Your search

Diversity issues in organizations have long been the subject of organizational studies and cultural examinations. While organizations have made several advancements to balance the presence of female representation in their employees, there remains a paucity of women in certain fields, most notably the tech industry where, despite similar performance in courses, women are alarmingly underrepresented. This paper examines this lack of diversity and proposes some remedies for specifically addressing the lack of women in the tech industry and can be extended to participation in any STEM careers that makes up a significant portion of the tech industry.

Top management support is a crucial investment at any manufacturing firm striving to integrate supply chain partners with the manufacturing processes so as to achieve a competitive advantage. Though the effectiveness of different leadership behaviors exhibited in top-level management has been documented in the leadership literature, the influence of such behaviors on developing linkages with supply chain partners has not been extensively examined. In order to bridge this research gap, this study examines the interlinkages between strategic leadership theory and supply chain integration theory. In addition, it also investigates the interrelationships between these two theories in the context of implementation of advanced manufacturing technology. Data has been collected from 107 small manufacturing companies and was analyzed using structural equation modelling. Results show that transactional leadership exhibited in top-level management is positively related to internal integration within the manufacturing companies. Transformational leadership behavior exhibited in top-level management and advanced manufacturing technology implemented in the shop floor of these companies are positively related to the integration of external supply chain partners. In addition, we also found that in those instances where small manufacturing companies place a high emphasis on the implementation of advanced manufacturing technology, they are guided by transformational leaders who strongly integrate their companies with customers.

This study focuses on integrating the premises of social capital theory and the theory of organizational learning to improve the operational performance of firms nurturing the buyer–supplier relationship. Social capital theory highlights the importance of developing social relationships between firms to create valuable resources and collectively access critical resources. Organizational learning theory highlights that the learning capacity of an organization strongly depends on top-level leaders’ behaviors, organizational structure, culture, and flexibility, and uncertainties in the environment in which the organization functions. Though many studies have focused on the impact of social capital on performance improvements in the buyer–supplier relationship, the interlinkages between social capital and organizational learning have not been given much attention. Based upon these theories, a system-focused perspective, which showcases the antecedents and outcome of the relationship between collaborative communication and learning, has been proposed in this study. A literature review has been carried out to support the linkages in the proposed conceptual model. Findings suggest that transformational buyers support creating cognitive capital with suppliers. This cognitive capital influences the structural capital, which supports improving the understanding of each party’s processes in the buyer–supplier relationship when parties have high long-term orientation. Improved learning capability reshapes organizations into flexible systems capable of responding quickly to customer requirements, and consequently, they realize a higher performance level.

This study is aimed at improving the purchasing cycle time in a buyer–supplier relationship by integrating the facets of strategic leadership, social exchange, and social capital theories. We developed and tested a conceptual model that postulated relationships among strategic leadership behavior, relational trust and commitment, structural capital, and purchasing cycle time. Data were collected from purchase managers and their employees working in 105 manufacturing companies and analyzed using structural equation modeling technique. Our findings indicated that strategic leadership behaviors are positively related to trust in the buyer–supplier relationship. In addition, trust enhances relational commitment between buyer and supplier, which in turn positively relates to information sharing and supplier development. Further, increased information sharing in the relationship results in reduced purchasing cycle time. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed in depth, and directions for future research are suggested.

Managing the impact of employees' personal and work-related difficulties on workplace productivity is becoming increasingly salient for organizations. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are one approach to help improve the quality of life for employees and maximize their productivity. While EAPs have many benefits, potential negative ramifications and legal considerations must also be considered. This article highlights some important cases and the best practices for organizations to utilize in creating clear organizational policies that align with equal employment opportunity and privacy laws in collaboration with legal and human resources professionals and employee assistance providers to reduce or eliminate potential liability.

