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Showing papers on "Quality (business) published in 2009"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The proposed model is proven with the effectiveness in explaining the relationships among service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and post-purchase intention in mobile added-value services.

1,207 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors integrated e-shopping quality, enjoyment, and trust into a technology acceptance model (TAM) to understand consumer acceptance of e-Shopping.

1,164 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper surveys the literature in manufacturing control systems using distributed artificial intelligence techniques, namely multi-agent systems and holonic manufacturing systems principles and points out the challenges and research opportunities for the future.

770 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an integrative model was proposed and tested to examine the relations among service quality, value, image, satisfaction, and loyalty in China, which revealed that service quality directly influences both perceived value and image perceptions, and that corporate image influences value and that both customer satisfaction and value are significant determinants of loyalty.

724 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a framework for analyzing the profitability of reuse activities and showed how the management of product returns influences operational requirements, and how operational issues are strongly affected by the approach used to manage product returns.
Abstract: Firms are often encouraged to offer environmentally friendly products as a demonstration of corporate citizenship. However, this may prove to be an unrealistic expectation since a rational firm will only engage in profitable ventures; those that increase shareholder wealth. We develop a framework for analyzing the profitability of reuse activities and show how the management of product returns influences operational requirements. We show that the acquisition of used products may be used as the control lever for the management and profitability of reuse activities. These activities, termed product acquisition management, affect several important business decisions. First, if a firm is to pursue reuse activities, these reuse activities must be value-creating. Second, if a firm is to compete by offering remanufactured products, then we show how product returns management influences the overall profitability of such activities via a trial and error EVA approach. Third, we show how operational issues are strongly affected by the approach used to manage product returns. There is a need for future research specifying the mathematical relationship between acquisition price and the nominal quality of the returned product.

667 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors exploit both price and quantity information to estimate the quality of products exported to the U.S. The estimated qualities reveal substantial heterogeneity in product markets' scope for quality differentiation, or their "quality ladders.''
Abstract: Prices are typically used as proxies for countries' export quality. I relax this strong assumption by exploiting both price and quantity information to estimate the quality of products exported to the U.S. Higher quality is assigned to products with higher market shares conditional on price. The estimated qualities reveal substantial heterogeneity in product markets' scope for quality differentiation, or their "quality ladders.'' I use this variation to explain the heterogeneous impact of low-wage competition on U.S. manufacturing employment and output. Markets characterized by relatively shorter quality ladders are associated with larger employment and output declines resulting from low-wage competition.

664 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors address the question: "To what extent do manufacturing plants view competitive priorities as trade-offs?" They employ survey data collected from managers and operators in 110 plants that have recently implemented AMT.
Abstract: A heated debate continues over the need for trade-offs in operations strategy. Some researchers call for plants to focus on a single manufacturing capability and devote their limited resources accordingly, while others claim that advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) enables concurrent improvements in quality, cost, flexibility, and delivery. Yet there is little empirical evidence for or against the trade-off model. In response, this study addresses the question: “To what extent do manufacturing plants view competitive priorities as trade-offs?” We employ survey data collected from managers and operators in 110 plants that have recently implemented AMT. Our findings suggest that trade-offs remain. However, perceived differences in competitive priorities are subtle and may vary across levels of the plant hierarchy. (COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES; OPERATIONS STRATEGY; SURVEY RESEARCH/DESIGN)

599 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results show that system quality and information quality significantly influence customers' trust and satisfaction, and that interface design quality does not.

572 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the literature on relationship quality (RQ) is presented and a conceptual framework is provided for the study of relationship quality in business to business (B2B) markets.
Abstract: Purpose – In today's highly competitive environment losing customers is very costly. Customer retention and loyalty have become possible through the development of long‐term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers. This paper seeks to critically review the literature on relationship quality (RQ) and to suggest avenues for further research.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected with impartial cross‐referencing of papers published in all major journals in the marketing area. Papers are presented in tabulated form based on six rigorously cross‐checked categories of information.Findings – Most RQ research centres on business‐to‐business (b‐to‐b) markets and products use survey data, look at relationships from the customer perspective and analyse either the US or European markets. Also, results differ in various contexts and there is no universally accepted framework for RQ. By analysing the different variables used in previous studies, a general conceptual framework is provided for the st...

446 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that the e-loyalty development process is influenced by both e-satisfaction and e-trust.

