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This research conducts a meaningful comparison of self-reported importance and satisfaction in various life domains to promote the understanding of subjective well-being (SWB). Results from a nationwide telephone survey with regard to 12 indicators of well-being in Taiwan suggest that satisfaction attitude rating does incorporate the judgment of importance among SWB indicators. We further reveal different patterns of association, similarity, and discrepancy between importance and satisfaction across SWB indicators by performing both explanatory and confirmatory analyses. All the various analytical results lead to crucial meanings for interpreting the general level of SWB, especially under a cultural context such as Taiwan society. The adapted Importance-Performance analysis classifies the SWB measurements into four meaningful quadrants according to the importance and satisfaction scores. Applying a regression modelling strategy, we explore how importance judgment together with other demographic factors influences the satisfaction attitude and further verify what potential factors relate to their discrepancy. Graphical analyses enhance the presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquiring a clear insight into road users' perception of level of service (LOS) at rail road grade crossings (RRGCs) can be beneficial for the development of strategies for creating a safe and comfortable commuting environment for road users. This study examines road users' (pedestrians, bicyclists, motorized two-wheelers, motorized three-wheelers, cars, and commercial vehicles) perceptions and elicits the impact of LOS on the identified factors. In this context, initially, a pilot survey was carried out at RRGCs, but road users' low participation response rate reflected the infeasibility of conducting the survey at RRGCs. Therefore, an extensive survey was conducted in the residential areas, shopping areas, and fuel stations in the vicinity of 21 RRGCs from nine different Indian states, and 7588 responses were collected. First, importance-satisfaction (IS) analysis is carried out to figure out the most important and satisfying factors perceived by road users. The results of the IS analysis reveal that out of the total considered variables, seven variables, namely gate blockage time before the train arrives (BBT), followed by crossing surface quality (CSQ), lateral visibility (LV), road width (RW), gate blockage time after the train departs (BAT), presence of heavy vehicles (PHV), and road marking and warning signs (MWS), are in need of immediate improvement. Subsequently, an ordered probit model is developed to examine the influence of factors over perceived LOS. The ordered probit model results demonstrate that LOS at RRGCs deteriorates with an increase in perception-related factors like BBT, time taken by train to cross the RRGC (TCT), BAT, distance between the gates (DBG), PHV, and presence of pedestrians (PP). On the other hand, RW, CSQ, LV, MWS, and aesthetics (AES) positively impact perceived LOS, signifying that increasing these variables improves perceived LOS. Moreover, age, trip type, trip duration, and trip frequency are among the socio-demographic and trip-related characteristics that have been found to have a considerable impact on perceived LOS. Hence, our research presents the policy tools that planners and policymakers could utilize to enhance the operational performance of RRGCs. • The study examines the perception of road users to determine the factors influencing LOS of RRGCs. • IS analysis has been carried out to identify the variables seeking further intervention. • An ordered probit model has been developed to find the effect of various factors on LOS at RRGC perceived by road users. • The findings revealed that among all the significant factors, BBT is the most influencing factor for perceived LOS. • Including BBT, factors such as CSQ, LV, RW, BAT, PHV and MWS require prompt attention from the planners and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging is happening in many places, such as on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, with the second-highest percentage of older adults in Asia, is among the world's fastest-aging societies. Moreover, the city has very high transit patronage: transit trips constitute approximately 90% of all trips. Given the significance of transit in Hong Kong, improving transit services for older adults is of substantial importance. In light of this, based on the data of transit satisfaction (or perception) collected by a questionnaire survey in March 2015 (N=613), this study adopts the entropy weight method to determine the importance weights of an array of transit service quality attributes (e.g., seat availability and travel stability). Then, it performs an index-based importance-satisfaction (I-S) analysis using the outcome of the previous step as a basis to determine priorities for transit service improvement. The results show that in the view of older adults, three service quality attributes in need of improvement are seat availability, waiting conditions, and service frequency. Accordingly, the paper puts forward policy implications for further implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more high-speed railway (HSR) being built worldwide, its better integration into the 'urban fabric' is imperative. Focusing on the travel experience, this paper presents an analysis of the intermodal integration of HSR with the local public transport system at the newly opened HSR station in Hong Kong. A participatory survey was conducted with arrival passengers making intermodal transfers to local destinations using the metro, bus, and taxis. Participants were asked to recall and rate their travel experience from the exit of HSR station to the public transport stops. This is the first study that integrates both objective and subjective measurements of regional-local intermodal integration holistically from a passenger perspective. In the survey, respondents generally reported a positive experience. However, there were significant differences for different interchange modes. At a more theoretical level, ten service attributes including both instrumental and affective dimensions were found to have significant influence on the intermodal interchange experience. Furthermore, the importance-satisfaction analysis suggests that three instrumental factors (ticket purchase, time coordination, interchange signage) are in most urgent need of improvement, while good service quality of four affective factors (walking environment, cleanliness, congestion-free waiting area, and luggage