Total Quality Management Implementation in the Egyptian Construction Industry

Total quality management (TQM) has been recognized as a successful management philosophy that can be successfully implemented in the construction industry. By examining the Japanese contractors working in Egypt and comparing their managing systems to the local ones, a comparative analysis of the two contractors working in the Egyptian field is presented in this paper to illustrate how TQM can be implemented effectively in the Egyptian construction industry. Bearing in mind the location bound nature of the production process, the competitive bidding, which emphasizes cost and the absence of the quality culture of the clients, subcontractors and site operatives are some of the constraining factors for implementing the quality policy. Based on the research findings, the paper presents some features of the Japanese construction industry that could be implemented in the Egyptian field in addition to a new model for TQM implementation that appropriates the Egyptian construction industry.     

浅谈采矿公司作业管理中的质量管理

利用现代质量管理理念对采矿公司的作业管理进行分析, 希望通过全面质量管理的科学管理方法提高采矿公司的产品质量。     

Quality, Environmental, and Health and Safety Management Systems for Construction Engineering

The philosophy behind quality, environmental, and safety (QES) management systems is a concept that has been accepted by various contractors. Furthermore, a process has been developed insuring that the output produced conforms to customer satisfaction without violating any environmental, health, and safety rules and regulations. An effective QES program not only assures a quality product but also reduces costs, and enhances productivity. It is a top down process, i.e., top management together with line management and other employees develop the program and motivate all personnel to accept the process. Important functions to take under consideration are (1) explain and clarify the quality, environmental, and safety performance expected; (2) involve employees in decision-making and problem solving; (3) describe the consequences of poor quality and unsafe/unhealthy work conditions; (4) establish QES goals and provide feedback on performance; (5) provide a self-monitoring system; and (6) recognize and reinforce good performance and develop a reward system. This paper presents a discussion of the development of a portion of a QES management system which has been employed by a medium to large size construction company. In particular, Items 1–4, listed above, are described in detail.     

Quality Management Programs in the Construction Industry: Best Value Compared with Other Methodologies

The drive to maintain competitiveness by increasing performance has been an ever-present goal of industries within the global market. Although many industries have benefited from classical quality management programs such as total quality management (TQM), lean production, and six sigma, the construction industry has remained primarily unaffected. This paper analyzes these three popular programs, the basis for their success and failures, and their documented level of susceptibility in the construction industry. These programs are then contrasted to the best value system, an owner-driven quality program that has been tested recently in the construction industry and documented to produce encouraging results. On the basis of the findings, it is proposed that most quality management programs are designed to be instigated by the vendor, by improving the company’s ability to deliver a quantifiable, replicable product or service. This is significant because it indicates that although the underlying principles of the classic quality management programs are relevant to all markets, the processes and methods of application may be inappropriate for an industry that dispenses highly diverse or integrated products or services, such as construction.     

Using Gaussian and Hyperbolic Distributions for Quality Improvement in Construction: Case Study Approach

The Gaussian distribution and the 6σ principle have been widely used in the field of construction quality management with great success. This paper proposes a theoretical study on a new hyperbolic distribution using the 6σ principle to improve quality in construction management. The hyperbolic and Gaussian distributions are then numerically compared by estimating their important statistical properties, such as population in range, number of defects, yield percentage, and defects per million opportunities. The impacts of these factors are briefly discussed to give guidance to organizations in the construction industry on how to lower cost and improve project quality by prevention. A case study showing the cost data of a construction consultant company is presented. The data’s population in range and defects per million opportunities are estimated using Gaussian and hyperbolic distributions. In this particular case study, the hyperbolic distribution is shown to be more effective in quality improvement by prevention than the Gaussian distribution. This also validates the hyperbolic distribution as a suitable distribution for construction quality management.     

Owners Respond: Preferences for Task Performance, Delivery Systems, and Quality Management

Twenty years ago, public owners did almost all of their own design work and project inspection, but this is no longer the case. Innovative construction ideas of 15 years ago are now considered mainstream, and newer ideas are taking their places. Fifteen years ago, the concept of fast-track construction was still being researched and many federal agencies refused to fund it; today, most large federal projects call for some sort of fast tracking. These systems allow construction input into the design process of construction projects. Whoever performs tasks such as scope development, prebid cost estimates, and quality assurance can significantly affect the quality of the project, as can which delivery system is used. The Construction Institute of ASCE sponsored a survey of construction owners to determine what delivery systems are used in their projects and whom they select to perform various tasks. The survey also sought to ascertain the owners’ satisfaction level with the performance of the individuals and systems they choose. This paper, written for practitioners and researchers, describes the results of that survey.     

