Search results

1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 20 March 2009

Simone Mueller and Cam Rungie

The purpose of this paper is to apply a very simple but powerful analysis of the variance‐covariance matrix of individual best‐worst scores to detect which attributes are…

1838

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply a very simple but powerful analysis of the variance‐covariance matrix of individual best‐worst scores to detect which attributes are determining utility components and drive distinct consumer segments.

Design/methodology/approach

First an analysis of variance and covariance is used to find attributes which are perceived to have different importance by different consumers and which jointly drive consumer segments. Then we model consumer heterogeneity with Latent Clustering and identify utility dimensions of on‐premise wine purchase behaviour with a principal component analysis.

Findings

Four consumer segments were found on the UK on‐premise market, which differ in the relative strength of five wine choice utility dimensions: ease of trial, new experience, restaurant advice, low risk food matching and cognitive choice. These segments are characterised by sociodemographics as well as wine and dine behaviour variables.

Research limitations/implications

Attributes with high variance signal respondents’ disagreement on their importance and indicate the existence of distinctive consumer segments. Attributes jointly driving those segments can be identified by a high covariance. Principal component analysis condenses a small number of behavioural drivers which allow an effective interpretation and targeting of different consumer segments.

Practical implications

This paper's analysis opens new doors for marketing research to a more insightful interpretation of best‐worst data and attitude scales. This information gives marketing managers powerful advice on which attributes they have to focus in order to target different consumer segments.

Originality/value

This is the first study considering individual differences in BW scores to find post hoc segments based on revealed differences in attribute importance.

Details

International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1062

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 November 2021

Justin Zuopeng Zhang, Praveen Ranjan Srivastava and Prajwal Eachempati

The paper aims to build a customized hybrid multi-criteria model to identify the top three utilities of drones at both personal and community levels for two use cases…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to build a customized hybrid multi-criteria model to identify the top three utilities of drones at both personal and community levels for two use cases: firefighting in high-rise buildings and logistic support.

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid multi-criterion model that integrates fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP), Best Worst, fuzzy analytical network process (ANP), fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is used to compute the criteria weights. The weights are validated by a novel ensemble ranking technique further whetted by experts at the community and personal levels to two use cases.

Findings

Drones' fire handling and disaster recovery utilities are the most important to fight fire in high-rise buildings at both personal and community levels. Similarly, drones' urban planning, municipal works and infrastructure inspection utilities are the most important for providing logistics support at personal and community levels.

Originality/value

The paper presents a novel multi-criteria approach, i.e. ensemble ranking, by combining the criteria ranking of individual methods – fuzzy AHP, Best-Worst, fuzzy ANP and fuzzy DEMATEL – in the ratio of optimal weights to each technique to generate the consolidated ranking. Domain experts also validate this ranking for robustness. This paper demonstrates a viable methodology to quantify the utilities of drones and their capabilities. The proposed model can be recalibrated for different use case scenarios of drones.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 123 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 June 2020

Farhan Muhammad Muneeb, Amir Karbassi Yazdi, P. Wanke, Cao Yiyin and Muhammad Chughtai

This study focuses on the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for developing sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunication industry. Despite the efforts made by…

Abstract

Purpose

This study focuses on the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for developing sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunication industry. Despite the efforts made by governments and stakeholders to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship initiatives, contributions in the telecommunications sector are lacking. Therefore, this study has the major objective of identifying a transformation path for these firms. This is done by providing a theoretical framework for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry, focusing on managerial and operational practices that should be modified according to a set of CSFs identified by experts in Pakistani firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This article proposes a novel Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) approach based on Grey Systems Theory (GST) and Best-Worst Method (BWM) while unveiling endogenous relationships among current managerial/operational practices and the CSFs for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry.

Findings

CSFs for achieving sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunications industry were found to rely on a tripod, based on effectiveness, transparency, and accountability that are embedded within the ambit of managerial and operational practices, such as focusing and reducing digital illiteracy, targeting poor communities, helping the young in structuring start-ups.

