Operations in banking: the service quality and effects on satisfaction and loyalty

This paper studies the service quality provided by the banks. The objectives are (i) to identify which aspects of the transactions carried out by the banks are important for the service quality perceived by the customers, taking into account some aspects that are sometimes ignored (online channels) and (ii) to observe how service quality influences customer satisfaction and how customer satisfaction affects the loyalty towards the bank. Using a factor analysis, the research identifies the operative, physical, new technologies and human factors. Next, using structural equations models with AMOS, the results show an influence of the operative aspects and the new technologies on service quality, as well as the confirmation of quality as a precedent to customer satisfaction, and how such satisfaction influences on customer's loyalty towards the bank.     

Understanding the Formation of Consumers' Stock Market Expectations

To understand consumers' investment decisions, national surveys such as the Health and Retirement Study elicit consumers' expectations about stock market movements. Analyses of stock market expectations show substantial heterogeneity between consumers. It is commonly speculated that this heterogeneity reflects variations in the beliefs underlying consumers' stock market expectations, that is, their “mental models.” In an online survey of American adults, we find that consumers think about different economic and political issues when generating stock market expectations for the next year. Regardless of the specific issues on which consumers focused, however, their assessments of the issues seemed to reflect a single underlying perception of changes in economic conditions. Regression analyses show that variation in stock market expectations is related to consumers' overall assessments of economic developments. We discuss the implications of these results for economic surveys and investment communications.     

The opportunity to improve psychological competences of project managers in international businesses

Many projects are currently conducted in international businesses in which cultural issues play an important role. In‐depth analysis of the risks associated with the unknown of this type of issues offers companies a better understanding of how to focus their marketing tools to be more effective, and provides project managers with strategies to improve customer relationships. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions and Meyer's Culture Map have demonstrated that every society possesses distinguishing features. These cultural theories serve as foundation for including the category of culture in a proposed Cultural Risk Breakdown Structure. Through a literature review, risks associated with cultural differences are identified in projects executed in Africa, China, and the Middle East. By linking these risks to cultural dimensions, it is possible to identify the psychological competences framework in international businesses. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to create not only a comprehensive record of these risks but also a list of the new skills and competences that project managers must possess to improve client satisfaction and make decisions in a cross‐cultural environment. By considering the association between psychological aspects and cultural issues, this analysis will be of considerable benefit for improving relationships in international contexts.     

RFID Applications for Integrating and Informationalizing the Supply Chain of Foodservice Operators

Abstract

By enabling easier and real-time information sharing among supply chain partners, Internet applications foster and support new forms of collaborative supply chain management (SCM) practices within the foodservice sector. Advances in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies extend such collaborative SCM practices by increasingly integrating and synchronizing demand and supply chains. The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyze how RFID technologies can seamlessly tie customer interactions with the food supply chain and revolutionize the accuracy, efficiency, personalization-interaction, and security of foodservice marketing, production, and distribution simultaneously. To achieve this, the paper discusses the RFID implementation issues, practices, and benefits within the foodservice sector. The food industry's perspectives on the adoption and benefits of RFID developments are reported by discussing the results of a reality-check study conducted in the Greek foodservice sector.     

Technology readiness and the evaluation and adoption of self-service technologies

As companies struggle to persuade their customers to adopt new self-service technologies (SSTs), it has become increasingly important to understand the factors affecting customers’ attitudes towards these SSTs and their adoption behaviour. Technology readiness (TR), i.e. the customer's mental readiness to accept new technologies, has been proposed as such a factor. TR comprises four dimensions: innovativeness, optimism, discomfort and insecurity. This article investigates the effects of TR on customers’ (1) attitudes towards using SST for airline check-in, (2) adoption of self-service check-in, and (3) evaluations of a new self-service check-in on the Internet, in terms of perceived service quality, satisfaction and loyalty. An empirical study was conducted among loyalty program customers of a European airline, having access to Internet check-in. Data were collected with online and traditional mail surveys, resulting in 1258 usable responses. Analysis of the data revealed that only optimism and innovativeness formed unique individual dimensions. Furthermore, TR had surprisingly little impact on customer attitudes towards SST, on adoption behaviour, and on SST evaluations. Optimism explained consumer behaviour towards SSTs best, whereas innovativeness had only a marginal effect on attitudes towards using the Internet or a mobile phone to check-in. The article concludes with a discussion of the validity of the TR construct and suggestions for future research. Managerial implications are provided.     

The Highly Troubled Ethical Environment of the Life Insurance Industry: Has it Changed Significantly from the Last Decade and if so, why?

This paper presents the findings of two surveys conducted in April 2003 of Chartered Life Underwriters (CLUs) and Chartered Financial Consultants (ChFCs) who are members of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. The first survey of 3000 CLUs and ChFCs – the life insurance industry’s most highly regarded professionals – was aimed at identifying the key ethical issues faced by professionals working in the life insurance industry today. A comparison of these findings with those of earlier studies conducted in 1990 and 1995 suggests that while the key ethical issues facing those working in the life insurance business today are essentially the same as those encountered during industry’s highly troubled ethical environment of the early 1990s, these issues are perceived as presenting somewhat less serious problems than in the past. The second survey of 3000 CLUs and ChFCs was aimed at determining the extent to which these professionals perceive the industry created Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA) as having contributed to any change in the ethical environment that has taken place. The findings suggest that IMSA has played an important role in influencing senior managers to more strongly encourage and support ethical market conduct, a critical step in improving the industry’s ethical environment.     

