Aspects of corporate wellness programs: comparisons of customer satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose With the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act in the USA, many companies are investing in corporate wellness programs as a way to reduce healthcare costs and increase productivity of their workforces. Increasing healthcare expenditures and the pandemic of obesity and chronic diseases are driving forces to the development and implementation of workplace wellness programs across the globe. Companies expect to experience a return on their investment through lower healthcare costs and increased productivity. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, 109 business professionals were surveyed (primarily almost equally divided between Russian and Americans citizens) to examine their health-promoting and health risk behaviors. Demographics were compared in an effort to identify the key differences in order to pinpoint development opportunities to increase efficiencies among target populations. Findings According to the results, nationality was related to certain differences in health-promoting behaviors, participation rates and frequency of wellness programs offered by employers. No differences were found among different age groups. The results indicated that not even a single wellness program design is appropriate for all companies or even one company across all locations. Research limitations/implications Although there were no general conclusions have been drawn nor have the influencing factors for the different behaviors of the various target groups been adequately examined in this exploratory study, there were baselines developed for future research. Originality/value Few empirical studies exists that measure the perceived value of corporate wellness programs, especially among different cultural settings. In effect, wellness programs need to be developed specifically for the target population, with considerations to perceived value differences.

The associations among market orientation, technology orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and organizational performance

“…Today’s business environment may be the most dynamic organizations have ever faced. Organizations are seeking to minimize the fall-out from price wars, continuous cost efficiency drives and at the same time maximize new market opportunities (Masa’deh et al , 2015; Smith et al , 2017). Furthermore, new competitive challenges are continuously appearing and are forcing firms to re-examine their internal environments in order to improve their performance and sustain a competitive advantage (Almajali et al , 2016).…”

Olympic Games, media coverage and brand image/performance from fan and gender perspectives

“…As evident from the graphical cross-tabulations in Figures 2-4, there are perceived differences between the sexes, as supported by research efforts of Smith et al (2017), Tobar (2006), Walker and Mondello (2007) and Ware and Kowalski (2012). The proportion of females to males is almost even in the sample, with females slightly more in number.…”

Effects of gain-loss-framed messages on virtual reality intervened fitness exercise

“…Also, they show relative advantages in the usage of fitness technologies to achieve the superior physical activity. From a design perspective for persuasive technology (Thomson et al , 2016; Smith et al , 2017), a key query originated is how VR technology can help users select an exercise and maintain regime and routine in continuation. Prospect theory by Kahneman and Tversky (2013) proposes that choices made by individuals are greatly affected by the value of a product’s attributes appeal to either gain or loss.…”