基于QES系统分析和改善板坯中心偏析

 针对唐山中厚板材有限公司铸坯发生的A类中心偏析,上线应用了中冶连铸的动态配水和铸坯质量跟踪与判定系统QES。利用QES系统精确定位过程参数的功能,分析了浇铸过程、钢水成分和设备运行状况对A类中心偏析的影响,发现S,P,C含量和中包温度对此影响不大,而开口度控制偏差、辊缝收缩和二冷水量设置不当是导致该厂A类中心偏析的主要原因,最终提出改进措施,实施后消除了铸坯A类中心偏析。     

Steel Quality Improvement Potentials in the Continuous Casting Process Using State of the Art Refractory Flow Control Systems

In the continuous casting process for high quality steel grades, activities are mainly focused on avoiding reoxidation and promoting non-metallic inclusion removal during steel transfer from the ladle through the tundish to the mould. In this paper, methods to effectively control flow from the tundish to the continuous casting mould are described and specific state of the art refractory solutions are also introduced.     

Quality Management System for Design Consultants: Development and Application on Projects in the Middle East

In this paper, the development and implementation processes of a quality management system (QMS) for design consultants in the Middle East are presented. The current design practices are first reviewed through the conduct of multiple interviews. The development of the QMS for designing residential and commercial buildings is also based on quality standards from the literature. The practical implementation of the model is conducted using actual design projects in a real design environment. The model implementation consists of three stages, the first stage is awareness; the second stage is benchmarking of existing practice, which is carried out on 20 projects; and finally, the validation of the model is verified using data from 11 projects. The benchmarking of existing performance and the validation of the model are carried out utilizing statistical approaches. The implementation of the QMS model improves the efficiency of the designs and the production process distributions.     

企业贯标认证后如何使质量体系持续改进与有效运行

结合2000版ISO9001标准。阐述了持续改进对认证企业保持质量体系有效性所起的作用。     

马钢酸洗线圆盘剪的控制原理与应用

介绍了马钢连续酸洗生产线圆盘剪的基本结构与控制原理。无动力回转式圆盘剪位于月牙剪后用于按设定的宽度对带钢边部剪切。对圆盘剪的控制主要是根据带钢宽度和工艺要求完成距离调整。此过程控制系统已在马钢酸洗生产线取得了成功的应用。     

Analysis of Owner’s Design and Construction Quality Management Approaches in Design/Build Projects

This paper explores and classifies current approaches to evaluating quality in design/build (DB) proposals. It does so by a thorough content analysis of 78 requests for proposal (RFPs) for public DB projects with an aggregate contract value of over $3.0 billion advertised between 1997 and 2002. In most DB projects, the owner requires the DB contractor to establish a firm-fixed price on a project that has not yet been designed. Usually, the owner also fixes the project delivery period. In the traditional design/bid/build (DBB) system, quality is fixed through the plans and specifications. Thus, in DBB, with schedule and quality fixed, the cost of construction is the factor in which the owner seeks competition. Conversely, in DB, with cost and schedule fixed, the scope and hence the level of quality is the main element of competition. This paper identifies the six owner approaches to articulating DB quality requirements in their RFPs. The six approaches are quality by qualifications, evaluated program, specified program, performance criteria, specification, and warranty. These are important for DB contractors to understand so that they can craft their proposal in a manner that is both responsive to the owners’ requirements and consistent with the owner’s system to make the best value contract award decision.     

舞钢质量管理系统的开发与应用

本文简述了采用现代计算机信息技术设计和开发舞钢质量管理系统的方法,体现了舞钢新老线生产流程中质量监督管理过程,包括从炼钢化学成分的分析判定,到轧钢的表面、尺寸检查及判定,以及钢板取样做理化分析,到最终的综合判定及出具质保书的全过程。     

提高工程预算编制质量及有效控制工程结算的方法

建设工程造价审核工作是一门专业性、知识性、政策性很强的工作。它不仅需要掌握专业的预结算知识和国家有关政策、法规,还要了解相关的专业、设计、材料设备采购、施工方法与投资控制等多方面的基础知识。提高预结算编制水平,对做好工程造价管理,有效控制工程造价投资,实现企业项目预期经济效益和社会效益起着至关重要的作用。     

生产、技术及质量的炼轧一体化管理与控制

济钢为满足中厚板"多品种、高性能、高精度、低成本、绿色化"的制造要求,通过对中厚板生产流程的系统分析,用精准管理的先进理念、创新的方法、科学的手段,整合了济钢内部资源,拓补和建立新的相关制度和文件,构建了炼轧系统的新型管理模式.实施中厚板材生产与质量炼轧一体化的管控,旨在由这种管理的创新,增强中厚板材生产组织的有序性、连续性和稳定性,实现中厚板的高效化生产.     

