Monserrat Perez-Burgoin, Yolanda Baez-Lopez, Jorge Limon-Romero, Diego Tlapa and Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz
The objective of this article is to identify the relationships between the enablers in the implementation of Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) in the Mexican manufacturing industry…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this article is to identify the relationships between the enablers in the implementation of Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) in the Mexican manufacturing industry (MMI).
Design/methodology/approach
To create the survey instrument, the authors did an extensive literature research, which they then applied in the MMI to find the relationships between enablers and their impact on the positive effects of implementing GLSS projects. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), the data were empirically and statistically corroborated. Furthermore, the authors validated the hypotheses that support the research using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach in SPSS Amos.
Findings
The findings reveal that leadership has a positive impact on social and economic benefits (EcB), as well as an indirect impact on the environmental benefits (EB) of GLSS projects, with organizational involvement (OI) and performance measurement (PM) functioning as mediators.
Practical implications
This study represents an empirical reference for practitioners and researchers pursuing high-quality, low-cost, environmentally and socially sustainable products or processes through the implementation of GLSS projects in the manufacturing industry.
Originality/value
This study provides a statistically validated model using the SEM technique to represent the relationships between GLSS enablers in the MMI.
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Jorge Limon-Romero, Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz, Carlos Gastelum-Acosta, Jiju Antony, Yolanda Baez-Lopez and Guilherme Tortorella
This paper aims to provide new and valuable insights for organizations that have decided to implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as a strategy for continuous improvement in search of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide new and valuable insights for organizations that have decided to implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as a strategy for continuous improvement in search of business excellence. This objective is achieved through statistically modeling the causal relationships between the critical success factors (CSFs) of LSS for a successful deployment of this strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A statistically validated questionnaire was used to collect information from LSS practitioners in manufacturing industries located on Mexico’s northern border. Some hypotheses for relationships between LSS CSFs are developed theoretically first and empirically tested later using the structural equation modeling technique.
Findings
Proposed relationships between LSS CSFs have been demonstrated to be statistically significant, making clear that this implementation should always begin with a strong and decided participation and commitment of top management. Later, other CSFs must be activated and put into operation in a specified order to increase the probability of a successful implementation reflected in well-executed continuous improvement projects and achieving the expected benefits.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a structural model which has been statistically validated with information directly collected from skilled practitioners who have developed continuous improvement projects using the LSS methodology. Further, some relationships between LSS CSFs that, to the best of the author’s knowledge, had not been demonstrated empirically are now explored and verified in our work.
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Carlos Gastelum-Acosta, Jorge Limon-Romero, Yolanda Baez-Lopez, Diego Tlapa, Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz, Cesar Puente and Armando Perez-Sanchez
This paper aims to identify the relationships among critical success factors (CSFs) for lean six sigma (LSS) implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the relationships among critical success factors (CSFs) for lean six sigma (LSS) implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review was conducted to design the survey instrument, which the authors later administered in Mexican public HEIs to identify the existing relationships among the CSFs and their impact on the benefits obtained from implementing LSS projects. The data were empirically and statistically validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Additionally, the authors applied the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique on SPSS Amos to validate the nine hypotheses supporting the research.
Findings
The results suggest that the success of LSS projects in HEIs is highly bound to a serious commitment from top management and several interrelated factors.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of the study are that the research is cross-sectional in nature and regional in focus. Namely, the data used to validate the structural model were gathered from a small representative subset of the study population – i.e. Mexican public HEIs – and at a specific point in time.
Practical implications
The results reported here represent a reference framework for HEIs worldwide that wish to continuously improve their processes through LSS improvement projects.
Originality/value
This study proposes a statistically validated model using the SEM technique that depicts the relationships among LSS CSFs in HEIs.
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Rodrigo E. Peimbert-García, Jesús Isaac Vázquez-Serrano and Jorge Limón-Robles
Literature shows that the economics of early failures in maintenance and electric utilities have not been deeply analyzed. This study aims to focus on quantifying the economic…
Abstract
Purpose
Literature shows that the economics of early failures in maintenance and electric utilities have not been deeply analyzed. This study aims to focus on quantifying the economic impact that early failures in current transformers have on total maintenance costs. The empirical study is conducted in a regional transmission division of an electric utility located in Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
The utility's database was accessed to collect 219 maintenance records. Clustering techniques were used to identify early failures from a bimodal distribution of failures. Confirmatory goodness-of-fit procedures followed the analysis, and finally, direct and opportunity costs were estimated by adapting the cost-of-quality (PAF) Model.
Findings
Around 11% of all maintenance activities are triggered by early failures, and they account for up to US$2.2m during the eight-year period under study, which represents 16% of total maintenance costs. Additionally, opportunity costs represent close to two-thirds of the total costs due to early failures. This was obtained after finding and validating a clear-cut border of 3.5 months between early failures and the rest.
Originality/value
Failures in energy grids and power transmission can have a large economic impact on the power industry and the society in general. Thus, the maintenance function in equipment such as current transformers is a crucial entry of the budget of any electric utility. This study is one of the very few that highlights the magnitude and importance of direct and opportunity costs derived from early failures.
