Comparing user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia

Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyu Xu ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo ◽  
Eveline Mussi

Purpose This paper aims to assess the level of occupants’ satisfaction, comparing older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Sydney, Australia, aiming to identify their comfort factors deficiencies in terms of design and construction solutions/strategies (e.g. spatial arrangements, materials, thermal comfort). Design/methodology/approach A post occupancy evaluation survey was used to assess the occupant satisfaction with three on-campus accommodation buildings in The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. One of the selected buildings is an older building opened for occupation in 1996, and the other two are more recent on campus accommodations buildings. The survey included 11 post occupancy evaluation elements identified through literature review which were categorised into three dimensions: technical, functional and behavioural. Findings The results show that the satisfaction levels with thermal and acoustic comfort were below standards for both older and newer buildings. In addition, the older building used in this study was rated low in terms of: indoor air quality, lighting, maintenance and management, vertical transportation facility, room layout and furniture quality, building layout and aesthetics and level of privacy. Such factors related to both functional and behavioural dimensions were of greater satisfaction in newer buildings. Practical implications Findings suggest the high priority of strategies that address and improve the thermal and acoustic comfort of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings if the intention is to enhance students’ satisfaction, especially considering the impact that these facilities have on students’ performance. Thermal performance in different seasons and adaptive thermal comfort activities should be considered in the design of new on-campus accommodation buildings and the retrofit of existing old buildings. Originality/value On-campus accommodation is an important facility that supports student learning outcomes and helps students adapt in a new learning environment. A post occupancy evaluation study to assess the adequacy of this facility is still lacking because previous studies have generally focussed on class rooms and work spaces in the education sector. This research compares the user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia, to highlight deficiencies and areas for improvement in the design of existing and future buildings.

Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Benetti Corrêa da Silva ◽  
Suélen Bebber ◽  
Gabriel Sperandio Milan ◽  
Angélica Ravizzoni Veronese ◽  
Jéssica Testolin ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to identify the built environment attributes and dimensions to assess customers’ satisfaction concerning the built environment in a gas station located in southern Brazil. Besides, this study aims to verify the dimensions that most impact customers’ satisfaction and the attributes that are most relevant to customers. Design/methodology/approach The research was operationalized through a survey and data were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the dimensions on perceived customer satisfaction, while stepwise linear multiple regression was used to identify the most significant attributes. Findings The factor analysis result indicates that 66.77% of the variance explained concerns to six built environment dimensions (or factors). The regression analysis shows that overall satisfaction with the gas station is predicted by the dimensions appearance, functionality and location, and positively related to seven attributes. In relation to the built environment satisfaction, the location and functionality of the dimension are its predictors and positively related to five attributes. Research limitations/implications Further studies in different contexts are required to test the reliability of the built environment dimensions – comfort, functionality, configuration, location and appearance. Also, the study calls for further debate about the built environment related to the occupant or user satisfaction and other factors that can impact it. Originality/value This study identifies the need to evaluate the impacts of post-occupancy evaluation of measurable factors related to the user’s judgment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Li ◽  
Qun Wu ◽  
Clyde W. Holsapple ◽  
Thomas Goldsby

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of three critical dimensions of supply chain resilience, supply chain preparedness, supply chain alertness and supply chain agility, all aimed at increasing a firm’s financial outcomes. In a turbulent environment, firms require resilience in their supply chains to prepare for potential changes, detect changes and respond to actual changes, thus providing superior value. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 77 firms, this study develops scales for preparedness, alertness and agility. It then tests their hypothesized relationships with a firm’s financial performance. Findings The results reveal that the three dimensions of supply chain resilience (i.e. preparedness, alertness and agility) significantly impact a firm’s financial performance. It is also found that supply chain preparedness, as a proactive resilience capability, has a greater influence on a firm’s financial performance than the reactive capabilities including alertness and agility, suggesting that firms should pay more attention to proactive approaches for building supply chain resilience. Originality/value First, this study develops a comparatively comprehensive definition for supply chain resilience and explores its dimensionality. Second, this study provides empirically validated instruments for the dimensions of supply chain resilience. Third, this study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence for direct impact of supply chain resilience dimensions on a firm’s financial performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Clara Carvalho Tourinho ◽  
Sabrina Andrade Barbosa ◽  
Özgür Göçer ◽  
Klaus Chaves Alberto

