Dietetic professionals integrate knowledge and expertise in food, nutrition, management and people and apply their skills in a variety of settings. As the changing scene in health care has necessitated enhanced management of resources, the clinical nutrition manager (CNM) has emerged as a dietetic professional in hospitals applying sound management practices to the area of clinical nutrition services. The purpose of this study was to provide information about the position of clinical nutrition manager and about the professional development strategies used by incumbents. The research design had two phases. The purpose of the first phase was to develop a job description for the position of clinical nutrition manager, including duties/activities and job specifications for education, experience and professional credentialing. The purpose of the second phase was to verify the accuracy of the job description, determine educational and experiential resources used to develop the required skills and knowledge for performing the duties/activities, and collect other descriptive data about the position. The result was a job description for a Clinical Nutrition Manager with 46 duties/activities assigned to the position and job specifications for work experience and academic preparation. Chi square analysis was used to test the association of the performance of a duty/activity with amount of time allotted to the position; number of personnel supervised; and type of personnel supervised. Results indicated that type of personnel supervised had the most significant association. One sample chi square analysis indicated that entry-level education and entry-level experience were the less likely resources to be used for development of skills and knowledge. For more than 50% of the duties/activities, the number of resources used was significantly related to the perceived level of importance. There was no significant finding for an association between timing of career decision to become a CNM and career development strategies intentionally selected. Findings also indicated that perceived competence improves with increasing number of years in the position and is not affected by having an advanced degree. / Graduation date: 1992

Over recent years, the service sector has grown at a dramatic rate, and with it has come significant challenges for the operators in this field. Not least of these has been the desire of these operators to create real competitive advantage by offering levels of service that call upon the servers in the interaction to engage in an emotional way with their customers, in addition to offering transactional efficiency and cost containment. The focus of this study is to examine the emotional dimension of the service experience from the perspective of the key stakeholders in the encounter, the customer, the service employee and the outlet manager. This study is carried out in the pub restaurant sector, with the brand leader in the full-service restaurant business. The research focuses on the role that emotions play in the performance outputs of outlet management in particular using the concept of emotional intelligence and the use of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Eqi) as a measurement instrument to explore the relationships between emotions and performance. The study then focuses on the server population who interact with the customers everyday, using measures of emotional intelligence and emotional labour to understand their relationship to the performance outputs of the servers, essentially the service quality offered to their customers. Finally the responses of the customer are measured from an emotional perspective, gathering their emotional response to a range of service cues. This customer data forms the basis of the relationships explored between server emotional competence and their delivery of service quality. The research reveals significant relationships between the emotional competencies of the managerial group and their business performance achievements in the areas of customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, employee turnover and outlet profit growth. It demonstrates relationships between the emotional make-up of service personnel and aspects of emotional labour. The study also demonstrates the level of emotional response of customers to a range of service stimulants and finally the research reveals the extent to which a range of interactive service stimulants can create positive emotional expression in customers. The study culminates in the presentation of two models that are designed to guide service organisations to developing and then maintaining an integrated approach to emotional service development in their own market sector. These models build on the findings in the research that demonstrate a high level of inter-relationship between the different components that contribute to the overall service experience. The study ultimately argues that to ignore or isolate the consideration of the emotions right across the service chain, from brand proposition through to recruitment, development and measurement of the overall service quality at best leaves the service organisation exposed to sub-optimising its service offering. Conversely the value of adopting a fully integrated approach to the development of the service organisation could lead to a level of loyalty from both employees and customers that would provide sustainable competitive advantage in the service market.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

