Marvin E. Gonzalez

Customer satisfaction using QFD: an e‐banking case

Research on service quality and customer satisfaction has become significant in the service industries. This study develops a case study that considers both external and internal service management issues and subsequent service innovations based on the framework of quality function deployment (QFD). The application of the customer window quadrant (CWQ) and the action plan matrix in the analysis of customer and service elements constitute a different approach for QFD. Some benefits and disadvantages of the QFD process are discussed as compared to extant service quality and customer paradigms. Finally, suggestions and directions are offered for future applications, with particular interest in the e‐bank service management issues.

Linking order winning and external supply chain integration strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present empirical results of an analysis of the strategic alignment between order winners selection and external supply chain integration strategies.Design/methodology/approach – The research instrument is an international survey from IMSS II. It was applied in 23 countries. ANOVA was used for statistical analyses.Findings – The findings show that firms choosing to use price as an order winner do not show any significant difference in the extent of external supply chain integration. On the other hand, firms that use delivery, customer service, quality and/or flexibility as order winners present differences in the extent to which they integrate their external supply chains.Research limitations/implications – The results should be treated with caution as any empirical study due to generalizability concerns. The data do not necessarily imply causal relationships, which could be an interesting topic to explore in further research.Practical implications – The study hig...

Determining the importance of the supplier selection process in manufacturing: a case study

This article investigates the importance of the supplier management process in the quality of the final product. A methodology is developed to analyze the variables involved in the supplier management process and it is illustrated with a case study of the chair manufacturing industry. Research results indicate that the supplier selection process appears to be the most significant variable as it helps in achieving high quality products and customer satisfaction. This paper shows the different analytical steps that arise naturally in the systematic categorization of variables for supplier management. Nine variables related to the supplier selection process were analyzed. Each of these variables was then evaluated through an experimental design using statistical information based on three factors, namely, quality, cost and productivity.

An Alternative Approach in Service Quality: An e-Banking Case Study

Todays consumers are increasingly rigorous in choosing products in terms of their demands and preferences. To be competitive, businesses must design services that do not just satisfy customers, they must also delight them. The quality of a product or service is judged ultimately in terms of perceived customer satisfaction and delight. Previous service quality researchers have successfully used SERVQUAL and other scales to measure and improve service quality in a variety of industries. While these approaches have successfully conveyed the quality philosophies of America and Europe, other countries have approached quality differently. Japanese quality systems such as Kansei engineering (KE) and quality function deployment (QFD), for example, are increasingly popular and offer an alternative way to incorporate the customers voice in the development and improvement of service quality systems. While traditionally used in manufacturing sectors, these approaches can also be applied successfully in service sectors. This study uses data from the National Bank of Spain (NBS) to demonstrate the KE and QFD procedures and show how the customers voice can be designed into its e-banking system.

Performance measurement of AMT: a cross‐regional study

Purpose – To examine the relationship of performance in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) to the levels of AMT investments and planning and implementation activities in two regions of America: Anglo‐Saxon (USA and Canada) and Hispanic (Mexico and Costa Rica).Design/methodology/approach – Survey methodology was employed to collect data. The instrument was translated into Spanish for administration in the Hispanic region. Exploratory factor analysis was used to establish discriminant validity of the constructs under investigation. Through multiple regression analysis, predictors for two types of performance (organizational and operational) were examined.Findings – Both types of performance are reasonably predicted by the AMT investment and planning and implementation factors. Performance predictors are different between the two regions.Research limitations/implications – There are limitations common to survey research (e.g. subjective perceptions and respondent bias). Also, results depart from the l...

Designing a Supply Chain Management Academic Curriculum Using QFD and Benchmarking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to utilize quality function deployment (QFD), Benchmarking analyses and other innovative quality tools to develop a new customer‐centered undergraduate curriculum in supply chain management (SCM).Design/methodology/approach – The researchers used potential employers as the source for data collection. Then, they used QFD and benchmarking to develop a Voice of Customer matrix. Using information from the matrix, a new customer‐oriented SCM undergraduate programme was designed.Findings – The researchers outline a practical solution to the problem of designing academic programmes which satisfy the main expectations of potential employers (customers).Research limitations/implications – The study is specifically concerned with the design of an SCM curriculum, but the researchers argue that the design methodology could be applied in other academic contexts.Practical implications – The application of QFD and benchmarking as a joint analysis tool is an interesting approach in ...

Building an activity‐based costing hospital model using quality function deployment and benchmarking

Purpose – To use quality function deployment (QFD)/benchmarking for building an optimal activity‐based costing (ABC) model using baseline information from five different Spanish hospitals.Design/methodology/approach – The customer satisfaction benchmarking process in QFD is discussed along with the benefits of hierarchical benchmarks in specifying areas of strategic competition and the logically ensuing product/service strategic decision‐making requirements. A case study is presented to illustrate the use of two methodological approaches: benchmarking and QFD to obtain the final product of the paper: an optimal ABC.Findings – The resulting outcome from the QFD/benchmarking analysis is an ABC model, which has the customer expectations and the requirements that hospitals are looking for.Research limitations/implications – Future research can benefit from this research by expanding the scope from hospitals to other types of industries in order to comparatively analyze the applicability of the proposed tools,...

Conceptual design of an e-health strategy for the Spanish health care system.

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to describe the design and development of an e-health strategy for the Spanish health care system. Using quality function deployment and benchmarking analysis as an analytical model, a strategy in e-health care is proposed. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH This article uses the case of a Spanish community to build a general framework for e-health system development. Based on a multi-disciplinary literature, and the specific needs of a community, the process of e-health system development is analyzed and reduced into a series of phases that form an integrated method. Best practice managerial techniques are adapted to the healthcare industry and the inter-relationships between them are mapped in a theoretical model that results in the desired outcomes. FINDINGS This analysis produces a road-map to e-health system development consisting of several phases: analysis of the current situation of the system and determination of objectives; collection and analysis of customer expectations; development of an action plan through cross-evaluation of customer and system needs; cost and strategic analyses; and evaluation and control systems. Managerial implications are provided. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The strategy proposed in this article is a prototype and an ongoing study in the Castilla-La Mancha community.

International business curriculum design: identifying the voice of the customer using QFD

Purpose – Curriculum development in higher education must be continuously evaluated in this dynamic business environment, where business needs change day‐to‐day. The literature on the application of quality function deployment (QFD) to curriculum design is increasing, with student opinion representing the sole voice of the customer. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative approach to QFD curriculum design by using a survey of employers, not students, to represent the voice of the customer.Design/methodology/approach – This paper applies the widely used quality management process of QFD to the curriculum development process of a major international business program.Findings – The findings illustrate the application of QFDs house of quality in international business curriculum development and best practices benchmarking.Practical implications – The results of this study are useful to any university to revise or design new academic programs. It presents a methodology to design curriculum base...

A study of AMT in North America

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of an exploratory survey administered in North America on advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs). The objective of the survey is to compare the status of AMT investment, planning and implementation, and performance in two different regions: Anglo America (developed countries) and Middle America (developing countries).Design/methodology/approach – Responses from 97 Anglo‐American companies (62 from Canada and 35 from the USA) were compared to responses from 125 Middle American companies (85 from Mexico and 40 from Costa Rica). The researchers used different statistical analyses such as exploratory factor analyses, analysis of variance and regression.Findings – In general, Middle American countries representing the developing region show higher AMT investment, planning and implementation activities, and finally, higher performance due to AMT implementation. This phenomenon was hypothesized since developed countries have shifted most of their ...