Aligning customer requirements and organizational constraints to service processes and strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1018-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Paltayian ◽  
Katerina D. Gotzamani ◽  
Andreas C. Georgiou ◽  
Andreas Andronikidis
Keyword(s):  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Customer Requirements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Improvement Strategies

Purpose Recognizing the fundamental role of quality as a means to differentiate service organizations, the purpose of this paper is to propose a strategic decision making framework for service organizations, which prioritizes performance improvement strategies that are rooted to customer requirements, organizational goals and constrained by organizational resources. Design/methodology/approach The proposed framework is realized through the implementation of two stages and four distinct phases mirroring the combination of enhanced quality function deployment (first stage), and zero-one goal programming (second stage). It proposes the utilization of a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, and the collection of data from multiple sources including customers, middle, and top management. Findings The application and validation of the proposed framework utilizes information from both customers and employees in the bank services sector. Overall, results from the specific study revealed that a combination of “reengineering” and “expansion” strategies was more appropriate corresponding to customer priorities, organizational goals and effective utilization of available resources. Originality/value The paper presents a novel two stage strategic framework for service organizations. It utilizes a balanced mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods in an effort to capture and delineate elusive customer requirements and design characteristics of services, allowing the assessment of different combinations of quality improvement strategies in response to management objectives.

Consumers’ snack choices: current factors contributing to obesity

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annchen Mielmann ◽  
Thomas A. Brunner
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Public Health Practitioners

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to indicate the need for and create an insightful understanding of the current factors contributing to consumer’s obesity levels due to their snack choices. Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on previous literature using publications from the Emerald Insight Journals, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Web of Science electronic database from 1999 to 2018 that validate and support existing literature. The retrieved literature is organised and classified into specific constructs. Findings Research into consumers’ choice of snacks from an environmental, cultural and health perspective is still underrepresented in the international scientific literature. More research is required on the specific effects of specific levels of the stated factors contributing to obesity. Health and cross-cultural studies are needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the relation between snack choices and factors contributing to obesity that will help to implement more efficient health measures. Originality/value This paper is of value to academics studying consumers’ snacking behaviour and public health practitioners evaluating qualitative and quantitative methods to address the obesity epidemic.

scholarly journals Malta and the 2019 EP elections – maximising popular engagement with “Europe”

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-322
Author(s):  
Jean Claude Cachia ◽  
Fabrizio Ellul ◽  
Mark Harwood ◽  
Carmen Sammut
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political System ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
First Order ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse why Malta continues to show the highest level of turnout for European Parliament (EP) elections in a country where voting is not obligatory. By analysing the Maltese EP elections from 2004 to 2019, the paper seeks to understand why the Maltese engage with a second order election to the degree that they do. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, first assessing the context of the 2019 elections, the historical trends and then the factors that help explain why the Maltese continue to engage with EP elections. Findings The paper finds that the Maltese political system, highly polarised and dominated by two parties, primarily galvanises people to engage with elections, that it is more about party leadership than actual engagement with Europe and that second order elections in Malta are often run as first order elections. Originality/value This paper is the only systematic evaluation of the 2019 EP elections in Malta, discusses categorically that EP elections are rarely about Europe while also showing clearly that political parties can make second-order elections appear as first-order elections should the stakes be high enough.

Competencies urban planning students need to succeed in professional practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-287
Author(s):  
Gehad Megahed ◽  
Abeer Elshater ◽  
Samy M.Z. Afifi
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Professional Practices ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Information Finding

