Wieslaw Urban and Agnieszka Mazurek
Production management and personnel management.
Abstract
Subject area
Production management and personnel management.
Study level/applicability
Production management modules of undergraduate business and management courses.
Case overview
The case describes the implementation of 5S by a Polish production company, namely Bianor. It presents not only the literature base and benefits of 5S but, in particular, shows the specificity of the implementation process, taking into consideration attitudes of employees; moreover, the study devotes some attention to aspects of organizational culture.
Expected learning outcomes
The case shows how to implement the 5S method in a production company, and how effective communication of processes is essential to implementing business change.
Supplementary materials
Teaching note.
Details
Keywords
The paper seeks to evaluate the state of organizational service orientation in service industry in Poland; also to examine the influence of service orientation on key service…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to evaluate the state of organizational service orientation in service industry in Poland; also to examine the influence of service orientation on key service performance, especially on the quality of service. Employing a cross‐sector approach, it aims to assess the problem of differences of organizational service orientation across different service trade.
Design/methodology/approach
In the research process the survey method was employed. The research population enclosed 230 service enterprises operating in three regions of Poland; units were chosen randomly. Serv*Or questions battery designed by Lytle et al. was employed to assess the organizational service orientation. Advantage was taken of correlations analyses and ANOVA.
Findings
The weakest element regarding organizational service orientation is employee empowerment, which originates partly from national inclination to individualism, and partly from the central planning political system that existed in the Polish economy in the Communist era. The main conclusion is that organizational service orientation affects service performance. Its influence on service quality and clients' loyalty is substantial; therefore the organizational service orientation concept appears as a predicator of service quality and might be used in the quality management process. It is possible to indicate five service orientation dimensions that differ across sectors: customer treatment, employee empowerment, service standards communication, service vision, and service training.
Originality/value
The study takes a cross‐sector approach. No wide cross‐sector study has appeared before in an investigation of organizational service orientation.
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Matjaž Maletic, Damjan Maletic, Jens Dahlgaard, Su Mi Dahlgaard-Park and Boštjan Gomišcek
The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between sustainability practices and financial and market performance, and also, the role of non-financial performance outputs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between sustainability practices and financial and market performance, and also, the role of non-financial performance outputs in this relation. Corporate sustainability is a growing area of importance for organizational development. Managing sustainability practices successfully is an imperative in achieving competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
Using empirical data based on a large-scale survey among organizations in five countries (i.e. Germany, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain), this paper utilized mediation analysis to estimate and test the mediated effects in a multiple mediator model. As such, the sizes of indirect effects of sustainability practices on financial and market performance through potential mediators were estimated.
Findings
The results showed that innovation performance exerts a mediation effect in the relation between sustainability practices and financial and market performance. The main conclusion is that a greater engagement in sustainability practices leads to an increased innovation performance, which in turn leads to financial and market performance.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first attempts to empirically validate sustainability exploitation and sustainability exploration practices. Besides, the analysis of the direct and indirect effects of sustainability exploration and sustainability exploitation practices on financial and market performance has not been yet addressed to a great extent.
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Wieslaw Michalak and Ken Jones
Examines the importance of e‐commerce in the retail economy. The analysis is placed in the broader context of economic and social change and provides a theoretical framework for…
Abstract
Examines the importance of e‐commerce in the retail economy. The analysis is placed in the broader context of economic and social change and provides a theoretical framework for evaluating the growth of e‐commerce as a major distribution channel. By exploring the results of the recently released “Household Internet survey of Canadian households”, the paper documents the actual shopping behaviour of Internet shoppers from a variety of perspectives. The Canadian experience should provide analysis with a series of benchmarks and trends on which to evaluate the adoption of e‐commerce in other markets.
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Bagyalakshmi Gopi and Nusrah Samat
Service quality has been highlighted as the vital element in fulfilling customers' needs, which contributes to the customers' evaluation on the services given. As food truck…
Abstract
Purpose
Service quality has been highlighted as the vital element in fulfilling customers' needs, which contributes to the customers' evaluation on the services given. As food truck business is increasingly popular in Malaysia, it is important for the food trucks' service provider to ensure that their service quality meets the standard to satisfy the customers in order to build customer loyalty. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between food trucks' service quality with customer satisfaction and its impact toward customer loyalty. The customer service was measured using service quality (SERVQUAL) attributes (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy).
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study was conducted to examine the influence of food trucks' service quality on customer satisfaction and its impact toward customer loyalty. A total of 100 food truck customers have been randomly selected to answer the self-administered questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, descriptive, reliability, Pearson correlation and regression analysis.
Findings
Findings indicated that three out of five attributes of service quality have significant relationships toward customer satisfaction. They are tangibles (β = 0.225, p < 0.05), reliability (β = 0.349, p < 0.05) and assurance (β = 0.311, p < 0.05). Moreover, the customer loyalty (β = 0.643, p < 0.01) has a significant relationship with customer satisfaction.
Originality/value
Service quality can be characterized as the discrepancy between customer service standards and actual service. When expectations are higher than performance, perceived quality is less than acceptable and therefore consumer disappointment exists which eventually decreases customer loyalty toward a product or services. The study suggested that physical image of the food trucks' service like physical facilities, how the service being performed and also courtesy and knowledge of the food trucks' employees are very important to transfer confidence and trust to customers, which then will influence them to be loyal.
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The object of this research is the reconstruction of the existing legal response by European Union states to the phenomenon of immigration. It seeks to analyse the process of…
Abstract
Purpose
The object of this research is the reconstruction of the existing legal response by European Union states to the phenomenon of immigration. It seeks to analyse the process of conferral of protection.
Design/methodology/approach
One main dimension is selected and discussed: the case law of the national courts. The study focuses on the legal status of immigrants resulting from the intervention of these national courts.
Findings
The research shows that although the courts have conferred an increasing protection on immigrants, this has not challenged the fundamental principle of the sovereignty of the states to decide, according to their discretionary prerogatives, which immigrants are allowed to enter and stay in their territories. Notwithstanding the differences in the general constitutional and legal structures, the research also shows that the courts of the three countries considered – France, Germany and Spain – have progressively moved towards converging solutions in protecting immigrants.
Originality/value
The research contributes to a better understanding of the different legal orders analysed.