scholarly journals Sustainable Team Design: A Challenge to Traditional Beliefs in Information-Intensive Service Industries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13552
Author(s):  
Mark Geoghegan ◽  
Kathryn Cormican ◽  
Qiong Wu

Sustainable management activities focus on creating value for organizations. This is particularly relevant in service organizations as they are under increasing pressure to capture and process information efficiently. We advocate that the amount of information and the way teams process this information have a substantial impact on an organization’s ability to sustain a competitive advantage. This study addresses a gap in the literature by examining the impact of the level of information intensity on performance in the service industry. It also contributes to the debate about whether team structure facilitates performance in a service-based organization. A longitudinal design was employed to determine whether information-intensive processes influence performance, and if so, whether the impact differs between team designs. To do this, data were collected from 24,925 motor insurance claims over two distinct time periods. While our findings confirm that information intensity has a direct impact on the performance of claims processing, they also challenge traditional beliefs about self-managed work teams’ dominance. By adopting a more nuanced and context-specific perspective, we discovered that in certain situations the production line approach to team design was more productive than self-directed work teams in respect to critical operational tasks. This research sheds light on a relatively unexplored aspect of the service industry, has implications for sustainable management practices relating to team design, and provides a rich vein for future research studies.

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sultan Ahmad Ansari ◽  
Jamal Ahmad Farooquie ◽  
Said M. Gattoufi

<p>A research study was initiated to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence on employees’ satisfaction and loyalty, and how it influences operational efficiency in telecom service industry in Oman. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted and the responses received were tested with various statistical techniques. These test results were found to be in broad agreement with the assumptions widely prevalent in management literature and service industries.</p><p>The findings suggest that emotional intelligence contributes significantly in improving internal performance. Employees are valuable assets and improved internal performance is due to employees’ commitment. Service industry could take care of employees, keep them satisfied to win their loyalty, which can be achieved through regular employees’ engagement and involvement. Engaged employees value customers’ expectations and build better relationship. Satisfied and loyal employees are in a position to deliver high service quality and improved productivity. The service provider shall continuously monitor service quality to maintain end users’ satisfaction. It can be sustained through employees’ continuous training and skills development that will improve operational efficiency of the company in terms of increased sales and profitability. Thus, the present study provides an empirical validation and confirmation of the propositions and hypotheses about how service providers should manage employees’ emotional intelligence for giving them satisfaction, winning their loyalty, thereby, eventually enhancing service values, operational efficiency and profitability of the company.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Yue Sun

Using the data of 285 prefectural and the above-level cities from 2004 to 2016, this thesis reveals the impact of employment in China's urban manufacturing industry on the employment of service industries with the Bayesian model. Under the Bayesian framework, partial linear semi-parametric model is proposed.  The nonlinear functions are fitted by using truncation base cardinal spline and considering the random error terms of mixed normal fitting models. The results show that: employment in the urban manufacturing industry in China has significant influence on the employment in the service industry. When the number of employees in the manufacturing industry changes from 0 to 650,000, the manufacturing industry has less influence. When the number of the employees in the manufacturing industry changes from 650,000 to 900,000, the employees of the service industry will dramatically increase. When the number of the employees in the manufacturing industry is more than 900,000, the employees in the service industry will be prone to stable growth.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Kazakov

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of market orientation on a companyµs business performance in a service industry using one of the emerging markets as a research setting. Design/methodology/approach The examination of two recognized MKTOR and MARCOR market orientation concepts in this paper led to the development of a market orientation model in a service industry that considers the local specifics of doing business. The model was tested in a study of 133 businesses that operate in a Russian service industry. The data analysis was completed to investigate and measure the impact of the market orientation level on a company’s business performance. Findings The data analysis following the field study determines that market orientation delivers a positive impact on the company’s overall business performance. Practical implications Inter-functional coordination should receive broad attention from company management, as this market orientation element is the most vital for business performance – especially in service industries. Accompanying model elements also provide leverage to business performance that should not be overlooked. Synchronized utilization of the market orientation model elements has a very positive impact on the company’s business. Originality/value This research paper contributes to an array of publications dedicated to market orientation in one of the most multifaceted emerging markets, the Russian Federation. It is also the first time that the market orientation concept has been applied by service industry organizations in Russia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-123
Author(s):  
Lucia Svabova ◽  
Zdenko Metzker ◽  
Tomasz Pisula

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all areas of our lives. The non-pharmaceutical anti-pandemic measures taken by the governments of the countries to reduce the number of people infected or reverse adverse developments also have a strong impact on the economic side of citizens' lives. The shutdown measures put an end to the activities of many entrepreneurs, who had to lay off their employees. Thus, the Covid-19 pandemic is a major reason behind the rising unemployment. This is also the case in Slovakia. Since March 2020, when the first measures came into force, the registered unemployment rate has been rising. The highest inflow of new jobseekers occurred in April 2020. In this article, we discuss development of the unemployment rate and of the numbers of newly registered jobseekers in Slovakia during the period from November 2019 to October 2020 and examine in more detail the impact of the shutdown measures on the development of the number of jobseekers in Slovakia and on the individual economic sectors according to the NACE classification. It was confirmed that these measures had the greatest impact on the sectors that are also the most publicized, such as the accommodation and food service industry, real estate, administrative and support service industry, arts, entertainment and recreation and other service industries. In these sectors, the number of new unemployment claims increased several times, especially in April 2020, and in some of them, the rate of the new unemployment claims has not returned to last year’s values or those from the beginning of 2020.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Hu ◽  
Chunhai Tao ◽  
Hao Zhou

