Ruben Gregorio and Peter Cronemyr
The aim of this paper is to develop a model to help service organizations to set the specification limits according to the customer expectations.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to develop a model to help service organizations to set the specification limits according to the customer expectations.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of relevant literature has been used to develop a new integrated model with ideas from the Kano model, SERVQUAL, Taguchi loss function, Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and a new model, “the Trade‐Off Importance”. A survey was carried out with 18 external customers and internal stakeholders of the Service Division of Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB in Finspong, Sweden.
Findings
The model has demonstrated its robustness and credibility to set the specification limits. Additionally, it is a very powerful tool for service quality measurement and to set strategic directions.
Research limitations/implications
First, articles published on this subject are few and there is no similar model in the literature to confirm or compare results. The proposed model must be further validated in future research. Second, this study is applied in a single service division, with a relatively small sample. Ideally, research should be conducted using multiple industries in order to ensure that the model is generalizable.
Originality/value
To the best of one's knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to create a road‐map to set the specification limits in services. Researchers should find that the proposed model fills the research gap. From a managerial standpoint the practical benefits in Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB suggest a new way of communicating to customers. The model will also improve the target setting in the Six Sigma projects.
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Jordi Olivella and Rubén Gregorio
The purpose of this paper is, first, to expose an integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system implemented to focus the organization on value streams and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is, first, to expose an integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system implemented to focus the organization on value streams and, by doing it, to improve performance, and, second, to analyze the results obtained.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on an exploratory case study carried out at Delphi Diesel Systems (DDS) plant in Sant Cugat (Spain).
Findings
The integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system implemented by DDS Sant Cugat resulted in being very successful and appropriate to obtain the established objectives: focus the organization on value streams; and, by doing it, to improve performance, particularly the overall equipment effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Considering the limited amount of research on the subject this kind of exploratory research is considered to be appropriate. The main limitation is that a single manufacturing plant was analyzed. Even though the characteristics of the plant and the problems addressed are common and, in consequence, it can be thought that the experience is replicable, further research should be conducted to verify it.
Practical implications
For the management community, this paper provides a new way of designing and using manufacturing performance measurement systems.
Originality/value
The presented case confirms previous works stating the importance of how performance measures and meetings are used and the need of involvement of the whole organization. The joint planning of the performance measures and the meeting system that has been presented had not previously been analyzed by the literature.
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Avant‐propos sous les auspices de l'Institut international de Coopération intellectuelle, paraissait en 1934 le t. I, consacré à l'Europe, du Guide international des Archives. Le…
Abstract
Avant‐propos sous les auspices de l'Institut international de Coopération intellectuelle, paraissait en 1934 le t. I, consacré à l'Europe, du Guide international des Archives. Le questionnaire envoyé à tous les États européens comportait sous les points 4 et 6 les questions suivantes: ‘Existe‐t‐il un guide général pour les diverses catégories d'Archives ou des guides particuliers pour l'une ou l'autre d'entre elles?’ et ‘Existe‐t‐il des catalogues imprimés, des publications tant officielles que privées, susceptibles de constituer un instrument complet de référence pour tout ou partie importante des fonds d'archives?’ Les réponses des divers pays à ces questions, malgré leur caractère très inégal, ont fait du Guide international un bon instrument d'information générale sur les Archives. Malheureusement les circonstances ont empêché la publication du volume consacré aux États non européens, tandis que le temps qui s'écoulait tendait à rendre périmés les renseignements fournis sur les Archives européennes.
Ruben Paul Borg, Glorianne Borg Axisa, Taufika Ophiyandri and Abdul Hakam
This paper aims to provide a framework for building resilience to coastal hazards with reference to Asian nations at the local, intra-regional and inter-regional levels. This…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a framework for building resilience to coastal hazards with reference to Asian nations at the local, intra-regional and inter-regional levels. This framework provides a roadmap that will enable higher education institutions in the region to play a significant role in educating and training new leaders for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and in working directly with local communities to implement plans.
Design/methodology/approach
Events such as the 2004 tsunami highlighted the transboundary nature of coastal hazard and the importance of regional cooperation. A framework for inter- and intra-regional cooperation was developed through focus groups organised with community participants in five Asian nations exposed to coastal risks: Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Findings
Different stakeholders assessed inter- and intra-regional cooperation at different levels as a means to provide a baseline scenario to develop a capacity-building roadmap for such cooperation. The discussions organised through structured face-to-face encounters considered cooperation at different scales: international, regional, national and local. The framework key areas were developed and included knowledge databases, data and resource sharing and exchange education programmes.
Originality/value
Multi-hazard early warning for more resilient coastal communities is increasingly complex in view of the discourse related to the wider economic and social environments. The research proposes a framework for inter- and intra-regional cooperation at different scales; from local to regional and to the inter-continental dimensions and even through a bottom-up approach, together with the experts’ and managing authorities’ top-down positions.
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Simplice Asongu and Nicholas M. Odhiambo
This study assesses the relevance of foreign aid to the incidence of capital flight and unemployment in 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract
Purpose
This study assesses the relevance of foreign aid to the incidence of capital flight and unemployment in 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is for the period 1996–2018, and the empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions in order to assess the nexuses throughout the conditional distribution of the unemployment outcome variable.
Findings
From the findings, capital flight has a positive unconditional incidence on unemployment, while foreign aid dampens the underlying positive unconditional nexus. Moreover, in order for the positive incidence of capital flight to be completely dampened, foreign aid thresholds of 2.230 and 3.964 (% of GDP) are needed at the 10th and 25th quantiles, respectively, of the conditional distribution of unemployment. It follows that the relevance of foreign aid in crowding out the unfavourable incidence of capital flight on unemployment is significantly apparent only in the lowest quantiles or countries with below-median levels of unemployment. The policy implications are discussed.
Originality/value
The study complements the extant literature by assessing the importance of development assistance in how capital flight affects unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa.