Search results for "Strategy"

Innovation Management Practices in Production-Intensive Service Firms

2015

Postprint version of the article. This paper posits that innovation management practices are contingent upon the type of industry, and examines the innovation management practices in a distinctive set of service firms: production-intensive service firms. Production-intensive services are standardised services produced at a large scale. These services have received little attention from prior comprehensive qualitative innovation management practices research. The examination in this paper is based on in-depth interviews with 21 key-employees in five large Scandinavian production-intensive service firms. The results revealed a number of innovation management practices specific to production-i…

The impact of service bundles on the mechanism through which functional value and price value affect WOM intent

2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute toward the current limited understanding of service bundles by investigating how purchasers of combined product-service bundles (bundle customers) differ from those purchasing a product and associated service separately (non-bundle customers). Design/methodology/approach The hypothesized effects were tested on a representative sample of mobile phone subscribers in Finland, through a multi-group moderated analysis using variance-based structural equation modeling. Findings While functional value had a stronger effect on attitude for bundle customers, price value is a stronger determinant of attitude for non-bundle customers. There was no di…

To sit or to stand, that is the question : examining the effects of work posture change on the well-being at work of software professionals

2017

Despite the central role of human resources in determining the success of software companies, relatively little academic research has been conducted on the well-being at work aspect of software professionals. This study aims to address the aforementioned gap by examining the effects of using standing instead of sitting workstations on the well-being at work of software professionals in terms of their physical activity, mental alertness, stress, and musculoskeletal strain. An intervention study consisting of two measurements was conducted for 29 employees of a large Finnish software company by using questionnaires and the Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment service. The findings of the study sugg…

Multiobjective service restoration in distribution networks using an evolutionary approach and fuzzy sets

2000

Abstract In this article, the service restoration (SR) problem in electrical distribution networks is dealt with using an evolutionary strategy (ES) with a fuzzy definition of the conflicting objectives. The normal operation status allows the remote control of tie-switches, of capacitor banks and load connection. When a permanent fault occurs, the same remote control actions can be performed with the aim of restoring the service in the concerned areas. The status of these remotely controllable elements is the boolean optimisation variables for the SR problem. Besides this, here the SR problem is dealt with in a multiple objectives (MO) formulation. Indeed, the power losses’ term is consider…

Exploring New Service Portfolio Management

2017

Most research on the management of innovation portfolios has focused on new product portfolios, whereas the management of new service portfolios has not been researched correspondingly. This paper addresses this literature gap by exploring portfolio management of New Service Development (NSD) activities empirically. The paper applies a qualitative research design, where data was collected in 52 in-depth interviews with managers and employees involved with NSD. The study finds that the portfolio management activities and processes were carried out in parallel with the NSD process, and that the most important stakeholders in the NSD portfolio management organization were top managers not inv…

Interaction between functional and relational service quality: hierarchy vs. compensation

2018

The main goal of this research study is to examine the form of interaction between functional and relational service quality in their links to customer satisfaction. Two competing hypotheses were t...

Logistics service quality and buyer–customer relationships: the moderating role of technology in B2B and B2C contexts

2011

Logistics service quality (LSQ) concentrates on the results of the company's performance in the process of bringing merchandise and information from the company's warehouse to customers' home. There is neither consensus about its dimensions nor on how it might be influenced by technological solutions. The present article aims at identifying the main antecedents of LSQ, examining the influence of technology and its effects in terms of customer commitment and loyalty in B2B and B2C contexts. As a result, similar patterns are observed in the relationships of LSQ–commitment–loyalty with mixed evidence about the moderating role of information technology.

Value dimensions in consumers’ experience: Combining the intra- and inter-variable approaches in the hospitality sector

2015

Within the deep and extensive research on value, two main areas of discussion emerge: multidimensionality (intra-variable approach) and interrelationships with other constructs (inter-variable approach). Independently, the two areas have produced relevant knowledge; however, when studying them jointly, the results are inconsistent. The paper aims first to build four self-oriented value scales for a hospitality experience (efficiency, quality, play, and aesthetics), and second to test them in a SEM model with overall perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty, upon a sample of 585 hotel consumers in Sardinia (Italy). The results show both unexpected (for the intra-variable …

Reducing the fear of crime in a community as a complex service system: The case of London Borough of Sutton

2012

2020

Discriminant validity was originally presented as a set of empirical criteria that can be assessed from multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrices. Because datasets used by applied researchers rarely lend themselves to MTMM analysis, the need to assess discriminant validity in empirical research has led to the introduction of numerous techniques, some of which have been introduced in an ad hoc manner and without rigorous methodological support. We review various definitions of and techniques for assessing discriminant validity and provide a generalized definition of discriminant validity based on the correlation between two measures after measurement error has been considered. We then review t…