Operations Improvement Function and Organisational Adaptability of Petroleum Tank Farms in South-South, Nigeria

The study examined the nexus between operations improvement function (dimensioned by contingency planning, benchmarking and continuous improvement processes) and organisational adaptability of Petroleum tank farms in South-South, Nigeria. The contingency theory and the theory of routine dynamics underpinned the study, and positivism was the underlying philosophy. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey through the use of questionnaire. 820 middle and top-level managers constituted the elements of the population, and the Krejcie & Morgan’s formula was used to determine the sample size of 262 respondents. Structural Equation Modeling was deployed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The results showed that contingency planning;benchmarking and continuous improvement processes all have a significant positive relationship with organisational adaptability of Petroleum tank farms in South-South, Nigeria. The study concludes that Petroleum tank farms’ operations should focus on the adoption of contingency planning, benchmarking and continuous improvement processes to enhance organisational adaptability. Therefore, it is recommended that the management of Petroleum tank farms should put in place mechanisms to advance continuous improvement processes by allocating the necessary amount of resources, such as energy, time and money, in order to promote the continuous development of the continuous improvement systems. Furthermore, managers of Petroleum tank farms should make better the adoption of contingency planning, ensuring that there is as much necessary training and information for employees on how to act during a crises situation, in order to evaluate safety and prepare in advance for recovery from disasters.

Empirical Analysis on Continuous Improvement of Mobile Content Services＇ Effects on Continuance Use Intention

With the development of intelligent terminals and mobile applications,the influence of continuous improvement on mobile content services to the continuance use intention is more and more significant.Based on the expectation-confirmation theory and information system continuance use theory,this paper proposes a mobile content continuance use model and puts forward related assumptions under the mobile commerce environment by introducing the continuous improvement variables.Questionnaire data are collected from 219 mobile content service users for research,and the hypothetical model is validated by the structural equation modeling.Results show that the information system continuance use model is still valid under the mobile commerce environment,and the continuous improvement on mobile content services have positive impacts on user's expectations after they have experienced certain mobile content services.

A continuous quality improvement project to reduce medication error in the emergency department

BACKGROUND:Medication errors are a common source of adverse healthcare incidents particularly in the emergency department(ED) that has a number of factors that make it prone to medication errors.This project aims to reduce medication errors and improve the health and economic outcomes of clinical care in Hong Kong ED.METHODS:In 2009,a task group was formed to identify problems that potentially endanger medication safety and developed strategies to eliminate these problems.RESULTS:Responsible officers were assigned to look after seven error-prone areas.Strategies were proposed,discussed,endorsed and promulgated to eliminate the problems identified.A reduction of medication incidents(Ml) from 16 to 6 was achieved before and after the improvement work.CONCLUSION:This project successfully established a concrete organizational structure to safeguard error-prone areas of medication safety in a sustainable manner.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGH INTEGRATION OF QUALITY TOOLS

The relationship between major quality tools such as quality function development （QFD）, failure mode and effects analysis （FMEA）, design of experiments （DOE） and statistical process control （SPC） is analyzed through an extensive review of the literature and the concurrent quality engineering philosophy, and a basic structure for the integration of quality tools is presented. An integrated quality management system （IQMS） is developed using C＋＋ Builder, running in the Windows 2000 Server environment with the basic internet connections, and SQL Server 2000 as the platform for developing the database, An illustrative example applying IQMS to the continuous quality improvement for a crane equipment manufacturing is reported. The result shows that the application of IQMS can optimize the process of design and manufacturing, shorten the cycle time of product, reduce the cost, and realize quality improvement continuously, The proposed integrated framework with IOMS is believed to be applicable to continuous quality improvement in many manufacturing companies.

