bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Internal service – barriers, flows and assessment
Authors: Johnston Robert 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis exploratory paper investigates internal service from a service management perspective. The objectives were to identify the main internal barriers that are preventing improvements to external service within business‐to‐business (B2B) organisations, to explore the bi‐directionality of internal services provided between internal functions, to assess the quality of internal services provided between functions and develop a means of testing staff and managers for their level of internal versus external focus.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study was conducted involving structured interviews in two European countries with 20 staffs and managers from a large international express package delivery firm.FindingsFive findings emerged. First, six main internal barriers to improving external quality were identified. Second, the study found that the barriers in B2B organisations were the same as those in business‐to‐consumer (B2C) organisations. Third, it suggested that internal service, unlike external B2C service, is bi‐directional. Fourth, it demonstrated a perception gap in internal service provision suggesting some degree of arrogance or delusion. Fifth, it demonstrated that the managers and staff viewed their service from an organisational, inside‐out, perspective, despite articulating a desire to provide excellent service to their business customers.Research limitations/implicationsThe key limitations were that only one organisation was studied and 20 interviews conducted. The paper provides support for the total quality management approach and suggests that a dual approach combining a service, customer, perspective with an operations, efficiency, perspective might be useful in generating deeper insights to better understand and bring about improvements to the quality of services delivered.Practical implicationsFrom a practitioner perspective, the findings suggest that managers and supervisors need to develop a better understanding of the performance of internal services.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the knowledge of internal service, particularly in B2B services.
Fuzzy importance‐performance analysis for determining critical service attributes
Authors: Deng Wei‐Jaw 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a novel approach of fuzzy importance‐performance analysis (FIPA) to replace conventional importance‐performance analysis (IPA) for determining critical service attributes those really need to improve for achieving superior customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachFirst, referring numerous studies, conventional IPA has some erroneous assumptions, the customer satisfaction of attribute performance has the characteristic of three‐factor theory and the novel approach which integrates natural logarithmic transformation and partial correlation analysis is feasible for acquiring the implicitly derived importance of attributes. Second, according the fact and nature of fuzziness in human perception, this study applies fuzzy set theory to revise conventional IPA. Finally, the FIPA is proposed and subsequently implemented in a Taiwanese hot spring hotel case study.FindingsThe implementation of FIPA shows the determined critical service attributes are almost completely different from those attributes acquired by conventional IPA. Hence, the application of conventional IPA may cause practitioners make incorrect decisions of improvement priorities for service attributes and direct unsuitable quality‐based marketing strategies.Originality/valueThe proposed FIPA which integrates fuzzy set theory, three‐factor theory, partial correlation analysis and natural logarithmic transformation avoids the erroneous assumptions of conventional IPA, considers the nature of fuzziness in human perception and includes the actual importance of service attributes. Therefore, the proposed FIPA can effectively assist business managers in determining critical service attributes to improve service quality or customer satisfaction and to achieve competitive advantage.
Workplace safety in the supply chain: a review of the literature and call for research
Authors: Cantor David E. 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature and call for additional research into the human, operational, and regulatory issues that contribute to workplace safety in the supply chain.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the safety typology of Brown, this paper identifies several potential research opportunities that can increase awareness of the importance of improving a firm's workplace safety practices. To inform the Brown typology, the paper follows the procedures described in Carter et al. and Maloni and Carter to conduct the comprehensive review of the safety literature across six logistics and transportation journals.FindingsThis paper identifies 108 articles which inform the Brown typology. The paper reports how the logistics and transportation safety literature has evolved across the human, operational, and regulatory safety domain across the following journals: International Journal of Logistics Management, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Transportation Research Part E, and Transportation Journal. The paper identifies 14 future research opportunities within the workplace safety in the supply chain domain.Practical implicationsThe 14 future research opportunities that have been identified can have a positive effect on practitioners confronted with safety issues.Originality/valueGiven the importance of workplace safety, it is important that firms across all echelons of the supply chain improve their safety practices. This paper contributes to the literature and highlights important managerial and public policy concerns on workplace safety performance in the supply chain.
