TQM Journal

Bài báo này so sánh tác động của Công nghiệp 4.0 và công nghệ thông tin và truyền thông (ICTs) nổi lên, chẳng hạn như Internet vạn vật (IOT), học máy, trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI), rô-bốt và điện toán đám mây, lên 22 chỉ số hiệu suất tổ chức dưới 9 sự kết hợp của Lean Six Sigma (LSS) và hệ thống quản lý chất lượng (QMS).

Một khảo sát trên 105 tổ chức ở Ấn Độ đã được thực hiện về trải nghiệm của họ khi sử dụng QMS, Lean Six Sigma và các công nghệ ICT mới nổi. Những người trả lời bao gồm cả các doanh nghiệp sản xuất và dịch vụ thuộc các quy mô và lĩnh vực khác nhau. Phản hồi được thu thập đã được so sánh, và sự khác biệt có ý nghĩa thống kê giữa chúng được đánh giá bằng cách sử dụng kiểm định chi bình phương (chi-square test).

Nghiên cứu xác nhận sự khác biệt có ý nghĩa thống kê giữa 20 chỉ số hiệu suất tổ chức dưới các sự kết hợp khác nhau của QMS, LSS và ICTs. Những chỉ số này bao gồm hiệu suất chất lượng, hiệu suất giao hàng, doanh thu bán hàng, mức độ tồn kho, v.v. Tuy nhiên, đối với hai chỉ số, cụ thể là sự vắng mặt và thông lượng, sự khác biệt có ý nghĩa trong phản hồi không được thiết lập.

Tất cả các kết hợp có thể có của QMS, LSS, chỉ công cụ LSS và ICTs không được nghiên cứu vì lý do không thể về mặt lý thuyết (ví dụ: sử dụng LSS mà không có công cụ LSS) hoặc các tình huống hiếm gặp trong thực tế (ví dụ: các tổ chức sử dụng ICTs và LSS không có QMS). Hơn nữa, tác động từ các trình tự khác nhau của việc triển khai QMS, LSS và ICTs có thể được nghiên cứu.

Sử dụng nghiên cứu này, các nhà thực hành có thể xác định sự kết hợp nào giữa LSS, hệ thống chất lượng và ICT dẫn đến hiệu suất tốt nhất và thành công nhanh chóng. Về mặt lý thuyết, nghiên cứu xác nhận tác động của LSS và QMS lên hiệu suất tổ chức.

Nghiên cứu này đánh giá hiệu suất tổ chức dưới một số kết hợp có thể có của QMS, LSS và ICTs mới nổi mà trước đây chưa được khám phá.

Recent years have witnessed a significant rise in Indian healthcare establishments (HCEs) which indicate that there is a constant need to improve the healthcare quality services through the adoption and implementation of TQM enablers. The purpose of this paper is to identify such enablers and then propose a ranking model for TQM implementation in Indian HCEs for improved performance.

The study identifies 20 TQM enablers through comprehensive literature survey and expert’s opinion, and classifies them into five main categories. The prominence of these enablers is established using a recently developed novel multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method, i.e. best-worst method (BWM). The importance of the various main category and sub-category enablers is decided on the basis of their weights which are determined by the BWM. In comparison to other MCDM methods, such as analytical hierarchy process, BWM requires relatively lesser comparison data and also provides consistent comparisons which results in both optimal and reliable weights of the enablers considered in this paper. Further, a sensitivity analysis is also carried out to ensure that the ranking (based on the optimal weights) of the various enablers is reliable and robust.

The results of this study reveal that out of five main category enablers, the “leadership-based enablers (E1)” and the “continuous improvement based enablers (E5)” are the most and the least important enablers, respectively. Similarly, among the 20 sub-category enablers, “quality leadership and role of physicians (E14)” and “performing regular survey of customer satisfaction and quality audit (E52)” are the most and the least dominating sub-category enablers, respectively.

This study does not explore the interrelationship between the various TQM enablers and also does not evaluate performance of the various HCEs based on the weights of the enablers.

The priority of the TQM enablers determined in this paper enables decision makers to understand their influence on successful implementation of the TQM principles and policies in HCEs leading to an overall improvement in the system’s performance.

This study identifies the various TQM enablers in HCEs and categorizes them into five main categories and ranks them using the BWM. The findings of this research are quite useful for management of the HCEs to properly understand the relative importance of these enablers so that managers can formulate an effective and efficient strategy for their easy and smooth implementation which is necessary for continuous improvement.

This paper aims at exploring the relations amongst the concepts of customer relationship management (CRM), convenience, trust, perceived service quality, satisfaction, perceived value, loyalty, image and purchase intention in the hotel sector.

The research was conducted using interviews with hospitality managers and guests who had a direct connection with the hotel industry. According to the qualitative study results and literature review, the authors designed a model that was examined via structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.