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Guilherme Luz Tortorella, Ricardo Giglio and Jorge Limon-Romero
The purpose of this paper aims at investigating which lean supply chain management (LSCM) practices efficiently improve the supply chain performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper aims at investigating which lean supply chain management (LSCM) practices efficiently improve the supply chain performance.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve that, a cross-sectional survey was carried out with 113 manufacturing companies undergoing a lean implementation. The proposed method combines complementary methods of multivariate data analysis in order to determine which bundles of LSCM practices more efficiently entail improvements on supply chain performance.
Findings
The findings justify why some LSCM initiatives may find larger barriers than others, compromising their success due to misguided implementation efforts according to the desired performance improvement.
Originality/value
The empirical examination on the efficiency of LSCM practices with regards to a certain set of performance indicators provides guidelines with respect to LSCM implementation depending on which performance indicators are envisioned for improvement.
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Carlos Gastelum-Acosta, Jorge Limon-Romero, Diego Tlapa, Yolanda Baez-Lopez, Guilherme Tortorella, Manuel Ivan Rodriguez Borbon and Christian Xavier Navarro-Cota
The objective of the study is to design and validate an instrument that allows organizations to assess their status regarding the adoption of the critical success factors (CSFs…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of the study is to design and validate an instrument that allows organizations to assess their status regarding the adoption of the critical success factors (CSFs) that enable lean six sigma (LSS) implementation in order to achieve the expected benefits.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review was conducted to define the LSS CSFs that have to be considered for the development of the questionnaire that would later be applied across all manufacturing companies on the Northern Mexican border. Once the database was built, a statistical verification of the assumptions required for factor analysis took place. Finally, the due construct validation was carried out to verify whether the proposed instrument measured reliably what it is intended to.
Findings
A questionnaire measuring nine CSFs, as well as the benefits associated with the implementation of LSS, was designed and validated through 61 items.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this study are that the research is cross-sectional and that the study was carried out taking as a reference only exporting manufacturing companies located in the border area between Mexico and the United States.
Practical implications
The validated instrument is expected to serve as a useful tool for companies interested in the implementation of LSS.
Originality/value
This study introduces a validated tool for the analysis of LSS CSFs while providing evidence of construct validity and the solid structure of the factors.
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Diego Tlapa, Jorge Limon, Jorge L García-Alcaraz, Yolanda Baez and Cuauhtémoc Sánchez
The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of Six Sigma (SS) and the underlying dimensions of its critical success factors (CSF) via an analysis of the effects of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of Six Sigma (SS) and the underlying dimensions of its critical success factors (CSF) via an analysis of the effects of top management support (TMS), implementation strategy (IS), and collaborative team (CT) on project performance (PP) in Mexican manufacturing companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a SS literature review, a survey was conducted to capture practitioners’ viewpoints about CSFs for SS implementation and their impact on performance in manufacturing companies. A factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted in order to identify and analyze causal relationships.
Findings
The results suggest that CSFs grouped in the constructs TMS, IS, and CT have a positive impact on PP as measured by cost reduction, variation reduction, and quality improvement.
Research limitations/implications
Although the empirical data collected supported the proposed model, results might differ among organizations in different countries. In addition, the study did not analyze a unique performance metric; instead, general PP dimensions were used.
Practical implications
Boosting the TMS, IS, and CT enhances positive PP of SS in manufacturing companies.
Originality/value
IS as a construct has not been studied exhaustively; this work contributes to a better understanding of it and its impact on PP. Additionally, studies of SS in Latin America are limited, so this study gives a complementary vision to practitioners and researchers about it.
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Rising murder rates.
Details
DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB222329
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Liuyu Huang, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh and Stella Xin Yin
Public service announcements (PSAs) have been shown to be effective instruments that raise awareness, educate society, and change behaviors and attitudes. Many governments and…
Abstract
Purpose
Public service announcements (PSAs) have been shown to be effective instruments that raise awareness, educate society, and change behaviors and attitudes. Many governments and organizations have utilized PSAs on social media to promote online safety among children and youth. However, we have limited understanding of the range of topics that these PSAs address and how they present their content to audiences. This study provides an inventory of the types of online safety topics that current PSAs address and a catalogue of the types of persuasive features employed by PSAs.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis of 220 YouTube PSA videos on online safety was conducted. Various topics under the umbrella of online safety were identified. Guided by the prospect theory and exemplification theory, different persuasive features employed in the PSAs were sought.
Findings
The findings highlight that the primary focus of these PSAs is on online safety behaviors and general instructions on online hygiene. Interestingly, nearly half of the videos employ a neutral frame, while a significant portion provides no evidential support. Additionally, video length was associated with the number of views and likes it gathered but not with the number of comments.
Originality/value
The inventory of PSAs can help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers better understand the type of content being produced and disseminated online as well as identify topics that are either over or under-represented. Further, the catalogue of the types of persuasive features employed by PSAs would be helpful in guiding research, practice, and policymaking in the context of creating effective online safety videos.