Corporate Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Organizations: An explorative study of employees’ corporate entrepreneurial behavior, job satisfaction and turnover intention

The Finnish healthcare industry is currently facing significant challenges due to economic crises, aging population and major structural reforms, which have resulted in decreased job satisfaction and increased levels of turnover. This proposes that healthcare organizations need to come up with new, creative means to tackle these issues. Several researchers have argued that corporate entrepreneurship may be the necessary means to achieve this. As previous research has mainly focused on examining this concept from organizational perspective, this study looks at how it occurs on the level of individual employees. The purpose of this study is to examine how corporate entrepreneurship is manifested in individual behavior, and how this type of behavior is associated with the individual’s job satisfaction and turnover intention. Additionally, this study will examine the differences in corporate entrepreneurial behavior between private and public sector organizations, as previous research suggests that these two may be characterized differently. Data was collected with the help of a literature review as well as a survey study, which was sent out to a number of employees of four different healthcare organizations, out of which three were public and one was a private sector organization. Six distinct behavioral characteristics were recognized in previous research, which make up the measure for corporate entrepreneurial behavior. Principal components were formed from the different areas of the survey (corporate entrepreneurial behavior, job satisfaction, turnover intention), after which the association of these components were examined with linear regression analysis, which proved that corporate entrepreneurial behavior is positively correlated with both job satisfaction and intention to leave the organization. Differences between sectors were analyzed with analysis of variance and cross tabulation analysis, but neither of these suggested that any significant differences would occur. These results suggest that employees who behave entrepreneurially tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, but also consider leaving their current organizations more often than others. This may be due to the fact that healthcare organizations are not fertile for entrepreneurial behavior, which will drive entrepreneurial individuals looking for employers who may be more supportive of this type of behavior. With growing levels of dissatisfaction as well as little room for entrepreneurial behavior, the studied organizations may actually be in the process of losing those employees who have the ability and desire to behave in such manner, and who could very well be those who will eventually come up with solutions for the major challenges that these organizations are facing.

Synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoidon käytännöt. Yhteys ensisynnyttäjän välilihan kuntoon synnytyksen jälkeen, synnytyskokemukseen, kipuun ja seksuaaliterveyteen

Hyvän syntymän hoidon tavoitteena on turvata synnyttäjän paras mahdollinen terveys, vähentää tarpeetonta puuttumista synnytyksen kulkuun ja mahdollistaa voimaannuttava synnytyskokemus perheelle. Hyvä syntymän hoito ja siihen liittyvä kätilöiden kliinisen hoitotyön osaaminen ei voi kehittyä, ellei hoitotyön käytäntöjä tutkita. Suomalaista hoitotieteellistä syntymän hoitoon liittyvää tutkimusta on vähän. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kuvata synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoidon käytäntöjä Suomen synnytyssairaaloissa. Lisäksi seurantatutkimuksen avulla selvitettiin, miten ensisynnyttäjät kokivat synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen, sen aikana saamansa hoidon, ensisynnyttäjien synnytyskokemusta, kivun kokemista, vointia kolmena päivänä synnytyksen jälkeen sekä heidän seksuaaliterveyttään ensimmäisen vuoden aikana synnytyksen jälkeen. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa, jonka avulla voidaan kehittää synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoitoa ja lisätä tietoa synnyttäneiden naisten voinnista ja seksuaaliterveydestä. Tutkimuksen ensimmäinen osio toteutettiin poikkileikkaustutkimuksena (2009), johon osallistui Suomen synnytyssairaaloiden synnytysosastoilla työskentelevät kätilöt (N = 662). Tutkimuksen toinen osio toteutettiin seurantatutkimuksena (2009−2011), jossa oli neljä mittausajankohtaa: kolmantena päivänä synnytyksestä sekä kolmen, kuuden ja kahdentoista kuukauden kuluttua synnytyksestä. Tähän osioon osallistui spontaanisti alateitse yhden elävän lapsen (pää tarjoutuvana) synnyttäneet ensisynnyttäjät (N = 453) ja sikiön perätilan vuoksi suunnitellusti keisarileikatut ensisynnyttäjät (N = 84). Aineisto analysoitiin tilastollisin menetelmin. Tutkimustulosten mukaan osa kätilöiden käyttämistä synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoitokäytännöistä ei ole näyttöön perustuvia. Synnytyssairaalan synnytyksen hoidon kulttuuri näyttää siirtyvän mallioppimisen kautta. Ensisynnyttäjät kokivat synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoidon pääsääntöisesti myönteisenä. Alateitse synnyttäneillä ensisynnyttäjillä oli myönteisempi synnytyskokemus ja vähemmän kipua heti synnytyksen jälkeen ja kolmena synnytyksen jälkeisenä päivänä verrattuna keisarileikkauksella synnyttäneisiin ensisynnyttäjiin. Alateitse synnyttäneillä ensisynnyttäjillä kipu ja ompeleet eivät vaikuttaneet haitallisesti vastasyntyneen hoitoon tai imetykseen niin paljon kuin keisarileikkauksella synnyttäneillä ensisynnyttäjillä. Välilihan leikkaus-, repeämä- tai keisarileikkaushaavat olivat täysin parantuneet suurimmalla osalla naisista kolmen kuukauden kuluttua synnytyksestä. Yleisimpiä naisten kokemia oireita ensimmäisen vuoden aikana synnytyksestä olivat emättimen kostumisen vaikeus, yhdyntäkivut, peräpukamat sekä arpikudoksen kipu ja kiristys. Sukupuolinen halukkuus ja tyytyväisyys seksielämään olivat huonompaa ensimmäisen vuoden aikana synnytyksestä verrattuna aikaan ennen raskautta ja synnytystä. Synnytyksen aikaisella hoitotyöllä ja näyttöön perustuvalla synnytyksen ponnistusvaiheen hoidolla on suuri merkitys naisen synnytyskokemukseen, synnytyksen jälkeiseen vointiin ja seksuaaliterveyteen.

