bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DisPMO and DePMO as six sigma‐based forward‐looking quality performance measures
Authors: Setijono Djoko
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to further develop a method to convert (dis)satisfaction on critical attributes (critical to qualities, CTQs) in the customer satisfaction survey into performance measures that are equivalent to defect per million opportunities (DPMO).

Design/methodology/approach

Stepwise multiple regression analysis is applied to identify the CTQs, where the overall satisfaction is the dependent variable and the attribute‐related (dis)satisfactions (i.e. performance score minus importance score) are the independent variables. To simulate the attribute‐related (dis)satisfaction for the identified CTQs, random numbers that follow normal standard distribution are generated and returned into random numbers that have similar characteristics (properties) with the primary data. The proportion of returned random numbers below the lower six sigma limit (SL) and above the upper six SL is adjusted into dissatisfaction per million opportunities (DisPMO) and delight per million opportunities (DePMO), respectively.

Findings

Applying the logic of DPMO outside the boundary of an organisation (i.e. in the market) leads to two distinct measures, DisPMO and DePMO. These two measures can be transformed into two types/variants of sigma levels, i.e. left‐side (approximated from DisPMO) and right‐side (from DePMO), which may describe organisational effectiveness in the market from two different but complementary approaches.

Originality/value

DisPMO and DePMO provide a basis for assessing the effectiveness of an organisation (manufacturing/non‐manufacturing) according to six sigma methodology, where the “importance” and “performance” dimensions are considered simultaneously. Hence, the applications of DPMO (as six sigma's main performance measure) within and outside the boundary of an organisation are consistent and comparable.
Utilisation of business excellence models: Australian and international experience
Authors: Saunders Max , Mann Robin S. , Grigg Nigel P.
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the international use of business excellence (BE) models and the practices used by BE framework (BEF) custodians to encourage use.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review, three surveys, a series of focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted. The study involved input from 16 countries and was part of a larger study of how BEFs are designed, reviewed, promoted and deployed within and across nations.

Findings

Only two of 16 BEF custodians had a formal measurement system in place to objectively measure the use of BEF by organisations over time. The use of the Australian BEF was lower than previously estimated at 1.3 percent and global use between 4 and 15 percent of organisations. The three most effective practices for assisting organisations in applying BE were tours of best or good practice organisations, publications on BE, and on‐line service/database of BE information.

Research limitations/implications

While the primary focus was on the Australian context, the findings draw upon a range of international sources and hence are of relevance to all BEF custodians.

Practical implications

The findings from the project were used to redesign the ABEF, and are expected to help inform national BE strategies worldwide.

Originality/value

The paper updates the current situation regarding the utilisation of BE in 16 countries, with a focus on Australia.
ISO 13485:2003
Authors: Hamimi Abdul Razak Izatul , Kamaruddin Shahrul , Abdul Azid Ishak , Putra Almanar Indra
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding on implementation and operation of ISO 13485:2003 – “Medical Devices – Quality Management System – Requirements for Regulatory Purposes” – in the perspective of medical device industries in Malaysia. The study is focused on the Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which currently have accredited to ISO 9001:2000 quality management systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature research and comparative analysis between ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 9001:2000 standard and requirements. A reference model is developed to assist the Malaysian SMEs towards ISO 13485:2003 accreditation.

Findings

Unlike ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 stresses the safety and efficacy of medical devices that are being produced. For this reason risk management is an essential process that needs to be adopted into the ISO 13485:2003 quality management system. Moreover, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ISO 13485:2003 implementation, this standard has placed great emphasis on documentation requirements which are more prescriptive in insisting on the use of formal procedures.

Originality/value

The paper provides guidelines to ISO 13485:2003 implementations as well as risk management approaches for small and medium‐sized businesses of Malaysian medical device manufacturers, which at the same time maintains its ISO 9001:2000 certification.
Assessing performance of management institutions
Authors: Mitra Debnath Roma , Shankar Ravi
Published: January 2010

Purpose

Utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper seeks to examine the performance of 20 Indian B‐Schools, separating their profitability and marketability. The technique allows one to identify those management institutions which are able to utilize their resources in a most efficient way such that the overall goals of the organization are satisfied and total outcome maximized. If a management institution means to be effective in developing professionals who are going to be competent leaders and managers, then it would be useful to know the performance of the management institutes. However, measuring the performance of management institutes has received very little attention compared with other industries because it is difficult to measure its output.

