Edward P. Markowski

The service recovery paradox: justifiable theory or smoldering myth?

– The purpose of this study is to address the discrepancy between research that supports the service failure recovery and that which does not by examining customer satisfaction in the event of a service failure empirically., – The objective of the study was achieved by conducting role‐play experiments on undergraduate business students., – Analysis showed that a service recovery paradox is most likely to occur when the failure is not considered by the customer to be severe, the customer has had no prior failure with the firm, the cause of the failure was viewed as unstable by the customer, and the customer perceived that the company had little control over the cause of the failure., – This information should benefit service managers since service failures are common and typically trigger heightened customer attention. These findings may stimulate future research because the limitations of this study include the use of undergraduate business students and the examination of only one service setting. Nevertheless, this paper does demonstrate that, under the appropriate conditions, a customer can experience a paradoxical satisfaction increase after a service failure.

Conditions for the Effectiveness of a Preliminary Test of Variance

Abstract We evaluate the performance of the F test for the equality of two variances as a preliminary test to determine the appropriateness of the two-sample t test. When sampling is from a normal distribution, our results indicate that, for equal sample sizes, the t test is insensitive to variance heterogeneity and hence no preliminary test is necessary. For unequal sample sizes, the F test has small probability of detecting many alternatives for which the t test performs poorly, and so the F test is not an effective preliminary test. When sampling is from other distributions, our results confirm the sensitivity of the F test to the normality assumption.

Assessing the effects of manufacturing infrastructure preparation prior to enterprise information-systems implementation

Reports on the success or failure of enterprise information system (EIS) implementation have been decidedly mixed. In this study, we focus on manufacturing infrastructure preparation prior to EIS implementation and report the results of a survey of 152 US manufacturing companies that have implemented EIS. We have provided four major findings in this study: (1) the requirements from customers and trading partners are more powerful drivers motivating US manufacturing firms to implementing enterprise systems than internal business planning needs; (2) one manufacturing infrastructural issue often has implications for other infrastructural items in implementing technology, so various manufacturing infrastructural issues should be prepared simultaneously; (3) manufacturing infrastructure preparation prior to EIS implementation has significant positive effects on customer-focused performance, production/operations performance, and financial performance; and (4) better customer-focused performance contributes to better financial performance.

An experimental comparison of several approaches to the discriminant problem with both qualitative and quantitative variables

Abstract This paper reports the results of an experimental comparison between a linear programming approach and the well known statistical procedure by Fisher for solving discriminant analysis problems. This work represents an extension of the work of Bajgier and Hill as we incorporate qualitative variables into our design as well as enlarge the estimation sample from 30 to 90. Our results indicate that both methods are enhanced by the inclusion of the qualitative variables, but that the Fisher approach seems preferable. Lastly, we discuss the effect of the different experimental factors on the relative performance of the two methods.

Dynamic Capabilities and Organizational Performance: A Meta-Analytic Evaluation and Extension

We move the dynamic capabilities view (DCV) forward in two important ways by meta-analysing prior empirical studies. First, we evaluate the two core theoretical tenets of the DCV: (1) Dynamic capabilities are positively related to performance, and (2) this relationship is stronger in industries with higher levels of technological dynamism. We find support for the former (rc = 0.296) but not for the latter, though results suggest the existence of moderators. Second, we theorize and demonstrate empirically that higher-order dynamic capabilities are more strongly related to performance than lower-order dynamic capabilities, lower-order dynamic capabilities partially mediate the relationship between higher-order dynamic capabilities and performance, and dynamic capabilities contribute more to performance in developing economies than in developed economies. These findings illustrate how the nature of the dynamic capability and the economic context in which it is utilized shape its value, thus offering a more nuanced conceptualization of the dynamic capabilities-performance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved attribute acceptance sampling plans in the presence of misclassification error

Abstract This paper considers an attribute acceptance sampling problem in which inspection errors can occur. Unlike many common situations, the source of the inspection errors is the uncertainty associated with statistical sampling. Consider a lot that consists of N containers, with each container including a large number of units. It is desired to sample some of the containers and inspect a sample of units from these selected containers to determine proper disposition of the entire lot. Results presented in the paper demonstrate significant shortcomings in traditional sampling plans when applied in this context. Alternative sampling plans designed to address the risk of statistical classification error are presented. These plans estimate the rate of classification errors and set plan parameters to reduce the potential impact of such errors. Results are provided comparing traditional plans with the proposed alternatives. Limitations of the new plans are also discussed.

Criteria for evaluating purchase quantity decisions in response to future price increases

Abstract Previous research for determining ordering strategies in response to known future price increases has not incorporated the actual cost functions. It is shown that, when these functions are utilized, the optimal strategy depends on the time horizon studied. An alternative criterion is offered which incorporates the actual cost comparisons and which provides recommendations consistent with previous research. The formulation given provides a general framework for studying ordering strategies based on price changes.

Inference Based on Simple Rank Step Score Statistics for the Location Model

Abstract A class of estimation procedures that are robust, relatively efficient, and yet computationally simple is proposed for the one- and two-sample location problems. Particular emphasis is placed on the problem of determining confidence intervals, a topic that has seen limited exposure in the literature. As a by-product, some interesting point estimates are obtained. A class of score functions that are ordinary step functions is considered for the location model. Point estimates and confidence intervals are obtained by inverting the corresponding rank statistics. Efficiency and robustness properties of the procedures are investigated. Simple computational schemes for the estimates and intervals are provided.

Evaluation of an adaptive discriminant procedure

This paper reports the results of a simulation study comparing Fishers Linear Discriminant Function, Smiths Quadratic Discriminant Function, a nonparametric Nearest Neighbor approach, a linear programming approach, and a new adaptive statistical method for solving the discriminant problem. The study examines the two-group discriminant problem with four variables, of which two are continuous and two are discrete. The analysis is based on the rate of misclassification using each method. The results indicate that the adaptive method is an effective alternative to existing methods and that the adaptive philosophy of using the training sample to identify which of several methods should be applied to the validation sample merits further study.

The mean of linear signed rank statistics under alternatives

An expression is presented for the mean of a linear signed rank statistic for the one sample location model. Several examples are given to illustrate its application.