Achieving mass customization capability: the roles of flexible manufacturing competence and workforce management practices

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inayat Ullah ◽  
Rakesh Narain

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of flexible manufacturing competence (FMC) and workforce management practices (WMP) in facilitating the development of mass customization capability (MCC). More specifically, this research analyzes not only the direct effects of FMC and WMP on MCC but also the moderating effect of WMP on the relationship between FMC and MCC.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the resource-based view, a research framework depicting the linkages among the variables of interest has been proposed. The examination of the proposed research model and hypotheses are conducted by applying partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) on a dataset of Indian manufacturing organizations.FindingsThe findings suggest that both FMC and WMP significantly and positively affect the development of MCC. Also, the results show that the relationship between FMC and MCC is strengthened by the implementation of WMP.Practical implicationsThe study identifies several crucial practices for enhancement of flexible manufacturing competence and effective management of the workforce and also highlights the complementarities among them to develop superior MCC.Originality/valueWhile the research on the antecedent of MCC has increased substantially, the understanding of the interactions among FMC, WMP, and MCC is still limited. This is the first study that sheds light on the interconnectedness among the variables of interest.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwar Sadat Shimul ◽  
Matthew Barber ◽  
Mohammad Ishmam Abedin

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of religiosity on consumers’ forgiveness when celebrities get involved in transgression. The celebrity’s reaction and its impact on consumers’ forgiveness is tested as well. In addition, consumers’ attitudes towards the brand and celebrity as well as purchase intention for the endorsed brand are examined both before and after the transgression. Design/methodology/approach Data (n = 356) were collected through a self-administered online survey and analysed though structural equation modelling in AMOS 26. Findings The results show that consumers’ attitude towards celebrity, brand and purchase intention gets weaker once the celebrity gets into transgression. Consumers tend to forgive more if the celebrity apologises (vs denies) for the wrongdoing. The hypothesised relationship between attitude towards celebrity and purchase intention did not sustain after the transgression. In addition, consumers’ intrinsic religiosity strengthens the relationship between attitude towards the celebrity and purchase intention. Practical implications The findings of this research present valuable implications for brands practitioners. Brands should formulate actionable contingency plans to mitigate the negative ramifications of celebrity transgressions. Specifically, intrinsic religiosity and celebrity apologies should assist consumers in forgiving the transgression and negate the implications that could have arisen if the celebrity instead denied the transgressions. Originality/value This research extends the previous research by examining religiosity and forgiveness within the context of celebrity transgressions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first few research studies to consider the role religiosity plays in consumers’ intention to forgive celebrity transgressions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagwan Abdulwahab AlQershi ◽  
Ramayah Thurasamy ◽  
Gamal Abdualmajed Ali ◽  
Hussein Abu Al-Rejal ◽  
Amr Al-Ganad ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to examine the mediating role of human capital on the talent management in hospitals’ sustainable business performance in the health-care sector of Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach The study used a quantitative approach, with an initial sample of 174 Malaysian hospitals. The theoretical framework was based on previous studies of talent management (TM), human capital (HC) and sustainable business performance (SBP). Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings Talent management mindset (TMM), but not talent management strategy (TMS), has a significant relationship with HC and SBP. HC has a significant direct relationship with SBP, and also mediates the relationship between TMM and SBP but not between TMS and SBP. Research limitations/implications This work is one of a limited number of studies to empirically address TM, HC and SBP in this context. The study is limited to Malaysian hospitals. It provides theoretical contributions by broadening the knowledge of HC, TM and the multifocal perspective of hospitals’ SBP, a relevant but underexplored issue, offering several avenues for future research. Practical implications The findings have beneficial practical implications for both policy makers and managers. First, focusing on talented people will directly improve sustainable performance in the Malaysian health sector. The findings also have important theoretical implications both for Malaysia and countries in similar situations. The study will serve as a reference point for such countries in trying to understand factors influencing SBP. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the mediating effect of HC on the relationship between talent management and hospitals’ sustainable business performance in Malaysia, or worldwide.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1291-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Chakraborty ◽  
Manvendra Pratap Singh ◽  
Mousumi Roy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of university in shaping pro-environmental behaviour in students. Design/methodology/approach The paper used goal-framing theory to investigate the relationship between goals and pro-environmental behaviour by comparing the responses of entry- and exit-level students. Structural equation modeling, one-way analysis of variance and other standard statistical analysis have been used to analyse the data collected through questionnaire survey in a central university offering technical education in India. Findings Pro-environmental intention in students increases with a strong normative goal. The direct and indirect effects indicate hedonic goal and gain goal via normative goal leads to better pro-environmental behaviour. Higher values for normative goal in exit-level students substantiates the role of university. Practical implications The paper provides scope to improvise and incorporate environmental practices into the habits of the students by aligning their goals and university dimensions including curriculum, campus operations, research and outreach activities. Originality/value The results make an important contribution in establishing a sustained green culture by offering a new university paradigm.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 656-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristela Maia Bairrada ◽  
Filipe Coelho ◽  
Arnaldo Coelho

