bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New public governance and activation
Authors: Ehrler Franziska 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to assess the emergence of New Public Management in the governance of activation policies in nine European countries. In the light of considerable diversity in the implementation of New Public Management in the different countries, the article tries to identify common patterns.Design/methodology/approachFor the identification of patterns, fuzzy set theory is applied. Fuzzy sets are used to define ideal types and to measure the degree of membership in the different ideal types for every country.FindingsIt is possible to show that despite the substantial diversity of New Public Management approaches in the governance of activation policies, common patterns exist. The article identifies four ideal types of New Public Management within the nine countries involved in the analysis. At the same time it is shown that most countries do not represent pure models but unify different tendencies within one dominant type.Originality/valueThe identification of common patterns in the emergence of New Public Management in the governance of activation can provide a useful framework for discussion and further research on the implications of different forms of governance on the content and delivery of activation services in Europe.
Are they being served? Linking consumer expectation, evaluation and commitment
Authors: Mason Chris , Simmons John 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe paper aims to develop a conceptual framework to show how service provider value propositions and customer purchase decisions represent the offer and acceptance of types of psychological contract that, if satisfied, result in particular levels of consumer commitment and related attitudinal and behavioural outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe model is developed by the integration of approaches from the marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and psychological contract literature and represents a holistic and multi‐disciplinary perspective on the service value proposition.FindingsAnalysis shows how alignment of different types of value proposition with consumer expectations impacts on the nature and level of consumer commitment. Customer commitment can also contribute to service provider reputation and brand equity.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual framework and research propositions generated from it should be tested in organisations representative of transactional, relational and transpersonal service providers to provide deeper insights for researchers and practitioners.Practical implicationsFindings confirm the need for providers to target value propositions at particular consumer groups as part of a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to customer segmentation. The paper also recognises possible changes in consumer expectation and how proactive service providers can track and respond to these.Originality/valueThe paper's unique contribution is to confirm the rationale for and the benefits of applying constructs from the psychological contract literature to generate deeper insights into the service provider‐consumer relationship.
Understanding loyalty bonds and their impact on relationship strength: a service firm perspective
Authors: Moore Melissa L. , Ratneshwar S. , Moore Robert S. 
Published: June 2012

PurposeBased on previous research in services, marketing, organizational behavior and psychology, this paper aims to identify four types of loyalty bonds that an individual can form with a firm as well as a select set of firm and situational variables which likely result in the formation of each bond. It then aims to examine the influence of each bond on the relationship strength between a customer and a service provider.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mail survey, female respondents over the age of 25 assessed shopping situations in two service‐provider settings – a grocery store and a beauty salon. Scenarios manipulated aspects of the service experience based on firm and situational variables.FindingsThis study confirms the existence of four primary types of loyalty bonds – utilitarian, affective, symbolic, and obligatory. Firm and situational variables maximally impact each type of loyalty bond. The bonds predict relationship strength with the service provider.Research limitations/implicationsComplex relationships are apparent between the different types of bonds. Further research is needed to understand how firm and situational variables interact in different service settings.Practical implicationsThe authors' research shows that customers may form different types of loyalty bonds with firms, some that are controllable by the firm and some which are less controllable. Results provide a starting point for tactical decision making regarding which bonds service providers would like to target in the development of their relationship marketing programs.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the services marketing literature by examining when specific loyalty bonds are created and how these bonds impact relationship strength.
Service convenience and social servicescape: retail vs hedonic setting
Authors: Nguyen Doan T. , DeWitt Tom , Russell‐Bennett Rebekah 
Published: June 2012

PurposeWhile there have been numerous studies on the antecedents and consequences of service quality, there has been little investigation of the moderators of service quality. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effects of two moderators: service convenience and the social servicescape. The moderating effects are tested in two service settings: retail and hedonic (concert).Design/methodology/approachA survey of 270 customers at kitchen display showrooms and 320 concert‐goers was undertaken. The results were analysed using regression analysis.FindingsThe results show support for ten of the 12 hypotheses. Service convenience moderated the relationships between perceived service quality and its three sub‐dimensions (interaction, environment, and outcome quality), differently in different settings (retail vs hedonic). This supports the authors' general argument that the outcome dimension tends to be more important to customers in a retail setting, while interaction and environment quality dimensions tend to be more important in hedonic service consumption.Practical implicationsThese findings suggest that managers need to use different service management tactics in retail and hedonic service settings. Specifically managers in retail settings need to pay more attention to service convenience to achieve service quality and managers in hedonic settings should concentrate on the social servicescape.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to test the moderating factors of service convenience and social servicescape on service quality.
