21 research outputs found
Organizational hierarchies in Bulgarian hospitals and perceptions of justice.
Get PDFObjectives. Health care reform in Bulgaria has been ongoing for two decades. Since 1990, it has been transforming from a socialized system of medical care with free access, to one which is decentralized, includes private health care services, the general practitioner model and a National Health Insurance Fund. In this context, we are conducting an international EC Framework 7 project: ‘Improving quality and safety in the hospital: The link between organizational culture, burnout, and quality of care’. We focus on health professionals’ perceptions of organizational hierarchies in Bulgarian hospitals and how doctors and nurses connect these to organizational justice.
Methods. We conducted seven focus groups and four interviews, with a total of 42 participants (27 nurses, 15 physicians and medical residents) in three hospitals. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and discourse analysis with Atlas.ti.
Results. From the perspective of health professionals, health reform has intensified traditional hierarchies and inequalities and has created new ones in Bulgarian hospitals. These hierarchies are continuously (re)constructed through language and practices and also destabilized through resistance. The health professionals protest fact that these hierarchies are permeated with unfairness and silence voices. All health professions (nurses, doctors, residents) in our study experience being unjustly positioned and disempowered in various hierarchies. They connect these experiences to stress and anxiety.
Conclusions. Participatory action research needs to address multiple dimensions of organizational relationships in Bulgarian hospitals, including hierarchical relationships and ways of promoting organizational justice
Do you feel addressed? The effect of gender-specific language in influencer posts on Instagram
No full textPre-registration of a master's thesis at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The aim of the study is to find out to what extent gender-specific language on social media influences the language of male and female users and activates the corresponding gender identity
Portfolio risk hedging: Currency exposure and Shrinkage techniques
Get PDFMasteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Quantitative Finance - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2022We apply different shrinkage techniques to the covariance and concentration matrices used for the minimum variance currency risk hedging of a globally diversified portfolio. The techniques are applied with the aim to induce sparsity in the estimator and by that to reduce the multicollinearity and the noise, resulting in a more robust estimator and decreased out-of-sample portfolio risk. We show that the application of such techniques leads to a worsening of the risk characteristics of the portfolio. We argue that this is likely due to the structure of the minimum variance hedge as well as to the shrinkage methods which seem to disturb the balance and optimality of the minimum variance hedge
Correction: Golkocheva-Markova, E. Editorial: Epidemiology and Control of Hepatitis Viruses. Life 2024, 14, 1369
No full textAuthor to be removed [...
The Scientific Research on motivation for learning as an important element of social and economic sciences in the context of sphere of security and defense
Get PDFThis article gives a brief overview of a study conducted on motivation for learning as an important element of social and economic sciences in the context of the sphere of security and defense. The research is an important scientific work of the author and was developed in the period 2012-2018. At present, its results have been approved, considered appropriate and acceptable, and are applied at the National Military University in Bulgaria.
The Meaning of Lead Users Within the Context of Online Platforms in the Creative Industry
Get PDFPurpose
In today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving technologically advanced world, user innovation and open source sharing are becoming powerful phenomena, which can potentially change existing business models. In this paper we integrate multi-method research, focusing on a particular segment of innovating users defined as “lead users” by von Hippel (1986) to explore their meaning within the context of the previously non-researched creative industry, represented by 3D printing and design in one particular research setting. “Lead Users” are defined by academic research as having high incentives to innovate and being at the leading edge of an important market trend. Therefore, by distinguishing between different categories of lead users in the context of our chosen research setting, we aim to define their meaning in relation to the creative industry.
Methods
The study selected a particular research setting in order to obtain primary and secondary data. Primary data in the form of ten semi-structured qualitative interviews, based on a case study approach, was used to develop and further our knowledge on the meaning of lead users within the online creative community of Thingiverse; primary data was further obtained via quantitative techniques. Secondary data was obtained through observations from blogs, online documents, and articles from independent resources.
Findings
We find that they contribute to it by determining a unique model of innovation driven by intrinsic, extrinsic and mixed incentives, which, in turn, contribute to the types of resources the lead users add to the research setting. Analyzing evidence from our research findings, we gain insights, which we believe contribute to and enrich the existing academic literature, specifically
in relation to user entrepreneurship and sources of innovation, as well as evidence for the successful coexistence of mixed resources and mixed incentives. We find that the latter is enabled by a certain group of lead users, which have managed to successfully bridge the two polar worlds.
Value and Originality
To the knowledge of the author existing academic research has not explored the creative industry and its lead users so far, therefore, this paper will add novice aspects through its findings
The Meaning of Lead Users Within the Context of Online Platforms in the Creative Industry
No full textPurpose
In today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving technologically advanced world, user innovation and open source sharing are becoming powerful phenomena, which can potentially change existing business models. In this paper we integrate multi-method research, focusing on a particular segment of innovating users defined as “lead users” by von Hippel (1986) to explore their meaning within the context of the previously non-researched creative industry, represented by 3D printing and design in one particular research setting. “Lead Users” are defined by academic research as having high incentives to innovate and being at the leading edge of an important market trend. Therefore, by distinguishing between different categories of lead users in the context of our chosen research setting, we aim to define their meaning in relation to the creative industry.
Methods
The study selected a particular research setting in order to obtain primary and secondary data. Primary data in the form of ten semi-structured qualitative interviews, based on a case study approach, was used to develop and further our knowledge on the meaning of lead users within the online creative community of Thingiverse; primary data was further obtained via quantitative techniques. Secondary data was obtained through observations from blogs, online documents, and articles from independent resources.
Findings
We find that they contribute to it by determining a unique model of innovation driven by intrinsic, extrinsic and mixed incentives, which, in turn, contribute to the types of resources the lead users add to the research setting. Analyzing evidence from our research findings, we gain insights, which we believe contribute to and enrich the existing academic literature, specifically
in relation to user entrepreneurship and sources of innovation, as well as evidence for the successful coexistence of mixed resources and mixed incentives. We find that the latter is enabled by a certain group of lead users, which have managed to successfully bridge the two polar worlds.
Value and Originality
To the knowledge of the author existing academic research has not explored the creative industry and its lead users so far, therefore, this paper will add novice aspects through its findings
Best Practices For Gamification In Cultural Heritage: Bulgarian Experience
Get PDFGamification has gained significant attention in recent years. Even the cultural heritage has not been unnoticed and various gamification techniques have been applied for different purposes. Bulgaria is among the countries with prominent interest in the matter. Although some successful initiatives have been carried out and are still implemented, there is a lack of systemised knowledge for what does not work well and why, which will help practitioners, researchers, public and local authorities in avoiding making the same mistakes in the future. The objective of the paper is to identify best practices for gamification in Bulgarian cultural heritage. The objective is addressed by providing a context specific framework for selecting best practices on gamification in Bulgarian cultural heritage. Based on a set of 12 gamification criteria and 9 impact criteria and by keeping to a 3-stage procedure, the first two top-rated initiatives have been selected as best practices and briefly described
