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As markets, economies and institutions are increasingly globalized, there is a growing understanding of the need to introduce intercultural learning alongside business learning. Participating in a study abroad program is potentially one of the most important experiences for any college student. Such programs provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures and gain new perspectives. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to identify the main factors that students consider when selecting a program; to integrate quality function deployment (QFD), benchmarking and Hoshin Kanri in the analysis of student expectations and to examine the implications for research and practice.

The study was based on primary data collected from 180 students at four universities. To design an approach that helps students in the selection of a program that best satisfies their expectations, a self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using the techniques of QFD/benchmarking. Finally, a long-term strategy is proposed based on the Hoshin Kanri theory.

The great variability in student expectations presents a challenge in designing a methodology of selection; however, it does help in identifying the most important student expectations. A key, balanced relationship among academic quality, having fun and cost cannot be ignored in this study because they represent the factors that are altogether influential in the decision to study abroad. In the current literature, the key variables of study abroad programs are discussed; however, most studies fail to incorporate student expectations. This paper will fill this gap by incorporating both key academic variables and the voice of the customer (student).

Given the diversity of the population, the authors developed several methodologies to standardize the array of student responses to the questionnaire. Using this standardization along with several total quality management (TQM) tools allows us to simplify and categorize the different student expectations. The gathering of students’ expectations directly provided by students (voice of the customer) allows international programs to focus on the real problems and expectations that have been acknowledged, thus yielding student satisfaction with their experience, most importantly, in their field of study.

For universities, the current study identifies new means by which to improve the quality of international programs with the use of TQM tools including QFD, benchmarking and the Hoshin Kanri Planning Process with an evidence-based real case.

This paper presents a conclusive application of QFD, benchmarking and Hoshin Kanri and an analysis of how these tools can help international programs with future improvements incorporating the needs of students in their programs. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first application of these techniques to improve the international experience for business undergraduate students.

This study aims to examine the effects of trading partner trust and trading partner power, on supply chain integration, and their impact on business performance in the context of Web-enabled supply chains. In doing so, the authors extend previous studies by exploring this phenomenon by using an integrative theory-driven approach.

This study presents a theoretical model grounded on the resource-based and dynamic capabilities views and the social capital theory. Data collected from 175 firms in the USA are used to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

Results highlight the importance of trust and supply chain integration on business performance, whereas power did not appear to have an effect on supply chain integration in Web-enabled supply chains. The findings are robust to concerns of endogeneity, common method bias and alternative model specification.

Companies engaged in Web-enabled supply chains need to focus on increasing their integration efforts, and these efforts must also be accompanied by partnerships built on trust. Trading partners who might be inclined to use coercive strategies to influence other members of the supply chain in Web-enabled environments may be better off using cooperative approaches based on trust to achieve their desired goals.

This study integrates the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities view and the social capital theory to explore the dynamic relationships between trading partner trust, trading partner power and supply chain integration in Web-enabled supply chains. In doing so, this paper extends prior studies by examining supply chain integration’s impact on business performance and its mediating role, as it relates to trading partner trust and power in Web-enabled supply chains.

The purpose of this article is to describe the design and development of an e‐health strategy for the Spanish health care system. Using quality function deployment and benchmarking analysis as an analytical model, a strategy in e‐health care is proposed.

This article uses the case of a Spanish community to build a general framework for e‐health system development. Based on a multi‐disciplinary literature, and the specific needs of a community, the process of e‐health system development is analyzed and reduced into a series of phases that form an integrated method. Best practice managerial techniques are adapted to the healthcare industry and the inter‐relationships between them are mapped in a theoretical model that results in the desired outcomes.

This analysis produces a road‐map to e‐health system development consisting of several phases: analysis of the current situation of the system and determination of objectives; collection and analysis of customer expectations; development of an action plan through cross‐evaluation of customer and system needs; cost and strategic analyses; and evaluation and control systems. Managerial implications are provided.

The strategy proposed in this article is a prototype and an ongoing study in the Castilla‐La Mancha community.

Customer satisfaction refers to the extent to which customers are happy and satisfied with the products and services provided by a business. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to integrate lean tools in the analysis of customer satisfaction and, second, to examine its implications for research and practice.

The author proposes the combination of three lean tools in order to design a service quality system that has customer expectations (CEs) as the first input. These tools are quality function deployment (QFD), Hoshin Kanri planning process (HKPP) and benchmarking. The author uses a case study to show the functionality of these tools and the final design of a service quality system for a medical center.

Interaction between the service provider and the customer is the primary core activity for service-oriented businesses of different natures. A key relationship between trust in service quality and customer satisfaction cannot be ignored in interpersonal-based service encounters. However, there is a gap in the literature in terms of standardized lean-based procedures or methodologies that lead to improved customer satisfaction that are based directly on CEs.

Given the variety of the population, the authors developed several methodologies to standardize the customer responses. Using several total quality management tools, the standardization allows the authors to separate the different CEs. The gathering of customers’ expectations (voice of the customers) allows the companies to focus on the real problems expressed by the users of the service, increasing their loyalty and, most importantly in the field under study, the customer’s satisfaction with the service received.