Design/methodology/approach

A DEA model is used to evaluate the relative efficiency of a group of decision‐making units (DMUs) in their use of multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs where the form of production is neither known nor specified as in the case of parametric approach.

Findings

The paper ranks management institutes from various points of stakeholders. The main findings are how much of the benefit from ranking of the B‐Schools is credited because of its efficiency in converting the inputs to outputs. Does the ranking of any institution depend on scale of operations (scale efficiency) or is it only based on technical efficiency? Technical efficiencies are identified with failures to achieve best possible output levels and/or usage of excessive amounts of inputs.

Practical implications

As Indian management schools widely publicize job offers with six figure salaries, managerial value addition, national ranking etc. provide an important impression about the management institutions. However, the reported results of experiments on input and output measures do not seem to differ between the ten best run institutes and the next ten institutes in terms of scale efficiency.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the few written from the Indian perspective.
Applying QFD to develop a training course for clothing merchandisers
Authors: Chan Catherine Y.P. , Taylor G. , Ip W.C.
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the development of an in‐house training course, with the focus on providing the job incumbents with the necessary knowledge and skills to achieve the performance required by the management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a user‐oriented and learner‐centred approach and followed the key principles and basic steps of QFD. Affinity diagramming and conversion table were used to assist in the collection, processing and deployment of the voice of the customer (VOC), and the AHP was employed to operate the various prioritizations involved.

Findings

The job incumbents found the training course to be helpful in managing their learning. The members of the course development team also gained a greater understanding of both the performance requirements of the management and the knowledge and skills needed by the job incumbents.

Originality/value

The successful application of QFD in this study has provided the training industry with a course development methodology for meeting the learning needs of the job incumbents.
Quality performance measurement practices in manufacturing companies
Authors: Uyar Ali
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey study on quality performance measurement practices in the Turkish top 500 manufacturing companies. The study evaluates both financial and non‐financial aspects of quality performance measures in Turkish manufacturing companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the study was a postal questionnaire survey. The survey was conducted with the top 500 industrial enterprises in Turkey specified by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) for the year 2005. These firms are selected and ranked by ICI according to production‐based sales.

Findings

Two major findings of the study are: Turkish manufacturing companies utilize non‐financial measures more frequently than financial measures; and Turkish managers perceive non‐financial measures to be more effective than financial measures.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is restricted to the top 500 industrial enterprises in Turkey. As the data in this study were collected from the manufacturing companies, the findings should not be generalized to other sectors.

Originality/value

The study is unique in reflecting the general practices and perceptions of manufacturing companies on quality performance measures across Turkey.
Problems, success factors and benefits of QCs implementation: a case of QASCO
Authors: Ismail Salaheldin Salaheldin
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to: explore the problems that the production division of Qatar Steel Company (QASCO) typically encounter in implementing QCs, identify the critical success factors promoting QCs implementation and discern the real benefits of QCs implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire that was distributed to 400 QCs members within the five departments (i.e. Manufacturing, Maintenance, Direct Reduction, Material Control and Technical departments) which comprised the production division of QASCO. Of the 400 questionnaires posted, a total of 197 were returned and used for the analysis.

Findings

The results of the study indicated that lack of support from top management was reported as the biggest problem impeding the implementation, and also commitment and support from top management were reported as the most important success factor of QCs implementation in the five departments. More importantly, the findings indicated that QCs implementation has created an atmosphere of cooperation within QASCO and produced many positive results including improving quality, increasing productivity, and improving the management style.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is restricted to only a single division, i.e. the production division of QASCO, so it would be strongly recommended that data be gathered from various divisions of QASCO, i.e. replications of this study are required to generalize its findings. Studying the deriving and inhibiting forces to QCs implementation in practice remains a task that requires further attention from researchers, whatever their motivations.

Practical implications

The findings are important and relevant to all the departments in QASCO. The study hopes to create more awareness among management and employees of the strategic importance of QCs to operational processes. More importantly, the benefits attained would be a motivating factor for managers to use QCs.

