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Utilizing Business Process Management (BPM) for Performance Improvement: A Case Study of an Express
Company in Taiwan

existing literature.

3. Methodology

3.1 Case Study Methodology
According to Yin (2014), the core purpose of a case study is to shed light on a
decision or series of decisions, focusing on the reasons behind them, their implementation

process, and the outcomes achieved. The case study methodology is best used when the
research question is related to how or why, when the study looks at a contemporary set
of events, and when the researcher has little or no control over behavioral events. The
case study methodology is a standard approach in the humanities and social sciences for
conducting qualitative research. Having said that, some researchers combine qualitative

data with quantitative data to define a case (Yin, 2014); some researchers do not always
engage in the thick description or detailed observational evidence that makes up qualitative
research (Geertz, 1973). In this research, we include both qualitative and quantitative data.
We collect data from (1) documentation: relevant books and journal articles on BPM,

(2) internal records: the process records archive in the case company, and (3) interviews:
according to the specific questions planned for this research.

3.2 Research Subjects

The case company is a Taiwan subsidiary of one of the largest express service
providers in the world, currently operating in more than 220 countries. They entered into
Taiwan during the 1970s, and now have nine service centers across the island, where
the case company employs more than 1,300 workers to maintain its daily operations.

Half of the employees are couriers, and another quarter of the workforce are customer
service specialists. The other employees work in sales, finance, IT, and human resources
departments.
To generate profits through internal activities, the case company establishes the

FOCUS strategy to emphasize the importance of its employees. With the FOCUS strategy,
the case company allocates resources to those assets that can motivate employees and
expect an increase of service quality. With satisfactory service quality, the company further
anticipates having more loyal customers and achieving a more profitable performance.

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