Victor M.Y. Lam, Gary K.K. Poon and K.S. Chin
Both the total quality management (TQM) and learning organization (LO) appear to be promising approaches for organizational transformation towards a more effective, efficient, and…
Abstract
Both the total quality management (TQM) and learning organization (LO) appear to be promising approaches for organizational transformation towards a more effective, efficient, and responsive organization in the past. The evolutionary development and theory supports for these two fields are distinct but they appear to have more in common than they have in distinctiveness. However, there is little synergy developed between these two fields both in academic research and industrial applications. It is possibly due to the facxt that both the academia and industry are taking a limiting polarized view of TQM and LO and hence not getting the benefits of linking the two. This paper tries to establish a link between the organizational learning capability and the quality culture for TQM implementation based on a case study on the largest vocational education institution, the Vocational Training Council, of Hong Kong. The study reveals that there is a strong positive correlation between organizational learning capability and quality culture. The exploratory explanations for the links between the organizational learning capability constructs and the quality culture constructs are also discussed in this paper. The findings of the study support other literatures that TQM should be embedded in LO and serves as an enabler for organizational learning (OL) in transforming and creating organizations which continuously expand their abilities to change and shape their future.
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Ada T. Cenkci, Megan S. Downing, Tuba Bircan and Karen Perham-Lippman
Shaonan Shi, Feixiang Tang, Yongqiang Yu, Yuzheng Guo, Fang Dong and Sheng Liu
Hoping to uncover the physical principles of the vibration of the functionally graded material (FGM) microplate, by which the authors can make contributions to the design and…
Abstract
Purpose
Hoping to uncover the physical principles of the vibration of the functionally graded material (FGM) microplate, by which the authors can make contributions to the design and manufacturing process in factories like micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and other industries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors design a method by establishing a reasonable mathematical model of the physical microplate composed of a porous FGM.
Findings
The authors discover that the porosity, the distributions of porosity, the power law of the FGM and the length-to-thickness ratio all affect the natural frequency of the vibration of the microplate, but in different ways.
Originality/value
Originally proposed a model of the micro FGM plate considering the different distributions of the porosity and scale effect and analyzed the vibration frequency of it.
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Maureen L. Ambrose, Regina Taylor and Ronald L. Hess Jr
In this chapter, we examine employee prosocial rule breaking as a response to organizations’ unfair treatment of customers. Drawing on the deontic perspective and research on…
Abstract
In this chapter, we examine employee prosocial rule breaking as a response to organizations’ unfair treatment of customers. Drawing on the deontic perspective and research on third-party reactions to unfairness, we suggest employees engage in customer-directed prosocial rule breaking when they believe their organizations’ policies treat customers unfairly. Additionally, we consider employee, customer, and situational characteristics that enhance or inhibit the relationship between employees’ perceptions of organizational policy unfairness and customer-directed prosocial rule breaking.
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Victor Karikari Acheamfour, Ernest Kissi, Theophilus Adjei-Kumi and Emmanuel Adinyira
The studies on contractor prequalification focus more on the review of models and algorithms rather than review of the criteria for contractor prequalification. However, the basis…
Abstract
Purpose
The studies on contractor prequalification focus more on the review of models and algorithms rather than review of the criteria for contractor prequalification. However, the basis of every prequalification model primarily relates to the measurement and judgement of prospective contractors based on a set of decision criteria. This paper aims to address the gap by reviewing academic papers on contractor prequalification criteria.
Design/methodology/approach
A desktop search was conducted under the “T/A/K (title/abstract/keyword)” field of the Scopus search engine. A total of 49 papers were initially identified; however, only peer reviewed journals were selected for the study; therefore, a sample of 36 was subsequently used. Further filtering was done in which 26 papers were found valid for further analysis as it was realized that, not all the identified papers presented empirical arguments about the issue of contractor pre-qualification criteria. The selected 26 papers were subjected to content analysis to identify the key contractor pre-qualification criteria.
Findings
A total of 41 criteria were identified which were subsequently classified into six main categories, namely, technical considerations, management considerations, financial considerations, reputation considerations, general experience considerations and health, safety and environmental considerations. There was an indication that, the involvement of health, safety and environmental considerations in contractor prequalification proceedings is limited.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this research was the limited number of papers selected for further analysis based on the Scopus search engine. The identified criteria serve as a basis for further empirical studies on contractor prequalification criteria.
Practical implications
The outcome of this study broadens the understanding of practitioners and researchers on the various criteria for contractor prequalification.
Originality/value
By critically reviewing available literature on contractor prequalification, the study sets the tone for further empirical studies on contractor prequalification.
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Daniel Ames, Deborah L. Seifert and Jay Rich
In an experimental setting, we investigate the impact of religious social identity on whistle-blowing. We hypothesize and find that individuals are less likely to perceive others…
Abstract
In an experimental setting, we investigate the impact of religious social identity on whistle-blowing. We hypothesize and find that individuals are less likely to perceive others in their religious group as being behaving unethically. However, we find that once individuals perceive wrongdoing, they are incrementally more likely to whistle-blow when the perpetrator is a member of their religious group.
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This paper reports on the use of online blogs to promote student participation in the learning of the cultural aspects of international business. The focus is to report on a…
Abstract
This paper reports on the use of online blogs to promote student participation in the learning of the cultural aspects of international business. The focus is to report on a course that was conducted with forty‐two Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students from the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile. Examples from student posts, comments, and projects in the blog suggest an increased participation and interaction among the members of the class and a successful implementation of the blog features.
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Uglješa Stankov, Ulrike Gretzel and Viachaslau Filimonau