Originality/value

The research provides empirical insights to the growing body of knowledge on QCs implementation. Most of QCs research has been done in developed countries. The study presents the successful adoption and implementation of QCs in a manufacturing firm in a developing country of the Middle East where published research results on the successful use of QCs have been rather scarce.
Criteria requirements of the European business excellence model: a suggested approach
Authors: Vorria Evanthia P. , Bohoris George A.
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The European Business Excellence Model (EBEM) is nowadays a familiar framework, used for a spectrum of purposes, with the most frequent aim from its full deployment being the attainment of organizational success. The EBEM's requirements, however, involve abstruse management concepts and thus, there is, frequently, a significant variety within the suggested approaches to face the criteria requirements. Although, such integrated business excellence models should not necessarily be of a very prescriptive nature, allowing for deployment latitude among sectors and types of businesses, a more homogeneous understanding of the suggested approaches to the requirements might be a welcome basis by both academics and business professionals. This paper aims to resolve some of the questionable concepts associated with the practical deployment of EBEM.

Design/methodology/approach

Integration of the known literature, stemming from both published articles and best practices already made available, to form a well defined framework of suggested approaches to the EBEM's requirements is the approach taken.

Findings

The findings associated with the first requirement of Sub‐Criterion 1a of the EBEM (“leaders developing the Mission, Vision and Culture”) are reported here.

Research limitations/implications

Most of the relevant information describing current, applicable business practices is not yet publicly available, and has to be deduced mainly from responses to questionnaires/interviews.

Originality/value

Specific frameworks of suggested approaches for the well known EBEM's requirements have not, as yet, been made available in the literature.
Defining lean production: some conceptual and practical issues
Authors: Pettersen Jostein
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the definition of lean production and the methods and goals associated with the concept as well as how it differs from other popular management concepts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a review of the contemporary literature on lean production, both journal articles and books.

Findings

It is shown in the paper that there is no consensus on a definition of lean production between the examined authors. The authors also seem to have different opinions on which characteristics should be associated with the concept. Overall it can be concluded that lean production is not clearly defined in the reviewed literature. This divergence can cause some confusion on a theoretical level, but is probably more problematic on a practical level when organizations aim to implement the concept. This paper argues that it is important for an organization to acknowledge the different variations, and to raise the awareness of the input in the implementation process. It is further argued that the organization should not accept any random variant of lean, but make active choices and adapt the concept to suit the organization's needs. Through this process of adaptation, the organization will be able to increase the odds of performing a predictable and successful implementation.

Originality/value

This paper provides a critical perspective on the discourse surrounding lean production, and gives an input to the discussion of the implementation of management models.
Total quality management and supply chain management: similarities and differences
Authors: Vanichchinchai Assadej , Igel Barbara
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review, contrast and compare the differences and similarities between total quality management (TQM) and supply chain management (SCM).

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive overview of the core concepts of TQM and SCM are examined from the literature and are then compared to explore how the philosophical perspectives, goals, evolution, and integration of these concepts could be further developed.

Findings

TQM and SCM have different starting points and primary goals, which can complicate an integrated implementation. However, they have evolved in similar ways to reach the same ultimate goal: customer satisfaction. TQM emphasizes internal (employee) participation and SCM focuses on external (business partners) partnerships but there is a need to emphasize both internal and external partnerships to further strengthen the emphasis on “total” TQM and the entire supply chain in SCM.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to discuss comparisons between TQM and SCM. Although both are critical to organizational competitiveness, research so far has tended to focus on either one or the other. A comparative understanding of the philosophies, goals, evolution, and integration of both approaches therefore could improve opportunities for integrated implementation and further research. Thus, this paper can be used as a basis for future empirical studies.
An empirical study of barriers to TQM implementation in Indian industries
Authors: Subrahmanya Bhat K. , Rajashekhar Jagadeesh
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers of total quality management (TQM) implementation, in order to make them known to the managers of Indian industries.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve this objective, an extensive literature review has been carried out to understand the barriers to TQM implementation. This was followed by a survey of quality award winning industries in India.

Findings

A total of 41 completed questionnaires were received and the overall response rate was 31 percent. The findings of this survey suggest that the most important TQM barriers in Indian industry are: “no benchmarking of other company's practices” and “employees are resistant to change”. Factor analysis of the 21 potential barriers to TQM implementation revealed the following five underlying constructs: lack of customer orientation, lack of planning for quality, lack of total involvement, lack of management commitment, and lack of resources.

