The Digitization of Public Services and Its Contribution to the Quality of Service in Relation to User Satisfaction

In recent years, some governments have been working on solutions to transform public administrations and provide high-quality services to users. The United Nations has recommended integrating digital technology into various aspects of life, including public services. The objective is to offer real-time, high-quality digital services, improve the delivery of public services, enhance their effectiveness and efficiency, while achieving objectives such as transparency, interoperability and citizen satisfaction. However, most governments in developing countries are unable to keep up with this trend. As a result, they often create digital public services that fall short of users’ expectations. This study aims to identify the fundamental factors influencing the quality of service in relation to user satisfaction and to explore the relevance of digital technology in implementing this quality within Cameroon public administrations. To achieve this, we used a qualimetric research method, which included non-directive interviews, questionnaires, and structured observations. The results showed that the public services offered in our study environment did not meet users’ expectations. However, the study identified the fundamental aspects to be considered in providing quality public services connected to user satisfaction, as well as the strengths of digitization in achieving this quality.

Fuzzy Analysis and Evaluation of Public Transport Service Quality: A Case Study of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Urban public transport plays a critical role in stimulating economic development of any nation since most of the revenues come from cities. The majority of the city dwellers of any country use public transport. The evaluation of public transport service quality provides a valuable feedback to commuter operators to ensure continuous improvement of level of service and to the government to take appropriate measures for enhancing the quality of public transport service. This paper analyses and evaluates service quality of Road Public Transport (RPT) (i.e. minibuses and buses) and Urban Rail Transport (URT) in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. Since service quality and its attributes are intangible and vague, a fuzzy evaluation model is developed and applied. The formulated model is composed of Fuzzy Entropy Method (FEM) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The overall evaluation procedure is as follows: initially, an intensive literature search and experts’ opinions are employed to establish criteria for evaluating the service quality of public transport in Dar es Salaam City. The developed FEM is used to obtain criteria weight. Lastly, the formulated TOPSIS is used to provide an overall ranking of urban public transport service quality. The overall evaluation shows that urban rail transport outperforms road public transport in terms of service quality. Nevertheless, the urban rail transport service in Dar es Salaam City is currently not well developed as it is provided on very limited routes. Thus, the Tanzania government, the rail transport operator i.e. Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) and the agency responsible for the provision of rail infrastructure i.e. Reli Assets Holding Company (RAHCO) are advised to design and employ Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) schemes i.e. concession contracts to invest more in rolling stocks, locomotives and rail wagons so that the rail transport service is available on many routes of the road public transport to bring fair competition between the two operators.

An Evaluation Scale of Medical Services Quality Based on “Patients' Experience”

An evaluation scale of medical services quality was developed on the basis of ＂patients＇ experience＂. The questionnaires were developed by, among others, searching relevant literature, col- lecting well-established assessment scales, measuring patients＇ experience and satisfaction, brain-storming, literature analysis. Delphi method was adopted for expert consultation. Scale items were screened and revised. The key indexes were converted. Field surveys were conducted for testing the reliability and validity of the scale. Our modified evaluation scale for measuring medical services quality based on ＂patients＇ experience＂ included 6 dimensions （tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and continuity）, and 50 items. The novel scale based on ＂patients＇ experience＂ may better serve the purpose of assessin~ medical services quality.

SERVQUAL Model Based Evaluation Analysis of Railway Passenger Transport Service Quality in China

Railway is the backbone of Chinese transportation system,but its poor quality of services for passengers cause complains now and then.This study first analyzed the influencing factors of service quality on railway passenger,and its quality characteristics was also explained,and finally we proposed an evaluation system of service quality on railway passenger transport.Through the statistical analysis and processing of the basic information from survey data from railway station,trains and the official website of the ticket purchase,the evaluation score of question naire was converted into the score in evaluation index system,which was based on SERVQUAL model.Finally,the evaluation index system was applied to the field test,and all levels of indicators and the overall evaluation of railway passenger transport service quality was obtained.The relevant results show that the evaluation model of this study is concise and practical,and the method has certain practicability and promotion value,which is beneficial to the department of management supervision in railway transportation.

