Effective strategies to implement quality indicators in daily practice in order to improve hospital care do exist, but there is considerable variation in the methods used and the level of change achieved. Feedback reports combined with another implementation strategy seem to be most effective.

a b s t r a c tWe conduct case research in a particular service context, i.e. the sector for elderly care, in order to explore characteristics of interfaces and the role they play in service customization. Even though the study of modularity in areas other than goods production is increasing, little is known about interfaces outside the context of modular goods. From our case research, it follows that interfaces can be distinguished at the component level (linkages between components' contents) and at the service package level (linkages between service providers involved). The contribution of the paper is a first typology on interfaces in modular services. Four interface categories are distinguished, which offer a specification of the interfaces' function in creating variety and coherence, when linking content components as well as service providers. In addition, we provide a new definition of interfaces for services that differs from the accepted manufacturing definition.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how modularity manifests in a service context, more specifically in the provision of care and services to independently living elderly.Design/methodology/approachFour case studies provide insight into the specification of relevant components and their subsequent assembly into a customized package of care and services.FindingsIn all cases, component specification and package construction take place in two phases: partly before and partly during care delivery. Early client involvement allows for a combination of standard components that have a lower level of customization, whereas late client involvement allows for adaptation of these components resulting in a higher level of customization. The paper proposes that modularity theory should distinguish between the creation of modular offerings in care provision versus their creation in goods production, since the findings are the exact reverse of the state‐of‐the art knowledge in manufacturing modularity.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical part of this paper is limited to providers of elderly care and services in The Netherlands and is exploratory in nature. However, the newness of care and service modularity justifies the exploratory research approach.Practical implicationsThis paper offers elderly care organizations in‐depth understanding of their complex and multi‐faceted specification process. The insights help both care and service providers to make well‐considered decisions as to what level of client involvement to allow and the type of modularity to apply.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the emerging literature on service modularity.

Questions on configuration and co‐ordination are seldom integrated in research on international manufacturing and location decisions. Suggests a way in which these two aspects can be linked by combining concepts from international business and manufacturing strategy. Elaborates the practical relevance of this integration in the experiences of Dutch investors locating plants in Thailand. Simultaneous attention to configuration and co‐ordination enhances the understanding of the functioning of foreign plants in international networks and yields some important implications for managers responsible for international location issues.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The objective of this study is to assess the applicability of Fine's three-dimensional modularity concept as a tool to describe and to analyze the alignment of product, process, and supply chain architectures. Fine claims that the degree of modularity in the final output product has a one-to-one correspondence with the degree of modularity in transformation processes and supply chains. Design/methodology/approach -An exploratory three-company case study is used to investigate Fine's three-dimensional modularity concept. Findings -Empirical research shows that Fine's three-dimensional modularity concept works well for descriptive purposes. However, the concept needs refinement when it is used for analytical purposes. For process modularity, the spatial aspect can be related to the concept of the territorial economy of firms, while the time aspect can be elaborated using a product life-cycle perspective and the concept of interface reversibility. With respect to supply chain modularity, the concept of modular production networks, which specifies combinations of different degrees of geographic, organizational, cultural, and electronic proximity, is appropriate. In the specific setting of the building industry, a methodology for developing product platform architectures would refine the dimension of product modularity.Research limitations/implications -Starting from the above-mentioned concepts, several strands of research are outlined for a further elaboration of product (developing a methodology for developing product platform architectures), process (taking a life-cycle perspective on module development), and supply chain modularity (analyzing conditions for the application of modular networks). Originality/value -The application of systematic engineering design methods, interface reversibility, and interorganizational ICT allows firms to align product, process, and supply chain modularity.