Diverse Customer Research Articles

GT Machine Cell Formation Problem in Scheduling for Cellular Manufacturing System Using Meta-Heuristic Method

Manufacturing industries are under intense pressure from the increasingly competitive market. Shorter products life cycles, time-to-market and diverse customer needs have challenged manufacturers to improve the efficiency and productivity of their production activities. Proper scheduling of jobs is indispensable for the successful operation of a shop. Group technology has become an increasingly popular concept in manufacturing, which is designed to take advantage of mass production layout and techniques in smaller batch production system. Since the conventional scheduling methods need more computation time. An attempt has been made to optimize the scheduling for cellular manufacturing system by comparing Meta-heuristic methods named as simulated annealing and Tabu Search. In the first part of this work, different types of products in the job-shop environment are identified and grouping of cells is performed using Rank Order Clustering Method. In the second part, optimization procedure has been developed for the scheduling problem for processing in the machine cells. The objectives are minimization of total penalty cost, Comparison of the solutions are obtained by the proposed algorithm with the benchmark problems has been reported.

食品産業における一次加工品のニーズと一次加工業者の課題

With the sluggish growth in the national food industry caused by the low manufacturing value added, it is important to understand real demand, for this industry to be revitalized. This paper reports the results of a survey on the needs of and challenges faced by the primary manufacturers of primary food-processing products.The results showed that food industry can best cater to the actual demand by focusing on the following needs: quality and convenience of use, visible indication of the presence of functional nutrients, and proof of domestic or local origin.In addition, the most intense potential needs of the manufacturers are, in the following order, to visibly indicate the presence of functional nutrients, reduce costs, cater to the needs of diverse customers, increase added value, and improve technology.

The relationships among leadership, goal orientation, and service quality in high-contact service industries: An empirical study

High-contact service industries are characterized by close interaction between service employees and customers, and diverse customer needs. Such characteristics pose a great challenge to the delivery of services of superior quality. In this research we conceptually explore and empirically examine several attitudinal and motivational factors of customer-contact employees, and the management style of managers as antecedents to service quality in high-contact service sectors. Based on dyadic data collected from 230 service firms in Hong Kong, we examine the relationships among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, affective organizational commitment, learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, and service quality. We find that learning goal orientation is more effective than performance goal orientation in fostering service quality in the high-contact service context. We also observe that transformational leadership tends to be more effective than transactional leadership in influencing employee attitude in high-contact service firms. This research pioneers theory-driven examination of service quality in high-contact service firms using data collected from service employees and shop managers for hypothesis testing.

A heuristic method based on genetic algorithm for the baseline-product design

Product family planning is important for mass customization. All the products in a product family are actually transformed from a common product, which is referred to as baseline-product in this study. In this paper, we propose a heuristic method for the baseline-product design within a product family. The proposed heuristic method is based on the genetic algorithm (GA). In contrast to the existing methods for product family planning that need users to specify baseline-product prior to optimize it, the new GA-based method proposed by this paper focuses on searching a proper balance between the commonality of baseline-product and the performance of product family derived from the baseline-product. The method improves as more commonality of the baseline-product as possible, within the satisfactory of the diverse customer needs, and then determines the variable product attributes and their variation ranges, and the common parameters of the baseline-product and their optimal values. This method of baseline-product design is validated by a case study of the small-size induction motor design. At last we compare the results from our GA-based method with the benchmark products that are individually designed to the optimal performance.

Product configurator impact on product quality

Abstract More and more firms today rely on product configurators to more efficiently and effectively meet increasingly diverse customers’ needs. In literature, however, the discussion of the performance outcomes of product configurator use is limited and largely based on anecdotal evidence. Our paper contributes to fill this gap by developing and empirically testing hypotheses about the relationship between product configurator use and product quality. We find empirical support for the hypotheses that product configurator use improves product quality and that this relationship is negatively moderated by the difficulty for a company to determine the needs of its target market. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings for both research and practice.

SysML-based design chain information modeling for variety management in production reconfiguration

Satisfying diverse customer needs leads to proliferation of product variants. It is imperative to model the coherence of functional, product and process varieties throughout the design chain. Based on a model-based systems engineering approach, this paper applies the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) to model design chain information. To support variety management decisions, the SysML-based information models are further implemented as a variety coding information system. A case study of switchgear enclosure production reconfiguration system demonstrates that SysML-based information modeling excels in conducting requirements, structural, behavioral and constraints analysis and in performing trade-off study. In addition, it maintains semantic coherence along the design chain, keeps traceability across different levels of abstraction, thus improving interoperability among heterogeneous tools.

