Partnership Quality Research Articles

Is Partnership Intensity or Density More Effective?

Current scholarship identifies benefits to both quality of partnerships and extensiveness of networks when managing shared policy goals. However, with limited collaborative capacity, many public service organizations are faced with a decision of whether to pursue intense connections with specific organizations or dense ties with an array of organizations. From using survey data from 72 local air agencies, findings indicate that intense partnerships are better predictors of improved air quality than dense ties. Conclusions suggest that building strong partnerships is more important than building many partnerships when pursuing shared policy goals in a multidimensional environment.

Analysis of the United Territorial Communities Strategies in the Context of Sustainable Development Policy Implementation

The concept of sustainable development has been considered as the main ideological paradigm of human existence. It is oriented not only on economic but also on social and environmental development. Its main ideas are grouped into Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which found their implementation at the national level of different countries, including Ukraine. They are also documented in such important political documents, as programs and strategies of the socio-economic development of the regions and the united territorial communities that have been formed due to the decentralization reform. The research paper analyses the number of SDGs which are adapted to the national (Ukraine) and regional (Sumy) levels. During the study, the aggregated ratings of SDGs according to their significance have been proposed. The study results reveal the priority directions of sustainable development of the whole country and its regional development vector. At the country level, the main trends have been highlighted: firstly economic, which involves the development of industry and infrastructure, increase in innovations, energy efficiency and secondly social, which includes improvement of healthcare, a justice system, and education. As for regional development, the main vectors have also been determined as economic growth, which is primarily due to the betterment in the labor market, the development of industry and infrastructure and social improvement, which is related to poverty reduction and improvements in quality of education, cooperation, and partnership. At the local level, the nine Strategies of united territorial communities of Sumy region were analyzed for using the methodology of sustainable development. Their main priorities have been appealed as followings: the openness, security, vitality and environmental sustainability of cities and towns; the strengthening of the global partnership for sustainable development; the establishment of sustainable infrastructure, the promotion of comprehensive and sustainable industrialization and innovation. Key words: united territorial community, sustainable development, strategy, global sustainable development goal, national sustainable development goal, regional development.

Managing differences, interaction, and partnership quality in global inter-firm relationships

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and to empirically test a model that explains how managing differences between an information technology (IT) provider and an overseas client influences partnership quality and ultimately affects the continuity of the relationship.Design/methodology/approachA field survey by distributing questionnaires to Indonesian IT providers was conducted over four months, yielding 78 completed responses. These empirical data were analyzed by the partial least squares–structural equation modeling technique to examine the measurement and structural models.FindingsManaging differences, i.e. cultural, temporal and standards differences, has a positive impact on partnership quality through inter-firm interaction, i.e. information exchange, coordination and participation. Partnership quality, consisting of the dimensions of commitment, trust and integration, has a substantial positive impact on the continuity of the relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited by the use of a limited number of samples, reducing the precision of the results.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that if the IT provider is able to manage the cultural, temporal and standards differences with the overseas client, it increases information exchange, coordination and participation between both parties, which are necessary for establishing a high-quality partnership.Originality/valueThis study is the first empirical examination of how the management of differences between an IT provider and an overseas client influences the continuity of their relationship through interaction and partnership quality.

IV. CO-CONSTRUCTION OF ATTACHMENT REPRESENTATIONS AND AFFECT-REGULATING COGNITIONS: THE ROLE OF MATERNAL ATTACHMENT SECURITY.

This study focused on the role of maternal co-construction skills in building attachment relevant representations in early childhood. Thirty-four mothers and their 4- to 5-year-old children were presented with two co-construction tasks, one an attachment storytelling task, the other an affect discussion task about emotion-laden situations. Maternal co-construction skills were assessed with several scales that scored the quality of the co-construction partnership, the mother's skill in prompting elaboration, and helping build an explanatory framework. Mothers completed the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA) and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) as well. Results indicated that mothers' secure base script knowledge (ASA) was significantly related to communication effectiveness, encouraging elaboration of storylines, and using open-ended and why questions. Maternal AAI coherence showed similar relations to co-construction support.

