An in-depth investigation on quality management practices in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 736-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Run H. Niu ◽  
Ying Fan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Organizational Characteristics ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Program Adoption ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to capture the up-to-date development of quality management (QM) programs in China’s manufacturing landscape. The study aims to gain understanding on the current state-of-the-art QM programs adopted by Chinese manufacturing companies. Furthermore, the study investigates the key drivers and organizational characteristics that may shape the decisions on QM program adoption. Design/methodology/approach – To gain a deep understanding of QM in China’s manufacturing landscape, in-depth interviews were conducted with production managers, quality managers, and/or executives of 12 manufacturing companies in four cities in China in May and June 2012. Each interview lasted about two hours and covered all aspects of QM in the business, including what quality programs are in place and why the business adopts and implements these programs. Grounded theory approach is used to conduct qualitative analysis on the interview transcripts using NVivo 9, a qualitative data analysis program. Findings – Two categories of QM programs adopted by Chinese companies emerged from the analysis, namely, QM systems and QM certifications. QM systems include Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, and Lean. QM certification includes ISO 9000 series standard certificates, ISO 14000 certificate, OHSAS heath certificates, government regulatory certificates, and industry certificates. The authors found while Six Sigma and Lean adoption is related to parent company requirement, TQM adoption is related to internal quality improvement and control, quality assurance, leadership ideology, culture, and employee commitment. QM certification adoption is significantly related to external drivers. Regarding the effect of organizational characteristics, the study reveals that while corporate governance and ownership influence parent company requirements as an adoption driver, industry, product, and market segmentation influence industry requirements and government regulations as adoption drivers. Research limitations/implications – The findings and proposed conceptual framework are based on qualitative data collected from 12 companies in four cities in China, which may be limited to represent and reveal every aspect of QM programs adopted in Chinese manufacturing industries. The findings provide theoretical propositions that can be verified using a large sample set in future studies. In addition, although the study identified a variety of QM programs adopted, how these programs are implemented warrants further investigation. Practical implications – This study gives a status update and in-depth investigation on the development of QM programs adopted in Chinese manufacturing companies. How internal drivers, external drivers, and organizational characteristics shape companies’ decision on program adoption were explored. The study results provide implications not only for companies that are involved in supply chains with operations in China, but also for Chinese domestic companies competing in global markets to have QM systems in place to ensure quality performance. Originality/value – This study used multiple case study approach and grounded theory approach to conduct in-depth investigation on the current state of QM landscape in China’s manufacturing companies. It contributes to the body of knowledge on QM programs in China by uncovering the linkages between program adoption, key drivers, and organizational characteristics in an integrated framework.

Quality through accreditation

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 469-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Olof Lagrosen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Quality Award ◽  
Research Implication ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

Purpose The paper concerns the three main accreditation standards for business schools: EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. The purpose of this paper is to analyse these standards for accreditation from a quality management standpoint. Design/methodology/approach The study is a conceptual review and analysis of the three standards mentioned above from the perspective of quality management. The constant comparative method from the grounded theory approach has been used to generate categories from the two major quality award models, which are then compared with the criteria of the accreditation models. Findings The findings show the conceptual quality implications of the three main accreditations. The accreditation models are in line with the tenets of quality management but have a greater focus on production and to a somewhat lesser extent on the people. Research limitations/implications One limitation is that the study is only conceptual. Furthermore, the study is limited to the models of quality management and accreditation that have been analysed. Although these are the most common, there are others that could have been included. The research implication mainly lies in an increased conceptual understanding for the quality implications of business school accreditation. Practical implications The results of the study will be useful for managers of business schools undergoing or contemplating entering into an accreditation process. Originality/value The number of business schools undergoing accreditation is increasing rapidly. Thus, increased knowledge of the conceptual implications of such processes should be valuable.

Knowledge needs in the non-profit sector: an evidence-based model of organizational practices

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinesh Rathi ◽  
Lisa M. Given ◽  
Eric Forcier
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose – This paper aims to present findings from a study of non-profit organizations (NPOs), including a model of knowledge needs that can be applied by practitioners and scholars to further develop the NPO sector. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted with NPOs operating in Canada and Australia. An analysis of survey responses identified the different types of knowledge essential for each organization. Respondents identified the importance of three pre-determined themes (quantitative data) related to knowledge needs, as well as a fourth option, which was a free text box (qualitative data). The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses and a grounded theory approach, respectively. Findings – Analysis of the quantitative data indicates that NPOs ' needs are comparable in both countries. Analysis of qualitative data identified five major categories and multiple sub-categories representing the types of knowledge needs of NPOs. Major categories are knowledge about management and organizational practices, knowledge about resources, community knowledge, sectoral knowledge and situated knowledge. The paper discusses the results using semantic proximity and presents an emergent, evidence-based knowledge management (KM)-NPO model. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the growing body of literature in the KM domain, and in the understudied research domain related to the knowledge needs and experiences of NPOs. NPOs will find the identified categories and sub-categories useful to undertake KM initiatives within their individual organizations. The study is also unique, as it includes data from two countries, Canada and Australia.

