The new age of customer impatience

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Daugherty ◽  
Yemisi Bolumole ◽  
Scott J. Grawe
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Body ◽  
Academic Journals ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Gap ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Substantial Decline

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the body of logistics customer service (LCS) research published in leading logistics journals from 1990 to 2017. Specifically, the paper presents a call to arms for logistics and supply chain researchers to address new and emerging issues impacting customer service in the age of omnichannel and e-commerce retailing.Design/methodology/approachThe authors reviewed academic journals to identify articles focusing on LCS from 1990 through 2017. The authors noted trends in academic research activity/focus and supplemented the findings by examining more recent trends covered in trade publication articles.FindingsThe authors observed a large amount of LCS research in the early 1990s and 2000s, but noticed a substantial decline in coverage within academic journals since the late 2000s while industry continues to give customer service issues even greater attention. The difference between the level of coverage within academic journals and the increased importance firms place on customer service represents a critical gap and opportunity for scholars. This research represents a “call to arms” to address this gap. With particular emphasis on observed customer impatience and escalating requests, within omni- and e-commerce channels of distribution, we suggest greater theoretical insights into customer service strategies and their role in successfully navigating today’s changing logistics service environment are needed.Originality/valueThe review serves as a call for more attention to customer service issues within leading logistics journals. Suggestions for research into new and emerging topics are offered.

scholarly journals An academic perspective on the entrepreneurship policy agenda: themes, geographies and evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Arenal ◽  
Claudio Feijoo ◽  
Ana Moreno ◽  
Cristina Armuña ◽  
Sergio Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Text Mining ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Entrepreneurship Policy ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Shifts

Purpose Academic research into entrepreneurship policy is particularly interesting due to the increasing relevance of the topic and since knowledge about the evolution of themes in this field is still rather limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the key concepts, topics, trends and shifts that have shaped the entrepreneurship policy research agenda during the period 1990–2016. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses text mining techniques, cluster analysis and complementary bibliographic data to examine the evolution of a corpus of 1,048 academic papers focused on entrepreneurship-related policies and published during the period 1990–2016 in ten relevant journals. In particular, the paper follows a standard text mining workflow: first, as text is unstructured, content requires a set of pre-processing tasks and then a stemming process. Then, the paper examines the most repeated concepts within the corpus, considering the whole period 1990–2016 and also in five-year terms. Finally, the paper conducts a k-means clustering to divide the collection of documents into coherent groups with similar content. The analyses in the paper also include geographical particularities considering three regional sub-corpora, distinguishing those articles authored in the European Union (EU), the USA and South and Eastern Asia, respectively. Findings Results of the analysis show that inclusion, employment and regulation-related papers have largely dominated the research in the field, evolving from an initial classical approach to the relationship between entrepreneurship and employment to a wider, multidisciplinary perspective, including the relevance of management, geographies and narrower topics such as agglomeration economics or internationalisation instead of the previous generic sectorial approaches. The text mining analysis also reveals how entrepreneurship policy research has gained increasing attention and has become both more open, with a growing cooperation among researchers from different affiliations, and more sophisticated, with concepts and themes that moved the research agenda forward, closer to the priorities of policy implementation. Research limitations/implications The paper identifies main trends and research gaps in the field of entrepreneurship policy providing actionable knowledge by presenting the spectrum of both over-explored and understudied research themes in the field. In practical terms the results of the text mining analysis can be interpreted as a compass to navigate the entrepreneurship policy research agenda. Practical implications The paper presents the heterogeneity of topics under research in the field, reinforcing the concept of entrepreneurship as a multidisciplinary and dynamic domain. Therefore, the definition and adoption of a certain policy agenda in entrepreneurship should consider multiple aspects (needs, objectives, stakeholders, expected outputs, etc.) to be comprehensive and aligned with its complexity. In addition, the paper shows how text mining techniques could be used to map the research activity in a particular field, contributing to the challenge of linking research and policy. Originality/value The exploratory nature of text mining allows us to obtain new knowledge and reveals hidden patterns from large quantities of documents/text data, representing an opportunity to complement other qualitative reviews. In this sense, the main value of this paper is not to advise on the future configuration of entrepreneurship policy as a research topic, but to unwrap the past by unveiling how key themes of the entrepreneurship policy research agenda have emerged, evolved and/or declined over time as a foundation on which to build further developments.

