Rose Sebastianelli

How product quality dimensions relate to defining quality

Uses survey results from a national sample of quality managers to examine the relationship between how a firm defines quality and what product quality dimensions it considers important to its competitive strategy. Garvin proposed a well‐known framework for thinking about product quality based on eight dimensions: performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics, and perceived quality. Alternative definitions of quality have evolved from five different approaches: transcendent, product‐based, user‐based, manufacturing‐based, and value‐based. Of the five approaches to defining quality, the manufacturing firms in our sample subscribed most often to the user‐based definition. Using regression analysis within a factor analytic framework, some empirical support was found for hypothesized linkages between the product quality dimensions and the alternative definitions of quality. Specifically, the user‐based definition was related significantly to aesthetics and perceived quality, the manufacturing‐based definition to conformance, and the product‐based definition to performance and features.

The State of Online Retailing.

Dimensions of critical factors that impact online retailing (e‐quality) are synthesized from the literature and organized along the four phases of a consumer’s online shopping experience: encountering the online retailer’s home page, selecting a product from the online catalog, completing the order form and accessing customer service and support. Using a random sample of 55 online retailers, the study benchmarks real online transactions against these e‐quality dimensions. Findings suggest several areas that e‐retailers should target for improvement. These areas include increasing the speed of home page loading, providing the ability to translate into multiple languages, enhancing the capabilities of search engines, displaying security policies more conspicuously, offering multiple payment options, and reducing the minimum number of clicks to complete a transaction. The final phase of the online shopping experience, customer service and support, seems to offer the most room for improvement in the areas of instant automated merchant notification of orders and on time delivery.

Perceived Quality of Online Shopping: Does Gender Make a Difference?

ABSTRACT Data from a sample of U.S. consumers are examined for gender-based differences in perceptions about factors affecting the perceived quality of online retailers. Seven electronic retailing (e-tailing) quality dimensions (reliability, accessibility, ordering services, convenience, product content, assurance, and credibility) are derived empirically using factor analysis. We find that women place significantly more importance on assurance than do men. This dimension, dealing with privacy and security, is closely related to trust. We find no gender-based differences in the frequency of online browsing or purchasing, but do find differences in the types of products women and men prefer to buy online.

The relative importance of e-tailer website attributes on the likelihood of online purchase

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an experiment in which participants view fictitious e-tailing web pages and indicate the likelihood of purchasing the products displayed by manipulating four attributes (familiarity with the e-tailer, product type, summary product review, and the number of customer reviews) in order to determine their relative importance. Design/methodology/approach – Individual level conjoint models are estimated to determine the relative importance of the manipulated attributes. Furthermore, cluster analysis is used to group individuals into different segments. Findings – The results suggest that the summary review star rating of the product and familiarity with the e-tailer are the two most important attributes. A three cluster solution is obtained and each segment is characterized by the derived relative influence each attribute has on likelihood of online purchase. Originality/value – Understanding how consumers make choices among attributes especially ...

The Moderating Effect of Managerial Sales Orientations on Salespersons’ Role Stress-Job Satisfaction Relationships

How a sales manager perceives top management sales orientation, and how sales-oriented the sales manager is, affect the sales manager’s behavior with both top management and salespersons. We take a closer look at the force behind sales manager’s behaviors: hislher personal sales orientation and how he/she perceives top management sales orientation. Data from the health care industry are used to match managerial sales orientation scores with their respective salespersons’ scores on role conflict, role ambiguity, and job satisfaction. We found that managerial sales orientations have a significant moderating effect on the role stress-job satisfaction relationships of salespersons.

Business Statistics and Management Science Online: Teaching Strategies and Assessment of Student Learning

Given the expected rise in the number of online business degrees, issues regarding quality and assessment in online courses will become increasingly important. The authors focus on the suitability of online delivery for quantitative business courses, specifically business statistics and management science. They use multiple approaches to assess student learning. Their findings suggest that features involving professor–student interaction are the most useful, features promoting student–student interaction are the least useful, and discussion forums are of limited value in learning quantitative content. The authors also illustrate how questions embedded in an online final exam can be used to measure desired student learning outcomes.

