Methods for collecting voice of customer in modern QFD

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie sposobów rejestrowania głosu klienta (voice of customer) we współczesnej wersji metody QFD. W artykule najpierw przedstawiono rozumienie pojęcia „głos klienta”, a następnie dokonano przeglądu sposobów rozpoznania głosu klienta i przedstawiono wynik ich klasyfikacji. Opisano obszerniej tych z nich, które są rekomendowane do stosowania we współczesnej metodzie QFD. W zakończeniu podano wnioski z analizy dotyczące dominacji badań jakościowych, koncentracji na zbieraniu danych bezpośrednio od klienta i stosowania triangulacji metod i źródeł danych.The aim of the article is to present the methods of recording the voice of the customer (VOC) in the modern QFD. The paper presents the understanding of the term "voice of the customer" and a review of tools for recognition and recording the VOC. Next the methods were classified and those of them which are recommended for use in modern QFD were described in more details. At the end of the stated conclusions from the analysis regarding the dominance of qualitative research, focus on collecting data directly from the client and use triangulation methods and data sources

Intersectoral cooperation in e-health: the case of elderly medical alert devices

Celem opracowania jest identyfikacja zakresów współpracy międzysektorowej na przykładzie świadczenia usługi e-zdrowia o nazwie bransoletka życia. Przesłanką podjęcia tematu jest nierozpoznane w pełni współdziałanie w nowych rozwiązaniach z e-zdrowia, charakteryzujących się złożonością organizacyjno-technologiczną. Wykorzystując model potrójnej helisy, przeprowadziliśmy analizę relacji współpracy między zidentyfikowanymi podmiotami z uwzględnieniem wymiarów bliskości organizacyjnej. W wyniku przeprowadzonego badania, oprócz samej identyfikacji ram współpracy, wskazaliśmy na bariery kooperacji oraz sformułowaliśmy rekomendację ich przezwyciężania wraz z kierunkami przyszłych badań.The objective of the paper is the identification of common areas of intersectoral cooperation on the example of elderly medical alert devices. The justification of tackling the research problem is not fully recognized cooperation in new e-health solutions which are characterized by organizational and technological complexity. We used triple helix model and we analyze cooperation relations between identified institutions applying criteria of organizational proximity. The results of research, among identified cooperation framework, cover cooperation barriers. We formulated recommendations to overcoming them and defined future direction of research

Creating E-health Solutions: Looking through Combined Lens of Social Innovation and Knowledge Ecosystems

The paper aims to re-interpret e-health at the intersection between the fields of Social Innovation (SI) and Knowledge Ecosystems (KE). In doing this, a systematic literary review about SI, KE and e-health was carried on, in order to identify common issues between the two selected fields of research. Taking into account the review results, we identified the notion of co-creation as the most effective in the investigation of e-health at the merging between SI and KE theoretical perspectives. The EMSE (Emergency Medical Service Ecosystem) model was, finally, examined within the provided theoretical framework

Creating E-health Solutions: Looking through Combined Lens of Social Innovation and Knowledge Ecosystems

The paper aims to re-interpret e-health at the intersection between the fields of Social Innovation (SI) and Knowledge Ecosystems (KE). In doing this, a systematic literary review about SI, KE and e-health was carried on, in order to identify common issues between the two selected fields of research. Taking into account the review results, we identified the notion of co-creation as the most effective in the investigation of e-health at the merging between SI and KE theoretical perspectives. The EMSE (Emergency Medical Service Ecosystem) model was, finally, examined within the provided theoretical framework

The Digitalization in EMAS Registered Organizations: evidences from Italy and Poland

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the scope of digitalization in the EMAS-registered organizations for better understanding its extent in environmental committed firms’ activities. Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis was employed to examine the environmental statements of the EMAS-registered organizations. About 60 Italian and Polish entities were selected from the EMAS database using simple random sampling method. Findings – The article fills the gap in the theory of managing change in an environmental context, suggesting that the action plan for sustainable development does not meet the objectives of digitalization. Organizations registered in EMAS do not express a strong tendency to introduce ICT in the pursuit of environmental goals, which is contrary to the assumptions about the benefits of digitalization for sustainable development. Research limitations/implications – The first limitation refers to the small size of the sample. Since environmental statements are always published in national languages, only two countries – Italy and Poland – were chosen for investigation. The use of national language hinders comparison, but the inclusion of more registered organizations could give additional explanations. Secondly, the content analysis would have benefited from the collection of additional source of information (webpages and company documentations), since many firms do not refer to digitalization in the environmental statements. Gathering primary data from managers explaining the motives behind their strategic environmental decisions could be also useful. Practical implications – Giving the agreement about the environmental advantages of digitalization, this study offers to the practitioners the chance to catch new opportunities within the field of environmental sustainability by the employment of more integrated approach to digitalization. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine two dynamically developing areas, namely digitalization and environmental sustainability. This study enriches current knowledge about both areas, examining the level of digitalization of European high-environmental performing firms. In doing this, it reports lack of important use of digitalization in the action plans for environmental commitments in Polish and Italian EMAS-registered organizations