PurposeUsing the campus of a Brazilian university as case study, this research aims to identify which aspects of the outdoor spaces are the most significant in attracting people.Design/methodology/approachThis research relies on the application of different post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, including user tracking, behavioural mapping and questionnaires, on one plateau of the campus.FindingsThree group of aspects (socialization, proximity and infrastructure) were identified as key elements in explaining the impact of the campus physical characteristics on users’ behaviour. The results indicate that having characteristics of at least one group of aspects in those spaces can guarantee their vitality and, if there is presence of attributes of more than one group, liveliness can be increased.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies should be conducted on an entire campus to identify other spatial elements in the three groups.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the planning of future campuses and to solutions to the existed ones, indicating the most relevant spatial characteristics to be considered. Additionally, the combination of different methods may be useful to future research.Originality/valueMost of the investigations on the university campuses focus on the buildings, and little research has investigated the outdoor spaces, although they play a critical role in learning and academic life, where people establish social, cultural and personal relationships. In addition, studies using several POE allowed a consistent and complete diagnostic about the aspects of the campus, giving recommendations for future projects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1366-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Bahemia ◽  
Brian Squire ◽  
Paul Cousins

Purpose This paper explores openness within new product development (NPD) projects. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of breadth, depth and partner newness on product innovativeness and product competitive advantage. The authors also seek to examine the contingent effects of the appropriability regime. The authors make suggestions to academics and practitioners based on the findings. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a structured survey instrument producing an empirical analysis of 205 NPD projects in the manufacturing sector in the UK. The authors use an ordinary least squares regression model to test hypothesised relationships between openness (breadth, depth and partner newness), product innovativeness, product competitive advantage and the appropriability regime. Findings The authors find that each of the three dimensions of openness, depth, breadth and partner newness, have a significant but differing impact on product innovativeness. Specifically, the study indicates that breadth has a positive effect but only in the presence of a strong appropriability regime, partner newness has a direct positive effect, and depth a direct negative effect. The authors also find that product innovativeness has a positive impact on product competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications Further research should focus on replicating the findings in other countries, search for further moderating factors, such as the stage of the NPD process, and analyse the longitudinal impact of openness within NPD projects. Practical implications Organisations are encouraging managers to be more open in their approach to NPD. The authors’ findings suggest that managers need to think about the three dimensions of openness, breadth, depth and partner newness. Their engagement with each of these dimensions depends on the desired outcomes of the innovation project and the strength of patents. Originality/value The research extends the extant supplier involvement in new product development literature to examine the effect of up to 11 types of external actor in NPD projects. The authors test a new multi-dimensional measurement scale for the openness construct. The authors show that each dimension has a different relationship with product innovativeness.


Author(s):  
Tomasz Rymarczyk ◽  
Jan Sikora ◽  
Paweł Tchórzewski

Purpose The paper aims to present an innovative solution for evaluation study of the dampness level of walls and historical buildings. Design/methodology/approach Electrical tomography enables one to obtain a distribution pattern of wall dampness. The application of modern tomographic techniques in conjunction with topological algorithms will allow one to perform very accurate spatial assessment of the dampness levels of buildings. The proposed application uses the total variation, Gauss–Newton and level set method to solve the inverse problem in electrical tomography. Findings Research shows that electrical tomography can provide effective results in damp buildings. This method can provide 2D/3D moisture distribution pattern. Research limitations/implications The impact of this technique will be limited to inspection of the facility after floods or assessment of historical buildings. Practical implications The presented method could eventually lead to a much more effective evaluation of moisture in the walls. Social implications The solution has commercial potential and could result in more cost-effective monitoring of historical buildings, which have an economic impact on society. Originality/value The authors propose a system for imaging spatial moistness of walls and historic buildings based on electrical tomography and consisting of a measuring device, sensors and image reconstruction algorithms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Sachan ◽  
Rajiv Kumar ◽  
Ritu Kumar

