Michael J. Showalter

The Performance-Importance Response Function: Observations and Implications

Services and products possess various attributes, some being more important than others. Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) is a technique for prioritising attributes based on measurements of performance and importance. A weakness of IPA is that it conceptualises attribute importance as a scalar which is independent of attribute performance. In this article we theorise that importance is not adequately represented as a point estimate, but is a function of performance. When attribute performance changes, importance does also, which can change the relative priority of subsequent improvement efforts. Empirical results are presented which support our theory, The nature of the performance-importance response function is discussed, along with implications. Ideas for future research are also discussed, including application of the findings to quality modelling (SERVQUAL) and other decision support methodologies (Quality Function Deployment and the Analytic Hierarchy Process).

Constrained nurse staffing analysis

Nurse work force management has been described as a multi-phase sequential planning and control process. Previous research has addressed this process by focusing on the development of phase-specific problem solving methodologies. For practicing managers, it may be more beneficial to evaluate various policy options that management may pursue in addressing the nurse work force issue in light of the nationwide shortage of qualified nurses. This research evaluates management policy at the staffing phase since these decisions have the broadest impact on nurse work force utilization. The impact of nurse staffing policy options on annual nursing labor costs are evaluated for a large public hospital in the State of Florida. A linear programming staffing model served as the research vehicle for the study and response surface methodology was used to investigate the relationship between labor costs and the policy options. Service level, nurse labor availability, nurse staffing mix and flex-staff assignment had the most significant effects on annual nursing labor costs. The implications of these findings for work force management and suggestions for future research are presented.

An integrated approach for manpower planning in the service sector

The manpower planning problem receives considerable attention by the management of service organizations because they are typically labor intensive. Not only must optimal staff sizes be determined over an extended horizon, but optimal staff schedules which assign labor to tours of duty and specific tasks, given the available staff size, must also be found. Adding to the complexity arising from the interrelatedness of the staff-sizing and staff-scheduling problems is the existence of the conflicting multiple objectives of minimizing costs and maximizing customer service. The few methodologies reported in the literature which treat the complete manpower planning problem as stated above have several shortcomings. Some techniques place a severe strain on computational capabilities. Also, these methods confound the specification of the goal levels with the analysis of the relative goal weightings. Often the specification of the desired goal levels is made at a different level in the organizational hierarchy than the specification of the relative importance of the various goals. This paper suggests an approach which overcomes these shortcomings. The methodology utilizes a simulation model with an imbedded heuristic procedure for the staff-scheduling problem to identify realistic aggregate staff-size goals to be used in a multiple-objective staff-sizing model. The methodology is applied to the manpower planning problem of a large sectional center post office and the managerial benefits are discussed.

An Integrated Model for Demand‐Output Management in Service Organisations: Implications for Future Research

Although research attention has been given to the modelling process for simultaneous demand‐output management in manufacturing systems, little interest has been demonstrated in service organisations despite the fact that such organisations face unique conditions that further complicate the demand‐output management issue. In response to this lack of emphasis, we review the relevant research from both marketing and operations management and present a cost‐effectiveness model for balancing demand and service output.

Priority rules for check processing in multiple branch banking: An experimental analysis

Abstract The check-processing activity represents a major function in a commercial bank. If checks are quickly processed through the bank, then funds will be transferred to appropriate accounts and the bank will experience minimum float. This paper discusses the use of priority rules to maximize the dollar value of checks processed each day. A series of experiments are developed to test a set of priority rules (heuristics) under different operating conditions of check processing capacity, transit dollar levels, and branch characteristics. The results indicate that significant differences in performance are present for different rules. Also, the usefulness of some rules are dependent upon the commercial banks operating characteristics, which has important implications for operating managers.

Nurse staff planning under conditions of a nursing shortage.

The shortage of qualified nurses presents some important managerial challenges for the hospital administrator. Nurse work force management has often been described as a three-phase planning and control process consisting of staffing, scheduling, and allocation. In this research study, the authors present a research methodology for improving the staffing phase of the process. Specifically, a nurse staffing model was developed as a means of improving the nurse staffing process for a 700-bed, nonprofit hospital.