Administrative support and teacher leadership in schools implementing reform
Authors: Gigante Nancy A. , Firestone William A. 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how teacher leaders help teachers improve mathematics and science teaching.Design/methodology/approachResearch focused on a purposive sample of seven teacher leaders selected to vary in their time allocated to teacher leader work and their content knowledge. Each teacher leader was interviewed, as were two teachers and at least one administrator working with that teacher leader. Each interview was first subjected to a mix of deductive and inductive coding before a case study was written for each teacher leader. Ultimately, a cross‐case analysis was written.FindingsTeacher leaders conducted two sets of leadership tasks. The paper finds that support tasks helped teachers do their work but did not contribute to teacher learning. Developmental tasks did facilitate learning. All teacher leaders engaged in support tasks, but only four did developmental tasks as well. Teacher leaders who engaged in developmental tasks had access to one material resource and three social resources not available to other teacher leaders: time to work with teachers, administrative support, more positive relations with teachers, and opportunities to work with teachers on professional developmentPractical implicationsWhen teacher leadership is intended to facilitate teacher learning, the payoff comes from engaging in developmental tasks. A key to teacher leader success is administrative support. Schools and districts should not invest in teacher leaders unless they intend to support teacher leaders adequately through time, administrative follow through, and training to help teachers develop the positive social relations on which their work depends.Originality/valueThese findings have implications for how to integrate teacher leaders into larger school improvement efforts.
Retail price promotion influences for product varieties in grocery stores: evidence from Spain
Authors: Pilar Martínez Ruiz María , Mollá Descals Alejandro 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on measuring and assessing the sales impact of temporary retail price discounts on all brands within a product subcategory as well as across other subcategories that differ slightly on composition and taste.Design/methodology/approachTo test these effects, the study uses a regression approach to analyse data of several fast moving consumer good subcategories obtained from a Spanish supermarket.FindingsThe results confirm that temporary retail price reductions increase brand sales of the promoted brands, especially at weekends. Some brands gained sales at the expense of sales of substitute items within the same subcategory and also from sales of competing items in other subcategories.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the current research suggest the presence of brand substitution effects within the analysed subcategories. In particular, while asymmetrical cross‐price effects are detected in only two subcategories, neighbourhood cross‐price effects have been evidenced in most subcategories. When considering the general product categories, certain substitution effects have been also evidenced: neighbourhood cross‐price effects are detected in most subcategories whilst asymmetrical cross‐price effects are not evidenced.Practical implicationsRetailers can learn from the experiences of a cross‐subcategory competition in order to determine which prices and discounts should set at the variety level. Though grocery retailers implement several decisions at the category level, brand level or even brand size level, it is valuable to learn from the experiences of a cross‐subcategory competition in order to determine whether or not it is interesting to set prices at the variety level.Originality/valueThe contribution in this paper consists not only of the measurement and assessment of the sales impact of temporary retail price discounts on all brands within a product subcategory as well as across other subcategories that differ slightly on composition and taste, but also of the application with data from the Spanish market.
Cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs: a survey study
Authors: Lindblom Arto , Olkkonen Rami , Mitronen Lasse 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs with respect to marketing decision making. The study addresses two research questions: How can the cognitive styles of these retail entrepreneurs be classified? If there are differences in the cognitive styles of retail entrepreneurs, how are these differences reflected in their business performance?Design/methodology/approachFollowing a literature review and conceptual analysis, a questionnaire on cognitive styles is developed on the basis of Jung's “typology theory” and the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator. A quantitative internet survey study is then conducted among 226 retailers contracted to the K‐alliance of Finland. The results are then subjected to statistical analysis.FindingsThe study reveals that the cognitive style of most of the studied K‐retailers is in accordance with the style of salaried managers, rather than that of “entrepreneurs”. The study also finds no clear relationship between the cognitive styles of the respondents and their business performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe possible existence of explanatory factors other than cognitive styles was not considered in the study. Further research is required on other variables that might have a direct or indirect effect on the business performance of retailers.Practical implicationsThe study has implications for the governance and management systems of contractually integrated retailing organisations; in particular the study suggests that such management systems might inhibit entrepreneurial cognitive styles.Originality/valueThe paper offers new perspectives on entrepreneurship in the context of contractually integrated retailing organisations.
