Impact Factor: outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification?

A review of Garfield's journal impact factor and its specific implementation as the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor reveals several weaknesses in this commonly-used indicator of journal standing. Key limitations include the mismatch between citing and cited documents, the deceptive display of three decimals that belies the real precision, and the absence of confidence intervals. These are minor issues that are easily amended and should be corrected, but more substantive improvements are needed. There are indications that the scientific community seeks and needs better certification of journal procedures to improve the quality of published science. Comprehensive certification of editorial and review procedures could help ensure adequate procedures to detect duplicate and fraudulent submissions.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, 6 table

Promoting the Health Needs of Homeless Women Residing in an Urban Community: A Participatory Action Research Study

The purpose of this study was to discover the health promoting needs of homeless women, residing in a shelter. A qualitative participatory action research (PAR) approach was used to solicit a deeper understanding of the women\u27s health promoting needs. PAR is designed as a systematic inquiry, including collaboration with those affected by the issue being studied for purposes of taking action, empowerment, and effecting change. The specific aims for this study were 1) describe the health promoting needs of homeless women in the context of their lives as homeless women; 2) develop and implement a plan for meeting the health promoting needs of homeless women in the context of their lives as homeless women. The research questions for this study were 1) What are the health promoting needs of homeless women?; 2) What does the homeless woman need in order to maintain or improve her health and well-being?; 3) What are the health promoting activities identified by homeless women that promote their health and well being within the context of living in a shelter for homeless women?; and, 4) What is the process developed and adopted by homeless women living in a shelter to promote their health and well being? Participation in this study was voluntary, totaling twenty-one (21) women who were recruited at various stages of the study. All women residing in the shelter met the inclusion criteria. The research team consisted of the homeless women and the researcher in the roles of co-researchers and co-participants. The PAR approach consisted of four (4) phases, planning, acting, observing and reflecting, and evaluating. The data were collected through group and individual interviews. Each interview was audio taped and documented. Open-ended questions were utilized to elicit a deeper and comprehensive view of the women\u27s health promoting needs and solutions to identified problems. The management of the data was completed manually by the researcher by entering data in to a computerized Word document. The analysis and interpretations of the data were presented to the research team who then validated the accuracy of the analysis and interpretation of the researcher. The team selected the activity to develop as an intervention. The findings from this study indicated that a group of homeless women who resided in a shelter identified exercise as their health promoting need. They planned and developed a six (6) week walking class to meet self determined group outcomes. The concept of commitment emerged from the data. The women began to understand how this concept impacted on their likelihood of participating in the walking classes. They took leadership roles throughout the study period. The findings of this study will be utilized to guide the development of culturally appropriate, community-based education/health promotion programs for homeless women at this shelter currently and in the future

Gendered Racial Microaggressions’ Cumulative Effects on Black Women’s Psychological Well-Being

Black women living in North America experience gendered racial microaggressions injurious confrontations in every social setting due to simultaneous discrimination involving race and gender. This basic qualitative research study aimed to explore the perceptions of Black women in this society with gendered racial microaggressions to discover how they perceive the cumulative effects of this phenomenon on their psychological well-being by utilizing intersectionality as the study\u27s conceptual framework. Data collection occurred via interviews with a sample size of five Black women ages 51 and older who were born and raised in North America that self-reported experiencing gendered racial microaggressions. Participants were also asked about their perceptions of the subsequent cumulative adverse effects on their psychological well-being. Braun and Clarke\u27s thematic analysis was used in this study to form codes and draw from these codes to identify and define six emerging themes. These themes included, Theme 1: Gendered Racism Experiences, Theme 2: The Black Woman is in Crisis, Theme 3: Grief and Loss, Theme 4: Physical Health Issues, Theme 5: Mental Health Issues, and Theme 6: Invisibility and Silencing. Key findings include the participants perceiving their experience with gendered racial microaggressions as negatively affecting their psychological well-being. Recommendations for future research are to expand the current study by having the experiences of a larger sample size of Black immigrant women with the phenomenon. Thus, as a result, augmenting social workers\u27 practices regarding how organizations, particularly for Black women, deal with gendered racial microaggressions to promote social change and social justice on their behalf

Strategies for Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover in Call Centers

Call center business leaders who experience voluntary employee turnover are affected by low productivity and high attrition. Call center business leaders are concerned about voluntary employee turnover, as 35 of every 100 call center employees leave the company within the first 6 months of their start date. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies call center business leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover among several call center managers located in Southeastern New Mexico. The conceptual framework supporting this study was Burns’ transformational leadership theory. The participants included 3 call center business leaders who successfully implemented strategies reducing voluntary employee turnover. Data collection included face-to-face interviews, open-ended questions, and audio recordings. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-stage method of qualitative data analysis. Five themes that emerged from this study were: employee turnover, job satisfaction, training and development, employee compensation, and reward and recognition. Business leaders in call center organizations who positively reduce voluntary employee turnover may influence productivity, improve organizational growth, and increase job satisfaction. Business leaders can use the findings from this study to create a positive social change in call center business leaders’ awareness of retention strategies by focusing on the organizations’ performance. Organization leaders who reduce voluntary employee turnover could potentially lead employees to long-term growth and development career opportunities that can affect social change to benefit the behaviors of the company’s employees and families in the community