Impact of supports and partnership on family quality of life

BackgroundIn recent decades, Family Quality of Life (FQOL) has emerged as a decisive construct, both to improve the living conditions of the families of people with disabilities and to assess the results on the services and supports that they receive.The aim of this research is to determine the perception of the families regarding their support needs, the quality of their partnerships with professionals, and their FQOL and then identify to what extent the supports of early childhood intervention centers have a positive impact on the families’ FQOL while exploring whether the family–professional partnership has become a fundamental intervening factor of FQOL. MethodThe participants were 202 families with children aged 0–6 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We used the structural equation model to analyze the influence that the adequacy of the supports and the partnerships exerted on FQOL. ResultsThe results indicate that the families have language and speech support needs for their children and information needs for themselves, and that they are mostly satisfied with their partnerships with the professionals and their FQOL. Our results also indicate that their degree of satisfaction with the support was a good predictor of FQOL and their ratings of partnership quality was a key factor interceding on this effect. ConclusionsThis study provides professionals and public institutions with guidance when designing plans to improve early childhood intervention centers so the quality of life of these families and the progress of children with disabilities living in Spain become progressively stronger.

Buying-Shopping Disorder and Partnership Satisfaction

The current study aimed at investigating partnership status and quality in 46 patients with buying-shopping disorder (BSD) and 46 healthy control participants. The Pathological Buying Screener (PBS) was used to assess the symptom severity of BSD. The German version of the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI-D) measured partnership satisfaction. With 23 patients with BSD (50%) and 31 control participants (67%) in partnerships, there was no significant group difference regarding partnership status (χ2(1) = 2.87, p = 0.090, ϕ = 0.18). In both groups, QMI-D scores were not related to BSD symptoms (PBS scores). In patients with BSD, partnership satisfaction was negatively correlated with BSD duration. Although the results of this cross-sectional study do not indicate an association between BSD and partnership satisfaction, the inverse relationship between partnership satisfaction and BSD duration calls for longitudinal research on the role of partnership satisfaction in the disorder’s progression.

The influence of partnership quality and breastfeeding on postpartum female sexual function.

Female sexual dysfunction is known to have a huge impact on quality of life and is highly prevalent during the peripartum period. Several influencing variables were found to be associated with impaired sexual function postpartum, among them breastfeeding and partnership quality. However, little is known about the predictive value of these variables. Therefore, this longitudinal cohort study aimed to examine prospectively the influence of the two variables on sexual function 4-month postpartum. Questionnaires were administered to 330 women prenatally (TI, third trimester) and postpartum (TII, 1week; TIII, 4months). Medical data were collected from the respondents' hospital records. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to determine overall sexual function, desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain perinatally. At all timepoints, mean FSFI scores were below the critical FSFI-score of 26.55. Partnership quality, breastfeeding, high maternal education, and maternal depressive symptoms correlated significantly with FSFI scores postpartum. Further analyses confirmed antenatal partnership quality and breastfeeding behavior as strong predictors of sexual function 4-month postpartum, explaining 24.3% of variance. Women who stopped breastfeeding or never breastfed at all showed the highest FSFI scores. Our findings indicate that exclusively breastfeeding women and those who report low partnership quality have an increased likelihood of sexual functioning problems 4-month postpartum. Health-care providers need to be encouraged to counsel on postpartum sexuality and influencing factors during prenatal classes to de-pathologize those changes and to foster a positive approach to peripartum sexuality.

How PMBOK standard and partnership quality influence IT outsourcing success: An investigation of the mediated moderation effects

ABSTRACTWe develop a mediated moderation model to explain how project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) standard and partnership quality interactively affect the IT outsourcing success, and whether service quality mediates their joint effect on IT outsourcing success. Conducting a survey of 118 project managers in nine Iranian IT outsourcers, the model and hypothesis are empirically tested. We find a negative moderation effect between PMBOK standard and partnership quality, showing that partnership quality’s effect on IT outsourcing success becomes weak when the level of PMBOK standard is high. More interesting, we find that this moderation effect is fully mediated by service quality, which in turn directly increases IT outsourcing success. In addition, PMBOK standard is found to negatively moderate the relationship between service quality and IT outsourcing success. These findings shed light on the complex mechanisms underlying PMBOK standard, partnership quality, and service quality in IT outsourcing success, and provide several implications in theory and practice of IT outsourcing management.

