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.

Three-Dimensional Water Quality Model Based on FVCOM for Total Load Control Management in Guan River Estuary,Northern Jiangsu Province

Guan River Estuary and adjacent coastal area(GREC) suffer from serious pollution and eutrophicational problems over the recent years.Thus,reducing the land-based load through the national pollutant total load control program and developing hydrodynamic and water quality models that can simulate the complex circulation and water quality kinetics within the system,including longitudinal and lateral variations in nutrient and COD concentrations,is a matter of urgency.In this study,a three-dimensional,hydrodynamic,water quality model was developed in GREC,Northern Jiangsu Province.The complex three-dimensional hydrodynamics of GREC were modeled using the unstructured-grid,finite-volume,free-surface,primitive equation coastal ocean circulation model(FVCOM).The water quality model was adapted from the mesocosm nutrients dynamic model in the south Yellow Sea and considers eight compartments:dissolved inorganic nitrogen,soluble reactive phosphorus(SRP),phytoplankton,zooplankton,detritus,dissolved organic nitrogen(DON),dissolved organic phosphorus(DOP),and chemical oxygen demand.The hydrodynamic and water quality models were calibrated and confirmed for 2012 and 2013.A comparison of the model simulations with extensive dataset shows that the models accurately simulate the longitudinal distribution of the hydrodynamics and water quality.The model can be used for total load control management to improve water quality in this area.

Developing a matrix to explore the relationship between partnering and total quality management in construction

Recently, there has been an increasing awareness and implementation of practices associated with Partnering and Total Quality Management (TQM) in the construction industry. Partnering and TQM both seek to enhance construction outcomes, yet rigorous studies of Partnering and TQM have been conducted separately and have not carefully examined common or unique practices associated with these techniques. This paper presents the findings of a theoretical analysis of an integrated approach for the use of Partnering and TQM. A matrix approach has been used to explore the extent to which Partnering may improve TQM implementation in construction. The matrix is based around 3 indexes, namely; the Degree of Partnering, the Degree of TQM and the Project Success Index and enables the relationship between Partnering and TQM to be analysed quantitatively. It also assists in understanding the trends of Partnering and TQM and their relationship to project performance. The results of a case study using this matrix are also presented. It has been concluded that the integrated use of Partnering can facilitate improvements in the way TQM is implemented in construction.

A TOTAL QUALITY PROCESS FOR DESIGN OF A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM

This paper proposes an improved performance appraisal system (PAS) that is based on the philosophy of total quality management(TQM). It focuses on understanding the customer′s (both management and employees) requirements for the PAS in order to prioritize and simplify the basic elements of the appraisal system and implementation process. The improved process is defined by performance planning, counseling and evaluation with assessments for individual, team and management contributions. In addition, reducing the rating scale to three categories should facilitate a very positive evaluation process for most employees and still allow a constructive focus on those individuals that must be improved. Finally, if people come first in the TQM organization, then the personnel systems must reflect this philosophy.

Total Quality Management in the Hospital Area and Its Contribution to Patient Safety

Objective： This study deals with the emergence of Total Quality Management and its start in the hospital area, as well as its connection to the patient safety issue, introducing the use of quality tools as the ＂cause and effect diagram＂, brainstorming, flowcharts for analysis of adverse events and a financial analysis of the impact that adverse events cause in an institution. Methods： We used a literature review through consultation with research sources as Scielo, Medline, Fiocruz - Proqualis, as well as access to books and websites on the subject. Conclusion： With the increasing need to provide hospital care quality, Total Quality Management in the hospital area has much to contribute to reach an even better service and safe, helping to mitigate the adverse events through use of tools such as ＂cause and effect diagram＂, brainstorming and flowcharts, where the occurrence of events involving patient safety resulted in large losses of hospital costs.

