Product-service system (PSS) design focuses on customer value and satisfaction more than traditional product or service design, and pays much attention to making improvement strategies due to the immaturity of engineering design methodology. Customer satisfaction evaluation attracts PSS providers’ attentions in supporting PSS design. Importance–performance analysis (IPA) as an effective custome...

Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) provides formulas for derivatives (gradients) of performance measures with respect to parameters of interest, computed from sample paths of stochastic systems. In practice, IPA derivatives may be computed either from simulation runs or from empirical field data (when the formulas are non-parametric). Nonparametric IPA derivatives in fluid-flow queues ha...

Augmented infinitesimalperturbation analysis (APA) was introduced by GaJvoronski [ 1991] to increase the purview of the theory of Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA). In reference [Gaivoronski 1991] it is shown that an unbiased estimate for the gradient of a class of performance measures of DEDS represented by generalized semi-Markov processes (GSMPs) (cf. [Glynn 1989] can be expressed as...

We describe the use of Stochastic Flow Models (SFMs) for control and optimization (rather than performance analysis) of computer networks. After reviewing earlier work applying Infinitesimal Perturbation Analysis (IPA) to SFMs without feedback or with additive feedback, we consider systems operating with a multiplicative feedback control mechanism. Using IPA, we derive gradient estimators for l...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Understanding customer satisfaction is critical to the successful operation of both privately and publicly managed recreation venues. A popular tool for assessing recreation visitor satisfaction is ImportancePerformance Analysis (IPA). IPA provides resource managers, government officials, and private businesses with easy-to-understand and -use information about visitor prefer...

Quantiles of a random performance serve as important alternatives to the usual expected value. They are used in the financial industry as measures of risk and in the service industry as measures of service quality. To manage the quantile of a performance, we need to know how changes in the input parameters affect the output quantiles, which are called quantile sensitivities. In this paper, we s...

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a common fungal infection with high mortality rates in immunocompromised patients. Early diagnosis of IPA is still challenging because of its nonspecific clinical symptoms and radiological presentations.To evaluate the clinical value of a commercial Aspergillus fumigates-specific IgM antibody assay in diagnosis of IPA, a multicenter prospective study wa...

This study aims to establish a green supplier selection and guidance mechanism by integrating the features of an ANP (Analytic Network Process) and an IPA (Importance–Performance Analysis) to achieve sustainable management for green supply chains. Using an expert survey, this study developed green supplier selection criteria. It adopted an ANP, which allows for interdependencies and feedback be...

Understanding the demands and satisfaction levels of zoo visitors becomes indispensable to sustain a flow of visitors in the increasingly competitive tourism market. This research assessed the importance and performance of the service and facilities attributes in order to measure visitor satisfaction using an importance-performance analysis (IPA). Results of the questionnaire survey of 697 visi...