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1 – 4 of 4Hans Voordijk, Faridaddin Vahdatikhaki and Lars Hesselink
With the emergence of digital twins, the construction industry is looking toward improving the inspection and maintenance of all kinds of assets, such as bridges, roads and…
Abstract
Purpose
With the emergence of digital twins, the construction industry is looking toward improving the inspection and maintenance of all kinds of assets, such as bridges, roads and utilities. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into how the development of an interactive digital twin creates a variety of interactions between users of this technology and assets to be monitored.
Design/methodology/approach
The development of a digital twin inspection model, focusing on the specific case of a sewage pumping station, is chosen as the subject of a case study. Through the development of this model, this study explores the various user–technology interactions that can be designed in a digital twin context.
Findings
Users interact with digital twins by following virtual instructions in a certain way, which creates a “quasi-other” relationship. A digital twin based on virtual reality (VR) also make users feel as if they are within the created VR of an inspection site, thereby immersing them in the VR environment. The design of a VR-based digital twin, which is determined by decisions made during the development process, shapes the context in which users interact with the technology and assets.
Originality/value
This study shows that a digital twin in construction practice may play different “actant” roles having different types of influences. Analyzing these actant roles and influences in terms of force and visibility adds a new perspective on the interaction between users and digital twins in construction and asset monitoring practice.
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Peter Curwen and Jason Whalley
Although there has been some discussion of virtual operations, especially those of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), in the literature, there have been very few full‐scale…
Abstract
Purpose
Although there has been some discussion of virtual operations, especially those of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), in the literature, there have been very few full‐scale case studies. This case study aims to examine the strategy of a very large virtual operator, Tele2.
Design/methodology/approach
The procedure of the study is to examine the meaning of the term “virtual operator”, to see how this can be applied over time to Tele2 and hence to determine whether Tele2's success has been dependent on using a virtual operator model.
Findings
It is established in the paper that Tele2's initial success was closely linked to its virtual operator status, but also that it has increasingly tended to behave like an infrastructure‐based operator as the competitive landscape has evolved.
Research limitations/implications
There are strictly no other operators directly comparable with Tele2.
Originality/value
Case studies in the field of virtual operations are scarce and limited in their scope. This paper accordingly adds significantly to the literature.
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Nicolaus Lundahl, Fatima Vegholm and Lars Silver
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the technical and functional dimensions of service management on customer satisfaction in the bank‐SME relationship.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the technical and functional dimensions of service management on customer satisfaction in the bank‐SME relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
An ordinal logistic regression analysis is used to examine a total of 221 responses to a questionnaire distributed to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden.
Findings
Both the technical and the functional dimensions of service management were shown to correlate with customer satisfaction. Thus, SMEs seem to evaluate their banking relationship not only on the basis of the effectiveness and quality of banks' service outcomes but also on the care and manner in which the bankers deliver services.
Research limitations/implications
The study shows that relationship variables, such as personal interaction is a strong determinant for customer satisfaction in the bank‐SME relationship. Hence, there is a need for banks to focus training on understanding the issues of SMEs on a broader scale rather than solely on the sale of individual products.
Originality/value
The study examines both the technical and functional dimensions of service management in the bank‐SME relationship. Because most researchers treat ordinal scales as continuous variables, stronger conclusions can thus be drawn from the ordinal regression analysis performed here.
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Pasquale Erto, Amalia Vanacore and Michele Staiano
This paper aims to provide a quantitative decision approach to the service quality management, developed on the basis of Kano's theory of attractive quality. The proposed approach…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a quantitative decision approach to the service quality management, developed on the basis of Kano's theory of attractive quality. The proposed approach aims at exploiting contacts with service made by “mystery guests” rather than traditional surveys on customer opinions.
Design/methodology/approach
A specific probabilistic model of the process of serving quality is the adopted basic tool. Multiple comparison tests aimed at controlling the service quality are the core of the proposed decision approach. In order to collect the needed sampling data, a few mystery guests who experience many customer‐service contacts are employed.
Findings
A quantitative decision methodology which both allows one to evaluate the actual service quality level and provides, via comparison tests, a tool to highlight the weak and strong points of the service delivery process.
Originality/value
The proposed quality map is an original graphical tool, which enables one to pin‐point strengths and failings in service quality, prioritize corrective actions and recognize improvements, if any. The operative value of the whole methodology is tested through a real application to the hotel service industry.
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