Enhancing the firm's performance through quality and supply base management: An empirical study

Over the past ten years, both total quality management and supply base management have become significant strategic tools for firms that are striving to achieve competitive success. This study examines firms' operational quality approaches, supplier evaluation practices, and supply base management activities, and relates these strategic initiatives to firm performance. Hypotheses were tested through the use of bivariate correlation, factor analysis and multiple regression analysis of survey data from a cross-industry sample of quality directors and vice presidents in US firms. While many strategic quality approaches and supply base management tools are positively correlated with firm performance, our results show that quality management and supply base management techniques and tools must be implemented conjointly to achieve superior financial and business performance. The implication is that managers must seek to integrate the activities of quality assurance with those of purchasing and materials management.     

Organizational factors and total quality management an empirical study

The level of awareness of Total Quality Management (TQM) has increased considerably over the last few years. Different sets of organizational requirements are prescribed by quality management gurus and practitioners for the effective practice of TQM. These requirements do not seem to have been formulated on the basis of systematic empirical research. Many researchers point out that tacit factors, e.g. employee empowerment, open culture and executive commitment, and not TQM tools and techniques alone, could drive TQM success, and that organizations would need to acquire these factors to stay successful. Many TQM advocates have also suggested that a conducive organizational environment would be essential for an effective practice of TQM. However, they did not offer any empirical evidence. There appears to be no empirical study reported in the literature that could establish a relation between TQM and organizational factors. The objective of this paper is to describe an empirical research on TQM conducted in Indian business units carried out recently by considering some organizational factors, e.g. quality of work life, organizational climate and communication. The methodology and findings are discussed in detail.     

Total quality management, investors in people and higher education

This article argues that the UK `Investor in People' programme has advantages for universities and other higher education institutions over other quality improvement schemes. It offers the opportunity to make total-quality-management (TQM) initiatives more meaningful within the current higher education context. Many total-quality-management programmes have not been that successful because they are excessively top down and have little or nothing to do with the everyday experience of the vast majority of staff. The Investors in People initiative can be endorsed as an opposite vehicle for developing internal mechanisms and processes of a transforming nature rather than the more commonly held `business' definitions of TQM with the associated `inappropriateness' of the TQM language. The article concludes that the Investors in People standard integrates well with other processes of institutional change, is externally assessed and leads to a national standard, yet is flexible enough to be implemented meaningfully in a unique way within each institution. It can only be successful, however where it is seen as integral to the planning process and not `just another initiative'     

An empirical assessment of the influence of quality dimensions on organizational performance

While there are several conceptual models to suggest that there exists an association between quality dimensions (customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, employee service quality) and organizational performance, no empirical study to date has verified such claims. This paper extends the literature by collecting hard data from 165 practising managers and testing their perceptions of the association among various quality dimensions and several organizational performance measures. The relationships between these quality dimensions and the nine component items that make up organizational performance were also investigated for both manufacturing and service firms. The data were grouped into four typologies to include type of firm, size, age, and presence of formal quality department. Multiple discriminant analysis was conducted to differentiate the typology of firms in a multivariate setting. Our results indicate that practising managers in manufacturing firms tend to perceive more widely a positive correlation between quality dimensions and the component items of organizational performance than managers in service firms. Also, managers from older manufacturing firms tend not to perceive a relationship between employee service quality and five component items of organizational performance such as competitiveness and market share.

The measures used for the three quality dimensions and organizational performance are shown to be valid and reliable. However, information derived from the study shows that practising managers in the service sector do not perceive some of the claims and expected benefits of quality management activities.     

An empirical model for sizing capillary tubes

This paper presents an empirical model that has been developed to size adiabatic and non-adiabatic capillary tubes for small vapour compression refrigeration systems, in particular, household refrigerators and freezers. The model is based on the assumption that the length of a capillary tube is dependent on five primary variables, namely the capillary tube inner diameter, the mass flow rate of the refrigerant in the capillary tube, the pressure difference between highside and lowside, the refrigerant subcooling at capillary inlet and the relative roughness of the capillary tube material. The model is validated with previous studies over a range of operating conditions and is found to agree reasonably well with the experimental data for HFC134a.     

信息化管理在检测实验室的应用及其质量控制

信息化管理在检测实验室的应用愈来愈广泛,为确保检测数据的准确、公正,质量控制要求应嵌入信息化管理系统中.本文信息化管理在检测实验室的应用及其质量控制进行简要论述.     

An inexact log-normal distribution-based stochastic chance-constrained model for agricultural water quality management

In this study, an inexact log-normal-based stochastic chance-constrained programming model was developed for solving the non-point source pollution issues caused by agricultural activities. Compared to the general stochastic chance-constrained programming model, the main advantage of the proposed model is that it allows random variables to be expressed as a log-normal distribution, rather than a general normal distribution. Possible deviations in solutions caused by irrational parameter assumptions were avoided. The agricultural system management in the Erhai Lake watershed was used as a case study, where critical system factors, including rainfall and runoff amounts, show characteristics of a log-normal distribution. Several interval solutions were obtained under different constraint-satisfaction levels, which were useful in evaluating the trade-off between system economy and reliability. The applied results show that the proposed model could help decision makers to design optimal production patterns under complex uncertainties. The successful application of this model is expected to provide a good example for agricultural management in many other watersheds.     