Associated change in plantar temperature and sweating after transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han-Jung Chen ◽  
Cheng-Loong Liang ◽  
Kang Lu
Keyword(s):  
Skin Temperature ◽  
Temperature Change ◽  
The Body ◽  
Palmar Hyperhidrosis ◽  
Compensatory Sweating ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postoperative Changes ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy is currently the treatment of choice for palmar hyperhidrosis. Compensatory sweating of the face, trunk, thigh, and sole of the foot was found in more than 50% of patients who underwent this procedure. The authors conducted this study to investigate the associated intraoperative changes in plantar skin temperature and postoperative plantar sweating. Methods. One hundred patients with palmar hyperhidrosis underwent bilateral transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy. There were 60 female and 40 male patients who ranged in age from 13 to 40 years (mean age 21.6 years). Characteristics studied included changes in palmar and plantar skin temperature measured intraoperatively, as well as pre- and postoperative changes in plantar sweating and sympathetic skin responses (SSRs). In 59 patients (59%) elevation of plantar temperature was demonstrated at the end of the surgical procedure. In this group, plantar sweating was found to be exacerbated in three patients (5%); plantar sweating was improved in 52 patients (88.1%); and no change was demonstrated in four patients (6.8%). In the other group of patients in whom no temperature change occurred, increased plantar sweating was demonstrated in three patients (7.3%); plantar sweating was improved in 20 patients (48.8%); and no change was shown in 18 patients (43.9%). The difference between temperature and sweating change was significant (p = 0.001). Compared with the presympathectomy rate, the rate of absent SSR also significantly increased after sympathectomy: from 20 to 76% after electrical stimulation and 36 to 64% after deep inspiration stimulation, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions. In contrast to compensatory sweating in other parts of the body after T2–3 sympathetomy, improvement in plantar sweating was shown in 72% and worsened symptoms in 6% of patients. The intraoperative plantar skin temperature change and perioperative SSR demonstrated a correlation between these changes.

Open Access Publishing, academic research and scholarly communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 637-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Research Councils ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Wrong Place

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the difference between Open Access and accessibility, to argue that accessibility is the most crucial feature, and to suggest some ways in which Open Access militates against accessibility. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of best practice by journals and monograph publishers is used to highlight the degree to which accessibility is enhanced by input from readers and editors. The expense of this, both real and hidden, is shown to be compatible only with difficulty with publishing methods where keeping costs low is essential, and Open Access alternatives that make available manuscripts “as submitted” are shown to make available less accessible scholarship. Findings – Scholarship is markedly improved by referees and editors; the emphasis needs to be put on making available the most accessible scholarship, not on making more scholarship available. Practical implications – Journals and publishers should concentrate on, and research councils and similar bodies insist upon, ensuring high quality critical review and editing, not cost-free access. Originality/value – The debate on Open Access has put its emphasis in the wrong place. Rather than easier access to more scholarship, increased resource devoted to pre-publication review, revision and editing is the most important development to ensure the greatest advances in research and scholarship.

scholarly journals The Concept of Originality in Academic Research of Engineering

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shaheen
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
The Body ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Subjective Analysis ◽  
Accurate Definition ◽  
Difference Of Opinion ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of

The definition of research appears to be a controversial subject in the academic community. It is almost becoming apparent that research remains a key element in master’s and doctoral degrees. Originality is, to varying degrees, the primary concern for the genuineness of research, but there is a difference of opinion on the concept of originality. In practice, a subjective analysis of originality is performed at the time of the assessment of the said degrees’ theses; therefore, the resulting evaluation is affected by the difference of opinion on the concept of originality. It has also emerged that the concept of originality in research is also marginally unique in various areas. This study is focused upon reaching a point of agreement for the definition of originality in the theses/dissertation of masters and doctorate degrees in engineering only. The outcome of the research should be something new and originally contribute to the body of knowledge. This study focused on to arrive at an accurate definition of originality in university degrees in the field of engineering. An online survey was designed and carried out on the basis of evidence and expert opinion. The survey was distributed amongst engineering peers. The results of the survey are systematically summed up in the study.

