http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/1232/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37988/ 2012-04-01T00:00:00Z Purpose: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed the ISO 14000 series of standards for environmental management as a response to the concerns about sustainable development expressed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. The most important standard is ISO 14001, published in 1996 and slightly modified in 2004, which specifies requirements for environmental management systems. Worldwide, 188,815 organisations have obtained a certificate for their environmental management system based on this standard (figures December 2008). This paper aims to address the extent to which implementation of this standard has contributed to sustainability and also whether implementation is not only an expenditure, but also a source of business benefits. Design/methodology/approach: In order to answer these questions, the existing literature on the impact of ISO 14001 has been reviewed. Findings: Literature shows evidence for environmental and/or business improvements of organisations that have implemented the standard, however, the opposite can also be found. The performance indicators have been identified from which this evidence could be found. Also the literature shows some moderating variables for the impact of ISO 14001. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the insights in the effects of ISO14001. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26187/ 2011-05-01T00:00:00Z Many organisations now have to operate in highly uncertain environments. Global competition drives organisations to reduce their capital employed and cut costs through lean manufacturing, outsourcing and extended supply or to grow by entering new markets, introducing new technologies and building unique alliances. And all this is happening at a much faster speed than even 10 years ago. On a journey towards excellence, learning from past performance is always beneficial. However, the applicability of the learning rapidly diminishes in a continuously structurally changing environment. One key (implicit) assumption of the theories and practices of total quality management and business excellence is that the business environment is relatively stable and predictable. However, this is no longer the case and therefore we must also accept that much of our current theory and practice is no longer as effective as in the past. In particular, we need to develop a strategic and practical approach to sustaining business excellence to support executives and their organisations that face uncertainty and instability in their particular market environments. Our approach is an application of well-tested theories of complexity analysis using Simons' four levers of control model. It analyses all the organisation's systems and structures which are driving the behaviour of the people involved and examines the degree to which these systems and structures support or undermine efforts to maintain business excellence. It then considers how this situation can best be managed now; what needs to be changed in what direction in the future; and how and when this can best be achieved, given the operating environment of the company. We have found that crucial processes in an uncertain environment have to be managed through the use of all four levers of control according to Simons' model; however, the interactive control mechanisms are becoming more important. Quality management approaches should therefore cover not only the tools and instruments to measure and control performances in order to find deviations from the goals, but should also include methods to stimulate and improve the more interactive management activities in order to be able to cope with the uncertain environments. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37197/ 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Purpose - This paper aims to propose a framework that can be used for analysing services in the automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach - Existing categorisation schemes for services are investigated and evaluated in terms of their applicability to services in the automotive industry. Findings - Services categorisation schemes are grouped under eight service paradigms, expressing the understanding that various authors had about services in different times and contexts. Research limitations/implications - The remarks are limited to the automotive industry. Practical implications - The paper suggests services classification schemes, which can be effectively applied to automotive services in order to generate valuable managerial insights. Originality/value - This paper provides an overview over multiple services categorisation schemes existing in the literature. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21358/ 2010-10-01T00:00:00Z Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the intra-organisational diffusion of management innovations, taking Six Sigma as an example. Design/methodology/approach – The study focuses on Six Sigma implementation among companies operating in Ireland. It makes use of a theoretical framework, which posits that multinational firms act as a diffusion mechanism for Six Sigma. The analysis of Six Sigma implementation consists of an online survey to which 132 firms responded. Subsequently, a qualitative analysis of Six Sigma implementation was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 13 respondents. Findings – The results show that roughly half of respondent firms use Six Sigma. These firms are typically large US multinationals, which have used Six Sigma for at least three years. Intra-organisational diffusion does exist. Multinationals do act as a diffusion mechanism – with the adoption of Six Sigma at US headquarters level and then the diffusion of the practice internally to the Irish subsidiary and subsequently to suppliers and finally other local firms. However, the role of traditional diffusion mechanisms is also highlighted. Firms adopt Six Sigma in response to competitive pressure and for cost/efficiency reasons. Originality/value – The research shows how organisations influence one another in the implementation of Six Sigma as a management concept, and at the same time this can be seen as a specific example of the dissemination of management concepts in general. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/19621/ 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop understanding about the quality of user generated content (UGC) on web sites from the point of view of the customer. This is an area not yet explored, while the use of UGC is expanding on many web sites and its importance is rapidly growing. Design/methodology/approach – The research undertaken is a pilot amongst a small number of interviewees who have been asked to judge the quality of UGC on hotel web sites. Findings – The findings of the research show that three types of information are needed by the person using UGC on hotel web sites: objective information about the hotel; information about the reviewer's qualifications; and information about the reviewer's beliefs and expectations. Research limitations/implications – Because of the small number of interviewees this research is limited and can be defined as explorative. The outcomes can be used to develop a survey instrument in relation to further research on user generated content. Originality/value – This research is original because there has not been any other initiative in this area and it will certainly stimulate more research because of the importance UGC has in a world of expanding internet usage. The outcomes of the small-scale pilot will make it possible to develop broader quantitative research on UGC on web sites. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/13880/ 2008-12-01T00:00:00Z This research has been undertaken to develop insights into the meaning given to the Six Sigma improvement approach by practitioners around the world. Although a body of knowledge has been developed which centres around standardized improvement methodologies, the approach to Six Sigma varies between organizations. Some use it as a general quality philosophy, while others use it as a statistical tool only. This indicates that there is confusion about the meaning of Six Sigma and its benefits to organizations. To investigate possible differences between organizations in different parts of the world, a descriptive questionnaire survey has been undertaken aimed at organizations in The Netherlands, UK and USA. Firstly, respondents from the three countries are found to show little variation in their perceptions about the meaning of Six Sigma, suggesting that it is a transnational concept. Secondly, a successful Six Sigma implementation builds upon a number of quality management prerequisites, such as an existing quality culture and a certain level of quality maturity. Thirdly, the sustainability of Six Sigma over the long term depends on factors which are equally important in any other long term change and improvement process. This is the first research that employs a large scale questionnaire survey project to collect and describe the opinions of practitioners in three advanced industrialized countries about the meaning and benefits of Six Sigma http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/14461/ 2007-03-01T00:00:00Z This paper will present the analysis of data over 3 years (1998, 1999, and 2000) on the satisfaction of flex workers in the context of a flex company's service excellence programme, as an example of the use of measurements in relation to the change process. The important issues related to the specific data of the flex workers' satisfaction surveys are: (a) the relationships between perceived satisfaction of flex workers and possible behavioural consequences, like making complaints and making use of other flex companies; (b) the stability of factor constructs over time that identify the major dimensions of satisfaction of flex workers; and (c) the satisfaction dynamics over time. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1736/ 2004-10-15T00:00:00Z The aim of the research reported in this paper is to assess the relative value of the 2000 version of the ISO 9000 series of quality management system standards in comparison to the 1994 version. 773 organisations in the Netherlands which have all been certified to the ISO 9000 standard were surveyed (a response rate of 21.4%) and of these only 22 had not yet converted to the 2000 version of the standard. Amongst the major findings are an overall positive perception of the value of the ISO 9000 (2000) quality system standard and a consistently higher appreciation of the 2000 version compared to the 1994 version. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1737/ 2004-10-15T00:00:00Z Reaching service excellence through a focus on the customer, demands more than just measuring customer satisfaction by means of questionnaire surveys. Nowadays, it is not sufficient anymore to have service excellence in services, processes and relationships. Now is the time to create excellence in customer experiences, as the only way to create competitive advantage in the market. Organisational change should then be driven by a broader focus on customers’ expectations and multiple ways of measuring customers’ satisfaction. The case of a service company in The Netherlands (a temporary employment agency) illustrates the way to service excellence as an organisational change process. The case supports the need for a broad focus on measurements in order to be able to monitor and to direct organisational changes. Customer satisfaction data based on surveys are needed, however, they will not be sufficient for continuing the change process over time. To achieve that, other measurements like mystery shopping may give more stimuli to change. Therefore, this research argues that mystery shopping can be a useful instrument in addition to the more often-used survey methods. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/1738/ 2004-10-15T00:00:00Z Service organisations still struggle with the adoption of a road to excellence. Evidence exists that processes and systems in service organisations are not always as advanced as in manufacturing organisations. Adding a quality smile to the face of the service provider will not solve the problems that are caused by defects in the underlying work processes and systems. Attention to the hardware in service organisations, i.e. to the service design, should instead create a more reliable process flow and time for the service staff to develop improvement activities and spend more time with customers. The way service organisations started to take excellence seriously is by making their processes transparent, eliminating undesired steps and deleting loops. In this paper the focus is on expanding this approach by adding information systems and information sources into a process map. This seems to be a promising approach for small and medium sized service organisations, without having to invest in expensive and rigid business process automation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/281/ 2003-03-10T00:00:00Z This paper will discuss the phenomenon Mystery Shopping in the field of customer satisfaction measurement techniques. By using the literature about Mystery Shopping definitions and restrictions of this instrument will be presented. Also, possible ways to present and use the gathered data will be shown. After the literature part of the paper some practical research will be presented. A Dutch Flexcompany introduced the instrument Mystery Shopping in addition to the already used measurement methods like customer satisfaction measurement with use of questionnaires. Some of the first results of the Mystery Shopping visits will be presented. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/212/ 2002-07-08T00:00:00Z A survey has been undertaken amongst students of two universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Northeastern University Boston, USA) to study what quality factors are perceived as important in relation to their use of web sites. The results of the questionnaire survey are analysed in relation to the five service quality (SERVQUAL) dimensions (tangibles; reliability; responsiveness; assurance; empathy) as developed by Zeithaml et al [1]. There is evidence that the same dimensions are applicable to E-Business, although the underlying aspects have to be specified within the E-Business context. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/209/ 2002-07-01T00:00:00Z The volume of temporary labour has grown very fast during the last decades in Europe, as did the number of organizations with an intermediating role in relation to temporary (contingent) labour. All over the place there are small and large intermediaries trying to find the right persons for the vacant jobs in their portfolio. In the Netherlands this has lead to a more competitive market place for temporary employment agencies or flex companies and to the need to find new ways of developing competitive advantage. A large temporary employment agency in the Netherlands, wants to develop "experience quality" in its services in Europe. This agency has introduced a service excellence programme building on the following chain of excellence: good leadership gives enthusiastic and motivated employees, which gives satisfied customers and delivers good business results. In this paper the way to implement this program will be outlined. Also some first results of the implementation of the program will be presented. One of the interesting issues from a quality management perspective in relation to temporary employment agencies is the presence of two customer groups instead of just one. Besides the paying customers, who are hiring flex workers, there is another customer group, i.e. the flex workers (or contingent workers) themselves. What is the importance of flex workers, who are satisfied with their intermediary (flex company)? This is becoming more and more relevant as the agency aims at long-term relationships with its flex workers.In the empirical part of this paper we will present the analysis of data over three years (1998, 1999, and 2000) on the satisfaction of flex workers in the context of the flex company?s service excellence programme, as an example of the use of measurements in relation to the change process. The important issues related to the specific data of the flex workers? satisfaction surveys are:(a) the relationships between perceived satisfaction of flex workers and possible behavioural consequences, like making complaints and making use of other flex companies; (b) the stability of factor constructs over time that identify the major dimensions of satisfaction of flex workers; and (c) the satisfaction dynamics over time. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/194/ 2002-04-19T00:00:00Z Research, summarized and classified in the work of Delery and Doty (1996), Guest (1997), Paauwe and Richardson (1997) and Boselie et al. (2001), suggests significant impact of Human Resources Management (HRM) on the competitive advantage of organizations. The mainstream research on this topic reveals encouraging results on organizational level. Also in relation to Total Quality Management (TQM) there is research evidence that 'best practices' and/or 'high performance work systems' (HPWS) can be identified having positive impact on the performance of an organization (Waldman, 1994; Hendricks and Singhal, 1997 and 2001; Blackburn and Rosen, 1993). Delery and Shaw (forthcoming in 2002) allege a need for "research on research" in the area of HPWS and performance, more precisely research on organizational-level research methods. We argue that further "research on research" on the perception of the individual employee may also reveal new (methodological) insights in the effects of HRM and/or TQM practices on performances in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to (1) review methodological problems in empirical literature on HRM/TQM and performance and to (2) test the stability of HRM/TQM factors (or constructs) over time. We have the opportunity to analyze longitudinal data (1998 and 2000) of individual employee perceptions from the Ernst & Young company in the Netherlands. The HRM/TQM constructs appear to be relatively stable over time, just like the relationship between these constructs and performance. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/180/ 2002-03-11T00:00:00Z The ISO 9000 experiences of the same sample of organisations over a five year time period is examined in this paper. The responses to a questionnaire sent out at the end of 1999 to companies which had a reasonably long term experience with the ISO 9000 series quality system are analysed. These companies were ISO 9000 series certified before 1994 when the authors conducted their first survey on the same sample. The main aim is to explore the links between the motivation for undertaking the ISO 9000 series and continued certification, with the impact on the type of TQM practices that have been adopted after certification, and what kind of gains have been achieved. Challenges faced by these organisations over time are also addressed. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/123/ 2001-11-01T00:00:00Z A project has been started with the intention to develop an E-Business Research Network on E-business related research in business and management. The initiative has been taken in co-operation between Erasmus University and UMIST to develop a project in which the first stage concerns the development of a database of researchers and their activities in e-business related research in business and management. The next stage will be to investigate the needs in companies in relation to e-business. It is hoped that an Internet-based database will stimulate interaction and communication between the supply and demand sides of e-business related research. This assumption is based on our previous research in Quality Management conducted in the early to mid 1990's. This paper describes the project and also summarises the results of the first pilot questionnaire based on responses from researchers at universities in The Netherlands. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/104/ 2001-07-12T00:00:00Z There is a growing interest in theory and in practice with regard to the relationship between human resource management [HRM] and total quality management [TQM] as well as the relationship between these two perspectives and business performances. Empirical research suggests significant effects of HRM/TQM on the performances of an organisation. The majority of research in this area is focused on the effects of HRM/TQM at the organisational level. Research on the perceptions of individual employees might obtain new insights for further discussion on the effectiveness of HRM/TQM in an organisation. The authors have the opportunity to analyse a relatively large database with recent data of individual employee perceptions from a knowledge-intensive organisation in The Netherlands. This analysis gives new insight in relation to concepts like 'co-operation', 'information', 'leadership', 'salary', 'work conditions', and 'goal setting' in relation to employee satisfaction and the intention to leave the organisation. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/97/ 2001-06-13T00:00:00Z This paper focuses on the analysis of empirical data on customer satisfaction and the relationship with hard organisational performance data. The organisation is a Flexcompany with its headquarters in The Netherlands, but also operating in other countries in Europe. The empirical data on customer satisfaction and business performances stem from 1998 and 1999. Based on the empirical data it can be concluded that it is possible to find evidence for the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and organisational performance indicators, although the relationship is not very strong. Various factors might influence the timelag between a change in customer satisfaction and an expected effect in sales, margin, or other output indicators. However, the analyses do give answers to questions related to the quality dimensions as underlying factors behind the items in the customer satisfaction questionnaire and some indications for the changing behaviour of the customer in relation to his perception. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/68/ 2001-01-23T00:00:00Z Human resource management (HRM) does matter! Prior empirical research, summarized and classified in the work of Delery and Doty (1996), Guest (1997) and Boselie et al. (2000), suggests significant impact of HRM on the competitive advantage of organizations. The mainstream research on this topic reveals encouraging results on organizational level. Further research on the perception of the individual employee may reveal new insights in the effectiveness of HRM in organizations. Now we have the opportunity to study recent empirical data of a Dutch employment agency. These data on individual employee level provide us new insights in the perception of commitment oriented HR systems and their relationship with perceived job security and employee trust. High scores on employee participation, payment system, training and development, information sharing, and support of the direct supervisor result in employee trust and high scores on perceived job security.