bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Riding the tiger of world university rankings in East Asia: where are we heading?
Authors: Hallinger Philip 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– The region's universities are “riding a tiger” of university rankings in East Asian higher education, in a race to gain in the list of the world's top 100 universities. While this race impacts universities throughout the world, it takes on particular importance in East Asia due to the stage of university development and the needs of regional societies. The purposes of this paper are to: To examine the emergent global emphasis on world university ranking as a driver of change in higher education, To discuss how the world university rankings are impacting East Asian universities, To assess consequences for higher education in the region, To explore options for leading universities in a more meaningful direction in East Asia.Design/methodology/approach– This paper examines research and commentary on the impact of world university rankings on universities in East Asia.Findings– This paper proposes that the world university rankings have, over a relatively short period of time, had unanticipated but potentially insidious effects on higher education in East Asia. This paper proposes that the “tiger” is carrying most East Asian universities towards goals that may not reflect the aspirations of their societies, or the people that work and study in them. Yet, climbing off the “tiger” often feels just as risky as hanging on to its back. Instead of seeking to lay blame at any one party, the paper suggests that the problem is systemic in nature. Multiple parts of the system need to change in order to achieve effects in the distal parts (e.g. faculty, students, and society). Only leadership can bring about this type of change. The scholarly community must gain some degree of input and monitoring over the rules of the rankings game. Only by joining hands can university leaders in the region change the “Ranking Game” to reflect the reality and needs of university development and social contribution in East Asia. Only by cooperation can the region's university leaders create reciprocal pressure on other parts of the system. In response to systemic problems, “I” may be powerless, but “we” are not.Originality/value– The originality and value of this paper lie in its aim to elevate underlying dissatisfaction with the rankings into a broader and more explicit debate over the direction in which East Asian universities are riding on the back of the tiger.
Enhancing engineering education using project-based learning for Lean and Six Sigma
Authors: Kanigolla Dinesh , A. Cudney Elizabeth , M. Corns Steven , Samaranayake V.A. 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– The aim of this research is to determine the importance and impact of project-based learning (PBL) on students' knowledge in Lean and Six Sigma courses where practical application of theoretical knowledge is necessary.Design/methodology/approach– Students teams were given hands-on collaborative projects conducted with local companies. After the completion of the project, a student evaluation survey was conducted and the responses were analysed in two different phases. The first phase consisted of collecting responses from the Lean and Six Sigma courses; observing the impact of the semester project on students' knowledge based on the response percentages. The second phase analyses the responses from both the Lean and Six Sigma courses, by performing a Fisher's exact test to examine how similar the students received knowledge from the use of the semester project.Findings– Results showed that the inclusion of the semester project in the courses had a positive impact on the students' knowledge in learning course concepts and the students were able to apply theoretical knowledge in solving real-world problems. It is also observed that the response patterns are different in most of the aspects between both the courses.Research limitations/implications– This research evaluates student learning with statistical tests and is limited only for classroom teaching techniques. Further, this research states that application-oriented courses should be accompanied by projects as it helps in better understanding the course deliverables for the students.Originality/value– Research evaluating the impact of PBL on students' knowledge in Lean and Six Sigma courses does not currently exist. Statistical analysis of survey responses from both the Lean and Six Sigma courses was performed using aχ2 test of independence to examine how similar the students received knowledge from the use of the semester project.
A Six Sigma and DMAIC application for the reduction of defects in a rubber gloves manufacturing process
Authors: Jirasukprasert Ploytip , Arturo Garza-Reyes Jose , Kumar Vikas , K. Lim Ming 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– In this era of globalisation, as competition intensifies, providing quality products and services has become a competitive advantage and a need to ensure survival. The Six Sigma's problem-solving methodology DMAIC has been one of the several techniques used by organisations to improve the quality of their products and services. This paper aims to demonstrate the empirical application of Six Sigma and DMAIC to reduce product defects within a rubber gloves manufacturing organisation.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper follows the DMAIC methodology to systematically investigate the root cause of defects and provide a solution to reduce/eliminate them. In particular, the design of experiments, hypothesis testing and two-way analysis of variance techniques were combined to statistically determine whether two key process variables, oven's temperature and conveyor's speed, had an impact on the number of defects produced, as well as to define their optimum values needed to reduce/eliminate the defects.

