bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Further probing of higher order in satisfaction construct
Authors: Hooi Ting Ding 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThis paper aims to bring a new insight by examining the satisfaction model in a more complex manner to capture the variations of the satisfaction construct better.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a subsequent expansion from a previous research. The methodology used is similar, as the researcher believes that it is the best way to measure and to capture the curvilinear relationship of the variables under study. Regression of a higher form has been discussed and established and three variables were tested, i.e. word‐of‐mouth referrals (dependent variable), satisfaction (independent variable), and ownership (moderating variable). In order to test for the moderating effect, the hierarchical moderated regression analysis has been employed.FindingsThis study contributes to the body of knowledge in two ways. First, a literature review and exploratory study suggest that marketers should consider a higher‐order model in the models of satisfaction. Second, further considerations should be made to determine the curvature of the relationship where the researcher suggested that there might be a “U”‐shaped relationship between satisfaction perception and word‐of‐mouth referrals when there is a change in ownership.Research limitations/implicationsCustomer satisfaction should be seen as a non‐linear construct. In fact, in most industries there are tendencies to build marketing strategies around their core services. However, this research suggests that customers in Malaysia view beyond satisfaction in choosing their banks. Malaysian bank customers prefer patronizing banks from the same ethnic group as theirs, where banks owned by the same ethnic group as the customers are able to moderate the satisfaction level.Originality/valueThe paper shows and suggests how satisfaction construct should be measured in a non‐linear form with interaction in a different cultural context as in the banking sector in Malaysia.
Banking customers' varied reactions to service recovery strategies
Authors: Duffy Jo Ann M. , Miller John M. , Bexley James B. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThrough means of an empirical study of service recovery in US retail banking this paper aims to examine the link between satisfaction and various recovery strategies.Design/methodology/approachA total of 310 bank customers responded to a survey addressing customer demographics, levels of satisfaction, types of recovery strategies, and service recovery employees. Frequencies, chi‐square analysis and correspondence analysis were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings show no significant difference in recovery strategies or satisfaction by customer age, gender, or tenure with bank. However, the degree of customer satisfaction was strongly influenced by the type of recovery strategy used by the bank. The results indicate that recovery efforts are best directed toward empathic listening and fixing the problem rather than apologizing or making atonement.Originality/valueThis study of service recovery in US retail banking provides useful information on the link between satisfaction and various recovery strategies.
Where next for account aggregation?
Authors: Matthews Mark 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine the progress of account aggregation, the means by which consumers can view all their online banking accounts on the same PC screen.Design/methodology/approachThe study looks at the examples of several online banks and their experiences.FindingsThe article finds that account aggregation is very much in its infancy with banks still only on the brink of really exploiting the customer data that account aggregation can provide. It also discovers that, rather than being viewed as a standalone product, it looks as if account aggregation could involve added value services such as enhanced customer security, electronic bill payment and personal cash management services.Originality/valueThis article provides a useful insight into the development of account aggregation.
Sustained quality management: how to receive the Swedish quality award twice
Authors: Palmberg Klara , Garvare Rickard 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe how Agria Animal Insurance Sweden (Agria) has organised its quality‐related work through a sustained and systematic focus on basic elements of quality management such as value focused leadership, employee involvement, process management and control, customer focus, and continuous improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe study has been based on interviews, document studies and action research. It is a single case study design with limited intentions of generalisation.FindingsThe analysis shows that the top management at Agria has been a strong driving force that has effectively united leaders at all levels as agents of change. Additional success factors have been the deployment of basic values, the “five always”, and the value focused leadership. Further on the company has succeeded in creating a cultural basis and structures for systematic work with improvements.Practical implicationsA way to address corporate culture in order to open up for a climate of micro improvements of practice within present routines is illustrated in this paper.Originality/valueAgria could be considered an example for others to study and get inspired by when working with quality‐related issues.