Knowledge and use of self-archiving options among academic librarians working in universities in Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 145-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro ◽  
Eriye Chris Tralagba ◽  
Ebiere Joyce Ebiagbe
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Body ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Institutional Repository ◽  
Use Of Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scholarly Output ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which academic librarians in African universities know and use self-archiving options to make their papers visible globally. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was designed using SurveyMonkey software to collect data from 455 academic librarians working in 52 universities in Africa. Findings The study revealed that the academic librarians in Africa are aware of ResearchGate, institutional repository, personal website/server, kudos and Mendeley and they actually upload papers to self-archiving platforms such as institutional repository, ResearchGate, academia.edu and personal websites/servers. Factors such as increased exposure of one’s previously published work, provides exposure for works not previously published (e.g. seminar papers), broadens the dissemination of academic research generally and increases one’s institutions’ visibility were among the options the academic librarians rated as very important factors that motivate them to submit their scholarly output to the self-archiving options. It was also found that majority of the academic librarians in Africa checked the publishers’ website for copyright policy compliance before submitting their papers to the platform. Practical implications The study called for academic librarians in developing countries to voluntarily sign-up to register with self-archiving options such as ResearchGate, kudos, Mendeley.com, academia.edu and others to enable them self-archive their published papers for access globally by students, researchers, etc. Originality/value The findings of this study will add to the body of knowledge by bringing to light the extent of awareness and use of self-archiving options by academic librarians in universities in Africa.

scholarly journals Characterisation of direct 3D sand printing process for the production of sand cast mould tools

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Mark Hackney ◽  
Richard Wooldridge
Keyword(s):  
Impact Strength ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sand Cast ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Direct Laser ◽  
Casting Sand

Purpose Metal casting industry is in recovery phase after the crisis in 2008; customer demand continues to increase, with 98.6 million metric tons cast in 2011. Traditional ferrous and non-ferrous casting techniques require one shot or permanent moulds which require tooling to produce. Tooling particularly for developmental projects can be costly and take valuable time to produce. Additive manufacturing (AM) has been used to manufacture sand patterns for metal sand casting using laser sintering and sand bonding. This research aims to focus on characterising the sand-bonded process developed by ExOne GmbhH Germany. Design/methodology/approach The approach taken in this research is to evaluate characteristics of parts built in the build volume for dimensional accuracy, tensile and compressive crush strength, density, impact strength and high temperature resistance. These properties are required to compare the 3D sand printing (3DSP) process to direct laser sand sintering (DLSS) and traditional Furan-based casting sand mixtures. The samples were taken from a production machine over a period of 30 days to ensure consistency. Findings The 3DSP process has the capability to manufacture sand patterns to an accuracy of ±0.5 mm or error less than 0.3 per cent; it has also demonstrated the best build position to achieve accurate parts. The research has demonstrated the 3DSP patterns are comparable to traditional methods for important casting material characteristics such as tensile, compression and impact strength. It has been shown that the 3DSP process is capable manufacturing significantly larger parts, with build production rates up to 30 times higher compared to similar parts manufactured via the DLSS process. Research limitations/implications As they has been very few 3DSP machines sold in Europe and particular UK, they has been little research into this new technique, and, therefore, they is a reliance on machine manufactures data for assessment. This research into 3DSP has increased the knowledge of this process significantly. Practical implications This research would be of interest to designers and manufacturing engineers wishing to take advantage of the implications of having new design freedom, tool less manufacturing with short lead times in a wide range of materials using fundamentally tried and tested century’s old casting techniques. Originality/value The research for this paper revealed very little published academic research in this area; therefore, this work will increase the body of knowledge for this niche AM process.

Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of postoperative neurosurgical infections

