Percorrer por autor "Voss, Christopher A."
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- Contingency research in operations management practicesPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.As operations management (OM) best practices have become mature, research on practices has begun to shift its interest from the justification of the value of those practices to the understanding of the contextual conditions under which they are effective—OM practice contingency research (OM PCR). This article sets out to examine and critique the current state of OM PCR. We review OM PCR studies through the lens of the major theoretical view on contingencies, contingency theory, along a number of relevant dimensions: contingency variables, performance variables, measurement, research design and employed form of fit. In this process, we put forward a number of tasks that need to be accomplished in order to move OM PCR forward and develop more solid conceptual foundations in which to anchor rigorous research in this area. Finally, we reflect on the theoretical arguments that underlie OM PCR (which are based on the contingency approach) and identify its limitations in fully explaining the currently observed patterns of use of OM practices and associated performance outcomes. As a result, we propose that in order to increase our understanding of these patterns, OM scholars need to study in more depth the process of selection of OM best practices by organizations. Accordingly, we put forward a framework to underpin such research integrating contingency theory and other theoretical perspectives.
- Operational implications of manufacturing outsourcing for subcontractor plants: An empirical investigationPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Purpose – The objectives of this paper are: to identify the key defining elements of a subcontractor plant from an operations management perspective and examine whether there are differences between the operational contexts of such plants and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) plants; and to examine whether these differences should translate into different operational practices, addressing the specific case of process quality management practices. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a multiple case study involving five plants in the electronics industry representative of the OEM and different subcontractor contexts. Findings – Results suggest that the operational contexts of subcontractor and OEM plants are different and that, as a result, these types of plants should emphasize different sets of process quality management practices. Research limitations/implications – Results are considered to be generalizable to most discrete goods industries. However, future research should ascertain whether these results replicate in industries other than electronics. Practical implications – OEMs, who have a critical role in disseminating best practice within the supply chain, must recognize the differences between OEM and subcontractor environments and avoid pushing one-size-fits-all best practice programs along the chain. Originality/value – Research in outsourcing to date has focused on the outsourcing decision per se and has mainly taken the perspective of the outsourcer firm. This study contributes to a better understanding of the operational implications of outsourcing decisions for subcontractor plants. It also responds to calls for more research linking quality management and supply chain management.
- Quality management re-visited: a reflective review and agenda for future researchPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Quality management (QM) has become an all-pervasive management philosophy, finding its way into most sectors of today’s business society. After the initial hype and enthusiasm, it is time to take stock of the knowledge accumulated in what is now a mature field of study and look for directions to take the field further forward. This article reflects on the mass of literature in the field, synthesizing, organizing and structuring knowledge and offering suggestions for future research. It reviews QM research organized along five main themes: the definition of QM, the definition of product quality, the impact of QM on firm performance, QM in the context of management theory and the implementation of QM. The article draws on these themes to reflect on three questions which are fundamental to re-visit and re-appraise QM: (i) What is QM? (ii) Is the set of practices associated with QM valid as a whole? (iii) How to implement QM in a real business setting?
- Quality management: Universal or context-dependent?Publication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Quality management has often been advocated as being universally applicable to organizations. This is in contrast with the manufacturing strategy contingency approach of Operations Management that advocates internal and external consistency between manufacturing strategy choices. This article empirically investigates whether quality management practices are contingent on a plant’s manufacturing strategy context, by examining the use of process quality management practices—a critical and distinctive subset of the whole set of quality management practices—across plants representative of different manufacturing strategy contexts. The study strongly suggests that process quality management practices are contingent on a plant’s manufacturing strategy, and identifies mechanisms by which this takes place.
- Service quality in multichannel services employing virtual channelsPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Services employing virtual channels of delivery such as the Internet are typically multichannel. Service quality research in traditional services and, more recently, in e-services tends to take a single-channel perspective. This article argues that a multichannel setting introduces a set of complexities that call for a broader conceptualization of service quality, recognizing that customer experience is formed across all moments of contact with the firm through several channels. Building on existing research, the article develops a framework for conceptualizing multichannel service quality, distinguishing between virtual, physical, and integration quality. Integration quality is identified as a key new service quality component. The framework also addresses how the three components of service quality are delivered by the different parts of the service delivery system and identifies the associated challenges for providing good levels of service quality. A number of research and managerial implications as well as future research needs are put forward.
- The Effects of Service Failure and Service Recovery on Customer Loyalty in E-Services: An Empirical InvestigationPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Although there has been a lot of research examining the effect of service failures and recovery on customer loyalty in traditional (bricks-and-mortar) services, there is still little rigorous empirical research examining this in e-service settings. The objective of this study is to empirically examine the impact of service failures and service recovery on customer loyalty in e-services. The study is based on data from an online questionnaire of customers of an e-banking service. The results validated the relationships generally found in traditional services: i) service failures result in decreased customer loyalty intentions; ii) effective recovery from failures increases customer loyalty intentions; and iii) unless recovery efforts elicit very high levels of satisfaction from customers, they can, at best, restore loyalty to the levels existing prior to the failures. The implications for the management of e-services are discussed.
- The effects of service failures and recovery on customer loyalty in e-services: An empirical investigationPublication . Sousa, Rui; Voss, Christopher A.Purpose – Despite having been widely studied in traditional (bricks-and-mortar) services, the effect of service failures and recovery (SFR) on customer loyalty has received only limited attention in the context of e-services. This paper sets out to empirically test the following set of hypotheses in an e-service setting: H1, service failures have a negative effect on customer loyalty intentions; H2, failure resolution has a positive effect on customer loyalty intentions; H3, satisfaction with the recovery has a positive effect on customer loyalty intentions; H4, outstanding recovery results in loyalty intentions which are more favorable than they would be had no failure occurred (service recovery paradox). Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an online survey of actual customers of a commercial e-banking service. Findings – H1-H3 are supported, suggesting that: the detrimental effects of failures are also present online; problem resolution leads to increased loyalty; despite the challenging nature of online failures and the reduced degree of human interaction, it is possible to achieve effective recovery in e-services. H4 is also supported. We observes a recovery paradox effect but it only take place for a small proportion of “delighted” customers, i.e. those who perceived an outstanding recovery. Although unlikely, the impact (size effect) of outstanding recovery on loyalty is substantial. Research limitations/implications – Future research should examine other types of e-services. Practical implications – E-service delivery systems should be designed with a strong failure-prevention mindset and include effective service recovery mechanisms. However, in general, e-service providers should not look at superior recovery as a substitute for error-free service. Despite not being a viable strategy in general, delighting customers in the recovery may make sense for the most profitable customers. Originality/value – The paper provides empirical evidence of the effects of SFRin the context of online service, an area which has received limited attention to date. Unlike other research, this paper draws on data from customers of an actual e-service and therefore benefits from increased external validity