This paper presents a conceptual framework that enhances existing research in the field of study, as it was implemented to measure the antecedent and consequences of perceived service quality. Based on the results from New York and London, the authors found that CRM and convenience have significant impact on perceived service quality. Interestingly, the aggregated data illustrate the negative relationship between image, loyalty and purchase intention.

The approach used by this study is partially in line with previous theoretical analyses and shows appealing patterns in international service quality perception. Besides, the paper adds insights into the realm, linking together different dimensions in order to reach an in-depth understanding and complex analysis of each item that affects and is affected by perceived service quality in the hotel industry.

Utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper seeks to examine the performance of 20 Indian B‐Schools, separating their profitability and marketability. The technique allows one to identify those management institutions which are able to utilize their resources in a most efficient way such that the overall goals of the organization are satisfied and total outcome maximized. If a management institution means to be effective in developing professionals who are going to be competent leaders and managers, then it would be useful to know the performance of the management institutes. However, measuring the performance of management institutes has received very little attention compared with other industries because it is difficult to measure its output.

A DEA model is used to evaluate the relative efficiency of a group of decision‐making units (DMUs) in their use of multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs where the form of production is neither known nor specified as in the case of parametric approach.

The paper ranks management institutes from various points of stakeholders. The main findings are how much of the benefit from ranking of the B‐Schools is credited because of its efficiency in converting the inputs to outputs. Does the ranking of any institution depend on scale of operations (scale efficiency) or is it only based on technical efficiency? Technical efficiencies are identified with failures to achieve best possible output levels and/or usage of excessive amounts of inputs.

As Indian management schools widely publicize job offers with six figure salaries, managerial value addition, national ranking etc. provide an important impression about the management institutions. However, the reported results of experiments on input and output measures do not seem to differ between the ten best run institutes and the next ten institutes in terms of scale efficiency.

The paper is one of the few written from the Indian perspective.

A number of studies and writings have presented ideas about new working practices that might be embraced in the twenty‐first century. Moreover, that, employers would seek to gain their commitment by adopting the high working practices of high performance working (HPW) for organisations to become successful through their strategic approach to the human resource (HR). It is against Watson's model that this paper seeks, in order to gain insights, to explore the perceptions of current HR professionals of their organisations post‐2000.

A survey design is used for the study to collect data over a four‐week period in February 2006 from 100 HR professionals. Using a seven‐point Likert scale questionnaire, adapted from Watson's model, the study is conducted in two phases. The first initial pilot study that surveys 30 HR professionals and after modification, this is extended to a further 70 HR professionals as Phase 2. The respondents are primarily drawn from organisations in the South East of England and they are employed in both public and private sector large organisations and SMEs.

The findings show that Watson's model for HPW was inconsistent with the choices selected by the respondents within the survey. Rather than choose descriptors from the model that solely reflect traditional (mechanistic) organisations or high performance organisations (organic), respondents chose descriptors with many combinations to reflect where they perceive their organisation's practices fell, e.g. organic or rigid/bureaucratic.

This paper demonstrates a need for an appreciation of the potential gap between employer's aspirations and employee's perceptions of organisational actions. In so noting, it recognises that the psychological contract depends upon the perceptions of both parties. Whilst the high level commitment sought by employers from employees, through HPW, may rely totally upon these very perceptions of employees (employability contract vs psychological contract). If not, perceptions of the “reality” within the organisation may not reflect rhetoric of, or aspiration towards, HPW. As a result, this research adds to the understanding of the dynamics and results from the management of change towards HPW. Therefore, it provides also early indications to further research needed when considering the importance of investigating such dynamics to successful implementation of HPW.

Whilst these results are early indications into working practices post‐2000, what they suggest is that HR professionals generally perceive a move towards HPW practices being adopted by other organisations, rather than within their own working environment. It appears to be the most compelling feature of the study to date, is that most of the participants do not report their review of the current practices of their company as generally falling towards Watson's HPW model practices.

The European Business Excellence Model (EBEM) is nowadays a familiar framework, used for a spectrum of purposes, with the most frequent aim from its full deployment being the attainment of organizational success. The EBEM's requirements, however, involve abstruse management concepts and thus, there is, frequently, a significant variety within the suggested approaches to face the criteria requirements. Although, such integrated business excellence models should not necessarily be of a very prescriptive nature, allowing for deployment latitude among sectors and types of businesses, a more homogeneous understanding of the suggested approaches to the requirements might be a welcome basis by both academics and business professionals. This paper aims to resolve some of the questionable concepts associated with the practical deployment of EBEM.

Integration of the known literature, stemming from both published articles and best practices already made available, to form a well defined framework of suggested approaches to the EBEM's requirements is the approach taken.