Person-centered care (PCC) is a term used to describe an individualized approach to patient care that engages patients and families as partners in meaningful ways to create a comprehensive, collaborative, and customized plan and experience of care. Although some healthcare fields of study, such as the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) model, have adopted and integrated person-centered care concepts and competencies into their curricula, there remains a critical gap in higher education to systematically integrate person-centered care into the curricula and assessment of interprofessional healthcare fields of study. While the delivery of person-centered care by healthcare professionals requires education and training in PCC concepts, this training has primarily occurred on the job, without a standardized and comprehensive curriculum to systematically teach and assess PCC competencies to students in interprofessional healthcare and medical degree programs. Until recently, the educational foundations for healthcare disciplines were drawn primarily from biomedical, business, and nursing models, not from patients' points of view. In this article, we consider why teaching and evaluating PCC concepts should be the foundation of all interprofessional health education. We first review the perspectives of relevance to our argument and then advocate for a person-centered paradigm shift for interprofessional healthcare and medical education and training. Next, we argue that integrating and evaluating students' understanding and application of PCC concepts in all healthcarerelated disciplines will ensure that graduates receive the most current and relevant preparation for careers in healthcare and that this aligns with the expectations of patients as consumers.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND State policies influence the quantity and quality of educational programs delivered in schools. This study examined state physical education policy changes from 2001 to 2016 by analyzing data reported in The Shape of the Nation Report . METHODS Policies related to state mandates for physical education, time/credit requirements, assessment and fitness testing requirements, adoption of state standards, and allowance of substitutions were analyzed over 5 editions of the report using repeated measures statistics. RESULTS A majority of state physical education‐related policies have not changed over the past 15 years despite calls by numerous public health agencies for enhanced physical education in schools. There was, however, a significant increase in the number of states adopting teaching standards and requiring assessment and fitness testing in physical education, mirroring a broader shift in education toward standards, assessment, and accountability. CONCLUSIONS Despite improved rigor in physical education through the adoption of standards and assessment practices, physical education continues to be marginalized in schools by a lack of curricular time and inappropriate substitution policies. Stronger policies are needed for physical education to have a substantial impact on school health.

Since 31 October 2018, Extinction Rebellion has advocated in numerous examples of civil disobedience across the UK in an attempt to call for further action to address climate change. Following this example, similar activism has also been seen across Europe and North America. Such activism falls within the context of climate justice (the framing of climate change as an ethical and political issue); given the disproportionate impacts that climate change has on the most vulnerable people in society, e.g., low-income communities, women, and future generations. What is noticeable about Extinction Rebellion is its ability to place climate change on the social agenda, a task that has proven difficult in the age of denialism, skepticism, false-balance media reporting, and far-right politics. With reference to recent examples of civil disobedience and protests in 2019, this paper evaluates how climate justice movements, specifically Extinction Rebellion, change meanings of urban landscapes into becoming more contested places and disrupt the consciousness of everyday routines toward sustainability. This disruption and contested nature is brought about through changing the sociocultural dynamics of urban landscapes during, and after, such protests. The meanings of urban landscapes thus change from being viewed as purely sites of materialist consumption to sites of initial resistance against business-as-usual approaches to climate change leading to changes in policy. Through substantial public engagement with the narrative of climate justice, civil disobedience protests, and urban art, it is clear that urban areas “held” for a number of successive days have started to be perceived differently. This article concludes with implications for subsequent spatial disruption and civil disobedience advocating for stronger climate policy.

"Our Voices Our Stories" is filled with thought-provoking poems, essays, short stories and other writings advancing, celebrating, embracing and empowering girls, teens and women of color worldwide. The diverse national and international voices represented in this anthology focus on the psychological, emotional, physical and social issues, traumas and challenges experienced by girls, teens and women of color. The writing will encourage society to understand what it means to be a girl, teen and woman of color living in a society that does not always listen to hear their voices or their stories.

This paper examines the performance of two state-owned airlines: Ethiopian Airlines and Ghana Airways. While Ethiopian Airlines continues to operate successfully, the other airline has gone out of business. In an industry characterized by heavy competition and a high rate of failure, the success of the state- owned Ethiopian Airlines is intriguing. The evidence shows that Ethiopian Airlines outperforms the industry on some important benchmarks. These findings suggest that being a state enterprise is not necessarily a characteristic that leads to failure. Corporate culture and governance appear to be important factors in the success of Ethiopian Airlines.