Dennis F. Mathaisel and Clare L. Comm
“Social hesitancy” is a reluctance by people to purchase products, or engage in activities, that may benefit themselves and society. This paper aims to review and assess a visual…
Abstract
Purpose
“Social hesitancy” is a reluctance by people to purchase products, or engage in activities, that may benefit themselves and society. This paper aims to review and assess a visual marketing approach to this significant social marketing problem.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data visualization technology as an informational tool, visual sentiment analysis as a social text mining tool and Latent Dirichlet Allocation visual (LDAvis) modelling as a topic modelling tool to measure, assess and address social attitudes inherent in hesitancy. The paper’s hypothesis is that these technologies can help society understand the reasons for, and barriers to, hesitancy, and that visual marketing is an extremely effective approach to the hesitancy problem.
Findings
Using extensive vaccination data and results from the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors found that the visual marketing technologies were successful informational and motivational tools for social hesitancy.
Social implications
Hesitancy is a social marketing concern that can have an impact on product or service promotional and motivational campaigns during a crisis. The LDA visual model, for example, can quantitatively extract and measure the social attitudes of people and identify and segment these people based on their feelings. These tools can be valuable to social marketers by helping to establish strategies for any product or service exhibiting hesitant consumer behaviour.
Originality/value
Using advanced visual technology, the paper contributes to social hesitancy by addressing the following question: does a visual marketing approach help social marketers understand the underlying reasons for, and help to mitigate, social hesitancy?
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
Because of the ever‐expanding commercialization and marketing of higher education, a need now exists to apply the concepts of business process improvement to colleges and…
Abstract
Purpose
Because of the ever‐expanding commercialization and marketing of higher education, a need now exists to apply the concepts of business process improvement to colleges and universities. Aims to explore this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
An open‐ended qualitative questionnaire was developed, administered to 18 public and private university representatives and analyzed.
Findings
The participants at these surveyed universities shared with the interviewers the institutional lean “best practices” that they feel will contribute to the sustainability of their universities.
Research limitations/implications
This is a preliminary study with a sample size of 18 universities in the Northeastern USA. Future research should include more universities in the USA, as well as in other countries.
Practical implications
Other institutions of higher education may learn from the successful implementation of the lean sustainability efforts at the institutions in this study.
Originality/value
Very little past research, except in the area of green marketing, has focused on lean sustainability concepts in higher education. In a recent article by the same authors, a quantitative approach was taken in assessing lean sustainability practices in higher education. This current study explores the application of lean sustainability practices using a more in‐depth qualitative approach.
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
Can Lean Manufacturing principles, that are suitable for capital‐intensive manufacturing in the U.S., be applied to a labor‐intensive textile firm in China? Data were collected…
Abstract
Can Lean Manufacturing principles, that are suitable for capital‐intensive manufacturing in the U.S., be applied to a labor‐intensive textile firm in China? Data were collected from a family‐owned manufacturing plant, Orient Hand bag Ltd., in Fujian, China, and an Arena™ simulation model was developed to answer this question. The results indicate that, by applying Lean principles, Orient’s production efficiency for one of its most troublesome textile products could be im proved. Similarly, are these Lean principles suitable for other labor‐intensive industries in developing countries?
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
The job satisfaction of employees is just as important as customer satisfaction in terms of organizational performance. In this paper, employee satisfaction is evaluated in a…
Abstract
The job satisfaction of employees is just as important as customer satisfaction in terms of organizational performance. In this paper, employee satisfaction is evaluated in a unique service environment: higher education. This case study specifically focuses on how information regarding faculty workload, salary, and benefits can be used to improve academic quality. The preliminary research was conducted via a questionnaire distributed to 182 faculty members at a small private college. The response rate was 67 per cent. One major finding is that most of the faculty surveyed do not believe they are fairly compensated, nor do they feel they are getting institutional recognition for their contributions. As a result, half of the faculty in this survey sought professional income outside the college. Hence, the issue of their commitment to the university, and academic quality, arises.
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Duncan G. LaBay and Clare L. Comm
In this pilot study, the authors analyzed student‐faculty course evaluations at their university using gap analysis as derived from the SERVQUAL (service quality) model. Utilizing…
Abstract
In this pilot study, the authors analyzed student‐faculty course evaluations at their university using gap analysis as derived from the SERVQUAL (service quality) model. Utilizing matched sections of an undergraduate management course, data were collected from students at the beginning of a semester in a traditional course setting and in a distance learning course. At the end of the semester, data were again collected from these same students. The purpose was to assess the differences between student expectations going into these courses at the beginning of the term and their final perceptions of these courses at the conclusion of the semester. The authors found that “gaps” do exist on various dimensions between expectations and perceptions in both distance learning and traditional course delivery. An ongoing longitudinal study, using the pilot study methodology, will provide conclusive findings.