436 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors test the hypothesis that firms obtain ISO 9000 certification to comply with government and customer demands by estimating a probit model of the certification decision and find that other factors related to quality management and quality-based competition explain the adoption decision.
Abstract: Proponents of iso 9000 certification claim that it is a low-cost signal of a firm's commitment to quality and a meaningful component of total quality management (TQM). Critics claim that it has little relation to TQM and is a tariff on international trade. We test the hypothesis that firms obtain ISO 9000 certification to comply with government and customer demands by estimating a probit model of the certification decision. The results support the view of proponents of ISO 9000. After controlling for regulatory and customer pressures to obtain ISO 9000, other factors related to quality management and quality-based competition explain the adoption decision.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A comprehensive, conceptual model encompassing research work and a holistic view of various aspects affecting patient satisfaction and healthcare quality is presented.
Abstract: – The aim of this paper is to build a comprehensive conceptual model to understand and measure variables affecting patient satisfaction‐based healthcare quality., – A total of 24 articles from international journals were systematically reviewed for factors determining patient satisfaction and healthcare quality., – Patient satisfaction is a multi‐dimensional healthcare construct affected by many variables. Healthcare quality affects patient satisfaction, which in turn influences positive patient behaviours such as loyalty. Patient satisfaction and healthcare service quality, though difficult to measure, can be operationalized using a multi‐disciplinary approach that combines patient inputs as well as expert judgement., – The paper develops a conceptual model that needs to be confirmed empirically. Also, most research pertains to developed countries. Findings are presented that may not be generalized to developing nations, which may be quite different culturally., – The paper has direct implications for health service providers. They are encouraged to regularly monitor healthcare quality and accordingly initiate service delivery improvements to maintain high levels of patient satisfaction., – The paper collates and examines recent healthcare quality study findings. It presents a comprehensive, conceptual model encompassing research work and a holistic view of various aspects affecting patient satisfaction and healthcare quality. Although a large amount of healthcare quality research has been done, each studying a particular service, this paper comprehensively brings together various research findings.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze a model where an entrant platform with superior quality competes with an incumbent platform and find that the entrant's success depends critically on the strength of indirect network effects and the consumers' discount factor of future applications.
Abstract: This paper seeks to understand when an entrant with superior quality can successfully enter a platform-based market. We analyze a model where an entrant platform with superior quality competes with an incumbent platform. We find that the entrant's success depends critically on the strength of indirect network effects and the consumers' discount factor of future applications. Contrary to the popular belief that an entrant's quality advantage needs to be sufficiently high to overcome the incumbent's installed-base advantage in such markets, we find that under certain conditions, an entrant with a small quality advantage can gain market share over time when competing with an incumbent with a huge installed-base advantage. To demonstrate the model's applicability, we examine the entry of the Xbox console into the video game industry. We find that Xbox has a small quality advantage over the incumbent, PlayStation 2, and the strength of indirect network effects and the consumers' discount factor in this market are such that PlayStation 2's huge installed-base advantage is unsustainable.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, food supply chains are confronted with increased consumer demands on food quality and sustainability, and when redesigning these chains the analysis of food quality change and environmental load of new...
Abstract: Food supply chains are confronted with increased consumer demands on food quality and sustainability. When redesigning these chains the analysis of food quality change and environmental load of new...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the relationship between soft and hard TQM elements and quality management results and found that quality improvement and the consolidation of the company's market position are influenced mainly by adopting soft TQMs and secondarily by adopting hard TMC elements.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between “soft” and “hard” TQM elements and quality management results.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were drawn from 370 Greek companies using the questionnaire method. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine constructs' reliability and validity, while the relationships between them were examined through Structural Equation Modelling.Findings – The study proved that quality improvement and the consolidation of the company's market position are influenced mainly by adopting “soft” TQM elements and secondarily “hard” TQM elements.Research limitations/implications – The fact that the study was based on quality managers' perceptions and the participation of companies from all sectors creates limitations, but also future research orientations.Practical implications – To achieve benefits and obtain a competitive advantage, which is of major importance for the sustainability of a company, quality design, control and improv...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This research uses a solution based on a combined grey-fuzzy DEMATEL method to deal with the objective of the study indicating that real estateAgent R1 (CY real estate agent) is the best selection in terms of service quality in customer expectation.
Abstract: This research uses a solution based on a combined grey-fuzzy DEMATEL method to deal with the objective of the study. This study is aimed to present a perception approach to deal with real estate agent service quality expectation ranking with uncertainty. The ranking of best top five real estate agents might be a key strategic direction of other real estate agents prior to service quality expectation. The solving procedure is as follows: (i) the weights of criteria and alternatives are described in triangular fuzzy numbers; (ii) a grey possibility degree is used to result the ranking order for all alternatives; (iii) DEMATEL is used to resolve interdependency relationships among the criteria and (iv) an empirical example of real estate agent service quality ranking problem in customer expectation is used to resolve with this proposed method approach indicating that real estate agent R1 (CY real estate agent) is the best selection in terms of service quality in customer expectation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper conceptualize and formulate the joint development of products involving two firms with differing development capabilities and examine the implications of arrangements that go beyond sharing of revenues to include sharing of development cost and work, and term these approaches investment sharing and innovation sharing.
