In order to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, it is vital to reduce activities that do

not create value. Lean production has in the last decade been seen as a philosophy to

reduce non-value time. The office environment often presents a major improvement

opportunity to reduce non-value time. Lean contributes positively to business

performance applied in a manufacturing context and is also suggested to do the

same in a service context. The purpose of the paper is to analyse and determine how

total productive maintenance (TPM) can be applied within the support process and

to identify effects from an employee and business perspective. A case study has

been performed and a qualitative research approach was selected. Empirical data

were gathered by using semi-structured interviews at one case company, but from

several teams that had applied TPM. The result was then used as an inductive

approach to explore how TPM can be applied in a support process. To implement

and apply TPM within an office context, it should be structured in three steps

(i) define, (ii) implement and (iii) sustain. TPM should be conducted as a part of the

ordinary day-to-day work. The planning and discussions connected to TPM can be

included in regular daily departmental ‘stand-up meetings’ involving everybody. The

work with 5S and maintenance should also be a part of the TPM structure,

connecting it as a system and not as an isolated activity. TPM can create value from

both a business and an employee perspective. In the employee perspective, TPM

reduces the risk of missing/forgetting areas of responsibility and creates more

involvement. In the business perspective, objectives such as cost and quality are

improved, but TPM also enables the reduction of waste.

Research shows that the bid announcement return (BAR) of the acquiring firm is lower for cross-border than domestic acquisition announcements. The current lack of economically based explanations for this effect, labeled the cross-border effect by Moeller and Schlingemann (2005), motivates our study. We use unique hand-collected corporate governance data to study how the relationships between acquiring and target firms prior to a bid announcement affect the cross-border effect. Our tests show that non-operating associations between the acquiring and target firms, in the form of board participation and toeholds, have a positive effect on the BAR. The cross-border effect disappears when we control for board participation and toeholds. Thus, we suggest that the cross-border effect is at least partly a consequence of information asymmetries and the adverse selection problem that they generate.

Purpose of this paper This paper describes the patterns of and trends in reported cargo thefts at non-secure parking facilities in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) with respect to stolen value, frequency, incident category, and modi operandi. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a system-theoretical approach, which emphasizes a holistic rather than an atomistic view. The research method used in this paper is deductive; the analysis is based on the data obtained from the Incident Information Service (IIS), a transport-related crime database of the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) in the EMEA. The results are analyzed and discussed within a frame of reference based on supply chain risk management and criminology theories. Findings We found that 97 percent of all attacks during a stop occur at non-secure parking locations. Cargo theft at non-secure parking locations is more of a volume crime rather than a high-impact cargo theft. Seasonal variations were found in cargo thefts at non-secure parking locations. The most common type of cargo theft at non-secure parking areas is intrusion theft occurring on weekdays during the winter. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) This study performs a theoretical deduction using official statistics on antagonistic threats. Its geographical limitation to the EMEA is owing to the limitations of the database used, although its frame of reference can be employed to analyze antagonistic threats against transport chains globally. This study is limited by the content of and classifications within the TAPA EMEA IIS database; nevertheless, this database is the best, with most reports originating from the industry (TAPA members anonymously report their losses). Practical implications (if applicable) The research presented in this paper is directly relevant to the current discussion in the EU regarding the creation of a large number of secure parking facilities in the region. This paper’s findings will describe the current cargo theft threats at non-secure parking facilities. What is original/value of paper This is one of the first papers in the field of supply chain risk management to employ actual crime statistics reported by the industry to analyze the occurrence of cargo theft by focusing on the non-secure parking element of the transport chain.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to empirically test whether a “one size fits all” strategy fits the fashion e-commerce business and second, to evaluate whether consumer returns are a central aspect of the creation of profitability and, if so, to discuss the role of returns management (RM) in the supply chain strategy. Design/methodology/approach – Transactional sales and return data were analysed and used to categorise customers based on their buying and returning behaviours, measuring each customer's net contribution margins. Findings – The e-commerce business collects a vast quantity of data, but these data are seldom used for the development of service differentiation. This study analysed behaviour patterns and determined that the segmentation of customers on the basis of both sales and return patterns can facilitate a differentiated service delivery approach. Research limitations/implications – This research empirically supports the theory that customer buying and returning behaviours can be used to appropriately categorise customers and thereby guide the development of a more differentiated service approach. Practical implications – The findings support a differentiated service delivery system that utilises a more dynamic approach, conserving resources and linking the supply chain and/or organisational strategies with customers' buying and returning behaviours to avoid over and underservicing customers. Originality/value – Consumer returns are often viewed as a negative aspect of doing business; interestingly, however, the authors revealed that the most profitable customer is a repeat customer who frequently returns goods.