Hierarchical network with diversified customer edge access

The Internet today originates from the advanced research project agency network (ARPANET) and evolves constantly during the past years. However, with incremental ‘patches’ on the Internet, the current network architecture faces many problems which are too difficult to solve. In the light of recent interest in re-designing the Internet, the separation of core network and customer edge network, and the separation of identifier and locator receive wide consensus among scientists. We follow this direction and propose a new hierarchical network with diversified customer edge access (HNDCE) in this paper. We use switching addresses, routing addresses and identifiers to implement a true core/edge and locator/identifier split. In the core network, hierarchical switching addresses combined with tree topology makes routing replaced by switching. The Viliant load-balancing (VLB) structure is used here to compensate the topology's reliability and scalability. In the customer edge network, the split of locator and identifier makes it possible to deploy various routing schemes and new services. Hierarchical mapping system is also designed to support this new architecture.

Getting closer to young people: an example of how a housing organisation has attempted to gain better insight into their behaviours and attitudes in order to improve user satisfaction and change organisational culture

PurposeUsing the example of the social housing sector, this paper seeks to evaluate the experiences of one organisation in attempting to learn more about a traditionally difficult to reach and engage group – young people – in order to develop more tailored services.Design/methodology/approachThe research was undertaken as part of a Higher Education Funding Council for England‐funded University “Service by Design programme”, which was designed to enable the transfer of knowledge between the university and external agencies to improve service design. For this project, a focus group approach was adopted to capture the views of housing practitioners and young people. This was underpinned by reference to published literature and data held by the organisation.FindingsThe research led to an improved understanding of the attitudes and behaviours of young people, requiring service delivery staff and heads of departments to examine and change a number of organisational policies and practices. In addition, the research project contributed to evolving cultural change within the organisation and how young people were regarded.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was undertaken in partnership with one organisation and hence may have limited transferability. However, the findings reflect those of other more comprehensive studies referred to in this paper.Practical implicationsThe paper argues that “customer insight” should underpin excellent customer service. Without a deeper understanding of diverse customer profiles and behaviours, attempts to improve service provision and customer relationships will have limited success.Originality/valueThe paper makes a contribution to ongoing public debates about how young people are currently perceived and about public sector reforms.

Scalable growth in IT-enabled service provisioning: a sensemaking perspective

Vendors of IT-enabled services must address equivocal and changing requirements from diverse customers while simultaneously making a profit. However, our knowledge of how these organizations can achieve the necessary scalability is limited. Against this backdrop, we leverage organizational sensemaking to investigate how a large vendor attempted to create a scalable service infrastructure through three sequential strategies. This in-depth case study reveals key factors that challenged the efficacy of each strategy. First, addressing equivocality through structural separation exacerbated the organization’s challenges because of misaligned collective identities between business units. Second, reducing equivocality through market segmentation proved to be inadequate because individual-level cognitive constraints shaped pre-packaged solutions that lacked functionality. Third, responding to equivocality through service modularization was challenged due to lack of social interaction about standardization of component interfaces, system and process redundancies, and inflexible process architectures. We offer a detailed analysis of these strategies and discuss implications in relation to theory and practice.

A novel customer scoring model to encourage the use of mobile value added services

Following deregulation and liberalization of the mobile telecommunications sector, the mobile telecommunication market is becoming increasingly saturated. Mobile operators are confronted with a sluggish user growth rate and a fall in the average revenue per user (ARPU). Mobile value-added services (VAS) are expected to form mobile operators’ strategy to compensate dwindling revenues. However, not only is it difficult to analyze which types of customers are willing to use VAS, but it is equally difficult to understand the diversified customer preferences on VAS. This study proposes an integrated scoring model that includes multiple classification models. It analyzes and distinguishes the potential prospects of VAS. We applied our model to the case of a mobile operator in Korea to validate its usefulness. We explored the prospects for melody bells for that company. We found that our proposed scoring model produces better results than other comparative models.

