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Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Vahid Nabavi, Majid Azizi and Mehdi Faezipour

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of the ISO 9001 quality management system on customer satisfaction and show an application of an analytic hierarchy process…

2633

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of the ISO 9001 quality management system on customer satisfaction and show an application of an analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-based method for measuring the customer satisfaction index (CSI). This will be useful to anyone who wants to have an ISO 9001 quality management system in his or her organization.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes an ISO 9001 quality management implementation process based on ISO 9001 requirements, and uses the AHP method for weighting effective criteria on customer satisfaction. All data were obtained via questionnaires and assessed with EXPERT CHOICE 11 software.

Findings

According to the results of the weighting, the factors influencing the satisfaction of a kitchen worktops customer, price and sales terms of this product has a significant impact on customer satisfaction and, in competitive conditions, this criterion has a determining role in the creation of utility for customers. ISO 9001 quality management system has been able to increase the CSI within an 11-month period of study.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to use the AHP method with a new approach in a case study, offering a complete, comprehensive method for assessing customer implications.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 31 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1990

A team from Macpherson Paints' marketing department at Bury, Lancashire, are seen here celebrating their achievement of reaching the final four in a national marketing game.

Abstract

A team from Macpherson Paints' marketing department at Bury, Lancashire, are seen here celebrating their achievement of reaching the final four in a national marketing game.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2015

Antoni Montañana, Carmen Llinares and Álvaro f. Page

Currently many real estate developers offer their products through their websites. The aim of this medium is not only to facilitate understanding of the building, but also to…

Abstract

Currently many real estate developers offer their products through their websites. The aim of this medium is not only to facilitate understanding of the building, but also to capture the attention of potential customers, provoking feelings and emotions that influence the purchase decision, especially in the case of off-plan property sales. Understanding the cognitive factors behind customers' evaluation processes prior to a purchase is of great interest for defining successful design criteria.

The interior space of the property is one of the most important aspect in users' purchase decisions.

The paper aims to determine which property design elements in floor plans provoke the emotions users use to describe its interior design.

A field study was carried out on a sample of 75 individuals who evaluated a set of images of real estate promotions.

The results show that the landings and corridors are fundamental; the area must be spacious so that larger surface areas score best; the living room must be well differentiated from the bedrooms; the valuation of the space depends on the graphic form of presentation, the use of warm colours and the degree of detail in the plans has a positive influence on the assessment.

This information may be of great interest for architects and designers in the graphic representation of the space.

Details

Open House International, vol. 40 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2007

F.W.M. Damen and L.P.A. Steenbekkers

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the ways consumers freeze and defrost meat, the reasons for their behaviour and the knowledge they have about the process of…

2331

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the ways consumers freeze and defrost meat, the reasons for their behaviour and the knowledge they have about the process of freezing and defrosting. Consumers are aware of the microbiological safety risks involved in the consumption of meat. Therefore, many consumers freeze fresh meat to be able to store it safely for a longer period of time. In order to keep the quality of the meat, the freezing and defrosting process should follow certain basic principles.

Design/methodology/approach

In this explorative paper, oral interviews were held with families with young children about their habits concerning the freezing and defrosting of meat. Their knowledge about these processes and the related principles was assessed with help of multiple‐choice questions.

Findings

The paper finds that differences exist between knowledge and actual behaviour, which might result in a shortfall in the microbiological safety of the consumed meat.

Research limitations/implications

Actual behaviour when freezing and defrosting was not observed in the paper, but asked for in an interview. In a larger study observations might be a useful research method to be added.

Practical implications

The paper shows that a discrepancy exists between knowledge and actual behaviour. It is concluded that the actual behaviour might lead to microbiological risks. This could be studied in a supplemental research.

Originality/value

This paper reveals that consumer education about food storage and food handling is recommended.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 109 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Helen Brown and Fiona Howlett

The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate an innovative collaboration between health, housing and social care by exploring the “short stay project” apartments from…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate an innovative collaboration between health, housing and social care by exploring the “short stay project” apartments from service users’ perspectives and considering the effectiveness of this service model as part of enabling provision locally.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative methodology for this evaluation was interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, 2011), critically exploring service users’ personal lived experience of the “short stay project”. Three service users (n=3) participated in semi-structured interviews.

Findings

This study has identified the “short stay project” can prevent admission into and facilitate discharge from care and health services by offering a temporary stay in self-contained, adapted accommodation. Service users found value in staying at the apartments for differing reasons. However, practitioners must address service users’ emotional and social needs as well as physical needs to reduce the risk of occupational deprivation.

Research limitations/implications

Sample size is not fully representative of the total population making transferability limited.

Practical implications

This research found there is demand for temporary housing provision for service users with health, housing and/or social care needs.

Social implications

Key drivers of demand for the service are social inequalities relating to homelessness, poverty and gender-based violence rather than the health-related issues that could have been expected. Further research into the development of effective integrated services which maximise service users’ wellbeing and occupational performance is recommended.

