risk control for different types of suppliers for data mining. In the process of simulation experiment, the method of maximum satisfaction of fuzzy multiobjective programming is adopted, and the influence of factors such as the preference of decision‐makers and price discounts on the result of task allocation is analyzed in combination with specific examples. Finally, on the basis of fully considering the characteristics of management services, we build a comprehensive evaluation index system for management service providers in terms of service capabilities, service quality, informatization capabilities, and cooperation risks and comprehensively consider the uncertain factors in the decision‐making process. The experimental results show that the proposed interval data mining solution method based on the degree of possibility can realize the ranking of management service providers by combining the subjective wishes of decision‐makers with the objective evaluation of data mining.

Feasibility of a Palliative Care Intervention Utilizing Community Health Workers to Facilitate Delivery of Home-based Palliative Care in India

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a home-based palliative care program delivered by community health workers (CHW) in rural areas outside of Kolkata, India. The specific aims were to assess CHWs’ ability to implement the intervention protocol and maintain records of care, to characterize patient problems and CHW activities to assist patients, and to assess change in patient pain scores over the course of the intervention.Materials and Methods:Four CHWs were hired to facilitate delivery of home-based palliative care services. CHWs were trained using the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance’s Palliative Care Toolkit. CHWs provided care for patients for 3-months, making regular home visits to monitor health, making and implementing care plans, and referring patients back to the cancer center team for serious problems.Results:Eleven patients enrolled in the intervention, with ten of these patients participating in the intervention and one patient passing away before starting the intervention. All ten participants reported physical pain, for which CHWs commonly recommended additional or higher dose medication and/or instructed patients how to take medication properly. For two patients, pain levels decreased between baseline and end of study, while pain scores did not decrease for the remaining patients. Other symptoms for which CHWs provided care included gastro-intestinal, bleeding, and respiratory problems.Conclusion:The study findings suggest that utilization of CHWs to provide palliative care in low-resource settings may be a feasible approach for expanding access to palliative care. CHWs were able to carry out the study visit protocol and assess and document patient problems and their activities to assist. They were also able to alleviate many common problems patients experienced with simple suggestions or referrals. However, most patients did not see a decrease in pain levels and more emphasis was needed on the emotional aspects of palliative care, and so CHWs may require additional training on provision of pain management and emotional support services.

A New Route Optimization Approach of Fresh Agricultural Logistics Distribution

Under the fierce market competition and the demand of low-carbon economy, the freshness of fresh products directly determines the degree of customer satisfaction. Cold chain logistics companies must pay attention to the freshness and carbon emissions of fresh products to obtain better service development. In the cold chain logistics path optimization problem, considering the cost, product freshness and carbon emission environmental factors at the same time, based on the cost-benefit idea, a comprehensive cold chain vehicle routing problem optimization model is proposed to minimize the unit cost of product freshness and the carbon trading mechanism for calculating the cost of carbon emissions. The improved adaptive chaotic ant colony algorithm is used to perform calculation experiments on the model, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the model are analyzed through classic examples and actual cases, which proves the feasibility of the model and the effectiveness of the algorithm. This model enriches the logistics and distribution of cold chain optimization studies, and the research results supplement the impact of carbon prices on carbon emissions, emissions and customer satisfaction. Finally, there are some practical enlightenments for the provision of business management and government services.

A Delphi Technique Analysis of Drivers of Outsourcing Decisions Among Multi-Tenanted Shopping Mall Owners in Ghana

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the drivers of outsourcing decisions of multi-tenanted shopping mall owners for facilities management in Ghana. The study was conducted using nine owners of multi-tenanted shopping malls in Ghana with a history and experience in outsourcing retail properties to third party facility management firms (n = 9) and facilities managers who are experts in providing outsourced services (n = 5). Using the Delphi technique, five surveys were conducted (Delphi polls) using questionnaires that were sent out to the participants via an online survey tool (Survey Heart). The surveys sought to build a consensus from the respondents on the factors that drive their decision to outsource FM in their properties and they were conducted over a period of 9 months. The results showed that the outsourcing decisions of multi-tenanted shopping mall owners in Ghana is driven by the strategic advantages, cost-saving benefits and the service quality-related benefits that outsourcing gives them. Among these broad factors, the ability to focus on core competencies for competitive advantage, and avoid the fixed cost associated with paying the salaries and other entitlements of in-house staff were the main reasons for their decisions to outsource. The results also showed that the owners are of the view that third-party services providers deliver quality FM services than in-house teams. The study shows the factors that drive the decision of multi-tenanted shopping malls in Ghana to outsource FM services in their buildings. The findings of the study will be useful to prospective investors into retail properties in Ghana as well as facilities management service providers and further research into facilities management.