The Decision-Making Model of Customers’ Choosing Hot Spring Resorts

This paper aimed at the rich hot spring resources and relevant industries were regarded as one major domain worth further developing in Taiwan. But under the current situation adversely affected by economic downturn and diverse customers’ need, how to survival in a market with extremely intense competition, while maintaining high profits, high lodging rate and high visiting rate, are the most essential challenge facing numerous hot spring hotels operators and other relevant trades. Apart from collecting related literature of hot spring hotel and conducting in-depth analyses and induction, this study employs Delphi Method for expert interview. The decision-making model of customers’ choosing hot spring hotel is established, the 6 major criteria are further divided into 19 indicators, for constructing the integral valuation model of this study, followed by issuing questionnaire of expert weigh of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), with the aim to integrate and calculate the important relations between criteria and indicators. The results of this study are expected to be used by relevant trades as reference for future operation.

Da arte de dizer não: o papel dos atendentes na construção da "relação de serviço" em uma operadora de serviços de saúde

Este artigo discute o papel dos trabalhadores de linha de frente na construção da relação de serviço em uma empresa operadora de serviços de saúde. Fundamentada em um estudo de caso, no qual se aplicou a metodologia de Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho em observações da atividade de quatro atendentes, a pesquisa verificou a importância da atividade do atendente na construção da qualidade do serviço, ainda que a principal tarefa do atendente no caso analisado seja negar uma solicitação do cliente. Foi observado que os atendentes operam como um "filtro protetor" da retaguarda em relação à variação de demanda dos clientes e que os atendentes criam uma categorização própria das demandas apresentadas, categorização essa que acaba por direcionar o processo de atendimento. Como conclusão, propõe-se que a organização deve aproveitar a competência demonstrada pelos atendentes na criação da categorização e estruturar-se de maneira a estimular a integração entre atendimento e retaguarda, reduzindo o caráter de "filtro" da linha de frente, de modo a obter incrementos na qualidade do serviço prestado e na valorização do serviço por parte do cliente.

Multi-Objective Optimization on a Sequencing Planning of Mixed-Model Assembly Line

According to diversified customer demands and global competition, introduction of mixed-model assembly lines becomes popular to realize the small-lot-multi-kinds production in a rational way. For recent years, we have been studying a sequencing problem of mixed-model assembly line that is operated under continuous and leveling production and includes a lot production line as its preceding process. By taking into account the difference of operation manners in both lines together, we have formulated the sequencing problems as a bi-objective optimization problem. It aims to prevent various line stoppages, and to reduce volume of WIP inventory simultaneously. Based on such formulation, this study concerns with the multi-objective analysis first. Then, we have proposed a two-stage multi-objective optimization method. It tries to apply multi-objective optimization method termed MOON2R relying on the foregoing multi-objective analysis. Finally, through numerical experiments performed by one of the author as virtual decision makers, we have validated effectiveness of the proposed approach.

大局最適化問題に対する進化型シンプレックス法の提案

To make an agile decision in a rational manner, role of optimization engineering has been notified increasingly under diversified customer demand. With this point of view, in this paper, we have proposed a new evolutionary method serving as an optimization technique in the paradigm of optimization engineering. The developed method has prospects to solve globally various complicated problem appearing in real world applications. It is evolved from the conventional method known as Nelder and Mead’s Simplex method by virtue of idea borrowed from recent meta-heuristic method such as PSO. Mentioning an algorithm to handle linear inequality constraints effectively, we have validated effectiveness of the proposed method through comparison with other methods using several benchmark problems.

Customer asset management at DHL in Asia

Subject area Marketing; customer segmentation; operations and logistics. Study level/applicability Undergraduate business and management students, MBA/MA level application for international marketing modules incorporating customer segmentation and customer asset management. Case overview DHL, the international air express and logistics company, serves a wide range of customers, from global enterprises with sophisticated and high volume supply-chain solutions shipping anything from spare parts to documents, to the occasional customer who ships the odd one or two documents a year. To be able to effectively manage such a diverse customer base, DHL implemented a sophisticated customer segmentation cum loyalty management system. The focus of this system is to assess the profitability from its customers, reduce customer churn, and increase DHL's share of shipments. Expected learning outcomes Case teaching objectives: to demonstrate the concept of customer segmentation with loyalty management as a total system in a logistics company setting, and to evaluate appropriateness of the classification; to utilize the concept of service tier model within the company's current operations, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the model; to analyze the implementation of the customer segmentation cum loyalty management system and development of the necessary rules required to classify the various accounts into categories; to highlight the possible challenges arising from the implementation of customer segmentation cum loyalty management system, and to discuss possible methods of resolution. Supplementary materials Teaching note.