An Examination of Attributes Affecting Consumers' Perceptions of E-tailer Quality

An experimental task is carried out in which participants rank e-tailers described in terms of five attributes (reputation of retailer, site usability, security, delivery, and customer support). Conjoint models estimated at the individual level reveal that the most important attribute to perceptions of e-tailer quality is security, followed by site usability and reputation of retailer. Agglomerate hierarchical clustering, based upon the relative importance of attributes to participants, is used to group individuals into different segments. A profile for each segment is provided in terms of demographic and behavioral customer characteristics.

Improving the quality of environmental management: impact on shareholder value

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to build upon the conceptual model developed by Feldman et al. (1997) that demonstrated a link between improved environmental performance and increased market value for publicly traded corporations. ISO 14000 standards, not yet established at the time of their study, provide the framework for a strategic approach to environmental management with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement. Consequently, ISO 14000 certification is used as the basis for creating an investment portfolio of publicly traded companies. While previous research has examined short-term stock market reactions to ISO 14000 certification, this study evaluates the longer term impact on shareholder value by comparing the ISO portfolio’s performance against other funds. It adds to the existing literature on the “pay to be green” question. Design/methodology/approach – The successful attainment of ISO 14000 certification is used as the basis for developing a portfolio that is followed over time in...

Barriers to TQM: A Class-Level Student Project

Abstract In a field project for an undergraduate course in total quality management (TQM), students interacted with practitioners to determine the “real” barriers in successfully implementing TQM. Students interviewed managers from a total of 94 firms. Managers answered openended questions and rated the validity of statements about their organizations. The data were tested for differences between manufacturing and service firms, and TQM versus non-TQM firms. Non-TQM firms were less likely to provide employee training, empower employees, and employ cross-functional teams, compared with TQM firms. TQM firms were more likely to include quality goals in their strategic plans and to have top management visibly committed to quality.

Transparency among S&P 500 companies: an analysis of ESG disclosure scores

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the state of S&P 500 companies’ transparency by analyzing their Bloomberg ESG (Environmental-Social-Governance) disclosure scores. Additionally, the effects of industry sector, firm size, and governance practices on transparency are examined. Design/methodology/approach Data were retrieved from Bloomberg using the financial analysis environmental, social and governance function for companies comprising the S&P 500 index. Descriptive statistics are provided on each of the three components separately (ESG). Nonparametric procedures are used to test for significant differences in transparency within each of these three areas based on industry sector. Additionally, nonparametric tests are used to determine the impact of firm size (market capitalization) and governance factors (board size, board gender diversity, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, and linking executive compensation to ESG disclosure) on the composite ESG score. Findings Descriptive statistics reveal that S&P 500 companies differ in their level of disclosure across the three areas (ESG). The highest level of transparency is found on Governance and the lowest on Environmental. Moreover, there is much variability in the percentage of S&P 500 companies disclosing information about specific Social policies (e.g. child labor). Significant differences in transparency on both the Social and Governance dimensions are found between certain industry sectors. The results also reveal that large-cap companies have significantly higher ESG disclosure scores than mid-cap companies and that governance factors impact ESG disclosure. Significantly, higher ESG disclosure scores are observed for S&P 500 firms with larger boards of directors, with boards that are more gender diverse, that allow CEO duality, and that link executive compensation to ESG scores. Originality/value This study focuses on corporate transparency through a granular analysis of ESG disclosure scores when most other studies have been primarily conducted at the macro level. Stakeholders, analysts, and shareholders are increasingly scrutinizing firms’ sustainability disclosures in their assessment of management quality, as it reflects on the practices/policies that are employed to improve firms’ environmental and social footprints.