Purpose Brand love is associated with consumer behaviours that are key for organisational performance. However, research on the antecedents of brand love is sparse. The current research draws on the information processing model as well as on the experiential approaches to consumer behaviour to develop a model comprising a novel set of antecedents. Design/methodology/approach To test the research hypotheses, we resort to two samples, which implied the collection of usable 1,018 questionnaires. For hypotheses testing, we resort to structural equation modelling. Findings Both functional constructs as well as more symbolic/emotional ones are positively associated with brand love. In addition, constructs with a more functional nature tend to have an indirect effect on brand love, whereas constructs with a higher level of abstraction tend to mediate the effects of more specific brand qualities. Finally, brand love is related with important outcomes, including loyalty, word of mouth and willingness to pay a premium price. Research/limitations implications This research has a cross-sectional nature. Moreover, we rely on a single informant, but the procedural remedies as well as the statistical tests we conducted suggest that common method variance is not a concern. Practical implications The findings suggest that managers should emphasise both functional as well as emotional/symbolic aspects to strengthen the links between brands and consumers, which will be beneficial for both sides. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the relationship between a number of symbolic and functional brand aspects and the development of brand love feelings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sourabh Arora ◽  
Sangeeta Sahney

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose an integrated framework utilizing the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and technology acceptance model (TAM) to augment the understanding on consumers’ showrooming behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Selective sampling was used for data collection. The integrated TAM-TPB framework led to 12 propositions, which were tested using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. Findings Both perceived relative search benefits offline and relative purchase benefits online significantly determined the consumers’ showrooming behaviour along with perceived ease purchasing online and the overall usefulness of the showrooming sequence. Results of the study revealed that the showrooming sequence helped consumers avoid the regret of making suboptimal product choices and paying a higher price for the same product. Online trust was found to partially mediate the relationship between consumers’ intention to showrooming and the actual showrooming behaviour. Research limitations/implications Notwithstanding the fact that further research is required to arrive at definitive conclusions, this study is an initial move towards understanding the consumers’ showrooming behaviour, and the research provides meaningful insights. Practical implications As showrooming substantially erodes profits, devising strategies to defend showrooming customers becomes crucial. The findings of the study provide the basis for formulating strategies to counter showrooming customers. Originality/value The paper is amongst the first studies which helps enhance the understanding of consumers’ showrooming behaviour, which is an emerging area in the present multi-channel retailing environment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gensheng (Jason) Liu ◽  
Weiyong Zhang ◽  
Chundong Guo

PurposeEffective mass customization (MC) depends on accurately identifying customer needs and procuring appropriate components from supply base to manufacture the required product configurations in a timely manner. In essence, effective MC for a focal firm is contingent on effective supply chain management. However, extant literature is not very clear on how supply chain (SC) planning and integration activities affect MC. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap by examining the impacts of SC-planning and SC-integration on MC.Design/methodology/approachOrganizational information processing theory is used to link SC-integration with MC ability, and a link is hypothesized between SC-planning and SC-integration. The structural equation model is then analyzed using data from 262 manufacturing plants.FindingsIt is found that SC-integration fully mediates the relationship between SC-planning and MC-ability.Research limitations/implicationsThe SC-integration measure is from a focal manufacturer’s standpoint, rather than the standpoint of the entire SC.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that using a SC perspective in planning activities helps a focal firm integrate with key stakeholders along the SC, which subsequently helps the firm mass customize. Practitioners should recognize the added importance of SC-planning and SC-integration if they want to mass customize.Originality/valueThis study provides a theoretical foundation for the relationship between SC-integration and MC. It also provides a more comprehensive conceptualization of SC-integration, which includes supplier integration, customer integration, as well as internal functional integration which was neglected in many previous studies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepika Pandoi ◽  
Sanjaya Singh Gaur ◽  
Anup Kumar Gupta