The Role of Health Inequality in the Maternal Health Services Provided by Public Institutions in Mexico

This work aims to determine the role of inequality in the provision of maternal health services among five regions in Mexico (northwest, northeast, central, the Mexico City-State of Mexico region and the south). We consider the most important service providers corresponding to the main health institutions in Mexico (IMSS, ISSSTE, SESAS, IMSS-Oportunidades). Therefore, a cross-sectional prospective study was conducted to analyze eight intervention packages (Prenatal Care, Syphilis, Influenza, Obstetric Urgent Care, HIV in pregnancy, delivery care, neonatal care and accessibility) offered by the Maternal and Perinatal Health (MPH) program. A quantitative analysis demonstrates low to marginal performance of the MPH program in three regions (South, Mexico City-State of Mexico and the Northwest) and marginal in two other regions (Central and Northeast). Furthermore, four of the intervention packages presented the lowest performance in the South (Prenatal Care, Syphilis, Influenza and Obstetric Urgent Care), as did the average of the total of the MPH packages. The performance of HIV in Pregnancy package was marginal in the Southern and Mexico City-State of Mexico regions and Neonatal Care was low in the Northwest. The assessment of the MPH intervention packages allows us to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This information allows us to identify similarities and differences among the geographical regions in order to describe and analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the current system and hence to improve the decision making regarding the Maternal and Perinatal Health Programs in Mexico. The results suggest that a homogenization has taken place in terms of the low quality of the services.

Study on Performance Evaluation System of Chinese Public Service Enterprises

Based on characteristics analysis of performance evaluation for Chinese public service enterprises, to set up a new index system of performance evaluation by combining KPI index and BSC index. According to the complexity of the public service enterprises, to introduce Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation Model, DEA Evaluation Model, and a dynamic evaluation model with characteristics of incentive （punishment）, and integrate the advantages for the performance evaluation system to provide technical support and make reasonable modification to the evaluation results.

Based on the Construction of University Library and the Evaluation of Space Service Quality

In order to strengthen the construction of university library,promote the sustainable development of university library,and provide a good library space environment for university students,this paper expounds the quality evaluation of university library by establishing the evaluation index of space service quality,and puts forward the ways to improve the service quality of University Library for reference.

Quality Evaluation of Urban Pseudo Habitat Environments Based on the Degree of Public Praise from dianping.com:A Case Study of Liaoning Province

Due to the continuous development of information technology, people's perception of real life is more based on the information acquired on the real environment with the help of various media, rather than intuition. Based on priority evaluation data obtained from dianping.com(Liaoning Province), and the established criteria for assessing pseudo habitat environment quality, this study uses the entropy method to calculate and rank the comprehensive score of each merchant's word-of-mouth evaluation. It analyzes the spatial pattern and differentiation characteristics of pseudo environment quality, as well. Results show that:(1) The overall quality scores of the pseudo living environment in southern, central, and northern Liaoning are higher than those in eastern and western area. The pseudo habitat environment quality score of coastal cities is relatively higher than that of inland cities; and that of cities with high resource depletion is lower.(2) Parent-child activity, learning and training, and sports & health have significant impact, whereas hotels and peripheral tours have less impact on the pseudo habitat environment quality in Liaoning province. The overall pseudo habitat environment quality score of a city is inversely proportional to the total scores of various indicators in the city.(3) The spatial distribution of pseudo habitat quality in Liaoning Province shows a "saddle" structure. The spatial heterogeneity of the pseudo habitat environment in central and northern Liaoning areas is larger than that in eastern, western, and southern areas of Liaoning. The degree of quality of the pseudo habitat environment is proportional to the size of its spatial differentiation degree in total.

Research on the evaluation of e-service quality in libraries

Based on the research of theories and practices related to quality evaluation of electronic services(e-services) from both home and abroad and through multiple rounds of surveys and analyses,this article proposed an evaluation indicator system for Chinese libraries.A survey was carried out on the e-services of Shanxi Provincial Library by using SERVQUAL model.Based on the survey data,the article evaluated and analyzed the quality of Shanxi Provincial Library's e-services by means of quadrant analysis,and put forward solutions and suggestions accordingly.

Evaluating patients' perception of service quality at hospitals in nine Chinese cities by use of the ServQual scale

Objective: To investigate patients' perception of service quality at hospitals in nine Chinese cities and propose some measures for improvement. Methods: The ServQ ual scale method was used in a survey involving patients at out-patient and in-patient facilities in Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Nanning, Guilin and Laibin of Guangxi, Honghezhou of Yunnan, Wulumuqi of Xinjiang and Zhongshan of Guangdong. The data collected were entered and analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, factor analyses, reliability analyses, product-moment correlations, independent-sample t-tests, One-way ANOVA and regression analyses. Results: The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value for the factor analysis of the scale was 0.979. The Cronbach's α for the reliability analysis was 0.978. All the Pearson correlation coei cients were positive and statistically signii cant. Visitors to out-patient facilities reported more positive perception tacilities on tangibles(t = 4.168, P(t = 1.979, P <han visitors to in-patient f 0.05). Patients of 60 years of age and above reported mor< 0.001) and reliability e positive perception th<an those between 40 and 49 on reliability(F = 3.311, P = 0.010), assurances(F = 2.751, P 0.05) and empathy(F = 4.009, P = 0.003). For the i ve dimensions of the scale, patients in Laibin, Guangxi reported the most positive perceived service quality, followed by patients in Shanghai. On the other hand, patients in Chongqing and Nanning and Guilin of Guangxi reported relatively poor perceptions of service quality. Standardized regression coei cients showed statistically significant(P < 0.001) positive values for all Serv Qual dimensions. Empathy(β = 0.267) and reliability(β uality. = 0.239) most strongly predicted perception of service qConclusions: Chinese patients perceived service quality as satisfactory. Hospitals in various regions of China should enhance their awareness and ability to serve their patients.

