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Traditional data-driven feature selection techniques for extracting important attributes are often based on the assumption of maximizing the overall classification accuracy. However, the selected attributes are not always meaningful for practical problems. So, we need additional confirmation from the experts in the domain knowledge to determine whether these extracted features are meaningful knowledge. Moreover, due to advances in mobile devices and wireless environments, programmatic buying (PB) has become one of the critical consumer behaviors in e-commerce. However, it is extremely difficult for PB service providers to build customers' loyalty, since PB customers require a high level of service quality and can quickly shift the purchases from one website to another. Previous studies developed various dimensions/models to measure the service quality of PB; nevertheless, they did not identify the key factors for increasing customers' loyalty and satisfaction. Consequently, this study used an importance–satisfaction (IS) model as domain knowledge and proposed a new IS-DT feature selection method. This new IS-DT method combined the IS model and the decision tree (DT) algorithm to extract useful service quality factors for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty in PB. An actual case was also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. The results showed that for increasing customer satisfaction, the highest impact factors included "problem solving", "punctuality", "valence", and "ease of use"; for building customer loyalty, the most important factors were "expertise", "problem solving", "information", "single column", "voice guidance", "QR code", "situation", "tangibles", "assurance", "entertainment", and "safety". Our IS-DT method can effectively determine important service quality factors in programmatic buying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of international visiting scholars engaged in research and teaching at institutions of higher education in the United States has increased significantly over the past two decades. While there is an extensive body of literature dedicated to understanding the acculturation process of international students, very little research has focused on the experiences of visiting scholars at their host institution. Using the importance-satisfaction model as a conceptual framework, this study investigates the experiences of over 100 international visiting scholars at a mid-sized university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. Specifically, it examines the importance and satisfaction ratings of various aspects of their program across ten different dimensions of institutional experience. Analyses from the present research reveal gaps in service quality, indicating areas where additional resources and improvement in support and services might be needed. Implications for university administrators and host departments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2020, there will be 2.36 million natural villages in China, with more than 500 million people living in them. Although China's 2018 "National Rural Revitalization Strategy" has clarified the importance of the rural environment, the sustainability of living environments in rural settlements is generally ignored. However, current renovation work is implemented as per the same set of standards and is not sufficient to reach the highest satisfaction levels and sustainable development because the optimal renovation indicators are not selected according to local conditions. To address these issues, this work carried out a series of literature reviews and expert interviews to propose indicators applicable to the sustainable renovation of living environments in rural settlements in China. The questionnaire survey was conducted in a typical Chinese village in order to verify the feasibility of this decision model. Furthermore, the Kano model was organically combined with the importance–satisfaction (IS) model from the villagers' point of view to establish a model analyzing the optimal indicators of the sustainable renovation. The results show that this model determines the priority of elements that need to be improved or maintained, based on which village administrators can make better management decisions and which government managers can invest limited government resources in key sectors, thus creating sustainable living environments in rural settlements and enhancing the satisfaction of villagers. It is suggested that the opinions of village administrators and planners be considered to optimize this model further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional data-driven feature selection techniques for extracting important attributes are often based on the assumption of maximizing the overall classification accuracy. However, the selected attributes are not always meaningful for practical problems. So, we need additional confirmation from the experts in the domain knowledge to determine whether these extracted features are meaningful knowledge. Moreover, due to advances in mobile devices and wireless environments, programmatic buying (PB) has become one of the critical consumer behaviors in e-commerce. However, it is extremely difficult for PB service providers to build customers’ loyalty, since PB customers require a high level of service quality and can quickly shift the purchases from one website to another. Previous studies developed various dimensions/models to measure the service quality of PB; nevertheless, they did not identify the key factors for increasing customers’ loyalty and satisfaction. Consequently, this study used an importance–satisfaction (IS) model as domain knowledge and proposed a new IS-DT feature selection method. This new IS-DT method combined the IS model and the decision tree (DT) algorithm to extract useful service quality factors for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty in PB. An actual case was also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method. The results showed that for increasing customer satisfaction, the highest impact factors included “problem solving”, “punctuality”, “valence”, and “ease of use”; for building customer loyalty, the most important factors were “expertise”, “problem solving”, “information”, “single column”, “voice guidance”, “QR code”, “situation”, “tangibles”, “assurance”, “entertainment”, and “safety”. Our IS-DT method can effectively determine important service quality factors in programmatic buying.

