Malcolm Hewitt and Kate Phillips
Describes the Young Manager Programme, and the approach of aleading company, Safeway Stores plc, for using this to increase itseducation links. Addresses the need for…
Abstract
Describes the Young Manager Programme, and the approach of a leading company, Safeway Stores plc, for using this to increase its education links. Addresses the need for communication and partnership to make the programme succeed. Discusses the benefits and drawbacks of using this resource as part of a strategy for education links, along with the opportunities which it presents.
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SUITABILITY of materials and their usage can be a profitable source of investigation for the methods engineer. And an important function too, for it implies not only an…
Abstract
SUITABILITY of materials and their usage can be a profitable source of investigation for the methods engineer. And an important function too, for it implies not only an examination of the most suitable material in relation to the product to be processed, but also, methods of storage, inspection, and the economic utilisation of that material at all stages. Any of these aspects involves a major investigation if the firm is interested in discovering untapped sources of economy. It is one of the avenues not often explored by work study, but there is no valid reason why it should remain a sort of no‐man's‐land.
Based on the research so far on quality improvement and performance measurement on hospitals and the health‐care sector, there appears to be a need to combine the various models…
Abstract
Based on the research so far on quality improvement and performance measurement on hospitals and the health‐care sector, there appears to be a need to combine the various models or approaches to performance and quality improvement. This paper presents a knowledge‐based framework for evaluating the performance of a hospital using a model based on the Singapore Quality Award (SQA) criteria and the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach. A specific case study of a public sector hospital in Singapore is provided to illustrate how the SQA and the BSC can be integrated to help a public sector hospital implement and manage performance‐based programs. Overall, while limitations and implementation challenges exist, the preliminary results suggest that hospitals can also use this approach to their advantage, yielding sustainable improvement in patient satisfaction and better inter‐departmental communication. Through this framework, hospitals can make better quality decisions based on structured measurement and knowledge.
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Seckyoung Loretta Kim, Myungsun Kim and Seokhwa Yun
The purpose of this paper is twofold, applying an interactive perspective. First, the authors examine the effects of perfectionism, specifically self-oriented and socially…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold, applying an interactive perspective. First, the authors examine the effects of perfectionism, specifically self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism on creativity. Understanding the distinctive effects of two dimensions of perfectionism (Leonard and Harvey, 2008), the authors propose the positive effect of self-oriented perfectionism on creativity while the negative effect of socially prescribed perfectionism on creativity. Second, the authors explore the role of overall justice by examining the direct and interacting effects of the two dimensions of perfectionism on creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using questionnaires distributed to employees and their direct supervisors located in South Korea. Hierarchal regression analyses were used to examine the main and moderating effects.
Findings
The authors’ results demonstrated that self-oriented perfectionism was positively related to employee’s creativity; while, socially prescribed perfectionism was not significantly related to employee’s creativity. Furthermore, the study examined the critical context factor of overall justice in determining individual creativity. The result demonstrated that the positive relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and creativity was stronger when overall justice is low rather than high in line with trait activation theory.
Research limitations/implications
A cross-sectional design may be a concern. Future research needs to take a more careful approach to avoid this potential problem.
Originality/value
This study enriches our understanding of the two domains of perfectionism (self-oriented and social prescribed perfectionism) and overall justice as critical factors for creativity. Applying an interactive perspective, this study demonstrated how perfectionism and overall justice play important roles in influencing employees’ creativity independently and jointly.
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In the preceding rules the individual biographical entry has been ignored, as it lends itself to more convenient treatment apart. Collective biography is, of course, in no way…
Abstract
In the preceding rules the individual biographical entry has been ignored, as it lends itself to more convenient treatment apart. Collective biography is, of course, in no way different from the ordinary book ; and the same is to be said of autobiography. Owing to the change of form in the individual biographical entry, due to the author yielding in importance to the biographee, it is usual to separate collective and individual biography in the catalogue, whether this is done on the shelves or not. Individual biography might be further separated in the catalogue into autobiographical and non‐auto‐biographical, though I cannot recall any instance where this has been carried out. In any case, it is important to distinguish in some clear way, between the subject name and the name of the author. Mere position is hardly enough ; there should be a distinction in the type. Whatever type has been employed in the other parts for author should be retained for author in the individual biograhical entry, and the subject name should be in a different type. If the author is printed in a black‐face type, as suggested in these rules, the best type for the subject name will be small capitals, as :—
IT would be quite impossible adequately to report a Dublin conference of any kind in purely professional terms. The warm friendliness of its people demands an equally personal…
Abstract
IT would be quite impossible adequately to report a Dublin conference of any kind in purely professional terms. The warm friendliness of its people demands an equally personal reaction from its visitors and for public librarians certainly this is as it should be, because we are ourselves, above all, involved with people. So professional affairs at this conference were kept in their proper place—as only a part of the whole and merely providing a framework round which the business of renewing contacts and making friends could take place.
The main objective of this paper is to theoretically investigate the human resources (HR) context and content on total quality management (TQM), business excellence and ISO…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this paper is to theoretically investigate the human resources (HR) context and content on total quality management (TQM), business excellence and ISO 9000:2000.
Design/methodology/approach
The HR‐quality relationship has largely been ignored or underestimated. This paper investigates the existing literature and digs into the various approaches and frameworks in order to evaluate the rhetoric and the reality of this relationship. The examination of differences, similarities and convergence is of high importance in understanding the contribution of HR issues to all of these quality approaches.
Findings
Besides the “good stories” of implementation of the European Quality Award (EQA) model, the ISO 9000:2000 certification and TQM, the paper reveals a number of problematic areas in relation to effective HR utilization such as: low utilization of employees' skills and knowledge, lack of a vision and a mission for HR followed by systematic design and implementation of strategic human resource management (HRM) practices.
Research limitations/implications
This is the first step towards an understanding of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000. The paper addresses a series of issues concerning organizations worldwide in their road to quality improvement and business excellence. There is a need to further evaluate organizations by measuring their HR performance and the degree of quality implementation in the future.
Practical implications
The paper is aiming at both Quality and HR people within the organization. Quality cannot be achieved without fully utilization of organization's HR, and the HR function needs a new vision and practices that are focused on internal customer satisfaction.
Originality/value
The paper provides a reliable and objective depiction of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000 through the examination and analysis of a state‐of‐the‐art literature review studies, including all the various approaches, practices and perceptions recorded so far in the literature ‐some of them based on empirical data and some deriving from rhetoric and “good‐stories” or “how things ought to be” perspective.
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Argues that today′s rapidly changing competitive environment, costeffectiveness and consistently high output quality are no longer enoughto ensure corporate success. A company′s…
Abstract
Argues that today′s rapidly changing competitive environment, cost effectiveness and consistently high output quality are no longer enough to ensure corporate success. A company′s business processes must also be more responsive and flexible than those of its competitors. Innovative ways must be sought continuously to provide technology to support motivated, adaptable work groups dedicated to meeting or exceeding customers′ requirements in the shortest possible time. Puts forward the case of the Xerox Corporation, which in responding to the challenge of primarily Japanese competition, has pioneered a number of approaches to business process innovation, particularly in the area of inventory management and logistics. Finds that by simultaneously redesigning information flows, work processes and authority structures, the company has radically improved not only the cost and quality of its delivery system, but also its flexibility. States that the redesign techniques are, in themselves, process independent, and should therefore be of interest to managers and academics involved in process flexibility and process innovation in general.