Applying knowledge management implementation model in Water Resources Management Company by the purpose of continuous improvement

This research seeks to explore the current knowledge management （KM） practice in the Water Recourses Management Company （WRMC） according to Jashpar＇s knowledge management cycle which comprises four loops, including knowledge creation, knowledge organization, knowledge sharing and knowledge leverage. This research used a qualitative method, and data were collected through questionnaires. The 92 respondents were the staff of office. The data were analyzed through SPSS software. The findings of this research reveal that, the knowledge creation and knowledge organization were in good level, but knowledge sharing condition was not suitable, therefore, it has negative effect on leveraging knowledge, hence we tried to demonstrate a knowledge management implementation model using the knowledge management concept and taking advantage from the concept of excellence model by the purpose of continuous improvement. This paper suggests proper knowledge management implementation （KMI） is a managerial approach that can turn an organization to an agile one. In order to verify and validate the performed research, the planned model has been accomplished in the Hydropower Plant Department, Water Recourses Management Company, positive and acceptable results were obtained and organizations total factor productivity increase was achieved which was appreciated by the organization.

TBI Technique Improvements for Anesthetized Pediatric Patients Based on Near-Miss Incident Reporting

Purpose: To share our clinical experience of an optimized and comprehensive pediatric TBI technique. Methods and Materials: Through the use of incident learning, safety-critical areas were identified in our procedure for total body irradiation (TBI) for pediatric patients under anesthesia for bone-marrow transplant. The previous procedure lacked flexibility to accommodate various requests from the anesthesia team due to the wide range of patient sizes. To address this issue and to improve the process overall, we updated our procedure for TBI simulation, dosimetry planning, patient setup during treatment, and in vivo dosimetry. A simulation form was redesigned with additional detailed instructions and documentation requirements. The dose calculation procedure was reformulated to remove dependence on setup variations. Tissue compensation determination and therefore dose uniformity were improved by introducing rigorous calculation methods. Calculations were performed on 28 previously-treated patients to compare the dose uniformity using the new versus previous methods. Results: The new procedures improve interdepartmental communication, simplify the workflow, decrease the risk of treating patients in a setup that differs from that used during the simulation, and reduce dose heterogeneity. The new compensator design significantly improved patient dose uniformity: 0.8% ± 0.4% (new method) vs. 4.2% ± 2.3% (previous method) (p Conclusion: A near-miss incident reporting system was used to improve the safety and quality of pediatric TBI procedures under anesthesia.

Transforming Molecules into Medicines: Role of CDMOS in Phase-Appropriate Technology Transfers in Advancing Pharmaceutical Innovation

CDMOs are emerging as critical drivers of innovation within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. As the pharmaceutical industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see CDMOs play an increasingly important role in drug development and manufacturing. Many companies within these sectors are now leveraging the expertise of CDMOs through technology transfers to foster innovation and enhance the development of new drug products. In the extensive field of drug development, technology transfer plays a crucial role at multiple stages, ranging from preclinical phases to commercialization. By working closely with drug developers, CDMOs can ensure that technologies are transferred seamlessly between phases of drug development, allowing for a more efficient and cost-effective development process. CDMOs also bring a wealth of experience in various areas of drug development, including process development, analytical testing, quality control, and manufacturing. This expertise, combined with a focus on innovation, can help drug developers to overcome technical challenges and optimize their drug development programs. CDMOs can provide drug developers with various manufacturing capabilities, from small-scale clinical trials to large-scale commercial production. This flexibility allows drug developers to focus on their core competencies while relying on CDMOs to provide the necessary infrastructure and support for drug manufacturing. The critical role of CDMOs in advancing pharmaceutical innovation in phase-appropriate technology transfer where there will be a lot of effort and patience with strong technical expertise is required. This article explores the various types of Technology transfer from preclinical to commercial stages and successful strategies to foster innovation.