A critical study of quality parameters in health care establishment
Authors: Azam Mohammad , Rahman Zillur , Talib Faisal , Singh K.J. 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to identify and critically analyze healthcare establishment (HCE) quality parameters described in the literature. It aims to propose an integrated quality model that includes technical quality and associated supportive quality parameters to achieve optimum patient satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an extensive in‐depth healthcare quality literature review, discerning gaps via a critical analysis in relation to their overall impact on patient management, while identifying an integrated quality model acceptable to hospital staff.FindingsThe article provides insights into contemporary HCE quality parameters by critically analyzing relevant literature. It also evolves and proposes an integrated HCE‐quality model.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to HCE confidentiality, especially regarding patient data, information cannot be accessed.Practical implicationsThe integrated quality model parameters have practical utility for healthcare service managers. However, further studies may be required to refine and integrate newer parameters to ensure continuous quality improvement.Originality/valueThis article adds a new perspective to understanding quality parameters and suggests an integrated quality model that has practical value for maintaining HCE service quality to benefit many stakeholders.
Towards a balanced performance measurement system in a public health care organization
Authors: Yuen Peter P. , Ng Artie W. 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThis article attempts to devise an integrated performance measurement framework to assess the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) management system by harnessing previous performance measurement systems.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated evaluative framework based on the balanced score card (BSC) was developed and applied using the case study method and longitudinal data to evaluate the HA's performance management system.FindingsThe authors unveil evolving HA performance indicators (PI). Despite the HA staff's explicit quality emphasis, cost control remains the primary focus in their performance measurements.Research limitations/implicationsData used in this study are from secondary sources, disclosed mostly by HA staff.Practical implicationsThis study shows public sector staff often attach too much importance to cost control and easily measurable activities at the expense of quality and other less easily measurable attributes'.Originality/valueA balanced performance measurement system, linked to health targets, with a complementary budgeting process that supports pertinent resource allocation is yet to be implemented in Hong Kong's public hospitals.
Rotational effects on film cooling performance
Authors: Zhang C.X‐Z. , Hassan I. 
Published: June 2012

PurposeNumerical simulations were carried out for two cooling schemes, a circular hole and a louver cooling scheme, at the leading edge of a rotor blade in a complete turbine stage.Design/methodology/approachTwo holes were positioned at the leading edge of a rotating blade, one on the pressure side and the other on the suction side. The methodology was validated with a circular hole case. Numerical results of cooling effectiveness for three blowing ratios at three rotational speeds were successfully obtained. Both blowing ratio and rotating speed of the rotor affect the cooling effectiveness level.FindingsIt was shown that for the circular hole, the blowing ratio is the dominant factor at low blowing ratios and the rotational speed is the dominant factor at high blow ratios when jet is prone to lift off in determining the cooling effectiveness level. For the louver scheme, a higher rotational speed leads to a higher level of cooling effectiveness since jet liftoff is avoided.Originality/valueThere are only a few studies of film cooling on a rotational turbine blade and very few studies of film cooling at the leading edge of a rotating turbine blade in the open literature. The present work presents a challenging CFD case. The analysis of film cooling at the leading edge of an airfoil was presented, which sheds light on the physics of film cooling and should prove helpful to the cooling designs of turbine blades.
A meshless numerical solution of the family of generalized fifth‐order Korteweg‐de Vries equations
Authors: Tauseef Mohyud‐Din Syed , Negahdary Elham , Usman Muhammad 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a numerical solution of a family of generalized fifth‐order Korteweg‐de Vries equations using a meshless method of lines. This method uses radial basis functions for spatial derivatives and Runge‐Kutta method as a time integrator and exhibits high accuracy as seen from the comparison with the exact solutions.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a meshless method of lines. This method uses radial basis functions for spatial derivatives and Runge‐Kutta method as a time integrator.FindingsThe paper reveals that this method exhibits high accuracy as seen from the comparison with the exact solutions.Originality/valueThis method is efficient method as it is easy to implement for the numerical solutions of PDEs.
