Lewlyn L R Rodrigues

Comparison of SERVQUAL and SERVPERF metrics: an empirical study

Purpose – The choice between SERVQUAL and SERVPERF metrics for service quality measurement is subjective and the research literature lacks evidence on whether these instruments differ in their outcomes significantly or concur with each other. Hence, empirical investigation regarding the concurrence or difference of the two instruments is the purpose of this paper.Design/methodology/approach – The research is qualitative (meta‐analysis of service quality literature) and quantitative (application of standard statistical procedures to test hypothesis). A pilot test of 35 students was conducted followed by a stratified random sampling of 84 students each for SERVQUAL and SERVPERF. Data collection was through a self‐administered questionnaire.Findings – The empirical study proves that there is a significant difference in the outcomes of the two metrics. The implications of the study are based on the combined use of the two instruments. The research identified that tangibles and reliability are the two dimensio...

System dynamics approach for change management in new product development

Purpose – New product development (NPD) project is an organizational competitiveness strategic weapon. Yet, many NPDs projects fail due to the dynamic nature of critical success factors such as time, cost, quality, and scope. Scope and change management (CM) are crucial factors and have a direct bearing on the other three factors. Thus, there is a need for effective CM in NPD projects to sustain the competitiveness and focusing on scope. This study aims to examine this issue.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the principles of cybernetics and system dynamics (SD) methodology have been used in developing causal loop diagrams, flow diagrams, and the governing equations. The SD model thus developed has been used to analyze the factors such as change in scope due to the development of new technology.Findings – The dynamic simulation of the SD model was carried out; the results indicate that effective knowledge management (KM) constitutes the main controlling factor that has a significant control ove...

Insurance sector dynamics: towards transformation into learning organization

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the influence of five critical factors on service quality in the insurance sector. Having studied the influence of these critical factors, an attempt has been made to obtain a generic solution to enhance the quality of service by proposing a holistic framework of learning organization. As globalization and IT revolution have made the insurance sector highly knowledge‐intensive, customer expectations and perceptions have also grown exponentially. Hence, this research is timely and goal‐focused.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on system dynamics methodology, which involves sequential phases including: problem identification, conceptualization, model formulation, simulation and validation, and policy analysis and implementation. Meta‐analysis of existing literature and rationalization are also a part of the framework development.Findings – The results have indicated that the key parameters, e.g. past experience, personal needs, external co...

Optimizing Safety Stock in Manufacturing Supply Chain Management: A System Dynamics Approach

This paper deals with the development of a System Dynamics Model to optimize the stock in production and distribution points of a manufacturing supply chain. The variables of study include production start rate, work in progress, production rate, distribution inventory, distribution rate, and waste rate. The results depict that increase in stock reduces the load on production variables, accordingly suggestions are made to maintain optimum stock at key distribution points.

Performance Improvement of Foundry through Lean Methodology: A Modelling a Simulation Approach

Lean manufacturing is a business model and it is oriented towards the collection of tactical methods that emphasize eliminating non-value added activities while delivering quality products on time at minimum cost with greater efficiency. The lean manufacturing paradigm has been used extensively in industrial sectors like automobile industry, where its assembly lines of components present better adaptability to the lean concepts. This paper starts with the proposition of applying lean manufacturing concepts in production processes, and contributes a lot to turn corporations more competitive. A System Dynamics (SD) based model has been developed for optimization of resources. The objective of this paper is to design the lean techniques for the foundry, to study the impact of lead time, shipment time, and correlation time on the throughput of the core shop and melt & mould shop, and also, on plant ready-for-dispatch (RFD) and dispatch section. The SD model developed through this research would serve the purpose of studying the influence of lead time, shipment time and correlation time to identifying the specific factors, which need to be controlled so as to enhance the plant efficiency.