Linking of stress offset score (SOS), work satisfaction, and organizational commitment to intentions to quit

The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of stressors and offsetting satistiers, measured in this study with Stress Offset Score (SOS), on intentions to quit and examine the mediating and moderating effects of three facets of work satisfaction (job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, and satisfaction with supervisor) and two facets of organizational commitment (affective and nonnative commitment) on this relationship. The sample was composed of 2990 employees from 21 public and private organizations. The interaction of each type of work satisfaction and organizational commitment, with SOS, was tested using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) procedures. Intentions to quit was the dependent variable. The research questions were determine: (1) Does SOS predict intentions to quit? (2) Does work satisfaction mediate the predictive relationship of SOS on intentions to quit? (3) Does organizational commitment mediate the predictive relationship of SOS on intent to quit? (4) Does work satisfaction moderate the predictive relationship of SOS on intentions to quit? and (5) Does organizational commitment moderate the predictive relationship of SOS on intentions to quit? The results indicated that SOS was negatively correlated with intentions to quit. Each of the types of work satisfaction and organizational commitment variables showed a partial mediated relationship with SOS and each relationship was highly significant, while normative commitment explained more of the relationship then other mediators. The study also tested for interactions but no statistical significant relationships where established between any of the interaction terms (e.g., SOSxJob Satisfaction and SOSxAffcctive Commitment) and intentions to quit.

Effect of combined care nursing on patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and quality of care /

This research evaluates the effect of combined care nursing on three outcomes: i) patient satisfaction; ii) staff satisfaction; and iii) quality of care. Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital was in the early planning stages of changing to combined care nursing from the traditional method of providing separate postpartum and nursery care to mothers and babies. The opportunity existed to evaluate formally the change to combined care. There were three hypotheses to be investigated. Data were collected from four sources: patient surveys, staff surveys, informal interviews, and internal hospital documents. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. The surveys were administered on three different occasions to patients and staff. Other sources of data included informal interviews with patients and staff who responded to the surveys, and chart audits.The study findings revealed that the majority of respondents had increased levels of satisfaction and perceptions of increased quality of care following implementation of combined care. These findings, related to combined care and the role of change in its implementation and evaluation, indicate that there are no right or easy answers about how to make new ideas become reality in a smooth, pleasant way.

