Organizational Approach Research Articles

An assembly organization's approach to conducting ergonomics assessments of nutrunners in the absence of standards

Repetitive use of handheld nutrunners contributes to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among assembly operators. Tool-using organizations control the physical exposures resulting from nutrunners through their own, company-specific methods and recommendations. The aim of this study was to explore an automotive organization's current practice when conducting ergonomics assessments of nutrunner use. Fourteen employees representing different professional roles within the automotive manufacturing organization were interviewed about their involvement in, and approaches to, ergonomics evaluations of nutrunners. Findings show that the objective criteria tightening torque and tool type are combined with the operators' subjective assessments of the load to identify MSD risks associated with nutrunner use. This way, the effects of factors such as working posture could be integrated into the assessment. Further, it was found that information and knowledge availability could influence the resulting exposures estimates, where for example information about how to appropriately select tool settings is not readily available. In addition, there are negotiating criteria such as quality considerations which need to be balanced with health and safety management, influencing the physical demands associated with power tools. Relevance to industryBy providing insight into an automotive manufacturer's approach to managing and assessing handheld tightening tools, policy-makers can form recommended limits and methods for standardized assessments of reaction load exposure from nutrunners.

National identity establishment for secondary school students through project activities

Relevance. The issue of national identity for teenagers becomes relevant, primarily because growing up today's teenager occurs in a situation of independent search and selection of characteristics and qualities that constitute an ideal, in this case, the ideal of a patriot of their country. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to define the conceptual approach to the notion of "identity" and to reflect methodologically on how this identity is established in students through a project-based learning approach. Methodology. The leading research method was the organisational approach, which included a comparative method and a cross-sectional method. Empirically, an innovative infrastructure for teaching national identity to students was introduced during the experimental study. Results. The authors have established recommendations for developing project activities with the overall objectives of spiritual and moral development and education for secondary school students. Key methods for teaching national identity include research-based, creative, practice-oriented, and problem-based approaches. National competence in Kazakhstan involves a blend of knowledge, skills, values, norms, and rules that gauge one's cultural identity within a diverse society. Conclusions. National identity requires time to establish itself. It is inappropriate to force the concept of belonging to a nation on students before they have established a personal understanding of themselves. The process of national identity education should be unassumingly and age-appropriate, using all the crucial components of national identity: speech, traditions, national attributes. Keywords: national identity; education system; teenagers; innovation infrastructure; personal development

WHOLE Communication: A High Reliability Organization Approach to Post-Acute-Long-Term-Care Education

WHOLE Communication: A High Reliability Organization Approach to Post-Acute-Long-Term-Care Education

Personnel development under digital economy conditions

Personnel development under digital economy conditions

Competition and Collaboration in Crowdsourcing Communities: What Happens When Peers Evaluate Each Other?

Crowdsourcing has evolved as an organizational approach to distributed problem solving and innovation. As contests are embedded in online communities and evaluation rights are assigned to the crowd, community members face a tension: They find themselves exposed to both competitive motives to win the contest prize and collaborative participation motives in the community. The competitive motive suggests they may evaluate rivals strategically according to their self-interest, the collaborative motive suggests they may evaluate their peers truthfully according to mutual interest. Using field data from Threadless on 38 million peer evaluations of more than 150,000 submissions across 75,000 individuals over 10 years and two natural experiments to rule out alternative explanations, we answer the question of how community members resolve this tension. We show that as their skill level increases, they become increasingly competitive and shift from using self-promotion to sabotaging their closest competitors. However, we also find signs of collaborative behavior when high-skilled members show leniency toward those community members who do not directly threaten their chance of winning. We explain how the individual-level use of strategic evaluations translates into important organizational-level outcomes by affecting the community structure through individuals’ long-term participation. Although low-skill targets of sabotage are less likely to participate in future contests, high-skill targets are more likely. This suggests a feedback loop between competitive evaluation behavior and future participation. These findings have important implications for the literature on crowdsourcing design, and the evolution and sustainability of crowdsourcing communities. Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grant IIS-1514283] and the U.S. Office of Naval Research [Grant N00014-17-1-2542]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.15163 .