Facilities Management Service Providers Competencies Reviews for Managing Green Buildings in Malaysia

Competence can be described as an individual's aptitude or capability to perform a task effectively. Competencies utilise job-related behaviour, motivation, and technical knowledge to ensure that all employment needs are met. Therefore, there is a list of competencies reserved for managing green buildings. However, there are still green buildings that are not well managed, and this is closely related to the level of competencies of a facility manager who manages the green building. This paper aims to determine the competency elements of facilities management service providers in managing green buildings. The qualitative method through document review with content analysiswas used on selected previous research related to the topic. The five main facilities management service provider competencies in managing green buildings were defined as sustainable procurement, sustainable operations, resource management, repair and maintenance, and environmental health. The results are expected to reveal evidence that a framework, guideline, or specific training is needed to improve facilities management skills in future research.

Predictors of Care Management Utilization

Loneliness is a common problem in long-term care. It has been associated with a higher risk of depression, aggressive behaviors, and anxiety and may be a risk factor for cognitive decline. Loneliness can exacerbate social isolation. The COVID-19 emergency brought on measures in Florida, beginning in March 2020, to separate nursing home (NH) and assisted living community (ALC) residents from each other and family members to limit virus spread. This study examines results of a survey with Florida NH (N=59) and ALC (N=117) administrators concerning effects of these measures. Scaled (1-5, lowest to highest) data indicate that resident anxiety was higher in NHs (M=3.40) than ALCs (M=3.17). Care disruptions related to limited resident-to-resident contact also were worse in NHs (M=3.74) than in ALCs (M=3.21), while care disruptions related to loss of family support were higher among ALCs (M=3.19) than in NHs (M=2.86). Implications of these findings will be discussed.

Client satisfaction on community based health insurance scheme and associated factors at Boru Meda Hospital, Northeast, Ethiopia: institutional based cross-sectional study

BackgroundCommunity-based health insurance systems are usually voluntary and characterized by community members pooling funds and protecting themselves against the high costs of seeking medical care and treatment for illness. Client satisfaction with health service provision during the implementation of health insurance schemes has often been neglected. This study aimed to determine client satisfaction with the community-based health insurance scheme and associated factors.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study design was applied from February 22–March 11 /2019. A total of 420 study participants were included in the study using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire with a patient exit interview. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with Community-based Health Insurance of client satisfaction. Statistical significance was decided at a p-value less than 0.05.ResultA total of 420 community-based health insurance clients of health service users participated in the study with a 100% response rate. The overall client satisfaction was 80% at 95% Cl (76.1, 83.9), respondents who have perceived that partially or none availability of prescribing drugs were 0.09 times less likely satisfied as compared to full availability of prescribing drugs (AOR =0.09; 95% Cl: (0.04, 0.19)). Besides, study participants waiting time to consult service providers within 30 min were more satisfied than those who were delayed 60 min and above (AOR =3.16; 95% Cl: (1.19, 8.41)).ConclusionCommunity-based health insurance client satisfaction provided in the present study was 80% indicating low proportion. Full availability of prescribing drugs, clients renewed their community-based health insurance membership, and preference of clients to use the hospital for future health care need were positively associated with client satisfaction while the perception of waiting time before physician consultation negatively affected client’s satisfaction. Therefore, the hospital management members and service providers need to give attention to reduce waiting time preceding consultation, improve drug availability, and sustain the hospital preference by the client.

Precision of Medication Therapy Problem Identification and Classification amongst Primary Care Clinic Pharmacists.

