Assessing Operations Management from a Strategic Perspective

Yun

Benchmarking: An International Journal

2016

Purpose:In service sector, measuring quality of services is generally acknowledged to be difficult as it involves many psychological features. Hence, identifying the determinants of service quality and linkages with customer satisfaction is a challenging research topic. In this study, we take up a research study to address this challenge. Specifically, we examine the importance of factors influencing customer satisfaction in the context of a Chinese buffet restaurant in the UK. Design:We use a questionnaire based on the SERVQUAL instrument for the purpose. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we have found that service quality could be grouped into four main factors -service, food, ambience and price. Findings:Using multiple regression analysis, we have found that food is the most significant factor influencing customer satisfaction, followed by price, ambience, and service respectively. Using a multi-group analysis, we have found interesting moderating roles of age, gender and annual income on the influence of the four factors on satisfaction: ambience is considered significant by male customers while it is not significant for female customers; the influence of price on satisfaction is much higher for female customers than for male customers; food and service factors are important for younger customers while price is important for older customers; price is important for customers with lower levels of income but not important for high-income customers. Practical implications:These results are useful to restaurant managers in allocating appropriate levels of resources to different factors based on their contributions to customer satisfaction in order to maximize customer satisfaction efficiently and effectively. Originality:Analysis and findings of this research are based on the customers' survey data of a Chinese buffet restaurant in the UK. We have found an interesting ranking of the importance of service factors: food followed by price, ambience, and service. Our results on the moderating role of customer characteristics provide newer insights in the literature on service quality. Our research findings can help the hotel management to improve their service levels to attain maximum customer satisfaction.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the closeness of the service business to customers, service operations must be extremely sensitive to customers and markets (Adam and Swamidass, 1989) and achieving customer satisfaction is a challenge in the service sector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moderating roles of customer characteristics on the link between service factors and satisfaction in a buffet restaurant

Yun

Benchmarking: An International Journal

2016

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management

“…Worksheets are written documents that enable accessibility of data, papers and decisions to the participants (Platts, 1994). Adam and Swamidass (1989) used infrastructure, manufacturing task and order winning criteria as process variables, here called competitive priorities and decision areas. It is essential that both intangible and tangible competitive priorities are included in a framework (Platts et al, 1998).…”

Section: Assessment Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Manufacturing strategy frameworks suitable for SMEs

Löfving

Säfsten

Winroth

2014

PostprintThis is the accepted version of a paper published in Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. This paper has been peer-reviewed but does not include the final publisher proofcorrections or journal pagination. Citation for the original published paper (version of record):Löfving, M., Säfsten, K., Winroth, M. (2014) Manufacturing strategy frameworks suitable for SMEs. Journal of Manufacturing Abstract:Purpose: The paper aims at increasing the understanding of how manufacturing strategy formulation can be facilitated in SMEs.Design/methodology/approach: The research presented in this paper follows a four-stage logic. Initially a literature review was conducted identifying a number of manufacturing strategy frameworks. Thereafter, theoretical and practical assessment criteria were established. The SME requirements were identified through five case studies. Based on these assessment criteria, identified manufacturing strategy formulation frameworks were evaluated. When a framework was found that fulfilled most of the requirements set out, a detailed analysis of the framework was done, based on criteria related to specific SME characteristics. Findings:In total 15 different manufacturing strategy formulation frameworks were identified in the literature. To evaluate the suitability of these frameworks in SMEs, a number of assessment criteria were established, both in theory and in practice. These assessment criteria were grouped into three parts based on their character: procedure, realisation and contextual issues. The assessment of the 15 frameworks revealed that among the identified frameworks there was one framework that stood out and fulfilled several of the criteria. However, the frameworks still need to be adapted to the specific SME characteristics. Practical implications:Based on an assessment of the existing manufacturing strategy frameworks we have been able to identify one framework that fulfills 10 out of 14 of the theoretical and empirical requirements. Originality/contribution: Although a number of manufacturing strategy frameworks exist, their applicability in practice has seldom been investigated. The results presented provide valuable knowledge for the continued work of rendering manufacturing strategy frameworks suitable and thereby useful for SMEs.

Total Quality Management & Business Excellence

“…Finally, a firm adopting a broad differentiation strategy strives to provide a wide range of services to a variety of target markets. Although the dominant paradigm for structuring operations management strategy has been established in a manufacturing environment (Menor et al, 2001), these broad configurations appear to be applicable in service organisations (Adam and Swamidass, 1989). Indeed, variables developed for service strategy research have paralleled the ones found in the traditional manufacturing strategy literature (Roth et al, 2008).…”

Section: Customer Inputsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process design principles in service firms: Universal or context dependent? A literature review and new research directions

Ponsignon¹,

Smart²,

Maull³

2012

The aim of this article is to assess whether process design principles derived from best practices are universally applicable to service organisations or context dependent. This is achieved through a comprehensive review of the Business Process Management (BPM) and Operations Management (OM) literatures. Our comparison of the existing bodies of knowledge in these disciplines reveals major inconsistencies in how the topic of process design in service environments is addressed. Drawing on the more mature, contingencyoriented OM literature we challenge the BPM discipline which prescribes that process design principles derived from best practices are universally applicable irrespective of the context in which the service organisation operates. The results strongly suggest that in the business process design area one size does not fit all service organisations and that some design principles fit better under certain contextual conditions. We then use these findings to 2 develop a contingency conceptual framework and associated research propositions linking the firm's service strategy context to the use of particular business process design principles. This extends existing theory and provides a platform for future process design research in service organisations that is more closely aligned with the needs of practitioners.