Competitive forces and the levers of control framework in a manufacturing setting
Authors: Hoque Zahirul , Chia Maybelle 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore how the strategic change following a corporate takeover impacted the nature and extent of use of the firm's management control systems (MCS), in particular its performance measurement system (PMS).Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses Michael Porter's theory of competitive advantage and Robert Simons' levers of control framework to illustrate and interpret changes in the PMS within an Australian multinational subsidiary following its takeover by an overseas corporation. To provide empirical evidence on this issue, face‐to‐face interviews and archival data are used.FindingsThe findings reveal that the takeover resulted in changes in the firm's competitive forces (threat of potential entrants, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among existing firms), and therefore the firm altered its strategy to change the rules of competition in its favor. Corresponding to the strategic change, the PMS was affected, with specific implications on Simons' four levers of control: interactive, diagnostic, beliefs, and boundary systems.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that a corporate takeover is an important phase for any organization, as it involves a change in the competitive environment and strategy, and needs to be facilitated by a change in the MCS to create and sustain superior performance.Originality/valueThis case study demonstrates how interactive and beliefs systems work together with diagnostic and boundary systems in the context of change in an organization. Past research devoted to strategic change and MCS has not documented this phenomenon.
Better safe than sorry: defensive loan assessment behaviour in a changing bank environment
Authors: Nilsson Anders , Öhman Peter 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent and in what forms loan applications from small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in a risk averse banking environment can be assessed defensively by lending officers (LOs). The paper also identifies triggering mechanisms behind defensive SME loan assessment behaviour and its' possible effects on the bank and the LOs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper relies on a case study of a major Swedish commercial bank undergoing strategy and control system change during the recent financial crisis. The empirical evidence was collected through interviews with 76 LOs in three branch offices and a focus group interview session.FindingsIn a risk averse banking environment, LOs can be prone to assessing SME loan applications defensively to a noteworthy extent. Such defensiveness comes in different forms: denial of loan applications, granting of loans with collateral or high interest rates, or granting of loans only to clients with most of their financial affairs in the bank. External and internal mechanisms jointly trigger defensive loan assessment behaviour. The possible effects include fewer Type II errors and more Type I errors for the bank, while LOs avoid change and blame.Originality/valueOverall, this study contributes to the literature by revealing triggering mechanisms, forms and effects related to the multifaceted construct of defensive loan assessment behaviour among LOs in a commercial bank, who handle applications from SMEs.
Beyond rationalisations: improving interview data quality
Authors: Condie Jenny 
Published: June 2012

PurposeInterview data is often the cornerstone of qualitative field studies, yet problems with getting sufficient, rich, reliable data in a cost effective manner can inhibit the progress of field study research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a novel interview method, the cognitive interview, in an exploratory field study of management accounting change where in‐depth access was impractical.Design/methodology/approachThe cognitive interview was developed by cognitive psychologists for use in police witness interviewing. It has been found to substantially improve the amount of information that subjects recall while maintaining or slightly improving accuracy levels.FindingsThe cognitive interview was found to be effective at gathering rich, detailed data despite the restriction of conducting only one or two interviews at each company. The cognitive interview uncovered information that did not fit with the participants' initial account of events. The structure of the cognitive interview often led participants to provide narrative accounts, allowing narrative analysis techniques such as genre analysis to be used. Asking participants to retell their accounts in reverse order may allow researchers to discern the schema (mental template) that the participant was using to organise their memories of the change process.Originality/valueIn its first known use for business research, the cognitive interview was effective at moving beyond the rationalized accounts that participants often provide initially. Researchers who conduct interviews to collect data may find this of particular interest.