delivery) should be maintained and strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-functional landscapes for sustainable stormwater management play a significant role in providing various benefits on the environment, aesthetics, education, economy, etc. through the cultural ecosystem services, which have been underestimated by both the professionals and the public, due to the difficulty in their interpretation and quantification. The Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA) makes it easier by evaluating the cultural ecosystem services with human's perception, and was tested with the multi-functional landscapes for stormwater management in this research. The results show that aesthetic value, recreational / eco-tourism, and sense of place are the most valued cultural ecosystem services. Those cultural ecosystem services with a gap between their perceived importance and the public satisfaction with their delivery are also identified. ISA can discover the public's perception and expectation of the stormwater management landscapes, which helps the decision-making about their improvement a lot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an alternative methodology to evaluate the service quality of urban taxis and develops a level-of-service (LOS) standard for taxi customers to monitor performance. A customer satisfaction survey was conducted from January to March 2013 in Hong Kong, with the respondents invited to give specific satisfaction ratings for ten service aspects individually and a global satisfaction rating for the overall taxi service quality, as well as to rank the important aspects that influence the given global rating. The ten service aspects related to the amount of time consumed when taking taxis, services and facilities provided for finding taxis, internal environments of taxis, and personal services provided by taxi drivers. An enhanced linear regression model was developed to identify the priority areas for improvement of urban taxi service quality. Based on the numerical score of overall taxi service quality, a six-level LOS standard, similar to academic grading, is introduced accordingly to improve the general public's understanding of the current service level. This paper discusses the potential policy implications to enhance the taxi service quality in Hong Kong, which can be applied to other metropolitan cities that provide similar urban taxi services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business intelligence (BI) is a powerful tool to conduct causality analysis and corporate diagnoses since it provides a data-driven approach to link firms' strategic goals into tactical policies and operational actions. Specifically, BI consists of a series of architectures and techniques like database, data warehousing, and data mining that transform raw data into useful information to provide decision supports. In reality, typical BI user groups involve financial analysts, marketing planners, general managers, field staffs, upstream suppliers, and downstream customers. Inspired by the concept of STP (segmentation-target-positioning) and product family design, BI systems need to be customized to satisfy diverse user groups and tailored to a firm for solving complicated but specific business problems. Consequently, a novel framework is proposed to fulfill the following goals: (1) incorporating user preferences to identify key design features that best fit BI's main segments for achieving customer acquisition, (2) transforming user perceptions into quantitative degrees of satisfaction for accomplishing customer retention, and (3) conducting the importance-satisfaction analysis to generate managerial insights for developing next-generation BI systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major objective of the research is to determine the crucial elements that the local tourists attribute importance to in their decision processes regarding their holidays such as facilities, location and resources of the destination and the tourism services that are provided, while asserting how much they are satisfied in terms of these elements regarding the Edremit destination. As the initial step of the research, the literature was browsed in order to understand the elements that the tourists take into consideration while making a decision on their holiday and their satisfaction levels. The survey obtained in the related literature was used to gauge the importance and satisfaction levels of the tourists. Then the data acquired were analyzed with descriptive statistics and were interpreted by making a distribution on the model developed by Yang (2003a). Both similarities and differences were detected in some elements of the survey, according to the local tourists' importance and satisfaction. Also some significant insufficiencies in some elements were defined regarding Edremit. If the destination managers and stakeholders take the results of the importance-satisfaction analysis, then the performance of the destination in terms of tourist satisfaction would increase. It is obvious that these findings shall be tested and updated with other researches in the coming period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research aims to examine national logistics competence in Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia from a manufacturer''s perspective. Using survey responses from 459 manufacturing firms, this study compares the relative importance and satisfaction of national logistics competency. Results indicated that simplify the customs clearance procedure was viewed as the most important item of national logistics competency in Taiwan, whereas inland transport linkage and eradication of corruption have been emphasized by the respondents in Vietnam and Malaysia. In general, Taiwan is higher than Vietnam and Malaysia in terms of the level of satisfaction. Importance-satisfaction analysis was also employed to assess critical national logistics competency that needs to be improved in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Theoretical and practical implications from the results findings for government or agency were discussed in this research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Visitor satisfaction has been an important area for leisure research since the 1960s and more recently for park management. A number of approaches have been adapted from consumer research including importance-performance analyses, gap analyses, threshold performance targets and overall satisfaction. This paper reviews these approaches with respect to park management. It then draws on focus group research with protected area agency