Implementing a model for identifying organizational complications for the purpose of increasing productivity in hydropower plant

The present economical conditions on today＇s world require specific point of view and policy making in business agencies. In this competitive world to achieve competence, competitive advantages in order to better governance, organizations have to increase their competitive powers through promotion and productivity. One of the fundamental approaches to elevate the productivity level is finding the complications and obstacles, and arise planning to remove them. In order to understand organizational complication, we have tried to take critical factors of success and continue improvement into consideration to demonstrate a model to find the main and radical problems and complications and recognize the recoverable areas in the business agencies. In order to verify and validate the performed research, he planned model has been accomplished in the Hydropower Plant Department, positive and acceptable results were obtained and organizations total factor productivity improvement was achieved which was appreciated by the organization.

Waste Reduction in a Manufacturing Process： A Case Study of Ceramics Factory in Thailand

The objective of this research is to reduce waste in the production ceramics of Ceramics Factory in Thailand. The 7 Quality Control Tools （7 QC Tools） were implemented including Check sheet, Graph, Pareto diagram and Fishbone diagram, which were used to analyze and solve the problems. It was found that most of the wastes come from burning ceramics process. The kilns and trolleys has been used for a long time. Furthermore, the equipment and parts were damaged from lack of maintenance. The non-standard of product arrangement method into the kilns were the cause of waste. Thus, the researcher improved trolleys into the kilns and designed a fixture to help worker to product arrangement. The results of the research gathered data from quality inspection department. Then comparing data before the improvement （between September 2013 to December 2013） and after the improvement （between November 2014 to February 2015）, the wastes are reduced from 8.97% to 0.29%. The result of improving is very efficiency because it can reduce the wastes by 8.68%.

Analysis of Waste in the Production of Concrete Blocks---A Case Study in the Goias Industry

An ever more demanding consumer market and the need for companies to be more competitive have led organizations to try to eliminate waste. This research is a case study which presents a proposal for intervention in order to improve performance of a pre-cast concrete block factory in outer Goihnia. As a first step, waste in the production process was identified through analysis of data on time involved in each step of the process. Then, applying the concepts of lean production, a list of activities was drawn up with a view to eliminating non-value-added work, identifying waste, decreasing cycle time, streamlining the production process and increasing the flexibility and transparency of the process. From the results, it was possible to identify the sources of waste and provide management with information for strategic decisions about production. Finally, various suggestions were made with a view to eliminating or mitigating bottlenecks in the production process.

Managing Complexity and Speed of Processes in the Organizations—A Philosophical and Practical Approach

The business challenges of today are managing complexity and the speed of changes with processes and systems since there are continuously new requirements from market, consumers, suppliers, employees, government etc. For example, when product and service innovations are launched on the market, the relevant processes, policies, people, systems, and technologies should have been prepared and set up in advance. Depending on the business sector, the implementation of new processes and systems as well as their continuous improvement can be easy to very complex and of course very costly. Responding to those challenges, there are several methodologies and approaches like Continuous Improvement Process, Lean Management and Kaizen etc. On the other hand, the application of these methodologies to other industries like service and technology companies is not always successful since their conditions and requirements are different than those of manufacturing organizations. Because of these reasons, the management needs to find out （new） ways of working and to implement new solutions in order to master those challenges and problems. This is not always easy and successful. There are different types of solution options that can be applied situational in every organization. Philosophy can help essentially by asking and answering critical questions in order to provide with solution options to reduce the complexity and to increase the speed of processes. There are several proven and new governance concepts, frameworks, and tools which follow their philosophies. This paper demonstrates how those challenges can be responded and managed as well as how a philosophical approach can help primarily to provide with appropriate solutions.

Lean Construction in a Real Estate Project - A Case Study

Majority of all the construction projects experience cost and time overruns for reasons which are many times beyond the control of stakeholders.To overcome the same,the concept of lean integrated project delivery came into existence.Lean culture focuses on customer by empowering employees.It involves in converting waste into value by reducing waste,improving communication,and promoting teamwork integration through a common set of tools and techniques.Aim of lean construction is to achieve the affordable cost with optimum utilization of man,material and machinery.Wastes in construction industry which do not add value are supply in excess materials in inventory for raw material,work in progress,finished goods etc.Waiting for preceding activity,over processing and defects can be reduced through lean construction.This paper deals with lean construction techniques for identifying the waste in a construction project and eliminating the same..In this project estimation of a building is done to find cost of the project with respect to specifications and compared the traditional methods vis-a vis and lean construction techniques which can bring down the cost and with substantial improvement in quality aimed at satisfying the customer.