Pricing biologics: Issues, strategic priorities and a conceptual model

The advent of complex and often expensive biologics raises critical commercial challenges – the most important of which pertains to developing a viable pricing, distribution and reimbursement model that is intrinsically geared to the special characteristics of biologic products and the expectations of a diverse customer population. Idiosyncratic differences in health-care systems, their philosophical motivations and preferred methods of controlling access to expensive biologic treatments pose additional challenges. This article discusses key issues about pricing biologics from the primary viewpoint of biologic manufacturers and marketers, focusing on the inseparable relationship between price, distribution, access and reimbursement. Specific priorities are explicated for streamlining biologic pricing and access strategies to meet upcoming challenges. A conceptual model for developing viable biologic pricing strategy is presented. Insights from the author's work implementing key aspects of the model in the real world are discussed. The article concludes by presenting an overview of a pricing decision support system that has proven invaluable in formulating and managing biologic pricing strategies over a finite time horizon.

Real-time, online, air quality monitoring sensor network

Environmental monitoring is an important tool in the overall environmental management strategy. In particular, a planned monitoring strategy can help in quantifying the level of impact that has occurred during country/region development and enables the predictions of potential air pollution changes to be verified. A quantitative assessment of environmental change following industrial activities is important when future environmental liabilities need to be considered. Additionally, environmental monitoring data can enable a better understanding of the processes by which impacts may arise. Traditional environmental monitoring systems are characterized by bulky nodes, expense (in the range of USD 1 million ), and disperse (tens of kilometers) nodal allocation. Traditional systems rely on extrapolating localized measurements to project air quality information over a large geographical area. Therefore, along with the high cost, traditional networks suffer from inaccurate predications/assessment to regional mapping of air quality information, as well as non-flexible gas monitoring and selection. As a result, many research institutes and governmental agencies worldwide are actively involved in research activities for finding more robust and cost-effective alternatives. The underlying technology for those activities is the utilization of wireless sensor networks (WSN). WSN promise to bring low cost, large scale advanced remote monitoring and automated applications to a wide range of technical areas and industries. In addition to lowering capital and operating expenses, WSN provides improved reliability, increased installation flexibility and scalability. The project aims to architect, design, and develop an innovative solution utilizing the WSN. The solution under consideration is ubiquitous and cost effective and provides real-time data transmission and remote/online data processing and accessibility. Innovative, smaller, inexpensive and with different sensing capability, sensor nodes are integral to the solution. Such sensors are emerging, but not yet mature, and therefore substantial effort will be invested in working with sensor vendors to ensure the design and development of the right sensor nodes. The project also includes research activities related to innovative network architecture for robustness and cost effectiveness as well as software development activities for data processing, information presentation and dissemination. This will ensure that localized and personalized information can be delivered to diverse customers.

Customer perceptions on Internet banking information protection

Background: South Africa has a well-developed and established banking system which compares favourably with those in many developed countries (e.g. USA), but also sets South Africa apart from many other emerging market countries like Egypt and Brazil. Four dominant banks, namely the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA), Standard Bank, Nedcor and First National Bank (FNB) influence the South African banking environment. Internet banking has slowly been taking off in South Africa since 1996 as consumers are attracted to the convenience, safety and lower costs of doing banking online. Trust is a significant component of Internet banking and online services and products.Objectives: This article has reported on the results of a survey (a close-ended questionnaire) that was conducted by alumni of the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The research problem for this study has been formulated as ‘what are Internet banking customers’ perception on information protection when using Internet banking services and products?’Method: The methodology for this study falls on quantitative research. The research study consisted of a detailed literature review, followed by an empirical component which consisted of a quantitative questionnaire. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of eight sections covering biographical information, financial institution and Internet banking, Internet banking service quality and delivery, Internet banking functionality, Internet banking costs, Internet banking convenience and relationships, Internet banking trust and Internet banking security and information technology (IT).Results: It was established that the findings of this research could assist financial institutions with fostering and building greater value adding relationships with their customers. These value-adding endeavours will ensure that customers experience and perceive their Internet banking experience to be enriching. Education and awareness campaigns are key focus areas financial institutions should continuously invest in. Information should be easily retrievable and communicated in a manner that makes sense to the diverse customer base, especially within South Africa with its diverse cultures and languages.Conclusion: The final conclusion that could be reached is that Internet banking products and services will continue to grow across various divides and platforms as the Internet costs decrease in future, the growth of Internet related products and services such as Internet banking will increase.