Purpose A government website is considered as an electronic government service delivery system (eGSDS). The authors look at this eGSDS from its process point of view. This study aims to expand the existing knowledge of e-government adoption, and to identify the significance of eGSDS process to user satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a quantitative technique using data collected from 197 respondents. Structure equation modeling has been used to test the model and the proposed hypotheses. Findings The findings indicate that as the eGSDS process improves, a user’s perception of the government website’s ease of use increases, leading to increased perceived usefulness, which increases user satisfaction. The findings also indicate that eGSDS process has a significant impact on perceived usefulness and user satisfaction. This study provides evidence that the technological capabilities embedded in the government website processes are an important factor in determining e-government service quality and ultimately e-government user satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The sample used was sufficient for this study and allowed reasonable conclusions to be drawn, but cannot be considered representative of all e-government users in India. Further research may help to validate the findings and generalize the results to a wider population. This study extends the current literature that looks at e-government adoption. Academicians and information systems researchers may use these findings for further research. Practical implications The research provides evidence that the technological capabilities embedded in the eGSDS process are critical in adopting e-government services. Government or concerned agencies may consider eGSDS process attributes (e.g. navigation, searching and transacting) while designing e-government service to give improved experience to its user. Originality/value E-government websites have become an important point of contact with citizens for many public services. However, more study is needed to understand how Web-based technological capabilities of e-government services affect user satisfaction. This study is an attempt to explore the impact of the eGSDS process on e-government user satisfaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shampy Kamboj ◽  
Manika Sharma ◽  
Bijoylaxmi Sarmah

PurposeThis study seeks to observe the association between mobile banking failures, use of m-banking and customer engagement to determine the contribution of user satisfaction towards m-banking as mediator between the aforementioned relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a Mobile Banking Failure Model (MBFM) by integrating four failure dimensions (functional, system, information and service) based on Tan's failure model and DeLone and Mclean's Information Success model. In this paper, data was gathered from 338 respondents, who were the customers of banks and regular users of m-banking services of their respective banks in India. A survey method was employed to collect data. Structure equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the collected data.FindingsThe results suggest that all m-banking failure dimensions (functional, system, information and service) affect the use of m-banking, which in turn affects user satisfaction towards m-banking and customer engagement. Additionally, this study found that user satisfaction towards m-banking acts as a partial mediator between the use of m-banking and customer engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThe banking failure and its use by customers have been examined in the context of mobile banking in India only and thereby limits the generalization of results to other industry and country contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of this paper will guide bank managers and policy planners in implementing MBFM in the Indian banking context, specifically for their m-banking apps.Originality/valueThe use of m-banking, user satisfaction towards m-banking and customer engagement have been added as three supportive variables to the basic Tan's failure model and DeLone and Mclean's Information Success model to examine the impact of m-banking failure on bank customers' usage behaviour. This is a novel addition to the extant literature, as most empirical works in this domain are from industries other than banking (specifically m-banking) and with differing contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peiman Pilechiha ◽  
Alireza Norouziasas ◽  
Hoorieh Ghorbani Naeini ◽  
Kasmir Jolma

