Steven H. Applebaum, John Wunderlich, Elliot Greenstone, Danny Grenier, Barbara Shapiro, Donald Leroux and Felix Troeger
Reviews the literature on organizational commitment as a factor contributing to successful retention strategies focusing on the critical aerospace industry. Other areas reviewed…
Abstract
Reviews the literature on organizational commitment as a factor contributing to successful retention strategies focusing on the critical aerospace industry. Other areas reviewed include: personal, work and cultural values; trust and empowerment; ethical behaviour; charismatic leadership and job satisfaction as they impact on commitment and retention. A survey was designed and interviews conducted with engineers in one of the world’s premier providers of micro aviation component technologies for training and optimization solutions for aerospace and defence clients. Survey questions were designed from the literature to examine employee perceptions of all variables identified. Proposed solutions and recommendations are included to support the survey results that were relatively encouraging for the organization under study. The basic objective of engineer retention was supported. Final critical recommendations did correlate with the literature and findings of the study.
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John Travis Spoede, Charlotte Fontenot and Cynthia Simpson
In a world of ever-changing educational trends, it is essential for educators to provide a continuum of services to meet the needs of all students. Therefore, employing an…
Abstract
In a world of ever-changing educational trends, it is essential for educators to provide a continuum of services to meet the needs of all students. Therefore, employing an inclusive structure or environment is imperative to the implementation of Special Education laws, according to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Every Student Succeeds Act. As stipulated in law, all students should be educated in the least restrictive environment with their typically developing peers. This chapter focuses on the role of the special education professional as it specifically relates to the mainstream or inclusion setting. Topics covered in this chapter include an overview of inclusion, the inclusion model, an in-class support model, a content mastery model, and characteristics of an effective special educator, understanding disabilities, assessing and referring to appropriate supports, collecting data for individualized education program meetings, differentiated instruction, and strategies for inclusion. The goal of the chapter is to provide the overall view of inclusion in today’s classrooms in relation to the role of the special education teacher.
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Luisa Gonçalves, Lia Patrício, Jorge Grenha Teixeira and Nancy V. Wünderlich
This article provides an in-depth understanding of customer experience with smart services, examines customer perceptual responses to smart and connected service environments and…
Abstract
Purpose
This article provides an in-depth understanding of customer experience with smart services, examines customer perceptual responses to smart and connected service environments and enriches this understanding by outlining how contextual factors (in terms of goals, activities, actors and artifacts) influence the customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a qualitative approach in order to understand customer experience in the smart energy service setting. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 31 participants forming three groups of energy service customers: advanced smart energy (ASE) customers, electric mobility (EM) customers and high-consumption (HC) customers.
Findings
The findings show that customer experience with smart services involves a multidimensional set of perceptual responses, comprising specific smart service dimensions (e.g. controllability, visibility, autonomy); relationship dimensions (relationships with the service provider and with the community); and traditional technology-enabled service dimensions (e.g. ease of use, accessibility). The analysis of contextual factors such as goals, activities, actors and artifacts shows that smart services enable a more autonomous experience, wherein customers can integrate a myriad of actors and artifacts and expect the main service provider to support them in taking the lead.
Originality/value
Smart technologies have profoundly changed the service environment, but research on customer experience with smart services is scarce. This study characterizes smart services, provides an in-depth understanding of customer experience in this new context, and discusses relevant implications for management and service research.
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Piyush Sharma, Ivy S.N. Chen and Sherriff T.K. Luk
Prior research exploring the relationships among sacrifice, service quality, value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in service evaluation models did not consider customer…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research exploring the relationships among sacrifice, service quality, value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in service evaluation models did not consider customer characteristics. This study aims to test the moderating effects of two demographic variables (i.e. gender and age) on all the relationships in the “comprehensive” service evaluation model.
Design/methodology/approach
Responses from a diverse group of shoppers (n=2,727) in six retail categories (cosmetics, electronics, fashion, jewelry, telecom services, and department stores) were examined using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The negative relationship between sacrifice and perceived value, and the positive association of perceived value and satisfaction with behavioral intentions, is stronger for the male and older customers; whereas the positive association of service quality with satisfaction and value is stronger for female and younger customers.
Research limitations/implications
The study examined behavioral intentions instead of actual behavior due to its cross‐sectional design. However, in the categories examined (cosmetics, fashion, department stores, etc.) where purchase frequencies range from moderate to high, behavioral intentions may highly correlate with actual behavior.
Practical implications
The findings help retail managers understand the differences in the influence of perceived sacrifice, value, service quality, and satisfaction on the behavioral intentions of customers, based on individual characteristics such as gender and age. They should be able to plan and prioritize their marketing activities for diverse customer segments.
Originality/value
The study offers new insights on the individual differences in the service expectations and perceptions, which in turn affect customer behavior and loyalty.
