Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-10-26T12:33:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Regina Maria da Costa_.pdf: 1669169 bytes, checksum: e0821ceb9cb94eb1c1a1f8327142c5f7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-26T12:33:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Regina Maria da Costa_.pdf: 1669169 bytes, checksum: e0821ceb9cb94eb1c1a1f8327142c5f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-21 / Nenhuma / Esta pesquisa buscou descrever como está estruturado o processo de prestação de serviços intensivos em conhecimento em um contexto no qual os prestadores utilizam baixa tecnologia e baixo clockspeed, tendo como referência o modelo teórico aplicado em empresas de alta tecnologia e alto clockspeed. As bases teóricas que subsidiaram a pesquisa foram: Serviços, Gestão de operações de serviços, Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS), Modelo teórico do processo de prestação de serviços em KIBS e Formas de Avaliação da Qualidade em Operações de Serviços. A abordagem de pesquisa empregada foi qualitativa de caráter exploratório-descritivo, por meio do estudo de casos múltiplos. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de dois roteiros de entrevistas semiestruturadas, as quais fazem parte do modelo teórico processual de prestação de serviços. Um roteiro foi direcionado aos prestadores de serviços dos cursos de Administração, Agronomia e Ciências Contábeis, vinculados à Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), campus de Tangará da Serra, instituição pública de ensino, intensiva em conhecimento. Com o outro roteiro, foram entrevistados empresários (produtores rurais) da Agricultura Familiar e uma representante de uma associação de mulheres produtoras rurais. Ainda, utilizou-se um instrumento complementar como recurso para avaliação do desempenho dos prestadores na percepção dos clientes. A apreciação dos dados ocorreu por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo, que permitiu, em um primeiro momento, explorar as sete fases do modelo teórico de referência. Em um segundo momento, foi concretizada a análise cruzada entre os casos, dessa forma, permitindo evidenciar as informações semelhantes e/ou que se repetem nas diferentes entrevistas, bem como a identificação de situações específicas do contexto pesquisado. Atualmente, os serviços prestados pela universidade à sociedade são os seguintes: ensino, pesquisa e extensão. Entretanto, a maior concentração de esforços é direcionada ao ensino (B2C), ficando o serviço prestado designado às organizações (B2B), por meio dos projetos de extensão como complemento da atividade-fim. Os resultados mostraram que a ênfase dada pelos prestadores da UNEMAT e seus respectivos clientes em cada etapa do processo de prestação de serviço é diferente da perspectiva de um profissional/cliente de serviço tradicional, pois o objetivo final é o retorno financeiro. No entanto, os clientes reconheceram a qualidade do serviço recebido por meio dos produtos e serviços gerados. Como contribuições teóricas desta pesquisa (i) sugere a alteração da fase de provimentos de insumos para provimentos e alocação de recursos; (ii) na fase VII que aborda o relacionamento prestador x cliente que objetiva levantar os fatores que impactam no relacionamento pós entrega, compreende que essa fase está intrínseca em todas as demais fases do modelo e não somente pós entrega do serviço. E (iii) com a elaboração do instrumento complementar direcionado a clientes contribui significativamente com a fase VI controle e avaliação dos resultados do serviço do modelo teórico de referência. Este estudo proporcionou avanços nas discussões teóricas no campo das Organizações e Competitividade, em especial, na temática KIBS, subsidiando diversos pesquisadores no entendimento dos conceitos e na importância de estruturação das etapas do processo de prestação de serviços. A descrição do modelo, nos dois contextos, permitirá futuras comparações e análises relevantes ao campo teórico. / The main goal of this study was to describe the structure of an intensive knowledge transferring business provided by low technology and low clock speed suppliers. The background information used to support this study was obtained from “Service operations management”, Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS), “Theoretical model of the service delivery process in KIBS” and “Forms of Quality Evaluation in Service Operations”. The analytical method employed in this study was qualitative, with a descriptive-exploratory bias, based on multiple cases. Data were collected using two semi-structured interview forms based on the service provider theoretical model. One of the forms was given to the service providers of the Administration, Agronomy and Accounting undergraduate courses of Mato Grosso State University (UNEMAT), in Tangará da Serra, a knowledge-intensive public institution. The second form was directed to farmers (family-based agriculture), businessmen and one representative of the female farmers association. A complementary instrument was also used as a resource for the performance evaluation of the providers under the costumers view. Data were analyzed through the content analysis technique, which allowed, at the beginning, to explore the seven phases of the reference theoretical model. After that, a cross analysis made possible to identify similar information and/or the identification of repeated information on the different forms, as well as the identification of specific situations of the study. Nowadays, the services provided by the university to the society are as follows: teaching, research and extension. However, the major efforts are directed towards teaching (B2C), being the provided service attributed to the organizations (B2B), by the means of extension projects, as a complement of the end-activity. The results showed that the emphasis used by the providers from UNEMAT and their respective clients for each stage of the service provided might differ from the perspective of a professional/client of traditional service, because the final objective is the financial benefit. However, the clients recognize the quality of the service provided, by the products or services created. As theoretical contributions of this research (i) suggests the alteration of the phase of supply of inputs for appointments and allocation of resources; (Ii) in phase VII that addresses the provider-customer relationship that aims to raise the factors that impact on the post-delivery relationship, understands that this phase is intrinsic in all other phases of the model and not only after service delivery. And (iii) with the elaboration of the complementary instrument directed to customers, it contributes significantly to the phase VI control and evaluation of the results of the service of the reference theoretical model. This study advanced theoretical discussions on Organizations and Competitiveness, especially on KIBS, helping several researchers to understand the concepts and importance of the organization of the several steps of the service providing process. The description of the model under the two contexts used in this study will allow future comparisons and relevant theoretical analysis.