Toward the emergence of ‘Humane’ Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Evidences from different cultural contexts

Purpose – Adopting more sustainable and social-oriented perspectives is crucial for the emergence of the so-called 'humane’ entrepreneurial ecosystems (HEEs); the last ones are supporting economic, environmental, and social wealth improvement. Entrepreneurs act as keystone players in each entrepreneurial ecosystem; thus, the emergence of Humane Entrepreneurship (HumEnt) is crucial in shaping HEEs. Given the role of culture in affecting HumEnt, the relationship between Humane Orientation (HO) - as defined in the GLOBE project - and the essential components of Humane Entrepreneurship (HumEnt) was, particularly, explored in a selected sample of countries. Both IC and KM perspectives were adopted in pursuing the research goal. Design/methodology/approach – The study approaches this by the mean of the Ward method with Euclidean squared distance and the k-means method. The GLOBE project, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) were used as data sources. Correlations between HO ‘as is’ scores and each component of HumEnt were checked for the world sample (N=36), for the groups of innovation-driven countries (N=17) and European countries (N=14). Findings – Research results show a conditional confirmation of the developed hypotheses, depending on countries' cultural levels of HO, with a moderating role exercised by the economic development on the relationship between culture and HumEnt. Originality/value – Given the increasing pressure of fundamental societal challenges, such as climate change, poverty, and increasing inequality within and between countries intensified by pandemic (UN report, 2021), integrating the more traditional approaches to profit-seeking with the more sustainable and human-centric perspective is a priority for both scholars and society at large. Previous research does not explain the contextual factors responsible for the emergence of more human-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystems, mainly regarding culture. This article broadens our understanding of why both HumEnt and HEEs arise and develop in different cultural contexts

Co-Creation in Health 4.0 as a New Solution for a New Era

Previous research on co-creation in healthcare indicates that the use of co-creation in the design process of health solutions influences their greater acceptance and adaptation, resulting in greater efficiency of health services and higher usability of implemented health solutions. Analysis of adaptation and acceptance of new technologies reveals the problem of misunderstanding and the need for more trust in modern tools implemented in the healthcare system. The remedy may be the use of co-creation in the process of developing modern medical products and services. This article’s main purpose is to explore the co-creation process in Health 4.0, which is understood as the development of healthcare through the application of methods and tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The literature review provided insights for an analytical framework—the co-creation matrix. We analyzed the case of the Italian medical platform Paginemediche.it to reveal the actors’ engagement in co-creation. The results demonstrated different levels of engagement in improving the efficiency of implementing medical and technological solutions. Both theoretical and practical analysis proved that the co-creation matrix helps more precisely define the scale and scope of co-creation in Health 4.0

The Stakeholders’ Involvement in Healthcare 4.0 Services Provision: The Perspective of Co-Creation

Literature research on cocreation in healthcare indicates the theoretical sophistication of research on collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients. Our research continues in the new area of Health 4.0. Cocreation has become an essential concept in the value creation process; by involving consumers in the creation process, better results are achieved regarding product quality and alignment with customer expectations and needs. In addition, consumer involvement in the creation process improves its efficiency. Cocreation allows for more efficient diagnosis and treatment of patients, as well as better and more effective use of the skills and experience of the health workforce. Our main objective is to determine the scope and depth of the cocreation of health services based on modern technological solutions (Health 4.0). We selected four cases involving Health 4.0 solutions, verified the scale and scope of cocreation using them as examples, and used the cocreation matrix. We used literature, case studies, and interviews in our research. Our analysis shows that patients can emerge as cocreators in the value creation process in Health 4.0. This can happen when they are genuinely involved in the process and when they feel responsible for the results. The article contributes to the existing theory of service cocreation by pointing out the limited scope of patient involvement in the service management process. For cocreation in Health 4.0 to increase the effectiveness of medical services, it is necessary to implement the full scope of cocreation and meaningfully empower the patient and medical workers in the creation process. This article verifies the theoretical analysis presented in our team’s previous article

Assessing sustainability across circular inter-firm networks: Insights from academia and practice

While academic literature related to sustainability assessment approaches in circular inter-firm networks continues to grow, little is known about the implementation and applicability of these approaches by industry practitioners across their supply chains. This chapter therefore compares the proposed approaches from the literature with those applied in practice according to four criteria: balance of sustainability dimensions; the intergenerational nature of sustainability; stakeholder involvement; and life cycle thinking. Empirical data was collected through 43 semi-structured interviews with companies engaged in CE practices in Italy and the Netherlands. It was found that CE actors saw sustainable supply chains as a priority, even though about a third of the respondents did not conduct sustainability assessments across supply chains. The main reasons for this were the small size of companies or, for larger companies, the limited importance clients attributed to the sustainability impacts of products. The supply chain assessments conducted were mostly qualitative, in collaboration with firms’ supply chain partners, or a life cycle assessment. It further emerged that, rather than relying on the assessment results, companies ascribed high importance to supply chain management tools and to a relationship based on trust with their supply chain partners