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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2019

Abdul Hameed, Syed Asif Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Faisal Khan and Salim Ahmed

The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision support tool for risk-based maintenance scheduling for a large heavily equipped gas sweetening unit in a Liquefied Natural Gas…

350

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision support tool for risk-based maintenance scheduling for a large heavily equipped gas sweetening unit in a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant. Two conflicting objectives, i.e., total maintenance cost and the reliability, are considered in the tool. The tool is tested with the real plant data and suggests several Pareto-optimal schedules for a decision maker to choose from. The financial impacts are assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

A bi-objective scheduling optimization model is developed for maintenance scheduling using a risk-based framework. The model is developed integrating genetic algorithm and simulation-based optimization to find Pareto-optimal schedules. The model delivered true Pareto front optimal solutions for given plant-specific data. The two conflicting objectives: the minimization of total expenditures incurred on maintenance-related activities and improving the total reliability are considered.

Findings

For large and complex processing facilities such as LNG plant, a shutdown of facility generates a significant financial impact, resulting in millions of dollars in production loss. The developed risk-based equipment selection strategy helps to minimize such an event of production loss by generating a thorough maintenance strategy for inspection, repair, overhaul or replacement schedule of the unit without initiating the shutdown. The proposed model has been successfully applied to obtain an optimize maintenance schedule for a gas sweetening unit.

Research limitations/implications

A future work may consider the state-dependent models for various failure modes that will result in obtaining a better representation of the model. The proposed scheduling can further be extended to multi-criteria scheduling including availability, resource limitation and inflationary condition. A comparative analysis with other meta-heuristic techniques such as harmony search algorithm, tabu search, and simulated annealing will further help in confirming the schedule obtained from this application.

Practical implications

Maintenance scheduling using a conventional approach for special equipment generally does not consider the conflicting objectives. This research addresses this aspect using a bi-objective model. The usefulness of risk-based method is to assist in minimizing the financial and safety risk exposure to the operating companies, but some variation in results is expected due to varying risk matrix for different organizations.

Social implications

Managing two objectives, i.e., minimizing the cost of maintenance-related activities, while at the same time maximizing the overall reliability dramatically, helps in mitigating adverse safety and financial risk due to fires, explosions, fatality and excessive maintenance cost.

Originality/value

Research develops a decision support tool for managing conflicting objectives for an LNG process. This research highlights the impact of utilizing the simulation-based approach coupled with risk-based equipment selection for complex processing unit or plant maintenance scheduling optimization.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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Article
Publication date: 25 February 2014

Qadeer Ahmed, Faisal I. Khan and Syed A. Raza

Asset intensive process industries are under immense pressure to achieve promised return on investments and production targets. This can be accomplished by ensuring the highest…

858

Abstract

Purpose

Asset intensive process industries are under immense pressure to achieve promised return on investments and production targets. This can be accomplished by ensuring the highest level of availability, reliability and utilization of the critical equipment in processing facilities. In order to achieve designed availability, asset characterization and maintainability play a vital role. The most appropriate and effective way to characterize the assets in a processing facility is based on risk and consequence of failure. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, a risk-based stochastic modeling approach using a Markov decision process is investigated to assess a processing unit's availability, which is referred as the risk-based availability Markov model (RBAMM). RBAMM will not only provide a realistic and effective way to identify critical assets in a plant but also a method to estimate availability for efficient planning purposes and resource optimization.

Findings

A unique risk matrix and methodology is proposed to determine the critical equipment with direct impact on the availability, reliability and safety of the process. A functional block diagram is then developed using critical equipment to perform efficient modeling. A Markov process is utilized to establish state diagrams and create steady-state equations to calculate the availability of the process. RBAMM is applied to natural gas absorption process to validate the proposed methodology. In the conclusion, other benefits and limitations of the proposed methodology are discussed.

Originality/value

A new risk-based methodology integrated with Markov model application of the methodology is demonstrated using a real-life application.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2023

Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Rafiq, Kashif Mahmood, Sobia Nasir and Ayesha Zahid

Passion plays a vital role in entrepreneurship, and examining the role of training in passion development is a recent call. This study aims to examine the impact of…

281

Abstract

Purpose

Passion plays a vital role in entrepreneurship, and examining the role of training in passion development is a recent call. This study aims to examine the impact of entrepreneurial training on occupational commitment and career satisfaction of business owners based on goal content theory.

Design/methodology/approach

In doing so the role of harmonious passion is tested as a mediating mechanism. A three-wave time-lagged data were collected from 351 business owners operating in Punjab, Pakistan and were analyzed by using SmartPLS.

Findings

The findings suggested that entrepreneurial training had a positive impact on building entrepreneurial passion, and as a result, they were found to be more committed and satisfied with their entrepreneurial career. The research has theoretical and practical implications for the role of training in the development of entrepreneurial career outcomes.

