bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A proposal for integrating production control and quality control
Authors: Cesar Faria Fernandes Flavio , Godinho Filho Moacir , Bonney Maurice 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a practical proposal for integrating production control (PC) and quality control (QC) at the shop floor level.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method is based on three principles which relate PC and QC at the shop floor level. The proposal is applied successfully at the world's largest pencil factory.FindingsThe results show that the proposed method contributes to improve four performance indicators related to PC and QC at the company studied: increase the average throughput in about 28.9 per cent; reduce the average value of work in process (WIP) in about 35.6 per cent, reduce the average lead time by about 45.4 per cent, and reduce the average defect rate by about 71.4 per cent.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposal (mainly because of principle III) is developed to be applied in repetitive production (RP) systems, i.e. environments characterized by low production volume and low product variety.Practical implicationsSome practical implications for industrial managers arises from this study: managers must consider the importance of integrated PC and QC functions in order to get better results concerning performance indicators such as throughput, WIP, lead time, and rejection rate; the materials flow simplification is a prerequisite for a lot of improvement initiatives at the shop floor level; the adequate choice of the production control system (PCS) is vital in order to get positive results regarding the performance indicators related to PC; the determination of the production pace (or rate) for a RP system must take account capacity restrictions and the influence of defect rate on production rate.Originality/valueThe paper is original in that it shows that the performance of the shop floor level can be improved by means of integrating PC and QC, by discussing and implementing a method which simplifies the material flow in the shop floor level, chooses the most adequate PCS and shows how the production rate influence on the rejection rate. Therefore, the paper is important for those which practice industrial management, more specifically on PC and QC functions.
Text classification: neural networks vs support vector machines
Authors: Zaghloul Waleed , Lee Sang M. , Trimi Silvana 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of neural networks (NNs) and support vector machines (SVMs) as text classifiers. SVMs are considered one of the best classifiers. NNs could be adopted as text classifiers if their performance is comparable to that of SVMs.Design/methodology/approachSeveral NNs are trained to classify the same set of text documents with SVMs and their effectiveness is measured. The performance of the two tools is then statistically compared.FindingsFor text classification (TC), the performance of NNs is statistically comparable to that of the SVMs even when a significantly reduced document size is used.Practical implicationsThis research finds not only that NNs are very viable TC tools with comparable performance to SVMs, but also that it does so using a much reduced size of document. The successful use of NNs in classifying reduced text documents would be its great advantage as a classification tool, compared to others, as it can bring great savings in terms of computation time and costs.Originality/valueThis paper is of value by showing statistically that NNs could be adopted as text classifiers with effectiveness comparable to SVMs, one of the best text classifiers currently used. This research is the first step towards utilizing NNs in text mining and its sub‐areas.
Collaborative customized product development framework
Authors: Shamsuzzoha Ahm , Kyllönen Sami , Helo Petri 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a methodological approach to develop customized products which offer true customer value and achieve superior competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated framework is presented where both front‐ and back‐end features of product development activities are illustrated. Detailed explanations of the framework participants are discussed with their specifications and view points that illustrate the value of the framework. This framework communicates between citarasa and do‐it‐yourself‐design configurators at the upstream, and available to promise, agile supply and demand network, advanced planning and scheduling systems in the downstream, in order to visualize the complete production scenarios and to maintain the flow of custom tailored product development.FindingsIt is hoped that the illustrated framework will bridge the gap between manufacturers, and customers in order to produce customer satisfied products that fulfill the business target in terms of earning more revenues.Research limitations/implicationsThis research work is based on a theoretical hypothesis. Although the proposed framework is implemented in a truck manufacturing company, it requires application in more industrial organizations in order to generalize its effectiveness, suitability, and consistency in the manufacturing arena.Originality/valueThis paper outlines the configuration principle, along with different tools and methodologies, which support manufacturing firms in the customization of products in both upstream and downstream activities in a profitable way. These tools or methodologies can help product developers to improve their due‐date promising, exploitation of bottlenecks, and the visualization of their capability to produce the customers' specific products.
Do many hands make light work?
