Reza Dabestani

Importance-performance analysis of service quality dimensions for the customer groups segmented by DEA

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to prioritize service quality dimensions (SQDs) using importance-performance analysis (IPA) and to compare the results for the customer groups segmented by data envelopment analysis (DEA). Design/methodology/approach – Customers of three four-star hotels located in Isfahan have been asked to report on their expectation of service prior to receiving it as well as their perception of the service after receiving it. Afterwards, DEA has been used to assign the customers into two groups of fastidious (with relatively high expectations but low perceptions) and ordinary (with relatively low expectations but high perceptions). Next, IPA has been exploited for prioritizing SQDs in each group. Eventually, the prioritized SQDs in each group have been compared and insightful information has been extracted for further research and practical purposes. Findings – Findings imply that despite occasional similarities, there is a significant difference in the way the two groups value SQDs. Also, the segmented groups have different priorities of SQDs. Research limitations/implications – Findings revealed that in order to decrease the ambiguity of customer voice in prioritizing SQDs, it might be helpful to first segregate the participants based on their attitudes towards the quality of service to have a more congruent sample and then, to analyze the data. Practical implications – In this study, a smarter approach for prioritizing SQDs based on the data of two major groups of customers has been proposed, which can help hoteliers in devoting their resources more efficiently. Originality/value – The combination of DEA and IPA in homogenizing the sample and prioritizing SQDs for each homogenized group within the sample seems relatively novel.

A DEA approach for comparative analysis of service quality dimensions with a case study in hotel industry

During the last two decades, the subject of service quality has been widely recognised due to its vital contribution to customer satisfaction improvement. Service quality is also crucial in hospitality industry since hotels can improve their market share and profitability with appropriate quality of services. Respectively, it seems important to measure delivered services quality based on customers point of view. In this paper, data envelopment analysis has been applied to identify the most critical service quality dimensions, based on the difference between customers perceptions and expectations. The case study includes three four-star hotels in Isfahan. The findings imply that price, reliability and tangibles are the most important service quality dimensions.

A data envelopment analysis approach for measuring the efficiency of employees: a case study

Human resource management has become ever more important to organisational success. Many organisations have therefore realised that human resource management and performance can provide competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to introduce a practical model for assessing employees’ efficiency. In this paper, a model related to the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is developed to calculate such efficiency. Physical working conditions, salary, responsibilities allocated, and the amount of work to be done are considered the main factors that may influence employees’ efficiency. The Andersen-Petersen model and a brief statistical analysis are used to rank employees and to analyse their efficiency value, based on demographic characteristics. The study confirms that physical working conditions and organisational commitment are the main factors that affect employees’ efficiency.

Proposing a hybrid method based on DEA and ANP for ranking organizational units and prioritizing human capital management drivers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to present a hybrid analytic network process (ANP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) method for ranking organizational units as well as prioritizing organization’s human capital management criteria. Design/methodology/approach – In the proposed DEA model, human capital management criteria are considered as the inputs and organizational commitment considered as the output of DEA model. Afterward, the organizational unit’s efficiency and the weight of human capital management criteria are evaluated through DEA and the data are considered as the basis of ANP model. Findings – The results of prioritizing the drivers of human capital management were showed that leadership practices, human capital management and learning capacity are the most important ones. Also, the findings proved that the proposed integrated DEA/ANP can be helpful in managerial issues. Research limitations/implications – Filling the super-matrix and designing the questionnaire of ANP have always been...

The Relationship between Total Quality Management Critical Success Factors and Knowledge Sharing in a Service Industry

Total quality management (TQM), its components, techniques and principles are extensively accepted by scholars as a comprehensive philosophy for improving organizational performance (OP). Moreover, findings suggest that a prerequisite for successfully implementing TQM is exchanging knowledge in the organization. However, the number of studies addressing the mentioned issue is limited. Also, the nature of knowledge and its interactions with TQM are not properly investigated. Current study investigates the role of employees’ different forms of knowledge sharing appreciation in their tendency to use TQM critical success factors (CSFs). In order to do so, knowledge sharing was divided into two categories of explicit and tacit, and the employees of the IT department of one of the largest companies in Middle East were selected and grouped based on their knowledge sharing characteristics. Further, ten categories were identified for TQM CSFs, and the employees’ appreciation of CSFs were measured. The data were gathered through two questionnaires. Finally, the subjects were plotted and grouped using Tacit–Explicit Analysis. The results indicated that while both Tacit and Explicit knowledge sharing positively correlates with CSF appreciation, a simultaneous increase in both types can bear much fruitful positive results.