Originality/value

Despite a growing interest in entrepreneurial passion, only few studies have explored the entrepreneurial training on occupational commitment and career satisfaction of business owners in context of Pakistan.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 48 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

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Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Noor-E-Sahar, Dahlia Zawawi, Nor Siah Jaharuddin and Munir A. Abbasi

The current study used the social exchange theory to examine the dimensional impact of total quality management (TQM) on the organisational citizenship behaviour for the…

229

Abstract

Purpose

The current study used the social exchange theory to examine the dimensional impact of total quality management (TQM) on the organisational citizenship behaviour for the environment (OCBE) of employees through the mediatory role of environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 311 employees of ISO-14001-certified manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Both symmetrical partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and asymmetrical fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methods were applied to test the proposed hypotheses to enhance the robustness of the results.

Findings

PLS-SEM results discovered that all dimensions of TQM, like process management, leadership, human resource management, customer focus, information and analysis and strategic planning, foster the OCBE through the mediation role of ECSR. The robustness of the findings was manifold when fsQCA results complemented the results by discovering that all six dimensions have been identified as sufficient conditions and some as necessary conditions to drive the OCBE.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution of this study sheds light on TQM's function in boosting OCBE through the mediation of ECSR. Practically, the business managers may utilise TQM as a strategy to foster the OCBE in order to mitigate environmental damages of their organisations’ operations by instilling OCBE among the employees.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

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Article
Publication date: 2 August 2021

Hafiz Ahmad Ashraf, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq and Mumtaz Muhammad Khan

This paper aims to determine the influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence enablers on the financial, market and non-financial performance of…

329

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence enablers on the financial, market and non-financial performance of the textile companies in Pakistan. Moreover, the mediating role of organizational learning culture is also tested in EFQM enablers and performance relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a multi-respondent strategy, the data was collected from 254 textile firms registered with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) using a highly structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via AMOS v.22.

Findings

The results reveal that EFQM excellence enablers significantly influence financial, non-financial and market performance. Furthermore, organizational learning culture (OLC) significantly positively mediates the relationship between EFQM excellence enablers and business performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study enhances the literature of EFQM enablers and microfoundations of institutional theory in the textile industry of developing countries and proposes a way forward to the effective utilization of such enablers for higher performance.

Originality/value

This research is the first of its kind that empirically tests the microfoundations of institutional theory concerning EFQM, OLC and performance in the textile industry of Pakistan.

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Bara’ Tareq Qasrawi, Soud Mohammad Almahamid and Shadi Tareq Qasrawi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices in terms of leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, teamwork, process…

2641

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices in terms of leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, teamwork, process management, information, and analysis on organizational performance in Jordanian telecommunications companies. In addition, the mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) processes is tested.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey instrument was used to gather empirical data, and it was distributed to all managerial and non-managerial employees. A total of 477 questionnaires were valid for analysis, resulting in a response rate of (97 percent). Factor analysis and multiple regression analyses were used to test the study’s hypotheses.

Findings

Customer focus and process management were found to have an insignificant impact on organizational performance, while teamwork had the strongest impact on KM processes. The results also revealed that only knowledge sharing and application processes had a significant impact on organizational performance. More importantly, KM processes fully mediated the impact of TQM practices on organizational performance, except for teamwork, which had a partial mediating effect.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to a survey of the headquarters of three telecommunication companies: Zain, Orange, and Umniah, in Amman City.

Originality/value

Originality of the paper lies in testing the influence of TQM practices on organizational performance in a novel context, where most TQM initiatives fail for one reason or another.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 34 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 12 August 2020

Mulugeta Kebede Adem and Sandeep Singh Virdi

This study is aimed at examining the effect of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on the operational performance of ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing companies in…

2443

Abstract

Purpose

This study is aimed at examining the effect of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on the operational performance of ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing companies in Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to meet the purpose. Primary data was collected from the managers and senior experts working under the production and quality management units of the surveyed firms. Data was obtained from a survey of 302 participants found in 73 ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing organizations. Both EFA and CFA were applied to validate and confirm the instrument, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that among the practices of TQM used in the model only supplier quality management, continuous improvement and process management were found to have significant and positive effect on the operational performance of the ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing organizations in Ethiopia.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies are suggested to consider some contextual variables such as firm age, scope of operation, firm size and firm strategy while addressing the objective.

Practical implications

The study will encourage managers of manufacturing companies in Ethiopia to utilize a reliable and valid framework of TQM practices for better operational performance results.