A comparison of life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and happiness using demographic variables

This study examined the interrelationships among life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and happiness and the selected demographic variables of income, age, marital status, education, sex, job tenure, job title, type of school, and location of employment. Survey data were collected from 1,993 elementary, high school, and community college teachers in the southern Ontario area, representing ten public school boards, three Roman Catholic school boards and three community colleges. Several theories were utilized in developing thirteen hypotheses and eleven experimental hypotheses. A thorough review of the literature (to January, 1980) was undertaken and major conclusions noted. Hoppock's (1935) Job Satisfaction Measure, Gurin, Veroff, and Feld's (1960) Happiness Scale, and Converse and Robinson's (1965) Life Satisfaction Scale were used as the instrument. Chi-square analysis was employed as the statistical method. Indicative of the findings: the level of education taught was significantly related to all three organizational variables, sex was unrelated to life satisfaction though positively related to job satisfaction, and income was found not to be related to either happiness or life satisfaction. A minority of findings were contrary to hypothesized relationships. Specifically, age was found to be unrelated to any of the three organizational variables, and educational achievement was not significantly related to happiness. A model was developed to illustrate the interrelationships of the organizational and demographic variables. This model was designed specifically to reflect teacher attitudes, though it may have reasonable application for other relatively homogeneous groups of employees such as nurses, engineers, or social workers.

A contingency model of job satisfaction

The present research study was designed to test a contingency model of job satisfaction based on participation in decision making as the antecedent variable and job involvement as the intervening variable. The instruments used to measure the variables were the participation in decision making scale developed by Siegel and Ruh (1973), the job involvement scale by Lodahl and Kejner (1965) and the job satisfaction construct derived from Hoppock (1935). The findings indicate that statistically significant correlations do exist for the 1995 educators surveyed in this study. Educators who reported high levels of participation in decision making consistently reported high levels of job involvement (p!: 0.001). Also, teachers reporting high levels of job involvement consistently scored high on their levels of job satis faction (p!: 0.001). All major hypotheses were sUPFOrted by the data. Through exploratory hypotheses, the study attempted to develop statements of relationships between criteria of job satisfaction and sex and marital status of employees in the system. The hypotheses received only minimal support, but the results did highlight the impracticability of attempting to develop any such relationships without using definite personality and situational variables as moderators. Differences between male and female socialization, sex discrimination and multiplicity of roles are briefly discussed as possible explanations for the reported findings.

An examination of the effects of locus of control on perceptions of core job dimensions and job satisfaction

This study examined the moderating effects of locus of control on core job dimensions (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback) and job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 1995 educators in Southern Ontario. When core job dimensions were perceived to be high, job satisfaction scores were high. The converse relationship was also true; when core job dimensions were perceived to be low, job satisfaction scores were also low. As well, the investigation explored the effect of educators' locus of control of reinforcement on the relationship between core job dimensions and job satisfaction. Internals (N = 483-486) perceived more skill variety, more task identity, more task significance, more autonomy, more feedback and greater job satisfaction than externals (N = 626-629). However, contrary to expectation, the correlations between specific core job dimensions namely autonomy and feedback, were not systematically greater for internals compared to externals. In addition the findings reported here suggest some appropriate directions and strategies for measuring and increasing job satisfaction among teachers.

A Study of role conflict, role ambiguity, locus of control, job satisfaction and participation in decision making among front-line vocational service workers for mentally retarded adults