A management control perspective of quality management
Authors: van Iwaarden Jos , van der Wiele Ton , Williams Roger , Dale Barrie 
Published: June 2006

PurposeIn many industries (e.g. cars and clothing) manufacturing complexity and unpredictability have increased over the last couple of years because of an increasing variety of products and shortening product life cycles. At the same time the manufacturers in these industries appear to have more problems with maintaining high quality levels. This paper aims to develop a methodology to study the effects of these developments on quality management systems.Design/methodology/approachAt three European automotive manufacturers the two trends have been studied by means of a case study approach. Simons' four levers of control model is utilised to categorise and interpret the results of the case studies.FindingsThe application of a management control model in the field of quality management is found to be useful in explaining what changes are necessary to maintain high quality levels. From the case studies in the automotive sector it is concluded that there is a shift in quality management systems from a diagnostic towards a more interactive approach. This is in line with what can be expected as a result of the increasing uncertainty in the automotive sector, caused by shortening life cycles of car models and smaller batch sizes.Originality/valueThis research presents a novel application of Simons' four levers of control model to the field of quality management. Based on the experience with three case studies at European automotive manufacturers, this approach seems to have potential.
ISO 9000 series of standards: comparison of manufacturing and service organisations
Authors: Singh Prakash J. , Feng Mei , Smith Alan 
Published: June 2006

PurposeWhile manufacturing organisations were early adopters of ISO 9000, lately, many service sector organisations have also pursued adoption. The aim of this paper is to compare the experiences with the standard of the two sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe research collected data from 149 service and 160 manufacturing organisations using a common survey measurement instrument.FindingsResults show that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of time and cost of obtaining registration. Also, there are only small points of differences in motivation for registration and difficulties faced. There are greater differences between the groups in terms of benefits gained and management practices associated with the standard.Originality/valueThese results provide interesting insights into how the two groups perceive and engage with the standard, how cross‐industry diffusion could be taking place, and the veracity of the claims made about the universal applicability of the standard. These findings imply that service organisations can learn from the experiences of the manufacturing sector, but copying carte blanche the implementation strategies is fraught with risks. Further, the standard is not universally applicable and may need industry‐specific tailoring.
Implementing FMEA in a collaborative supply chain environment
Authors: Gary Teng S. , Ho S. Michael , Shumar Debra , Liu Paul C. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe aim of this research was to call attention to the implementation of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) in a collaborative environment, the issues occurred in the implementation process, and a tool that can be used by all parties in a collaborative environment for FMEA process.Design/methodology/approachThe discussion includes the procedure of an integrated FMEA approach, how to implement the procedure in a supply chain, and the common problems occurred in its implementation in automotive industry under a collaborative environment.FindingsThe research provided an example of inconsistency in the ranking of severity, occurrence, and detection to show that the inconsistency may delay FMEA implementation in a supply chain.Originality/valueThis study offered guidelines for manufacturing industry in correcting the problems in FMEA applications, so companies can adopt their FMEA process into a collaborative supply chain environment. This paper also demonstrated a Microsoft EXCEL‐based tool that can ease the FMEA process in a collaborative environment for determining sampling size, reliability and confidence level for tests in design verification and control plan as a part of integrated FMEA process.
The impact of a budgetary design system: direct and indirect models
Authors: Yuen Desmond 
Published: June 2006

PurposeNumerous accounting studies have investigated the effects of participatory budgetary processes. The job satisfaction of participating employees is one of the most frequently researched issues. Increased employee participation in budgeting widens the responsibilities and experience of employees. However, it might also increase the level of task difficulty and reduce task clarity. The purpose of this study is to design an improved budgeting system for subordinates so as to enhance job satisfaction in a working environment of difficult task setting and low goal clarity.Design/methodology/approachThe present paper employs two models (direct and indirect) to investigate the level of employee satisfaction during budgetary participation, focusing on the hotel industry in Macau.FindingsThe direct model suggests that task difficulty and clarity do not directly affect satisfaction levels among employees during budgetary participation. However, the indirect model suggests that, under conditions of increased task difficulty and unclear goal situations, the level of job satisfaction is mediated indirectly through the influence of four core dimensions (budget variety, autonomy, task identity, and feedback). The study thus finds that improved design of budgetary processes, taking account of four core dimensions (budget variety, autonomy, task identity, and feedback), produces greater job satisfaction among employees who are desirous of satisfying higher‐order needs. Moreover, these employees are rated by superiors as performing higher‐quality work during the budgetary process.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the budgeting literature in several ways. It confirms the beneficial effect of improved budgetary design in enhancing employees' job satisfaction in a working environment of task difficulty and unclear goal setting, which is particularly important in the hotel industry and other service sectors. The paper also extends the literature that has hitherto typically focused on the examination of factors that affect the level of employees' job satisfaction, and recognizes the importance of budgetary design to job satisfaction.
