Balaji Dabade

TQM with quality perception: a system dynamics approach

Purpose – Prevailing information asymmetry in business processes alters the market dynamics. Quality uncertainty ensues from this phenomenon. Philosophy of information economics is implemented to correlate total quality management (TQM) practices in industry with quality perceived by customers. Quality perception, a newly coined term, is discussed at length, along with causal factors. This paper aims to provide a system dynamics framework for quality perception and to investigate the role of the changing level of market‐side enablers on quality perception.Design/methodology/approach – System dynamics is used for modeling and analysis. To realize the impact of information asymmetry on quality perception, simulation runs are carried out for an Indian case.Findings – Enablers, such as advertising, word‐of‐mouth, rebate, warranty and guarantee, mitigate the effect of information asymmetry on quality perception, and commensurately translate TQM to market value.Research limitations/implications – The study of s...

Tensile properties of sun hemp, banana and sisal fiber reinforced polyester composites

Experiments are conducted to find out the tensile properties of short sun hemp, banana, and sisal fiber reinforced composites. Length of these natural fibers and fiber weight are varied and are impregnated in polyester resin to prepare tensile test specimen. Optimum values of fiber length and fiber weight ratios are found through experimental results. Analysis is done on these results.

Evaluation of performance measures for representing operational objectives of a mixed model assembly line balancing problem

Performance evaluation of a mixed model assembly line is complicated in nature. For some configurations of the mixed model line, operational objectives can directly be evaluated; however, in others some performance measure is required for evaluating the operational objective. This paper reports a comprehensive comparative study of performance measures as to their relevance in representing the operational objectives of a mixed model assembly line balancing problem of type II. Two performance measures are proposed in this work. A genetic algorithm has been developed for comparing the proposed measures with eight others in an effort to investigate their ability to equalize workload along with minimizing cycle time. Through statistical analysis, one of the proposed performance measures has been established to perform better than the others. Application of the performance measures to balance an assembly line taken as part of an industrial case study also corroborates the results obtained by statistical analysis.

Effect of Fiber Length and Fiber Weight Ratio on Tensile Properties of Sun hemp and Palmyra Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites

Short sun hemp and palmyra fiber reinforced polyester composites are developed using varied fiber lengths and weight ratio. The variation of tensile load at break with varied fiber length and varied weight ratios has been studied. The optimum length of fiber and optimum weight ratios of respective fibers are found in this experimental study.

Analysis of quality uncertainty due to information asymmetry

Purpose – Total quality management (TQM) at the industry end along with quality function deployment (QFD) molds product quality. It flows to the customer at the market end with a value called quality perception, embedding the concept of probability of acceptance and quality uncertainty. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and validate the existence of upcoming term “quality uncertainty” in the backdrop of information asymmetry.Design/methodology/approach – Theories of probability and reliability engineering are used for mathematical modeling and analysis. Fault tree and success tree method is specifically applied to analyze quality uncertainty and quality perception at the market end.Findings – Quality perception is an outcome of combined probability of information symmetry and TQM or product quality, whereas its inverse is quality uncertainty. Determining quality perception or uncertainty of any product type is possible in a market scenario, and its impact on product life cycle and company revenue ca...

Quality engineering for continuous performance improvement in products and processes: A review and reflections

In the face of stiff and demanding competition internationally, there is a growing resolve in the industrial community to provide the customers and the market in general products and services of superior quality. Quality engineering has been established as an important continuous performance improvement methodology during the last decade. Consequently, numerous developments and innovative methods have been reported in the literature by researchers and practitioners alike. In this paper, a critical appraisal of recent developments, improvisations, and innovations in the field of quality engineering has been made. It is observed that there exists an immense body of knowledge in terms of better approaches, techniques, methodologies, aids, analysis tools, etc. However, most of these are oriented toward product improvement or process improvement in a localized manner, and a systematic approach for the application of quality engineering encompassing all the importnat functions in an organization is lacking. In view of this a comprehensive quality engineering methodology is also proposed in this paper so that the implementation of quality engineering in an organization will be more effective, and the benefits to be achieved will be substantial in real-life situations.

A holistic approach to quality success in developing nations

Purpose – Recently, Nobel Prize‐winning research in information economics has revealed that information asymmetry is instrumental for quality uncertainty, which is more crucial in developing nations. In this backdrop, aims to explain market mechanisms for various informational ambiences. Also, the paper aims to deal with quality management progress in developing countries. Factors responsible for quality success are identified and correlated.Design/methodology/approach – System thinking is attempted in order to study information asymmetry repercussions on quality paradigm.Findings – Quality success, particularly in developing nations, depends on many factors and there is a need to assimilate these related strands.Originality/value – Implications for holistic quality success are offered.

Quality Uncertainty Due to Information Asymmetry

This chapter is devoted to the concept of quality uncertainty due to information asymmetry. The concepts of information asymmetry and quality uncertainty are elaborated with ample examples. Specifically, quality uncertainty is demonstrated in a manufacturing parlance. The causes of quality uncertainty due to information asymmetry are deciphered. The mechanics of quality uncertainty is explained with the help of figures. The factors responsible for information asymmetry and quality uncertainty are also discussed at length.

Quality Uncertainty and Quality Perception

This chapter links quality perception to quality uncertainty. The extent of information asymmetry or symmetry has been used as the basis for this linkage. Quality uncertainty or perception is viewed from both endogenous and exogenous perspectives. Total Quality Management makes the endogenous side with TQM constructs as endogenous variables, whereas marketing science framework exhibits the exogenous side. Principles of economics of information are implemented to correlate marketing parameters with the TQM practices in industry so that quality is perceived by customers. Quality perception is an outcome of combined probability of information symmetry and TQM. Theories of probability and reliability engineering are used for mathematical modeling and analysis. Fault tree and success tree method is specifically applied to analyze quality uncertainty and quality perception at the market end. Quality uncertainty and perception behaviors are also related to product life cycle. Thus, a new direction has been given to the perceived quality that traversed thus far in different streams.

Future Directions of Quality Perception

The prevailing literature on information economics, marketing science, business studies, and quality management revealed the commonality and the gaps on quality perception. Basic theory building process that links all these disciplines is completed and sufficient instruments, to contain quality uncertainty or to promote quality perception, are formulated in the earlier chapters. Though the developed tools follow the scientific method of enquiry to make their validity easier, the further refining to the measure of quality perception is still possible. Hence, avenues are opened in this chapter for the future work on quality perception.