Abstract: The growing sophistication of component technologies and the rising costs and uncertainties of developing and launching new products require firms to collaborate in the development of new products. However, the management of new product development that occurs jointly between firms presents a new set of challenges in sharing the costs and benefits of innovation. Although collaboration enables each firm to focus on what it does best, it also introduces new issues associated with the alignment of decisions and incentives that have to be managed alongside conventional performance and timing uncertainties of new product development. In this paper, we conceptualize and formulate the joint development of products involving two firms with differing development capabilities and examine the implications of arrangements that go beyond sharing of revenues to include sharing of development cost and work. We term these approaches that involve sharing of the development cost and sharing of the development work investment sharing and innovation sharing, respectively. These cost and effort sharing mechanisms have subtle interactions with the degree to which revenues are shared between firms and the type of development project under consideration. Our analysis shows that investment and innovation sharing are particularly relevant for products with no preexisting revenues, and their benefits also depend on the degree to which revenues are shared between the firms. Whereas investment sharing is more attractive for new-to-the-world product projects with significant timing uncertainty, innovation sharing plays an important role in environments where projects experience product quality uncertainty, firms are similar in their capabilities, and the costs of integration of work across firms can be controlled. Our key contribution involves the modeling of joint work and decision making between collaborating firms and unearthing the complementary role of revenue, cost, and innovative effort sharing mechanisms for new product development. We translate our analytical findings into a managerial framework and illustrate the results with examples from the life-sciences and electronics industries.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An extended model is proposed, considering the roles of information filtering mechanisms, on-line shopping experience, and perceived information overload, to examine the effects of information load on subjective state towards decision, and results indicate that rich information leads to a perception of high information overload; and the latter lead consumers to a worse subject state toward decision.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in passengers of three low-cost carriers (LCCs) offering airline services in Thailand.
Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in passengers of three low‐cost carriers (LCCs) offering airline services in Thailand., – A large sample of 1,212 passengers who had travelled on LCCs in Thailand in the preceding 12 months is surveyed to test four hypothesised relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions using structural equation modelling (SEM)., – The study finds that the order of importance of the dimensions of service quality tested here is: flight schedules; flight attendants; tangibles; and ground staff. Passenger satisfaction with these service‐quality dimensions is found to be very important in explaining behavioural intentions. Satisfied passengers are mostly influenced by the schedule. Such customers engage in positive word‐of‐mouth communication and have high repurchase intentions. Dissatisfied passengers prefer to change airlines, rather than provide feedback to the LCCs., – The study has not definitively established causality among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. Moreover, satisfaction is based only on service quality. Future research should examine the causality and other possible satisfaction factors., – Managers of LCCs who have not traditionally placed a high priority on quality should be aware of the importance of service quality and passenger satisfaction in determining the behavioural intentions of passengers of LCCs., – The study provides an example of the use of a revised set of SERVPERF service‐quality dimensions. The study also posits passenger satisfaction and behavioural intentions in a single model in the context of LCCs in Thailand.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is an urgent need for differentiation and standardisation of satisfaction and service quality definitions and constructs, and it is argued for research to focus on measuring perceived health service quality.
Abstract: – This paper aims to review the patient satisfaction literature, specifically meta‐analyses, which critically analyses its theory and use; then to present evidence for perceived service quality as a separate and more advanced construct., – Papers that judiciously review the development and application of patient satisfaction were identified; along with studies addressing the conceptual and methodological deficiencies associated with the concept; and the current perceived service quality theory., – Patient satisfaction has been extensively studied and considerable effort has gone into developing survey instruments to measure it. However, most reviews have been critical of its use, since there is rarely any theoretical or conceptual development of the patient satisfaction concept. The construct has little standardisation, low reliability and uncertain validity. It continues to be used interchangeably with, and as a proxy for, perceived service quality, which is a conceptually different and superior construct., – The persistent use of patient satisfaction to evaluate the client's perception of the quality of a health service is seriously flawed. The key to solving this dilemma may be for the healthcare sector to focus on perceived health service quality by considering the specific concepts and models that can be found in the services marketing literature. This literature offers more advanced consumer theories which are better differentiated and tested than existing healthcare satisfaction models., – The paper points out that there is an urgent need for differentiation and standardisation of satisfaction and service quality definitions and constructs, and argues for research to focus on measuring perceived health service quality.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an examination of representative historical applications of quality techniques was conducted as well as identification of the differences and similarities surrounding quality improvement efforts in each of three service areas typically found in higher education: academic, administrative, and auxiliary functions.
