Mystery shopping programmes and human resource management
Mystery shopper programmes are defined as a tool for evaluating and improving customer service. The development and implementation of a mystery shopper programme is discussed as a sequence of related steps closely linked to human resource management and employee involvement. The process begins with setting the objectives of the programme and ends with rewarding behaviour and implementing change. Employee participation is seen as paramount to the success of the programme in all stages of its development. This involvement avoids shoppers being seen as spies by employees. Employees need to know what points they will be evaluated on and the expected company standards of performance. The results of shopping programmes should be used to provide diagnostic information on service delivery rather than as performance appraisals of individual employees.
From Brussels to Brabant: delivering public value by implementing e-Government in a multilevel setting
In 2006, the European Parliament agreed to the 'Services Directive', which aims to develop the internal services market in the European Union. This directive requires member states to simplify services and adapt online portals, which facilitate European interoperability for eGovernment services. This article trails the translation of this requirement from Brussels to The Hague, where the services portal was built under the name 'Berichtenbox voor Bedrijven' or Message Box-system, and to the Brabant province where municipalities implemented the portal to improve communications between businesses and state. It presents the findings of a mystery shopping research in which we contacted all 67 Brabant municipalities through the MB-system with a request for information on permits. We describe how the original requirements from the European 'Service Directive' have gone lost "in translation" and that national government, municipalities as well as businesses do not utilize the services as was intended. We conclude by discussing necessary preconditions for creating public value by developing and implementing eGovernment services in a multi-level polity.
Computer Simulation Modeling
Computer simulation as a research methodology is presented as the intersection of modeling, simulation, and computer analysis. Five component parts of simulation models are identified: input variables, output variables, assumptions, algorithms, and parameters. Computer simulation (CSM) has two primary uses for those interested in the study of organizations or who work within them: theory development and policy planning. The advantages and disadvantages of CSM for each of these purposes are examined and recent examples for each are explored.