The influence of variability and strategy of service supply chains on performance

This paper aims to empirically examine how customer-induced variability, process variability, supply chain strategy, and business performance interrelate in a service firm context. Quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire-based survey. A total of 376 organizations responded and 313 responses were usable. This represents an adjusted response rate of 10.43 %. The survey results were analyzed by factor analysis, ANOVA, and regression models. The results provided the basis for testing the proposed model. They indicated a positive association between customer-induced variability and process variability. Since firms have different levels of variability, each firm will have a different strategic focus. The emphasis of that strategy will, in turn, result in greater flexibility and customer satisfaction. More specifically, firms with high and low levels of variabilities are suggested to focus on the cost- and flexibility-oriented strategies, respectively.     

Efficiency comparison of the Wilcoxon tests in paired and independent survey samples

The efficiency concepts of Bahadur and Pitman are used to compare the Wilcoxon tests in paired and independent survey samples. A comparison through the length of corresponding confidence intervals is also done. Simple conditions characterizing the dominance of a procedure are derived. Statistical tests for checking these conditions are suggested and discussed.     

It’s not how old you are but how you are old: A review on aging and consumer behavior

The paper presents a review of 128 studies on the behavior of older consumers published in the last 35 years (from 1980 to 2014) in 35 peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of the procedure is twofold: First, we aim to summarize results on age-related changes in consumer research. Second, by doing so, we evaluate the relative importance of age-related factors (chronological, biological, psychological, and social age as wells as life events and life circumstances) in research on older consumers. Results of the review show that research on older consumers is still dominated by investigations using chronological age. Influences of other aspects of the aging process, although recommended by previous research reviews and providing valuable insights, are still playing a minor role in the investigation of consumer behavior. Research with alternative age measures is still in an early, exploratory stage and future studies should include specific aspects as well as multitheoretical models of aging.