John R. Grandzol and Mark Gershon
For over a decade, total quality management has been a principle focus of business managers and academic researchers alike. The myriad prescriptions and practices, all purporting…
Abstract
For over a decade, total quality management has been a principle focus of business managers and academic researchers alike. The myriad prescriptions and practices, all purporting to represent this management philosophy, have been implemented with varying degrees of success. Despite the significant failure rate of TQM programs, the successes, as indicated by Baldrige Award winners, support continued interest in TQM. The search for linkages between current descriptive models and proposed prescriptive models of TQM spawned our research, which, in turn, required creation of a survey instrument. This paper describes the initial sources and development of this instrument, the rigorous sequence of testing that it has been subjected to, and its application for current and future research. The successful achievement of key survey statistics suggests that this instrument can be used for TQM data collection with confidence by researchers elsewhere who will investigate other proposed models.
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Bryan Romsa, Katelyn Romsa, Jon Lim and Scott Wurdinger
Researchers have discovered that service learning affects students’ academic, personal, and social development. However, currently there is a gap in literature analyzing ways in…
Abstract
Researchers have discovered that service learning affects students’ academic, personal, and social development. However, currently there is a gap in literature analyzing ways in which service learning affects students’ perceived leadership skills. This study examined the effectiveness of service learning on the perceived leadership skills of 74 sport management undergraduate students at a mid-sized, Midwestern, public university using Kouzes’ and Posner’s Student Leadership Practices Inventory instrument, which examines leadership practices in five areas: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. The results of this study may help faculty members and administrators to better understand the potential of utilizing service learning projects in their classrooms as a vehicle for their students to develop quality leadership practices. Recommendations for further research and practice are also discussed.
Süleyman Murat Yildiz and Ali Kara
The research presented in this study replicates and extends the QSport-10 scale proposed by Rial, Varela, Rial and Real in their 2010 study, by incorporating the Programme…
Abstract
The research presented in this study replicates and extends the QSport-10 scale proposed by Rial, Varela, Rial and Real in their 2010 study, by incorporating the Programme dimension into the original measurement of service quality in Physical Activity and Sports Centres (PSCs). The objective of this research is to examine the dimensionality of the QSport-10 scale and extend it to capture the additional Programme service quality dimension. Study results confirmed the dimensionality of the service quality measurement offered by the QSport-10 scale and presented strong empirical support for the existence of Programme, Installations and Staff dimensions. Programme dimension was considered the most important factor for the largest consumer segment in the study.
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Michael Burbank, Summer F. Odom and M’Randa R. Sandlin
Leadership educators seek to understand how they can better develop leadership among their students through formal and informal course experiences. The purpose of this study was…
Abstract
Leadership educators seek to understand how they can better develop leadership among their students through formal and informal course experiences. The purpose of this study was to understand how undergraduate students perceive reasons for changes in their leadership practices, after completing a personal leadership education course. The course focused on the five exemplary practices of college students. As part of the course, students completed the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (S-LPI) as a pre and post assessment. A qualitative content analysis of 107 undergraduate student reflections from multiple sections of a leadership course was conducted to examine students’ perceptions of what influenced their change in scores on the S-LPI assessment. Students perceived that the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities of the course (including the high-impact service-learning project) affected their change in score for the leadership behavior(s) they intended to focus on throughout the semester. Students whose scores did not increase for the leadership behavior they chose to focus on still experienced leadership growth and development but attributed their growth to different items: their growth was in a different leadership behavior than intended or they developed a greater understanding of the five practices which affected their self-assessed score.
Victoria Geyfman and Christian Grandzol
Atlantic Basin Refining, Inc. (ABR), a Virgin Islands company located on the island of St Croix, reached a tentative agreement with Hess and Petroleos de Venezuela SA to purchase…
Abstract
Synopsis
Atlantic Basin Refining, Inc. (ABR), a Virgin Islands company located on the island of St Croix, reached a tentative agreement with Hess and Petroleos de Venezuela SA to purchase the two companies’ joint venture, Hovensa, LLC in November 2014. Hovensa operated the large St Croix oil refinery that had been closed since 2012, but the deal required approval by the Virgin Islands Senate. Although reopening the large refinery would generate a significant boost to the local economy, past operating losses, and financial and legal issues associated with Hovensa, raised concerns about the feasibility of ABR’s proposal. The case is set in late 2014 as the government is working to ensure that the decision to allow ABR to purchase the refinery reflects the long-term interests of the Virgin Islands.
