David M. Lascelles and Barrie G. Dale
The UMIST Quality Management Centre is involved in four main activities: (i) research into Total Quality Management, (ii) the operation of a TQM Multi‐Company Teaching Programme…
Abstract
The UMIST Quality Management Centre is involved in four main activities: (i) research into Total Quality Management, (ii) the operation of a TQM Multi‐Company Teaching Programme involving eight industrial collaborators at any one time, (iii) the Centre houses the Ford Motor Company Regional Training Centre for training suppliers in total quality excellence and statistical process control, and (iv) TQM consultancy, including the Q‐Share initiative. This latter activity is carried out by Q‐MAS Ltd. (a campus based company in which UMIST has a significant shareholding).
Describes six levels of TQM adoption (or lack of it) which are termed uncommitted, drifters, tool pushers, improvers, award winners and world‐class. The levels are not necessarily…
Abstract
Describes six levels of TQM adoption (or lack of it) which are termed uncommitted, drifters, tool pushers, improvers, award winners and world‐class. The levels are not necessarily the stages which organizations pass on their TQM journey, rather they are characteristics and behaviour which organizations display in relation to TQM at one point in time. Finds that the levels can be used as a positioning model to aid organizations in identifying their weaknesses and help them in taking the next steps forward in the continual challenge of continuous improvement. The characteristics underpinning the six levels are also helpful in highlighting different perceptions of progress at different levels of the organization, with respect to continuous improvement. Argues that the characteristics of the more advanced adoptions should provide the requisite inspiration to those less advanced to highlight the type of issues to which attention needs to be given.
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Sai S. Nudurupati, David Lascelles, Gillian Wright and Nick Yip
There is an extensive research literature on servitisation and the related field of product-service systems that has emerged independently from different fields including…
Abstract
Purpose
There is an extensive research literature on servitisation and the related field of product-service systems that has emerged independently from different fields including engineering, management, design and environmental studies. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structured literature review to explore, identify and synthesise the multi-disciplinary research challenges in the journey towards servitisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach is a systematic literature review using key word searches and citation tracking for research reported between 1990 and 2013 in research databases that cover the fields which have generated the body of knowledge.
Findings
One of the key findings from the extant literature on servitisation is that it suffers from three fundamental weaknesses. First, numerous studies are conceptual in nature with limited practicality. Second, there are relatively few empirical studies, and often the findings relate to a single case study based on the insights of a limited number of senior managers. Third, often the dynamics are insufficiently studied in these organisations because data for most cases are collected post-event.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the literature review and its shortfalls, this paper proposes a holistic framework of eight themes that require further attention from academic researchers in order that a more complete conceptual understanding of servitisation is developed to support practice.
Practical implications
Each theme in the framework has an associated list of questions that can be addressed through research and presented to managers as a challenge agenda to improve their servitisation efforts. That servitisation is associated with differentiation and competitive advantage makes this a valuable approach for managing corporate performance.
Originality/value
Research from multi-disciplinary sources is synergised in order to develop an overarching servitisation agenda that transcends domain-based boundaries. This paves the way for an approach to servitisation that is coherent and harmonious.
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Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
Research carried out at the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology over a ten‐year period has led to the authors identifying six levels of TQM adoption. The…
Abstract
Research carried out at the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology over a ten‐year period has led to the authors identifying six levels of TQM adoption. The article examines all six in detail, moving from level one: uncommitted, through to level six‐ world‐class. Agues that the levels are not inevitable for every organization as it progresses through a TQM project, but they do indicate common characteristics and behaviour in relation to TQM. Focuses on Uncommitted, Drifters, Tool pushers, Improvers, Award winners and World‐class organisations, giving examples of activity typical to each category. Concludes by inviting managers to consider the six levels of TQM adoption and place their organization in one of them.
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THE traditional division of information services into science and technology on the one hand and the humanities on the other, does nothing to improve the provision of information…
Abstract
THE traditional division of information services into science and technology on the one hand and the humanities on the other, does nothing to improve the provision of information in a multi‐disciplinary subject such as planning. The proposal to make separate provision, within the national framework, for the social sciences, which was put forward by J. E. Pemberton in the November issue of this journal, would only serve to further fragment the sources of information in planning.
Quality measurements and techniques ‐ for example SPC ‐ can play an important role in achieving high levels of quality. However, in practice, the methods sometimes fail to deliver…
Abstract
Quality measurements and techniques ‐ for example SPC ‐ can play an important role in achieving high levels of quality. However, in practice, the methods sometimes fail to deliver the expected benefits, for a variety of human and organizational reasons. Draws on three case studies to explore some of these practical problems. Concludes by making a number of suggestions for improving the effectiveness of quality measurements in organizations.
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This paper aims to tell something of the story of the “Hawkspur Experiment” (1936–1941), a therapeutic camp organised early in the modern history of therapeutic community as an…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to tell something of the story of the “Hawkspur Experiment” (1936–1941), a therapeutic camp organised early in the modern history of therapeutic community as an intervention into the lives of young men who were viewed to be at risk of delinquency (Wills, 1967). Although it was to have a remarkable influence on group and therapeutic community practice and theory, the authors argue that its influence is not as well-remembered nor incorporated into contemporary therapeutic understanding and discussion as it should be.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a historical reflection based on systematic examination of the clinical and administrative records of Hawkspur Camp for men, and supporting documents held in the Planned Environment Therapy Archive. In addition, the authors use published primary and secondary sources.
Findings
Hawkspur Camp was a cross-disciplinary enterprise which brought together psychoanalytic thinking, social work, an interest in groups, political activism, a concern with the dynamics and working of democracy and the application of emergent social science methods. It was overtly an intervention into the criminal justice system but was also an intentional exploration of the therapeutic benefits of community living and of a “pioneering” lifestyle; a rigorous experiment in how psychoanalytic ideas might be used in group residential settings; and a politically grounded exploration of participative democracy as a fundamental therapeutic principle.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents the first findings from a systematic study of the records of Hawkspur Camp.
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David Hemsworth, Cristóbal Sánchez‐Rodríguez and Bruce Bidgood
Many studies claim that the implementation of quality management practices and specific information systems can help organizations to improve performance. The objective of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Many studies claim that the implementation of quality management practices and specific information systems can help organizations to improve performance. The objective of this article is to provide insights into current quality management and information systems theory and practice in the purchasing function and their impact on purchasing performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses derived from the key features of quality management practices in purchasing (QMPP) and related information systems (IS) practices presented by previous authors are tested using Structural Equation Modelling through field research on a sample of 306 manufacturing companies in Spain.
Findings
Findings from this study indicate that there is significant evidence to support the hypothesized model in which QMPP has a direct impact on related IS practices and purchasing performance, as well as an indirect impact on purchasing performance mediated through IS.
Research limitations/implications
Use of a single key informant is a possible limitation as opposed to information directly obtained from actual suppliers and internal customers. Also a more stringent test of the relationship between QMPP, IS and purchasing performance requires a more protracted time‐span rather than a singlular point in time. Finally, future research could include SRM, ERP, MRP, etc. in the purchasing department
Practical implications
A survey of QMPP and IS practices in manufacturing suggests how firms and other organisations should focus their investments to improve purchasing performance.
Originality/value
While many researchers have studied information systems and total quality management operations strategies individually, the relationship between the adoption of quality management practices in purchasing and purchasing‐related information systems and QMPP's effect on purchasing performance has not yet been analyzed.