Leadership and Top Management Influence on Total Quality Management Implementation in the Ghanaian Construction Industry

This study aims to determine the key and underlying Leadership and Top Management (LTM) factors that have a significant impact on sustaining the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) within the construction industry in Ghana. The research methodology employed in this study was a quantitative technique. Questionnaires were distributed to 641 participants within construction industry in Ghana. Questionnaires retrieved for the analysis were 536. Three steps approached were used for the data analysis. These include Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. After conducting the EFA and CFA, SEM was also used to analyze the construct validity. The SEM analysis helps to determine four key indicator variables for the leadership and top management construct. These include Leadership/Top Management approach to employees’ management, Leadership/Top Management understanding of TQM, Leadership/Top Management empowerment of employees to resolve quality issues, and Leadership/Top Management endorsement of TQM. All the four indicator variables were found to be good of fit and closely associated with the dependent variable. The study adds to the body of knowledge by using EFA, CFA and SEM techniques to establish key leadership and top management factors affecting TQM implementation in Ghana’s construction industry. The findings in general suggested that leadership and top Management factors identified have a direct positive impact on sustaining TQM implementation in the Ghanaian construction industry. Consequently, the leadership and top management factors identified in this study can help improve TQM in the Ghanaian construction industry.

Quality Management of Aeronautical Surfaces Manufacturing

Wind tunnel testing is experimental support of research and development during the design phase of aircraft and missile projects. The paper presents the developed method of manufacturing management by providing the required quality and accuracy of the wind tunnel models. The price of the wind tunnel model is several hundred thousand dollars and for this reason a manufacturing defect is not allowed. Additionally, any delays in the production process cause delay of testing in the wind tunnel. The costs of the delay are very high, because the wind tunnel laboratory is extremely expensive. All the foregoing is why the issue of the model＇s production is very important. Manufacturing of wind tunnel model within the contracted deadline and the required quality define tasks and objectives of production process management： identification of critical machining operations and activities; minimizing the time of coordinate inspections between cutting operations; identifying the main parameters of quality （shape, position in space, and angular relations）; and material management for all other machining operations that follow. Specially developed methods of coordinate metrology are crucial for the management of the manufacturing process. Worldwide used specialized coordinate inspection programs have no option to measure the flaps deflection angles and wing dihedral angle. This paper introduces the originally developed coordinate inspection methods for determining the angular relations between lift and control surfaces. The methods presented in this paper have been confirmed in several international projects. The quality and accuracy of the models for wind tunnel testing are conditio sine qua non.

Quality Management Model Embodying Circular Economy and Sustainable Manufacture - Quality Concept Models Based on a Chinese Traditional Cultural Principle

Based on circular economy and sustainable manufacture theories, the drawbacks in the existing quality management models are analyzed. The requests that satisfy the big system 'environment-society-economy' are summarized to build up a model. A Chinese traditional cultural principle is applied and the relevant contents are sublimated as the platform to set up the model. The new quality management concept models are put forward: 'T-D-R' three dimension structures and 'ecological quality loop' model, from which the new quality concepts are formed. The paper elaborates the contents and the process of setting up the models. The big system quality problems can be handled by the new quality concept and model that are validated in practice.

Quality Management Model for Phase I Clinical Drug Trials:A Structural Equation Model

This study aimed to construct a quality management model for phase I clinical drug trials.A cross-sectional survey was conducted and data were collected from 604 respondents at 69 institutions in China engaged in phase I clinical drug trials.Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop the survey tool.Structural equation modeling was used to construct a quality management model for phase I clinical drug trials.The results showed that the final survey tool had good reliability and validity(Cronbach’sα=0.938,root mean square error of approximation=0.074,comparative fit index=0.962,and Tucker—Lewis index=0.955).The model included five dimensions:government regulation,industry management,medical institution management,research team management,and contract research organization(CRO)management.In total,22 measurement items were obtained.The structural equation model indicated government regulation,industry management,medical institution management,and CRO management significantly affected the quality of phase I clinical drug trials(β=0.195,β=0.331,β=0.279,andβ=−0.267,respectively;P<0.05).Research team management had no effect on the quality of trials(β=0.041,P=0.610).In conclusion,the model is valuable for identifying factors influencing phase I clinical drug trials and guiding quality management practices.

