WSU Professor Wins Quality Management Literature Prize in Japan
Weber State University professor of supply chain management Shane Schvaneveldt recently was honored for research with colleagues in Japan that examines the relationship between perceived quality, customer satisfaction and market share.Their research paper, “A Cross-country Comparison of the
Mechanisms Relating Customer Satisfaction and Market Share,”received the 2013 Nikkei Quality Management Literature Prize from the Deming Prize Committee in Japan.Schvaneveldt, who received his Ph.D. at the Tokyo Institute of Technology before joining the faculty of the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics at WSU, is a co-author of the award-winning paper that was written in Japanese and published in the Journal of the Japanese Society for Quality Control.
The researcher found the relationships between perceived quality, customer satisfaction and market share to be more complicated than one might suppose.
“By analyzing data from eight industries in eight different countries, we identified several contexts that affect the relationship between customer satisfaction and market share,” Schvaneveldt said. “By better understanding the factors that drive customer satisfaction, organizations can do a better job of serving their customers and achieving business success over the long run.”
The Deming Prize is named after W. Edwards Deming, the American quality guru who is credited with jump-starting Japan’s quality revolution in the decades following World War II, which led to recognition of Japanese industry as the global benchmark for quality and productivity. The Nikkei Quality Management Literature Prize is awarded by the Deming Prize Committee for research and other publications that advance the body of knowledge and practice in the field of quality management. Established in the 1950s, the Deming Prize is widely recognized as a key driver behind the success of Japan’s quality movement.
“It’s very exciting to share in this award from the Deming Prize Committee, because Deming is a hero to me and others in the quality management field,” Schvaneveldt said.
Jeff Steagall, dean of the College of the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics said Schvaneveldt’s receipt of Japan’s top prize for quality management literature is just the latest accomplishment of his stellar career.
“Utahns should know that we have several globally-recognized scholars like him teaching classes in the Goddard School,” Steagall said.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
- Cozette Jenkins, office of University Communications
801-626-7948 • cozettejenkins@weber.edu - Contact:
- Shane Schvaneveldt, supply chain management professor
801-626-6075 • schvaneveldt@weber.edu