bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Applying QFD to develop a training course for clothing merchandisers
Authors: Chan Catherine Y.P. , Taylor G. , Ip W.C. 
Published: January 2010

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsTwo 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/implicationsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachData 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThe 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 implicationsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachIntegration 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsMost 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/valueSpecific 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe paper is based on a review of the contemporary literature on lean production, both journal articles and books.FindingsIt 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/valueThis 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

PurposeThe 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/approachAn 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.FindingsTQM 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/valueThis 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

PurposeThe 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/approachIn 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.FindingsA 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe final tool works and the school headmasters who tested it found it easy enough for use.Research limitations/implicationsNaturally, 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 implicationsThe 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/valueBoth 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeHo 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/approachThis paper presents the status of 5 “S”, quality tools and TQM in Indian organizations based on 62 organizations.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThe 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/valueThe 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

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to present the results from an empirical investigation of Six Sigma in the Indian software industryDesign/methodology/approachThe 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 industryFindingsThe 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/implicationsThis study was carried out with some boundaries like the number of companies, available resources, time constraints, etc.Practical implicationsThis 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/valueLittle 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

PurposeThe 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/approachAn 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.FindingsThe 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 implicationsAlthough 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/valueVery 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

PurposeThe 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/approachThe 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsThis 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 implicationsThis 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/valueThis 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

PurposeThe 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/approachA 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.FindingsIt 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/valueThe 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.