Erick C. Jones

Radio frequency identification (RFID) applied to surgical sponges

Use of gauze sponges that have been embedded with passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags presents a high probability of reducing or eliminating instances of gossypiboma, or retained surgical sponge. The use of human counts during surgical operations, especially during instances where unexpected or emergency events occur, can result in errors where surgical instruments, most often gauze sponges, are retained within the patient’s body, leading to complications at a later date. Implementation of an automatic inventory record system, for instance, RFID, may greatly reduce these incidences by removing the human factor and would improve patient safety by eliminating the current sponge count protocol. Experiments performed by placing RFID-labeled sponges within an animal and removing them have demonstrated that tags are at least partially readable inside the body cavity and fully readable once removed, suggesting the possibility of an automated sponge count system pending further development of this technology.

Comparing Quality Management Practices between the United States and Mexico

The purpose of this article is to compare quality management practices in the United States and Mexico. The survey instrument used was based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria. The results show that social aspects of quality, including quality citizenship and quality responsibility, are different in the United States and Mexico. Furthermore, the results of the regression analysis show that there are differences between the critical success factors of quality management practices within the United States and Mexico. In both countries, general matters (social responsibility) and supplier quality were significant in explaining variability of quality results. More similarities in both countries were found in the effect of quality management practices on customer focus and satisfaction, where general matters (social responsibility), strategic planning process for quality management, and quality assurance of products or services were statistically significant variables explaining variability of customer focus and satisfaction. This research concludes that supplier quality, strategic planning process of quality management, and social aspects significantly affect quality success factors and customer satisfaction in both countries. Recommendations for implementing quality management in the United States and Mexico are provided.

Improving operational and business performance in the petroleum industry through quality management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the effects of quality management practices on operational and business performance.Design/methodology/approach – A reliable and valid survey instrument was used for data gathering from managers in the petroleum industry. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of quality management practices on operational and business performance.Findings – The results indicate that top management support, employee training, and employee involvement are significant variables explaining the variability of operational performance. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis on business performance indicated the significance of top management support on business performance. The study also shows that customer orientation is not a significant predictor of business performance in the petroleum industry. In addition, focus on practices associated with human resource management (employee training and employee involvement) is critical...

Can team effectiveness be predicted

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and support a model to predict the effectiveness of teams.Design/methodology/approach – The literature provides a wide variety of variables or constructs to measure the effectiveness of a team. The article proposes a mathematical model to predict the effectiveness of a team. A priori comparisons are used to develop a mathematical model of the optimum team.Findings – The study expands on the theory of team effectiveness and demonstrates that a theoretically developed empirical model can predict team effectiveness quantitatively. A mathematical model was developed as an empirical function of performance, behavior, attitude, team member style and corporate culture.Research limitations/implications – There has been little effort to standardize the measurable variables of team effectiveness. Additionally, the means to evaluate the individuals influence on team effectiveness has not been documented in relation to the effectiveness of the team. This paper uses a...

A Methodology for Measuring Engineering Knowledge Worker Productivity

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

Case Study: The Engineering Economics of RFID in Specialized Manufacturing

Calibrated tools are essential to producing highly specialized, defect-free parts. These tools are used in many processes in specialty manufacturing operations. Personnel could use the improper tool if the calibrated tool has been lost or stolen. This results in reduced business productivity and increased cost due to poor quality. This study demonstrates the cost effectiveness of using a radio frequency identification (RFID) system to track calibrated tools throughout a production facility. The costs of RFID tool tracking are described and return on investments of plausible scenarios are determined. Also, sensitivity analysis is performed utilizing spider plot and tornado diagrams.

An empirical study of quality management practices in the petroleum industry

The purpose of this paper is to empirically study quality management practices in the petroleum industry in Iran. A reliable and valid survey instrument has been used for data gathering from managers in the petroleum industry in Iran. The instrument has been developed based on the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), which consists of 13 dimensions of quality management. Correlation analysis has been used to test for a relationship between the quality management constructs and quality results (internal quality results and/or external quality results). Most of the linkages within the Baldrige criteria were supported, which indicates the universal applicability of the Baldrige Award criteria. The result of the correlation analysis indicates that top management support is the major driver for quality management implementation which is significantly correlated with most of the quality management constructs. Furthermore, the results indicated that employee training and employee involvement are significantly correlated with internal (operational) quality results. Customer orientation and supplier quality are not significantly correlated with external quality results (business performance).

Vertical Greenery Systems as a Strategy in Urban Heat Island Mitigation

Integrating vegetation into architecture has become widely recognized as a multi-beneficial practice in architecture and engineering design to combat an array of environmental issues. Urban areas have microclimates that are different than the climates of their surrounding rural areas. Patterns in these differences over the years have shown that urban microclimates tend to be significantly warmer in comparison. This phenomenon is now recognized as the urban “heat island” effect. While the associated consequences of this urban heating are far reaching, excess energy expenditure, air pollution emissions, and threats to human health are among the most critical for evaluation. The integration of vegetative green space in urban planning, coupled with highly reflective materials in place of conventional paved surfaces on roads and rooftops have proven to be effective methods of urban heat island mitigation. While as separate entities these methods are effective, innovative technology has brought forth greening roofs which allows vegetation to compensate where other roof-cooling strategies fall short. Substantially, vertical greenery systems compensate where greening roofs fall short. This paper explores both integrated vegetation as an optimal mitigation strategy for urban heat islands and vertical plant walls as an optimal design.

Developing an instrument for measuring Six Sigma implementation

The purpose of this paper is to develop an instrument for measuring Six Sigma implementation. We develop eight constructs for measuring Six Sigma implementation utilising the PDCA cycle (plan-do-check-act). The instrument captures different aspects of Six Sigma implementation in organisations such as the role of black belts, financial responsibility and executive support. In addition, we show that there is significant difference in Six Sigma implementation among organisations, where those employing PDCA cycle for their Six Sigma initiatives achieve higher level of performance. We believe the proposed instrument can be used for measuring Six Sigma implementation in organisations. Implications for managers and future research have been provided.

RFID and auto-ID in planning and logistics : a practical guide for military UID applications

History and Background Introduction and History of Military Logistics U.S. Department of Defense and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supply Classes and National Stock Numbers DOD Shipping Level Containers RFID Designations Overview of RFID and AIT Technologies Overview of AIT Technologies Basic Introduction to Common RFID Components Passive RFID System Components Active RFID System Components Overview of Equipment Interoperability Protocols and Standards Important RFID Mandates Standards Organizations and RFID Standards UID and RFID Standards for Military Implementation, Decision Making, and Testing Approaches RFID Project Management RFID System Design RFID Supply Chain Planning Levels Implementing RFID Systems Obsolete Inventory Reduction with Modified Carrying Cost Ratio Overview of Logistics Planning and Inventory Control Engineering Economics of RFID Forecasting Manpower Planning Production Planning and Scheduling RFID in Logistics Inventory Control Basics Transportation and RFID Applications Optimizing RFID Portal Locations in Distribution Using Systematic Layout Planning RFID Uses in Warehousing Military RFID Initiatives and Applications U.S. Army RFID Initiatives Marine Corps and Navy RFID Initiatives Marine Terminal RFID Applications Other Foreign Country Armed Forces Adoption of RFID Technology Other Potential Military RFID Applications and Radio Theory Military Physical Fitness RFID Applications Marine RFID Security Applications Military Mortuary RFID Implantation Applications Railroad Car Tracking by an RFID System to Organize Traffic Flow Six Sigma Case Study: Multichannel RFID Radio Frequency Theory Future RFID Applications