Purpose This paper focuses on the competencies and skills needed in preparing graduates of urban planning schools to meet the real-world challenges of professional practices. The present work explores the gap between skills and knowledge required to excel in the urban planning discipline and professional practices. Design/methodology/approach This research utilises a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. This study depends on collecting data from descriptive and statistical analysis based on two streams. The first comes from a survey launched among students of urban planning. The second is interviews scheduled with academics that are also practitioners. Findings The results outline the missing correlation between what Egyptian students learn in schools of urban planning and professional practices. The findings show that academics, students, and graduates share the same experiences about the education system. Academics agreed that graduates need to be more skilful rather than knowledgeable. The discussion shows that the undefined role of the planner in Egypt influenced the mismatching between the current demand and supply of competencies and skills offered by planning schools. The concluded remarks mentioned that communication skills and negotiation skills are the most crucial skills for graduates, in addition to information finding and data-processing skills. Originality/value This research has particular advantages in presenting a model of competencies as results of scanning the expectations of Egyptian students and new graduates vs professional practices. The contribution is in answering the question of what skills students of the urban planning programs should learn in order to meet the continued changes in professional practices.

International management challenges of professional service firms: a synthesis of the literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O’Higgins ◽  
Tatiana Andreeva ◽  
Nekane Aramburu Goya
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
International Management ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to identify what international management challenges professional service firms (PSFs) face and why they face them. Design/methodology/approach This study carries a focussed thematic literature review of 102 empirical articles. This paper uses content analysis to extract and aggregate challenges identified by researchers in their fieldwork and then analysed this data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings This study identifies 10 international management challenges that PSFs face and a number of causes for these challenges. The analysis also suggests that the distinctive characteristics of PSFs generate some of the international management challenges for PSFs. Practical implications This study helps PSF managers understand the international management challenges they may face depending on the specifics of their company, thus helping them better prepare their internationalisation. Originality/value This study contributes to providing a greater understanding of what is holding PSFs back in their internationalisation and why. It demonstrates that distinctive characteristics of PSFs may predict the challenges that PSFs will face, thus paving the way for further research on international management in PSFs and for the development of the diagnostic tool for practitioners that could help them to identify which challenges they should prepare for most.

Workplace friendship in hospitality organizations: a scale development

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 1390-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ece Omuris
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Workplace Friendship ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Hospitality Organizations ◽  
Interest Similarity

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore workplace friendship in hospitality organizations and to develop an appropriate scale that combines qualitative and quantitative methods.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods design was selected to capitalize on the strength of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to reveal robust findings. First, in-depth interviews were carried out to determine the forms of workplace friendship. Second, an instrument was developed on the basis of the interviews, and 6 factors were extracted from exploratory factor analysis with 507 Samples-1. Third, confirmatory factor analysis with 507 Samples-2 was performed to identify the validity of the workplace friendship scale.FindingsA 65-item, six-factor workplace friendship scale was developed. The six dimensions are trustworthiness, competency, having someone’s back, value-life interest similarity, caring personal relationships and socio-cultural similarity.Research limitations/implicationsThe sampling approach may limit the generalizability of the study findings as the data were collected from Turkish employees in Turkey. Cultural differences in individual relations may affect individual approaches to workplace friendship. Therefore, future cross-cultural research with samples from different populations and workplaces would be useful to explore similarities and differences with the findings of this study and to better understand the intricate structure of friendship.Originality/valueThis study contributes a reliable and valid measurement scale to address workplace friendship hospitality organizations.

scholarly journals Gen Y recruitment

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 560-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Warmerdam ◽  
Ioni Lewis ◽  
Tamara Banks
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gen Y ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Tpb Model ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Graduating Students ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether the standard TPB constructs explained variance in Generation Y (Gen Y) individuals’ intentions to join their ideal organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods approach was used featuring qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings – The overall TPB model accounted for a significant 51.6 per cent of the variance in intention to join one’s ideal organisation in the next six months with the significant predictors in the model being subjective norm and perceived behaviour control but not attitude. Research limitations/implications – Using graduating students from a single Australian university sample may mean that the current findings may not extend to all Gen Y individuals. The current study has demonstrated the explanatory utility of the TPB in relation to graduate Gen Y’s intention to join their ideal organisation, providing further evidence of the robustness of the TPB framework in an organisational setting. Practical implications – These findings have implications for enhancing understanding of the most effective recruitment processes for Gen Y students entering the workforce. The findings could inform recruitment policies and strategies to attract Gen Y applicants. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge this study is the first application of the TPB to this topic. The current research extends the recruitment literature with a theoretically based investigation. Identification of factors which inform organisational recruitment strategies, allow organisations to stand out from their competitors and potentially achieve a larger application pool from which to select the best human capital and sustain competitive advantage.