Methodological Issues in the Design of Online Surveys for Measuring Unethical Work Behavior: Recommendations on the Basis of a Split-Ballot Experiment

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in unethical work behavior. Several types of survey instruments to collect information about unethical work behavior are available. Nevertheless, to date little attention has been paid to design issues of those surveys. There are, however, several important problems that may influence reliability and validity of questionnaire data on the topic, such as social desirability bias. This paper addresses two important issues in the design of online surveys on unethical work behavior: the response scale for questions regarding the frequency of certain types of unethical work behavior and the location of the background questions in an online survey. We present the results of an analysis of a double split-ballot experiment in a large sample (n = 3,386) on governmental integrity. We found that, when comparing response scales that have labels for all categories with response scales that only have anchors at the end, the latter provided answers with higher validity. The study did not provide support for the conventional practice of asking background questions at the end.     

Participation in a Mail Survey of International Marketers:

This study examines the viability of using preliminary notification and detailed project explanation in mail surveys for studies of international marketing issues. In addition, there are questions raised about the culture-boundedness of research methodology in marketing research.     

Managing Global Virtual Teams Across Classrooms,Students and Faculty

Virtual teams are becoming commonplace in business today so our business school students should have experience in effectively working in virtual teams. Based on a month-long virtual team project conducted by the authors between classes in South Africa and the United States, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of using global virtual teams as part of a business school curriculum. The authors describe the use of a virtual team life cycle to assess the month long project to identify key elements to retain and to change for the next time the virtual project is implemented.     

Brakes to organic market enlargement in Spain: consumers’ and retailers’ attitudes and willingness to pay

In Spain, consumption of organic products has not kept pace with production. Up till now, foreign markets have been a natural destination for excess supply. However, world trade liberalization might cause important commercial problems to Spanish producers that could be partially solved by enlarging the domestic market. The goal of this paper is to assess the opportunity for such enlargement focusing on two main aspects: consumers’ and retailers’ attitudes and willingness to pay for organic products. Concerns about health, natural diets or environmental issues could stimulate consumption, while retailing dynamism and competition to gain new market segments might favour distribution. Both aspects are investigated through two surveys addressed to consumers and retailers in two Spanish towns. The results confirm that only a small proportion of consumers and distributors show attitudes that might favour demand expansion. The most sensitized segments are willing to pay more for organic products, but this premium is still very far from the prevailing gap between conventional and organic food products.     

The customisation framework for roadmapping product-service integration

Product-service integration is becoming a dominant contemporary trend, motivated by how technology can shape areas of potential product/service interactivity and triggers interactions. Since the role of technology differs from case to case, the strategic planning of product-service integration should focus on accommodating the real-life business situation. In response, this paper suggests a customisation framework for product-service roadmapping according to the technological interface involved, and provides practical guidance in its implementation. This framework consists of five steps in three main stages. The first deals with the structural determination of roadmapping, planning ??what to plan??, determining the role of technology and the roadmapping format. The second phase plans the functional determination, dealing the issue of ??how to plan??, including deciding on the relevant roadmapping procedures and methodology. Finally, the roadmap for product-service integration is developed. To illustrate the workings of proposed approach, six case examples are provided for different modes of integration, providing a practical illustration for product-service integration.     

Find Out How Much It Means to Me! The Importance of Interpersonal Respect in Work Values Compared to Perceived Organizational Practices

Two large online surveys were conducted among employees in Germany to explore the importance employees and organizations place on aspects of interpersonal respect in relation to other work values. The first study (n = 589) extracted a general ranking of work values, showing that employees rate issues of respect involving supervisors particularly high. The second study (n = 318) replicated the previous value ranking. Additionally, it is shown that the value priorities indicated by employees do not always match their perceptions of actual organizational practices. Particularly, interpersonal respect issues that involve employees’ supervisors diverge strongly negative. Consequences and potentials for change in organizations are discussed.     

DSP6416的主机接口(HPI)与USB接口的连接与设计

本文以基于3G技术的移动自组织网(MANET)的研究为背景,用现在较为流行的高速USB接口与DSP的主机接口HPI相连接,成功地解决了MANET移动终端与主机之间的数据交换问题。本文在介绍了TI公司DSP芯片TMS320C6416和CYPRESS公司的USB接口控制芯片CY7C68013特点以后,介绍了两者连接的一种硬件设计以及USB芯片的固件的编写和调试。     

建筑工程施工质量的监督管理

建设工程的质量问题,关系到人们的生命财产和各种经济利益,因此要树立质量意识,加强工程质量的全面管理和控制,确保工程质量不断提高,创造出更多的优质工程、放心工程.本文从工程的人员、材料、施工环节三大方面进行了探讨.     