<p>The purpose of this essay is to analyze and understand the effects that a recession can have on a company’s marketing department. In times of a recession most companies have less means to promote their products to their target market and to build their brand. This means that cutting the marketing budget will show some effects on today’s way of marketing. I want to highlight some key aspects when it comes to marketing in a world of change, amongst these aspects are how does companies work with service management and is there a need to constant renewal of the servicescape? Is marketing in a recession more accurate when companies no longer can be “fat and lazy” but instead have to cut expenses and make cost efficient marketing efforts?</p><p>This essay is based on a qualitative method where seven people have been interviewed about their point of views on the subject. The interview objects have been selected to participate in this essay because of their specific knowledge about the subject in question.</p>

<p>Service thinking and the transition from a product-logic-perspective to a process-perspective are catchwords in current management research (e.g. Grönroos 2000, Kowalksowski 2006, Söderström 2003, Stremersch et al. 2001, Oliva & Kallenberg 2003, Lele 1986) While the product-logic is based on value distribution via the transition of a ready-made product or service, the service-process logic focuses on value-in-use that is created together with the customer. (Grönroos 2007) In the current service management view, value creation is regarded as the result of exchange with network partners in the perception of the customer (Normann & Ramirez 1998). This is why service thinking includes that a company seeks for co-operation with suppliers and customers through activated relationships, networks (Syson & Perks 2004).</p><p>Coming from a product-delivery-perspective on doing business can challenge a service provider to adapt to a service-process view. Legally and historically founded prerequisites, as well as for example corporate culture and financial resources, can be obstacles on the way to a service-process business approach. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how these obstacles influence the possibility of a service operator to adapt to the service logic with customer- and supplier-interaction.</p><p>To gain deeper insight into the service thinking of a company in a network environment, a qualitative single case study on the public transport organisation “County Transport” has been used. Based on three personal interviews and literature study, this case explores how a public service organisation deals with its service mission. It also identifies and describes hinders on the way to a service logic approach.</p><p>The organisation of County Transport was found to be steered a lot on the basis of numbers and material parts of the service offering such as the bus itself and different support tools on the busses. County Transport follows the rules of the Public Procurement Act which gives the public transport operation a contract framework of a tendering based choice of operators for the time of 8-10 years. The relationship between County Transport and its operator “The Operator” can be seen as comparatively secure relationship without an introduction phase in which trust and adaptations to each other can be developed. With this quite formal relationship under economic pressure it was found that the cooperation between The PTA of County Transport and The Operator was worse than desired. Especially the influence of the brut contract on tender basis seemed to be hindering a good cooperation in a long-term perspective. It might be that a steering by costs and numbers on one side does not help to create a value-creating relationship based on adaptations and soft factors on the other side.</p>

<p>Kvalitet är idag ett centralt begrepp inom marknadsföringen av tjänster. Men vad är kvalitet och framförallt vad är kvalitet för kunden? Vi har valt att fokusera på kunders kvalitetsuppfattning inom kollektivtrafiken. Kollektivtrafiken är en tjänst där kunderna har olika behov, från person till person, som de vill ha uppfyllda. Dessa behov kan dessutom förändras från dag till dag och från resa till resa för samma individ. För att lyckas med att tillgodose dessa behov behövs insikt i kundens kvalitetsuppfattning.</p><p>Genom en kvalitativ undersökning, med 27 respondenters svar, har vi försökt få en djupare förståelse för kundens uppfattning av kvalité. Dessa svar har sedan använts till att utforma en enkätundersökning som vi gick ut med till 95 personer.</p><p>Resultatet av de båda undersökningarna har gett oss en ökad förståelse för vad kollektivtrafikresenärerna har för uppfattning av kvalité. Vidare har resultatet visat på skillnader mellan vår undersökning och en redan befintlig samt hur väl Karlstadsbuss uppfyller resenärernas förväntningar avseende en kollektivtrafiktjänst.</p>