Gendered work and leisure mobilities of Polish migrants in the North East of England

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basagaitz Guereno-Omil ◽  
Gergina Pavlova-Hannam ◽  
Kevin Hannam
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Polish Migrants ◽  
Gendered Work

Purpose Contemporary mobilities research has demonstrated a fundamental blurring between work, leisure and tourism practices for migrants as they seek to construct new lifestyles whilst maintaining connections with their homelands. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the results of a research project that analysed the work and leisure experiences of Polish migrants living in the North East of England using a mobilities theoretical approach. In this paper, the authors focus on the reasons influencing their migration and their leisure and tourism mobility practices. Design/methodology/approach The results are based upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods gathering a sample of 90 questionnaires and 11 focus groups. Findings Based upon a statistical analysis of the questionnaires using SPSS and textual analysis applied to the focus group transcriptions, different gendered work, leisure and tourism mobilities were identified relating to family attachments and social ties. Research limitations/implications The authors argue that seemingly mundane leisure and tourism practices can often be a catalyst for greater mobility, and this mobility has significant gender dimensions. Originality/value This paper thus provides new insights into the interweaving of different gendered work and leisure mobility practices based upon empirical findings of Polish migrants to the North East of England.

Identifying organizational agility and leadership dimensions using Delphi technique and factor analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 276-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Sanatigar ◽  
Mehraban Hadi Peikani ◽  
Daryoosh Gholamzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Delphi Technique ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Organizational Agility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Expert Opinions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the organizational agility components and factors in Iranian’s pension funds as an example of service organizations in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach This study can be categorized in the realm of developmental studies as to its research purposes, and employed the descriptive survey method to collect data using the combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods (exploratory mixed-method design). Findings Finally, a three-level model of organizational agility construct (modeled as 6 components, 23 factors, and 83 indicators) was analyzed and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis by means of the smart PLS software. Overall, this study provided a new method for the analysis, measurement and development of organizational agility construct in public service organizations in Iran. Originality/value Through using text content analysis and opinion of experts (interviews and Delphi technique), qualitative data were extracted to design an organizational agility model, whereas quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire to test the model. To determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, expert opinions and Cronbach’s α (0.977) were used, respectively.

scholarly journals Risk factors for project success in the Chinese construction industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 850-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyu Wu ◽  
Tahir Nisar ◽  
Dharm Kapletia ◽  
Guru Prabhakar
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Procedure ◽  
Representative Samples

Purpose To achieve project success, an effective project risk management procedure is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of risk factors on project success in the Chinese construction industry context. Design/methodology/approach This study by way of utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods has examined risk factors that are closely linked to project success in the Chinese construction industry. Findings After a thorough survey and analysis, risk factors related to designer, contractor, subcontractor, client and government are shown to affect project success to some extent. Originality/value It is suggested that the present research may be made more generalizable by a larger, more representative samples across various industries and regions of China.

A comment to Gobo: the next challenge – from mixed to merged methods

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Hervieux
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Simple Count

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to further the discussion on points made by Giampietro Gobo, provide additional information on the place of qualitative research in management, and question the space of merged methods. Design/methodology/approach Use a conversational approach as well as a review of qualitative vs quantitative research in three top tier journals for the years 2013-2016 (by a simple count). Findings Quantitative methods remain very much mainstream in management research, yet one finds that for one of the journals, space is evenly shared between qualitative and quantitative methods. Research limitations/implications This is a viewpoint and does not offer a systematic review of all top tier management journals. Originality/value It is hope that with this viewpoint debate as to the space of qualitative research, and merged methods can be stimulated.

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