Originality/value

Service models which integrate health, housing and social care can be innovative and maintain service users’ independence and wellbeing in the community. Commissioners across health, housing and social care could utilise the Better Care Fund to deliver integrated services to meet rising demands.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1984

For generations, Britain has had a household delivery of fresh milk; from the days before the Great War when it was delivered by a horse‐drawn milk float, with the roundsman often…

Abstract

For generations, Britain has had a household delivery of fresh milk; from the days before the Great War when it was delivered by a horse‐drawn milk float, with the roundsman often bringing the housewife to the door with his cries of “Milk‐O!”. The float had a churn and milk was delivered in a small can, served out by a dipper. This was the start of the distributive trade, organised between the Wars, from which the present industry has emerged. The trade gave universal acceptance to the glass bottle, returnable for household delivery, only the method of sealing has changed. There have been many demands for its abandonment in favour of the carton, of which recent years has seen a rise in its use in the increasing sales of milk by supermarkets and stores. Despite the problems with returnable vessels, the glass bottle has a number of advantages. The milk, including the cream line, is clearly visible, and short measure is most unlikely, which is a growing problem with carton‐filled milk. The number of prosecutions for short measure with cartons must be causing concern to trading standards departments. There is nothing to indicate the offence until the carton is opened.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 86 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Book part
Publication date: 13 March 2019

Steven Gerrard

In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho stunned both the cinema-going public and critics alike. Its tale of a young, genial, likeable and mother-fixated hotel proprietor – Norman Bates…

Abstract

In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho stunned both the cinema-going public and critics alike. Its tale of a young, genial, likeable and mother-fixated hotel proprietor – Norman Bates (played by Anthony Perkins) – whose psychotic tendencies and fractured personality tapped into the zeitgeist of an America changing in a post-World War II world, was very much the antithesis of rock ‘n’ roll rebels like Elvis Presley and James Dean. Norman Bates was Anthony Perkins and Anthony Perkins was Norman Bates.

In 2013, Norman resurfaced from numerous remakes in Bates Motel. With its nod to the past, and a look to the future of how Norman’s story pans out, the series’ narratives, characters and situations showed there was life for him, his mother and the motel beyond cinema.

This chapter examines how Creed’s ideas of ‘Monstrous’ can be overlaid onto Norman, his mother Norman and Bates Motel.

Details

Gender and Contemporary Horror in Television
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-103-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2002

Keith Chapman and Kevin McCartney

The Portsmouth smart homes project sought to identify appropriate technology to create energy efficient accommodation that supports the occupants in achieving a more independent…

2090

Abstract

The Portsmouth smart homes project sought to identify appropriate technology to create energy efficient accommodation that supports the occupants in achieving a more independent life than would normally be possible due to their physical disabilities. A consultation process was initiated. This began with focus groups in three different parts of Hampshire. These were followed by in‐depth interviews to ascertain how “smart” technology might enhance independence, quality of life, security and affordability. The consultation process and a technology review informed a number of design exercises culminating in the design of six properties in Portsmouth due to be occupied in April 2002, and monitored through the following summer and winter. Three of these units will accommodate wheelchair users. Internal and external doors, locks and all windows will be motorised. The smart system will be programmed to operate heating, lighting, and household appliances, to a pre‐determined plan, which can be overridden by the resident. The sensors and devices share data in order to act, react and interact in an appropriate way. Disabled people consulted report positive attitudes to smart homes. They want a home that can respond to emergencies and environmental changes. Potential occupants also express the wish to be able to counter automated controls. A majority also express preference for homes that will not stand out from neighbouring properties.

Details

Property Management, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 December 2019

Erika Cudworth

Focusing on everyday lives and relationships within the household, the purpose of this paper is to suggest that the quality of “home” is altered by the presence of animal…

Abstract

Purpose

Focusing on everyday lives and relationships within the household, the purpose of this paper is to suggest that the quality of “home” is altered by the presence of animal companions. Conceptions of home as a haven have been critiqued on grounds of the elision of power relations, yet home has also been understood as a place of resistance to, and refuge from, an exploitative and exclusionary public world. Acknowledging differentiated relations of power and understanding homemaking as a process, this paper investigates the playing out of species relations within home space.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on empirical material from a study of companion species in households and public spaces, deploying ethnographic material gained through extended observation and semi-structured and often mobile interviews with dog “owners” in urban and rural contexts in the UK.

Findings

Dogs transform domestic space through muddying human lives. This process is twofold. First, life in posthumanist households problematizes boundaries between humans and other creatures in terms of relationships, behaviour and use of space. Second, muddied living involves breaching and maintaining domestic order. Muddied living is characterised by tension, power and compromise. Homes are posthuman not just by including non-human animals, but through elements of dog agency in how home is made.

Originality/value

Little has been written of “home” within sociology, despite “home” capturing a range of social practice. Sociologists examining human–animal companion relations have not considered how relations play out in home space. This paper investigates home as a shared space of multispecies interaction, making the case for a posthuman sociology of home.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 41 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2007

Peter S. Defoe and Ian Frame

The purpose of this paper is to continue the debate started by M. Pitts and P. Chynoweth in previous issues of Structural Survey and examine some specific areas of concern…

1350

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to continue the debate started by M. Pitts and P. Chynoweth in previous issues of Structural Survey and examine some specific areas of concern regarding the methodologies used for calculating loss of daylight in Rights to Light cases.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight specific areas of concern are identified and each of these is analysed in turn, first to establish, where possible, the origin of the current methodology and then to test this against available current thinking.

Findings

There is a reasonable justification for adopting a value of 500 foot‐candles, although this is not in fact the minimum value. The only justification for using a Uniform Sky appears to be mathematical and another, more accurate, sky model could be used. The Waldram Diagram can legitimately be adjusted to any suitable dimensions provided that the measurements are always taken as a ratio of the chart area. There is no justification for using a work surface height of 850 mm, nor is there any evidence of justification for assuming that 1 foot‐candle of light is adequate for normal use but there is justification in legal terms for ignoring window frames, glazing and internal reflectance.

Practical implications

It can be shown that there is a case for reassessing the methodologies currently accepted by the Courts and therefore that there is scope for further research to establish a new more accurate method.

Originality/value

Whilst many are questioning the validity of daylight calculations in Rights to Light cases, this paper takes some of those questions and establishes whether there is in fact cause for concern.

Details

Structural Survey, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

Keywords

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