bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Benchmarking competitive methods and strategic choices of Portuguese SMEs
Authors: Gomes Carlos F. , Yasin Mahmoud M. , Lisboa João V. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze and benchmark the strategic approaches utilized by Portuguese small and medium enterprises manufacturing organizations in response to the competitive pressures in the European and global markets.Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of this paper, factor analysis and cluster analysis are used to analyze and to compare responses obtained from a cross‐sectional sample of 68 Portuguese manufacturing organizations.FindingsBased on the results of the analysis, it appears that the sampled organizations are following hybrid strategic orientations. These strategic orientations appear to be motivated by well‐defined mixed strategies. The strategic elements of e‐business are detected in these mixed strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample used in this paper is specific in nature (Portuguese manufacturing organizations). Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly.Practical implicationsThis paper attempts to shed some light on the effectiveness of current strategic practices of Portuguese manufacturing organizations. The findings of this paper have practical benchmarking strategic implications.Originality/valueThis paper investigates the nature and scope of new strategic orientations utilized by manufacturing organizations. Evidence of the presence of innovative, mixed strategies is uncovered.
Measuring and benchmarking the performance of coffee stores for retail operations
Authors: Joo Seong‐Jong , Stoeberl Philipp A. , Fitzer Kristin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure and benchmark the retail operations of selected coffee stores owned by a specialty coffee company.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis is used for benchmarking the performance of eight coffee stores for two years using internal annual reports.FindingsMajor findings are that the inefficient stores need to improve occupancy related expenses and revenues from non‐coffee items. In addition, the coffee stores locate in an affluent residential area outperform the stores in the business district.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this paper is in the use of financial data. To overcome this issue, non‐financial data should be included.Originality/valueThe contributions of this paper are twofold: providing a framework for performance measures within a benchmarking perspective and evaluating the comparative efficiency of coffee stores using internal data, which is not accessible to the general public.
Benchmarking the presidential election of Barack Obama
Authors: Green Daryl D. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the range of benchmark applications associated with the historical event of Barack Obama being elected as the 44th US president.Design/methodology/approachCollection and critical analysis of secondary data from relevant publications analyzing the results of the 2008 presidential elections. Analysis of organizational behavior theories have been utilized in order to benchmark leadership attributes.FindingsThe paper concludes that Obama's presidential victory is influenced by several factors which included leadership traits, leader‐follower identification, and postmodernism.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper examines benchmarking applications that are exclusively relevant in a public sector environment.Practical implicationsThere are several implications for researchers and practitioners related to how future political strategies for US presidential elections might be planned.Originality/valueThis paper is significant because it presents a theoretical framework for interpreting the 2008 presidential election and setting the benchmark for the application of future presidential elections.
A synergistic performance management model conjoining benchmarking and motivation
Authors: Goncharuk Anatoliy G. , Monat Jamie P. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an improved management/performance model that yields superior business productivity by conjoining internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and a strong employee performance/behavior paradigm.Design/methodology/approachStrengths and weaknesses of conventional benchmarking approaches to productivity maximization are examined through both literature surveys and experiments.FindingsIt is found that most benchmarking efforts are hampered by resistance of employees to change. It is therefore concluded that benchmarking efforts could be enhanced by integrating employee motivation/behavior programs with the benchmarking efforts.Research limitations/implicationsThe individual elements of the proposed model have been field‐validated; however the integrated model has not been field‐tested. This is planned as future research.Practical implicationsThe conjoining of internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and employee motivation/behavior programs should substantially enhance the results of productivity improvement programs based upon benchmarking.Originality/valueThis is the first effort that integrates internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and employee motivation/behavior programs. This synergistic management model should be quite significant in enhancing corporate productivity.