Mobile Commerce Applications in Supply Chain Management

Abstract

As wireless technologies evolve, the coming mobile revolution will bring dramatic and fundamental changes to supply chain management. When complete, the revolution will impact numerous facets of organizational life. It will provide important data in real time to assist decision makers, exert great influence on the ways businesses communicate and develop relationships with consumers and suppliers, and ultimately transform the way we manage the supply chain. This paper examines issues in integrating mobile commerce and supply chain management. The paper discusses issues such as the absence of killer applications, mobile device limitations, networking problems, infrastructure constraints, security concerns, and user distrust in mobile applications. Research issues, such as usability, user interfaces, mobile access to databases, agent technologies, and mobile business models, are also discussed.     

Solving the crisis of immediacy: How digital technology can transform the customer experience

Marketers are currently facing a ‘crisis of immediacy’ challenge: how to meet consumers’ need to receive content, expertise, and personalized solutions in real time during their shopping experience. Today's digital technologies—such as video conferencing, location-based mobile apps, and augmented reality—provide a highly personalized and immersive environment that allows for interactivity and rich information exchange between the brand and consumer. We conducted in-depth interviews with over 35 retailers, large-scale surveys with international shoppers, and pilot projects with stores and banking institutions to study how companies are leveraging digital technologies to transform the customer experience. Our findings show that there are two main technology-based models that organizations are deploying to support customers’ immediate needs: the remote expert and the digital assistant. We provide company examples of both models, as well as when they are most appropriate and success factors to inform managers.     

Toward understanding socio-economic inequalities in injury incidence and mortality

The existing knowledge on socio-economic inequality in injury risks is scarce and inconsistent and there is still a great need for sound epidemiological studies in this field. When performing these studies, the injury research community could benefit from the experience gained within other areas of public health. A recent project from the European Union has led, for example, to a set of proposed guidelines on several methodological aspects. Many of these are probably relevant for the injury problem field and will be addressed. Major issues are: – The distinction between individual-level and area-based studies; – The selection, measurement and classification of possible socio-economic indicators; – The expression of the magnitude of health inequalities with the help of possible summary indices; – The definition of the outcome measure (morbidity or mortality, general or specific). This paper illustrates the relevance of the aforementioned methodological issues with empirical data. Results are shown from both individual-level and area-based studies, using different socio-economic indicators and outcome measures. It is concluded that a systematic approach towards understanding socio-economic differences in injury incidence and mortality has not yet been conducted and seems highly needed. Future work in this area could benefit from experience gained within other areas of public health.     

A Model for Partnering with Not-for-Profits to Develop Socially Responsible Businesses in a Global Environment

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly important in the global environment. Businesses that want to be socially responsible, but do not have the resources of multinational corporations, can partner with non-governmental (NGO), not-for-profit (NFP), and religious organizations to access information about the culture, customs, and needs of the people in areas where they wish to do business. Without such information, CSR projects can have unintended consequences that are not beneficial for the community. Suggesting that local farmers sell corn to ethanol producers may increase the farmers’ income but also increase the cost of a food staple to the community. Providing food aid may result in local farmers being unable to sell their crops for enough money to buy seed for the next harvest. Donating cheaper cinder blocks instead of adobe bricks may result in more available housing, but the housing may be unlivable in the summer heat. This paper presents a three-part model for businesses to follow to develop socially responsible projects. The first strategy is to use electronic sources of information about a country and area for background information. The second strategy is to gather on-the-ground information about important issues from the people who are already operating in a community as part of NGO, NFP and missionary initiatives. The third strategy is to develop scenarios that will help identify possible negative consequences of socially responsible projects so that the project implementation can be monitored for such consequences and interventions designed to decrease or counter the impact of negative consequences.     

试析工程项目投标报价过程中应注意的几个方面

工程招标投标是工程项目采购中最重要的方式,普遍应用于项目决策、咨询、设计、施工、监理及工程物资采购等工程项目的各个方面.规范招标与投标活动,对于招标人和投标人都是至关重要的.因此,本文就工程项目投标报价过程中应注意的一些问题加以探讨.     

Roadmapping: (Missed) opportunities to overcome strategic challenges

Firms face various critical challenges when pursuing a coherent course of action that seeks to create value for the long term. They are required to balance myopic and hyperopic behavior. They must ensure coordination, adopt a holistic view of various functional perspectives, and foster commitment among key decision makers. They need to develop a credible and compelling line of reasoning that employees understand and can act on. Adopting the perspective of roadmapping as a strategy tool, this article advances the argument that roadmapping is especially suitable in helping firms to surmount these three critical strategic challenges. This article distills three core features of the roadmap: graphical representation, multi-disciplinary integration, and scaling. It then reviews the three critical strategic challenges and shows how roadmapping can help to overcome each of these. Following this explanation, the article describes ten key principles for effective strategic roadmapping that support firms in obtaining the strategic benefits promised. The article concludes with additional insights for practice with the intent of encouraging further exploitation of roadmapping’s potential.