staff to obtain their views on the usefulness and robustness of the analyses associated with these approaches. Yanchep National Park (Western Australia) was used as a case study, with the results from a recent visitor survey providing the data for satisfaction analyses. To provide a more accurate summary of the range in results, confidence intervals accompanied the results to illustrate the variation in responses. The analyses emphasize the importance for park managers of accessible, usable data on visitor satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resident satisfaction is a crucial, yet often overlooked, goal in the field of place management. To date, the tools and metrics available to urban place managers for measuring and tracking their progress in achieving this goal have been limited. This paper makes a case for the use of Importance-Satisfaction analysis as a tool for identifying gaps in residents' perceptions of the importance and their satisfaction with aspects of city life that drive and detract from their overall satisfaction. Application of the tool is illustrated through a survey of residents in Dunedin, New Zealand. As the results demonstrate, the usefulness of this analytical tool is its capability to assist urban place managers to identify and prioritise features of the city requiring attention and resources to enhance resident satisfaction. The intelligence generated through this approach can be used to aid in settling new residents and building place attachment among existing residents. Specifically, urban place managers can highlight the key drivers of satisfaction when communicating the city's appeal and identity to stakeholder audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas have long been of central interest to those concerned about the environment. Over recent decades, this interest has shifted from acquisitions and additions to the global protected area system, to concerns regarding their management and management effectiveness. This paper contributes to the growing interest among researchers and policy makers alike in developing and applying evaluation methods to report on the effectiveness of this management. We applied the recently developed World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) evaluation framework to two national parks in Australia to further contribute to our understanding both of the framework's usefulness and the effectiveness of visitor management. A specific focus on visitor management is a new addition to this framework, as is surveying both visitors and managers to provide evaluation data. The results showed that site management was effective in reducing visitor impacts. In contrast, the effectiveness of managing visitors themselves, specifically through providing information related to minimizing impacts, was less certain. The WCPA framework provides a practical basis for designing and undertaking evaluations of the effectiveness of visitor management, with such management being essential for the long-term sustainability of protected areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern school buildings in South Korea, which were until the 1990s typically designed with standardized and monotonous features based on drawings provided by the government, are shifting to more well-designed spaces under a student-centered approach in this more creative and imaginative era. The purpose of this study is to examine the renovation priorities of design features based on the preferences of architects and educators, paying particular attention to classroom design for enhancing students' spatial and aesthetic experiences. For this unusual approach, architects and school educator groups, who jointly plan the renovation of traditional classrooms, were surveyed on classroom design features and the spatial and aesthetic experiences of students. Forty-nine responses were analyzed using an importance–satisfaction analysis (ISA). The gap analysis for all respondents showed significant differences—a significance level of 0.05 between importance and satisfaction—in 31 design attributes in traditional and standardized classrooms. Both the architects and the school educator groups designated five attributes as being of the highest priority for the classroom renovations: ventilation, overall classroom shape, shape of furniture, floor material, and furniture material. Results of these analyses could become considerations for future classroom renovations by local governments to enhance educational environments. In addition, policy recommendations for applying the results of this study to be sustainable classroom renovation throughout South Korea could be an important topic of discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis that policy performance affects citizens' satisfaction with public policies could be considered a well-worn topic. However, this paper shows that the extant literature has not adequately conceptualized nor addressed the relationship, which could exist between citizens' satisfaction and importance of the evaluation's indicators. The findings of most previous studies reflect elite perspectives on Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) policy evaluation, and the importance of the evaluation's indicators may not be recognized by the public. In addition, previous satisfaction studies have not provided information on the level of evaluative indicator importance. This study utilized importance-satisfaction analysis to examine public preferences of the NHI policy and assigned weights for NHI policy evaluation indicators by administering a national phone survey in October 2009. A total of 1103 telephone interviews were conducted with people aged 20 years and older, comprising a sample that was representative of the Taiwanese population according to age, gender, and area of residence. Furthermore, to explore the difference between expected importance and perceived satisfaction, this study calculated a reconceptualized performance gap. To obtain the gap value for an indicator, the mean value for importance was subtracted from the mean value for satisfaction. The findings imply that public recognition and support constitute the premise for the successful operation and reform of the NHI policy. The study concludes that policy adjustment is needed in several areas where importance outweighed satisfaction, including access to medical care services and NHI efficiency. The results suggest public recognition of and satisfaction with the evaluation indicators in use and the need for policy adjustment in areas where importance outweighs satisfaction., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)