Sudhir K. Chawla

Measuring the quality of university computer labs using SERVQUAL: A longitudinal study

The appropriateness of using SERVQUAL for measuring service quality for a wide range of services has been debated since the model was first presented by Parasuraman. Zeithaml. and Berry in 1985. While the protagonists of SERVQUAL have argued in favor of the original model and have modified it to make it more consistent, other researchers have questioned its usefulness and validity, particularly across a wide and diverse range of services. Notwithstanding the debate, however, over the years SERVQUAL has been used to measure service quality in many different services. This article presents an application of SERVQUAL to measure levels or dimensions of service provided by computer labs at a southwest state university. Consistent with the literature, factor analysis identified three dimensions: staff, services, and professionalism. More important, a longitudinal application of the SERVQUAL survey in 1999 and 2001 showed remarkable consistency.

Does the name of the sender affect industrial mail response

Abstract Recognizing the rapidly changing composition of the U.S. industrial workforce, this study addresses the challenging problem of obtaining a viable mail response rate from an industrial market sampling frame. Specifically, the effects of manipulating only the name of the sender is investigated. A total of 800 small- and medium-sized southwestern business firms with contact persons having domestic (i.e., American-Christian)-sounding names were randomly and equally allocated among four different senders, all belonging to a southwest state university. The survey questionnaire dealt with the effects of free-trade pacts on small- and medium-sized businesses. Results indicate that senders with American-Christian-sounding names generate a higher response rate than those with foreign-non-Christian-sounding names. The potential implications of these results to industrial marketers are discussed.

Mail response rates from distributors

Abstract To forecast demand for a new product, information was sought from a national sample of 600 medical equipment dealers by means of a mail survey. The critical managerial question for this research was whether a new product inventor wishing to obtain information from the sample should employ a university sponsor, offer monetary incentives, or go it alone. The results indicate that monetary incentives and university sponsorship are effective ways to obtain information.

The impact of intrinsic motivation on satisfaction with extrinsic rewards in a nursing environment

Abstract Nurses in a hospital located in Southern US were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the reward structures existent in their hospital. Reward structures were divided into two categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. The cluster analysis procedure partitioned the sample into two clusters based on their level of satisfaction with the hospitals reward structure. The analysis of variance procedure comparing scale responses on comfort, challenge, financial reward, relation with coworkers, resource adequacy, and promotion suggest nurses with a high degree of intrinsic motivation are more satisfied with extrinsic rewards.

Random transfer of technology: An unexplored phenomenon

Technology transfer can take place in a wide variety of ways and at many levels. Nonetheless, the topic of technology transfer between countries has hitherto dealt mainly with planned transfers, particularly from developed countries to either developing countries or less-developed countries. This discussion first points out that technology transfer is not confined to the above dyads; it then, more importantly, broadens the horizons of such transfers by touching on and elucidating the phenomenon of random transfer of technology. In the process, it focuses on an important source of random technology transfer; namely, foreign students studying in the U.S.

An analysis of the effects of cooperative advertising on tourism.

A 2 × 2 factorial experimental design was used to test the effect of cooperative advertising on an individuals propensity to visit an area. Cooperative advertising and co-op programs both refer to advertising communication whose sponsorship and cost are shared by more than one party. The term partner refers to either other cities/towns or various types of business entities. For the tourism industry the main object of co-op programs is to create demand for an area as a tourist destination of choice and demand for local goods/services offered by co-op partners. Results showed that visitor preference for cooperative advertisements increased in situations where advertisements were viewed for low effectiveness, that is, the level of advertising or copy effectiveness/believability was low. This was especially true for historical and average city types. Differences in visiting preferences between business and leisure travelers were not supported by the data. It is suggested that small towns embrace cooperative advertising strategies to help attract tourists.

Some Strategic Aspects of Computer Integrated Manufacturing

Focuses on computer‐integrated manufacturing′s macro aspects and its strategic implications. Defines CIM at the macro and micro level and the various factors that strongly call for the implementation of CIM. After going into the advantages, concludes with implications for the future.