Originality/value

The findings based on this empirical research present a solution to the difficulties faced by the managers while implementing TQM effectively in their industries.
Developing a European quality assessment tool for schools
Authors: Pecar Zdravko , Cervai Sara , Kekäle Tauno
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of the research was to develop a simple self‐evaluation model and tool that would be based on the preferences of improvement areas of all the stakeholder groups and that also would be possible to use in all European countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology starts with a survey to three school levels (primary, secondary, and vocationa) in seven EU countries, in which the opinions of important factors and their related importance are surveyed of the relevant stakeholder groups (school workers, pupil associations, parents, municipal education authorities, next higher school level, or employers). Total N of responses of stakeholder groups was 126. The relative importances are then built into a DEXi model with weightings generated from the responses, and finally a self‐assessment tool that uses the DEXi structure developed for the use of the schools in their quality improvement.

Findings

The final tool works and the school headmasters who tested it found it easy enough for use.

Research limitations/implications

Naturally, the preferences change over time. A new survey of similar type should be conducted maybe every five years to keep the model up to date. There is also an ongoing development work of the self‐assessment tool in a new EXPERO2EU project.

Practical implications

The model attempts to make self‐evaluation so simple that all schools could find the motivation and time to make it a part of their annual planning. The tool itself is not the aim; the aim is to get schools to systematically discuss the issues that are important for their quality and to start improvement actions.

Originality/value

Both the stakeholder survey, the model and the tool are new constructs.
Proposal of a strategy model planning aligned to the balanced scorecard and the quality environments
Authors: Silva Gonçalves Helen
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the proposal of a strategy model planning, that is lined up to a system of quality management, being also considered the strategic system of performance measurement balanced scorecard (BSC), that aims the strategy alignment of the organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper consists of a research of literature on general concepts of strategies planning, system of management of quality and BSC, in academic books and articles, in order to assist it in the development of the model considered.

Findings

The main conclusions relate the possibility of the environment insertion on the quality in stages of a strategy planning, helping the companies to define dedicated displays for the quality area, and grouped in the perspectives of the BSC. The model also searches to consider the quality in the strategic process of planning, being established the objective, and strategies directed toward area.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation related to the paper itself relates the necessity to applicate the model in an organization that is in strategic planning process elaboration.

Originality/value

The importance of this paper is in considering the area of quality in the same degree of importance than other areas of the company, as in fact it must occur, deserving then specific actions. Starting from the principle that all the areas must have objectives interrelated to the global objective organization reach, the model suggests that for each environment of the quality they are established it indicates to be according to BSC's perspective.
5 “S” and TQM status in Indian organizations
Authors: Khanna Vinod Kumar
Published: January 2010

Purpose

Ho and Osada state that 5 “S” is the foundation for implementing total quality management (TQM) philosophy and also emphasize that 5 “S” is the primary driver for the success of TQM in any organization. Since the competitiveness of India has been ranked comparatively low worldwide, it shows that Indian organizations may be weak in implementing TQM. The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of TQM, quality tools and 5 “S” in Indian organizations and to study their relationship among three categories of organizations, i.e. “Large”, “Medium” and “Small”.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the status of 5 “S”, quality tools and TQM in Indian organizations based on 62 organizations.

Findings

The paper reveals that 5 “S” performance has a direct bearing on the performance of TQM journey. There is a positive correlation among 5 “S” index, usage of quality tools and TQM index. The high 5 “S” index in “Large” category of organization has resulted in high‐TQM index in comparision to “Medium” and “Small” organizations. The weakest link is “Small” category, which has a direct bearing on the overall performance of TQM.

Research limitations/implications

The investigation and research findings are still exploratory. Future research can focus and study the correlation among 5 “S”, quality tools, and TQM sector wise. Broadly based and larger sample size would provide better picture of 5 “S”, usage of quality tools and TQM status.