PurposeIn vernacular buildings, many climatic and passive solutions have been used to create indoor thermal comfort. Seasonal occupant movement is an example of a traditional response to increasing thermal comfort. This article investigates the influence of these user behaviours on thermal comfort in courtyard houses.Design/methodology/approachParametric models of three different scenarios of courtyard houses are simulated. The courtyard houses are located in Shiraz, Iran, and share the same orientation and construction materials. To enhance the accuracy of the study, the indoor adaptive thermal comfort (ATC) analysis is performed with three different window-to-wall ratios (WWR) of 25, 50 and 75%. The ACT analysis is performed on an hourly basis for summer and winter scenarios.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the indoor ATC is 8.3% higher in winter than in the summer in the seasonal zones. During the summer, the amount of ATC is relatively sustained in all zones. Unlike common beliefs, seasonal movement can enhance the ATC, especially during winter, specifically in the northern part of the courtyard. In northern zones, the seasonal movement of occupants improves the indoor ATC from 10.1 to 23.7%, and in southern zones, the improvement is from 2.2 to 4.8%.Originality/valueThis research presents a new numerical investigation into occupants' seasonal movements in courtyard houses during summer and winter. It provides a precise pattern to show how much this seasonal movement can affect the habitant's ATC.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Lai Cheung ◽  
Wilson K.S. Leung ◽  
Morgan X. Yang ◽  
Kian Yeik Koay ◽  
Man Kit Chang

PurposeGrounded in uses and gratification theory (UGT) and observational learning theory (OLT), this study aims to understand the impact of motivational factors on consumer-influencer engagement behaviors (CIEBs). Motivating factors, including entertainment, information seeking, reward and social interaction, are regarded as antecedents of consumers' OLT, as manifested by CIEB dimensions, including consumption, contribution and creation, and subsequently drive consumer engagement with the endorsed brands.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to Malaysian social media users. A total of 263 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the impact of motivational factors on CIEBs.FindingsThe results show that the three dimensions of CIEBs can be predicted by different gratifications (information seeking, entertainment, reward and interaction). In addition, two of the CIEB dimensions, consumption and contribution, were found to have a significant positive influence on consumers' engagement with endorsed brands.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into how social media influencers (SMIs) could lead to CIEBs by creating entertaining and rewarding content that facilitates social interaction between consumers. SMIs and marketers that encourage consumers to browse, comment and share SMI-created posts will enhance consumer engagement with the endorsed brands, as engagement is driven by the consumption and contribution to SMI-created content.Originality/valueSMI marketing is increasing, and many brands are beginning to rely more on SMIs to promote brands. Yet, there is a dearth of studies that have examined how SMIs play a role in affecting consumers' engagement with endorsed brands. This study contributes to the marketing literature by developing and empirically testing the research model. Results suggest that social interaction, reward and entertainment are key motivational factors that drive CIEBs, which, in turn, foster consumer engagement with endorsed brands.


Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minyoung Kwon ◽  
Hilde Remøy

Purpose Employees’ satisfaction and productivity is one of the main interests of employers. Psychological comfort can cause dissatisfaction with their work. Thus, it is important to understand what factors contribute to employees’ satisfaction in workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to identify the weight of contribution of each design parameter on increasing psychological satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The study included 579 employees in five offices in The Netherlands through an online survey. The typologies of offices vary in terms of office layouts, orientations and façade. Additionally, a parameter of desk location was included as this factor may be associated with user satisfaction. Kruskal–Wallis H test, categorical regression, and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the impact of these design parameters on psychological user satisfaction. Findings The results revealed the impact of design parameters on the psychological satisfaction. The parameters of office layouts and desk locations were the significant predictor factors for the probability of satisfaction variables (e.g. privacy, concentration, communication, social contact and territoriality). The parameters for optimal satisfaction were found in cellular office, north-west oriented workstation and 4 m away from a window. Originality/value Psychological comfort is an inevitable aspect in user satisfaction studies. This paper, therefore, measures and predicts the relationship between design factors and employees’ satisfaction through case studies in The Netherlands. The findings help designers, architects, planners and facility managers to develop user-focussed office design principles supporting employees’ work performance.


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