The degree of coupling and coordination between the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and the medical service industry crucially requires improvement by promoting the development of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry through industrial structure upgrading to narrow the gap between them. First, this article uses the coupling coordination degree model to measure the coupling coordination degree of the Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and medical service industry; then, it theoretically analyzes the mechanism through which upgrading the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry's industrial structure can improve the coupling coordination degree. Finally, we empirically test the impact of upgrading the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry's industrial structure on the coupling and coordination degree between it and the medical service industry. The main conclusions are as follows: (1). The quantile regression model shows that having an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing industry positively affects its coupling and coordination with the medical service industry; (2). A threshold regression model is tested, and it is found that only when the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry reaches an advanced level can it significantly promote joint and coordinated development with the medical service industry; (3). Rationalizing the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry structure will inhibit a high level of coordination between it and the medical service industry and their coordinated development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freddy Pandapotan Simbolon

This research aimed to examine the impact of relationship marketing strategy on customer loyalty in Indonesia’s retail industries. A questionnaire derived from previous studies and the relevant literature was completed by 182 retail customers in Jakarta. Multiple regression analysis assessed the impact on customer loyalty of four key constructs of relationship marketing (trust, commitment, communication, and conflict handling). The two variables (trust and commitment) had a significant effect and predicted a good proportion of the variance in customer loyalty. Moreover, they were significantly related to one another. The relationships investigated in this study deserved further research. Since the data analyzed were collected from one sector of the service industry in one region, more studies were required before general conclusions can be drawn. It is reasonable to conclude, on this evidence, that customer loyalty can be created, reinforced, and retained by marketing plans aimed at building trust, demonstrating a commitment to service, communicating with customers in a timely, reliable and proactive fashion, and handling conflict efficiently, reinforces and refines the body of knowledge relating to customer loyalty in service industries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1107-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Finsterwalder ◽  
Volker G. Kuppelwieser

PurposeThis article explores the impact of crises, such as the coronavirus pandemic, on service industries, service customers, and the service research community. It contextualizes pandemics in the realm of disasters and crises, and how they influence actors' well-being across the different levels of the service ecosystem. The paper introduces a resources–challenges equilibrium (RCE) framework across system levels to facilitate service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda for service scholars.Design/methodology/approachLiterature on disasters, crises, service and well-being is synthesized to embed the COVID-19 pandemic in these bodies of work. The material is then distilled to introduce the novel RCE framework for service ecosystems, and points of departure for researchers are developed.FindingsA service ecosystems view of well-being co-creation entails a dynamic interplay of actors' challenges faced and resource pools available at the different system levels.Research limitations/implicationsService scholars are called to action to conduct timely and relevant research on pandemics and other crises, that affect service industry, service customers, and society at large. This conceptual paper focuses on service industries and service research and therefore excludes other industries and research domains.Practical implicationsManagers of service businesses as well as heads of governmental agencies and policy makers require an understanding of the interdependence of the different system levels and the challenges faced versus the resources available to each individual actor as well as to communities and organizations.Social implicationsDisasters can change the social as well as the service-related fabric of society and industry. New behaviors have to be learned and new processes put in place for society to maintain well-being and for service industry's survival.Originality/valueThis paper fuses the coronavirus pandemic with service and well-being research, introduces a resources-challenges equilibrium framework for service ecosystem well-being and outlines a research agenda.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1063-1078
Author(s):  
T.N. Skorobogatova ◽  
I.Yu. Marakhovskaya

Subject. This article discusses the role of social infrastructure in the national economy and analyzes the relationship between the notions of Infrastructure, Service Industry and Non-Productive Sphere. Objectives. The article aims to outline a methodology for development of the social infrastructure of Russia's regions. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of statistical and comparative analyses. The Republic of Crimea and Rostov Oblast's social infrastructure development was considered as a case study. Results. The article finds that the level of social infrastructure is determined by a number of internal and external factors. By analyzing and assessing such factors, it is possible to develop promising areas for the social sphere advancement. Conclusions. Assessment and analysis of internal factors largely determined by the region's characteristics, as well as a comprehensive consideration of the impact of external factors will help ensure the competitiveness of the region's economy.


10.28945/2926 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. Morgan ◽  
Craig A. VanLengen

The divide between those who have computer and Internet access and those who do not appears to be narrowing, however overall statistics may be misleading. Measures of computer availability in schools often include cases where computers are only available for administration or are available only on a very limited basis (Gootman, 2004). Access to a computer and the Internet outside of school helps to reinforce student learning and emphasize the importance of using technology. Recent U.S. statistics indicate that ethnic background and other demographic characteristics still have substantial impact on the availability and use of computers by students outside of the classroom. This paper examines recent census data to determine the impact of the household on student computer use outside of the classroom. Encouragingly, the findings of this study suggest that use of a computer at school substantially increases the chance that a student will use a computer outside of class. Additionally, this study suggests that computer use outside of the classroom is positively and significantly impacted by being in a household with adults who either use a computer at work or work in an industry where computers are extensively used.


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