Originality/value

The study has been able to compute 5 “S”, usage of quality tools and TQM index among the three category of organizations and have been able to establish the correlation among 5 “S”, TQM and quality tools. The study has been able to identify that organizations with high‐5 “S” index tend to use high number of quality tools and have high‐TQM index.
Six Sigma in the Indian software industry: some observations and results from a pilot survey
Authors: Mahanti Rupa , Antony Jiju
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to present the results from an empirical investigation of Six Sigma in the Indian software industry

Design/methodology/approach

The paper begins with a review of literature of Six Sigma and its role in the software industry. The importance of Six Sigma in the software domain is presented, followed by presentation of the results from an empirical investigation of Six Sigma in the Indian software industry

Findings

The research reflects the status of Six Sigma application and implementation in the software industry, identifies the commonly used statistical and non statistical and software engineering tools and frameworks used within software business; and determines the critical success factors (CSFs) for a successful Six Sigma initiative in the software/IT industry. The most important factor was management commitment and involvement. Documentation management and suppliers' involvement were found to be the least important factors.

Research limitations/implications

This study was carried out with some boundaries like the number of companies, available resources, time constraints, etc.

Practical implications

This paper dispels the myths concerning the unsuitability of Six Sigma in the software arena. At the same time it highlights the status of Six Sigma implementation in Indian software organizations and the critical success factors for implementation of Six Sigma.

Originality/value

Little research has been carried out in terms of empirical survey relating to the application of Six Sigma in the software industry like that demonstrated in this paper. The paper will be valuable for quality professionals and management personnel in software organizations.
Barriers faced by engineers when applying design of experiments
Authors: Tanco Martín , Viles Elisabeth , Ilzarbe Laura , Jesus Alvarez Ma
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an extensive review of the barriers faced by engineers when applying design of experiments (DoE). The aim is to help new practitioners learn from the past and avoid possible barriers that they may encounter when applying DoE in industry.

Design/methodology/approach

An exhaustive literary review was carried out to find articles in which hindrances to the application of DoE were mentioned. The information is organised and grouped into 16 barriers with this end in mind.

Findings

The 16 barriers can be classified into three different groups: business barriers; educational barriers; and technical barriers. It is shown that DoE can be successfully applied without overcoming every barrier, although it is inconvenient to do so.

Practical implications

Although DoE is commonly found in statistics and quality literature, it is clearly underused in industry. The paper brings together ideas from those with experience in DoE to detect the reasons behind this anomaly.

Originality/value

Very little material has been published regarding the difficulty of applying DoE. Unfortunately, what is available is repetitive, unstructured and incomplete. The paper is intended to encourage discussion between practitioners and experts, in order to find a way to define, categorise and eventually overcome the most problematic barriers.
The relationship between quality management and the speed of new product development
Authors: Sun Hongyi , Zhao Yangyang , Keung Yau Hon
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The speed of new product development (NPD) has been a key factor in a firm's degree of competitiveness. The tools and philosophy of quality management have been widely used to improve and control product quality. However, there is a lack of literature on the relationship between quality management and NPD. This paper aims to report on a study that investigates the influence of quality management on the speed of NPD.

Design/methodology/approach

The philosophy of quality management refers to total quality management (TQM). Tools for quality management include teamwork, continuous improvement (CI), value analysis (VA) and quality function deployment (QFD). This study begins by comparing literature in concurrent engineering (CE) and TQM, which leads to several common principles and five hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested using survey data from 700 manufacturing companies in 20 countries.

Findings

The research reveals that TQM, Team, VA and QFD are positively correlated with the speed of NPD, meaning that the tools and philosophy of quality management have a positive influence on the speed of NPD. However, no relationship is found between CI and the speed of NPD.

Research limitations/implications

This paper tests hypotheses using survey data. It reveals the empirical relationship between quality management and the speed of NPD but does not provide details regarding the mechanism of influence between the two. Consequently, case studies should be conducted in the future to probe into the details. Additionally, new quality methods like Six Sigma can also be included in a future study, since Six Sigma covers both quality and NPD.

Practical implications

This study proposes that companies that have implemented TQM and other quality management tools will have a better foundation for implementing new NPD approaches like CE and design for manufacturing and assembly. This is especially encouraging for those original engineering manufacturing (OEM) firms that would like to change from OEM to original design manufacturing/original brand manufacturing (ODM/OBM). OEM companies typically implement TQM but invest very little in NPD.