Benchmarking leagility in mass services
Authors: Rahimnia Fariborz , Moghadasian Mahdi , Castka Pavel 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate and highlight that the application of leagility can be possible in mass services as one type of services.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes a case study and considers the concept of the leagility in a mass service organization. By highlighting some of the characteristics of mass services, it examines whether or not this concept can be applicable in the context of mass services.FindingsDespite the low customization in mass services, fast food restaurants have faced changing needs of the customers. To respond to these demands, the case study organization can adopt new strategies so that it could be able to serve the customer with short lead times, low costs and high variety.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper considers leagility in a single mass service. Hence, in order to provide robust results in this type of services, more cases should be studied. It is also necessary to study leagility in other types of services that is, professional services and service shops.Originality/valueDespite the importance of mass services in today's life, research have focused on the application of operations management's concepts in manufacturing sector. This paper has proposed the possibility of applying the leagility concept in a case study organization to show that mass services can benefit from the advantages of both lean and agile paradigms.
Applicability and potential benefits of benchmarking in Brazilian clinical laboratory services
Authors: Alex de Oliveira Galoro César , Elizabete Mendes Maria , Nascimento Burattini Marcelo 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the applicability and benefits of benchmarking as a tool for quality analysis in Brazilian laboratory medical services.Design/methodology/approachA primary observational study is performed in eight hospital laboratories by tracking the receipt, analysis and return to participants of monitoring reports relating to several quality indicators for the years 2005 and 2006. Whenever possible, the paper applies 6σ criteria as an independent assessment of process quality.FindingsData obtained for the eight laboratories showed a monthly average (±SD) of 178,579 (±153,670) tests performed per laboratory, with 40,256 (±44,858) requisitions and 4.77 (±1.33) tests per requisition. Overall, productivity was 7.35 (±2.46) tests per man‐hour of work (MHW), increasing to 15.36 (±6.00) when considering only the analytical sector staff. An average of 1.63 (±1.14) lost hours per hundred MHW were reported (level 3.6σ), with 3.86 (±5.10) accidents at work reported (AWR) per hundred thousand MHW (level 5.5σ) and 4.22 (±2.61) redraws per thousand requisitions attended (level 4.1σ). The turn‐around‐times were 2.25 (±0.98), 3.29 (±2.12) and 8.54 (±3.25) hours for glucose level, haemogram and human immunodeficiency virus serology, respectively.Practical implicationsBenchmarking proved to be a useful and feasible tool for quality management in Brazilian clinical laboratories, particularly when associated with independent tools for evaluating the quality of laboratorial processes.Originality/valueThis is the first Brazilian study reporting that benchmarking provides useful information on the performance of different clinical laboratory processes and, therefore, could become an important tool for laboratory management.
Bridging the gap between service provision and customer expectations
Authors: McKnight Susan 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to serve as a reminder to all managers that they must understand their customers, from the customers' perspective, and not make assumptions about customer needs.Design/methodology/approachCustomer value discovery workshops are held with undergraduate on‐campus students and academic staff at Nottingham Trent University to identify customer values and irritations. Library staff participate in the workshops and vote as they expect their customers to vote. The gaps identified between staff assumptions of customer perceptions of service importance and performance serve as a catalyst for staff engagement in the change process that is necessary to deliver on the value propositions and reduce customer irritations.FindingsLibrary staff assumptions of customer perceptions are not always accurate. The gaps identified help to engage staff in the change process that is necessary to improve perceptions of value and to reduce irritations. By explicitly addressing the value propositions with the aims of adding value and reducing irritation, student satisfaction with library services, as measured by two independent satisfaction surveys, improves considerably.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on two customer segments of one university library. The research should be repeated after a gap of three‐four years to check if the value propositions and irritations have changed in that time. If so, the goals of the library's operational plan would have to change to reflect the new value propositions.Practical implicationsA comparison of the Customer Value Discovery methodology with LibQUAL+™, which is used internationally, and the Rodski Research Group's method, used in Australia and New Zealand, is given.Originality/valueThe Customer Value Discovery methodology is most often used in the commercial sector. This paper explores its potential in the not‐for‐profit sector in the context of a university library service.
