Business Commons^™

The Effects Of Immediate And Delayed Payments On Consumption Behavior, Arvind Agrawal

Arvind Agrawal

Payment-timing is conceptualized as a payment instrument focal characteristic to explain differences in consumers’ purchasing behavior when they chose to pay-now versus pay-later. Payment-timing preferences represent consumers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivation for delaying marketing transactions. Cash, debit cards, and online banking represented consumers’ preferences to pay-now, while credit cards and loans represented the inclination to pay-later.

There were two key findings: Firstly, I present payment-timing models that theorize consumers’ choice of payment types with differences in payment-timing and motivations to pay for purchases. Two models are presented that unify the following attitudes and motivations: (1) five attitudinal antecedents to consumers’ …

Mobile Information Services Marketing: An Assessment Of Needs, Quality And Satisfaction, Shahriar Akter, Fumiyo Kondo

Shahriar Akter

While user needs, service quality and satisfaction regarding most services have been well explored in academic literature, there exists little research on these factors with respect to mobile information services. This study taps into these voids and examines the impact of these factors on mobile information services marketing through an empirical investigation in Japan. It pursues a conceptual model based on the basic parameters of information marketing, that is, information needs, information quality and user satisfaction. The findings indicate that user perceived information services quality is determined by the quality of information delivery platform (affordability, availability, reliability, security and ease …

Modeling The Effects Of Quality In A Transformative Health Service, Shahriar Akter, Umme Hani

Shahriar Akter

Understanding the effects of service quality on economic (i.e., continuance intentions) and social (i.e., quality of life) outcomes is critical to extend the focus of transformative service research. This study specifies mHealth as a transformative service and models the impact of its overall quality on satisfaction, continuance intentions and quality of life. Based on cognition - affective - conation chain, the conceptual model explicitly identifies convenience, confidence, cooperation, care and concern as the primary dimensions of mHealth service quality. The study validates the higher-order quality model and its association with subsequent latent variables using PLS path modeling. The findings confirm …

The Role Of Benchmarking In Establishing Standards For The Evaluation Of Human Resources, Chris Andrews, Chris Hogan

Dr Chris Andrews

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impact Of Response Styles On Cross-Cultural Service Quality Evaluation: A Simplified Approach To Eliminating The Problem, Nina Reynolds, Anne Smith

Nina Reynolds

With the proliferation of comparative research, it is important to recognize some of the inherent limitations of cross-cultural measurement. This article examines the impact of response styles on substantive conclusions of cross-cultural service quality research. The authors use relatively simple analysis methods in conditions where more sophisticated approaches are unlikely to be robust. They demonstrate how analysis of covariance and partial regression can be used to assess both differences in mean scores and differences in relationships. Their results demonstrate that conclusions drawn from analysis that ignores the potential impact of response styles differ from those drawn when response styles are …

Measuring Cross‐Cultural Service Quality: A Framework For Assessment, Anne Smith, Nina Reynolds

Nina Reynolds

The trend towards internationalisation in many service industries has increased the need for both managers and academics to collect cross-cultural/national consumer-perceived service quality data. Failure to establish cross-cultural equivalence and to detect differences in cross-national response bias will, however, affect data comparability, may invalidate the research results and could therefore lead to incorrect inferences about attitudes and behaviours across national groups. By initially focussing on developments in the mono-cultural service quality literature, a framework is presented whereby academics and managers can assess the potential impact of these international measurement issues. Existing cross-cultural service quality literature is reviewed and the extent …

An Innovative Leadership Effectiveness Measure: Applied Analytic Indicators Of High-Consequence Industry Performance, Brent D. Bowen, Erin E. Bowen, Dean E. Headley, Hatice Küçükönal, Clay Wildt

Erin Bowen

Leadership effectiveness in high-consequence industries has more than a bottom-line fiscal impact; it is linked to critical issues of human safety. Performance, productivity and overall quality of service have to be managed with focus on improvement in systemic safety while simultaneously maintaining a viable and profitable organization. This premise is specifically foremost in the leadership of airline organizations. The Airline Quality Rating has become a recognized and lauded indicator of airline performance in the United States. A valid case is presented herein to confirm that the Airline Quality Rating’s applied analytic methodology effectively provides a tool for assessing organizational leadership. …

Lasting Improvements In Manufacturing Performance: In Search Of A New Theory, Kasra Ferdows, Arnoud De Meyer

