Servitization of the manufacturing firm

Globally, every year 529,000 maternal deaths occur, 99% of which in developing countries with majority being in Sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services depend on the accessibility, availability and quality of antenatal care (ANC), delivery and postnatal services. The aim of this study was to assess the health facilities’ capacity and readiness to provide MNCH services in Unguja Island, Zanzibar. 
 
 A facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from May to June 2015 at public health facilities providing MNCH services. Data was collected by using the modified Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool. 
 
 Eighteen health facilities were assessed, two-thirds (66.7%, n = 12) of which were offering both maternity and reproductive and child health (RCH) services, 4 (22.2%) RCH services only, and 2 (11.1%) maternity services only. Readiness score for ANC services was 66% with high readiness scores in diagnostics services (89%) and equipment (69%). Overall, 14% offered all seven signal functions. Overall, delivery service readiness score was 48%. Overall readiness for comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care services was 13%. Staff training and guidelines readiness score was 11%, while medicine and commodities score was 9%.
 
 The health facilities’ readiness in providing MNCH services remains inadequate in Unguja Island. Readiness in providing services was low for delivery and emergency obstetric and neonatal care services. Basic and advanced delivery services need to be improved in parallel with provision of necessary equipment, medicines and commodities and staff training for better MNCH service delivery.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Rwanda are engaged in the business of providing advanced Internet services based on broadband connectivity across Rwanda. Network risk management process is the process of identifying, assessing, and controlling risks arising from network operational factors and making decisions. The main objective of the study was to analyze the effect of network risk management process on service delivery using Broadband Systems Corporation Company as a case. For data collection, a questionnaire was administered to the 148 selected respondents, 13 of whom were BSC Staff and 135 of them BSC Customers. Sampling methodology was based on stratified random sampling of each stratum by using a table of random numbers. Collected data was analyzed using tables and multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that 92.31% of the staff assessed effectively network risk monitoring, in addition 84.62% of the staff indicated that they put in place the mechanism for network risk mitigation. However, majority of BSC customers (83.71%) were satisfied with services provided by BSC. Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between network risk management process and service delivery at BSC, thereby depicting a very strong, positive correlation between network risk management process and service delivery. Subsequently, recommendations for Rwanda ISPs with findings were suggested to enhance network risk mitigation.

