Asian Journal on Quality

Dusan Pavlovic

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500010

The concept of Total Quality Management may be perceived from different philosophical perspectives. In this paper we shall present a view on TQM from the perspective of Field‐Being philosophy and compare it with the alternative philosophical views. From the perspective of Field‐Being philosophy, the goal of TQM is to achieve the free flow of excellence at all levels: individual, team and organizational. By overcoming rigidity in thinking, behavior and performance TQM turns into an art – the Art of Quality Management, which is the source of true stakeholder delight.

Gye Soo Kim

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500011

The Internet can provide benefits obtained from changing the structure of a business, such as emphasizing the importance of different types of personnel. In addition, the Internet alters the process for business activity, both within and outside the organization. Using structural equation modeling, I empirically test a number of hypothesized relationship based on a sample of 126 Internet Community users. The results are as follows: loyalty is significantly influenced by trust and relationship, repeat purchase is significantly influenced by e‐loyalty. In addition, word of mouth is significantly influenced by e‐loyalty.

Hsin‐Hung Wu

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500012

The target costing technique, mathematically discussed by Sauers, only uses the C p index along with Taguchi loss function X − R control charts to set up goal control limits. The new specification limits derived from Taguchi loss function is linked through the C p value to X − R control charts to obtain goal control limits. This study further considers the reflected normal loss function as well as the C pk index along with its lower confidence interval in forming goal control limits. Withe the use of lower confidence interval to replace the point estimator of the C pk index and reflected normal loss function proposed by Spring to measure the loss to society, this modified and improved target costing technique would become more robust and applicable in practice. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate how this modified and improved target costing technique works.

Sean Gadman

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500013

The internet is enabling a new economy based on the networking of human knowledge. While the benefits of connecting people to people, people to information and people to data within an organization are becoming more recognized and appreciated, much less is known about managing knowledge creation and dissemination across corporate boundaries. This paper addresses the challenges associated with selecting the best collaborative strategy and managing relationships which span organizational cultures and boundaries.

Jimmy S.F. Chang; K.Y. Chau; Y.K. Chan

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500014

Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRPII) is one kind of manufacturing information system that can help manufacturing companies gain competitive advantages. It is estimated that more than one hundred MRPII systems are available in the market, many of them are mature enough to solve most operational issues in accordance with users’ requirements. More often than not, many of these systems provide more functions than a company expects. Manufacturing companies worldwide have attempted to implement thse MRPII systems, however, many companies experienced failure due to managerial rather than technical issues. The authors propose an approach utilising a roadmap to integrate BPR and the MRPII implementation in order to overcome this difficulty. A detail road map is developed to guide this implementation, which is designed using a hierarchical analysis technique known as Integrated DEFinition Method (IDE). IDEF is a systematic manufacturing management and integration‐modeling tool. The proposed approach is implemented and illustrated using a reference company and the results indicated that 66 per cent reduction in errors for maintaining the bills of materials system; 99 per cent reduction in time to carry out material requirement planning; and 70 per cent reduction in time previously taken for non‐productive discussions.

Claudio Baccarani

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500015

Creativity can be defined as an art, the art of finding new solutions to old and emerging problems. Creativity’s driving force may be a structured or a non structured process, though in either case intuition plays a major role. This particular art in this field is the product of employees’ thought processes. By its nature, thinking is a free process. In the world of business, creativity is best able to express itself where people do their work with pleasure. Everybody is capable of being creative but organisations can stem the tide of creativity by putting various obstacles in its path. Creative organisations are characterised by particular values, organisational forms and a conducive internal atmosphere.

Jhy‐Ping Jhang; Shi‐Hao Lin

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500016

In recent years, high‐speed recording CD‐R has already become the mainstream of CD‐R market. Therefore, to promote the efficiency of recording CD‐R is of significant importance. This study uses Taguchi’s parameter design to improve the yield rate for the process of CD‐R substrate. We have found 13 three‐level controllable factors from the fishbone diagram, repeted 10 times the experiment with the L 27 (3 13 ) orhogonal array, and measured seven quality characteristics. We employ four general methods to find the optimal parameter conditions individually. Then, we perform the confirmation experiement and compare the results. Finally, we obtain the optimal parameter conditions. According to the analysis of benefits, the optimal parameter conditions can reduce the quality loss of CD‐R substrte to about 21 per cent. In the future, the results can be extended to other research of DVD‐R substrate.

Y.K. Chan; Jimmy S.F. Chan; K.Y. Chau

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500017

While there are many successful cases where application of the TQM model has reaped substantial benefits, there is little attempt to further develop the TQM model to meet organisations’ development needs. The purpose of this paper is introduce the process of development of a fit‐for‐purpose management system model to meet the development needs of the MTR Corporation Limited, a metro company of Hong Kong. The new management system model is formulated based on the previous research results on TQM but comprises a new approach to bridging their pitfalls. The formulation of the TMS elements is based on the common factors of four National Quality Awards (Japan, USA, Europe and Australia) and the critical factors developed by seven studies. These studies include those of Saraph et al. (1989), Flynn et al. (1994), Anderson et al. (1995), Powell (1995), Handfield and Ghosh (1995), Black and Porter (1996), and Ahire et al. (1996).

Kit Fai Pun; Ruel L.A. Ellis; Laverne Chan

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500018

There have been growing concerns about whether proper measures are in place to ensure the delivery of quality services and the operations in research and educational institutions. This paper describes various quality models and discusses their relevance into the total quality concepts and quality management systems (QMS) in education. It then illustrates how a QMS and the accompanied quality manual be developed in a research and educational institution using the Centre for Enterprise Research Integration (ERI) a The University of the West Indies, Trinidad as a case. Through personal interviews with the Centre’s personnel, views on the operations and determinants of the QMS were acquired. Results showed that the people’s resistance to changes, conflicts on academic freedom, and difficulties on measuring performance were the obstacles to QMS implementation. People involvement and proper communication are determinants of QMS implementation. The system also rests on having a tailored quality manual that entails the documentation of processes and procedures for ascertaining the delivery of quality services and operations in the Centre. The development of quality manual is briefly described in the paper.

Jinchoon Lee; Hong‐Woo Lee

2005 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982688200500019

The purpose of this study is to analyze the causal relationshipk in the perspective of Total Quality Management, among the education quality factors, which were suggested in the previous researches. Lee had tried to analyze the relationship among education factors, but they did not estimate the education factor using latent variable concept, which is very reasonable and efficient to represent the constructed concepts. So this study attempts to analyze the causal relationship among education quality factors, represented as latent variables used in structural equation modeling (SEM), and compared with each other. In this study, education quality factors were measured by several measures, constructed as several latent variables, and then processed with AMOS, the most efficient statistical package in the SEM area. In order to analyze the causal relationship among the education quality factors constructed as latent variables, this study designed the structural equation model with suggested factors and established several research hypotheses. This study discovered a prominent causality among the education quality factors, such as education leadership, student scholastic performance and satisfaction of education quality, which is similar to that of previous research. This outcome is really a unique Korean syndrome manifest within our educational career orientation.