A Study of the Relationships Among Total Quality Management, Executive Ability, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage

It is very important for organization to deal with and balance the challenge of environmental complexity and inner resources scarcity. This study considers total quality management (TQM) as a factor linking internal and external of organization and executive ability as linkage to promote and coordinate internal-external elements and then organization obtains its sustainable competitive advantage. The research surveyed effective samples 252 and used Structural Equation Model (SEM) and discriminated analysis for analysis and testing. The results indicate that TQM positively affects executive ability and firm sustainable competitive advantage. Executive ability affects firm sustainable competitive advantage and has the mediating effect between TQM and firm sustainable competitive advantage. Managerial practice implications, limitations, and future research directions have been discussed.

Effects of three-dimensional quality assessment nursing intervention on efficacy and disease management of patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors.The three-dimensional quality structure model is a quality assessment theory that includes three dimensions:Structure,process,and results.AIM To investigate the effects of nursing interventions with three-dimensional quality assessment on the efficacy and disease management ability of patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery.METHODS In this prospective study,the control group received routine nursing,and the intervention group additionally received a three-dimensional quality assessment intervention based on the above routine care.Self-efficacy and patient disease management abilities were evaluated using the General Self-Efficacy Scale(GSES)and Exercise of Self-Care Agency scale,respectively.IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows,version 17.0,was used for the data processing.RESULTS This study recruited 112 patients who were assigned to the control and experi-mental groups(n=56 per group).Before the intervention,there was no significant difference in GSES scores between the two groups(P>0.05).After the inter-vention,the GSES scores of both groups increased,with the experimental group showing higher values(P<0.05).At the time of discharge and three months after discharge,the scores for positive attitudes,self-stress reduction,and total score of health promotion in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The implementation of a three-dimensional quality structure model for postoperative patients with esophageal cancer can effectively improve their self-management ability and self-efficacy of postoperative patients.

From total quality management to Quality 4.0:A systematic literature review and future research agenda

Quality 4.0 is an emerging concept that has been increasingly appreciated because of the intensification of competition,continually changing customer requirements and technological evolution.It deals with aligning quality management practices with the emergent capabilities of Industry 4.0 to improve cost,time,and efficiency and increase product quality.This article aims to comprehensively review extant studies related to Quality 4.0 to uncover current research trends,distil key research topics,and identify areas for future research.Thus,46 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database from 2017 to 2022 were collected and reviewed.A descriptive analysis was first performed according to the year-wise publication,sources of publication,and research methods.Then,the selected articles were analyzed and classified according to four research themes:Quality 4.0 concept,Quality 4.0 implementation,quality management in Quality 4.0,and Quality 4.0 model and application.By extracting the literature review findings,we identify the Quality 4.0 definitions and features,develop the quality curve theory,and highlight future research opportunities.This study supports practitioners,managers,and academicians in effectively recognizing and applying Quality 4.0 to enhance customer satisfaction,achieve innovation enterprise efficiency,and increase organizational competitiveness in the era of Industry 4.0.

Factor input structure,environmental policies,and the export quality upgrade:a perspective of heterogeneity