From IMS and six sigma toward TQM: an empirical study from Serbia

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidosav Majstorovic ◽  
Tatjana V. Sibalija
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Quality Engineering ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dmaic Method ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the current status of a quality management practice in Serbia, in terms of the development and application of integrated managements systems (IMS), and research and implementation of Six Sigma and the related techniques. Design/methodology/approach – Two main aspects of total quality management (TQM) have been considered: institutional (organisational or strategic) aspect that corresponds to standardised management systems and their integration, and technical (quality engineering) aspect whose main contributor is Six Sigma. The findings of a comprehensive study on IMS implementation in Serbia have been presented, based on the results of a questionnaire that was sent to 54 organisations during 2013. Also, the significant technical improvements and tangible benefits of a recently conducted Six Sigma project were shown, including the application of the advanced quality engineering techniques within DMAIC method. Findings – Good QM practice in Serbia is improving, both in terms of the organisational (IMS) and technical (Six Sigma) aspect, that server as a good basis for the adoption of TQM in manufacturing companies from various sectors. It could be anticipated that these results will facilitate the adoption of an overall TQM culture in Serbia and leverage its future sustainability. Originality/value – This paper offers key insights into IMS and Six Sigma implementation in Serbia. This could encourage manufacturing organisations in developing countries to adopt IMS and Six Sigma, in order to boost the overall TQM culture and gain a competitive advantage.

Understanding knowledge hiding in the context of virtual workplaces

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suman Choudhary ◽  
Kirti Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose This paper aims to explore the implications of virtual work arrangements on employee knowledge hiding (KH) behaviour and the different strategies of KH used by employees in these arrangements. Design/methodology/approach Following a grounded theory approach to understanding KH, 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with employees engaged in virtual working setups. The data collected from these informants were then analysed using qualitative methods. Findings The study revealed that virtual work arrangements increase employee KH behaviour because of three reasons: ease of hiding, digital burnout and loss of control. Further, the study found that rationalized hiding is the most commonly adopted strategy by employees engaged in virtual work arrangements, while inclinations towards evasive hiding strategy decrease in this arrangement. Originality/value This is the first study in knowledge management literature that seeks to explain KH in the virtual work context.

The Experience of Occupational Disruption among Student Musicians

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon McCready ◽  
Denise Reid
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Major Occupation

Student musicians frequently need to take breaks from playing their instruments because of physical playing-related injuries, yet little is known about their experiences with these occupational disruptions. We conducted a qualitative study that explored student musicians' lived experiences with unplanned disruptions stemming from engagement in their major occupation of playing an instrument. In-depth interviews with seven student musicians who attended either a special arts high school or a university were conducted. Consistent with a grounded theory approach to qualitative research, the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis was implemented. A major finding related to the theme of “being and becoming,” where student musicians expressed a strong sense of belonging to a group of other like musicians who they learned from, relied on for support, and created music with. Another theme was motivation to excel, where students expressed a strong desire and motivation to improve and master their instrument. Occupational tensions and pressures emerged as another theme. Students were aware of the need to practice and the need to care for their bodies. A constant negotiation was required in which students struggled to find a good balance between the need to practice and to respect their bodies while maintaining an identity of a musician. These findings are discussed in relation to how health care providers and educators need to understand the demands and stresses associated with playing an instrument so that they can better support these young musicians.

scholarly journals The interplay between SME owner-managers and the brand-as-a-person

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Centeno ◽  
Jesus Cambra-Fierro ◽  
Rosario Vazquez-Carrasco ◽  
Susan J. Hart ◽  
Keith Dinnie
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Strategies ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the largely unexplored conceptualisation of the brand-as-a-person metaphor in small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by examining its potential relation with the SME owner-manager, the pathways to its creation and development and the intuitive nature of this relationship.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory approach was used, and data were collected through a set of 36 semi-structured interviews with 30 SME owner-managers in various sectors in Mexico.FindingsThe results indicate that SME owner-managers intuitively humanise their brands. The study revealed four pathways to develop the brand-as-a-person metaphor in the SME context: through personality traits, tastes and preferences, abilities and knowledge and values, all suggesting that SMEs’ brand-as-a-person metaphors are largely an extension of their owner-managers.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents a theoretical framework that illustrates the four pathways to the creation and development of brand-as-a-person that are derived from the brand’s relationship with the SME owner-manager. The results of cross-industry semi-structured interviews are limited to a single culture context.Practical implicationsSME owner-managers should first undertake an introspective personal assessment of their intuitive and conscious decision-making, as SME owner-managers often make decisions in an intuitive way. The results suggest that they should act in a more conscious, responsible and rational way when formulating their brand strategies.Originality/valueThis is the first study to clarify the profound influence of SME owner-managers’ personal characteristics, including personality traits, tastes and preferences, abilities and knowledge and values, on the brand-as-a-person metaphor. This study also confirms the intuitive learning strategy formulation of SME owner-managers’ branding practices and SMEs’ need for a more rational approach to branding.