Knowledge Management in Software Companies-An Appraisal

The present study involved evaluation of state of knowledge management implementation in two software organizations. The awareness levels of knowledge management as well as degree of acceptance in these organizations were also assessed. A questionnaire approach was used for data collection. The results indicated that employees were aware of the Knowledge Management system in the organization. They were of the opinion that it is an effective way of creating and organizing corporate knowledge. The majority of the respondents felt that this major organizational strategy would benefit their organization.

The Effect of a Good HR in Promoting KM & Innovation in a Manufacturing Sector A System Dynamics Approach

Innovation is important to all organizations in all sectors. In a knowledge economy, the better use of knowledge can lead to faster, less risky and more vibrant innovation. A good Human Resource (HR) department in an organization ensures that all the employees are motivated to become knowledge workers and contribute towards organizational objectives. This calls for an effective and in-depth analysis of various HR parameters which have bearing on the system performance. With the above perspective in focus, the purpose of this paper is to delineate through System Dynamics (SD) simulation the fact that good HR Management will enhance Knowledge Management (KM) which is the prime driver of innovation.

Analysis of a Theoretical KMS Model Implementation in the Indian IT Sector Using PLS-SEM

The software industry being highly resource-oriented tries to ensure that knowledge residing in the minds of the employees is effectively utilised for leveraging core business competencies. Therefore, providing effective knowledge management systems (KMSs) to utilise this knowledge for optimising business processes has become crucial for enterprises to stay competitive. This paper attempts to assess the effectiveness of KMS implementations from a knowledge workers’ perspective via six dimensions of the Jennex and Olfman (J&O) KMS success model. Quantitative data was collected through a web-based survey questionnaire from knowledge workers in 25 Indian software companies. Statistical analysis of the study’s model was conducted using SmartPLS® (version 2.0.M3) software for assessment of both measurement and structural models. The empirical analysis of the model’s hypotheses indicated that a knowledge worker’s intent to use a KMS is significantly dependent on Service and Knowledge/Information Quality dimensions of J&O KMS success model. This paper implies that the J&O KMS success model seems to have adequate predictive power for most implied variables with the exception of System Quality. The J&O KMS success model from a practical point of view offers a means for organisations to evaluate and predict the effectiveness of KMS implementations. The results produced in this study may allow KM practitioners to know more about the levers that help to improve their KMS and thus suitably prioritise their investment plans accordingly.

The significance of knowledge management, innovation on firm performance in the Indian manufacturing sectors: an empirical analysis

This paper investigates the influence of knowledge management (KM) enablers viz. knowledge enabled culture, structure, technology and human resources, on KM effectiveness, R%D innovation, and the firm performance specific to the Indian manufacturing sectors. India has often been hailed as the biggest manufacturing hub after China, but in terms of innovation, the Indian manufacturer has not been able to make a global presence. Hence, a study is essential to analyse the capabilities of KM and innovation on firm performance specific to Indian manufacturing. Findings revealed that the KM enablers had a significant influence on KM effectiveness, R%D innovation, and firm performance. Further, it divulged that firms should manage knowledge-based resources strategically and assess whether it has an effective KM in place for superior innovation and R%D leading to profitability.

Simulating Knowledge Worker Adoption Rate of KMS: An Organizational Perspective

The core research issue presented in this article is to study the factors that influence the knowledge workers adoption of Knowledge Management System (KMS). The five- step System Dynamics research methodology was followed to design and develop the Knowledge worker adoption model. This model studies the transition of a knowledge worker from a non-user to an experienced user over a fixed time frame identified. Simulation experiments were conducted show that knowledge workers respond differently as they integrate the new technology into their work pattern. The results were analyzed for the different employee categories based on their level of expertise of usageof KMS in the organization and factors such as supervision, ease of use of technology were found to affect the knowledge workers concerns for adopting KMS in their work. The current simulation model was built using the softwareVensim® and the outcome of the study should aid administrators and policy makers to evaluate the impact ofthe identified factors on adoption of KMS.