Distributive justice
Authors: Kilchrist Erica , Block Walter 
Published: June 2006

PurposeCatholic social teaching is predicated upon their notion of “social justice.” In this perspective, the rich, as do the poor, have rights only to a bare subsistence level of income. Any wealth greater than this amount is owned by all of mankind, not by those who hold private property title to it. Rawls, a secular egalitarian, supports this notion with his concept of the veil of ignorance, according to which, if we did not know the future roles we would play in society, we would all choose moderate egalitarianism.Design/methodology/approachThe present authors argue, along with the libertarian Nozick, that such redistribution is unjust, amounting to theft. It is also counterproductive to the supposed goals of the egalitarians, since the poor are much better off in societies that eschew such forced redistribution.FindingsA possible reconciliation between libertarianism and Catholic social teaching is broached: as long as social justice applies only to members of this faith, it is not incompatible with the ethic of free enterprise and private property rights.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on the views of the Catholic social teaching philosophy on distributive justice.
Understanding the health and nutritional status of children in Pakistan
Authors: Iram Uzma , Butt Muhammad S. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to increase the level of knowledge pertaining to nutritional status of preschoolers and to identify/quantifying the relative importance of various socioeconomic and environmental factors which may have significant role in determining nutritional status of preschoolers in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachHousehold food availability, childcare practices, and child health status being focused as proximate determinants of child nutritional status pose problems for the simple regression analysis. An ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation of the regression with nutrition as an outcome and these three proximate variables as determinants could be biased for two reasons. First, there may be unobserved variables that are relegated to the error term but are correlated with the variables included on the right side. Second, explanatory variables may exit that are endogenous or codetermined with the outcome variable and hence are correlated with the error term. The approach to address these problems is to use instrumental variables (IV) approach. The credibility of the IV approach will rest on the ability to find variables that are correlated with the suspected endogenous explanatory variables but that do not affect the outcome variable (other than through the explanatory variable being instrumented).FindingsThe results from empirical analysis shows that factors on the maternal and household level are more important determinants of child nutritional status. Food availability, childcare practices and child health (diarrhea) are significantly related to child nutritional status. Household size has negative and significant impact on child nutritional status. Household income has an important and significant impact on child nutritional status. Childcare practices are negatively and significantly related to child nutritional status. This may suggest that as childcare practices improve, they may complement the need for other sources of improved energy for preschooler's nutritional status. The findings suggest that women's education plays a very important role in improving children's nutritional status and that the nutrition status among children depends on both better sanitary conditions and on dietary intake.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to data limitation present analysis employed child calorie adequacy ratio (CCAR) as a proxy of child nutritional status. For that to estimate, commonly used measures are nutrient intake, caloric adequacy ratio and relative caloric allocation.Practical implicationsA key message of this research is that significant achievement could be made toward reducing malnutrition through actions in sectors that have not been the traditional focus of nutritional interventions like improved hygiene conditions.Originality/valueThis could be the first ever effort in describing child nutritional status with the help relative more robust analytical technique for Pakistan.
Payment for health in Singapore
Authors: Reisman David 
Published: June 2006

PurposeSingapore's rapid economic progress has been accompanied by a series of experiments in medical savings and health insurance. This paper aims to examine the “three Ms” – Medisave, MediShield, and Medifund – in order to establish the way in which the policy‐instruments are expected to deliver the status required.Design/methodology/approachThe paper collects evidence on both outcomes and payments.FindingsResults show that a nation in which the median citizen is under 40 is in a strong position to rely principally on individual medical savings accounts. The paper predicts that Singapore, as its population ages, will probably rely more heavily on risk pooling and insurance.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are that an extension of insurance is inevitable, but that earmarked savings will probably remain the first line of defence.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to document the Singapore experience of payment for health. It draws inferences and makes recommendations that will be of interest to policy makers both in poorer and in richer countries.
