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21 – 30 of over 10000Tomohiko Sakao, Gunilla Ölundh Sandström and Detlef Matzen
In order to respond to the industrial trend towards service design and delivery, research must address a vast area partially related to value creation, marketing and network…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to respond to the industrial trend towards service design and delivery, research must address a vast area partially related to value creation, marketing and network theories. However, compared to the space to be explored, there is little insight available. Thus, the purpose of this paper, as a first step, is to propose a way to frame such research.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review is performed of over 100 articles on product/service system (PSS) in general, service design, innovation, and business models in a broad view. Then, the analysis from the authors' viewpoint is carried out to give a frame.
Findings
The paper presents three crucial dimensions for service‐orientation research, i.e. an offer dimension representing products and services, a provider dimension, and a customer/user dimension. In addition, three research targets are proposed: PSS‐offer modelling, PSS development and PSS potential. Furthermore, several promising future research directions are identified. These include evaluating economic consequences or environmental benefits, establishing terminology, organizational issues, and developing methods and tools to support designers.
Originality/value
The paper presents a way of viewing research for service orientation, which contributes especially to further research in this area.
Guanxi is believed to be a striking feature that helps to enter a profitable and growing Chinese market. Though many have guanxi well‐defined and classified, the core value…
Abstract
Purpose
Guanxi is believed to be a striking feature that helps to enter a profitable and growing Chinese market. Though many have guanxi well‐defined and classified, the core value undermined within the Confucianism that constructs guanxi networks, the mechanism of how guanxi works, and the factors that make them sustainable and durable in Chinese societies have rarely been discussed thoroughly. From the socio‐cultural view, this study seeks to examine guanxi and its role in business.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper used a combination of qualitative research approaches, namely interviews, and questionnaire for survey. The quantitative research approaches was also chosen to test and discuss for the results consistency.
Findings
The result suggests guanxi, the unique cultural character of Chinese, does not simply connect the social networks; it also plays the role in setting the rules in doing business in Chinese society.
Research limitations/implications
This paper provides an inner view which offers insights that should prove helpful to academics in management and related disciplines as well as to practitioners engaged in Chinese business.
Originality/value
Monitoring the mechanism of Chinese social‐culture and gaining an understanding of how guanxi plays as the internal and external factors in business.
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Rocio Rodriguez and Göran Svensson
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to examine, on the basis of a teleological time orientation, the differences and similarities between actions that take place before…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to examine, on the basis of a teleological time orientation, the differences and similarities between actions that take place before and after the sales and purchases of advanced service solutions; and second, to stress that an active consideration of time facilitates the development of satisfactory service solutions to the service provider (SP) and service receiver (SR) (both) and maintenance of the long-term and complex business-to-business (B2B) service relationships in contrast to a passive consideration of time.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have applied a multi-method design based on: in-depth interviews with key informants at software providers and their customers; analysis of textual documents and structured observations of customer-software provider actions; and follow-up interviews. This study is based on four phases in an industry to examine different views to enable data triangulation.
Findings
Complex B2B service relationships are affected by time in an active way, namely, time in the present is linked to customer expectations and their perceptions through two points: the experience (from past) of the SP and the SR and the service solution, previsualized (from future) before the service is implemented. Each interaction between the seller and the buyer progressively changes the mindset of both from the initial position of each (active consideration of time).
Research limitations/implications
The paper highlights the importance of an active treatment of time and cross-functional SP teams, since the individual salesperson may not possess the knowledge or resources to successfully deal with SR demands in complex B2B service relationships.
Practical implications
SPs should train, support, supervise and evaluate the whole team so that it interacts properly and performs appropriate and timely actions toward a successful outcome with their SRs.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to enhance the understanding of time-oriented sales and purchases in complex B2B service relationships based on advanced service solutions, all of which have rarely been addressed in either previous studies or in theory.
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Sukhvir Singh Panesar and Tore Markeset
The purpose of the paper is to discuss various contractual issues that could encourage industrial service innovations with special reference to improving operation and maintenance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to discuss various contractual issues that could encourage industrial service innovations with special reference to improving operation and maintenance process effectiveness of complex and advanced production facilities in the capital‐intensive industries.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was performed to study the influence of contractual relationships on industrial service innovations. The study focused on contractual relationships between service companies that sell operation and maintenance services to production facility operators in the Norwegian oil and gas industry.
