Natcha Thawesaengskulthai

Pay‐off selection criteria for quality and improvement initiatives

Purpose – The variety of possible quality management (QM) and continuous improvement (CI) initiatives and their various possible permutations can make it difficult for a company to choose the best approach for their requirements. This paper aims to address the selection issue by presenting a method to compare popular QM and CI initiatives from the perspective of the pay‐offs, or expected benefits, to an organisation which successfully adopts the approach.Design/methodology/approach – The relevant QM and CI literature was analysed, examining key initiatives and their reported pay‐offs to the organisation. A matrix diagram approach is introduced which presents the extent and credibility of arguments advanced for these initiatives, in seven categories of pay‐off. A system of assessment is proposed, which quantifies the extent and weight of empirical evidence and estimates the strength of the claim for each pay‐off.Findings – The pay‐off matrix summarises the claims in each of the pay‐off categories, assesses...

Fashion Setting in Quality Management and Continuous Improvement

The area of business improvement is particularly prone to the emergence of management fashions. This paper contributes to the understanding of this phenomenon, supported by empirical evidence concerning quality management (QM) and continuous improvement (CI) initiatives. Quantitative evidence of the trends of academic and management discourse on these themes is presented, based on annual publication numbers for a range of important QM and CI approaches. These trends in QM and CI initiatives from the literature are then compared with reported industrial practice, using data from an international company survey conducted by Bain and Company over several years. A quantitative comparison of publication trends with this usage data shows that publication and usage trends appear to resemble each other, but industrial usage tends to lag behind academic discussion and may endure after the latter declines. The article concludes by discussing how these facts help to explain fashions in QM and CI approaches and suggests that dissemination effects are important to global developments in these fields.

An empirical framework for selecting quality management and improvement initiatives

Purpose – A growing number of publications have questioned and raised awareness of improvement fashions, especially in the area of quality management (QM), but rational decision‐making process has been promoted. Thus, this paper aims to address the selection issue and presents a holistic framework for selecting a QM and improvement initiative.Design/methodology/approach – The research was carried out in three phases. Phase One established a conceptual background for the adoption based on extensive literature review. Phase Two provided empirical studies of the QM approaches adopted in three leading case companies in Thailand and interviews with quality experts. Finally, Phase Three builds a theory of selection based on cross‐case analysis and a paradigm model.Findings – Triggers for the adoption are the internal factors (i.e. need to survive, sustain competitiveness, and increase operational effectiveness) and external factors (i.e. institutional push, trade barrier, and company image). The selection frame...

Hospital service quality measurement models: patients from Asia, Europe, Australia and America

This study explores how service quality in hospitals is perceived and measured among different groups of patients from four major continents (i.e. Asia, Europe, Australia and North America) who came to receive medical services in Thailand. Using stratified random sampling, data were collected from 2189 patients from 80 countries and four continents at six hospitals which provide healthcare services to international patients in Thailand. Four different models of measuring service quality based on different continents were developed with different numbers of quality dimensions and also a variation in the number of quality attributes. Asian patients provided a four-dimension model with 20 items; while a two-dimension model with 16 items was identified for European patients. Australian patients also revealed a two-dimension model but with 22 items, while patients from America provided a three-dimension model, also with 17 items. The study reveals that the development of service quality measurement models should not only consider context-specific items such as size and location, but should also include the nationality and demographic of the patient population. The findings also support that service quality has a significant impact on service satisfaction and the retention level of customers at the hospital. The concluded frameworks may guide healthcare providers to deliver better quality healthcare services and to sustain competitiveness.

Mobile claim management adoption in emerging insurance markets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of a mobile insurance claim system (M-insurance) and develops a framework for the adoption of M-insurance by consumers. Design/methodology/approach – This study assesses mobile technology for claim management through the lens of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovation (DOI) models as a major guideline, using exploratory research through in-depth interviews with four executive experts who are first movers in mobile claim motor insurance in Thailand. Semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions were used to conduct group interviews of insurance consumers who mostly use smartphones. The data were collected in a qualitative research approach from Thai insurance consumers (n=177), and contents were classified and analysed to gain strong insights into respondent opinions, comments, attitudes, behaviour, and experiences. Findings – The results indicate that the external (social) factors influence attitude and behaviou...