Analysis of currency impact on international investment
Authors: Shetty Anand , Manley John 
Published: June 2006

PurposeAims to examine the currency impact on return, risk and market correlations from the perspective of both dollar and non‐dollar‐based investments.Design/methodology/approachMonthly data on six stock index series and exchange rates from Financial Times Sources are used, covering the period 1988‐1997.FindingsFinds that the impact of exchange rate on returns measured in the investor's currency is generally negative for all investor groups, and it raises return volatility above the level of local markets most of the time. The correlation of returns is, however, lower than that of the local returns.Practical implicationsThe study reports little evidence of a forward hedge improving the return for investors, but the hedging does reduce volatility for four out of six investors.Originality/valueWhereas past studies examining market correlations, the risk‐return outcome of international investment, and/or the impact of exchange rate movement on the risk‐return out come, have generally used dollar‐based investment, this paper uses both dollar‐ and non‐dollar‐based investments to determine whether these are any major differences in the way exchange rate affects investment outcomes and market correlations.
Does quantity reflect quality? Financial disclosure size and future performance
Authors: Jensen Marlin R.H. , Marshall Beverly B. , Pugh William N. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate whether a firm's financial disclosure size can help investors predict performance.Design/methodology/approachControlling for size and industry, the relationship between financial disclosure size and subsequent stock performance for all Standard and Poor's (S and P) 500 firms over a seven‐year period is examined.FindingsIt is found that firms with smaller 10‐Ks tend to have better subsequent performance relative to their industries. However, the findings suggest that the performance explanation may not lie in the size of the 10‐K itself. Firms with smaller 10‐Ks tend to perform better because they are smaller in terms of total assets and more focused, with fewer business segments.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the study is limited to examination of S and P 500 firms, no consistent evidence is found of a relation between changes in a firm's disclosure size and future performance changes.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that more disclosure relative to a firm's size is not necessarily bad. Investors attempting to predict future firm performance cannot use the firm's disclosure size alone.Originality/valueThis paper extends two recent Merrill Lynch studies that appear to contradict the extant financial literature's view that increased disclosure reduces the informational asymmetry problem. While the results confirm the findings of these studies, they suggest that the performance explanation may not lie in the size of the 10‐K itself.
The perception of dividends by professional investors
Authors: Chiang Kevin , Frankfurter George M. , Kosedag Arman , Wood Bob G. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo study the perception of dividends by the professional investor, for whom mutual fund managers are a proxy. The main line of research in dividends is based on using market data that are fit, ex post, to a cherished hypothesis. It is believed, however, that such data cannot measure motivation which is the underlying force behind generating market data. An understanding of motivation will give us more insight into the dividend paradox (why shareholders love dividends) than just the surface reality one can glean from market data.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey instrument, the method of analysis (not methodology) is factor analysis and hierarchical grouping that uncovers three distinct groups of professional investors re their attitude towards dividend. This categorization clearly shows that the dividends are perceived differently by the groups found here. Thus, research in dividends cannot follow a traditional route in which the phenomenon is treated as universal, or something similar to a natural occurrence.FindingsThree groups from the more traditional: the more growth‐oriented, aggressive; and a middle‐of‐the‐road group are posited. Although there are some uniformly accepted tenets across the groups, nevertheless, the more traditional group attributes far more importance to dividends than the growth‐oriented group. The latter group perceives dividends as something needed to pacify the shareholder. It is also concluded that none of the academic hypotheses contrived to explain dividend behavior can be supported by empirical evidence. The interesting result is, nevertheless, that the ex post group performance is not significantly different between each possible pairing of the three groups.Research limitations/implicationsAs all empirical research goes, results cannot be all‐conclusive, because of time and participation in the sample. This fact alone should not grind to a halt all empirical work. This work is part of a segment of three different studies examining the perception of dividends by corporate managers, and across countries. The next logical step is obviously studying the perception of dividends by the non‐professional investor.Originality/valueThis kind of work was almost never done. This is a first, because unfortunately traditional research that dominates most finance journals does not believe that motivation counts. First, because it satisfies one's desire to better understand the dividend puzzle. But it should be of interest to all who want to study the dividend decision in the firm, and why shareholders love dividends, something entirely not rational as far as economic rationality goes.