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Although medical leadership and management (MLM) is increasingly being recognised as important to improving healthcare outcomes, little is understood about current training of medical students in MLM skills and behaviours in the UK. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This qualitative study used validated structured interviews with expert faculty members from medical schools across the UK to ascertain MLM framework integration, teaching methods employed, evaluation methods and barriers to improvement.

Data were collected from 25 of the 33 UK medical schools (76 per cent response rate), with 23/25 reporting that MLM content is included in their curriculum. More medical schools assessed MLM competencies on admission than at any other time of the curriculum. Only 12 schools had evaluated MLM teaching at the time of data collection. The majority of medical schools reported barriers, including overfilled curricula and reluctance of staff to teach. Whilst 88 per cent of schools planned to increase MLM content over the next two years, there was a lack of consensus on proposed teaching content and methods.

There is widespread inclusion of MLM in UK medical schools’ curricula, despite the existence of barriers. This study identified substantial heterogeneity in MLM teaching and assessment methods which does not meet students’ desired modes of delivery. Examples of national undergraduate MLM teaching exist worldwide, and lessons can be taken from these.

This is the first national evaluation of MLM in undergraduate medical school curricula in the UK, highlighting continuing challenges with executing MLM content despite numerous frameworks and international examples of successful execution.

Scholarly interest in women’s business ownership has increased, but few studies offer theoretically‐based explanations for the racial differences observed among women entrepreneurs. This paper seeks to remedy this oversight by applying several theories of entrepreneurship to a comparative study of white and minority women. An analysis of survey data from upstate New York shows that these theories can explain why racial differences in women’s business ownership exist. In particular, the theories shed light on these differences by calling attention to a gap between the high aspirations of minority women for business ownership and the paucity of formal entrepreneurial resources that are available to these women (e.g. financial capital and human capital).

The distribution literature provides support for examining product returns from a customer-based perspective. Based on this need, the purpose of this paper is to identify the underlying causes of product returns based on a survey of 308 Wal-Mart and Target customers who engaged in product returns.

Structural equation modelling was used to verify and test the relationships examined.

It was found that dissatisfaction with a product results in an emotional dissonance that is positively related to product returns. Two primary reasons for return were examined, the expectation of the customer not being met and the customer finding a better product or price. Both reasons for return were found to influence the frequency of returns. It is also reported that gender, but not store brand moderated these relationships. Males had higher levels of product dissatisfaction and subsequent emotional dissonance than females. Males however did not have higher rates of return than females.

The research provides new knowledge in the management of retail returns by identifying their underlying causes as well as specific reasons for returns. This knowledge can assist managers in identifying the behavioural influences on product returns and in developing methods to minimize those returns.

The relationship between team cohesion and individual well-being is clear. Being part of a highly cohesive team is likely to contribute to the well-being of individual team members. A multidirectional relationship is likely as individual well-being is also likely to contribute to team cohesion. This chapter examines such critical relationships in the context of team performance. To do so, we draw on the dominant literatures related to these concepts, focusing on two specific types of team cohesion – social cohesion and task cohesion – and two specific types of well-being – subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB). We contend that social cohesion and SWB are likely to be strongly related, while task cohesion and PWB are likely to share a strong relationship. Therefore, the chapter focuses on the evidence regarding the transactional relationship between social team cohesion and SWB, and transactional relationship between task team cohesion and PWB. Of course, we also recognize the close relationships between social and task cohesion, and between SWB and PWB. We consider the practical implications of studying the relationships between these concepts and put forth a number of recommendations for future research in this area.

Although existing research on cohesion provides a robust understanding of the emergent phenomenon in small groups and teams, our comprehension of cohesion at the multisystem (MTS) level is quite limited. The simultaneous within- and between-team functioning inherent in MTSs produces more intricate dynamics than those observed at the team level. This added layer of complexity requires that many familiar team constructs, including cohesion, be systematically re-conceptualized and empirically examined through the lens of MTS theory (DeChurch & Zaccaro, 2010; Hackman, 2003). The present research addresses this gap by extending the conceptualization of team cohesion to the interteam level, and empirically investigating how cohesion functions across levels in a collective network of teams. Results from preliminary research suggest that intrateam and interteam cohesion share a curvilinear relationship with one another, while simultaneously interacting to affect overall system-level outcomes. This research not only illuminates the complexities associated with emergent phenomena in MTSs, but also serves as a starting point for continued, systematic research of the multilevel cohesive bonds that characterize MTS functioning.

An investigation into the process of cross‐fertilisation on MBA programmes is reported. An interview schedule was devised as a basis for discussions with a sample from each of three MBA programme types: open, in‐company and consortial. It was concluded that: learning from and acting upon ideas gained from fellow set members is seen as an important element in the MBA programme by associates: cross‐fertilisation tends to be recognised and recalled mainly in terms of personal skills; open sets would potentially appear to be a better medium for fostering cross‐fertilisation, but in‐company sets are more empowering in ensuring the implementation of ideas from such cross‐fertilisation as does occur, while consortial sets would appear to combine the best of both worlds – though no evidence emerged to support this last contention. Recommendations are made for further research.

The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: are sophisticated consumers more likely to be satisfied with their purchases? Are consumers who are more knowledgeable more apt to feel in control of their purchase decisions? Are they more likely to believe the transaction was fair? Are they less likely to have cognitive dissonance post‐purchase?

An empirical study examining the role of consumer sophistication on consumers' purchase satisfaction was conducted with a national sample of approximately 700 home purchasers.

The results revealed that shopping sophistication is a key determinant of whether consumers are satisfied with their purchase experience. Sophistication not only seems to affect satisfaction but also customer perceptions of control, fairness and dissonance.

Implications for marketing strategy and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This paper suggests that perception of sophistication plays a much more important role in affecting consumer purchase satisfaction than previously understood. Consequently, businesses need to be much more active in educating consumers so that they are better able to make more informed purchase decisions. Ultimately, by helping to facilitate this information flow, consumers will be more satisfied with the products and services they purchase, develop a greater loyalty to the company providing the data and be more likely to purchase similar products and services in the future.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be risky for organizations on many fronts. They are not only resource intensive but they can be perceived by stakeholders as “greenwashing;” meaning the organization works to appear more ethical than they are in practice (Pompper, 2015). This chapter explores the complementary roles that human resources and public relations may play in creating a transparent and authentic CSR program that builds community relations and value for internal and external stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes a CSR strategy based on the Open Social Innovation (OSI) model and Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) framework; both constructs that call for developing stakeholder partnerships that build capacity and empower communities. This chapter offers a case study of the CSR initiative of health-care provider, Johnson & Johnson, to illustrate how OSI-based CSR (1) contributes significantly to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan African communities, (2) facilitates the creation of synergies between human resources and public relations, ensuring that CSR initiatives are driven by a partnership of internal and external stakeholders; and (3) enables authentic corporate citizenship communication without sacrificing shareholder value.