This study was an investigation of individual and organizational factors, as perceived by front-line vocational service workers from Adult Rehabilitation Centres (ARC Industries) for mentally retarded adults. The specific variables which were measured included role conflict/role ambiguity (role factors), internal/external locus of control (individual differences), job satisfaction with work and supervision (job attitudes) and participation in deci~ion making (organizational factor). The exploration of these constructs was conducted by means of self-report questionnaires which were completed by sixty-nine out of a total of ninety front-line employees. The surveys were distributed in booklet form to nine distinct rehabilitation facilities from St. Catharines, West Lincoln, Greater Niagara, Port Colborne, WeIland, Fort Erie, Hamilton, Guelph and Brantford. The survey data was evaluated by the statisti.cal Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) which used the Pearson Product Moment Correlation procedure and a compar~son of means test. A comparison of correlation coefficients test was also conducted. This statistical procedure was calculated mathematically. The results obtained from the statistical evaluation confirmed the prediction that self-reported measures of participation in decision making and satisfaction (work and supervision) would be negatively correlated with role conflict and role ambiguity. As well, the speculation that perceived satisfaction (work and supervision) would be positively correlated with participation in decision making was empirically supported. Internal and external locus of control did not contribute to a significant difference in r~sponses to role perceptions (conflict and ambiguity) , satisfaction (work and supervision) or the correlational relationship between participation in decision making and satisfaction (work and supervision). Overall, the findings from this study substantiated the importance of examining employee perceptions in the workplace and the interrelationships among individual and organizational variables. This research was considered a contribution to the general area of occupational stress and to the study of individuals in work organizations.

Brillouin spectroscopy : measurement of elastic and photoelastic constants of some alkali holide crystals

The assembly and testing of apparatus for the measurement of elastic and photoelastic constants by Brillouin scattering, using a Fabry-Perot interferometer and with argon ion laser excitation is described. Such measurements are performed on NaCI, KBr and LiF using the A = 488.0 nm laser line. The elastic constants obtained here are in very good agreement with the ultrasonic data for all three materials. The discrepancy between ultrasonic and hypersonic sound velocities which was reported by some authors for KBr and LiF is not confirmed, and the elastic constants obtained for LiF are the most accurate to date. Also, the present photoelastic constants are in good agreement with the data obtained by ultrasonic techniques for all three crystals. The results for the KBr and LiF crystals constitute the first set of photoelastic constants obtained for these materials by Brillouin spectroscopy. Our results for LiF are the best available to date.

Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction : comparison of behavioural and regular classroom teachers

Each of the forty Toronto Board of Education behavioural teachers was matched as closely as possible .with a regular cIassroom teacher from the same schooI, 0f the same sex, and teaching approxiately the same age group of chiIdren. A II of these teachers were sent a questionnaire (based on Herzberg's model) whose content reflected various aspects of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Demographic data was also gathered to be used in the study for examining correlations between satisfaction and various factors . T 10 additional questions were asked regarding factors that IOU Id influence the i r staying or Ieaving and one question was asked about lIerit pay . Chi Square tests and t-tests were conducted on the results. The majority of each group of teachers was very satisfied with their job while the behavioural teachers were significantly more satisfied than the regular teachers. Intrinsic factors played a more signi ficant role than did extrinsic ones. The demographic factors couId be found to be predictors of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Measurement of forces between and within bilayers of neutral phospholipids

Phospholipids in water form lamellar phases made up of alternating layers of water and bimolecular lipid leaflets. Three complementary methods, osmotic, mechanical, and vapour pressures, were used to measure the work of removing water from lamellar phases composed of frozen dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine ( DPPC ), melted DPPC, egg phosphatidylethanolamine or equimolar mixtures of DPPC and cholesterol ( DPPC/CHOL ), Concurrently the structural changes that resulted from this water removal were measured using X-ray diffraction. The work was divided into that which forces the bilayers together ( F ) and that which compresses the molecules together within the bilayers ( F )# A large repulsive force exists between bilayers composed of each of the lipids studied and this force increases exponentially as bilayer separation is decreased. F is affected by the nature of the head groups, conformation of the acyl chains and heterogeneity of these chains. In general all of the melted phosphatidylcholines ( melted DPPC, egg lecithin and DPPC/CHOL ) have large equilibrium separations in excess water resulting from large repulsive hydration forces between these bilayers. By comparison, egg PE has an increased attractive force, and frozen DPPC has a decreased hydration force; each results in smaller separations in water for these two lipids. The chemical potentials of the water between the bilayers for all these lipids lie on a continuum, indicating that interbilayer water cannot be characterized by two discrete states, usually referred to as "bound" or "non**bound". For all lipids studied a maximum of 25 % of the total work done on the system goes into deforming the bilayers. The method used here viii to separate repulsion from deformation, developed for us by v. A. Parsegian, provides a unique method for the measurement of lateral pressure of a bilayer and its modulus of deformability ( Y ). Lateral pressure is affected by the nature of the head group, conformation and heterogeneity of the acyl chains. For small changes in molecular surface area ( A ) near equilibrium, both melted and frozen DPPC have similar values for the deformability modulus. Thus in this regime it requires about the same force to change the angle of tilt of frozen chains as it does to compress the fluid bilayer. The introduction of cholesterol into bilayers of DPPC reduces dramatically the lateral pressure of the bilayers over a large range of molecular surface areas ( A ). The variation in the magnitude of bilayer repulsion with different phospholipids provides a basis for the mechanism of lipid segregation in mixed lipid systems and suggests that interacting heterogeneous membranes may influence or modulate the composition of the opposing membrane. The measurements of deformabilities of bilayers provides a direct comparison of them with the properties of monolayers.

