Organizational culture, HRM and firm performance : examining relationships using the competing values framework in call centres

x, 166 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-138)Includes abstract and appendicesThe role of organizational culture in strategic human resource management (SHRM) research was examined in call centres in Canada. Two concurrent studies were conducted using the business unit level of analysis with multiple-level respondents. Study 1 involved a sample of manager respondents from National call centres across Canada and Study 2 included two field studies involving both customer service representatives (CSR) and managerial employees as respondents. Both studies supported past arguments that organizational culture is an important consideration in SHRM research. The conventional aspects of the SHRM relationship model, such as HR horizontal alignment and the relationship between HRM and firm performance, were tested in both studies and the findings were consistent with past research, demonstrating the validity of the measures. Cameron and Quinn's (2006) Competing Values Framework (CVF) was used to assess organizational culture. This framework defines four culture types which are referred to as clan (i.e., social), adhocracy (i.e., entrepreneurial), market (i.e., competitive) and hierarchy (i.e., bureaucratic). The results from the studies showed that two culture types, clan and adhocracy, were positively associated with firm performance, and two, market and hierarchy, were negatively associated with firm performance. In addition, both the clan and market culture types were found to partially mediate the relationship between HRM and employee performance in both studies, and HRM and operational performance in Study 1. Further analysis of intermediate linkages showed that HRM, employee performance and operational performance were all significantly and positively associated with financial performance. In addition, organizational culture types were found to have both direct and indirect associations with financial performance. Whereas adhocracy and hierarchy cultures were significantly associated with financial performance in Study 1, clan and market were not significant with financial performance for either study. These findings suggest that culture is directly associated with financial performance with two culture types and indirectly associated with financial performance by the association of clan and market cultures with employee performance and operational performance. Finally, to address past issues raised by researchers about SHRM research almost exclusively being conducted with managers, an examination of multiple-level respondents was undertaken in Study 2. The analysis showed no significant differences in CSR and manager perceptions about HRM and business strategy, with some differences in culture and firm performance perceptions

Exploring the impact of literacy on business education and job-readiness: an examination of the reading comprehension skills of first year university students

Despite a growing literature on the challenge for business schools to recruit students, the impact of accreditation and ranking on enrolment in business schools, and the connection between post-secondary education and participation and productivity in the labor market, little research has been conducted to examine the relationship between the drive for student numbers, student requisite skill levels, and jobreadiness. This paper examines the reading comprehension skills of first year students using data collected at an Atlantic Canadian liberal arts university. When comparing data by programs, the results suggest that business students possess slightly lower reading comprehension levels compared to students in other faculties. The implications of the findings relate to student success, faculty teaching, institutional integrity, and job-readiness

The role of senior leaders in the development of healthy workplace programs: a case study in call centres

Although there has been extensive research about managing costs of employer health and benefit plans, there has been less attention on preventative approaches such as healthy workplace programs (HWP), and more specifically, the role of senior leaders in HWP effectiveness. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in two call centres with similar HWPs. The findings suggest that, despite similar HWP design features, the role of senior leaders is central to employee perceptions about the overall HWP effectiveness. The five themes relating to what senior leaders do in effective HWP environments are discussed in this paper

Examining bullying in Canadian workplaces: preliminary findings from a content analysis study using arbitration case decisions

In the U.S., it is estimated that employees leaving the workplace due to bullying costs in the vicinity of $64 billion a year. From a Canadian perspective, less research has been done to understand the impact of bullying in the workplace. In this study, 20 Canadian arbitration cases over a 17 year period are examined for trends and directions. The preliminary findings suggest that employees dismissed for bullying usually go through a progressive discipline process before being dismissed. In 80% of these cases, the bullying is co-worker to co-worker. Overall, arbitrators are upholding dismissals (80% of the 20 cases), stating that appropriate steps to dismiss the bullying employees were followed and integration of the dismissed back into the workplace was not possible or desirable

Can programme theory be used as a 'translational tool’ to optimise health service delivery in a national early years’ initiative in Scotland: a case study