A multidimensional and hierarchical model of library mobile service quality

Purpose:Based on the understanding of the characteristics of mobile services(m-services)provided by libraries,we attempt to develop a multidimensional and hierarchical model and a specifically designed measurement scale for the assessment of libraries' m-service quality.Design/methodology/approach:The research has been conducted sequentially in two stages.At the first stage,a multidimensional and hierarchical model of library m-service quality and a measurement scale are developed through literature review and focus group interviews.At the second stage the model is tested using partial disaggregation technique for an analysis of the data collected from over 400 library users in 3 Chinese universities.Findings:The proposed model is shown to fit the data well.The empirical analysis provides strong support for the model,which includes 4 dimensions(service environment,service interaction,information control and service effect) and 12 corresponding sub-dimensions.Research limitations:The sample size needs to be enlarged and the user types need to be expanded to make the sample more representative.Practical implications:The study provides a conceptual framework and measurement tool that can help library managers understand the users' needs in the context of mobile network environment,and boost their libraries' competitiveness by carrying out better services to meet the user demands.Originality/value:The proposed model and measurement scale specifically designed for the assessment of libraries' m-service quality fully reflect the hierarchical structure of libraries' m-service quality.In addition,by using partial disaggregation technique for model testing,we believe our research can serve as a practical reference to those engaged in the development and examination of a multidimensional and hierarchical model.

Dependability in Future Battle Network System —Transport Layer Ability to Maintain Quality of Service

Modernization of armies is a constant process and is driven by intuitive fact that those who do not modernize will become extinct. In last five decades, the development of modern armies has taken place around Colonel John Boyd’s theory of OODA loop that deals with information superiority. Building a robust, mobile and capable network that could provide for novel appliances and information superiority is the main challenge which modernizers are facing. Network, suitable for future combat operations, and able to transport a vast amount of information on a battlefield, is expensive to build. Every mistake in design and the need to correct those mistakes could halt development in an army for years. Therefore, system dependability analysis during system design phase is needed. In this report, the concept of a future Battle Network System is described. The Report evaluates operational environment of BNS and possible failure reasons of the service, and illustrates the change in BNS Quality of Service due to probable transport layer errors. This paper describes the method of testing the concept of proposed network systems on the drawing board, and emphasizes design points for a new system. Nevertheless, the proposed method is by no means conclusive. Rather, it describes an engineering approach to define the main problems while creating MANET-based networking systems.

Importance-performance analysis: Revisiting a tool for the evaluation of clinical services

The importance-performance analysis method (IPA) is used in market research in order to measure the level of customer satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate and highlight the use of IPA as a management tool to measure quality of dental services. We suggest that this method can be easily implemented in a dental educational setting, as a performance outcome measure that includes patient input. The study was conducted in a dental service through a valid questionnaire, SERVQUAL. This instrument explores levels of service quality perceived by patients. It was conducted in four companies in Brazil in 2011 (derived from different industry segments;two from textiles, one from hospital care and the other from the manufacturing industry) in two States (S?o Paulo and Minas Gerais). These companies were covered by the same dental managed care organization which contracted with independent dentists to provide care. The study was divided into two stages: the first, in which beneficiaries answered the questionnaire prior to receiving dental treatment, and the second when the same beneficiaries answered after completing their dental treatment. Data obtained from SERVQUAL generated graphs that were used to characterize the IPA matrix using several dimensions of care. The Assurance Dimension had the highest average in both expectation and perception. The Reliability dimension showed the value of the most negative GAP among the dimensions, and the best value occurred in the Responsiveness dimension. The IPA tool may be effective in Dental Medicine since it highlights the key points to be improved in the delivery of dental services in a clinical setting.

How do Users Evaluate Service Quality of the Dockless Bicycle Sharing System?

In order to improve the public transit’s accessibility and promote service quality of the public transit,it is necessary to alleviate the“last⁃mile”problem.The combination of the public transit and bicycle⁃sharing system is competitive compared with the private car.In 2016,the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system has been undergoing tremendous development.Because the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system is different from previous bicycle⁃sharing systems,components of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system differ.However,there are few articles about the service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system.This paper examined the evaluation of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system along with a measurement of users’satisfaction.A questionnaire about service quality was designed,which includes 15 factors.Through the analysis of travelers’evaluation of factors of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system with Rasch Model,these original ordinal data(Likert data)was transformed to the interval data:the person parameter(ability)and the item parameter(difficulty).Through the analysis of interviewees’abilities,it was found that only education and monthly consumption have significant influence on interviewees’evaluation of service quality of the dockless bicycle⁃sharing system,while there is no significant influence of gender,weekly use of dockless shared⁃bicycle,private car ownership,or monthly income on the evaluation.Furthermore,it was found that users were dissatisfied with cycling under the adverse weather,disturbance from pedestrians and cars,continuity of the bicycle lane,complaint channel,and staff service the most.

