The service encounter frequently is the service from the customer's point of view. Using the critical incident method, the authors collected 700 incidents from customers of airlines, hotels, and re...

The Service Encounter: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents:

Self-service technologies (SSTs) are increasingly changing the way customers interact with firms to create service outcomes. Given that the emphasis in the academic literature has focused almost exclusively on the interpersonal dynamics of service encounters, there is much to be learned about customer interactions with technology-based self-service delivery options. In this research, the authors describe the results of a critical incident study based on more than 800 incidents involving SSTs solicited from customers through a Web-based survey. The authors categorize these incidents to discern the sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with SSTs. The authors present a discussion of the resulting critical incident categories and their relationship to customer attributions, complaining behavior, word of mouth, and repeat purchase intentions, which is followed by implications for managers and researchers.

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Self-Service Technologies: Understanding Customer Satisfaction with Technology-Based Service Encounters

http://files.ferraz8.webnode.com/200000065-e27a6e46de/Artigo2.pdf

Lean manufacturing: context, practice bundles, and performance

Many EDI researchers and practitioners have recognized the importance of high penetration levels for the success of EDI. Unfortunately, such penetration is partly impeded by the resistance of small companies to become EDI capable. To investigate this issue, we identify three major factors that influence the EDI adoption practices of small firms. These factors are: organizational readiness (because of the low levels of IT sophistication and resource availability of small firms), external pressures to adopt (because of the weak market positions of small firms and the network nature of the technology), and perceived benefits (because of the limited impact that IT has on small firms due to under-utilization and lack of integration). By combining the anticipated effects of these factors, we developed a framework of EDI adoption by small businesses. The applicability of this framework is empirically demonstrated using the results of seven case studies. Lastly, recommendations are made for the development of successful EDI partner expansion plans. These include the development of a long term EDI partner expansion plan from the very beginning, the individual assessment of each partner's EDI preparedness level, and the selection of appropriate influence tactics to expedite adoption by small partners. Specifically, it is suggested that EDI initiators pursue promotional efforts to improve partners' perceptions of EDI benefits, provide financial and technological assistance to partners with low organizational readiness, and carefully select and enact influence strategies to reduce resistance.

Electronic data interchange and small organizations: adoption and impact of technology

Management literature is almost unanimous in suggesting to manufacturers that they should integrate services into their core product offering. The literature, however, is surprisingly sparse in describing to what extent services should be integrated, how this integration should be carried out, or in detailing the challenges inherent in the transition to services. Reports on a study of 11 capital equipment manufacturers developing service offerings for their products. Focuses on identifying the dimensions considered when creating a service organization in the context of a manufacturing firm, and successful strategies to navigate the transition. Analysis of qualitative data suggests that the transition involves a deliberate developmental process to build capabilities as firms shift the nature of the relationship with the product end‐users and the focus of the service offering. The report concludes identifying implications of our findings for further research and practitioners.

Managing the transition from products to services

While management skills can improve service systems, a manager is better off if he or she first has a clear understanding of the operating characteristics that set one service system apart from another. This author offers one view of services, which, if followed, results in a "rational approach to the rationalization" of services. His view, quite simply, is that the less direct contact the customer has with the service system, the greater the potential of the system to operate at peak efficiency. And, conversely, where the direct customer contact is high, the less the potential that exists to achieve high levels of efficiency. This distinction between high- and low-contact systems provides a basis for classifying service production systems that can enable the manager to develop a more effective service operation.

Where does the customer fit in a service operation

CONTENTS IN BRIEFSECTION ONE OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGING CHANGE1 Introduction to the Field 2 Operations Strategy and Competitiveness Technical Note 2 Optimizing the Use of Resources with Linear Programming 3 Project Management4 Product Design Technical Note 4 Learning Curves SECTION TWO PROCESS SELECTION AND DESIGN 5 Process Analysis Technical Note 5 Job Design and Work Measurement 6 Manufacturing Process Selection and Design Technical Note 6 Facility Layout 7 Service Process Selection and Design Technical Note 7 Waiting Line Management 8 Quality Management: Focus on Six Sigma Technical Note 8 Process Capability and Statistical Quality Control 9 Operations Consulting and Reengineering SECTION THREE SUPPLY CHAIN DESIGN10 Supply Chain Strategy 11 Strategic Capacity Management Technical Note 11 Facility Location 12 Lean Production SECTION FOUR PLANNING AND CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY CHAINManagerial Briefing Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 13 Forecasting 14 Aggregate Sales and Operations Planning 15 Inventory Control 16 Material Requirements Planning 17 Operations Scheduling Technical Note 17 Simulation 18 Synchronous Manufacturing and Theory of Constraints SUPPLEMENTS A Financial Analysis B Operations Technology

Operations Management for Competitive Advantage

This paper reviews the underlying theory of the customer contact approach to services and suggests specific ways in which this approach can be applied to a wide range of service systems The approach holds that the potential efficiency of a service system is a function of the degree of customer contact entailed in the creation of the service product Based upon this conceptualization, a number of propositions about high contact systems are identified and some simple heuristics for service system design and operation are proposed Other approaches to operations management in services are reviewed and suggestions for further development of the contact approach are offered

The Customer Contact Approach to Services: Theoretical Bases and Practical Extensions

Organizational slack has been widely discussed, but only in its role as an antecedent of performance, political behavior, bankruptcy, and other phenomena. A model that describes the antecedents of organizational slack is presented here. It contains three sets of predictors: environmental contingencies, organizational characteristics, and the values and beliefs of dominant coalition. Hypotheses detailing how each set of predictors leads to the development of different levels and types of slack resources are presented.

Antecedents of Organizational Slack

The literature on organization design has been dominated by descriptive models in its dealing with structure and operations. This paper takes an alternative view advocating the use of a normative model to be used in the design of service organizations. This model sees the extent of customer contact with the service organization as a major variable affecting system performance and advocates reconfiguring the structure of the service organization to reflect this impact. The discussion describes a taxonomy used to classify firms along the contact dimension and develops 13 propositions which convey critical distinctions between high and low contact services. Application of the model for managerial decision making involves the use of decoupling and the paper identifies factors which favor/disfavor decoupling in light of existing and desired service delivery objectives.

Richard B. Chase

Papers

Where does the customer fit in a service operation

Operations Management for Competitive Advantage

The Customer Contact Approach to Services: Theoretical Bases and Practical Extensions

Antecedents of Organizational Slack

The Customer Contact Model for Organization Design