Benchmarking of TQM practices in the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry (a comparative study)

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 4058-4083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maysoon Mohammed Yaseen ◽  
Rateb J. Sweis ◽  
Ayman Bahjat Abdallah ◽  
Bader Yousef Obeidat ◽  
Nadia J. Sweis
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish practical guidelines for benchmarking eight total quality management (TQM) practices vital to pharmaceutical companies’ performance. The paper also proposes the use of an analytic total quality index (TQI) as a benchmarking tool and illustrates the importance and effectiveness of this benchmarking methodology by applying it in two comparative studies of three Jordanian pharmaceutical companies. Design/methodology/approach In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the data were gathered through a questionnaire that was used to evaluate the gap between the ideal and current status of the quality management system and distributed to the quality units from three companies: pharmaceutical manufacturing company, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company working in the same field and a pharmaceutical service providing research services to a pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. And the mean differences between the current and ideal states for the eight critical TQM practices were compared for these two comparative studies using the t-test. Findings Each of the two comparisons reveals statistically significant differences regarding the perceptions of actual and ideal scores for manufacturing and service companies on five out of eight critical factors and, on two out of eight critical factors for manufacturing and manufacturing companies. Practical implications The pharmaceutical companies, regardless of whether they are manufacturing or service company, can adopt benchmarking techniques which were applied in this case study to improve their performance and their product/service quality. Originality/value The consequences of this research can support organization managers and policy makers in effectively benchmarking the identified TQM practices in their organizations using the proposed TQI benchmarking tool.

scholarly journals Key drivers for green building project financing in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofi Agyekum ◽  
Chris Goodier ◽  
James Anthony Oppon
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Project Financing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comparative Review ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Building Project

PurposeThe majority of the literature on green buildings in Ghana focuses on environmental benefits, innovative designs, construction technologies and project management techniques. However, little is known about how such facilities are financed. This issue creates potential knowledge gaps, one of which this study aims to address. This study examines the key drivers for green building project financing in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. An extensive critical comparative review of the literature resulted in the identification of eight potential drivers. One hundred and twenty-seven questionnaire responses based upon these drivers from the Ghanaian construction industry were received. Data were coded with SPSS v22, analysed descriptively (mean, standard deviation and standard error) and via inferential analysis (One Way ANOVA and One-Sample t-Test). These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with ten industry professionals within the Ghana Green Building Council. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through the side-by-side comparison of the qualitative data with the quantitative data.FindingsThough all eight drivers are important, the five key drivers for the Ghanian construction industry were identified as, in order of importance, “high return on investment”, “emerging business opportunity”, “ethical investment”, “conservation of resources” and “mandatory regulations, standards, and policies”. The interviewees agreed to and confirmed the importance of these identified drivers for green building project financing from validating the survey's key findings.Research limitations/implicationsKey limitations of this study are the restrictions regarding the geographical location of the collected data (i.e. Kumasi and Accra); timing of the study and sample size (i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic making it difficult to obtain adequate data).Practical implicationsThough this study was conducted in Ghana, its implications could be useful to researchers, policymakers, stakeholders and practitioners in wider sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, financial institutions can invest in green buildings to expand their green construction and mortgage finance products to build higher value and lower risk portfolios. The findings from this study can provide investors with the enhanced certainty needed to help guide and inform their investment decisions, i.e. what to invest in, and when, by how much and how a scheme being “green” may influence their rate of return. Also, for building developers, it will give them a clearer understanding of the business case for green buildings and how to differentiate themselves in the market to grow their businesses.Originality/valueThis study's findings provide insights into an under-investigated topic in Ghana and offer new and additional information and insights to the current state-of-the-art on the factors that drive green building project financing.

scholarly journals Environmental Discourses and Rhetoric in the Conceptual Space of Architectural Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Traci Rose Rider
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Education ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Environmental Discourse ◽  
Conceptual Space ◽  
Current State ◽  
Environmental Discourses ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Potential Opportunity ◽  
Insight Into

This paper aims to investigate the current state and potential opportunity of strategic environmental discourses and rhetoric in architectural education. Because there is limited research completed on this specific focus, a grounded theory approach was used. In-depth interviews were held with twelve purposefully selected participants, each of whom are prevalently perceived as leaders in incorporating sustainability topics into architectural education. Through a cyclical coding process, larger themes about integrating environmental topics in formal architectural education emerged, with the importance of discourse and rhetoric as one of the primary sub-themes. Different discourses, emphasis on specific terminology, and the implications of each in the conceptual space of architectural educational are explored in the context of both program- and university-level structures. Breaking down the current environmental discourses in these specific contexts offers insight into opportunities to streamline the inclusion of sustainability themes in architectural education. This study concludes with possible avenues for further research regarding environmental discourse and rhetoric in architectural education, and suggestions for application in programs.

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