Lessons learned from a multi-data source research collaboration: The mirabegron post-authorization safety study program.

Many factors contribute to developing and conducting a successful multi-data source, non-interventional, post-authorization safety study (NI-PASS) for submission to multiple health authorities. Such studies are often large undertakings; evaluating and sharing lessons learned can provide useful insights to others considering similar studies. We discuss challenges and key methodological and organizational factors that led to the delivery of a successful post-marketing requirement (PMR)/PASS program investigating the risk of cardiovascular and cancer events among users of mirabegron, an oral medication for the treatment of overactive bladder. We provide context and share learnings, including sections on research program collaboration, scientific transparency, organizational approach, mitigation of uncertainty around potential delays, validity of study outcomes, selection of data sources and optimizing patient numbers, choice of comparator groups and enhancing precision of estimates of associations, potential confounding and generalizability of study findings, and interpretation of results. This large PMR/PASS program was a long-term commitment from all parties and benefited from an effective coordinating center and extensive scientific interactions across research partners, scientific advisory board, study sponsor, and health authorities, and delivered useful learnings related to the design and organization of multi-data source NI-PASS.

The establishment of orthopedics in Croatia : The role of Božidar Špišić (1879-1957) and his professional networks.

Božidar Špišić was apioneer of Croatian orthopedics. In 1908 he founded the first private orthopedic clinic in the entire South Slav region. During the First World War he organized and headed the first orthopedic hospital for the rehabilitation and resocialization of wounded soldiers. In the interwar period, Špišić was tasked with establishing the orthopedic clinic within the auspices of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. This effort in shaping and developing orthopedics in Croatia would not have been possible without his participation in awide network of internationally renowned orthopedists. After graduating from the University of Graz in 1904, Špišić spent the next 4years specializing in orthopedics with Hans Spitzy, Arnold Wittek, Fritz Lange and, most importantly, Adolf Lorenz. In this paper, we have reconstructed the transfer of knowledge and experiences between these prominent Austrian and German orthopedists and Božidar Špišić. We have paid special attention to the identification of those elements in Špišić's work that can be traced back to his mentor, teacher and lifelong colleague Adolf Lorenz, such as his treatment for congenital hip dislocation. We believe that the analysis of professional networks can shed additional light on the historiography of orthopedics, given that these influences did not manifest solely through the acquisition of specialized clinical knowledge but also through aprofound influence on the core tenets of orthopedics as adiscipline-its institutional organization and overall conservative approach.

Evaluating the Cost-Efficiency and Financial Sustainability of Cloud-Based ATE Solutions in Testing Environments

The introduction of cloud-based solutions in testing environments, especially in Automated Test Equipment (ATE), is bringing a big change in the way organizations approach testing processes. This change is driven by the potential for enhanced cost-efficiency and financial sustainability. As testing requirements continue to evolve, the scalability, flexibility, and accessibility offered by cloud-based ATE solutions present promising opportunities for optimizing resource utilization and reducing operational costs. This study aims to evaluate the economic feasibility of adopting cloud-based ATE solutions. It explores their impact on both short-term and long-term financial sustainability. By examining factors such as upfront investment, operational expenses, and the overall return on investment, this research seeks to provide insights into the practical implications of transitioning to cloud-based ATE solutions for organizations seeking to streamline their testing processes.