R & D commercialization capability criteria: implications for project selection

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the criteria of R & D commercialization capability by using the successful cases from government research institutes. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 272 entrepreneurs and researchers with a structured questionnaire. The data analysis was carried out by the structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – The research results revealed that there are six criteria for R & D project commercialization capability, these are arranged according to the significance; marketing, technology, finance, non-financial impact, intellectual property, and human resource. Moreover, the evaluator’s roles, both researchers and entrepreneurs, effect the level of criteria for consideration. Research limitations/implications – This research is derived from samples form voluntary participants from the disclosed lists in the governmental research institutes. Although SEM results provide weight for each R & D commercialization capability that would be the firs...

Evaluation model for research and development commercialization capability

The purpose of this research was to study the research and development (R&D) evaluation process situation and identify criteria for commercialization capability in Thai government in research institutes. The data were collected by in-depth interviews and purposive sampling is deployed. Series of interviews were conducted with 14 Thai experts from all the eight Thai government research institutes which stipulated R&D commercialization as their mission. The research results revealed that most of Thai R&D institutes focus on basic research; hence, the developed technology does not fit to the industrial demand. This paper hence suggested that the research institute should set the research agenda based on market together with technology driven. To assess the commercialization capability, six criteria for R&D project commercialization capability are technology, marketing, finance, intellectual property, resource, and beneficial impact should be considered but at different level relates to R&D development process. This paper is based on innovation theory to decrease the ambiguous subjectivity of Fuzzy expert system. Moreover, the proposed model explains major criteria to be used at each R&D development process to ensure commercialization capability.

A medication safety model: a case study in Thai hospital.

Reaching zero defects is vital in medication service. Medication error can be reduced if the causes are recognized. The purpose of this study is to search for a conceptual framework of the causes of medication error in Thailand and to examine relationship between these factors and its importance. The study was carried out upon an in-depth case study and survey of hospital personals who were involved in the drug use process. The structured survey was based on Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) (2008) questionnaires focusing on the important factors that affect the medication safety. Additional questionnaires included content to the context of Thailands private hospital, validated by five-hospital qualified experts. By correlation Pearson analysis, the result revealed 14 important factors showing a linear relationship with drug administration error except the medication reconciliation. By independent sample t-test, the administration error in the hospital was significantly related to external impact. The multiple regression analysis of the detail of medication administration also indicated the patient identification before administration of medication, detection of the risk of medication adverse effects and assurance of medication administration at the right time, dosage and route were statistically significant at 0.05 level. The major implication of the study is to propose a medication safety model in a Thai private hospital.

Artificial Intelligence and Successful Factors for Selecting Product Innovation Development

The firms capability to develop product innovation and successfully launch new products has been regarded as crucial determinant in sustaining a firms competitive advantage. Firms have been faced with a complicated problem in selecting innovation development project. From review of the related studies we found two groups of capability, firms innovative capability and firms new product development capability together with the external competitive environment factor are the factors influence the successful development of product innovation. We also review the predictive ability of Artificial intelligence, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Fuzzy Logic (FL), and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) and found that it is possible that they will provide a superior predictive system for use in selecting the product innovation development project.

Inventive problem solving for automotive part defective reduction

This paper aims for innovative solutions by using TRIZ to reduce four highest defective parts of a new automotive model which yields 85% of the supplier parts defective rates. DMAIC methodology of six sigma was applied to solve the problems. The team was established to reduce the defective rate to achieve production performance KPI. Define- the objective and scope were set through the 80:20 of Pareto chart which identified the main focused problem. Measure- the related precision and accuracy of component parts compare with specification, process capability of each component part of manufacturer which were lower than target were selected. Analysis- cause-and-effect diagram was conducted at each component to show possible causes of the problem, specify the factors that effected to process mean or process variation and summarized its root causes. FMEA was performed to confirm current process control of each factor and statistical hypothesis testing was used to prove the main factors that affect process inconsistency of each part. Improve-TRIZ was applied as the quick and accurate idea generating and excellence decision making from various alternative solutions to resolve technical contradiction. Pughs matrix was adopted to improve the solutions and logically establish criteria to select the best efficient idea. Control- according to the above performed, the overall defectives was reduced from 387 PPM to 198 PPM or approximately 51.2% compared to the average of defectives in seven month ago.