Measuring academic libraries service quality in fuzzy environment
Authors: Zare Mehrjerdi Yahia , Sayyadi Toranlo Hossein , Jamali Reza 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the perception of service quality. The measurement of service quality has grown significantly in importance over recent years. However, since customers' perceptions of service quality are expressed subjectively in vague linguistic terms therefore, a fuzzy approach to service quality of an academic library is applied and the gap between the student's expectations and perceptions analyzed.Design/methodology/approachThe LibQUAL method is applied to identify the gap between customer expectation and perceptions of the actual service received. The linguistic procedure is developed considering four dimensions of LibQUAL. The quality analyses are based on the non‐parametric rank‐based statistics (Wilcoxon's two‐sample rank sum statistic) and extended to fuzzy data which consequently reinforces results in comparison with crisp data.FindingsIt is found that there is no gap between the students' expectations and perceptions in three dimensions of “affect of service”, “library as a place”, and “personal control”. But, from the students' point of view, regarding the “access to information” dimension, there is a significant difference between the students' expectations and perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThe instrument that is administered is a paper questionnaire version based on the 2002 model of LibQUAL.Practical implicationsIt is felt that application of this fuzzy procedure has implications on possible constraints on the statistics of interest, as well as on the p‐value of any associated significance tests.Originality/valueThis paper is possibly the first to demonstrate the application of fuzzy logic to the LibQUAL model. This fuzzy procedure persuades possibility constraints on the statistic of interest, as well as on the p‐value of an associated significance test. This fuzzy procedure persuades possibility constraints on the statistic of interest, as well as on the p‐value of an associated significance test.
Needs assessment of library instruction at Texas A&M University Libraries using student feedback
Authors: Gonzalez Adriana J. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this case study is to identify gaps in service for library instruction conducted at Texas A&M University Libraries by doing a qualitative needs assessment using student feedback.Design/methodology/approachUsing Atlas.ti, student feedback comments taken from academic years 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 are coded in five fields: semester, classification, most useful, least useful, and comments. Major categories and subcategories are created for coding purposes and queries are run in that software program to identify needs and trends using the categories and subcategories.FindingsThe results demonstrate that a need for technology is high on the list of needs, however, surprisingly; it is instructor style and material that are found to be a slightly bigger need. Students want an engaging, enthusiastic, and basically pleasant instructor, more than their own computer workstation/laptop.Research limitations/implicationsThe large number of respondents' feedback is a limiting factor. A point of data saturation is reached. It would be more effective to breakdown the datasets into semesters instead of by years.Practical implicationsWith the known results, it would be feasible to present these findings to the library faculty or librarians, with teaching responsibilities, in order to begin addressing improving instructor style. It is also encouraging to discover that students want the ability to follow along, which is an indicator that they want to be engaged and feel that having their own laptop, for example would aid with that.Originality/valueThis unique study looks at library instruction from a student's perspective instead of from a programmatic perspective. This uniqueness opened up the opportunity for continued research using student feedback forms data.
What is impact assessment and why is it important?
Authors: Streatfield David , Markless Sharon 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a definition of impact assessment and to discuss some of the implications of this and other definitions. A particular approach to impact assessment is introduced, as developed for use in a variety of library and information service settings and the principles underpinning this approach are described.Design/methodology/approachThis approach has been adapted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Libraries Initiative (GL) when providing impact planning and assessment support to grantees through their “IPA Road Map”. The approach is also adopted by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) in devising its impact assessment strategy for evaluation of its future Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) work.FindingsThe importance of impact assessment in a variety of settings is outlined: from school libraries to university researcher support and from public libraries to electronic information services.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this paper draws on and quotes from the IPA Road Map developed by the GL, all the comments and opinions expressed are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing an official GL viewpoint.Originality/valueSome “unofficial” observations are offered on the relationships between impact assessment, advocacy and service sustainability, particularly in relation to major service development programmes such as the GL.
