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The productivity of a port is a measure that is important to different stakeholders: port administrators (port authority), third-party logistics providers, manufacturers and consumers, among others. This study analyses productivity in terms of vessel movement efficiencies (loading/unloading of cargo) and container release from port facilities. Both factors add to the overall productivity in any port.

A comparative analysis of the productivity of three ports is measured using a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and benchmarking analysis to help establish strategies that will help improve productivity. Considering the information confidentially the authors will call the ports according to their geographic location. The ports under study are the USA Southeast Port (Port of America), Central Asian Port (Port of Asia) and Central Europe Port (Port of Europe).

This study has established an analysis strategy that allows seeing points of sale in the ports. This study will compare three different continents, only to demonstrate the applicability of QFD and benchmarking. Still, the strategy can be used in ports that compete due to their proximity and location. Identifying the variables to be analyzed made it possible to establish a strategy to increase productivity.

There are many studies that analyze port productivity, but none try to standardize the variables to be compared in different scenarios. This study has compared three ports from three different geographical areas, using the same variables in all three cases. The study critically analyses the performance of three ports and proposes a strategy based on QFD and benchmarking research.

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.

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.

This study systematically reviews the current state of research on the application of high technology in supply chain management (SCM). It identifies key topics, trends and influential scholars in this field, providing a knowledge structure for future research. This study contributes to advancing the understanding of how high technology can be leveraged to enhance SCM, guiding and informing future research endeavors.

A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was conducted on 1,523 published articles retrieved from Web of Science. Through co-occurrence analysis of the titles, abstracts and keywords, the authors investigated popular research trends and topics. Through co-citation and co-authorship analyses, the authors identified leading research clusters, productive researchers and countries of the research.

There is a significant increase in publications by scholars from the USA, China and India on the impact of high technology on supply chains, particularly on food supply chains. Most articles examine the barriers and challenges of applying blockchain technology to different aspects of supply chains. Active contributions predominantly originate from scholars in the USA and China. The top five largest clusters are “supply chain management,” “scoping review,” “blockchain technology”, “food supply chains” and “management perception.”

This study represents the first systematic review establishing a comprehensive framework of knowledge on high technology and supply chains. Highlighting key research areas, tracing the evolution of research and explaining the knowledge structures pertaining to the role of high technology in supply chains, this study contributes to the existing literature and its findings hold practical implications for scholars and practitioners.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Since the 1960s, quality function development (QFD) has been recognized worldwide as a suitable planning tool for translating customers' needs into product specifications. QFD methodologies, as opposed to traditional quality approaches, are most often cited as essential for advancing the competitive advantage of an organization. This paper proposes a modified approach to QFD, called “QFD strategy house”, as a systematic means of incorporating intelligence on markets, consumers and technologies in strategy development. It links marketing and manufacturing strategies by first developing a continuous improvement strategy. Both the marketing and manufacturing literatures have reported that an alignment between the two constituent strategies confers a competitive advantage in the marketplace.