To examine competencies, attitudes, barriers and factors that influence the provision of mental health services by nurses in schools and higher education institutions in the post COVID-19 era in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study used nationwide proportionate stratified random sampling to recruit nurses from K-12 schools and higher education institutions. Data were collected through an online survey administered between July and December 2024, with 305 responses received (response rate = 46.4%). Among the respondents, 55.1% provided advanced mental health services, while 38.3% delivered basic mental health services. The main barriers to the delivery of mental health services were lack of mental health-screening training (63.3%), insufficient brief screening tools (46.2%) and time constraints (42.6%). Nurses in junior and senior high schools were 5.78 and 3.07 times more likely, respectively, to provide advanced mental health services compared to those in universities. Furthermore, significant predictors of the provision of advanced mental health services included working in junior or senior high school, higher competence, and more positive attitudes; perceiving time constraints was a significant barrier. Working in junior and senior high school settings was the most significant predictor of delivering advanced mental health services. These results underscore the need for targeted professional training, enhanced resources, and inter-professional collaboration to improve the quality of school-based mental health services. Enhancing the attitudes and competencies of nurses in schools and higher education institutions towards mental health care is essential. Training should target nurses working in junior and senior high schools. Administrators must improve workflows, provide better tools and address barriers such as time constraints and limited referrals to support students' mental well-being. This study adhered to the relevant cross-sectional EQUATOR STROBE guidelines. No Patient or Public Contribution. This study examined the barriers to mental health service delivery among nurses in schools and higher education institutions and identified key determinants influencing their provision of such services. Nurses in schools and higher education institutions face challenges in providing mental health services due to a lack of mental health training, insufficient brief screening tools and time constraints. Advanced services were more common in junior and senior high schools, with competence and attitude being key predictors of their delivery.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the components and service standards of delightful service by conducting a comprehensive literature review and applying the Delphi survey method.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a three-round Delphi survey to consolidate the experience of 11 experts in implementing delightful service. To ensure the recruitment of experts who were knowledgeable in delightful service delivery, the panellists were chosen from service- and hospitality-related industries; the respondents were hotel managers, senior frontline service personnel and academic educators who were knowledgeable in both the service industry and service innovation.FindingsBy integrating professional experiences from both academics and hotel practitioners, we conclude that hotel facilities and amenities, environment and ambiance design and service personnel’s service delivery practices are essential elements for creating a unique and unforgettable consumer experience. Distinctive hotel facilities and ambiance provide a unique experience, which can leave memorable impressions on customers. Being able to detect customers’ emotional conditions and hidden needs through attentive and proactive service practice and providing attentive and customized service are pivotal for service personnel. Advanced service performance enables attending to customers’ personal well-being and caring for their unique needs effectively. The proposed standard for service provision exceeds customer expectations.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the number of panellists was low, limiting the generalizability of the results. Future studies should increase the number of panellists. Second, this study focused only on the hotel industry in Taiwan. The results may not be generalizable to other hospitality industries or other countries. Future studies can duplicate this study in other hospitality industries and in other countries to broaden the understating of the elements and service standards of delightful service.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide a practical guideline for implementing delightful service. Hotel practitioners are advised to increase the degree of refinement, variety and attentiveness of their facilities and amenities; use sensory elements in their hotel environment and ambiance design; and advance staff members’ service skills to be more proactive, attentive, empathetic and customer-oriented. Carefully designing the core product and advancing the service delivery style can provide hotel guests with an exceptional and unique lodging experience, thus achieving delight.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive understanding of the implementation of delightful service.

The Eureka-ITEA2 WellCom project addresses issues related to the creation, delivery and management of advanced multimedia applications and services in the context of distributed home environment. To enable the delivery of such services with the required quality and security, WellCom proposes to push a part of the service logic as close as possible to the end-user. The paper presents some results of the WellCom project enabling to create synergies between the TV screen displaying multimedia content and mobile terminals. A unique experience with new types of group interactions (i.e. advanced local and community services) will be proposed.

This study aims to investigate factors influencing servitization and firm performance within Indonesian national manufacturing companies, focusing on export-oriented entities such as automotive, electronics, textile, and food processing industries. Strategic orientations – market, technology, service, and learning – are investigated as key dimensions guiding firms’ strategic decisions amidst dynamic business environments. A comprehensive survey involving 100 companies representing a diverse spectrum of the Indonesian manufacturing sector is conducted. These companies encompass a range of statuses, including joint ventures (12%), multinational companies (2%), and national companies (86%). Through a purposive sampling strategy, representation across different company types is ensured to capture the breadth of perspectives within the industry. The quantitative approach involves surveying managers across various organizational levels, including top-level executives, middle managers, and front-line supervisors. Input from different managerial tiers is solicited to understand strategic orientations and their impact on firm performance. Data analysis, employing validation, descriptive statistics in MS Excel, and inferential statistics using Smart PLS yields significant insights. Market, service, and learning orientations emerge as influential factors in both basic and advanced services (p < 0.05), while technology orientation lacks statistical significance. Notably, market orientation significantly impacts advanced services (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the findings underscore the significant influence of service provision on firm performance across both basic and advanced services (p < 0.05). The critical role of strategic orientations, encompassing technology adoption, market positioning, service delivery, and organizational learning, in driving servitization and enhancing firm performance in Indonesian manufacturing is emphasized.

The Indian healthcare industry, one of the largest in the world, caters for 1.3 billion people. The modern middle class addresses its needs by visiting private hospitals, which provide comprehensive services but at a high cost. The low socioeconomic individuals visit government hospitals where all basic services are available, but there is a struggle to provide advanced healthcare. In order to rectify this dichotomous approach, new initiatives are being implemented to provide uniform healthcare across the society. Technological advancements have been rapid and modern methods have reached the shores of India at the same pace as in the western world. In otolaryngology, advanced services especially for restoration of hearing loss and multimodality treatments for head and neck cancers have been two areas where practical and ethical dilemmas have existed to provide the most optimal treatment at subsidized costs. This article explores these two areas as examples to understand the specific problems encountered in delivering advanced ENT care in a low-resource setting in a large populous country. Introduction of government health insurance schemes have helped the poor to make use of advanced healthcare. The highlight of this scheme has been the inclusion of expensive interventions like cochlear and auditory brainstem implantation, whereby cost of the device, surgery and habilitation have all been delivered cost free for eligible children.

The purpose of the study is to investigate how the Internet of Things (IoT) contributes to the manufacturers’ advanced service development and delivery. In order to better understand the creation of these IoT contributions, the study adopts a socio-technical research perspective which expands the scope of the investigation and integrates the technological, information and social factors that enable these IoT contributions. A multiple-case research method was employed to investigate the IoT contribution scenarios of 15 manufacturers offering advanced services, and to examine their dependence on other non-IoT factors using inductive and deductive thematic analysis. The analysis identified five advanced service value propositions which are enabled by ten ‘IoT-enabled IS artefacts’ which specify the distinct interactions between the technological, information and social subsystems that support the manufacturers’ advanced service value propositions. This study advances servitization research by showing that the IoT technology on its own is not sufficient for the creation of the IoT contributions. It shows instead the need for close interactions with a diverse range of other factors which are often not considered when developing the IoT strategy. The study further introduces the IS artefact notion as a unit of analysis that is an alternative to the commonly adopted techno-centric perspective used to conceptualise the IoT contributions. The study and its findings add to the development of a socio-technical perspective on the IoT in advanced services and generates a number of theoretical and practical implications.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the internet of things (IoT) contributes to manufacturers' advanced services development and delivery. To better understand the creation of these IoT contributions, the study adopts a socio-technical research perspective, which expands the scope of the investigation and integrates the technological, information and social factors that enable these IoT contributions.Design/methodology/approachA multiple-case research method was employed to investigate the IoT contribution scenarios of 15 manufacturers who offer advanced services and to examine their dependence on other non-IoT factors, using thematic analysis.FindingsThe analysis identified five advanced services value propositions, which are enabled by nine “IoT-enabled information systems (IS) artefacts” that specify the distinct interactions between the technological, information and social subsystems supporting the manufacturers' advanced services value propositions.Originality/valueThe study advances the servitisation research by demonstrating that IoT technology on its own is insufficient for the creation of the IoT contributions. It shows, instead, the need for close interactions with a diverse range of other factors, which are often not considered when developing an IoT strategy. The study also introduces the IS artefact notion as a unit of analysis that constitutes an alternative to the commonly adopted techno-centric perspective used to conceptualise IoT contributions. The study and its findings add to the development of a socio-technical perspective on the IoT in advanced services and thereby suggests a number of theoretical and practical implications.

Recent trends in the telecommunication industry have been moving toward the development of ubiquitous information systems, where the provision of a plethora of advanced multimedia services should be possible, regardless of time and space limitations. An efficient and seamless delivery of multimedia services over various types of wireless networks is still a challenging task. The underlying difficulty consists of the disparity in the bandwidth availability over each network type. Indeed, the fundamental challenge upon a handoff phenomenon in a heterogeneous wireless network consists of an efficient probing of the bandwidth availability of the new network, followed by a prompt adjustment of the data delivery rate. This paper presents a cross-layer approach that involves five layers, namely, physical, data link, application, network, and transport layers. The three former layers are used to anticipate the handoff occurrence and to locate the new point of attachment to the network. Based on their feedback, the transport layer is used then to probe the resources of the new network using low-priority dummy packets. Being the most widely used protocol for multimedia delivery, this paper addresses multimedia applications based on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). The design of the whole cross-layer architecture is discussed, and enhancements to the two protocols are proposed. The performance of the enhanced TCP and the RTP are evaluated and compared against existing schemes through extensive simulations. The obtained results are encouraging and promising for the delivery of multimedia services in heterogeneous wireless networks.