The findings associated with the first requirement of Sub‐Criterion 1a of the EBEM (“leaders developing the Mission, Vision and Culture”) are reported here.

Most of the relevant information describing current, applicable business practices is not yet publicly available, and has to be deduced mainly from responses to questionnaires/interviews.

Specific frameworks of suggested approaches for the well known EBEM's requirements have not, as yet, been made available in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a path analysis of data coming from a citizen's satisfaction survey to support decision makers in quality service improvement. In detail, the survey aims to measure citizen's satisfaction of an Italian local Public Administration regarding the “infant school (0‐6 years) enrollment service”.

The survey represents an experimentation of an original model measuring customers' satisfaction toward on‐line services. Some statistical methods to analyse a given dataset from different points of view are selected.

Outcomes of descriptive statistics as well as of multivariate data analysis to summarize information variables are presented. A new multivariate statistical technique, Probabilistic Expert Systems (PES) (Cowellet al.), is proposed to simulate corrective actions (scenarios) and to suggest the best one for the service quality improvement.

The paper shows that statistical methods are able to support the decisional process because they allow the development of information (gathered from survey) into know‐how. However, managers need to join together both statistical information and experience by means of a systematic method, in order to take effective decisions.

The aim of this study is twofold: first to diagnose service quality perceptions of airline passengers and then links these perceptions to their satisfaction and repurchase intentions, specifically in a new emerging market in the Mediterranean region, North Cyprus. Airline transportation is a major and the most extensively used way to reach North Cyprus, as it is an island state; thus it is important to know passengers' quality perception regarding any quality improvement.

A recently developed, industry‐specific, 43‐item scale (AIRQUAL) based on eight distinct dimensions: airline tangibles, terminal tangibles, personnel, empathy, image, customer satisfaction, repurchase intention, and word‐of‐mouth communication fit well in this study, maintaining its reliability, validity and dimensionality issues. The sample of the study consisted of customers using the national airline company of North Cyprus, who were selected through the non‐probability judgmental sampling technique. A total of 583 questionnaires were found to be useful and data from these questionnaires were tested through SPSS and LISREL statistical software.

A rigorous statistical test indicates a reasonable fit of the eight‐factor model to the data on the basis of a number of fit statistics. Results revealed that, among the quality dimensions, “airline tangibles” was found to be the most significant to affect both customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. Findings also showed that customer satisfaction is positively related to repurchase and word‐of‐mouth intensions.

Since airline transportation is a major and the most important way of reaching North Cyprus, the results of this study provide important insights to practitioners and the tourism ministry about how marketing strategies can be designed to manage service quality perceptions and how the airline industry can use the service quality concept to formulate marketing strategies effectively.

Nghiên cứu về doanh nhân nông thôn truyền thống tập trung vào nông dân hoặc các cộng đồng nông thôn. Rất ít công trình đã được thực hiện để xem xét cách thức mà các doanh nghiệp nhỏ ở nông thôn hoạt động trong và xung quanh các thị trấn nông thôn phát triển các ưu tiên về chất lượng dịch vụ. Nghiên cứu này nhằm mục đích xem xét các phương pháp tiếp cận chất lượng dịch vụ của 12 doanh nghiệp như vậy và so sánh các ưu tiên về chất lượng dịch vụ của họ với các tiêu chí đánh giá của người tiêu dùng dịch vụ nông thôn.

Bài báo áp dụng phương pháp đa phương pháp trong khuôn khổ định tính. Tổng cộng có 12 chủ doanh nghiệp đã được phỏng vấn và kỹ thuật sự kiện quan trọng (CIT) đã được áp dụng với 60 người tiêu dùng nông thôn.

Các ưu tiên dịch vụ của các doanh nghiệp dịch vụ nông thôn và khách hàng của họ không khớp nhau. Các doanh nghiệp ưu tiên các khía cạnh hữu hình trong cung cấp dịch vụ, nhưng nguyên nhân chính của sự hài lòng và không hài lòng của khách hàng được tìm thấy là hành vi của nhân viên cung cấp dịch vụ. Các đề xuất về chất lượng dịch vụ của các doanh nghiệp được thúc đẩy bởi năng lực và ưu tiên của các chủ quản lý, không được thông tin từ nghiên cứu thị trường.

Một đặc điểm nổi bật của các doanh nghiệp nhỏ ở nông thôn là cơ sở tài nguyên hạn chế của chúng. Các doanh nghiệp ưu tiên các đặc điểm chất lượng mà khách hàng không đánh giá cao trong khi bỏ qua những thứ mà họ coi trọng. Các nguồn lực khan hiếm có thể được sử dụng hiệu quả hơn.

Lần đầu tiên các ưu tiên dịch vụ của các doanh nghiệp nhỏ ở nông thôn được đối chiếu với các tiêu chí đánh giá của khách hàng nông thôn.