Findings
– The analysis from employing Six Sigma and DMAIC indicated that the oven's temperature and conveyor's speed influenced the amount of defective gloves produced. After optimising these two process variables, a reduction of about 50 per cent in the “leaking” gloves defect was achieved, which helped the organisation studied to reduce its defects per million opportunities from 195,095 to 83,750 and thus improve its sigma level from 2.4 to 2.9.

Practical implications
– This paper can be used as a guiding reference for managers and engineers to undertake specific process improvement projects, in their organisations, similar to the one presented in this paper.

Originality/value
– This study presents an industrial case which demonstrates how the application of Six Sigma and DMAIC can help manufacturing organisations to achieve quality improvements in their processes and thus contribute to their search for process excellence.
Procuring complex performance: the transition process in public infrastructure
Authors: Hartmann Andreas , Roehrich Jens , Frederiksen Lars , Davies Andrew 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The paper analyses how public buyers transition from procuring single products and services to procuring complex performance (PCP). The aim is to examine the change in the interactions between buyer and supplier, the emergence of value co-creation and the capability development during the transition process.

Design/methodology/approach
– A multiple, longitudinal case study method is used to examine the transition towards PCP. The study deploys rich qualitative data sets by combining semi-structured interviews, focus group meetings and organisational reports and documents.

Findings
– The transition towards PCP can be best described as a learning process which cumulates the knowledge and experience in the client-supplier interaction accompanied by changing contractual and relational capabilities. In public infrastructure this process is not initially motivated by the benefits of value co-creation, but is politically driven.

Practical implications
– The study proposes three generic transition stages towards increased performance and infrastructural complexity moderated by contract duration. These stages may help managers of public agencies to identify the current procurement level and the contractual and relational challenges they need to master when facing higher levels of performance and infrastructural complexity.

Originality/value
– The study adds to the limited empirical and conceptual understanding on the nature of long-term public-private interactions in PCP. It contributes through a rare focus adopting a longitudinal perspective on these interactions in the transition towards PCP.
A decision methodology to support servitisation of manufacturing
Authors: Dimache Aurora , Roche Thomas 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to present a decision support methodology named TraPSS (transition along the PSS continuum) to aid manufacturing companies planning to increase servitisation of their products.

Design/methodology/approach
– An action research approach was applied to the construction, validation and implementation of the methodology.

Findings
– TraPSS is very useful in helping decision makers regarding the transition to a new PSS business model; it is unlikely that the methodology will be used by small companies.

Research limitations/implications
– Although the case study permitted an in-depth evaluation of the methodology, multiple case studies across industries would contribute to the robustness and generalisability of the methodology.

Practical implications
– TraPSS offers the possibility to improve a company's position in the market as well as revenues by adopting a new business model.

Originality/value
– The paper provides a new cross-disciplinary support methodology for identifying a company's position on the PSS continuum and decision-making regarding servitisation.
The role of management consultancy in implementing operations management in the public sector
Authors: Radnor Zoe , O'Mahoney Joe 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– This paper reflects on the growing trend of engaging management consultancies in implementing operations management innovations in the public sector. Whilst the differences between public and private sector operations have been documented, there is a dearth of material detailing the impact of public sector engagements on the consultancies themselves and the operations management products and services they develop. Drawing on qualitative data, the paper aims to identify both the impact of operations management in the public sector and the impact of this engagement on the consultancies that are involved.Design/methodology/approach– This paper draws on rich, qualitative data from six large management consultancies, amounting to over 48 interviews. An inductive methodology sought to identify both how consultancies have adapted their operations management products and services, and why.Findings– The paper finds that the different context of the public sector provides consultants with considerable challenges when implementing operations management projects. The research shows that public services are often hampered by different cultures, structures, and managerial knowledge and investment patterns. Such constraints have an impact on both the projects being implemented and the relationship between consultants and clients.Originality/value– There are few studies that consider the implementation of operations management in the public sector and fewer still which examine the impact of public sector engagement on the products that consultancies develop. This paper aims to develop understanding in both. At a more theoretical level, the paper contributes to considering operations management through knowledge management literature in seeking to understand how consumers of management knowledge influence its producers.
Fault accommodation in bilinear systems – a logic-dynamic approach
Authors: Zhirabok Alexey , Shumsky Alexey , Bobko Yevgeny 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to investigate the problem of fault accommodation in bilinear dynamic systems.