<p>This Master thesis investigates how values can drive value when creating sustainable business.Concepts like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD) has in the last years become more and more accepted and therefore practiced in the business world. Due to alarms of the climate change, decreased biological diversity and alarming reports of child labour in the export industry, today’s society claims for more sustainable actions among global enterprises. Evidently, some organisations have a more proactive sustainable approach and therefore managed to use sustainable actions to grow and strengthen their market positions e.g. IKEA and Starbucks. Service research related to the above research area at CTF (Service Research Center) at Karlstad University pointed out that corporate values such as social responsibility and environmental responsibility (among others) can be used to create customer value, brand equity and help strategic decision-making for future growth. This thesis investigates in the specific context of Löfbergs Lila what can be learned if the above mentioned strategy is used in a medium-sized company with strong values. Which processes are required to create sustainable business and how far has Löfbergs Lila come according to selected concepts and theoretical framework in business research?</p><p>The purpose of the thesis is to investigate, in an explorative way, how values can drive value for sustainable business, both empirically through the Löfbergs in the coffee context as well as theoretically. The whole thesis can be seen as a mix of a descriptive case study and an interpretative case study where understanding of the thesis will be created in the interaction between the theoretical and empirical parts. The study has been developed using a combination of inductive and abductive methods whereby the interaction between the conceptual/theoretical framework and Löfbergs Lila, in the coffee context, have constructed a new meaning.</p><p>The explorative study of Löfbergs Lila (or AB Anders Löfberg) presents an understanding of how values have affected the strategy and operation of this organization and is still doing so to this very day. Every company can work with sustainability, but strong corporate values incorporated into the business model are an advantage. There is a fundamental basis for more “sustainable growth” when these values drive “true” environmental and social progress, including accountability. This thesis claims that true core values are deep-rooted in the company and drive value for Löfbergs’ customers in the name of sustainable business.</p><p>The theoretically- and conceptually-driven findings, built on five (re)-constructed thick descriptions from Löfbergs Lila in the coffee context, end up in five general concepts for valuesbased sustainable business</p><p>1. Service Logic</p><p>2. Values-based service</p><p>3. Values-based service quality for sustainable business</p><p>4. Managing Value chain responsibility</p><p>5. Creating the service experience</p>

The Swedish branch of the WILO Group and the daughter of the WILO AG, which is one of the biggest producer of pumps worldwide, is going to introduce a new business organization concept in Sweden and evolve the present company's structure into a more customer-oriented one (Project-Oriented-Service-Organization) based on the experiences of the parental company in Germany – WILO AG. A new service approach is going to be introduced by a company, which deals with business-to-business customers. Although manufacturers of industrial goods and equipment turn their interest from single transactions to doing business on the long-term scale with their customers, but still not many companies are in this process

Abstract Historically, value was believed to be created and embedded in the manufacturing process, implying that companies were the creators of value. Conversely, the notion of value-creation changed during the last decades and has implemented the customer orientation and service centred view. Instead, researchers currently believe that companies only can offer value-propositions, which means that value is to be created by the customers. Services and goods are much about values and identity today, which people connect to therefore it is important that positive values are associated with the company. The purpose of this case study is to present if values can drive value for sustainable business. In order to illustrate this we have chosen Konsum Värmland for our investigation, an independent consumer co-operative own by its 126 000 members. Konsum Värmland has advantages by being independent from KF (the co-operative union in Sweden), this by being able to set its own strategies and visions. This thesis aspires to illustrate which values Konsum Värmland stands for and to see if Konsum Värmland has succeeded to communicate these values to their stakeholders. We will present the theoretical framework and how values-based management is an excellent performance measurement for co-creating values together with its stakeholders. We chose to use a narrative approach for our empirical analysis. The narratives are based on interviews, observations and secondary data that we obtained in forms of literature, articles and previous research. We have chosen to investigate four areas for our case study, which are obvious of creating values. The areas are; the history Konsum Värmland, the brands Nästgård and Värmlandsgrisen, and the adapting and developing Konsum Värmland. These areas give the reader an insight to the value creation efforts of Konsum Värmland. It is important for companies to differentiate themselves from others, in order to stay competitive in the everyday retail branch. This is something that Konsum Värmland has done by standing for values that contributes to the region of Värmland This case study shows how the consumer co-operative thinking is becoming more modern, in co-creating common values and meanings. The consumer