Search results

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/09513559510077797. When citing the article, please cite: K.K. Navaratnam, Bill Harris, (1995), “Quality process analysis: a technique for management in the public sector”, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 8 Iss: 1, pp. 11 - 19.

This chapter focuses on the physical work environment, in particular, the possibilities and limitations of biophilic design in hotel office space. Biophilic design has already gained attention in directly influencing the guest experience, but little focus has been given to workspace. Traditionally, the hospitality industry places employees' office spaces in parts of the hotel not appropriate as guest space due to lack of daylight and windows. Many studies have shown that improving the workplace with nature-based features can play a role in increasing employee well-being. Data collected from employees with both extensive managerial and back-of-house hotel experience established that employees would welcome the opportunity to work in such an environment and currently find back-of-house design basic and lacking any aesthetically pleasing elements. An understanding of the obstacles in initiating such changes was shown as well as employee initiatives to improve work spaces. This initial exploratory study concludes that the needs of employees in terms of comfort, wellbeing, motivation and work satisfaction are often overlooked when considering back-of-house spaces. There is a general understanding and expectation that management needs to develop awareness and practical initiatives to address the deficits of the physical work environment. Biophilic design can be influential in promoting a calming and restorative environment at the workplace and thus positively impacting employee motivation and performance.

Presents a “detailed” account of an innovative way of serving the internal and external customer in an Australian Quality Award winning public sector service industry – South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB). Presenting the principles of customer service in SEQEB, lists the six key strategies such as setting performance targets, conducting customer and staff surveys, benchmarking, sustaining customer satisfaction and providing customer advice. These strategies are used by SEQEB and are essential for establishing customer service quality in the public sector. Concludes that the implications of the principles and the strategies of customer service deployed by this service industry can be emulated in several service oriented organizations in the public sector.

An important surge in recent years has emerged in quality management initiatives in the public sector. Numerous techniques and tools are available to organizations looking to implement change through quality management. However, some organizations are unable to make informed choices using these options. Describes quality process analysis (QPA), a technique which enables the establishment of a comprehensive system for managing business processes. Seeks to answer the question “Is there a management strategy to strengthen the delivery of services in the public sector?” Presents a solution to strengthen the capacity of management to implement quality strategies to achieve organizational objectives and finally discusses the benefits of using the QPA approach.

Total quality management (TQM) has been a popular managerial topic since the 1980s. However, not too many organizations have successfully implemented it. This paper studies a successful TQM project implemented in a manufacturing company in the People's Republic of China. It reports the TQM implementation process, the benefits generated from the TQM project, the problems that arose from the adoption of TQM for the company, and the main factors for the eventual success of the project. This case study is a reference for managers and researchers who are interested in TQM or interested in the Chinese managerial environment in general.

This paper aims to explore the practice of quality management framework as a strategic tool for public management.

The paper starts with a basic process‐based model; it then enhances the model with the quality management principles for continuous improvement. With identification of concerned factors from the literature, it examines their usefulness in the quality management system.

An empirical analysis on the framework identifies eight factors: factual approach to decision making, use of quality tools, customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, mutually beneficial supplier partnership and internal results. The framework shows that leadership and customer focus are much more important than previously anticipated for successful implementation of quality management system.

Managers in public organizations must realize that all high performance organizations, whether private or public, are by principle customer‐driven. In addition, it is imperative for them to enhance their leadership as it is essential for effective quality improvement.

While the effect of adopting a quality management system on organizational performance has been well documented, the underlying mechanism about how the system works has yet to be empirically identified. This paper contributes to the literature by addressing such a gap and presenting a causal model for quality management principles.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Marketing Intelligence & Planning is split into seven sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing Strategy; Customer Service; Sales Management; Promotion; Marketing Research/Customer Behaviour; Product Management; Logistics and Distribution and Sundry.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the International Marketing Review is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing Strategy; Customer Service; Promotion; Product Management; Marketing Research/Customer Behaviour/Public Relations; Pricing/Sales Management/Sales Force.

This research investigated the effect of changing the workplace of a central administrative cell from a traditional bureaucratic structure to a team orientated quality focused unit. Responses from the members of an university administration group adopting a quality intervention were contrasted with reports from another similar service campus group which continued to operate with the functional structure. Questionnaires were administered annually, on three occasions, to these two groups as well as to the clients of the group that underwent the team quality orientated job redesign. The results showed that only the employees in the group, which adopted the team orientation, perceived features of their jobs improved as did their job satisfaction. Moreover, both objective data and perceptual responses, from the clients, indicated that after entering into the new work arrangements the group provided better service quality. The stimulus for this job intervention, and how it was installed, is described. The study findings are discussed in terms of challenges and issues confronting practitioners in the contemporary workplace.

The purpose of this paper is to review the empirical research on matrix organizations and cross-functional teams (CFTs) in the public sector, focussing on typical application areas and settings and on motivation for deployment and evidence of utility.

This is a systematic literature review compiled from several electronic databases. Data cover the period from 1990 to 2015 and are confined to academic articles written in English.

Applications of the matrix approach in public sector organizations are found in human resource management and performance management, service development and public procurement, and creation of new organizations or organization reform and network organizations. While the proven utility of matrix organization is often unclear, especially CFTs are linked to better organizational performance, improved coordination, internal collaboration and development of cross-boundary tasks.

Methodological limitations relate to excluded data due to non-accessible articles.

The findings have practical implications for public sector organizations in adapting to a changing environment.

This is the first systematic literature review of matrix management in public sector organizations.