Seeing the wood for the trees. Carer related research and knowledge: A scoping review

This NIHR-SSCR funded scoping review provides a comprehensive mapping of what is known about carers and caring, and aims to help inform policy, practice and research in relation to carers. The review was undertaken by searching 10 electronic bibliographic databases, supplemented by additional web searches to identify academic research, grey literature and wider knowledge. The analysis adopts a selective thematic approach covering: carer variables - the characteristics of different types of carer and different caring situations; types of care - the nature of needs of the cared for person and the features of the care situation; the impact of caring – resilience and coping, employment and health; and carer support and needs assessment. The final section highlights key messages identified from the review. It found that caring involves all sections and age groups of the population, with people are likely to experience one or more periods of caregiving over their lifetime. The uniqueness of each caring relationship is also highlighted. In relation to types of carers, knowledge about ‘hard to reach’ groups, such as BAME and LGBT carers, remains sparse. Older carers are also relatively invisible in policy and research terms. It found that much of the knowledge about carers identified in the review relates to their characteristics, their lived experience and the nature of their caregiving, with relatively less being known about the effectiveness of interventions to support them. The report concludes by offering suggestions for policy and practice. An appendix provides a bibliography of the 3,434 items identified in review, classified into 17 types of reference

Gendered Racial Microaggressions’ Cumulative Effects on Black Women’s Psychological Well-Being

Black women living in North America experience gendered racial microaggressions injurious confrontations in every social setting due to simultaneous discrimination involving race and gender. This basic qualitative research study aimed to explore the perceptions of Black women in this society with gendered racial microaggressions to discover how they perceive the cumulative effects of this phenomenon on their psychological well-being by utilizing intersectionality as the study\u27s conceptual framework. Data collection occurred via interviews with a sample size of five Black women ages 51 and older who were born and raised in North America that self-reported experiencing gendered racial microaggressions. Participants were also asked about their perceptions of the subsequent cumulative adverse effects on their psychological well-being. Braun and Clarke\u27s thematic analysis was used in this study to form codes and draw from these codes to identify and define six emerging themes. These themes included, Theme 1: Gendered Racism Experiences, Theme 2: The Black Woman is in Crisis, Theme 3: Grief and Loss, Theme 4: Physical Health Issues, Theme 5: Mental Health Issues, and Theme 6: Invisibility and Silencing. Key findings include the participants perceiving their experience with gendered racial microaggressions as negatively affecting their psychological well-being. Recommendations for future research are to expand the current study by having the experiences of a larger sample size of Black immigrant women with the phenomenon. Thus, as a result, augmenting social workers\u27 practices regarding how organizations, particularly for Black women, deal with gendered racial microaggressions to promote social change and social justice on their behalf

Constructing an online serviceScape for the funeral industry

An online servicescape serves as a moderator for excellence in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The study approached the online servicescape from the perspective of the funeral industry. Nowhere is the relevance of an online servicescape more apparent than in an industry which is firstly, unsought, and secondly, perceived as dismal. During the process of arranging a funeral, the customer is experiencing an unusual purchase situation as it is a purchase that cannot be avoided. The possibility also exists that the customer most likely did not seek information about a funeral home prior to the demise of a loved one. A third contributing factor is the emotional state of the customer which will, in a time of bereavement, have a strong impact on the rational decision-making process. Considering these conditions, the study approached the online servicescape based on three elements, namely Search Engine Optimisation, perceived value, and perceived usefulness of the online servicescape. These elements contribute to trust in the funeral home’s online offerings, which could influence the purchase outcomes significantly. The aim of the study was to construct a functional servicescape for an unsought business such as a funeral home, hence contributing significantly to the CRM body of knowledge as it was determined that this has not been explored before from an academic perspective. A quantitative, exploratory methodology was implemented. The exploration is depended on Bitner's (1992a:60) seminal model of servicescapes, Harris and Goode's (2010:230-243) model for online servicescapes, and the key constructs of Simon's (1996:141-142) Design Theory to provide a methodological basis with which to construct the key elements for a funeral industry based online servicescape. The data collection process followed a twostep process. A content analysis was conducted on existing websites from five English speaking countries, followed by a survey that largely reflected the content analysis variables to gain customer insights. The data was analysed using a descriptive analysis process. v It was determined that customers would trust a functional servicescape, which will most probably lead to a purchase situation. However, customers also indicated the opposite if they detect anything on the website that might lead to distrust. It was therefore concluded that it is imperative for a funeral home to ensure that their online servicescape meets the functional needs of customers in order ensure trust and purchase intention.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 202

Families Moving Forward: Homeless Women with Children Transitioning to Independent Living

