Driving competitive and organisational performance through operations management

The measurement instrument is defined as the device to be used in the assignment. The consultant proposed: (i) semi-structured in-depth interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire, which included several open-ended questions related to the overarching assignment questions; and (ii) unstructured in-person observations to include an understanding of: 1. What innovative approaches could be suggested to help KSA improve its after-sales service support in line with the strong principles of the Komatsu Way? 2. What areas should the PDC team focus on to enhance and maintain its competitive advantage in the stated target markets? The Delphi technique was used to test research questions with a group of people that are involved in the consulting project’s topic (Saunders & Lewis, 2018), together with setting up specific themes to explore different areas of interest. The purpose of the individual consulting project was to understand which approaches KSA could follow to improve its after-sales service support to enhance and maintain its competitive advantage in the market. To identify the core problem or problems in the company (internal or external), data was gathered and analysed via the application of diagnostic tools or methods used to gain insight into the problem area. In-depth face-to-face interviews were carried out with participants in which the questionnaire was used as the basis of the discussion (data was collected in the form of voice recordings). To record what is happening on a broader level, data was gathered through unstructured in-person observations (data was collected in the form of electronic notes). The consultant’s position of Warehouse Operations Manager within the organisation was leveraged to prevent the Hawthorne effect in which informants act differently because they are being observed. The consultant's identity was, therefore, not revealed during observations. Finally, additional insights into the performance of the contracted company's operations were gained by analyzing the KPIs and management reports of the operations division. The consultant gained permission at all times to collect data and communicate that participation in the assignment was voluntary and that the principle of informed consent was, where applicable, applied to each individual involved in the data collection process. The consultant protected the identity of the company and that of the individuals involved in the research by keeping information confidential in any stored data, reports, or publications that emanated from the consulting project. Confidentiality of participants and their data was assured by not reporting the names of individuals participating in the consulting project, and by storing any data without identifiers. Data collected in the form of voice recordings were transcribed by an independent transcriber and stored electronically. To protect the respondents’ confidentiality, the transcriber was required to sign an NDA. Similarly, data collected from observations were captured by the consultant and stored electronically.

测量工具被界定为用于任务分配的设备。顾问提出了以下建议：(i) 采用半结构化的深度访谈，通过半结构化问卷进行，其中包含与总体任务问题相关的若干开放式问题；(ii) 进行非结构化的面对面观察，以理解以下内容：1. 针对科马茨之道（Komatsu Way）的强原则，能够提出哪些创新方法来帮助KSA提升其售后服务支持？2. PDC团队应关注哪些领域以增强并维持其在既定目标市场中的竞争优势？顾问运用了德尔菲技术（Delphi technique）对一组参与咨询项目主题的人员进行调研问题测试（Saunders & Lewis, 2018），同时设定特定主题以探讨不同兴趣领域。个人咨询项目的目的是理解KSA可以遵循哪些途径来改善其售后服务支持，以增强并维持其在市场中的竞争优势。为了识别公司（内部或外部）的核心问题或问题，通过应用诊断工具或方法收集并分析了问题领域的数据。与参与者进行了深入的面对面访谈，其中问卷用作讨论的基础（数据以录音形式收集）。为了记录更广泛的层面上的情况，通过非结构化的面对面观察收集数据（数据以电子笔记形式收集）。顾问利用其在组织内部仓库运营经理的职位，防止了霍桑效应（Hawthorne effect），在该效应中，由于被观察，信息提供者的行为发生了变化。因此，在观察过程中，顾问的身份未被透露。最后，通过分析运营部门的KPI和管理报告，进一步获得了关于承包公司运营绩效的见解。顾问始终获得了收集数据的许可，并告知参与任务为自愿性质，并在适用的情况下，对每个参与数据收集过程的个人实施了知情同意原则。顾问通过保持存储数据、报告或由咨询项目产生的出版物中的信息保密，保护了公司和参与研究人员的身份。通过不报告参与咨询项目的个人姓名，并存储不带标识符的数据，确保了参与者和其数据的机密性。以录音形式收集的数据由独立的转录员转录并电子存储。为了保护受访者的机密性，转录员被要求签署保密协议（NDA）。类似地，从观察中收集的数据由顾问捕获并电子存储。