co-operative thinking also tells us that is can be used as a competitive strategy, to be able to predict and to adapt to the market. In this study we can see that local produced goods generate value, which makes the customer want to buy the goods even if they are more expensive. The values are communicated through the brands Värmlandsgrisen and Nästgård and the goods are offered in form of values-based service quality. We have created a model that illustrates how the vision, organization and the value-creation have to be in balance, to create values that can drive value for sustainable business. / Résumé Historiquement des valeurs et leur création étaient vues comme un élément de la procédure de fabrication ce qui voulait dire que seul l’entreprise prenait le rôle du créateur de valeur. En parallèle le regard sur la création de valeur a évolué pendant ses dernières décennies vers une perspective s’orientant plus vers le client et donc plus accentuée « service ». Ces deux approches sont complétées par un avis des experts modernes qui défend la position que seule une offre basée sur des vraies valeurs peut réussir et émerger de son univers concurrentiel. Uniquement les produits, proposant une base de valeur, réussissent à influencer la perception des clients de manière durable. Des services et des produits peuvent émerger donc seulement à travers de leurs valeurs, c’est à dire à travers de leur identité, puisque les gens arrivent mieux à se mettre en rapport ce qui crée idéalement un attachement. C’est pour ça que c’est important que l’entreprise associe des valeurs à ses marques et surtout de le rend percevable aux clients de manière crédible. Le but de cet analyse est de montrer comment des valeurs peuvent durablement porter le succès économique d’entreprises. Afin de l’illustrer pour notre étude nous avons choisi Konsum Värmland, qui compte 126 000 membres en tant que coopérative indépendante. Grâce à cela Konsum Värmland a des avantages, puisque il est indépendant du syndicat suédois KF et donc autonome de réaliser ses propres stratégies et visions. Au delà de ça cet analyse veut montre quelles valeurs Konsum Värmland représente, et veut également examiner si Konsum Värmland a réussi à les communiquer à ses membres et ses clients. A travers un model théorique nous allons montrer comment le management à base de valeur est un excellent indicateur pour la création de valeur mutuellement avec les membres de la coopérative. Nous avons donc choisi une approche narrative pour analyse empirique. Les conclusions se basent sur des interviews, nos observations ainsi que d’autres données que nous avons obtenu dans la litérature, des articles de la presse et par une recherche préliminaire. Pour cet étude de cas nous avons décidé d’examiner quatre secteurs de la création de valeur qui sont l’histoire d’entreprise de Konsum Värmland, ses deux marques Nästgård et Värmlandsgrisen, ainsi que leur adaptation et évolution menées par Konsum Värmland. Ces secteurs donnent au lecteur une compréhension approfondie de la création de valeur stratégique à Konsum Värmland. Dans l’intention de rester compétitif dans l’environnement quotidien de grand distribution, il est important pour l’entreprise de se différencier des autres. Konsum Värmland a réussi à le faire grâce à exploitation intelligente des valeurs ancrées dans la région de Värmland. Par ailleurs cet étude de cas montre comment le raisonnement des clients évolue vers une création mutuelle des valeurs communes entre demande et offre. Ce comportement nous amène à la conclusion qu’il utilisable davantage dans une stratégie de compétition afin d’anticiper des changements de marché dans l’objectif de s’adapter vite au nouveau contexte. Dans cette analyse nous pouvons voir comment des produits locaux peuvent profiter des valeurs éthiques ce qui favorise une relation dans laquelle les clients sont prêts à acheter des produits même s’ils sont plus chers qu’ailleurs. Ces valeurs sont communiquées à travers les marques Värmlandsgrisen et Nästgård dont on propose les produits en s’appuyant sur une qualité de service à valeur ajoutée. Nous avons développé un model qui montre quelle vision, organisation et création de valeur doivent être balancés l’un à l’autre. Seulement à ce moment là il est possible de créer des valeurs, qui portent durablement le succès économique de l’entreprise. / Zusammenfassung Ursprünglich wurden Werte and Wertschöpfung in der Wirtschaftsgeschichte als Teil des Herstellungsprozesses angesehen, was wiederum bedeutet das Unternehmen als Werterzeuger auftraten. Parallel veränderte sich die Bedeutung von Wertschaffung in der letzten Jahrzehnten in Richtung einer mehr Kundenorientierten und damit service-ausgerichteten Ansicht. Diesen beiden Perspektiven gegenüber steht, dass Wirtschaftsforscher heute davon ausgehen, dass Unternehmen ausschliesslich durch wertebasierende Angebote im Markt erfolgreich sein können. Nur diese schaffen es durch deren Empfinden den Kunden nachhaltig zu beeinflussen. Dienstleistungen und Waren sind also durch deren Werte und damit deren Identität erfolgreich, da Menschen diese besser mit ihren eigenen in Verbindung bringen können was im Idealfall eine stärkere Bindung bedeutet. Daher ist es wichtig, dass Unternehmen positive Werte mit ihren Marken verbinden und vor allem für die Kunden glaubhaft erlebbar machen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es zu zeigen wie Werte den nachhaltigen wirtschaftlichen Erfolg von Unternehmen fördern können. Um