Global Knowledge and Creativity: New Challenges for Firms and Regions

Malecki E. J. Global knowledge and creativity: new challenges for firms and regions, Regional Studies. As companies locate research and development in more places, they seek to tap knowledge in new, open ways, to respond to diverse customer demand and short product life cycles. The globalization of research and development has added costs as firms communicate across national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries, using both information and communication technology networks and face-to-face interaction. Intermediaries in knowledge transfer, such as knowledge brokers and gatekeepers, have become more important as new nodes join the global system of knowledge. As firms respond to the knowledge-based global economy, each region must construct a ‘knowledge monopoly’ to stand out in the global landscape of capabilities. Malecki E. J. La connaissance et la créativité mondiales: de nouveaux défis pour les entreprises et les régions, Regional Studies. Au fur et à mesure que la localisation des activités de recherche et de développement des entreprises devient de plus en plus répandue, ces dernières cherchent à exploiter la connaissance de façons nouvelles et ouvertes afin de répondre à la demande diverse du client et aux cycles de vie courts des produits. La mondialisation de la recherche et du développement a augmenté les frais vu que les entreprises communiquent à travers des limites nationales, culturelles et linguistiques, employant à la fois des réseaux TIC et de l'interaction face à face. Les intermédiaires dans le transfert de la connaissance, tels les courtiers et les gardiens, sont devenus plus importants en réponse à l'adhésion des nouveaux noyaux au système de connaissance mondiale. Au fur et à mesure que les entreprises répondent à une économie mondiale basée sur la connaissance, chaque région doit construire une ‘monopole de connaissance’ qui se détache dans le paysage mondial des capacités. Recherche et Développement Intégration des systèmes Mondialisation Connaissance Malecki E. J. Globales Wissen und Kreativität: neue Herausforderungen für Firmen und Regionen, Regional Studies. Wenn Firmen ihre Forschung und Entwicklung an neuen Standorten ansiedeln, versuchen sie, auf neue und offene Weise Wissen zu nutzen, um auf die verschiedenartigen Bedürfnisse der Kunden und die kürzeren Lebenszyklen der Produkte zu reagieren. Durch die Globalisierung der Forschung und Entwicklung haben sich die Kosten erhöht, da die Firmen nun über nationale, kulturelle und linguistische Grenzen hinweg kommunizieren, wofür sie sowohl Netzwerke der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie als auch persönliche Gespräche nutzen. Die Bedeutung der Vermittler von Wissenstransfer, wie z. B. Wissensbroker und Gatekeeper, ist gewachsen, da das weltweite Wissenssystem durch neue Knoten ergänzt wird. Während die Firmen auf die wissensbasierte globale Wirtschaft reagieren, muss sich jede Region ein ‘Wissensmonopol’ aufbauen, um in der globalen Landschaft der Fähigkeiten hervorzustehen. Forschung und Entwicklung Systemintegration Globalisierung Wissen Malecki E. J. Conocimiento global y creatividad: nuevos retos para empresas y regiones, Regional Studies. Cuando las empresas ubican los centros de investigación y desarrollo (I + D) en nuevos lugares, tratan de sacar el mejor provecho del conocimiento con un nuevo enfoque abierto para responder a las distintas demandas de los clientes y a los ciclos de vida más cortos de los productos. Con la globalización de I + D han aumentado los costes porque las empresas se comunican a través de fronteras nacionales, culturales y lingüísticas usando tanto redes de TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación) como interacciones personales. Los intermediarios en la transferencia de conocimientos, tales como agentes y guardianes del conocimiento, han cobrado más importancia ya que se unen nuevos nodos al sistema global del conocimiento. Dado que las empresas responden a la economía global basada en el conocimiento, cada región debe construir un ‘monopolio del conocimiento’ para destacar en el panorama global de capacidades. Investigación y desarrollo Integración de sistemas Globalización Conocimiento

Module Selection and Supply Chain Optimization for Customized Product Families Using Redundancy and Standardization

In this paper, we study the problem of configuring a product family which has to satisfy diversified customer requirements. Modular design strategies allow a bill of materials to be generated for various finished products from a limited subset of modules. Simultaneously, a production location must be selected for the manufacture of each module. From a product point-of-view, the strategies adopted are often extreme, proposing either the manufacturing of the total diversity (all possible products) or a limited set of standardized products (only a few products are proposed). The objective of this paper is to investigate intermediate cases on this continuum, in order to better understand the potential for profit. Our comparison is based on the product family configuration (selection of the best modules) that minimizes production and transportation costs under time constraints.