Asian Journal on Quality

Liu Fan; Ja‐Chul Gu; Yung‐Ho Suh; Sang‐Chul Lee

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237798

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to develop and test a model explaining users’ intention to adopt online games in China. Through theories from diverse fields of information systems research, the authors aim to examine and validate antecedents of users’ intentions to play online games. Design/methodology/approach – The model proposes subjective norms and perceived control as antecedents to technology acceptance model (TAM) related beliefs, while suggesting convenience of operator, reality of design, provision of information and sense of belonging as antecedents of flow. The authors study the causal relations between the antecedents and usage intention by using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the causalities in the proposed model. Findings – The results indicate that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), flow and subjective norms are direct predictors of Chinese online games users’ intentions. Subjective norm and sense of belonging are shown to be important predictors of PU, while provision of information reveals an important negative influence on PU. At the same time, system quality shows no significant influence on PU. Perceived control and convenience of operator are both antecedents of PEOU. Furthermore, except for the sense of belonging, the proposed four antecedents of flow are tested for their effect on PU. Originality/value – This research systematically includes relevant antecedents in MIS research to test online game users’ intention to adopt online games. It also provides some managerial insights that can guide Chinese online game companies to improve their games to attract users, and help foreign online game companies to make strategic plans to enter the huge Chinese online game market.

Sang‐Chul Lee; Kwang‐Hyuk Im; Sang‐Chan Park; Liu Fan

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237806

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to establish an evaluation model for business value of a company's existing patents portfolio to improve the performance of the technology development and the company’s competitiveness through identifying the right direction for technology development. Design/methodology/approach – This research targets 11 leading companies in ten manufacturing industries and one e‐business industry and evaluates their existing patents portfolios. This research developed a core business model set by using clustering and classification. For comparative analysis, this research sets NAVER as a leading company and DAUM as a following company in e‐business industry. Findings – This research proposes nine business model components to evaluate a patent from business perspectives. Second, by evaluating a company's existing patents portfolio in view of business model components, this research proposes the importance of business model components and developed six core business models. Through these role models, companies can analyze the directions for development in the future and find companies with similar characteristics. Originality/value – This research develops a methodology to provide the direction for technology development of a company by evaluating technologies through the patents portfolio of a company rather than evaluating the value of a single patent. It is different from previous research that evaluates R&D from technology perspectives; this research takes account of the business value of technologies by developing tools in view of business model components.

Hironobu Kawamura; Ken Nishina; Masanobu Higashide; Tomomichi Suzuki

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237815

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify adequate control characteristics for using a control chart on the basis of a case study of the low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process, which is one of the semiconductor manufacturing processes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for a simulation study using the data generated by EWMA model and the real data obtained from the LPCVD process. Findings – The paper provides adequate control characteristics for control charts. It suggests that it is desirable to employ both the quality characteristic and the process rate for monitoring when the process was modeled by the EWMA model. Furthermore, if only one control characteristic is employed, then the process rate is the most adequate characteristic. Originality/value – This paper newly proposes the process rate as a control characteristic for control charts.

Masaaki Kaneko; Masahiko Munechika

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237824

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a extraction procedure of competitive advantage factors that a company needs to have organizational capabilities, and leads the company to make a sustainable business success. By using the proposed method, a company can conduct a self‐assessment based on the factors, and re‐design its own quality management system, then realize the competitive advantage in a target business area. Design/methodology/approach – By collecting and analyzing the strategy data of six business areas in company A and conducting the interview to the project team in each business area for six months, the decision‐making mechanism and its pattern of the competitive advantage factors are examined, then the self‐assessment method of quality management system is proposed. Findings – The decision‐making mechanism for competitive advantage factors is clarified. The customer value that is one of elements in the mechanism is categorized. And the analyzing method for specifying the core customer value and the organizational capability that leads customers directly to select a company's own product is established. Originality/value – The originality of this paper is in establishing a self‐assessment method that follows the concept of “evaluation design.” This means not using pre‐established evaluation criteria for all companies in all types of business, as is done in conventional research, but rather, designing criteria based on the competitive advantage factors in a target business area and then reflecting those factors into its own quality management system.