<p>Background: The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a program of care that enrolls nursing home eligible and offers them community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS). Many PACE enrollees are “dual eligibles” (DEs) meaning they qualify for Medicare and Medicaid services. Dental care is a unique feature of PACE among LTSS, as many LTSS do not include dental care, even though this population has difficulty in accessing these services. However, little is known about the delivery of dental care at PACE and how dental care and oral health promotion and prevention is being integrated into PACE. Thus, the purpose of this study is to describe the delivery and integration of dental care at PACE.</p> <p>Methods: Based on ten preliminary interviews and the PACE manual from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a 56-question survey was developed to describe the delivery and integration of dental care at PACE across the country. In addition, the survey asked programs to rank their focus among five specialties (dentistry, mental health, optometry, audiology, podiatry), to determine if a program’s focus on dental care would influence the delivery and integration of dental services at PACE, and if this would lead the program to have a very high percentage of new and continuous enrollees with regular dental examinations. A publicly available contact list was obtained from CMS and the survey was distributed to all 124 PACE programs via email.</p> <p>Results: Respondents in this study represented 35 programs (28.2%) in 23 states (74.2%). Most programs had no limits for dental care, minimal waitlists, and provide most dental services without exclusions. This is evident by the 51.4% of programs that have no dental budget, 100% of programs providing preventive and basic restorative dental care, and nearly 100% offering advanced restorative services. Many programs also did not have a waitlist for non-emergent dental care. Few programs include a dentist in the routine operations of the PACE program, as evidenced by few programs having dentists conduct the dental assessment for the initial comprehensive assessment or having a dental director.</p> <p>A statistically significant association with a high percentage of reported utilization of dental examinations was detected with programs having a system for quality assurance for dental care (t=0.358, p=0.024), a protocol for a dental cleaning every 6-12 months (t=0.595, p<0.001), mandating a comprehensive dental examination (t=0.390, p=0.007), and providing preventive dental services onsite with built-in equipment (t=0.454, p=0.001). No factors were statistically associated with the focus ranking for dentistry among the other specialties.</p> <p>Conclusion: This study suggests that compared to nursing homes, PACE enrollees may have greater ability to receive dental care without limitations of the state adult Medicaid dental benefit. Dentistry also appears to be a high focus for some PACE programs. This study has begun to identify structures that support positive outcomes that can be used to develop best practices and guidelines for the delivery of dental care in PACE and other LTSS. Future studies are needed to better understand barriers and facilitators to the delivery of dental care and other specialty services.</p>

PurposeMobile technologies (MT) have been attracting the attention of academic library stakeholders for some time, as it is considered a strong communication channel that can offer advanced library services. Furthermore, MT can offer a number of flexible options for library users. Accordingly, the overarching aim of this research is to investigate the potentials of implementing MT within academic libraries in public universities in Jordan from library staff viewpoint. Exploring library staff expectation of MT to enhance library services is another aim. It is also important to investigate the effects of external factors such age, job title, educational level and experience on library staff perception of MT use and role in academic libraries in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study design, a questionnaire was developed and disseminated to all library staff (n = 174) within ten public universities. Some 121 responses were received.FindingsThe study indicates that there is a high level of awareness of the advantages of using MT in academic libraries in Jordan. However, the research also reveals that, although library staff are aware of the role and value of MT within the academic library environment, MT has not yet been fully exploited in these environments in Jordan for various reasons. These include incompatible information technology infrastructure and a lack of training. As a result, these libraries need to invest more in MT and enhance the use of technologies among their users to raise their performance and the quality of services that they offer. Such enhancements could lead to more meaningful interactions with users and a better overall user experience.Research limitations/implicationsThis study investigated awareness levels among library staff of MT to provide library services. Users perspectives regarding receiving library services on mobile devices have not been explored. MT should be assessed from user perspective to understand how MT might enhance academic library services. Library staff could also be interviewed to explore these issues in closer detail. Library and Information Science departments might also upgrade their curricula and include MT application development in library courses.Originality/valueThis study fills a gap in MT research in the context of library services, as it is the first such attempt to conduct research into this topic in the Middle East in general, and in Jordan specifically.