论全员参与不断改进的核心及创新机制

CI(Continues Improvement)持续改进工作,是一项旨在全员参与,不断量化改进、彻底杜绝一切浪费的活动。现以笔者多年参与所在公司从事持续改进工作的实践经验,研究了全员参与持续改进的核心及创新路径具体方法,对所有追求卓越和不断改进的组织具有借鉴意义。

Use of Quality Control Circles-A Fad or Need

Different techniques including Quality Control Circles, Business Process Reengineering and Statistical Process Control （SPC）, Total Quality Management have been in use to reduce waste in the industry. Waste is considered as necessary evil and there are many types of waste in the industry. There are many ways and means to reduce waste but the less costly is to use Quality Control Circles technique effectively and efficiently. In quality control circles human resources that consist of small groups of employees are selected, who voluntarily meet at regular intervals to identify, analyze and solve quality and other problems in their work areas. In the Quality Control Circles different techniques of the quality improvement and total quality management are utilized which could be numeric or nonnumeric such as statistical quality control techniques and fish bone diagram or brain storming respectively. This article discusses that how reduction of waste in Pakistan industry is possible by using Quality Control Circles implementation.

The Role of the Finnish Basic Education Model in Enhancing Students’Happiness and Learning Motivation

This paper examines the Finnish basic education model,renowned for its student-centric approach and high performance in international assessments.The study explores the model’s core principles,including equity,teacher autonomy,and minimal standardized testing,and their impact on student happiness and motivation.Through case studies,interviews,and surveys with students,teachers,and parents,the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Finnish model’s effectiveness.Challenges such as adaptability to diverse cultural contexts,integration of immigrant students,and sustainability in the face of global educational trends are also discussed.The paper concludes with recommendations for the continued evolution of the Finnish model,emphasizing the need for adaptability,inclusivity,and a focus on sustainability and technology integration.

Improving immunization capacity in Ethiopia through continuous quality improvement interventions:a prospective quasi-experimental study

Background:Strong scientific evidence is needed to support low-income countries in building effective and sustainable immunization programs and proactively engaging in global vaccine development and implementation initiatives.This study aimed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of system-wide continuous quality improvement(CQI)interventions to improve national immunization programme performance in Ethiopia.Methods:The study used a prospective,quasi-experimental design with an interrupted time-series analysis to collect data from 781 government health sectors(556 healthcare facilities,196 district health offices,and 29 zonal health departments)selected from developing and emerging regions in Ethiopia.Procedures included baseline quality assessment of immunization programme and services using structured checklists;immunization systems strengthening using onsite technical support,training,and supportive supervision interventions in a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle over 12 months;and collection and analysis of data at baseline and at the 6th and 12th month of interventions using statistical process control and the t-test.Outcome measures were the coverage of the vaccines pentavalent 3,measles,Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine(BCG),Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine(PCV),as well as full vaccination status;while process measures were changes in human resources,planning,service delivery,logistics and supply,documentation,coordination and collaboration,and monitoring and evaluation.Analysis and interpretation of data adhered to SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines.Results:Prior to the interventions,vaccination coverage was low and all seven process indicators had an aggregate score of below 50%,with significant differences in performance at healthcare facility level between developing and emerging regions(P=0.0001).Following the interventions,vaccination coverage improved significantly from 63.6%at baseline to 79.3%for pentavalent(P=0.0001),62.5 to 72.8%for measles(P=0.009),62.4 to 73.5%for BCG(P=0.0001),65.3 to 81.0%for PCV(P=0.02),and insignificantly from 56.2 to 74.2%for full vaccination.All seven process indicators scored above 75%in all regions,with no significant differences found in performance between developing and emerging regions.Conclusions:The CQI interventions improved immunization capacity and vaccination coverage in Ethiopia,where the unstable transmission patterns and intensity of infectious diseases necessitate for a state of readiness of the health system at all times.The approach was found to empower zone,district,and facility-level health sectors to exercise accountability and share ownership of immunization outcomes.While universal approaches can improve routine immunization,local innovative interventions that target local problems and dynamics are also necessary to achieve optimal coverage.

