Everett E. Adam

An international study of quality improvement approach and firm performance

Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific, Europe, and North America. Fifty‐two items that suggest how a firm might improve quality were factor analysed and grouped into 11 factors, each factor a broader approach to quality improvement than any one item. Actual quality was measured eight different ways. Each approach to quality improvement (factor) was correlated to each quality measure, as well as to several financial measures. The results suggest that a company’s approach to quality correlates to actual quality and to a lesser extent to financial performance. The major factors found to influence actual quality were the organization’s knowledge of quality management, its degree of customer focus, and management involvement. When the task was to predict performance outcomes in any region, the specific factors that best predict performance were found to vary from region to region. That is, there were specific models within a region that better predicted performance than the model which predicted performance across all regions.

Alternative quality improvement practices and organization performance

Abstract Quality improvement is a highly desired objective in the fiercely competitive international business world, yet it remains elusive to many US organizations. This study relates alternative quality improvement approaches to actual operating and financial performance. Productivity improvement approaches are also investigated and related to performance to define better the relationship between quality and productivity. In this study, multiple quality and productivity approaches are correlated to eight quality, three operating, and three financial performance measures for 187 US business firms. Results indicate a strong relationship between a quality improvement approach and performance quality. The relationship between a quality improvement approach and operating or financial performance is weaker, but significant. Productivity improvement approaches also help predict quality, operating, and financial performance — often similarly to quality improvement approaches. This study suggests that the profile of quality and productivity improvement approach should vary, depending upon whether the firm is most interested in performance quality, operating improvement, or financial performance.

The impact of flexible manufacturing systems on productivity and quality

Worldwide competition and the pace of technological innovation will not permit distraction from industrys primary task: producing quality products at competitive prices. A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) provides a good means of improving this situation. Nevertheless, an FMS implementation usually costs an organization millions of dollars, and the long payback period for an FMS may hinder management from adopting this technology. It is therefore necessary that both financial and strategic benefits produced from the acquisition of an FMS be evaluated on a long-term basis. Flexible manufacturing systems are widely claimed to positively impact productivity and quality. From an extensive search and analysis of empirical studies, propositions regarding issues of flexibility, productivity, and quality are presented. Major findings show FMS investment leading to reduced labor costs, increased output, decreased manufacturing costs, increased flexibility, and reduced production lead time. >

Quality improvement practices and the effect on manufacturing firm performance: Evidence from Mexico and the USA

A comparison of organizations in Mexico and the USA demonstrates that, for these two countries, different quality improvement approaches are related to actual quality and financial performance. For 345 firms multiple quality improvement variables are correlated with seven quality measures, four financial measures, and one operating performance measure. Results suggest that in both countries an increase in employee involvement leads to improved quality-a decrease in internal failure costs, the percentage of items defective, and costs of quality. In Mexico an increase in employee knowledge about quality improvement and customer focus also leads to improved quality (as measured above). In the USA, but not in Mexico, the quality improvement approach relates to financial performance. An increase in senior executive leadership and an increased emphasis upon both design and conformance in the USA leads to an improved return on assets and increased net profit. In each country similar distributions from respondents regarding individual items that improve quality can be found, yet statistical modelling demonstrates country-specific models best explain quality improvement/performance relationships. This suggests culture-specific quality improvement models are necessary to better understand how quality may be improved globally.

Quality Circle Performance

Quality circle advocates suggest a wide array of positive results when this participation technique is used. This study explores the importance of company, employee group (circle or non-circle), and time as well as their interactions. Assessment of circle performance was measured by employee attitudes, actual performance, and facilitator perception. This study did not support small group behavior and group dynamics research, as well as quality circle case study reports, that suggest attitudes will improve when quality circles are formed and will remain improved over time. Actual performance indicated cost savings and perceived circle success in three of the four circles, even though neither attitudes nor quality significantly improved over time.

A STUDY OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE IN ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC

This paper discusses the findings from a survey of 599 managers in five countries in the Asia/South Pacific region. We sought to discover how similar the practices were, based on opinions, and the resulting performance, based on 14 measures, in the region. We also sought to derive a profile of practices which was associated with performance. Results indicate that practices may show more variety than performance relative to the regional scores. Regression analysis found only one measure of performance was significantly related to practice factors.

Behavior Modification in Quality Control

Combined attitude change and operant conditioning procedures to improve operative worker performance were investigated. Results indicate no attitude change, no quality change, quantity improvement,...

Quality Improvement Practices in Korea, New Zealand and the USA

Considers the approaches to quality improvement undertaken by organizations in Korea, New Zealand and the United States of America. Relates alternative quality improvement approaches to actual operating and financial performance. Productivity improvement approaches were also investigated and related to performance. Multiple quality and productivity interventions were correlated with eight actual quality, three productivity, and three financial performance measures. Results indicate that a specific profile of quality and productivity improvement approaches was significantly related to performance. The results varied in the different countries, but no country achieved significant correlations with all measures. The profiles varied, depending on whether organizations in the various countries were most interested in performance quality, productivity improvement, or financial performance.

The Application of Behavioral Conditioning Procedures to the Problems of Quality Control

Rather than only emphasizing statistical techniques to control performance quality, it is suggested that modification of performance quality may readily be understood as the behavioral consequences...

Slack and performance in health care delivery

Improving quality and productivity simultaneously is vital to organizational competitiveness. Although continuous improvement is accepted as the objective for world class competition, it is not clear as to which interventions achieve the best performance, which variables intervene by enhancing or restricting the achievement of high quality and productivity, or which measures are appropriate for evaluating differences. Develops a quality evaluation tool and total factor productivity measures for health care clinics. Uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to discriminate between high and low slack groups. Finds that hypothesized relationships and interactions between quality, productivity, and slack generally have statistically insignificant differences, exceptions being that health care consumers were able to identify characteristics of high and low quality care as well as health care professionals and that health care quality can increase with no decline in productivity when there is high‐slack. In general, high‐slack clinics could increase quality or productivity, but not both.