Assessment of Critical Success Factors of TQM Culture in Hospitality Sector in Kosovo

This paper attemts to ilustrate how the managers and the staff of a 5 star hotel in Kosovo define quality. Furthermore, it explores the number of critical success factors related to TQM culture and how they are applied in the hotel operations. Different theories related to the quality in the field of service provision, more particular in hospitality or hotel sector and the introduction of the TQM culture in the same sector. A conceptual framework based on existing theories and literature is developed which is than confirms through the research findings and analysis. The findings suggest that most features associated with TQM, like critical success factors assessed throughout the research (leadership, customer focus, and training, communication, teams and staff empowerment) can produce an advantage for the 5 star hotel operations that will affect the quality of service. Furthermore, it confirms that some of the TQM aspects are applied and can be applied in 5 star hotel operations in Kosovo. The issue is whether these aspects are understood as TQM principles and whether their added value is embraced in the day-to-day running of the hotel. The outcomes imply that, indeed, the TQM culture is present in the The Hotel, a 5 star hotel in Kosovo. Some of the critical success factors are directly linked to TQM and some less and it also provides suggestions for improvement where needed, especially related to specific tools that are integral parts of the TQM culture

Preterm neonatal morbidity and mortality by gestational age: a contemporary cohort

Although preterm birth less than 37 weeks gestation is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States, the majority of data regarding preterm neonatal outcomes come from older studies, and many reports have been limited to only very preterm neonates. Delineation of neonatal outcomes by delivery gestational age is needed to further clarify the continuum of mortality and morbidity frequencies among preterm neonates

Defining failed induction of labor

BACKGROUND: While there are well-accepted standards for the diagnosis of arrested active-phase labor, the definition of a "failed" induction of labor remains less certain. One approach to diagnosing a failed induction is based on the duration of the latent phase. However, a standard for the minimum duration that the latent phase of a labor induction should continue, absent acute maternal or fetal indications for cesarean delivery, remains lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes as a function of the duration of the latent phase among nulliparous women undergoing labor induction. METHODS: This study is based on data from an obstetric cohort of women delivering at 25 U.S. hospitals from 2008-2011. Nulliparous women who had a term singleton gestation in the cephalic presentation were eligible for this analysis if they underwent a labor induction. Consistent with prior studies, the latent phase was determined to begin once cervical ripening had ended, oxytocin was initiated and rupture of membranes (ROM) had occurred, and was determined to end once 5 cm dilation was achieved. The frequencies of cesarean delivery, as well as of adverse maternal (e.g., cesarean delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, chorioamnionitis) and perinatal outcomes (e.g., a composite frequency of either seizures, sepsis, bone or nerve injury, encephalopathy, or death), were compared as a function of the duration of the latent phase (analyzed with time both as a continuous measure and categorized in 3-hour increments). RESULTS: A total of 10,677 women were available for analysis. In the vast majority (96.4%) of women, the active phase had been reached by 15 hours. The longer the duration of a woman's latent phase, the greater her chance of ultimately undergoing a cesarean delivery (P<0.001, for time both as a continuous and categorical independent variable), although more than forty percent of women whose latent phase lasted for 18 or more hours still had a vaginal delivery. Several maternal morbidities, such as postpartum hemorrhage (P < 0.001) and chorioamnionitis (P < 0.001), increased in frequency as the length of latent phase increased. Conversely, the frequencies of most adverse perinatal outcomes were statistically stable over time. CONCLUSION: The large majority of women undergoing labor induction will have entered the active phase by 15 hours after oxytocin has started and rupture of membranes has occurred. Maternal adverse outcomes become statistically more frequent with greater time in the latent phase, although the absolute increase in frequency is relatively small. These data suggest that cesarean delivery should not be undertaken during the latent phase prior to at least 15 hours after oxytocin and rupture of membranes have occurred. The decision to continue labor beyond this point should be individualized, and may take into account factors such as other evidence of labor progress

Serious maternal complications after early preterm delivery (24-33 weeks’ gestation)

To describe the prevalence of serious maternal complications following early preterm birth by gestational age (GA), delivery route and type of cesarean incision

The impact of the business environment barriers on SMEs growth: the context of Kosovo