Originality/value

This paper fills the gap in research exploring the links between quality management and NPD. It addresses the concern over whether quality management may hinder NPD. The critical issues for implementing quality management such as culture change, learning, change management, and team building can all be applied to implementing NPD methods such as CE. The result also supports the concept of “design the quality into products”. It is beneficial for employees in quality and NPD to share and work together.
Total quality management in Indian industries: relevance, analysis and directions
Authors: Kumar Raj , Garg Dixit , Garg T.K.
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the various factors important for total quality management implementation in various manufacturing organizations and to assess their relevance for Indian manufacturing organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted for important factors and a survey approach was used to collect relevant data from industries. Further data were used to establish a model.

Findings

It is shown that customer focus must be the prime objective for various industries to achieve total quality management. All the factors must be used systematically to achieve total quality management (TQM) and it can be done efficiently by using a model having four phases to implement TQM.

Originality/value

The paper will be useful for manufacturing as well as service industries that are in the starting phase of TQM implementation or have already failed to implement TQM at their works.
Does size matter for Six Sigma implementation?
Authors: Kumar Maneesh , Antony Jiju , Douglas Alex
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the quality initiatives implemented in UK manufacturing small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and to perform a comparative analysis of quality management practices within Six Sigma firms against the non‐Six Sigma manufacturing SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the research objective, a survey‐based approach is adopted by designing a short questionnaire addressing the issues of quality practices in SMEs. The paper encompasses the survey results from the first phase of Doctoral study to identify Six Sigma and non‐Six Sigma companies.

Findings

The response rate from the survey is 12.7 per cent out of 500 companies identified through the use of random sampling technique within the FAME and Dun & Bradstreet database of manufacturing SMEs. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The findings from the study reveal that there is a significant difference in the performance of the Six Sigma/Lean firms against ISO certified companies. However, it is interesting to reflect on the findings of critical success factors (CSFs) of the sample firms. There is no significant difference in the perceived importance of the identified CSFs' variables in the Six Sigma and ISO certified SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of the study is only on UK manufacturing SMEs encompassing 64 firms. The small sample size and focus on manufacturing sector limits its generalisability to the entire SME population. Future study should focus on performing a comparative study of manufacturing and service based SMEs in UK or Europe.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper lies in conducting a comparative study on the performance of Six Sigma and non‐Six Sigma UK SMEs and drawing out valuable lessons for academics, consultants, researchers and practitioners of continuous improvement initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma.
Quality framework in education through application of interpretive structural modeling
Authors: Sahney Sangeeta , Banwet D.K. , Karunes S.
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The Indian higher educational system is one of the largest in the world. Besides, the growth of students and universities, the range of disciplines and universities in professional and vocational education has greatly increased. With the sudden immense growth of the educational institutes all over the country, educational institutions must improve the quality of their services to compete and achieve a leading position. Orientation towards quality and competitiveness in higher education in India has thus started gaining the attention of the policy makers, educational planners, and administrators as also the various stakeholders of the educational system. With the internal and external stakeholders becoming more demanding in a gradually liberalizing Indian economy, the issues related to quality need to be addressed from varying perspectives on the very conceptualization, implementation, and assessment. Starting with a theoretical background, the purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical study conducted on the administrative staff, so as to obtain the internal customer's perspective on quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature review followed by a pilot study and an earlier study based on the quality function deployment technique, certain elements critical to quality management in education are identified. Thereafter, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique is applied.

Findings

The ISM technique helps prioritize the strategic issues in quality assessment qualitatively, so as to propose a hierarchical structure through prioritizing, sequencing, and categorizing of ideas. The elements are classified as drivers, enablers and dependents, and the hierarchically structured.

Practical implications

The adoption of such a framework in educational institutions would lead to the creation of an environment where the administrative staff would be satisfied and in turn, be able to deliver quality service to the other customers and stakeholders.

Originality/value

An implementation of the integrated framework of such critical components can help policy makers, educational planners, and administrators as also the various stakeholders of the educational system contribute towards growth, success and survival in the rapidly changing environment.
Holistically integrated model and strategic objectives for service business
Authors: Yang Ching‐Chow , Jang Yang King , Cheng Lai‐Yu
Published: January 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish an integrated model of a service‐delivery system, customer relationship management (CRM), and customer satisfaction evaluation. The strategic objectives, such as the pursuit of key performances, the retention of customers, the provision of new services, can be realized through this integrated model. The paper then uses the “strategy map” of the balanced scorecard (BSC) to develop and deploy these strategies and the related objective performance indices.

