Productizing professional consultancy services modularly through service blueprinting: Case QPR Software

Services are getting more complex and difficult to manage, but much less attention and resources are directed towards service development than product development both in literature and business life. The paper sheds light on how productization together with modularization and service blueprinting would help make consultancy services more manageable, scalable and efficient while retaining their customer focus. The research was qualitative and based on active research and participant observation. A theoretical framework was constructed on the basis of relevant literature and was then evaluated in two steps: first the overall framework was evaluated by mirroring it to a real life case at QPR Software. Then a service blueprint was created of a selected service, and its benefits and challenges were evaluated. The framework reflected the case company's situation well. Service blueprinting proved to be a valuable tool for facilitating discussion and knowledge sharing. The characteristics of consultancy services provide many challenges for productization. They are highly heterogeneous and people-centric whereas productization is based on standardizing the offering, the delivery processes and managing the service's tangible properties. The research indicated that by modularizing services, both customer focus and standardization can be achieved by creating variety.

Service Blueprinting in Irregularity Service Improvement, case Swissport Finland Ltd

The trend of concentrating to core competencies leads to outsourcing of non-core activities. One such activity is logistics, where the responsibility is given to third-party service providers. This means the service provider acts as an intermediary between the buyer and the end customer. This thesis concentrates on depicting the operational environment of one such service provider, Swissport Finland Ltd, and the improvement of their checked baggage irregularity service. The tools used for this work were service blueprinting, an illustrative method for service mapping, and failure modes and effects analysis. The theoretical part of the thesis offers a framework for using these tools for logistics services, while the empirical part consists of a study mostly qualitative in nature. Action research method was used for the service improvement research. According to the results of this study the combination of service blueprinting and FMEA can be used successfully for irregularity service improvement. The most important result was an enhanced irregularity process that has been found to alleviate earlier problems.

Productizing professional marketing services through service blueprinting

The goal of this research is to study how knowledge-intensive business services can be productized by using the service blueprinting tool. As services provide the majority of jobs, GDP and productivity growth in Europe, their continuous development is needed for Europe to retain its global competitiveness. As services are turning more complex, their development becomes more difficult. The theoretical part of this study is based on researching productization in the context of knowledge-intensive business services. The empirical part is carried out as a case study in a KIBS company, and utilizes qualitative interviews and case materials. The final outcome of this study is an updated productization framework, designed for KIBS companies, and recommendations for the case company. As the results of this study indicate, productization expanded with service blueprinting can be a useful tool for KIBS companies to develop their services. The updated productization framework is provided for future reference.

Palvelun mallinnus apuna ikääntyneiden palveluiden hankinnassa

Palvelun mallinnus on kehitetty uusien ja jo olemassa olevien palveluiden innovointiin ja kehittämiseen. Sen tarkoituksena on luoda palvelusta visuaalinen kuvaus, eli palvelukartta. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia palvelun mallinnusta apuna ikääntyneiden palveluiden hankinnassa ja päätutkimuskysymyksenä on, miten ikääntyneiden palveluasumista voidaan mallintaa ja voidaanko mallinnuksen avulla verrata palvelua tarjouspyynnössä vaadittuun. Ikääntyneiden palveluista tutkittavaksi on valittu tehostettu palveluasuminen. Tutkimuskohteena on Espoon kaupunki ja sen tehostettua palveluasumista tarjoava palveluntuottaja, hoivakoti Villa Lauriina. Palveluntuottajan toiminnasta luodaan tutkielmassa palvelukartat, joita verrataan Espoon kaupungin palvelukonseptiin. Aineisto tutkielmaan on kerätty haastatteluilla sekä kyselytutkimuksella. Analysoinnin perusteella palvelun mallinnusta ei voi suoraan käyttää apuvälineenä palvelun vertaamisessa tarjouspyyntöön, tosin tuloksia ei voi yleistää, sillä kyselytutkimusta ei toteutettu tarpeeksi laajasti. Palvelun mallinnus on kuitenkin hyvä apuväline asiakas-lähtöisyyden korostamisessa palveluiden kehittämisessä ja hankinnassa.