Research methodology
The case was researched using secondary data and all materials are available to the public. This was necessary due to the ongoing legal battle concerning the refinery’s sale. No disguises of people or entities were used. Frequently cited sources include government and court records, newspaper articles, and internet sources.
Relevant courses and levels
The case is most appropriate for undergraduate courses in management or finance where capital budgeting decisions are analyzed.
Theoretical bases
The case draws on literature related to capital budgeting and management.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM), employee outcomes and performance. Moreover, how environmental uncertainty…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM), employee outcomes and performance. Moreover, how environmental uncertainty (EU) influences the relationship between employee outcomes and performance is regarded in the context of automobile part manufacturing and suppliers of Iran. Four theories namely resource-based view theory, ability, motivation, opportunity framework, contingency theory and quality management theory have been adopted in this research.
Design/methodology/approach
A research project is conducted in 191 automobile part manufacturing and suppliers plants using the questionnaire method. Confirmatory factor analysis is applied to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement instrument. The correlations between latent constructs are examined through partial least squares method.
Findings
The results show positive relationship between TQM, employee outcome and performance. The EU also moderates the relationship between employee outcome and performance.
Research limitations/implications
It is recommended that some contextual factors such as culture be noticed in future research studies. Data were collected from Iranian automobile part manufacturing and suppliers plants, which may limit the generalization of results to other organizations in other countries.
Practical implications
In this paper, some beneficial insights are addressed to assist managers in recognizing the organizational problems, which weaken implementing TQM, employee outcomes and the effect of EU on organizations.
Social implications
By improving the quality of management practices and employee outcomes, the society gains benefits such as customer satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the TQM advance and human resource management literature and provides better foundations for employee outcomes improvement through TQM practices in the Middle East. By investigating the effect of EU, this study fills the current gap in this field.
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Angel R. Martínez‐Lorente, Frank Dewhurst and Barrie G. Dale
The focus of this paper is to trace the origins of the term TQM and clarify the different definitions employed by academics and practitioners. Feigenbaum and Ishikawa are perhaps…
Abstract
The focus of this paper is to trace the origins of the term TQM and clarify the different definitions employed by academics and practitioners. Feigenbaum and Ishikawa are perhaps the greatest contributors to the development of the term. The other recognised quality management gurus such as Crosby, Deming and Juran have shaped the dimensions, practices and mechanism which underpin the concept, but it is noted that none of these three actually uses the TQM term. TQM started to be used in the mid‐1980s and only became a recognised part of the quality‐related language in the late 1980s. The paper also analyses the key dimensions of TQM and traces their origins.
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This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Work Study is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Operational research and statistics; Project…
Abstract
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Work Study is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Operational research and statistics; Project management, method study and work measurement; Business process re‐engineering; Design of work; Performance, productivity and motivation; Stock control and supply chain management.
Anil Kumar, Rohit Kumar Singh and Sachin Modgil
The objective of the study is to test a conceptual model based on the interrelation between data-driven supply chain quality management practices (DDSCQMP) and the performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of the study is to test a conceptual model based on the interrelation between data-driven supply chain quality management practices (DDSCQMP) and the performance of organized retailing firms in India.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a comprehensive review of literature, the dimensions of DDSCQMP concerning the Indian organized retail sector have been extracted. Considering the research objectives, the research data has been collected using a structured questionnaire from Indian retailers. Overall 133 questionnaires were responded successfully from retailers. The model was tested using structured equation modeling (SEM) through PLS 3.0.
Findings
The research findings confirm hypotheses and reveal the statistically significant relationship between DDSCQMP and retailers' performance at an aggregate level. However, the results of the individual-level analysis of DDSCQMP appear to vary from practice to practice. Among various DDSCQMP, “customer focus” with the highest beta (ß) value was found to have the greatest impact on performance followed by “employee relations”.
Originality/value
The study provides empirical justification for a structural model that identifies a positive and significant relationship between DDSCQMP and organizational performance within the context of organized retail sector of India.