From quality control to TQM, service quality and service sciences: a 30-year review of TQM literature

Purpose This paper aims to review total quality management (TQM) literature in the past three decades to identify the quality related key terms, to analyse their linkage among the identified key terms and their developmental trends. Design/methodology/approach Bibliometric and statistical methods are used to analyse article titles published in the Total Quality and Business Excellence journal during 1990–2019. The current research is based on a search from the ProQuest academic database and the journal’s website, resulting in 2,452 articles collected. The VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were then used for the analyses. Findings A total of 52 key terms were extracted from the journal’s 2,452 article titles, the top three key terms in terms of occurrences were “quality,” “total quality management” and “service quality.” Five themes were then proposed from clustering the 52 key terms: “frameworks/models,” “essentials/enablers,” “methods/techniques,” “culture/characteristics” and “effects/results.” Trend analyses were also conducted regarding the five themes in an attempt to highlight the patterns of research publications from 1990 to 2019. It is found that the research publications for “essentials/enablers,” “methods and techniques” and “effects/results” have steadily increased during the analysis period, while “frameworks/models” and “culture/characteristic” have slightly decreased. These insights provide implication for the historical evolution of quality from “quality control,” “total quality management” and “service quality,” combining with the development of “service sciences.” Originality/value This paper highlights the concept of quality since its meaning has changed and evolved over time from quality control, TQM to service quality. And it is emerging in the present and future development of service sciences because of both of TQM and service sciences having the same nature of multidisciplinary background and characteristics. Also the authors can conclude that quality and service sciences are in fact two sides of the same coin because both of them having the same duality of “tangible-intangible” and “physical-virtual” faces which are the important topics that TQM should focus on.

Occurrence of necrosis of balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) caused by Nigrospora sphaerica in China

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandifloras (Jacq.) A.DC.) is a perennial dicotyledonous herb. It is one of the most commonly usedmost used medicinal plants in China with broad applications. It is also a functional food rich in polysaccharides, minerals, and fibres (Lee et al. 2014). Field surveys conducted in August and September of 2020 in major balloon flower-growing regions of Anhui province (115°25 'E, 33°08' N) in China revealed the occurrence of an unknown disease with characteristic necrosis symptoms. The disease occurred in 6 to 8% of the balloon flower leaves. Symptoms were characterized by leaf necrosis and plant withering. Infected leaves were cut into small pieces, surface-sterilized with 2% NaOCl for 2 min, rinsed in sterile distilled water for three times, and dried by blotting filter paper. Treated tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at room temperature (25 ± 2C) for 2 days. Colonies grew rapidly and reached 8 cm in diameter after 15 days at 25C. Pure cultures were obtained, and their colonies were initially white and eventually turned grey. Conidia were black, single-celled, smooth, spherical, 10 to 22 μm in diameter (n = 30), and borne singly on a hyaline vesicle at the tip of each conidiophore. Based on the characteristics of colony morphology, the fungus was identified as Nigrospora species. Pathogenicity test was conducted on healthy balloon flower plants grown under greenhouse conditions to complete Koch’s postulates. The adaxial surface of each of five healthy leaves was pricked and inoculated with a disc grown with the 6-day-old mycelium of Nigrospora species. Five leaves inoculated with PDA-only discs served as the controls. Treated leaves were wrapped with parafilm and treated plants were covered with polyethylene bags for 24 to 48 h. After 10 days of inoculation, typical necrotic lesions and stem necrotic developed on the inoculated leaves while no symptoms developed on the control leaves. The same fungus was re-isolated from diseased leaves and its identity confirmed based on morphology and culture characteristics. To confirm the identification, total DNA was extracted and the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), a partial sequence of the β-tubulin (TUB) gene, and the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) gene were amplified and sequenced using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (5’-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3’ and 5’-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3’) (White et al. 1990), Bt2a/Bt2b (5’-GGTAACCAAATCGGTGCTGCTTTC-3’ and 5’-ACCCTCAGTGTAGTGACCCTTGGC3’) (Glass and Donaldson 1995), and EF1-728F/EF1-986R (5’-CATCGAGAAGTTCGAGAAGG3’ and 5’TACTTGAAGGAACCCTTACC-3’) (Carbone and Kohn 1999), respectively. The sequences (GenBank acc. no. MW082789 for ITS, MW368916 for TUB, and MW368915 for TEF1) were aligned using Blastn in GenBank, revealing 100% identity (97% coverage) with Nigrospora sphaerica for ITS (MW081353), 100% identity (97% coverage) with N. sphaerica for TUB (MN719407), and 99% identity (98% coverage) with N. sphaerica for TEF1 (MN053315). Based on morphological, microscopic, and molecular characteristics, the associated fungal pathogen was identified as N. sphaerica. This is the first report of N. sphaerica causing necrosis disease on balloon flower in China. This study provides important information for the identification of the balloon flower fungal disease, which will help develop management strategies to reduce economic losses caused by the disease.