Originality/value

This article contributes to the MADM research stream by proposing a novel use of the BWM technique based on GST to promote sustainable entrepreneurship CSFs in Pakistani telecommunications firms.

Article
Publication date: 17 February 2021

David C. Hackman

This article introduces the best-worst scaling object case, a quantitative method of producing individual level models of heterogeneous perceptions, for use in behavioural…

Abstract

Purpose

This article introduces the best-worst scaling object case, a quantitative method of producing individual level models of heterogeneous perceptions, for use in behavioural decision making research in projects. Heterogeneous individual perceptions refer to observed or unobserved differences between individual perceptions that impact the outcome being studied. Individual level models of perceptions are important to account for the impact of heterogeneous perceptions on measurement tasks, so they do not become an unobserved source of variance that potentially biases research inferences.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of individual heterogeneity is provided highlighting the requirement for individual level models in quantitative perception measurements. A literature review is then conducted of the quantitative methods and tasks used to measure perceptions in behavioural decision making research in projects and their potential to produce individual level models.

Findings

The existing quantitative methods cannot produce the necessary individual level models primarily due to the inability to address individual level scale effects, responses styles and biases. Therefore, individual heterogeneity in perceptions can become an unobserved source of variance that potentially biases research inferences.

Practical implications

A method new to project management research, the best-worst scaling object case, is proposed to produce individual level models of heterogeneous perceptions. Guidance on how to implement this method at the individual level is provided along with a discussion of possible future behavioural decision making research in projects.

Originality/value

This article identifies a largely unacknowledged measurement limitation of quantitative behavioural decision making research in projects and provides a practical solution: implementing the best-worst scaling object case at the individual level.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2011

Tiziana de Magistris, Etiénne Groot, Azucena Gracia and Luis Miguel Albisu

The aim of this study is to analyse Millennial generation's preferences for wine attributes in two countries, one from the “New World” (USA) and the other from the “Old World”…

2370

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to analyse Millennial generation's preferences for wine attributes in two countries, one from the “New World” (USA) and the other from the “Old World” (Spain), in order to see whether they are different. Heterogeneity in attribute importance is investigated, with wine consumers classified into different segments according to attribute importance.

Design/methodology/approach

The Best‐Worst choice method was used with information obtained from a survey conducted in two cities of Spain and the USA (Zaragoza and Fayetteville), respectively. Then, attribute importance heterogeneity was modelled and consumers were classified with a latent class model.

Findings

The results indicate that American and Spanish Millennial consumers present some similarities but also some differences in wine preferences. While Millennial consumers in the USA attributed more importance to “I tasted the wine previously”, Spanish Millennials ascribed more importance to the “designation of origin”. Moreover, heterogeneity in attribute importance in both countries was detected and five consumer segments were identified showing clear differences in terms of the importance attached to different wine attributes: “Traditionalists”, “Wine seekers”, “Label fans”, “Insecure” and “Price conscious”. These wine consumer segments could be characterized by traditional socio‐demographic profiles and only differed in wine consumer preferences.

Originality/value

The Best‐Worst method, used to compare wine consumers from the “New World” and the “Old World”, asks them to choose among hypothetical wines defined by a mix of traditional and novel attributes, according to previous studies.

Details

International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1062

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2020

Amir Karbassi Yazdi, Peter Fernandes Wanke, Thomas Hanne and Eleonora Bottani

This paper aims to assess and prioritize manufacturing companies in the healthcare industry based on critical success factors (CSFs) of their reverse logistics (RL). The research…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to assess and prioritize manufacturing companies in the healthcare industry based on critical success factors (CSFs) of their reverse logistics (RL). The research involves seven medical device companies located in the Tehran Province, Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify and prioritize companies based on CSFs of RL, the study proposes a three-phase decision-making framework that integrates the Delphi method, the best-worst method (BWM) and the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method with Z-numbers. The weights required for this method are obtained by a variant of the BWM based on Z-numbers, denoted as Z-numbers Best-Worst Method, or ZBWM. Since decision-makers face an uncertain environment, Z-numbers, which are a kind of fuzzy numbers, are applied.