This study assesses the level of agreement on medication therapy problem (MTP) identification and classification between primary care, ambulatory care pharmacists within a health-system that recently implemented system-wide pharmacist provision of comprehensive medication management (CMM) services. Twenty standardized case vignettes were created and distributed to pharmacists who reviewed each case and identified and categorized MTPs. Outcomes include the number of MTPs identified, identification (yes/no) of specific MTPs within each case (e.g., need for a statin), and Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) category used when classifying MTPs. The level of agreement on MTP identification/categorization was measured using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and interpreted using the Landis and Koch interpretation scale. “Moderate agreement” was observed for the number of MTPs identified by pharmacists (ICC equal to 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31 to 0.65). In approximately one-half of opportunities, the pharmacists agreed perfectly on the number of MTPs; in approximately one-third of opportunities, the number of MTPs identified varied by 1; and approximately one-tenth of the time, the number of MTPs varied by 2. In regard to the MTP identification (yes/no) and categorization, percent agreement was ≥73% across all MTPs. The results support the need for further training and education and provide the information necessary to target specific disease states.

The Effect of Internal Branding, Affective Commitment, and Employee Empowerment on Employee Engagement Pt. Secure Parking Indonesia Mal Ciputra Jakarta

To be successful, a company must have Human Resources who can do their job well if employees have high engagement in the company for that required good internal branding, strong affective commitment to the company, and continuously improved employee empowerment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of internal branding, affective commitment, and employee empowerment on employee engagement. This research was conducted on outsourced employees who are engaged in parking management service providers at PT. Secure Parking Indonesia, which is located in Ciputra Mall, Jakarta. The data collection technique used is a census of as many as 56 employees of PT. Secure Parking at Ciputra Mall Jakarta. This study uses quantitative research methods by testing the hypothesis, namely multiple linear regression, which previously tested the instrument in the form of testing validity and reliability. The results of hypothesis testing show that there is no positive effect of internal branding on employee engagement, there is a positive influence between affective commitment and employee empowerment on employee engagement.

Clinical pharmaceutical screening in critical situations in a radioiodine therapy management service.

Radioiodine therapy can be used in differentiated thyroid carcinoma and requires extensive evaluation to ensure effectiveness and safety. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate all health problems and medications used in the pre-radioiodine therapy period and comprehensive medication managementservices can serve as a screening tool in this context. The present study aims to describe critical clinical situations identified during the initial assessments of a comprehensive medication management service offered to differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients pre-radioiodine therapy, and the pharmaceutical interventions performed to solve them. A descriptive study with regard to the initial ten months of a comprehensive medication management service was carried out in a large oncology hospital (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Descriptive analysis was used to describe the critical clinical situations identified, as well as the correspondent drug therapy problems and the type, acceptability, and outcomes of the pharmaceutical interventions performed to solve them. Thirty patients with an average of 45.8 years and 5.1 medications were evaluated. Five critical clinical situations were identified; corresponding to drug therapy problems two(needs additional drug therapy - n = 4) and drug therapy problems four (dosage too low - n = 1). All pharmaceutical interventions were accepted. The comprehensive medication management service provision pre-radioiodine therapy is feasible and represents an important screening strategy.

The selective collection of municipal solid waste and other factors determining cost efficiency. An analysis of service provision by spanish municipalities

In recent years, concerns about the increasing generation of municipal solid waste, together with related health and environmental issues and regulatory changes, have motivated significant alterations in the provision of waste management services, such as the introduction of selective collection (by type of waste). However, these changes may impact on service costs and/or efficiency. The present study was undertaken to analyse the efficiency of the waste management service in Spain, using data from 283 municipalities for the period 2005–2015. The analysis consists of two phases: first, the application of panel data order-m frontiers, that allows to obtain a homogeneous estimation of efficiency based on the input–output relationship at the production process (Surroca et al., 2016), and second, the use of bootstrapped truncated regression, considering different municipal sizes. The results obtained show that cost efficiency is increased with selective collection and by certain political and socio-economic factors of the local governments, concretely with the government by a progressive party, coalition governments, a greater financial independence, a greater tourist and industrial activity and a greater proportion of women and of foreign-born residents in the municipality. We also show that municipal direct provision is the least efficient management form for this service. The main contribution made by this study is to examine the influence of different elements of service output (i.e., selection by type of waste vs. non-selection) on cost efficiency.