Diabetic Hand Infections: Factors at Presentation Influencing Amputation and Number of Surgical Procedures

Background Diabetic hand infections are associated with significant morbidity and disability. Amputations cause permanent disability, and multiple surgical procedures lead to morbidity. Diabetic foot infections have been well-studied but literature on hand infections is limited. We undertook a retrospective study of patients with diabetic hand infections operated at our center to study the factors at presentation with significant association with amputation and number of surgical procedures. Patients and Methods Demographic data of 51 patients was collected. The six parameters, namely, duration of diabetes, “onset of symptoms to presentation” interval, presence of comorbidities, HbA1c level, random blood sugar (RBS) levels at admission, and culture characteristics were selected for statistical analysis to find a relationship with the two outcome variables: number of procedures done and need for amputation. Results On bivariate analysis, Gram-negative infection was found to have a significant relationship with the need for multiple of procedures (p = 0.014). The mean difference between the “onset of symptoms to presentation” interval between the amputation/non-amputation groups (2.9 days, p = 0.04) and the multiple procedures/non-multiple procedure groups (4.4 days, p = 0.02) was found to be statistically significant. Presence of comorbidities, long duration of diabetes, HbA1c, and RBS levels at admission did not show any statistically significant association with the two outcome variables studied. Conclusion In the present study, we found that infection with Gram-negative organisms is significantly related to the need for multiple surgical procedures. A delay in presentation can influence the risk of amputation as well as multiple procedures. Institution of early appropriate care is important to get a good outcome.

Morphology and phylogenetic analyses reveal Montagnula puerensis sp. nov. (Didymosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales) from southwest China

A dead woody sample of Acer sp. with fungal fruiting bodies was collected in Pu’er City of Yunnan Province. Multigene phylogenetic analyses of LSU, ITS, SSU, and tef1-α sequence data showed that our collection belongs to Montagnula and is well separated from all other extant species. Montagnula puerensis is compared with all extant species by morphological characteristics, culture characteristics, host, and location information and is the first report of Montagnula from the host genus Acer.

Understanding sense of safety and trustworthiness of tourism information among migrant visitors

PurposeThe migration-tourism discourse has gained attention in global tourism and mobility among scholars because of the vast contributions of migrant visitors to various sectors of the host country's economy, including the tourism and hospitality industry. However, few studies appear to have been undertaken on the subject matter, particularly within the developing country tourism context. The purpose of this research was to assess and understand migrant visitors' sense of safety among five different nationalities (United Kingdom, USA, Germany, China and India) and their perceptions on trustworthiness of tourism information.Design/methodology/approachAnchored on the national cultural dimension of Hofstede model, this study sampled 306 migrant visitors, with the use of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Games–Howell post-hoc test to examine mean differences of nationalities, with regard to trust of tourism information and sense of safety. Finally, the multiple regression analysis was conducted to establish the significant effects of national culture characteristics and trustworthiness of tourism information on sense of safety of migrant visitors.FindingsThe study finds that there were no significant differences in the sense of safety by the five nationalities. However, national culture characteristics (power distance and uncertainty avoidance) and trustworthiness of tourism information were significant predictors of sense of safety of migrant visitors.Research limitations/implicationsThis research adopted only two cultural dimensions of the Hofstede's model, so future studies within the migration-tourism literature should consider adopting other cultural dimensions of the model.Practical implicationsThe research provides, first, insight into sense of safety, trustworthiness of tourism information and national culture characteristics which are relevant for destination marketers, the ministry of tourism and local tourism officials to promote safety tourism.Originality/valueThe study expands the application of the cultural dimension of Hofstede model within the migration-tourism literature and establishes that national cultural characteristics and trustworthiness of tourism information are significant predictors of sense of safety of migrant visitors.

Adipose Tissue- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Sheep: Culture Characteristics

The current study demonstrates the culture characteristics of adipose tissue and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The study evaluates the effect of ambient temperature, physiological status of the donor and the tissue source on sheep (Ovis aries) mesenchymal stem cells. The tissue samples were harvested from full term pregnant female sheep (n = 9) and male sheep (n = 10). Adipose tissue was harvested from n = 9 sheep and bone marrow from n = 10 sheep. The samples (adipose tissue, n = 2; bone marrow, n = 3) transported at cold ambient temperature (<10 °C) failed to yield MSCs while those (n = 14) at higher (>20 °C) ambient temperature successfully yielded MSCs. Bone marrow mononuclear cell (MNC) fraction was higher than the adipose tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF), but the percent adherent cells (PAC) was higher in the later cell fraction. Adipose tissue-derived MSCs from the full term female sheep had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher proliferation potential as compared to those of the male sheep-derived MSCs. Female sheep MSCs also had rapid differentiation potential. The cryopreserved MSCs had morphological features comparable to that of the fresh cells. In conclusion, the tissue type and physiological status of donor animal may affect MSCs’ characteristics and should be taken into consideration while applying in clinical settings.

