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Evidence suggests that healthcare system performance may be improved with policy emphasis on primary care, quality improvement, and information technology. The authors therefore sought to investigate the extent to which policy makers in seven countries are emphasizing these areas.

Policies in these three areas in seven high-income countries were compared. A comparative descriptive approach was taken in which each of the country-specialist authors supplied information on key policies and developments pertaining to primary care, quality improvement and information technology, supplemented with routine data.

Each of the seven countries faces similar challenges with healthcare system performance, yet differs in emphasis on the three key policy areas; efforts in each are, at best, patchy. The authors conclude that there is substantial scope for policy makers to further emphasize primary care, quality improvement and information technology if aiming for high-performing healthcare systems.

This is the first study to investigate policy-makers' commitment to key areas known to improve health system performance. The comparative method illustrates the different emphases that countries have placed on primary care, quality improvement and information technology development.

Concerns about the effectiveness of performance management systems (PMS) have long-driven researchers and practitioners to explore ways of measuring it. It is imperative for organizations to understand, how employees perceive the effectiveness of their PMS, for positive employee outcomes. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the operationalization of the construct “employee perception of PMS effectiveness” (PMSE). An evidence of construct validity for the “two-factor PMS effectiveness” measure with perceived “PMS accuracy” and “PMS fairness” as its two factors is provided. In addition, a scale to measure “employee perception of PMS accuracy” is developed.

Mixed-methods research methodology.

Findings confirmed the possible existence of the two-factor PMSE construct, with PMS accuracy and fairness as its factors. Construct validity is established through its correlations with important outcome variables. The development of a valid and reliable 12-item scale for perceived PMS accuracy (Cronbach α value=0.83) is an additional key contribution.

The research presents opportunities for future empirical studies to examine the influence of PMS accuracy and effectiveness on employee outcomes (engagement, retention, etc.). Researchers may also cross-validate the PMSE measure in different socio-cultural contexts.

The perceived PMS accuracy and effectiveness measures can serve as powerful investigative tools to measure employee perceptions regarding PMS. It can help organizations identify and correct the shortcomings in their existing PMS.

This is the first paper to offer a cogent conceptualization and operationalization of employee perceptions of PMS accuracy and effectiveness. Hence, it has key implications for academics and practitioners.

I think it's the most wonderful time of the year and the most difficult time of the year. I think it is the worst of holidays and I think it's the best of holidays. I really do. I think just because of all the depression and the mental illness and watching people react to it and the fact that people are alone and it's supposed to be this great get‐together‐bonding‐experience. Supposedly here is the light of the world that's gonna make everything better. He's gonna take people and bring them together and all this kinda great stuff and it just isn't reality. I mean it's a nice little Hallmark card but it's not really reality. So I think that it's the best of times, it's the worst of times. And I think I can actually sit somewhere and say that truthfully, because for me it has been the best of times, and it has been the worst of times.

Many publications emphasize the importance of product vision and its contribution to successful product development. However, the current literature lacks a definition. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model that unites and organizes the definitions of product vision, the construct’s latent components, and demonstrates the relationship of product vision to the existing theories.

The study conducted two exploratory literature reviews to find the initial key concepts, and a systematic literature review to define the product vision construct and identify its components.

This paper proposes a framework that defines product vision through two main elements (textual and visual) and four main properties (concise, challenging, aligned with strategy, and collectively obtained).

While the proposed framework constructs a more precise definition of product vision, more research is required to validate the construct in practice.

This paper reduces the ambiguity around the definitions of product vision employed in areas such as design management, project management, and product development by proposing an operational definition. This common and useful construct could support the communication and complementarity between these theories.