Summary

This ebook contains 12 papers selected from the 16th QMOD-ICQSS conference: From LearnAbility and InnovAbility to SustainAbility. The first paper by Pantouvakis attempts to investigate the effects of market orientation (MO) and service quality (SQ) logic on business performance. The second paper by Gamme & Aschehoug looks at 2 case companies, to identify what these companies have experienced as important enablers and disablers in their lean implementation process. The following research questions are addressed: In what way(s) does lean contribute to greater operational integration? In what way(s) does lean hinder operational integration? In paper 3, Falkheimer describes and reflects upon strategic communication and its relevance for organizational development and the service sciences, while in the fourth contribution Senic & Marinkovic identify four dimensions of customer value: emotional value, social value, functional value and monetary value. They aim to determine the effects of the aforementioned values on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral intentions. Gremyr & Elg then examine the value of a developmental learning view on implementation of QM concepts, followed by a paper examining some of the considerations in the preparation of professionals for service quality and organizational excellence, by Professor T.N Goh. In paper 7, Saeedi et al look at the impacts of inward international licensing (IIL) on the absorptive capacity (ACAP) of SMEs in a developing economy, followed by a paper by Brown focusing on how organisations can benefit from adopting an organic paradigm of management to maximise the benefits of a quality and business excellence strategy. The purpose of the next paper by Ljungblom is to research the practice of ethics in Swedish health care organizations using Lean Management. This is followed by a contribution from Siverbo et al who first describe how the training of healthcare professionals in improvement work can be performed, and then evaluate potential changes in attitude as a result of the initiative. The next study by Booker and Tucker establishes suggested criteria by which push and pull elements can be utilized to streamline the much needed pedagogical process for mid-career professionals taking asynchronous online graduate classes. The final contribution in this issue is from Amorim & Saghezchi who investigate the existence of differences in service quality assessments across distinct retail store formats, addressing customers' quality assessments for physical aspects, personal interactions, reliability and policies dimensions in hypermarkets and supermarkets, to analyse the impacts for satisfaction and loyalty.