Asian Journal on Quality

Chao‐Ton su; Huei‐Chun Wang

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400009

Credit scoring is widely used to make credit decisions, to reduce the cost of credit analysis and enable faster decisions. However, traditional credit scoring models do not account for the influence of noises. This study proposes a robust credit scoring system based on Mahalanobis‐Taguchi System (MTS). The MTS, primary proposed by Taguchi, is a diagnostic and forecasting method using multivariate data. The proposed approach’s effectiveness is demonstrated by using real case data from a large Taiwanese bank. The results reveal that the robust credit scoring system can be successfully implemented using MTS technique.

Hasan Akpolat

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400010

Despite the fact that much has been published about Six Sigma in the business and academic press and on the Internet in recent years, there is still confusion among many people, particularly those who work in the transactional and service environments, about the nature of Six Sigma. It is true that Six Sigma like other process improvement programs before was first applied to manufacturing processes; however, many corporations including General Electric and sony have successfully applied Six Sigma to their transactional and service processes as well. Six Sigma is used by many companies not only to improve the quality of their products and services but also to achieve quantifiable financial results, improve management style and communication, and achieve customer and employee satisfaction. Whether in manufacturing on non‐manufacturing environments, the application of Six Sigma differs from organisation to organisation. Although there are many common elements between these applications, however, special care must be taken when customizing Six Sigma to suite the organisation’s needs. In this paper, the author provides some practical and useful guidelines for Six Sigma deployment. This paper is not about the use of numerous statistical tools and techniques that can be found in a typical Six Sigma toolbox. The main emphasis has been placed both on the concept and the implementation of Six Sigma, particularly within the non‐manufacturing areas of business.

Ruel L.A. Ellis; Prakash Persad

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400011

Distance education is a non‐traditional mode of training and can take many forms, one of which is the use of Computer Based Training (CBT). This paper reviews various quality assurance models for designing the delivery of programmes at the universities and other training institutions. It presents the findings of a CBT research that is currently being carried out at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of the West Indies, Trinidad. The significance of the research is discussed with particular emphasis on the influence of curricula sequencing on knowledge acquisition in learners of varying cognitive styles. The paper concludes that adherence to quality assurance principles could result in the enhanced performance of users of the CBT.

Shiaw‐Wen Tien; Chia‐Hsiang Hsieh; Yi‐Chan Chung; Chih‐Hung Tsai; Yih‐Huei Yu

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400012

Any business activities may have impact on environmental to a certain extent. Enterprises must find appropriate approaches to measure the impact on these environmental aspects, which can be used as the basis to direct enterprises’ efforts to improve the environmental impact. The method used to evaluate significant factors in life cycle assessment standards is the one most commonly used by enterprises in general to measure environmental impact. By this method, the decisive factors of each environmental aspect are given scores according to the preset scoring standard of the organizaion. The scores are added up for each aspect and ranked to assess major environmental apsects. The drawback of this assessment method, that is, it ignores the degree to which each of these factors affects the environment, results in poor credibility. Therefore, this study attempts to solve some qualitative problems by applying to fuzzy theory, in particular, by identifying appropriate fuzzy numbers through fuzzy sets and membership function. Moreover, the study seeks to obtain a crisp value in the process of defuzzifization in order to make up for the shortfall of the original method in dealing with relative weight of decisive factors and thus increase its applicability and credibility. The department of light production of an electronics company is used as an example in this study to measure environmental aspects by employing both the traditional significant factor method and the fuzzy environmental impact assessment model proposed in this study. Based on verification and comparison of results, the model proposed in this study is more feasible as it reduces partiality in decision‐making by taking the relative weights of decisive factors into consideration.

Sung H. Park; Young H. Park

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400013

This is an R&D project on design optimization of the inner shield of the Omega colour picture tube at Samsung SDI in Korea. This was an R&D project which basically used the IDOV (Identify, Design, Optimize, Validate) process for Six Sigma implementation. Most Six Sigma projects use the process of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). However, this project introduces a new cycle, RDIDOV (Recognize, Define, and IDOV∥. Here CPT means Colour Picture Tube. Samsung SDI is one of the two companies which began Six Sigma in Korea. This case study shows a good exmaple how an R&D Six Sigma project can be usefully employed in manufacturing companies using a new process cycle.

