Asian Journal on Quality

Yeongsu Kim; Dong‐Kee Rhee; Sangsuk Lee

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051796

Purpose – This paper aims to answer the following question: do the customer behaviors in evaluating a product's quality converge in terms of low‐ and high‐context culture? The paper is designed to examine how customers in different cultural contexts recognize the quality of a product according to three quality recognition approaches; these are exchange, sign, and experience approaches. Design/methodology/approach – In order to verify whether the worldwide quality recognition methods were converging or diverging, almost 300 exchange students in South Korea were surveyed. The survey examined how the 20s perceive quality of a laptop, analyzing each approach individually in order to observe whether the quality recognition methods were converging. Especially, when examining the experience approach, the value was segregated into two parts: extrinsic and intrinsic value. Findings – It is found that only the experience approach is converging, which indicates that even within different degrees of cultural context, there are still cultural differences in quality recognition approaches. Research limitations/implications – Limitations such as limited product uses, dividing the nations simply into two groups which are Western and Eastern are evident in the study. More elaborative future studies are suggested including, dividing nations in terms of cultural context and using more products. Originality/value – This paper shows that the value recognition approaches are heterogeneous across cultures, and therefore more cultural‐based knowledge is required in cross‐cultural management.

Ruey‐Shin Chen; Yu‐Ming Chung; Chih‐Hung Tsai

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051804

Purpose – Currently, there is a lack of a unified standard in testing an intrusion detection system (IDS). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to focus on testing of the completeness, accuracy, and capability of Snort and Snorting. Design/methodology/approach – The experimentation and evaluation of the technology in network IDS are discussed in this paper. The calculated data and significance of the result were analyzed to provide significant information for future IDS modification. Findings – The testing report is crucial in providing important theory and experiment significance for the future designing of a better IDS software and other detection system. Originality/value – The paper expresses the function and ability to evaluate the performance of Snort in many different perspectives.

Young H. Park

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051813

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the management process considering risks and performances in developing new products. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides risk factors and performance factors based on literature reviews and then discusses risk and performance management processes during the product development period. Some lessons for effective risk management and performance measures are reported. Findings – The timing of risk management and performance measures is important to the impact level of performance. Practical implications – This proposed framework could be used as a basis for systematic management of R&D investment projects. Originality/value – The paper provides insights into the R&D committee's role in developing new products.

Jun Yong Xiang; Zhen He; Yung Ho Suh; Jae Young Moon; Ya Fen Liu

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051822

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the causal relationships among categories in the China Quality Award (CQA) model based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award model. Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies seven factors from CQA categories: leadership, strategic planning, human resource focus, process management, customer and market focus, information and analysis, and results. Extending the basic Baldrige theory “Leadership drives the system that creates results,” this paper identifies driver (leadership), direction (strategic planning), foundation (information and analysis), system (human resource focus, process management, and customer and market focus), and results(business results). Structural equation model (SEM) is used to analyze the empirical data and estimate the path coefficients among CQA categories. Findings – First, driver has not only a direct influence on results, but also has an indirect influence on results through system. Leadership has a great influence on foundation and direction. Second, direction affects human resource focus and customer and market focus of system while it has no influence on process management. Third, human resource focus and customer and market focus both affect process management, and process management has a significant impact on results. Fourth, foundation affects direction and all of the categories of system. Originality/value – There are few studies which try to analyze the causal relationships among categories in the CQA model.

Seongsu Kim; Soo Wook Kim

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051831

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find if there is an existing trade‐off between service quality and cost when strategies of low‐cost accommodation and uncompromised reduction are implemented. Design/methodology/approach – The model is designed on hand system dynamics, using Vensim™ software. It consists of a situation where no side effects are interrupting the result. The modeled service system is designed as two parts: a situation where five sorts of customer variables are introduced, continued by a situation where low‐cost accommodation and uncompromised reduction change the system. Findings – There is no typical trade‐off pattern between service quality and cost when implementing Frei's two solutions. Rather, the findings resulted in an almost conform line of quality curve so that the promotion of Frei's solutions can be interpreted as the result of cost reduction. Research limitations/implications – Owing to the use of simulation tools, it is still critical whether the result holds in the real world where various influences to the service system can exist. Originality/value – There are various papers regarding service quality and cost but not that much about managerial tools used in a service system. Aside from many statistically proofed papers, this paper uses system dynamics to simulate certain managerial tools for service when implemented into a system.

Jae‐Young Moon; Jun‐Sik Kwak

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051840

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to verify the difference in the effect of art‐parody and art‐infusion advertisements depending on the product type and regulatory focus, and to expand the boundary of research in the field. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines their effect depending on product type and regulatory focus through two experiments. One is the effect of art‐parody and art‐infusion advertisements by product type and the other is the effect of art‐parody and art‐infusion advertisements by regulatory focus. Findings – Art‐infusion is more effective than art‐parody for utilitarian products in terms of message credibility and brand attitude except for purchase intention although there is no difference between the two types for hedonic products. Participants with promotion focus favor art‐parody advertisement, while participants with prevention focus favor art‐infusion advertisement in terms of cognitive attitude toward advertisement. Research limitations/implications – This study is conducted as a part of research on art infusion, which is in the primitive stage of development. Therefore, it shall be possible to extend the boundary of research by applying a variety of marketing theories in the future. Originality/value – The results of this paper imply that the advertising technique must vary depending on the type of focus the target customer values.

Taeho Kim

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051859

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a scheme to estimate the technical efficiency of trucks engaged in logistics and to analyze the properties of efficiency. The objectives are to determine individual‐truck level technical efficiency using both radial and non‐radial measures for freight trucks, to calculate the degree of input overuse. Design/methodology/approach – Data envelopment analysis is employed in this paper because it does not require the assumption of the functional specification between input and output factors and also includes multiple outputs unlike stochastic frontier model. Data for empirical analysis in this paper come from a survey of truck drivers. Findings – The result of technical efficiency estimation shows that there exists a substantial opportunity for improvement in technical efficiency of trucks engaged in logistics and also the heterogeneity in the technical efficiency among trucks based on their capacity and age. For scale efficiency, it is also possible to confirm the existence of improvement opportunity and heterogeneity among truck and that trucks with large capacity are more scale‐efficient than those with small capacity. Originality/value – The paper analyzes the properties of technical efficiency scores of trucks engaged in logistics and finds some managerial insights which can help them improve their efficiency.

Yu‐Cheng Lee; Sheng‐Yen Huang; Chih‐Hung Tsai

2010 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681011051868

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish a product family that can satisfy various market needs and share design elements. Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies quality function development to understand the correlation between customer needs and product design. The priority sequence and correlation of these design elements will be determined using the interpretive structure model. Findings – This approach will reduce repeated design effort and reduce unnecessary cost and time. The designer can simultaneously and efficiently meet various market and customer needs. Originality/value – The company can open up more markets for greater profit and advantages. The paper uses “the market need and BIKE product redesign” as the example for the proposed approach.