IMPROVING INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN TRANSFORMING THE EFFICIENCY OF HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENT STORES AT ROYAL MARKET IN SERANG

The purpose of this study is to investigate the inventory management practices utilized in household equipment stores located in Pasar Royal, Serang City, as well as the difficulties that store owners encounter when managing their inventory. This study used qualitative research methods, including conducting in-depth interviews, observing, and analyzing documents from within the store. The findings revealed that the retailers utilized various inventory management practices, ranging from straightforward to more organized approaches. Store owners must contend with several obstacles, including inaccurate demand predictions, supply uncertainty, and a need for more efficient inventory management systems. On the other hand, certain stores have implemented improvement strategies, such as Just-in-Time (JIT) methods and the utilization of inventory management software, which have accomplished the goal of increasing both the overall store performance and the operational efficiency of the store. This study emphasizes the importance of better inventory management practices in achieving efficiency transformation in home improvement stores

Farmers’ cooperatives and smallholder farmers’ access to credit: Evidence from China

Farmers’ cooperatives serve as effective means of transforming smallholder farmers’ production methods in the process of agricultural modernization in developing countries. This paper aims to examine the credit effects of farmers’ cooperatives by employing a framework based on institutional finance theory. Based on the 2021 China Household Finance Survey data, an endogenous switching probit model is employed to explore the impact of cooperative membership on smallholder farmers’ access to credit. The research findings indicate the following: i) Farmers’ cooperatives possess information advantages, as financial institutions gain access to smallholder farmers’ information through the organized value chains of farmers’ cooperatives, leading to a direct reduction in transaction costs and an improvement in access to credit. ii) Farmers’ cooperatives can promote smallholder farmers’ agricultural investments, increase household income for smallholder farmers, enhance the liquidity of farmland, and further improve access to credit for smallholder farmers. Therefore, farmers’ cooperatives represent an inevitable trend in the agricultural modernization of developing countries. Rural financial institutions should alter their financial models and resolve adverse selection and moral hazard issues in the credit process through organizational approaches, thereby enhancing access to credit for smallholder farmers.

Shaping nature outcomes in corporate settings.

Transnational companies have substantive impacts on nature: a hallmark of living in the Anthropocene. Understanding these impacts through company provision of information is a precursor to holding them accountable for nature outcomes. The effect of increasing disclosures (of varying quality) is predicated on 'information governance', an approach that uses disclosure requirements to drive company behaviour. However, its efficacy is not guaranteed. We argue that three conditions are required before disclosures have the possibility to shape nature outcomes, namely: (1) radical traceability that links company actions to outcomes in particular settings; (2) developing organizational routines, tools and approaches that translate strategic intent to on-the-ground behaviour; and (3) mobilizing and aligning financial actors with corporate nature ambitions. While disclosure is key to each of these conditions, its limits must be taken into account and it must be nested in governance approaches that shape action, not just reporting. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bringing nature into decision-making'.

Business strategy of for-profit-oriented sports enterprises in Hungary

AbstractMany sports organisations operate as non-profits, but the emphasis and role of for-profits in this sector cannot be avoided. Today, sports activities are connected to the business sector and generate profit, hence, sports sector is a decisive part of the economy. Sport profile companies differ in their organisational strategy formulation approach. The main focus was to learn more about their strategy approach and market behaviour. 350 sports business organisations were involved in a survey of 3,248 companies, and the Chi-square test, variance analysis, and principal component analysis were applied to the sample. Results showed that 75.7% of the responding sports companies had no written strategic plan. The availability of written strategies seemed to depend on the organisation's scale. The market-following behaviour was confirmed in the case of smaller sports enterprises. Fitness service providers appeared to follow a market-leading behaviour. Growth, investment, and development naturally emerged as essential factors for companies with higher sales revenue and operating sports facilities, and they were relatively less important in sports goods production and trade. Most of the results showed that in the sports business sector, large-scale organisations focus on strategic-related issues more than other players in the industry.