Information sharing, buyer‐supplier relationships, and firm performance
Authors: Hsu Chin‐Chun , Kannan Vijay R. , Tan Keah‐Choon , Keong Leong G. 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of information sharing capability on buyer‐supplier relationships and firm performance. It is proposed that information sharing capability, the integration of a firm's information/decision systems and business processes with those of supply chain partners, is an antecedent of collaborative buyer‐supplier relationships, defined in terms of supply chain and relationship architecture. Further, it is proposed that these relationships positively impact a firm's market and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses multiple linear regression to analyze a set of survey data from the USA, Europe and New Zealand.FindingsResults demonstrate positive relationships between information sharing capability and buyer‐supplier relationships, and between relationships and performance.Research limitations/implicationsInformation sharing capability and buyer‐supplier relationships are complex, multi dimensional constructs. While this research highlights their role in driving performance, further study is required to more fully capture their impact and to understand the implications for situational factors such as industry sector and transaction type.Practical implicationsResults from the study provide academics and policymakers with insights into key information sharing constructs related to the development of buyer‐supplier relationships. These provide guidance in developing the infrastructure to support such relationships.Originality/valueThis study adds to the extant literature by examining the dimensions of information sharing related to buyer‐supplier relationships and performance.
Airline service quality
Authors: Tiernan Siobhan , Rhoades Dawna L. , Waguespack Blaise 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine consumer perceptions of airline quality indicators and compare them to actual data reported by the Department of Transportation, in the USA and the Association of European Airlines (AEA) in the EU. The objective is to determine whether there is a discrepancy between reported performance metrics of service quality and consumer perception.Design/methodology/approachThis paper compares actual reported data on service quality with results of an exploratory questionnaire on the perceived frequency of service failures in three key areas of airline service quality; on time flight arrivals, baggage reports and flight cancellations. Similarities and differences both within and between the USA and EU markets are discussed.FindingsPreliminary findings indicate that actual consumer perceptions of airline performance on key areas of airline service quality are in fact far worse than the data reported in the US Air Travel Consumer Report or AEA Consumer Report. Consumer perceptions fail to come close to many of the service standards the industry is actually reaching. The only exception to this can be seen in the EU where the perceived and actual scores are virtually the same for on time arrivals. It's also interesting to note that the EU perception scores are generally higher than those of the US sample, indicating a marginally more positive disposition towards the industry.Originality/valueThis paper represents a exploratory attempt to integrate the two dominant approaches to airline service quality –perceptual survey and reported secondary data – in an effort to understand the challenge facing international airlines. It also examines the perceptual and performance differences across key Western cultures.
An assessment of the empirical characteristics of top journals in services marketing
Authors: Svensson Göran , Tronvoll Bård , Slåtten Terje 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the “empirical characteristics” of the “top” journals in services marketing by assessing selected journals with respect to: the proportion of “empirical” versus “non‐empirical” contributions; the proportion of national versus international research data; the geographical origin of research data; and the geographical affiliations of the authors whose articles are published.Design/methodology/approachA sample of “top” journals in services marketing is selected on the basis of expert opinion. The selection includes the International Journal of Service Industry Management (IJSIM), the Journal of Services Marketing (JSM), the Journal of Service Research (JSR), Managing Service Quality (MSQ), and the Service Industries Journal (SIJ). The study considers all contributions (a total of 1,189) published in these journals over a six‐year period from 2000 to 2005, with particular emphasis on the “empirical” studies (a subtotal of 870).FindingsThe authors contend that there is in part a troublesome and challenging “ethnocentricity” in some of the examined journals.Research limitations/implicationsThis is the first assessment of the “empirical characteristics” of “top” journals in services marketing.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable insights into the nature of academic publishing in the area of services marketing.Originality/valueScholars will benefit from insights into the “empirical characteristics” of the “top” journals in services marketing. In particular, scholars can note the particular features of individual journals. Further studies of the “empirical characteristics” of individual research journals are required in other sub‐disciplines of marketing.