Military and Civilian Collaborative Partnership and Surgical Care Quality: A Blueprint for Success

Military and Civilian Collaborative Partnership and Surgical Care Quality: A Blueprint for Success

Outsourcing Performance in Hotels: Evaluating Partnership Quality

In this study, a research model investigates the influence of various factors of the outsourcing relationship that condition partnership quality. The factors considered as determinants of outsourcing partnership quality are the strategic benefits and the degree of outsourcing. Partnership quality is based on relationships governed by confidence, commitment, business understanding, shared benefits and risks, and conflict resolution. The model also studies the influence of the partnership quality between the supplier and the hotel on the outsourcing performance, considered from the financial, strategic, and overall satisfaction perspectives. To test the hypotheses, this study used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique with a sample of managers in an important tourist destination in Spain. The results of the study confirm that the strategic benefits and the degree of outsourcing perceived by the manager are determinant factors of the quality of the outsourcing partnership. In addition, they show that closer relationships with service suppliers imply greater outsourcing performance. Finally, implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Family Quality of Life and Partnership for Families of Students With Deaf-Blindness

Family–professional partnerships are a key support for families of children with disabilities, but little is known about families of children with deaf-blindness. This study examined (a) the factor structures of the Beach Center on Disability Family–Professional Partnership and Family Quality of Life (FQOL) Scales utilizing a national sample of families of children and youth with deaf-blindness (age birth to 22 years), and (b) the relationship between family–professional partnership and FQOL at the subdomain levels. Results suggested a two-factor solution for family–professional partnership (Enhancing Connection and Enhancing Capacity) and a three-factor solution for FQOL (Family Interaction/Parenting Well-being, Social/Emotional Well-being, Physical/Material Well-being). Enhancing Capacity Partnership moderated the relationship between Enhancing Connection Partnership and Family Interaction/Parenting Well-being FQOL. The significance of these findings in light of the existing family–professional partnership literature is discussed, and implications for research and practice are offered.

PENDIDIKAN, MASA JABATAN DIREKTUR UTAMA DAN PENGUNGKAPAN CORPORATE SOSIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)

This study exmined the education and tenure of Presiden Director and consistency in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) action, wich in State Owned Enterprises known as Partnership and Comunity Development Program. The purpose of this study was to examine the education and tenure of President Director on the quality of Partnership and Comunity Development Program. The sample of this study are state owned enterprises with the total population are 119 firms, based on the sampling criteria, the final sample of this study are 50 firms. Content analysis method was used to measure the quality of Partnership and Comunity Development Program. Data was analysed by SPSS program. Multiple linear regression model was used to test the hypothesis. The result shows that education and tenure have insignificant effect toward the quality of Partnership and Comunity Development Program. Future research could investigate other variables that could affect the quality of Partnership and Comunity Development Program.

The effects of collaborative communication on franchisee’s partnership quality and relationship performance in foodservice franchise business

The study conducted a survey targeting franchisees in the foodservice industry and based on the final 272 samples, the study reviewed reliability, validity, goodness of fit and other analyse in connection with the research model. In the end, a total of eight hypotheses were verified. Findings of the verification are summarized as follows. First, the study analyzed how collaborative communication of the franchisor in the food franchise industry would affect interdependence and conflict resolution. They could influence the franchisors’ trying to establish partnerships with the franchisees. It turned out that the franchisors’ collaborative communication had positive (+) influences on both interdependence and conflict resolution. Second, the study took a look into relations among interdependence, conflict resolution and relationship commitment that would determine partnership quality and found that the first three factors had positive (+) effects on partnership quality. Third, another investigation on how relationship commitment was related to relationship performance (operation performance and long-term relationship orientation) found that they were all positively (+) connected to each other. Lastly, after examining the influences of the operation performance of the franchisees on their long-term relationship orientation with the franchisor, the study learned that operation performance had a positive (+) effect on long-term relationship orientation.