Arnoud DE MEYER

Is there a way to avoid trading off one capability for another in manufacturing? The prevailing wisdom says no. But some manufacturers seem to have been able to defy that: compared to their competitors, they have better quality, are more dependable, respond faster to changing market conditions, and in spite of all that, achieve lower costs. How can this be explained? Our aim here is to provide an explanation. We contend that the nature of the trade-offs among manufacturing capabilities is more complex than has been assumed. Depending on the approach taken for developing each capability, the nature of the …

Managerial Focal Points In Manufacturing Strategy, Arnoud De Meyer

Arnoud DE MEYER

Through analysis of specific decisions in the management of manufacturing in 163 companies, we have identified the key dimensions along which mort of the differences among manufacturing strategies can be explained. Previous research—mostly based on clinical observations—has focused on describing the typical decision categories in manufacturing strategy. Our large sample has allowed us to move beyond that and focus on the differences among manufacturing strategies. Data were collected by mailed questionnaires as a part of a large research project ‘Manufacturing Futures’. The responses to a list of 35 specific current action programmes in manufacturing were reduced through a principal component …

The Effect Of Financial Status On Earnings Quality Of Chinese-Listed Firms, Feng Li, Indra Abeysekera, Shiguang Ma

Indra Abeysekera

This article investigates the relation between accounting-based earnings quality attributes and the financial status of Chinese companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2005 to 2007 by classifying them as either "healthy" or "bankrupt" firms. The authors find that accruals quality, earnings predictability, and earnings smoothness are significantly different between healthy and bankrupt firms, but not earnings persistence. Additional analysis undertaken indicates that firm categories (healthy, financially distressed, and bankrupt) based on financial status does not indicate distinct differences in earnings quality attributes.

Quality Of Life And Tourism: A Conceptual Framework And Novel Segmentation Base, Sara Dolnicar, Katie Lazarevski, Venkata Yanamandram

Venkata Yanamandram

The present study (1) develops a dynamic, individual hierarchical model of the importance of vacations to Quality of Life (QOL), and (2) introduces this concept as a novel segmentation base, acknowledging that not all people want to go on vacation. The proposed Grevillea Model of the Importance of Vacations for Quality of Life is tested empirically by examining 1000 survey responses. Results show that 10% of Australians perceive vacations as critical to QOL. Another 60% perceive vacations add to, but they are not essential to QOL. Practical tourism marketing implications include: (1) vacations are not important to all people; therefore, …

Further Developments In Knowledge Business Modelling - An Inverse Extension Of The Quality Triangle, Lee Styger

Lee Styger

Business Modelling has traditionally been poorly executed leading to. This has led to the introduction of partial analysis and detrimental outcomes. There is a long held axiom that, since all business are different, then all business systems are different and as such, no two rules are the same. Early experimentation in "chunking down" classic business models has demonstrated that it is possible to reduce complex concepts into single, almost binary, rules. This paper discusses further developments of the Quality Triangle moving towards Knowledge Business Modelling.

Reducing Quality Supply In A Time Of Value Need, Lee Styger

Lee Styger

No abstract provided.

An Innovative Leadership Effectiveness Measure: Applied Analytic Indicators Of High-Consequence Industry Performance, Brent D. Bowen, Erin E. Bowen, Dean E. Headley, Hatice Küçükönal, Clay Wildt

Brent Bowen

Leadership effectiveness in high-consequence industries has more than a bottom-line fiscal impact; it is linked to critical issues of human safety. Performance, productivity and overall quality of service have to be managed with focus on improvement in systemic safety while simultaneously maintaining a viable and profitable organization. This premise is specifically foremost in the leadership of airline organizations. The Airline Quality Rating has become a recognized and lauded indicator of airline performance in the United States. A valid case is presented herein to confirm that the Airline Quality Rating’s applied analytic methodology effectively provides a tool for assessing organizational leadership. …

An Examination Of Professional Services Quality As A Mediator Between Interpersonal Communication And Repurchase Intention, Les Kirchmajer, Paul G. Patterson

Laszlo Kirchmajer

This study examines the role of service quality (SQ) as a mediator between interpersonal communications and repurchase intention in the context of the relationship an individual client has with their personal financial adviser. A new multidimensional scale for interpersonal communications is developed and tested. Three dimensions were identified as: Communications clarity (five items), Social communications (four items), and Information provision (seven items). The results show the communications dimensions play a central role in sharing perceptions of service quality (SQ) and thus repurchase intentions.

