Comparative Analysis of Customer Value Dimensions

Authors

  • Meysam Maleki UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Eduard Shevtshenko Tallinn University of Technology
  • Virgilio Cruz-Machado UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.5.3241

Keywords:

customer value, comparative analysis, quality, cost, time, customization, know-how, respect for the environment

Abstract

In the current research six dimensions of customer value, namely: quality, cost, time, customization, know-how, and respect for the environment are analyzed in the following industries: automotive, electronics, furniture, food, clothing, and pharmaceutical industry. The research uses inductive approach in which a theory is emerged from the empirical data and observations. The data collection phase benefits from a trade-off based design questionnaire, which was used to collect the comparative data from end customers for each pair of customer value dimension. Due to the pair-wise format of collected data, Friedman test is employed in data analysis phase, in order to prove the validity of dataset in generating meaningful results. Findings are categorized for each dimension of customer value, where the importance of each dimension in comparison with others is discussed. The study results in customer value coefficient for each value dimension in each industry. The proposed coefficient clarifies the priority of value dimensions in different industries based on the dataset. This coefficient enables practitioners to list the corresponding industry customer values in order of importance and support the decision making process in trade-off situation, when improvement of one customer value dimension causes in reduction of the others. The developed coefficient quantitatively states how to sacrifice one and improve another dimension in favour of customer value. In a nut shell, the authors suggest to apply the customer value coefficient for the analysis of customer preferences when trade-off among value dimensions is involved.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.5.3241

Author Biographies

Meysam Maleki, UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

Meysam Maleki is researcher in UNIDEMI -R&D Unit in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering- which is a research center at faculty of science and technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal. Meysam keeps interest on variety of industrial engineering areas such as supply chain management, integration modelling, and comparative analysis methods.

Virgilio Cruz-Machado, UNIDEMI, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

V. Cruz-Machado holds a Ph.D. in CIM (Cranfield University, UK). He is full professor of industrial engineering at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal. He coordinates post-graduate programs in industrial engineering, project and lean management. He teaches operations and production management and has published more than 150 papers in scientific journals and conferences, in addition to having supervised fifty MSc and Ph.D. students. His main scientific activities are directed to the design of lean supply chains. He is the president of UNIDEMI (R&D Unit in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) and the president of the IIE Portugal Chapter.

Additional Files

Published

2013-12-11

Issue

Section

COMMERCE OF ENGINEERING DECISIONS