Findings

First, after customizing CSFs by the Delphi method and obtaining 15 CSFs of RL, these are ranked by the hybrid BWM-ARAS method with Z-numbers. Results reveal which company appears to perform best with respect to their RL implementations. Based on this result, healthcare device companies should choose the highest priority company based on the selected RL CSFs and results from using the BWM-ARAS method with Z-numbers.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is using a hybrid ARAS-BWM method based on Z-numbers. Each of these methods has some merits compared to other similar methods. The combination of these methods contributes a new approach for prioritizing companies based on RL CSFs with high accuracy and reliability.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 33 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2019

Faisal Talib, Mohammad Asjad, Rajesh Attri, Arshad Noor Siddiquee and Zahid A. Khan

Recent years have witnessed a significant rise in Indian healthcare establishments (HCEs) which indicate that there is a constant need to improve the healthcare quality services…

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Abstract

Purpose

Recent years have witnessed a significant rise in Indian healthcare establishments (HCEs) which indicate that there is a constant need to improve the healthcare quality services through the adoption and implementation of TQM enablers. The purpose of this paper is to identify such enablers and then propose a ranking model for TQM implementation in Indian HCEs for improved performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study identifies 20 TQM enablers through comprehensive literature survey and expert’s opinion, and classifies them into five main categories. The prominence of these enablers is established using a recently developed novel multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method, i.e. best-worst method (BWM). The importance of the various main category and sub-category enablers is decided on the basis of their weights which are determined by the BWM. In comparison to other MCDM methods, such as analytical hierarchy process, BWM requires relatively lesser comparison data and also provides consistent comparisons which results in both optimal and reliable weights of the enablers considered in this paper. Further, a sensitivity analysis is also carried out to ensure that the ranking (based on the optimal weights) of the various enablers is reliable and robust.

Findings

The results of this study reveal that out of five main category enablers, the “leadership-based enablers (E1)” and the “continuous improvement based enablers (E5)” are the most and the least important enablers, respectively. Similarly, among the 20 sub-category enablers, “quality leadership and role of physicians (E14)” and “performing regular survey of customer satisfaction and quality audit (E52)” are the most and the least dominating sub-category enablers, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

This study does not explore the interrelationship between the various TQM enablers and also does not evaluate performance of the various HCEs based on the weights of the enablers.

Practical implications

The priority of the TQM enablers determined in this paper enables decision makers to understand their influence on successful implementation of the TQM principles and policies in HCEs leading to an overall improvement in the system’s performance.

Originality/value

This study identifies the various TQM enablers in HCEs and categorizes them into five main categories and ranks them using the BWM. The findings of this research are quite useful for management of the HCEs to properly understand the relative importance of these enablers so that managers can formulate an effective and efficient strategy for their easy and smooth implementation which is necessary for continuous improvement.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 22 December 2023

Khaled Hamad Almaiman, Lawrence Ang and Hume Winzar

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of sports sponsorship on brand equity using two managerially related outcomes: price premium and market share.

2097

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of sports sponsorship on brand equity using two managerially related outcomes: price premium and market share.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a best–worst discrete choice experiment (BWDCE) and compares the outcome with that of the purchase intention scale, an established probabilistic measure of purchase intention. The total sample consists of 409 fans of three soccer teams sponsored by three different competing brands: Nike, Adidas and Puma.

Findings

With sports sponsorship, fans were willing to pay more for the sponsor’s product, with the sponsoring brand obtaining the highest market share. Prominent brands generally performed better than less prominent brands. The best–worst scaling method was also 35% more accurate in predicting brand choice than a purchase intention scale.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could use the same method to study other types of sponsors, such as title sponsors or other product categories.