Authors: van Dick Rolf , Tissington Patrick A. , Hertel Guido 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to challenge the assumption that process losses of individuals working in teams are unavoidable. The paper aims to challenge this assumption on the basis of social identity theory and recent research.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted in this paper is to review the mainstream literature providing strong evidence for motivation problems of individuals working in groups. Based on more recent literature, innovative ways to overcome these problems are discussed.FindingsA social identity‐based analysis and recent findings summarized in this paper show that social loafing can be overcome and that even motivation gains in group work can be expected when groups are important for the individual group members' self‐concepts.Practical implicationsThe paper provides human resource professionals and front‐line managers with suggestions as to how individual motivation and performance might be increased when working in teams.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature by challenging the existing approach to reducing social loafing, i.e. individualizing workers as much as possible, and proposes a team‐based approach instead to overcome motivation problems.
Impact of psychic distance to the internationalization behavior of knowledge‐intensive SMEs
Authors: Ojala Arto , Tyrväinen Pasi 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the internationalization behavior of knowledge‐intensive small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) by using macro‐level psychic distance indicators and managers' perceptions of psychic distance.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the quantitative approach, the impact of psychic distance to the internationalization behavior is analyzed by using bivariate correlation analysis. The qualitative case study approach is employed to investigate managers' perceptions of psychic distance as regards market entries.FindingsFindings of this study indicate that psychic distance has an impact on the market entry of knowledge‐intensive SMEs. However, there are other factors, such as market size, opportunity seeking behavior, and actions taken by managers, which make the effect of psychic distance less visible in macro‐level quantitative analyzes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited by small sample size in both quantitative and qualitative studies. However, the findings offer interesting insights for further studies related to this phenomenon.Originality/valueThis study compares macro‐level and individual‐level analyses of psychic distance and indicates reasons why psychic distance should be analyzed with the help of individual‐level perceptions of psychic distance.
Service innovation and electronic word‐of‐mouth: is it worth listening to?
Authors: Andreassen Tor W. , Streukens Sandra 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate what discussants in internet based discussion forums talk about. Investigates electronic word of mouth (e‐WOM) as a potential source of information for service innovation. The aim is to derive four core categories of unique dialogues that provide valuable information to service innovation.Design/methodology/approachApart from Harrison‐Walker's effort to develop a scale of measuring WOM, disclosing the inside of electronic word‐of‐mouth has never been done before. For this reason a qualitative approach using Netnography was adopted. The paper analyzes the content of all postings taking place during 100 days in five defined discussion forums on the internet.FindingsThe results indicate that conversations taking place in electronic discussion forums can be divided into four core categories, i.e. information request, usage experience, business practice issues, and comments pertaining to new product launches.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on building a typology of conversations taking place in discussion forums on the internet. As such, these findings may not be generalized to the offline environment.Practical implicationsDisclosing details of electronic word‐of‐mouth through four core categories has a number of implications. Perhaps more importantly, an understanding of WOM communication allows managers to develop new, and to improve current, services that better meet customers' current and future needs.Originality/valueDisclosing details of electronic word‐of‐mouth and linking it to service innovation has never done before. As such this is a truly unique study.
A multi‐attribute model of web site interactivity and customer satisfaction
Authors: Zhao Miao , Roy Dholakia Ruby 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the following questions in the context of a transactional web site. How do web site attributes influence customer satisfaction? Will an increase in the performance of a specific attribute lead to increased satisfaction?Design/methodology/approachSince interactivity is considered a distinguishing characteristic of the new media and a web site is composed of multiple attributes, the paper empirically examines the interactivity‐satisfaction relationship at the individual attribute level using the Kano methodology. Changes in the interactivity‐satisfaction relationships over time and with user experience are also analyzed.FindingsThe paper identifies several relationships between interactive web site attributes and customer satisfaction. At this stage of web development, no attribute emerges as a “must‐be” attribute; one‐dimensional or linear attributes are common but not the only category of interactive attributes. In addition, mixed and attractive attributes were also found. Moreover, the paper confirms that Kano categories shift over time and with usage experience.Practical implicationsDifferent web site design strategies should be used depending on users' online experience and the various relationships between interactive web site attributes and customer satisfaction.Originality/valueNo previous research has yet examined interactivity at the attribute level. Web site designers and managers have to make decisions regarding each attribute. Adopting the Kano methodology, widely used in other areas of research, this paper examines the relationships between attribute‐level interactivity and customer satisfaction with a retail web site.