This research empirically investigates the impact of the business environment on SMEs’ employment growth. The SMEs in Kosovo struggle with many barriers either to survive or achieve growth objectives; this includes internal and external barriers for doing business. In this context, we use the survey sample of the Riinvest Institute, which consists of SMEs in Kosovo. The multiple linear regression models in statistical software SPSS were employed to check the statistical significance of the business environment barriers to SMEs employment. In line with the literature review, the study finds that the business environment has significant effects on SMEs’ employment growth. Thus, according to analysis, some institutional obstacles such as limited access to finance and corruption have significant impact on SMEs’ employment growth. Whereas, as regard to firm characteristics; the number of employees and firms’ amount of sales have shown to be statistically significant to the firms’ employment growth. The research findings are relevant for firms’ managers and policymakers since they capture the effects of the business environment on SMEs’ employment growth

The Role of Vocational Education and Training in Bridging the Skills Gap in the Labour Market

Vocational Education and Training plays a vital role in nurturing human capital and addressing the skills gap. Kosovo faces a high youth unemployment rate and a shortage of skilled employees in firms, indicating an education-to-labor market mismatch. This research explores Vocational Education and Training schools\u27 potential in facilitating youth transition to employment through qualitative interviews with school coordinators across Kosovo. Despite Vocational Education and Training schools having a great potential for bridging the skills gap, they face barriers such as curriculum-labor market misalignment, limited business cooperation affecting dual education, low student motivation, and limited public awareness about Vocational Education and Training \u27s role in youth employability

On the hunt for a Bargain : A quantitative study on Generation Z’s impact on the Second-Hand industry during the Pandemic

The purpose of this study is to examine and investigate if there has been a growth within the second hand industry during the pandemic and if so, investigate what factors there are that have contributed to the growth. The target group of this study is within generation Z and their view on second hand. The study is based on the number of gaps that had been identified with help on earlier research on the subject. Numerous people in the literature and articles are eager to present that the second hand market has increased, but why it has increased and what has caused generation Z to shop more second hand is more challenging to answer. Furthermore, an analysis has been conducted in order to cover the gaps that have been identified. The study is based on a quantitative study with generation Z as respondents. The results from this study shows that the generation has begun to shop more second hand over the last years than they have been doing before. This is due to the fact that the generation is very active on social media where second hand has become a trend. New websites have emerged and it has become increasingly accessible to find good second hand bargains. It has also become increasingly common to seek inspiration on social media to find a foundation where they can express themselves with clothes and products. The results also show that there is a growing interest in products that are sustainable and environmentally conscious. It can be said that there are a number of factors that have played a major role in the growth of the second hand industry.

Assessment of Critical Success Factors of TQM Culture in Hospitality Sector in Kosovo

This paper attemts to ilustrate how the managers and the staff of a 5 star hotel in Kosovo define quality. Furthermore, it explores the number of critical success factors related to TQM culture and how they are applied in the hotel operations. Different theories related to the quality in the field of service provision, more particular in hospitality or hotel sector and the introduction of the TQM culture in the same sector. A conceptual framework based on existing theories and literature is developed which is than confirms through the research findings and analysis. The findings suggest that most features associated with TQM, like critical success factors assessed throughout the research (leadership, customer focus, and training, communication, teams and staff empowerment) can produce an advantage for the 5 star hotel operations that will affect the quality of service. Furthermore, it confirms that some of the TQM aspects are applied and can be applied in 5 star hotel operations in Kosovo. The issue is whether these aspects are understood as TQM principles and whether their added value is embraced in the day-to-day running of the hotel. The outcomes imply that, indeed, the TQM culture is present in the The Hotel, a 5 star hotel in Kosovo. Some of the critical success factors are directly linked to TQM and some less and it also provides suggestions for improvement where needed, especially related to specific tools that are integral parts of the TQM culture

On the hunt for a Bargain : A quantitative study on Generation Z’s impact on the Second-Hand industry during the Pandemic

The purpose of this study is to examine and investigate if there has been a growth within the second hand industry during the pandemic and if so, investigate what factors there are that have contributed to the growth. The target group of this study is within generation Z and their view on second hand. The study is based on the number of gaps that had been identified with help on earlier research on the subject. Numerous people in the literature and articles are eager to present that the second hand market has increased, but why it has increased and what has caused generation Z to shop more second hand is more challenging to answer. Furthermore, an analysis has been conducted in order to cover the gaps that have been identified. The study is based on a quantitative study with generation Z as respondents. The results from this study shows that the generation has begun to shop more second hand over the last years than they have been doing before. This is due to the fact that the generation is very active on social media where second hand has become a trend. New websites have emerged and it has become increasingly accessible to find good second hand bargains. It has also become increasingly common to seek inspiration on social media to find a foundation where they can express themselves with clothes and products. The results also show that there is a growing interest in products that are sustainable and environmentally conscious. It can be said that there are a number of factors that have played a major role in the growth of the second hand industry.