Qualitative research & evaluation methods

A solution business model: Capabilities and management practices for integrated solutions

Abstract: The developed solution business model framework assists firms wishing to design solution business models by categorizing capabilities and management practices necessary for the effective management of such a business model. The developed framework integrates findings from a wide variety of research streams with the empirical data collected in an abductive research process, involving ten firms with multi-national operations. The framework consist of a solution process with four phases (develop solutions, create demand, sell solution, and deliver solution) and three groups of cross-functionality issues (commercialization, industrialization, and solution platform). The framework identifies twelve capability categories, and sixty-four capabilities and management practices pertinent to the effective management of solution business. The research points to the importance of cross-functional alignment within firms. An effective solution business model requires the intricate coordination of resources and business processes across all functions.

Peculiar Strengths and Relational Attributes of SMEs in the Context of CSR

Abstract: The spotlight in the CSR discourse has traditionally been focused on multinational corporations (MNCs) This paper builds on a burgeoning stream of literature that has accorded recent attention to the relevance and importance of integrating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the CSR debate The paper begins by an overview of the CSR literature and a synthesis of relevant evidence pertaining to the peculiarities and special relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR Noting the thin theoretical grounding in the literature on offer, the paper then presents relevant CSR theoretical perspectives that could be useful in conducting further research on SMEs In light of this framework, the paper outlines the findings of an empirical study highlighting the peculiar CSR orientations of SMEs in a developing country context in comparison to some of their MNC counterparts The study is qualitative in nature, capitalizing on a comparative research design to highlight differences in CSR orientations between SMEs and MNCs The findings are presented and implications are drawn regarding the peculiar relational attributes of SMEs in the context of CSR generally, and developing countries more specifically, and how this inclination can be further nurtured and leveraged

PRO development: rigorous qualitative research as the crucial foundation

Abstract: Recently published articles have described criteria to assess qualitative research in the health field in general, but very few articles have delineated qualitative methods to be used in the development of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs). In fact, how PROs are developed with subject input through focus groups and interviews has been given relatively short shrift in the PRO literature when compared to the plethora of quantitative articles on the psychometric properties of PROs. If documented at all, most PRO validation articles give little for the reader to evaluate the content validity of the measures and the credibility and trustworthiness of the methods used to develop them. Increasingly, however, scientists and authorities want to be assured that PRO items and scales have meaning and relevance to subjects. This article was developed by an international, interdisciplinary group of psychologists, psychometricians, regulatory experts, a physician, and a sociologist. It presents rigorous and appropriate qualitative research methods for developing PROs with content validity. The approach described combines an overarching phenomenological theoretical framework with grounded theory data collection and analysis methods to yield PRO items and scales that have content validity.

A New Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development

Abstract: A critical review of the multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development reveals a lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding sustainable development and its complexities. A critical review shows that the definitions of sustainable development are vague; there is a lack of operative definitions and disagreement over what should be sustained; the concept is unclear in terms of emotional commitment; and it “remains a confused topic”, “fraught with contradictions”. This article aims to theoretically synthesize the interdisciplinary literature on sustainable development, and then identify the results by broad categories. Therefore, this article uses conceptual analysis, which reviews multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development, which recognizes patterns and similarities within the literature, then it synthesizes the patterns to different categories and independent concepts, where each concept has distinctive meanings and represents close ideas on sustainability. The analytical process elaborates seven concepts that together assemble the theoretical framework of ‘sustainable development’ and each concept represents distinctive meanings of the theoretical framework.

Mind-Body Medicine and the Art of Self-Care: Teaching Mindfulness to Counseling Students through Yoga, Meditation, and Qigong.

Abstract: Unmanaged chronic stress can have deleterious effects on the physical and psychological health of individuals. Stress may lead to or worsen disorders and diseases such as heart disease, anxiety, depression, hypertension, substance abuse, and gastrointestinal disorders (Astin, 1997; Brennan & Moos, 1990; Levy, Cain, Jarrett, & Heitkemper, 1997; D. Shapiro & Goldstein, 1982; Treiber et al., 1993; Whitehead, 1992). Stress is also a contributing factor for lifestyle behaviors that increase vulnerability to diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity (Brennan & Moos, 1990; Roth & Robbins, 2004; Treiber et al., 1993; D. R. Williams, 1999). Stress has an impact on absenteeism rates and job performance, effectiveness, and satisfaction (Burnard, Edwards, Fothergill, Hannigan, & Coyle, 2000). Given the prevalence of these stress-related health conditions in the United States, their costs to the nation's health care system, and the loss of quality of life for individuals, it is no surprise that public health professionals are increasingly concerned over the effects of stress. For instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000) lists stress reduction as an objective in its publication Healthy People 2010. Health care workers are particularly vulnerable to stress overload because of high demands and unique challenges (Harris, 2001; Sharkey & Sharples, 2003; Wall et al., 1997). Burnout, defined as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength, is the most often-noted consequence of chronic stress in the workplace (Harris, 2001; Sharkey & Sharpies, 2003). Moore and Cooper (1996) found that mental health professionals experience emotional exhaustion alongside the usual organizational sources of stress, and Baker (2003) described the potential for "compassion fatigue" and "vicarious traumatization" (p. xi). These stressors may have harmful effects on counseling students' effectiveness and success by reducing their capacity for attention, concentration, and decision-making skills (S. Shapiro, Shapiro, & Schwartz, 2000). Educators have recognized the importance of providing counselors with tools for self-care early in their careers and even while they are being trained (Baker, 2003; Brems, 2001; Kuyken, Peters, Power, & Lavender, 2003; Weiss, 2004). In an extensive review of research on stress management in the education of health care professionals, S. Shapiro et al. (2000) stated that although many interventions demonstrated promising results, such as lower levels of anxiety and depression, greater capacity for empathy, and improved immunologic functioning, more research is needed. One of the most well-researched stress management programs is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). MBSR teaches mindfulness, which is the ability to attend to thoughts and emotions as they arise and to be fully conscious of the present-moment experience. Taught to more than 5,000 medical patients since its inception more than 20 years ago (Kabat-Zinn, 1990), MBSR is typically run as an 8-week course instructing mindfulness through the practice of meditation, body scan (a type of guided awareness), and hatha yoga. One of the strengths of MBSR, in contrast to most stress-reduction programs, is that it offers participants different mindfulness practices from which to choose. Research indicates that participants often find one of the three practices more beneficial or preferred for personal reasons; consequently, having options can improve compliance (Kabat-Zinn, Chapman, & Salmon, 1997). This may help to explain why MBSR has been found to have high compliance rates, even after 3 years (Kabat-Zinn & Chapman-Waldrop, 1988; Miller, Fletcher, & Kabat-Zinn, 1995). MBSR studies with varied populations have found significant decreases in anxiety/depression, mood disturbance, somatic symptoms of stress, and present-moment pain (Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, & Burney, 1985; Kabat-Zinn et al. …