In the analysis of how environmental regulation affects the comparative advantage of trade,existing literature ignores industry's inherent heterogeneity, which draws remarkably different conclusions. In view of this, the paper analyzed the mechanism of environmental regulation on the export quality of different industries from the perspective of factor input structure heterogeneity. Based on the panel data of China's manufacturing industry, the paper used the system generalized method of moments method to examine the heterogeneity influence of environmental regulation on manufacturing export quality. The study found that, first, environmental regulation affected the export quality upgrade of the manufacturing sector through offset effect and compensation effect, and the direction of the impact would mainly depend on the industry's factor input structure. Second, for industries with larger fixed-asset investment(FAI) ratio in the factor input structure, the current environmental regulation policy was not conducive to the export quality upgrading of the industries. However, there was a significant U-shaped dynamic relationship between them. As environmental regulations became stricter, when regulatory stringency went beyond the inflection point, the policy would promote the upgrading of export quality. But for industries with smaller proportion of FAI, environmental regulation exerted a favorable impact on the export quality upgrade, following a J-shaped marginal growth curve.Third, for industries with different factor input structure, their export quality had been effectively upgraded as expected by factors like human capital investment, independent R&D, technology introduction, and foreign direct investment; but raising per capita capital stock and expanding enterprise size did not produce significant direct impact on export quality upgrade. These conclusions remained robust after using different measurement methods and replacing with other variables. Therefore, this paper suggests that governments should take industry heterogeneity into consideration and formulate differentiated hierarchical environmental policies.Besides, they should strengthen the enforcement of the current environmental regulation policies. By doing so, enterprises are forced to improve their technology and product quality so that they can better cope with rising compliance costs, eliminate backward industries, and resolve excess capacity. In this way, the economic structure would be transformed and upgraded from the supply side.

Determinants of Financial Reporting Quality： An In-Depth Study o f Firm Structure

This paper examines the effects of firm structure on the financial reporting quality of Nigerian-quoted manufacturing firms by using assets, the leverage, the share dispersion, and the residuals of the modified Edward Bell Ohlson （EBO） model as proxies of firm structure and the financial reporting quality respectively. The data are extracted from 12 sample firms representing 50% （as the population of the study） of all the quoted manufacturing companies in Nigeria. A multiple regression is used as a tool of analysis for the study. The result reveals a strongly positive relationship between the firm structure and the financial reporting quality of the quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Therefore, it is recommended among others that the regulators should enforce more on the financial statement disclosure and transparency among companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange （NSE）, in order to ensure a higher quality of the financial reporting

A model of quality control based on recycling economy and sustainable manufacture

People currentiy pay attention to a hotspot problem that how industrial production is evaluated and controlled based on sustainable development theory. Quality is one of the important indexes. Two mainstream theories guide us to realize the industrial sustainable development： mainly the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing are introduced. The basic characteristics of the sustainable manufacturing are introduced, and that quality management is important contents of sustainable development is indicated. Based on circular economy and sustainable manufacture theories, the drawbacks in the existing quality management models are analyzed. The requests that satisfy the big system ＂environment- society - economy＂ are summarized to build up a model. A Chinese traditional cultural principle is applied and the relevant contents are sublimated as the platform to set up the model. The new quality management concept models are put forward ＂T- D- R＂ three-dimensional structures and ＂ecological quality loop＂ model, from which the new quality concepts are formed The paper elaborates the contents and the process of setting up the models. The big quality problems of the system can be handled by the new quality concept and model that are validated in practice.

Double dividend of carbon intensity:environmental-quality improvement and sustainable economic growth

This paper established an equilibrium model including representative household,government,and eight industries,and two different environmental policy tools such as carbon intensity and carbon cap were added into the model.The paper points out that the carbon intensity policy imposed on major high-emission industries achieved double dividend of environmentalquality improvement and sustainable economic growth under the condition of proper constraint target.This result supports the environmental Porter hypothesis.This paper finds out that the double dividend is due to the fact that environmental governance policy leads to the rising price of resources and demand of labors,resulting in an effective redistribution of production factors among industries and sustainable economic growth.Furthermore,this paper estimates the marginal effect of economic structure on carbon emission and carbon intensity and provides targeted suggestions.

A Mini-Review and Perspective on Current Best Practice and Emerging Industry 4.0 Methods for Risk Reduction in Advanced Composites Manufacturing

The manufacturing of composite structures is a highly complex task with inevitable risks, particularly associated with aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty of both the materials and processes, as well as the need for in-situ decision-making to mitigate defects during manufacturing. In the context of aerospace composites production in particular, there is a heightened impetus to address and reduce this risk. Current qualification and substantiation frameworks within the aerospace industry define tractable methods for risk reduction. In parallel, Industry 4.0 is an emerging set of technologies and tools that can enable better decision-making towards risk reduction, supported by data-driven models. It offers new paradigms for manufacturers, by virtue of enabling in-situ decisions for optimizing the process as a dynamic system. However, the static nature of current (pre-Industry 4.0) best-practice frameworks may be viewed as at odds with this emerging novel approach. In addition, many of the predictive tools leveraged in an Industry 4.0 system are black-box in nature, which presents other concerns of tractability, interpretability and ultimately risk. This article presents a perspective on the current state-of-the-art in the aerospace composites industry focusing on risk reduction in the autoclave processing, as an example system, while reviewing current trends and needs towards a Composites 4.0 future.