A comparative study of problems encountered in the development of small businesses in the U.S. and Mexico

The U.S. economy depends on the health of small businesses, which represent 99.9 percent of total U.S. businesses. Similarly, the Mexican economy depends on the health of its small (and medium) businesses, which represent 99.8 percent of total Mexican businesses. Small business creation and success is important to developed and developing countries, but risky. Studies have examined problems and opportunities created by small businesses. This paper examines problems and challenges faced by small businesses in Mexico and the USA. While these problems and challenges are similar in both countries, some important distinctions need to be identified. This is an important topic because small businesses that do not recognize which problems to avoid may quickly fail. Researchers noted there is no simple pattern for success among small businesses; there’s no general theoretical framework for success. Certain issues impacting small businesses have been identified as critical success factors (CSFs). The literature review of CSFs was used to develop the instrument for this study. The methodology was identical for both the U.S. and Mexico studies and included focus groups with business owners in the United States and Mexico. The business owners represented different businesses and identified common problems faced by their businesses. Problems uncovered in the focus groups were included in a survey instrument, which ultimately identified 29 key business problems. The survey instrument examined small business owners’ perceptions of current key problem areas. The 29 items presented to the small business owners in Mexico were identical to the 29 items presented in the U.S. survey. Factor analysis was used in an exploratory manner to analyze the interrelations among the 29 key business problems. The study’s findings indicate that the small business owner is a key participant among a complex set of interrelated factors including the availability of capital, adequate human resources, governmental organization and relations, and strategic planning. The issues that impact small business development in the U.S. are very similar to the issues that impact small business development in Mexico, but there are some critical differences. The study revealed a significant difference between the factor structure of the problem areas as perceived by Mexican entrepreneurs and U.S. entrepreneurs. Small business owners, business advisors and government facilitators may benefit from this knowledge as they develop companies in these countries. The Mexican government may consider a special program to provide micro loans and also encourage formation of cooperatives according to business clusters.

A note on comparison of nonlinear least squares algorithms

The nonlinear least squares problem is a special case of the unconstrained minimization problem. While a large number of new algorithms have been developed in recent years, both for general unconstrained minimization and the least squares case, comparative studies are limited. Further, there has been practically a revolution in algorithm testing and comparison methodology. Recent advances include a more comprehensive performance criteria, use of large numbers of randomly generated test problems, and application of sophisticated statistical techniques for experiment design and data evaluation.These developments have made questionable the findings of the few earlier comparative studies of least squares algorithms. This creates a necessity of a comparative study employing current methodology that evaluates the specialized least squares algorithms along with a few general algorithms for unconstrained minimization.

Preferences of Kuwait's Residents for E-Government Services and Portal Factors

E-government involves the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by government agencies to provide information and services to residents, businesses, and various arms of government. It can provide speedy, inexpensive, trustworthy, and reliable delivery of government services to households and businesses. The State of Kuwait is in an intermediate stage of implementing e-government services (e-services). An understanding of its residents’ perspectives can help the government better plan the future rollout of e-services and e-government portal factors, as well as provide useful insights to governments of other countries. The authors conducted identified 37 e-services (classified into seven broad factors) and 26 features important to user acceptance of online sites. Factors were identified in prior research as characterizing the categories of services typically offered by e-government portals. The authors hypothesized that the importance of the seven e-services factors to Kuwaiti residents would positively relate to the importance of the portal success factors. The goal of this research was to identify which portal success factors would likely encourage use of the e-services factors that are important to Kuwaiti residents. This study provides several useful implications for Kuwaiti government officials, other countries, and e-government researchers. Each of the four portal factors -- Quality, Appeal, Control and Savings, and Personalization -- was positively associated with the importance of at least one or more of the e-services factors, indicating their individual relevance to the design of the portal. Two categories -- government resources and resident feedback services -- were unrelated to any of the portal factors. The findings demonstrate that the State of Kuwait may need to improve involvement of its residents in the development of national policies. Including the voice of the residents through the portal, and acting on that feedback, may improve support for government initiatives as well as build trust in the government. This study sought to improve e-participation in Kuwait and other developing countries. The findings suggest to governments that by selectively improving the quality, appeal, efficiency, and personalization of the e-government portal, it may be possible to achieve public buy-in and increased usage of specific e-services.