Purpose -The internet is becoming increasingly important in the communication between local governments and citizens, which makes the usability of municipal web sites a critical factor in government-citizen communication. The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model for evaluating the potential of municipal web sites. Design/methodology/approach -In this work an objective investigation of the issue has been conducted by manually accessing and evaluating 84 European municipal web sites. Quality of web home pages was determined using an original Web Assessment Index, which focuses on four categories: accessibility, speed, navigability and content. Findings -A detailed report of the results arising from this investigation is presented and systematically analyzed. Originality/value -The most valuable output from this paper is not the ability to identify the best sites, but to see how each municipal site is compared to related sites and to spot ideas and practices that can improve city sites. These findings will be useful for both researchers and practitioners who seek to understand the issues relevant to municipal e-government.
As few studies relate the technical aspects of a corporate website to a firm's turnover, this paper aims to examine how the quality of a corporate website influences social networks and the company's turnover in large family firms. The moderating and mediating effect of social networks on the relationships between website quality and turnover are also tested. In addition, the paper performs a multigroup analysis to analyze the differences between family businesses with low and high family ownership concentration. The sample used in the study, the largest 500 family firms' websites around the globe extracted from The Global Family Business Index compiled by the University of St. Gallen, were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that both the direct and indirect effect of website quality on turnover and the moderating effect of social networks in the relationship between website quality and turnover were negative and significant. The multigroup analysis reveals some significant differences between both groups. The study contributes to the evaluation of website literature by exploring a new sector of application: family businesses. Moreover, the largest family firms should improve their presence in social networks to increase their sales.
Firms need to transform dramatically to maintain their operations and survive. The pandemic has shown how family businesses (FBs) are solving complex problems faster than non-family. They have demonstrated the flexibility to transform and adapt because of their closeness to the firm’s processes and management and their social network inside and outside organizations that allow them to respond quickly to market needs based on a fast-making decisions process. FBs’ knowledge, which is embedded in their values, making decisions process, and remaining for generations, requires resilient and robust management. The relationship between family values and FB management differentiates by their complexity and generational aspect. These relations demonstrate that personal values can influence professionalization, succession, and innovation processes. In this regard, there is a lack of research to understand the findings, practices, and processes associated with managing the knowledge flows through which FBs execute innovation strategies and to build on professionalization and succession capabilities that could provide different avenues of innovation and adaptation for dealing with turbulent and uncertain times. This editorial intends to provoke discussion on what we know about family businesses and how they face different challenges in a complex world to survive. FBs must develop adaptive strategies and strengthen crucial processes to generate a competitive and sustainable advantage. Knowledge management provides models and tools to reinforce tacit knowledge management’s relevance in the professionalization and succession processes. Knowledge management becomes critical in an era in which uncertainty seems to be permanent.
Access to safe drinking water is essential to good health, a basic human right, and a component of effective policy for health protection. Improving the quality of local public water and waste services is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). This study aims to know the degree of satisfaction of domestic users who receive services related to water and waste in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants in the province of Badajoz (Spain). We carry out this research because the perception of municipal services provided by the public administration is usually negative and deficient. The case study PROMEDIO, the consortium formula, is described as a successful partnership to improve the quality of local public water and waste services. For this purpose, a detailed analysis of the different aspects involved in the relationship between the users and the services provided is carried out. The consortium was found to increase citizens’ satisfaction with the services provided, given the close relationship between the municipality and the users.
Diabetes mellitus is considered a public health issue worldwide, with a high prevalence. It is a direct cause of death, disability, and high health costs. In addition, it generates a series of complications of variable types and degrees that have frequent negative effects on the quality of life of the people who suffer from it. Efficiency in public health implies a reduction in costs and improvements in citizens’ quality of life. With the twofold aim of rationalizing costs and promoting an improvement in the care of people with diabetes, we propose a project: a Diabetes Day Hospital (DDH) in Extremadura (Spain). This involves a new organizational model which has already been implemented in other European regions, generating satisfactory results. This study includes details on the structure and operation of the DDH, as well as the expected costs. The DDH allows for a proper coordination among the parties involved in the monitoring and treatment of the disease, and reduces the costs derived from unnecessary admissions and chronic complications. Results show that efficiency in the regional health system could be improved and a significant amount of money could be saved.
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