Purpose Plagiarism is an epidemic for scholars that needs to be managed. Penalties do not seem to be able to stop people from indulging in it. Manipulation of emotions and values may help in discouraging people from plagiarism. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand the association between felt emotion and plagiarism outcome behaviours. Another objective of the study is to see the role of virtues in discouraging people from plagiarism. Design/methodology/approach A scenario-based quasi-experimental method is used to collect the data. Graduate students from various Indian universities were invited for the experiment. The partial least square based structural equation modelling is used to test the measurement as well as path model. Findings The authors found that manipulated shame resulted in feelings of both international and external shame. When individuals feel internal shame, they avoid and discontinue plagiarism. They also try to repair the damage that they cause by plagiarism. However, feeling of external shame only encourages individuals to discontinue plagiarism behaviour. Virtues such as influence, competitiveness and equality weaken the relationship between internal shame and plagiarism-related outcome behaviour. At the same time, these virtues do not affect the relationship between external shame and outcome behaviours. Practical implications This study has important implications for the institutions of higher education. The study suggests that universities should provoke the emotion of shame through various communications to students to control the act of plagiarism by their students. Originality/value No study seems to have examined if the manipulation of emotions and values can help reduce the problem of plagiarism. This is an attempt towards bridging this important gap in literature. Therefore, findings of this study are of great value to scholars and content developers.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inayat Ullah ◽  
Rakesh Narain

Purpose Owing to the paucity of literature, in the specific context of mass customization (MC), that explains what factors need to be considered while selecting suppliers and what strategies need to be implemented for effective management of suppliers, this paper aims to explore the effective supplier selection and management strategies and also investigate their impact on the development of mass customization capability (MCC). Design/methodology/approach Through an extensive review of literature, a total of 18 factors for supplier selection and management have been identified. Further, using multiple regression analysis, the linkages between these factors and MCCs have been examined based on the data set from the survey of Indian manufacturing organizations. Findings The results indicate that while concentrating on the responsive and reconfiguration capability, all the five measures of supplier selection and the four measures of supplier management have shown a significant influence. However, in the case of relational capability, only two of the supplier selection strategies and three of the supplier management strategies have shown a notable impact. Practical implications The study provides help to the firms in deciding whom to select and how to manage the suppliers in the course of improving their MCCs. The study has shown the possibility that different types of MCCs might require different approaches to both the supplier selection and management. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study happens to be the first of its kind that investigates the interconnectedness among the supplier selection and management strategies and MCCs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotte Holck ◽  
Sara Louise Muhr ◽  
Florence Villesèche

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the identity and diversity literatures and discuss how a better understanding of the theoretical connections between the two informs both diversity research and diversity management practices. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review followed by a discussion of the theoretical and practical consequences of connecting the identity and diversity literatures. Findings – The authors inform future research in three ways. First, by showing how definitions of identity influence diversity theorizing in specific ways. Second, the authors explore how such definitions entail distinct foci regarding how diversity should be analyzed and interventions actioned. Third, the authors discuss how theoretical coherence between definitions of identity and diversity perspectives – as well as knowledge about a perspective’s advantages and limitations – is crucial for successful diversity management research and practice. Research limitations/implications – The authors argue for a better understanding of differences, overlaps and limits of different identity perspectives, and for a stronger engagement with practice. Practical implications – The work can encourage policy makers, diversity and HR managers to question their own practices and assumptions leading to more theoretical informed diversity management practices. Originality/value – The theoretical connections between identity and diversity literature have so far not been reviewed systematically. The work foregrounds how important it is for diversity scholars to consider identity underpinnings of diversity research to help further develop the field within and beyond the three streams the authors discuss.


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Davis ◽  
Bodo Lang ◽  
Neil Gautam

PurposeIt is assumed that consumers consume games to experience hedonic and utilitarian value. However, there is no conceptual model or empirical evidence that supports this hypothesis in the game context or clarifies whether these consumption values have dual mediated or individual effects. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to model the relationship between hedonic and utilitarian consumption and game purchase and usage.Design/methodology/approachThis research question is answered through two studies. In Study One, qualitative interviews with 18 gamers were implemented to explore the relationship between hedonic and utilitarian consumption and, game purchase and usage behaviour. In Study Two, we surveyed 493 consumers and conducted confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling across four game types to model this relationship.FindingsThe paper concludes that hedonic rather than utilitarian consumption positively impacts purchase and usage. Support was also found for the utilitarian‐hedonic dual mediation model (UHDM). Therefore, utilitarian consumption has an indirect causal effect on game purchase or usage through hedonic consumption.Practical implicationsGame development for consumers online, on wireless devices and on consoles should place greater emphasis on the practical implications of hedonic consumption. Attention could be focused on perceived enjoyment, self‐concept, self‐congruity and self‐efficacy as the primary drivers of use and purchase. Practical solutions should also be developed to develop the UHDM effect.Originality/valueThis is the first paper in the game context to explore and model the relationship between hedonic, utilitarian consumption and the UHDM effect on game purchase and usage. This paper is also unique because it provides results across four game groups: all games (ALL), Sports/Simulation/Driving (SSD), Role Playing Game/Massively Multiplayer Online Role‐Playing Game Strategy (RPG), and Action/Adventure/Fighting (AAF).


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