A Pioneer Tool to Reduce Restrictive Practices toward People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Reducing restrictive practices toward individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a globally recognized imperative and human rights priority. This paper presents a novel tool called LibRe for assessing and reducing restrictive practices. This tool involved an instrumental multistage design and collaboration between professionals, individuals with disabilities, family members, and experts from different fields. It addresses diverse restrictive practices in five key domains: physical or mechanical, chemical or pharmacological, structural, relational, and practices related to contexts and supports. It addresses practices that are pertinent to the Spanish context and that existing tools have not covered. Embedded as a step within an organizational approach, LibRe fosters organizational transformation and provides resources to achieve outcomes within reduction plans for restrictive practices. In total, 156 teams comprising 585 professionals, 64 people with disabilities, and 44 family members responded to the tool. In terms of evidence for internal structure validity, the oblique five-factor model exhibited an adequate fit through confirmatory factor analysis, along with satisfactory reliability indices, according to ordinal alpha and omega. Users positively appraised the tool's usefulness and identified its strengths and challenges. Although further research is needed, preliminary evidence frames LibRe as a useful resource for practice and research.

The Benefits of Environmental Sustainability Efforts

Interviews from NEJM Catalyst Insights Council members on how their organizations approach environmental sustainability.

Comparative evaluation of three real-time polymerase chain reaction assays to detect Myxobolus cerebralis.

We sought to evaluate accurate and reproducible detection of Myxobolus cerebralis (Mc), the causative agent of whirling disease, by using nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) and three previously established real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays: K18S (Kelley 18S), C18S (Cavender 18S), and Hsp70 (heat shock protein 70). We used a "fit for purpose" approach combined with intra- and interlaboratory testing to identify a molecular testing method that would be equivalent to the currently accepted nPCR procedure for Mc. Assay performance was compared using a combination of intra- and interlaboratory testing that used synthetic gBlocks along with naturally and experimentally infected fish tissue. North American isolates representing geographically distinct locations were also tested using all three assays. The K18S and C18S assays exhibited high assay sensitivity, intra- and interlaboratory repeatability of sample replicates, and reproducible identification of all test samples across multiple laboratories. In contrast, the Hsp70 assay failed to detect several positive samples at low DNA concentrations during intra- and interlaboratory testing. The K18S assay was the only procedure that demonstrated perfect detection accuracy when testing geographically distinct Mc isolates. Results demonstrated the K18S assay is robust under variable test conditions, is more accurate than the C18S and Hsp70 assays, and provides detection capabilities equivalent to those of the currently accepted nPCR confirmation assay "gold standard" that is described in the American Fisheries Society-Fish Health Section (AFS-FHS) Blue Book. The "fit for purpose" approach and preliminary completion of the World Organization for Animal Health validation pathway demonstrate that the K18S assay provides an alternate method for Mc testing. This work provides the foundation for acceptance of the K18S assay into the AFS-FHS Blue Book as a standardized test procedure for Mc.

Modern Trends in Digitalization of the Restaurant Business

The relevance of studying the issues of digitalization of the restaurant business is due to the need to search for strategic directions and key factors in the digital transformation of restaurant services, assessing modern consumer demands and global market development trends.The purpose of the work is to study the main trends in the digitalization of restaurant business organizations.The objectives of the study are to analyze promising areas of digitalization of the restaurant business, assess the market for online food delivery, self-service points and the use of digital technologies.Methodology. Methods of comparative and statistical analysis, induction and deduction were used as research methodsResults. It was revealed that the main directions of digitalization of the restaurant business are online orders and delivery of ready-made food, the development of self-service points, automation of the value chain, as well as the promotion of restaurant services using digital technologies. Despite the fact that automation of the restaurant business began before the COVID-19 pandemic, it served as a catalyst for the transition of restaurant services to the virtual space. However, the reactive approach of restaurant business organizations did not allow the formation of an effective strategy for the digital transformation of restaurant business organizations. The growth of digitalization of the industry is due to digital channels for promoting services that require significant investments, available only to large market players; for non-chain restaurants, this segment of the digital market is not yet available in full, which is a limiting factor in the development of the entire industry.Conclusions. The results obtained during the research allowed us to formulate theoretical and practical recommendations aimed at developing a strategic understanding of the planning processes and implementation of digital technologies in the activities of restaurant business organizations.