Measurement of repulsive forces between charged phospholipid bilayers

Electrostatic forces between membranes containing charged lipids were assumed to play an important role in influencing interactions between membranes long before quantitative measurements of such forces were available. ~ur measurements were designed to measure electrostatic forces between layers of lecithin charged with lipi~s carrying ionizable head groups. These experiments have shown that the interactions between charged lipid bila.yere are dominated by electrostatic forces only at separations greater than 30 A. At smaller separations the repulsion between charged bilayers is dominated by strong hydration forces. The net repulsive force between egg lecithin bilayers containing various amounts of cherged lipids (phosphatidylglycerol (PG) 5,10 ano 50 mole%, phosphatidyli. nosi tol (PI) 10 mole% and sodium oleate (Na-Ol) 3,5 and 10 mole%, where mole% gives the ratio of the number of moles' of .charged lipid to the total number of moles of all lipids present in the sample) was stuoied with the help ('If the osmotic streas technique described by LeNeveu et aI, (1977). Also, the forces between pure PG were j_nvestigated in the same manner. The results have been plotted showing variation of force as a function of bilay- _ er separation dw• All curVes 90 obtained called force curves, were found to be similar in sha.pe, showing two distinct regions, one when dw<.30 A is a region cf very rapid iiivariation of force with separation ( it is the region dominated by hydre,tion force) and second when dw> 40 A is a region of very slow variation of force with separB.tion ( it is the region dominated by the electrostatic force). Between these two regions there exists a transition area in which, in most systems studied, a phase separation of lipids into fractions containing different amounts of charged groups, was observed. A qualitative analysis showed that our results were v/ell described by the simple electrostatic double -le.yer theory. For quantitative agreement between measured and calculated force curves however, the charge density for the calculations had to be taken as half of that given by the number density of charged lipids present in the lecithin bilayers. It is not clear at the moment what causes such low apparent degree of ionization among the charged head groups, and further study is needed in this area.

Non-invasive measurement of trigeminal nerve somatosensory evoked potentials

Whiplash injuries are common yet enigmatic to substantiate clinically. Trigeminal somatosensory evoked potentials (TSEPs) were posited as an indicator of trigeminal nerve conduction damage resulting from whiplash. Alternating polarity square-wave current stimuli were applied transcutaneously in the facial region. 379 recorded pilot trials from 27 participants (8 male and 19 female) were utilized to develop a non-invasive recording capability for TSEPs. Stimulus intensity and artifact, cortical recording sites, stimulation electrode design and placement were explored. Statistically significant differences in amplitude of TSEP waveform components at 13, 19 and 27 ms between uninjured and whiplashed participants were noted. Increased stimulus intensity in whiplashed participants was observed to increase TSEP amplitude. The present methodology and hardware are discussed and directions for future advancement of the current process are outlined.

Study of heat capacity measurement methods for small samples

Methods of measuring specific heats of small samples were studied. Three automated methods were explored, two of which have shown promising results. The adiabatic continuous heating method, has provided smooth well behaved data but further work is presently underway to improve on the results obtained so far . The decay method has been success fully implemented demonstrating reasonable agreement with accepted data for a copper test sample.