Reflective discourse about intellectual capital: research and practice
Authors: Dumay John C. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of a critical research perspective in the development of research in the field of intellectual capital (IC) practice.Design/methodology/approachThe paper initiates a reflective discourse about the relevance of contemporary approaches to research and practice in the field of IC and explores the way forward with a view to improving the relevance of IC to academics, practitioners and their organisations.FindingsIt is not the intention of this paper to prescribe specific formulae for the measurement, management and reporting of IC, nor further develop theory. It is the intention of the paper to lay the foundations for further discourse on the thinking behind contemporary IC theory and practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of the paper is that it represents the informed opinion of the author and these views may not be shared by other researchers and practitioners. The implications are first that it aligns IC to the current general and economic environment as there is a perceived increase in awareness among stakeholders to manage scarce and intangible resources. Second, by taking a critical approach to IC research it advocates how to develop insights and processes that can help build the recognition and benefits of IC practices.Originality/valueThis paper openly questions the need to develop further IC theory and advocates a way forward by outlining a critical approach to researching and implementing IC in practice.
Researching indicators of organizational intellectual capital in Serbia
Authors: Cabrilo Sladjana , Uzelac Zorica , Cosic Ilija 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an appropriate model for IC reporting in the transitional economic system of Serbia.Design/methodology/approachThe existing methods of IC reporting as well as the actual needs of organizations in Serbia related to measuring IC (i.e. key influencing factors of IC) and their unique features represent the fundamentals of an adequate model for IC reporting.FindingsA group of selected IC indicators in Serbia differs from typical relevant indicators mainly due to the specifics of the environment. Preliminary investigation of organizational IC in Serbia was carried out and a number of initiatives for improvement and development of the existing IC have been suggested.Research limitations/implicationsAn implementation of the proposed model is limited to the observed environment. The suggested group of indicators should be viewed more as a basis for a general application of IC reporting and management in Serbia, rather than an absolutely accurate model for IC measuring. Despite its limitations, the model can be utilized as a starting point for IC management research.Practical implicationsSelecting a group of relevant indicators that are adapted to particular environmental features simplifies IC measuring and contributes to IC reporting and management in Serbia.Originality/valueEven though there exist numerous methods for IC measuring, this research provides an insight into the specific features of IC and enables the fine‐tuning of the existing methods. An objective and accurate model for general implementation of IC reporting and management is developed for a transitional environment.
Intellectual capital and performance in wood industries of Argentina
Authors: F‐Jardón Carlos Maria , Susana Martos Maria 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThere are different models to measure the effect of intellectual capital on firm performance. These models depend on different dimensions of intellectual capital, the interrelations between them and the effects on performance. It is important to analyze several specificities in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in developing countries. This paper aims to test diverse models to verify the previously mentioned relations applied to wood manufacturer SMEs of Oberá (Argentina).Design/methodology/approachA global model including the variables used in the previous literature is used. The paper establishes hypotheses for testing this model and us PLS technique to estimate the parameters of the model in a sample of 113 wood manufacturer SMEs in Oberá (Argentina).FindingsThe only dimension of intellectual capital directly affecting performance is structural capital. The other dimensions exert an indirect effect through structural capital.Research limitations/implicationsThe model does not use all the possible variables to characterize intellectual capital. The causality elements cannot be verified in a temporary horizon because the data are cross‐sectional. In addition, when making reference to data of a particular period of time, there may be causes that imply relations of accidental type. Moreover, the measures used were subjective. This paper only studies the SMEs of the Argentine wood industry.Practical implicationsThe paper offers several suggestions to implement strategies for local SMEs and to support aid to projects for developing countries.Originality/valueThe paper tests different models to analyze the impact of dimensions of intellectual capital on performance in SMEs of developing countries and provides information on the wood manufacturer SMEs in Argentina.
Human capital measurement: an approach that works
Authors: Robinson Dilys 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper draws on research undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies exploring what human capital measurement means to organizations and how HR can use it as a means to raise its profile as a strategic business partner within its organization.Design/methodology/approachDuring 2007/2008, 14 organizations participated in action learning workshops, to help them devise a set of relevant people measures for use within their organizations.FindingsInvolvement in measuring people appears to raise HR's status, but only if certain conditions are met. In particular, the information must be genuinely useful to managers and there needs to be a clear link between measures and performance.Originality/valueMeasuring the value people bring to a business can be tricky but is vital to monitoring the health of an organization. Early discussions reveal that the term “human capital measurement” is not in common use and there is confusion around how this type of measurement is best approached.