International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

Xia Pan

doi: 10.1108/02656710610704276pmid: N/A

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to put forward the view that systems theory, cybernetics, information theory, and dissipative structure theory should be the fundamental principles underlying quality management. These “new sciences” relate to quality management not just in terms of philosophy but also in the requirements of the well‐structured quantitative analysis methods. Design/methodology/approach – Discusses several issues in quality management and control from the views of the new sciences, then proposes the concept of computer‐aided statistical process control (CASPC) to bridge traditional statistical process control and automatic process control, and the use of ARIMA models to achieve CASPC for linear systems. Findings – Notes that there are implications of the new sciences for quality control and presents a discussion of same. Originality/value – Is of value by pointing out that computer‐aided statistical process control for dynamic systems can be the realistic way of leading towards more advanced systematic control approaches.

Masood Abdulla Badri; Hassan Selim; Khaled Alshare; Elizabeth E. Grandon; Hassan Younis; Mohammed Abdulla

doi: 10.1108/02656710610704249pmid: N/A

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the causal relationships in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Education Performance Excellence Criteria. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 220 respondents from 15 United Arab Emirates (UAE) universities and colleges, results of regression analysis and confirmatory structural equation modeling show that all of the hypothesized causal relationships in the Baldrige model are statistically significant. Findings – A comprehensive “measurement model” grounded in the Baldrige Performance Excellence in Education Criteria for the 33 items of measurement is developed, tested, and found to be valid and reliable. Leadership is identified as a driver for all components in the Baldrige System, including measurement, analysis and knowledge management, strategic planning, faculty and staff focus and process management. All Baldrige components (categories) are significantly linked with organizational outcomes as represented by the two categories of organizational performance results and student, stakeholder and market focus. The paper also tests the statistical fit of the only Baldrige model dealing with higher education, which was published in 1998 by Winn and Cameron. Research limitations/implications – The data obtained are based on a sample of UAE higher education institutions. Studies in other countries should be conducted using the developed model to ensure the reliability of the results obtained. Practical implications – A greater understanding of the linkages between the elements making‐up the MBNQA Education Performance Excellence Criteria model, facilitating the guiding role that the award models play in the implementation of quality management in higher education. Originality/value – For the first time, an instrument of the MBNQA Education Performance Excellence Criteria is developed and tested. A new in‐depth and holistic perspective for examining the relationships and linkages in the MBNQA Education Performance Excellence Criteria model is provided.

Susan Hughes; Stanislav Karapetrovic

doi: 10.1108/02656710610704258pmid: N/A

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the ISO 10002: 2004 standard from the perspective of its context within the ISO 10001/2/3 triad of customer satisfaction complaint system and ISO 9001 quality management system standards, its complaints handling content, and the standard's applicability in a public electrical utility. Design/methodology/approach – A summary of the ISO 10001/2/3 standards is presented, followed by a more detailed analysis of ISO 10002: 2004 and its possible integration with ISO 9001: 2000. Subsequently, a demonstration of how ISO10002: 2004 compares to the case study electrical utility's complaints‐handling system is provided. Findings – ISO 10001/2/3 can guide organisations in preventing customer dissatisfaction as well as in resolving complaints within and outside the organisations' borders. Results of the gap analysis between ISO 10002: 2004 and the electrical utility's complaints handling system showed major opportunities for improving the overall system, looking beyond merely addressing individual complaints. Research limitations/implications – Only one organisation was studied and ISO 10002: 2004 was less than a month old at the time. Quality management researchers will see opportunities for further investigation into the application of ISO 10001/2/3 and how these standards can augment quality management systems, particularly those based upon ISO 9001: 2000. Practical implications – The presented discussion on an internationally‐standardized complaint‐handling system gives practitioners in the energy and other industries an incentive to study and apply ISO 10002: 2004. Originality/value – The paper is a pioneering effort in applying ISO 10002: 2004 to an actual organisation. Furthermore, the links shown between complaints handling and quality management will open up new avenues for research in the area of the integration of standardized management systems.

Alagar Rangan; Dimple Thyagarajan; Sarada Y

doi: 10.1108/02656710610704267pmid: N/A

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to generalize Yeh and Zhang's 2004 random threshold failure model for deteriorating systems. Design/methodology/approach – An N‐policy was adopted by which the system was replaced after the Nth failure. Findings – The model was found to have practical applications in warranty cost analysis. Originality/value – By identifying the instance of a shock as the failure of the system and the threshold times as the warranty period offered and changing the definition of lethal shock (system failure in this case) as the occurrence of a shock within a threshold period in our generalized model, one can study the renewing warranty cost analysis.

Dinh Thai Hoang; Barbara Igel; Tritos Laosirihongthong

doi: 10.1108/02656710610704230pmid: N/A

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and innovation performance in the Vietnamese industry context. Design/methodology/approach – The method of confirmatory factor analysis was applied to refine TQM and innovation scales for empirical analysis in Vietnam. The structural equation modelling method was applied to test the theoretical models. Findings – This study confirms the results of previous studies that considered TQM as a set of practices. It confirms that TQM – considered as a set of practices – has a positive impact on the firm's innovativeness. It discovers that not all TQM practices enhance firm innovativeness. Only leadership and people management, process and strategic management, and open organization showed a positive impact on the firm's innovation performance. Research limitations/implications – The sample was not random. Future research should select different random samples to allow for more generalization of the results. The study assessed the concept of “newness” with the company boundaries. Future research should measure “newness” within the boundaries of the specific industry. The unclear evidence found in this study on the impact of the firm's education and training policy on innovation needs to be further investigated. Practical implications – The findings are useful for business managers in developing countries such as Vietnam, who want to enhance business performance through implementing TQM practices that support their firm's product and services innovation efforts. Originality/ value – The study has contributed to develop a measurement system of TQM practices and innovation performance that facilitates more quality management research in developing countries. It has contributed to clarifying the disputed relationship between TQM practices and the firm's innovativeness, and shows empirical evidence in Vietnam to confirm that the TQM practice set deployed by a firm has a positive impact on its innovation performance.