Remote Work Evolution: Contrasting Realities in China and US

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to industries, increasing the uncertainty and dynamics of operations. In this context, digital transformation becomes a core approach for organizations to address challenges. The purpose of this article is to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected remote work in China and the United States, compare the disparities in telework between the two nations, and evaluate the implementation of remote work during and after the pandemic. Digital transformation has become the cornerstone of long-term organizational competitiveness and sustainability, increasing an organization's agility, innovation potential, and internal collaboration efficiency. There are cultural, regulatory, and technological infrastructure differences between China and the United States when it comes to remote work practices. In the early days of the epidemic, companies in both countries quickly promoted remote working due to policy support, industry culture, and digital infrastructure. After the epidemic, Chinese companies resumed traditional offline office models, while the United States was more inclined to support remote work. In the future, China's office model may develop towards a hybrid work model, emphasizing digital transformation to support remote work. This article recommends that companies adopt flexible working systems, strengthen employee skills training, and build on a culture of trust. In terms of outlook, hybrid working models will attract high-quality employees and require the exploration of new management methods to adapt to remote working models.

Thematic analysis of stakeholder perceptions for co-creative healthcare XR resource design and development; traversing a minefield of opportunities.

The expansive curricular volume of healthcare education makes a necessity the incorporation of innovative methods and immersive media in it. The core challenge in such approaches is the timely development of relevant immersive content such as Virtual, Augmented or Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) resources for healthcare topics. There is currently significant interest in the use of co-creative methods for streamlining immersive content development. A core research pursuit in this translational research field is the formulation of evidence-based, optimized workflows that streamline immersive content creation allowing for rapid expansion of innovative educational approaches in healthcare curricula. The purpose of this paper is to aggregate the perceptions of healthcare technologists and educators who participated in a series of co-creation sessions in order to elicit their best practice insights for design and development of XR educational resources using co-creative methods. According to our thematic analysis, findings of the qualitative study demonstrated that a rigorous organizational approach is required to maintain a constructive exchange of information and to keep the design process alive for both content and technical experts. In addition, rapid prototype and display of co-created features can empower their contributions and help them design more efficiently. Co-creative content production can benefit from adaption of existing frameworks and lightweight authoring environments that can facilitate generalized XR content development use cases.

Prelaryngeal soft tissue injury of the neck caused by an accidental crossbow shot

Abstract Penetrating neck injury is quite a rare entity, all the more if it is caused by a shotgun. Due to lots of vital important structures it may immediately be life threatening and an organized and systematic approach is highly recommended. We present a case of a young man who was accidentaly hit by a crossbow arrow to the neck. An overview of diagnostic and treatment management of such an injury is also provided.

Strategies for implementing or strengthening the DevOps approach in organizations: Analysis and examples

The aim of the study was to analyse the implementation of DevOps in organizations, in particular, to assess the impact of process automation, CI/CD, monitoring and orchestration of microservices on the efficiency of development and management. A methodology was created that allows organizations to effectively implement and enhance the DevOps approach, achieving high results in software development and management. The study looked at cultural change and training strategies, including building a culture of collaboration between teams and developing skills in modern DevOps tools. Process automation, including test automation and integration and deployment, plays an important role in improving code quality and reducing development time. Infrastructure as code allows managing and automating infrastructure configuration, enabling rapid scaling of environments. The work has shown that performance monitoring and feedback are critical to detecting problems early and continuously improving the product. Microservices orchestration, in particular, with Kubernetes, automates the deployment and scaling of containerized applications, which is critical for modern architectures with high performance and availability requirements. Case studies of companies such as Netflix, Spotify, and Airbnb demonstrate the successful application of DevOps practices and technologies to achieve high availability, scalability, and reliability of infrastructures. The study results confirm that the implementation of DevOps leads to a significant increase in development efficiency, software quality, and optimization of infrastructure management costs. In addition, the introduction of cultural changes and increased collaboration between development and operations teams contributes to greater flexibility and speed of response to changing market conditions