Successfully managing a rapidly growing peritoneal dialysis program in Southern China

Background The maximal use of the limited resource to improve peritoneal dialysis （PD） penetration and clinical outcomes is a challenge for all PD centers. In this study, we reported the experience and outcomes in successfully managing a rapidly growing PD center in Southern China. Methods A standard PD program with a team consisted of 6 nephrologists （3 doctors were in charge of catheter insertion and in-patients care, the other 3 doctors focused on PD patients＇ follow-up and education） and 11 nurses in a PD center at Sun Yat-sen University was established for PD patients follow-up in 2005. A prospective and observational study was conducted in all patients undergoing continuous ambulatory PD （CAPD） at our center from January 1,2006 to December 31,2009. Results The yearly number of prevalent CAPD patients was 297, 409, 547 and 695 in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively. The PD catheter insertion was performed by the nephrologists with open surgical procedure and 94% of catheters were patent at one year. In 841 incident CAPD patients, the survival rates at the end of 1,2, 3 and 4 years were 94%, 87%, 83% and 76%, respectively, while cumulative technique survival rates （death-censored） were 98%, 95%, 91% and 90%, respectively. Peritonitis rate was 1/68.5 patient months. Conclusions Better patient and technical survival rates as well as lower peritonitis episode have been achieved in our rapidly growing PD center. A standardized PD program, well-trained team members of PD doctors and nurses, and continuous quality improvement of PD are important elements in managing a successful PD program.

Using Plan-Do-Check-Act Circulation to Improve the Management of Panic Value in the Hospital

The concept ＂panic value＂ （or critical value） was first brought tip by American scholar Lundberg in 1972. It refers to the results of auxiliary examinations that are widely deviating from normal or anticipated results. The occurrence of these abnomaal results shows that patients could be in a dangerous situation that their lives might be threatened. If clinicians are able to get the information in time and provide the patients with effective interventions or treatments promptly, lives could be saved. Otherwise, there could be serious consequences and the best opportunities for rescuing the patients might be missing The management of panic value is an important component of medical quality management, as the National Health and Family Planning Commission has clearly defined in the ＂patient safety goals＂ for several consecutive years. In countries such as America, Australia as well as Gennany, the management of panic value has also been greatly emphasized and was been included in various hospital assessments.

Requirements in performance measurement systems of construction projects from the lean production perspective

Performance measurement(PM)generates useful data for process control,facilitates communication between different sectors,and helps to align efforts on the most important aspects of the business.Thus,PM plays a key role in the management of projects and organizations.PM is also important in the implementation of lean production principles and methods,such as reducing the share of nonvalue-adding activities,increasing process transparency,building continuous improvement into the process,and benchmarking.Moreover,the adoption of the lean production philosophy requires changes in PM.Despite its importance,limited studies have been conducted on the use of PM systems for assessing the impact of lean production programs in construction projects.In addition,studies on how lean companies(or projects)use performance measurement and to what extent the indicators adopted reflect the result of actions that have been undertaken are limited.This study proposes a set of requirements in PM systems of construction projects from the perspective of lean production and a taxonomy of performance metrics for lean production systems.Five empirical studies have been carried out on construction companies from South America involved in the implementation of lean production systems.The scope of this investigation is limited to the construction projects as production systems rather than PM at the level of construction organizations.