The antecedents and consequences of internal service quality

This paper discusses the importance of internal service quality (ISQ) in the service industry. A three-tiered conceptual model of ISQ is developed based on the literature review. The first tier of our proposed model is the determinant of ISQ. The second tier, which is the centre of the model, is ISQ. The third tier of the model is the consequences of ISQ; that is trust, employee turnover, and firm performance. It is argued that ISQ should be the focal point in the service industry. Conceptual model development, all relevant constructs, and seven research propositions are discussed consecutively

Environmental business scanning literature : past, present and future research agenda

The purpose of this paper is to make research propositions that can potentially fill the research gaps in the literature of scanning by businesses about the broader condition that may affect them (environmental scanning) environmental scanning. Major databases such as ABI/INFORM, Elsevier’s science direct, and Emerald have been searched. Most of studies were included from published sources. The literature on environmental scanning is reviewed with an aim to identifying the patterns of the extant literature as well as research gaps. Based on the literature review, five propositions are suggested. These propositions are concerned with the antecedents of the environmental scanning behavior and the measurement of firm performance. The contributions of this paper are the identification of the evolution of the environmental scanning literature, research gaps, and the establishment of propositions that future research may further the knowledge of environmental scanning

Exploring the causes of nurses' intent to leave the job : a Taiwanese perspective

The purpose of this study is to explore reasons behind Taiwanese nurses’ intention to leave their job. Employing a qualitative approach, we examined the views of eight Taiwanese nurses to determine factors that lead to their intention to leave. From our interview records, we identified that fulfilling employees’ needs, supervisor-subordinate relationship, co-worker interaction, and work atmosphere are the reasons that Taiwanese nurses believe to influence their intention to leave the job. Based on our findings, we recommend healthcare administrators to provide the right services to their nursing staff in order to minimise nurses’ intention to leave. We also suggest top management to strengthen collegiality among staff members

Environmental scanning : an information system framework for strategic decisions in SMEs : a case study analysis

The aim of this chapter is to explore the role of environmental scanning in information systems for strategic decisions in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in Australia. A case study approach was adopted for this exploratory study. In-depth interviews were conducted with owners of two SMEs. Data were analysed using manual qualitative data analysis techniques. Owing to the unique characteristics of SMEs, findings suggest that SMEs share some commonalities and differences to their large firm counterparts. In general, SMEs have a clear idea what their information needs are. They have a narrow scope of scanning, which focuses mainly on economic, customers, and competitive information. External sources from media, sales people, clients, and competitors are their major sources of information. Human memory and manual filing systems are the key methods of storing information.The information is distributed through personal communications. SMEs use common sense and intuitive approach rather than sophisticated analytical tools to analyse the information. The scanned informationis used for both strategic and functional decisions. The findings provide insight to SMEs as to the usefulness of environmental scanning in making various business decisions