Originality/value

The fact that Ethiopian manufacturing organizations are required to improve their product's quality in order to improve their productivity and enhance their competitiveness in a global market is the rationale of this study. Even though several studies have evolved to scrutinize the link between TQM and operational performance across the world, nearly nothing, is known about this linkage in Ethiopia. Thus, the study represents one of the first attempts to empirically investigate this linkage in Ethiopian context.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 September 2022

Francesco Schiavone, Maria Cristina Pietronudo, Annamaria Sabetta and Marco Ferretti

Total quality management is a valuable approach to continuously improve the quality of organizations; however, scholars debate its applicability to services, which require…

6566

Abstract

Purpose

Total quality management is a valuable approach to continuously improve the quality of organizations; however, scholars debate its applicability to services, which require specific best practices that are different from those related to manufacturing. Moreover, digitization is pervading all kinds of services, but little has been written about total quality service practices in digital-based companies. For this purpose, the authors provide a holistic model of total quality service that reflects the peculiarities of such companies, guided by the question: how do total quality service practices change in digital-based service organizations?

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct an illustrative case study on Healthware Group, a global integrated digital health organization, to evaluate theoretical assumptions about total quality service practices in the digital environment.

Findings

The findings allow to validate the model provided. In addition, the study enables them to observe the changes the authors are witnessing in service provision in the digital era and the consequent transformation of best practices. To be accurate, the authors cannot refer to a full transformation in digital-based companies but rather to the enrichment and extension of TQS practices. The best illustration of these conclusions has been summarized in a set of propositions corresponding to seven of the key levers of a TQS model.

Originality/value

The paper represents the first attempt to discuss the relationship between total quality service and digitalization, offering a set of propositions for academics and insights for practitioners. The model can be used as a tool to visualize the different levers that successful implementation of TQS in digital-based services companies can rely on.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 35 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

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Article
Publication date: 21 October 2019

Daniel Jiménez-Jiménez, Micaela Martínez-Costa and Lorena Para-Gonzalez

Over the last few decades, some researchers have analysed the role of total quality management (TQM) as a precursor of innovation. However, the relationship between TQM and…

1192

Abstract

Purpose

Over the last few decades, some researchers have analysed the role of total quality management (TQM) as a precursor of innovation. However, the relationship between TQM and organisational innovation remains unclear and contradictory. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework intended to clarify the complex effect that the implementation of a TQM system has on organisational innovation, where market orientation (MO) and knowledge management (KM) play a mediator role.

Design/methodology/approach

Data in this study come from a survey of 706 Spanish CEOs. The results were analysed employing structural equation modelling to determine how TQM, MO and KM influence innovation.

Findings

The results of the empirical study show that there is a curvilinear effect between TQM and organisational innovation. Both MO and KM perspectives play a mediator role between TQM and innovation.

Practical implications

Managers should be aware that management based on TQM help organisations not only to get higher quality but also to be market oriented and better manage their knowledge; what will help them to develop innovations.

Originality/value

This research sheds light on the question of the relationship between TQM and organisational innovation that has received mixed conclusions in the literature. There is evidence in this research that the relationship between TQM and innovation responds to a curvilinear relationship, where high levels of TQM favour a more than proportionate effect on the development of innovation. It also clarifies the mechanisms by which this effect is produced, with MO and KM as mediator variables.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2019

Shweta Bajaj, Ruchi Garg, Monika Sethi and Sujit Dey

The purpose of this paper is to classify the total quality management (TQM) practices and position them based on their importance in the implementation of TQM in steel industries…

441

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to classify the total quality management (TQM) practices and position them based on their importance in the implementation of TQM in steel industries for obtaining improved business performance and customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study undergoes a deep literature review to recognise the TQM practices necessary for the implementation of TQM in the steel industry. The identified 17 practices were grouped under three activities such as “breakthrough activities”, “improvement activities” and “routine operational and maintenance activities” with experts’ suggestion. The positioning of 17 TQM practices and 3 activities of TQM was done using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique as per their relevance in TQM implementation.

Findings

The findings of the research show that though all the 17 practices and 3 activities of TQM play a vital role in the successful implementation of TQM in steel industries, breakthrough activities have gained more weightage as compared to the other two activities. Top management commitment, quality system and continuous improvement are relatively more important than the other practices.

Research limitations/implications

The research has limitation analogous to the AHP technique. The technique considers all the sub-sets of each nod to be independent from each other, whereas in real world this does not stand true.

Practical implications

The study positions the TQM practices and activities on the basis of their relevance in TQM implementation in the steel industry, thus helping the managers in understanding which practice has to give how much importance for TQM implementation in steel industries. By following the practices according to the weights, the managers can achieve the results desired from TQM implementation.

Originality/value

The study gives the implementation priorities of TQM practices in the steel industry. To the best knowledge of researcher, it is the first study in the steel sector for TQM implementation. The lacuna was reported by the literature, and the researcher has made an attempt to fill that gap.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 36 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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