Shared leadership in projects: a matter of substance over style
Authors: Clarke Nicholas 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to advance understanding of the conditions under which shared leadership would contribute to successful outcomes in projects and factors associated with its development.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that draws on existing research on shared leadership in teams and the literature on the characteristics of soft projects, to put forward a number of testable propositions to form the basis of future research in this area.FindingsThe assumptions underpinning style perspectives of leadership and their usefulness for projects are called into question given the ambiguity and complexity with which the majority of projects now have to contend. Instead, shared project leadership is suggested to be better suited to respond to the dynamic and changing circumstances characteristic of most projects.Research limitations/implicationsThree major areas of research are proposed that focus on external factors enabling shared leadership, internal factors enabling shared leadership, and shared leadership processes. Longitudinal, qualitative studies that capture the contextual variables and conditions that influence shared leadership in projects are suggested to enhance our theoretical understanding of this systems‐level perspective on leadership.Originality/valueStyle leadership perspectives have dominated research on leadership in projects offering a parochial and narrow understanding of the contribution leadership perceived more broadly can make to the effectiveness of projects. The propositions put forward in this paper aim to extend our theoretical understanding of shared leadership specifically within project contexts.
Business performance and maintenance
Authors: Narayan Venkatraman 
Published: June 2012

PurposeProcess plant safety, asset integrity, reliability, quality, profitability and maintenance are traditionally compartmentalized, each being treated as a stand‐alone subject. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether they are closely related, with common drivers of performance. This allows us to consider a holistic approach that is effective and economically viable.Design/methodology/approachIn achieving business performance targets, the focus is often on technology and hardware. The human interface is not always given sufficient importance. This paper attempts to show that sustainable performance depends on achieving a proper balance.FindingsFocusing on just three drivers – reliability, productivity and sustainability – good results can be facilitated in terms of quality, process safety, and profitability. Working on individual initiative alone is not sufficient and all the links in the causal chain have to be strengthened.Practical implicationsThere are several factors that affect the above drivers. By managing these factors effectively, high performance can be achieved over the lifetime of the business. An integrated plan of action is thus preferable to flavour‐of‐the‐month initiatives.Originality/valueThe paper shows that combining the technological and human behavioural aspects brings a holistic approach. The links shown between maintenance, reliability, quality, asset integrity, process safety and profitability provide a business focus. A discussion of these concepts with professionals and experts can help create a solid foundation for lasting improvements.
Quality of maintenance: Mirce Mechanics axiom
Authors: Knezevic Jezdimir 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a science‐based formulation of quality of maintenance processes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of scientific analysis of the faulty maintenance tasks to determine the pattern of phenomena and to understand the nature of causing mechanisms.FindingsFaulty maintenance tasks are found to exist in statistical analysis of the tens of thousands of maintenance tasks in defence, aerospace, transportation (including Formula 1 Grand Prix racing), communication and other industries, which has led to the formulation of the probabilistic axiom of the quality of maintenance.Practical implicationsThis axiom has a profound impact on the properties of any maintainable system, such as reliability, availability, safety, cost, effectiveness and many others, on the one hand, and associated processes such as manufacturing, operation, logistics support, on the other.Originality/valueThe paper presents the formulation of the second axiom of Mirce Mechanics, which is related to the quality of the maintenance processes and a new classification of quality‐based maintenance tasks.
Additive manufacturing: rapid prototyping comes of age
Authors: Campbell Ian , Bourell David , Gibson Ian 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a personalised view by the Editors of the Rapid Prototyping Journal.Design/methodology/approachIt collects their years of experience in a series of observations and experiences that can be considered as a snapshot of where this technology is today.FindingsDevelopment of these technologies has progressed according to application, materials and how the designers have applied their creativity to such a unique manufacturing tool.Originality/valueThe paper predicts how the future of additive manufacturing will look from the perspective of three key elements: applications, materials and design.
In situ flaw detection by IR‐imaging during electron beam melting
Authors: Schwerdtfeger Jan , Singer Robert F. , Körner Carolin 
Published: June 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of in situ flaw detection for powder bed, beam‐based additive manufacturing processes using a thermal imaging system.Design/methodology/approachThe authors compare infrared images (IR) which were taken during the generation of Ti‐6Al‐4V parts in a selective electron beam melting system (SEBM) with metallographic images taken from destructive material investigation.FindingsA good match is found between the IR images and the material flaws detected by metallographic techniques.Research limitations/implicationsFirst results are presented here, mechanisms of flaw formation and transfer between build layers are not addressed in detail.Originality/valueThis work has important implications for quality assurance in SEBM and rapid manufacturing in general.