A profit assessment model for equipment inspection and replacement under renewing free replacement warranty policy

For many types of equipment whose maintenance requires skilled labor or whose random failure may have serious consequences, such as aircraft engines, medical equipment and others, customers generally prefer to entrust maintenance activities to the manufacturer or any of its representatives. The latter must, in turn, provide the customer with a maintenance program that is economically viable for both parties. In this study, the customer and the manufacturer agree on what follows regarding a non-self-announcing failure equipment whose state is only known through inspection: during the warranty period, the manufacturer inspects the equipment according to a specified schedule which he establishes taking into account that the costs incurred for inspections and replacements are supported by him during the warranty period. After the expiration of the warranty, inspections and replacements are performed by the manufacturer and billed to the customer. Moreover, penalties related to inactivity periods between failures and their detection are always supported by the manufacturer. The warranty is applicable to any equipment replaced during the validity period of the service contract. This type of contract generates a profit for the manufacturer. In this paper, an analytical model taking into account the commitments of both parties has been developed. The model allows generating the instants (x₁, x₂,…, x_n) at which the inspections must be performed and the corresponding expected profit for the manufacturer while considering the warranty period offered on the market for similar equipment. An algorithm has also been developed to generate the inspection instants given the costs structure and the lifetime probability distribution of the equipment. In a context where business models argue for a greater implication of suppliers towards their customers, the proposed decision model may be relevant and very useful.     

Turning Good Citizens into Even Better Ones: The Impact of Program Characteristics and Motivations on Service Learning Outcomes

ABSTRACT

It has been suggested that motivations of an individual and the quality of a service-learning program can affect service-learning outcomes such as being a concerned citizen of the community. Previous studies have examined these issues using measures of actual behavior after the program and program characteristics. This article uses a longitudinal research design with measures of intended behavior and perceptions of the program to examine the relative effects of program characteristics and motivations to volunteer on participants' future intentions to be active citizens. The results indicate that motivations and program perceptions work in concert to influence the service-learning outcomes. Intrinsic motivation was found to be the strongest predictor of the outcomes.     

Service Recovery Readiness in Australian Hospitality and Leisure Operations

ABSTRACT

Hospitality and leisure operations across Australia have experienced phenomenal growth over the past few decades. This growth can be attributed to globalisation, deregulation, increased household disposable income, and technological advancements. As organisations continue to strive for a competitive edge, increased attention is given to consistency and reliability of service delivery. However, given the significant human element in the production and consumption of services, mistakes are inevitable (albeit not intentional). Service recovery is therefore a central ingredient in maintaining quality of service delivery. It facilitates customer satisfaction, increases loyalty and repeat patronage, and fosters positive word-of-mouth recommendation. The present paper develops an integrated model of the key concepts of service delivery-illustrating the importance of the relationships among service quality, empowerment, and service recovery. To obtain a better understanding of the importance that organisations place on service recovery, an exploratory study is presented. This consisted of interviews and questionnaires across selected hospitality and leisure operators in Australia. The findings show that service recovery is viewed as an important component of business practices. However, there are noticeable gaps-particularly in relation to organisational readirecovery.     

发展第三产业优化产业结构

产业结构的升级是经济发展的核心内容，“十五”时期我国经济发展战略的主线是经济结构的调整。本文分析了市场经济发展过程中产业结构演进的一般规律和世界其他国家的经验，认为我国当前的产业结构存在的问题是第三产业的发展滞后，并提出发展第三产业，促进产业结构高级化的政策措施。     

如何培养学生英语阅读能力

阅读是我国大学英语课程的主要培养目标。阅读又是我国广大大学生毕业生后，在我国社会主义现代化建设中获取本专业所需要信息的主要手段。英语阅读是一项非常重要的语言实践活动。我们应从教与学两方面挖掘潜力，通过各种学习途径，充分利用现代化教学设备，进行多方位的英语阅读教学活动，从根本上提高大学生英语阅读能力。     

滨海新区服务业与区域经济发展

近年来,国家对振兴环渤海区域经济与设天津滨海新区的开发开放给予高度重视。滨海新区已经由城市发展战略纳入国家总体发展战略,这对滨海新区的发展是一个难得的历史性机遇。因此,如何发展好天津滨海新区服务业,服务于区域经济发展,对于振兴环渤海经济和北方地区经济有着重要作用。     

地方公共服务、要素流动与要素空间配置——基于本地交易成本的均衡分析

通过"两区域、两要素与两部门"模型研究发现,即使存在区域内与区域间两类交易成本,增加公共服务仍有利于吸引要素流入,并产生要素空间聚集效应;增加公共支出以改善区内贸易条件对要素流动及其空间分布具有不同的影响;我国地方公共支出规模与全要素生产率之间存在明显的长期因果关系.     

Antecedents of mandatory customer participation in service encounters: An empirical study

The literature on service quality and customer loyalty has long focused on enhancing the work of service providers. This study examined “the other side of the coin” in service co-production or value co-creation in service encounters by investigating how service providers might take a proactive approach to building relationships based on mandatory customer participation (MCP). The research evaluated how such antecedents as role clarity, self-efficacy, purchase importance, and servicescape could influence MCP. Path analysis revealed that these four factors significantly influenced different dimensions of MCP; which in turn had a significant impact on customer loyalty. Using these insights, managers could develop a strategic approach to managing customer roles in the service delivery process. This study adds to the body of knowledge on service quality by demonstrating empirically the determinants and structure of MCP and their relationships with customer loyalty in service co-production processes in a hospitality setting.     

Greening propensity and performance implications for logistics service providers

Stakeholders in the logistics industry have growing concern about the damage caused by logistics operations to the environment. Logistics service providers (LSPs) have taken steps to pursue environmental objectives by involving customers in their operations. This study defines greening propensity (GP) as “involvement of customers to perform logistics activities to achieve environmental performance”. We analyze survey data collected from the logistics industry in Hong Kong to address the following questions: What are the categories of greening capability in LSPs? What are the performance outcomes of LSPs’ greening capability? Theoretical contributions and implications of the study results are discussed.     

Regulating prices for shifting between service providers

The price that a regulated access provider charges for shifting customers between service providers has significant welfare implications. Typical regulatory approaches to pricing, such as pricing based on fully allocated cost or incremental cost, ignore the characteristics of consumer demand. A theoretical alternative, Ramsey pricing, considers only the elasticity of demand for given products. This paper directs attention to the competitive process. Using US long-distance telephone services as an example, this paper shows how empirical evidence concerning customer acquisition costs, customer switching costs, and churn among service providers can help to inform price regulation.