Abstract: Quality experts believe that, ‘measuring customer satisfaction at an educational establishment might be regarded by educators as one of the greatest challenges of the quality movement’ (Cloutier & Richards, 1994, p. 117). This challenge is only one of several that surround quality improvement efforts in higher education. This paper focuses on identifying and evaluating techniques used to take on the challenges of quality improvement in higher education. This paper also examines two primary difficulties: first, definition of the customer; and second, measuring customer quality perceptions. An examination of representative historical applications of quality techniques was conducted as well as identification of the differences and similarities surrounding quality improvement efforts in each of three service areas typically found in higher education: academic, administrative, and auxiliary functions. While recognising these higher education areas differ from the typical business environment, positive research...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employ a resource-based view to understand how a set of capabilities (organizational learning, relationship, and quality capabilities) influences product strategy (product quality and product innovation) and export performance (relationship performance and economic performance).
Abstract: The authors employ a resource-based view perspective to understand how a set of capabilities (organizational learning, relationship, and quality capabilities) influences product strategy (product quality and product innovation) and export performance (relationship performance and economic performance). Using two types of respondents from the same firm, they find strong support for the capability‐strategy‐performance link. The results indicate that managers should invest in relationship management capabilities to improve product innovation and product quality, which in turn leads to export performance enhancement. Furthermore, the findings reveal that though product quality is a critical aspect in international markets, both product innovation and relationship performance play a greater role in enhancing economic performance. The authors conclude with implications for international marketing theory and practice.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The weight consumers give to quality-of-care information in the process of choice is reviewed, the effect of presentation formats is summarized, and the impact of quality information on consumers’ choice behavior is examined.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: One of the underlying goals of public reporting is to encourage the consumer to select health care providers or health plans that offer comparatively better quality-of-care. OBJECTIVE: To review the weight consumers give to quality-of-care information in the process of choice, to summarize the effect of presentation formats, and to examine the impact of quality information on consumers' choice behavior. The evidence is organized in a theoretical consumer choice model. DATA SOURCES: English language literature was searched in PubMed, the Cochrane Clinical Trial, and the EPOC Databases (January 1990-January 2008). STUDY SELECTION: Study selection was limited to randomized controlled trails, controlled before-after trials or interrupted time series. Included interventions focused on choice behavior of consumers in health care settings. Outcome measures referred to one of the steps in a consumer choice model. The quality of the study design was rated, and studies with low quality ratings were excluded. RESULTS: All 14 included studies examine quality information, usually CAHPS, with respect to its impact on the consumer's choice of health plans. Easy-to-read presentation formats and explanatory messages improve knowledge about and attitude towards the use of quality information; however, the weight given to quality information depends on other features, including free provider choice and costs. In real-world settings, having seen quality information is a strong determinant for choosing higher quality-rated health plans. CONCLUSIONS: This review contributes to an understanding of consumer choice behavior in health care settings. The small number of included studies limits the strength of our conclusions.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Sep 2009-Surgery
TL;DR: An overview of the concept of patient satisfaction is provided and current methods of patient-reported outcome assessment are discussed and methodology to create new instruments to measure patient satisfaction are suggested.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article developed a framework from services marketing that can assist universities in understanding what market orientation means and how students would value their offerings, and modifies the gap model of service quality to show that an ideological gap exists that may also impede the quality of the university experience.
Abstract: With the marketization of UK higher education, this paper develops a framework from services marketing that can assist universities in understanding what market orientation means and how students would value their offerings. Our study shows that the core service in a university experience is a learning experience that is cocreated and that the value is emergent, unstructured, interactive, uncertain, with a hedonic dimension. Our paper modifies the gap model of service quality to show that an ideological gap exists that may also impede the quality of the university experience. We propose that a one-sided expectation by students leads to student consumerism and disengagement. Paradoxically, we show that a true student-orientated marketing puts the university ideology at the center of marketing efforts and that marketing may well be an effective tool to communicate such ideologies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the role that individual unit management plays in this process by looking at how a manager's commitment to service quality and that person's leadership style affect the way frontline employees do their job.
Abstract: One of the continuing challenges in the hotel industry is providing consistent levels of quality service across units. Although recruitment, selection, and training practices are often standardized across units (within a given market), frontline employees' performance varies. This study examines the role that individual unit management plays in this process by looking at how a manager's commitment to service quality and that person's leadership style affect the way frontline employees do their job. The fundamental implication of this study is that managers who are committed to service quality and employ an empowering leadership style can create a transformational climate that conveys their commitment to quality service to their frontline employees. This leads to employees who are more likely to share the organization's values, who understand their role in the organization, who are more satisfied with their jobs, and who perform at a higher level of quality in serving hotel guests.