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
The costs in higher education are increasing and need to be controlled. This paper aims to demonstrate what lessons higher education could learn from Wal‐Mart's reasons for its…
Abstract
Purpose
The costs in higher education are increasing and need to be controlled. This paper aims to demonstrate what lessons higher education could learn from Wal‐Mart's reasons for its financial success with its focus on efficient and effective supply chain management (SCM) best practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Wal‐Mart's best practices in SCM were investigated through a secondary data literature review.
Findings
Wal‐Mart's best practices in SCM can be categorized into four segments: strategic concepts, logistics and distribution, information technology, and supplier collaboration. The company's technology, outsourcing, and collaboration practices are particularly useful in higher education.
Research limitations/implications
The adoption of Wal‐Mart's best practices was investigated for only one service industry (higher education). Future research could apply these practices to other service industries, such as hotels and transportation.
Practical implications
Higher education is looking for best practices to help control costs and can learn from Wal‐Mart's best practices.
Originality/value
Past research has focused on applying the best practices of other colleges and universities to higher education. Benchmarking Wal‐Mart's best practices can add further value to the sustainability of higher education.
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
The “lean manufacturing” paradigm, which is a philosophy intended to reduce cost and cycle time significantly throughout the entire value chain while continuing to improve product…
Abstract
The “lean manufacturing” paradigm, which is a philosophy intended to reduce cost and cycle time significantly throughout the entire value chain while continuing to improve product performance, was first identified by researchers associated with the international motor vehicle industry. In much the same way, the application of lean thinking and cost reduction strategies is becoming evident on college and university campuses. For example, the design of coursework is becoming more standardized and contracted out to part‐time instructors. The implementation of complex lean initiatives is critical for quality improvement and the sustainability of colleges and universities. However, the strategy for achieving sustainability is not clear to many decision‐makers. The intent of this paper is to provide a paradigm of how a lean sustainability initiative could be developed and implemented by colleges and universities. The research for this paper is based on a review of lean principles and practices and site visits to firms in the USA possessing best practices for long‐term sustainment.
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Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
The implementation of more complex lean initiatives in the public sector of the economy is critical for quality improvement and survival. Describes the development of an…
Abstract
The implementation of more complex lean initiatives in the public sector of the economy is critical for quality improvement and survival. Describes the development of an eight‐step paradigm that is being used to assess and benchmark lean practices in the production and operation of military aerospace products. Traditionally, such efforts have been employed only in the private commercial sector of the economy and have focused on a five‐step managerial process that is based on traditional planning, implementation, and control phases. This research expands the traditional process to provide an indication of how lean initiatives could be developed and implemented by other industries.
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Cherie Blanchard, Clare L. Comm and Dennis F.X. Mathaisel
Wal‐Mart is the largest retailer in the world, and one of its drivers of financial success is its focus on efficient and effective supply chain management (SCM). The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Wal‐Mart is the largest retailer in the world, and one of its drivers of financial success is its focus on efficient and effective supply chain management (SCM). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate what service providers could learn from these SCM best practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Wal‐Mart's best practices in SCM were investigated through a literature review of secondary data.
Findings
Wal‐Mart's best practices in SCM were categorized into four segments: strategic concepts, logistics and distribution, information technology, and supplier collaboration. These practices were then applied to the healthcare industry.
Research limitations/implications
Wal‐Mart's best practices were only applied to one service industry (the healthcare industry). Future research could apply these practices to other service industries such as higher education and the airline industry.
Practical implications
Most service providers can add value to their services by learning from some, if not all, of Wal‐Mart's best practices in SCM.
Originality/value
Very little past research has focused on applying the best practices in SCM of a traditional retailer or product provider to service providers. Insight into Wal‐Mart's best practices can add value to many service providers.
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Dennis F.X. Mathaisel and Clare L. Comm
Japanese companies, particularly Toyota, first began building quality into their products and becoming lean. Consequently, researchers associated with the international motor…
Abstract
Japanese companies, particularly Toyota, first began building quality into their products and becoming lean. Consequently, researchers associated with the international motor vehicle industry initially identified the “lean” manufacturing paradigm in the US automobile industry. Building upon their successes, the US aerospace industry initiated a study to ascertain whether a similar initiative focused on launch vehicles and spacecraft would bring value to military and commercial aerospace stakeholders in their ongoing efforts to be lean. This paper presents the findings of this investigation. It explores the relevance and value of the lean concepts to the US defense launch vehicle, spacecraft, and space operations industries, and it ascertains if there is interest within space industry firms in establishing a lean initiative similar to that of the automotive industry. Further, the relevance of lean manufacturing to other industries is considered.