A Methodology For Integrating Artificial Intelligence Into A Quality Management Teaching Environment, Xuesong Chi, Trevor A. Spedding

Trevor Spedding

Management flight simulators provide a “microworld” in which users control an organization in a realistic environment without the need to disturb the real system. This paper presents a web-based intelligent virtual learning environment to enhance the education of engineering management students in quality management and statistical process control techniques. The paper introduces the structure and methodology for building this online learning environment. The simulated environment is based on an innovative approach which incorporates a Fuzzy Adaptive Resonance Theory Neural Network to enable students to obtain the best response by automatically identifying out of control conditions.

An Exploration Of Applying Rules Based System Modelling Into A Quality Management Framework - Extending The Quality Triangle, Lee Styger

Lee Styger

The construct of quality management has moved on greatly since the "quality policing" concepts of the 1980's. Continual improvement and customer centric business development philosophies have become the norm within a "total" business environment. Typically, organisations exploit a series of matrices, templates and models to monitor and control their operations. It has however been noted that, often, due to minimal formal user centric instructions being available, even simple quality and business models are misused and fail to deliver their potential to impact on the business. This paper discusses the possibilities of applying knowledge based engineering fundamentals into quality and business …

Toward A Valid Measure Of E-Retailing Service Quality, John R. Rossiter

John Rossiter

E-retailers are major players in the field of electronic commerce and their success would seem to depend on service quality, because they are selling the same products that traditional retailers sell. This article critiques Collier and Bienstocks [5] new measure of e-retailing service quality and shows how the stages of e-retailing service quality can be more validly measured by adopting Rossiters [12] C-OAR-SE procedure for scale development. Collier and Bienstock`s measure is insufficiently valid because the measure (1) fails to specify the hierarchical objects that form the construct, and measures the overall object, e-retailing, wrongly by focusing on completed transactions; …

Evaluating Key Factors In Supplier Selection For Micro-Businesses: Implications For Buyer Satisfaction, Avinash Waikar, Minh Huynh, Robert Cope, Uday Tate

Uday S. Tate

Final quality of products/services starts with suppliers in the supply chain. Problems can occur if suppliers do not deliver the quantities requested in full, on time, or buyers select suppliers solely on the basis of lowest price. Supplier selection has been studied for large businesses but not for very small (micro) businesses. Therefore, a survey was administered to micro-businesses to determine: what factors are important to micro-businesses in selecting suppliers and how satisfied they are with their suppliers. Factors included Brand Name, Consistency, Cost/Lower Price, Loyalty, Quality, and Warranty. Results indicated that none of the factors were unimportant. However, buyer …

A Quality Metric For Sustainable Innovations, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

Sustainability has become a major concern for nations and firms especially since the Kyoto Protocol was defined in 1997. While there have been several studies on benchmarks for national innovation systems and effectiveness of innovation management within firms there is as yet no reasonable metric for determining the quality of an innovation much less its quality relating to sustainability? Similarly, there have been several studies on sustainability but that such research groups have also not focused on developing a metric for denoting the quality of sustainable innovations. This paper offers a metric that defines the quality of an innovation, especially …

Exploring Applicant Pool Quantity And Quality: The Effects Of Early Recruitment Practice Strategies, Corporate Advertising, And Firm Reputation, Christopher J. Collins, Jian Han

Christopher J Collins

Drawing on marketing and recruitment theory, we examined relationships between early recruitment practices, organizational factors, and organization-level recruitment outcomes, predicting that low-involvement recruitment practices, high-involvement recruitment practices, corporate advertising, and firm reputation would positively affect the quantity and quality of organizations’ applicant pools. We also predicted that corporate advertising and firm reputation would moderate the effects of the two recruitment strategies. Data for 99 organizations collected from multiple sources provided some evidence that early recruitment practices, corporate advertising, and firm reputation each had direct effects on applicant pool quantity and quality. More importantly, we found that low-involvement recruitment practices were …

Earnings Management And The Effect Of Earnings Quality In Relation To Stress Level And Bankruptcy Level Of Chinese Listed Firms, Feng Li, Indra Abeysekera, Shiguang Ma

Indra Abeysekera

This paper investigates the link between earnings management and earnings quality for the Chinese firms listed in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2003 to 2007. The earnings quality is measured by four separate earnings attributes: accruals quality, earnings persistence, earnings predictability, and earnings smoothness. We find that the stressed/bankrupt firms prefer opportunistic earnings management; the non-stressed/non-bankrupt firms are more likely to choose more efficient earnings management than the stressed/non-bankrupt firms. We find that earnings management performs better than earnings quality in predicting future profitability. We also find that the earnings quality has deteriorated over the sample period; the …

