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System reliability optimisation in today’s world is critical to ensuring customer satisfaction, businesses competitiveness, secure and uninterrupted delivery of services and safety of operations. Among many systems configurations, complex systems are the most difficult to model for reliability optimisation. The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of a novel optimisation methodology of the authors, developed to address the difficulties in the context of a gas carrying system (GCS) exhibiting dual failure modes and high initial reliability.

The minimum cut sets involving components of the system were obtained using the fault tree approach, and their reliability constituted into criteria which were maximised and the associated cost of improving their reliabilities minimised. Pareto optimal generic components and system reliabilities were subsequently obtained.

The results indicate that the optimisation methodology could improve the system’s reliability even from an initially high one, granted that the feasibility factor for improving a component’s reliability was very high. The results obtained, in spite of the size (41 objective functions and 18 decision variables), the complexity (dual failure modes) and the high initial reliability values provide confidence in the optimisation model and methodology and demonstrate their applicability to systems exhibiting multiple failure modes.

The GCS was assumed either failed or operational, its parameters precisely determined, and non-repairable. The components failure rates were exponentially distributed and failure modes independent. A single weight vector representing expression of preference in which components reliabilities were weighted higher than cost was used due to the stability of the optimisation model to weight variations.

The high initial reliability values imply that reliability improvement interventions may not be a critical requirement for the GCS. The high levels could be sustained through planned and systematic inspection and maintenance activities. Even so, purely from an analytical stand point, the results nevertheless show that there was some room for reliability improvement however marginal that is. The improvement may be secured by: use of components with comparable levels of reliability to those achieved; use of redundancy techniques to achieve the desired levels of improvement in reliability; or redesigning of the components.

The novelty of this work is in the use of a reliability optimisation model and methodology that focuses on a system’s minimum cut sets as criteria to be optimised in order to optimise the system’s reliability, and the specific application to a complex system exhibiting dual failure modes and high component reliabilities.

Presents the key findings of a study into quality practices of a number of organisations in one of the Arab countries, Qatar, which is recognised as one of the leading liquefied natural gas‐exporting regions since its reserves of gas represent about 7.4 per cent of the world total. The purposes of the study were to assess: the awareness, the understanding, the progress of, and reasons for the implementation of ISO 9000 and TQM; the obstacles encountered in TQM implementation; and the knowledge and/or practices of TQM related activities. The information was gathered using a questionnaire. The participating organisations, of which there were 143, ranged in size from large to small and came from the manufacturing, services and public sectors. The analysis of the survey data concluded that although there was a high level of enthusiasm regarding the practice of, or the need for, quality initiatives in the country, they were a long way behind those of Western organisations. Many reported an interest in ISO 9000 but due to a lack of understanding of the standard, it was often considered to be a quality model. The awareness and understanding of TQM was at a very low level and the main TQM success factors were not well‐known and practiced. Interest at the time was centred on ISO 9000 certification.

To investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) for adopting knowledge management (KM) in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) – an area that has, to date, received very little attention in the literature.

A survey instrument comprising 11 factors and 66 elements was developed. Through a postal survey, data were sought from SMEs in the UK. A parallel one was also administered to a group of academics, consultants and practitioners in the KM field in order to provide a more holistic view of the CSFs.

The survey instrument was shown to be both reliable and valid. Pertinent statistical analyses were then performed. By integrating the results from both groups of respondents, a prioritised list of CSFs, in order of importance for implementing KM, was generated.

The number of responses received was rather small since KM is a new and emerging discipline, and not many SMEs have formally implemented it.

The results of this study would help SMEs to better understand the KM discipline, to facilitate its adoption and to prioritise its practices. Academics can use the results to build models that would further expand the KM domain.

This study is probably the first to systematically determine the CSFs for KM implementation in the SME sector. It offers a beneficial source of information to SMEs, which are still lagging far behind when it comes to KM practices.

Most of the literature on knowledge management (KM) and its application has, until recently, been centered on large organizations. Pertinent issues in small businesses have to a large extent been neglected. However, small businesses do not necessarily share the same characteristics and ideals as large ones. There are certain unique features of small businesses that need to be understood before KM is implemented in their environment. This paper aims to redress some of this imbalance in the literature by putting KM into the context of small businesses. It looks at their characteristics, their advantages and disadvantages, their strengths and weaknesses, and their key problems and issues, all associated with KM. Recognition of all these elements is crucial in order to provide a well‐suited KM approach for small businesses. The paper culminates with recommendations that will provide important insights to help them accomplish this.