The role of internal transcribed spacer 2 secondary structures in classifying mycoparasitic Ampelomyces

Many fungi require specific growth conditions before they can be identified. Direct environmental DNA sequencing is advantageous, although for some taxa, specific primers need to be used for successful amplification of molecular markers. The internal transcribed spacer region is the preferred DNA barcode for fungi. However, inter- and intra-specific distances in ITS sequences highly vary among some fungal groups; consequently, it is not a solely reliable tool for species delineation. Ampelomyces, mycoparasites of the fungal phytopathogen order Erysiphales, can have ITS genetic differences up to 15%; this may lead to misidentification with other closely related unknown fungi. Indeed, Ampelomyces were initially misidentified as other pycnidial mycoparasites, but subsequent research showed that they differ in pycnidia morphology and culture characteristics. We investigated whether the ITS2 nucleotide content and secondary structure was different between Ampelomyces ITS2 sequences and those unrelated to this genus. To this end, we retrieved all ITS sequences referred to as Ampelomyces from the GenBank database. This analysis revealed that fungal ITS environmental DNA sequences are still being deposited in the database under the name Ampelomyces, but they do not belong to this genus. We also detected variations in the conserved hybridization model of the ITS2 proximal 5.8S and 28S stem from two Ampelomyces strains. Moreover, we suggested for the first time that pseudogenes form in the ITS region of this mycoparasite. A phylogenetic analysis based on ITS2 sequences-structures grouped the environmental sequences of putative Ampelomyces into a different clade from the Ampelomyces-containing clades. Indeed, when conducting ITS2 analysis, resolution of genetic distances between Ampelomyces and those putative Ampelomyces improved. Each clade represented a distinct consensus ITS2 S2, which suggested that different pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) processes occur across different lineages. This study recommends the use of ITS2 S2s as an important tool to analyse environmental sequencing and unveiling the underlying evolutionary processes.

Tourist Experience and Innovative Hospitality Management in Different Cities

The complexity of modern tourism and hospitality management because of competition in the destination market, and especially in urban tourism destinations, has created a demand for creativity and innovation. To satisfy heightened tourist expectations for a specialized experience, hospitality organizations emphasize local culture characteristics and the urban community. The purpose of this paper is to examine how an urban hospitality organization emphasizes community and social values in its hostels, and how the tourist experience is adapted to each city’s culture and atmosphere (Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv). The theoretical framework is based on the link connecting urban hospitality with the tourist experience, and how tourism innovation and creativity is managed, during this age of competition and specialization. The qualitative methodology includes participant observation, document review, and in-depth interviews. The findings of this study add a new dimension to the existing knowledge, namely the role of creativity and innovation in helping the management of an urban hospitality organization to shape the tourist experience. The study developed a new unique model for “implementing innovation in urban hospitality management” which describes the framework of connections and interactions between the various sustainable community based and social aspects. The novelty of this research model lies in the emphasis on how management uses innovation and creativity to brand the whole chain so as to realize the vision and values it wishes to promote. This also entails a system of sub-positioning that aligns the vision and values with the distinctive culture of each city and with each local community’s nature and traditions.

New Species of Trichoderma Isolated as Endophytes and Saprobes from Southwest China

During the investigation of endophytic fungi diversity in aquatic plants and the fungal diversity in soil in southwest China, we obtained 208 isolates belonging to Trichoderma, including 28 isolates as endophytes from aquatic plants and 180 isolates as saprobes from soil, respectively. Finally, 23 new species of Trichoderma are recognized by further studies. Their phylogenetic positions are determined by sequence analyses of the combined partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) and gene encoding of the second largest nuclear RNA polymerase subunit (rpb2). The results revealed that the 23 new species are distributed in nine known clades. The morphology and culture characteristics are observed, described and illustrated in detail. Distinctions between the new species and their close relatives were compared and discussed. These include: Trichoderma achlamydosporum, T. amoenum, T. anaharzianum, T. anisohamatum, T. aquatica, T. asiaticum, T. asymmetricum, T. inaequilaterale, T. inconspicuum, T. insigne, T. obovatum, T. paraviride, T. pluripenicillatum, T. propepolypori, T. pseudoasiaticum, T. pseudoasperelloides, T. scorpioideum, T. simile, T. subazureum, T. subuliforme, T. supraverticillatum, T. tibetica, and T. uncinatum.