Ping‐Kit Lam; Kwai‐Sang Chin

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400014

Client‐supplier collaboration in new product development (NPD) has been a strategy in response to fierce global competition. Traditionally, Hong Kong suppliers collaborate with worldwide clients through original equipment manufacturing (OEM) arrangement in which suppliers manufacture products according to clients’ design. In recent years, a growing number of Hong Kong suppliers have transformed to original design manufacturing (ODM) in which they are assigned a design responsibility other than manufacturing products. The ODM arrangement necessitates a close interaction between clients and supplier, which brings about intense conflict. Conflict has been recognized as an important factor affecting NPD performance including product quality. This paper studies the conflict handling practices of Hong Kong ODM suppliers based on 87 survey data. The results show tha tthe suppliers frequently adopt effective conflict handling practices by which they can develop products of good quality through better design decisions. The results also suggest that the use of ineffective conflict handling behaviors, particularly avoiding, should be reduced for better product quality.

Chi‐Yuang Yu; Yau‐Wen Hsu; Yi‐Chan Chung; Chih‐Hung Tsai

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400015

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of self‐reported musculoskeletal symptoms among the three Taiwan’s traditional industries as lathe, electronics and food by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Moreover, the study was also to make a comparision among the aforesaid industries for revealing their differences. The result of the questionnaire indicated that the symptoms appeared on the three industries were all originated from four parts as neck, shoulders, elbows, and wrists/hands. More than 68 per cent of the interviewers’s thought that their symptoms might be related to their work. However, the rate of harmful influence resulted from life or job was over 50 per cent. As to the respect of the interviewers’ attitude in treating their symptoms, more than 80 per cent of them neglected or just treated the symptoms by massaging or cold/hot compressing and resting. From the questionnaire, the proportion of symptoms discussed in each item inicated that the distribution, in perceiving symptom, of interviewers were not quite identical; however the Chi‐square test discovered majority did not reach 0.05 levels, hence the difference among industries were not significant.

W.G. Lewis; K.F. Pun; T.R.M. Lalla

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400016

Many researchers and practitioners have acknowledged the need to investigate the relationships amongst various criteria of implementing total quality management (TQM) in small and medium‐sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs). There is a need to have practical research methodologies that take cognisance of the peculiarities of SMMEs and impact on their quality management practices in developing countries. This paper presents the theoretical foundation of a proposed Generative Research Methodology and configures the specification of a TQM implementation framework in SMMEs. The methodology combines rigorous research approaches, builds theory based on the dynamics of the environment and the firms’ characteristics and incorporates various TQM criteria into the design of the framework. It synchronises inductive and deductive research methods in three phases and uses various means to acquire empirical evidence and examine the dependent and independent variables of TQM implementation. It is anticipated that the methodology could help SMMEs to develop, analyse and evaluate the framework for attaining quality performance goals.

Yung‐Ching Ho; Hsin‐Pin Fu; Chun‐Fa Niu; Pei‐Hsiang Chien

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400017

This paper investigates customer knowledge management activities of Taiwan’s plastic industries. The results demonstrate that the bulk of customer knowledge comes from data related to customer purchase orders and complaints. Furthermore, marketing, production, and research and development are the main departments that developed and reuse customer knowledge. The benefits derived from knowledge management for enterprises do not vary with the position of the vendor on the business scope. In addition, the benefits derived by customers from knowledge management are directly related to the benefits gained by the five major business functions, while the benefits derived from the customer knowledge management are also directly related to customer satisfaction. Summarizing the above results, an Acquisition‐Development‐Reuse (ADR) model is proposed and can provide the enterprises with a systematic reference model when the business attempts to construct a customer knowledge management system.

Chae Heung Park

2004 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200400018

Because of three reasons: rare natural resources, high dependent ratio and rapid wage increase, Korea must take the non‐price competitive strategy. The developing process of quality management system in Korea can be categorized into five stages according to changes in economic policy. In order to develop the Korean quality management system effectively, we should try to connect total quality management with management system and emphasize the training and education.