Chuen‐Sheng Cheng; Chi‐Ming Kuan

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237833

Purpose – Define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) and define, measure, analyze, design and verify (DMADV) are two Six Sigma methodologies that improve quality in a process or product. In general, if the product design improvement in reliability cannot satisfy the failure‐free performance of Six Sigma, the DMADV process is used to create or redesign new product designs. However, the original function may be affected, and the product development cycle time may be enhanced due to a redesigned process. This paper aims to propose a new procedure to combine the reliability parameter and critical to quality (CTQ) to improve a product's reliability and to reduce the number of engineering changes without redesigning. Design/methodology/approach – The study influences the failure parameter to find out the mean time to failure (MTTF) tree and utilizes the DMAIC process for improvement. It is important to maintain the function while improving time. This study looks at a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) case. Findings – The CCFL case uses the DMAIC process finds that important root cause improvement can increase MTTF twofold. Originality/value – The paper provides useful information on product reliability improvement using the DMAIC process.

Manuel F. Suárez‐Barraza; Juan Ramis‐Pujol

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237842

Purpose – Derived from work conducted on the topics of Lean‐thinking and Lean‐ Kaizen some management practices or techniques, such as the 5Ss, have recently become important in this research. The reason for this is that more and more of the companies that apply Lean‐thinking and Lean‐ Kaizen are using the 5Ss as an essential step in their implementation. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the implementation of the 5Ss in multinational organisations in Mexico empirically, in order to analyse and compare them against the respective theoretical frameworks. The research question that governs the study is: “How are the 5Ss implemented in an organisational context such as that of a multinational company in Mexico?” Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory multiple case study was conducted. Three multinational companies, which have been established in Mexico for at least 20 years, were selected. Two of these companies were from the automotive sector (suppliers) and the third was a company manufacturing hygiene and cleaning products. Four methods were used to gather data: direct observation, participative observation, documentary analysis, and semi‐structured interviews. Findings – Based on cross analysis findings, a group of reasons was found for applying the 5Ss in the multinational organisations analysed, along with a group of drivers and inhibitors responsible for enhancing or blocking the successful implementation of the 5Ss. Finally, a conceptual framework was also established, based on the results of comparing theory and fieldwork: this provides a glimpse into the relationship of the 5Ss with other improvement programmes, known as Lean‐thinking or Lean‐ Kaizen , in the organisations analysed. In particular, the framework show the importance between do (way: philosophy) and jyutsu (techniques) during the implantation process of 5Ss. Practical implications – Derived to describe three case studies on how to implement the 5Ss within a programme or model for the Lean‐thinking or Lean‐ Kaizen approach, it may prove to be of value to practitioners and managers involved in the field. Similarly, a section on managerial implications has also been included. Originality/value – The study contributes to the limited existing literature on the 5Ss through research that seeks to understand how this technique is implemented in a context of multinational organisations, particularly emphasising the main drivers and inhibitors that enhance or block it during the implementation process. It also includes a theoretical framework that can demonstrate the relationship of the 5Ss with the Lean‐thinking and Lean‐ Kaizen programmes in this context: In particular for Latin America and Mexico, where virtually no academic studies of this type have been conducted.

Jung Lang Cheng

2012 Asian Journal on Quality

doi: 10.1108/15982681211237851

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of implementing Six Sigma system on job satisfaction and employee morale, and how job satisfaction, employee morale and Six Sigma implementation are to support each other. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds a research framework which includes the variables of Six Sigma, job satisfaction, and employee morale. The research methodology is the use of a field survey questionnaire of a Taiwanese company. Findings – The paper finds that the method of Six Sigma implementation in Taiwanese company was by a top‐down approach, where is the managers received the training and then were expected to pass on the relevant knowledge to their subordinates. It also reveals that one key issue in Six Sigma implementation is which organizational departments should first receive the Six Sigma training. the field study found that the first departments related to logistics management, and then onto production line departments. Implementing Six Sigma training has impact on organizational job satisfaction and employee morale. The performance of Six Sigma training was able to achieve job satisfaction and employee morale, but the employees who participated in Six Sigma training were more positive with regard to job satisfaction and employee morale. Originality/value – Every organization has their special characteristics in relation to the Six Sigma system, job satisfaction and employee morale. The organization should aim to better understand the relationship and content of job satisfaction and employee morale with regard to successful Six Sigma implementation.