Service quality, emotional satisfaction, and behavioural intentions
Authors: Ladhari Riadh 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual model of the relationships among the constructs of “service quality”, “emotional satisfaction”, and “behavioural intention” in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises a review of the literature to propose a conceptual model that postulates that: service quality is positively related to consumers' emotions; service quality is positively related to behavioural intentions; and consumers' emotions are positively related to behavioural intentions. Moreover, the model postulates that emotional satisfaction partially mediates the effect of service quality on behavioural intentions. The model is tested in an empirical study with data from a survey among 200 Canadian travellers.FindingsAll the hypothesised relationships are supported. The results confirm that service quality exerts both direct and indirect effects (through emotional satisfaction) on behavioural intentions.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should focus on the role of emotional satisfaction in service experience in a variety of settings.Originality/valueThe research provides valuable insights into the role of emotional satisfaction in the hotel service experience. Emotional satisfaction makes a significant contribution to the prediction of behavioural intentions (such as loyalty, word of mouth, and willingness to pay more).
Academic writing: contested knowledge in the making?
Authors: Badley Graham 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThis paper seeks to consider whether academic writing should be regarded as knowledge in the making and why all such writing should be continuously challenged.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is that of a reflective discussion which considers academic writing in context, knowledge, reflectiveness and helping others to contest academic writing.FindingsThe paper concludes with the view that all academic writing and concept‐mongering are properly open to rigorous challenge.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is limited by its presentation of one writer's stance or point of view. Some may also consider this a strength.Practical implicationsAcademic developers and those interested in helping train academic writers especially, but not exclusively, at the postgraduate level should find the ideas presented useful sources for further conversations.Originality/valueThe main value of the paper is that it summarizes a view of academic writing not as objective or neutral but as personal stance and counter‐stance.
Learning communities and the quest for quality
Authors: Leigh Smith Barbara , MacGregor Jean 
Published: May 2009

PurposeIn the USA, as elsewhere, there is an ongoing need to improve quality in higher education. Quality improvement models from business have not been widely embraced, and many other approaches to accountability seem to induce minimal compliance. This paper aims to contend that learning communities represent a viable alternative in the quest for quality. By restructuring the curriculum and promoting creative collaboration, learning communities have become a major reform effort in US colleges.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an overview of learning community theory and core practices and four original case studies of institutions that have made learning communities a long‐term focus of their quality improvement efforts.FindingsFindings include: effective learning communities are clearly positioned, aimed at large arenas and issues and are central to the organization's mission; learner‐centered leadership is a key component of effective programs; learning communities offer a high leverage point for pursuing quality; effective learning communities meet faculty where they are; successful initiatives create new organizational structures, roles and processes; successful programs attract and reward competent people and build arenas for learning from one another; and successful programs have a living mission and a lived educational philosophy reaching constantly toward more effective practices.Originality/valueEducators will draw rich lessons from this concise overview of learning community theory and practice and the story of these successful institutions.
