Search results

In this chapter, drone and vision camera technology have been combined for monitoring the crop product quality. Three vegetable crops such as tomato, cauliflower, and eggplant are considered for quality monitoring; hence, image datasets are collected for those vegetables only. The proposed method classified the vegetables into two classes as rotten and nonrotten products so the images were collected for rotten and nonrotten products. Three different features information such as chromatic features, contour features, and texture features have been extracted from the dataset and further used to train a Gaussian kernel support vector machine algorithm for identifying the product quality. The system utilized multiple features such as chromatic, contour, and texture features in classifier training which enhances the accuracy and robustness of the system. Chromatic features were utilized for detecting the crop while other features such as contour and texture features were utilized for further classifier building to identify the crop product quality. The performance of the system is evaluated based on the true positive rate, false discovery rate, positive predictive value, and accuracy. The proposed system identified good and bad products with a 97.9% of true positive rate, 2.43 % of false discovery rate, 97.73% positive predictive value, and 95.4% of accuracy. The achieved results concluded that the results are lucrative and the proposed system is efficient in agriculture product quality monitoring.

Reports on Great Plains Software′s successful marketing of an accounting software programme. Attributes the company′s successful creation of a niche market to its ability to provide excellent customer service and quality products. Illuminates the software company′s attention to employee training and recognition, and to maintaining partner relationships with agents.

The purpose of this paper is to address some knowledge gaps in the family entrepreneurship literature, examining the cases of seven Western Australian family firms with various degrees of export involvement, including no involvement. In this process, the study incorporates the resource-based view of the firm (RBVF).

Face-to-face and telephone interviews conducted with firm co-owners and one manager of seven family firms. Content analysis and word association were employed to analyse the data gathered.

The interviews revealed the significance of various key resources regardless of firms’ extent of export involvement. Indeed, alignments with the RBVF emerged, with firms’ strategies resting on valuable, rare, perfectly immobile and non-substitutable resource attributes. More lucrative consumer markets, diversifying, product recognition and minimising the impact of domestic competitors were main reasons to export. In contrast, rising costs, unfavourable currency exchanges or mediocre previous experiences were motives for discontinuing exports. Nonetheless, building on their resource foundation, non-exporting firms’ strategies focussed on strengthening their involvement in the domestic market, perceived as a valued alternative.

The academic literature identifies various knowledge gaps concerning family firm entrepreneurship, including research focussing on family firms’ internationalisation process. By addressing this under-researched area, the study provides an element of originality and value. In addition, despite Western Australia’s proximity to neighbouring markets, limited contemporary research on family firms has been conducted in this state; hence, the study provides an original component. Finally, the study seeks to refine the RBVF in the context of family firm research.

Examines the applicability of EC rules on the free movement of goods to foodstuffs containing additives. Shows that the European Court of Justice has established an approach to disputes concerning additives which balances the interests of producers and consumers while giving manufacturers and traders a fair hearing.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the elements of user manual quality and its influences on perceived product quality and customer satisfaction in an integrated model structure.

Survey method was used to evaluate user manual quality and its influences on perceived product quality and customer satisfaction. Electrical appliances consumers were chosen in our sample. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were performed to introduce, test and validate the user manual quality dimensions and also test the hypotheses.

The findings show a positive significant relation between user manual quality and perceived product quality, and this result demonstrates that consumers perceive user manual quality as a part of their quality evaluation related to the product. The results point out that user manual quality is essential for both low- and high-value products regarding customer satisfaction. The findings also reveal that perceived product quality mediates the influence of user manual quality on customer satisfaction.

This study reveals that providing a high-quality user manual should be an essential element of product management and development strategies. The findings also highlight the need for companies that particularly sell complex products with long product life cycles must invest in providing high-quality user manuals. This will enhance perceived product quality and in turn customer satisfaction.

Although some prior studies address user manuals in the relevant literature, these studies did not examine the elements of user manual quality and their impact on consumers’ perceptions of the product quality and their satisfaction evaluations in a research model. This paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature. In addition, the authors found two major dimensions of user manual quality as content-related elements and representational/format-related elements of the user manual.