The Impact of Total Quality Management on Health Services Improvement, Sana’a Hospitals, Yemen (2017-2020)

Background: Total quality management (TQM) plays a major role in quality health services improvement. The aims of the study are to identify the concepts of total quality management in health institutions to know the nature of the relationship between the application of TQM and improving the quality of health services in Sana’a Governorate. Method: This applied research is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which the TQM of 13 affiliated Sana’a Governorate hospitals during “2017-2020”, were evaluated based on self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected by questionnaires including demographical variables, TQM dimensions variables. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 16. Results: A total of 281 users 98.6% had responded. The employee’s responses for sixth study dimensions were the top manager’s commitment (TMC) 80.46%, customers focusing CF 81.55%, continuous improvement (CI) 82.32%, training (T) 71.51%, and strategic planning of the quality (SPQ) 74.76%, health services quality improvement (HSQI) 74.25%. There is a strong relationship between TQM and HSQI. There is no relationship between demographic factors gender, profession, years of experience, except age with TMC, T, HSQI, qualification with the TMC, CI, T, HSQI and job with all study variables. Conclusion: The application of TQM at hospitals in quality of health services improvement has several challenges, lacking staff experience and lacking leadership support, weakness of the training, customers focusing, continuous improvement, and strategic planning of the quality. Therefore, benefiting from the experiences of leading hospitals in implementing total quality management programs by sending some cadres to these hospitals for training and gaining experience or by hosting experienced cadres to conduct training courses is recommended.

Study on the Teaching Total Quality Management of Management Postgraduate

With the rapid development of postgraduate education in management in China, the traditional teaching quality management mode can not meet the diversity demands to the high-level management talents in nowadays society. In this paper, the total quality management is introduced into the quality management of postgraduate education in colleges and universities, capacity requirements of management postgraduate is investigated from two perspectives of enterprises and students, the whole operating model is explored as well.

An experiment on digital library based on the method of TQM system

The principles and methods of TQM (total quality management) were applied to digital library management. TQM puts emphasis on process control and continual improvement. The TQM theories and measures explained clearly in this paper were the scientific tools used in the experiment in the Wenzhou University Digital Library. This paper deals with a very broad range of subjects related to a digital library: system model of TQM for digital library, organization structure, and tasks of Wenzhou University Digital Library, task flow chart of electronic reading room, cause and effect of electronic reading room quality man- agement, systematic model of enhancing electronic information acquisition rate, quality comparison of electronic reading room service, etc.

AN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE FOR QUALITY THROUGH EMPOWERMENT MANAGEMENT

Total quality management (TQM) is of strategic significance in winning the required edge for manufacturers in Hong Kong to survive in the ever increasingly competitive market. Mere capitalization on the cheap availability of labour and land in the China's Mainland for competitiveness is no longer viable because of the emergence of new competitors in particular those in Asia countries. TQM aiming for continuous improvements is the key for profitability growth and long run competitiveness. Over emphasis in the “hardware” for quality improvement without the complementation of it with the cultivation of the “software” for its implementation will not only delay the real implementation of real TQM but may also result in catastrophic failure of the organization in the face of rapid changes in demand and expectations of customers. An organizational culture for quality improvement through management empowerment is believed to be fruitful in helping the Hong Kong manufacturers to win the uphill battle for their well being and even survival in the world competition.

APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN A CHINESE BASED SOCIETY——HONG KONG

Hong Kong′s current quality management philosophy can best be described as imported and experimental. This is because Hong Kong is at the interface of Eastern and Western culture, and modern quality management philosophies are at first imported from the West and implanted into the Hong Kong Subsidiaries of American and European controlled companies. Local experience in quality management is usually obtained via trial and error, and through progressive modifications. The influence of Chinese culture on quality management in Hong Kong has formed the main subject of this study. This study is to initiate the interest to develop modern quality management concepts based on Chinese culture. Some initial results suggest that Hong Kong managers have great interest in applying Chinese working principle to quality management.

Chinese university comprehensive quality management --Based on the British University of Wolverhampton

China＇s popular education model and the pressure caused by various educational institutions have prompted some colleges and universities in China to carry out the reform of teaching quality. Through the research on the quality management problems, combined with the British University of Wolverhampton experience to explore the necessity of Implementation of total quality management in Chinese universities and main measures.

