Rethinking risk management in times of crisis:the effect of COVID-19 on small and medium-sized enterprises in Scotland

PurposeThe Scottish economy was experiencing steady growth prior the hit of the COVID-19, with the pandemic causing the government to announce extreme lockdown measures with unprecedented impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Whilst some of the industry sectors in Scotland took a lighter hit, a large part of the organizations had to either adapt or completely disrupt their business. An essential aspect of their survival, risk management (RM) was among the areas requiring the most significant acceleration. This study compared the RM practices implemented by Scottish SMEs prior and after the outbreak as well as examined the attitudes of key decision-makers in the SMEs in relation to risk, including their perceived readiness for another crisis of similar significance.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey based on ISO 31000 RM guidelines was distributed to 232 Scottish SMEs. Based on the official government reports and existing knowledge on how SMEs around the world have handled crisis events within the past 20 years, the authors developed the hypothesis that crisis events significantly accelerate SMEs' RM implementation. Around 13 items were tested in relation to the hypothesis and responses were tested via two-tailed T-test to establish significant statistical difference.FindingsThe research provides insight into the current state of risk management practices implemented by Scottish SMEs. As expected, SMEs showed significant difference in their RM implementation prior and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Whilst this has been viewed as a positive, motivations, priorities and approaches in managing risk demonstrated by the SMEs is questionable with views to their sustainable long-term recovery. The study highlights the lack of confidence instilled within the SMEs that they can handle another crisis of similar significance and provides directions for further investigation and improvements with the aim of helping the SMEs prepare better to mitigate the consequences of future crisis events.Originality/valueIn academic sense, the study offers a tested universal framework and a detailed questionnaire for assessment of RM strategy, applicable to organisations of various type, size and geography. Several implications with regards to managerial practices have been highlighted, including the neglect of the SMEs’ own internal environments and its significance in their risk strategies, the predominantly reactive approach to RM displayed by most Scottish SMEs as well as the neglect of compliance risk leading to potential quality and customer satisfaction issues preventing SMEs from full post-crisis recovery

Can organisations in the service industry achieve sustainability development based on quality management

Purpose: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in sustainability inside the quality field, but so far, the research has been primarily focused on the relationship between sustainability and quality in the manufacturing sector, leaving a gap in the service sector. This research project seeks to bridge this gap. Methodology: A systematic literature review (SLR) focusing on quality management and sustainability in the service sector, was conducted using two databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science. A total sample of 32 articles were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings were grouped into four themes. Findings: The study showed that there is a positive relationship in the service sector between quality initiatives and the three pillars of sustainability; economic, social, and environmental. Regarding the success factors and barriers to sustainability, top management and employee commitment, organizational culture and stakeholder support were identified as the most influential factors to sustainability. Research limitations/implications: The results are limited to the categories of service sectors identified in the sample and for the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the sample of articles, which might exclude possible relevant articles to the topic that did not comply with this criterion. The findings and recommendation of the research can be used as a baseline for service industries to drive service quality and sustainability across the sector. Originality/Value: The findings from this study contribute to the literature of sustainability and quality by providing new insights about the relationship between these two concepts in the service industry and fill the existing gap in the literature about this relationship in service

New models to reduce the health risks of informal WEEE recyclers in MTN phone village, Rumukurushi, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management in Port Harcourt, an oil-producing city in Nigeria, has become an environmental challenge for the location. WEEE recycling is predominantly managed by informal recyclers, who lack the skills to perform risk-free recycling, hence raising health risks to individuals in associated communities and degrading the environment. Formal recycling, which embraces the best practices for effective WEEE management, is faced with several limitations, such as a lack of detailed guidelines on waste recycling, reuse, and final disposal techniques, with no opportunities for landfilling. A qualitative approach was adopted for this study. Data were gathered via questionnaires and analysed graphically. A background literature review of the assessment of informal recycling methods and associated challenges was performed. Hence, a new concept for the local management of WEEE processing was introduced. This concept limits the role of informal recyclers to WEEE collection. In this case, informal recyclers are paid for WEEE collection; they no longer engage in further WEEE processing. The results show that 48% and 40% agree to partner and collaborate with government agencies, respectively. Conversely, 52% and 40% agree and strongly agree, respectively, to limit their activities to WEEE collection only if the government is willing to pay for the services

The challenge of plastic management for waste electrical and electric equipment recycling in the Global South: a case comparison between Europe and Latin America

Countries with emerging legislation on the waste electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), but limited infrastructure, may find in other, more robust, systems the tools to develop adaptable and socioeconomically viable management schemes. Additives found in the plastics in electronic goods, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), are components of a safety system, but introduce characteristics that result in their waste being hazardous. Established and emerging regulatory systems need to implement legislation that impacts the management of WEEE, to reduce risks to human health and the environment, while maximising opportunities for resource recovery from widely varying materials. To assess the context of developed and emerging regulatory systems, a baseline study was undertaken of WEEE plastics in Scotland and Uruguay. For the identification of BFRs in plastics, an internationally validated screening methodology using X-ray fluorescence was adopted at different processing operations. It was observed that, using a threshold of 830 mg/kg for Br as a BFR tracer, in Scotland, more than 70% of the plastics would be recyclable, while, in Uruguay, that fraction dropped to 50%. These results, and the wider literature discussion, highlight the impact that regulatory frameworks have on the quality and recyclability of recovered material. We identify future actions to be considered by policy-makers for a more sustainable regulatory approach

Recycling plastics from WEEE:a review of the environmental and human health challenges associated with brominated flame retardants

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) presents the dual characteristic of containing both hazardous substances and valuable recoverable materials. Mainly found in WEEE plastics, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a component of particular interest. Several actions have been taken worldwide to regulate their use and disposal, however, in countries where no regulation is in place, the recovery of highly valuable materials has promoted the development of informal treatment facilities, with serious consequences for the environment and the health of the workers and communities involved. Hence, in this review we examine a wide spectrum of aspects related to WEEE plastic management. A search of legislation and the literature was made to determine the current legal framework by region/country. Additionally, we focused on identifying the most relevant methods of existing industrial processes for determining BFRs and their challenges. BFR occurrence and substitution by novel BFRs (NBFRs) was reviewed. An emphasis was given to review the health and environmental impacts associated with BFR/NBFR presence in waste, consumer products, and WEEE recycling facilities. Knowledge and research gaps of this topic were highlighted. Finally, the discussion on current trends and proposals to attend to this relevant issue were outlined

Development of a self assessment tool for small manufacturing companies based on excellence models and national cultural characteristics

The last twenty or so years have seen a great interest in quality management systems that have initiated a large number of studies. These studies examined, amongst the rest, the impact of quality methods in companies, implementation techniques, and tried to discover the reasons behind the failure or success of these methods. A portion of them investigated the issue of quality on different companies' sizes and another part the effect on national culture and/or the influence of industrial sector. In most of the cases though the research was focused in one aspect only, either that was size, culture or sector. This work attempts to investigate the effect of both size and culture. Furthermore, It tries to find the elements missing of the current literature that make these systems not appealing in a great percentage of companies, specially small sized ones. If quality tools improve performance, productivity and business results in general, why so many companies seem to ignore them? Can the same systems that originated in Japan and influenced by Americans be implemented in every country around the globe, regardless of size and sector? What special features have to be considered, if there are any, during the implementation process when the company is located in Scotland or Greece or Sweden? This thesis attempts to answer these questions by researching in the present literature and using the feedback obtained from Scottish and Greek companies of five different sectors. Finally, it proposes a new self assessment tool that applies to small manufacturing companies and considers the special characteristics of each culture with the addition of taking into account the quality level of the company.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo