bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Four facets of learning in performance measurement
Authors: Martin Jason , Elg Mattias , Wallo Andreas , Kock Henrik 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the role of learning in performance measurement.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a theoretical framework combining workplace learning theory with purposes of performance measurement. The authors elaborate this framework empirically by identifying critical incidents from a case set within a context containing a broad range of different performance measurement activities. Finally, the authors discuss the results and the possible implications for using the theoretical framework in order to better understand facets of learning regarding the design of performance measurement.FindingsWorkplace learning theory provides a deeper understanding of how the mechanisms of performance measurements support control or improvement purposes. The authors propose a tentative framework for learning as a driver for performance measurement and four facets of learning are identified: reproductive, rule-oriented, goal-oriented and creative learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical material is limited to the healthcare context and further studies are needed in order to validate the findings in other settings.Practical implicationsThe authors argue that all managers must consider what kind of learning environment and what kind of learning outcomes best serve the interests of their organisation. Purposeful and carefully designed organisational arrangements and learning environments are more likely to induce intended learning outcomes.Originality/valuePrevious connections between the fields of “performance measurement” and “workplace learning” often lack any deeper conceptualisations or problematisations of the concept of learning. In this paper, the authors provide a more nuanced discussion about the process of learning in performance measurement, which may provide a basis for further research and scholarly attention.
Productivity paradox? The impact of office redesign on employee productivity
Authors: Yunus Erlinda N. , Ernawati Erni 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the relationship between office redesign and employee productivity; and second to highlight the impact of privacy on work productivity across different generations.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines open-office policy more comprehensively by integrating socio-behavioral and physical aspects of the office, and by using a mixed-method approach that incorporates most significant change, factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. Using a census method, the respondents were all consultants and trainers in an educational institution who were experiencing office design changes from a combi, cellular-like office to a more open, non-territorial office.FindingsThree variables emerged as impacts of office redesign perceived by respondents: friendship, collaboration and privacy. Collaboration and privacy exert a positive influence on work productivity, while friendship does not. The relationship between privacy and work productivity is stronger for the Generation Y than for senior employees, namely, the Baby Boomers and Generation X.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examines the impacts of office redesign in one organization. Future studies should advance the findings by empirically testing the theoretical model in broader contexts. Future studies could also enrich the literature by bringing cultural aspects into the discussion and comparing Asian-based and European or Western-based findings.Practical implicationsFor Gen Y employees who prefer freedom, mobility and flexibility to personalization in their workplace, the open office could be a better solution for organizations that aim for both work productivity and efficiency.Originality/valueThis study provides an empirical value by using a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research. This study further contrasts the different perspectives of an office redesign between younger and older generations.
Integrated management systems diffusion models in South European countries
Authors: Cabecinhas Mónica , Domingues Pedro , Sampaio Paulo , Bernardo Merce , Franceschini Fiorenzo , Galetto Maurizio , Gianni Maria , Gotzamani Katerina , Mastrogiacomo Luca , Hernandez-Vivanco Alfonso 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to dissect the diffusion of the number of organizations that implemented multiple management systems (MSs), considering the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards (quality, environment and safety) in the South European countries: Italy, Portugal and Spain. In addition, based on the data collected, forecasting models were developed to assess at which extent the multiple certifications are expected to occur in each studied country.Design/methodology/approachData concerning the evolution of the amount of multiple MSs in Italy, Portugal and Spain were collected for the period between 1999 and 2015. The behavior of the evolution of the number of MSs over the years was studied adopting both the Gompertz and the Logistic models. The results obtained with these two models were compared and analyzed to provide a forecast for the next years.FindingsThe diffusion throughout the years of the number of MSs presents an S-shaped behavior. The evolution of the amount of MSs in countries with a lower saturation level are properly fitted by the Gompertz model whereas the Logistic model fits more accurately when considering countries with a larger saturation level.Research limitations/implicationsThe data related to the early years are not available in some of the countries. To overcome this shortcoming missing data were extrapolated from the data set provided by the annual ISO survey. Additionally, the integration level attained by each company was not assessed and, on this regard and in the scope of this paper, an integrated management system is understood as implemented when organizations have multiple MSs implemented.Practical implicationsThe results provide a cross-sectional portrayal of the diffusion of MSs certifications in the South European countries and enable a forecast for the trend in the next years.Originality/valueThis study aims for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to analyze the diffusion of multiple MSs throughout the years.
Consumer safety complaints and organizational learning: evidence from the automotive industry
Authors: Sarkar Sourish , Rajagopalan Balaji 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the value of information in consumer safety complaints for organizational learning.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical analysis of this study uses a novel secondary data set, which is formed by combining complaints data filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for potential safety defects, and design change information from 2003 to 2011 model-year vehicles in the USA.FindingsFirst, the paper demonstrates the value of information embedded in complaints. Second, in the case of radical product redesigns, owing to the lack of direct applicability of consumer feedback based learning, the impact of learning on product safety is found to be muted, third, the results suggest that the safety complaint rates vary by vehicle classes/categories and, fourth, the findings differ from prior research conclusions on vehicle quality. Prior research finds the debuting car models have the lowest repair rates among all car models produced in a given year, but the current study finds the debuting models to have the highest rates of safety complaints.Originality/valueQuality management literature rarely examines the safety complaints data (which, unlike other consumer feedbacks, focuses exclusively on the safety hazards due to flaws that result in accidents). This paper fills the gap in literature by linking safety complaints with future product quality and organizational learning.
Developing a structured framework for measuring police efficiency
Authors: Asif Muhammad , Shahzad Muhammad , Awan Muhammad Usman , Akdogan Huseyin 
Published: October 2018

Purpose
The growing emphasis on “managerialism” in police and the pressure to employ scientific methods of performance measurement warrants the need for a structured framework. The scope of police duties is large as it relates to several preventive and corrective action related to public safety and crime management. A challenge in measuring police performance is to take into consideration a range of variables that can potentially influence performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured framework for measuring different facets of police efficiency, which is especially useful in managerial decision making.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses data envelopment analysis and discusses efficiency measurement in terms of the technical, managerial and scale efficiency, resources utilization patterns, returns-to-scale analysis and measurement of super-efficiency. The application of framework is based on the data of the police stations of Lahore, a large metropolitan city in Pakistan.

Findings
The paper shows the application of different measures of efficiency in making decisions pertaining resources allocation, prioritizing areas for improvement and identifying benchmarks for performance improvement. Different measures of efficiency are presented in the form of a structured framework.

Practical implications
Managers can use this framework to glean rich insights into different types of efficiency and sources of inefficiency. Further, a discussion of variables provided in this paper can be especially useful in determining trade-offs during the selection of inputs and outputs.

Originality/value
The key contribution of this paper is in providing a multifaceted efficiency measurement framework, that is capable of providing rich insights into the sources of inefficiency and helps scientific decision making. To the best of our knowledge, such a multifaceted approach has not been provided in previous publications.
An empirical investigation of implementing Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Sunder M. Vijaya , Mahalingam Sanjay 
Published: October 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the applicability and implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). LSS is considered as the most recent service quality practice which has proved its success in manufacturing and service sectors. Though there is plenty of literature available with regard to the application and benefits of LSS in services sectors (like Banking, healthcare, information technology sectors, etc.), there is apparently no evidence in the literature about the implementation of LSS in HEIs.

Design/methodology/approach
A five-phased approach is followed. A multiple case-study method is used in this paper to explore this implementation of LSS in two select international University colleges. LSS toolkit comprising of define-measure-analyze-improve-control phases is used for the execution of the projects. Featuring student teams in LSS project management adds novelty to the approach.

Findings
The paper empirically validates the application of LSS in HEIs. Further, it highlights the practical challenges and benefits of LSS in the HEI setup. An in-depth empirical analysis of LSS toolkit application, LSS change management and using student teams in LSS project management are the highlights of this paper. The paper concludes that LSS is applicable and could provide positive benefits to HEIs.

Research limitations/implications
LSS application in HEIs is perhaps a new research area, which is at its nascence and upcoming in the researchers’ community. Hence, this paper would serve as a platform and provide directions for future scholars to ponder on the subject.

Practical implications
Since the cases are executed in the real-time setup of HEIs, the paper has several practical implications. First, the academia and practitioners’ collaboration in executing projects adds novelty. Second, the involvement of student teams from project selection to execution brings in practical perspectives alongside the academic education. Several other key lessons learned and benefits of LSS in HEI setup are presented as part of the paper.

Originality/value
LSS has been successful in the past few decades in the manufacturing and service sectors. However, its application in HEIs was very nascent, and few researchers even doubted its relevancy of application in HEIs. This study illustrates its importance and application to the higher education sector which is a highly responsible area of the service sector, for imbibing quality excellence, serving as an excellent resource for researchers and higher education professionals.
Factor analysis-validated comprehensive employee job performance scale
Authors: Na-Nan Khahan , Chaiprasit Kanokporn , Pukkeeree Peerapong 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an employee job performance (EJP) scale questionnaire that encompasses the job time, job quality and job quantity dimensions of employee performance.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the questionnaire questions were first validated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and then confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) along the three performance dimensions. The research samples were auto-parts assembly line workers. The factor analysis results confirmed the validity of the questionnaire as a reliable employee performance evaluation tool, as evidenced by the composite reliability (CR) and the average variance extracted (AVE).FindingsThe questionnaire questions identified three factors of EJP, namely, job time, job quality and job quantity, with 13 items. The factor analysis results confirmed the validity of the questionnaire as a reliable employee performance evaluation tool, as evidenced by a CR of 0.894 and AVE of 0.739, in addition toχ2=63.340, df=54,p=0.180, goodness of fit index=0.976, adjusted goodness of fit index=0.960, RMSEA=0.021 and root mean square residue=0.014.Research limitations/implicationsThe EJP scale questionnaire was examined using only EFA and CFA. These scales are expected to help academics, researchers and practitioners test theories. Because of the features of the sample, the final results should be considered carefully.Practical implicationsImportantly, the factor analysis results suggest that the proposed EJP scale questionnaire can be applied to various industries and settings either as is or with minimal modifications.Originality/valueThe EJP questionnaire is novel and can serve as an excellent EJP tool to measure employees’ behavioral output. The questionnaire can provide empirical data on employee performance output based on the employee’s perspective.
A six sigma based approach to evaluate the on time performance of Indian railways
Authors: Vaidya Omkarprasad S. 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose an approach to evaluate “on time” performance for a class of Indian railways (IR). This approach is build-up on the theme of six sigma level computation for continues data. The arrival data obtained from a class of IR called “Rajdhani Express” exhibited a unique characteristic: neither did the data followed a distribution nor could it be transformed to fit into a distribution. In this work, the authors present an approach to evaluate on time performance of IR, given such “unruly” data.Design/methodology/approachAn attempt is made to develop a lucid approach, given an unruly data. Initially, the authors plot a histogram using Scott’s method. Later, the authors use Taguchi’s quality loss function to assign weights to each of the bins in histogram. Weights to each of the bins are assigned based on the predefined rules. Finally, sigma level is computed by using weighted defect per million opportunities (DPMO) approach. In this paper, the authors discuss the proposed algorithm, an illustrative example with an emphasis on a class of IR.FindingsGiven the unique characteristic (unruly data) of arrival data of IR, the proposed methodology helps in quantifying it is on time performance. This method extends the conventional DPMO approach of computing the sigma level. The proposed method is validated using various data sets of different distributions. Further, this approach can be generalized and applied to data set of any distribution. Since distribution of the data is not the pre-requisite, the proposed approach can be applied to compare (and benchmark) data sets of different distributions. This methodology, thus, paves path to develop newer approaches in quantifying and benchmarking the sigma levels.Research limitations/implicationsIn this manuscript, the authors present a case of Rajdhani Express trains, a class of IR. A practicing manager can use this approach to compare the performance of various classes of railways and benchmark their performance. Such an approach, with suitable modifications (if any) can be applied to evaluate performance in various service industries.Originality/valueUsually, if the data are unruly, the sigma level is computed by usingad-hocmethods that may provide compromising solutions and/or inaccurate results. The developed methodology proposes a unique approach to quantify sigma level, given such an unruly nature of the data. This approach thus fills the long needed gap in addressing such situations. This approach can be applied in various similar situations. A case of IR is presented.
Improvement of the reliability of a dependent system under copula
Authors: Temraz Neama 
Published: October 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze a parallel system consisting of n dependent components with lifetimes following Weibull distribution. FGM Copula in multivariate case is used to generate the reliability function of the original system. A reduction method is introduced to improve system reliability. Other methods of hot, cold and warm duplication are established to improve system reliability. An application is introduced to show the results and compare between different improvement methods.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a study of a parallel system consisting of n dependent and non-identical components is introduced. Reliability function of the original system is derived by using the concepts of copula, subject to Weibull distribution. Reliability function of the original system is improved according to reduction, hot duplication, warm and cold duplication methods. Reliability equivalence factors are introduced to compare between different system designs. Numerical illustration and real-time data application are discussed to show the results obtained in this paper.

Findings
Copulas can be used to model the reliability of systems with dependent units.

Originality/value
This paper is original. Improvement of the reliability of dependent systems is not discussed in literature. Copula is a useful tool to analyze the reliability of dependent systems. The introduced model is considered as a generalization of the models discussed in literature.
Impacts of ISO 9000 on Greek SMEs business performance
Authors: Kakouris Andreas P. , Sfakianaki Eleni 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the association between ISO 9000 certification and business performance for small-to-medium enterprises in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a qualitative approach based on case studies to investigate in depth how companies perceive ISO 9001. More specifically, four enterprises were examined, and a total of 26 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with top and middle managers from the companies. Questions were validated by experts and through pilot interviews. In total, 45 documents of a broad range related to the quality management system were examined. Personal observation and non-structured consultation with personnel were also used to evaluate the possible impacts and livelihood outcomes.FindingsResearch findings showed that the certified companies in the F&B industry gain a number of both internal and external benefits, including: quality awareness, increased productivity, increased personnel participation and efficiency, improved image and penetration into new markets. Regarding the financial benefits of certification, the findings are not as convincing, as one company reported no financial benefits, and the rest reported that financial benefits are indirect and intangible. Conclusively, it can be said that SMEs that wish to pursue certification should certainly expect benefits.Practical implicationsAlthough many studies have concentrated on analyzing the impact of the implementation of ISO 9001 certification, there is still a clear need for research in specific sectors. Practicing managers and researchers will be able to examine findings in order to evaluate benefits and weaknesses from certification, thereby identifying and acting before and after certification.Originality/valueAlthough the F&B industry has shown a great preference for the ISO 9000 standard and has adopted it extensively, scant empirical evidence has been recorded on the subject. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the benefits for implementing the ISO 9001 certification and to the analysis of its application to the ever-important F&B industry in Greece, a country whose economy is particularly supported by SMEs and has been severely hit by the economic crisis. Researchers will therefore further their knowledge, understand benefits but also acknowledge weaknesses.
The effects of audit quality on the costs of capital of firms in Ghana
Authors: Coffie William , Bedi Ibrahim , Amidu Mohammed 
Published: October 2018

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effects of audit quality on the cost of capital in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachNon-financial firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) as well as non-listed firms from the database of Ghana Club 100 were included in the sample. Series are yearly, covering a sample of 40 firms during the six-year period, 2008-2013. The study employed the positivist research paradigm to establish the relationship between audit quality and the cost of capital.FindingsThere is evidence to suggest that the cost of debt and the overall cost of capital of firms in Ghana can be explained by the quality of the external auditors. The results also show that the large size of the board is associated with low cost of debt.Research limitations/implicationsThe fact that the choice of quality measure is based on firm size only and other measurements of audit quality could not be measured. Future research may examine how other approaches to measuring audit quality affect cost of capital.Practical implicationsThe results significant for those charged with assurance and regulation, as well as lenders and managers of companies.Originality/valueThe authors investigate how external auditing quality affects the cost of capital of firms operating in Ghana.