Findings
The case study shows that service innovations are desired in most of the operation and maintenance contracts, but existing contractual relationships most often do not support innovations. Moreover, contract duration, contract type and control mechanisms can influence cooperation and collaboration during contract execution.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are based on a case study with participants from the Norwegian oil and gas industry. The study is limited to knowledge and technology based services required to support operation and maintenance of advanced, complex and integrated production facilities. However, we believe that the study is of value for other capital‐intensive industries such as mining, energy, paper and pulp, chemical, etc.
Originality/value
The development of contracts that support industrial service innovations and create an environment for cooperation and collaboration could be of value to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operation and maintenance processes in the capital‐intensive industries. Studies focusing on improving contractual relationships and service innovations for operation and maintenance services are scant.
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Pingyu Jiang, Xiangtong Yan and Yang Liu
The purpose of this research is to develop a kind of new service‐driven MEMS “top‐down” design method and implement the correspondent web‐based software prototype as verification.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to develop a kind of new service‐driven MEMS “top‐down” design method and implement the correspondent web‐based software prototype as verification.
Design/methodology/approach
Bond graphs are used as the output of conceptual design. Feature modeling technology is just a bridge to perform the feature mapping from the conceptual model to the structure and geometric model of micro‐components. To support design evaluations, a 3D whiteboard collaborative mechanism powered with networked VR service functions is put forward to visualize and operate small micro‐components in a macro world. In addition, service‐driven MEMS “top‐down” design flow is modeled as a formalized “AND/OR” graph with which the design service scheduling is finished with the priority‐in‐depth searching algorithm.
Findings
Traditional MEMS CAD systems were developed on the basis of “bottom‐up” design method mainly used in laboratory practice. Different from the above, this research presents a solution, which can outline a new service‐driven MEMS CAD model and decrease designers' dependency to manufacturing knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
It is still necessary to study further how to create a much more efficient feature modeling mechanism to enable design evaluation for micro manufacturing.
Practical implications
The new design method and the correspondent software prototyping would potentially help industry to promote the development of new MEMS CAD systems.
Originality/value
The value is to identify a kind of new MEMS CAD implementation mode, which is suitable for general design uses on network.
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Zhengyuan Wang, Swinder Janda and C.P. Rao
Attempts to highlight differences among market segments of dental care customers in terms of the various attributes that determine which dental practitioner they patronize. The…
Abstract
Attempts to highlight differences among market segments of dental care customers in terms of the various attributes that determine which dental practitioner they patronize. The market segments are defined based on usage rate. Data were collected from a nationwide sample of 460 consumers in the USA. Using a determinant attribute approach, eight attributes were first isolated from the total set of 18 dental service attributes considered. Finds these eight attributes to be determinant factors in consumer choice of a general dental practitioner. They included quality of service, professional competence, reputation, personality and attitude of dentist, attitude of support personnel, waiting time before treatment, availability of emergency services, and fee charged for services. Multiple discriminant analysis was then performed to find out which determinant attributes are relevant for each of the three usage segments. Indicates that the three market segments differ in terms of the determinant attributes considered while patronizing a general dental practitioner. These findings have significant managerial implications for dental practitioners.
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– This study aims to explore how business-to-business service failures manifest in a manufacturing context.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how business-to-business service failures manifest in a manufacturing context.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical research involved two case studies: case study one included 20 interviews in the metal finishing industry; case study two included 20 interviews in the paint and coatings industry. In both case studies, suppliers and customers’ perceptions were obtained to facilitate a dyadic understanding of the phenomena.
Findings
Business-to-business service failure is a complex, dynamic and interactive process. It varies according to type of service, services supporting the products and services supporting the customers, service quality dimensions and the source of the failure. It can have a more profound impact than service failure in a consumer context because it may cause disruption to customers’ production and have a negative influence of failure on their clients in the network.