Abstract: Likert-type data are often assumed to be equidistant by applied researchers so that they can use parametric methods to analyse the data. Since the equidistance assumption rarely is tested, the validity of parametric analyses of Likert-type data is often unclear. This paper consists of two parts where we deal with this validity problem in two different respects. In the first part, we use an experimental design to show that the perceived distance between scale points on a regular five-point Likert-type scale depends on how the verbal anchors are used. Anchors only at the end points create a relatively larger perceived distance between points near the ends of the scale than in the middle (end-of-scale effect), while anchors at all points create a larger perceived distance between points in the middle of the scale (middle-of-scale effect). Hence, Likert-type scales are generally not perceived as equidistant by subjects. In the second part of the paper, we use Monte Carlo simulations to explore how parametric methods commonly used to compare means between several groups perform in terms of actual significance and power when data are assumed to be equidistant even though they are not. The results show that the preferred statistical method to analyse Likert-type data depends on the nature of their nonequidistance as well as their skewness. Under middle-of-scale effect, the omnibus one-way ANOVA works best when data are relatively symmetric. However, the Kruskal-Wallis test works better when data are skewed except when sample sizes are unequal, in which case the Brown-Forsythe test is better. Under end-of-scale effect, on the other hand, the Kruskal- Wallis test should be preferred in most cases when data are at most moderately skewed. When data are heavily skewed, ANOVA works best unless when sample sizes are unequal, in which case the Brown-Forsythe test should be preferred.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore gender differences in reasons, facilitators, and barriers for parental presence in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) based on statistical analyses of secondary data. Background: Factors that may influence parental presence should be taken into careful consideration by NICU staff These factors are likely to differ between genders, as research studies demonstrated that mothers tend to spend more time with their preterm infants in the NICU than the fathers. Methods: The study was based on secondary data, which was obtained, corrected, and analysed with Fisher's exact test. Findings: For control reasons, a larger proportion of fathers are present at the NICU than mothers. A larger proportion of fathers, as compared to mothers, perceive difficult socio-economic situations as a barrier for parental presence. In contrast, mothers perceive goodquality treatment by hospital staff as a facilitator and poor treatments as a barrier for parental presence. Conclusion: Reasons, facilitators, and barriers for parental presence should be considered in order to increase parental presence in the NICU.

Purpose: To explore how performance in Swedish financial companies is affected by the presence of a female chief executive officer (CEO), the presence of an incentive scheme, and the proportion of female board members. Design/methodology/approach: Our sample consists of data from the last 10 years of all the 43 companies within GICS 40 listed at the Swedish stock exchange OMX Stockholm. We used multiple regressions to explore the association between the explanatory and firm performance variables. Findings: The results indicate that a female CEO is associated with a lower return on equity (ROE) and a lower Tobin’s Q, but we find no significant association between the proportion of female board members and firm performance. An incentive scheme is generally associated with a lower return on assets (ROA) and a higher Tobin’s Q. In particular, a share-based incentive scheme is associated with a lower ROA, a lower ROE, and a higher Tobin’s Q. Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to analyse governance in financial firms with respect to female leadership as well as to incentive schemes. We conclude that governance structures in financial firms need to balance accounting-based and market-based performance. A large focus on share prices, especially at a certain time, may create short-term effects that need not necessarily be optimal in the long run for shareholders.

Background: It is well established that parents must interact with their new-born babies to facilitate attachment. However, very little is known about how parents perceive different types of medical technology products commonly used in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as barriers to their wish to interact with their infants. Aim: This study aims to examine to what extent the different medical technology products commonly used in the NICU are perceived by parents to be obstacles in their wish to interact with their babies. Design and methods: In 2010, a cross-sectional survey, using a questionnaire specifically developed for this study, was conducted among the parents of children who were discharged from any of the five NICUs of the Vastra Gotaland region in Sweden. A consecutive sample of 248 parents anticipated, and multiple regressions and t-tests were used to analyse the data. Results: The parents generally perceived the various medical technology products differently, according to the perceived level of obstruction. The variables of gender, age,educational level, origin, gestational age, previous experience of being a parent, and the offer of accommodation at the NICU were significantly associated with the perceived level of obstruction in the parents’ wish to interact with their baby while the baby was being treated with different medical technology products. Conclusion: The primary implication for practice is that to facilitate attachment, nurses should involve different categories of parents in different ways in the care of their children, depending on the equipment being used in the treatment of the children. Thus, the individual care plan should explicitly include the details of the specific medical equipment, because although its use is medically beneficial for the child, it is associated with potential liabilities regarding parent–child interaction and, consequently, regarding parent–child attachment.

Abstract This study aims to explore the influence of free delivery and free returns on the purchasing and return behaviour of real e-customers in the marketplace. To accomplish this goal, we conducted the study as a fully randomised and controlled experiment in cooperation with nelly.com, a Nordic e-commerce site that specialises in fashion and beauty. Our results suggest that a lenient delivery policy is associated with increased order frequency, decreased average value of purchased items, increased probability of return, and increased average value of returned items. In addition, a lenient return policy was found to be associated with increased order frequency, a decrease in the average value of orders, a decrease in the average value of purchased items, and increased probability of return. However, the effect sizes are generally small, and we conclude that factors such as legislation and competition often force e-tailers to offer free delivery and free returns even though such offers probably would not have been profitable otherwise.

Purpose - To describe the seasonal patterns of reported cargo theft value and frequency in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) countries with respect to different transport chain locations. Design/methodology/approach - This study is based on a system-theoretical approach, which emphasizes a holistic rather than an atomistic view. The research method used in this paper is deductive; the analysis is based on the data taken from IIS (Incident Information Service), a transport-related crime database of TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) EMEA; and the result is analyzed and discussed within a frame of reference based on supply chain risk management and criminology theories. Findings - There are seasonal variations in cargo thefts at different transport chain locations during particular months of the year as well as days of the week; however, each transport chain location has a different pattern. Indeed, hot spots, modus operandi, theft-endangered objects, and handling methods change frequently during the period under study. However, the basic theoretical frame of reference continues to be the same. Research limitations/implications - This study is based on theoretical deduction using official statistics regarding antagonistic threats. Its geographical limitation to the EMEA is owing to the limitations of the utilized database, although the frame of reference can be applied to analyze antagonistic threats against transport chains globally. Practical implications - This study is limited by the content and classification within the TAPA EMEA IIS database; nevertheless, this database is the best available one, with reports originating mainly from the industry itself, as different TAPA members anonymously report their losses. Originality/value - This paper is one of the first on supply chain risk management that uses actual crime statistics reported by the industry itself to analyze the occurrence of cargo theft by focusing on the value of the vehicle/goods stolen from transport chain locations.