Design/methodology/approach

The establishment of a conceptually integrated model based on the literature review, holistic thinking, and the researchers' consultant experience. The development of strategy map and the related performance indicators based on the integrated model.

Findings

The analysis presented by this paper shows that the perspectives of the BSC and the stages in CRM have good correspondence in the development of an integrated model.

Originality/value

The integrated model, strategy map, and related performance indicators' presented in this paper offer useful guidance for service organizations to having a holistic view of their operational systems.
Project specific partnering
Authors: LORAINE ROBERT K.
Published: January 2010

The scope of this paper covers the development of partnering since 1985. It starts with the early associations that were formed in the petrochemical and process industries between owners and contractors. This period was amply covered by a National Economic Development Office (NEDO) paper (NEDO 1991). Partnering at that stage was principally considered to be a relationship that lasted for a term and not a single contract. However, in the NEDO paper, there was brief mention of two projects being carried out by the US Army Corps of Engineers where the relationship was for individual contracts only. Since then the real growth of partnering in the USA has been on a project by project basis mainly within the public works sector, and this paper argues that this is the type of partnering arrangement that has the greatest potential. The application of partnering to the UK public works sector is affected by the EU public procurement regulations. As partnering on a project specific basis includes an element of price competition, the paper contends that there will be no difficulty in complying with the regulations. Using recent examples of partnering for specific projects in the USA, the paper concludes by making proposals for developing partnering arrangements in the UK public works sector. In the course of this, particular attention is drawn to the key elements of partnering associations in the USA that have contributed largely to their success.
Concession contracts for power generation
Authors: MERNA ANTONY , SMITH NIGEL J.
Published: January 2010

Concession contracts provide a mechanism for transferring the traditional public sector client roles of market research, project appraisal, project financing, operation and maintenance, and revenue generation associated with power station projects to the private sector organizations, formerly only responsible for turnkey design and construction. The recent research work undertaken in the Project Management Group, UMIST, has developed and validated a mechanism for the rapid appraisal of concession contracts. A case study example is presented to illustrate the significant features of the procurement of power projects using concession contracts.
Evaluating performance potential in the selection of construction contractors
Authors: HOLT GARY D. , OLOMOLAIYE PAUL O. , HARRIS FRANK C.
Published: January 2010

A quantitative contractor selection technique which embraces the pre‐qualification, evaluation and final selection processes is being developed. The emphasis is on evaluating contractors' performance potential in terms of their ability to achieve time, cost and quality standards. This approach is in contrast to the majority of current selection techniques which tend to prequalify, then discriminate predominantly on the cost component of tenders. The conceptual model is applied to a hypothetical but realistic scenario of a contractor competing for a small industrial contract. This illustrates the mechanics of the new technique, emphasizing that contractor selection should include identifying the contractor with the best performance potential and not merely the lowest bidder.
Estimator: a prototype of an integrated bid preparation system
Authors: HEGAZY TAREK , MOSELHI OSAMA
Published: January 2010

Compiling bid proposals for construction projects is a process that depends on extensive computation as well as on experience‐based judgement. Despite the proliferation of estimating tools, bid proposals focus primarily on the computational component and leave the more difficult aspects of risk assessment and mark‐up estimation to estimators' judgement. This may lead to unrealistic estimates that do not account for the operational environment of projects. Such estimates often result in either losing bids or inflicting undesirable cost overruns. In an effort to circumvent such drawbacks, this paper presents a structured system for cost estimation and bid preparation. Unlike current tools, the proposed system supports a holistic bid‐preparation process, accounting for a number of quantitative as well as qualitative factors that are used in practice for bid preparation. The system incorporates three principal features: 1 Integrated cost and schedule computation 2 Adequate risk assessment and mark‐up estimation 3 Optimum bid unbalancing and cash flow optimization. The developments made in the integrated system are described along with a PC‐based prototype Estimator, developed to automate the process. An example application is presented to illustrate the capabilities and essential features of the prototype and demonstrate its practicality.
The evaluation of construction disputes: a risk approach
Authors: O'REILLY MICHAEL P. , MAWDESLEY MICHAEL J.
Published: January 2010