数字化转型赋能制造业新质生产力发展——基于资源基础理论与动态能力理论的实证研究

通过数字化转型引领新质生产力的发展,是数字经济赋能制造强国建设的重要课题。本文基于资源基础论与动态能力理论,剖析数字化转型驱动制造企业新质生产力发展的影响机理,为赋能新质生产力提供参考。结果发现:(1)数字化转型对制造企业新质生产力的长期与短期影响存在差异,短期表现为提升整合、配置及运用资源能力,长期表现为增强其创新变革的感知、抓取与转化能力;(2)实证结果表明,数字化转型对新质生产力的影响显著为正。其中,短期影响的正向作用显著,长期影响不显著。不仅如此,市场竞争强度的正向调节作用不容忽视;(3)根据异质性效应结果,东部地区影响显著为正,中部与西部地区则较为微弱;国有企业的驱动效应明显高于非国有企业样本。研究结论为提升制造业新质生产力水平提供了新的赋能方向。

A METHODOLOGY FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

ISO 9000 certification has been considered as an effective competitive edge for manufacturing industries. In Hong Kong, the ISO 9000 certification has been widely adopted and extended to service industries for the sole purpose of enhancing corporate image. However, complaints have been voiced by many certified organizations about increasing paperwork, non direct labour and excessive resources channelled into non core business. This paper is to propound the integrated management system, a single management system focusing on business purpose yet being flexible enough to integrate the requirements of various management standards such as the ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and future ISO 18000. This paper describes how the proposed system could be implemented to achieve the desired business results.

Application of Structural Equation Modelling in Construction Management Research

This paper, based on Deming＇s quality management （QM） theory embodied in ISO 9001, uses structural equation modelling （SEM） in a construction management research. Based on 100 usable responses collected from a nationwide survey carried out from 14th February to 30th May 2008 on all key players in the Malaysian construction value chain, this paper aims to： （a） validate the dimensions of registration efforts to obtain and maintain ISO 9001 certifications; （b） validate the eight QM principles in ISO 9001 for quality management system （QMS） practices; （c） determine the components of organisational improvements experienced as a result of ISO 9001 certifications in terms of company competitiveness, customer satisfaction, and business performance; and （d） investigate the causal relationships among registration efforts, QMS practices, company competitiveness, customer satisfaction, business performance of ISO 9001-certified companies. The knowledge gained from the application of SEM is an important contribution to the body of theoretical literature in QM.

Community Structure of Phytoplankton in Pond Industrial Eco-aquaculture System for Megalobrama amblycephala

In order to find out the change pattern of phytoplankton community structure in pond industrial eco-aquaculture system and explain its ecological mechanism,tests were carried out using Megalobrama amblycephala as aquaculture species with two stocking densities.Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Pielou uniformity index were used to study the phytoplankton community structure in aquaculture area( including low stocking density aquaculture area and high stocking density aquaculture area),inlet area,outlet area,purification area,recirculation area,back area of the pond industrial eco-aquaculture system.The results showed that a total of 92 species of 5 phyla were identified,including 46 species of Chlorophyta,15 species of Cyanophyta,15 species of Euglenophyta,10 species of Bacillariophyta,5 species of Cryptophyta,and 1 species of Pyrrophyta.The numbers of phytoplankton species,biodiversity indexes,uniformity indexes,Chlorophyta biomass and its proportion in total phytoplankton followed the order of inlet area,purification area,recirculation area,back area > low stocking area > high stocking area > outlet area.The total biomass of phytoplankton,Cyanophyta biomass and its proportion in total phytoplankton followed the order of inlet area,purification area,recirculation area,back area < low stocking area < high stocking area < outlet area.However,all these parameters showed no significant differences or change rules among inlet area,purification area,recirculation area,back area.It could be concluded according to the biodiversity that the water quality in outlet area was at middle pollution level,the water quality in high stocking area was in light pollution level,and the water quality in other 5 areas were at clean level,which suggested that the water quality was in good states except that in outlet area,and the pond industrial eco-aquaculture system functioned well.