Family homelessness is one of the most profound and disturbing social problems of the 21st century and is projected to remain an ongoing issue for the United States in upcoming years. The fastest growing segment in the homeless population continues to be families, specifically single women with children. One intervention to the problem of homeless women with children is by providing them with transitional housing, a step beyond the familiar short-term emergency shelter. Transitional housing typically shelters families for up to 2 years. During this extended stay, women participate in programs designed to assist them with addiction, mental health, domestic violence, parenting skills, nutrition, employment, and gaining the independent skills necessary to transition their families to stable living. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the transition process by which formerly homeless women residing in a transitional shelter acquired stable housing. The aims of this study were to identify factors that impacted the transition, identify support structures, skills, and knowledge necessary during the transition, and to explore how this experience influenced their health. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a sample of 29 women who participated in one shelter program within the past 3 years. Dimensional analysis, an approach to the generation of grounded theory, was used to guide the investigation of the transition process of formerly homeless women from shelter to stable housing. Findings revealed a substantive explanation of how internal and external factors shape the transition process. A core dimension of creating a better life emerged as these women moved through phases of homelessness toward independent living. Phases included a turning point-lifestyle and homelessness before the shelter (context), reality check¬ evaluating their lives and their decision to enter the shelter (conditions), taking responsibility-working the shelter program and making changes (processes/actions), and taking the life skills-leaving the shelter for independent living (consequences). This study provides fundamental knowledge and an understanding of the transition process from the perspective of homeless women and identifies factors that influenced their ability to move to stable housing. Implications for future research, education, practice and policy are suggested

Constructing an online serviceScape for the funeral industry

An online servicescape serves as a moderator for excellence in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The study approached the online servicescape from the perspective of the funeral industry. Nowhere is the relevance of an online servicescape more apparent than in an industry which is firstly, unsought, and secondly, perceived as dismal. During the process of arranging a funeral, the customer is experiencing an unusual purchase situation as it is a purchase that cannot be avoided. The possibility also exists that the customer most likely did not seek information about a funeral home prior to the demise of a loved one. A third contributing factor is the emotional state of the customer which will, in a time of bereavement, have a strong impact on the rational decision-making process. Considering these conditions, the study approached the online servicescape based on three elements, namely Search Engine Optimisation, perceived value, and perceived usefulness of the online servicescape. These elements contribute to trust in the funeral home’s online offerings, which could influence the purchase outcomes significantly. The aim of the study was to construct a functional servicescape for an unsought business such as a funeral home, hence contributing significantly to the CRM body of knowledge as it was determined that this has not been explored before from an academic perspective. A quantitative, exploratory methodology was implemented. The exploration is depended on Bitner's (1992a:60) seminal model of servicescapes, Harris and Goode's (2010:230-243) model for online servicescapes, and the key constructs of Simon's (1996:141-142) Design Theory to provide a methodological basis with which to construct the key elements for a funeral industry based online servicescape. The data collection process followed a twostep process. A content analysis was conducted on existing websites from five English speaking countries, followed by a survey that largely reflected the content analysis variables to gain customer insights. The data was analysed using a descriptive analysis process. v It was determined that customers would trust a functional servicescape, which will most probably lead to a purchase situation. However, customers also indicated the opposite if they detect anything on the website that might lead to distrust. It was therefore concluded that it is imperative for a funeral home to ensure that their online servicescape meets the functional needs of customers in order ensure trust and purchase intention.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 202

Research and Relationship-based Curriculum – Exploration of How Research and Relationship Experiences in Undergraduate Education Impact Students’ Employability, Graduate Education Intention, and Entrepreneurial Acumen

After decades of shrinking financial research support (Smith, 2004), continuously rising tuition and student debt (Beal et al., 2019), and the induction of numerous alternatives (Garrett, 2021), traditional higher education is struggling to provide the value that students are demanding (Woodall et al., 2014). Student engagement has been positively linked to increased retention (staying in school until completion of a degree) and reduced dropout (leaving school and not returning) rates (Finn & Rock, 1997; Reschly & Christenson, 2012), both of which contribute to how students perceive the value of higher education (Alves, 2011). The purpose of this study was to provide an original validation of a conceptual framework, Research and Relationship-Based Curriculum (RRBC), and explore the relationships between six RRBC independent variables derived from the National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) (The Trustees of Indiana University, 2020), i.e., High-Impact Practices (HIP), Reflective and Integrative Learning (RIL), Quality of Interactions (QI), Student-Faculty Interactions (SFI), Development of Transferable Skills (DTS), and Higher-Order Learning (HOL), and undergraduate students’ Graduate Education Intention as well as perceptions of their Employability and Entrepreneurial Acumen. Our key findings were that greater exposure to HIP and DTS increases students’ perceptions of Employability; that greater exposure to SFI increases students’ Graduate Education Intentions; and that greater DTS increases students’ perceptions of Entrepreneurial Acumen. These findings provide valuable implications for researchers and higher educational institutions