Palvelun laatu tapahtumatuotantoyksikössä

Palvelun laatu on monimuotoinen asetelma, johon vaikuttavat palveluntarjoajan ja asiakkaan yhteistoiminta, kuten myös vuorovaikutustekijät. Kuitenkaan asiakasnäkökulmasta katsottuna palvelun laadun arviointi ei liity ainoastaan yhteen tekijään, vaan koko tuotantoprosessin aikana tapahtuviin asioihin, jota palveluntarjoaja ja asiakas yhdessä toteuttavat. Tämän tutkimuksen aihealue keskittyy siihen millainen on tapahtumatuotantoyksikön palvelun laatu, mitkä tekijät tähän vaikuttavat ja mitkä tekijät nousevat esille erityisen voimakkaina. Keskeisemmät teoriataustat liittyvät palvelun ja tavaratuotannon eroavaisuuksiin, palvelun prosessimaiseen luonteeseen, asiakasarvoon, sekä palvelun laadun eri näkökulmiin. Palvelun laatua tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan mallinnetun tapahtumatuotantoyksikön palveluprosessin myötä, jonka kuvaamiseen hyödynnetään Service Blueprinting tekniikkaa. Teoriaosuudessa keskitytään tarkastelemaan palvelun laadun erilaisia malleja, joiden myötä myös tämän tutkimuksen mittaamiselle saatiin luotua oma pohja. Tutkimuksen tiedonkeruumenetelmänä käytetään aineistotriangulaatiota. Tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa käytetään kvantitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää, kyselylomakkeen muodossa ja toisessa vaiheessa kvalitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää, teema- ja puolistrukturoidun haastattelun muodossa. Tutkimuksen tulokset kertovat tapahtumatuotantoprosessin palvelu laadun tilan, sekä siihen sisältyvät vahvuudet ja heikkoudet. Myös tapahtumatuotantotyöhön vaikuttavat palvelun laadun tekijät, tuotiin esille tutkimuksen kautta.

Elinkeinoyhtiön asiakaspalveluprosessien kuvaaminen ja kehittäminen

Diplomityön tavoitteena oli selkeyttää ja yhtenäistää case-yrityksen asiakaspalveluprosesseja kuvaamalla ne ja kehittämällä niitä. Case-yhtiönä oli seudullinen elinkeinoyhtiö, joka tarjoaa asiakkailleen tietointensiivisiä asiantuntija- ja neuvontapalveluita. Diplomityön lopputuloksena oli tarkoitus luoda yhtenäiset asiakaspalveluprosessimallit case-yritykselle. Tutkimuksessa vastattiin kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla kysymyksiin, kuinka asiakaspalveluprosesseja voidaan kehittää ja millä menetelmillä prosesseja voidaan kuvata. Tämän jälkeen tutkittiin, miten case-yritys voi kehittää asiakaspalveluprosessejaan soveltamalla näitä menetelmiä. Selvisi, että palveluprosessin kehittäminen edellyttää käytännössä palvelun tuotteistamista, joka voidaan jakaa kolmeen osa-alueeseen: 1) palvelun määrittäminen ja standardointi, 2) palvelun ja asiantuntijuuden aineellistaminen ja konkretisointi ja 3) prosessien ja metodien systematisointi ja standardisointi. Asiantuntijapalveluja on vaikea tai mahdoton standardoida sellaisenaan, mutta ne voidaan tuotteistaa modulaarisesti. Palveluprosessien systematisoimiseen sopivin työkalu on niiden kuvaaminen service blueprinting -menetelmällä. Tutkimus on laadultaan kvalitatiivinen kuvaileva tapaustutkimus. Tutkimuksen empiirisessä on käytetty aineistonhankintatapoina puolistrukturoitua kyselyä, teemahaastatteluja, osallistuvaa havainnointia ja dokumenttien tutkimista. Näiden aineistojen analysoinnin tuloksena saatiin case-yritykselle kehitettyä yhtenäinen malli yleisestä asiakaspalveluprosessista ja kuvattua keskeisimpien palvelujen asiakaspalveluprosessit service blueprinting -menetelmällä.

[principles Of Universality, Comprehensiveness And Equity In A Hearing Health Care Service].

This article analyzed whether the practices of hearing health care were consistent with the principles of universality, comprehensiveness and equity from the standpoint of professionals. It involved qualitative research conducted at a Medium Complexity Hearing Health Care Center. A social worker, three speech therapists, a physician and a psychologist constituted the study subjects. Interviews were conducted as well as observation registered in a field diary. The thematic analysis technique was used in the analysis of the material. The analysis of interviews resulted in the construction of the following themes: Universality and access to hearing health, Comprehensive Hearing Health Care and Hearing Health and Equity. The study identified issues that interfere with the quality of service and run counter to the principles of Brazilian Unified Health System. The conclusion reached was that a relatively simple investment in training and professional qualification can bring about significant changes in order to promote a more universal, comprehensive and equitable health service.

