Search

Background: Social media can be used to engage consumers in hospital service design and quality improvement (QI) activities, however its uptake may be limited by a lack of guidance to support implementation. This article presents the perceived barriers and enablers in using social media for consumer engagement derived from an interview study with public hospital stakeholders. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 26 Australian hospital service providers and consumer representatives. Data were analysed using a deductive content analysis method. Results: Data were collected between October 2019 and April 2020. Facebook was the platform most commonly used for consumer engagement activities. Barriers and enablers to social media-based consumer engagement were identified. The barrier themes were (1) fears and concerns; (2) lack of skills and resources for social media engagement; (3) lack of organisational processes and support; and (4) problems with social media platforms and the changing social media landscape. The enabler themes were: (1) hospitals facilitating access and use; (2) making discussions safe; (3) cultivating a social media community; and (4) building on success. Conclusion: Using social media to facilitate consumer engagement in hospital service design and QI activities is feasible and acceptable to service providers and consumers. Hospitals and their executives can create a supportive environment for social media-based engagement activities through developing clear governance systems and providing training and support to all users. Consumers need to be involved in co-designing social media-based activities and determining which forms of engagement are accessible and acceptable. For some consumers and service providers, barriers such as a lack of resources and distrust of social media companies might mean that social media-based engagement will be less acceptable for them. Because of this it is important that hospitals provide complementary methods of engagement (eg, face-to-face) alongside social media-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While businesses seek to engage customers, their efforts are often met with varied results, as some customers are more predisposed to engage than others. Understanding customers' dispositions to engage is central to understanding customer engagement, yet research examining customer engagement dispositions remains sparse and predominantly focused on personality traits. This paper aims to consider the general nature of a disposition and draws on qualitative findings to depict a framework for customer engagement dispositions. Design/methodology/approach: To investigate customer engagement dispositions comprehensively and in-depth, an exploratory qualitative approach was adopted. In total, 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with customers in ongoing relationships with financial planners residing in Australia. Findings: Nine attributes reflecting customer engagement dispositions emerge from the data. These include the customer's internal tendency to engage (confidence, desire for control, extroversion and enthusiasm); a tendency to engage determined in the interaction with the service provider (sense of similarity, sense of social connection and trust in the service provider); and the capacity to engage (expertise and knowledge and time availability). Research limitations/implications: This study provides a conceptual foundation for future empirical measurement of customer engagement dispositions and their nomological network. Practical implications: This study establishes a foundation for managers to build distinct engagement disposition profiles and segments and target initiatives to maximize engagement activity. Originality/value: This research challenges the view of customer engagement dispositions as largely personality factors, or exclusively cognitive and emotional dimensions of engagement, and offers a comprehensive framework reflecting a customer's disposition to engage with a service provider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in customer engagement (CE) has triggered a new wave of reforms, particularly in utility regulation. Within the water sector, there has been a shift from a focus on cost‐reflective pricing toward customer‐centric pricing processes designed to identify customer preferences and expectations. The Victorian water sector in Australia offers a unique opportunity to explore the outcomes of these CE trends given the recent first‐time application of a novel Performance, Risk, Engagement, Management, and Outcomes (PREMO) framework. Based on in‐depth interviews with senior industry representatives from a diverse sample of Victorian water utilities, this paper critically analyses the scope, design, and incentive mechanisms that underpin the new regulatory process. Findings indicate that CE has potentially beneficial aspects to both the regulator and the regulated utility, including more transparency in capital projects and a better understanding of customer preferences in service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the practices of Australian and German financial service providers regarding the implementation of shop-floor control within different types of service systems. The results delivered in this article should serve as a guideline for future research to develop and adapt methods for shop-floor control in financial service systems. Interviews with 25 experts from the Australian and German financial services industry reveal novel insights into the practice of shop-floor control, suggesting that methods and concepts from manufacturing are only used to a limited extent for shop-floor control. Shop-floor control is mostly used to react quickly to unexpected deviations due to a low usage of forecasts and information systems. Thus, there seems to be improvement potential in the financial services industry in comparison with in the manufacturing industry in terms of shop-floor control. Further research within the production research area should use the empirical insights to test and adapt existing methods and to develop new ones, taking cultural differences into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the local multiplier effects in new firm creation by analysing a unique panel dataset of new firms and patents at the regional level in Australia. It finds that new firms in the tradable sector such as low-technology manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services industries have local multiplier effects on new firm creation in the non-tradable sector such as other services industries. It also shows that the local multiplier effect in new firm creation exists between manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services industries in the tradable sector. The local multipliers are greater in regions with more patents than in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Engaging consumers - patients, families, carers and community members who are current or potential service users - in the planning, design, delivery, and improvement of health services is a requirement of public hospital accreditation in Australia. There is evidence of social media being used for consumer engagement in hospitals internationally, but in Australia this use is uncommon and stakeholders' experiences have not been investigated. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences and beliefs of key Australian public hospital stakeholders around using social media as a consumer engagement tool. This article focuses on the study findings relating to methods, risks, and benefits of social media use.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian public hospital stakeholders in consumer representative, consumer engagement/patient experience, communications or quality improvement roles. Qualitative data were analysed using a deductive content analysis method. An advisory committee of consumer and service provider stakeholders provided input into the design and conduct of this study.Results: Twenty-six Australian public hospital service providers and consumers were interviewed. Participants described social media being used to: recruit consumers for service design and quality improvement activities; as an online space to conduct consultations or co-design; and, to gather feedback and patient experience data. The risks and benefits discussed by interview participants were grouped into five themes: 1) overcoming barriers to engagement, 2) consumer-initiated engagement; 3) breadth vs depth of engagement, 4) organisational transparency vs control and 5) users causing harm.Conclusions: Social media can be used to facilitate consumer engagement in hospital service design and quality improvement. However, social media alone is unlikely to solve broader issues commonly experienced within health consumer engagement activities, such as tokenistic engagement methods, and lack of clear processes for integrating consumer and patient feedback into quality improvement activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer satisfaction is essential for quality assurance, business survival and economic prosperity. It can also be used as an indicator of the occurrence of defects in the houses delivered by builders. The objective of this study is to compare the quality of services provided by volume and small builders, and to develop a model for predicting the chance of occurrence of structural defects in houses. A list of home builders was obtained from Australia's Housing Industry Association media release 2019. Thereafter, customer reviews of 10 volume builders and 107 small builders were obtained from publicly available data. Overall, 2336 reviews for volume-builders and 2037 reviews for small builders were analysed quantitatively. Further, using the scores provided by customers, the probability-based regression model for the structural integrity of residential buildings was developed. Generally, the research found that for volume-builders, customers have the highest satisfaction level for 'customer service' and the lowest satisfaction level for 'plumbing and waterproofing' work. However, for small builders, customers have the highest confidence in the 'structural integrity' of their buildings and the least confidence in projects 'timeliness'. Clients can use the stochastic-based model to predict the probability that a builder could deliver a house with low structural defects. The model showed that if a customer service score for a particular builder is less than 3.3, then there is a higher chance of having structural defects. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by developing and validating the logistic regression model that can be used as a toolto assess the quality of services provided by home builders. Moreover, the research provides useful information which can assist builders to improve the quality of services they provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth in economic and technological development, the linkage of the construction industry with the economy has changed in the past decades, which may have generated corresponding changes in other industries. This study sheds new light on the measurement of structural changes in the inter-industrial linkages of an industry using the Leontief model and the Ghosh model based on the hypothetical extraction method. The Australian national input–output tables provided in the World Input–Output Database are employed as an empirical study exploring the influence of construction linkages on other industries' production input and output. The results indicate that construction effects have become weaker in relation to promoting economic growth, although the mining and quarrying industry and some service industry activities demonstrate strong and positive backward and forward linkages with the construction industry in Australia. This research provides an approach for measuring corresponding changes in other industries caused by one industry's inter-industrial changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptualising the quality of higher education as fitness for purpose begs the question of whose purpose? Thus, understanding who has dominance over Australia's higher education system, and what purpose it is seen to fulfil, is important for ensuring that current quality assurance methods are effective. This paper presents the findings of a discourse analysis conducted to explore the unspoken purpose contained in the documents published by the Australian higher education regulator and quality assurance agency. Through the analysis of the Act, newsletter articles published by the agency, and selected relevant documents, the paper shows that the national system is positioned as an export service industry. The paper highlights some of the implications this has on the methods employed to assure the quality of the national system, including the risk posed to the system by a singularity of purpose, and discusses some of the current conditions which may have led to this state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to empirically examine an integrative model centered on customer delight drawing from cognitive appraisal theory and place identity theory. A self-completed survey administered in English at three tourism destinations in Australia (Phillip Island, Great Ocean Road, and Sovereign Hill) generated 457 valid responses. The results show that authenticity and employee helpfulness are positively associated with customer delight, which in turn, positively affects the positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) intention. Customer delight is a principal mechanism that transmits the influence of authenticity and employee helpfulness to PWOM. In addition, place identity moderates the relationship between customer delight and PWOM such that the higher the place identity, the weaker is the relationship between customer delight and PWOM. The findings advance the current theorizations on several fronts and offer managerial implications for destination marketing practice in terms of customer experience management, marketing communications, and customer service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that idiosyncratic firm‐level shocks are important drivers of the Australian business cycle (granular hypothesis). We first document that the distribution of firm size in Australia is substantially asymmetric and follows a power‐law distribution with a long right tail. We then show that labour productivity shocks to the largest non‐financial firms in Australia account for about 20–40 per cent of the variation in Australian GDP growth over the period 2000–18. Besides energy sector firms, firms in the construction, transportation and consumer services sectors appear to be relevant drivers of GDP growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the theory developed by the Nordic school of service marketing, the authors devise a model that involves the direct effects of technical (physical good quality) and functional (service quality and servicescape) elements of the service encounter on customers' behavioral intentions. They test the model using service customers in the fast-food and grocery industries in eight countries (Australia, China, Germany, India, Morocco, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States). Notable differences exist between fast-food and grocery customers in the eight countries. The relative effects of the technical and functional service elements on behavioral intentions also differ significantly across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illuminating the physical difficulties experienced by hotel room attendants in delivering service quality at five-star hotels on the Gold Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, our research was founded on socialist-feminist and critical theory epistemologies. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 46 hotel room attendants. We used a qualitative, social-constructivist, grounded theory methodology to render the empirical material into a basic social structural process of tasking. Tasking offers a conceptual framework of room attendants' daily employment experiences as they transform hotel rooms to prescribed standards. Tasking illustrates the high physical demands placed on room attendants, tantamount to exploitation from their own perspectives. Tasking contributes to research on employment experiences in hospitality, particularly on hotel praxis, delivery of quality customer service and the operational demands placed on room attendants. This paper presents the results of the first in-depth examination of the daily functions and roles of hotel room attendants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinically operated community-based residential rehabilitation units (Community Rehabilitation Units) are resource intensive services supporting a small proportion of the people with severe and persisting mental illness who experience difficulties living in the community. Most consumers who engage with these services will be diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related disorder. This review seeks to: generate a typology of service models, describe the characteristics of the consumers accessing these services, and synthesise available evidence about consumers' service experiences and outcomes. Method: A systematic review was undertaken to identify studies describing Community Rehabilitation Units in Australia, consumer characteristics, and evidence about consumer experiences and outcomes. Search strings were applied to multiple databases; additional records were identified through snowballing. Records presenting unique empirical research were subject to quality appraisal. Results: The typology defined two service types, Community-Based Residential Care (C-BRC), which emerged in the context of de-institutionalisation, and the more recent Transitional Residential Rehabilitation (TRR) approach. Key differentiating features were the focus on transitional care and 'recovery' under TRR. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders were the most common primary diagnosis under both service types. TRR consumers were more likely to be male, referred from community settings, and less likely to be subject to involuntary treatment. Regarding outcomes, the limited quantitative evidence (4 records, 2 poor quality) indicated C-BRC was successful in supporting the majority of consumers transferred from long-term inpatient care to remain out of hospital. All qualitative research conducted in C-BRC settings was assessed to be of poor quality (3 records). No methodologically sound quantitative evidence on the outcomes of TRR was identified. Qualitative research undertaken in these settings was of mixed quality (9 records), and the four records exploring consumer perspectives identified them as valuing the service provided. Conclusions: While there is qualitative evidence to suggest consumers value the support provided by Community Rehabilitation Units, there is an absence of methodologically sound quantitative research about the consumer outcomes achieved by these services. Given the ongoing and increasing investment in these facilities within the Australian context, there is an urgent need for high-quality research examining their efficiency and effectiveness. Trial registration: PROSPERO (CRD42018097326). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012, government changes to higher education shifted Australia to a demand driven funding model. The consequential increase in student numbers, along with greater focus on retention and student satisfaction, resulted in rising customer expectations. There are now strategic imperatives to change administrative cultures to focus on delivering service excellence. This study analyses customer service behaviours of student administration staff at one Australian university. Using a conceptual framework of motivations, attitudes, perceptions and skills towards customer service, this small-scale study suggests that staff are intrinsically motivated and have largely positive attitudes towards their student customers. A gap was identified between individuals' perceptions of their customer service delivery compared with that of colleagues, while staff learn informally from their supervisors and colleagues. Finally, this paper explores how universities might develop and embed a workforce that is student-centric, delivering outstanding customer service, while at the same time upholding governance and compliance requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• How compliance with SOPs for data collection is affected by different factors. • Investigating the impact of operator's workload, fatigue, and work experience. • Investigating how management reinforcement intervention can moderate these impacts. • Hypotheses testing using a large dataset from a leading postal service provider. Complete and accurate data is an important enabler of effective supply chain decision making. Despite the increasing efforts to fully automate data collection processes using advanced sensors and scanners, human operators are still in charge of data entry tasks in most industries. Unfortunately, operators do not often comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and do not always exhibit the consistency and commitment required to collect high-quality data. In fact, data collection is often perceived as a non-value-adding activity that increases workloads and lowers productivity. We aim to empirically study the extent to which compliance with SOPs for data collection is affected by some of the key factors. Using a large dataset obtained from a leading postal service provider in Australia, we find that an operator's workload, fatigue, and related work experience directly impact the compliance levels. We also find that a company's compliance reinforcement intervention to improve compliance behavior can moderate these impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify aspects of the consumer-provider relationship that consumers saw as important in a care coordination service model. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted, between October 2015 and March 2016, with 20 people living with severe and persistent mental illness who used a care coordination service in Sydney, Australia. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Results: Participants described five specific aspects of the consumer-provider relationship that they deemed important within their care coordination service experience: rapport and listening; an individualised approach; collaboration and partnership; reliability; and genuine care and respect. These were not independent, but rather, interdependent elements that collectively described a ‘good’ consumer-provider relationship. Discussion: While previous literature has examined the consumer-provider relationship in high-intensity and therapeutic models of service, this study confirms that similar relationship features are important in low-intensity or brokerage type models. Aspects such as the provider being easy to talk to and reliable appear to be of additional importance in this particular model. Findings suggest that the ability to develop trusting and collaborative relationships within a short timeframe is a critical consideration for recruitment and training of service providers working within care coordination models of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health literacy refers to an individual's ability to find, understand and use health information in order to promote and maintain health. An individual's health literacy may also be influenced by the way health care organisations deliver care. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of hospital service type (public versus private) on individual health literacy.Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), a multi-dimensional self-report instrument covering nine health literacy domains. Recently discharged private patients (n = 3121) were sent the survey in English, public patients (n = 384) were sent the survey in English, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian or Greek. Eligibility included hospitalisation ≥24 h in last 30 days, aged ≥18 years, no cognitive impairment. Odds ratios were used to assess differences between hospital sociodemographic and health related variables. ANOVA and Cohen's effect sizes compared HLQ scores between hospitals. Chi square and multiple logistic regression were used to determine whether differences between private and public hospital HLQ scores was independent of hospital population sociodemographic differences. ANOVA was used to review associations between HLQ scores and subgroups of demographic, health behaviour and health conditions and these were then compared across the two hospital populations.Results: Public hospital participants scored lower than private hospital participants on eight of the nine health literacy domains of the HLQ (scores for Active Appraisal did not differ between the two samples). Six domains, five of which in part measure the impact of how care is delivered on health literacy, remained lower among public hospital participants after controlling for age, education, language and income. Across both hospital populations, participants who were smokers, those who had low physical activity, those with depression and/or anxiety and those with 3 or more chronic conditions reported lower scores on some HLQ domains.Conclusions: Our finding of lower health literacy among patients who had received care at a public hospital in comparison to a private hospital, even after adjustment for sociodemographic and language differences, suggests that private hospitals may possess organisational attributes (environment, structure, values, practices and/or workforce competencies) that result in improved health literacy responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]