Journal ArticleDOI
Kim B. Clark1
TL;DR: The logic behind the traditional prescriptions in manufacturing strategy is explored using a classic case on Searle's Medical Instruments Group, and a framework for synthesis is offered, arguing that manufacturing's true competitive power lies in integrating the capabilities of an AMS with strategic management of manufacturing.
Abstract: In light of the widespread adoption of advanced production concepts over the last decade, the traditional concern of manufacturing strategy–linking manufacturing structure and infrastructure to business strategy–has seemed less powerful in explaining competitive success or improving competitive performance Companies that have introduced just-in-time, total quality management, continuous improvement, design for manufacturability, or concurrent engineering appear to have reaped the benefits of quality, dependability, flexibility, high variety, and low cost This raises an important question: is manufacturing strategy in its traditional vintage passe? In this paper, I first explore the logic behind the traditional prescriptions in manufacturing strategy using a classic case on Searle's Medical Instruments Group Then, using the term advanced manufacturing system (AMS) as shorthand for best practice in production, design and engineering, and logistics, I revisit the Searle case as taught in 1995 to illustrate the logic of the AMS Finally, I offer a framework for synthesis, arguing that manufacturing's true competitive power lies in integrating the capabilities of an AMS with strategic management of manufacturing

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors estimate the demand system parameters and VAR parameters jointly using Bayesian techniques, and link these welfare measures to policy and managerial decisions by assuming that marginal costs and product appeal indices follow vector autoregressive processes, conditioned on policy proxies and/or managerial choice variables.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A survey of emerging methodologies for tackling various issues in quality control and improvement for multistage systems including modeling, analysis, monitoring, diagnosis, control, inspection and design optimization can be found in this article.
Abstract: A multistage system refers to a system consisting of multiple components, stations or stages required to finish the final product or service. Multistage systems are very common in practice and include a variety of modern manufacturing and service systems. In most cases, the quality of the final product or service produced by a multistage system is determined by complex interactions among multiple stages—the quality characteristics at one stage are not only influenced by local variations at that stage, but also by variations propagated from upstream stages. Multistage systems present significant challenges, yet also opportunities for quality engineering research. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief survey of emerging methodologies for tackling various issues in quality control and improvement for multistage systems including modeling, analysis, monitoring, diagnosis, control, inspection and design optimization.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the impact of total quality management (TQM) implementation on different dimensions of company performance, i.e., employee relations, operating procedures, and financial results.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) implementation on different dimensions of company performance.Design/methodology/approach – The study investigates Canadian finalists (winners and certificates of merit) in the Total Quality category of the Canada Awards for Business Excellence. The data were collected either through in‐depth personal interviews or by mail/telephone using the questionnaire and then analyzed.Findings – The data analysis confirmed the hypothesized positive impact of TQM on all investigated dimensions of company performance, i.e. employee relations (improved employee participation and morale), operating procedures (improved products and services quality, process and productivity, and reduced errors/defects), customer satisfaction (reduced number of customer complaints), and financial results (increased profitability).Research limitations/implications – Small sample size limited the scope of statistical analysis. Also, the resul...