GIẢI PHÁP NÂNG CAO HIỆU QUẢ HOẠT ĐỘNG CỦA CÁC TỔ TIẾT KIỆM VÀ VAY VỐN HƯỚNG ĐẾN PHÁT TRIỂN CỘNG ĐỒNG BỀN VỮNG

In today's community development, capacity building and community capital developing through social-welfare programs and policies is prioritized for integrated implementation for building the self-help community. Especially the important role of voluntary groups in the community towards sustainable development. With the sample of 356 VSLA members, the survey results have brought out the solutions for improving the microfinance activities via VSLA model such as promoting the role of financial and financial management service providers; improving the role of commune-level in-charged officers and group leaders; enhancing the quality of VSLA’s activities; and developing VSLA members’ skills and capacities. These are important solutions to build community capacity and mobilize people's voluntary participation in activities that would help develop the community sustainably.

Digital innovation in wealth management landscape: the moderating role of robo advisors in behavioural biases and investment decision-making

PurposeInnovation is the way of life and we see various innovative techniques and methods being introduced in our daily life. This study aims to focus on digital innovation in the wealth management domain. This study examines the effect of usage of robo-advisory services in investment decision-making and behavioural biases, i.e. overconfidence and loss aversion. Such studies are more pronounced in developed countries and little has been studied about investor behaviour in association with advisory services in developing countries such as India.Design/methodology/approachOverconfidence and loss-aversion biases, investment decision-making and advisory services questions are measured using a five-point Likert scale. The number of respondents was 172 investors. A purposive sampling is used for gathering responses from investors. Structural equation modeling model was run using AMOS 22 version software package.FindingsThe authors found that behavioural biases positively and significantly influence the irrationalities of investment decision-making. The findings of this study also provide empirical evidence that the usage of robo-advisory services, by individual investors, is still incapable of mitigating behavioural biases, such as overconfidence bias and loss-aversion bias.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size of this study could be a limiting factor. This study is limited only to two biases, while other behavioural biases affect the investment decision-making of the investors, which can be considered for future research along with the impact of robo-advisory services in different socio-cultural backgrounds.Practical implicationsThis study will assist fintech start-ups, banks, architecture of robo advisors, product owners and wealth management service providers improvise their products, platforms and offerings of these automated advisory services. This could help individual investors to mitigate their behavioural biases in investment decision-making.Social implicationsThis study is useful to society as the awareness of robo-advisory services is very less, at present, and there is a need to increase the usage of these services to extend the benefit of this to the lower stratum of society. These services would be useful to all investors who find it difficult to afford financial advisors and help them mitigate their behavioural biases for investment decision-making.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its type that establishes the linkage between behavioural biases, digital innovation in fintech, i.e. robo-advisory services and individual investor’s investment decision-making in individual investor of the Indian stock market.

Design and implementation of a smart elderly positioning management system based on wireless communication network

Wireless communication refers to long-distance transmission communication between multiple nodes without propagation through conductors or cables, and wireless communication can be carried out by radio and electromagnetic waves, etc. Judging from the current situation, the home space positioning design of the medical and elderly care communities is not perfect, which affects the traditional home care. Wireless communication can give wisdom, coordination, and development space in the smart elderly care space positioning design, allowing the elderly to interact, contact, and know their precise location and behavior. This article mainly studies the design and implementation of smart pension space positioning under BIM technology. This paper introduces the frontier of Internet-of-things technology and the theory of sensor network topology control. It uses basic IoT technology to implement the "point, line, and surface" combination of personnel placement algorithms, sensor network communication protocols, topology checks, security models, sensor network wireless communication units, and wireless communication technology. The basic technology and communication technology of personnel deployment based on BIM technology are introduced, the development strategy of wireless communications node is studied, the installation of equipment radio personnel and communication equipment is designed, and the system management platform for the design and development of staff placement in pension institutions is provided. The Web site's information service management, standardized procedures, optimized services, provision of information, intelligent management, and pension services. The experimental results of this paper show that the smart pension space positioning under the BIM technology solves the management loopholes in nursing homes, shortage of nursing staff, inefficiency, lack of services, and family conflicts. It improves the efficiency of the elderly by 25% and the safety index by 23–27%. The development of wireless communication technology promotes the development of intelligent pension space. It will be an important future development direction for the smart community pension.