Evaluation and prioritization of service quality dimensions based on gap analysis with analytic network process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify customers’ critical demands through evaluating and prioritizing service quality dimensions (SQDs) based on service quality (SQ) gaps. Design/methodology/approach The customers of four-star hotels were asked to report on their expectations and perceptions about the service they were receiving. Afterwards, the gap between the customers’ expectations and perceptions was calculated. Eventually, the three sets of data were exploited to prioritize SQDs through analytic network process (ANP). Findings Findings suggest that security and confidentiality, price, and tangibles are the most crucial factors. Practical implications The results can provide hotel managers with insightful hints about those aspects of service that form their customers’ perception of SQ in order to assign their invaluable, but restricted, resources appropriately to offer a more competitive service to the customers through paying attention to those dimensions. Originality/value The innovativeness of the methodology was in that the authors proposed a noble method in filling out the difficult-to-complete ANP matrix. The authors also managed to consider the mutual relationship between SQD criteria, which is difficult to do in ordinary methods.

The relationship between critical success factors of total quality management and process improvement: a case study

Companies’ urge to survive in today’s highly competitive globalised market and their attempts to maximise their profits gave birth to the concept of total quality management (TQM). TQM is still trendy and a great number of companies are actively implementing its rules, regulations, and procedures. However, the concept is rather complicated, culture-bound, and diverse and calls for further studies in new settings. Service section is one setting that has not received its proper attention in this regard. Therefore, we aim to examine the relationship between a group of TQM techniques called critical success factors and process improvement in service companies. To reach that end, we clustered our sample of employees based on their perceptions of TQM critical success factors and then compared the clusters’ level of process improvement. The results reveal that the level of the process improvement differs significantly between the established groups of employees. This suggests that companies’ different levels of ...

Aggregating the results of ranking models in data envelopment analysis by Shannon’s entropy: a case study in hotel industry

Ranking as one of the main issues in data envelopment analysis has been extensively analysed by scholars and practitioner. During the last three decades, a large number of ranking models have been proposed. However, these models do not necessarily present a unique result for the similar problems. Therefore, it is very important to achieve a more reliable result in ranking problem. In this paper, an aggregate method base on the Shannons entropy is proposed in order to integrate dissimilar ranking results. This method is not depended on the type of ranking methods. By applying the proposed method, decision makers and managers can achieve a more reliable decision than the method which is based on a single ranking method. To prove the applicability of the proposed method, it is examined in 12 hotels in Isfahan as a historical city in Iran.

Determining factors influencing radical and incremental innovation with a case study in the petrochemical industry

The purpose of this research is to prioritise factors influencing radical and incremental innovation. The research sample included 50 managers of Bandar Imam Mahshahr Petrochemical Company. To analyse the data, stage regression has been used. Findings indicate that variables like communication, new technological knowledge, repetition and exercise have the greatest impact on performing activities and accessing national and regional systems to promote radical and incremental innovation.

A modified model for sensitivity analysis of inefficient DMUs in DEA: a case study in hotel industry

Different models which have been introduced in data envelopment approach can help managers in decision making process in order to address efficient and inefficient units. But limited number of researches considers sensitivity analysis of enhanced efficiency. One of the important issues for a decision maker is to select an appropriate way to move an inefficient DMU toward efficiency frontier. In this paper a modified model is proposed to analyse sensitivity of inefficient units. In this model, instability radius of each inefficient DMU is determined in terms of variations in inputs and outputs. Also, management coefficients are applied to determine the possibility of variations in inputs and outputs variables. The main advantage of this model in comparison with other model is its flexibility in decision making process. Finally, the proposed model is examined in a case study in hotel industry to confirm the applicability of proposed model.