1987 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 701-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald F. Young ◽  
Pablo M. Lawner
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
Foreign Bodies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wound Infections ◽  
Postoperative Infections ◽  
Dramatic Decrease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors report the results of a randomized, prospective study to assess the effectiveness of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing postoperative infections following clean neurosurgical operations. The study group comprised 846 patients treated between October, 1979, and June, 1984. Antibiotics, including cefazolin and gentamicin, were administered only in the immediate preoperative and intraoperative periods. Sixteen patients, none of whom developed infections, were excluded from final statistical analysis because they had inadvertently been entered into the study while failing to meet entry criteria. Fifteen wound infections (3.64%) developed in the group of 412 patients who did not receive antibiotics, whereas only four infections (0.96%) were identified among the 418 patients who received antibiotics. The difference is statistically significant (p = 0.008) and represents a 74% reduction in infection rate with antibiotics. An analysis of subgroups of surgical procedures revealed a dramatic decrease in craniotomy infections from 6.77% to 0% (p = 0.003). Of the four infections that occurred among the antibiotic-treated patients, three were in cases where foreign bodies had been implanted. No complications of antibiotic usage were identified. The rates of infection in areas of the body other than the surgical wound were no different in the antibiotic-treated and nontreated groups. All wound infections in both antibiotic-treated and nontreated patients involved similar types of Gram-positive organisms, suggesting that antibiotic prophylaxis did not produce infections with resistant or unusual organisms. This study, combined with other recently published analyses, suggests that routine perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative neurosurgical infections.

scholarly journals Improving relevance in B2B research: analysis and recommendations

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 601-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Brennan ◽  
Nektarios Tzempelikos ◽  
Jonathan Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Academic Journals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
B2b Marketing ◽  
Critical Aspects

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to identify and discuss critical aspects of the academic/practitioner gap and suggest how to make marketing research more relevant. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study uses data from an earlier study of eight qualitative interviews conducted with business-to-business (B2B) marketing practitioners and from an earlier quantitative study among 128 academics and 510 marketing research practitioners. The data are re-analyzed for this article. Findings – Results show that academics and practitioners agree that academic research should be of more practical value. However, their priorities differ. For academics, publishing in refereed journals is the first priority and influencing practice is of much lower priority, while practitioners are not interested in the methodological and theoretical advances of marketing research; their priority is to satisfy day-to-day practical needs. Hence, practitioners have no interest in academic journals. The academic reward system tends to reinforce this divide because academic career progression depends substantially on the production of refereed journal articles. Research limitations/implications – Much prior consideration has been given to how academic journals can be made more relevant to practitioners, which is a desirable goal. However, a more fruitful approach for B2B academics would be to embrace new technologies such as blogging and social media to reach practitioners through their preferred channels. If greater relevance is to be achieved, then consideration needs to be given to the views of doctoral students, and to doctoral training processes in B2B marketing. Practical implications – The study provides academics with guidance concerning how marketing research can have a greater effect on the practice of marketing. Social implications – Originality/value – The study contributes to the research base by identifying and discussing critical aspects of the academic/practitioner gap. The study also offers insights into how managerial relevance in marketing research can, practically, be improved.

International firms in Africa’s food retail business-emerging issues and research agenda

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Adamu Nandonde ◽  
John Kuada
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Food Retail ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retail Business ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Buying Behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, to point out the lack of information on some critical issues and to raise some questions about relevant topics for researchers and practitioners in the retail area for the African market. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is comprised of a comprehensive review of the literature and integrates the fragmented body of knowledge on the area of retail internationalisation and food marketing. The gaps in the literature identified here may help to understand the sector better and develop academic research agendas on both the growth of the modern food retail sector and the agribusiness sector in Africa. Findings – Four major topics were identified in the urban agri-food retail business in the African continent: large global retailers in Africa’s food sector; the internationalisation of African food retailers; the procurement practices of international retailers; and, the food-buying behaviour of Africa’s middle class. Originality/value – This research paper relied heavily on grey literature such as newspapers and unpublished masters’ dissertations and PhD theses. With this material as a context, this paper provides guidance as to how scholars can advance the study of retail internationalisation in Africa, not only through further empirical and conceptual research but also by developing usable prescriptions for agribusiness value-chain actors on the continent.

A toolkit for women: the mis(sed) management of gender in resource industries

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 802-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Laplonge
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Human Practice ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the extent to which work on how to manage gender in resource industries fails to draw on the body of knowledge which explores gender in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores the efficacy of a recently published toolkit within the context of the current debate about gender in resource industries (such as mining, and oil and gas). Findings – The Australian Human Rights Commission’s toolkit speaks to this debate, but fails to analyse existing strategies to deal with the “gender problem”; it simply repeats them as successful examples of what to do. The authors of the toolkit also fail to ask a question which is fundamental to the success of any intervention into gender: what is the definition of “gender” on which the work is based? Originality/value – The debate about gender in resource industries fails to take into consideration contemporary ideas about gender as they have appeared in academic research and human practice.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document