Category-Specific Recipes For Internet Retailing Quality, Julie E. Francis

Julie Francis

Purpose – Limited attention has been given to the stability of the dimensions of quality across different types of internet retailing. This study aims to identify four distinct categories of internet retailing, develops a separate quality measurement scale for each category, then compares the dimensions of quality that emerged for each context. Design/methodology/approach – Four category-specific quality measurement scales (or RECIPE scales) were developed, one for each Fulfilment-Product type of internet retailing. The scales were administered to 1,262 internet shoppers, then the data were used to refine and assess the statistical properties of each instrument. A cross-category review of the …

Evaluating The Impact Of Health Information Technology On Quality, Ken Pinaire, Surendra Sarnikar

Surendra Sarnikar

There is an important need to understand how health information technology impacts healthcare quality. In this systematic review we analyze recent literature to understand the relationship between health information technology and healthcare quality. We report preliminary findings and offer recommendations for future study.

Creating Quality Precision Instrument: Vfma_35 For The Conduct Of Value For Money Audit Using The Rasch Model, Razimah Abdullah, Mohd Saidfudin Masodi

Razimah Abdullah

Just like an examination paper, the reliability of a survey questionnaire as a measuring instrument is crucial if we want a good and valid instrument. The length of test and rating scale or distractor operational definition are among the determinants that will affect the validity of the instrument. However, how do we assure that we are measuring what is to be measured? This paper investigates the construct validity of an instrument named, VFMA_35 by applying the Rasch analysis. The precision of the instrument is established from the item measurement standard error (SE). Analysis using Rasch creates a functional precise instrument …

Intellectual Capital Statement (Ics) As A Method Of Measurement And Management Of Knowledge Assets, Anna Ujwary-Gil

Anna Ujwary-Gil

The article describes empirical verification of an interesting model – Intellectual Capital Statement (ICS). ICS is an example of a method which emphasizes the European contribution into the developing trend of intellectual capital (IC) measure and evaluation, with particular attention paid to the SME sector (a strong presence of Scandinavian countries and the USA is noticeable here). ICS is presented here as a tool enabling us to manage and evaluate IC of a company and to demonstrate the dynamics of its changes. The article contains a case study of a company operating in the construction sector in Poland. It also …

Service Quality, Relationship Building And Innovative Technologies In The Scottish Tourism Industry, Betsy A. Pudliner

Betsy A. Pudliner

In today's post-modern society, service takes greater meaning with the application of innovative technologies. In particular, historical and cultural service attitudes are renewed and easily expressed with the use of lnternet and World Wide Web applications. The Scottish tourism industry is viewed as a highly developed and fragmented economy. The foundations of tourism are in the small, family owned operations. Small businesses extend traditional alignment with destination marketing organizations with smaller, local virtual communities to capture and retain revenues. Consistency, in the delivery of quality experiences, is seen as a positive outcome with virtual community building. This paper describes research …

Signaling, Incentives And School Organization In France, The Netherlands, Britain And The United States: Lessons For Education Economics, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] What causes differences in secondary school achievement across these four nations? The first two sections of the paper describe the achievement differences among the four countries and examine the proximate causes of the differentials. I conclude that these achievement differentials are caused by differences in the quality of teachers and of student time and effort inputs devoted to academic achievement.

Quality Tourism Experiences: Reviews, Reflections And Research Agendas, Gayle Jennings, Young-Sook Lee, Amanda Ayling, Brooke Lunny, Carl Cater, Claudia Ollenburg

Claudia Ollenburg

“Quality tourism experiences,” including its singular form, is a well used phrase in tourism industry literature and traveller dialogues. Yet definitions of a quality tourism experience remain elusive. Tourism studies, recreation and marketing literature similarly resonate with numerous applications of the phrase as well as its contributing terms. A social constructivist approach was applied to a literature review, in order to reflect on the status of “quality tourism experiences,” its meanings, as well as research approaches used and research agendas proffered. From the review emerged multiple interpretations and constructions as well as an emphasis on complexity. Research approaches were predicated …

Managing Transformational Change: The Role Of Human Resource Professionals, Thomas A. Kochan, Lee Dyer

Lee Dyer

[Excerpt] Can the United States maintain its traditional position of economic leadership and one of the world's highest standards of living in the face of increasing global competition? Concerned observers cite the following negative news: lagging rates of productivity growth, non-competitive product quality in key industries, structural inflexibilities, and declining real wage levels and flat family earnings (Carnavale, 1991). Further, they offer a plethora of proposed solutions covering both broad public policies and more specific firm-level policies and practices.