Design/methodology/approach
– Solution to this problem is related to constructing the control law which provides full decoupling with respect to the fault effects. The so-called logic-dynamic approach will be used to solve this problem. The main steps of this approach are: replacing the initial bilinear system by certain linear one, solving the problem under consideration for this linear system by well-known linear methods with some restrictions, taking into account the bilinear term to correct the obtained linear solution.

Findings
– Existing conditions of the fault accommodation problem in a form of rank equalities and inequalities are formulated. Calculating relations for the control law and the auxiliary systems are given.

Practical implications
– The suggested method allows determining such a control law that preserves the main performances of the system in the faulty case, while the minor performances may degrade.

Originality/value
– The main advantage of the logic-dynamic approach is a possibility to solve the problem of fault accommodation for nonlinear systems by linear methods without decreasing the main properties of the obtained solution.
Statistical comparison of final weight scores in quality function deployment (QFD) studies
Authors: Iqbal Zafar , P. Grigg Nigel , Govinderaju K. , Campbell-Allen Nicola 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– Quality function deployment (QFD) is a methodology to translate the “voice of the customer” into engineering/technical specifications (HOWs) to be followed in designing of products or services. For the method to be effective, QFD practitioners need to be able to accurately differentiate between the final weights (FWs) that have been assigned to HOWs in the house of quality matrix. The paper aims to introduce a statistical testing procedure to determine whether the FWs of HOWs are significantly different and investigate the robustness of different rating scales used in QFD practice in contributing to these differences.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using a range of published QFD examples, the paper uses a parametric bootstrap testing procedure to test the significance of the differences between the FWs by generating simulated random samples based on a theoretical probability model. The paper then determines the significance or otherwise of the differences between: the two most extreme FWs and all pairs of FWs. Finally, the paper checks the robustness of different attribute rating scales (linear vs non-linear) in the context of these testing procedures.

Findings
– The paper demonstrates that not all of the differences that exist between the FWs of HOW attributes are in fact significant. In the absence of such a procedure, there is no reliable analytical basis for QFD practitioners to determine whether FWs are significantly different, and they may wrongly prioritise one engineering attribute over another.

Originality/value
– This is the first article to test the significance of the differences between FWs of HOWs and to determine the robustness of different strength of scales used in relationship matrix.
Service quality evaluation of car rental industry in China
Authors: Zhang Min , Xie Yueyue , Huang Lili , He Zhen 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– Due to the rapid development of automotive industry, China has become the world first in car production and consumption. However, under the pressure of environment pollution, traffic congestion and parking restriction in big cities, the car rental service, as an alternative solution for private car, becomes a new trend. The market is disorganized now. This research aims to use SERVQUAL model to further examine which dimension has great contribution to service quality.

Design/methodology/approach
– A service quality evaluation scale for the car rental industry in China is designed based on PZB's SERVQUAL model. The reliability and exploratory factor analysis methods are adopted to measure the validity and reliability of the scale from the sampled data. At the same time, the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is discussed with the path analysis method.

Findings
– The results show that the contribution of empathy to the total service quality ranks the top. At the same time, empathy has a strong impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Practical implications
– It is very important to attract customers depending on personalized services or service providing mode, that is, the empathy.

Originality/value
– As a new mode in China, the car rental market is disorganized and has low service quality. The evaluation scale is designed including five dimensions. The analysis results provide guidance on how to improve their service quality to managers in car rental industry in China.
Optimization of multiple-quality characteristics in micro-WEDG process using Taguchi technique
Authors: Periyanan P.R. , Natarajan U. 
Published: January 2014

Purpose– Micro-EDM is an important process in the field of micro-machining. Especially, theμEDM is one of the technologies widely used for manufacture of micro-parts, micro-tools and micro-components, etc. The accuracy and repeatability of theμEDM process is still highly dependent on theμWEDG process. The electrode generation and regeneration is considered a key enabling technology for improving the performance of theμEDM process. Many engineers considered the Taguchi technique as engineering judgment during multiple response optimizations. This paper aims to focus on the use of micro-WEDG process to generate a micro-tool (electrode) with minimum surface roughness and higher metal removal rate (MRR).Design/methodology/approach– In this research work, the Taguchi quality loss function analysis is used to examine and explain the influences of three process parameters (feed rate, capacitance and voltage) on the output responses such as MRR and surface roughness. Further, the optimized machining parameters were determined considering the multiple response objective using Taguchi multi-response signal-to-noise ratio.Findings– Based on the experimental result, it was concluded that the Taguchi technique is suitable for the optimization of multi-response problem.Originality/value– This paper presents an alternative approach using Taguchi's quality loss function. In most of the modern technological situations, more than one response variable is pertinent to the success of an industrial process. In this research work, the influence of feed rate, capacitance and voltage on the MRR and surface roughness (multiple responses) is investigated.
E-commerce assurance models and trustworthiness issues: an empirical study
Authors: Mayayise Thembekile , Olusegun Osunmakinde Isaac 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– The internet provides a mechanism by which buyers and sellers meet in order to exchange goods and services online with the utmost convenience. However, there are many risks associated with the internet which, if left unattended, could continue deterring the adoption of e-commerce. These risks ultimately diminish online consumer trust in e-commerce. Web assurance models have been designed in an attempt to encourage online consumer trust through assurance. Unfortunately, many of these models have been inadequate in certain areas and this research aims to improve on them.

Design/methodology/approach
– It presents a comprehensive empirical survey on trustworthiness issues and e-commerce assurance models and proposes a new compliance-based e-commerce assurance model that integrates adaptive legislation, adaptive e-commerce-related standards and cooperative rating. The intelligent cooperative rating is based on the analytic hierarchy process and page-ranking techniques.

Findings
– Some findings of this research study influence the thinking that some of the untrustworthy sites are posing as trustworthy sites because they display web seals. The findings can be used as a reference guide to understand e-commerce assurance models, as well as the effectiveness of ensuring the trustworthiness of these models.

Practical implications
– The research presents deployment analysis on the use of the proposed compliance model through real life scenarios categorized as trustworthy and untrustworthy e-commerce web sites.

Originality/value
– This research is relevant to information management and computer security in e-commerce as a development of a newly proposed e-commerce assurance model for trustworthiness safety inspections and knowledge generation as a reference guide to understand e-commerce trustworthiness in general and e-commerce assurance models in particular detail.
Mobile device security considerations for small- and medium-sized enterprise business mobility
Authors: A. Harris Mark , P. Patten Karen 
Published: January 2014

Purpose
– This paper's purpose is to identify and accentuate the dilemma faced by small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who use mobile devices as part of their mobility business strategy. While large enterprises have the resources to implement emerging security recommendations for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, SMEs often lack the IT resources and capabilities needed. The SME mobile device business dilemma is to invest in more expensive maximum security technologies, invest in less expensive minimum security technologies with increased risk, or postpone the business mobility strategy in order to protect enterprise and customer data and information. This paper investigates mobile device security and the implications of security recommendations for SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach
– This conceptual paper reviews mobile device security research, identifies increased security risks, and recommends security practices for SMEs.

Findings
– This paper identifies emerging mobile device security risks and provides a set of minimum mobile device security recommendations practical for SMEs. However, SMEs would still have increased security risks versus large enterprises who can implement maximum mobile device security recommendations. SMEs are faced with a dilemma: embrace the mobility business strategy and adopt and invest in the necessary security technology, implement minimum precautions with increased risk, or give up their mobility business strategy.

Practical implications
– This paper develops a practical list of minimum mobile device security recommendations for SMEs. It also increases the awareness of potential security risks for SMEs from mobile devices.

Originality/value
– This paper expands previous research investigating SME adoption of computers, broadband internet-based services, and Wi-Fi by adding mobile devices. It describes the SME competitive advantages from adopting mobile devices for enterprise business mobility, while accentuating the increased business risks and implications for SMEs.