Evolution of the “OS Wheel” Model of Operations Strategy in Continuous Manufacturing Industry

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-BNQA-SA was introduced in 1987 in US companies to create overall excellence in all parts of an organisation, leading to “integrated companies” as the ultimate goal for sustained performance by using the Baldrige Excellence Framework (BEF). The “Balanced Score Cards” (BSC) methodology, as an instrument of designing, cascading and communicating strategy, was introduced in 1992. Operations excellence is an outcome of a well-designed, monitored and implemented operations strategy (OS). This paper traces the evolution of an “OS Wheel” model of operations strategy, for continuous manufacturing industries (CMI), deployed using the BEF, using BSC’s, to achieve performance excellence and sustained competitive advantage. The model was applied in a large scale, CMI company in India, over a period of fifteen years (a longitudinal study), the description of which will demonstrate its utility.

IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCT QUALITY AND PRODUCTION PROCESS PERFORMANCE IN JEWELLERY MANUFACTURING THROUGH “INTEGRATED CRAFTSMANSHIP”

This paper attempts to identify the loss of quality of craftsmanship intensive products. It shows that errors in production process and degradation in the jewellery pro duct quality in the (complex) transition from hand crafted silver model making to mass production are largely due to the ignorance of the importance of design——craftsmanship in production process. In fact, the design can be employed to solve the problems of the quality degradation or even as a tool to prevent error in the stages of product design, development and production. In testing this hypo thesis, production processes (from designing, model making, casting, polishing, buffing to texturing) are all examined in order to identify the root causes of product quality degradation in mass production. After the analysis, the concept of “integrated craftsmanship” is proposed to assist integration of traditional goldsmith′s and je wellery designers′ techniques in jewellery designing and making, and to change the attitudes to quality control in mass production systems. Finally, the model of “integra ted design craftsmanship” as a comprehensive design conceptual and quality organizational tool is formulated for managing and improving product quality.

Applied Rainwater Harvesting Education： An Australian Case Study

Rainwater tanks have been an integral part of the Australian landscape given the vital role these tanks have played over the years in rural Australia. In the past Local government and Water Authorities actively discouraged the use of rainwater tanks and informing citizens that they were illegal and dangerous. Kogarah Council within the Sydney metropolitan area is a proactive Council, and became the first council in Sydney to adopt Total Water Cycle Management （TWCM） principles into its Sustainability Management Plan, integrating these principles into on-ground projects at a catchment level in a planned and strategic approach. Among it priority projects was the Rainwater Tanks in Schools. This paper outlines how this project assisted all 22 schools in the Kogarah LGA （The Local Government Association） to increase the efficiency of water use and install rainwater tanks to reduce potable water use in toilet flushing and irrigating school gardens. The rainwater harvesting reduced the amount of drinking water used for toilet flushing and/or irrigation. The rainwater tanks also act as a visual reminder to conserve water for the students. The project has equipped the next generation with the necessary tools to make informed decisions and undertake actions that will move towards achieving sustainability.

Quality management in anatomic pathology:The past,present,and future

One of the challenges in anatomic pathology laboratories is to meet the increasing need for pathological diagnosis,using quality management(QM)activities and systems to ensure that patients receive their accurate and timely pathology report.The aim of this paper is to review anatomic pa-thology QM from both management and technical perspectives,including the past,present,and future opportunities.First,the evolution of the QM concept and scope will be discussed.Next,current QM system imple-mentation and laboratory accreditations will be discussed from the man-agement perspective,and common medical errors in anatomic pathology in different testing cycles will be analyzed.Finally,selected future management systems to improve the level of total QM worldwide for patient safety and the potential of informatics to be used as an auxiliary tool in anatomic pathology will be discussed.

Exploratory research on drug safety in China

The article defines the concept of drug safety,summarizes the problems and causes in the area of drug safety in China, and proposes relevant measures to solve the problems.