Moderated influence of return frequency and resource commitment on information systems and reverse logistics strategic performance

PurposeReverse logistics (RL) is a strategic instrument across industries. The rapid evolution of online marketplaces has led to frequent product returns with variations across diversified businesses. These marketplaces have caused potential losses due to fraudulent returns, hence requiring a commitment of resources to RL. With information systems (IS) playing a role in improved supply chain performance, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of a conceptualized IS framework on achieving RL strategic outcomes, under the individual moderating influence of resource commitment (RC) and return frequency.Design/methodology/approachData have been collected through a questionnaire from top to middle management executives managing the supply chain, logistics and IS. Moderated regression analysis was conducted on the collected sample using Hayes’ (2013) process modeling.FindingsThe study depicts that IS capability, IS for logistics, IS partnership quality and IS for value addition lead to RL strategic benefits. Also, return frequency and RC act as relatively strong moderators with a negative impact. When analyzed for the individual IS constructs, RC has a stronger moderating impact than return frequency.Practical implicationsThe IS usage framework can be used effectively by practitioners for enhancing strategic RL performances depending on variations in committed resources and return frequency for individual industries.Originality/valueThe study proposes an IS usage framework for achieving enhanced RL strategic outcomes and emphasizes on the moderating role played by RC and return frequency for producing the results.

Reliability and validity of the German version of the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale.

In understanding early disturbances in the mother-child relationship, maternal-fetal attachment has become an important concept. To date no study has investigated the reliability and validity of the German version of the Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS). The present study aimed to close this gap. Questionnaires were completed in a sample of 324 women [third trimester (T1), first week postpartum (T2), and 4months postpartum (T3)]. In addition to the MFAS (T1), the following measures were assessed: the questionnaire of partnership (T1), the postpartum bonding questionnaire (T2), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (T1-T3), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (T1-T3), and the pregnancy related anxiety questionnaire (T1-T3). Factor structure was analyzed using a principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation. Internal and convergent validities were calculated. In contrast to the original version with five subscales, PCA yielded a three-factor solution, consisting of the three independent dimensions "anticipation", "empathy", and "caring", explaining 34.9% of the variance together. Good internal reliabilities were found for the total MFAS scale. Maternal-fetal attachment showed a significant negative correlation with postpartum bonding impairment. While no correlations were found with depression, general anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety during pregnancy, maternal-fetal attachment was significantly related to aspects of partnership quality. In the postpartum period, maternal attachment showed a strong negative correlation with maternal anxiety. Our results suggest that the German version of the MFAS is a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure the emotional relationship of the mother to the unborn child during pregnancy.

Outsourcer Knowledge Protection, Psychological Contract Schema, and Project Performance: A Vendor's Perspective

Despite the increased research attention directed to the importance of knowledge protection in collaborative business partnerships, such as IT offshore outsourcing, the extant literature offers conflicting views on whether knowledge protection inhibits project performance. Based on the transaction cost theory and the psychological contract theory, this study investigates how outsourcer knowledge protection affects project performance through partnership quality from the view of the vendors. Hypotheses were proposed and examined using data from 180 IT offshore outsourcing projects. This study finds that knowledge protection reduces partnership quality and project performance. Furthermore, a vendor's relational contract schema strengthens the negative effect of outsourcer knowledge protection on partnership quality, while a vendor's transactional contract schema weakens the negative effect. This study extends our understanding regarding the effects of knowledge protection on project performance and has important implications for outsourcing project management.