Background Theory-based evaluation (TBE) approaches are heralded as supporting formative evaluation by facilitating increased use of evaluative findings to guide programme improvement. It is essential that learning from programme implementation is better used to improve delivery and to inform other initiatives, if interventions are to be as effective as they have the potential to be. Nonetheless, few studies describe formative feedback methods, or report direct instrumental use of findings resulting from TBE. This paper uses the case of Scotland’s, National Health Service, early years’, oral health improvement initiative (Childsmile) to describe the use of TBE as a framework for providing feedback on delivery to programme staff and to assess its impact on programmatic action.<p></p> Methods In-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders explored perceived deviations between the Childsmile programme 'as delivered’ and its Programme Theory (PT). The data was thematically analysed using constant comparative methods. Findings were shared with key programme stakeholders and discussions around likely impact and necessary actions were facilitated by the authors. Documentary review and ongoing observations of programme meetings were undertaken to assess the extent to which learning was acted upon.<p></p> Results On the whole, the activities documented in Childsmile’s PT were implemented as intended. This paper purposefully focuses on those activities where variation in delivery was evident. Differences resulted from the stage of roll-out reached and the flexibility given to individual NHS boards to tailor local implementation. Some adaptations were thought to have diverged from the central features of Childsmile’s PT, to the extent that there was a risk to achieving outcomes. The methods employed prompted national service improvement action, and proposals for local action by individual NHS boards to address this.<p></p> Conclusions The TBE approach provided a platform, to direct attention to areas of risk within a national health initiative, and to agree which intervention components were 'core’ to its hypothesised success. The study demonstrates that PT can be used as a 'translational tool’ to facilitate instrumental use of evaluative findings to optimise implementation within a complex health improvement programme.<p></p&gt

Higher carbohydrate intake is associated with increased risk of allâ cause and diseaseâ specific mortality in head and neck cancer patients: results from a prospective cohort study

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145268/1/ijc31413.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145268/2/ijc31413-sup-0001-suppinfo01.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145268/3/ijc31413_am.pd

Perceive Symptom-Related Barriers to Eating and Associated Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors experience significant symptom burden as a result of tumor location and treatment received. These symptoms may negatively impact quality of life (QOL) and compromise dietary intake into the post-treatment survivorship phase. Few studies have examined how symptoms are associated with quality of life in HNC survivors beyond the acute phase of care. Purpose: The objective of this research was to examine associations between perceived symptom-related barriers to eating and quality of life (QOL) in post-treatment head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors who participated in a dietary intervention trial. Methods: This was an exploratory analysis of 23 post-treatment HNC survivors who had previously participated in a 12-week randomized dietary intervention trial to assess the feasibility of increasing cruciferous (CV) and green leafy vegetable (GLV) intake. For this analysis, both treatment groups were combined into one. Participants completed a pre-intervention survey that assessed HNC-specific QOL (FACT-HN) and ranked self-perceived symptom-related barriers to eating on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “never” to 5 = “very often”). A summary score for all symptom-related barriers was computed (maximum of 80 points) and Pearson correlations between the summary score and QOL were examined. Pearson correlations were also examined between scores for individual symptom-related barriers and QOL. Results: A lower symptom-related barrier summary score was significantly correlated with improved physical, emotional, and functional QOL (p < 0.01 for all). Lower individual symptom-related barrier scores for dry mouth, food does not taste good, feeling full too quickly, choking, phlegm production in mouth, difficulty swallowing, and lack of appetite were significantly associated with improved physical QOL (p < 0.05 for all). Symptom-related barrier summary score was not correlated with overall QOL. Conclusions: In this analysis of post-treatment HNC survivors, the degree of perceived symptom related barriers was associated with reduced QOL in several domains. Many individual perceived symptom related barriers were positively correlated with the physical domain of QOL. Although this was a small and exploratory secondary data analysis, these results suggest that perceived symptom related barriers and reduced QOL may be unmet needs in this survivor population and a larger study is warranted. Funding for the original study was provided by a NIH/NCI Cancer Prevention and Control Training Grant: R25 CA047888 and a Research Enhancement Project Grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.NIH/NCI Cancer Prevention and Control Training GrantR25 CA047888Research Enhancement Project Grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive CareOpe

Supporting genetics in primary care: investigating how theory can inform professional education

Evidence indicates that many barriers exist to the integration of genetic case finding into primary care. We conducted an exploratory study of the determinants of three specific behaviours related to using breast cancer genetics referral guidelines effectively: 'taking a family history', 'making a risk assessment', and 'making a referral decision'. We developed vignettes of primary care consultations with hypothetical patients, representing a wide range of genetic risk for which different referral decisions would be appropriate. We used the Theory of Planned Behavior to develop a survey instrument to capture data on behavioural intention and its predictors (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control) for each of the three behaviours and mailed it to a sample of Canadian family physicians. We used correlation and regression analyses to explore the relationships between predictor and dependent variables. The response rate was 96/125 (77%). The predictor variables explained 38-83% of the variance in intention across the three behaviours. Family physicians' intentions were lower for 'making a risk assessment' (perceived as the most difficult) than for the other two behaviours. We illustrate how understanding psychological factors salient to behaviour can be used to tailor professional educational interventions; for example, considering the approach of behavioural rehearsal to improve confidence in skills (perceived behavioural control), or vicarious reinforcement as where participants are sceptical that genetics is consistent with their role (subjective norm)