By 2020, there will be 2.36 million natural villages in China, with more than 500 million people living in them. Although China’s 2018 “National Rural Revitalization Strategy” has clarified the importance of the rural environment, the sustainability of living environments in rural settlements is generally ignored. However, current renovation work is implemented as per the same set of standards and is not sufficient to reach the highest satisfaction levels and sustainable development because the optimal renovation indicators are not selected according to local conditions. To address these issues, this work carried out a series of literature reviews and expert interviews to propose indicators applicable to the sustainable renovation of living environments in rural settlements in China. The questionnaire survey was conducted in a typical Chinese village in order to verify the feasibility of this decision model. Furthermore, the Kano model was organically combined with the importance–satisfaction (IS) model from the villagers’ point of view to establish a model analyzing the optimal indicators of the sustainable renovation. The results show that this model determines the priority of elements that need to be improved or maintained, based on which village administrators can make better management decisions and which government managers can invest limited government resources in key sectors, thus creating sustainable living environments in rural settlements and enhancing the satisfaction of villagers. It is suggested that the opinions of village administrators and planners be considered to optimize this model further.

Determining customer needs and ensuring customer satisfaction are very important and essential issues in educational services. The factors which cause this dissatisfaction must be determined and the necessary arrangements must be constructed to achieve these goals. In this study, the correct selection of quality factors and determination of priorities for improvement are aimed in the education sector. Taguchi's statistical experimental design method is used to identify and rank the factors affecting the quality to be improved by using importance-satisfaction model to measure the quality of educational services. First, a questionnaire assessing satisfaction of the education services is applied to 26 students studying in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Süleyman Demirel University and then it is asked them to evaluate the degree of education for the crucial importance of service quality factors which are asked in the earlier survey. After determining the factors to be improved by using the importance-satisfaction model, 4 critical factors to be urgently improved are determined with the Taguchi method by using a second survey asking to 12 students whether or not these factors be in the survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the deficiency research of service quality by integrating the importance-satisfaction model (I-S model) and the performance control matrix to provide a more comprehensive assessment model for improving specific quality attributes. The study applies this integrated measuring instrument in a Taiwanese high-tech industry by using a questionnaire survey of production-line employees to assess importance and satisfaction in their capacity as internal customers of the company. The study thus identifies and prioritizes quality attributes that require improvement. The findings are significant for service providers because they take into account: (i) the relative importance of quality attributes; (ii) the relative satisfaction level of these attributes; and (iii) the resources available for improvement. The study demonstrates that the I-S model and the performance control matrix, taken together, provide an excellent measuring instrument for assessing priorities for quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study addresses the problem of service quality in the banking industry by modifying an importance-satisfaction (I-S) model in order to develop an integrated performance-measurement model for the banking industry, which would enable the priority of items for improvement to be determined. An importance and satisfaction questionnaire has been provided to determine which items do not fall into the appropriate performance-control zone of the performance-control matrix of the model. The performance-control matrix index provided enables the value of certain improvement objectives to be calculated. Finally, quality loss function is then adopted to rank the improvement objectives in terms of priority. A case study of a Taiwanese bank is then presented to demonstrate the applicability of the model in practice. The study thus presents a complete assessment model that helps managers to identify items for improvement, while simultaneously promoting cost and time efficiencies in service processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kano's model of five categories of quality attributes – attractive, one-dimensional, must-be, indifferent, and reverse quality – is widely used by industries and researchers. However, the model has a deficiency that prevents firms from precisely evaluating the influences of quality attributes. The weakness is a failure to take account of the degree of importance accorded to certain quality elements by customers. Kano's model can be refined. The present study adds the importance of quality attributes and, in so doing, the refined model divides Kano's first four categories into eight categories – highly attractive and less attractive, high value-added and low value-added, critical and necessary, and potential and care-free. Based on the refined model, firms can obtain a more accurate understanding of the quality attributes from the customer's perspective, and can thus make more precise quality decisions. In addition to modifying Kano's model, the present study also develops an importance–satisfaction (I–S) model. By integrating the refined Kano's model and the I–S model firms can gather even more valuable information on quality decisions. The refined Kano's model and the I–S model are illustrated with a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]