‘Designing the plane while flying it’: concept co-construction in a collaborative action research project

In the field of collaborative action research (CAR), the quality of the collaborative partnerships between university researchers and practitioners has received much attention. Most accounts focus on three areas: the question how to organise and optimise the encounter of these ‘worlds’ of scientific and practical reasoning; the professional development and emancipation of practitioners; and the enhancement of the practical utility of a CAR-project. In this article, we look at CAR projects from a different angle and explore the question how theoretical concepts are co-constructed in CAR-projects, thereby acquiring both practical as well as scientific relevance. We have focused on the participatory process of conceptualization during a CAR project in primary education, in order to find out how a key concept in the considered project is co-constructed and operationalized in multidisciplinary communities of practices. Both the theoretical validity of the concept is evaluated as well as the validity of collaboration. An ‘hourglass’ model is introduced for analysing participation in CAR projects, holding a more relational and dialogic interpretation of participation than the ‘Participation Ladder’ model. Furthermore, a heuristic approach to conceptualization in CAR projects is proposed.

Противодействие идеологии современного терроризма

Countering violent extremism and ideology of terrorism is an important component of the Russian national security. The eradication of terrorism depends on the quality of public education and social security, because criminal and terrorist communities seek to use any signs of social conflict and political crisis in the international system to involve the least socially protected citizens (young people as a rule) in the system of reproduction of radical violence. The formation of a high political and legal culture of modern Russian society should be the next stage of the campaign to counter the ideology of terrorism. Effective peacebuilding at the regional level, as well as sustainable development of the world community as a whole, is provided with constructive political projects that create an atmosphere of patriotism and confidence in the achievement of success by all active society members. The ideology of terrorism, on the contrary, is a destructive political technology that creates uncertainty, distrust and disunity in a society. Undermining the sustainable development of the state, violent extremism that engenders terrorist acts must meet with effective opposition from law enforcement agencies; with the most dangerous ideologists of terrorism becoming a legitimate target for military operations. However, state authorities should neutralize the terrorist threat by means of rational political force, in many cases relying on counter-terrorism propaganda, high quality of education and social partnership with those institutions of civil society that are interested in eradicating the threat of terrorism.

Partnerski odnosi fakulteta za obrazovanje nastavnika u domenu stručne i naučne saradnje

Building quality sustainable relationships between higher education institutions in the field of education is becoming a policy priority for most European countries, particularly those in transition. Starting with a context in which teacher training is being delivered (globalisation of education and of all aspects of life; social shifts; the development of new information and communication technologies, changes in the labour framework and the value systems) and moving through the notions of teacher college cooperation, the core qualities of partnerships, the significance of partnership-building for improving teacher training, the partnership models developed in pedagogic theory and practice, and the strategic educational documentation, the authors of this paper deal with one aspect of this problem - examining teacher training college partnerships in the domain of professional and scientific cooperation. The goal of the theoretical analysis is to identify conceptual determinants and varieties of partnership models in teaching and research. The paper points to some guidelines and suggestions for future empirical research in this area as a contribution to promoting this problematization.

Music Education In Remote Rural South Australian Schools: Does A Partnership With A Non-Government Organisation Work?

Schools in rural South Australia are remote from opportunities for students and teachers to engage in music learning and professional development. This aim of this research project was to investigate the degree to which partnerships between rural schools and non-government organisations (NGOs) can be effective and meet this need. Anderson and White (2011) note that partnerships in education, both in Australia and elsewhere, continue to be a prominent policy feature, as a preferred way of working to deal with key challenges for schools. This project employed a participant-observation methodology that incorporated methods of survey and invitational semi-structured interviews. It explored the ways in which schools benefited from partnering with a non-for-profit organisation in music education. Project results indicate that the quality of partnerships between an NGO (Musica Viva) and rural schools (government and non-government) have a positive impact on: student and teacher learning of music; the advancement of teachers’ music pedagogy and; student, teacher and community wellbeing. Importantly, this positive impact occurred in rural and remote schools with significant numbers of vulnerable, disadvantaged and disengaged students. Conclusions may be used to inform the development and strengthening of school-NGO partnerships to improve the quality of music education in rural schools. The project also offers itself as an example of how future investigations of school-NGO partnerships more generally might be pursued.