With the advent of the Internet and creation of information goods, the concept of price and pricing information goods has become one of the most interesting and innovative topics in information ...technology management and economics. In the cost structure of information goods, its reproduction cost is negligible compared to original version. Therefore, policies must be adopted to prorate the prime cost of the original version according to the demand for all reproduced copies. It means that based on the cost structure, market and the characteristics of information goods, the usual methods for pricing information products are not efficient and traditional pricing (cost plus profit), which is common way for most consumer and industrial goods, is not useful. In this paper, a model is proposed for dynamic pricing of information goods that adapts revenue management systems to create more profit for sellers and uses recommender systems to personalize prices which leads to customer welfare along with increasing profit. Economic analysis of the model by movie store datasets illustrates its desirable performance for increasing seller’s profit and customer’s welfare.
This paper identifies the amount of variance in mathematics achievement in high- and low-achieving schools that can be explained by school-level factors, while controlling for student-level factors. ...The data were obtained from 2679 Iranian eighth graders who participated in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Of the total sample, 1422 and 1257 students were from high- and low-achieving schools, respectively. Two-level hierarchical linear modelling was applied. The results indicated that of the total variance in mathematics achievement, 27.95 and 6.70% were due to between-school differences in the high- and low-achieving schools, respectively. Controlling for the school-level factors, the better-performing students were those with a higher level of confidence in learning mathematics in both samples. After controlling for the student-level factors, inadequacies in school resources and school type yielded the strongest link to achievement in the high- and low-achieving schools, respectively.
The author aimed to investigate the variability in science achievement as a function of student-, school- and country-level factors. Achievement scores of 134,123 eighth-grade students from 4,511 ...schools of 29 countries who participated in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study were analyzed. Multilevel modeling results showed that science achievement was driven largely by student-level factors. Students scored higher when they had more self-confidence in learning science, came from home with a higher level of family background, were boys, spent less time on nonacademic activities, and did job at home. Schools averaged higher when they had positive school climate, were located in urban areas, and there was no problem with attendance at school and shortages in resources for science instruction.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate an open innovation model in small and medium enterprises active in the Iranian Food Industries. In so doing, a sequential ...exploratory mixed methods research was used. Thus, the data were collected in two phases: In the qualitative section, using the grounded theory method, through a semi-structured interview with 25 managers and university experts, the data were collected and codes and open innovation components were counted developed in the form of a grounded theory method. The questionnaire was designed based on the findings from the qualitative stage. In order to validate the model, the newly developed questionnaire was further administered among 371 managers and employees of food companies selected by proportional stratified sampling method. The validity of the research model was determined by the indicators of the measurement model, and structural model and SEM general indicators were measured and its results suggest acceptable fit for all of above-mentioned indicators. Introduction Creativity and innovation have been considered as one of the salient issues which facilitate change in any organization (Ahmadi, 2013: 15). As Chesbrough (2012) rightly put in the absence of innovation in organizations, there would never have been the organizations in long run. Nowadays, the necessity of using open innovation to increase the competitive ability of companies in domestic and foreign markets is growing (Zhang and Zeng, 2009). Open innovation—a notion introduced by Henery Chesbrough—has become widely practiced in business and academic disciplines (Chesbrough & Garmann, 2009) The application of open innovation in commercialization by companies has several advantages. For example, based on research studies, the use of open innovation can boost product success rates by up to 50% and, similarly, foster the productivity of internal research and development by up to 60%. (Enkell et al., 2009). Given this, one of the companies that create entrepreneurial opportunities and provide the right platform for innovation and the economy of the country is small and medium enterprises. In the present study, the researchers, adhering to the paradigm of open innovation, made an attempt to cast a visible light to this issue. The reasons are: (1) Small and medium enterprises account for 94% of the companies in Iran; (2) they are the main source of employment, i.e., almost 70% of the employment rates were initiated by these companies; and (3) According to the World Labor Organization (WLO), almost 70 percent of innovations and industrial inventions have been created by entrepreneurs working in small and medium-sized enterprises. Case Study: Inspired by the gaps in the literature, and due to the indispensable role of these small and medium enterprises, the current study probed the issue of open innovation in one of the industrial towns which is located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. At present, the study of the performance of small and medium enterprises in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari indicates that these settlements have 800 small and medium enterprises, of which 200 to 250 units are closed during the surveys, while other companies. They are also working on half of their production capacity, and there are only about 400 active companies. Materials and Methods The overall design of the current study was a mixed methods research. More specifically, a sequential exploratory mixed-method design was used in order to uncover a probable open innovation model in active small and medium enterprises in the Iranian food industries. By adopting two separate phases, the researchers first collect and analyze qualitative data (i.e., using a semi-structured interview with 25 managers and university experts); second, the quantitative data (i.e., using a questionnaire) were collected and analyzed sequentially in order to help explain the qualitative results. The questionnaire and the initial model were designed based on the findings from the qualitative phase. Discussion and Results According to