A system of safety management practices and worker engagement for reducing and preventing accidents: An empirical and theoretical investigation

Objective

The overall research objective was to theoretically and empirically develop the ideas around a system of safety management practices (ten practices were elaborated), to test their relationship with objective safety statistics (such as accident rates), and to explore how these practices work to achieve positive safety results (accident prevention) through worker engagement.

Method

Data were collected using safety manager, supervisor and employee surveys designed to assess and link safety management system practices, employee perceptions resulting from existing practices, and safety performance outcomes.

Results

Results indicate the following: there is a significant negative relationship between the presence of ten individual safety management practices, as well as the composite of these practices, with accident rates; there is a significant negative relationship between the level of safety-focused worker emotional and cognitive engagement with accident rates; safety management systems and worker engagement levels can be used individually to predict accident rates; safety management systems can be used to predict worker engagement levels; and worker engagement levels act as mediators between the safety management system and safety performance outcomes (such as accident rates).

Implications

Even though the presence of safety management system practices is linked with incident reduction and may represent a necessary first-step in accident prevention, safety performance may also depend on mediation by safety-focused cognitive and emotional engagement by workers. Thus, when organizations invest in a safety management system approach to reducing/preventing accidents and improving safety performance, they should also be concerned about winning over the minds and hearts of their workers through human performance-based safety management systems designed to promote and enhance worker engagement.     

Inventory management under financial distress: an empirical analysis

This study analyses inventory reductions as a means of short-term financing of firms under financial distress. We use quarterly panel data of U.S. manufacturing firms for the period from 1995 to 2007. We identify a sample of 198 distressed firms for which we analyse changes in relative inventory. Approximately 70% of distressed firms reduce their inventories until the end of their individual distress periods. This decrease corresponds to a mean reduction of 18.7 inventory days or 9.4%. Additional regression analyses show that differences in inventory adjustments depend on pre-distress inventory performance, firm size, and turnaround strategy. We also compile a sample of 142 firms that defaulted to analyse inventory actions of unsuccessful turnarounds. Our findings indicate that defaulting firms also reduce their inventories but that the reductions are lower than those of firms that resolve their financial distress. We conclude that distressed firms use short-term inventory adjustments to free up cash and to achieve long-term efficiency gains from inventory optimisation. Our findings suggest that inventory optimisation is an essential part of a complete and successful turnaround strategy and financially distressed firms should always consider this action as a means to prevent bankruptcy.     

The use of expert systems in total quality management: An exploratory study

This paper explores the potential for the use of expert systems in total quality management (TQM). The study was carried out under the auspices of the first multi-company programme of research into TQM. Among the findings are that it is feasible to run expert systems on personal (and other) computers in order to assist with aspects of TQM such as statistical process control, quality costing, goods receiving, corrective action procedures, supplier development, quality function deployment and field failure analysis, and that the potential application of expert systems to TQM was received with some degree of enthusiasm by the personnel with whom the concept was discussed. It is also pointed out that the most difficult task in producing an expert system is acquisition of knowledge, and that knowledge elicitation can be facilitated by use of the quality assurance mapping technique—Q-MAP.     

Zero-state Markov switching count-data models: An empirical assessment

In this study, a two-state Markov switching count-data model is proposed as an alternative to zero-inflated models to account for the preponderance of zeros sometimes observed in transportation count data, such as the number of accidents occurring on a roadway segment over some period of time. For this accident-frequency case, zero-inflated models assume the existence of two states: one of the states is a zero-accident count state, which has accident probabilities that are so low that they cannot be statistically distinguished from zero, and the other state is a normal-count state, in which counts can be non-negative integers that are generated by some counting process, for example, a Poisson or negative binomial. While zero-inflated models have come under some criticism with regard to accident-frequency applications - one fact is undeniable - in many applications they provide a statistically superior fit to the data. The Markov switching approach we propose seeks to overcome some of the criticism associated with the zero-accident state of the zero-inflated model by allowing individual roadway segments to switch between zero and normal-count states over time. An important advantage of this Markov switching approach is that it allows for the direct statistical estimation of the specific roadway-segment state (i.e., zero-accident or normal-count state) whereas traditional zero-inflated models do not. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach, a two-state Markov switching negative binomial model (estimated with Bayesian inference) and standard zero-inflated negative binomial models are estimated using five-year accident frequencies on Indiana interstate highway segments. It is shown that the Markov switching model is a viable alternative and results in a superior statistical fit relative to the zero-inflated models.     