Network Coding and Quality of Service for Mobile <i>Ad Hoc</i>Networks

Network Coding is a relatively new forwarding paradigm where intermediate nodes perform a store, code, and forward operation on incoming packets. Traditional forwarding approaches, which employed a store and forward operation, have not been able to approach the limit of the max-flow min-cut throughput wherein sources transmitting information over bottleneck links have to compete for access to these links. With Network Coding, multiple sources are now able to transmit packets over bottleneck links simultaneously, achieving the max-flow min-cut through-put and increasing network capacity. While the majority of the contemporary literature has focused on the performance of Network Coding from a capacity perspective, the aim of this research has taken a new direction focusing on two Quality of Service metrics, e.g., Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) and Latency, in conjunction with Network Coding protocols in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). Simulations are performed on static and mobile environments to determine a Quality of Service baseline comparison between Network Coding protocols and traditional ad hoc routing protocols. The results show that the Random Linear Network Coding protocol has the lowest Latency and Dynamic Source Routing protocol has the highest PDR in the static scenarios, and show that the Random Linear Network Coding protocol has the best cumulative performance for both PDR and Latency in the mobile scenarios.

An Analysis of the Women Commuters’ Satisfaction in the Public Bus Service in Bangladesh: A Survey on Local Buses in Major Cities

Bangladesh is one of the most populated developing countries where public bus service plays a vital role as a public transport mode since it is easily available and cost-effective. In the social, commercial, educational, and administrative spheres, women’s participation in the labor force in economic enterprises is steadily expanding in the country. Very little research considers only women commuters to analyze the service quality of public buses and they selected only Dhaka city as a study area. However, a large number of trips were generated by women commuters in the industrial and commercial zones such as Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Dhaka. This paper ascertains the public bus service attributes that affect women commuters’ satisfaction as well as finds out the major problems of women commuters while traveling on public buses and the possible solutions to them. This survey included 766 women commuters from Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Gazipur who were interviewed face to face. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used as the instrument for identifying the service quality (SQ) attributes that influenced the women commuters’ satisfaction. A series of models were developed based on the trial-and-error method and the model M3 is selected as the best fit according to SEM fit indices values. The study’s main goal was to compile a list of service quality attributes that influence women commuters’ satisfaction. Major issues with the current public bus service in terms of safety and security, as well as remedies, were identified through discussions with experienced female commuters. These findings reveal that women commuters’ satisfaction is primarily influenced by safety and security, as well as the degree of comfort provided by bus service because they frequently encounter major safety and security issues on public buses and want an immediate remedy. This paper offers some potential strategies for addressing the issues, which may prompt policymakers to pay more attention to these aspects in transportation planning.

Modeling and performance evaluation of QoS-aware job scheduling of computational grids

To achieve high quality of service （QoS） on computational grids, the QoS-aware job scheduling is investigated for a hierarchical decentralized grid architecture that consists of multilevel schedulers. An integrated QoS-aware job dispatching policy is proposed, which correlates priorities of incoming jobs used for job selecting at the local scheduler of the grid node with the job dispatching policies at the global scheduler for computational grids. The stochastic high-level Petri net （SHLPN） model of a two-level hierarchy computational grid architecture is presented, and a model refinement is made to reduce the complexity of the model solution. A performance analysis technique based on the SHLPN is proposed to investigate the QoS-aware job scheduling policy. Numerical results show that the QoS-aware job dispatching policy outperforms the QoS-unaware job dispatching policy in balancing the high-priority jobs, and thus enables priority-based QoS.

Recommendations for Construction and Management of Ecological Public Welfare Forest in Hainan Province

This paper firstly evaluated ecological service functions of ecological public welfare forest in Hainan Province. Then,it introduced value structure and existing problems of ecological service functions. Focusing on optimization and adjustment of scale and distribution of ecological public welfare forest,it came up with recommendations for construction and management of ecological public welfare forest in Hainan Province.

Research on the Third Party Performance Evaluation in Constructing Modern Public Sports Services

This paper introduces the third party performance evaluation in the construction of demonstration area for modem public sports services in Changzhou through research methods such as literature, expert interview and case study, so as to promote the quality of demonstration area constructed for modem public sports services, truly show the social application value of the construction of demonstration area for modem public sports services, and achieve national fitness and the development of public sports.