qualitative data, the findings uncovered a model comprising the following themes: (1) The conditions affecting open innovation (2) The conditions underlying the strategies (3) The intervening conditions affecting strategies (4) The effective strategies (5) The implications of open innovation Sequentially, the results of quantitative data confirmed the proposed model and suggest acceptable fit for all extracted indicators. Conclusion: The overarching purpose of this study was to develop and validate an open innovation model in small and medium enterprises active in the Iranian Food Industries. The food industry as one of the most important industrial sectors in the national economy of the country has led the researcher to design an open innovation model in the food industry of the country.Due to the lack of model for operationalizing open innovation in food industries, the current study made an initiative to bridge this gap by employing a sequential exploratory mixed methods research. Overall then, the qualitative and quantitative findings underscored the necessity of implementing an innovative model for the small and medium enterprises.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the fastest growing management approaches which can lead to stronger competitive position, resulting in larger market share and profitability. In this ...study, CRM efficiency among the customers of the Iranian banks is analyzed using a network data envelopment analysis (NDEA) approach. To implement CRM in the NDEA model, input, intermediate and output variables are service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, respectively. This research is a descriptive survey in which the total customers of different Iranian banks in Isfahan comprise the statistical population. The sample included 420 people that were selected by cluster sampling. After distributing questionnaires, only 245 questionnaires were completed. The model is tested via PLS path modeling and confirmed. To rank banks performance, NDEA model is used. Results show the power of NDEA model in the differentiation of the banks since there are no two banks with the same rank. The efficiency of subprocess is also presented to extract the reason of inefficiency in the total process. Because of the adopted research approach, the research results may lack generalization. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. The paper includes a model for assessing CRM with NDEA model and helps managers rank their companies in the customers' point of view.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the fastest growing management approaches which can lead to stronger competitive position, resulting in larger market share and profitability. In this ...study, CRM efficiency among the customers of the Iranian banks is analyzed using a network data envelopment analysis (NDEA) approach. To implement CRM in the NDEA model, input, intermediate and output variables are service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, respectively. This research is a descriptive survey in which the total customers of different Iranian banks in Isfahan comprise the statistical population. The sample included 420 people that were selected by cluster sampling. After distributing questionnaires, only 245 questionnaires were completed. The model is tested via PLS path modeling and confirmed. To rank banks performance, NDEA model is used. Results show the power of NDEA model in the differentiation of the banks since there are no two banks with the same rank. The efficiency of sub-process is also presented to extract the reason of inefficiency in the total process. Because of the adopted research approach, the research results may lack generalization. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. The paper includes a model for assessing CRM with NDEA model and helps managers rank their companies in the customers' point of view.
SERVQUAL in Malaysian universities Shekarchizadeh, Ahmadreza; Rasli, Amran; Hon-Tat, Huam
Business process management journal,
01/2011, Letnik:
17, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess the service quality perceptions and expectations of international postgraduate students studying in selected Malaysian universities.Design methodology ...approach - A gap analysis based on a modified SERVQUAL instrument was used on 522 international postgraduate students who were selected based on stratified sampling of the top five public universities. The analysis started with descriptive analysis followed by factor and reliability analyses. Single mean t-tests were conducted to assess the significance of the gap analysis based on three methods: item-by-item analysis; construct-by-construct analysis; and computation of a single measure of service quality.Findings - Five factors in the form of professionalism, reliability, hospitality, tangibles, and commitment were uncovered. The single mean t-tests for the three methods of gap analysis indicated that all the items of perception were perceived as significantly negative as compared to expectations.Practical implications - The university senior management would benefit by knowing which gaps should receive the greatest attention in order to gain competitive and comparative advantages. Also, the findings from the study will assist in designing a quality system that involves not just the employees, but also the students.Originality value - Ironically, most studies on service quality at institutions of higher education tend to concentrate on the undergraduate students and or the education providers. As the international postgraduate segment is more lucrative, this research is timely and is expected to present significantly different results from those found in most literature.
What is known as controlling a system is related to the variables of planning properly, an approach toward development, making appropriate decisions within changing conditions, satisfying and ...maintaining dignity of all stakeholders and achieving an excellent and lean level. Formulating a pure strategy toward detecting and removing the sources of dissipation aims to minimize the costs and make the organization move toward proficiency and organizational excellence. The above definitions are representative of the degree of similarity and existence of a relation between the ERP and Lean Production objectives. The present study aims to introduce these systems, their goals and their potential synergistic. Therefore, the purpose of the research is detecting the impacts of ERP system on lean manufacturing system in IRAN KHODRO Industry Group. The research also had some minor purposes such as detecting those lean manufacturing techniques affected by ERP modules. In this regard, after detecting the lean production tools in company and considering the details of ERP modules in company, we defined the research questions for experts, results were determined using SPSS software and at the end, According to confirming six hypotheses out of 10, the existence of a relation between these two systems was confirmed.
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