For practitioners, this study helps with the use of lean tools such as QFD, benchmarking and HKPP and attempts to bridge such a gap with an evidence-based real case.

With the incorporation of all the customer needs, additional elements must be considered in the design of new services. Availability for all and sustainability play an important part of the CEs.

This paper presents a real application of QFD and Hoshin Kanri and how they may help the service organizations with future development.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of electronic procurement technologies on procurement practices (PPR) and procurement performance (PP).

This paper posits a model of the relationships between e‐procurement technology (EPT) usage, PPR, and PP. This model was tested and validated using a sample of 368 procurement specialists in the USA.

The findings suggest that EPT usage positively affects managers' perceptions of both PPR and PP.

The findings of this paper primarily pertain to the operational level of the organization. Future research could also attempt to isolate the impact of individual EPTs on firm performance.

The contribution for practitioners is to provide guidelines for the use of EPTs, and to report its impact on PP. The measurement instruments developed in this paper can be used to evaluate and benchmark current PPR.

This paper contributes to the literature by providing an empirical test of the impact of EPTs on perceptions of PPR and performance.

Curriculum development in higher education must be continuously evaluated in this dynamic business environment, where business needs change day‐to‐day. The literature on the application of quality function deployment (QFD) to curriculum design is increasing, with student opinion representing the sole voice of the customer. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative approach to QFD curriculum design by using a survey of employers, not students, to represent the voice of the customer.

This paper applies the widely used quality management process of QFD to the curriculum development process of a major international business program.

The findings illustrate the application of QFD's house of quality in international business curriculum development and best practices benchmarking.

The results of this study are useful to any university to revise or design new academic programs. It presents a methodology to design curriculum based on the voice of the real customer: industry, without forgetting about the expertise of academicians.

This study is intended to be one of the first in defining the customer as the industry, instead of just students or academic experts. The combination of all stakeholders in the curriculum design of international business will help universities make better decisions regarding international business programs.

Research on service quality and customer satisfaction has become significant in the service industries. This study develops a case study that considers both external and internal service management issues and subsequent service innovations based on the framework of quality function deployment (QFD). The application of the customer window quadrant (CWQ) and the action plan matrix in the analysis of customer and service elements constitute a different approach for QFD. Some benefits and disadvantages of the QFD process are discussed as compared to extant service quality and customer paradigms. Finally, suggestions and directions are offered for future applications, with particular interest in the e‐bank service management issues.

The purpose of this paper is to utilize quality function deployment (QFD), Benchmarking analyses and other innovative quality tools to develop a new customer‐centered undergraduate curriculum in supply chain management (SCM).

The researchers used potential employers as the source for data collection. Then, they used QFD and benchmarking to develop a Voice of Customer matrix. Using information from the matrix, a new customer‐oriented SCM undergraduate programme was designed.

The researchers outline a practical solution to the problem of designing academic programmes which satisfy the main expectations of potential employers (customers).

The study is specifically concerned with the design of an SCM curriculum, but the researchers argue that the design methodology could be applied in other academic contexts.

The application of QFD and benchmarking as a joint analysis tool is an interesting approach in education because the information is analysed from different perspectives simultaneously. The new programme successfully meets customer/employer expectations and requirements.

This study demonstrates the effective application of quality design tools to enhance academic programmes. The approach can clearly be extended to other areas for the design of specific courses and programmes. The most important needs in programme design are those of identifying the programme's main customers and of clarifying their expectations.

To use quality function deployment (QFD)/benchmarking for building an optimal activity‐based costing (ABC) model using baseline information from five different Spanish hospitals.

The customer satisfaction benchmarking process in QFD is discussed along with the benefits of hierarchical benchmarks in specifying areas of strategic competition and the logically ensuing product/service strategic decision‐making requirements. A case study is presented to illustrate the use of two methodological approaches: benchmarking and QFD to obtain the final product of the paper: an optimal ABC.

The resulting outcome from the QFD/benchmarking analysis is an ABC model, which has the customer expectations and the requirements that hospitals are looking for.

Future research can benefit from this research by expanding the scope from hospitals to other types of industries in order to comparatively analyze the applicability of the proposed tools, and applying the same methodology to other hospitals for developing a model for a standardized costing system in health care industry.

With the outcomes produced by the methodology applied in this paper, hospital strategic decision makers can now have specifics on which to base decisions regarding the most appropriate allocation of time, human and capital resources.

The paper presents a new approach for developing an optimal ABC for healthcare by applying two important methodologies: benchmarking and QFD. The use and modification of these methodologies in healthcare are new to research for achieving a final ABC model that will easily identify any performance improvements.

This article investigates the importance of the supplier management process in the quality of the final product. A methodology is developed to analyze the variables involved in the supplier management process and it is illustrated with a case study of the chair manufacturing industry. Research results indicate that the supplier selection process appears to be the most significant variable as it helps in achieving high quality products and customer satisfaction. This paper shows the different analytical steps that arise naturally in the systematic categorization of variables for supplier management. Nine variables related to the supplier selection process were analyzed. Each of these variables was then evaluated through an experimental design using statistical information based on three factors, namely, quality, cost and productivity.