Current trends in the information and communications technology industry clearly indicate the existence of a business requirement for a market-enabling technology that allows network operators to interact with users in a seamless, transparent manner for the sale and delivery of a wide range of services with guaranteed quality of service. In this context the need arises for the dynamic creation, configuration and delivery of services with QoS guarantees via the automated management of service level agreements. The aim of the Cadenus project is to bring theoretical and practical contributions to this area by defining a framework for the provisioning of advanced communication services in premium IP networks. Such networks might be characterized by a high degree of complexity, in terms not only of scale, but also of number of operators and technological heterogeneity. Our contribution is twofold, comprising both the design of the proposed framework and its actual implementation. An innovative approach was taken to framework design, based on the concept of mediation. With respect to the framework implementation, an example illustrating the realization of a virtual private network scenario is presented.

The US population continues to expand providing the need for primary health care services. Community pharmacies integrated with medicine may provide greater access while providing high quality care. To gauge pharmacists' demand for primary health care services delivered through community pharmacies. An online survey was administered to determine community pharmacists' preferences for varying primary care services that could be offered in the community pharmacy setting. A Discrete Choice Experiment was employed to show pharmacists competing scenarios with varied primary care service offerings in the community pharmacy setting. Attributes evaluated were operation hours, service provider, medical records, service logistics, physical examinations, point-of-care diagnostic testing, preventative care, and drug prescribing. Respondents chose the scenario most likely to induce switching employment from base pharmacy to one providing advanced services. The optimal service delivery model from 291 community pharmacists comprised: inclusion of patient prescriptions and health information into the patient's medical record; provision of point of care testing and vital sign, including blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate, and blood sugar and cholesterol measurement; and pharmacists prescribing (under physician oversight). Pharmacists were 4 times more likely to switch employment from their current pharmacy to their choice for advanced pharmacy services. Pharmacist demand was highest among those with a PharmD, less experience, working >40 hours per week, and in rural areas. This study provides empirical support for the model of pharmacists playing a greater role in the provision of primary care health services through community pharmacy settings.

To determine the clinical practice characteristics of gerontological nurse practitioners (GNPs) in the United States and ascertain whether length of employment, geographic region of practice, work setting, and educational preparation influence GNPs' delivery of advanced clinical services and clinical procedures. The Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Practice Profile was mailed to a stratified random sample of 1000 GNPs certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Despite the growing demands for GNPs, of the 472 GNPs who responded to the survey, only half were working full-time as a GNP. Although the role was established over 30 years ago, 56% of the respondents indicated that they were the first GNP in the position. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between being the first GNP in his or her practice and the percent of primarily medical advanced clinical services performed. GNPs who worked in multiple clinical setting performed more advanced clinical services and medical procedures than GNPs who only worked in one setting. This study provides insight into the complex practice characteristics of GNPs. GNPs are combining the nursing skills so necessary to care for older adults with advanced clinical services and clinical procedures deemed medical acts. Various factors influence how GNPs practice, including geographic location, type of practice, and whether the GNP was the first person to be employed as a nurse practitioner at the practice.