Many TQM programmes fail because they are not linked to theachievement of business objectives. Argues that the effective use ofpolicy deployment, also known as Hoshin Planning…
Abstract
Many TQM programmes fail because they are not linked to the achievement of business objectives. Argues that the effective use of policy deployment, also known as Hoshin Planning, will overcome this failure mode. Using a series of “what/how” matrices, policy deployment provides a logical progression from vision statements to business objectives to strategies and finally to action plans. The technique can be applied at any level within a company, but it is best used at the top. Effective use results in a balancing of long‐ and short‐term gain, improved communication and a company‐wide commitment to achieving improvement targets.
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The catering industry forms the subject of our first market analysis report. It is an industry which has been much criticised for its indifferent marketing and its inefficient use…
Abstract
The catering industry forms the subject of our first market analysis report. It is an industry which has been much criticised for its indifferent marketing and its inefficient use of labour. Ray Davey argues here that only franchising will help the independent caterer to survive.
Martin Greaves and Ksenija Topolovec Miklozic
The purpose of this paper was to examine the film-forming behaviour of simple compositions of polyalphaolefin (PAO) containing an oil-soluble polyalkylene glycol (OSP) alone, a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to examine the film-forming behaviour of simple compositions of polyalphaolefin (PAO) containing an oil-soluble polyalkylene glycol (OSP) alone, a zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) alone and then combinations of an OSP and ZDDP.
Design/methodology/approach
A Mini-Traction Machine with Spacer Layer Imaging technology was used to evaluate friction and film formation under a specific contact pressure, temperature and slide-to-roll ratio. Electrical contact resistance measurements were used to follow surface film formation.
Findings
The inclusion of an OSP to a PAO showed evidence of friction-reducing behaviour with low friction values over the rubbing cycle but no significant tribo-film build up. When a ZDDP (1 per cent) is added to the PAO, a thick tribo-film forms of about 100 nm. Addition of an OSP (10 per cent) shows this film still forms despite the OSP being a polar and surface-active additive.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted under a narrow range of test conditions (e.g. temperature and contact pressure), and future work will focus on friction and film formation across a broader set of conditions.
Practical implications
Despite OSPs being polar and surface-active, they do not interfere with the ZDDP in forming an anti-wear film in a PAO and, therefore, their inherent properties of good deposit control could enhance the performance of modern lubricants.
Originality/value
OSPs offer promising benefits as friction reducers in PAOs. The research also suggests that OSPs do not negate the formation of ZDDP anti-wear tribo-films when in combination in a PAO.
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Rebecca Amati, Amer A. Kaissi and Annegret F. Hannawa
The scientific literature evidences that the quality of care must be improved. However, little research has focused on investigating how health care managers – who are responsible…
Abstract
Purpose
The scientific literature evidences that the quality of care must be improved. However, little research has focused on investigating how health care managers – who are responsible for the implementation of quality interventions – define good and poor quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically informed taxonomy of quality care as perceived by US managers – named the Integrative Quality Care Assessment Tool (INQUAT) – that is grounded in Donabedian’s structure, process and outcome model.
Design/methodology/approach
A revised version of the critical incident technique was used to collect 135 written narratives of good and poor quality care from 74 health care managers in the USA. The episodes were thematically analyzed.
Findings
In total, 804 units were coded under the 135 written narratives of care. They were grouped under structure (9 percent, n=69), including organizational, staff and facility resources; process (52 percent, n=419), entailing communication, professional diligence, timeliness, errors, and continuity of care; outcomes (32 percent, n=257), embedding process- and short-term outcomes; and context (7 percent, n=59), involving clinical and patient factors. Process-related categories tended to be described in relation to good quality (65 percent), while structure-related categories tended to be associated with poor quality (67 percent). Furthermore, the data suggested that managers did not consider their actions as important factors influencing quality, but rather tended to attribute the responsibility for quality care to front-line practitioners.
Originality/value
The INQUAT provides a theoretically grounded, evidence-based framework to guide health care managers in the assessment of all the components involved with the quality of care within their institutions.
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Alireza Tajbakhsh and Elkafi Hassini
One of the hurdles to the adoption of sustainable practices across supply chains is the lack of pan-chain performance measurements and their related information and organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the hurdles to the adoption of sustainable practices across supply chains is the lack of pan-chain performance measurements and their related information and organizational structures. The authors review the literature on performance measurement of sustainable supply chains with a focus on comprehensive measures that include multiple supply chain partners as well as different sustainability aspects. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the reviewed literature and propose some research questions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors reviewed 140 journal articles, cases and reports that appeared since 1994.
Findings
The authors classify the reviewed literature according to seven sustainability dimensions (economical, environmental, social, reputable, valuable, equitable and sustainable) as well as the type of industry and methodology used. In addition the authors synthesize the available performance measurements into a comprehensive framework that incorporates different stages of the supply chain operations and decision-making processes.
Social implications
The results of this study can be used by researchers to focus on research that may have more implications on supply chains. Practitioners can use the authors proposed performance measurement framework for developing practical and comprehensive measures for their respective industries.
Originality/value
The work is original in the way the authors integrate sustainability (seven dimensions) across the supply chain taking into account the type of operational decisions. The framework can be used by researchers and practitioners to develop practical sustainability performance measurement systems for supply chains.