Practical implications

Sponsorship managers can use this methodology to assess the return on investment in sponsorship engagement.

Originality/value

Prior sponsorship studies on brand equity tend to ignore market share or fans’ willingness to pay a price premium for a sponsor’s goods and services. However, these two measures are crucial in assessing the effectiveness of sponsorship. This study demonstrates how to conduct such an assessment using the BWDCE method. It provides a clearer picture of sponsorship in terms of its economic value, which is more managerially useful.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 58 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2012

Polymeros Chrysochou, Athanasios Krystallis, Ana Mocanu and Rachel Leigh Lewis

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in wine preferences between Generation Y and older cohorts in the USA.

2569

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in wine preferences between Generation Y and older cohorts in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 260 US consumers participated in a web‐based survey that took place in April 2010. The best‐worst scaling method was applied measuring the level of importance given by participants to a list of most common attributes used in choice of wine. Independent sample t‐tests were applied to compare the best‐worst scores between Generation Y and older cohorts.

Findings

Differences were found in the level of importance that Generation Y gives to wine attributes in comparison to older cohorts. Generation Y was found to attach more importance to attributes such as “Someone recommended it”, “Attractive front label” and “Promotional display in‐store”, whereas older cohorts gave more importance to attributes such as “I read about it” and “Grape variety”. This suggests that Generation Y preferences for wine are driven by marketing added‐value activities such as promotions and labelling, whereas limited importance is given to information about wine, reflecting lack of subjective knowledge, experience and involvement about wine.

Research limitations/implications

This research adds to generation‐based research in wine marketing and contributes towards a better understanding of the differences between generation cohorts in relation to their preferences towards wines.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to compare wine preferences of Generation Y with older cohorts using the best‐worst scaling method.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 114 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2020

Shaad Ahmad, Ahmad Abdullah and Faisal Talib

In a globalized environment, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing formidable challenges. Not only do they have to keep up their profitability, but there is also a…

Abstract

Purpose

In a globalized environment, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing formidable challenges. Not only do they have to keep up their profitability, but there is also a pressure from various stakeholders to add to their environmental and quality performance .The solution obviously lies in continuously adopting and improving upon lean-green practices in their operations. This work aims at identifying, classifying and building up a duly tested robust ranked-order model of such “enablers”, related to lean-green practices, that puts them (the enablers) in an order of being the most significant to being the least significant further to be accorded the same or similar weight in strategy formulation and implementation stage by Indian SMEs for enhancing their overall organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study identifies 20 enablers (12 lean and 08 green manufacturing enablers) through extensive literature review and experts' opinion survey and classifies them into three main categories. The ranking and significance of each of the main and subcategory enablers is evaluated according to its weight which is determined by the best-worst method (BWM) approach, one of the novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. Further, the results have been drawn after running accuracy check of the rankings (based upon optimal weights) and testing the robustness of the ranked-order model through sensitivity analysis.

Findings

The results of this study reveal that out of the three main category enablers, “operational performance enablers (E1)” and “quality performance enablers (E3)” are the most and the least significant enablers, while in the group of 20 subcategory enablers, “Kaizen (E17)” and “environment emission control (E28)” are the most and the least significant subcategory enablers, respectively.

Practical implications

The prioritization model or ranked-order model of the lean-green manufacturing enablers proposed through this study may serve as a standard model to managers to help them decide and allocate their efforts and resources accordingly in managing their operations. This will also help them adopt high-ranking lean-green manufacturing enablers in their firms and benchmark and standardize their existing practices accordingly, leading to greater competitive advantage.

Originality/value

The study identifies various green-lean manufacturing enablers in SMEs, classifies them into three main categories and ranks them using BWM approach. The findings of this study should be extremely relevant to managers, manufacturing engineers and practitioners in Indian SMEs from the perspective of developing deeper appreciation of these enablers as per their relative ranked importance to further formulating an effective and efficient strategy for their implementation resulting in optimal results.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 2000