Supply chains evolve in accordance with changes in the market and their ambitions. The evolution of supply chain is correlated to different elements of progress in the business context referred to as performance measurement, innovation and clockspeed. These correlations are the starting point of moving the chain towards the higher goals and therefore are of most importance. In order to assure that the chain is moving on the right path in its evolutionary journey, the journey must start based on the most accurate data available. In chapter 1 an overview of evolution strategy is discussed and two definitions of supply chain evolution are provided. The second chapter begins with performance measures and its relevance to supply chain evolution. There is also a discussion of weighted approach to SCOR model and an introduction of some new measures for further research. Chapter 3 is discussing outsourcing strategies in different business structures based on product modularity. The concept of „modularity balance‟ and evolution advantages with regards to modularity are introduced. The evolution stages from inter-organizational level to network level are discussed. Also two solutions for dealing with uncertainty during evolutionary process are suggested. The double helix is introduced and discussed. In chapter 4, evolution aspects of different innovation methods within the supply chain is discussed. Primary and secondary innovations are introduced and the correlation between clockspeed and innovation is discussed.

The rapid rate of increase in competition among the manufacturing industries has caused many organizations to continuously seek improvement in the quality of the products they manufacture to meet and exceed customer expectations. Organizations are under pressure to minimize the production costs to offer competitive prices for their products. The success story of Toyota Motor Company in implementing Lean Manufacturing (LM) has inspired many organizations around the world to adopt LM in order to improve their operational performance. There are, however, mixed results on the impact of LM on operational performance. Some studies have shown that its implementation increases operational performance while others have shown little to no improvement or even negative results. Institutional and contingency theories may provide insight into some of these contradictions and give a perception of why the implementation of LM has yielded different results on operational performance. The institutional theory states that organizations mimic the actions and practices of other organizations because of the pressure to remain competitive. Organizations in the developing countries also seem to have been imitating the Toyota Motor company that has been successful in implementing LM. On the other hand, the contingency theory states that corporations are organized according to external situations. Related to the contingency theory is the effect of Industry Clockspeed (IC). Some industries are transforming at a high speed while others are transforming at a low speed. The high IC industries are characterized by the quick development and release of new products, shorter development time and frequent changes in organizational structures. Low IC industries, however, manufacture products with a long life cycle, thus the products, processes and organizational structures for these industries change only after a long period. This study opines that the environment under which an organisation operates may affect the results of LM implementation process. The research was conducted in three parts and each of these parts is presented as chapters in this thesis. The first part (Chapter 4) gives a review and classifies the impact measurement models that have been used by various researchers to measure the success of implementing LM. These models can be classified as quantitative, qualitative, simulation-based and graphical measurement models. Pareto analysis is used to select the type of measurement model and Lean practices that are frequently used by researchers to develop Lean measurement models. The qualitative measurement model was preferred for evaluating the effect of implementing LM on operational performance because of its ability to use question structures that allow qualitative data collection for a rich analysis of opinion. With a proper structure, the questionnaire items can also be parsed and analyzed quantitatively with modern statistical techniques like Structural Equation Modelling. The Lean practices selected were Just In Time (JIT), Jidoka, People integration and Stability and standardization for building the model. This part concludes by developing a structural model that can be used to measure the impact of Lean implementation in industry, using Zimbabwean industry data. The second part (Chapter 5) evaluates the effect of implementing LM tools on operational performance across various industries in Zimbabwe. The major goal of this chapter was to develop an operational model (based on the lead from chapter 4) and test it in manufacturing organizations across various industries. A structured survey questionnaire was used for the collection of data in identified companies and 214 useful responses were obtained. The results of the study indicated that operational performance was improved by implementing the selected LM tools. The performance improvement variables that were significantly influenced were speed, flexibility and dependability. The third part (Chapter 6) analyzed the moderation effect of IC on the relationship between LM tools and operational performance. The industries grouped under low IC were pharmaceutical, agrochemicals, steel, automobile, timber production, battery, chemical and plastics. The high IC industries were food, beverage, electronics and garment. A structural equation model was proposed and investigated across the two groups. A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect empirical data from manufacturing companies. The data obtained from the responses was analysed using Smart PLS 3 and SPSS version 25. The results of the study showed that IC had a moderating effect on the relationship between LM practices and operational performance for both low and high IC industries. The last chapter summarises the findings, made recommendations and proposes directions for further research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) / Industrial and Systems Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted

<p>Purpose of visit is one of the main determinants of destination choice. Assessing the fulfillment of travelers’ desires could thus gauge the tourism potential of a country from the perspective of travelers. The main reasons for traveling are relaxation, pleasure and entertainment, social interaction, opportunity to meet a romantic or sexual partner, educational opportunity, self-fulfillment, wish fulfillment, shopping, business, holiday, health, and transit. Meanwhile, academic research on satisfying the curiosity about a destination remains underdeveloped. The concept of curiosity is central to motivation and curiosity as a personality trait plays a significant role in the behavior of a traveler.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The goal of this dissertation was to examine the tourism potential of a destination from the point of view of travelers interested in exploring new horizons and perspectives to better fulfill their expectations and increase customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) conceptualize destination curiosity; (2) develop a scale for destination curiosity; (3) examine the impact of destination curiosity as a major driver of international travel. For the latter, a set of integral relationships across different measurement items associated with destination curiosity and the cultural identity dimension of place identity is instituted in an SEM model in which the dependent variable is international visit intention. </p> <p>For this purpose, this study coined the term destination curiosity (hereafter, DC), which was defined as the travel enthusiasm that is reflective of a curious behavior to explore and seek fulfillment in acquiring knowledge through the actual travel experience at the destination. Aligned with Berlyne’s definition of curiosity and exploratory behavior, who is the most influential contributor to the concept of exploratory behavior, the two main dimensions of curiosity continue to be perceptual curiosity, which is more emotionally driven, and epistemic curiosity, which is information seeking behavior and cognitively driven.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Having addressed both the affective and cognitive drivers of curiosity to conceptualize DC, sensation seeking, novelty experience, need for cognition, and perceptual curiosity were incorporated into the approach. DC was conceptualized according to Fine's clockspeed model (1998). Fine’s model is related to the rate of change and includes two dimensions: process control (integrality-modularity) and decision control (slow-fast clockspeed). By incorporating this model, both the complexity and diversity dimensions of DC were considered. Therefore, DC was conceptualized in a way that illustrates how the existing or potential competitive advantages of destinations can influence the destination choices of travelers when they travel to explore new horizons and perspectives. In this study Fine’s clockspeed model—as a supply chain model defined to be used by suppliers/organizations—is incorporated in conceptualizing destination curiosity, as personality trait of a traveler, with the lens of demand expectation. </p> <p><br></p> <p>As for developing a scale through a rigorous approach via higher-order factor modeling, a scale was developed to measure DC. Delphi method was used to purify the initial measurement items that were adopted from the perceptual curiosity scale (Collins, Litman, & Spielberger, 2004), the need for cognition scale (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982), the desire for novelty scale (Pearson, 1970), and the sensation seeking scale (Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, & Zoob, 1964) in the travel context. In addition, EFA and higher-order factor modeling were incorporated to develop a scale. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Finally, to ensure the predictive validity of the developed scale, another study was designed to examine the mediating effect of DC on the impact of the cultural identity (dimension of brand identity) of a country on international visit intention. Motion pictures, mega-events, or gastronomy arguably act as instigators; while established brand persistence, geopolitics, or the existence of stereotypes about a destination act as inhibitors when it comes to one’s willingness to travel to another country. Therefore, Turkey was chosen for the context and a scenario was defined that addressed all the mentioned elements. The cultural identity of a destination was considered a proper antecedent for examining the mediating effect of DC on international visit, as the desire to enjoy unique pleasant experiences is likely to be universal. Meanwhile, culture is undoubtedly a unique attribute of any destination, whether a destination affiliated with thousands of years of fame or a non-major tourist destination which has sustained its culture. The significant mediating effect of DC in that study shows its importance in destination marketing.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The DC is arguably critical for the improvement of relations between nations. The more people travel to explore new horizons and perspectives, the more they will understand each other. In the same vein, for travelers with a high level of DC, traveling is a means of nourishing their soul that can eventually improve the well-being of the global society.</p>