Examines the concept of numerical flexibility as a new form of work in ISO 9000 registered organisations in the Irish manufacturing sector and its implications on training for quality. Also examines the reasons, if any, for the adoption of numerical flexibility as a new form of work within the Irish manufacturing sector. Although ISO 9000 registered organisations are expected to provide training to all employees, questions whether part‐time, temporary and contract staff enjoy the same amount of training as their full‐time colleagues. Commences with a review of the literature on employment flexibility, quality philosophies and standards, training in a quality context and training “atypical” employees. Following from the literature review, presents the research questions and provides a methodology to elicit the required information. Describes the primary research results and outlines the conclusions.

Introduces the concept of comprehensive brand presentation (CBP), a formalized approach to align manufacturing and communications functions in the business firm. The linchpins of CBP are total quality management (TQM) principles and integrated marketing communications. The CBP enhances success through synergistic execution of the manufacturing and marketing processes via increased focus on measuring customer response to both manufactured product and promotional efforts supporting that product. CBP defines the TQM principle of “out of control” as the variance between actual brand image and customer specifications as rated by the target customers. CBP’s operational objective is to minimize that variance and, thereby, maximize the expected probability of product acceptance and subsequent target market brand loyalty.

Describes a variety of coding, reading, processing and optical techniques available for non‐standard identification problems associated with the marking and reading of products. Techniques covered are vision processing systems to enhance the application of barcodes, optical character reading, and the use of dotcodes. Outlines the advantages of dotcodes and concludes that the combination of a tv‐camera, balanced illumination and an intelligent vision processor allows creative solutions for identification, product recognition, quality control, measuring and positioning.

Although brand alliance has become quite ubiquitous in the marketplace and attracted considerable interest amongst researchers, little research has investigated its effects on the brand equity of partners. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate why and how brand alliance affects the brand equity of the partners in an alliance.

The hypotheses were tested by analysing the data of 260 participants in China, which were collected from an experiment.

This research draws five conclusions: the brand equity of a pre-alliance partner has a positive effect on brand alliance evaluation; product fit and brand fit amongst partners also have a positive effect on brand alliance evaluation; alliance brand evaluation has a positive impact on the brand equity of a post-alliance brand; the brand equity of a pre-alliance partner exerts a positive effect on the brand equity of a post-alliance partner; and the spillover effect of brand alliance for a weak brand is stronger than that of a strong brand in an asymmetrical brand alliance.

This research introduces brand equity into the field of brand alliance. From the perspective of consumer perception, the authors measure brand equity and provide insights for a company to effectively enhance brand equity through brand alliance. The authors explore ways to increase the brand equity of partners through brand alliance. Additionally, the authors discuss the spillover effects of the brand equity of partners in symmetric and asymmetric brand alliances.

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the perceived resources, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats from the perspective of micro and small brewery owners, managers and brewing masters operating in three countries. To this end, the study adopts the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, complemented by a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis.

The research provides a mixed-methods approach. Data were collected from craft breweries in Italy, Spain and the UK. In all, 165 valid responses were obtained from an online questionnaire, and an additional 24 face-to-face and telephone interviews with craft brewing operators in these three countries were conducted to further enrich the data. Independent samples t-test and Scheffé post hoc were used to analyse part of the quantitative data, while content analysis and word association were used for the qualitative component.

Product quality and uniqueness of product emerged as important perceived resources and strengths, suggesting an alignment with some of the resource-related attributes postulated by the RBV, such as valuable, rare and (un)substitutable. Other elements, such as natural and sustainable resources, including water quality and the current and future involvement in growing or sourcing raw products locally emerged as key resources, and are suggested as additional attributes. These strategic and tangible resources are however challenged by perceived weaknesses, particularly lack of financial, infrastructure and commercialisation resources, as well as threats from competition.

The exploratory study focuses on craft brewing from the perspective of micro/small operators. This industry has received very limited attention from the literature. The use of the RBV, with the potential to increase understanding of an emerging industry, and develop the theory further in this domain, adds to the originality and value of this research.