0000000000892892
AUTHOR
Anna Errore
The Use of Financial and Non-Financial Performance Measures: A Contingency Perspective
Financial and non-financial index and indicators are applied in industry for measure firms’ business and operational performance. Different mix of measures are usually implemented in practice and we argue that, to a certain extent, this variability can be explained according to some contextual factors, as for instance environmental uncertainty, decentralization, type of strategic organizations and managerial practices.We develop hypothesis on the association between the usage of certain performance measures and this factors in a contingency perspective. Exploratory research based on large scale survey on manufacturing firms supports our investigation and test of the research hypothesis. R…
Maximin Model Robust Discrete Choice Experiments
Discrete choice experiments have their genesis in conjoint analysis, which was based on first-order models. For this and other reasons, discrete choice experiments in practice are usually designed for estimation of main effects. In this paper, we explore the construction of maximin model robust designs when the experimenter is concerned about the presence of interactions. We consider three classes of models—main effects models, main effects models plus first-order interactions, and secondorder models, and we construct designs that maximize the minimum efficiency of the design for the three competing models. We do so first with standard linear models and then extend our analysis to nonlinear…
Advanced Statistical Tools for Six Sigma and other Industrial Applications
Six Sigma is a methodological approach and philosophy for quality improvement in operations management; its main objectives are identifying and removing the causes of defects, and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. To do so, Six Sigma combines managerial and statistical tools, with the creation of a dedicated organizational structure. In this doctoral thesis and the three years of study and research, we have had the purpose to advance the potential applications of the methodology and its tools; with a specific attention on issues and challenges that typically prevent the realization of the expected financial and operational gains that a company pursue in applyin…
Six Sigma in small- and medium-sized enterprises: a Black Belt project in the Swedish steel industry
Many big companies around the world have solid Six Sigma infrastructures and it is easy to find in literature successful case studies. Conversely, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generally suffer lower attention in the literature. This happens because SMEs have only recently approached the methodology; they have weaker connection with the academia; or they do not rigorously pursue the frameworks. This paper is based on a Six Sigma project in a Swedish medium-sized company that produces steel tubes mainly for hydraulic applications. The project focused on the improvement of warehouse activities related to cutting processes. This Black Belt project was part of a Six Sigma education …
Prioritisation of alternatives with analytical hierarchy process plus response latency and web surveys
This paper introduces a new method that combines the well-known analytical hierarchy process (AHP) with a response latency metric. The response latency is the time taken by respondents to make choices over pairwise comparisons. The analytical calculation of relative importance weights of the alternatives is made by using a response latency model previously validated in several case studies. This combination aims to overcome some drawbacks of the traditional AHP related to the use of a rating scale (the so-called Saaty scale), and it is a natural way to involve response latency in established decisionmaking methods. This new method can be profitably adopted in web surveys where it is easy to…