Research limitations/implications
Business customers may play a role in value co-destruction rather than value co-creation by causing service failures due to errors on their part. The consequences of the domino effects revealed in this study need to be given careful consideration by managers. The research is exploratory, and the findings may be influenced by the manufacturing sector in which the case study firms are based.
Originality/value
Business-to-business service failure has its own distinct characteristics, as it may impact widely in the business-to-business network. Domino effects implicitly dominate business-to-business service failure episodes where negative outcomes cascade downstream and affect service recipients’ customers.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the transitional status of new public management (NPM) into new public governance (NPG) in a developing country context. Some authors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the transitional status of new public management (NPM) into new public governance (NPG) in a developing country context. Some authors, based on their research in developed countries, have claimed that NPM is dead. However, such claims have apparently ignored the transformational status of NPM in developing countries. This paper addresses that gap.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative method was used in this research. Public officials, elected representatives and local users who were responsible for public service management at local levels in Bangladesh were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires tailored to each group. The interview texts were then organised and analysed using NVivo software.
Findings
This research reveals that four public management elements comprising decentralisation, market-based services, efficiency and accountability, which are prerequisites for creating an appropriate environment for NPG, have not been established successfully in Bangladesh. This finding suggests that NPG may not be achieved without effective implementation of these elements through NPM practices. The study concludes that NPM needs to be practiced for more time in Bangladesh for the effective transformation of public management into public governance.
Research limitations/implications
Findings from this research will help public policy makers and researchers to identify barriers to and design the pathway for a smooth shift from NPM to NPG.
Practical implications
The findings of this research would help the Government of Bangladesh and international aid agencies to better understand the status of NPM and NPG in regional Bangladesh.
Social implications
The research findings may help identify barriers to enhancing participatory activities in a developing society.
Originality/value
Though NPM is an obsolete theory for developed countries, it needs to be implemented successfully in developing countries prior to the implementation of NPG.
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Mushtaq Ahmad Darzi, Sheikh Basharul Islam, Syed Owais Khursheed and Suhail Ahmad Bhat
The purpose of this study is to summarize the available pool of literature on service quality to identify different dimensions of service quality in the healthcare industry and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to summarize the available pool of literature on service quality to identify different dimensions of service quality in the healthcare industry and understand how it is measured. The study attempts to explore the research gaps in the literature about different service quality dimensions and patient satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review process was followed to achieve the objectives of the study. Various inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select relevant research articles from 2000–2020 for the study, and a total of 100 research articles were selected.
Findings
The study identified 41 different dimensions of healthcare service quality measurement and classified these dimensions into four categories, namely servicescape, personnel, hospital administration and patients. It can be concluded that SERVQUAL is the most widely used service quality measurement tool.
Originality/value
The study identified that a majority of the researchers deduced a positive relationship between SERVQUAL dimensions and the quality of healthcare services. The findings of study will assist hospital executives in formulating effective strategies to ensure that patients receive superior quality healthcare services.
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The purpose of this paper is to review the service quality (SQ) literature in order to understand issues involved in its conceptualization and operationalization.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the service quality (SQ) literature in order to understand issues involved in its conceptualization and operationalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses systematic literature review method. The unit of analysis is peer-reviewed journal articles published during 1984 to 2017.
Findings
Findings suggest manufacturing, banking, information technology, higher education, healthcare are the top sectors contributing to the SQ literature. More than 60 models of the SQ have been identified. Service-driven capabilities may be structured along adaptation with strategic drivers and imperatives, learning and alignment, and problem structuring. In doing so the SQ literature is evolving across overlapping phases of conceptualization, expansion, re-conceptualization and integration.
Research limitations/implications
The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by presenting a unified synthesis of more than 814 articles published in the last three decades.
Practical implications
Insights from the paper will help practitioners in understanding customers’ expectations and accordingly configuring effective service delivery systems, setting standards and communicating value to end-customers. This in turn helps them in developing service-based competencies and achievement of competitive advantage.
Social implications
Insights from the paper may help in conceptualizing and delivering SQ-driven public services.
Originality/value
The paper synthesizes and presents various facets of the SQ as a unified body of knowledge.
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