Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Pham, Duong Thuy
• Jaaron, Ayham A. M.

Titel

Design for Mass Customisation in Higher Education: a Systems-Thinking Approach

Ist Teil von

• Systemic practice and action research, 2018-06, Vol.31 (3), p.293-310

Ort / Verlag

New York: Springer US

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Quelle

SpringerNature Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The point of this research is to investigate the impact of systems-thinking principles (Seddon 2003 ) on operationalising the ‘mass customisation’ capability of student services in higher education institutions. The research empirically contributes to student-service mass customisation in higher education through the findings of a case study conducted at the admission and academic registry service department of one of the UK’s leading universities. A qualitative methodology was employed with the use of semi-structured interviews, focus group, observations, and documentation supplements. It was found that the principles of systems-thinking are positively related to enhancement of mass customisation capability through the realisation of three different levels of service mass customisation determinants. These three levels are: employee level (i.e. micro determinants); operational level (i.e. meso determinants); and functional level (i.e. macro determinants). A conceptual model was developed to explain the relationships among these three organisational levels, supported by empirical evidences. The value of this paper is the introduction of a conceptual model that could operationalise ‘mass customisation’ in universities by integrating human resources, operational and functional dimensions in a systematic design to deliver customised services for students as individuals.