An empirical model for modified bituminous binder master curves

Modeling the mechanical behavior of asphalt binders and mixtures has been the subject of intensified research in recent decades. Master curves of the norm of the complex modulus |G*| in the linear viscoelastic domain are frequently used for modeling, while phase angle master curves are less frequently considered for this purpose. Therefore in this research, an empirical model is introduced for phase angle master curves of modified and neat bituminous binders. The model is based on a general form of a double-logistic (DL) mathematical function. The |G*| master curve was then modeled using a mutual relationship between the phase angle and |G*|. Master curves of three neat and seven modified binders were generated and used to validate the DL model. The results showed that the model is capable of properly predicting the plateau region of phase angle master curves. In particular, the asymptotic behavior of the master curves at high frequencies can be modeled correctly. The model also describes irregularities in the high temperature range of the phase angle master curve. In general, model outputs such as the phase angle value at the plateau, glassy modulus, rheological index and crossover frequency correctly predict the behavior of the neat and modified binders.     

Safety certification of airborne software: An empirical study

Many safety-critical aircraft functions are software-enabled. Airborne software must be audited and approved by the aerospace certification authorities prior to deployment. The auditing process is time-consuming, and its outcome is unpredictable, due to the criticality and complex nature of airborne software. To ensure that the engineering of airborne software is systematically regulated and is auditable, certification authorities mandate compliance with safety standards that detail industrial best practice. This paper reviews existing practices in software safety certification. It also explores how software safety audits are performed in the civil aerospace domain. The paper then proposes a statistical method for supporting software safety audits by collecting and analysing data about the software throughout its lifecycle. This method is then empirically evaluated through an industrial case study based on data collected from 9 aerospace projects covering 58 software releases. The results of this case study show that our proposed method can help the certification authorities and the software and safety engineers to gain confidence in the certification readiness of airborne software and predict the likely outcome of the audits. The results also highlight some confidentiality issues concerning the management and retention of sensitive data generated from safety-critical projects.     

Prediction in road safety studies: An empirical inquiry

Studies about the road safety effect of interventions are usually retrospective quasiexperiments. In these, one key task is to predict what would have been the safety of the treated group without the intervention. Such predictions can be made by several methods, one of which is to use a “comparison group.” We use 26 yearly counts of reported injury accidents for the Canadian provinces to examine which of several simple methods of prediction would have historically predicted best. We find that the use of more data does not always improve prediction. How well one predicts depends not only on the amount of data used but also on the extent to which the prediction method is in accord with the unknown time trend behind the accident counts. We also find that the use of a comparison group to predict is not always better than predicting that this year's count will be the same as last year's. In addition, the intuitive notion that a good comparison group is that which is thought similar to the treated group is too simple. Both similarity and size (as measured by the number of accidents) are important. Moreover, whatever preconceived notions of similarity we had, were contradicted by the data. If the history of accident counts on the treatment group and on several possible comparison groups is available, a simple method to select the most suitable comparison group is suggested.     

A three-point test for the quality of concrete

A new method is presented for the rapid and extensive analysis of the quality of concrete. It simultaneously determines the water/cement ratio, the workability and the air content on the same sample of concrete. A three-point test is thus performed, related to the properties of concrete both in fresh and in hardened state. There are three acceptance conditions (referring to w/c ratio, workability and air content) instead of a single one, which increases the accuracy of the method. The test can be carried out in 8–10 minutes, in site conditions. The testing device is simple and robust. An extensive experimental programme was performed to check the method, with good results.     

An objective test for speech codecs

One of the most difficult issues regarding speech codec design and evaluation is the analysis of the reproduced sound quality. Standard measurements [such as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)] aren't adequate to make an accurate comparison between different codecs due to the masking phenomena of the human ear. The aim of this paper is to propose a simple objective test for the measurement of the coding distortion in analysis-by-synthesis codecs     

产品设计文件质量的有效管理

产品开发是一项科学而严谨的工作,只有不断地对产品开发实践经验进行归纳、总结,才能在新的产品开发中系统、有效地进行策划,以达到以最经济的方式生产出适合买方要求的产品的境界.     

Vehicle occupant injury severity on highways: An empirical investigation

Accident severity analysis is important to both researchers and practitioners because of its implications in accident cost estimation, external cost estimation and road safety. Although much research has been done to explore the factors influencing crash-injury severity, few studies have investigated the association between severity and traffic characteristics collected real-time during the time the accident occurred. We apply a random parameters ordered probit model to explore the influence of speed and traffic volume on the injury level sustained by vehicle occupants involved in accidents on the A4–A86 junction in the Paris region. Results indicate that increased traffic volume has a consistently positive effect on severity, while speed has a differential effect on severity depending on flow conditions.     

Foreign direct investment and local linkages: An empirical investigation

Abstract and Key Results

Social ties and foreign market entry: An empirical inquiry

Abstract and Key Results