dies zu veranschaulichen haben wir für unsere Untersuchung Konsum Värmland gewählt, welches als unabhängige Vereinigung 126 000 Mitglieder zählt. Konsum Värmland hat dadurch Vorteile, da es einerseits unabhängig von der schwedischen Gewerkschaft KF ist und andererseits damit in der Lage ist seine eigenen Strategien und Vision umzusetzen. Diese Arbeit hat den Anspruch zu erläutern für welche Werte Konsum Värmland steht, und darüberhinaus zu untersuchen, ob Konsum Värmland es gelungen ist diese erfolgreich seinen Mitgliedern sowie Kunden zu kommunizieren. Wir werden mit Hilfe eines theoretischen Rahmenmodells zeigen wie wertebasiertes Management ein exzellenter Ergebnismesser für gemeinsame Wertschaffung mit den Mitgliedern der Kooperative sein kann. Wir haben für diese empirische Analysis daher einen erzählerischen Ansatz gewählt. Die erzählerischen Schlussfolgerungen basieren auf Interviews, eigenen Beobachtungen sowie weiteren Daten welche wir aus Fachliteratur, Zeitungsartikeln and vorangegangener Forschung erhielten. Für dies Fallstudie haben wir uns entschieden vier Bereich der Wertschaffung zu untersuchen. Diese sind die Unternehmensgeschichte von Konsum Värmland, die beiden Handelsmarken Nästgård und Värmlandsgrisen, sowie deren Anpassung durch und Entwicklung von Konsum Värmland. Diese Bereiche geben dem Leser eine tiefere Einsicht in die strategische Wertschaffung von Konsum Värmland. In der Absicht im alltäglichen Einzelhandelsumfeld wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben, ist es für Unternehmen dabei wichtig, sich selbst von anderen zu differenzieren. Dieses gelang Konsum Värmland durch deren erfolgreiche Nutzung von in der Värmland-Region verankerten Werten. Diese Fallstudie zeigt wie sich modernes Konsumentendenken hinzu einer kooperativen Schöpfung gemeinschaftlicher Werte und Bedeutungen entwickelt. Dieses Kundendenken veranlasst uns zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass es in einer Wertbewerbsstrategie genutzt werden kann um Marktveränderung rechtzeitig zu erkennen und sich daran anzupassen. In dieser Studie können wir sehen wie lokal erzeugte Güter ethische Werte zu nutzen, was die Kunden wiederum dazu bewegt die Produkte zu kaufen, selbst wenn diese leicht teurer sind. Die Werte werden mittels der Handelsmarken Värmlandsgrisen und Nästgård kommuniziert, indem deren Erzeugnisse über eine wertebasierte Servicequalität angeboten werden. Wir haben dazu ein Model entwickelt, welches zeigt wie Vision, Organisation und die Wertschaffung auf einander abgestimmt sein müssen. Nur dann können Werte geschaffen werden, welche den nachhaltigen wirtschaftlichen Erfolg von Unternehmen fördern können.

Service thinking and the transition from a product-logic-perspective to a process-perspective are catchwords in current management research (e.g. Grönroos 2000, Kowalksowski 2006, Söderström 2003, Stremersch et al. 2001, Oliva &amp; Kallenberg 2003, Lele 1986) While the product-logic is based on value distribution via the transition of a ready-made product or service, the service-process logic focuses on value-in-use that is created together with the customer. (Grönroos 2007) In the current service management view, value creation is regarded as the result of exchange with network partners in the perception of the customer (Normann &amp; Ramirez 1998). This is why service thinking includes that a company seeks for co-operation with suppliers and customers through activated relationships, networks (Syson &amp; Perks 2004). Coming from a product-delivery-perspective on doing business can challenge a service provider to adapt to a service-process view. Legally and historically founded prerequisites, as well as for example corporate culture and financial resources, can be obstacles on the way to a service-process business approach. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how these obstacles influence the possibility of a service operator to adapt to the service logic with customer- and supplier-interaction. To gain deeper insight into the service thinking of a company in a network environment, a qualitative single case study on the public transport organisation “County Transport” has been used. Based on three personal interviews and literature study, this case explores how a public service organisation deals with its service mission. It also identifies and describes hinders on the way to a service logic approach. The organisation of County Transport was found to be steered a lot on the basis of numbers and material parts of the service offering such as the bus itself and different support tools on the busses. County Transport follows the rules of the Public Procurement Act which gives the public transport operation a contract framework of a tendering based choice of operators for the time of 8-10 years. The relationship between County Transport and its operator “The Operator” can be seen as comparatively secure relationship without an introduction phase in which trust and adaptations to each other can be developed. With this quite formal relationship under economic pressure it was found that the cooperation between The PTA of County Transport and The Operator was worse than desired. Especially the influence of the brut contract on tender basis seemed to be hindering a good cooperation in a long-term perspective. It might be that a steering by costs and numbers on one side does not help to create a value-creating relationship based on adaptations and soft factors on the other side.