Numerical simulation of complex transport phenomena arising in practical thermal systems
Authors: Jaluria Yogesh 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to discuss the numerical modeling of the transport processes that frequently arise in practical thermal systems and involve complexities such as property variations with temperature or with the shear rate in the flow, complicated regions, conjugate mechanisms, chemical reactions and combined mass transfer, and intricate boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe basic approaches that may be adopted in order to study such processes are discussed. Considerations for accurate numerical modeling are also discussed. The link between the process and the resulting product is critical in many systems such as those in manufacturing. The computational difficulties that result from the non‐Newtonian behavior of the fluid or from the strong temperature dependence of viscosity are considered in detail. Similarly, complex geometry, free surface flow, moving boundaries, combined mechanisms, and simulation of appropriate boundary conditions are important in several processes and are discussed.FindingsSome of the important techniques to treat the problems that arise in numerical simulation are presented. Common errors that lead to inaccurate or invalid results are outlined. A few practical processes are considered in greater detail to quantify and illustrate these approaches. Validation of the numerical model is a particularly important aspect and is discussed in terms of existing results, as well as development of experimental arrangements to provide inputs for satisfactory validation.Originality/valuePractical thermal processes involve a wide variety of complexities. The paper presents some of the important ones and discusses approaches to deal with them. The paper will be of particular value to the numerical simulation of complicated thermal processes in order to design, control or optimize them to achieve desired thermal processing.
Finite element modelling of the squeeze casting process
Authors: Postek Eligiusz W. , Lewis Roland W. , Gethin David T. 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper sets out to present developments of a numerical model of squeeze casting process.Design/methodology/approachThe entire process is modelled using the finite element method. The mould filling, associated thermal and thermomechanical equations are discretized using the Galerkin method. The front in the filling analysis is followed using volume of fluid method and the advection equation is discretized using the Taylor Galerkin method. The coupling between mould filling and the thermal problem is achieved by solving the thermal equation explicitly at the end of each time step of the Navier Stokes and advection equations, which allows one to consider the actual position of the front of the filling material. The thermomechanical problem is defined as elasto‐visco‐plastic described in a Lagrangian frame and is solved in the staggered mode. A parallel version of the thermomechanical program is presented. A microstructural solidification model is applied.FindingsDuring mould filling a quasi‐static Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) is applied and the resulting temperatures distribution is used as the initial condition for the cooling phase. During mould filling the applied pressure can be used as a control for steering the distribution of the solidified fractions.Practical implicationsThe presented model can be used in engineering practice. The industrial examples are shown.Originality/valueThe quasi‐static ALE approach was found to be applicable to model the industrial SQC processes. It was found that the staggered scheme of the solution of the thermomechanical problem could parallelize using a multifrontal parallel solver.
Temperature in a disk brake, simulation and experimental verification
Authors: Wawrzonek Leszek , Białecki Ryszard A. 
Published: May 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to develop a reliable simulation technique and experimental equipment applicable to thermal analysis of disk brakes. The application is focused on safety issues arising in coal mines and other hazardous explosive environments.Design/methodology/approachThe experimental rig provides data on the friction power generated by the disk‐pad pair for a user‐defined squeezing force program. The developed software predicts the temperature field in the brake and pad. The code is based on the finite volume approach and is formulated in Lagrangian coordinates frame.FindingsIn the circumferential direction advection due to the rotation of the disk dominates over the conduction. The energy transfer problem could be formulated in a Lagrange coordinates system as 2D. A novel approach to the estimation of the uncertainty of numerical simulations has been proposed. The technique is based on the GUM methodology and uses sensitivity coefficients determined numerically. Very good agreement of simulated and measured values of temperature in the brake has been found.Research limitations/implicationsThe results apply for simple disk and pad geometries for which the correlations of the Nusselt number versus Reynolds and Prandtl are known. Moreover, the model should not be used in the last braking period where the assumption of negligible circumferential conduction is not applicable. Though the code models a situation of constant rotation speed, the deceleration profile of the disk can readily be accounted for. The next step of the research should be to couple the heat conduction in the brake with CFD simulation of the surrounding air.Practical implicationsThe highest temperature in the system is at the pad‐disk interface. The depth of penetration of the temperature into the disk is relatively low. The heat dissipation from the disk is controlled by convection.Originality/valueThe novelty of the paper is in the simplified and robust simulation model of the brake, the concept of the experimental rig and the methodology of uncertainty assessment. The developed methodology can be useful to researchers and industry involved in safety investigations and determining safety standards, specifically in explosive atmospheres. It may also be of interest to the automotive industry.