Studying critical classroom encounters
Authors: Voss Roediger 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThis paper seeks to explore satisfactory and unsatisfactory classroom (student‐lecturer) encounters in higher education from a student's perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe critical incident technique (CIT) is used to categorise positive and negative student‐lecturer interactions, to reveal quality dimensions of the lecturer, and to reconsider which attributes of the lecturer are likely to cause satisfaction and which dimensions mainly lead to dissatisfaction. The study took place at a large commercial college. A total of 225 students took part in the study on a voluntary basis and reported 429 incidents. Respondents were aged between 16 and 21 years (mean age = 17.8). On average, every student provided 1.9 incidents.FindingsThe results of the CIT study manifested nine quality dimensions of lecturer behaviour, confirming previous research in this area. Quality dimensions that were mainly mentioned in the negative incidents were classified as “dissatisfiers” (“expertise”, “communication skills”, “fairness”, “assertiveness”, and “enthusiasm”), attributes that appeared in the positive incidents were labelled “satisfiers” (“flexibility”), and dimensions with a high score for both positive and incidents were described as “criticals” (“teaching skills”, “empathy”, “friendliness”).Research limitations/implicationsOwing to the exploratory nature of the study and the scope and size of its student sample, the results outlined are tentative in nature. The research study also only investigates the expectations and perceptions of one stakeholder group.Practical implicationsFor instructors to improve students' experiences, they should address the identified “criticals” first before moving on to improving the “dissatisfiers” and then the “satisfiers”. Gaining knowledge of (deviations of) student expectations should be beneficial for lecturers to design their teaching programmes. Based on the results, colleges might consider the introduction of student contracts or student satisfaction guarantees to manage student expectations effectively.Originality/valueThe study shows that the CIT method is a beneficial tool for exploring classroom encounters in higher education. The paper has hopefully opened up an area of research and methodology that could reap further substantial benefits for researchers interested in this area.
Comparing alternative instruments to measure service quality in higher education
Authors: Brochado Ana 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of five alternative measures of service quality in the high education sector – service quality (SERVQUAL), importance‐weighted SERVQUAL, service performance (SERVPERF), importance‐weighted SERVPERF, and higher education performance (HEdPERF).Design/methodology/approachData were collected by means of a structured questionnaire containing perception items enhanced from the SERVPERF and HEdPERF scales and expectation items from the SERVQUAL scale, modified to fit into the higher education (HE) sector. The first draft of the questionnaire was subject to a pilot testing through a focus group and an expert evaluation. Data were gathered from a sample of 360 students of a Portuguese University in Lisbon. Scales were compared in terms of unidimensionality, reliability, validity and explained variance.FindingsIt can be concluded that SERVPERF and HEdPERF present the best measurement capability, but it is not possible to identify which one is the best.Research limitations/implicationsSince the study only examined the measurement capabilities of the five instruments at a single faculty, the collection of more data in other institutions is required in order to provide more general results.Practical implicationsThe current results do make available some important insights into how the five alternative instruments of service quality in an HE context compare with one another.Originality/valueThe paper attempts to develop insights into comparative evaluations of five measuring instruments of service quality in an HE setting.
Conducting a graduate employer survey: a Monash University experience
Authors: Sid Nair Chenicheri , Mertova Patricie 
Published: May 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a framework that can be utilized in the design of graduate employer surveys carried out by tertiary institutions as a form of monitoring their graduate attributes. It further aims to identify the potential issues and challenges that may be involved in undertaking such a survey.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes an approach to administering a graduate employer survey conducted at Monash University, Australia. The survey utilized a combination of means, involving telephone, e‐mail and mail‐outs. During a period of approximately four months, 2,753 companies were contacted and response was obtained from 464 of them. The survey instrument was based on 23 graduate attributes. In the course of the survey, employers were asked to rate graduate attributes in terms of importance and their satisfaction with the extent to which each of these attributes was demonstrated by Monash University graduates employed by the particular company. Open‐ended feedback was also sought from the employers.FindingsUniversities world‐wide have increasingly incorporated the development of the so‐called graduate attributes into their quality development mechanisms. One way of monitoring these graduate attributes has been through conducting graduate employer surveys. The paper presented a workable approach to collecting employer feedback, which may offer some guidance to other higher education institutions that may be considering introducing similar employer surveys. It also identified some of the issues and challenges involved in undertaking such a survey.Practical implicationsThe paper discusses a number of practical limitations to administering an employer survey. These include the need for: a well‐sourced database of employers of the institution's graduates; established relations with industry and professional bodies; proper staffing and infrastructure; and awareness of timelines suitable for individual employers to complete such a survey. The implications for the university resulting from the limitations are that the leadership need to address these limitations in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the future iterations of the graduate employer survey. The limitations may also serve as guidance to other institutions concerning aspects they need to address when planning to conduct a similar survey.Originality/valueInternationally, and certainly in Australia, there are very few higher education institutions that have well‐established graduate employer surveys. The Monash University graduate employer survey outlined here may offer some guidance to tertiary institutions considering conducting similar graduate employer surveys.