Disputes frequently occur on engineering and construction projects. In this paper it is argued that these disputes need to be evaluated and managed, with proper attention being paid to planning of time and money. Since the way in which dispute management is approached will depend on the perceived self‐interest of the parties, it is imperative that disputants have a sensible measure of their self‐interest. ‘Traditional’ probabilistic risk assessment techniques are shown to be of assistance and can be used to compute appropriate dispute management strategies. By way of example, a Monte Carlo simulation of a dispute is performed and discussed.
Dealing with unexpected problems — do contracts help? A comparison of the NEC and JCT 80 forms
Authors: LOOSEMORE MARTIN
Published: January 2010

This paper considers the impact that contractual procedures have upon the client's control system's ability to deal with unexpected problems. An analysis is made of the relevant procedures set out in the New Engineering Contract (NEC) and a comparison is made to those set out in the Standard Form of Building Contract 1980 Edition (JCT 80). The comparative analysis is based upon a model of problem solving which identifies four critical stages in the problem solving process. The objective of the paper is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of JCT 80 and NEC in relation to the stages of this model. The aim of the paper is to make some recommendations which could be incorporated into future contracts to improve problem solving effectiveness. This work is a continuation of a research project which is considering the communication and behavioural aspects of the problem solving process in construction projects.
The current status of environmental management systems in construction
Authors: GRIFFITH ALAN
Published: January 2010

Many organizations within the construction industry are becoming increasingly aware of the growing need for improved environmental performance within the scope of their business activities. Their interests are twofold, first in anticipation of increasingly stringent governmental legislation, both national and international, and second in response to the rising concern demonstrated by the general public for environmental issues. To meet increasing future expectations, a number of organizations within construction have implemented or are considering the development of a formal and structured environmental management system. This paper examines some of the principal issues associated with the development of environmental management systems within construction. Drawing upon a series of interviews with major construction clients, consultants and contracting organizations within the UK, investigation identifies the present level of awareness, raises current concerns and issues and looks at the likely future orientation of environmental management systems within the construction industry.
An evaluation of clients' needs and responsibilities in the construction process
Authors: KOMETA SIMON T. , OLOMOLAIYE PAUL O. , HARRIS FRANK C.
Published: January 2010

The importance of clients' responsibilities in the construction process, as perceived by both clients and consultants, was assessed through a structured questionnaire survey. Using the relative index ranking technique, clients' fundamental needs and responsibilities in the construction process were analysed and ranked. Results indicate that the four most important needs are: functionality of the building, safety of the building, quality of the building, and completion time. The four most important clients' responsibilities identified by clients themselves are: planning/design, project finance, project implementation/management, and project definition/formulation. The four most important clients' responsibilities to project consultants are: project finance, project definition/formulation, planning/design, and project implementation/management. If both consultants and clients understand the fundamental needs of construction clients and if clients themselves are prepared to take an active role in the construction process, the chances of producing more successful projects will improve.
Competitive advantage through alliancing
Authors: SCOTT BOB
Published: January 2010

Since 1990, BP Exploration Europe has been developing a significant track record in substantially reducing the costs of new oil and gas development projects. This is allowing fields which were once highly marginal to be transformed into attractive investment opportunities and has opened up the prospect of a future in the North Sea stretching well into the next century. At the same time safety and quality standards are being maintained or enhanced, and the design and construction contractors, as well as suppliers of materials and equipment, are sharing in the success by attaining enhanced levels of profitability.
Cost‐significant modelling ‐ its potential for use in south‐east Asia
Authors: POH PAUL S.H. , MALCOLM W. HORNER R.
Published: January 2010

A rich variety of cost models is used in the world's construction industries. In countries exposed to British practice, the use of traditional bills of quantities is common. Elsewhere, bills of quantities may not be used at all. This paper briefly reviews the nature and purpose of cost models both in the UK and in south‐east Asia. It explains how the principle of cost‐significance can lead to a simplified method of measurement which is both well‐structured and sufficiently accurate ‐ a half‐way house between traditional bills and a single lump sum. By way of example, the derivation of a cost‐significant model for student hostels in Singapore is presented. Representing no more than a first step, the problems still to be resolved are outlined. Nevertheless, the techniques seem to hold much promise for the future, and others are encouraged to explore where they might most effectively be applied.