Přehled o publikaci

Manufacturing companies are positioning themselves increasingly as providers of services and solutions to their products in order to satisfy the customers’ various needs and wishes. The paper presents the results of a research investigating the items related to innovation and flexibility of services among electrical engineering companies in the Czech Republic. The aim of the paper is to find out if innovation and flexibility in services provided by manufacturing companies have a positive impact on the customers. Design/methodology/approach: To address the research objective, the questionnaire in the form of the Likert scale was prepared to gather information about services. A total of 60 SMEs from the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic participated in the survey during 2014. This is a first empirical research focused on this area held among the electric engineering companies in the Czech Republic. Findings: The main findings show that there is no direct impact of flexibility and innovation in services on customers, but it can be said that flexibility and innovation perceived by customers are still affecting, although less than we expected. Research/practical implications: In some areas, innovation and flexibility had strong positive impact on customers and there was certainly no negative impact. Even if there is no direct impact of flexibility and innovation on customers here, it can be said that flexibility and innovation by customers are still affecting, although less than we expected. Managers will certainly not defraud themselves if they put emphasis on innovation and increasing flexibility for services offered by manufacturing companies. Originality/value: There is still little information about understanding the service issue in manufacturing companies. Therefore, the paper is focused on innovation and flexibility in services provided by manufacturers in the Czech Republic. This topic was not deeply investigated in manufacturing companies in our country, where the industrial tradition is still very strong.