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There has been interest recently in analysing soil, ceramic powders and other materials on the microscopic level so that macroscopic phenomena, such as failure, can be related to…
Abstract
There has been interest recently in analysing soil, ceramic powders and other materials on the microscopic level so that macroscopic phenomena, such as failure, can be related to microscopic properties. The discrete element method provides a numerical tool for conducting such analyses. Here the basic theory behind the method is reviewed and various formulations derived from a finite element basis. The automatic detection of contact surfaces between bodies is a major problem in analysing the interaction of numerous bodies, common to both finite elements and discrete elements. Various approaches to geometric contact detection and the need for efficient algorithms and data structures utilizing recent developments in the field of computer graphics and solid modelling are discussed. Examples are given of the collapse of a soil embankment, penetration of a projectile into a soil and the large deformation of a space structure.
A tax based on land value is in many ways ideal, but many economists dismiss it by assuming it could not raise enough revenue. Standard sources of data omit much of the potential…
Abstract
Purpose
A tax based on land value is in many ways ideal, but many economists dismiss it by assuming it could not raise enough revenue. Standard sources of data omit much of the potential tax base, and undervalue what they do measure. The purpose of this paper is to present more comprehensive and accurate measures of land rents and values, and several modes of raising revenues from them besides the conventional property tax.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper identifies 16 elements of land's taxable capacity that received authorities either trivialize or omit. These 16 elements come in four groups.
Findings
In Group A, Elements 1‐4 correct for the downward bias in standard sources. In Group B, Elements 5‐10 broaden the concepts of land and rent beyond the conventional narrow perception, while Elements 11‐12 estimate rents to be gained by abating other kinds of taxes. In Group C, Elements 13‐14 explain how using the land tax, since it has no excess burden, uncaps feasible tax rates. In Group D, Elements 15‐16 define some moot possibilities that may warrant further exploration.
Originality/value
This paper shows how previous estimates of rent and land values have been narrowly limited to a fraction of the whole, thus giving a false impression that the tax capacity is low. The paper adds 14 elements to the traditional narrow “single tax” base, plus two moot elements advanced for future consideration. Any one of these 16 elements indicates a much higher land tax base than economists commonly recognize today. Taken together they are overwhelming, and cast an entirely new light on this subject.
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Johanna Gummerus, Michaela Lipkin, Apramey Dube and Kristina Heinonen
This study aims to introduce and characterize a specific form of self-service technology (SST), customer self-service devices (SSDs), as well as propose and apply a classification…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to introduce and characterize a specific form of self-service technology (SST), customer self-service devices (SSDs), as well as propose and apply a classification scheme of SSDs to encourage future research on such SSTs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on conceptual development of customer SSDs and exploratory qualitative insight from representatives of companies offering various types of SSDs.
Findings
This paper introduces SSDs as customer-possessed and controlled smart service devices aiming to solve problems from the customer’s perspective, often within completely new, customer-defined service processes and ecosystems. SSDs are not confined to the company-controlled service environment, and customers may thus use them wherever and whenever they so wish. The study characterizes SSDs based on service and customer use features, as well as on the subject of the service act (self/other vs belongings) and nature of service act (monitoring vs acting).
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to conceptual exploration with qualitative insights from six companies. Future research is needed to empirically study different SSDs by using both qualitative and quantitative approaches in various settings.
Originality/value
The paper conceptualizes SSDs as an extension to the traditional SST framework. It contributes to the understanding of how personal handheld devices can contribute to customer experiences. It provides research directions to stimulate further research in SSTs.
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Athanasia Daskalopoulou, Kathy Keeling and Rowan Pritchard Jones
Service research holds that as services become more technology dominated, new service provider roles emerge. On a conceptual level, the potential impact of different roles has…
Abstract
Purpose
Service research holds that as services become more technology dominated, new service provider roles emerge. On a conceptual level, the potential impact of different roles has been discussed with regard to service provider readiness, job performance and overall experience. However, as yet, there is sparse empirical support for these conceptual interpretations. The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the new service provider roles that emerge due to the increase of technology mediation in services.
Design/methodology/approach
This study follows a qualitative methodology. Insights are drawn from in-depth interviews with 32 junior and senior health-care service providers (across 12 specialties) and 5 information governance/management staff.
Findings
This analysis illustrates that new service provider roles include those of the enabler, differentiator, innovator, coordinator and sense-giver. By adopting these roles, health-care service providers reveal that they can encourage, support and advance technology mediation in services across different groups/audiences within their organizations (e.g. service delivery level, peer-to-peer level, organizational level). This paper further shows the relationships between these new service provider roles.
Originality/value
This study contributes to theory in technology-mediated services by illustrating empirically the range of activities that constitute each role. It also complements prior work by identifying that service providers adopt the additional role of sense-giver. Finally, this paper provides an understanding of how by taking on these roles service providers can encourage, support and advance technology mediation in services across different groups/audiences in their organization.