A retrospective study of Traumatic Dental Injuries in a Brazilian dental urgency service

Epidemiologic aspects of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) were evaluated in the permanent dentition in a sample of 847 patients treated at the Dental Urgency Service of the Dental School of the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil, between May 2000 and May 2008. The statistical treatment analyzed data from frequency distribution and chi-square test. The level of significance was set at 5% for all analyses. The results showed a higher incident among males (610; 72.01%) with mean age of 6-10 year-old. Uncomplicated crown fracture (without pulp exposure) (502; 26.95%), avulsion (341; 18.30%) and complicated crown fracture (with pulp exposure) (330; 17.71%) were the most prevalent TDI. The prevalence of trauma throughout the years showed proportionality, being observed a larger number of cases between July and September (249; 29.39%). The most affected teeth were the maxillary central incisors (65.65%), followed by the maxillary left lateral incisors (19.67%). In 311 participants (18.25%), only one tooth was involved, while in most patients (536; 81.75%), TDI occurred in more than one tooth. Significant proportion (82.27%) of traumatized teeth presented completely formed root apex. The main etiologic factors involved in TDI were falls (51.71%), traffic accidents (22.90%) and violence (5.67%). Based on the obtained data, it may be concluded that accurate policies of TDI prevention must be established, capable of stimulating the exposure of appropriate protocols for management of these lesions. The prevalence of TDI in Goiânia subpopulation is compared to the prevalence reported in epidemiological studies in others populations.

The Process of Simulation Authoring/Creation by Chemistry Teachers: A Service Learning Experience

Two case studies are presented to describe the process of public school teachers authoring and creating chemistry simulations. They are part of the Virtual Didactic Laboratory for Chemistry, a project developed by the School of the Future of the University of Sao Paulo. the documental analysis of the material produced by two groups of teachers reflects different selection process for both themes and problem-situations when creating simulations. The study demonstrates the potential for chemistry learning with an approach that takes students' everyday lives into account and is based on collaborative work among teachers and researches. Also, from the teachers' perspectives, the possibilities of interaction that a simulation offers for classroom activities are considered.

MODELING OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR WINE TRACEABILITY BASED ON A SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE

The purpose is to present a scientific research that led to the modeling of an information system which aimed at the maintenance of traceability data in the Brazilian wine industry, according to the principles of a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Since 2005, traceability data maintenance is an obligation for all producers that intend to export to any European Union country. Also, final customers, including the Brazilian ones, have been asking for information about food products. A solution that collectively contemplated the industry was sought in order to permit that producer consortiums of associations could share the costs and benefits of such a solution. Following an extensive bibliographic review, a series of interviews conducted with Brazilian researchers and wine producers in Bento Goncalves - RS, Brazil, elucidated many aspects associated with the wine production process. Information technology issues related to the theme were also researched. The software was modeled with the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and uses web services for data exchange. A model for the wine production process was also proposed. A functional prototype showed that the adopted model is able to fulfill the demands of wine producers. The good results obtained lead us to consider the use of this model in other domains.

Application of the essential work of fracture method in ranking the performance in service of high-density polyethylene resins employed in pressure pipes

High-density polyethylene resins have increasingly been used in the production of pipes for water- and gas-pressurized distribution systems and are expected to remain in service for several years, but they eventually fail prematurely by creep fracture. Usual standard methods used to rank resins in terms of their resistance to fracture are expensive and non-practical for quality control purposes, justifying the search for alternative methods. Essential work of fracture (EWF) method provides a relatively simple procedure to characterize the fracture behavior of ductile polymers, such as polyethylene resins. In the present work, six resins were analyzed using the EWF methodology. The results show that the plastic work dissipation factor, beta w(p), is the most reliable parameter to evaluate the performance. Attention must be given to specimen preparation that might result in excessive dispersion in the results, especially for the essential work of fracture w(e).

Expo 1988 Information Service Centre, Brisbane

View to service centre during Expo 1988.

Perceptions of mental health service delivery among staff and Indigenous consumers: it's still about communication

Objective: A needs analysis was undertaken to determine the quality and effectiveness of mental health services to Indigenous consumers within a health district of Southern Queensland. The study focussed on identifying gaps in the service provision for Indigenous consumers. Tools and methodologies were developed to achieve this. Method: Data were collected through the distribution of questionnaires to the target populations: district health service staff and Indigenous consumers. Questionnaires were developed through consultation with the community and the Steering Committee in order to achieve culturally appropriate wording. Of prime importance was the adaptation of questionnaire language so it would be fully understood by Indigenous consumers. Both questionnaires were designed to provide a balanced perspective of current mental health service needs for Indigenous people within the mental health service. Results: Results suggest that existing mental health services do not adequately meet the needs of Indigenous people. Conclusions: Recommendations arising from this study indicate a need for better communication and genuine partnerships between the mental health service and Indigenous people that reflect respect of cultural heritage and recognises the importance of including Indigenous people in the design and management of mental health services. Attention to the recommendations from this study will help ensure a culturally appropriate and effective mental health service for Indigenous consumers.