A Rule Management System for Knowledge Based Data Cleaning

In this paper, we propose a rule management system for data cleaning that is based on knowledge. This system combines features of both rule based systems and rule based data cleaning frameworks. The important advantages of our system are threefold. First, it aims at proposing a strong and unified rule form based on first order structure that permits the representation and management of all the types of rules and their quality via some characteristics. Second, it leads to increase the quality of rules which conditions the quality of data cleaning. Third, it uses an appropriate knowledge acquisition process, which is the weakest task in the current rule and knowledge based systems. As several research works have shown that data cleaning is rather driven by domain knowledge than by data, we have identified and analyzed the properties that distinguish knowledge and rules from data for better determining the most components of the proposed system. In order to illustrate our system, we also present a first experiment with a case study at health sector where we demonstrate how the system is useful for the improvement of data quality. The autonomy, extensibility and platform-independency of the proposed rule management system facilitate its incorporation in any system that is interested in data quality management.

数字新质生产力与实体经济高质量发展:理论分析与实证检验

扎实推进实体经济高质量发展是当前及未来一段时间内中国经济发展的重要命题。作为一种新型生产力,数字新质生产力对实体经济高质量发展的重要作用日渐凸显。文章在测度实体经济高质量发展水平的基础上,借助固定效应模型探究数字新质生产力与实体经济高质量发展之间的关系。结果表明,数字新质生产力能够有效促进实体经济高质量发展。机制检验结果表明,技术创新扩散与产业结构升级是数字新质生产力影响实体经济的重要渠道。异质性检验结果证实,数字新质生产力对实体经济高质量发展的赋能作用在东部地区更为显著。

数字化转型、平台化变革与企业创新绩效——基于“技术—组织—创新”范式的分析

在数字经济和实体经济深度融合、全球创新竞争加剧的背景下,加快数字化转型和平台化变革,塑造多元互动和整体进化的创新生态系统,是增强制造业企业自主创新能力的重要途径。在传统技术经济范式中引入数字要素和平台理念,构建“技术—组织—创新”理论框架,分析数字化转型促进组织平台化变革进而提升企业创新绩效的作用机制。在理论分析的基础上,基于2014—2021年中国制造业上市公司的面板数据,实证检验了数字化转型、平台化变革与企业创新绩效之间的关系。研究结果表明:数字化转型对企业创新绩效的提升具有普遍的促进作用,并且对数字化水平更高和股权集中度更高的企业效果更显著;数字化转型促进了企业组织的平台化变革,基于数字平台形成创新生态系统进而增强了企业自主创新能力;数字化对企业平台化的推动作用主要通过专业化分工和企业互联互通实现,这是工业互联网平台发挥作用的两个重要维度。推动制造业企业的数字化转型和平台化变革,充分发挥数字平台的创新基础设施作用,能够提升企业创新绩效,推动制造业高质量发展。

数字经济对体育产业高质量发展的影响——基于中介模型和门槛模型的检验

对我国19个省级行政区2012—2021年的面板数据进行实证分析,通过建立中介模型和门槛模型探究数字经济与我国体育产业高质量发展的关系。结果显示:①在固定效应模型的基础上进行实证分析发现,数字经济对体育产业高质量发展产生推动作用;②在数字经济促进体育产业高质量发展过程中,产业结构作为中介变量、科技创新作为调节变量在其中起到相应的促进作用;③数字经济与体育产业高质量发展之间显著存在产业结构一阶门槛和科技创新二阶门槛效应。提出:应从提升数字经济发展水平、优化产业结构以及提升科技创新水平等方面促进体育产业高质量发展,推进社会主义现代化体育强国建设。