Managing and creating an image in the interview: The role of interviewee initial impressions.

In employment interviews, individuals use impression management tactics to present themselves as suitable candidates to interviewers. However, not all impression management tactics, or the interviewees who employ them, are effective at positively influencing interview scores. Results of this study indicate that the relationship between impression management tactic usage and interview success is contingent on the type of tactic employed. Specifically, self-promotion was found to have a positive relationship (r = .20) and slight (r = –.11) and extensive (r = –.19) image creation were found to have negative relationships with end-of-interview scores. Further, the relationships between these 3 impression management tactics were moderated by interviewees' initial impressions of the interview (ΔR2 ranged from .04 to .10). Interviewees who perceived they were seen as less suitable during rapport building were more effective when using any of the 3 impression management tactics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

当前理工科大学生法律素质的现状及其原因分析——基于对江西三所理工科院校的抽样调查

对江西三所理工科院校900名大学生法律素质现状的抽样调查显示：理工科大学生对法律知识有一定了解,但知识结构的不平衡性明显;有基本的法律观念,但＂表里不一＂的矛盾性突出;有一定的法律信仰,但＂崇法尚制＂的坚定性不足;能解决简单的法律问题,但法践行能力仍然低下。造成这一现状的原因主要包括思想认识上存在偏差、高校法制教育滞后、高校依法治校步伐缓慢、社会法制＂乱像＂的消极抑制、功利主义思想的影响和家庭法制教育缺失等六个方面。     

Impact of Irrigation Management Transfer on Land and Water Productivity and Water Supply in the Gediz Basin, Turkey

In the 1990s, Turkey started a fast transfer program in which a large proportion of government-managed irrigation systems were put into the hands of Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) in a very short space of time. One of the first systems to be handed over was the Gediz Basin. This study aims to set out the effects of the transfer of irrigation management in this basin on water and land productivity and water supply. For this purpose, the indicators of productivity and water supply proposed by the International Water Management Institute have been used to show changes between the pretransfer, transfer, and post-transfer periods. WUA averages for the post-transfer period calculated from the results ranged $2,076–$2,898?ha?1 for output per command area, $2,747–$4,585?ha?1 for output per irrigated area, $0.26–$0.68?m?3 for output per irrigation supply, $0.30–$0.63?m?3 for output per unit water consumed, 0.88–1.49 for relative water supply, and 0.99–1.99 for relative irrigation supply. During the period evaluated by the study, there was a decline in water supply indicators, as against a steady increase in the productivity of water and land use. The basic reason for this decrease in supply is the long-lasting and ongoing drought in the region.     

Adaptation in very old age: Exploring the role of resources, beliefs, and attitudes for centenarians' happiness.

When individuals reach very old age, accumulating negative conditions represent a serious challenge to their capacity to adapt and are likely to reduce the quality of life. By examining happiness and its determinants in centenarians, this study investigated the proposal that psychological resilience may come to an end in extremely old age. Data from the population-based Heidelberg Centenarian Study indicated high levels of happiness. Basic resources (i.e., job training, cognition, health, social network, extraversion) explained a substantial proportion of variance in happiness, but some resource effects were mediated through self-referent beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy) and attitudes toward life (e.g., optimistic outlook). Results challenge the view that psychological resilience reaches a critical limit or that the self-regulatory adaptation system loses its efficiency in very advanced age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk and resilience in military families experiencing deployment: The role of the family attachment network.

Deployment separation constitutes a significant stressor for U.S. military men and women and their families. Many military personnel return home struggling with physical and/or psychological injuries that challenge their ability to reintegrate and contribute to marital problems, family dysfunction, and emotional or behavioral disturbance in spouses and children. Yet research examining the psychological health and functioning of military families is scarce and rarely driven by developmental theory. The primary purpose of this theoretical paper is to describe a family attachment network model of military families during deployment and reintegration that is grounded in attachment theory and family systems theory. This integrative perspective provides a solid empirical foundation and a comprehensive account of individual and family risk and resilience during military-related separations and reunions. The proposed family attachment network model will inform future research and intervention efforts with service members and their families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)