Identity is the new perimeter in the fight against supply chain attacks

While cyber security attacks are increasing daily – the financial impact of which is expected to reach $6tr this year alone – one arena gaining more and more attention is supply chain attacks. 1 By targeting developers and cloud service providers, threat actors leverage the trust relationships that your organisation has with a range of third parties – including both software vendors and managed service providers.

PUBLIC OPINION, PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE (KAP) LEVEL ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN PENAMPANG, SABAH: A VILLAGE-LEVEL STUDY

Information on the citizen’s knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) level is critical as educational diagnosis and guideline prior to implementation of publicly funded programs and policies. Essentially, the citizen’s perception on the effectiveness of the solid waste management programs and policies are also imperative. This research studied the KAP level of 113 respondents in Hubah Village, Penampang and most respondents have excellent levels of KAP. Gender of the respondents were found to be significantly related to their knowledge level, and both their attitude and practice was significantly correlated with their education level using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman Rho test also reveals that knowledge and attitude has positive correlation with each other. Subsequently, the study explored on the respondents’ opinion and perception on solid waste management programs implemented locally. It was found out that 74.3 per cent of the respondents stated that the provision of waste management services is generally inadequate. Another 75.2 per cent said that the communication tools needed improvement to increase citizen participation in solid waste management programs. 78.8 per cent of the respondents also agreed that education and awareness programs should be inclusive to all levels of society and not only targeting certain groups as what have been done previously. 54 per cent of the citizen wanted an improvement in the accessibility of officers and policy makers regarding issues on solid waste management, and 51.3 per cent agreed that technology should be optimized to ensure acceptance and participation in solid waste management programs from the citizen could be improved.

Informing collaborative relationships between community pharmacists and health care professionals in primary care practices

BackgroundCollaborative relationships between community pharmacists and health care professionals in primary care practices can assist with the provision of medication and disease management services in community pharmacy settings. ObjectivesThe objective was to describe the attitudes of providers working in primary care practices with on-site pharmacist collaborators to understand how to facilitate similar collaborations with pharmacists in community pharmacy settings. MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted among physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses of 3 primary care practice sites in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A demographic survey and a semistructured interview were conducted to elicit feedback on participant perceptions about building relationships with community pharmacists. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. A qualitative analysis was performed to identify emerging themes using an inductive approach. Demographic data were summarized using descriptive statistics. This study was approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board. ResultsNineteen interviews were conducted. Fifty-eight percent of participants were physicians and 68% were female with a mean age of approximately 46 years. Five themes were identified: (1) Pharmacists were highly valued and were effective team members to promote coordination of medication-related care; (2) Direct access to pharmacists facilitates efficient communication and effective patient care; (3) Trust is the foundation of an effective collaboration between pharmacists and providers; (4) Pharmacists demonstrating responsibility for patients enables collaboration with providers who view themselves as stewards of patient care; and (5) Providers believe that community pharmacists’ dispensing requirements may limit their ability to participate in patient care. ConclusionsThe following strategies to establish relationships with primary care practices are suggested: pharmacists should initiate face-to-face relationships with providers in practices; communication and patient interventions should be conveyed directly to providers and be conducted by the same person; and pharmacists need to demonstrate their commitment to patient care by following up promptly on patient interventions.

A Study For Intelligent Campus Service using Zigbee Based on Wsn

We propose an integrated management system model for the establishment of a smart campus, such as a digital library system and a smart card system capable of providing various services using zigbee, which is currently prominent. The integrated management system can provide a higher quality education environment through transparent and efficient administrative management and one-stop service provision, away from the labor-intensive system of educational institutions, and users can provide personalized and knowledgeable intelligent education services that meet their needs and environments.