Masahiro Miyagawa and Kosaku Yoshida
The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and the business performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and the business performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
In this empirical study, 200 companies were chosen by random sampling from the universe group of 519 in August 2007. A total of 32 usable questionnaires were received, and the overall response rate was 16 percent.
Findings
The survey results show that TQM practices significantly influence the overall company performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in the USA. This implies that TQM is an effective method for improving business performance, regardless of where the company might be operating, as long as the TQM practices are appropriately implemented. In addition to the research data, findings from a field research also provide supplementary evidence to support this conclusion.
Originality/value
This study compares the findings from a recent survey conducted in the USA with the authors' previous study done in China. The survey uses the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria as a measuring scale, and the project adopts a pre‐tested questionnaire as a survey instrument, which has also been used in previous empirical studies.
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René Duignan and Kosaku Yoshida
This study aims to assess how Japanese employees perceive their changing work environment.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess how Japanese employees perceive their changing work environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The perceptions of Japanese white‐collar employees towards defined aspects of their work environment were tested and compared in a sample set of Japanese, European and US financial securities companies operating in Japan, in order to find which international model provided the highest evaluations.
Findings
Results revealed that employees in Japanese companies displayed significantly higher levels of understanding of company goals and objectives than their counterparts in the foreign companies. Employees in Japanese companies also evaluated their training significantly higher than their counterparts in European companies. However employees in European companies rated their future prospects significantly higher than their counterparts in Japanese and US companies. Perceptions of Japanese employees of US and European companies provide mixed results which should be of serious concern to foreign companies aiming to integrate and motivate Japanese workers.
Originality/value
The paper shows that despite the trend towards the “westernization” of the work environment in Japan, key elements of the Japanese model remains highly‐rated.
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Masahiro Miyagawa and Kosaku Yoshida
The main purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between TQM practices and the business performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in China.
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between TQM practices and the business performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in China.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, 200 companies out of the universe 1000 were chosen by random sampling in June 2002.
Findings
A total of 52 usable questionnaires were received and the overall response rate was 26 percent. The survey results show that TQM practices influence overall company performance significantly in Japanese‐owned manufacturers in China. This implies that TQM is an effective method to improve business performance regardless of where the company might be operating as long as the TQM practices are implemented appropriately. In addition to the research data, findings from a field study also provide supplementary evidence to support this conclusion.
Originality/value
The findings based on the empirical research would be useful to both decision makers and researchers who are interested in this growing “factory of the world”.
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Compares the values and practices in primary to secondary state schoolsin the USA and Japan in the light of Dr W. Edwards Deming′s philosophy.Deming teaches that the first step…
Abstract
Compares the values and practices in primary to secondary state schools in the USA and Japan in the light of Dr W. Edwards Deming′s philosophy. Deming teaches that the first step towards improving quality is reducing the variation in products. If our students are considered the products of our educational system, student performance must be uniform for quality education to be achieved. However, this concept is currently missing from the tradition of American education because emphasis of competitiveness, a contributing factor to widening the variation, is a prominent and deeply ingrained characteristic of American culture. On the other hand, the Japanese school system traditionally encourages co‐operation at all levels, from the national and prefectural levels down to school districts and individual schools, from administrators to teachers and students, to reduce the variation in students′ performance. These Japanese educational practices and current issues in American education, such as choice of school programme and national standards in education, are evaluated from the perspective of Deming philosophy.
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The purpose of this study is to find out the reasons why companies achieve different results in following different business excellence (BE) models. This has been done using a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to find out the reasons why companies achieve different results in following different business excellence (BE) models. This has been done using a case study method, selecting to illustrate the actions taken and the results achieved by two role model companies, one following the Malcolm Baldrige model (MBM) and the other following the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design adopted is as follows: examine the literature of Total Quality Management (TQM) and BE, with specific reference to practices and happenings in Indian industry, to identify the key themes; analyse the research questions RQ1and RQ2 as mentioned above, using the learnings from the literature survey in a qualitative way. The analysis is done using chronological developments in TQM, BE and linking them with the happenings in Indian industry in a cause–effect way; develop a “source to sink” framework to track the various actions implemented by companies to drive BE in their quest to performance excellence, and to analyse the root causes for the success of the actions; illustrate the conclusions through two case studies, of two different companies from India, on the varied results achieved from following two different BE models, one, the MBM by Tata Steel, and, two, the EFQM by BHEL, both award-winning companies, for instilling “excellence” in performance; and develop a model to correlate the observations from the companies using two constructs, identifying latent variables and actions that have been taken to address the outcomes of the variables.
Findings
The findings show that the actions taken by the companies are different, under the two models. The reasons for these different actions have been described, and the impact of these on the latent variables and outcomes have been tracked. There are six reasons why the results are different.
Research limitations/implications
The study has highlighted the efforts by two role model companies. These are “comparisons of the best in the business” in their respective industries. However, one needs more studies to verify and establish whether the six reasons described are the ones which are most impactful. More companies need to be studied, and, based on the outcomes, one can establish the “best choice of the BE model” for Indian companies.
Practical implications
The results of the study show that using different BE models can affect the results. A non-optimal choice may lead to longer time and lower results.
Social implications
Excellent companies are sustainable, which means that they eliminate waste, operate in an environmentally friendly manner and address social issues. Speedily achieving excellence can lead to faster use of sustainable operations.
Originality/value
The work is original in the following ways: data collection through assessment teams; experience through personal engagement; identifying six reasons and two constructs which could lead to different results.
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This paper seeks: (1) to understand householding as an economic survival strategy by viewing new, historical, evidence in light of previous work on the theme, (2) to fill gaps in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks: (1) to understand householding as an economic survival strategy by viewing new, historical, evidence in light of previous work on the theme, (2) to fill gaps in the historical and anthropological literature on prewar Japanese farming villages that have resulted in an incomplete conceptualization of the household as a unit of production and consumption, and (3) to improve the overall comprehension of peasant behavior vis-à-vis questions about moral economy, ecological adaptation, and risk-taking.
Design/methodology/approach
The essay relies on information gleaned from a detailed 1935–1936 one-year diary of a small-scale farmer, published in 1938.
Findings
The prewar Japanese farming village was far more than a collection of households linked by sharing and reciprocal ties. It was not only a place where households as economic units of production and consumption were central, but one where individuals strived to obtain whatever they could, whenever they could. It appears that small-scale prewar Japanese farmers were as likely to take risks and to experiment in order to improve their lot as any other peasants around the world.
Originality/value
It adds to the understanding of prewar Japanese farming villages by presenting valuable historical data that has previously been unavailable in English. It also helps to better situate Japanese peasants in the context of global peasant culture and society, and improves understanding of developmental processes – especially in the case of 20th century Japan.
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Stephanie Slater, Stanley Paliwoda and Jim Slater
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the winning cycle's model proposed by Abegglen and Stalk to investigate the competitive strategies being deployed by Japanese firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the winning cycle's model proposed by Abegglen and Stalk to investigate the competitive strategies being deployed by Japanese firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses the literature on the international strategies of Japanese corporations and explains why simplification of work; elimination of waste; discipline; and continuous improvement and radical innovation strategies are presently contributing to a re‐enactment of the “winner's competitive cycle”.
Findings
As international competition intensifies, the winner's competitive cycle has been re‐engineered as Japanese corporations change course in search of alternative routes for sustaining and maintaining a source of competitive advantage.
Originality/value
This paper explains why increased competition and global success has required Japanese firms to reposition their competitive strategy.