In social work education there is often felt to be a disjunction between what students learn in college and what they need to know in practice ‐ the gap between the ‘hard high ground’ of academia and the ‘swampy lowlands’ of practice (Schön, 2003). This paper will demonstrate how an approach borrowed from theatre in education was successfully used to fill this gap and enhance teaching and learning across years two and three of a BA social work course. The paper explores the use of role play techniques utilising a ‘teacher in role’ and ‘mantle of the expert’ (Heathcote & Bolton, 1996) approach to enable students to synthesise theory, practice and skills in a classroom setting.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an initial survey on the implementation of costs of quality (CoQ) programmes in the UK telecommunications industry and to discuss the findings in the context of sustainable competitiveness.

A postal survey was employed in order to investigate the breadth of use of CoQ programmes in the sector. A questionnaire was developed and distributed across a sample of companies with a UK SIC code of “6400 Telecommunications”.

The survey results revealed little interest in implementing such programmes in the sector. The most frequently cited reasons were: having a costing system that is already capable of monitoring quality costs; and not yet introduced to the concept of CoQ.

The results presented are limited by two factors: the low response rate; and the range of data gathered. Since the majority of the respondents were service providers, the results could be indicative of this type of company only.

The survey findings indicate that training and education in quality management should employ a more focused approach to the introduction of the concept of CoQ tracking.

To the knowledge of the authors the study presented is the first investigation performed to determine the breadth of use of CoQ programmes across the UK telecommunications sector. In addition, a new aspect of researching the capabilities of information systems in processing CoQ data has been identified.

To determine the current state of knowledge related to performance measures and their degree of implementation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in England.

The paper starts with a literature review and then goes on to discuss the methodology used. The survey is briefly presented together with the analysis of the resultant data. General opinions regarding performance measurement in English SMEs are described, including the most important measures and the biggest obstacles to the adoption of new ones. Hypotheses about differences between groups are tested and discussed.

This work concludes that there is a gap between the theory/knowledge of performance measures and the practice in English SMEs. Training of employees and difficulty in defining new performance measures were highlighted as the major obstacles to the adoption of new performance measures.

The low response rate of the survey precludes the generalisation of the findings.

Innovation and learning measures should be applied more widely.

This paper is relevant to academics and SME managers because it supports the existence of a gap between the theory of performance measurement and its degree of implementation. In addition, it introduces both theoretical information on performance measurement, including that based on the balanced scorecard perspectives, and practical information from a survey conducted in English SMEs.

Describes the methodology and findings of four industrial case studies conducted on the implementation of TQM in automotive small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Interviews were conducted to answer key issues which were felt to be crucial to this study. In addition, the case studies also explored the feasibility of the authors’ conceptual framework, and subsequently its validation. The companies were categorised as “TQM” and “lesser TQM” companies, and the analysis was performed on this basis. Results from the case studies indicated that the SMEs used in the study had approached TQM without the help of any specific framework, but they had implemented the numerous quality initiatives or programmes on a “slice by slice” approach. It was found that three common aspects were emphasised in each case when adopting TQM. Culminates with the conclusions drawn from the studies and future research directions.

TQM is a philosophy mainly dominated by large companies. Small businesses are lagging behind larger ones when it comes to introducing and adopting new managerial philosophies and advanced technology. Many small companies have stopped at quality system certification, such as ISO 9000, in their quality journey rather than pursuing further continuous improvement efforts through TQM. Small businesses must understand the need to go beyond the quality system stage and work towards a total approach for quality. Only through this total approach will their quality effort be a success. Discusses the various issues confronting small businesses when embarking on TQM. First, reviews the subject of TQM and the quality initiatives undertaken by small businesses (which are treated as small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)) such as ISO 9000 and TQM. The small business characteristics are also examined. Second, presents a case study conducted in a small manufacturing company. Culminates with conclusions and discussions drawn from both the review and the case study with suggestions for future research directions.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how total productive maintenance (TPM) has been implemented in large and medium size UK manufacturing companies, focusing on why such a programme was introduced, the activities involved, and the effectiveness and difficulties encountered during the process.

The aspects listed were based on a review of the literature. A case study approach was favoured to collect the necessary data. Companies were contacted, four of which responded favourably, and a protocol was developed to enable interviews to be carried out at each.

“Culture” was highlighted as the main obstacle to successfully implementing TPM; others were lack of awareness about the advantages of the programme, low employee skills and high cost. Two benefits gained by the four companies were a significant improvement in the availability and performance of the equipment within the plant and improved communication between employees. Additional benefits were financial improvement, reduced energy cost and increased employee morale and job satisfaction.

The number of companies that were willing to take part in the study was poor, thereby making it difficult to generalise the conclusions.

The results should help large and medium size organisations to better understand the TPM discipline, to facilitate its adoption and prioritise its practice. They also highlight the effectiveness and obstacles that can be encountered during the process.

The paper highlights the strong potential of TPM implementation programmes in affecting organisational performance improvements. The study also offers a beneficial source of information to organisations, which are still lagging far behind when it comes to TPM practices.